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Summary: Rose Hathaway has everything she thought she never could have. A loving husband, amazing friends and a family of her own. But when someone leaves a charm for her bracelet at her door as a present, what will the repercussions be? Will she be ready for them? Can her friends figure out what to do before it all goes downhill? And I don't own VA!

Tidings Of Comfort And Joy.

RPOV.

As a guardian, I was sure that I'd never get married, or have kids or any of those things. Dhampirs getting married was nearly unheard of, and because my dream was to guard the last Dragomir, getting married would be straight out outrageous. So they had never been things I was interested in. I never had a dream wedding or a dream wedding dress. That is, I never had any of those things until I met the love of my life.

Dimitri Belikov was a man I never thought I would ever like in that way. He was calm and level headed and responsible, everything I was not. He was also my mentor. He had everything he owned because he worked hard for every penny. Needless to say that I did not. I did not have to, not when I was an only child, and an only daughter at that. Daddy and Mother Dearest took care of me though I rarely saw them, and in all honesty, I was kind of a bitch.

That all changed though when I met Dimitri. It was like that girl I used to be died and I became a new person. A new person who wanted the wedding and the dress. I wanted to have a family, to experience being a mom, but I knew I couldn't. Dimitri was a dhampir and so was I and, 2 Dhampirs couldn't have kids. So, Dimitri and I got married, and a year later, I got a miracle when I gave birth to Mason Ivan Belikov. His sister Chrissa Marie followed 18 months later.

Life was great. I worked with my best friend as her guardian, I had been given a miracle and so had amazing kids, and to top it all off, I was married to Dimitri, the love of my life. My relationship with my parents was on the mend, and though for years they couldn't stand the site of each other, they got remarried. Plus, I had other amazing friends, too.

"Yes, Shelby," I said into the phone. "Everything will be ready in time. It's the holidays. Relax a little will you?" Silence met me on the other end and so, I pulled the phone away to see if she'd disconnected. Shelby was one of Lissa's advisers and was currently obsessing over the food for the holiday feast Lissa was hosting.

"Yes, guardian Hathaway, I just had to be sure." She chatted some more for a few more minutes before disconnecting. I rolled my eyes at her rambling and slipped the phone back into my pocket before opening the door to Dimitri and my place.

I'd been Lissa's guardian for a good few years. She was the moroi queen, and very well loved at that. The adoration her people had for her sort of rubbed off on her best friend and guardian, so it wasn't unusual for them to send presents for Dimitri, the kids and I. This was why I didn't hesitate when I saw the package on the floor. It wasn't much, just a heart charm for the bracelet that always adorned my wrist.

"What do you mean I'm married to you?" Had he hit his head? Because he was talking crazy. For god's sake, he was my teacher.

"I mean just what I said, Roza. You and I are married." I stared stupidly. Had I hit my head or something? Because I didn't remember getting married. If I'd gotten married to him surely I'd remember it? I didn't think it was easy to forget a face like his. The man looked like he'd been carved from stone. He was beautifully built with muscle in all the right places, tall, really tall with a pair of soulful brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair. He might've been my teacher, but I could not deny that he was hot, like, the kind of hot that got people hit by traffic. Wait.

"Whose Roza? My name is Rose." Maybe he was mistaking me for another woman? That would easily explain all of this craziness.

"Roza's your name in Russian," He said. Ok so maybe he wasn't confused. But then why didn't I remember him? Why didn't I remember my own wedding?

"Listen to me, and listen good because I'm only saying this once. I'm not married to you. I can't be married to you. If I was then surely I'd remember it. Plus I have a boyfriend." His eyes darkened and again, I didn't know why. He blinked and shook his head.

"You are married to me. We have 2 kids." Kids? Great, so first I found out that I was married and now I had kids, to? How could we even have kids? We were both Dhampirs, and biology was one of the only classes I actually paid attention to that had nothing to do with combat, and not once had there ever been mention of any 2 Dhampirs having kids.

"Look I don't know what you're on, but for fuck's sake, I'm not married to you." With that, I stood and walked out of the small bedroom and out of the house.

Then, I froze because I couldn't believe where I was. What was I even doing here at the moroi court? I was still a student. Thankfully, I didn't have to go very far before I found a map. Once I got my Barings, I wasted no time making my way to the familiar suite.

"Adrian," I greeted with a smile. He smiled back at me, but something was off about that smile. It wasn't a smile one would give a girlfriend; no this was a warm smile that one would give a friend. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," He stepped aside and I followed behind him closing the door. "I don't mean to be rude Rose, but what are you doing here? I have to meet Sydney in a little while so is there something you want?" There were 2 things wrong with that. The first thing was that Adrian never called me Rose, and secondly who the hell was Sydney?

"Since when do I need a reason to come see my man? And whose Sydney?" Adrian stared at me as if I'd gone mad. It was that same look I'd received from Dimitri earlier.

"Um, is this some kind of joke?" I shook my head and stared confusedly at him. What in the fuck was everyone talking about? Had I fallen asleep? Was this just one of those twisted dreams? It would explain my being married to Dimitri; I mean I'd dated Adrian because Dimitri didn't reciprocate my feelings.

"No?" It came out more like a question but there was no taking it back now.

"Rose, are you alright? You didn't hit your head or anything lately?" I felt the frown tugging at my lips, as I shook my head.

"We broke up a little over 6 years ago, Rose. Sydney is my fiancé. You know that, you've met her. What's going on with you?" I shook my head, feeling stupid. Why didn't I remember?

"Oh, you know what? I'm sorry, Adrian. I'm just not feeling well," I lied. "I'll see you later, ok?"

"Rose, wait! Let me take you where you need to go. Sydney wouldn't-"But I didn't listen. I left him there still talking and walked out the door. For the second time that day, I grabbed a map and went back to the only place I seemed to be accepted. I went back to the house where I'd woken up to this new life that I didn't remember anything about.

As I stood in front of the small 2 story house that looked more like a cabin than anything else, I had to admit that it was beautiful. It was all made of wood with a deck that seemed to wrap around it's exterior, and a clichéd white fence that surrounded it ensuring safety. I saw a sled and other toys in the front, a clear indication that kids did in fact live here. My kids. The kids I didn't remember giving birth to.

"Mommy!" A voice said. I blinked and looked down just in time to see a little girl launching herself into my arms. Instinctively, my arms shot out and I caught her just before she hit the ground.

Despite nearly falling moments before, she wrapped her arms around my neck. I held her awkwardly to me unsure of what to do. If this was my child, shouldn't I know what to do?

"Where have you been, mommy?" I stared confusedly at her, unsure of what to say because I didn't know what she was talking about, but Dimitri walked out just in time.

"Your mommy had to go out, Chrissa." The little girl's eyes grew wide and I thought I made out tears shining in their brown depths.

"I-is aunty Liss in trouble?" The poor girl looked so upset that I hugged her closer to my chest and kissed the top of her head.

"No, she's fine baby." Dimitri stared at me as Chrissa rested her head on my shoulder. I stroked her brown curls, the same shade of brown as mine. Just for extra measure, I lifted a strand of my own hair to compare it with hers and, as luck would have it, it was a perfect match.

"Are you still nuts, Mommy?" A little boy asked me from the living room floor who I realized must be my son Mason.

"Completely," I said, not knowing how he even knew what was going on.

I couldn't deny that these kids were mine though. Mason had my eyes and facial structure but Dimitri's hair and if the way he was sitting here so calmly was any indication, I would say he had his personality, too. Chrissa who still clung to me looked more like me. The only resemblance she bore to Dimitri was her eyes. They were the exact same shade as his. So no, there was no denying that they were mine, not only were they mine, but they were Dimitri's as well. That only meant one thing, he hadn't lied to me.

"You said I had to go somewhere?" I asked later when the kids had gone to bed. Dimitri looked up from a book, a western novel no less and nodded.

"Where did I have to go? What really happened, Dimitri? Is that why I don't remember you or…or our kids? Or our wedding or anything?" Saying our kids still sounded weird to me. And believing that I could possibly be married was another thing entirely.

"I don't know Roza. I do think so though. Look, we should probably get some sleep," He said. I opened my mouth ready to protest, but Dimitri spoke before I could.

"I'll take the couch, you can have the bed. Plus I still need to put Chrissa's dollhouse together." It was official. I didn't know when to keep my mouth shut. Then again, as far as I could remember I was never good with impulse control.

"I can help you," I blurted. He raised an eyebrow and I nearly melted. That was some really hot shit. He didn't object though and together, we put our daughter's present together.

"So we're really married, huh? And-and they're really our kids?" I asked already knowing what his answer was going to be.

"Yes, Roza." He leant closer and I thought he might kiss me, but instead, he took my hand and lifted it toward the light.

"Look," He instructed. I did. On my hand, an indistinct gold band glittered brightly, and suddenly I could feel the weight I couldn't before. It was true. I really had tied the knot and with my teacher no less.

We went to bed a little while after that, or at least, I did. Dimitri made his bed on the couch though and for some absurd reason, I found myself wishing he'd come to bed with me. Hell, I nearly invited him to, but I bit the words back at the last second. The next thing I knew I was being woken by someone jumping on the bed.

"Come on, mommy, it's Christmas! Get up!" Mommy? I opened my eyes and everything I'd learnt about myself the day before came flooding back. Chrissa was standing on the bed with mason on the ground beside it. They both had radiant smiles on their faces and so did Dimitri who was leaning casually against the wall near the door.

"Come on, get up already, mom!" Mason blurted. "You know for someone who can't remember us, she sure seems the same about waking up in the morning," He said suddenly. I rolled my eyes.

"alright, I'm up, I'm up! Chrissa, please stop!" I instructed just as she started bouncing again. She jumped off the bed and would've fallen on her face if I hadn't reacted. It was pure instinct that propelled me off the bed. She took the leap and my arms swooped out for her. She landed against my chest and like the day before, she wrapped her little arms around my neck.

"I love you, mama." She said, placing a sweet kiss on my cheek. The words made me smile, but I couldn't return them. I wanted to, but I just couldn't make them come out.

"We all love each other, can we go outside now? Mason snapped. There it was again. The unmistakable fact that Mason was in fact my son. He seemed to have my personality, but I remembered how he'd been sitting calmly on the living room floor yesterday and realized that he had a mixture of both Dimitri and my personalities.

"Wow! Best Christmas ever! Skates and a dollhouse? They were just what I wanted. Can we go skating later?" Chrissa asked, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Sure, if your mom's up to it," Dimitri said. I couldn't say no. She was just too adorable. Mason, like she was, was totally enraptured with his monopoly game and building blocks.

"Aren't you going to open yours mommy?" Mason asked, raising an eyebrow. Oh come on, could everyone do that except me? I mean he couldn't be more than 5! Then again, Dimitri was his father. What he'd asked finally sank in and I hesitated as Dimitri placed a neatly wrapped package in my lap.

"I don't know if I should," I said quietly. What this Rose liked wasn't really the things I was interested in. She was a mom and a wife. I didn't remember any of that despite the fact that I had all the proof I needed right in front of me. I felt like the Rose I'd apparently been ever since meeting Dimitri was another person.

"Go on, they're yours," Dimitri encouraged gently. "Plus they might help jog your memory." That was all the incentive I needed. I tore into the wrapping paper.

If I'd created this life for myself, I wanted to remember it. It didn't matter that I couldn't see myself living this life, I'd been given miracles in my kids and the fact that my hot as hell mentor loved me. I tried to deny it, but I saw the love in his eyes whenever he looked at me.

"Lip gloss," I said with a grin. "And who do I have to thank for this?" Mason and Chrissa flashed me a big smile and I knew just who I had to thank. I pulled my kids into tight hugs. They seemed a little surprised, but they didn't hesitate in returning my hug.

"Here," Dimitri said handing me another package. This one was smaller and I had to resist shaking the box. There was something about this paper that captured my attention and I took my time opening it rather than ripping through the wrapping paper.

"Oh my god, Dimitri!" I said completely floored. Inside the box nestled in a bed of cotton was a beautiful silver necklace and dangling from it was a pretty rose. I remembered enough about myself to know that I wasn't too fond of rose things, but I loved this necklace.

Without a bit of hesitation, I flung myself into Dimitri's arms. He looked surprised, but he wrapped me up in a tight embrace with the ease of someone who'd been doing it all his life. Just another thing that proved I had a lot to remember. The kids joined us and eventually we were all wrapped up in a group hug. This was definitely a family moment if I'd ever seen one.

"We got one more present for you mommy," Chrissa said and together, she and Mason brought us another package. I'd given up trying to figure out what was in these packages. They were never what I expected. This time, Dimitri and I unwrapped the paper together. Inside was a photo album of sorts filled with family pictures of us going on various outings. Lissa and Christian were there to, we looked so happy.

I was so caught up in my own world, amazed by how radient I looked in these pictures that I didn't even hear the knock on the door. When I looked up it was to see Lissa standing right in front of me, each of my kids on either side of her.

"Hey, Rose. Merry Christmas." She flashed me a smile and pulled me into a hug which I returned for only a second before pulling away.

"We need to talk," I told her. "Come with me." I don't know if it was the serious look on my face that got to her, but she followed me without hesitation.

"So you don't remember anything?" She asked when I'd told her about my predicament. I shook my head.

"Ok," She said slowly. "What's the last thing you remember before yesterday?" I didn't even have to think about my answer.

"The Christmas party your parents hosted, the one where I met Robert Doru." Her face clouded over with a sadness so deep that I grimaced. "What? What happened?"

"That was years ago, Rose. My parents have been dead for years. Don't you remember running away?" I couldn't think. Hell, I couldn't even breathe. The dragomirs were dead? Wait, I knew that. It was why Liss and I had run away.

"I-yeah. I remember. Actually, the last Christmas I really remember is the one when you gave this to me." I pointed at the bracelet on my wrist, the one with the cross and Dragomir crest.

"Ok, that's a lot better than the Christmas party, but still, that was years ago. So," She paused hesitating slightly before speaking. "Y-you don't remember me being queen or you being shot by Tasha?"

"Tasha? You mean Christian's Aunt Tasha?" She nodded and I grimaced. "I knew there was something off about her." Lissa giggled.

"So, am I happy in this life Liss? Am I really the mom and wife my kids and Dimitri says that I am?" Lissa stopped and stared at me like I was crazy.

"Rose, you're the happiest girl on Earth, and Dimitri and your kids adore you. Let's just say that if I woke up to find out that I was married to Dimitri Belikov, I wouldn't complain."

"So you think I did good?" I asked hating the vulnerability in my voice.

"Honey, I think you won the lottery." I don't know why, but her confidence in me made me smile. She didn't stick around very long after that and, before we knew it, it was time for Christmas dinner.

"Can I ask you a favor?" I asked Dimitri as I helped him in the kitchen. I didn't really feel like I was the best help though but according to him and my kids, I was a very good cook. Yes, I didn't believe that for a second.

"Sure, Roza." He met my gaze, his eyes full of love and concern and in spite of myself; I felt my heart do a flip.

"Since my parents are going to be here, can we just pretend like nothing is wrong? Like I'm alright?" I saw the hesitation on his face so I spoke before he could disagree.

"Please, Dimitri. I just don't want to get into it especially since we don't actually know why I've suddenly lost my memory." He hesitated for a few more seconds, but he seemed to find something in my eyes that made him nod. Unfortunately, I should've known it wouldn't have been that easy.

The moment we sat down to dinner was the moment my parents started questioning me. They were apparently a lot more observant than I ever gave them credit for, and they knew that something was wrong. As could be expected, when you had kids who were 3 and 5, nothing stayed a secret.

"She's nuts," Mason said. My parents' eyes flicked to him, and Chrissa wasted no time picking up where her brother left off.

"She doesn't remember who we are." I locked gazes with Dimitri, silently begging him to help me out here, and he was all too quick to oblige.

"What are they talking about?" My dad asked and Dimitri shook his head.

"It's nothing Dad," I said. "They're just having some fun, right kids?"

"No!" I suddenly became very aware of the rings gracing both my parents' fingers and froze.

"Dimitri, can I talk to you in the kitchen?" I asked. It probably wasn't a good idea to leave my parents alone with the kids in that moment, but just then I couldn't care less. My internal bells were blaring warnings at me, and my gut was never wrong.

"You didn't tell me they got remarried," I exclaimed. Dimitri stared confused for a second before recognition dawned.

"Sorry Rose, I keep thinking you know these things," He said, and I knew he was telling the truth. Those eyes really were the windows to his soul, but I was angry and so, I snapped at him.

"Well I don't know these things, Dimitri, and it's your job to tell me!" I wasn't really angry at him, just myself. I wanted to remember so badly this new life I'd created and was apparently very happy with, but I couldn't and that was pissing me off.

"Rose, are you ok?" A sudden sharp pain in my head had me falling to my knees and Dimitri went down with me. I closed my eyes and bit down hard on my lip to keep the scream locked in my throat. Lord only knew what would happen if my parents suddenly heard me screaming and come in here.

"Tell me what's wrong love," Dimitri said from somewhere close to me, I had no idea where though as my vision was becoming blurry. "Don't cry my Roza, I'll make it better." His lips pressing to my forehead and is fingers wiping the tears away was the last thing I remembered before my world went black.

"Dimitri?" I heard soft voices from outside and so I followed them. My friends were all there sitting in my living room with worried looks on their faces, and outside I could see that it was almost dawn.

"Where did she get this?" Lissa asked holding up the heart charm I'd found earlier. Dimitri looked up and fixed her with a hard look.

"How should I know, Lissa? It fell off her bracelet moments before she fainted. I don't know where she got it from!"

"I found it at the door," I said, announcing my presence. I walked over to Dimitri and plopped myself down in his lap. He seemed a little surprised, but that didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around me. "It was wrapped up and everything. Hell it was even addressed to me and because it's the holidays, I didn't find it strange. The royals always send us presents. What's wrong with it? What's going on?"

"This charm is charmed," Lissa said. "It's full of elemental magic Rose, and while you were wearing it, it sort of gave you amnesia. You didn't know that you're married or even that you have kids. Judging from the way you're sitting in his lap right now I'd like to believe that you know you're married and everything now, right?"

"Of course," I said obviously. I couldn't imagine not remembering my life now. Dimitri was the love of my life and my kids were my miracles. Not remembering them would be like forgetting how to breathe.

"Do you know who it's from?" Christian asked, anger seeping into his words and making them sound harsher than intended.

"Oh shit," I gasped out. Now that I was thinking about it, I knew just who it was from. I thought he was dead, we'd gotten reports of his death, but by God maybe it'd only been something else.

"R-Robert Doru." Everyone in the room turned to stare at me as though I'd gone crazy. They all opened their mouths to talk at the same time, but I shook my head.

"He's not here on court grounds, but he has his people, and I know why. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and Robert is out for revenge. I mean I did kill his brother. What better way is there to torture me than to make me forget everything that matters?" I saw the moment everyone realized I was right.

"But whose working for him? Whose the spy? I mean someone did have to deliver the charm to you, right?" I nodded at my mom.

"Yes, and I have a hunch as to just who it might be." Suddenly I was the subject of everyone's attention, and I knew that I had a led here.

"Andrew Badica," I said, answering the unasked question. "He's been rather close to Jesse lately, and now that I'm thinking about it, he's been trying to become my friend." Dimitri's eyes narrowed in anger and, I took his hand just so that I ensure court stayed peaceful.

"Are you sure, Rose? He's a royal, you know. He could throw his weight around and what makes you think they'll believe you?" Sydney was right to be a bit uneasy. It was easy to have my statement disregarded even though the queen was my best friend.

"I'm sure, Syd. Here, just take this and run a couple scans for fingerprints and DNA and whatever else you need to. I guarantee you'll find a perfect match." All my instincts were saying that I was right, and in trusting them, I'd never been wrong before.

As could be expected, I was right and in just a matter of hours, they'd been detained for questioning. Of course when the day of the trial rolled around, my word was believed. No one here was stupid enough to ignore the word of a well-respected guardian and so it all went down in a matter of days. By the time the day of Lissa's holiday feast rolled around, life had gone back to normal around here, and that was just the way I wanted it. I had my husband, my kids, amazing friends and 2 loving parents. What more could I ask for?

Wow, that was long! Much longer than I'd intended, I swear this story had a mind of it's own. I started with something and it just took off! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this done, but I hope you guys enjoyed it either way! Review and tell me?

Review lovelies and who knows what Dimitri will leave under your Christmas tree? ;)

XXX

Roza