Thank you all for your responses! I am literally having the WORST writer's block right now so I apologize if chapter 17 comes in later than usual. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

The first thing Tasha did was play the innocent victim—but none of us fell for it. We had heard almost her entire conversation with Avery and could now see her true colours. As much as I hated her, Dimitri seemed to hate her more. The pain he felt from her betrayal showed when he literally grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and roughly threw her into a cell. She hit the wall, losing her balance as Dimitri grabbed the barred door and slammed it angrily. The man who never lost his temper, who never even dared to hurt a woman in his life, was beyond angry and hurt that one of his closest friends had attempted to murder his kid. Had it been any other situation, I would have told him to calm down, but I was just as angry. I knew Avery was evil, but I hadn't expected Tasha to be just as bad as her.

We stood before her, staring down at her through the bars while Avery laughed hysterically in the cell next to her. I told Lissa to go get a hold of my parents, and she complied right away, rushing over to the elevators. Ignoring Avery's annoying laughter, I crossed my arms, still staring at the pathetic woman in front of me. She looked at Dimitri with pleading eyes, standing up and gripping the bars. "Dimka, I—"

"Don't call me that," he growled. If I didn't know him, I would have taken a step back out of fear. He sounded scary. "You left my sick girlfriend alone when she desperately needed help and you left my child to die!"

"I didn't—"

"Cut the crap, Tasha," I spat. She sighed in defeat, stepping away and leaning against the wall.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know that you were the one to make Rose sick—and our daughter," Dimitri replied, his voice hard and cold.

"She's not yours!" Tasha yelled. "She's just a girl you picked up at a whorehouse!"

"She is my daughter, related or not! You just can't get over the fact that I didn't want a child with you. You were willing to let Nevaeh die. You filled her lungs with water so that she would drown to death—all over some stupid jealousy." Dimitri's voice started to drop at the end, and I knew it was the end for them. Whatever friendship they had before was thrown out the window.

"Why would you do this to us?" he asked her. "Why would you hurt us like this?"

Tasha rolled her eyes. "I was hurt, okay? I've spent years knowing you and I fell in love. I wanted us to have a life together. And then she came along." She scowled at me, spitting the word. "Do you know what it's like to watch the person you love fall for someone else?"

"Love? You call this love?" I said in disbelief. "If you loved him that much, you wouldn't have killed the one kid he loves most. You wouldn't have endangered my life, and you would have wanted him to be happy, whether he was with you or not. You don't love him, Tasha, you're obsessed with him."

Tasha and I stared at each other as several footsteps came our way. She averted her gaze to Dimitri again. "I'm sorry. I thought...I don't know, maybe you could have had something better. Rose is different now and she's unpredictable. You don't know when she's going to lash out on you. You could get hurt."

"Oh, I'm hurt," Dimitri said, lowering his voice which was filled with both anger and torment. "I just never thought my own friend would be the one to cause the pain. It doesn't surprise me that Avery planned the whole thing, but for you to be behind it too? Because of you, the two people I love most in this world had to suffer. I don't even know who you are anymore."

I wanted to reach out to comfort him when I saw the agony in his eyes, but it didn't look like he wanted to be comforted right now. Before Tasha had the chance to respond, he gave her one last menacing look, turned on his heels, and walked away. I had the urge to run after him, but there were moments where he needed to be alone. He needed space and I had to respect that.

"Rose." I heard Abe calling me from down the hallway as he approached us with my mother in tow. Lissa wasn't with them anymore, but after seeing the look on their faces, it was clear that Lissa had told him about the situation.

Abe stared the prisoners down, speaking in a threatening tone. "You two are going to spend the rest of your lives in jail very soon."

Avery scoffed. "You need proof, darling."

"We have proof," I snarled, pointing to security cameras in the corner. "Gosh, you two are a lot more stupid than I thought."

"Well you know what? You can go—" Avery was cut off mid-sentence when Abe held a hand out, cutting off her speech. I thought he was using magic to choke her or something, but it seemed like she just couldn't get words out. He did the same with Tasha before he grabbed my arm and pulled me away. Both of them led me to the elevators, passing by two guardians on the way.

"Watch them," my mother ordered. They both nodded, heading towards Avery and Tasha's cells to guard the area.

"What did you do?" I asked him as we waited for the elevator doors to open.

"I shut them up," Abe muttered, walking into the elevator with us. I didn't know he could do that, but then again, there were a lot of things about Abe that I didn't know. He was full of surprises even when it came to magic.

"Did Lissa tell you?" I asked them, leaning against the wall of the elevator.

"Every detail. They're not getting away with this. We've already called Guardian Petrov and the headmistress. Where did Dimitri go?"

"I don't know. I think he just needs space. Where's Lissa?"

"Talking to Christian," my mom said as we went up. I frowned, suddenly feeling bad for him. He had already lost his parents, and now his aunt was going to be thrown in jail. I had no sympathy for Tasha, but I did have a lot of sympathy for Christian.

My mom placed a hand on my arm, smoothing a strand of hair behind my ear. "Are you okay? You've been so sick."

"Well, my fever's gone. I'm still coughing a bit, but I'm feeling a lot better now. They couldn't hold their magic forever."

"Oh, thank goodness," she said as we stepped out onto the main floor. "And Nevaeh?"

"She's being taken care of at the hospital," I informed them. "I need to go back to stay with her."

"Wait," Abe said before I could go. "Let us get you some food. You look like you haven't eaten in ages." He wasn't wrong. I hadn't eaten much due to my suppressed appetite from being sick during the past few days, but after denying my body's needs and getting hit with a load of stress, I needed to get some food into my system. So, I headed to the cafeteria with them and decided to eat something light.

"That's all you're eating?" Abe asked, sitting down next to me while my mom sat on my other side. I only had a small carrot muffin in front of me and was picking at the top.

"My appetite's still laying low," I murmured. "And I've had a shitty day."

"Well, you saved Nev's life, didn't you?" Janine asked. "Both you and Dimitri. That's something positive."

"Well, yeah, I'm more than happy about that. I just hate the way she was suffering. She just kept getting worse and worse until she..." My voice was starting to break, but I held back my tears. "I want you guys to know that I love her and I want to stay with her while she grows. I know I'm young, and being a mom should be the last thing on my mind, but I just—"

"Rose," Abe said, stopping me before I started ranting too much. "It's okay. We know she's important in your life, and it's obvious she loves you. Whatever you decide to do, we'll support you."

Mom stroked my hair, propping her head on her hand. "We might not be the best parents in the world, and we're certainly not experts—but we want you to be happy, especially after what you had to go through. If having a life with Nevaeh and Dimitri makes you happy, we won't stop you."

I smiled, taking a small piece of the muffin off the top and popping it into my mouth. "Thanks, guys. I know you think you're not the best parents in the world, but you're still my parents. I'm just glad to have you both here now."

"Always, Kiz," Abe said, kissing the side of my head. "No matter how much of a trouble maker you might be, you'll always get away with it as long as you've got me."

"Abe!" Mom screeched, punching him in the arm. He only laughed which made her roll her eyes. She got up from the table, nodding towards my food. "Finish that up. I'm going to grab you some food to take with you to the hospital so you can eat there. I'll grab something for Dimitri and Nevaeh too."

I nodded appreciatively before leaning back in my seat, tapping the table anxiously. "I'm worried about Dimitri," I admitted, taking another bite of my food.

Abe sighed, placing an arm on the back of my chair and crossing one leg over the other, resting his ankle on his knee. "He's friends with Tasha, right?"

"He was," I corrected. "I think he's more hurt that it was her who was behind our sickness. He was already frustrated that we were hurt, but the fact that she had been the one to cause it all was just the icing on top."

"Well, he's probably feeling more betrayed than anything else. Give him some time to think. He'll be okay."

"Will he?" I wondered. "He always tells me to let things out when I need to, but he's not that different. He hides his emotions whenever he's with anyone other than me."

"All guardians do that," Abe pointed out, sounding a little remorseful. "I don't think it's fair, but it's what they do. Your mother does it all the time. That's why she's so hot-tempered. She lets things out through anger because her emotions build up so much. I see that a lot in you too. It's easier for people to see a guardian looking tough and scary rather than...well, upset."

"Does she at least open up to you?" I asked.

Abe smiled, looking towards the food counter where Mom was still grabbing food. "She does. Not all the time, but she seems to loosen up when we're alone. It's one of the many reasons why I love her."

I froze, staring at Abe with curiosity. "You love her?"

Abe looked back at me, realizing what he had just said to me. He cleared his throat, moving his arm away from my chair. "You should, uh, finish your food."

There was a slight grin on my face even as I went quiet. For someone who just talked about hiding emotions, he was a little hypocritical. Did this run in the family?

I was secretly hoping they'd get back together at some point. The way they acted with each other when nobody was around made me think they were heading in that direction. I knew they saw each other in their apartments here, but they never established any real commitment—yet.

I finished eating just as my mom came back with two brown bags rolled up at the top. "This is one is for you and Dimitri," she said, holding up the bigger bag. She placed that one down before grabbing the smaller one. "And this is for Nev."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, standing up and giving her a tight hug. "I'm going to head back now."

"Alright," she said, handing me the bags of food. She kissed my forehead again before sitting back down beside Abe. "Feel better."

I returned to the hospital and refused to leave Nevaeh's side. The joy I felt from saving her life was there, but the earlier exhaustion and emotional torment of seeing her dead were also present. She was sleeping again, this time wearing a nasal cannula. The cardiac monitor showed her pulse which was a little bit slower than usual, but steady. My blood was given to her through an IV to heal her injuries.

I sat in a chair by her bed with my elbows on the mattress, holding her little hand while I watched the rise and fall of her chest. She looked so small and fragile with all the medical equipment around her, but at least she was better now. Her lungs were clearing up and she was getting some colour back into her cheeks now.

I heard some footsteps behind me and turned my head to see Dimitri walking in. "Hey," he said, sitting down in the empty chair next to me. "I'm sorry for leaving earlier. I needed space to clear my head."

I sighed and leaned back. "It's fine. Everyone needs space sometimes. Are you okay though?"

"Honestly," he said, "I'm not sure. It's still a lot to process."

"I understand," I whispered, looking up at him. "Earlier, when I was doing compressions...I kind of snapped. I'm sorry for yelling at you—I thought you were trying to stop me at the time. I was so stressed."

"No, no. It's okay. I was stressed out too. I thought..." he drifted off and I could tell he was getting emotional. It wasn't like Dimitri to be so vulnerable. He was always a provider of strength, someone who could stabilize another person when they were down. He always showed his raw emotions when he was alone with me, but he rarely cried. Maybe he needed someone to tell him it was okay too. Even though he was a high-ranking guardian that people feared and respected so much, he still carried the same weight and emotions as everyone else. Guardians still felt pain and sadness. They had to go through stressful situations and it wasn't fair that their feelings weren't taken into consideration. It explained why Dimitri always hid everything unless he was alone with me—just like what Abe had said about my mom. People expected Dimitri to be strong all the time and he was, but he wasn't an emotionless robot. He always told me it wasn't good to hold my emotions back, but he wasn't that far off. Maybe he encouraged me to let things out because he didn't want me to suffer the way guardians did—even ones as dedicated as him.

Deep down, I was glad that he was my guardian and not someone else's. That might have made me a little selfish, but this way, he could at least be loved and appreciated for the things he did for me. When he guarded me, he wasn't a shadow in the background. He wasn't a slave and he wasn't treated poorly the way some dhampirs were. I wanted to make it clear that I would protect him just as much as he protected me, and in moments like this when he needed support, I'd always be there for him.

I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close and letting him rest his head on my chest. I caressed his hair, pushing it back and wiping a tear in the process. I could tell he was still holding back, so I kissed his head and let him know it was okay to let things out. He grabbed onto the arm that was stroking his hair, gripping it tightly as he spoke.

"I love her," he said. "When I thought she wasn't going to live, it broke my heart. I know you're not as sick as her, but I was worried the same thing would happen to you. I felt so helpless, knowing you two were suffering and not being able to do anything about it. I was afraid of losing you both."

"You won't," I promised. "We'll both protect her, and you know I won't die. I won't let it happen, and I know you won't either. You've always got me."

Dimitri brought my hand to his mouth, kissing my fingers gently. "I love you, Roza."

"And I love you," I replied, sniffling as he held my hand. The fact that we could both be so vulnerable with each other and let things out in each other's arms without having to worry about anyone judging us felt good. "Thank you for helping me save her life. I wasn't sure how she could have gotten all that water out of her lungs if you hadn't stepped in."

"Well, I wasn't about to stand back and watch her die without doing anything," he said. I spent the next few minutes simply caressing him while he hugged me, enjoying our little moment together while we both calmed.

"Just out of curiosity...how did you two meet?" he asked, moving his hand up and down my arm. "I know she was in that house with you, but you never told me how you met."

"It wasn't the best greeting, that's for sure," I said, remembering the way we had both been treated that day. "I was thrown into an empty room for an entire week. I had a light, but that was it. No windows, no bed, no furniture...nothing. I was losing my mind. Slipping into Lissa's head to see you and the others was all I could do to stay sane...and then one day, Sebastian just kind of threw Nevaeh into the room to see if I would feed on her."

Dimitri pulled away, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. "He was testing you with her?"

"Yes," I answered reluctantly. "I couldn't even look at her. I kept telling her to stay away because I was afraid of hurting her, but she wouldn't move. She just kept talking to me, and then I saw her—dressed in a dirty white shirt with messy hair. She was a lot skinnier back then too from malnourishment. Other than that, she was like this beautiful little angel. When she told me how young she was, I was shocked—but what shocked me more was when she asked me if I was a strigoi."

Dimitri raised his eyebrows, looking a little surprised too. "Did someone at the house tell her?"

"I'm not sure," I replied. "She just told me they did the same thing to her real mom. She was also aware of the whole...trafficking thing, but I don't think she really understood that it was wrong."

"Well," Dimitri said, "you can't expect someone at her age to understand something like that. She grew up in that environment and she probably thought it was normal."

"Probably," I agreed. "Before Damian found out and took her away, I told her to be strong."

"That sounds like something you'd say," Dimitri said, giving me a half-smile. I chuckled before looking back over at her and sighing.

"Every time I saw her after that, even when we brought her here, she was like a bubble of light—and she still is. She's such a kid, you know?" I stated, making Dimitri laugh.

"She is," he agreed, placing his hand on her ankle over the blanket. "A very curious, bubbly, and protective little girl. She just needs to clean her room."

I laughed again, leaning against him while he wrapped his other arm around me. We stayed like that until Nevaeh stirred, opening her eyes. She blinked a few times as I grabbed her hand again.

"Hey," I whispered. Dimitri left my side and walked around the bed, sitting down on the other side. She smiled at both of us.

"Hi," she said. Her voice was still absent, but it wasn't as bad as it was before. It didn't surprise me when she reached up and tried to pull at the breathing tube in her nose. "What's this thing?"

Dimitri and I both laughed at her curiosity before he moved her hand away. "Don't touch it. It's there to help you."

"Oh," she mumbled, scrunching her nose before studying me. "Are you feeling better?"

Oh my. She was still looking out for me even though she had died just a few hours ago. She was just as selfless as her real mother had been.

"I'm feeling much better, sweetheart," I assured her. I placed my hand over her chest, wondering if anything was still broken from the compressions. "Is there any pain in here when you breathe?"

Nevaeh took a deep breath and shook her head. "Nope."

"She must be all healed up then," Dimitri noted, looking up at the half-empty blood bag that was still pumping into her veins. "Your blood worked."

"Oh, good. We should probably get Dr. Olendzki in here."

"Mommy?" Nevaeh whispered, placing a hand on her neck. "Can you get blood? I'm a lil' thirsty."

"Sure thing, Sweetie." I left, racing to the laboratory to grab a blood bag that I had donated. After pulling Dr. Olendzki out of her office, she was more than happy to see Nevaeh awake and healing.

"You're looking better already," she said cheerfully. I was a little surprised when Nevaeh snatched the blood bag out of my hands so greedily, but I figured it was probably from being thirsty for so long.

"Her lungs are completely cleared," Dr. Olendzki said, removing her stethoscope from Nevaeh's chest and draping it around her neck. She took the breathing tubes out of Nevaeh's nose, letting her breathe on her own. "Your blood already healed her, and she's looking a lot better. I think it's safe to say she can leave as long as you can supervise her for a little while."

"Of course!" I exclaimed excitedly. "Thanks, Doc. Dimitri and I can take care of her."

"Perfect. I'll have a nurse come in before you go. I'm a little busy with phone calls today, but I'll still be in my office if you need me," she said, smiling warmly. Right before she left, she nearly ran into a tiny figure that ran into the room. I recognized the young dhampir boy instantly. He was only six years old.

"Nick!" Nevaeh squealed. He was holding a flower pot that was so small it only looked a little bigger than a shot glass, and there was a little pink flower that had been planted inside.

"Nev!" he exclaimed, climbing onto the bed. He placed the flower pot on the tray before throwing his arms around her. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too," she said, hugging him back. He pulled away, grasping her head in his tiny hands and giving her a loud kiss on her cheek.

"Oh!" she giggled, facing Dimitri. "Daddy, meet Nick. My boyfriend!"

Dimitri rolled his eyes, shaking his head despite the smile forming on his face. "So, this is the 'boyfriend' you were talking about at that family dinner."

"Mhm," she mumbled, nodding proudly. Nick picked up the flower pot and handed it to her.

"For you," he said, turning it and pointing to a spot that I couldn't see. "Look. I drew a heart."

I watched them with a happy smile on my face as Dimitri walked up to me, slipping an arm around my shoulders. The two children embraced each other again, giggling and chatting away.

"Look at them," I whispered. "You can't get any more wholesome than that."

"I suppose you can't," Dimitri admitted, "but when she's older, I'll be keeping an eye on anyone who lays a finger on her."

What did you think of Dimitri here? I thought it was a little refreshing to maybe see a more vulnerable side of him since he's usually not like this.

This is totally random, but I had a dream last night where Rose was an angel and Dimitri died in a strigoi attack while protecting her, so she wrapped her wings around him and flew him up to heaven to heal him and it was literally the most beautiful thing in the world omg but anyways love you guys, stay safe!