I am so so sorry for the delay on updating! I had a hard time writing the chapter, and overall just felt lousy.

I would like to take a moment to thank the amazing TheLittleSubmissive for editing my chapter and catching all of my fried brain mistakes. You're a boss lady!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Three weeks later and we are on our way to Baia! Rose finally relented to Lissa using a small dose of Spirit to heal the remaining breaks. While Lissa's Spirit was diminished after the bond breaking it has finally come back to full power, and she was relentless about healing Rose further. Rose repeatedly told her not to and we could all see Rose's struggle with the ache in her chest. When I pulled her aside a few days ago and asked about it, Rose merely muttered 'darkness' and I figured out why.

A few days later, Rose finally shook her head and sat down on Lissa's couch after being pestered about it and let Lissa heal her. While Lissa was happy about it, Rose was not.

I look over at Rose in the passenger seat as her leg bounces and she gnaws on her thumbnail. I reach over and put my hand on her thigh, halting her movement and pulling her from her internal monologue.

"Why are you so tense?" I ask, squeezing the taut muscles in her leg. Rose stops chewing her nail and looks over at me, a frown pulling across her anxious features. I look back at the road for a moment and glance back at Rose. Thankfully, the road ahead of us is empty.

"What if they don't like me?"

I chuckle under my breath and move my hand up to cup the back of her head. Rose turns her head to look at me as I twirl my fingers into her hair. "Roza, they're going to love you," I soothe. Rose bites her lip and looks back out at the room, the setting sun casting shadows across her face beautifully. I bring my attention back to the highway and change lanes to take the exit, only twenty more minutes away from Baia. I pull my hand out of her hair and place it back on her lap, rubbing circles into her leg.

Rose grumbles under her breath and I hum at her to repeat herself. Rose huffs, "I said I don't believe you. I think you forgot that while our relationship may be somewhat accepted at Court, it's different here. Your family knows that I was your student, but they have never seen us together."

I shake my head and squeeze her leg again, knowing that at this very moment there isn't anything I can do to soothe her. While her anxiety heightens the closer we get to the house, I become more excited. I pull into the driveway just as the sky turns purple and park the car. I get out and make my way over to Rose's side of the car and open the door. Rose looks up at me nervously and gets out. She steps towards the trunk but I stop her, leaning her against the closed door.

I place my hand on her upper arms and rub up and down, leaning down and running the tip of my nose against hers. "Rose, you have no reason to be worried. Mama has already told me how excited they are to meet you, and I can guarantee that they will love you," I say softly. Rose looks up at me with her big eyes and sighs, resting her head against my chest. I wrap my arms around her and pull her to my chest, kissing the top of her head and squeezing her tightly.

"I love you," I whisper. She hums quietly before pulling out of my arms and heading to the trunk, pulling it open and pulling her bag out. I smile and do the same and put my hand on her back, guiding her up the stairs to the childhood home. I give her one more smile before knocking on the door and waiting. I can hear excited voices growing louder and feet thumping towards the door, and the door opens, revealing Viktoria.

Viktoria launches herself at me and I drop my bag to catch her, laughing as she talks a mile a minute in my ear. I hug her tightly before setting her down on her feet, and she lets go of me to latch herself onto Rose. I hug Karo and look over her shoulder as Vika bounces up and down while hugging Rose, her speech becoming more unclear the longer she hugs Rose. Rose flicks her eyes up at me, alarmed, probably because my sister is talking too fast for her to understand.

"It's so good to see you, little brother," Karo whispers in our native tongue and I squeeze her tightly before letting go. "Roza is beautiful," she adds and Rose smirks.

"Why, thank you," Rose replies and Karo smirks.

"You didn't tell us that Roza spoke Russian," Karo chastises and I shake my head. Sonya stands in the doorway as Mama pushes her way through and I bend down to hug her. Mama sighs happily and strokes the back of my head and rocks the two of us while we take a few moments to enjoy this.

"I missed you," I say. Mama pulls back and cups my cheeks and tilts my head down to kiss my forehead. I wrap my fingers around her wrists and give her a smile. Mama turns her gaze from me and looks over at Roza, who has now finished hugging Karo.

I step closer to Rose and pull her to my side, rubbing my thumb along her waist reassuringly. "This is my Roza. Roza, this is my mama, Karolina, Sonya, and Vika."

Rose smiles at my family on the porch and gives a small wave, and I have to keep myself from laughing at how uncharacteristically shy she is being. Mama is the first to move and engulfs Rose in a hug, kissing both of her cheeks and her head.

"I'm so glad to meet you! You have made my boy so happy. Come inside! You must be starving," Mama exclaims and tugs Rose into the house. I bend down and pick up our discarded bags and follow the trail of women back into the house. I move through the house and up the stairs to my old bedroom and set our bags down before heading back down to the congregation in the kitchen. I lean in the doorway to watch the most important people in my life speak, and I can see Rose's former agitation lift from her shoulders.

I hear a shuffle behind me look over my shoulder to see my grizzled babushka. I turn around with a soft smile and bend down to hug her. She stops me by placing her hand on my chest and looks around me at Rose before looking back at me. She tucks her other hand into my duster pocket and gives me a smile. I furrow my brow at her, but she pulls me down to hug her and she kisses my cheek before hobbling into the kitchen as well.

I take another glance into the kitchen as I stick my hand into my pocket and pull out a small box. A box that I have seen so many times before, and I quickly tuck it back into my pocket.

"Dimka, come join us!" Sonya says, tugging me from the spot and further into the kitchen.

I slip out of bed quietly, hoping that Rose is in a deep enough sleep to not wake up. But knowing her, she is probably dead to the world. I creep down the stairs and into the kitchen to see Mama and Babushka seated at the table, nursing cups of coffee. I lean down and kiss Mama's head before pouring myself a coffee and sitting with them.

Mama gives me a smile and lifts the cup to her lips. She gives Babushka a pointed look before flicking back to me. "I already gave it to him," Babushka says and Mama smiles even wider. I smirk and lay with the handle of my cup as I contemplate what Babushka has done.

"Are you sure you want Roza to wear your ring?" I ask. Babushka shakes her head at me and reaches across the table.

"She is your better half, Dimka. She completes you and she loves you deeply. I can see it by looking at her. She has a fire that you need in your life."

I smile and nod my head at her, my heart filling at her acceptance. If I were to be concerned about any of my family not welcoming Rose, it was Babushka. But Babushka giving me her engagement ring for Rose is acceptance enough.

"When are you going to ask her?" Mama asks and I shrug. Engagement is not something Rose and I have spoken in depth about, and she was adamant that if we do get engaged, she wants to be in her twenties. "Maybe a year or two," I say offhandedly as I sip from my cup. Mama frowns and opens her mouth when a loud thud and a muffled curse emits over our heads.

I chuckle into my mug, "Roza's awake." Mama shakes her head and gets up from the table to start breakfast as Rose shuffles into the kitchen while trying to tame her mane of curls. Even now when her hair is a mess, sleep still in her eyes, baggy shirt and shorts clad legs, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I smile at her as she rubs her eyes and flops down on the bench next to me, curling towards me and resting her head against my shoulder. I turn my head and kiss the top of hers, winding my arm around her waist.

"Did you sleep well?" I ask and Rose makes an unintelligible noise in the back of her throat. I look at Babushka who has an amused expression on her face, but when she notices me watching her, she scowls at me. I move my cup of coffee towards Rose, and the smell perks her up enough to raise her head. Rose snaps her hand out and takes the cup from me, bringing it to her lips and moaning in appreciation when the hot liquid touches her lips.

University really has changed her, because before she would turn her nose up at the smell of the caffeinated beverage. Now, she loves it as much as I do. I watch her down the remnants of my cup and she sets it down on the wooden table with a thud. Mama chuckles under her breath as she places a plate of syrniki in front of her, and Rose eyeballs it warily. Mama sets down a container of honey as well before setting plates in front of Babushka and me. I smile excitedly at her before digging into it enthusiastically.

I have attempted to make this so many times, but nothing is better than Mama's.

I watch Rose out of the corner of my eye as she tries one without the honey. She nibbles on one before she nods and pops half of it into her mouth with a hum. Mama and I watch Rose as she drizzles honey over the remaining syrniki and digs into them happily.

"I'm surprised no one else is awake yet," I mention, and Mama rolls her eyes. "They've become lazy now that it's summer. Not like you, who has always been an early riser," Mama says with a smirk. I smirk and drape my arm along the back of the table bench, softly toying with a lock of Rose's hair. Rose tries to suppress a shiver, but it still makes its way to the surface.

Words cannot explain how good it is to be back in my childhood home.

I watch Rose in amusement as she devours her food before the sound of small feet running across the hardwood alerts us. I look up to find Paul in the doorway with an excited smile on his face. "Uncle Dimka!" he screeches before launching himself at me, merely missing Rose with his elbow. A whoosh of breath leaves my lungs as Paul slams into my chest, but I wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly. He's getting so big.

"Hey buddy," I say and let him go as he wiggles out of my arms. Though he doesn't go far, he simply pulls out of my embrace and sits in my lap, which looks a little difficult with the table rammed against his back. Paul opens his mouth but stops when his eyes slide to Rose, who has surprisingly stopped eating and is observing the two of us.

Paul leans towards me and cups his mouth in his hands, "Who is that?" he whispers into my ear. I look over at Rose and give her a wink before looking back at my nephew. "That is Roza, my girlfriend."

Paul screws his face up and looks at Rose while she takes a drink of her juice. "But, girls have germs." I start to chuckle at the same time Rose chokes on her drink, spraying it over the rim of her cups. She puts her hand up in an 'I'm fine' gesture while the patrons of the table laugh at Paul's statement.

"Roza doesn't have any germs, I promise," I say ruffling Paul's hair. He looks unconvinced but shrugs and slides onto the bench beside me, looking at my plate wishfully. I stand up to get Paul a plate of his own, but by the time I come back, he has already moved into my spot and is talking to Rose excitedly about being a Guardian.

It's a sight I can get used to; seeing Rose at the table with my family.

"Your mother said that it would only be a few people. This looks like the entire village!" Rose whispers to me as we bring the last of the food to the kitchen. While Mama may have said a few, everyone bar Rose knew that Mama was going to go overboard. The backyard is already full of people mingling and talking, neighbours children running around, zigging between adults as they play.

I place my hand on Rose's waist, pulling her back to my chest and resting my head on her shoulder, humming at the feeling of her being so close to me. The feeling of serenity has been over me all week and I don't want it to end. I've enjoyed doing the never-ending list of things for Mama and listening to my sister speak with Rose who has been more than enthusiastic about speaking in Russian. Her accent and annunciation has improved in the few days we've been here.

"I should go and help Olena," Rose says as she pulls away, but I wrap my arms around her. "Mama is just going to tell you she has nothing for you to do and shoo you away," I say to her as she squirms. Rose huffs and slumps back against me, placing her hands on my arms.

I can't be more thankful of Lissa and Christian at this moment for helping me visit my family for my mama's 50th birthday. While Mama insisted that my being here was a gift enough, I did manage to snake into the city and get some of the sweets from the bakery she loves.

Rose whispers something in my ear and slips out of my arms, wandering over to one of the tables where Viktoria is standing. Sonya and Karolina quickly take residence beside me with mischievous smirks. "What?" I ask with a raised brow. The two look at each other and snicker.

"Mama told us Babushka gave you her ring," Sonya says with her arms crossed. I lean back against the siding of the house with a groan. Great, now these two will be all over me about proposing to Roza. "Not that it's your business, but yes, Babushka gave me her ring for Roza."

A very uncharacteristic squeal erupts from Sonya's lips and she wraps her arms around me, knocking me further into the side of the house. Karolina smirks and shakes her head at Sonya. I look around to make sure our squabble doesn't draw any attention. Although a loud shriek catches mine. Sonya pulls away and we watch as one of the neighbourhood children runs past Rose and pulls up the skirt of her dress. My sisters and I burst into laughter at Rose's expression, her hands fluttering down to her skirt and scolding Alyosha as he runs away.

"Didn't you warn Roza about Alyosha?" Karolina chuckles. I shake my head as I try to compose myself, walking towards Rose. "No. I thought he would have outgrown that by now. He's eleven for God's sake."

I approach Rose with a grin, and she narrows her eyes at me. "It's not funny!" she groans. I chuckle and nod at her, silently finding the situation entirely too funny. I look to see Nina – Alyosha's mother – standing a few feet away, scolding Alyosha while throwing me an apologetic smile.

"Roza! Cake time!" Paul shouts from the backdoor, catching all of our attention. Rose smiles up at me before yelling back to Paul, chasing him into the house with a mock roar.

I look up at the ceiling of the room I grew up in, dreading the following morning. Two weeks home has not been enough. While Mama's birthday was perfect, and seeing the glow of happiness on her face made my whole being lighter, the idea of watching that happiness slip from her face makes my heart hurt.

"I can hear you thinking, Comrade."

I look over at Rose, who up until now I thought was asleep. She rolls over to face me and rests her hand on my shoulder, rubbing her hand in small circles. I place my hand over hers and squeeze her hand, giving her a small smile.

"Sorry," I whisper. Rose smiles and shuffles closer, wincing when the springs in the bed squeak loudly. That was the one downside of sleeping in this bed: no private moments with Rose. And she made sure to tease me the whole time we have been here.

Rose rests her head on my chest and wraps her arm around my waist, snuggling as close to me as she can. I smile into the dark room for a moment before my thoughts circle back to leaving.

"Want to tell me what you are thinking so hard about that you just went all rigid?"

I groan and shift carefully under her, trying to pull together my thoughts in a way that I can voice them without offending her. "I… a part of me doesn't want to go back to America," I whisper. Rose lays quietly on my chest for a few minutes and the longer she lays silent the more dread starts to seep into my bones. She folds her hands together on my chest and rests her chin on them, looking at me with her big eyes that are illuminated in the moonlight.

"Dimitri, of course, you feel that way. Your family is here, an entire continent away. It's normal to want to stay," Rose says, sympathy shining in her eyes.

I run my fingers through her hair, committing her features to my mind intently. The first statement isn't what worried me so much, but more the question I'm about to ask her. "If I decided I wanted to be reassigned back to Russia, what would that do to the two of us?"

A look of panic flickers through her eyes but she covers it up quickly and rests her cheek back on her hands. "I mean, it would really suck. But if it's what you really want, then we could make it work," Rose whispers but I can hear the tears in her voice. I pull her even closer and hug her to my chest while the feeling of guilt sinks into my chest. The whole time we've been here the thought of reallocating back to Russia has been there, but the only thing that is keeping me in America is the woman in my arms.

"Roza?"

She doesn't respond but the spreading of wet heat on my chest is more powerful than words. I close my eyes as the guilt I feel sinks into my stomach, mentally kicking myself for even voicing the question. I brush my lips over her hair, cupping the back of her head and stroking the soft spot between her shoulders.

"Rose, please talk to me," I say.

"There isn't anything to talk about. Go to sleep, we have a long day tomorrow."

Please don't hate me.