Yea! New Chapter... sorry I am a slow updater... I KNOW how much that sucks... I'm wrapping this story up soon though so you guys won't have to wait! Sorry again!

Random question...do you ever hear anything about Russia or Sibera on the news or something and stop and are like OMG what's going on now that you have read these books when before you wouldn't have given it a second thought? I do that ALL the time...haha...

As always, unbeta'd and I own nothing...please point out typos or just messed up/inconsistent parts and I will be happy to fix them!

This chapter is at least a little longer than normal!

Stop Being a Coward!

Chapter 24

It has been two days since Rose had had the best dream of her life. Normally when Adrian dream-stalked her she hated it but that dream where he had actually pulled Dimitri into the dream with them had been incredible.

She hadn't had any nightmares or anything since seeing Dimitri and for that she was grateful. She had actually slept well knowing that he would be home soon and they could begin their life together.

Rose kept busy during this time by helping Lissa and Christian move into their new home. The painting had been completed in a matter of hours and Rose and marveled at just how quick money could make people work.

Both Lissa and Christian had family stuff that had been in storage since their parents' deaths that they had wanted to put into their own home and while moving crews brought it all into the new house; it was up to them to actually put it in place since Lissa was far to pick to let someone else arrange her furnishings.

Lissa had also bought a bunch of new furniture that had been delivered and sat up and before long their new house was really a home. The guest bedroom that Rose had moved into had a brand new king-sized bed along with an armoire, dresser, and nightstand all in a sleek black wood finish. Rose really loved the room and was a little sad at the thought that she might not be living there for long.

Moving had kept her mind so occupied that she hadn't really had a chance to talk to Adrian and properly thank him for the dream. She did notice that once manual labor had been brought up the day before, Adrian had disappeared and hadn't been seen since.

Typical male Rose thought as she finished putting the sheets on her the bed she would be sleeping in for now. The soft Egyptian cotton sheets were like a dream and Rose couldn't wait to spend the night in them. They were black and complimented the comforter that went atop them which was black with red roses.

Lissa had thought it was cute and bought it in spite of Rose's dislike of all things rose. Rose had rolled her eyes at the site of the bedspread but had secretly thought that the delicate rose pattern was pretty, a fact that she would never share with Lissa.

Just as Rose finished making the bed, the doorbell rang. Deciding to see who might be showing up, she went down the long hallway towards the stairs that led into the family room below. Adrian was standing just inside the doorway leading from the foyer looking around the large room with approval.

He had appeared the day before briefly to check out the house. After giving his approval on it he had fled so quickly that you would have thought Strigoi were chasing him.

"Typical." Rose rolled her eyes at the sight of the moroi. "Of course you show up once everything is done."

"I was busy. I came to help but I see my services aren't needed." He grinned, happy that Rose wasn't mad anymore.

"Right…you just didn't want to help." Rose smiled back, expecting no less from him.

"These hands are no made for manual labor." Adrian waived his hands in the air.

Christian scoffed, "those hands are made for manicures. You have the most girl-ish looking hands I have ever seen. Rose's are more manly than yours."

Rose scowled at that as she looked down at her beaten and battered hands. Being a guardian was always hard on her and the thought that Adrian's hands were prettier than hers put a damper on the great mood she had been in just before.

"Rose's hands might take a beating but I bet that she could beat up both of you at the same time with them." Lissa grinning, coming into the conversation. "We will just have to go get manicures tomorrow Rose, my treat for helping me with all of this." Lissa looked around at the new home she had mad. She really was excited to see everything finally in place. She hadn't had a real home in years.

The thought of a spa day immediately brought Rose's mood back up. "So, now what are we going to do for supper? Isn't the traditional move in day food pizza?"

"I'll call it in." Christian chirped up, grabbing his phone out of his pocket and beginning to dial. He then paused, "what's the number again?"

"No, I will call it in." Adrian dialed the number he knew by heart, "my treat as you all worked so hard to make this place so lovely. Plus, this way we won't get something gross like anchovies or something." Adrian made a face at that.

"Hey!" Christian called, "Anchovies are awesome!"

"Gag!" Rose fake vomited as she walked towards the kitchen in search of a soda. Her mind automatically leading her to the only thing that could make that night better: Dimitri. Her gut told her he would be home soon; it was only a matter of how soon was soon.

The four of them settled down in the living room in front of the 55 inch flat screen TV that Christian had had delivered the night before. Lissa and Christian cuddled on the love seat while Rose sat in an oversized chair and Adrian relaxed on the plush couch that was centered in the room. All the furniture in there was new and Rose could smell that new smell when she laid her head against the arm rest. They fought about which movie to watch and decided on Going the Distance. They were just about to pop it in when the doorbell rang.

Rose grinned, "fifteen minutes early too! It's nice being a friend of the last Dragomir Princess."

"Hey! I ordered that, they thought it was for me. I am the queen's nephew!" Adrian immediately replied, offended at the idea that Lissa's birthright might have sped up the delivery of their Italian feast instead of his.

Rose was laughing as she pulled opened the door but immediately stopped and stared in awe of who was there. It definitely wasn't the pizza boy or even a boy at all. He was all man….tall, dark and Russian man….her man.

Rose launched herself into Dimitri's arms. Feeling him so close and so warm was overwhelming. The dream just a few days before had not done him justice and his aftershave attacking her senses was the only thing that made her believe that this was real. Her face was buried in his neck and his in her hair as he breathed in her familiar scent. The dream had seemed so real and while it was as though they had been together, if paled in comparison to reality.

This time there were no tears as the couple embraced; only smiles have happiness. They were finally together again and this time they wouldn't be separating anytime soon. Rose laughed as she pulled back to look into Dimitri's eyes.

"When did you get back? How did you find where we were? Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?" Her questions launched one after another, giving him no time to answer.

He laughed and pulled her back to him. It made Rose's heart fly to hear the sound and see the smile on his face, "one question at a time Roza. We just got here. Your mother made a few calls and found out where you would be."

"My mom?" Rose question was answered by a cough coming from behind where she and Dimitri were blocking the doorway.

Just on the porch stood Abe and Janine, "Mom? Old man? What are you guys doing here?"

"We were on our way to see you. Picked up Belikov on the way." Abe shrugged and nodded towards the doorway. "Can we come in or do we have to stand around outside all night while you get reacquainted? I would prefer not to see anymore."

Rose looked down and realized that she had basically wrapped her legs around Dimitri's waste when she had pounced on him.

"Really Rose, let him breathe, we have been on a plane for the past 3 days!" Janine admonished her daughter's behavior.

Rose slid down Dimitri's body so that she was standing in front of him. He clasped her hand and smiled at her again. A full smile that made her heart thump harder in her chest.

"Sorry." Rose moved stepped back, pulling Dimitri with her and made way for her parents to enter the house. Just as she was about to close the door behind them, the pizza boy showed up with hot pizzas.

"Good thing we ordered extra." Rose reluctantly let go of Dimitri's hand to sign the credit card receipt then handed it back to the man before ushering the newcomers into the family room.

"Look who I found!" Rose excitedly called as joined Lissa, Christian and Adrian while pulling Dimitri into the room with her. Janine and Abe followed behind the couple as Abe carried the pizza.

Greetings were quickly given and then everyone turned to the pizza boxes that had been placed on the coffee table in the middle of the floor. Lissa and Christian still sat on the love seat while Abe and Janine had joined Adrian on the couch. Rose had considered sitting in Dimitri's lap but decided against it as they were eating and her parents were in the room. No matter how okay they seemed to be with the idea of her and Dimitri, the look that Abe gave the dhampir had Rose questioning his true feelings. She had decided not to risk his wrath for the evening and sat on the floor, leaning on the chair between Dimitri's legs.

"How long are you going to be staying Guardian Hathaway?" Lissa asked from across the room.

"I'm not sure. I took some time off to spend here so it will be a while at least."

"Well, you are all more than welcome to stay here, there is plenty of room." Lissa asked, smiling. She was glad that Rose's mom was here to spend time with her. She knew Rose needed family even thought she might say otherwise.

"That's very kind of you but we already have rooms in guest housing arranged." The sideways glance she gave Abe made Rose narrow her eyes a little but she didn't mention it.

"Well the offer is always there if you change your mind." Lissa replied then began to talk about the house.

Rose moved her glare from her parents' cozy attitude towards each other to Adrian's stare. As soon as she noticed him watching her he abruptly turned the other way and started talking to Lissa.

As the food and conversation started to die down, the doorbell rang again.

"That will be Eddie and Mia." Christian stated, "I invited them over to watch a movie with us." He went to the door and came back with them in tow.

"That is our queue to leave." Janine said, "We well leave you all to watch movies, thank you for the food." Janine and Abe stood up and after saying their goodbyes and promises to come by the next day for the grand tour, departed.

Adrian's eyes once again landed on Rose and Dimitri and this time Dimitri called him on it. "You've been staring at us all night Ivashkov, what's the deal?"

"It's amazing." He smiled and replied to Dimitri. "Do you see it too cousin?" Adrian turned to Lissa.

"Yeah, it's always like that around them but I don't think I've ever seen it that strong. It can be a little distracting." Lissa agreed, looking at them with the same dazed face.

"Um…what are you talking about?" Rose questioned as she scooted up to properly sit in Dimitri's lap. His arms immediately wrapped around her waist.

"Your auras." Adrian replied simply as if that explained everything.

"Can we get a little more than that please?" Rose asked in a snarky attitude wondering what on Earth her aura had to do with anything. She considered going into Lissa's head to see herself but decided that would be a bad idea with everyone around.

"It's kind of crazy and glowy. You both have your own auras of course but they like reach out to each other and seem to blend or mix. It's like you can't tell where one stops and the other begins. I noticed it in the dream the other day but thought it was just the spirit making me see things."

Lissa sighed, "It's always been like that, at least ever since I found out how to see auras. But it's different tonight, kind of blinding and forceful. It'd be hard to miss."

"It's always been like that?" Adrian asked her.

"Yep, I think you were just too focused on Rose to actually see it." Lissa replied, glad that Adrian was finally seeing what everyone else had seen for too long: Rose and Dimitri were meant to be. If he hadn't been 100% sure before, seeing their auras like that would have forced the realization.

Adrian gave an embarrassed laugh but way saved from replying when the doorbell rang once again.

"Well, well, well. This is just the happening place to be tonight." Christian stood to get the door but Adrian beat him too it. "That would be for me."

"You can't just invite people over to my house!" Christian said in his lord of the manor voice. Adrian ignored him and stepped around him to answer the door.

Eddie and Mia hadn't said much and were sitting side by side on the couch as they looked around the huge room in awe. They were another pair that just happened to be too busy when it came to moving in.

"Where have you guys been?" Rose narrowed her eyes at them. "Too busy to help but not too busy to come play?"

Mia blushed and looked at Eddie for an answer. Eddie simply shrugged and put his arm over Mia's shoulders. "Sorry. You know how it is, with the extra trainings that we've implemented to help moroi learn to fight we've been kept busy."

This news made both Rose and Dimitri sit up. "Extra trainings?" Obviously neither had known about what was going on at court.

"Yeah…." Eddie then began explaining in detail how there had been some changes recently and moroi defense classes had been set up to both help them learn physical combat but also how to use magic to defend themselves. "I take it neither of you knew anything about it?"

"Nope." Rose replied. Dimitri nodded, "I guess we will have to go in and see if we can be of assistance."

Eddie nodded, "they need more trainers so I'm sure they would be happy to have you both helping."

Before the conversation could get too in depth, Adrian appeared back in the doorway with Abby Badica in trailing behind him. Rose raised her eyebrows at this. Obviously Adrian had been doing more than twiddling his thumbs over the past two days.

"Abby, this is Mia, Eddie, and Dimitri. You know everyone else. Everyone, this is Abby." Adrian sounded a little shy still and his voice wasn't quite what it had been but Rose could tell he was trying really hard to be okay in front of Abby. What had they done over the past two days to get him feel at ease? Rose decided to let that question go for now and just be happy. She had Dimitri back and her friends surrounding her. Right now, everything was perfect.

After a round of hellos, a tour of the house was given. Everyone ooh'd and aww'd at the gigantic size of the house and the beautiful decorating. Lissa really had a knack for it.

When they reached the guest wing of the house, Rose pulled Dimitri into a dark room and shut the door behind them.

"And this…." She trailed off seductively as she skimmed her lips over his. "Is our room…." Her hand reached out and flicked the dimmer switch, giving them just enough light to see the huge bed standing like a beacon in the middle of the room.

Dimitri smiled and leaned down to capture her lips as he walked her backwards towards the bed. "It's amazing." His breath skimmed over her face as he pushed her down onto the bed, toppling over with her until they were laying flush against each other with his weight pinning her down.

"You didn't even see it." Rose laughed as he nuzzled her neck, his hands running through her long brown locks.

"I don't care about the room. You and me alone at last is all I've thought about since I left. You are amazing Roza." His words mad her smile and she leaned up and caught his lips with her own. Hands began to roam around each other's bodies in a frenzy. Rose reached for the hem of Dimitri's t-shirt and pulled it over his head. Just as Dimitri was about to remove hers, the door busted open and a bright light filled the room.

Dimitri and Rose's lightening fast reflexes allowed them to both jump from the bed almost in unison and turn towards the open doorway.

Christian, Lissa, Eddie, Mia, Adrian and Abby all stood at the door with various expressions on their faces. Christian was laughing, "Wow, you guys move quick." He gestured towards Rose and she looked down noticing that her bra had somehow already been removed and was hanging from the bottom of her shirt, her nipples stood erect for the group to see. At least she still had her shirt on!

When did my bra come off? Rose wondered as she turned around to put it back on.

Eddie was looking at the couple in amusement, already fully aware of most of Rose's exploits. Being caught in a compromising position with Belikov was kind of funny to him.

Adrian had a scowl on his face though Rose was sure it was because of the situation and not because he still wanted her.

The funniest expressions were on the girls' faces though. Lissa, Mia, and Abby were all staring at Dimitri's still naked chest with drool practically running down their chins.

Fortunately for them, Rose was the only one that noticed and grabbed Dimitri's shirt off the bed, pushing it into his chest. She would have called them out on ogling her man had their men not been in the same room. She didn't want to start that drama.

"We are watching a movie in the theater room." Lissa said, pulling her mind back to the situation at hand. "We had even left the wing yet Rose! We could hear you at the end of the hall! You will have plenty of time for that later! Everyone downstairs now."

At this Rose blushed a little and nodded. She knew that Lissa just wanted to have a nice night in her new home with all of her friends. Rose reluctantly agreed to the night of movies and fun and her and Dimitri, now fully dressed, followed the group to the basement.

Good thing no one else is staying on that side of the house tonight Rose. Lissa sent the message through the bond. Rose merely laughed and clasped Dimitri's hand. Yes, it was a VERY good thing no one would be in that side of the house that night because her and Dimitri would not be coming out for a while once they made it back to their room.

A quick kiss promised Dimitri that the night was definitely just getting started.

Please Please Please review...let me know what you think...what you'd like to see...ect... I know I've lost some readers/reviewers due to my slow updates and for that I am sorry! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you who have stuck with me! I hope you weren't disappointed... I did give you the reunion! Let me know what you think!