A.N: Hey guys!!
So here the chapter you were waiting for. I will also update the play list so check it out.
Anyways big thanks to the reviewers and Jess, my beta, for her enthusiasm.
One more thing I don't know if any of you read 'Heart at Stakes' by Alyxandra Harvey (Called 'My Love Lies Bleeding' in the UK) but if you didn't you totally should check. It's the first book of the 'Drake Chronicles' and it's FANTASTIC!!
Take care
Steffy.
P.S: in the last chapter Dimitri didn't move in with Rose, he checked his Room in the guardians quarters she didn't give in. Just so you know lol
Disclaimer: I don't know anything, I just wish I did =D
Chapter 11:
It had been a week of strict bed rest since I came back from Geneva. Even the laptop and internet had lost their appeal by now. I was craving company. I tried to get the Queen to visit, but apparently she was always busy. I wasn't a fool; I knew she was avoiding confrontation. I couldn't wait to be able to walk again and go straight to her face, she wouldn't be able to avoid me so easily then.
Since my hours were pretty inversed with the 'real' world, I managed to talk with Viktoria quite a lot on MSN; she was very excited to be an aunt.
I groaned as I closed the laptop and put it to the side. Can I die of boredom? Possibly! It would probably get better by tomorrow, because Sydney was coming to visit. Well . . . it wasn't a visit per say - she was coming with two high ranked Alchemists for a series of meetings - but still, she promised to sneak up to visit me as much as she could.
I started to hum Gabriel by Lamb while rubbing my belly. It was a strange lullaby, but it really seemed to keep both of us calm. "I'm strong even on my own, but from him I never want to part. He's been there since the very start. My angel Gabriel," I whispered the lyrics.
A little beeping sound brought me back to reality. Since I couldn't really stand on my own, and we didn't like the idea of leaving the door open all the time, my ingenious friends managed to install me a bell with the little intercom.
"Yeah . . ." I said wearily, half expecting it to be Dimitri. He wouldn't leave me alone, and it had started to really get on my nerves. I didn't want him around all day long! I thought he would grow tired of my constant hostility, but he was ignoring it now. He didn't even seem hurt by it anymore. It was almost like he was thinking 'Rose was a bitch. Oh well . . . What else is new? Just another day at the office.'
"It's me," said a voice I could recognize in a heartbeat, Pavel, my adoptive big brother. I couldn't help but feel better as I opened the door for him.
"What's up bro?" I called after opening the door.
I heard him laugh from the living room, "I'm good baby girl." He came in and stood at the foot of my bed. "What about you?"
"I'm so bored. I can't wait to be able to move around, just a little bit at least."
He smiled and nodded.
"So how come you aren't with Lissa at the boring meeting with Queen Bitch and her emissaries?"
He shrugged, "I wasn't needed, and I'd rather spend time with you."
I looked at him moving from one foot to another while balling his thumbs in his fists to crack his knuckles. I smiled. I knew him well enough by now to know that he wanted to talk about something. "Spill it Gav, I know you want to talk about something," I said grinning.
"You know me well."
"Uh huh . . ."
"There's this girl," he trailed off, and as insane as it seemed, he blushed.
"Now we're talking!!" I tried to rise a bit higher on the pillows. "So . . . dhampir or Moroi?"
"Dhampir!" he exclaimed as if I had offended him.
I laughed, "Come on, Moroi aren't that bad, see Lissa."
"Yeah well, she's taken."
"Do I know her?" I asked curiously.
He stayed silent for a moment.
"Possibly . . ." he finally admitted
"Come on hombre! Kick off the boots and come join me. You'll be more comfy here," I said as I patted the spot beside me and gave him my best devilish smile. "I think it will be a long interrogation."
Pavel sighed and rolled his eyes, but he still kicked off his boots, took off his jacket and jumped on the bed beside me.
"Oooh, this is a comfy bed!" he said appreciatively.
"Told you! Plus I'm spending almost 23 hours a day on this bed, it had to be comfy! So . . . the girl?"
He chuckled, "She works at the beauty parlor and--"
"That's why you go with Lissa all the time!"
"Do you want me to finish or what?"
"Fine," I pouted.
He rested his hand on my huge stomach and explained, "See baby, mommy is only a kid herself." Who thought I would be that big after only six months? "She's always cutting me off. So how am I supposed to talk to her about the fine girl your uncle Gav met eh? You tell me Gabriel, because right now . . . I'm lost."
"How touching!" I heard Dimitri spat in a hard voice. Both Pavel and I jerked our heads up to see him standing in the room. We were having so much fun that we didn't hear him come in.
"How did you manage to get in?" I asked. The fire I saw in his eyes at that moment made me realize it was a big mistake to ask him that.
"That's what you're wondering?!" he asked with a harsh voice as he gestured toward Pavel and I. "Really Rose?!"
"What really? You're acting like I'm doing something bad, but you're the one who just sneaked into my room uninvited!"
"I understand now why you're being so horrible to me all the time. It's because of him!" he shouted, pointing at Pavel who was still sitting next to me on the bed.
I was having trouble breathing, "Umm try again. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you turned your back on me when I begged you to stay!" Dimitri opened his mouth, but I shook my head vigorously. "What if I'm with Pavel, Adrian, Eddie or even Miller?! It has nothing to do with you! You lost that right when you left me and played dead for five FUCKING months!"
"Rose calm down please," Pavel begged with clear worry in his voice.
"I regained that right when I came back to stay! It's my child in there." He looked up and met Pavel's eyes, "What are you trying to do? Do you want my family so bad?" He sounded so hard that it felt like he would jump on Pavel any second now. Pavel was lethal, but he had nothing on this version of Dimitri. He might have been able to compete with him when he still was a dhampir, but now . . . it was impossible.
Pavel started to defend himself, "It's not—"
"I'm not your family!" I snapped, trying to bring his anger back on me. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, physically at least.
Dimitri looked down at me again, eyes black. "You're my Roza, and he is our baby boy," he said pointing to my belly again, "The rest is irrelevant." He looked at Pavel again and snarled, "Do you get it? She is MY wife and he is MY son. Try to get between us, and I'll destroy you."
"Have you lost your mind?! I'm ABSOLUTELY not your wife!" I exclaimed in offence. I reached for the TV remote and threw it at his head, knowing that it was futile with his Strigoi reflexes. He dodged it easily, but it felt good nonetheless.
"You will be," he said, still keeping his eyes on Pavel. "I'm yours and you are mine. Anything else is just unacceptable. When you realize that I love you more than anything and that my staying has nothing to do with Gabriel . . . You'll reconsider things."
"Don't hold your breath," I snorted and then added more harshly, "No actually hold it, please."
"Roza, don't push it," he growled.
"Or what? You're going to leave me? Oh wait!" I let out a half hysteric laugh, "You already did that! The only difference is that this time I wouldn't try to stop you." I pointed to the living room, "You are actually invited to leave . . . NOW!"
"Are you seeing him?" he asked. Even though he was trying to sound mad, I could hear the despair in his voice.
I was about to let out a smartass comment that only I had the secret when Pavel spoke.
"No we're not," he said coldly. "But it wouldn't matter anyways, it's not like you treated her right."
"Who are you to judge us?" asked Dimitri haughtily. "You don't even know me."
"No I surely don't know you, but I was the one who was there for her when she discovered she was pregnant and alone. I was the one who comforted her when she was scared. I was the one whispering in her ear that everything would be alright when it should have been you!" Pavel spat pointing at Dimitri. "All this time, when she needed love, reassurance and encouragement it should have been YOU! So don't come around like things are supposed to go your way. You're already lucky enough she even allows you in the same room as her! We took your place in her life; deal with it! You have to accept the consequences of your own choices and actions."
"And let the shit hit the fan," I grumbled, but was impressed by Pavel's eloquence.
"Well in a far less poetic way . . . I guess that's why I'm trying to say."
"Thanks," Dimitri said trying to calm down. He took a step toward Pavel.
"Anyways, what did you want?" I asked coldly.
"I--" he glanced quickly at Pavel.
I sighed, "I'll see you later Gav . . . Please." I knew that things were about to get out of hand.
Pavel nodded briskly, gave Dimitri a warning glace and left the room. Dimitri waited to hear the door close before concentrating on me again.
"So psycho, what's your twig?" I asked with attitude. That was far from being smart, but that was all I had at the moment.
"I--" he sighed, "My mother phoned me. She was teary with emotion because she received your little package with the ultrasounds of Gabriel and everything. That was . . . That was very nice of you."
"Olena is an exceptional woman; she deserves to be part of this pregnancy. He is her grandson after all."
"I'm glad you recognize that," he said with a keen light in his eyes.
"Being a genitor doesn't make you a father," I took a deep breath. "So, that was why you sneaked into my room?"
"I didn't want to wake you up if you were napping," he shrugged dismissively.
"Do you do that often?" I asked through shrewd eyes. "Come in when I'm asleep?"
"You look so peaceful when you sleep, your guard is down . . . It's like I have my Rose back," he explained with sadness in the voice.
"Give me back the key," I extended my hand. "Some girls may find that a guy watching them sleep is romantic, I just find it creepy!" I shook my head. "I'm Rose, not brainless Bella!" He looked at me, lips pursed. "Give me back the key Dimitri."
"I'll see you later Rose," he said before turning around briskly and exiting the room.
I groaned, burying my head in the pillow. That man was irritating, aggravating, controlling and slightly psychotic; but I never loved anyone more than I loved him, and part of me didn't want to get over him. Part of me accepted that I would always belong to him, but my current issue was the reason for his return, his reason to fight for us now. This doubt was always at the back of my mind. That doubt that, even if I tried, could end up destroying everything. I hated hurting him this way; it was like that little angry part of me had the control every time he was near.
I could remember Adrian's words when I told him - while drunk - my plans to save Dimitri and change him back. He told me that this relationship had been doomed from the start, that this relationship was only good to bring heartache to us both. And now, for the first time since I lost Dimitri, I started to wonder if Adrian was right.
The next two days went pretty well, I was so excited that Sydney was coming that I even asked her to stay here with me. But apparently, she had to stay in the huge suite that had been assigned to the Alchemists. The ones she came with were really old fashioned, and she almost had to sneak out to visit me.
"Sucks to be a bigot eh?" I asked her cheekily.
"Sometimes it really does!" she chuckled.
I sighed as I reached for my cell phone. I knew perfectly well that what I was about to do was a stupid mistake, but it was like seeing to a car accident - you knew it would be ugly, but you just couldn't turn away.
"Eddie! Hey buddy!" I said as cheerily as I could. "Are you busy?"
"Not really, why? Do you need anything?"
"Can you come over for a minute? I . . . I have a little favor to ask you," I tried to sound nonchalant, "It's kind of a secret though."
"Sure, anything! I'll be over in a minute."
"The door will be unlocked, just come in. Thanks Buddy!" I said hanging up.
I stood up carefully; feeling like I lost more muscle than I thought was possible. It was painful in my knees and I could feel the muscles in my calves screaming, but I stood straighter and walked to the dresser to grab a pair of super sized sweatpants and a sweatshirt.
"Rose what the--" said Eddie looking at me with wide eyes, "You're not supposed to be up! Dimitri is going to kill us."
"Oh screw him! I only have two more days left of bed rest!" I said slowly walking toward the bathroom.
"So wait two days! Whatever you need to do can surely wait," he said worried.
"No it can't actually," I said from the bathroom. I tried to put some order in my hair before tightening it in a ponytail. "In two days she'll be expecting me, but now . . . She won't see me coming."
"Who won't see you coming?"
"The Queen of course!" I exclaimed as I came out of the bedroom.
"Are you insane?" he choked out. "You want to disobey the Doctor's order for bed rest, and go to see the Queen?" he snorted, "That's going to end well!!"
"Don't worry Castille. Nobody will know that you helped me. You'll be playing your role in the shadow."
He sighed heavily and I knew I had won. "Okay how do you plan to do that?" I could see that he wasn't very happy with me, but he would help anyways.
"Well you know since I was pregnant and bored I wandered a lot in the Court surroundings," I explained as I leaned back against the wall.
"Okay . . ."
"I know a way, using a back stairwell, to arrive in the conference room beside the main double doors leading to the Queen's Quarters."
"And?"
"Well I need you to help me down the stairs because I'm not sure that my legs can actually hold me well enough to go down. And then, you need to go back up quickly and go in through the main doors," I smiled. "I just need you to divert the guard's attention by making him move from his post so I can move from the tiny room and through the double doors without him spotting me."
"That will be bitchy Rose. What if someone sees you?"
"The Queen won't stop me; she needs me for some obscure reason. As for you, once you've diverted the guard's attention, you leave and forget you ever helped."
"I . . . don't know," he said eying me warily.
"You can leave me then. Believe me; I'll have help getting back to my room."
"I still think it's a terrible idea."
"Okay, your protestations are duly noted. Are you happy now?"
"No . . ." he groaned. Then he wrapped his arm around my waist, "Come on let's go."
"You're amazing."
"I'm a moron," he replied with defeat as we walked down the corridor to the elevator, "and Dimitri is going to kill me."
"Let's take the back exit, less traffic." I purposefully ignored his last comment. I mean, what could I really say to that? Of course he would!
Eddie nodded as we walked under the tree line to the main building. The more I walked the steadier I felt. I guess I didn't lose that much muscle, they were mostly numb.
"How do you know where to find her?" asked Eddie curiously.
"I know her habits fairly well now. At least working so close to her gave me that," I whispered as we went down the stairs. "She has a meeting with the Alchemists in a couple of hours, Sydney told me. And what does she do before a meeting?" I asked rhetorically. "She's in her office, rereading her notes."
"Rose . . ." he said in a breath as we made it to the room.
"It's all good Ed. I know what I'm doing." More or less.
"Okay put your phone on vibrate and I'll beep you just before I come through the main doors."
"Thanks," I said kissing his cheek.
"Yeah . . . I'm not sure I should be thanked for doing something this stupid," he sighed shaking his head. "But you're welcome," he added before rushing up the stairs.
I stood behind the door, my ear glued to it. Only two minutes later my phone started to vibrate. Damn, I forgot how fast we could be.
"Hey can you help me one sec?" I heard Eddie call. "I think that this door is stuck."
"Yeah . . ." said the other guardian.
I cracked the door open and saw Eddie about two doors down across from me. The guardian would be turning his back . . . Perfect!
As soon as the guardian joined Eddie, I used what remained of my Ninja skills. I felt triumph fill me when I closed the double doors silently behind me. I didn't even bother to knock and walked directly into the Queen's office.
She looked up startled as Miller immediately rushed toward me. He wouldn't evict a pregnant woman would he? The look on his face wasn't clear.
"Miss Hathaway?! Guardian Miller! Stop!" she ordered.
"I just need two minutes of your time," I said coldly. "Then I'll go and you'll never see me again."
I saw her eyes widen with surprise, "Please sit. Let's not do anything radical."
"No I won't sit and I don't want to play around anymore. You wanted Dimitri and you have him . . . Good job by the way. You can keep him, but I know there is more! I'm not an idiot. I . . ." I was starting to get breathless; apparently anger did take a toll on my breathing. "I know you want more, but I won't let you hide things from me. I would prefer to leave Lissa and my career behind than to risk my child's life. We're done!" I turned around to leave. It was a clear Mexican standoff I was pulling here, it was a bend or break situation. I was about to open the door.
"Wait!" she shouted standing up. I turned around, happy to see her reaction. She looked at Miller, "Leave us alone, please."
"But--" he started
"Are you discussing one of my orders?"
"No . . ." he said bowing slightly. He threw me a dark look and left the room.
"What do you want?" she asked finally, and I could hear the resignation in her voice.
"The truth, that's all I want. If you still remember what it is."
She nodded, reached for a key and opened a draw of her desk. "That's the truth," she said handling me a piece of paper.
I frowned with confusion and looked at the paper. It looked like an old papyrus roll.
I quickly scanned it. "What the hell is the 'The Cradle of Hope'?" I asked throwing the piece of paper back on her desk. I thought she was playing me, yet again.
"The Cradle of Hope? The Cradle of Hope is you Rose," she said apparently dead serious.
