*Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does!*
"Were you even asleep when I left?" I asked him curiously.
He shook his head. "I'm just as anxious as you are about all of this," he told me. "I just don't toss and turn like you do."
I rolled my eyes. "Do you think she'll help us?" I asked him uncertainly.
"I'm sure she will," he told me certainly. "She has first-handedly experienced this happening to someone she loved. She won't want the same thing to happen to you."
"I hope not," I whispered to him. He helped me put Mila and Lera back in their cribs without waking them up.
When we returned to our bedroom, I turned to him. "Were you there for my whole conversation?" I asked him.
"I don't know if you would call it a conversation. You were the only one talking, but yes. I was there for the whole thing," he told me. I groaned. "Hey, it's okay. It's not like I didn't already know you were feeling that way. And you already told me the stuff about you and Lissa."
"How did you know how I was feeling?" I asked him surprised. I thought I had been doing a good job hiding it.
"I could see how guilty you look whenever we talk about her," he told me. "You also put more effort into searching those files than anyone else. Sure, you complained, but you did your job and thoroughly."
I sighed and leaned into his chest, basking in the warmth and comfort that he brought me. "It wasn't enough. In the end, I put you and my kids before helping Lissa," I told him sadly.
"Rose, it is okay to put your family first. You have six innocent babies depending on you. They need you more than anyone else in the world," he told me.
I shook my head. "They need you just as much," I told him.
He shook his head. "They don't," he corrected me. "You don't see yourself very clearly. I wouldn't be able to do half the things you do with them. Mila and Lera worship you. The first words out of their mouths weren't dada. It was mama."
"That doesn't mean anything," I argued.
"It means more than you can imagine," he told me. "I can't get them to calm down like you can. I can't get them to behave like you can. I know they love me and they'll listen to me, but it takes a little more effort on my part. You're a natural when it comes to those kids. I would be concerned if you didn't put them above Lissa. It's your maternal instincts. Your children will always come first."
I knew he was right. "So much for they come first, huh?" I asked with a sigh.
He shook his head. "They can mean so many things. It's a very open ended statement. Doesn't really say who they is," he pointed out.
"Is Mr. Badass Guardian suggesting that they can mean my children," I teased him.
"Absolutely," he said. "My children will always come first for me. As will my lovely wife."
I grinned up at him. "My handsome husband and my daughters will come first for me too," I agreed.
He tilted my head slightly and pressed his lips to mine. "What does this mean?" I asked him when we broke the kiss.
"What do you mean?" He asked confused.
"It's common knowledge that you have to put a moroi before your own life. I can do that, but I can't put her before my family. Does that mean I can't guard her as well as I should?" I asked him nervously. I wasn't sure I really wanted to hear the answer.
"Rosemarie Belikov," Dimitri said in a warning voice. "You just can't mix your work and your personal life. When you are on duty, I am sure you won't have a problem putting Lissa first. There is no reason you can't. You've trained so hard for this. I know you can do your duty well and still raise our daughters to be well rounded young ladies."
"You really think so?" I asked.
He nodded. "I do," he told me sincerely. I leaned up and pressed my lips to his.
We spent the rest of the night in each other's arms. We were too anxious to sleep and I think both of us were relieved as the sun started to rise. Dimitri went to the kitchen to start making breakfast. He made huge chocolate chip pancakes. He cooked bacon and sausage. I knew he was hoping a breakfast with my favorite foods would help alleviate my nerves.
It didn't work, but breakfast sure was delicious. Viktoria came into the kitchen as we finished eating. As she ate, we prepared the babies for their stay at the Belikovs and put all of the babies into their car seats.
About thirty minutes later, our car was loaded up and we were on our way to the Belikovs. My nerves picked up with every second that passed. Olena was ecstatic when we dropped off the babies. I felt bad sometimes. We brought our babies to see her as often as possible and she came over to our house a lot, but she wasn't used to not having everyone living in her house.
Before I knew what was happening, Dimitri, Viktoria, and I were scouring every inch of town trying to find out if anyone knew the girl we were looking for. Several hours passed before we found someone that could help us. We had stopped for lunch in a little café. We figured we might as well ask our waitress if she knew her.
God was obviously smiling down upon us in that moment. Not only did our waitress know her, she knew where she lived.
Once we had finished eating, we went to the address. We were standing outside her front door. Now that the moment was here, I couldn't bring myself to knock on her door.
I squeezed Dimitri's hand and summoned up all my courage. I knocked on the door.
I waited several minutes before the door opened, revealing a familiar face.
"Amy?" I asked quietly.