"The Queen, she's on her way here to meet her granddaughter" Dimitri's gaze dropped to look at our baby and not Adrian's. Oh were in so much trouble because she looked so much like me and had Dimitri's eyes. She didn't look like Adrian at all.
"What?"My Father asked, there was an edge of anger in his voice which made me wince a little. He didn't know about this stupid excuse, nobody else knew beside me, Dimitri, Adrian and Viktoria, not even Lissa knew. I hadn't had time to tell anyone else.
"Uh… well… Tatiana thinks that Kathryn is Adrian's daughter." I said in a small voice. He raised his eyebrows at Dimitri, who just sighed frustrated.
"Is she?" Well, Abe trusted me so much.
"Of course not, but we kinda had to lie to her. She thinks I was with… Adrian… which is so not true" I finished looking at Viktoria, she smiled at me reassuringly. "and that this baby is Adrian's due to an affair I supposedly had with him. That's as much as I can tell you now"
"Why would you lie to the queen Rose!" My mom said a little bit too loud and I jumped a little. Fortunately the baby seemed to have lost interest in our conversation and was only looking up at me. I held her hand close to my chest, right now I needed her.
"Guardian Hathaway, we did not have any other choice" Dimitri began but shut up with one of my Mother's meanest glare.
"It was my fault" Adrian stood up and walked closer to us, "I lied to my aunt to protect Rose and Dimitri from the punishment they would have received if I hadn't intervened." I was proud of Adrian for standing up to me, I smiled a little at him and he nodded back.
"Lord Ivashkov…" My mom began but was cut off by a knock on the door.
I held my breath knowing what was coming next. The Queen would walk through the door, see my baby and realize that she didn't look anything like Adrian and then probably punish us for lying to her about the baby and for the lie at the trials.
Everyone stared at the door. Finally Adrian took a deep breath and opened the door. Instead of the Queen, Lissa pushed past him and walked to my bed. I breathed out a sigh of relief. It was just my BFF. The danger hadn't arrived yet, we were safe at the moment. Christian came in a moment later, he wore a wry expression.
"Rose!" Lissa hugged me and then leaned back when she saw my baby, her eyes grew wider and watery with tears. "Oh my gosh, the baby, she looks beautiful" Then she looked up to me again. "She looks a lot like you but her eyes and wavy hair…" She stole a glance at Dimitri who was smiling.
"Lissa you shouldn't be here! You should be on your way to some romantic place for your honey moon" I said but it was impossible to stay mad at her and she shook her head.
"I came here to see your baby, what's her name?" she was trying to change the subject, maybe after all these years she did learn something from me. But I wasn't buying any of it.
"Don't change the subject…"
"Kathryn" Dimitri announced. "Her name is Kathryn Belikov" But he wasn't exactly looking at Lissa, his gaze was fixed on me and I felt so good to hear her name, though I was a little bit jealous about the fact that she got the last name Belikov first.
"That's a beautiful name" Lissa said honestly.
"And also tacky" Christian finished rolling his eyes. I glared at him, but he just laughed it off like it was nothing.
"Careful what you say Christian, you might be the next one saying tacky things to your daughter."Adrian intervened with amusement. "After all, you just got married" Christian grunted something that sounded like an insult before looking away.
"Lissa you must go before the Queen gets here" I said and she looked at me questioningly.
"Why would she come here? I didn't know she was ok with you and Dimitri." That made two of us.
"Its hard to explain right now, please just go before her wrath descends upon us and takes you down too." Dimitri pleaded but when I glanced at Lissa I saw determination in her eyes. She wasn't going to let this go so easy.
Christian got up and walked to the door.
"Well, you heard him, let's go" He was smart.
"No, we're staying to talk to Tatiana." Lissa shot him a look that made him sit down, I smirked at him.
"Liss, please" I said.
"No, I'm staying and stop whining about it" I was about to say something but then I realized what she just said. She just said that I was whining… well I was but… She told me…
I looked at Dimitri who also looked astonished at Lissa's response but after a second I just shrugged. She was not in a good mood probably, maybe because she had to come here instead of going to her honey moon just because my baby was born. Well, nobody asked her to come so she shouldn't be in that mood.
"That's, like, the best response ever" Adrian said laughing, he was beside Viktoria and I could see it in his eyes the fact that he was struggling with himself to not close the distance and put his arm around Viktoria.
I looked away before Dimitri could notice me staring at Adrian and Viktoria, we already had enough with the problem about the queen to add this to the list.
"Fine, I'll stop whining about it if you promise to stay out of the conversation." I expected her to complain or something but she didn't.
"Yes, I can do that" Then her face softened as she looked down at my daughter. It felt good to think of her like that, my daughter, mine and Dimitri's.
I smiled down at Kathryn, her brown eyes were looking at me with an intensity that I was very familiar with, I saw it every day in her father's eyes. I liked to think of her as mini me, she looked so much like me, but some features were Dimitri's.
"Can I please hold her?" Lissa asked and I gave my baby to her.
Dimitri stood from the chair, I scooted over to one side and made room for him to sit next to me. When his arm went over my shoulder I relaxed against his chest and grinned at him.
Lissa sat on the chair that Dimitri just vacated and busied her self baby talking to Kathryn, who started to move and wail in her arms. The glow in her eyes made me realize what a good mother she'd be one day. But on the other hand I was wondering about my self. Would I be good enough to be with my daughter?
"Rose, stop thinking so hard. Your going to burn all the neurons in your brain" That was my Father, he made me turn around to face him and I smiled brightly at him.
"I was just… never mind"
"Rose, you should be happy, your daughter is finally here" My mother was right about that, and I was really happy, beaming actually, but the thought of not being a good mother made me a little uneasy.
"We are" Dimitri answered for me, he was smiling down at me and I couldn't help my self. I had to kiss him, and I did. He kissed me back with the same passion, it almost felt like those times when were back at the Academy and we had to steal kisses from each other.
"Dimka… I-I have to tell you something" Viktoria's voice told me everything I needed to know. She was going to tell Dimitri about her relationship with Adrian, the uncertainty in her voice was so obvious.
So I pulled away from Dimitri and looked at Viktoria.
"I think… we're going to go get something to eat and we'll be back later" My Mother said and walked out the door with my Father who waved us good bye. My mother gestured Lissa to follow them, she looked up between Viktoria and us and then walked after them. Christian looked a little freaked out when he saw our expressions so he quietly followed Lissa, he only glanced back once.
As soon as she was out the door and probably out of ear shot Adrian was right next to Viktoria, his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Beside me I felt Dimitri tense.
"Dimitri, Adrian and I are in love" Viktoria said, her head held high and her voice confident, though she didn't look that much confident anymore when Dimitri leaped out of bed and stood in front of them.
"You what!" I tried to stand up but I was still too sore and couldn't do more than that. Everyone flinched at the sound of his voice, he almost growled.
"Dimitri, I understand that you might be mad now but…" Adrian didn't look too brave anymore when Dimitri interrupted him.
"Damn straight I'm mad! Wouldn't you if you suddenly see your little sister with a… a… Cyka!" Adrian seemed puzzled at whatever Dimitri just said but Viktoria didn't. Her face flushed and she took a step closer to stand in front of Dimitri, she looked up at him with anger and slapped him across the face. His head snapped sideways and I gasped. How could she have done something like that!
"Viktoria!" I shrieked but nobody paid any attention to me.
Dimitri and Viktoria engaged into a Russian verbal fight, she shrieking at the top of her lungs something and Dimitri replying back but I didn't need to know Russian to know by their tone that whatever they were saying wasn't pleasant. Viktoria pointed at me twice and then gestured towards Adrian who seemed so concentrated on their conversation; maybe he was trying to decipher what they were saying.
I didn't know that he knew a little bit of Russian and much less could believe that he understood a word they were saying. They talked to fast that I couldn't keep up.
"Dimitri, Viktoria!" They didn't even glance at me. "Dimitri Belikov!" Now both of them turned to me, including Adrian. "Both of you stop the goddamn fight and listen to me. Dimitri please just listen to whatever they have to say first, and then you can do or say whatever you want."
"You knew about this," I opened my mouth to lie about it because I didn't want him to be mad or anything. "Don't deny it because I'm no fool. You knew about this and didn't tell me anything about it. That's why you were so tense since we came back from Russia and you risked the baby's health and yours!" I gaped at him.
"Dimitri stop it!" Viktoria said when she saw me flinch. "I asked her not to say anything, is my fault, I should have thought about how hard it would be for her to keep something from you. I didn't think about the baby or her health, if you're going to be mad at someone it should be me, not her"
"Viktoria, how could you keep something like that from me? I thought we were closer than that, I thought you knew you could trust me. Why keep something like this from me?" The hurt in his eyes and his thickened accent told me how much it hurt him to be the last one to know about his little sister's new found love.
"Because I knew that you weren't that fond of Adrian, Rose told me about your dislike of him and… I thought that… you'd react just like you're doing right now" Viktoria didn't sound that happy about lying either.
"I react this way mainly because you kept it from me, not because of my dislike of him" He took his sister's hands, and then turned to Adrian, he clenched his jaw. "You, shouldn't have been a coward, you should have told me to my face that you… liked my sister" He almost choke out the last words.
"I don't 'like' your sister, I love her" Dimitri's eyes widened in wonder.
"What are you talking about? You just met her three weeks ago, you can't be serious about that!" He was exasperated and ran a hand through his hair, messing it even more in a sexy way. In some way I knew that it was very wrong of me to think about how sexy he looked during such crucial moment but it was kind of impossible.
"Dimitri you're the last person who can talk about falling in love too soon! How long have you known Roza, a little over a year haven't you? And now you have a daughter, isn't that it?" the sarcasm in her voice made Dimitri angry again.
"Its completely different because… because… its different!" I sighed.
"It isn't, Dimitri, it's the same thing because she's right. We've only known each other a while and yet we're really in love. Please Dimitri, just accept it and get over it. Maybe a punch or two would do it, wouldn't it?" I had to take a deep breath to calm my self.
Dimitri looked like he wanted to argue but shut up, he turned to Adrian and took a deep breath.
"I love her Belikov, I really do and you can do whatever you want to do to me if I ever hurt her. Which I'm sure will never happen." I was amazed at his honesty and even I could tell he wasn't lying.
"I won't hold anything back Lord Ivashkov if you ever hurt her, I don't care if you're Moroi or not, I won't hesitate. I never do" with those words Dimitri stepped back and sat on the chair beside my bed again.
Viktoria and Adrian sat on the sofa at the other end of the room. Viktoria looked relieved to know that she wasn't keeping anything from her brother anymore and Adrian because he just got Dimitri's permission to date Viktoria.
"Who's the cradle robber now, uh Adrian?" I smirked at him, it took him a second to realize what I was talking about. Even Dimitri laughed first. He was almost choking on laughter by the time Adrian got it.
"Payback is a bitch isn't?" Dimitri said and then laughed some more.
"Indeed" Adrian answered.
"Fun how rolls are reversed, isn't it?" Dimitri was almost back to his old self and I liked that.
"Oh Damphir, it is very fun" He agreed.
Just then Lissa came back with the baby, she forgot to knock and stood there looking a little scared to come in.
"Are you guys done fighting or do I still have to wait outside with the baby? Because she's hungry and I don't…" she gestured to Kathryn who was trashing on her arms, wailing, not looking happy at all.
"They're done, and even if they weren't I wouldn't care." I said to her ignoring Dimitri's chuckle and Adrian's laughter. Viktoria only smiled a little, because she was still a little tense from all the fighting.
"Ok" Lissa came in and gave her to me. Christian had to stand up because the seat was already taken. But I noticed a stain on his shirt, it looked like… I burst out laughing and earned a glare from Christian.
"What is it Roza?" Dimitri asked. I pointed at Christian and Dimitri chuckled.
"What a reaction you have on girls Christian, always throwing up on you" Adrian shook his head at his own joke.
"Shut up!" Christian warned.
"Anyways" Viktoria said, glaring jokingly at Adrian. He smiled and nodded.
Just then the baby began to cry again, I was a little nervous because this would be the first time breast feeding the baby, but I felt very much uncomfortable with two guys in the room. Dimitri didn't count, even though he was a guy, because he'd already seen me naked many times. But Adrian Christian made me nervous.
When I stared at them they simply stared back.
"Well, what are you waiting for to leave?" I asked then and they looked confused.
"I've got this" Lissa said sighing at their stupidity. "Guys follow me, you can stay if you want Viktoria, the problem is them" As Lissa shooed away the guys Viktoria smiled at me before leaving with the rest of them. I returned her smile.
Dimitri just sat there smiling at me.
I sighed and opened the gown, offering the baby what I got and she took it eagerly. I smiled as I watched her, she had been really hungry.
"Both of you look beautiful Roza" Dimitri finally said after a couple of minutes in silence.
I glanced up at him, "Dimitri I really doubt I look beautiful wearing this stupid gown and feeding the baby. Kathryn, I do believe looks beautiful." I looked down at my hungry daughter. "She's the most beautiful baby in the whole world."
"She is, because she looks like her Mother" I laughed.
"You really have to get over the obsession you have with me," I joked and he chuckled. "Its kind of creepy"
"Never, I could never get over you" He leaned closer with the intention of kissing my cheek but I turned my head to one side and kissed his lips instead. I caught him off guard but he deepened the kiss and cupped my face with both of his hands. I couldn't wrap my arms around his neck because I knew that the baby was in my arms and I didn't want to let go of her.
He was the first one to pull back, but he didn't sit back, instead he just looked me in the eyes and smiled. I could see the love there so clearly that it felt as if I was looking at a mirror or the window to his soul. I'd always been able to see through his mask so easily.
"Dimitri?" I said and he raised an eye brow.
"Yes?"
"You look hot" I said and he laughed. His rich laugh made me feel so happy, because now I could hear him laugh any time, there were no more restrictions, just us.
"Roza, what I'm I going to do with you and those silly words you use to describe me?" He tilted his head to one side and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Gotta get use to it comrade" I loved using that particular pet name because I knew how much it bothered him to be called that. Guess he was wishing I'd call him hot instead of comrade now, but too late. I gave him a lopsided grin.
"I wish it was that easy," He leaned closer to me again and I put my hand on his cheek, feeling the rough scrub of beard stubble. I ran my hand along his strong jaw and with one finger I caressed his upper lip. He opened his mouth and bit my finger softly, I giggled at the same time there was a knock on the door.
He pulled away and walked to the door to open it. A man was standing there, wearing the uniform from the guardians at court. His face showed no emotion when he spoke and his voice was flat.
"Your majesty: Tatiana" He said and stepped away from the door frame to let the Queen in. I almost gasped. I'd forgotten all about her visit that I was so surprised to see her entering the room. Walking so gracefully, like there wasn't anything in the world that could make her lose that stupid and fake smile she had on her face.
Perhaps you were waiting for some sort of real fight when Dimitri finally discovered Viktoria and Adrian's relationship? I'm sorry if its disappointing, but when I wrote this I had other things to considerate, like, plan the Queen's visit, which, by the way, is going to shock you all. This is a real turning point in Dimitri and Rose's new life and I definitely wouldn't like to be them. Well, maybe even so I'd like to be Rose to be with Dimitri, because I'm sure the witch of my aunt wouldn't like me going out with a twenty four year old man, even though her husband is actually fourteen years older than her. So unfair, right?
Anyways, lets focus on the story. Please review and tell me what you think will happen. I also wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your reviews and all the support since I started writing After Shadow Kiss. It's been a rough couple of months but you're still reading, I hope.
I almost forgot to mention what Cyka means: Bitch. I got that word from another story I read, its called Russian Swear Words. I'm sorry I used that from that story but I don't have time to look up in internet bad words. Sorry.
Please review, though, because today I put two chapters. I felt bad for not updating in a long time so please review this one and 27
