Rose
As luck would have it – wait, not luck. No, bad luck. Dimitri's family had left after I helped Aly get dressed for the day to give Dimitri and I some space. I was trying to explain everything to my daughter, what happened, who Dimitri was, why we weren't around. She knew it was because I couldn't remember, she would ask why she didn't have a father, especially when she started school and would see other kids being picked up by both mom and dads. She understood which was good, but when we were about to leave the house, the heavens opened and started to pour buckets of water that refused to stop.
"It is summer right?" I ask Dimitri amused. He smiles and shakes his head, closing the door again.
"I guess where staying in today." Dimitri said with a small smile before walking into the living room. I crouched down and put my hands on Aly's shoulders.
"Do you want to do this with just you and Daddy?" Aly chewed her lip and nodded. I smiled, gave her a kiss on the nose. "Go on then." That morning and afternoon were beautiful. Not in terms of the weather, but Dimitri and Aly bonded so quickly, it was like he was in her life forever. They both took a nap on the sofa together so I had to put a blanket over them while I made lunch. I jumped when I felt a hand on my back.
"She's still asleep." I snorted.
"She's not asleep, she's pretending to be asleep so you would come and talk to me." Dimitri looked at me. "She's not a normal Dhampir, she knows things, feels thing." Dimitri nodded. "You're taking that as if it's normal."
"Roza, I fell in love with my underage student, who just so happened to have died years before and became shadow kissed and we have a daughter together even though it should have been physically impossible. I think accepting that our daughter is special isn't that odd."
"You are you know. Her father. I have the DNA-"
"Roza, I don't need a DNA test." He rubbed my back.
"You didn't come to bed last night."
"Roza-"
"I mean it Dimitri." I cut him off. "I'm not going to lie to you. Them four years away, I was happy. My life was simple there, I bought a house, I had a job at the diner and I was studying Law-"
"Law?" Dimitri fused his eyebrows together. I slapped his arm smiling.
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "But Dimitri, when I remembered – Look Dimitri. I love you."
"Roza-"
"No Dimitri. I mean it. I'm not just saying it because it's something you want to hear. When you say my name, I get butterflies, when you touch me, I feel like I'm on fire and I don't want it to stop. Dimitri, I'm so in love with you it hurts." My eyes filled but I blinked them away. Dimitri stroked my cheek with his thumb.
"I love you too." He was so close; his lips were just there.
"I'm hungry now." I laughed and rested my head on Dimitri's chest. His chest moved as he laughed with me.
"Hey, Comrade, something good did come out of me hitting my head and forgetting everything!" I said as I turned around and picked up some plates. "I can cook now." Dimitri threw his head back and laughed, picking up the glasses and bringing them to the table before settling down. Aly dug into her lunch; Dimitri hesitantly picked up his wrap. I started at him as he took a bite.
"This is actually quite good." I smiled, moved my shoulders and picked my wrap up and happily ate it.
"Do you know if my parents are in Lissa's or...?" I asked Dimitri. He nodded and swallowed.
"They're probably in their house in Court, we can go over there if you want?" I nodded my head.
"I think it's about time Aly meets her grandparents." Aly giggled.
"I have so many!" I laughed and pulled a lose curl.
"Well, we're going to have to fix your hair first." Aly jumped up and ran up the stairs to collect the hairbrush I used that morning. Dimitri cleaned the plates while I put two pigtails in her hair, wrapping my finger to force all the curls together into one on each ponytail. Aly put on her coat pulling me towards the door. The rain stopped.
"My car has the car seat." I said picking up my keys from the table, reluctantly holding them out to Dimitri. "You can drive." Dimitri smiled, took my key and watched as I showed him how to strap Aly into the car seat. "She can strap herself in, we just need to make sure she's in tightly." Dimitri nodded, looking over my shoulder as I pulled on the straps to tighten them. When I closed Aly's door, Dimitri opened mine. I looked up at him and smiled as I slid in and he closed it. I smiled as he got behind the wheel tried to squeeze in – it didn't work.
"Roza, I know you're short but there is no need to be this close to the wheel." He pushed the seat back before getting back in. Aly giggled.
"Don't even say it missy." I warned pointing my finger at her. She giggled as Dimitri adjusted the mirrors. "You're never driving my car again." I say to him. He looked at me.
"No kidding." He laughed and eventually started the car and drove the short distance.
"We're okay now right? Like my mom and me?" Dimitri looked over, took my hand in his and smiled.
"You're all good." I nodded my head and rubbed my sweaty hand on my legs. "You'll be fine." We stopped in front of a small house. Dimitri went to knock on the door while I helped Aly out of the car and grabbed her bag as well as the book Sally made.
"I need to pee." I gave her a smile and walked up the steps to the door just as it opened.
"Sorry, bathroom emergency!" I called as I showed Aly where the bathroom was. "Do you need me to stay?"
"No!" I followed the voices into the living room.
"She has to pee when she's nervous." I say, braking up the conversation. I looked at my parents as they sat stiffly on the couch talking to Dimitri. My mom got up wrapped her arms tightly around my shoulders and I hugged her middle, holding tightly. She pulled back and cupped my face.
"I missed you so much." I gave her a smile and Abe replaced her. He hugged me, breathing out as if he was holding it for years. I pulled away.
"Sally and Tom made you guys this." I handed them the book. My mom took it and flipped the pages, taking in all the photos.
"Mommy!" I turned in the direction of the voice, slowly walked towards the bathroom. I opened the door.
"What are you doing?" Aly was reaching up on the sink, moving her hand under the automatic soap dispenser. She was covered is soap.
"Look! Isn't this cool!" She showed me how to work it.
"Aly!" I laughed shaking my head. When I walked closer, she jumped up into my arms, wiping all the suds in my hair. "Come on." I laughed, washed her hands and led her out into the living room. "Someone likes to play with automatic soap dispensers." I laughed walking in with white foam blobbed on the top of my head. Aly giggled.
"This is grandma and grandpa." I said to Aly.
"Like Grandma Sally and Grandpa Tom?" I crouched down and shook my head.
"No, these are my mommy and daddy." I tugged a curl and Aly nodded.
"And Grandma Sally and Grandpa Tom helped you after the accident." I nodded. Aly kissed me nose and stuck her tongue out before running towards my parents.
"I'm Aly. Mommy only calls me Alyssia when she gives this look." She raised her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes. I opened my mouth and scoffed. Dimitri tried to hid a small smile. I narrowed me eyes.
"Alyssia."
"See!" I rolled my eyes and shook my head, leaning against the wall. I poked Dimitri's shoulder and cocked my head, getting him to follow me into the kitchen.
"It's easier to let her do this by herself." I say to him jumping onto the island. He followed, leaning against the counter.
"Is that why you disappeared?" I smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, she'll call me if she gets uncomfortable." I roll my shoulders. "She looks just like you, you know." I say.
"She is beautiful." I nod in agreement. Dimitri sighed walked around put his hands on either side of me on the island and looked me in the eyes. "Are you happy being back?" I sigh and cup his face in my hands.
"Dimitri, I'm happy being home." He smiled.
"I still have all your things."
"Dimitri, it's been four years."
"I knew you'd come back to me." I leaned my forehead against his. "So, Law." I laughed and shoved him away he came back and covered my lips with his. I grabbed his shirt, allowing his tongue to enter my mouth, wrapping an arm around his neck to pull him closer. A cough pulled us apart. I kept my arm wrapped around his neck and throwing my head onto his shoulder and laughed.
"You did a good job raising her, Kiz." I smiled and turned to my dad.
"She's great, isn't she?" Abe nodded and smiled.
"Can I talk to Rose alone?" Dimitri looked at me, nodded and left the kitchen.
"Is everything okay?" Abe nodded and paced in front of me.
"You don't exactly seem it."
"I just want to know if you're okay – really." Abe started. "Raising a child with family around is hard enough, raising a child alone and young would have been very difficult."
"She was a good baby and I had Sally, Tom and Tony helping me out." I slid off the island top and grabbed his arm. "I am okay, you know." He sighed and hugged me. "But I mean if you're feeling guilty enough you can help decorate her room and give me a break." He laughed.
"I know, she's already decorating it in her head. She's very insistent on having no pink." I laughed.
"Sounds about right."
"Are you staying for dinner?" I smile and nod.
"How's mom getting on?" He led me into living room. Aly was sitting on my mom's lap while she directed her on how to style her hair. I snorted.
"She knows better than to do that with me."
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
We waved goodbye as we drove back to our house.
"Are you sleepy?" I asked Aly. She shook her head. "How about we meet one more group before we go home?" Aly nodded her head excitedly.
"Everyone else is probably in Lissa and Christian's." As we drove, I called Sally and Tom, handed my phone to Aly and listened to her babble about all the people she got to meet today and that she's going to meet others. Sally and Tom said goodnight as we pulled into our house and walked up and knocked on the door. Lissa pulled the door open and smiled as she greeted us.
As soon as we walked into the living room, my stomach flipped. I looked over at Aly and she looked a little pale too. I swallowed, felt the back of her neck and filled one syringe with her nausea medicine and another syringe with Calpol.
"One more time and I'll take you to the doctor." Aly nodded, took her medicine, took the small bottle of water from the bag as I popped a nausea pill and swallowed. Opened my mouth to show Aly and she nodded. I rolled my eyes.
"This is your Aunty Lissa." I pointed to Lissa, Aly pushed into my side.
"Aunty Lissa has a baby in her belly." Christian turned around in his chair fast, staring at Lissa and then at Aly.
"What?" Aly blushed and hugged my neck.
"Vasilisa, you're pregnant?" Tasha asked, sitting up in her chair. Lissa shook her head.
"No."
"I'd get a test if I were you, Aly's very rarely wrong." I said. Lissa coughed and cleared her throat.
"Aly, do you want to watch TV?" Aly smiled and climbed onto the sofa sitting beside Eddie who picked up the remote.
"What do you want to watch?" Eddie asked, leaning down. Aly smiled.
"Em, Peppa Pig." she replied.
"No, you know you're not allowed to watch that." I say instantly. "Don't even try that with me Alyssia Massie Niels!" I warned. She pouted and put her arms over her chest.
"What have you against Peppa Pig?"
"She's not a very nice pig." I replied. Aly chose a different show. Like I did with Dimitri and my parents, I hung back and let them be with Aly as she talked and talked and talked. After she yawned three times, I called time and brought Aly back to mine and Dimitri's house.
"Which story do you want?" I asked Aly, holding out her bed time stories. She picked one, I handed it to Dimitri and left the room after tucking her in and kissing her forehead. I gave Dimitri a thumbs up before slipping out down into the living room with a blanket. The front door opened and Yeva and Olena came in.
"Hi, where's Dimitri?" Olena asked, taking off her coat and hanging it up. Yeva did the same thing.
"He's putting Aly to bed." I replied leaning back on the couch.
"You did good, child." Yeva praised as she settled into a chair. "Raising her." I smiled.
"Thank you." Dimitri walked down the stairs, a bright smile on his face. He sank on the couch beside me, lifting my lags and draping them over his lap.
"She's a sleep." I smiled as Dimitri beamed with pride.
