Hey guys, I'm sorry about the late update. My home was broken into this weekend while I was home alone and as you can imagine, it was a bit traumatizing. It has been very difficult to write, but I have tried to finish this chapter as quickly as I could. Again, I'm very sorry for the late update. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Dimitri's P.O.V

Breakfast was tenser than I would have liked, but I was grateful that the girls at least remained oblivious to it all. Everyone tried their best to put on a good face, but we still had more questions than we had answers to. Adrian and Eddie were honestly holding it all together for everyone and dominated the conversation. They asked the girls about school and how well they were adjusting to court life.

When it came time to order, the twins each ordered cinnamon pancakes with extra ice cream and chocolate milkshakes. Rose and I tried to protest and order healthier options for them, but Abe cut us off and tipped the waiter handsomely to ignore us. Normally, I would have pushed harder, insisting it was in the best interest of their health, but when I saw the way my beautiful daughters giggled at getting their way, I couldn't think of a single reason to protest.

It's been several weeks since the day they came into my life, but I still hadn't fully adjusted to the idea that I had a family now. Every time I spent a moment away from them, I felt as hollow and empty as I did all those years without them. Rose was all I had ever wanted since the moment I laid eyes on her, but even that didn't compare to the moment when they ran into my arms and called me daddy. Perhaps this feeling of awe won't ever go away, but I was okay with that.

We made our way back to palace housing, making a couple of stops on the way to run some errands. The sugar had definitely hit and the twins were bursting with energy. Alexis and Anastasia twirled and danced around as we waited for Lissa to return with some files she needed for the weekend. Anastasia had definitely flourished under all the love and security she had been provided these last few weeks. She was still painfully shy, but she was slowly finding her own voice and I loved discovering new things about her.

Ana rushed forward and grabbed my arm. "Daddy, come dance with us!" She tried to pull me to my feet, but was failing miserably.

I smiled at her effort. "I don't think so, princess. There are people around."

She pouted in an attempt to convince me to change my mind, but I was slowly becoming immune to the pout. I had to be if they had any hope of developing some form of discipline. They were starting to become use to getting their way, so Rose and I had to provide them with rules and boundaries.

I shake my head at her. "I can't dance here with guardians around. We can dance at home."

"Why don't you go ask one of your uncles for a dance, we need to talk about grown up things anyway?" Abe suggests. I had been wondering when we were going to get around to this. It was honestly a miracle that he had made it through breakfast. His daughter had definitely gotten her self-control from him.

Anastasia lights up at the suggestion and heads over to Adrian for a dance. I knew he was a goner.

"We should go back to our place for this conversation. I don't want Lissa's guardians around and I don't want the girls to accidently overhear," Rose suggests. She's tense and I could tell by her body language that she's dreading this conversation.

"Agreed. Two out of four of us tend to yell and the list of people we can trust is shorter than the ones we can't trust," Janine says as she stands. Rose and Abe look offended at her statement, but I had to agree with her.

Rose and I went to explain to the twins that they were going to spend the rest of the day with their Aunt Lissa after Christian assured us that it was fine. They seemed a bit upset, but cheered up when we told them that we would be picking them up later today with a surprise.

Janine and Abe take a minute saying goodbye as they listen patiently to the girls expressing their gratitude for breakfast. With a swift kiss to each of them, they follow us back to our home.

Abe lights into us as soon as we pass the threshold. "I still can't believe that we even have to have this discussion! Why would you even defend his worthless life?" He demands to know.

"We're not murderers! We can't just kill everyone we have a problem with," Rose yells back.

"Of course, we can!"

"This decision isn't up to you, old man. We're the parents and we both want to turn him over to the human authorities."

Abe scoffs at that and the frustration radiating off of him is palpable. "You don't have any physical evidence. It will just be his word against the word of a five-year-old. The trial can go either way."

The logic in that statement gives both Rose and me pause. As much as I loathe to admit it, Abe had a point.

He sensed our indecision and took the chance to further his point. "He put his hands on a sweet and innocent little girl, who trusted him. Now, she cries in her sleep and jumps at every shadow. He stole her childhood!"

Rose's eyes begin to water again. "Don't you think I know that? She's my baby girl and I didn't notice." Her voice breaks in a sob. "I didn't notice how a bright and lively little girl was dying before my eyes. I didn't see it dad!"

Janine rushes to take Rose into her arms. "It's okay, Rose. It's not your fault. You did the best you could." I notice that her own eyes are watering as she soothes her distressed daughter.

Rose clutches her mom like a lifeline. "He was my friend! I let him into their lives and I didn't see a damn thing. I was a fucking guardian and I didn't notice this."

"We were trained to kill strigoi, not how to handle something like this. This isn't your fault."

"I'm their mother! It was my responsibility to look out for them and I failed. I failed where it mattered most."

"You didn't fail them, Roza. No one is to blame here except the monster who did this." I say, trying to offer her as much comfort as I could. I hated seeing her like this.

I turn to Abe, no longer caring about being diplomatic. "We're doing this the way that Rose wants. She decides and you need to accept it."

"You don't order me around, boy."

"I'm not a boy, Ibrahim. I'm a fully trained guardian, your son -in-law and the father of your granddaughters. This decision isn't yours to make and I doubt you want to be the cause of any of your daughter's pain. We're doing this her way."

Abe throws his hands up in frustration, but I don't miss his eyes softening as he looks at Rose. He nods in agreement, although he doesn't look happy about it. "What exactly do you want to do kiz and how can we help?"

Rose sniffles as she pulls away from her mother slightly. "I need some time to think. Dimitri and I need to talk about what's best and when we've made a decision, we'll let you all know."

She goes and pulls him into a fierce hug, which catches him off guard. I don't think any of us had ever seen Rose willingly hug her father before. They weren't the affectionate sort with each other and usually preferred to express their love in more unorthodox ways.

"Thank you dad. Thank you for loving them and being here, but I need a moment to catch my breath," She says as she pulls away.

He nods and gives her a swift kiss to the forehead. Her mom gives her a gentle squeeze to the shoulder and to my surprise pulls me into a hug. Apparently the Hathaways were in the mood for hugs.

"Take care of my daughter, Belikov." She whispers low enough for only me to hear.

I give her a fierce nod as I return the hug and before I know it, they're both out the door. I turn to look at Rose and notice for the first time how incredibly exhausted she looked. She hadn't really had the chance to sleep much these past couple of days. I go to scoop her into my arms and start heading towards the bedroom.

She protests, trying to pull out of my arms. "Dimitri, I'm not in the mood right now, we do really need to talk."

"I know, Roza. We're just going to the bed to sleep for a while before we talk. You look dead on your feet and you need a clear head for this."

I lay her gently on her side of bed before helping her remove her shoes and pants. Tucking an extra pillow behind her head like I know she prefers, I make sure she's nuzzled in the blankets before I join her on the bed. Kicking off my own shoes, I join her under the convers and pull her into my side.

"Sleep my love. We'll talk in a few hours." I press a kiss on top of her head and settle myself down for a nap as well.

She pokes my side a few times until I look down to meet her eyes. "I want to tell you something, but you can't get mad."

"I won't get mad. What is it?" I ask, curious as to what could make her think I would get mad at her at a time like this.

She chews her full bottom lip in the way that drives me mad, but I remind myself how much she needs to sleep. "I want to talk to Lorenzo alone before we turn him in. "

I sit up so fast, I almost hit her head. My look of anger and confusion must have been evident because she sits up so we are facing each other.

"You promised you wouldn't get angry," She argues before I can get a word in.

"It's out of the question, Rose. I'm not letting you or our daughters near him. Ask for anything else, but not this," I respond, fully prepared to stand my ground on the issue. I couldn't bear it if any of my girls were hurt.

I recognize the stubborn tilt in her chin that tells me exactly where she thinks I can shove my response. She really could be infuriating at times.

'What happened to doing this my way, comrade?"

I can't help but groan at that. She drove me crazy like no one else could. "We are doing this your way! That's why he's going to prison instead of dying for what he did."

"I'm a grown woman and I really don't need your permission to talk to him. I was just hoping for some of that support you were talking about earlier."

"Why do you want to talk to him anyway? What could you possibly gain from having a conversation with him?"

Her face contorts into a mask of pain and I instantly regret being harsh with her. "I need to know why, Dimitri. I need to know why he did it." Her voice is whisper soft as she answers.

I reach up to tuck a lose stand of hair behind her ear and stop to rest my hand on her cheek. She refuses to look me in the eyes. "There is no why, my love. You'll drive yourself crazy trying to find an explanation. He's a sick man and anything he says will only hurt you. I would sooner drive a stake through my own heart than have you hurt." I coax her chin up so that she looks at me. "Don't go, baby. You'll only find pain there."

Her eyes water, but I can tell she's fighting to keep them from falling. She was trying so damn hard to be strong and the pain I saw in those beautiful eyes made my heart ache. I regretted every decision that I made that had cause her to have that look in her eyes, but at this moment I felt the guilt more acutely.

"I should have been there," I tell her, my voice agonized. "I'm so sorry my love. I'm so sorry I made you leave."

She wraps her arms around my neck and I pull her closely to me. I had learned to live with my own pain in the six years we had spent apart, but I haven't even come close to learning how to deal with my guilt of having failed the three of them.

"It was my decision, comrade. I could have come back any time, but I didn't have the courage to face you. I had lost sight of myself for a while and I needed to find it." I feel her words against the skin of my neck and my stomach twists from the pain I hear in her voice.

"Promise me you won't go to him. Promise me that you won't talk to him." She nods against me and I squeeze her tighter as if I could physically protect her from the pain.

We settle back down on the bed and I pull the covers over both of us. I keep my arms around her and press another kiss to her forehead. Her eyes close and I feel her relax against me.

"Good night, comrade."

"Good night, my love."

It doesn't take long before sleep consumes me, it really had been an exhausting last couple of days. However, my dreams offer me no respite from reality. I'm locked in a dark room with no obvious way out, but I do my best to try and find an exit. Anastasia's screams begin to echo around the room and I hear her calling out for me. It's not long before I hear Alexis screaming too. I try and call out to them, to tell them that I'm coming, but I can't find my voice. I kick and slam my body against the walls, but it makes no difference. My body begins to feel the exhaustion, but I don't allow myself to stop. The girl's scream continue to echo through the room. I still hear it ringing in my ears as I wake up with a start.

I shake my head in an attempt to get rid of the horrible sounds and my hand falls down next to me. There is nothing, but empty sheets next to me. Rose is gone.