"Shh!" Rose chuckled. It was early Sunday morning, and Rose had woken to something poking into her back. Of course, as soon as she'd turned and checked out what was poking her, Dimitri had woken and eyed her lustfully. He'd had her straight onto her back and was now tickling her and growling at her playfully. God, Rose loved him when he was like this. Dimitri looked so cute she couldn't resist.
"Ok – but just quickly. I don't want to get nearly caught again" Rose said with a giggle.
It turns out they both liked to wake up with some amorous cuddling, but on campus, their 5:30 am starts just weren't conducive. So they'd been taking advantage of their 8:00 am sleep in yesterday to indulge when Paul had done the 'knock and enter at the same time' manoeuvrer that only a pre-teen would consider appropriate when entering the bedroom of a young couple in love having a sleep-in together.
They'd been spooning, and entirely covered by the blankets, so Paul had been oblivious – but while they'd been trying to get rid of Paul, Viktoria had heard them talking, realized they were awake, and come in to sit on their bed and chat. Talk about a passion killer! Hence why Dimitri had locked the door before he'd slid into bed last night...
Karolina gave them both a knowing look when the two of them wandered down to breakfast at a quarter past nine.
"You two slept late," she said with faux innocence, watching them from the sofa as everyone else had eaten hours ago.
"Leading combat training for ten hours a day will do that to you, Karolina. I'm worn out. Rose is doing five hours a day of active training, plus her academic studies, so she's wrecked, too," Dimitri said waspishly. After last weekend, of course his sisters knew he and Rose were being intimate, but it didn't mean Dimitri liked them bringing it up all the time.
Karolina looked suitably chastised, and almost apologetic, but laughed when Rose gave her a saucy look and a telling wink once Dimitri had wandered to the kitchen to get his coffee.
"Oh good, you're up! What the hell were you doing up there all that time?" Viktoria asked them, coming down the stairs. "We've all been up for hours!"
Karolina lifted her eyebrow, and Rose smirked. Dimitri pretended he hadn't heard the question.
"Eww!" Viktoria shuddered, walking past Dimitri to get herself a coffee. "Hurry up have breakfast and get dressed. Mama wants us all ready for the 10:00 am service, and Babushka has someone coming for lunch."
Obediently Dimitri and Rose stood at the counter eating blini before being shooed out of the kitchen by a nervous looking Olena, who had the rest of the family straightening the entire ground floor.
"I'm going to put the roast on so it's ready after church. Dimka? Wear something nice, please. We've had a new priest since you left, and I'd like you to make a good impression. Rose? Have you been to a traditional Russian Orthodox service before?"
"I'm afraid not, Olena."
"Never mind – Dimka explain to Rose how it works please."
Upstairs Rose looked through her clothing. Stupidly she'd not brought anything really suitable for church. Starting to panic, she knocked on Viktoria's door.
"I don't suppose you have anything I can borrow to wear to church do you?" she asked hopefully.
"Hmm – you're shorter and a lot bigger around the chest than I am, but I've got a knitted dress that might do?"
Rose stripped off and slipped the dress on. It actually looked really pretty. A deep plum color, it clung in all the right places but was still demure. Sighing Viktoria looked at Rose enviously.
"You might as well keep it – it's never looked that good on me," Vika said, with a dispirited look down at her own cleavage.
"Thanks, Viktoria," Rose said, giving her a hug.
"So you and Dimka. It's serious then?" Viktoria was doing her best to look casual, but it was clear her question was anything but.
"Yeah – it is," Rose told her sincerely.
"It's just that I really like you, but you need to know Dimka isn't like other guys. Once he loves, he'll love forever. He can't just move on from things."
"I know. It makes me all the more grateful I'm the one he's chosen to love. And I feel the same way about him."
"So who's Eddie then?" Viktoria asked, giving Rose a challenging look.
Rose smiled. "Eddie is a good friend of mine. He was at Spokane when the guy I grew up with since I was little died."
"So what did he send you in the text that made you so happy? You looked all dreamy and in love when you spoke about it?"
The penny dropped. Rose shook her head with a smile.
"Eddie's text was to Dimitri. He helped us get back together after Dimitri went out into the human world. His text brought Dimitri back to me, and made me the happiest woman alive."
"Oh. Inna's going to be disappointed. She was hoping he was your boyfriend…"
"That's funny! Don't tell her otherwise! So she really has no idea about Dimitri and me?" Rose asked with a chuckle.
"None. I mean she thinks you like him, but she has no idea you're together. She thinks Dimka's been admiring her!" Viktoria giggled. "Not that he has been of course," she quickly added.
"Oh let her dream," Rose scoffed. "Honestly between Dimitri, Eddie and Leo she must think I'm pretty busy!"
"Not to mention Anton… She thinks you might have a thing for him, too."
Rose was giggling almost uncontrollably by now, as was Viktoria. In fact, the two of them were lying on Vika's bed almost in hysterics when Dimitri knocked and walked in.
"What are you two giggling about?" he asked indulgently, liking the look of his Rose and his sister being so friendly and close.
"Just Rose's super busy schedule," Viktoria said with a cheeky look, causing the two of them to crack up in earnest.
"I had no idea there was so much standing and singing in an Orthodox service" Rose commented. "And all the crossing and kissing! Don't get me wrong, I really liked it. It's just different to the services at St. Vlad's and the ones Lissa and I went to when we were in the human world."
"Oh? You attend services regularly?" Olena asked, looking pleased. "Even when you were away from the Academy?"
"Oh yes," Rose said quickly - neglecting to mention it was Lissa who insisted on going and that as her protector Rose had agreed as it gave her a chance to chill out – Strigoi not being able to enter holy ground.
"I hope you go to the services at the Academy, Dimka?" his Mama asked, turning to look at him fiercely as they walked back home after church.
"Rose and I are there every Sunday unless I'm rostered on Mama," he promised.
Yeva turned to look at the family who was straggling along behind her on the way back to the house.
"Hurry up. This is not a lunch you'll want to be late for," she said cryptically. Dimitri rolled his eyes, but seized Rose's hand and quickened his pace a little.
Back at the house, it was so homely. The roast in the oven smelled great, and there were so many sides to go with it - Olena and Karolina had surpassed themselves. Dimitri had piled the fireplace with logs until the whole open living kitchen area was positively toasty, and the table was set up - Dimitri having brought a small second table and placing it at the foot of the first.
Olena and Karolina were manic in the kitchen, calling out orders for the best dishes and glassware to be brought through from the formal dining room, which would be too small to accommodate all today's guests. Finally, Karolina disappeared upstairs, announcing she had to go 'get ready' for lunch.
"Xander said he'd join us for lunch after his shift ended"Karolina confessed to Rose after she'd waited twenty minutes to get into the bathroom. "Please don't tell Dimka about him! I really like him, and I think he's different… I want Dimka to get to know him before knowing I'd like to date him."
Poor Karolina looked so desperate Rose had, of course, given her promise. She'd known through Viktoria that Karolina had recently started seeing an older Guardian. Olena and the family had met him and seemed to approve – but no one had mentioned him to Dimitri, as yet so today would be pivotal.
"You look lovely, Karolina," Rose said truthfully. She'd dressed in a modest dress with her hair up and subtle makeup.
"Thanks, Rose. I really like him. He's such a gentleman and so sweet with the kids and me. He reminds me of Dimka in a lot of ways. But my track record isn't great, so I want to take it slow this time," she admitted. Rose smiled at her. She really hoped today would be a success for Karolina – and she was interested in meeting this older Guardian of hers. She, of all people, knew that age wasn't always so important. It really was about the person!
Rose walked back downstairs with Karolina. Dimitri was near the foot of the stairs, and she stopped to wrap her arms around him and kiss him thoroughly – grateful that, at least here, their love was open and accepted. She remembered the hell of being in that limbo land like Karoline was now. Hearing a throat clear, she took her arms from around Dimitri's neck and turned to Olena.
"Rose? Dimitri? This is a family friend Xander Costoff. He's joining us for lunch today."
Xander was probably early forties and dressed in his Guardian uniform.
"Please forgive my attire," he apologized formally. "I've only just come off shift." Nodding to Viktoria and Sonya, he handed a bunch of flowers to Olena, kissed Yeva on both cheeks and gave her a jar of honey, took Karolina's hand and gave her a tender kiss on one cheek before coming over to stand in front of Dimitri and Rose. Rose could feel Dimitri tense beside her, having observed the kiss on Karolina's cheek and fully appreciating its significance.
"Xander – so lovely to meet you! I'm Rose, Dimitri's girlfriend. We're visiting from St. Vladimir's in America. Dimitri is teaching at St. Basil's for a few months."
Xander was courtesy itself, nodding to Rose and offering his hand to Dimitri who, at first, seemed disinclined to take it.
"COMRADE…" Rose muttered threateningly under her breath. Finally, looking at Xander carefully, Dimitri shook his hand.
"So. Where did you train? Where are you allocated? What's your ranking?" Dimitri quizzed, immediately on the offensive. Dimitri as the man of the house was seriously gorgeous and protective, but completely over the top.
"What Dimitri means is would you like something to drink, Xander? You'll have to excuse his rudeness. It's been a trying week," Rose interjected, slapping Dimitri on the chest before pushing him towards the refreshments laid out on the kitchen counter. "I'd like a soda, please. Karolina? Would you like something?"
Karolina was shooting her a grateful look, which Rose responded to with a nod. In fact, Rose was following Dimitri across to the kitchen to read him the riot act when there was a knock at the door.
"Ahh – our other lunch guests," Yeva said, giving an odd smile to the family.
Great! Probably a gaggle of aged Babushkas to make enigmatic comments and look at her in a way which she wasn't sure was entirely approving, Rose thought. She was, however, mistaken. Olena returned from the door with a slightly worried expression, pausing to introduce the final two guests.
"May I present Mr. Abe Mazur and Guardian Pavel who will be joining us for lunch today. This is my daughter Karolina, her friend Guardian Xander Costoff, my grandson Paul, my daughters Viktoria and Sonya, my son Dimitri, his partner Rose Hathaway and, of course, you know my mother, Yeva."
An awkward silence descended on the room. Mr. Mazur stepped forward, giving Yeva a kiss on both cheeks.
"It's good to see you Yeva," he said, presenting her with a bottle of wine. "You have a charming family."
"Mr. Mazur? Pavel? Can I get you something to drink?" Olena asked nervously.
They both shook their heads, so Olena and Karolina retired to the kitchen to start serving lunch while Rose led Dimitri to make small talk with Xander, Pavel, Mr. Mazur and Yeva.
"Mr. Mazur is old friends with your mother, Rose," Yeva commented, before wandering off to sit beside the fireplace with her knitting – all but removing herself from the conversation.
"Is that so, Mr. Mazur?" Rose asked politely.
"Oh Abe, please. Yes. I met your mother when she was on her first posting in Turkey some twenty years ago," he said urbanely. "It's a beautiful place – have you ever been?"
Hmm – that explained the flashy clothes, Rose thought. While Abe was a Moroi, he didn't share their usual conservative dress sense. If anything, he seemed to want to be intentionally flashy. While what he was wearing was obviously well cut, and expensive, somehow it still looked a little cheap. A bit like a used car salesman.
"I'm afraid not, Abe. This is my first time outside of America – so other than Russia the only other place I've seen is Munich on a stopover on the way here."
"Oh? I thought you would have been to Nepal with your mother? I understood she was guarding Lord Szelzky there for some years?"
Dimitri caught the brief look of pain flash across Rose's face. While she was trying hard to repair the relationship with her mother, the automatic assumption she had grown up in a household with a loving parent was hard when it was so far removed from the truth.
"Rose was signed over to St. Vladimir's academy when she was four and brought up with the orphaned Dhampir Mr. Mazur," Dimitri explained, taking Rose's hand in his own. "Until this Christmas just gone she'd only seen her mother a handful of times."
Rose looked up at Dimitri gratefully. It's something she found difficult to talk about without getting upset or angry, and she didn't want to make a scene and spoil things for Karolina and Xander.
"I'm so very sorry to hear that," Abe replied, looking at Rose sympathetically. "I really am."
Olena and Karolina announced lunch was ready, so as a group everyone moved across to the table. Dimitri stood at the center of the table, directly in front of the most massive roast pork Rose had ever seen. Rose sat to his left, Karolina on his right. Opposite Rose sat Abe, Olena sat opposite Dimitri with Xander seated next to her facing Karolina. Olena started to pass around the sides for people to serve themselves while Dimitri masterfully carved the roast, placing neat slices onto two huge platters.
After everyone was served Dimitri sat, playing with Rose's hand on the tabletop while his mother led everyone in saying a prayer before their meal.
"So Xander, you were going to tell me about your allocation and where you trained," Dimitri immediately started, putting the poor fellow on the spot. He answered manfully, and it turned out they knew a few people in common which seemed to appease Dimitri a little. Abe was watching Dimitri grill Xander with amusement.
"So Dimitri – I understand you were at St. Vladimir's but are now visiting St Basil's. Why the change?"
"Rose had already reached the limits of what she could learn at St. Vladimir's. St Basil's offers a better training program, so I volunteered to come with her on a two-month visit."
"I'm surprised they let an underage student travel halfway around the world alone with her older lover and mentor," Abe commented giving Dimitri a loaded look. "I would have thought the Academy would have had something to say about that?"
The table fell silent. Rose looked up at Abe in surprise. No one had said anything about her precise age, the age difference between her and Dimitri or that he had formerly been her mentor. Abe had apparently done his research. The question is why. She doubted it was to report back to her mother. He hadn't appeared to have known that she hadn't grown up with Janine. It sounded like he hadn't heard from her in years. Yet he knew Janine had been in Nepal, so he'd kept tabs on her to some extent. But why?
Rose looked at him carefully, trying to figure it out. His lightly golden skin, the diamond earring in one ear; his dark hair with highlights.
"Oh they had plenty to say about it," Rose said pleasantly. "Yet here I am."
Dimitri stiffened beside her, not liking the way this conversation was headed. He was about to say something when Rose stopped him with a single look.
"And here you are, Abe. Or would you prefer I call you Daddy?" she asked, in a sarcastic tone.