Hey lovelies, I'm so sorry my update was late. If this chapter seems like a filler or is boring/slow, I apologize. I've had a huge mental block/writer's block recently and it's been driving me crazy.

After one whole week of assessment and evaluation for Dimitri's state, he was finally allowed to see people without guardian supervision. It was a serious relief after only being able to sneak Nevaeh into our room that one time. Now, we were back to spending family time.

There was a knock on our door and I was about to answer, but Dimitri beat me to it. "Abe?"

I ran to Dimitri's side and saw Abe in the doorway. "Old man, what are you doing here?"

"Giving you two a little something. Let's face it; you were kidnapped for a whole month, turned, and nearly lost your life. Then you got sick, nearly lost Nevaeh twice, and nearly lost Dimitri too. And you," he continued, slapping a hand over Dimitri's shoulder, "have loved and protected my daughter through all of it. I think the two of you need a serious break. How do you feel about a two-week vacation to Russia?"

Dimitri's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

"Not this time, Son," Abe replied. "And you better accept it. Now, before you worry about the danger of going on a crowded plane full of humans, I've arranged for you to take my private jet."

I gasped. "You own a private jet?"

"I own a lot of things, little girl. By the way, Nevaeh's been granted permission to leave the country with you, so make sure you look after her while you're at it."

Dimitri was speechless. "Abe, I don't even know how to thank you for this..."

Abe chuckled. "As long as you make Rose happy, that's all I care about."

I leaned forward and threw my arms around Abe's neck, taking him by surprise. "Thanks, Dad."

"Don't mention it," he said, patting my back. "You two better start packing, because you're leaving in an hour."

My leg shook nervously against the floor of the jet as soon as we were up in the air. This was going to be a very long flight, but that wasn't why I was so nervous. Abe's jet was so luxurious and comfortable that it wouldn't be hard for me to sleep. Nevaeh was already getting sleepy in the seat facing me.

Dimitri walked down the spacious aisle with two blankets in his arms. He draped the first one over Nevaeh's body, tucking it in so that she'd be more comfortable. He draped the other one over me, repeating the same motions. He was so sweet—making sure we were both comfortable and warm before he let himself relax.

"You're nervous about my family," he said, sitting down next to me and grabbing my hand.

"How do you know?"

"I peek into your head from time to time. Plus, your feelings rub off on me."

"Right," I muttered, remembering it was literally impossible to hide my feelings when he could easily slip into my head.

"Can you blame me?" I asked. "Your family doesn't even know me. I've never met them."

Dimitri chuckled. "You think they don't know you? Roza, I talk about you every time I call them. I talk about Nev too."

"Do they know about what happened to you?" I asked. Dimitri frowned, turning his head away from me.

"No," he said. "It'll be difficult to explain everything."

"You don't have to do it alone," I reassured him. "I'm sure your family will understand, but I'll still be there the whole time."

"Thank you," he said softly, kissing my head. "You should try to sleep. It's going to be a long flight."

I nodded and adjusted the big leather seat so that I could lie down. Beside me, Dimitri did the same and held my hand tightly in his. It took me a while to fall asleep, but it eventually came to me after an hour or two. I wasn't sure how long I had slept for, but by the time I woke up, the light from outside the window had disappeared. Wherever we were, it was night time.

Beside me, Dimitri was no longer in his seat. I sat up and found him sitting next to Nevaeh. The table in front of her had food on top—chicken and rice, it looked like. Dimitri was cutting the chicken for her so that it would be easier for her to eat.

"Hey," he said, noticing my wake. "How was your sleep?"

I yawned. "It was okay."

"Are you hungry?" he asked. The smell of Nevaeh's food made my stomach growl which already answered Dimitri's question.

"I'll grab something for you. We still have a few hours," he said. I nodded and adjusted my seat until I was in a sitting position. I watched Nevaeh across from me as she wrapped her whole hand around her fork and ate her food. She wasn't holding it properly, but there was something so cute about the way children held their utensils. I'd have to teach her properly once we arrived at Dimitri's home.

He came back a few minutes later with a plate of the same food and laid it on the table in front of me. I grabbed the knife and fork, cutting the chicken into small pieces. Even though my taste buds were affected on planes, the food still satisfied my hunger and I leaned my head back against my seat.

After I finished my food, I couldn't go back to sleep, so for the next few hours, I cuddled up to Dimitri and let him read one of his westerns while he stroked my hair. Although he couldn't see my face, I was secretly reading it with him. It wasn't all that bad, but I wasn't going to admit that out loud.

When we finally landed, I helped Dimitri carry our luggage to the cab waiting outside. I sat in the back seat with Nev, looking outside the window as I tried to calm my nerves.

"Are we going to meet your mom and dad?" Nevaeh asked. Dimitri tensed and I reached up, placing a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Not my dad," he said, putting his hand on mine. Dimitri didn't like to talk about his father for obvious reasons. He despised him for his abusive behaviour. On top of that, the women he cared about in his life had all been abused. His mother, me, and Nevaeh. It explained why he was so overprotective.

The drive to Baia wasn't too long, but it was a relief to finally get out of the car to stretch my legs. The cab stopped in front of what I assumed was Dimitri's house and a nervous smile started to form on my face. I was excited and nervous. I wasn't sure what to expect. I just hoped they liked me.

"Got everything?" Dimitri asked me, carrying some luggage up to the front steps of his house. I was too anxious to speak, so I only nodded and held Nevaeh's hand as we approached the front. Dimitri rang the doorbell. I heard some footsteps come up from inside the house and the door opened to reveal a dhampir woman in her forties, a little shorter than me with the same hair and eye colour as Dimitri. I realized it was his mother.

"Dimka!" she screamed, throwing her arms around her son's neck.

"Hi, Mama," he said happily, pulling her into a tight embrace. Her excitement drew in more attention from inside the house, and a swarm of girls came running to the front to hug their brother. Dimitri had told me their names before, but this was my first time seeing them and I didn't know who was who. Well, I did recognize Viktoria since she appeared to be the youngest out of all of them.

I wasn't sure how I was supposed to introduce myself to his family of all people, so I waited with a smile on my face as his mother and sisters squealed and cried happily. Despite living in America for quite a while, Dimitri was very close to his family. All I could feel from everyone was love and warmth. Perhaps that was a trait that ran in the family.

"Mama, meet Roza," he said, gesturing towards me. "Roza, meet my mother, Olena."

"Hi," I said with a shy smile on my face.

"This is the girl you've been talking about for so long," she realized, taking in my features. "Oh my, you really are beautiful!"

I blushed as she pulled me into a heart-warming hug. Dimitri must have inherited all his loving qualities from her.

For the next few minutes, Dimitri introduced me to his sisters. The youngest being Viktoria which I had been right about, another being a few years older named Karolina, and Sonya who was also a few years older than him. Lastly, we introduced Nevaeh as well. She knew it was Dimitri's family, but she was shy and overwhelmed. Being so small compared to everyone else intimidated her, so Dimitri picked her up to help her feel more secure. Just as I had expected, they loved her instantly.

"You look different," Karolina pointed out, putting a hand on his cheek. Dimitri said something to her in Russian and she responded by nodding and heading back into the house.

"Please, come in," Olena said, ushering us in. We left our luggage at the front and took our shoes off to make ourselves comfy. The house was small and a little older, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of security and warmth. It was so simple and cozy in here.

"I've missed this place so much," Dimitri said, looking around. It looked like he was watching scenes play out in front of him. Maybe he was replaying all the old memories.

"Dimka!" I heard. This time, it was a boy's voice. He came running down the stairs with a smile plastered on his face. Dimitri carefully put Nevaeh down before picking up the young boy. He was probably twice the size of Nevaeh and looked older than her, but he was probably no more than ten.

"You've grown so much," Dimitri noticed, putting him down. When I took a closer look, I recognized several similarities with Dimitri. Same hair, same eyes, and a tall height.

"Roza, this is Paul, Karolina's son."

"This is Roza?" Paul asked, gaping up at me in awe. Like everyone else, he had a Russian accent. "Woah. Dimitri talks about you a lot!"

"Does he now?" I asked, amused by Paul's enthusiasm. He was quick to introduce himself to Nevaeh and surprised her by throwing his arms around her.

"Want to come to my room?" he asked her. She hesitated.

"Uhh..."

"I have cool toys—"

"Toys?!" she squealed excitedly, wiping her shy attitude away. "Let's go!"

Just like that, they ran upstairs. They had just met each other and were already getting along.

"Kids," I murmured, shaking my head. Dimitri chuckled and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, guiding me into the living room. In the corner, Dimitri approached a much older woman who looked like she was in her sixties or seventies. This must have been Yeva, Dimitri's grandmother. She sat in a rocking chair and smiled when she saw Dimitri, but what surprised me what that his arrival didn't seem to shock her. It was as if she had been expecting him. She said something in Russian, but I caught my nickname on her lips. Dimitri smiled and looked over at me. Yeva turned her head and her eyes landed on me, but she didn't say anything. She only grinned with a wicked glint in her eyes.

Behind me, I heard a high-pitched cry that sounded a lot like a baby's. I turned around and found a wooden crib on the side, the edges covered in blankets and towels.

Karolina ran into the room and reached into the crib, picking up the baby that had been laying inside. She was a dhampir and looked to be about a year old, and had dark brown hair and brown eyes. She must have been Karolina's daughter.

"Sorry, this happens a lot," she said apologetically, trying to calm the child down.

"No, it's okay," I said, unable to look away. Karolina looked up at Dimitri who was also staring.

"I'm helping Mama cook. Want to hold her?" she asked. Dimitri nodded and opened his arms up, gently taking the baby into his arms. Karolina quickly left as she was still working in the kitchen.

"This is my niece, Zoya," Dimitri said softly. "In all those video chats with Karo, she looked so small but she's grown. It's my first time meeting her in person."

I was bewildered. I had never seen Dimitri holding a baby before, but it had to be the most innocent sight in the world. He cradled her against his chest, cooing softly until her cries subsided. He looked so peaceful and my baby fever was starting to flare up.

"Come here," Dimitri said. I walked over until I was standing right next to him, and I looked down at the little girl who had her hand in her mouth.

"Have you ever held a baby before?" Dimitri asked. I shook my head. The thought always crossed my mind, but I'd never had the chance to do so. The closest I'd ever gone was holding Nevaeh.

"Here," he said, handing her over to me. Her body was so tiny in my arms and she stuck her curious little hand out, tugging on my hair.

"Ouch," I muttered. Dimitri laughed and put his arms around me, hugging me from behind. Zoya looked at me, and after a few seconds, she smiled.

"Won't you look at that?" Dimitri said, kissing my cheek. "She likes you already."

Explaining everything from my kidnapping situation to Dimitri's awakening was much more difficult than I had wished. Not only did his family members shed tears, but I had also cried too. We left out a lot of details from the brothel, but nobody had judged me or looked at me differently after giving them a general idea of what went on. It made me feel comfortable and safe around them and that was more than I could ever ask for. They were accepting of our body's changes and had grown to love Nevaeh over the two weeks we had spent here so far. I got along with all of Dimitri's sisters and I already felt like I was part of the family.

I wanted to stick around in the kitchen with the family since we had to go back to court tomorrow, but I was feeling a little bit nauseous after dinner today. I went into the living room and laid down on the couch, rubbing my full stomach.

Dimitri walked into the room a few minutes later, coming to sit by my side. "What's wrong, baby?"

"My stomach hurts," I told him. "I probably just ate too much."

"Are you nauseous?" he asked. I nodded, draping an arm over my forehead.

"I think I'm just going to lie down for a bit. I'll come upstairs soon."

"Okay," he said, kissing my hand. "If you need anything, just let me know."

"I will," I said softly. Dimitri went back into the kitchen and I heard him telling Nevaeh it was past her bedtime. I stayed on the couch for another half hour, waiting for my nausea to subside. Going on my phone helped me take my mind off of things and made me feel better. I was about to head to bed when I heard Zoya wailing again from her crib, so I decided to spend some time holding her again. For some odd reason, I had developed severe baby fever since the day I came here. Zoya was adorable and the fact that she was calming down in my arms made me not want to put her down.

"She really likes you," someone said behind me. I jumped and spun around, but relaxed when I saw Olena watching me from the doorway.

"I can't let go of her," I admitted. Olena stepped forward, stroking Zoya's cheek.

"Babies are...a lot, but they're worth it," she said. "I remember holding Dimka when he was this small. Believe it or not, he was a handful back then."

"Really?" I asked. It was hard to imagine Dimitri as a baby. He was the tallest and most muscular guy I knew. I tried to picture his mother holding him as a baby, and the thought was so cute that I almost wanted to cry. What in the world was wrong with me? My period was approaching soon, so maybe that was why.

"I'm so glad you're here, Roza. I don't think I've ever seen Dimitri look so happy."

I smiled. "We're both very happy. I can't wait to be a part of the family."

"Oh, sweetheart, you already are. Every time he calls us and talks about you, his face just lights up and it makes us all happy. When you told us about what happened to you both, it broke our hearts."

"I know," I said sadly, looking down as Zoya made a small crooning noise on my chest. "I was falling apart when I thought he was dead."

"But you saved him," Olena said soothingly. "You gave him a chance to be with his family again, to spend his life with you and raise that beautiful girl of yours. You saved my son's life, and for that, I'll always thank you."

I smiled warmly at her, brushing a soft kiss against Zoya's head before carefully laying her down into the crib. "I should go to bed. I have a long day tomorrow."

"Sleep well, Roza," Olena whispered, gently patting my back. I quietly headed upstairs, trying not to wake anyone else in the house from the squeaky floorboards. Dimitri wasn't in his room when I walked in which meant he was probably still in the washroom, so I undressed and left my clothes in a pile before crawling into his small bed. I had only been here for two weeks, but I was definitely going to miss it. Dimitri had lived in this room since childhood and there were collections of family photos along with old clothes and books. There was a box of action figures and toys too, but he had given most of those away to Paul.

While I laid in his bed, I went on my phone and started scrolling through social media to watch videos. Somehow, I came across a collection of cute and funny baby videos and started watching them, smiling and squealing ridiculously at the screen.

"So cute!" I said out loud. Dimitri came back in at that moment, taking his shirt and sweatpants off in the process.

"Looks like someone's feeling better," he noticed.

"My stomach's much better now," I said. Dimitri's lips tugged into a smile when he saw what I was doing.

"What is it with you and babies recently?" he asked, crawling in behind me and spooning me with his warm body. I leaned my back into his chest, relishing the feeling of our bare skin contact.

"It's called baby fever," I told him, lifting the phone to show him what I'd been watching. I showed him a video of a parent playing peek-a-boo with their baby, making them giggle every time.

"Isn't it adorable?" I asked, showing him more videos. "Look at this one! Oh, it's so cute!"

I was laughing like an idiot in no time and Dimitri tightened his arms around me, smiling against my shoulder. I turned my phone off and gave it to Dimitri so that he could put it on the bedside table. He cuddled up to me again, wrapping his arms around me to cup my breast. His leg wrapped around both of mine, trapping me in his embrace and pushing me up against the wall.

"Comrade, you're squeezing me," I murmured, but I wasn't complaining. When Dimitri was alone with me, he was the most cuddly person in the world. If I didn't know him, I never would have thought he'd have the ability to cuddle with anyone because of how serious he was as a guardian. Sometimes, he trapped my arms in and held me so tightly that it was physically impossible to escape his embrace, but I didn't mind. When I squeezed him back or snuggled into him, it made me feel good. Being held like this was incredibly relaxing.

"Well, you better get used to it, because I'm not letting you go," he said, kissing the spot behind my ear. That was another interesting thing about Dimitri—he was both possessive and cuddly. The same man who had given me strict discipline with his firm hand and fucked me until I came undone was the same man who held and cared for me with love and affection.

"Should I tell everyone you pamper me like this?" I teased.

"Oh, shut up and let me hug you," he laughed, tickling my neck with another kiss.

Once again I apologize if the chapter was a little boring. The mental block was giving me a really hard time, so I tried to make up for it with some fluff! I hope you liked it :)