"Where's Tata?" Rose asked, looking at her mother as she came into her bedroom, purposefully closing the door behind her.

"He's pottering around his workshop. You managed to convince him, you know, but I'd limit the kisses and cuddles with Dimitri in front of him if you want him to stay in blissful ignorance."

"I don't know what you mean?" Rose said cautiously.

Janine smiled, but it wasn't without a hint of sadness. "Wee one, I was your age once, too. I recognize the way you and Dimitri were looking at each other this morning, and I know what it means. Just please be safe and remember you don't have to do anything you don't want to."

Rose was too stunned to reply.

"I would have preferred you wait until your wedding night, but I can see you love each other, and people marry a lot later, nowadays. I won't say anything to your father, but I am your Mom, and I hope you know you can come to me if you have any questions, or just want to talk."

Janine's face was almost as red as her hair as she sat on the bed and put her arm around her daughter.

"You're not angry? It wasn't something either of us planned to happen last night, I promise!" Rose whispered, cuddling in against her mother.

"I'm not angry. It's your body, darling. I just hope you weren't pressured, or that you didn't do it because you felt you owed him."

Rose shook her head. "It wasn't that. I've been thinking about it for a few months. Dimitri's never even suggested it…"

"Are you sure? I'd wondered whether maybe that's why you broke up? That he wanted to and you didn't?"

"No. We broke up because of a stupid misunderstanding when I didn't give him the chance to explain something to me," Rose said confidently. "I really love him, Mom. It was the right time, and he's the right person for me. I don't regret it."

Janine and Rose sat quietly on the end of Rose's bed hugging.

"Tata's going to be unbearable with Dimitri this afternoon, isn't he?" Rose moaned.

"Undoubtedly," Janine said with a smile. "You gave us both a scare this morning." She gave her daughter a long stare before continuing. "Did all that really happen with Jesse?"

"It did," Rose said, shivering even thinking about it.

"Then I think you should report it to the police. You might not have been the first woman he's done this to."

"But nothing lasting happened. Dimitri made sure of that."

"But what if Dimitri hadn't been there?" Janine asked softly. "You would never forgive yourself if he tried it on someone else and there wasn't anyone there to stop him."

"So what really happened?!" Sonya asked as soon as Rose and her parents were out the door. She didn't even bother pretending she and Karolina hadn't been eavesdropping. Viktoria, being considered too young for this discussion, was in the kitchen with Paul trying to wipe the cereal off his face and out of his hair.

"It was exactly like Roza said," Dimitri said crossly, not enjoying lying to his family.

"Did you really beat up a College guy?" Sonya gasped impressed.

"Yes. He's an ass. What he did to Roza was disgusting." Dimitri took a deep breath to regain his composure. "Thanks for being ok about the clothing, Sonya. I tried to choose something I didn't think you'd miss. She'll return it, but her clothes were all ripped up, and she needed something."

Karolina and Sonya's curious looks faded, replaced by sober expressions.

"You did a good thing, Dimka. She must have been terrified," Karolina said.

"She was ok at the time, but once the adrenaline wore off she was pretty upset," Dimitri admitted, nodding sadly.

"So are you back together again?" Sonya asked curiously. "As in it's official?"

"Yes, it's official. We've talked, and she's my girl again," Dimitri said tenderly, not missing the satisfied expression his grandmother gave him.

"I still can't believe you had a girl sleep over and no one's complaining. If I'd had a guy sleep in my bed overnight, the shouting wouldn't stop for a month," Sonya grumbled.

"That's different," Olena said, looking at her second daughter sharply.

"Different how?" Sonya challenged hands on her hips.

"It's different because nothing happened between Dimka and Roza," Yeva proclaimed, with a twinkle in her eye.

Sonya didn't see it that way, muttering under her breath about double standards.

"So," Karolina said, noticing her mother's eyes narrow ominously and trying to lighten the mood, "Did you win the game?!"

Standing on the stoop at Rose's house, Dimitri took a few deep breaths before knocking. Escaping his family's questions relatively unscathed, he'd retreated to his bedroom to 'study' - which actually meant lying on his bed, surrounded by the sheets that still smelled of Roza, remembering everything they'd shared together last night.

He felt so much closer to her now they'd been intimate. He'd heard locker room chat – and some of the guys talked about sex like it was nothing. But it wasn't like that for him. Being physical with Rose had made him feel even more connected and in love with her; and he was thrilled he'd managed to give her an orgasm.

Preparing himself for an afternoon of glares and snarky comments from Roza's fiercely overprotective father, Dimitri was relieved when she opened the door.

"Hey," she said giving him a very tender smile.

"Is that the boyfriend?" Abe grumbled loudly from inside. "Ask him in and make sure he wipes his feet!"

Rose giggled. It looks like Dimitri had progressed from 'The Russian' to 'The Boyfriend.' Rolling her eyes at her father's rudeness, she grabbed Dimitri's hand and pulled him inside.

"Mom guessed but isn't going to say anything. Tata doesn't know, so we need to keep the affection to a minimum, so he doesn't catch on," Rose whispered as she helped him out of his coat and into his house shoes. "And Comrade? I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I left your house. Last night was incredible..."

Dimitri smiled at her. This hiding how he felt about Rose in front of her father was going to be hard. All he wanted to do was scoop her up in his arms and tell her how much he loved her and how precious last night had been to him, too.

"Same," he whispered, before turning to face Abe who was walking toward where they stood in the entryway.

"Mr. Mazur," Dimitri said formally, waiting for Abe's signal to continue. "I'd like to apologize for my part in the worry and concern of this morning. I care for Rozalia and meant no harm when I took her away from the party. She was frightened, and my single priority was getting her somewhere she knew she was safe. We hadn't planned to worry anyone by falling asleep talking and not returning to Lissa's house."

Janine was standing beside her husband.

"We understand, don't we Abe?" she said stepping forward. "We're so grateful Rozalia had someone there she could trust and rely upon. Although I think you should both report what happened. I understand in the end Jesse didn't achieve his goal, but who knows what might have happened if you hadn't been there, Dimitri."

He looked thoughtful.

"Your mother has a point," he said to Rose. "He must have at least sixty pounds on you. You were doing a good job defending yourself, but it's the fact he tried what he did in the first place…"

"I don't want everyone to know," Rose said looking alarmed, "I don't even want to think about it."

Dimitri took her hands in his. "It's up to you, milaya. Talk it over with your parents, but if you need me to give an account of what happened, I will."

"I'll consider it," she said, sounding scared. More than anything she wanted to bury herself in Dimitri's arms, but she knew her father would have a fit if she did.

"It's your choice, Roza," he soothed. "I'll support you either way. I'd like to see Jesse made accountable for what he did, but not if it causes you even more pain."

Janine and Abe both gave him approving smiles, albeit for different reasons. Abe at the idea of Dimitri helping make sure Jesse got what he deserved, Janine because he was leaving the ultimate decision in Rose's hands and not pressuring her one way or the other.

Janine poured tea, and the four of them spent the rest of the afternoon in the workshop, Janine smoothing over the numerous awkward moments between Abe and Dimitri. Under Abe's admittedly skilled eye they did their experiments, Rose doing the hands on and Dimitri carefully annotating their results. It was a constant battle for them to keep their hands off one another, but they managed it.

After four and a half hours of experiments they were wrapping up, but Dimitri stopped to ask Abe some questions.

"Mr. Mazur? I wanted to ask if you know anything about water hammer? It's becoming a real problem for our landlady in her unit. I know it really needs a plumber, but while Mrs. Dodov owns the building, her children control the money her husband left her, and since they intend to demolish the building once she passes, they don't think it's a priority. It's greatly worrying her, so I thought I'd see if there was anything I could do to help alleviate the situation."

Abe, of course, had a lot to say about water hammer, and also Mrs. Dodov's selfish children not paying for a plumber. By the time he'd finished, it was approaching dinner.

"Dimitri? It's almost dinnertime. We were going to order pizza tonight; would you like to stay and eat with us?" Janine asked. Abe didn't look too put out by the suggestion, and Rose was grinning, so Dimitri accepted.

Over the cardboard pizza boxes, Janine again raised the idea of Rose making a statement.

"You don't have to have him charged if you don't want to," Janine explained to Rose. "But it might stop him doing it to someone else if he knows you made a statement to the police and it was on file."

"Only the police would have to know?" Rose asked cautiously.

"I believe so," Abe said reassuringly.

"And Dimitri won't get into trouble for punching Jesse? He can't afford a blemish on his record," Rose stressed.

"I can't see it being a problem given the circumstances," Abe replied.

"Ok. I'll do it, but not tonight. Dimitri and I are going to catch that exhibition at MOMA tomorrow afternoon, but maybe we could go to the police beforehand in the morning instead of Church?"

"I'll ring now and make an appointment," Abe said going upstairs, Janine following him after giving Rose and Dimitri a smile and a wink.

Finally alone, Roza was on Dimitri's lap in moments, arms around his neck kissing him.

"I loved sleeping with you in my arms," he crooned, stroking the side of her face tenderly.

"Me too. Even with the Jesse thing, last night was wonderful," she said shyly. "Was it as good as you'd imagined?"

"No, it was better. Now we've shared that, I feel so much closer to you," he admittedly bashfully. "What about you? How are you feeling today? No regrets?"

"It was perfect Dimitri. I wouldn't have changed a thing. Well other than being busted by our families! And I'm ok. A little bit sore," she said with a smile.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. I'm not complaining!" she said. "Believe me, the pleasure well and truly outweighed the pain."

"Do you know how beautiful you look when you cum?" Dimitri whispered immodestly in her ear, his eyes closed as he remembered last night again.

"Play your cards right, Comrade, and you might get to see it again!" she giggled.

They kept kissing until Rose heard footsteps on the stairs.

Abe came down eyeing the two of them suspiciously as they sat demurely side by side on the sofa, Dimitri with Rose's hands between his.

"We have an appointment for 10.30 tomorrow morning. Will you be able to meet us there?" Abe asked Dimitri, giving him the precinct details.

"That will be fine. Rozalia, your ripped clothing is still at my house. Should I bring that?"

"Please do," Janine said, having followed Abe down the stairs. "The police may need to see it. Concerning what happened afterward, I don't think the police need to hear about the specifics of that aspect of things. If they ask, perhaps tell them you took Rozalia back to your house, that she borrowed clothing from your sister and your family put her up for the night?" She didn't spell it out, but Dimitri understood she didn't want the police to know about the confusion about Roza's whereabouts, and that she'd been in bed with Dimitri at his place unbeknownst to his family.

Dimitri nodded in agreement. "I should go now," he said, standing up and thanking the Mazur's for dinner and their hospitality. At the door Rose handed Dimitri his coat, before leaning up to receive a chaste kiss; both conscious her parents were on the sofa watching.

"I'll see you tomorrow, milaya," Dimitri said gently.

"I can't wait," she whispered.

"So what the hell happened?" Christian asked, standing in the kitchen talking on the phone to Dimitri as he was making a snack. "Lissa was nearly having kittens when she couldn't find Rose this morning!"

He'd rung Dimitri to get the low down about what had happened the night before. His best friend explained how they'd accidently fallen asleep and the aftermath.

"Shit! So are you guys ok? I rang earlier, and your Mom said you were at her place? Did something happen between you two last night?" Christian asked, stuffing his mouth full of a bologna sandwich.

"We're back together and everything's good with us, but that's all you need to know," Dimitri said stiffly. He loved his Roza, and he wasn't going to spoil the magic of what had happened between them by talking about it with other people. What had happened last night was private!

Christian chuckled. That was more than enough confirmation, so he didn't press. Dimitri knew he and Lissa were having sex, but he didn't joke or muck around about it, so Christian would extend him the same courtesy.

"So what happened with Jesse?" Christian asked, grabbing a soda, balancing it on his plate and walking into the living room, which was vacant other than Tasha. He shot her a nasty look before flopping onto the sofa and continuing his conversation.

"Well, basically he tried to attack Roza and force himself upon her!"

"What? Like rape?" Christian said in surprise.

"Well it didn't get that far, but yeah. He tore her shirt and skirt trying to rip them from her, and he was pushing her down onto a sun lounge outside. I mean, he was drunk, but still…"

"It doesn't matter how drunk the guy is. Consent is consent, and if it's not given then it's sexual assault," Christian snarled angrily. While Rose was Dimitri's girl, she was his girlfriend's best friend and like a sister to him. The idea of her being in a situation like that was repugnant. "Are you going to report it to the police?"

"Yeah, we're going tomorrow morning."

"Do you think you'll press charges?"

"I don't think so. I don't think Roza wants them to."

"Well let me know. If it helps, I can make a statement about what I saw? I am sure Lissa and the others will, too."

"Thanks. Since it's just a statement I don't think it will be necessary, but I'll let Roza know," Dimitri said. "I just hope the police don't get shitty we didn't come forward straight away."

"I don't think they'll care it's taken you a while. I bet it takes some vicitms of sexual abuse months to come forward. You're doing the right thing, man."

"Yeah I know," Dimitri replied.

"So I guess this means you have to come up with the goods for Rose's eighteenth, now," Christian joked.

"Oh crap! I'd forgotten about that," Dimitri moaned. "Can you ask Lissa to suss out what she might like?"

Christian laughed. "Sure, dude. You're going to need every bit of help you can get," he said, remembering his own struggles just before Christmas choosing a present for Lissa's eighteenth. "I should get going, but I'll see you Monday. I'm glad you and Rose have worked things out, and good luck with the police tomorrow."

Ringing off, Christian finished his sandwich and soda, looking for any excuse to avoid his math homework.

"Who was that on the phone?" Tasha asked with an odd expression on her face.

"Dimitri, why? Going to try and force yourself on him again?" Christian snapped.

Tasha blanched. "What's up with him?"

"Not that it's any of your business but he and Rose are back together," Christian said, enjoying watching Tasha's unhappy look.

"What else did he have to say?"

"Nothing you're going to hear about from me," Christian growled, putting his plate back in the kitchen, deciding that math equations were better than speaking with his aunt.

Tasha sank onto the sofa trying not to panic. She'd figured Christian had been on the phone to Dimitri, but it sounded as though Dimitri was going to go to the police about what had happened between them at Lissa's Christmas party. She was already on a good behavior bond after being caught shoplifting last year; she couldn't afford any more trouble right now.

She pulled out her phone looking to see if she had Dimitri's number. Christian obviously had it, but he probably wouldn't give it to her even if she asked. As she was scrolling through her contacts, she noticed she still had Rose's home phone number from years ago when they'd been at school together.

Tasha stopped to think. Christian had confirmed Rose and Dimitri were back together. It had been weeks since Lissa's party, so Rose must be the reason Dimitri was going to speak to the police. Perhaps she'd convinced him to do it? If that was the case, she was probably the only one who could un-convince him.

Taking a minute to think of what she would say, and checking she had the place to herself, she dialed the Mazur home number.

"Good evening Mr. Mazur. It's Tasha Ozera – I was wondering if I could speak with Rose please?"