Hello all! I'm so sad that this is the second last chapter :(

I hope you enjoy this next little moment.

DPOV

"Dimitri!" Roza called out through the darkness of our bedroom.

In an instant, I was awake. I sat upright, my hand flying out to switch a lamp on.

I looked over to see Roza on her side, curling in over her stomach as she sucked shallow breaths in through her nose.

My hands fell to her stomach instantly, rubbing it soothingly over her nightgown as I searched her face. "More Braxton Hicks?" I asked urgently.

She shook her head, her face grimacing in pain. "Contraction," she gasped through gritted teeth.

Contraction? My heart leapt in my chest as I stared at her in disbelief.

"Are you sure?" I asked dumbly. I knew she was sure; my brain just seemed incapable of keeping up with my mouth.

"No, I'm just faking!" she snapped sarcastically, writhing beneath me in discomfort.

I shook myself out of my panic-induced haze and shot to my feet, leaping out of bed as I began pacing around the room. When were we supposed to go to the hospital? Five minutes apart? I glanced at Roza nervously but thought better of asking her. She had enough on her plate. Five minutes. It was something like that; I just couldn't remember exactly what. Why couldn't I remember a damn thing? I'd sat through every pregnancy class, read every pregnancy and birth book cover to cover. But now, in my moment of need: nothing. My hands tugged at my hair in frustration as I watched Roza relax slightly on the bed.

"Was that the first one?" I asked urgently. I was supposed to count them. And time them. I glanced at my watch.

She nodded, her head falling back to her pillow, exhausted.

"Okay," I said, more to myself than Roza. "Okay..."

"Maybe get the bag?" Roza said, sounding as uncertain as I felt.

I nodded, right, the bag. I should have remembered that. I rushed over to the closet and pulled out the hospital bag we had packed weeks ago. I was so glad I'd listened to the advice and packed that ahead of time. I understood the logic, now more than ever. I couldn't think straight.

"I'm going to go get mama," I said after a moment.

That seemed like the best idea. Mama had done this before. I placed the bag on the bed and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Roza's head. "I'll be right back," I said softly, hoping to reassure her somewhat. Up until now, I'd certainly done a terrible job of that.

"Pants, Dimitri," she gasped out as I ran towards our door.

I looked down at my naked body. Right, pants. I swore at myself under my breath as I pulled a pair of sweatpants on, urging myself to get it together.

As soon as I was out of the door and out of Roza's sight, I dropped any and all pretence of being calm and collected. I sprinted down the hallway and into mama's bedroom. I didn't knock or wait, I just barged right inside. She shot up immediately as the door slammed open, staring at me in a sleepy haze.

"It's happening," I borderline yelled, staring at her for a moment, wide-eyed.

She nodded, moving to get out of bed. I didn't wait for her, instead, I raced back towards mine and Roza's bedroom. I shouldn't leave her alone for too long, surely. None of the books had said that, but it seemed like a pretty self-explanatory rule.

I heard shuffling and saw lights switching on around the house at all the noise I was making. I ignored that as I raced back down the hall to Roza.

I don't know what I expected to find when I burst back through our bedroom door, but it certainly wasn't Roza, sitting on the edge of the bed as she calmly pulled on a pair of leggings. I don't know why it surprised me; I knew we were still in the early stages. But some part of me still expected to burst through that door and find her writhing in agony, recreating a scene from that terrible exorcist movie Roza had made me watch last Halloween.

"Any more while I was gone?" I asked urgently and she shook her head, standing to pull her leggings up and over her protruding belly.

I raced over to her, giving her a hand before I gently lowered her back onto the bed. I gently lifted the nightgown from her top half and replaced it with the sweater she had gotten from the closet.

Mama entered the room then, the rest of the household streaming in slowly behind her.

"How many contractions has she had?" mama asked, coming forward to help me as I lowered Roza back into a lying position.

"Just the one," I answered, glancing at my watch. God, my hands were shaking. I tried to focus on keeping them steady for Roza's sake. I was supposed to be her rock today; she'd have enough on her plate without having to worry about me. "Five minutes ago," I told mama, glancing at her nervously.

As much as I hated to admit it, I needed her to take the reigns here.

"How long did it last?" she asked calmly

"I'm not sure," I answered, staring at her in badly disguised panic. "I didn't time it." I mentally kicked myself. I was supposed to time them.

She nodded, her calm demeanour relaxing me somewhat as she smiled at me reassuringly. "Keep timing them," she instructed gently. "If they're consistent for an hour and come every five or so minutes, then it's time to go to the hospital."

I nodded, my hand coming to my hair to tug at it slowly. "Right," I muttered quietly, willing myself to get my shit together. "Right."

I glanced around at my family sheepishly. "Sorry for waking you all."

Karo rolled her eyes before turning to go back to bed. The rest of them joined her, offering Roza a quick word of encouragement before they shuffled back to their bedrooms. Only Vika and mama stayed behind. Their eyes were on Roza as she lay back, propped against the pillows with her eyes closed.

"Vika, why don't you go make Roza some tea," mama suggested after a moment.

Vika nodded, quickly turning to leave the room. Before she did she shot me a warning glare that screamed get your shit together.

I glared back at her. I'm trying.

She left the room and I began to pace back and forth while we waited for her to return.

"Comrade," Roza whispered from behind me I turned to see her eyes had fallen open again. She was regarding me with tired amusement. "You're freaking me out."

"Sorry," I apologised.

I instantly felt terrible. I was meant to be this pillar of strength to her, but somehow I had been the one that was coming undone. I forced myself to be calm as I walked over to her slowly and sat beside her on the bed. My hand reached out to stroke her hair gently.

"It's fine," she replied with a small smile.

That smile turned into a grimace as she hunched in on herself again. I glanced at my watch, my hands fluttering helplessly over her as she groaned out in pain.

"What can I do?" I asked helplessly as mama came forward and stroked her legs gently through the blankets.

Roza ignored me, her body twisting on the bed as she groaned.

"Breathe, Roza," mama reminded her gently. "Breathe through it."

Vika entered the room then, a tray in her hand with two steaming mugs.

"I made some chamomile," she said gently, placing a mug on the bedside table. Her tone turned sheepish when she added, "Babushka also gave me one of her teas."

"Vika," I scolded, turning to glare at my sister. "She doesn't want it!"

At the same time, Roza gasped, "Give it to me!"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise but relented, quickly grabbing the tea from the tray. I handed it to Roza with shaking hands, trying my hardest to stop the thick brown liquid from spilling over the lip of the cup.

Roza was right; whatever it was, it looked and smelled putrid.

But Roza didn't even seem to notice the smell as she closed her eyes and quickly guzzled the warm liquid. She grimaced at the taste but drank it in three big gulps before her head fell back to her pillow in exhaustion.

"I'll try anything," she gasped in response to my questioning look.

I nodded, reaching up to hold the chamomile mug to her lips.

"This should help get the taste out," I said to her.

She smiled and took a grateful sip before her eyes fell shut again.

I placed the mug back on the bedside table and took her hand in mine, holding it as I watched her rest. I diligently checked my watch with each contraction, timing their length and distance apart over the next couple of hours.

The time seemed to drag by, with each contraction growing increasingly difficult to watch. It was clear that with each contraction that passed, they were growing more and more intense.

After what felt like a hundred contractions later, we hit an hour of consistent enough contractions. I looked over and mama and she smiled, excitement radiating from her.

"It's time!" she said, her hand falling to my shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

I nodded, my body seeming to vibrate with nervous energy as I scooped Roza up into my arms. At least the time of Roza resting had given me some time to compose myself.

"Someone grab the hospital bag," I called over my shoulder.

Roza's eyes remained shut as I rushed down the stairs. I carried her as gently as I could, struggling to find the balance between the frantic, rushed speed my adrenaline was urging me to go at and making Roza as comfortable as possible.

Vika raced around me as I reached the bottom of the staircase. The hospital bag was over her shoulder as she opened the front door and held it open for me. I stepped out into the crisp winter air and tucked Roza closer to my chest. I watched my step as best I could with Roza in my arms, stepping cautiously in case there was any ice. Vika rushed ahead of me and unlocked the car. She threw the bag in the back seat before she opened up the passenger door for me, helping me as I placed Roza gently inside and buckled her in.

"Are you coming?" I asked as I hurried around to the driver's seat.

She shook her head, pulling her sweater tighter around her.

"I'll wake the others and we'll be there as soon as possible."

I nodded, climbing into the driver's seat as mama appeared at the front door and quickly made her way to the backseat.

"Ready to be a father, Dimka?" she asked me as I started the engine and turned the heating on high. Pride radiated from her voice as her hand fell onto my shoulder from her seat in the back.

I nodded, not trusting my voice to speak as I put the car into reverse. I went slowly, cautious of any ice on the road as I pulled the car out into the darkness.

Another contraction wracked through Roza and she leaned forward in her seat, a sharp cry coming from her lips. I glanced at her worriedly. They seemed to be getting progressively worse. How much longer would this go on for?

"Breathe, Roza," I reminded her gently as she curled in on herself, her breath coming out in sharp gasps.

"I know how to breathe, Dimitri," she snapped at me as she clutched at her stomach. "Just get me to the damn hospital."

She gasped out again, her head falling back. "I think my water just broke," she gritted out.

My eyes widened in panic and I pressed my foot harder to the accelerator.

After twenty minutes and four more heartbreakingly painful contractions, we finally made it to the hospital. I screeched to a stop in front of the sliding glass doors, not bothering to remove the keys from the ignition as I leapt out of the car and moved to lift Roza from the front seat.

"Can you park it?" I asked mama as I carefully lifted Roza into my arms.

She nodded, shooing me along. I didn't need to be told twice. I turned and jogged through the doors to the hospital, calling out for help in Russian.

A nurse rushed forward with a wheelchair and I placed Roza in it. My heart was hammering at a million miles an hour now. The hospital seemed to make it more real. This was really happening. I was going to be a father.

I jogged next to Roza as they began wheeling her towards the maternity ward. Roza's hand reached out to grasp mine tightly and I smiled down at her.

"We're having our babies," I marvelled.

She smiled, her tear-filled eyes meeting mine. "We're having our babies."

"Oh fuck," she suddenly cried out, her grip on my hand tightening like a vice as we made our way towards the elevators. "Is it meant to hurt this much?" she cried out. "It's getting so much worse!"

She stared at the nurse, who just looked at her apologetically. She didn't speak English. I knew Roza could ask in Russian, but I'm presuming the language was beyond her right now. Hell, I could barely find the words, and it was my native tongue.

"She's in a lot of pain," I asked frantically in Russian. "Is that normal?"

The nurse's gaze turned sympathetic as she stared at Roza. "Yes, and it's only going to get worse," she replied in Russian. She obviously didn't realise that Roza could understand her. Roza's grip tightened around my hand as she glared at me.

"Worse?" she asked incredulously.

"We'll get her some medication for the pain soon, if she wants it," the nurse quickly added in Russian.

"Oh, I want it," she groaned, her hands clutching at her stomach.

She sighed in relief as the contraction slowly subsided, her grip on my hand subsiding with it.

"Get the pain relief if you need it, Roza," I said, gazing at her in concern. "I know you said you didn't want it, but if you're in this much pain..."

"I'm not drugging our babies," she snapped, her head falling back against the wheelchair in exhaustion.

Roza had decided she wanted a natural birth a long time ago. She said it was enough of a miracle she was pregnant at all, and she didn't want to tempt fate by doing anything that could cause even the slightest risk to our babies.

"She doesn't want anything," I replied to the nurse in Russian. Her eyebrows rose in surprise but she nodded, pushing the wheelchair out as the elevator doors opened.

We entered the hospital room and I gently helped Roza from the wheelchair. There was a hospital gown for Roza lying on the bed and the nurse instructed us to put it on. I nodded, helping Roza undress as the door closed behind the nurse. When she was in her gown I pushed the sheets back and carefully helped her climb in.

"How are you feeling?" I asked. My voice was laced with concern as I studied her tired face.

"Exhausted," she mumbled, her hand rubbing instinctively over her belly.

"Try and get some sleep," I suggested, leaning forward to brush my lips against her forehead.

She nodded, her eyes falling closed. She was silent for a few minutes before she spoke again.

"I'm scared," she whispered softly.

Those words tugged at my heart. I wished more than anything that there was some way for me to take this pain and fear away from her. That there was some way to make our roles reversed. But I couldn't. All I could do was be there for her. Be there for this incredible woman, who was going through so much to give me the greatest gift of all.

I pulled my chair closer to the bed. "I'm right here," I promised, my hand gripping hers tightly. "I'm right here with you and I'm not going anywhere."

We stayed like that for a long time, Roza resting as she could in between contractions. A nurse had come in and set up a monitor, so I could track the contractions by a green line on the screen. They were getting more and more intense as time went on. I did what I could to comfort Roza, offering her sips of water and pressing cool cloths against her forehead in those quiet breaks between contractions.

Mama was getting some rest out in the waiting room with the rest of the family, but she would be back in the room with us when it was time to push.

After what felt like hours of waiting, a doctor finally arrived. He was younger than I expected. I hoped that wasn't a reflection of his experience.

He greeted us in Russian but switched easily to English when I asked him if he spoke the language. I was thankful for that. Roza had enough on her plate without having to worry about the language barrier.

"Good morning," he greeted kindly, moving forward to shake my hand. He had a look through Roza's information quickly before he asked, "I'm just going to check to see how things are going along if that is okay?"

Roza nodded, barely opening her eyes to look at the man as he moved to examine between her legs.

I stiffened slightly despite myself. Logically I knew that this man was a doctor and would be delivering our babies. But it still felt... strange. Roza's eyes opened slightly, no doubt in response to my hand tightening around hers.

She gave me a 'don't even think about being weird about this' look and I nodded, watching the doctor nervously.

"It's all looking good!" he announced happily as he stood back up to stand. "You're four centimetres dilated."

"How much longer?" Roza panted.

"We usually say an hour or two a centimetre. Although it is often longer for twins."

Roza let out a string of curse words and I stared at him in shock. An hour or two per centimetre? That meant six to twelve more hours of this... minimum.

We'd been prepared from all the classes and stories for the labour to be very long; but now that I was faced with how much pain Roza was in, it didn't seem possible for this to continue much longer.

He smiled at us sympathetically. "You should both try to get some rest while you can."

The doctor left and Roza and I sat in silence for a long moment. Until that is, another contraction rocked through her. She squeezed her eyes shut, bending forward on herself as the green lines on the machine spiked erratically.

I stroked her hair back while I watched the lines. It was easier than watching Roza's face.

"I can't do this," she panted after they finally subsided. "Get them out of me, Dimitri," she pleaded, her eyes opening again to meet mine. "Now."

"Do you want me to ask them about pain medication?" I asked, glancing down at her hopelessly.

She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "No," she snapped. "Please stop asking me that." She sat up slightly at that, starting to give herself a pep talk. "I'm a freaking Dhampir," she muttered. "I can do this."

"You can do it," I reassured her, smiling down at her lovingly.

"I can't do this!" she cried out, her hand crushing mine.

"You can," I encouraged, kissing her forehead gently.

After eleven long, hellish hours of contractions, it was finally time for Roza to push. I stayed by her head, holding her hand and offering words of encouragement.

"I have to push again!" she cried.

"It's okay, Rose," the doctor encouraged. "Listen to your body."

Mama grabbed Roza's other hand as she began pushing, her teeth gritting together and eyes squeezing shut.

"You're doing great," I encouraged as she relaxed back into the bed.

Her eyes flew open and she stared at me, eyes wide. "This is your fault!" she hissed. "I have your seven-foot mammoth babies pushing their way out of my vagina!"

I didn't respond. It had taken a bit of trial and error, but I'd soon learned the best response was to keep my mouth shut. Roza wasn't particularly fond of me right now and seeing the hell she was going through, I couldn't take that too personally.

It was time to push again and she cried out, an almost animalistic cry as she hunched forward on herself slightly.

"Just breath, Roza," I consoled gently.

Her head whipped around to glare at me and I stepped back slightly at the anger radiating from her. "You did this to me!" she yelled. "We are... never..." she grunted, her face contorting in pain, "having sex... ever again."

Looking down at what she was going through, I didn't blame her. I didn't know how I would ever make love to her again and not associate it with all the pain she was currently feeling.

"It will all be worth it when you see your babies, Roza," mama encouraged. "Really, the moment you see them this will all be a distant memory. Look how many times I did it."

I looked up at my mama and suddenly had a whole new appreciation for her. She'd gone through all this to have me. Roza was right; men really did get the easy ticket in the whole baby-making business.

After a few more big pushes, the doctor let us know he could see the first baby. My heart leapt into my throat.

"You're doing so well, Roza," I said, smiling down at her as she gave another few big pushes.

The sound of crying filled the room and the doctor motioned me over. I froze, staring back and forth between him and Roza.

"Go on," mama encouraged.

I released Roza's hands and rushed to the other side.

"Congratulations," the doctor said with a warm smile. "You have a daughter."

A daughter.

He handed me a pair of scissors and I reached forward with shaking hands to cut the cord. The doctor then handed her to me... my daughter. I swear I had never been more happy or completely terrified in my entire life. She was so tiny.

I cradled her in my arms and stared down at her in wonder. I didn't think anything could ever be this small... this beautiful. I felt my heart swell with love, so much that I was worried I wouldn't be able to contain it.

"She's beautiful, Roza," I whispered, my voice cracking as I cradling her gently in the nook of my arm. I moved towards Roza, more slowly and carefully than I had ever moved in my life, to show her.

The doctor was doing an ultrasound now, checking on the position of the other baby. I barely noticed as I held our little girl for Roza to see. She beamed down at her, tears in her eyes, as they were in mine. She reached forward to stroke her head gently, seemingly at a loss for words. I didn't blame her. There weren't words for how perfect she was.

"Your other baby is in a good position," the doctor announced. "This should be relatively quick."

A nurse came over to take our baby and check and wash her. I very reluctantly gave her up, my arms immediately feeling empty without her in them.

"Homestretch, Roza," mama encouraged.

This time seemed to go a lot more easily. Roza was rejuvenated and in what felt like barely any time at all, a second little scream filled the air.

As I came down to stare at another little perfect face, the doctor announced, "Congratulations, two daughters!"

I couldn't hold back the tears now as I reached out and cradled this perfect little human in my arms. Somehow, she was even smaller than her sister. She stopped crying and looked up at me with curious eyes.

It took me aback, how suddenly and forcefully my heart was filled with love for my two girls. My angels.

Roza looked happier than I'd ever seen her, and I'm sure her joy was reflected in my own face.

Even when the nurse came to take our other daughter away, nothing could wipe the smile off my face.

"Thank you," I whispered to Roza, leaning down to kiss her gently. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

I lay next to Roza in the small hospital bed, each of us with one of our daughters bundled on our chests. They were fast asleep, but I couldn't take my eyes off of them. I could have been content to just lay here watching them, forever.

"I didn't think it was possible to love someone this much," I whispered, studying the little pouted lips of their sleeping faces. They were both deep in a milk coma. "They're so perfect," I said, my eyes gazing over them in wonder. "So beautiful, it hurts me."

"I know," Roza whispered, her voice thick with sleep.

We really both should have been sleeping, it had been a very long labour, and then an even longer night as every Belikov had poured into the room to meet our two little miracles. Abe and Janine had also flown in, arriving just after the birth. I knew Janine, in particular, had been upset to miss it. But at least mama had been there as a mother figure for Roza. Everyone was instantly in love with our little girls. I didn't blame them; they were the two most beautiful girls in the worlds. Even if my opinion was a little biased. After hours of everyone cooing over our perfect angels, it was finally just Roza and me and our daughters.

Izabella Masey Belikova and Liliya Ivana Belikova. Izzy and Lily.

We were silent for a long moment, Roza's breathing was heavy next to me as I gazed adoringly at our little miracles. I assumed at some point she had fallen asleep, so when she tentatively whispered my name, it startled me slightly.

"Yes, Roza?" I asked, never taking my eyes off of the soft fluttering movements of Lily's eyelids.

"I don't want to go back to the Academy."

I nodded slightly. That was fine with me. Wherever she wanted to go, I would happily follow. "Okay," I said gently.

She was silent for a long moment before she added. "I don't want to go back to our world at all."

I stilled at that, my gaze finally lifting off of our daughters to meet hers.

"You mean run away?" I asked, my gaze flitting over her tired face in confusion.

She nodded, her eyes filling with tears.

"I don't want to have to keep our children a secret," she whispered to me, her voice hoarse. "I want the world to know they're ours."

My eyes filled with tears at that statement. She was right. Now that I had seen them, I had instantly fallen in love with them. So much more than I ever had thought possible. Could I really go out into the world and pretend these little girls weren't mine. I knew the answer. To even think of doing so nearly broke me.

"I'll never regret my life," she continued softly. "Because it led me to you... But that doesn't mean that I want our children to have the same life as I did... I don't want them to have to make those sacrifices," she closed her eyes and a single tear escaped, trickling down her cheek. "I want our children to have choices in life."

I nodded, glancing back towards the sleeping faces of our daughters. She was right again. I would never be able to send them off to the Academy. I would never be okay with them being told their life was worth less than a Moroi's. They deserved the world, and I would do anything to make sure we could give it to them.

"Okay," I agreed quietly. I reached out a hand to gently cradle Lily's head and smiled as she stirred slightly underneath me. "I don't care where we go," I said softly. "As long as I'm surrounded by the three of you, I will be happier than I ever thought possible."

Sorry for the delay! I found this chapter hard to write because I have never actually given birth or seen someone do it haha. I hope I managed to do it justice.

Only the epilogue left to go!

Please don't forget to review.