A/N: Yes my lovlies... your eyes are NOT deceiving you... this is another chapter... You can all get back up off the ground now... I'll wait! heheheh AND you'll all be happy to know that the next chapter is already half done... (I KNOW... wonders will never cease)... LOL!

Anyhoo... That's all from me... I hope you all like this chapter.
Sandy

Chapter 29

The morning after we got home from the island, found me outside the Ivashkov house.

"Ms Hathaway." Harrison the butler greeted me with a smile. "You're up bright and early. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if Adrian is awake."

I saw the smile pull at his mouth an instant before he reined it in. "Ah, no... It's a little on the early side for Mr Adrian to be out of bed."

"Do you think his parents would be upset if I went upstairs and woke him up?"

"I don't think it's his parents you'd have to worry about Rose... it's more him I'd be worried about."

"Ah... leave it to me."

"Don't say I didn't warn you miss."

I gave him a wink as I walked past him. Harrison was good people... There was a time when I was about ten that I planned on marrying him. I pictured him bringing me breakfast in bed and everything.

I contemplated knocking, I wasn't sure if he slept in the raw or not... But I didn't want to give him the chance to tell me to get lost. So I compromised... I wrapped my hand around the door handle and closed my eyes...

"Adrian! Wake up!" I shouted.

"What the... what's... Rose? What are you...? Rose?" Oh... that last touting of my name was more in exasperation than anything...

"Are you decent?"

"Well, that's open for discussion, but if you're asking if I'm clothed then no... I'm not."

Figures! "Well, hurry up and get clothed, my eyes want to open." Oh shit... that came out wrong. I lifted my hands and placed them over my face...

"Don't let me stop them..." I heard the smile in his voice... I suppose I deserved that one.

I heard the rustling of sheets and the sounds of his foot falls as he walked across the carpet. I don't know what made me do it... but I peeked! For years I had a crush on Adrian and just because I was in love with Dimitri didn't make me any less curious.

"HUH! I knew you had to look!"

"Oh you shit..." He wasn't naked... Exasperated and slightly embarrassed, I turned around to walk out of his room.

"Rose! Wait... come back." No... "I'm sorry..." He said laughing. I stopped when his hand wrapped around my shoulder. "Are you going to tell me why you came here at such an ungodly hour of the morning?"

"It's 10 o'clock Adrian... God's been up for hours."

"Well, in this household, it's ungodly... Care to enlighten me?"

I was here now; I may as well say what I came to say... "I wanted to thank you... for this last week. It was exactly what I needed, what we all needed. You're a good friend Adrian and I wanted to tell you how much what you did, means to me..."

A small smile pulled at his lips... not his usual panty melting smirk, but a genuine one. "You're very welcome Rose. It was my pleasure and I'm happy that you enjoyed yourself. Though it did score me some wicked bikini vision for the spank bank..."

"Oh God..." I growled before turning away from him. He's such a pig sometimes...

"I'm kidding... I'm kidding..." he laughed. "Rose, stop... I'm just messing with ya! Don't go."

We went down to the kitchen to grab a coffee; apparently Adrian needed a little help in completely waking up. "Miss Hathaway." Harrison said when we appeared.

"Harrison... I return; with all limbs attached too, oh ye of little faith."

He laughed loudly as Adrian looked between the two of us. "Am I missing something?"

"Nah, nothing much; only Harrison's lack of confidence in me."

"Never..." he said feigning hurt.

"Okay..." Adrian said shaking his head. "You're both as weird as each other." We sat outside enjoying the morning sun; well, I did... He enjoyed his coffee and a cigarette.

"I hate to bring this up but do you know anything more about your case?" He asked as he took a drag.

"No, but hopefully it won't drag out too much longer." He nodded his head and we were quiet for a minute or two more.

"Are you going to college?"

"No, not right now. I know I'm a lot better and being around men isn't as daunting as what it has been, but I'm still not ready for the bombardment that is college... I know this... So I'm going to take six or twelve months off, I'm just going to play it by ear."

"That's good; you shouldn't let anyone push you into doing something you're not ready for. What about Lissa?"

"Well... she's doing the same. I tried to talk her out of it; she wants to be a doctor so bad, but she says that she needs time to process everything that's happened. That she won't be able to put everything into her studies with everything still so up in the air... so, we're going to travel..."

"Travel? Just you and Liss?"

"No... We'd tossed this idea around not long before the second attack at my parent's house, and now with everything else that's happened... We spoke more about it at the island; Dimitri and Christian will come with us."

"Overseas?"

"No... We'll stay here... do a road trip, just in case we need to get back quickly." I didn't need to go into detail; he knew I meant if we needed to deal with 'trial stuff'...

It was good talking to him. And before I left to go back home, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him in thanks. It took him a second or two for his anxiety to vanish but I'm glad I did... I could see he knew how much it meant for me to do that.

=x=

The next week was good. Dimitri and I spent our time in between his house and mine. I must admit that being around his mom and sisters filled me with more peace than I'd felt in a long time. Everything was just so... calm at the Belikov house. It was exactly what I needed.

By Labor Day, we were ready to start planning our trip. Mr & Mrs D supported Lissa's decision to defer starting college; they knew all she needed was a little breathing room so that she could get her head back on straight.

In between planning and shopping trips for new clothes... (a must have apparently), we also helped Mia get ready to leave for college. It was weird knowing she'd be going off without us.

"Guys, it's really not that bad." She said smiling. "We weren't going to the same place anyway."

"I know, it's just..." Lissa shook her head and sighed.

"Do you regret..."

"NO!" Liss interrupted me. "No... Not at all. I need this, we need this. It's just something that I thought we'd all be doing together, you know... packing, sorting out what clothes we'd be taking and what we weren't... Talking about what we'd do once we got there... that sort of shit."

All Mia and I could do was nod... we knew exactly what she meant. As sad as we were that things weren't panning out as we thought they would, Liss and I also had a lot to look forward to.

We were going to spend the next six months on the road with our guys; and I know I was just about bursting with anticipation.

"So Rose..." Mia started. "You and Dimitri... you're like, a married couple already. You just seem to gravitate towards each other when you're in the same room..."

"They do don't they!" Lissa smiled.

"And that's a bad thing?" I asked.

"Not at all, I think it's great. So what's gonna happen once you guys get back?"

"Oh... we have a few things in mind." I smirked...

=x=

"I can't believe I won't see you guys for at least six months." Mia said. We were standing with her next to her parent's car, a car that was packed to the limit with her stuff. She was leaving for college... and we weren't going with her.

"We have your cell and you have ours as well as the guys, so you know that you can call us no matter what, right."

"Yeah, I know... it just won't be the same, you know?" All we could do was nod our heads. We knew exactly what she meant. From this day on, nothing would be the same. Our lives were going in completely different directions. That said, not one of us was sad about that fact. "I'm gonna miss us..."

"So will we, but we're gonna call each other every Sunday night, okay... without fail. We won't let our threesome fall to the wayside." Lissa said.

"Come on Mia, time to go." Her mom said. With a group hug and a few happy tears, we said goodbye to our friend...

"I don't think I liked that." Liss said beside me as we watched the car drive around the corner of the street. I turned to look at her and snickered at her watery eyes. Honestly, she could cry at the opening of a birthday card...

"Rose." My smile fell instantly at the familiar voice behind me. I felt Liss stiffen slightly beside me as I took a deep breath and turned around.

"Hello mother."

"Hi Rose... Lissa, do you mind if I have a few minutes with my daughter please?"

"Oh, ah... sure." She said unsurely. I could see she didn't know if she should go or not.

"Not too far." I whispered through gritted teeth. She gave a quick nod before walking over to her car where it was parked at the curb. "What can I do for you?" Mini Me was now standing in a defensive position; her back to me in what looked to be a SWAT team uniform complete with a bullet proof jacket, combat boots and nun chucks... I guess she was gearing up for a fight...

"I was just talking to Dimitri on the phone." Ah... "He tried to tender his resignation."

Resignation? That wasn't the plan... "Um..."

"I didn't accept it, especially when he told me what was going on. I think going away will be good for you and for Lissa." She said looking towards the car.

"Yeah, it will, and having the guys there will ensure that we're safe. I could never do this without them." She knew I meant Dimitri more than Christian.

My mother looked down to the ground and shoved her hands into the pockets of her slacks; she looked slightly nervous... not a look I'd ever seen on my mother.

"I know I probably won't see you again before you leave next week, but there's... something that I..." She looked up and met my eyes as she squared her shoulders slightly. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for not being the mother that you've deserved. I'm sorry for my lack of compassion and support, especially when you needed it the most."

What the hell? An image flashed in my mind... a huge cave, lined in flames; frozen flames... along with frozen demons and what seemed to be a frozen Lucifer...

SHIT! Hell just froze over...

I just stood there... mouth open... eyes popping... speechless... Words escaped me...

"It's a pretty sad state of affairs when I render my chatty daughter speechless simply because I apologised for my shortcomings... Rose...?"

I should say something... I look to Mini Me to help out but she's in a dead faint on the frozen floor at Beelzebub's feet...

"Um..." Oh, that's bright Rose... I turned my head in an effort to make sense of the words that just came out of her mouth and my eyes landed on the worried face of my friend... She quickly stood up and walked over to me.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly. Was I?

"I just apologised to her." My mother offered. "As you can see, it's not something I do very often."

"I'm okay..." I said after gathering my shit together... I turned to my mother and saw what I could only think of as 'sincerity'... I actually think she was being truthful... "Thanks..." I said to her. She bit her bottom lip in a gesture that reminded me of myself and nodded her head. She knew that an apology, no matter how sincere, wouldn't fix all the hurt between us.

"Well... Have a good time on your trip and I hope you find the peace you need to move on in your life, both of you."

"Thanks..." I said. She gave a quick nod and went to walk back to her house. She stopped after a few steps and then turned around. "If you think of it, I'd love a call every now and again... to let me know you're okay." Wow...

"I can do that."

"Oh... um, your father wanted me to ask you if he could come see you tonight, at... your place... if you're going to be there, he has something he wants to give you before you leave."

"Sure." I say almost robotically. This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder as the minutes go by...

"Alright, I'll talk to you soon. Have a good holiday, bye Lissa."

"Goodbye Ms Hathaway."

Liss and I stood silently as we watched her walk back to my former residence and through the front door...

"Huh..." Liss said breaking the silence. Trust her... That simple sound was all it took for the wall of wonder to fracture and laughter spilled out... It started off as a giggle and with one look at Lissa's face; it fell into loud, gasping laughter from us both.

"Oh my God..." Was all I could say as I tried to breathe.

"What in hell brought that on?" Liss asked.

"I have no idea."

"Come on... Christian texted while I was in the car, he and Dimitri are at our place." I nodded and walked with her to the car. She walked to the driver's side and got in and I opened my door, but before I got in, I looked back to my old home... Mom stood at the living room window... I knew it took a lot for her to do what she'd just done, she was trying. I gave a small smile and wave in acknowledgement and then lowered myself into Lissa's car.

That night, we were all in the games room when Mr D walked in.

"Rose... you're dad's here."

"Oh, okay, thanks..." I looked over to Lissa and raised my eyebrows in a 'here we go' gesture. I got up and walked outside. He was sitting in the lounge room with Lissa's parents and as I approached, they didn't make a move to leave... God love 'em...

"Rose." Dad greeted.

"Hey... What's going on?" I asked.

He quickly glanced to Mr & Mrs D and I think he realised they were staying, so he went on... "I... I didn't know. Had I known, I would have... Well, it doesn't matter now does it?" Yeah, it sort of did. My thoughts must have been written all over my face. "I would have been the father I should have been, I'm sorry."

Now I had to sit down... Both of my parents apologising in the one day... not only was hell frozen over but now I was convinced that the earth was about to end...

"I wanted to give you something. Your mother told me of you upcoming trip. You don't have to use it if you don't want to, but... I'd like you to." He handed me a thin pile of papers... "It's an account I've made up in your name. There's more than enough money in there for anything you may want while you're away. Like I said, you don't have to use it if you don't want to but at least you know it's there if you need it."

I looked up at him before looking back to my other parents; Mrs D had a soft smile on her lips as she looked at me. I knew what she was thinking... 'He's trying'...

"Thanks Dad. I appreciate this." I said looking into his eyes.

"I know it doesn't even come close to... Both your mother and I have failed you as parents, in so many ways and we both know it. We would like to change that, if you do. This isn't some ploy to butter you up; I know that wouldn't work. You'll be gone for a while and I just want you to have a good time and find what you need to heal... Not having to worry about money will help you do that."

I breathed in deep before looking at the paperwork and gasped at the amount looking back at me... "Dad..."

"No... Not a word. I've made provisions that the account gets topped up once a month..." The he started to smirk... "I'm about to say the words that every teenage girl wants to hear come from their father's mouths... 'So, have at it kid, spend up.'"

Mrs D snorted her amusement before patting Mr D's knee and stood up. "I have to get back into the kitchen, if I don't see you before you leave Abe..." She gave a nod and then walked out of the lounge room, dragging her husband behind her.

I placed the paperwork on the lamp table beside where I sat and stood up. "Did Mom tell you about today?"

"Yeah, she did. She knows it doesn't fix anything."

"I wouldn't say that. I know a lot has been said and done and maybe we'll never be as close as mother and daughter should be, but... today helped, it was a big step in the right direction and I appreciate her apology more than she realises."

It was true, while she could never take back all the shit she put me through, it still didn't mean that I didn't want her to love me... I looked up and saw my father smiling.

"I'm glad. Well, look after yourself on your trip and have fun. You have my cell number; don't hesitate to call me if you ever need me... for anything."

"I won't, I promise." Then I took a deep breath and walked towards my father. "I also promise to spend up big."

He let out a huge laugh. "That's my girl..." He stopped laughing and gasped as I reached around his body and hugged him; my right ear pressed over his heart. It was a little awkward at first but he soon relaxed and returned the hug. I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head before he spoke again. "I'm so proud of you Rose, don't ever forget that."

I opened my eyes and saw Dimitri standing outside the games room doorway, smiling. He gave a wink before turning and going back into the room. I loved him so very much...

I walked my father out to his car and said a goodbye with promises that I would keep in contact with him while I was away. I stood there for a while after he'd left, just thinking about this unbelievable day from Pleasantville... Either that or Ashton Kutcher was about to jump out at me...

I jumped when a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist. "Shit... you scared the shit out of me... You're lucky I didn't render you unconscious."

"You could have tried." He said laughing.

"Huh, I wouldn't have needed to try," I said turning in his arms. "...not with my awesome fighting skills."

He just chuckled and took my face in his hands. "I love you." He whispered before pressing his lips against mine. I melted against him as he quickly deepened it and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He lifted me off the ground and seemed to be in no hurry to finish our make out session in full view of the neighbours.

"I love you too, Comrade." I said when we broke apart. I couldn't help but giggle at the scowl on his face... "Oops... sorry... I love you too, Master."

"That's more like it."

Oh.. btw, I'm going to do something I've not done before... I'm gonna bribe... :-) If I get lots of reviews, I'll post up another chapter of My Lucky Day... Ah, hell... I'll post it anyway, but I'd love your reviews... hehehehehe