I chewed on my thumb nail before angrily throwing the pregnancy test in the trash bin, stalking out of the bathroom in a crusty mood. I thumped down the stairs and into the kitchen, going straight for my comfort stash in the cupboard and sank down on the couch.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked.

I stuck my hand into the bag and stuffed a two-bite brownie into my mouth with a shake of my head.

"No."

"It'll happen, Roza," Dimitri whispered, moving down the couch and wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I nodded stiffly and ate another brownie so that I didn't need to speak. I hated how hard this was. One drunk night gifted us with a beautiful miracle, but now five years later we'd been trying for a year to no avail.

Nothing was worse than seeing that stupid minus sign on the stick every month. Especially when I thought I was finally pregnant. I was achy, my boobs hurt, and I was nauseous all the time. But it was still negative.

"I'm sorry," I whispered after swallowing my mouthful.

"Don't be. This is out of both of our control. We can keep trying," Dimitri said encouragingly, rubbing my shoulder. I looked up at him with furrowed brows.

"What if it was just a fluke?" I whispered.

Dimitri frowned but kissed my forehead. "Remy is enough for me."

"I know. But I just…I want another baby."

Dimitri nodded and kissed my head again before standing up. "I know, sweetheart."

I sighed heavily and wiped my face with my hands, tossing the bag onto the counter. I smoothed my clothes out and noticed the time, heading to the front hall to get my shoes on.

"Rose?"

"I got to go get Rem from school," I hollered over my shoulder. I heard Dimitri's footsteps follow me and he came into the front hall. He put his shoes on too and plucked the keys out of my hands as I shouldered my purse.

"I'm driving," Dimitri said gently, giving me a stern look. I let it go and waited for him to lock the door before getting in the car. I sighed and pulled my feet up and wrapped my arms around my knees, resting my chin on them. The drive to Remy's school wasn't far, only ten minutes, but it felt like hours.

"When do you have to go back again?" I asked quietly.

Dimitri reached out and cupped the back of my head gently as he drove. "End of the week. I'll only be gone for a few days," he said, "And then I'll be back to straight remote work."

I nodded and ran my teeth over my lip. "At least it's only temporary," I sighed, "I don't sleep well when you're gone."

Dimitri nodded and twisted strands over his fingers. Once things became serious between us and we decided that we were going to be a family, Dimitri took up a position remotely. It allowed him to be with us, all while allowing him to keep the title he worked so hard for. We kept up with our training and I started working at the gym and local martial arts studio. Dimitri worked mostly on Strigoi movements, helping track them with the help of the Alchemists.

I didn't want to admit it, but I preferred that he wasn't in the field anymore. It wasn't just him and me, it was him and me and Remy.

We pulled up in front of the school and we both got out of the car, walking through the gate to the kindergarten pen. There were other parents waiting already and I leaned into Dimitri's side as he wrapped his arm around me, kissing my temple.

I spotted Emily a few feet away and I waved at her. She smiled at me and excused herself from the conversation she was having and made her way over to us.

"If it gets any colder, we'll have snow before Halloween," she muttered as she rubbed her hands over her arms.

"I know right? I can't fathom it," I said with a shake of my head.

"It's not the worst thing," Dimitri said with a chuckle. I looked up at him and rolled my eyes.

"Of course, you would say that," I grumbled.

Emily snorted a laugh and glanced towards the door before looking at me head on. She raised her brows slightly and I pressed my lips together, shaking my head.

"Damn. Next month," she whispered encouragingly.

I shrugged and rested my head on Dimitri's shoulder. "Maybe."

"Oh stop. You two will get pregnant!"

I shrugged again. The bell rang and I straightened up, putting on a brave face and watched the kids pour out of the school. I waited and watched for my pig-tailed baby to come out. I watched her curly pig-tails bouncy as she ran out, eagle eyes looking through the masses for her Mamma and Daddy. Her eyes pinched in a way I noticed my eyes do when I'm thinking before she spotted us, turning on her heels and running for us.

"Mamma!" she squealed, arms open as she launched herself into my arms.

"How is my mean muggin?" I groaned as I squeezed her tight. She wiggled out of my arms after a moment before reaching up for Dimitri. He grinned at her and picked her up, growling playfully as he peppered her with kisses, and mumbled that he was going to eat her.

She squealed and laughed, holding Dimitri's face between her little hands with a pout.

"Daddy, you can't eat me. I'm too cute!"

Dimitri chuckled and kissed her cheek. "I know, malen'kaya ptitsa," Dimitri said softly. I beamed up at the two of them and ran my fingers through her curls.

"Daddy, it's küçük kuş," Remy corrected with a matter-of-fact tone. I tried to hold back my laugh but I made a noise in the back of my throat in the process, looking away from them to laugh silently.

"She is definitely your daughter," Dimitri commented dryly as we walked back to the car.

"No, she is her Dede's kız torun," I chuckled as Dimitri pulled Remy's backpack off and buckled her into the car.

Dimitri rolled his eyes and closed the door gently before getting into the driver's seat. I snickered and got in the car too. I smiled at Remy in the backseat and watched her flip through the book we kept in the back, silently looking at the pictures.

"She's so perfect," I whispered.

Dimitri's lips quirked up. "I know."

"Why should we tempt fate when we have something so perfect?" I whispered, looking at him while biting my lip.

"Because we are both risk-takers and want to try and achieve perfection again," Dimitri said resting his hand on my leg. I smiled and rested my hand on his and rested my head against the headrest. The sky was darkening as a storm started to roll in, the mixed colours a striking contrast to the grey sky.

"Think we'll get a bang-bang?" I asked quietly, not wanting Remy to overhear us talk about a potential thunderstorm. Remy hated them and always ended up in our bed. Not that we minded, we both liked cuddling with her.

"I think so. I've had a headache all afternoon," Dimitri said quietly, glancing in the rear-view mirror at Remy before looking back at the road.

"Did you take anything?"

Dimitri nodded. "Yeah, but when it gets like this, we know it's going to be a bad one. When we get home I'll run out and grab supplies in case the power goes out again," Dimitri said.

I nodded and squeezed his hand. "Make sure you grab batteries for Rem's flashlight. We both know we won't make it through the night without it."

Dimitri nodded and braked roughly when a teenager stepped off the curb and ran out into the road in front of us. Dimitri's arm came up and over my chest out of instinct, clocking me in the throat in the process. I cleared my throat and winced, but held it in while Dimitri muttered under his breath.

"Damn teenagers," Dimitri muttered.

I chuckled and looked at him. "I'd like to point out I didn't do shit like that."

"POOP!"

I grimaced and laughed. "Sorry. Poop," I corrected myself. Remy made a noise from the backseat that said she was satisfied with my response. I glared at Dimitri as he chuckled quietly as he pulled into the driveway.

I got out and unbuckled Remy, picked up her bag and headed towards the house while Dimitri backed out of the driveway, heading for the storm just as the rain started to fall.

The screaming that jolted me off the couch made my chest clench, even though I knew what the cause of it was. I climbed the stairs three at a time and went into Remy's room, frowning to myself when I found the blankets torn off the bed and missing. I walked to the closet and opened it, crouching down to pick Remy up.

That was her favourite place to go when she was scared. Something about the closet made her feel safe.

"It's okay, baby," I whispered as I lifted her up, blankets wrapped around her. She trembled in my arms and whimpered, small sobs wracking through her as I carried her downstairs. I shushed her soothingly as I went back to the couch, laying on the couch and laying her on my chest. I ran my fingers through her hair, making soothing noises as I tried to calm her. Sometimes I could calm her down enough to go back to sleep, but sometimes I needed to bring out the baby whisperer and have him rock her back to sleep.

After about twenty minutes of not being able to calm her, I stood up and bounced her gently as I went into the basement. I followed the sound of shoes scuffing against mats and pushed the door open with my foot, tilting my head to the side.

Dimitri pulled his headphone out of his ear and turned towards me, spotting the bundle in my arms.

"Baby whisperer?"

I nodded. "It's a bad one. I'm surprised you can't hear it through your headphones," I said as I passed Remy over to him, untangling Remy from the blankets. She started to cry harder but Dimitri rested her against his shoulder, gently pulling her to rest her head on his shoulder as he rocked her. I went back upstairs and put her blankets back on her bed and sighed when the power went out, Remy's cry reaching my ears.

I trudged back downstairs and frowned to find that even the tried and true baby hold wasn't working this time. I had never seen a five-year-old so scared of thunder before. Dimitri kissed her head every few bounces as he walked through the living room. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

I lit a few candles and placed them in the living room, giving some more light. It was more or less for Remy's sake. Dimitri and I could see fine, but being in the dark wasn't going to help Remy.

I rubbed the blanket on the couch between my fingers as I watched with furrowed brows. I hated that there wasn't more I could do when Remy was this upset. But as I rubbed the blanket between my fingers, an idea flashed through my head. I gestured for Dimitri to wait and I went into the dining room, grabbing two chairs and dragging them into the living room. I set them a few feet from the couch and moved the coffee table out of the way before draping the blanket over the chairs and back of the couch.

I set the pillows on the floor and then ran upstairs, grabbing Remy's blanket and pillow, and grabbing the duvet and pillows off our bed. I traipsed back downstairs and dumped them under the poor fort I made, moving things around. I came out from under the blanket and held my arms out for Remy. Dimitri detangled her from him and handed her to me, climbing under the fort with us.

Remy's cheeks were raw and red from crying, her brown eyes so large and weary. I snuggled her to my chest and got comfortable under the fort, situating Remy between me and Dimitri.

I grabbed the flashlight I pocketed upstairs and turned it on, fixing it in the blankets so it pointed upwards, filling the fort with light.

"Do you know what this is?" I asked her softly.

Remy shook her head.

"This is Fort Belikov. This is a safe place and the thunder can't hurt you here," I whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear. Remy pouted and looked at Dimitri. He nodded encouragingly and shifted so he was reclined. Remy crawled into his lap and curled against his chest, her thumb going into her mouth.

It wasn't something she did a lot, but we usually would tell her to take it out. But right now I didn't have the heart to take that small comfort from her. I cuddled into Dimitri's side and rubbed my hand over her back. Remy seemed to calm the longer we were under the fort.

After Remy calmed Dimitri made shadow puppets against the blanket, making her giggle quietly. I smiled and chuckled at some of the ideas Dimitri came up with. After a while, her giggles tapered off and I peeked down at her, her eyes closed and her thumb hanging out of her mouth.

"She's out cold," I whispered.

There was a gentle rumble of thunder and we both sat still, waiting to see if it would wake her but it didn't. Dimitri scooped Remy up and crawled out from the fort. I blew out the candles around us and collected our blankets, following Dimitri upstairs.

"Should we just put her in our bed to be safe?" Dimitri asked.

I nodded. "Better be safe than sorry. Plus, I don't want her to slip and fall off the bed again trying to get in it in a panic," I said quietly. Dimitri plopped Remy gently in the middle of our pillows once I put them back. I leaned over and kissed her cheek before getting dressed for bed. I took a glance at my phone and found that it was later than I thought and went to wash my face and brush my teeth.

Once I was done I climbed into bed and laid on my side beside Remy, stroking her cheek softly with my fingers.

"Remember when she was so little, we were scared to sleep with her in the bed?"

I looked at Dimitri and smirked. "Yeah. I remember that and when she used to wake up at three a.m. screaming."

"That stopped shortly after I started staying the night," Dimitri commented.

I nodded. "I know. I don't know if it was a coincidence but I'm not complaining."

Dimitri pulled a t-shirt over his head and raised a brow at my lack of clothing. I was just dressed in a tank top and shorts.

"I would put on something else. It's going to get cold tonight," Dimitri chided.

I rolled my eyes. "I think you're forgetting that I'm sleeping with two furnaces tonight," I said bluntly.

Dimitri smirked and climbed into bed on Remy's other side, sliding his arm under his pillow and resting on his stomach.

Lissa grinned at Remy while she played with her, her heels kicked off by the door. I insisted that Remy and I make the drive up with Dimitri so that we would get more time before he went to work. It also worked in my favour that Lissa and I were overdue for coffee.

"How have things been at the gym, still making the old ladies sweat?" Lissa asked as she watched Remy colour.

"I don't work with the older ladies. I just work with young adults," I snorted as I tapped my nails against my mug.

Lissa smirked at me and brushed her hair behind her ear.

"So I had an ulterior motive for coffee," Lissa said.

"Did you now?"

Lissa nodded and got up, walking over to the closet and opening it, reaching up for the top shelf and pulling a sleek black box off. She came back and set the box on the couch beside me and got back on the floor with Remy.

I set my mug down and set the box in my lap, sliding my nail under the tape and lifting the lid. I looked down at the box in confusion before picking up the silk fabric that glistened with rhinestones.

I smiled at looked at Lissa. "You're engaged!?"

Lissa nodded and beamed at me. "It happened last week. We haven't formally announced it yet. We are waiting for my ring to come back in because it was a size too big. So, will you be my maid of honour?"

"Of course!" I squealed, climbing off the couch and wrapping my arms around her. Lissa giggled and poked Remy's nose playfully.

"And of course, my favourite flower girl," Lissa cooed.

"Christian is going to ask Dimitri to be his best man," Lissa mused.

"Yeah?"

Lissa nodded. "Christian doesn't really trust anyone else like Dimitri. Adrian of course is one of the groomsmen, but we both know of he can be sometimes."

I nodded and looked through the box, smiling at the cute things Lissa bought. There were jewelled barrettes in the box for Remy.

"Do you think you and Dimitri might get married?" Lissa asked slowly, colouring a picture of a butterfly as she laid on her stomach with Remy.

I shrugged. "We've talked about it, but I don't know. It's almost like I don't want to jinx anything."

Lissa rolled her eyes. "I don't think you'd jinx anything, Rose."

I shrugged again. "When have Dimitri and I ever been traditional?"

"Never, except for when you had Rem baptized."

I snorted and slid onto the floor, clipping the barrettes into Remy's hair. She smiled up at me, all pearly minus the one front tooth that she knocked out last week. She was completely unphased by it, but Dimitri and I both panicked. But when she just got up and showed up the tooth with a grin, we kept our reactions neutral.

"Please tell me you got a picture of the ring before you brought it in?" I asked with a grin. Lissa nodded and got up, reaching for her phone and scrolled through her photos before turning the phone to me. It was simple and dainty but had two emeralds on either side of the diamond.

"That's gorgeous, Lissa," I whispered.

"Yeah," Lissa sighed quietly. I smiled at her and ran my fingers through Remy's hair.

It was crazy to think that for a while, Lissa and I weren't friends. It took a lot of work, but we managed to get back to where we were. Well, close to where we were. I wasn't her Guardian, but we were more like we were before her family's death.

"Would you kill me if I had my bridesmaids wear pink?"

I rolled my eyes. "As long as it isn't hot pink or magenta," I muttered, "And I will not have a flower on my butt!"

"Dully noted," Lissa chuckled.

The months leading up to Lissa's wedding were a whirlwind. I spent more time at Court than I anticipated, and it was strange staying at Court too.

There were so many places that Lissa and Christian could have chosen for their wedding, but they decided that they wanted to have a small intimate ceremony in the church at the Academy. Lissa said that it was the place they fell in love, plus with all the security that would be required, it was easier to do it there.

I was on the fence about going back to the Academy, even if it was just for a weekend.

Remy was fussy on the flight there, battling an ear infection that reared its ugly head a few days ago. Lissa's brows were pinched as Remy fussed before she leaned across the aisle and stroked Remy's cheek softly.

I knew before Remy stopped fusing what she was doing, and a part of me wanted to stop her, but I knew that Lissa barely used any magic to do it.

"Excited?" I asked.

Lissa smiled and nodded her head. "So excited. I mean, I'm nervous, but I'm excited. It feels like we've been waiting for this moment for so long."

"It's been so long," I joked, "I can't believe you put up with him for so long."

Lissa rolled her eyes at me. "And Dimitri has put up with you for just as long," she retorted, a twinkle in her eyes. I chuckled and wiggled when Dimitri poked my side.

"I think that's the other way around."

Dimitri raised a brow at me and smirked. "I don't know about that."

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest, squinting at Christian who snored in the seat across from Lissa.

"How can he sleep on this flight?"

"He can sleep anywhere," Lissa commented, "I found him asleep on the bathroom floor once."

I snorted and lobbed a peanut at Christian, managing to get it into his mouth. He sputtered and sat up, coughing and spitting out the peanut.

"What the hell just fell into my mouth?!" Christian exclaimed.

"A really big bug," I said dryly. Christian's eyes widened and he turned a little green, but Lissa interfered.

"Rose threw a peanut at you, calm down," she said. Christian glared at me and I smirked with an exaggerated wink.

I braced myself as we touched down, never enjoying the process in the past. Remy didn't like it much either, but once we were on the ground she was bouncing in her seat. She was excited to see a new place and see her grandparents, all while getting to wear her new dress that she couldn't touch yet.

The doors opened and the Guardians accompanying Lissa and Christian did the necessary sweep before letting us off the plane. We let them go first while we packed up Remy's things and then ushered her off the plane.

"Nana!" Remy squealed as she flew down the steps, jumping at my mom from the fifth step. I felt a flutter of panic but Mom caught her, kissing her hair with a grin.

"Careful," Mom said with a laugh and hugged Remy tightly.

"Nana! I like to jump!"

Mom shook her head and met my eyes over her shoulder.

"So your daughter. You used to jump off the stairs all the time. Damn near gave me a heart attack."

I snorted and gave her a quick hug before turning to Alberta who joined us. I grinned at her and made a quiet little squeal.

"Look at how grown up you are!" Alberta exclaimed quietly, cupping my cheeks.

"Had to grow up. This one is going to give me grey hairs before she's ten," I chuckled and jerked my thumb toward Remy.

"Then why doesn't Dimitri have any? He's got you and daughter," Alberta chuckled, giving Dimitri a quick hug as well. Dimitri made a noise in the back of his throat and patted Alberta's back. When Alberta was finished I picked Remy up and perched her on my hip.

"Rem, this is Alberta. She was my teacher and took care of me when I was your age. Can you say hi?" I said softly, tucking her hair behind her hair.

"Hi," Remy said, uncharacteristically shy.

I chuckled and kissed her cheek. "You don't need to be shy, sweetheart," I whispered.

Remy nodded and curled into my chest either way. I chuckled and kissed her head again while Alberta chuckled.

"She looks so much like you when you were her age," Alberta said softly, ducking her head down so that she was at eye level with Remy.

I nodded and looked up at Dimitri. "We both think that Remy looks a lot like Olena when she was a kid," I said, "It's crazy."

"Good mix," Mom said with a smile. "Your father is back in guest housing, waiting to spoil Rem."

I rolled my eyes and handed Remy over to Mom. "Like she needs to be spoiled even more."

"I'm sure you're going to be spoiled too," Mom smirked as she started to walk away, turning her attention to Remy and asking her how school was. I sighed and stretched my arms over my head, groaning quietly as my joints popped.

"Ready to be pretty in pink?" Alberta asked with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. "No. But I will be."

Alberta chuckled and wrapped her arm around my shoulder, leading Dimitri and me toward campus. As we walked I spotted a cabin out in the distance. I smiled and looked back at Dimitri, canting my head towards the cabin. Dimitri's eyes moved and he smirked, winking at me in a silent promise.

I leaned back into Dimitri's chest with a smile, watching Lissa dance with Baba. Lissa asked him to give her away. Many prominent Royals had offered to do it, but Baba was the only one who ever treated her like a daughter.

It caused a titter amongst those at the ceremony, but Lissa didn't pay any attention, she only had eyes for Christian all night.

"You ever think of having a party like this?" I asked.

Dimitri wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder. "I do. I like the idea of seeing you in a white dress walking down the aisle with your father," Dimitri said in my ear and kissed the shell of it.

I hummed in response and rested my hands on his arms, smiling as I watched everyone around us dance. Mom was over in the corner with a drowsy Remy, her head resting on Mom's shoulder as she talked to another Guardian. Remy had been running around for most of the reception, dancing with everyone she could get her hands on.

Some of the older Royals turned their nose up, but there were a few younger Royals who had no problem scooping her up for a dance.

"She is a beautiful bride," I whispered.

"I can agree with you there," Tasha said as she approached us, two wine glasses in her hands.

I smiled and took one, tapping my glass against hers gently. I took a sip and looked back at the party.

"Where did Christian go?" I asked.

"He's over there with Tatiana," Tasha said grimly. I looked around and spotted the two, frowning when I spotted them.

"Did he approach her?"

"No, she summoned him," Tasha said as we watched. The three of us were quiet as the two of them spoke until he walked away, heading toward Lissa.

"Should we get a getaway car?" I asked her.

Tasha tapped her finger against the glass and shook her head. "No. I don't think that Tatiana would be callous enough to cause a problem at Lissa's wedding. She'd wait."

"I hope so," I said quietly.

I tipped my glass back and set it on the closest table before slipping out of Dimitri's arms. I walked around the dance floor and towards Mom, smiling at her as I approached.

"Do you want me to take her?" I asked gesturing to Remy.

Mom raised her brows before shaking her head. "No, I'm good. I was just going to turn in; I offered to take a boarder shift in the morning. Do you want me to keep Remy with me tonight or do you want to come get her later?"

"I don't want to put you out if you have a shift," I started but she shook her head.

"It's alright. Besides, I barely get to see Rem, I don't want to make the same mistakes twice," she said gently.

I smiled and kissed Remy's hair, rubbing my hand over her back. "If you want to keep her, I have no problem with that. Her bag is in our room still," I said and pulled my key out of the pocket in my dress. Mom took it with a smile and turned back to her conversation. I walked along the dance floor and spotted a few of my classmates along the wall. I was surprised to see them, mostly because when I left when I was pregnant, I never expected to see any of them ever again. I had seen Eddie, but that was because he was a groomsman as well.

I looked in front of me as I bumped into Dimitri, smiling at him when I rested my hands on his forearms.

"Hi, Mom's going to take Rem tonight," I said.

Dimitri nodded. "I know. We talked about it earlier," he said.

I rolled my eyes and grinned at him. "Of course."

"Now, how about I get to dance with you? We haven't had a chance yet," Dimitri suggested with a smile. I slipped my hand into his and let him pull me onto the dance floor, sliding my hand up his arm to his shoulder while his hand went to my waist.

I rested my head on his chest and swayed with him, smiling to myself. It felt good to do something so mundane as dance with Dimitri at a wedding.

"Is it wrong that I wouldn't mind an early night?" I asked, peeking up at him.

"Honestly, I was just thinking the same thing. The sun is almost completely up and I have not adjusted being back on nocturnal time," Dimitri chuckled, "I'd say maybe, twenty minutes?"

I groaned. "That sounds perfect. We could use that jacuzzi?"

Dimitri grinned at me. "That is a perfect idea. A good way to unwind after a long day."

I giggled and pressed my face into his chest, sighing when he kissed my head. I turned my head again and spotted Christian and Lissa off to the side, heads bent together with sweet smiles on their faces.

"I'm glad they have each other. They deserve this," I whispered.

Dimitri hummed. "Me too."

I groaned and lifted my arm from over my eyes. I hoped that laying down would help with the churning in my stomach, but it didn't.

I looked at the clock and groaned again, blindly reaching for my phone on the coffee table. I dialled and put it on speakerphone, letting my head drop back on the couch.

"Hello?"

"Em? Can I ask a huge favour?"

"Sure what's up?"

"First, I need you to go to the store for me. Second, please tell me you still have the extra car seat?"

"I do have the extra car seat. Are you feeling okay?"

"No. I can't even sit up without feeling like I'm going to puke. Dimitri is finishing up some things out of town for work, and I don't think I can drive," I explained.

"Yea, stay home. I'll swing by the store and grab you some ginger ale and such. I'll be by in about forty-five minutes, okay?"

"You're the best," I mumbled before hanging up, moaning as I rolled onto my stomach. I laid there for a few minutes before the sick feeling got worse and I bolted for the kitchen, flipping the lid of the trash can up. I wasn't going to make it to the bathroom.

I groaned and held my head back as I spat the rancid taste from my mouth, wrinkling my nose at the contents of my stomach that was now in the trash can. I tied the bag and pulled it out of the trash and set it outside the back door before going back to the kitchen. I rinsed my mouth out a few times and splashed water over my face.

Remy had the stomach flu last week and I had hoped to be spared, but I wasn't. That cute little kid took out both her parents. The only downside was that Dimitri had it at the same time Remy did.

I sat back down on the couch and closed my eyes, a grimace on my face. I just hoped that I would be able to pull myself together long enough to get Remy to bed tonight. I thought I had just closed my eyes for a moment, but the front door opened and I jolted awake.

"Sorry," Emily exclaimed quietly as she ushered the girls into the house. "Girls, go play," Emily said.

Phoebe waved at me with a quick 'hi Auntie Rose' before scampering after Remy upstairs. Emily took her shoes off and came to sit next to me on the couch, her hand going to my forehead.

"You don't have a fever, but you look like shit," she said.

"Thanks. I haven't really slept," I grumbled as she set a plastic bag on the coffee table. I lifted my head again and watched her take things out of the bag. Ginger ale, Gravol, crackers, Pepto-Bismol, and soup. She left the bag on the counter but I noticed that there was something else in the bag still. She noticed me eyeing the bag and she pressed her lips together.

"When was your last period?"

I wrinkled my brows. "Um… I don't know," I said with a shake of my head, "It's still wonky."

Emily nodded and then looked at the bag again. "When was the last time you took a test?"

"A couple of months ago when we stopped trying? Why?"

Emily shrugged. "Maybe you should take one, just to be safe?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why?"

"I don't know. Just a hunch," Emily said nonchalantly. I raised my brows at her and reached for the ginger ale, cracking the seal and took a swig. Emily shrugged again and leaned back on the couch. I glared at her for a minute before grabbing the test, and waddling to the bathroom.

Emily was just as persistent as Lissa could be. It would be easier just to get the test over with. I knew what the result was going to be, at least this way, I could call in sick tomorrow with the flu.

I sighed and waited for the test to finish as I washed my hands, taking the time to brush my teeth while I waited. I could still taste puke in my mouth. I set my toothbrush back in the cup and went back out with the test in hand.

"This is kind of pointless," I chuckled. Emily rolled her eyes at me.

"Did you look at it?"

I shook my head and she plucked it out of my fingers. I sighed and sat back on the couch, resting my head on my hand.

Emily looked at the test and I could see her trying to suppress a smirk. "What?"

"Look for yourself," Emily chirped. I froze for a second before taking it from her, and flipping it over. I stared at the little pink plus sign for a few minutes, not able to come up with anything to say.

"Holy fuck," I muttered, "No way!"

"You know, there's a saying about the minute you stop trying, you get pregnant."

I gapped at the test and then looked up at Emily. "Holy crap. I'm pregnant!"

"Congrats," Emily said with a small smile. I licked my lips and I looked at her alarmed.

"Oh my God. Please pretend you don't know that!"

Emily snorted and tipped her head back as she laughed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just here to make my friend some soup," she said when she composed herself and stood up, picking up the box of soup off the table. I sighed and leaned back on the couch, looking at the test.

Dimitri and I gave up on trying for a baby a few months before Lissa got married. It was too much stress on us emotionally and I hated how I felt every time I took a test and it was negative. But now, it felt so surreal.

"You alright over there?!" Emily called out.

"Yeah. Just processing," I called back and stood up, setting the test on the table. I walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter as Emily dumped the soup mixture into the boiling water.

"You didn't need to make me soup," I chuckled.

"Meh, it's fine. I figured you probably didn't want to cook. Plus, I fed Remy. We grabbed McDonald's on the way here."

"Oh, I see, you give my kid the good stuff," I chuckled, but I was glad that they ate it out of the house. When I was pregnant with Remy, McDonald's was a hard no the whole pregnancy. Something about the smell of it made me queasy.

Emily winked at me when the front door opened and shut. I frowned and left Emily in the kitchen, heading for the front room.

"Hey, I thought we weren't going to be home until tomorrow," I said softly when I saw that it was Dimitri that had come in.

Dimitri set his duffle bag down and smiled at me, coming over and cupping my cheeks to pull me into a kiss.

"I finished early. Croft said that I could head home," Dimitri said happily, "You alright?"

"Yeah, just tired," I said quietly as I rubbed my face. Dimitri nodded and spotted the array of things on the table.

"Did Rem give you the flu too?" Dimitri asked, his face pinched. It was one thing for Remy to have the flu, it was another when I got it. I turned into a massive child.

"Uhh, no. I thought she did," I said slowly. Dimitri narrowed his eyes but his eyes fell on the test sitting on the bag and picked it up.

"Please tell me that this isn't Emily's," Dimitri said quietly.

I shook my head and a small smile crossed my lips. "Apparently, the jacuzzi tub did the trick," I giggled.

Dimitri grinned and pulled me into a bear hug, groaning happily as he hugged me. I wrapped my arms around his waist with a smile.

"When did you find out?" Dimitri whispered, mindful that Emily was in the kitchen.

"Literally ten minutes ago. I asked Emily to pick up Rem because I thought I had the flu and asked her to go to the store. She had a hunch and brought a test," I whispered, my smile making my eyes crinkle.

Dimitri shook his head and pulled me back to his chest, resting his cheek on my head.

"I can't believe it," he whispered.

"Apparently we really are achieving another miracle," I said.

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