"This is ridiculous," Rose exclaimed, though I could tell she was also highly amused by it all.

She kept looking from me to the invitation I handed to her a few moments before. Once she realized I was serious, a nervous laugh escapes from her mouth.

"You're serious?"

When I nod she flips through the invitation again. "Dimitri, this is sweet and all but honestly I forgot all about the senior prom."

I figured as much. For an eighteen year old girl, Rose has been keeping extremely busy lately. Catching up with school work, applying for other jobs in the city despite everyone assuring her that she and Liss are family and we'd certainly help her out financially, apartment hunting, looking into schools. She's even been considering moving out of state completely sometime in the future. Christian and I worked on the old Toyota my mother kept in her garage and gave it to Rose so that Lissa—eight months along now—can make it to her doctor's appointments, check ups, and the therapy group sessions they've started taking with Viktoria. The family, Christian, Tasha, and Stan—who has been spending a lot of time with my sister Sonya lately—have all been to a few of the therapy sessions to deal with what happened and how we're moving on as a family and, for the first time in a long time, everyone seems okay. Average, everyday, normal.

I'm proud of her. I'm proud of all of them.

Everyday they're putting everything that happened to them, the attacks, the trial, the courtroom shooting, the media circus afterward, behind them. They're moving on and I could wish for nothing better for them.

I just miss spending time with Rose which is both an interesting and new experience for me because I never imagined feeling so attached to someone and feeling so empty when I'm not around her.

She and Liss are graduating soon and, despite all of the talking we've done and promise making, who knows what the future will bring. So I'm doing what the group therapist Deidra suggested and living in the moment, day by day.

Even it means planning a prom.

"...and I wasn't exactly planning on returning to campus just for a dance with a bunch of students I don't want to spend time with," Rose was saying.

She smiled at the brightly colored invitation Viktoria, Paul, and Zoya had helped me to make and decorate.

"This is cute though. I think this needs a frame," she smiles.

"I think we need time together. We never see each other with me at the studio and helping out at the station." Stan had asked me to start a program down at the police station that helps victims with self defense training and I was getting certified as a counselor for those who are going through similar situations that the girls went through.

"You are such a teddy bear it's almost as ridiculous as you wanting to take me to prom," she teases, leaning forward to peck me on the lips. "I miss you too, you know," she tells me as she cuddles closer under the blanket.

"I was actually thinking along the lines of having our own prom. I already asked Lissa if she and Christian wanted to do something-"

"Like one of those corny group dates?" Rose asked highly amused. "Really? I thought you were much cooler than this, Dimitri. I'm shocked!" She bursts into out right laughter, clutching her sides.

I roll my eyes but can feel my own smile growing. It's funny how far she's come from being the freighted girl I met so many months ago into the giggling, easy going girl sitting before me.

"I figured Lissa would hate to miss out on prom but she said she's exhausted. But she agreed it was a good idea if I did something just for the two of us. So, what do you say? Want to go to prom with me? Our own version of prom," I add when I see her apprehension.

For a split second I worry that she's so hesitant because she doesn't want to spend time with me and is still working through some of her fears and trauma of being so close to anyone, especially a guy. These last few months haven't been easy and I've had to, on more than one occasion, keep my distant while Rose dealt with some things. It's been hard and I've seen how hard it was for her to push my away at the same time she said she wanted to be held. We've worked through most of the struggles but there are times I worry she's still hesitant about being so close with me. She's scared about the future just as much as I am.

"Dimitri..." she starts a look of apprehension on her face. She looks as if I've just told her I eat bugs for breakfast. "I can't dance."

Well that wasn't what I was expecting.

Her response is so unexpected I laugh but immediately fight myself to calm down when I see the embarrassed expression on her face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. I'm sure you dance just fine. You said you've been to school dances before," I point out.

"Yeah, crazy wild dancing that involved gyrating, butt shaking, and swaying the hips. No one noticed because everyone was dancing crazy. I don't want you to see what a bad dancer I really am," she says sheepish.

It's funny, everything I know about her, everything I've seen and heard while I stood by hear side throughout the trial and this is what she's embarrassed about.

"If it makes you feel better I can't either. Not really anyway," I shrug. "We can dance terribly together," I encourage, nudging her slightly hoping she'll agree.

"Have I told you how truly amazingly incredible you look tonight?" I ask, eliciting a laugh from Rose as we drive away from my mother's house.

It may sound like an exaggerated compliment but as I take another careful glance over at Rose as I drive, I find that my compliment is a perfect description. She really does look amazing. Rose is beautiful. That's easy to see on an average day after she's just woken up where she's sitting in sweats, my oversized sweatshirt that she borrow from me once, and with her hair tangled into a birds nest. Even then she's beautiful.

The knee length dresses she's wearing right now is beautiful but the best part about it is how beautiful I hope Rose feels tonight.

Despite the last of Montana's heavy spring downpour pounding down on the town, tonight is still the night of the actual high school prom. Vika, who had returned to school a few weeks ago and seemed to be adjusting alright with new friends, went despite being a freshman and asked Rose and Lissa to come along even though they'd decided to finish school by emailing their homework into their teachers and coming in for their finals either before or after school. Lissa, who helped both Vika and Rose get ready for the night, appreciated the offer but said she was too far along to enjoy spending a night on her fight and trying to squeeze into a dress. Her plans for tonight included eating, sleeping, and watching a movie with Christian. They still spend about as much time together as Rose and I do but both Rose and Christian have told me that Lissa isn't ready for anything more yet beyond friendship, especially with the baby coming and Christian seems okay with it so I guess we'll just have to see what happens in the future.

Vika knew about my alternate plans with Rose and asked out of politeness. She wasn't disappointed when both girls turned down her offer. The whole family snapped pictures and watched as she left for prom with a group of her new friends. I took this as another stepping stone toward her having a normal high school experience and just enjoying the rest of her years as a carefree teenager. We were closer now than we had been in years since I first moved out of the house. I went with her to a couple of her therapy sessions where we not only talked about the attack and the trial but the affect that our father's shooting, Ivan's death, and the years of abuse before that had on our relationship in the long run. We were much better now and we made sure to set aside time where it was just me and my younger sister spending time together the way we used to.

After Vika left for prom, everyone turned their cameras onto Rose in one of those sleeved, knee length flowing dresses that twirled and glittered every time she moved and me in a nice button down with a sweater and slacks. Rose flushed a deep red at being the center of so much attention but she eventually loosened up and laughed as everyone encourage her to do silly poses with outrageous expressions.

"So you still haven't told me," Rose says, fidgeting with her dress. "Where are we going?" She leaned to get a clear view out of her window but the raid was too heavy to see through. "I hope it's not outdoors," she says dryly. "We don't want a repeat of the ice cream, park, sprained ankle incident, do we?" she teases. That day had not been one of my best ideas but I loved how it ended.

I smiled but didn't say anything to answer her question.

I watched as she raised a brown when she saw that I was pulling into my apartment building.

"Did you forget something?"

I shake my head. "Nope. This is where we're spending your prom."

She laughed as she tugged at her seatbelt. "You're not one for imagination when it comes to planning a romantic evening, are you?" she asked smiling as she climbed out of the car but I caught a glimpse of her relieved expression. The therapy was helping but Rose wasn't ready to spend so much time out in public. After the circus of the trial, she liked feeling cozy and tucked away in small spaces where she knew what to expect and feel comfortable.

"If we're just going to your apartment, why did you have me dress up? Lissa is going to be very upset when she finds out that all her hard work will go to waist."

Again I don't respond, wanting her to discover what I have planned for herself. I unlock my front door and usher for her to walk in ahead of me.

She hesitates, smiling slightly, curious as to what I have planned. When she finally walks into the apartment, she spins around on her heels as she takes in the room.

There are white lanterns and Christmas lights decorated on the walls, the tables are aligned with Rose's favorite foods that Christian helped me prepare since I wanted to do most of the work myself but not poison Rose with anything extreme I try to cook, an array of her favorite movies are stacked on the table, and "A Whole New World" from that Disney Aladdin movie was playing on my stereo. There is also a mix of sea shells and beach related ornaments scattered around and a fake background wall poster of the beach hanging on the biggest wall in my living room surrounded by tikki torches. I closed the front door behind me and went to the kitchen to grab the two coconut cups I'd prepared before.

"I thought about taking you to a nice restaurant or maybe even to one of the lakes since you like the beach so much but since the last of the storm decided to blow over the town tonight and we don't have many beaches here in Montana, I thought we could spend the night here," I explained handing her one of the coconuts with an umbrella and straw sticking out. She took it and laughed as she sipped the juice inside.

I gestured to the chocolate fountain and fondue pots I had laid out on the kitchen counter and then to the movies I laid out. "Your favorite foods, we could watch a few movies and eventually, I plan on getting you to dance with me."

I waited while she continued looking around the room, taking in the crazy decorations and the mess of lights and piles of food to gauge her reaction. When she finally turned around and looked up at me, I was surprised to find tears in her eyes. I felt the smile I'd been wearing most of the night completely disappear as I took in her watery expression.

"Rose...if you don't..." I took a step toward her, putting down both of our stupid looking coconut cups before reaching out to her slowly hoping to figure out what it was exactly that upset. I know this wasn't the most creative idea but I didn't think it was that bad. Or was it?

The second the coconut cups were out of my hand and I took a step toward Rose she flew into me. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she didn't have to struggle too much on her toes since her heels were pretty high in order to kiss me.

It's indescribably how good it felt to have her this close again but also confusing considering she had tears in her eyes. She pecked me on my lips and peppered kisses all around my mouth and cheeks until she pulled back smiling, tears still in her eyes.

"This is the sweetest thing ever," she finally said. "It's extremely corny and cheesy but it's really sweet," she laughed hugging me tightly.

Realizing I hadn't upset her after all, I returned the hug and held her to me, kissing the top of her head.

"And you thought I couldn't be romantic," I teased. I felt the vibrations of her giggle against my chest.

"This is just like the romantic comedy movie moment I've always dreamed of."

For a good few minutes we stand there just holding each other and swaying.

"I can't believe you even put on a Disney soundtrack," she laughed again as the next song changed to one from The Little Mermaid. She pulled away far enough to look around the room again but I didn't let her move too far from me, keeping my hands clasped behind her back. "The food, the music, the movies, the makeshift beach setting, it's all perfect. Thank you."

She seals her appreciation with another kiss, longer this time but just as tender as all the kisses we've shared before.

I'm not sure how much time has passed but by the time Rose and I finally pull way from each other we both laugh breathlessly at our appearance. I have no idea what I look like but I imagine my hair and clothes are as disheveled as Rose's look and yet she still looks incredible.

She blushes as she tries to smooth her hair down from where I'd locked my fingers in her hair tangling it. She reaches to help me fix my own clothes and tucks my hair behind my ear the same way I often tuck hers.

"We should...we...food?" I try to suggest, unable to pull a complete sentence together.

There haven't been any nights like the last weekend we'd spent together before those weeks where we had been separate during the trial. Rose and I talked about making sure we keep things slow especially with any physical intimacy. There have been kisses here and there but we've mostly kept it strictly to hugs and gentle touches.

Kisses like this, long tender kisses that warm me from the inside out, where I can feel every inch of her body against my own, where I'm able to hold her small frame against me as she gently opens the seal of her lips.

We're breathless and blushing as Rose pulls me toward the chocolate I have set out.

"My weak spot: chocolate," she grins as she piles food into one large bowl and then settles herself onto the couch, patting the spot beside her. "What are we watching first?"

The night is perfect.

We're both happy and comfortable.

Nothing fancy.

Simple.

We watch every classic Disney movie I could find, spend most of our time eating chocolate and dipping fruit into the fondue rather than eating any of the real food I laid out, and just talk. I realize that despite everything we've been through, there is still so much we don't know about each other and how different we are. It reminds me of the conversation we had so long ago about our age difference and things we have in common but we still seem to fit well together.

"I cannot believe you," Rose laughed, pushing her hair out of her face as she struggled to calm down. She scooted even closer to me to look me in the eye as if this was of utmost importance when being discussed. "You do not eat pizza with a fork. It's just.. the rules of humanity. French fries, burritos, and pizza, you use your hands, Mr. Belikov."

"I was raised to be a neat eater," I defended, amused that she found this so unbelievable.

"It's just wrong, man," she declared seriously as if I was breaking the law.

Most of our disagreements for the evening went this way, Rose declaring I was "eating the wrong way and breaking the rules of food conduct". In fact most of our disagreements involved food of some sort.

"Here, close your eyes," she instructed from the kitchen where she was forming some sort of food concoction. "You'll love it."

Doing as I was told, I closed my eyes and waited. I felt the couch dip slightly where she sat beside me. "Okay, ready?"

"This isn't something weird like broccoli and chocolate, is it?" I asked skeptically with my eyes closed.

She actually scoffed but I could hear the smile in her voice as she answered,"You'll just have to open the tunnel and see."

A second later she pressed something soft, cold and smelling lightly of chocolate against my mouth. I took a tentative bite and chewed thoughtfully.

"Good?" She ask excited about my response.

"Marshmallow, chocolate, and a strawberry?" I guessed.

"You missed the French fry but close enough," she said sounding proud.

"French fries and chocolate do not go together," I say finally opening my eyes.

"Be honest, it tasted yummy."

I had to admit it was pretty good but I wasn't going to help add to the smug smile already on her face. I learned over time that Rose loved being right.

"You realize how much exercise we're going to have to do in order to get back in shape after eating all of this junk."

"You offered the food, I just obliged and ate most of it," reminded me. "Besides, I think we're in pretty good shape. And eating all this food means we'll have more time together working out."

She had a point there.

"True," I agreed.

"I'm glad we did this. Thank you. I needed a fun night and I missed you like crazy these last few weeks," she whispered laying against my shoulder. We interlocked our arms and clasped our fingers together.

"Me too."

A comfortable silence settled over us before Rose shifted, laying her legs across my lap and tilting her head up. "Close your eyes one more time," she instructed tentatively this time sounding unsure of herself.

As soon as I did so I felt her inch toward me, feeling the heat from her body and the brush of her lips against my own. She didn't seal the kiss completely. not yet. Her lips ticked gently against mine while her fingers brushed along my jawline stroking the shadow of scruff growing there. Her other hand wound its way against my other cheek and she held my face in her hands. Our noses brush together as she leaned in completely. The slow tender kiss we shared earlier tonight was nothing compared to this. This was different. This wasn't a kiss weighted down with worries about impending troubles or a trial or traumatic memories of being attacked.

This was me and her. The two of us. No one else. No worries. No fears. No concerns about the future.

It's just us, here and now.

"Good?" she asked, repeating her same question from earlier about the taste of the food.

"Great," I murmured against her mouth before moving in for another kiss. "I'm tasting...a hint of lip gloss, a bit of sweetness, and a lot of Rose," I described, moving my mouth a little further placing a gentle kiss behind her ear. I feel her shudder against me and I pull back so I can see her eyes. "Is this okay?" I ask, referring to how tightly we're interlocked together and the kiss I just gave her.

She nods her head quickly. "It's...perfect," she breathes.

By the time we've finished the last of the Disney movies, I have two last activities planned for the evening.

"You're really not going to make me dance are you?" Rose asks skeptically as I lift the blanket we're both under and lift her off my lap, setting her down onto the couch and stand up.

"Eventually but I want to give you something first."

"Do people usually give gifts on prom night other than a corsage?" she asks, lifting her wrist and twisting the corsage I'd given her earlier.

Instead of answering, I gave her the gift I'd bought a while ago but wasn't sure when it'd be right to give it to her. "You're birthday passed two months ago but we didn't really do anything since..." I trailed off, not wanting to bring up the end of the trial, her being in the hospital and recovering in therapy.

She understood and nodded. "How did you know when my birthday was?"

I shrugged. "The paperwork you filled out when you first signed up for the defesne lessons."

She tugs at the paper of the =gift I gave her. After unwrapping it she gasps and looks up from me back down to the gift repeatedly, her eyes wide. "This...Dimitri...I can't accept...this is...oh my gosh..."

She holds up the necklace, a long silver chain where a pendant, a small piece of metal looped into spirals with a rose etched into the center.

"It's an old, Celtic pendant of strength," I tell her. "I usually hand these out any time a trainee or and the trainer feels they've progressed greatly since their first day in the studio. Usually they're all the same but I had yours engraved with the rose," I explain a little timid, hoping she'll like it.

She sets the box down and turns around, slipping the necklace into my hand and holding her hair up so that I can clasp it around her neck for her. I lock the clasp and she lets her hair fall before turning around to face me again, looking down at the pendant.

"You really have come so far Rose. You're pretty amazing and I'm proud of you, everyone's proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself."

"I am," she nods in a hoarse voice. "I don't think I would have made it this far without you, though," she murmurs. She flicks her gaze up and there is that wateriness in her eyes again. the same time I reach to brush the tears away she shifts back onto my lap. "You're pretty amazing yourself, you know," she whispers, clutching tight to me nearly as strongly as I'm holding her and I can't imagine ever being able to let her go.

Rose hasn't released the necklace out of her grip once since I put it on for her.

While it is meant as a symbol of strength and how far she's come, I also hope she realizes it's also a sign of how much she means to me.

"You're going to break up with me the moment you realize how bad I am at dancing," she warns as I look for the perfect song to play for our first dance.

"

"Who knows? I might think your terrible dancing is cute and fall for you even more," I retort as I continue searching through the songs on the playlist I set up earlier. "Any requests? I can't find the right song."

When she doesn't say anything I turn around and find her staring at me wide eyed and with her mouth slightly open.

"What?"

She doesn't say anything, still holding the necklace pendant in her frozen grasp.

"Rose?" I ask taking a tentative step toward her.

"You're falling for me?"

I think back to what I said distractedly earlier without really thinking about it. I thought it would have been obvious now. Especially with the necklace.

"Of course," I shrug smiling.

She blushes and looks down at her feet.

"I didn't think anyone would ever want me after-"

"Rose. Stop. You know how much I care about you and, yes, I'm falling for you. Every second I'm with you or thinking about you, I'm falling for you. Don't doubt that. Don't doubt yourself. Not now."

The necklace around her neck jingles slightly as she moves it around in her hand and she looks at it and then back me, taking in my words. There's a new resolve in her eyes and I hope it's that as long as she has that pendant and she has me, she won't ever forget that.

I let her continue to mull my words over as I flick through more songs before finally settling on an old one that is considered country but is still nice to listen to. Plus the lyrics are perfect for the moment.

Rose stands in the middle of my living room listening to the lyrics and smiles, laughing.

"'I Hope You Dance'?" she asks amused. "And it's a country song?"

"The best there is," I tell her as I reach for the plastic crown I bought and settled it on top of her head. "Can I have the first dance with the prom queen?" I ask, formally holding my hand out.

She still looks hesitant at the thought of dancing but gives in none the less, placing her hand in my own. We're doing pretty okay so far, swaying slowly and I twirl her a few times without any stumbles. She only steps on my feet a couple of times and trips over her own a few but other than that she's not as bad as she seems to think she is.

"You lied to me," we say in unison.

We look at each other confusedly before both of us, at the say time, asks, "About what?"

She giggles before I gesture that she should go first. "You lied to me. You said you weren't a very good dancer either."

"Well, I used to be pretty bad but Sonya and Karo used me as practice before they went to their own dances in high school so I guess I learned from them," I admit. "What about you? You're dancing pretty alright?"

She shakes her head. "Dimitri, I'm all over your feet and my own. And I'm not even wearing the heels any more," she points out, gesturing to the apparently pretty but painful shoes she kicked off earlier.

"I barely feel you," I assure her but she still looks uncertain that she isn't doing any damage to my feet.

I decide to surprise her, making sure I have a firm hold on her small frame before lifting her off the ground a few inches, clutching her tight against me. She squeals in surprise and gasps, tightening her hold around my neck.

"I'm not heavy?" she laughs against my neck as I twirl both of us around.

"You are so small and light I could probably toss you up into the air and catch you without any exertion."

"Don't you dare," she warns trying to stifle her laughter.

In one quick move I manage to lift and shift the lower half of Rose's body in my arms. Her expression is one of surprise and amusement. The entirety of this night consisted of surprise and amusement and I'm glad it turned out better than I thought it would.

"Most proms end in a hotel or motel room," Rose says suddenly. "But maybe we can spend the rest of this prom in your room?"

I hadn't thought about how this night would end. I startlingly realize that it's been so long since I've slept beside Rose to ensure that she is able to sleep without nightmares. I used to come after work or after being at the station helping out but I didn't like Rose waiting up, fighting sleep to see me and she didn't like me driving so late at night so it's been a while since we've shared a bed together.

"I miss spending the night here."

"Believe me, I miss having you here but...it's been a while since you've stayed. Are you sure you're okay? I can drive you home if you want?"

She shakes her head, and releases one of her hands from around my neck to toy with the necklace pendant.

"No. Tonight's to perfect. I want to fall asleep with you."

I'm not exactly ready either and I'm happy that it doesn't have to. Spending the rest of the night laying with Rose talking about everything or maybe nothing is just perfect.