Okay, Sorry this chapter is late. But here it is... I will try my best to get the chapters up a lot faster soon as hubby is going back to work next week... (That sounds bad hey!)
:-) But, anyway... I hope you like it and please, please review... I love to hear what you all think of the story.

Sandy

Dimitri to the Rescue– outtake 2

Monday... After everything I'd learnt about Rose and seeing her at the lake, I woke up this morning determined to help her get her life back. Getting close to her would just be an added bonus. I don't know why I feel this way; no-one has ever made me think about them like this... well, apart from... I could be just a friend, I could do that.

I went over my class plan for tonight before heading out for some interviews. I had to find out what was out there. I'd be more particular where I worked this time, for all involved; I had to be more... careful.

The first two companies I went to took on customers that were less than ideal. The third company was a little more up my alley. The head woman was a tough piece of work. One look at her and you could tell that you'd take your life in your hands picking a fight with her. I told her some of the things I've done and where and she seemed impressed, but I was soon beginning to understand that her idea of 'impressed' was an eyebrow lift... I noticed she had no wedding ring; it didn't surprise me really. It would take one tough son of a bitch to be her partner in life!

I'd told her a little about what brought about the demise of my last position and she was understanding of my need for a little time off. She said that if I was interested in taking on the position, I could come do a shift and make sure I was ready to come back. I think it would be a good thing for me to do.

On the way home from the interviews, I got a call from my mother. Apparently my sister's school rang to say that she was sick and needed to be picked up.

"You look like hell Vikki."

"Gee, thanks bro, nice to know you're always there to make me feel better." She was such a grouch when she got sick.

"Well you do, would you prefer if I lied to you?"

"Yes, I would. I need some cold medicine; can you stop off at the drug store on the way home please?"

"Where is it?"

"Mama either goes to the one at work or at the mall."

"Well, I'm not going to double back to the hospital, the mall it is."

It only took us a few minutes before we pulled into a parking spot at the mall. Since my last job, places like these made me feel uneasy. Most sayings in life are true, other than the one about there being 'safety in numbers'. That one I knew was definitely not true in all cases; I knew that from personal experience.

"Lead the way sis." I said as we walked through the automated doors. The air conditioning was a welcomed relief at least. Vikki got what drugs she needed as well as a very large box of tissues and a hot water bottle. I was pretty sure we had that at home already but when I tried to tell her this, the glare I got in return told me in no uncertain terms to 'shut my mouth'...

"You want something to eat before we go sis? I could do with something."

"Uh, not really, I'm a little 'blah' in the stomach, but I'm happy to wait for you to get something."

We went over to the food court and I went straight for the sushi bar to get myself some Tekka-maki Sushi Rolls. They were some of my favourites, apart from the teriyaki chicken ones of course. I was standing by the counter talking to my sister and waiting for my order to be filled when movement to my left caught my eye.

I couldn't believe it... she's here. Everywhere I went, she was there. My eyes narrowed as I saw her lift the hood of her T-shirt she was wearing. I could tell by her demeanour that this action was one to hide herself from those around her. She hadn't shown this side of her in class, and I didn't like it at all. I could tell by her face that she was uncomfortable, her eyes darting around the room. Her friends, without thinking, stood either side of her as they walked out.

"Who are they?" My sisters voice broke my attention and I looked back to see a very annoying, knowing grin on her face.

"Just some girls from my class. The girl in the middle has had a rough few weeks."

Just then the lady behind the counter came over with my food and we made our way back to the car.

"So what did you do this morning?" Vikki asked.

"I went for a few interviews, thought it was time to go see what's around."

"I thought you were going to take a little while longer before going back, are you sure you're ready?"

"Nothing is set in stone; I just wanted to see what is out there... Although the last place I went to was probably what I'm looking for."

We got home soon after and Vikki went upstairs to take a shower before heading off to bed. I finally ate my lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon reading. My books always put me in the right frame of mind before a class.

=x=

As I walked into the studio, my eyes went straight to the rear of the group. There she was... I said my hello's to everyone and got straight into my routine. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable by looking at her all the time, but it was a hard thing not to do. My eyes seemed to have a mind and will of their own and that will was to drink her in... I was caught out a few times, I couldn't help but smile and I felt like I was being caught with one hand in the cookie jar! I was pleased when she smiled back.

Normally I would start on the running exercises after warm up, but I wanted an excuse to get a little closer and running wouldn't accomplish that. I'd decided last night that I would get them all to do some balancing exercises instead. That turned out to be one of my more brilliant plans...

Everyone loved what I was getting them to do, and really, it would benefit everyone to do this at home, it would help them all a lot. I carefully and slowly made my way closer and closer to her, talking to the class the whole way so she was aware of where I was. When I finally got to her, I knew that she'd had plenty of time to move away if she'd wanted to; but she didn't.

The exercises that I'd planned were ones I'd hoped she would fumble on, but she had excellent balance and was performing them easily. The only one that I could fault was one of the more basic yoga moves and the only thing she really did wrong was not placing her foot high enough on the other leg. I was nitpicking really, but she wasn't giving me much to work with...

I was hoping that my face wasn't betraying the inner turmoil I was feeling. I wanted so much to reach out and touch her, but again her balance was great. I told her to put her arms up and when she did, it just gave my eyes an excuse to wander... and wander they did. I followed the line of her arms down from her hands to her shoulders, from there it was only a flick to the right and our eyes locked.

She's stunning!

My traitorous mouth pulled up into a smile at her perfect posture just before she started to wobble... That was all I needed. I reached out placing my hands on either side of her body.

"Whoa there... Concentrate on centring your body." I said to her. Her stumble had made her bring her arms down so I used that excuse to touch her some more. "Keep your arms up, palms together." I moved my left hand up her side and the instant my hand touched the bare skin on her arm; I got that same feeling in my hand and arm from before... electric! When I felt her skin prickle, I wondered if she'd felt it too.

"That's it. Now, hold for as long as you can." As much as I didn't want to, I made myself pull away from her. I was pretty sure she didn't like to be touched and I didn't want to push my luck by being to touchy-feely with her. I could see that her breathing had increased from before I'd touched her, so I forced myself to do the right thing.

"Thank you." She said softly. I may have been able to will my hands away, but my eyes... the eyes with a will of their own, wouldn't look away.

"I have a feeling that you are going to be one badass fighter Rose." Be good, be good, be good... I chanted as I turned away from her. I went to her friend Lissa and helped her with the pose she was doing before making my way around the rest of the room and changing into the last balance exercise. I'd always prided myself on my strong will and professionalism, but around Rose I found it constantly being tested. She was very... distracting.

I brought out the large foam block and placed it on the floor at the opposite end of the studio. This was a good exercise but I needed someone to help me demonstrate it. The thought to ask Rose was tempting, but I really needed someone who knew what to do, so I asked Julie. She'd been training with Alberta for some time so I knew she'd know what to do.

After a few of the women had done the exercise I smiled at the easy banter the girls had with one another. From what I'd seen of the little blonde one so far, she seemed like the stirrer of the three, calling Lissa a princess was quite apt I thought. When it was Rose's turn I expected a little apprehension but what I didn't expect was the look on her face and in her eyes. She seemed to freeze for a few seconds but the look in her eyes was unmistakable... she was angry.

Her friend Mia pulled her out of her 'thing' with a little nudge before she started running towards me. I could still see that whatever was on her mind before was still there and I was surprised by the force with which she kicked the block pad I was holding. She was strong... When she landed on her back I thought she was hurt, she was breathing rapidly and her eyes were clamped shut but she got up and went back over to her friends.

The end of the class came all too soon and I wanted to talk to Rose some more but I didn't know how to start up the conversation. When Mia said goodnight I suddenly asked if I could speak to Rose for a minute. I knew what I wanted to ask her, I just didn't know if I should. I took the chance and was pleased I did. She opened up to me somewhat but what really surprised me was when she said that I was the only guy who had been able to touch her since she was attacked. I can't describe how I felt knowing that...

When she sat beside me I was curious as to what she was doing, I knew this was a big step for her, which was one reason I sat on the floor when she walked over to me, it gave her the upper hand in the situation. I was pleased to see that what she'd been through hadn't put a dampener on her humour. It was wicked... I hadn't smiled so much in ages and it felt good to laugh again too. The fact that she was bringing this out in me only made me want to get closer to her still.

I had to hold in a giggle when she agreed that I was now less 'geeky'. Her blush was... adorable. She shocked me again when she asked me to touch her shoulder; I was more than happy to accommodate her wish, so I told her to open her eyes so that she would see my movements.

The smile that lit up her face when she realised she had no fear of my touch could have lit up the city; I could see how much it meant to her... I know how much it meant to me. What I said next came out before I could stop it. I told her to feel free to explore her limits... Shit! Now my tongue has a mind of its own! Soon I'm going to have absolutely no control over my body at all... My tongue kept going though, when I told her that I hoped she would take my offer of help, I prayed that I hadn't scared her away. I was a little embarrassed with my runaway mouth... I normally have more self-control than this.

I said good night and watched her walk to the door. I was powerless to stop the grin from spreading across my face at the turn of events tonight. I wanted to get closer to her and I had accomplished that and more... I was happy.

I had nothing planned for the next day so for the first time in a long time, I slept in. I woke at the sound of knocking on my door.

"Are you awake, son?" My mother said from the other side of the door. Luckily I had woken up just before she knocked and was awake enough to quickly gather up the sheet and pull it haphazardly over myself. Being the rough sleeper I am, it's probably not a good thing for me to sleep in the raw like this; anyone who just barged into my room of a morning would get an eye full.

"Come in Ma." I said yawning. I smiled when she poked her head into my room.

"I'm sorry to wake you son but its 10:30 and I thought I'd come see if you were still alive." my mother said smiling... She didn't look sorry.

"Yeah, I'm still breathing mama." I stretched out as I yawned again, my feet hanging just over the end of my bed.

"Well, I've been called in for a half shift today; one of the girls will be coming in late. I should be home well before dinner alright?"

"Okay, do you need me to get anything?"

"No, just have a good day..." but before leaving she added... "What's left of it!"

I was now awake with no idea what to do with myself, so I thought I'd go see Tasha. When I got there I found she wasn't home and then I remembered the lake. I drove around to the picnic area and smiled when I saw that there were no other cars. I walked down to one of the tables and just looked out over the water as I thought about Rose and all the things that I'd found out about her and what was said at the end of class last night.

It wasn't long before the water got a little too enticing and I knew I was the only one around so I got up and took my shirt off. I was about to push my shorts off when I noticed movement to my left.

Of course... It seemed I was unable to go anywhere these days without running into her. Is the universe trying to tell me something or what? I was a dumbstruck for a few seconds and then I realised that something was wrong, her face... she'd been crying.

"Rose!" I yelled out. She either didn't hear me or she didn't want to be around anyone, I was betting on the first thought. "Rose... wait up!" I quickly scrambled to put my shirt back on as I went to go after her. She ran into the trees and for a second or two, I lost sight of her.

"Rose, where are you? It's Dimitri... Rose!" Then I heard her...

"AARRGGHH!" The scream was... terrible. I could hear the pain in it. Panic set in and I sped up towards where I thought I heard the cry come from. I could hear crying but the sounds seemed to be almost bouncing off the trees. "WHY?" she screamed again.

There she is...

She wasn't far in front of me, but she was on her knees and I could see that she was punching into the tree she was resting against. My heart broke to see her in so much obvious pain. No-one in their right mind would punch a tree like that...

I threw my arms around her from behind trying to pull her away from the tree before she could do anymore damage.

"Rose... stop!" I kept yelling at her but somehow I don't think she heard me. She fought against me like a wild animal. She screamed, kicked, clawed and writhed in my arms, I don't know how, but I was able to hold onto her.

"Rose please stop, its Dimitri... Calm down, it's alright. Rose STOP!"

All of a sudden she stopped fighting, her breathing was still laboured but she at least stopped trying to bite me.

"Rose... Don't be afraid, it's alright, I've got you."

A little bit more of my heart broke when she turned her face to me, her eyes held so much sadness.

"Shh..." I whispered. I fell backwards from where I had been squatting down and pushed my legs out straight as I turned her body into mine. Wrapping my arms around her body, I let her cry. I winced a little as she knotted her fingers into my shirt; pulling at the small patch of hair underneath. Her cries weren't just a cry, they were like the floodgates had been opened and she couldn't stop. But they did... eventually.

"How did you find me?" She finally asked.

I told her how I'd been sitting at the lake ready to go for a swim and that she hadn't heard me. She was surprised at this; she really had been in her own little world... She didn't want to talk about what had upset her and as much as I knew it would help her to let it all out, I didn't want to do anything to upset her any further, so I let it go. That's when I saw what she'd done to her hands.

"Your hands... b'lyad!" She tried to cover it up by joking but I couldn't help but be angry that her life had been thrown into such disarray, that she felt that this was her only outlet. When she saw that her first joke didn't have the desired result, she tried again... This time I couldn't resist. When she asked if I was gay I laughed out loudly, but at the same time I made sure to let her know that I was most definitely not gay. I'd never come across someone who brought out so many thoughts and emotions in me as Rose, she was... complex and I found myself wanting to know more about her with each passing day.

I helped her up and took her back to the picnic table I'd previously been sitting at and then I went to my car to get the first aid kit. I'd watched my mother do this to me enough times to know what to do, so I set about cleaning her hands.

I was surprised by her resentment towards her mother, I'd never felt that way against mine, I couldn't imagine why any woman would not want to love their child. I laughed at her expression when I told her about what I'd done to my father; I was perplexed about her comment though, I really wanted to find out why she thought what she did.

I thought the best way of getting her to talk was over lunch, which was what my family had always done. Our meals were always loud... So that's what I did. We ordered Chinese and took it back to my place. As I'd hoped, the food loosened her tongue and she told me about everything that had happened to her. I was so sorry that she had gone through that, but she didn't need that from me, she had others to be her 'shoulder to cry on'. From me she needed strength and healing, and I knew just how to do that. So we made plans to start training; I would make her strong, I would make her confident in herself, I would give her life back to her.

Before we could leave though, mama came home. I'd forgotten that she was only doing a half day. I was unsure if I should play dumb and make out that I didn't know my mother knew her, but I didn't want to start our friendship off with a lie, I wanted her to trust me... so I had to tell her the truth. When I told her that my mother knew about me being her instructor, she got a little defensive so I had to calm her fears.

I told her everything and I'm glad I did, her eyes bored into mine like she was trying to see if I was lying but when she smiled, I knew she'd believed me. I took her back to her friends place after she told me that she had to face things there, even though she'd rather not... Another thing that showed her strength of character. Just as she was about to get out of the car, I thought about giving her my cell phone number.

I reached over to get a pen and paper out of the glove compartment and was immediately rewarded with her scent... freesia's, cinnamon? Whatever it was, she smelt good. As I gave her the slip of paper, I held onto her hands.

"...call me first and I'll give you something softer to hit than a tree; I'll even give you some gloves."

She laughed at my joke and that's when it happened... My hands now have a mind of their own... First my eyes, then my tongue – now my hands. What's next? I reached out and twisted her hair between my fingers... hair just like...

I blinked slowly and looked down as I let her hair go. I couldn't believe I did that...

What are you thinking... don't go there, you know what happens when you go somewhere you shouldn't.

"Don't let anything make you feel like you can't let it all out in front of me. I know what it's like to feel that all consuming anger. And I know it needs to come out sometimes, let me show you how to channel it into something positive."

Before she could say anymore, her friend Lissa came outside. Rose quickly got out of the car and I watched as they hugged each other. I could see her friend had been worried. When she said her thanks to me, I nodded and backed away knowing that Rose was safe for now.

I drove back towards home when my cell phone rang. I pulled over to the side of the road and answered it before it went to message.

"Hello." I greeted.

"Mr Belikov?"

"Yes."

"Hi, you came in this morning for an interview."

"Oh yes, hi. Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong. I know I said that I'd leave it up to you to call if you were interested in the position but I've had one of my regulars call in sick and I have an important job in the morning, I was wondering if you would maybe like to use it to see if you'd like the job."

It couldn't hurt...

"Yes, I'd like that, thank you."

"Alright then, you need to be here at 6am sharp. Do you have a black suit?"

"Yes I do. White shirt alright?"

"Yup, that's good. Alright, I'll see you then."

With that, the line went dead. This woman was all business. I put the phone on the seat beside me and continued on my way home. I had to find what I'd done with my clothes since coming back to the States, they were packed somewhere.

When I walked in the front door, mama called out from the kitchen. I had a good idea what she wanted me for... oh well, best get it over and done with now I suppose.

"Hi mama." I said with a kiss on the top of her head. She looked up to me with one of her brows up in question. Should I play dumb...? "What's for dinner?" Yup...

She didn't move nor did her expression change, so I knew this game was going no further.

"Ask your question mama." Nothing... We stood looking at each other for a few seconds before I couldn't take it anymore... I was a grown man for shit sake, how can she break me so easily without saying a single word...

"We're just friend's mama." Nothing... Crap!

"I found her at the lake punching into a tree. Apparently she had an interview with the police and they made her feel as though she'd brought it all on herself. The breaking point came when they said that her boyfriend's death was 'unfortunate'. I cleaned her hands up and bought her lunch. I was just about to take her home when you came in..."

When I finished, she continued to stare at me and say nothing... for a little while.

"Well, thank you for telling me all that son, but that really isn't what I wanted to know." Shit... "I saw the way she looked at you."

"Oh Mama, she didn't look at me any particular way. She didn't..." I said when she narrowed her eyes at me. "Plus, I don't think of her like that... she's a friend, that's all."

"Okay..." she said after a few seconds.

"Oh, by the way, do you know where my suit is; I think it's packed still from the move."

"Are you starting work again?" She asked apprehensively.

"Not really, I've just been offered something in the morning to see if it's what I want to do. I'll make my mind up after that." Just then my sisters came in from work after picking Karolina's kids from childcare.

"Uncle Dimka." Paul yelled as he jumped up into my arms.

"How was school today young man?"

"Cool... We went on a trip to the museum and we saw dinosaurs and stuffed animals and planes and then we had lunch and then we..."

"Paul," Karolina interrupted. "You've got all night to tell you uncle about your day, you don't need to do it all in one breath. Come on, jump in the bath quickly before dinner."

"Oh mama..." he whined.

It had often amazed me how she could get both children bathed and dressed in less than fifteen minutes; I remember what I was like as a kid...

"Can you cut the roast please Dimitri?" Mama asked as everyone took their seats at the table. As I cut, everyone else filled their plates with the other food. Then my cell phone rang...