A/N: Hey guys! All of you are great! Thank you for all the reviews! :-)

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to Richelle Mead.

The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by Ms. Belikov. Please do not copy, reproduce, or translate without express written permission.

RPOV:

"Roza? Rose? I heard you scream from down stairs. What is wron—" Dimitri stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes flickered down to Yeva's body, cold and pale and still on the floor.

"Babushka?" He ran and dropped to his knees beside her, grasping her bony hand in his. "Babushka?" He shook her hand, urging her to wake up. "Babuska!" More shaking. "Babushka! Come on. Don't do this to me!" Dimitri leaned forward, checked her pulse, and his breath caught in his throat.

A sob escaped my lips. "She's dead Dimitri. Gone."

"Shut up!" he snapped.

I whimpered and recoiled away from him. "I'm so sorry—"

"Mama! Mama! Get in here. Now."

Moments later, Olena and Karolina were in the doorway. Olena stepped forward first, blood leaving her face in an instant. She looked extremely lightheaded as if she were going to faint at any given moment.

Karolina went utterly silent and deadly still.

I wasn't sure which reaction I hated more.

"Mother?" Olena rushed forward as a sob so loud rang through the house. I flinched.

"Fix her, Mama. You're a nurse. Make her better."

The hysteria in Dimitri's voice made me cry harder, it was on the borderline of insanity. God, Yeva's death was going to shred his insides and destroy him. I had to be the one there picking up the pieces and putting him back together, because I loved him, and there was no way in hell I was going to abandon him now.

Robotically, Olena leaned over Yeva's body, checking to make sure she wasin fact dead, but still hoping that there was some way to revive her mother.

Abruptly, Olena's hand dropped to her side and those eyes went glassy, emotionless, empty. "She's…dead."

"How'd she die?" Karolina croaked from the doorway, silent tears streaming down her face.

"Myocardial infarction," Olena's face dropped into her hands, she sobbed loudly. "Heart attack. She had a heart attack."

The look on Dimitri's face cut a gaping hole into my chest, the searing pain was astounding.

"She can't be dead," A single tear slid out of his eye. Angrily, he wiped it away. "This is not possible. How could she die? There were no warning signs. She's. Not. Dead." Dimitri grabbed Yeva's shoulders and shook them violently. "Wake up, Yeva! Goddamn. WAKE UP!" he roared.

Gathering up all the strength I could, I crawled over and ripped his hands away from his grandmother. "She's gone, Dimitri. Passed. In heaven. There's no bringing her back."

From the doorway, I heard strange sounds, murmurs. I glanced up and saw that the whole family, excluding Paul, had come into the room. With tears in their eyes, they spoke softly and rapidly in Russian. It was a prayer, I realized. A prayer for Yeva's passing.

The three daughters surrounded their screaming and crying mother, hugging and kissing Olena, crying with her, comforting her. God only knew how much she needed it right now. The pain this family had endured in recent months must be agonizing.

Dimitri began to thrash in my arms; I straddled him to keep him in place. "She can't be gone, Roza? Can she? Oh, god." I met his tear-filled eyes. "My grandmother is gone. Forever." He dropped his face into my neck as he wrapped his arms around my body, squeezing tightly.

No words could comfort him right now, so I calmed him with my body, holding him in my arms as sobs and cries filled the room. Most were feminine, belonging to his three sisters and mother, and the other well, it was…as rough as gravel. It was the sound of a man who didn't break down and get emotional often, it was the sound of a man who had lost someone he'd loved dearly, it was the sound of a broken man. Dimitri.

"I want to tell her that I love her, okay? Is that okay?" He asked me with raw vulnerability.

I blinked away the burning tears. "Yeah, it's fine, baby. Go ahead." I started to get off of him, wanting him and his family to have privacy with their lost one; after all…this was no place of mine. But Dimitri squeezed me tighter, pulling me back down into his lap; his voice cracked multiple times as he spoke. "No, Roza. Please don't leave me. I need you right now. I need you so badly I don't think I can live without you."

My fingers ran through his hair, trying to soothe him. "Okay, I'll stay. Promise."

After a moment, Dimitri relaxed a little. Those dark brown eyes went down to Yeva on the ground, with a slow and trembling hand; he leaned over and gently closed her eyelids. She looked peaceful now, like she was in a deep sleep.

"I love you, Babushka. Forever and always, my love." Dimitri then switched over to Russian and said a few things to her.

After he was done, he somehow managed to pick me up and carry me over to join his family. We sat at the small circle and mourned together, holding onto one another.

Dimitri held me the tightest and never let go.

Five months later…

APOV:

From the corner of the cafeteria room, I watched Dimitri and Rose interact as I ate my food, thinking that they looked so happy together. Too happy.

Lucky bastard. He got it all, while I got nothing.

Mia, that blonde bimbo receptionist at the warden's office, who I'd screwed only two times—completely intoxicated, had ratted me out to Sydney after I'd made it clear that I didn't want a relationship with her.

If I had known that Sydney and Mia were close friends, I would have stayed far away from Mia. But just like everything else in my life, it came back with vengeance and bit me in the ass.

Now that my fiancé had dumped me and claimed that she never wanted to talk to me again, all I had was my lonely self, my friends…and a bottle of Grey Goose.

After giving Dimitri a lingering kiss, far too intimate for the public and my liking, Rose sauntered over and plopped down at our usual table.

"Hey guys," She stole a brownie off Christian's plate.

"Hey! I was thinking about eating that," he protested. "Look how lean I am. Lord knows I need the fat and calories way more than you do."

Rose narrowed her eyes into thin slits. "! Tell him to stop. It's my birthday and no one is allowed to be mean to me."

Lissa simply arched her blonde brows and looked at her boyfriend. The words in those jade-green eyes said it all: Don't mess with her, or I am going to hurt you.

His mouth flattened into a tight line, and then in a strained and reluctant voice, he spoke, "Happy birthday, Rose."

Rose beamed, her eyes a wonderful sparkling brown. "Thank you." Yeah, all those happy sparkles had come from making Christian do something he didn't want to do. She took obvious satisfaction in it.

"You're evil," I smirked. "I love it." Truth was, it kind of gave me a…yeah, never mind. That was inappropriate. Especially since the girl had a boyfriend. One that was good looking and tall and dark with that strong accent that drove her wild.

I wondered if I could pull off a Russian accent, would she want me then?

Probably not.

"Now, open this." I pulled out the rectangular box wrapped in shiny gold paper. I nudged it over to her.

Rose grinned as she tore into it. "Adrian! It's beautiful!" Gently, she ran her fingertips over the silver rose pendant with rubies in it. "Except for—ah. Never mind."

"What is it? Don't get all tongue tied now."

"It's just that, well, I, uh…" She fingered the nickel sized emerald at her neck. "It might get tangled with the one Dimitri gave me."

Rejection and hurt made my chest sink. God, what was wrong with me? Why did I always screw shit up? No wonder Sydney had left me. I didn't blame the girl. Sometimes I wished I could runaway from myself.

The emotions I was feeling on the inside must have bled into my face because Rose quickly took the necklace out of the box. "You know what? Never mind. I don't care if they get tangled, I'm wearing this. Both of them."

"Really?"

"Yes," she smiled.

"Why?"

"Because I love it." Rose carefully dropped the chain into my hand. "Help me put it on, will ya? And don't give me that evil smirk."

"What ever are you talking about, Little Cadet?" I feigned innocence, making her laugh. "Now turn around so I can get this on you."

"Okay," Her body turned and faced the opposite direction, graceful backside to me. "Just don't strangle me, Ivashkov."

"Tempting." Slowly, I brushed her hair out of the way and onto her left shoulder. My fingers dragged over her skin and down her collar bone as I looped the silver chain around her neck. As I fastened it and allowed my hands to linger against her a moment too long, I loved the feeling of his eyes on me.

The glare was angry and possessive and pure malice. Smiling, my head tilted up and I was met with the Russian's black eyes from all the way across the room. He was standing against the wall like a statue, his stance the perfect picture of professional, and in his black shirt, army pants, and combat boots, he looked like a total badass, a real don't-fuck-with-me badass.

I had to admit I was a little envious.

"Thanks, Adrian." Rose said sitting normal again, diving into that brownie as if she had been starved for months. I could watch her eat for hours. It was rather fascinating to me. She always did this cute thing with her lips and mouth—

Stop it, she's not yours and she never will be, I thought. I frowned and reached into my leather coat, pulling out the silver flask. I needed a drink right now. Badly.

I brought it to my lips and tipped my head back—

"Lord Ivashkov!"

I sprayed the vodka all over Rose. "Shit, General. You fucking scared me!"

"Ew! His saliva is all over my face, and now I reek of vodka. ." Rose stood up, frantically rubbing her burning eyes.

Dimitri grabbed the flask.

"Hey! Keep your fucking hands to yourself."

"Alcohol on school premises is prohibited, Lord Ivashkov. You know that."

"Yeah, but that's my fucking flask."

"I'd watch that mouth if I were you," The Russian said. "It's going to get you in a lot of trouble."

The only thing I could do was stare in misery as he put his arm around Rose and directed her towards the bathroom to help clean her up, taking my flask with him.

"Don't you guys just hate his guts?" I growled, glancing back at Christian and Lissa, who were in a heavy make-out session. "Ah, never mind. I can tell I won't get a decent conversation out of you lovebirds. Later."

Feeling rejected and empty and alone, I cut class and made my way back to my room on the college campus. I found my stash of Grey Goose and drank myself into a stupor, where reality ceased to exist and the awful pain went away.

RPOV:

"Seriously, Comrade? All of this?" I eyed the massive obstacle course out on the field. It looked extremely difficult with all its challenges wrapped in it: The inclining wall, confidence climb, belly robber, jump and land, tough one, and the skyscraper. Basically, it was a whole shit load of wood, ropes, tires, bars, and mud…lots of it. God help me, I was going to be sore tonight.

Graduation was in a month, so Dimitri had turned my usual training sessions into grueling hours of torture. Each session was filled with blood, sweat, and tears. Okay, maybe not the tears, but a lot of bitching on my part, and tons of listening on Dimitri's.

"Yes." My boyfriend stood beside me in his uniform. God, I loved him in it. He looked so damn…edible. At times, I became so distracted by him in those army pants and tight black shirt that it was dangerous. Seriously. Just the other day, I was so caught up in checking him out on my way to the bathroom that I'd actually ran into the wall. He got a good laugh out of it while I got a decent size bruise on my cheek and a damaged ego.

"But baby, it's my birthday. Cut me some slack!"

Dimitri's brown eyes hardened. "Absolutely not."

When I frowned, he leaned down to whisper in my ear. "But I'll make it up to you tonight. When we get home, I'm going to love your body until you scream my name over and over again—"

"Comrade," I choked on my own saliva. "Don't do that! Not here. Not now."

"Do what?" He placed a kiss to my favorite spot, right behind my ear, making me shiver. "I'm not doing anything to you, Roza. I'm only telling of what I plan on doing to you tonight."

When I groaned in frustration and anticipation, he hid his smile by clapping his hands and sliding on that general mask that I hated so much. "Are you ready? I am going to time you, Rose."

"I'm ready for you…" My body heated up from the look he shot me. "Yeah, just give me a sec." I stretched my limbs out, took a sip of water. When I put headphones in my ears, Dimitri yanked them out and shoved my MP3 player into his pocket.

"Hey!"

"You need to hear me at all times. That is not acceptable."

I gave him the finger.

"Get out there, Rose!"

I took a deep breath and ran as fast as I could.

I collapsed against the pads on the gym's floor. "Did I pass? Oh, dear god. Please tell me I passed."

Dimitri handed over my inhaler and smiled proudly. "Yes, you did. I'm proud of you."

"You know, I would give you a kiss right now if I wasn't covered in mud and sweat. Hell, I can't even move."

"I'm going to pick you up, Roza. Okay? Are you ready? I will be gentle with you, but it will still hurt."

Reluctantly, I nodded. "Yes. Just do it."

I gasped and cursed. "Damnnnnnnnnn!" I howled, stuffing my face into his shoulder, muffling my scream.

"I'm so sorry. We're going home now." He said, walking attentively, careful not to jerk me around. "Your muscles will feel better once I give you an Epsom salt bath and massage your skin."

"Can you make me food, too?" I asked. "I really want some cake because it's my birthday."

He smiled brilliantly. "If you want cake, I will bake you some."

"What if I want two different kinds? Say like…red velvet and carrot?"

Dimitri chuckled. "Anything you want, I will make it for you. Just name it, Roza."

We went back to our apartment and celebrated my birthday, all night long.

DPOV:

The next morning, I opened my eyes to the most peaceful and heartbreakingly beautiful face in the world. Roza was sound asleep; her naked body flush against mine, those slender legs tangled in the sheets.

My body reacted to the sight of her immediately, coming alive as I focused on the heat of her body and the feel of her silky skin.

I really, really wanted to wake her up and take her again. Make love to her, feel all that softness underneath me, bury my face into her long hair. But her body was still recovering from our training session yesterday and she needed more time to heal. Besides, I had a job to do.

Gritting my teeth, I threw the blankets off and headed for a shower. That was what I needed. Hot water to clear my thoughts.

Twenty minutes later, I stepped out of the shower and got dressed quickly. As I walked into the kitchen, food held no appeal to me. I poured myself a cup of coffee and the scent nauseated me. I usually loved the smell of fresh ground coffee beans, but today wasn't just any ordinary day.

God, the dread twisting inside my chest and stomach made me want to hurl forward and vomit.

I checked on Roza to make sure she was still asleep. She didn't need to know anything about this. If she did…things would certainly be disastrous. No matter what, I knew she wouldn't believe me. And I feared the worst: Roza leaving.

I stroked her hair, placed a kiss to her cheek, wrote her a note and told her that I loved her, then grabbed my keys and headed out.

Why did I have a feeling this was going to blow up in my face?

Two hours later, I was where I needed to be. The guards immediately let me in as I passed them. Taking four deep breaths, I took a seat.

Tasha smiled behind the glass. "Hello, Dimka! I'm glad you've finally come to see me. I've been waiting!"