I don't know if you've seen, but I'm hosting a writing competition in order to support the possible production of Frostbite. More details are in a story on my page, so go check that out. I'll add another one shot to it soon, and a couple of people have already entered. It would be great to get some more entries :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, nor did I own it in the last chapter or the one before that. Nor will I in the future.

29th May - Days until wedding- 23

Nearly a week later, and we'd got almost everything planned and ready. Olena and Viktoria were arriving later today, so I'd drafted Sydney in to help me clean the apartment. I'd promised Dimitri I'd do it whilst he worked, and he'd probably be embarrassed that Sydney was cleaning up our mess, but I didn't care. As long as she was gone by the time Dimitri came home, he'd never know.

The laundry had been piling up since it was my week and I couldn't be bothered to do it. In this relationship, chores were delegated on a fair and even basis.

Whoever won the weekly game of Call of Duty had to do the chores for the next, or if there were any international sports in play, then it was down to the country that lost to do them. This had always worked out pretty well for me, except during the Winter Olympics. I'd claimed that the home team advantage was unfair, but still found myself cleaning almost every day.

"Rose!" Sydney exclaimed. "You're a nightmare!" Turning around, I saw that she'd discovered the drawer where I shoved all the cutlery instead of cleaning it properly. Honestly, I rinsed them to get the food off. How dirty could they be? "How do you never run out of forks?"

"Oh," I shrugged. "I just wait until it's Dimitri's turn to do the washing up then chuck the lot into the dishwasher. I do the same for most clothes as well- they're in the drawer under my bed."

Sydney cringed at the lack of order and cleanliness. "Does Dimitri not notice this?"

I shrugged. "Dunno. He's never mentioned it, but not much gets past him. It's easier for him just to clean up than to make me do it and get into an argument."

"Healthy relationship," she muttered.

"Hey, it works. Compromise, right?"

She didn't look convinced. "So what's the compromise on your part?"

"Letting him play his crap music whilst he drives." I grimaced, though in all fairness, I'd sort of got used to it.

"Such a sacrifice."

I glared, before reaching into the sink and grabbing a handful of soap bubbles and flicking them at her. She let out a shocked squeal before glaring back. She was out for revenge, and if it meant a pause in this tedious cleaning, then I was all for a suds war.

An hour later and everything was done, much to my relief. I had plans for when Dimitri got home, and they didn't involve chatting whilst we scrubbed toilets.

Just as soon as I had sent Sydney off with many a thank you, the door opened again and Dimitri came in. His gaze rested on the sparkling countertop for no more than a second before stopping on me, leaning against it and drinking juice from one of the freshly washed glasses. The fact that it wasn't in a half-heartedly cleaned mug from that morning obviously wasn't enough to distract him from his focus.

After his hands grabbed for my waist, I barely had a second to put my drink down before it spilt and ruined this moment that I had been looking forward to since he'd left for work this morning.

"I missed you today," he whispered, body pressing against mine, breath warm on my neck. I suppressed a shiver.

"I bet you did. Christian's meeting must have been unbelievably boring without me there liven things up."

"We finished early," he said drily, the reminder of the tedium causing the mood to drop a little. "But then Hans drafted me into helping with the paperwork."

"And that must have been even worse." I tugged at the bottom of his shirt, hoping to regain the tension that had been there when he first rushed over to me. It worked, as his hands began to wander as my own trailed across the hard planes of his stomach.

"Mmm, I didn't have you to look at between reports."

"You say I procrastinate too much," I reminded him as I finished untucking his shirt and began to work on the buttons.

"No, you just caught too often."

His hands drifted lower, and he used his new grip on my butt to lift me up onto the freshly-cleaned counter. I hooked my legs around his waist as the intensity of our kissing picked up. Since I was now on his level, I was able to wrap my arms more tightly around his neck. There was a slight niggling feeling at the back of my mind, like I had something to tell him. It was sort of like the night of the lust charm, but since I knew that Lissa wasn't in danger this time, I let it go. One did not dwell on trivial matters when you were having a really great make-out session with a guy like Dimitri. It was just wasteful.
Of course, I'd never been the best at following even simple logic.

"Nuh, no." I remembered what I had meant to say before, though it still seemed unimportant as his lips moved against mine. I reluctantly broke the kiss, but Dimitri wasn't discouraged, moving his mouth to my neck instead. It was very distracting. "I wanted to talk to you, about- the honeymoon. We need- to confirm time off. And-"

"Why wait for the honeymoon?"

An argument like that, however, could not be ignored.

It was a while before I was in any position to talk again. Sadly, Dimitri had to leave to pick up Olena and Viktoria from the airport (Abe had been unable to get his jet to land at Court on such short notice, and since he'd been called to an emergency meeting as well, was not in a good mood), so I was left to make the final arrangements.

Final arrangements, in this case, meant making sure that my mother was presentable. That was no easy task.

If just finished getting dressed when I heard her signature sharp rap on the door. "Gimme a minute!" I shouted, earning an irritated huff that I could hear from all the way inside.

Pulling my top down, I rushed to the door. "You can huff and puff all you like, but if it blows the house down, you're coming with it."

Mom rolled her eyes, and it took me a moment to realise what something was different.

"You're wearing a colour!" Granted, it was a deep green that was hardly anything to be excited about, but it made a change to see her out of monochrome.

"If you make any more of a fuss, I'll go home and change it."

She was even more snappy than normal, which was not good for making friends. "No, it's nice. I mean, it looks pretty with your hair," I tried to placate her.

Her eyes scrutinised me for a moment, before relaxing when she saw that I wasn't taking the piss.

"Well, you did tell me to 'make an effort'."

I nodded, leading her over to the sofa. "You've made a good start. Now, ground rules. No talking shop; Olena worries enough as it is without you telling Strigoi stories like they're sweet little anecdotes. Don't say blood whore, or I will be forced to ban you from my wedding. Don't-"

"Honestly Rose, what do you think I am? I'm not going to be calling anyone a blood whore. This is ridiculous. I know you think that I'm tactless and utterly blind to social cues, but-"

"Mom, you were the one that told me that Dimitri was probably going to be shacking up with Tasha. On Christmas Day."

My mom's face went hard at the sound of her name. "I was unaware of your feelings at this point, which was actually a very good thing. If I had known, then Belikov probably wouldn't have lived to see the New Year."

Her choice of words hurt. "And again, another perfect example of why you need to think before you speak."

As she ran back over her words in her head, mom grimaced. "Alright, point taken. I'm sorry."

"It's alright." I assured her, though the reminder of Mason's death had dampened my mood somewhat. "Just don't talk about Strigoi, blood whores, domestic abuse, my horrible behaviour over the years or anything else embarrassing like that. Okay?"

"Yes, but-"

There was the sound of a key turning in the lock, and I shot up off the sofa to be ready to greet them.

Dimitri entered first, but I barely had time to spare him a smile before he was shoved out of the way by his sister.

"Roza!"

"Hey Vika," I laughed as she barrelled into me. Though she'd matured a lot since I first met her, I wasn't sure if she'd ever lose her excited-puppy enthusiasm. I hoped she never did.

"Roza, I'm so excited. I can't wait to see your dress, and mine, and how everything's coming along! I can't believe the wedding is so soon!" She turned to Dimitri, sighing comically. "Dimka's all grown up and getting married."

"That's my line," Olena joked as she stepped into the space her daughter had just vacated. Viktoria spotted my mom for the first time and went to say hi. They'd met briefly during the camping trip, but due to Viktoria's early flight they hadn't had much time to talk.

It was Olena's turn to embrace me next, and for the first time it occurred to me how strange this meeting had the potential to be. Right now I was hugging Olena- personification of maternal comfort- whilst my own mom-whose parental technique still left a lot to be desired- watched. It almost felt like I was cheating.

That was ridiculous, of course, so I brushed it off. What I'd done to Adrian was cheat; this was family politics. My mom would have to deal.

"You're looking very well Roza, considering how stressful this last-minute planning must be."

I laughed, shrugging off both the comment and my earlier hesitation. "Last minute's kind of my forte, so it's not too bad. Lissa's been doing all the legwork."

By now, my mom had got up off the couch and was standing awkwardly off to the side. Olena spotted her; a wide, genuine smile spreading over her kind face.

"You must be Janine! It's lovely to finally meet you."

Mom took a hesitant step forward, still as graceful as ever but lacking the confidence she would normally show in battle. Janine Hathaway was scared- of Olena nonetheless. Had it been Yeva, I could have understood.

"The pleasure is all mine, Olena. I've heard so much about you- especially your cooking."

Olena laughed. "I've heard of your endeavours, too. From your reputation and what Rose has said, you're a formidable woman."

"I'm sure she's used other words for it than that."

Dimitri came to stand beside me as I did my best not to cringe at my mom's attempt at humour. Fortunately, Olena's gentle temperament meant that she simply laughed again.

"I see now where Rose gets it from." With a smile, she pulled my mom in for a hug. I held my breath.

Mom looked shocked for a second, before returning the embrace. They stepped back a second later, and I let out a sigh of relief. My mom was smiling warmly, and I knew that Olena had worked her magic. Honestly, it was impossible not to love the woman.

"Does anyone want a drink?" I asked. They gave me their orders and mom took Olena and Viktoria to sit down as Dimitri and I went to the kitchen. After turning the coffee maker on, I used its whirring to cover the sound of my voice.

"Well, that seemed to go alright. Though to be honest, your mom could probably charm a Strigoi into being polite and civil. It must be because that particular trait skipped Yeva's generation that Olena ended up with double."

Dimitri rolled his eyes, but didn't disagree.

When we carried the drinks out to the living room, Olena and my mom were chatting away like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in years.

Dimitri sat down first, and I took the seat beside him. It was barely a moment before Dimitri's arm came to rest over my shoulders, and I sat as close as was socially acceptable in the presence of family.

DPOV

"Roza, Dimka, I was just saying to Janine how lovely your apartment is. You've really made it into something special." Her gaze travelled around the room, lingering on the photos of Rose and I propped up on the bookshelf.

Though she tried to hide it, Rose glowed under the praise. Janine had been sceptical when Rose said we were moving in together, despite it being the most logical thing both financially and practically. To receive this comment from my mother of all people was the best it could get, since Rose thought of her house as the template for the perfect family home.

"Thanks, Olena. All the antique-y furniture was here when I moved in, but we bought the rest ourselves. It's not much, but it's home."

"I'm so glad you've had the chance to make it your own. When Dimka moved out, I feared he'd be living in a bare room for the rest of his life." My mother gave me that exasperated look. "I've never known anyone take such a little interest in 'stuff', even as a child. It made buying Christmas presents a nightmare."

Viktoria grinned. "It was better for us though, because we'd just get Dimka to ask for what we wanted."

I frowned. "That was all well and good until you I had to ask for Barbie dolls and ponies. Then it was just embarrassing."

Everyone laughed at my expense, and Janine had an anecdote of her own to share. "That's ironic, because for her third birthday Rose asked for an Action Man and a Nerf gun."

"What can I say? My tendency towards violence started young."

Viktoria giggled. "I always think it's so sweet how different you two are, but how perfect you are together."

Rose and I shared a knowing glance, acknowledging the fact that fundamentally, we weren't so different at all. Still, Rose didn't waste the opportunity for a joke. "It's a good thing, too, because can you image two of me living together? I'm pretty sure that would result in this place looking like it was nuked from orbit."

"Yes, especially since just the one of you has almost burned it down already," I added drily.

She turned to glare at me as my mother's look of amusement became more pronounced. "Look, that was one time, and only because you changed the toaster setting without telling me. So actually, it was as much your fault as mine."

"It wasn't me who put a fork in it whilst it was still plugged in."

"The toast was already on fire- it wasn't like it could have got much worse." Janine looked mildly embarrassed at her daughter's antics, but my mom just watched us bicker with an indulgent smile. "And if I'm such a liability in the kitchen, then you can take full responsibility for making dinner tonight," she finished, a triumphant gleam in her brown eyes.

I'd just been played, I realised. Rose had been worried about how it would look in front of my mother if she didn't have some role in making dinner, but was even more scared about doing something to spoil it. Now, she'd set everything up perfectly so that either she had an excuse not to help, or I would have to concede that she wasn't an utter fire hazard.

I silently let her know that I knew exactly what she had done before answering. "That's a good idea. Maybe I'll ask Christian to help."

"Good plan." She frowned. "Speaking of His Lordship, where are Christian and his better half?"

It was Janine that answered. "They're in their apartment. I meant to say before; Lissa said to tell you to call her over whenever it was convenient to discuss times for tomorrow. "

I felt Rose physically still as she bit back some comment, probably about how the 'great Janine' had managed to forget something like that. They'd sorted the worst of their issues out last week, but that didn't stop their personalities from clashing. "Okay. Shall I get her now?"

That was directed at my mother, who looked a little daunted at the prospect of an audience with the Queen.

Rose got up to go and see Lissa, and like always there was that sensation of a part of myself leaving with her as she disappeared from the room.

"Lissa's a lovely girl," Janine said, sensing my mother's discomfort. I was a little surprised at her attempt to ease the tension in the room. "And Christian..."

"Is a lot like Ivan," I added, "in that he couldn't care less about what the other Royals think. He's also a lot like Rose," I smiled wryly, "with respect to sarcasm and a need to challenge everything- and win."

"You were talking about me?" two voices said simultaneously from the doorway, and I looked up to see Rose and Christian both looking at each other with expressions of horror at having said the same thing at the same time. This resulted in a chorus of 'jinx, double jinx, triple jinx...' until Lissa pushed her way between them, rolling her eyes.

"You'll get used to that." She hugged Vika quickly, whispering something excitedly before turning to my mother. "Olena, it's so nice to meet you!"

She bowed her head. "Your Majesty, it is truly an honour-"

"Please, just call me Lissa. We're all equals here."

"And I'm just Christian. Being called 'Lord' makes me feel ill," my charge called from the doorway.

Rose snickered. "Funny, that's the reaction the rest of us get from looking at your face."

Christian opened his mouth to shoot back some snarky reply, but Lissa's glare cut him off before she turned back to my mother. "You'll get used to it," she repeated. "They like each other really, and they'll be on their best behaviour for the wedding."

"You make it sound like we're children," Rose said indignantly. Lissa and I shared a glance before turning our gazes to Rose and Christian, silently saying that her statement wasn't far from the truth. Rose sat down at the opposite end of the couch, feigning anger at me. I just moved across to the next cushion and pulled her closer from there. She relented almost instantly.

Lissa and Christian took the last available seats, adopting a similar position.

"What time do you want to leave tomorrow?" Lissa asked.

"It's a two-hour drive, and we need to ensure that we can get back with plenty of sunlight left. My appointment's at 8:30. So, I thought 6am? Then hopefully we can be back in bed by 2, maybe 3pm latest?"

Due to the dress shop being run by humans, they had to go during the vampire night. This was a practice Moroi were used to and cope with quite well- especially teenagers used to being up until early morning- and Dhampir endurance meant that we could quite comfortably go for 24 hours without sleep. The sunlight also meant that the chance of an attack was much lower, although not completely out of the question.

"Is four hours going to be enough time to get everything?" Viktoria asked.

"If I can't find a dress in four hours, I'll be wearing jeans and a Tee shirt down the aisle." I could hear the teasing note in her voice, but Vika looked horrified. "I'm joking, don't worry. Seriously though, I'm not too picky. I'll find something with plenty of time left for you lot to get bridesmaid dresses."

Viktoria still didn't look convinced, but I didn't see a problem. Rose would still be the most beautiful bride in the world if she did wear jeans, so any dress that fit even moderately well would be perfect in my eyes. As long as Rose was happy, so was I.

Of course, I was less enamoured with the thought of spending most of the night alone. Rose was a talisman for keeping away bad memories and nightmares; it was like whilst I held her in my arms her beauty and goodness seeped through my skin to fight away the demons that lingered at the corners of my mind.

I could always just wait up for her, read or watch a movie, but then I'd consciously miss her even more. Looking into her smiling face, I didn't care if my thoughts were more in line with a lovestruck teenager's than a grown man's. Life was easier with Rose by my side.

"What about you, Dimka?"

I tore my gaze away from Rose's face to meet my mother's eyes. It seemed I had completely missed the subject of the question, and from the way she pursed her lips trying not to smile, she knew why.

"I asked if you've got your tux yet."

"Oh, right." Focus; and not on Rose's fingers as she traced a pattern against my side. A quick glance her way told me that she knew exactly what she was doing, and was enjoying it. Right, my mother. "I'm using the pants and jacket that I bought for Lissa and Christian's wedding, and I've ordered a new vest from the Court tailor." Getting clothes in my size was a nightmare at the best of times, as usually anything that allowed for my height could fit two of me inside width-ways. At the Moroi Court, the opposite was the problem. I could finally find clothes made with height in mind, but they had a slim Moroi build. I wasn't exactly bulky with muscle, but compared to Christian or Adrian, there was a lot more of me. Christian had tried to lend me a shirt a while back, but I hadn't been able to get my hand through the cuff I was about 5 inches of fabric short from being able to button it up across the chest.

It was so much easier just to stick with what had already been tailor-made for me. Rose agreed that the money would be better of being saved to pay for the church hire, which accounted for most of our budget.

Rose looked as though she was about to say something when her pager went off, beeping from somewhere across the room. She sighed as she got up to get it, but Janine reached behind her and pulled the device out from behind the cushion she was sitting on. She rolled her eyes before pitching it to her daughter.

After looking at the little screen, Rose's expression of mild irritation shifted to something deeper.

"Hans!" She growled. "The stupid ass has mixed up my off day and has me booked in to work tomorrow, and won't even admit he's screwed up. He's blaming a 'system error'."

"The system might be to blame," I said diplomatically. "It's been faulty a lot lately."

She slumped against me in defeat, pouting. "Then he should have fixed it." She sat up a moment later, turning to my family. "This means I won't be able to show you around tomorrow and introduce you to everyone." She paused for a moment. "Shall I get them to come round now? Then maybe one of them can give you the tour of Court."

Mama smiled as Viktoria nodded eagerly.

Rose texted everyone to come over, and the conversation fell back to the wedding again for about 20 minutes. Lissa was cut off mid-sentence by the front door being thrown open and banging against the wall. I mentally groaned as the cocky Moroi strode into the room, three other sets of footsteps following behind.

"Hey, it's Big Dhampir's little sis!" Adrian greeted Viktoria with his trademark grin, before noticing my mother. "And one of the elder sisters, perhaps?"

I resisted the urge to look away as mama blushed slightly. "Olena; Dimitri's mother. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Ivashkov." So she knew who he was. Brilliant.

"The pleasure is all mine," Adrian replied, capturing her hand and stooping to kiss it. I wanted to punch the moron in the face, and Rose looked torn between cringing and laughing. She was saved from having to do either when mama noticed Sydney standing a little way off, looking decidedly embarrassed by Adrian's flirtatious display.

"Sydney! It's lovely to see you again. You're looking very well."

Of course. I'd forgotten that my mother had met Sydney when she accompanied Rose to Baia the first time. Back then, though, Sydney had been a totally different girl.

"As are you, Olena," Sydney said warmly. "It's good to meet again in far better circumstances. I apologise if I came across as cold before, but my Alchemist training had not prepared me for living in such close proximity to so many Dhampirs."

"No need to apologise, dear. It's how you were brought up. I'm sure that we weren't as welcoming as we would otherwise have been either."

Sydney didn't say anything else, maybe because she was worried about leading the conversation further down the path it was headed. Thankfully, Mia stepped in to introduce herself, followed by Eddie.

"You've been spared Zmey's presence for today," Rose joked, "because he has a meeting. He'll probably turn up tomorrow, though, especially if you're having a tour of Court." She looked to our friends. "Anyone free tomorrow?"

Mia and Sydney were, and Adrian looked disappointed as he informed us that he had an inescapable commitment. I couldn't help but feel a little glad; it would have been weird for Rose's ex boyfriend to show my mother and sister around. As far as they knew he had only ever been a friend, and my pride wanted it kept that way.

That was unlikely, of course, given Adrian's tendency to talk about anything and everything, but I could hope that the fact was revealed tactfully, if at all.

Conversation flowed easily between everyone, but before long the latecomers began to excuse themselves. Before long Christian and I installed ourselves in the kitchen as Rose showed by family to our spare room, which was the only accommodation they would accept. The argument that evolved from this was good-natured, and as I watched my mother stand up to the Moroi Queen, I knew that mine and Rose's families would have no trouble fitting together. Christian watched the squabble unfold a little wistfully, but he seemed to be focussing on what he had gained as much as what he had lost. He might not have any blood relatives left, but he had a firm place in this family we has created for ourselves.

He soaked up my mother's praise at dinner, occasionally exchanging a glance with Lissa that held some message I couldn't decode. It must have been a good one, though, given her smile that served as a reply. Even Janine was taking part in the conversation, and her contributions were rarely out of place.

Due to the noise at the table, it took me a while to notice Rose's relative silence. For a moment I was concerned that she was feeling left out, before noticing how she seemed perfectly content to just sit and listen (as well as eat, of course). She felt my gaze on her and turned her face to mine, and I knew that she was feeling the same sense of peace that I was. Our families were getting along, and it seemed unlikely that even Abe would be able to upset this balance.

Her hand caught mine under the table and squeezed, a physical manifestation of the sense of security that surrounded us.

Sorry if there are any mistakes, I'm writing this really late (early, actually) as a distraction from the fact I get my AS results tomorrow (today? Ugh.) Good luck to anyone else who's also getting A level results tomorrow :)

Review and get a Dimitri-induced sense of security :)