53 - Completion
10 Years Later
Rose sipped her soda as her eyes traveled around the bar. It was loud and dark with the typical flashing lights of a club. Finding her target would not be easy. There were so many people in the room dancing and drinking in groups which made it hard to spot the non-humans. After ten years working among all forms of beings, Rose was pretty good at playing 'what species is that?', but she wasn't perfect.
"Anything?" the woman beside Rose asked.
Rose shook her head but didn't look at her partner. "Nothing, you?"
The petite woman sniffed the air deeply. "Nothing. Are you sure the information was good?"
"If we were sent on a wild goose chase, I may have to kill our informant." Rose turned to her partner, grinning wickedly.
The silver-eyed kitsune's smile was even sharper. "I think that might be rude."
"You're no fun," Rose pouted playfully. "It's not like he'd stay dead."
Keiko laughed. "Let's face it, there's nothing—" Her words cut off abruptly as she sniffed the air again and stiffened.
Rose set her soda down on the bar and followed Keiko's line of sight to the back of the room. The hairs on the back of Rose's neck stood up. An incubus stood there, one arm around the waist of a teenage girl. The girl wasn't human in spite of all appearances to the contrary. She was a young dhampir who was in way over her head.
Swallowing bile, Rose slipped her phone out and snapped a picture of the pair. She sent it quickly to the rest of the team. Waiting and watching was the hardest part.
Dimitri's voice came through their earpieces loud and clear. "Teams are on the move to all entry points. Rose, move in closer without alerting them. Keiko, keep alert for possible exits. You'll be the runner if he tries taking off. Rose, you get Kayla."
"Copy," they both replied.
They wove their way through the crowds with ease. A lifetime of training for Rose and an innate ability for Keiko gave both of them quick reflexes and skill at evasion, it was why they were paired together so often in situations like this. Recovering abducted and runaway children was one of the many tasks they performed.
Closer now, Rose could see the barely hidden fear in the young dhampir's face. She was only fifteen. Waves of anger and revulsion flowed through Rose. She hated people who harmed kids like this. With great effort she pushed away memories of her own evils done against children. Though it was over ten years now, Rose still had moments where she remembered all too clearly things she had done as a Strigoi. Rescuing people helped Rose feel as if she was making amends.
Forcing herself to focus, Rose watched the incubus. Overall, the creatures were not evil, just morally questionable, but every now and then one would cross the line. This one was a known trafficker of teenagers. Kayla's mother had reported the girl missing two weeks ago to the guardian council who had in turn sent the information to Rose's associates. So much had changed in ten years in the Moroi and wider non-human community. Without Rose and her colleagues, kids like this would have been lost forever.
The incubus was incredibly good looking, which was common for his kind, with a dazzling smile and straight blonde hair which he kept short. He wore a tailored white suit with a burgundy silk button up shirt. It was easy to see why anyone would be drawn to him. He was also oblivious to the trap being drawn around him.
Rose glanced back at Kayla, and the girl's eyes went wide when she recognized another dhampir. Of course, it was possible that she recognized Rose's face too, but Rose tried not to think about how well known she was. Thankfully, Kayla had some training as a novice, which kept her from showing too much of a reaction. The last thing they needed was for the girl to alert her abductor that something was amiss.
Dimitri spoke again. "We have the exits covered. Rose, I want you to close in. If you can convince him to sell you the girl, do that. If he won't, Keiko can take him. We don't want to alert the human authorities."
"Copy," Rose said again. She heard Keiko's response a second later in her ear. Rose briefly made eye contact with her partner who stood fifteen or so feet away.
Rose straightened herself and smoothed the black satin of the dress she wore. It fit her curves well, in a way that was refined and classy rather than risqué. She kept her face expressionless as she walked toward them. Kayla's eyes were practically pleading with Rose, though Rose stopped meeting the girl's gaze, looking instead at the incubus. He watched Rose as well, clearly calculating. What Rose didn't expect, when she stood close enough to touch the pair, was the sudden urge to vomit when she smelled his cologne.
'No, no, no, no, no!' her inner voice screamed. She couldn't be. Not now.
"Are you well, miss?" The man's voice was so incredibly alluring that even through Rose's nausea she understood how strong he was. Thankfully, Rose was incredibly resistant to compulsion.
Rose tried shaking her nausea off, but unfortunately, she vomited directly onto him. He let out a shout of indignation, letting go of Kayla. The young dhampir girl, free of his compulsion and attention at last, bolted into the crowds. Shaking his arms and legs in disgust, the incubus was too distracted to follow at first. When he tried to go after her, he slipped and landed in the vomit. Keiko seized that opportunity to pounce on the incubus and inject him with a tranquilizer while it looked like she was attempting to help him up. The nearby patrons looked on in disgust and confusion, but none seemed to realize what was going on. All the while, Dimitri kept repeating Rose's name in the earpiece.
"She's running," Rose finally managed. "Keiko has him down."
"Copy," Dimitri replied. "Rose, what happened."
"I threw up," she muttered.
"You threw up?" He was worried now.
Rose was scanning the crowds for Kayla. She caught sight of the girl making her way toward the front entrance of the building. "She's going out the front entrance. Dimitri, you need to get her, she'll probably trust a dhampir."
Muttering something unpleasant in Russian, Dimitri agreed with Rose's assessment. Rose turned back to Keiko and the incubus. Two more of their teammates were helping the man up. To the rest of the bar, it would look like they were simply helping a drunk friend out. It was amazing how little anyone truly paid attention to what was going on around them. The incubus would go to one of their facilities to await arbitration between the different non-human parties involved in the case, which was something Rose had no part in. Leave law and politics to others, Rose just wanted to keep people safe.
Swiftly making her way through the crowd, Rose made it outside the main entrance. To her immense relief, Dimitri stood talking to Kayla. The teen was crying, arms wrapped tightly around herself. She looked at Rose when her footsteps clicked on the sidewalk.
"You saved me. Are you okay? You threw up all over him."
Rose felt her face heat with embarrassment. "Uh, yeah, I just felt nauseous at the scent of his cologne. I'm fine now." She met Dimitri's eyes for a moment and saw a swift array of emotions flicking there. "Let's get you out of here."
Kayla gestured at Dimitri. "He said you're going to take me home?"
"Tomorrow you'll be home, I promise. Tonight, we're going to get you something to eat, a shower, and a place to sleep."
"Thank you," Kayla said softly. "What's your name?"
"Rose Hathaway, and this is my husband Dimitri Belikov."
The girl's eyes went very wide. "Oh. I thought you looked familiar. Thank you."
"You don't have to thank us," Dimitri said. "This is what we do."
"Are you going to make me tell you everything that happened?" Kayla's voice was very small.
Rose offered the girl her hand, which she accepted. "Not tonight."
A sob broke from the girl's lips, and she pulled closer to Rose. Rose embraced Kayla and rubbed her back soothingly. She didn't offer any false platitudes, just soft calming hushes.
Later, when Kayla was safely settled in a room of their Los Angeles facility, Rose and Dimitri were alone in the office they shared in the building. The tension between them had been growing ever since they had been standing on the sidewalk, but there had been too much business to focus on that private matters had to wait. Now, Dimitri stood in front of Rose's desk where she was straightening a stack of papers for the third time.
"You're pregnant?" he asked.
Rose's cheeks flushed pink against her wishes, and she met his eyes with a soft smile. "I think so, yeah."
His face was a mix of joy and frustrated fear. "You went into a dangerous situation while pregnant. What if something happened to you?"
She stood, now irritated. "I didn't even know! I was late, yes, but I thought it was just stress. It's been four years since Abby, I didn't really expect it. But since I don't throw up at smells except when pregnant, I kinda figured it out."
Dimitri wrapped his arms around Rose, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry for upsetting you. The idea of anything happening to you or one of our children terrifies me."
"Kate and Abby are safe." She took one of his hands and rested it on her lower abdomen, where the skin was looser after her previous pregnancies. "We are safe." Leaving one hand covering his, she pressed the other to his cheek. "I love you, but I'm not going to stop doing my job just because I'm probably pregnant again."
"You threw up on the target."
"You should have seen his face," she laughed.
Dimitri rested his forehead against hers, chuckling softly. "I imagine he was appalled. Keiko, Erik, and Seth were also pretty disgusted."
"I did apologize."
"I know, but how do you expect to do field work when you throw up at the smell of most things while pregnant?"
Rose grimaced. "Fine, I'll do office work until the baby comes." They kissed, quick and sweet.
"I can't believe we're having another baby," he murmured, smiling as he held her and looked into her eyes.
"I still have to get checked by the doctor to be sure." But she was grinning too. "I didn't think it would happen again."
"Are you happy?"
She pressed her lips to his, slow and lingering. "Yes." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she drew him close.
Dimitri felt Rose bump against the desk. He slid his hands down her back and let them linger on her hips. "We should probably go home," he murmured against her neck.
A low, throaty laugh escaped from her lips. "Yes, we don't need to be walked in on. And our girls will be going to bed soon."
He nipped her neck, causing her body to arch toward him. Then, with a wicked smile, he pulled away from her.
She glared at him even as she smiled.
They finished packing up their office quickly and made their way out of the office. Their office was located on the top floor of the building, with other parts of the business taking up the rest of the building. What had started out as an idea in Ivan's mind had expanded into an ever growing network of people working cooperatively throughout the world. The overall goals of the company were simple. They wanted a platform for various non-human people to work together cooperatively for mutual support and protection, usually against immortals. It had taken a while for some of the people to warm up to the idea, but now over one hundred different non-human groups were part of the organization. Even a handful of immortal species had joined.
Rose and Dimitri were the head dhampir representatives at the Los Angeles branch, though they also acted as liaisons for the Moroi government. Their specific team specialized in rescue and recovery. Whenever someone went missing from one of the races working with their organization, their team would work on finding that person. They usually found most of the lost, but not always and not always alive. Today they had gotten lucky. Even though Kayla would have traumas to overcome from her ordeal, the dhampir girl would go home again.
Sometimes a recovery job was easy. Many people were recovered by paying a ransom. Many immortals would happily return a mortal toy for a price. Sometimes the recovery was more difficult, requiring a fight. Non-lethal fights were preferred since it made relations between peoples easier to amend if no one died. Of course, that was a benefit of so many different species working together, it spread out responsibility and created a buffer of protection if a powerful immortal became upset. Then there were the people who couldn't be recovered. Strigoi were still a threat, though they had been weakened greatly over the past decade. Strigoi killed, but they weren't the only ones who did. Several other immortal species had no care or concern for the lives of others.
"How are you feeling," Dimitri asked after they were settled in their car.
Rose was looking out the passenger window, eyes on the lightening skyline. It was summer, and the sun would be over the horizon in an hour. "Hmm?" She blinked and looked over at him. "Oh, I'm okay. I was just thinking."
He didn't push for more, allowing her the time to find her words.
"I'm glad we got Kayla back. I'm sorry for what she went through. An incubus…" She shivered.
"She will recover." Dimitri took his right hand off the steering wheel and found hers with it. She squeezed his hand, lacing their fingers together. "You did a good job tonight, Roza."
"Our whole team did," she replied with a sigh.
"Do you want to do her interview tomorrow?"
Rose shook her head. "No, we're off and need to pack. Lissa will kill me if we don't come to Court for her birthday. Why Court, I don't know, but I promised."
"It's easier for everyone to meet at Court. Especially your mother, who always wants to see the girls."
"She could retire instead of being a royal guardian."
Dimitri laughed. "Your mother won't retire yet. Besides which, you said that you like her guarding Eric."
"I do." She looked over at him, smiling. "I'm just selfish and want her here. I want your family here too, but they love Baia too much to leave."
"I miss them, but we talk regularly. Ivan said he will be at Court this week."
"Really?"
"He didn't tell you when you two talked the other day?"
She shook her head. Her voice was very quiet when she replied. "No. Other than business we talked about our nightmares. I don't think he talks to anyone else about it. Not even Tasha, and they've been married six years now."
"He tells me about some of them," Dimitri replied.
They were quiet for a while as they drove north through the city.
"I miss the bond sometimes," Rose said. "As much as I love not being in Lissa's head, sometimes I wish I could just see how she is without calling."
"I feel the same way about Ivan. But this way we can all live our own lives. And I wouldn't change what I have with you for anything."
She brought their joined hands up to her lips and kissed the back of his hand. "I wouldn't either." She gave a little laugh. "I can't believe I'm pregnant again."
It was one miracle of being restored that had been entirely unexpected. A little over a year after being restored, Rose hadn't been feeling well. When she went to the doctor at Court to see what could be wrong, the results caused Rose to have a panic attack. The idea of having a child, especially after having killed children, had been a lot for Rose to manage. She had also been afraid that Dimitri would think she had cheated on him. Dimitri and the doctor had calmed her down. Dimitri had been in awe and hadn't for a second thought she had cheated on him. The doctor suggested that due to Rose being restored from being a Strigoi it was possible something in her body had changed, making it possible for her to have children with a dhampir.
Whatever it was that changed in Rose they still didn't know, but Katherine had been born, and it changed Rose's world. She still had trouble seeing herself as worthy of such a miracle.
Rose and Dimitri had been careful for a while after Kate's birth, but they eventually decided to see if they could have another child. Abigail was born four years after Kate. They had tried again more intentionally after Abby, but Rose didn't get pregnant again, so they thought there wouldn't be anymore, until now.
Everyone in their family, friends, and colleagues knew the children were theirs. They understood how miraculous the girls were. Others in the wider Moroi world probably assumed there was a donor Moroi. It was an assumption which no one bothered to correct.
"We knew it was possible," Dimitri said. "We weren't doing anything to prevent more."
"I know, but it didn't seem likely."
"I know." After a few moments, he laughed.
"What?"
"You threw up on an incubus. I was thinking about his ego."
Rose laughed too, then sobered as she thought more. "It was the least he deserves. I'm glad we're not involved with the arbitration part. I know Ivan is all about second chances and people reforming, but you can't change the nature of a predator."
"I know. I agree. However, Ivan's very altruistic."
"He is. It built our company, which is amazing. Ten years ago, I never would have imagined doing what we do. I wouldn't want to do anything else now."
"Neither would I," he agreed.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the gate to their home. It was a large white mansion, though moderate in size for the area. A guard let them through the gate and onto the property. The wall around the property also contained a ward, further protecting anyone inside. It was more than Rose and Dimitri wanted or needed for themselves. However, they frequently had long term visitors, and Jill Dragomir lived with them permanently, which required having such a large and fortified residence.
They made their way to the room their daughters shared. Jill was sitting on Abby's bed, reading to her and Kate. Reading ended when the girls caught sight of Rose and Dimitri in the door. The two dark haired dhampir girls called out "mama" and "daddy" excitedly. Jill grinned and moved to make way for them to greet the girls. Rose and Dimitri hugged and kissed the girls before sitting on the beds.
"Were you good for Aunt Jill?" Rose asked.
"Yes, mama," Kate replied. "We went swimming and made cookies."
"Good cookies," Abby added with all the enthusiasm a four year old can have.
Jill was grinning at them. "Abby wanted to eat them all, but we are now taking them to Liss as presents."
"That's very thoughtful," Rose told her younger daughter. She brushed her hand against Abby's cheek and touched the silky curls of her hair. "Do you want Jill to finish the story as you go to sleep, or do you want daddy and I to?"
"You do, Mama."
With a little laugh, Jill handed Rose the book. "Talk to you in a bit. Good night, girls."
The girls said sleepy good nights to Jill before focusing their attention on their parents. Rose stayed beside Abby while Dimitri sat beside Kate. Every few pages, Rose and Dimitri would pass the book to one another until the girls drifted asleep. They kissed their daughters again before heading out of the room.
Jill was sitting in the kitchen, sipping coffee and scrolling on her phone. "I'm heading out soon. I have three meetings at the office and an audition before I'm done for the day."
Jill also worked within the organization Ivan, Dimitri, and Rose had started. Her job was in community outreach and focused on ensuring that everyone had access to necessary resources such as specialized medical assistance, food, housing, and education.
"You're still coming with us, right?" Rose asked.
"Of course. I haven't seen my nieces and nephews in too long. Plus, now that Liss and Christian are expecting their first, I need to help plan the baby shower. Mom, Lauren, and Kat have been insisting on me helping in person. Haven't they been bothering you the same?"
Laughing, Rose went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of juice. "No, they have put me in charge of making sure Lissa doesn't suspect anything. I also think they just want you home more."
"I have two jobs, plus my mom's family is out here. It's not like my jobs are dangerous."
Dimitri grabbed a cup of coffee as well, which caused Rose to wrinkle her nose. She didn't understand how someone could drink coffee before bed and still sleep, but Dimitri could. "I think they mind you being a dancer and model in the human world."
Jill sighed. "They do. They also aren't the biggest fans of me working for the agency. I don't even do exciting stuff like you two. All I do is talk to people. It's barely any different than what I'd be doing if I was a proper royal." She did air-quotes around "proper" to emphasize her annoyance. "Plus, I go everywhere with guardians."
"They worry," Rose said, taking a seat beside Jill at the kitchen island. "They still worry about me too."
Sighing again, Jill sipped her coffee. "How was work?"
"We rescued Kayla," Dimitri said. "She's at our facility and set to go home today."
"That's wonderful!" Jill looked between Rose and Dimitri. "So, she's, okay?"
Rose nodded slowly. "As much as anyone can be after being held by a predator for two weeks, but she seems like she'll recover."
"I'm glad." Jill checked her phone again. "I gotta get ready. Grant and Sara are probably already ready. I really don't deserve two guardians."
"Your father is the Moroi King," Dimitri said. "You were always going to have two guardians. Plus, they enjoy guarding you."
"And they haven't left you to work for the agency, even though they're there every day," Rose added.
Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Jill walked away. "Good night!"
Alone, Rose and Dimitri sipped their drinks in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the peace of their home together.
"Are you going to tell Lissa that you're pregnant?"
"No," Rose laughed. She stood and took the used cups to the sink and rinsed them before setting them in the dishwasher. "I'll let everyone know in a few months, assuming everything goes well with this pregnancy." She laughed again, grinning broadly as her hands rested on her lower abdomen. "I still can't believe it."
Dimitri walked around the counter to her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her deeply, sending shivers of pleasure through her body. When the kiss ended, he pulled back a little, one of his hands resting on her cheek. Love shown in their eyes. "I love you."
Slipping her arms around his neck, Rose brushed her lips against his. "I love you too."
Ivan watched the children running around the ballroom with a smile on his face. The party was for Lissa's birthday, but it had been a good excuse to get everyone together. Although he had never gotten used to visiting Court again, Ivan enjoyed seeing his friends and family. It was a nice break from the relative quiet of living at the lake in Maine.
He ran his entire organization from that lake, making sure that all the branches were operating well. Bringing together so many different peoples was an exhausting but rewarding job. He spent most of his day on the phone or in meetings. When there was a break, Ivan would retreat to his cabin by the lakeside and sit with Tasha as they looked out across the lake. The sight of water spirits playing in the water had become a comfortably familiar sight, and the spirits had never harmed anyone who entered the water with them.
Ivan met Tasha's eyes across the room. She smiled warmly at him before returning to her conversation with Eric Dragomir. She spent more time at Court than he did, but she never spent more than two days away from him anymore. Ivan admired her tireless work to improve the lives of their people.
"Mom!" a little voice yelled, drawing the attention of most of the parents in the room. The children were all clustered together, and it appeared that several of the older kids were now carrying around the little ones on their backs. The small one protesting was three year old Alanna, Andre and Lauren Dragomir's second child.
Andre took a few steps toward them. "Kevin, put your sister down!"
The tall, blonde boy pouted. "But dad—"
"Put her down," Andre repeated. "She doesn't want held right now. What are all of you doing?"
Kevin put Alanna down as he explained. The other kids stopped attempting to pick up the younger ones. "We were going to race with the little ones on our backs."
"It's fun," Kate Belikov protested, even as she attempted to put down her own sister who was very happily but precariously balanced on her shoulders.
Christian Ozera picked Abby off of Kate's shoulders before the girls fell. "You're both like your mother," he said before setting the smaller girl down.
"I heard that!" Rose called to him. She was sitting next to the very pregnant Lissa.
Christian grinned at Rose before helping a different child off the shoulders of Jonathan Zeklos, Ivan and Tasha's son.
After being scolded by a few of the parents, the children began chasing one another again. Ivan briefly looked at their auras. They were a beautiful flurry of colors, all happy at the moment. He watched his son and Rose's daughters for a long moment, seeing the strange gold streaked auras that they had.
The spirit users, along with Rose and Dimitri, had theorized that the children of a restored Strigoi somehow had spirit fused into them. What that could mean for the children was still a matter of speculation. Ivan had talked with Lethe to see if she had any ideas about the nature of spirit. She seemed intrigued by the questions. Though she hadn't provided many insights that could be applied to Ivan's son and Rose's girls, the water spirit had proved to be a good sounding board.
Over time, Ivan had come to believe that Lethe chose to remain at the lake because she was amused by the novelty of Ivan's efforts. Perhaps she was even intrigued by his existence as a former Strigoi or by the fact that an eternal had intervened when they first met. Whatever the goal of the eternal had been was still indeterminate to Ivan and Lethe. She regularly sat in on conferences Ivan had with representatives from various supernatural groups, offering insights from her millennia of experience to assist when needed. She was neutral overall, which proved a benefit most of the time.
Ivan took a seat with Rose and Lissa. A memory of them when he first met them, now almost eleven years ago, came to his mind. Lissa, Christian, Rose, and Jill had been sitting together, waiting for Ivan and Dimitri to arrive. They had all been so young then, and so innocent of the horror the next year would hold. Rose and Lissa had been wondering about the strange bond they had. Now they were beautiful women who were wives and mothers.
"What are you thinking about?" Lissa asked.
"How quickly time passes," he replied.
Ivan looked around the room. Jill and Evan stood together, talking with Rhea and Andre. Jill and Evan had broken up for a year after he finished school, but they had gotten together again and seemed to be doing very well together.
Lauren joined the group with Andre. Her and Andre's youngest child on her hip. Andre was married to Lauren Voda for seven years now, and they had two children together. Andre's other three children were wandering around the room. Kevin and Violet were the oldest children in the group. Violet's full brother Stefan clung to Katrina's leg. The boy was two, and the product of artificial insemination rather than scandal.
Katrina was talking with family guardians, including Eddie Castile who was her boyfriend now. Janine Hathaway, Medha, Eddie, David, and Katrina were talking together. They were a tight knit group who were as much family as they were guardians.
Adrian Ivashkov was talking with some others in the room, a new girlfriend on his arm. His son with an ex-girlfriend was playing with the other kids. Relationship issues aside, Adrian was earning a respectable income with his art. Lauren, Andre, Ivan, and Dimitri had all been supportive of Adrian's endeavors. Aside from art, Adrian helped at medical clinics that were run by Ivan's company. He also worked with spirit users to help them manage their powers.
Christian wandered to the table, his hands on Jonathan's shoulders, steering the boy toward Ivan.
"Are you in trouble?" Ivan asked his son.
The boy shrugged. "Christian thought I should sit. It's not fair. Kate and Kevin start everything."
"All of you should sit for a while instead of running around wildly," Ivan replied. "Drink some water and settle down for a bit."
Grumbling, Jonathan took a seat beside his father. Ivan reached over and ruffled the boy's hair. They smiled at one another, and for Ivan it was the best feeling in the world to look at his son.
Rose stood, giving Christian the seat beside Lissa. "I should go mingle more."
After Rose walked away, the others caught up on life. Lissa and Christian were both involved with finding ways to better the lives of dhampirs and non-royal Moroi. Lissa and Christian asked Jonathan about how his year at school had been. Jonathan, along with all the Dragomir children, the Belikov girls, and Adrian's son, attended St. Vladimir's. It was a way for all of the parents to find excuses to spend more time together.
Later, after all the children were sent to bed and the party had mostly dispersed, Ivan found Rose outside the palace building. She was sitting on the steps to the family wing, legs stretched out in front of her and her loose hair tumbling down her back. She glanced up at him and smiled as he took a seat beside her. The sun had already started to rise, and the steps were lit up by early morning light.
"I love the summer," she said. "All the hours of daylight."
Ivan looked at his hands, seeing where the sun touched them. "I do too. The daylight helps me remember that I'm myself."
Rose turned to look at him with a pensive expression. "I thought you were doing better except for the occasional nightmares?"
He shrugged. "Most days I don't think about it at all. Some days I can't stop thinking about what we did as Strigoi. You know the kids learn about us in school?"
"Yeah." She shuddered. "I told the girls some things about what happened so that it's not a shock to hear somewhere else. Have you told Jonathan?"
"Yes. He also got the history of the Ozeras."
"He has a hard family history to hear, but he has two amazing parents, not to mention Christian and Lissa." Rose smiled. "And soon a baby cousin. Lissa is so excited."
"She is," Ivan agreed. "How are you doing?" His tone was serious, trying to convey more than earlier conversations had time for.
Rose drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Today is a good day. Most days are good days. Some days I can't forget, no matter how hard I try. Dimitri helps. Talking to you helps. I still have days when I don't understand how I get to be a mother after what I did…" She shook her head and wiped away errant tears. "I love the girls. I can't imagine my world without them." Her hands strayed to her belly and rested there.
He noticed the way she rested her hands and remembered that she had excused herself from the room more than once over the course of the night. "You're pregnant again?"
A smile grew on her face. "Dimitri and I have known for a couple days. Christian's cologne made me nauseous today, which is why I kept walking away from him and others."
Ivan laughed. "Congratulations. I don't suppose anyone else knows?"
She shook her head. "I want to wait. Lissa is due in late August. I'm barely pregnant, so who knows what will happen." She paused for a moment, drawing a deep breath. "I'm so grateful to be alive and have children by some miracle. But I still wish the cost hadn't been so high."
"I know. I do too."
In silence they sat, the hot moist air of the early July morning surrounding them. Dimitri and Tasha came out a little while later and joined them. Dimitri sat behind Rose, his legs on either side of her so that she could relax against his chest. Tasha sat beside Ivan, leaning into him as he wrapped an arm around her. Together they watched the dawn change into morning.
THE END
Notes:
Funny fact, this chapter takes place in July 2021. I could not have planned that if I tried.
A little over three years and we are now done! I have loved creating and sharing this story with you all. It's by far my longest story and is honestly my favorite. Thank you all for sticking with me! Thank you to HonstPassion13 for beta-ing throughout most of the story, you have offered so many suggestions that have smoothed out so many scenes and sentences.
I wish I could stay and play with this story's world more. I do have an idea to write about Rose learning she's pregnant the first time. It's unwritten at this point, but I know how it would go, and it would be pretty short. So, that might happen. No other ideas in this particular AU planned or envisioned.
I have loved getting to know these characters. I also had fun building the extended supernatural world, which I hope you've enjoyed as well! I drew a lot of inspiration from reading a lot of urban fantasy books- Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris, Relentless by Karen Lynch, and Blue Bloods by Melissa De la Cruz. Also from reading more of Richelle's stuff.
I'm starting back on Everyday Moments (fic in this fandom) and finishing that up soon. I did have to reread the entire thing in order to remember what all was going on with it. Probably should start posting that again in August?
Thank you all for reading! Thank you all for your wonderful comments!
I do have a facebook page for my writing (that I constantly forget to update) which is bluegoldrosestories. So, I hope to see you again soon! Much love!