Hey guys...

I'm so sorry for the long wait... I have major writers block so I tried rereading my story and I noticed that my writing really sucks (how can you deal with it?) and got even more depressed...

Anyways, after my laptop got kidnapped by the cutest jerk ever (Do you know what I had to sacrifice in order for him to give it back?)(Not that I minded ;-P), having to clean my house spotless (long story, not happy) and a very tiring night of babysitting, I'm glad to publish the next chapter of 'Bad Always Leads To Good'!

Enjoy ;-)

Tal ;-*

Disclaimer: My name is not Richelle and I'm not rich. Enough said.

PS: Read the AN in the bottom.

Bad always leads to good

Chapter 23

*_* DPOV *_*

As everyone left after Gabriel's party and Roza got into the shower, I helped Ma with the dishes.

"So, Dimka, how are you dealing with everything?" Ma asks.

"Fine," I grunt. I can't remember how many times I had to answer that question since Roza got here, and it has only been two days!

"Dimka, if you don't feel comfortable with Rose sleeping in your room I can make other arrangement," Mom says. "It's just that… When you told me you still love Rose, I promised you I'll help you. But I can't help but worry that she'll hurt you again." I look down on the floor, ashamed in myself. Why can't I act like a man and confess? "When I saw how devastated you were when you first got here… It broke my heart. Now, don't get me wrong. I love Roza like a daughter. It's just that… I'm not sure you should get back with her after she hurt you so much…"

What have I done? I can't let this continue. My family (with the exception of Babushka and Vika) thinks the love of my life is unworthy to me! And it's all because I'm too coward to tell them the truth! "Roza didn't hurt me, Ma." I say. "I'm the one who should –"

"Don't you dare blame this on yourself, Dimka!" Mom cuts me before I can finish my sentence. "None of this is your fault. What you did when you were Strigoi was not in your control and Roza should have known that."

Just then, before my mom could continue, Sonya calls "Mom, can you come here for a second? I think I broke the washing machine! I don't know what happened, I pressed the button and bubbles started pouring from the machine and it started making odd noises!"

Mom sighs. "I better go help her before she could really break the machine. She was never good at doing laundry."

And with that, I was left alone in the kitchen, the words stuck in my throat.

"Dimka, would you mind going up to your room and bring me my book? I think I left it there." Babushka calls.

"Of course, Babushka." I sigh and start walking toward my room. When did she leave her book in my room? Why would she? She's barely in my room anyway.

I suppress a yawn. I'm so tired. I barely slept last night because I was too nervous after Roza passed out and most nights I have nightmares anyways so I really hope that at least tonight I would be able to sleep properly although there is a very slim chance that would happen since I will be sharing my bed with Roza not two feet away from me. I just hope Roza would get out of the shower soon so I could get in and then finally get some much needed sleep. I think as I get into my room.

Apparently, I don't have to wait much, since Roza is already in my room… In her black bra and panties… WOW she looks hot!

As I stand there, gaping at the perfection in front of my eyes like a fish, I can't help but wonder how many times my mom dropped me on my head when I was a baby, to make me such an idiot. How can I leave such goddess as Roza? How could I tell her that I didn't love her? That my love had faded?

Those thoughts run through my head, and not only because Roza is standing in front of me half naked. Seeing her like that, seeing her body like that, it brought back a lot of old memories that I tried not to think of for five whole years. Memories I didn't want to remember, but I also didn't want to forget.

See something you like? Roza's voice eco in my head, as I remember that night when I caught her in the deserted lounge in a similar black bra, with that obnoxious boy, Jesse Zeklos.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" Roza's voice haunted me for so many nights, ever since she asked me that question at the night of the lust charm.

Memories, so many memories, attacked me at once. Memories from the night of the lust charm, memories from our kisses in the gym, memories from the night in the cabin…

And then, one after another, disgusting, revolting memories attacked me. Memories from the time I was Strigoi, and held Roza prisoner. Memories of drinking from her, of Roza begging me for sex, of me acting like she was my fucking pet…

"Dimitri would you get the fuck out so I could put some clothes on? Stop gaping at me like a fucking fish and GET OUT!" Roza yells, snapping me out of my haze.

"Ah? Umm… Yeah, err I'm sorry, I should probably get out now so umm sorry." I stutter like the idiot that I am and get out of the room before I could embarrass myself even more, if that is possible.

As I lean on the wall, waiting for Roza to finish getting dressed so that I could get my things and get in the shower, Babushka goes up the stairs, stopping in front of me briefly just to give me a quick kiss on the cheek and whisper 'You're welcome' before walking into her room.

'You're welcome'? Does it mean she intended for me to walk in on Roza getting dressed? Well, apparently yes.

Roza finally opens the door. "You can come in now, I'm done." She says.

"Roza, I'm sorry," I pause for a second. "About before… I didn't know you would be out of the shower and-"

"It's okay Dimitri." Roza cuts me before I could finish my sentence. "I should have locked the door."

We stand there in awkward silence for a few minutes. "Roza I-"

"Dimitri, stop." Roza cuts me again. "My name is Rose."

"Roza…"

"Rose." She growls.

"No." I growl back. "For me, you'll always be my Roza."

"I. AM. NOT. YOUR. ROZA." She has a murderous look on her face. "Only people that love me can call me Roza! You don't!"

"I LOVE YOU!"

And in a second, my lips were on hers. I didn't think, I just needed to be close to my Roza, to the love of my life, which, just two seconds ago, was screaming at me like there was no tomorrow.

Roza froze against my body but I didn't let go. After a few seconds her body melted against mine and she kissed me back. "Roza," I breathe against her lips.

I feel like my heart is about to burst, I have the women I love back in my arms and we are kissing right now. I lick her bottom lip, asking for entrance, and just when I think everything has started going right in my life, I get slapped in the face. Literally.

The stinging sensation lingers on my cheek and I'm pretty sure I already have a red mark at the size of Roza's hand.

"You should get in the shower Dimitri." Roza says with the coldest voice I'd ever heard her use. I shiver just from hearing it.

"Err yeah… I'll just… Yeah…" Idiot! What did you think? That she'll just forgive you? How do you know she even loves you? You DON'T! She's probably happy with Denis and just feels sorry for you! I scream at myself.

I take my clothes quickly and get in the shower, my lips still tingling and my cheek still stinging.

When I get out of the shower fifteen minutes later, Roza is already asleep. I sigh quietly, so that I wouldn't wake her up and slid into bed with her, preparing for another night of terror like I had every night in the last five years.

*_* RPOV *_*

I lay in Dimitri's bed with my eyes closed as I feel him slid into bed with me. I can't wait for him to finally fall asleep so that I wouldn't have to pretend to be sleeping. I know there is a very slim chance I'll get a lot of sleep tonight, especially after what happened before.

I can't believe him! Does he think it's funny, to play with my feelings like that? Doesn't he know how it tears me inside when I look at him and know that he doesn't love me anymore? And then he comes, and yells at me that he loves me just because he was horny after seeing me in my bra and panties!

And the worst part is how stupid I am! For a moment there, I really believed that he loves me, like I love him. But then, reality slapped me in the face. And I slapped Dimitri.

Oh god, I can't believe I slapped him! I mean, he deserves it, after all the heartache I want through because of him, but I know it's not his fault. You can't choose who you love. Or in his case, who you don't love.

I can feel Dimitri turning in bed for at least an hour and a half before he fell asleep, I guess I'm not the only one that can't sleep tonight.

I get out of bed and walk around the room, trying to find something to do.

I bet that if I'll try reading one of Dimitri's boring western novels, I'll fall asleep in a second. I think.

So, I took a book off of his book shelf. On the cover there was a picture of a man with a long gun on a horse. Under the picture was written 'Riders of the Purple Sage' I look at the publishing date and my eyes pop out. 1912. This book is freaking old!

I roll my eyes and open the book. Surely I'll be asleep in no time.

Thanks to my heightened eyesight, I could see the words perfectly good even in the dark. So I get back in bed and flip through the pages 'till I get to the first chapter.

Well, I was wrong. This book is awesome. And this comes from someone that hates reading. I can see now why Dimitri loves his western books so much.

The book tells the story of Jane Withersteen and her battle to overcome her persecution by members of her LDS church, a leader of which, Elder Tull, wants to marry her.

I got so fascinated by the book, I didn't even notice the time passing. Reading was never one of my hobbies and I couldn't believe I would get do transfixed by a book.

I only noticed how much time had passed when I heard Dimitri moan. It wasn't a moan full with lust and desire, like before, it was a moan full of fear and misery. I look at the clock and notice it's already two in the morning.

"Roza," Dimitri moaned. "No, please, no. Roza." He started trashing in the bed.

"Dimitri," I whisper, shaking him slightly. "Dimitri wake up. It's just a dream."

But Dimitri kept trashing and moaning. I couldn't stand seeing him like that. I stood up and walked to his side of the bed, shaking him more forcefully.

"Dimitri please wake up," I say. "Dimitri, it's just a dream. Wake up." I say louder this time.

And then, he calms down. "Roza?" He asks groggily, and I didn't even have the will to correct him, to tell him to call me Rose.

"I'm here Dimitri. Are you okay?" I whisper. I couldn't help but to stroke his face.

"What?" He swallowed loudly. "What happened?"

"You had a nightmare. You kept trashing in bed a moaning so I woke you up."

"Did I wake you? I'm sorry Roza I'm sure you're tired and I-"

"You didn't wake me up, Dimitri." I cut him. I sit on the edge of the bed, on his side, and take his hand. "Do you want to tell me about your nightmare?" He shakes his head.

"Okay," I say. "You don't have to. Just know that if you want to tell me, I'm here."

"Thanks." Dimitri says, and then he frowns. "So if I didn't wake you, what were you doing?"

"Oh, I read one of your book. Figured out I'll fall asleep from boredom." I chuckle.

"You read my book? Which one?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Riders of the Purple Sage."

"Really? It's my favorite." Dimitri smiles.

"It's okay," I wink at him. "Didn't fall asleep yet."

"Got you hooked up, didn't it?"

"Maybe," There is no way in hell I'll ever tell Dimitri Belikov that one of his western novels is good. Not after all the times I teased him about it.

Dimitri suppressed a big yawn. "You should go back you sleep," I say. I can see the wary in his eyes.

"I'm fine, why don't you try to sleep? You must be tired."

I sigh. "Move a bit," I can't believe I'm going to do this.

"What?"

"I said, move you big ass to the side and make me some room on the bed."

"But-" Dimitri looks at the other side of the bed, where I laid before.

"Look, Dimitri, I'm still mad at you," I say. "But I know you won't be able to fall asleep now if you'll be alone. So as long as you keep your hands in their right places there shouldn't be a problem."

Dimitri moved a bit to the side, giving me enough room to slide in next to him. I put my arms around him and he immediately puts his head on my chest, just above my heart and wraps his hands around me too.

"Sleep now," I whisper, and in a second, we both fall asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

AN:

I want to thank the amazing Olivia for coming up with the kiss idea.

So, what do you think of Rose and Dimitri? Aren't they cute?

R&R!