Dimitri climbed off the bus, busying himself talking with Matthews while he unobtrusively observed the Princess and her retinue. MacAllister and Chaung were preparing to enter the mall with Vasilisa, accompanied by Christian and Tasha Ozera. Roza seemed to say her goodbyes to them. While Dimitri would like to follow his mate around the mall, his sisters Karo, Sonya, and to a lesser extent Viktoria had made their demands clear; they wanted American clothing!

Once he'd seen the Princess and the Ozeras head in one direction, Rose in another, Dimitri set out toward Macy's. With no idea how to navigate the space, he handed his list over to the first store assistant he saw, allowing her to guide him around the store, collecting the items his sisters had ordered. When the numerous jeans, shoes, tops and even underwear had been purchased, Dimitri was ready to ask about something for his Rose.

"I have a new girlfriend," Dimitri said to the store attendant wondering whether girlfriend was the correct term for it. "I want to give her something special for Christmas. We are still courting, so I don't want to overwhelm her."

The store assistant apparently did not understand what courting meant, so angered Dimitri by suggesting excessively sexy lingerie.

"You misunderstand me," Dimitri barked, frustrated at the tenth set of lacey underwear presented to him. He was only angry because the thought of Rose wearing it turned him on ridiculously… "We have only recently started dating. I know she is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, but I want to romance her!"

"Pardon me," a senior sales attendant said, stepping in after hearing Dimitri's explosion. In his forties, maybe more, he seemed to understand what Dimitri was after. "Perhaps I can help you shop for your special lady?" The other store assistant disappeared, much to Dimitri's relief. "Tell me about her."

"She is short, curvy but slim. She has dark hair and eyes and is beautiful. I want to buy her something but not too much."

"What about jewelry? If it's a relatively new relationship, perhaps something more casual like a bracelet or anklet?"

He led Dimitri over to the jewelry area, bypassing the locked cases with diamonds and other colored stones before reaching a cabinet with various gold and silver lengths.

"Show me the anklets," Dimitri said. An anklet she'd be able to wear under her socks which would protect it when she was training. Although it would need to be sturdy if she would wear it every day—and he hoped she would.

All the chains were pretty but too delicate for regular use. Dimitri was becoming disheartened when his eyes landed on a black and gold beaded anklet. "Can I see that one?"

The assistant passed it across to Dimitri. Black beads interspersed by small rose charms, it was strong but still pretty. He could see his Roza wearing it.

"Perfect," he said, the corners of his mouth turning up a little, "her name is Rose. I'll take it."

"I'm sure she'll love it," the assistant said before offering gift wrapping. Oh, to be getting jewelry for Christmas from a man like that, he thought, sneaking another look at the Adonis he was serving.


"Rose," Dimitri called out, seeing her just in front of him.

"Dimitri," Rose greeted returning his smile then giggling at the many packages he was carrying. "You've bought a lot!"

"It's for my sisters. I'm going to return them to the bus then find the food court."

"Good idea," Rose replied. At eleven-thirty, it was almost time for her to meet up with Lissa. Rose only had two bags, but there was no point carting them around all afternoon, especially since she'd need her hands free to keep up with Lissa's purchases.

"Did you buy much?" he asked, falling into step, walking past shops and then out into the late morning sunlight in the carpark.

"Just Christmas presents. Liss will no doubt drag me around clothing shops all afternoon. I might pick up something for myself, then."

Dimitri smiled. While they wouldn't be alone, he'd still enjoy observing Rose shop. Reaching the bus, Dimitri said a quick hello to the dhampir driver before going to the luggage hold and grabbing a large cardboard box, labeling it with his surname. On past trips, bags had got mixed up in the baggage hold and items disappeared, so Alberta now had a supply of cardboard boxes on the bus so people could box and label their purchases.

"You don't have much… You can put yours in with mine," Dimitri suggested, his eyes dark and possessive.

Checking Dimitri's gift was at the bottom of one bag, hidden beneath Alberta's skeins of wool, Rose agreed. Dimitri placing her bags in a box labeled 'Belikov' raised another idea in her mind. Dhampir rarely married. The exception being Alpha. Not that every Alpha wedded their mate—the book making it clear the act of claiming to an Alpha was akin to marriage—but a lot of them did. If they were mates, would Dimitri want to marry her?

Looking around, there was no one in sight. The bus driver was sitting in the coach, no one from St. Vlad's was out here, and they were on the far side of the vehicle. Dimitri stepped forward, slipping an arm around Rose's waist, pulling her hard against him. Then he leaned down, his lips meeting hers. Rose looped her arms around his neck, melting into his embrace and kiss.

"I've wanted to do since I saw you this morning," Dimitri growled softly when he finally pulled back, giving them both the much-needed opportunity to breathe. "You're so beautiful… So beautiful it hurts."

"You're not too bad yourself," Rose said, letting her fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck. Resting her head against Dimitri's chest, she could hear his heart beating. He purred for a moment while clasping her close to him.

Dropping a kiss onto her head Dimitri announced, "Come on. Let's get lunch before I have to guard." They walked back to the mall, close but not touching.

"Dimitri? If I am your mate, how do you see it working?"

"Well, you're eighteen in three months? I thought we could spend until then getting to know each other. When you're eighteen if you're ready we could go public, then? The Guardian Council and the Academy won't recognize our match until you are a legal adult, and I could get in trouble for claiming you before then. Once you're an adult, they'll allow us to declare as mates and cohabitate if that's what we wish."

"Is that what you want?" Rose asked.

"Yes. I want to be your mate in every sense, but not until you're ready. If you want us to 'date' for a while I am ok with that."

"We'd be exclusive when we dated?" Rose asked.

"Absolutely!" Dimitri growled. "I do not share!" Tension was rippling off the Russian Alpha in stark contrast to his casual manner moments before. Rose automatically reached out to him and purred, the action calming Dimitri—at least a little.

"Neither do I," Rose said, turning to look into Dimitri's eyes. "You know Tasha Ozera has a thing for Alphas? She thinks you might be up for a 'roll in the sheets' while she is here… I'm telling you—she intends to bed you!"

Dimitri laughed, a rich warm chuckle that made Rose smile. "А тебе говорю, без шансов!"

"English please, Comrade! We're not all multilingual!"

"I said there is no chance. Women like Natasha are common…" Rose giggled, wondering whether Dimitri appreciated the double meaning of his words. "Every Alpha has encountered those like her. I would never dishonor myself in that way."

"But you have been with women before…?" Rose asked.

"I have. Does that upset you?"

"I'm not sure. Tasha was telling us about rutting. Is that when you were with other women?"

Dimitri looked away, and it seemed as though he was blushing. His neck and the tips of his ears were red.

"Now is not the time or place to discuss that. We can talk about it the next time we're alone together."

Accepting it was rather a personal question, Rose accepted Dimitri's deferment, even though she was as curious as hell.

"What can I buy you?" he asked as they walked into the food court. Several groups of St. Vlad's students occupied tables in the open space but Lissa, Christian, Tasha, and Guardians had yet to appear.

"You don't have to buy me lunch," Rose objected.

"I want to," Dimitri stated in a tone of voice that recommended Rose's agreement.

"Fine. Let's look. What do you feel like?"

"I have no idea. What do you recommend?" he asked.

"Well it's been years since I've had most of these but let me tell you about the ones I've had before." They walked around the perimeter of the food court, Rose giving a running commentary on things she'd sampled in the past.

"Papa Murphy's is good—especially the stuffed pizza. I've had Chipotle, too—that's Mexican food. Five guys do burgers, and Subway does subway sandwiches. Culver's do ButterBurgers, chicken, salads, and soups and Dickey's Barbecue Pit do smoked meat and baked potatoes."

"It's too much. You decide." While he had tried McDonald's and Burger King in Russia, Dimitri's go-to was Temerok—and that was Russian food. So much variety here confused him.

"It's hard to go wrong with an Arby's sandwich," Rose said, stopping in front of one kiosk.

"None of them have anything green on them," Dimitri voiced suspiciously. Rose had not noticed it before, but he had a point.

"What about a roast turkey ranch and bacon sandwich?" she suggested, naming the healthiest looking option. "We can get something from Chipotle, too?"

"Ok. Do you want a sandwich from here?"

"Yes, I'll have a Reuben. They're excellent." Together they stood in line, Rose taking the lead when it came their turn to order. Dimitri handed over the money and minutes later they were walking back to the Chipotle kiosk.

"What do you suggest here?" Dimitri asked, looking even more confused by the menu at Chipotle.

"Is there anything you don't eat?" she checked.

"No."

"Can I have one burrito bowl with carne asada, brown rice, black beans, guacamole, fajita vegetables, and romaine lettuce? Plus a side of chips and guacamole? And I'll have a chicken burrito with white rice, pinto beans, tomato salsa and cheese with sour cream. You want a drink?" Rose asked turning to Dimitri.

"Just water," he replied.

"Can you add one water and a coke," Rose said, finishing their order. Dimitri again handed over some money and they waited side by side for their order to be prepared. Rose was conscious of fellow dhampir and Moroi students watching her with Dimitri, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Once they'd collected their meals, they found a vacant table in the food court, sitting beside one another preparing to eat their food. Rose started by splitting her Reuben, putting half in front of her mentor. Following suit with her chicken burrito, she also cut a portion from his roast turkey and bacon sandwich for herself.

"Best of both worlds," she explained. "You can try everything this way."

"I'll save you some of this," Dimitri said, pointing with his plastic fork to his burrito bowl.

"You'd better. I've never ordered that before!"


"Have you already eaten?" Lissa asked when she arrived at the food court with Christian, Tasha, MacAllister, and Chaung

"Yeah. We had Arby's and Chipotle," Rose explained, gesturing to the empty wrappers in front of them.

"I am not familiar with the food here. Novice Hathaway helped me order," Dimitri explained.

"And were you able to satisfy your appetite?" Tasha asked leadingly, causing almost everyone present to flinch in embarrassment. Christian, in particular, looked as though he wanted to hurl.

"Yes. The sandwiches and burrito were delicious," Dimitri replied, somehow keeping a straight face. Turning to Chaung and MacAllister he went into work mode, questioning them about their unremarkable morning. Their only challenge keeping up with Lissa's copious shopping, Dimitri suggested they return the Moroi's purchases to the bus, box them, then go off duty.

"Can you take mine, too?" Celeste asked, showing up with two small bags, shoveling down a Subway sandwich at a minute to twelve.

"Sure. What difference will one or two more make?" Chaung grumbled, wandering off in search of a shopping cart to load the bags into. A morning following a teenaged girl around the mall had worn his temper. Still, at least Belikov volunteered himself and Matthews to do the second half of the shift. When he first heard they were getting a new team leader, an Alpha, he'd worried the guy would be an ass. So far, though, Belikov had been alright.

"We'll take over now," Belikov announced when Chaung reappeared with a cart, loading Lissa's, Tasha's, Christian's and Celeste's bags into it. "Enjoy your afternoon off."

"Do you need to eat?" Rose asked the Moroi at the table.

"I'll just get a water… I fed big this morning," Lissa explained. "Then we can hit the shops!"

Christian was miserable. Shopping was not his idea of fun. Spotting Eddie, Meredith, Chelsea, and Mason looking around for a table he beckoned them over.

"What are you guys doing this afternoon?"

"We're going to the movies," Eddie announced. "Mansion Murder Four is out!"

"Go on then," Lissa said indulgently as Christian's eyes lit up. She hated horror films, so it's not like she'd watch it with him. "I need to buy your Christmas present anyway…"

Lissa stood, followed by Tasha, Rose, Celeste, and Dimitri. Buying water from a kiosk, Lissa turned to the group and asked: "Where to first?"

"Since it's just us girls, and Guardian Belikov, how about we start at Agent Provocateur?!" Tasha suggested with an arch grin.


Standing guard in an upmarket underwear store was hell. Dimitri's charge flitting around from stand to stand was bad enough, but seeing his mate do likewise was even worse. However, by far the most horrific part of the experience was Natasha Ozera's repeated requests for his opinion on skimpy underwear. Each set more transparent and flimsier than the one before it, Dimitri wanted to tell her he would never be interested in her and to give it a rest, but each time he politely replied he had no opinion, and that she should ask one of the women in the party for their thoughts.

The Princess was stocking up on bras to try on, Rose helping her find the correct sizes.

"You won't try anything?" he asked as his mate rummaged through the stand beside where he was standing.

"Some of those bras are over two hundred dollars, Comrade," she explained in an undertone. "Plus, I'm in sportswear all the time. There's no point."

Taking Lissa another selection of styles, and some for Tasha too, Rose disappeared into the fitting rooms. Dimitri exchanged a glance with Celeste, wordlessly telling her she should attend to the Moroi in the change room. He moved further into the store, putting him closer to the register.

"Excuse me," he asked, drawing the attention of one of the fitters. "The brunette—can you tell what size she is?"

"Bras or panties?"

"Both."

She looked at Rose appraisingly before naming a size.

"Can you try to get her to try something on? Maybe that?" Dimitri said, gesturing to a sparkle plunged underwire bra set. "She won't want to buy it, but if it fits, I'll purchase it for her."

Sure enough, Rose was convinced to try on several bras, but she seemed to like the one Dimitri had selected best. She was getting dressed when the attendant returned to Dimitri.

"It fits well. Did you want to get the matching panties? There're briefs or a thong."

He paused, thinking about each option. "Briefs." He wanted his mate comfortable. Not that he had any idea when he'd be able to give Roza this gift, but he liked buying his mate the very best!

Celeste pretended not to notice as the boss spoke with a shop assistant, who then had Hathaway try on expensive lingerie alongside the Moroi. Despite the Princess's offers to buy several sets for Hathaway, Celeste heard the young Novice decline, pointing out she had nowhere to wear it. Pointedly looking in the other direction from her boss, in the mirror Matthews could see Belikov buy a set of underwear, refusing a bag before tucking the bra and panties into an inner pocket on his duster. It was the same set Rose had been trying on earlier.

Dimitri had not been near the change rooms, so had not seen Rose in the bra, but Celeste had. No matter what the dude paid, it would be worth every cent. Covering her smile, Matthews wondered whether this was just a sexual interest in Rose, or whether she might be Belikov's mate? He didn't seem the type to muck around with an underage student. Celeste wouldn't say anything to anyone—but now the thought was there, she'd be keeping an eye on them.


"Lissa! You don't need to get these for me. I told you, Alberta was full-on generous this year; I can afford to buy my own things."

"That's great. I'm still not taking no for an answer!" Lissa said, brushing Rose's hand away and pushing her card into the shop assistant's hand. "Please, Rose? You do so much for me! Let me do this for you."

"But I have my own money!"

"That's great. Spend it on things you want not what you need. I mean, it Rose. Don't make an argument out of this. Mom would have wanted this," Lissa said, pulling out her trump card. Yes. Rhea would have wanted it; Lissa and Rose both knew that. "Let me, Rose? For her?"

"Ok," Rose whispered, tears welling. Rhea had been Lissa's mom—but she was the closest Rose had to one, too.

"Thank you," Lissa said meaning it, wrapping her arms around her best friend. Buying Rose what she needed was absolutely what Rhea and Eric would have wanted. Making sure that still happened made both of them feel closer to Rhea.

"We're done other than a Yule Ball dress," Lissa said to defuse the emotional moment between them lest they both fall apart. "Let's check out Macy's and David's Bridal!"

Half an hour in Macy's and they'd each found a dress. Lissa a deep green lace, Rose the quintessential little black dress. Even Tasha was pleased when she found a red wrap dress that made her look like the scarlet woman!

Lissa insisting on paying for Rose's Yule Dress, and shoes, the trio headed back to the bus, followed by Celeste and Dimitri.

"That went ok," Matthews commented as they trailed the three women.

"It did," Dimitri replied, his hand in a pocket of his duster, fingering a very sexy set of lingerie he dreamed of his Roza wearing for him sometime soon. After all his objections in Macy's, he'd ended up buying Rose sexy underwear after all!


If you'd like to see Dimitri's Christmas gift for Roza, and the underwear he bought for her, head across to my Facebook Page:
www facebook com / swimmingthesamedeepwaters