A/N

I am officially s*** at updating! I am soooo sorry but I simply can not help it. Since the last update I've started university so I'm sure many of you guys know what it's like… work overload already as well!

Oooh, thank you all for your reviews as usual! You guys seriously are awesome and I completely apologize for my lack of replies =( I know I suck!

Anyways, less chat and on with the story…

…enjoy the end ;-)

Read, Review and Enjoy!

Kady's Story - Chapter 19

"We are not doing that again," I stated as Dimitri and I headed towards a quiet coffee shop. We had an uncomfortable dinner at some pretentious restaurant packed out with Royal moroi; even the waitress had the nerve to look down on us! I couldn't even talk properly with Dimitri because all eyes and ears were on us. I felt like dragging Dimitri and running out of there but didn't want to show they were getting to me and refrained.

"I know. I'm sorry, Roza. That was a disaster," Dimitri said sombrely as he drew soothing circles on the inside of my wrist.

"It's not your fault, Comrade, don't feel bad. Man the food sucked too," I said shaking my head. "Kady, who loves all things edible, would've hated it!"

"It was a moroi restaurant. Guess they like their food extra raw."

"Whatever, I am dying for a hot beverage." I pulled open the door of the coffee shop eagerly and basked in the delectable scent of coffee and cake. "Damn, this looks amazing," I groaned as I eyed the various muffins and cakes. Dimitri chuckled. "I think I'll have the blueberry muffin and a caramel macchiato," I finally told the barista.

"I'll have a blueberry muffin too and coffee."

"You know next time we go on a 'date'," I said making quotation marks in the air, "I think I'll prefer having a simple coffee at a place like this. All that fancy restaurant crap is overrated." I sipped my macchiato and moaned silently. The hot drink made me feel all warm and cosy. It was heavenly.

"I agree," Dimitri said taking a sip of his coffee too. We were seated in a dark corner sitting across from each other in comfy leather seats - way more comfortable than those stiff chairs at the restaurant. "Though I don't mind the whole dressing up part," he smirked taking my hand in his and leaning closer. "You look exceptional," he whispered capturing my lips in a tender kiss.

"Mmm," I hummed, opening my eyes slowly. "And I don't mind the awesome compliments." I held Dimitri's intense gaze as I carried on with my next few words, "Tell me, when was it you realised you were in love with me." Dimitri's smile grew a fraction bigger. "That lust charm couldn't have worked if you hadn't had feelings for me."

"To be honest, I think…" he went silent for a few seconds pondering his words. "I think everyday I spent with you…made me feel…that much closer to you," he said slowly. "I don't know how to explain it," he chuckled looking slightly embarrassed, which I found adorable. "From the moment we met you could see through that exterior, that wall I'd built around myself. Once I accepted that, the fact that you knew me more than anyone could ever know me; once I accepted that, I was finally open to how I really felt about you. That I was in love with you."

"The time in the van," I stated quietly with a small smile.

"Precisely."

We looked at each other as we reminisced the time we had been in the van and we'd promised each other that if either one of us turned Strigoi - a truly unbearable thought - then we'd kill the other. Simple as.

"You?"

"I don't honestly know," I admitted. "My feelings for you built so quickly it was difficult to see when it turned from a simple crush to…way more."

"Same."

My eyebrows rose questioningly - unfortunately not just the one eyebrow.

"You had a crush on me?" I asked with a grin, tilting my head.

Dimitri met my gaze and narrowed his eyes. After a couple of seconds he finally said, "Crush seems too immature."

"You had a crush on me," I sang with a bigger grin. Dimitri rolled his eyes, didn't refute and started on his muffin. "How's everyone back home?" I enquired out of the blue, as I too started on my muffin. Dimitri's eyebrow rose, but he didn't openly question my change in subject.

"They're all doing good," he nodded his head with a certain light in his eyes. "Me and Tasha went to visit them last year. Paul's nearly as tall as me," he chuckled. Paul, as I recalled, was his fourteen year old nephew.

"What about…Zoya?" I questioned unsurely. Dimitri smiled at me warmly.

"Zoya's beautiful. She's around Kady's age, a few months older."

"It's weird to think Kady has cousins all the way in Russia," I said with a small smile. Oh my God! Did I just say that? I gulped nervously and met Dimitri's eyes. His smile grew larger.

"Yeah it is," he said simply. "Kady even reminds me of Zoya. They're so alike at times. Zoya's just as eager to learn to fight. I'm sure those two would get along like best friends," he chuckled lightly. I smiled at the idea of Kady having a cousin to play with, a cousin to share secrets with and do all the girly teen things like me and Lissa did as we grew older.

"We should go."

"What?" he asked, surprised.

"We should go Russia," I repeated with a nod of my head. "I've been dying to meet Viktoria ever since you told me about her years ago and I'd love to meet the rest of your family; although I'm not too sure about your grandmother," I added and Dimitri laughed. "And you're right, I'm sure Kady and Zoya would get along great. Plus, I really want Kady to get to know her…other side of the family too."

"Ma's been dying to meet you and Kady too," Dimitri smiled.

"What?" It was my turn to be surprised.

"Ma made me promise to send letters more often," he explained, taking my hand in his again. "I've sent her a couple of letters since I got back to court…mostly talking about…you and Kady," he said slowly awaiting my response.

"So your mom, she already knows about…us and…everything?"

"Yeah," he said, bringing my hand up to his lips for a soft kiss. "She really wants to meet the woman and little angel who won over her son's heart. In fact," he said drawing his body closer to mine, "ma scolded me for keeping her away from her daughter and granddaughter for this long." I felt butterflies at the thought of me already being fully accepted into the Belikov family. Almost as if we were…married. My heart raced at that thought. "What do you say?" he whispered. "Would you like to meet ma?" His hand came to caress my cheek.

"I'd like to meet ma."

He tucked my hair behind my ear with a small smile on his face.

I knew better.

His head bent closer towards mine.

Dimitri was ecstatic.

Our eyes locked.

I was ecstatic too.

I felt his hot breath against my lips.

We truly were a family.

His soft lips touched mine in the gentlest of kisses.

"Marry me," he whispered.