Shameless fluff with a tiny scrap of plot development. Please enjoy & review!

10. In the Secrecy of Darkness

Rose had hoped to sneak up on him as a surprise, but the man by the fire was alert to sounds of movement in the darkness and he looked up at her approach.

'I thought you would be asleep by now,' Dimitri watched her warily. She really needed to stop showing up at his camp after dark. If anybody saw her out here it would spell serious trouble for both of them. He was just thankful she was still wearing her day-clothes – he wasn't sure what he would have done if she'd already changed for bed.

Damn! Now he'd gone and imagined her in a nightdress. The deputy realised he'd best introduce a safe topic of conversation before his mind wandered any further. 'How is Miss Draymore?'

The unexpected visitor made her way closer to the fire. 'You can call her Lisa, you know. She wouldn't mind,' Rose berated him gently, coming to stand a few feet away from the cowboy. 'But to answer your question, not so good.'

Dimitri got up and offered the girl a blanket to sit on then sank back down onto his own bedding, arms draped over his knees as he listened to Rose's account of her discussion with Lisa.

'—Strange lights, animal attacks, mysterious sounds in the night… I just can't figure out what it all means,' she trailed off, her brow wrinkling.

'That's what we're here to find out,' the deputy replied, his face reflecting her stern expression.

'So, how has it been going out here? Have you seen or heard anything yet?' Rose asked, peering away from the firelight and out into the surrounding gloom.

Dimitri shook his head. 'I plan to head out soon for a closer look around the property, but if that doesn't turn up anything of interest I will try to catch a few hours' sleep.'

He'd meant it as a signal for her to leave but Rose perked up at the idea. 'That sounds like fun. Can I come too?'

Dimitri dropped his head into his hand in exasperation, peeking out at her from beneath his fingers. 'Of course you'd be excited by the idea of traipsing across a wolf-infested prairie in the dead of night.'

She smiled innocently. 'I promise I'll be good. You won't even notice I'm here.'

Fat chance of that. The girl couldn't stay out of trouble if she tried, and she was mad if she didn't realise she'd already caught his notice – completely and forever. Dimitri had a feeling it was a very bad idea to allow her to accompany him. He knew he should just tell her to go back to bed – force her to leave if she refused – but he was quite tired and, honestly, another pair of eyes couldn't hurt.

'Alright then. But straight to bed when we're finished, yes?'

'Yes, Deputy Belikov,' her cheeky, sing-song voice was anything but compliant, making him regret he'd given in so easily.

'Do you mind if I ask a personal question?' Dimitri began sometime later, as they picked their way along the tree-line toward the outer limits of the property.

The moonlight cast a shadow over Rose's features but he caught sight of her nod and pushed forward with his enquiry.

'How did you come into Sheriff Peterson's care? Is she a relative? You seem similar in many ways but I can't say I see a family resemblance.'

There was a scoff in the darkness. 'Similar how?'

Dimitri paused. 'Well, from what I can tell, the pair of you are strong and stubborn… and you both strike fear into the hearts of men,' there was a laugh in his voice.

Rose grinned, though he couldn't see it. 'I suppose Alberta might have rubbed off on me a tiny bit over the years,' she conceded, before her tone became unusually serious. 'I can tell you about my parents if you really want to know, but it might change the way you think of me.'

'Nothing could change my opinion of you, Miss Roza,' the man reassured her.

'Alright then,' Rose felt anxious discussing such a delicate matter, but in a way she was glad the topic had come up now. If Dimitri couldn't handle the truth about her, then that would give her the push she needed to abandon this ridiculous infatuation that had begun to plague her every waking thought. 'When my mother was sixteen she fell in love with somebody she shouldn't have. She ran away with him and that's... when I was born,' she paused awkwardly, unsure if she should continue.

'Go on,' Dimitri encouraged her gently.

'My mother wasn't welcome home after that, of course. Unfortunately for her, my father turned out to be a common gangster, and she was left with the option of raising me in poverty or sending me away so I could have a chance at a better life. When I was four she smuggled me away to live with her old school chum, Alberta. The sheriff was only meant to take care of me until my mother got herself back on her feet, but sadly that never happened. So here I am.'

They'd stopped walking but Rose couldn't bring herself to look Dimitri in the eye. She'd heard the things people said about her behind her back; illegitimate, base born, the fruit of adultery, bastard. Madam Kiroy was even kind enough to frequently remind her that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Rose knew they were just words – that she was just as worthy of acceptance as the next person – but they still stung as much as they always had, and she didn't want Dimitri thinking those words when he looked at her.

'I'm sorry if I've disappointed you,' she muttered, kicking at a tuft of grass.

A hand brushed her arm, and when she glanced up there was a strange look on the deputy's face. 'You are not responsible for parents' choices, Roza,' he assured her. 'I'm sorry if people have treated you differently because of your situation, but I promise you, nothing has changed between us.'

Rose's expression settled somewhere between a wince and a smile. 'Thank you for that.'

'It's nothing,' he shook his head. If people chose to think less of Rose Hathaway because of the circumstances of her birth it was their weakness, not hers.

'So, while we're sharing family secrets, what about your folks?' she asked, glad to deflect the attention away from herself for once.

Dimitri eyed her for another second and they began to walk again. 'Well, my mama Olena is the best cook in all of Russia, and my grandmother Yeva is as sharp as a fox and tougher than old leather.'

Rose chuckled. She liked the old battle-axe already.

'Then there's my sisters,' Dimitri continued. 'Karolina is two years older than me, and she has a son and daughter of her own. Sonja is a few years my junior, and last of all there's Vika – she's your age. I think you two would be good friends if you ever met,' he smiled.

'I'd like that,' Rose said, a flutter in her chest as she wondered if Dimitri's family would approve of her. 'And your father?' she asked.

The man hesitated before he spoke. 'I suppose you could say my father was absent for most of my childhood too. His body was there, but his mind was lost in drunkenness and self-pity. He resented the fact that we were poor and he took out his anger on my mother.'

Rose sucked in a sharp breath. She'd seen the way some women were treated by their husbands here in Saints Town. It was criminal, but nothing could be done to stop it. A man in his own home had the right to do as he pleased.

'I'm sorry, Roza. I didn't mean to distress you,' Dimitri reached out to her in the secrecy of darkness and caught her hand, turning her to face him. 'Everything worked out in the end. When I was old enough, I… convinced my father to move on and leave our family alone. That's part of the reason I came to America in the first place. My mother deserves a fresh start. My sisters too. Maybe, one day, I can provide that for them here.'

Without thinking, Rose laced her fingers through his and took a half-step closer. 'I'm sorry you had to go through that,' she said softly. 'It must have been torture seeing someone you loved being hurt. You are so strong to live through that and still be a good person.'

Dimitri looked down at their linked hands. 'Roza—' he began, his voice catching in his throat.

They both froze as a low, keening moan tumbled across the prairie - eerie and foreboding. The hairs prickled on Dimitri's neck and arms as the plaintive cry turned to a wail, rising in pitch and volume until it cut off at its peak, disappearing like a sigh on the night wind. There was a silence and then the cry came again, following the same pattern as the first.

Rose stiffened, gripping the deputy's hand more tightly, but Dimitri couldn't afford to comfort her now. Freeing himself from Rose's grip, he positioned himself protectively in front of her and turned towards the sound, trying to calm his racing heart. What could it be? The western deserts were home to many predators. Wolves. Coyotes. Bobcats. Foxes. There were even mountain lions on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada that might possibly have ranged this far inland. But these plaintive wails didn't sound like they came from any living creature.

After the third call, the noise stopped as abruptly as it had begun and silence settled heavily around them. Had the creature gone? Or was it just stalking closer? Rose was trembling when Dimitri finally turned to face her, knife drawn and a finger to his lips.

'Time to go. Quickly. Quietly,' he whispered, immediately setting out toward the homestead and only looking back once to check the girl was following him.

They'd almost reached the safety of the campfire when there was a gasp, followed by a soft crunching sound and Dimitri spun around to see Rose falling in slow motion. He instinctively launched himself towards the flailing girl, but there was no chance he could reach her in time to stop her fall, and he had to watch helplessly as she plunged to the ground, landing with a solid thud. Replaying the last few seconds in his mind, Dimitri couldn't work out why she'd been standing at such a strange angle, and he hurried closer to find her lying on her side, her face contorted with pain.

'Miss Roza. What happened? Are you alright?' his accent was more pronounced as he dropped down beside her, searching her face for signs of shock.

'Ankle,' she winced as she dragged in a ragged breath.

Dimitri shifted her skirt aside and saw that Rose had managed to walk right over one of the traps he'd dug earlier in the day. She must have caught the edge of it and fallen in. At best? A twisted ankle. At worst? She might have broken it. He reached out to check the severity of the injury, but before he even touched her she hissed in pain.

The man looked up at her quickly and his face melted into a sympathetic smile. 'Oh, Roza,' he sighed, shaking his head.

Rose was studying her hands, and when she turned her palms out for him to see, they were covered in cactus spines.

'Only me, right?' she groaned.

'Only you,' the man agreed, lifting her easily in his arms and carrying her back to his camp.

'Now let me see those hands,' the deputy ordered gently when Rose was laid on his bed by the fire, her head and torso propped up on a thick, rolled-up blanket.

She shook her head vigorously, holding her hands protectively against her chest. Rose was as brave as they come, but right now it felt like her skin was on fire and she couldn't bring herself to let him touch the tender flesh.

'Ankle first, then,' he conceded, dropping to kneel at her feet.

Rose looked at the man through a haze of tiredness and pain, and decided she'd happily fall down a hole once a week if it meant she got to see that look of tender concern on his face again.

Thankfully, Dimitri seemed unaware of her musings and got on with the task of tending to her injuries. 'I'm going to have to remove your boot to assess the damage,' he explained, asking her permission. In any other circumstance this type of intimate contact would be considered highly inappropriate, but he needed to make sure she hadn't broken any bones.

When she nodded her consent, the man proceeded to unfasten the row of buttons on her scuffed leather boot, carefully easing the injured foot out of its bonds. Cupping her stockinged heel in one hand, he worked his fingers slowly over her swollen foot and ankle, apologising with his eyes every time she winced. The whole process took less than a minute, but Dimitri was glad when it was over. Taking liberties with Rose - even with the most innocent of intentions - was bound to come back to haunt him later.

'Well, it's not broken,' he lowered her foot gently back to the ground, 'but I believe you've sprained your ankle. I can give you some whiskey for the pain, but if we're going to get that swelling down it will need to be soaked in hot water.'

At least it's only a sprain, Rose thought, watching the man set about heating some water over the fire. The injury might be painful at the moment, but with proper rest she'd be back on her feet in a few days – hopefully sooner.

Rose had good reason to want a quick recovery. Alberta was getting better by the day, and there was no guarantee that she'd want to keep the Russian bounty hunter on as her deputy after their agreement expired. Without knowing how much longer Dimitri would be around, she didn't want to waste a single second of their time together. There was so much left to do. She was dying to get back to the punching bag and practice the techniques he had been showing her, and she still hoped to convince the deputy to teach her how to shoot (he refused the first time she'd suggested it, but she was sure he would come around to the idea with the right encouragement). She wouldn't mind taking him back to the fort by the creek either, she thought naughtily, a shudder of desire rippling through her body as she remembered the way he'd looked at her only hours before.

Soon, Dimitri returned with the pot of water - just shy of boiling - and he knelt to place it on the ground beside his patient. Then he just sat there.

Rose studied the man curiously. 'What is it?' she prompted, growing worried by his silence.

When he finally spoke, he struggled to meet her eye. 'I'm afraid you will need to remove your stocking, Miss Hathaway,' he coughed, embarrassed.

Understanding dawned across the girl's face, but she quickly frowned down at her hands. There was no way she could do as he requested, due to the small forest of cactus spines lodged in her skin, robbing her of the ability to flex her fingers. But her whole foot was throbbing by now, the pains shooting up her leg at the smallest movement. She could really use that foot-soak.

Rose sighed in agitation, then an idea came to her that was as sinful as it was practical. Her pulse quickened. 'You'll have to do it for me, cowboy,' she said in a small voice.

The deputy looked like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar - equal parts guilty and afraid. 'If you're sure?' he confirmed uncertainly, then reached for her foot, placing it on his knee.

Dimitri had never removed a woman's undergarments before and the idea of poking around under Rose's skirt was obscene, but he couldn't invade her privacy even more by lifting the material and looking at her bare leg. Steeling himself to keep his mind on the task, he settled his hands on Rose's stockinged foot, then stopped dead, feeling the girl began to shake. He snatched his hands away at once, thinking he'd frightened her, but was surprised and slightly annoyed to find that Rose was laughing.

'What could possibly be funny, Miss Hathaway?' he reproached her.

'I was just imagining the look on Madam Kiroy's face if she saw us right now,' she giggled nervously.

Dimitri rolled his eyes. This was nerve-wracking enough without picturing that old crow watching his every move. 'Perhaps you should try to remember your deportment lessons, young lady,' he suggested, only half-joking. 'I don't know if there are rules for this exact scenario, but I suspect laughing at a man when he is about to reach under your skirts is considered impolite. Now, are you ready?'

The girl's eyes widened slightly and she bit her lip in apology. 'Ready,' she nodded.

Dimitri caught her gaze and wished he hadn't. The quiet longing written over her face sent a quiver of need through his belly and he had to force his wooden hands to obey him, sliding them carefully under the hem of her skirt and along the firm, shapely calf until he reached her knee. He could hear Rose's quick, shallow breaths as he inched higher then, thank the Lord, he found the garter just above her knee and slipped his thumbs under it, drawing it back down her leg, followed by the black, woollen stocking.

'Ouch,' Rose grimaced as he pulled the fabric over her heel.

'Sorry,' he apologised to Rose for what he'd done, and to God for what he'd thought while he was doing it.

The hard part over, the deputy moved to help the young woman into a more upright position and she immersed her foot in the hot water with a sigh of satisfaction.

'You'll be feeling better in no time,' Dimitri smiled at her look of pleasure, then a shadow crossed his face as he realised the other part of her treatment wasn't going to be quite so enjoyable.

'You should have a sip of this before I take care of your hands,' he suggested, holding his flask up to her mouth.

Rose took a gulp, screwing her face up as the liquor burned the back of her throat, then waited nervously as the man unsheathed his knife.

The next hour was unpleasant. The deputy scraped at her palms as carefully as he could to dislodge the worst of the protruding cactus spines, then dug around with a needle to remove those that had broken off beneath the skin.

'Sorry, Roza,' he whispered every time the needle jabbed a little deeper than he'd intended, but she didn't complain even once.

It was only after Dimitri had finished his task that Rose leant forward to rest her forehead on his shoulder, and he placed a comforting hand on her back.

'Just one more thing to go and you can relax,' he whispered in her ear.

When she was ready, he offered her another swig from his flask then doused each of her hands with alcohol to clean the hundreds of tiny puncture marks in her skin. The girl sucked in a sharp breath, experiencing an unusual desire to run away from her own body to escape the burning sting, but the sensation soon dulled and she was able to focus on Dimitri once more.

'You're one tough little lady,' he was saying, as he wrapped strips of cloth around her hands. 'I'm proud of you.'

Her heart glowed at the praise, and she returned his steady gaze without speaking. There were things she wanted to say, but she was tired now - exhausted, actually - and she gave in to the signals her body was sending her, settling back against the bedding and closing her eyes for a moment.

'What are you doing?' Dimitri's voiced seemed far away. 'I need to get you back to the house so can have a proper sleep.'

'But I don't want to go back,' Rose pouted, blinking her heavy eyes open again. 'How will I explain these?' she held up her bandaged hands. 'And anyway, Mr Dashley will have a guard at the door and I can't climb in through the window in this state, so it looks like you're stuck with me, deputy.'

'No, Roza,' he said in exasperation. 'Don't you realise how inappropriate this is? I'm a man. You're a woman. We're lucky nobody saw you come down to my fire in the first place. I can't allow you to sleep out here with me.'

Rose smiled to herself, pleased beyond measure that he thought of her as a woman, not a girl. 'Then I won't sleep,' she murmured, rolling over onto her side. 'I'll just rest my eyes for a bit. And if you can keep you manly paws to yourself then nobody will have a thing to complain about, will they?'

Dimitri groaned internally. The girl knew just how to push his limits and tonight he was tired of fighting her. Within minutes she was snoring lightly and he parked himself beside the sleeping figure, appreciating the softness of the bedding beneath him but not trusting himself to lie down. If Rose insisted on camping out then he would watch over her through the night.

An hour passed, then two. Wolves howled in the distance and that haunting wail sounded faintly once or twice, but finally the night was silent. Dimitri glanced down at the girl beside him. She was beautiful – inside and out – and while the urge to kiss her was almost unbearable, he refrained. He wanted their first kiss to be something they would both remember. He wanted to look her in the eyes and tell her he loved her before proving his words with his mouth.

Yes. It was probably futile to allow himself to feel this way, but he couldn't deny the truth any longer. He had fallen in love with Rosemarie Hathaway, and if there was even the slightest chance that she might feel the same way about him too, then he planned on sticking around in Saints Town until the time was right to tell her.

Feeling more at peace than he had in a long time, Dimitri made sure there was a foot of space between himself and his slumbering companion, then stretched out on his back. He crooked an elbow and rested his head on his arm, taking one last look at his Roza before gazing up, half-lidded, at the star-spangled sky above. He wasn't doing anything wrong. It was like Rose said. He wouldn't be sleeping. He'd just rest his eyes for a bit.

At some point in the night Dimitri must have dozed off, and when he awoke at first light, his arm was draped over the girl beside him, his chin resting on the top of her head as she lay nestled safe and warm in the curve of his body. He froze, intoxicated by her closeness.

How could he have allowed this to happen? It didn't matter how glorious her hair smelt or how her body moulded perfectly to his. He needed to escape before she awoke and discovered his indiscretion. The man gingerly lifted his arm to roll away from her but a soft voice held him prisoner.

'Good morning, cowboy,' Rose murmured, slightly groggy from sleep.

He remained there, heart pounding into her back. 'Good morning, Roza,' he answered softly. 'I trust you slept well.'

'As well as could be expected,' she turned awkwardly to face him. 'My hands feel like they're on fire, but the ankle is a little better. It was a good thing you were here to take care of me.'

He frowned, his arm still leaden at her waist. 'If I'd done what I should have and insisted you stayed at the house with Lisa, you wouldn't have been hurt in the first place.'

'I think it was worth it, don't you?' she whispered, biting her lip.

The devil was on Dimitri's shoulder, telling him to seize the moment and kiss the girl until she was limp and breathless, but the dig of the deputy's badge at his chest reminded him of his duty. With an inhuman feat of willpower, he retrieved his arm and sat up.

'We'd better get back to town, Miss Hathaway. I told Victor Dashley we'd be gone before the household awoke, and you should really have those hands looked at by a doctor, too. I'm not sure what variety of beast you impaled yourself on, but you may need a salve to ward off infection.'

Ignoring her look of disappointment, he helped her rise and watched as she took a tentative step to test her ankle. It seemed to hurt her, but she was able to bear some weight on the foot so he offered her his arm for support and led her toward their horses, lifting her up into the saddle.

Dimitri was making a few final adjustments to the stirrups when Rose spoke up. 'Um... I don't think I can hold the reins,' she held up her bandaged hands.

The man shook his head, annoyed at himself for not considering her predicament. 'Sorry, milaya,' he lifted the girl down from her horse and carried her across to his own stallion, seating her side-facing on a blanket in front of the saddle – just as he had the first day he'd taken her prisoner.

Rose tilted her head up to look at the deputy as he settled in behind her. 'What is milaya?' she asked curiously, surprising him by leaning back against his chest and nuzzling her face into his leather duster.

Dimitri circled his arms around her, taking the reins loosely in his hands.

'Perhaps, one day, I will tell you,' the man dropped his head to reply, and just before his posture straightened, Rose thought she felt his lips brush against her hair.

.

Author's Note:

Swoon! After very positive responses to the last chapter I decided to let Romitri go a little further than I'd originally planned. BUT be warned... extra love & goo in Ch 10 means extra heartache in Ch 11, which contains the DREADED COMPLICATION. DA-DA-DAAAAHHH! (P.S. Please don't stress... I will treat Romitri very gently - I love them too!)

The cactus incident is, embarrassingly, inspired by real life. At the tender age of seven, I was exploring a local park with my sisters when I started sliding backwards down a steep hill. Naturally, I grabbed the nearest bush – cactus. The needles were tearing at my skin so I launched out with my other hand – cactus. I have never been a fan of tweezers since!

I wish that the idea of a sexy guy removing my stocking was also inspired by real life but, alas, it is not.

I really struggled with whether or not to use the word 'milaya' in this story. It's not in the original books/movie (and apparently not even a typical Russian term of endearment), but it pops up everywhere in ff. In the end, I decided to go with it. Canon is the god of fanfiction, but Fanon is the goddess!

Anybody else think writing fan fiction is just a really sophisticated way of playing barbies?