We got as much information out of the Strigoi before I staked him. I called Baba and he came over with some of the dust stuff that the Alchemists use to take care of them. The local Alchemists were Sydney's parents, and I wasn't going to be held responsible for killing Lilian.

Now Dimitri and I were just left to clean up the living room. Dimitri kept glancing at me as we cleaned up the broken glass from the coffee table before he cleared his throat.

"How are you doing?"

I furrowed my brows and sucked on my finger when I nicked it on a piece of glass.

"I'm fine?"

"I mean about Sydney. I know that this is touchy for you," Dimitri sympathized, "You may not have been open outwardly, but I remember what you felt."

I sighed and sat on my but, resting my elbow on my knees. "I'm sad and I feel for her. I can't imagine how hard this is, but I have an idea. It just makes me think about what we lost," I said quietly, "Maybe it had to do with the endo? I don't know."

Dimitri set the broken pieces in his hands in the trash and sat across from me.

"It might have been. I'm sorry."

I swallowed and waved my hand at him. "It's fine. But we need to be there for them."

Dimitri nodded and rested his hand on my knee, squeezing it and gave me a smile.

"We will Roza, I promise we will. But it's getting late. Get ready for bed and I'll take care of the rest of this. We can go to the hub in the morning with our information."

I nodded and stood up, going into the bathroom to clean my finger and wash my face. I stared at myself in the mirror for a few moments, reflecting on my own pain from years ago. My third year, shortly after Dimitri proposed, I found out I was pregnant. While there was the momentary panic that I was still in school and only twenty-one, I was happy and so was Dimitri. But I miscarried only a few weeks later.

I wasn't as far along as Sydney, but it didn't mean I didn't feel the loss. I didn't have the opportunity to bond the way Sydney did, but it still hurt.

I licked my lips and took off my wedding rings and scrubbed my hands in the sink, the smell of the hospital still lingering on my skin. I jumped in the shower quickly and washed my hair before getting out, wrapping it up in a silk cap and heading to our room. I got dressed for bed and sat on the bed waiting for Dimitri. He came in shortly after and looked at me sympathetically and got dressed for bed.

He didn't always stay through the night, most times he'd stay until I was asleep and go grade papers or work out, but would come back in before I woke up so that I woke up to him. It was something I had gotten used to and missed when I was in university.

He climbed into bed beside me and pulled me into his embrace, holding me while taking some of my anxiety through the bond.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry that you lost your cousin," I said quietly. Dimitri took a slow breath and nodded, squeezing me tighter.

I was exhausted the next morning. I slept restlessly and every dream turned into a nightmare. Dimitri soothed me each time I woke, but it wasn't enough. We had a name for yet another who tried to hurt us, and I was tired of feeling like a target.

Emily could tell something was wrong when we arrived but waited until the meeting started. As everyone filed into the conference room, Emily pulled me aside.

"I heard about Adrian and Sydney. How are they coping?" Emily whispered. I shook my head.

"I don't think it's sunk in yet. But Syd's parents showing up didn't help matters. I threatened to kill her mother if she didn't leave. It didn't end well," I said quietly. Emily bit her lip and shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"I feel horrible for them," Emily said.

"I think we all do; nobody wants anyone to lose a child," I said and wrapped my arm through hers as we went in. I sank down in the closest chair and pulled my legs up, wrapping my arms around them and rested my chin on my knees.

"What happened?" Alberta asked Dimitri but came to stand beside me and ran her fingers through my hair.

"We were attacked in our apartment last night," Dimitri started, diving into reliving our night. My parents slipped in silently and stood by me. Mom didn't seem all that surprised by what Dimitri was saying so I assumed Baba filled her in. As Dimitri spoke the words faded around me.

"How could you!? You put your own family at risk!" Christian yelled, running his hand through his hair with a sharp shake of his head. My eyes watched him as he paced, if fire could come out of his ears it would."

I blinked and shook my head slightly, tuning back into the meeting. I didn't exactly need to pay attention considering I lived through it.

"And your father is behind this?" someone piped up.

"I don't think he's doing this alone. We all knew that an Ekon was working with the Strigoi, but I don't think it's just him. He isn't capable of that," Dimitri said with a sigh.

"That's more dangerous," Stan said.

"How do we know that the Strigoi didn't lie?" Tasha asked. I rolled my eyes and spoke for the first time.

"Because being tortured for two hours for information would make anyone talk. Being burned and stabbed and not being able to heal is a bitch," I said dryly.

Multiple eyes turned toward me and I shrugged.

"What?"

"You tortured a Strigoi?"

"Yeah, wasn't that hard," I said plainly. Baba gaffed beside me and I rubbed my jaw. Tasha narrowed her eyes at me and I bugged mine at her, waiting until she turned away with a huff. I didn't know why she was even here, she didn't give a shit about any of us in this room. Christian included. He mated up and she shunned him.

I did feel for him though. She all but abandoned him when he presented, leaving Dimitri to find him laying on the kitchen floor in agony because he need to feed and the sun was at it's highest. I didn't understand why the sun would bother him given he knew his mate and had a steady relationship, but Dimitri explained that the first week is different. They are as vulnerable as ever the first week, and they couldn't go into direct sunlight.

But he had all the family he needed in this room. Tasha was essentially an outcast here.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out, finding an incoming call and quietly slipped out of the room.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's El," Ellison said on the phone. I felt on edge hearing the unease in his voice.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Do you have a minute? I need to talk."

I moved into the kitchen and sat at the island. "What's up?"

"My mother showed up."

I gaped and made a face, shaking my head. "What?"

"My mother. My biological mother," Ellison said, "I have no fucking idea what to do. I've known her for years and never knew."

I rubbed my head and sighed. "How did she find you?"

"I don't know, she said that she knew you," he said, "Did you tell anyone where I lived?"

"No! Of course not. Mia would wring my neck if I did. Plus I respect you guys too much," I said softly. Ellison groaned and I frowned. I didn't know exactly what to say.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Emily," he said. I licked my lips and turned when heels clicked on the floor, turning to find Emily coming down the hall.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I nodded and turned back around and cleared my throat.

"Like the one at my wedding?" I whispered.

"The exact same."

I scoffed and sighed. "Shit. I had no idea. Wait…that would mean that-"

"I've been a Dhampir my whole life and had no idea. Yeah."

I let my forehead thump against the counter. "This is so fucked up."

"Are you working today? I need booze."

I sighed. "No. I'll meet you at the usual place later. I have some stuff to take care of before," I said. Ellison said his goodbyes quietly and I dropped my phone on the counter.

"They're finishing up in there," Emily piped up and I turned on my chair, looking at her squarely.

"Did you have Dhampir child and give them up?" I asked, almost demanding. Emily's face paled a little bit and she squared her shoulders.

"I did," she said quietly, "My mate died a few months before I met Ellison's father. It was a one-night stand."

I nodded and slid off the stool. "You didn't think to mention that you were the mother to one of my best friends? I introduced you two years ago, and you never said a word, and now out of the blue you tell him?"

"I don't think that this is really any of your business, Rose."

"It is because in a few hours I'm going to get drunk with my friend while he tries to process all of this. And by the way, he grew up with an amazing surrogate mom, despite being passed around fosters," I said snidely as I walked past her. My anger wasn't exactly justified, but I was angry. I knew this woman for years and not a peep.

Dimitri seemed to understand that I didn't want to talk about it and gave me a comforting hand squeeze.

"I'm going out for drinks with Ellison tonight. I'm probably going to get trashed," I said plainly. Dimitri nodded and kissed my temple.

"Okay."

I nodded and pointedly avoided looking at Emily as we left. Dimitri raised an eyebrow at it, but let it go.

I kicked my feet back and forth while I waited. Dimitri offered to come with me to the appointment but told him it was okay. He needed to prep for his class and I was heading to see Ellison once I was done.

Just another reason to get trashed tonight.

I stopped fidgeting when the doctor came in, giving her a nervous smile.

"Hi, Rose Hathaway?"

"Uh, Belikov. I just got married," I said.

The doctor nodded and made a note on the file in her hand and sat in the chair.

"My name is Dr. Claire. I see from the notes here that you were in the ER and that there were signs of Endometriosis deposits. How have you been feeling?"

"Not great. The cramps are kind of constant now, and my period was really heavy and lasted nine days," I explained, rubbing my hands together between my knees.

Dr. Claire nodded and made some more notes. "And on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain today?"

"About five. It's usually a constant five and then spikes."

Dr. Claire nodded. "Can you lie back? I want to feel your abdomen," she said standing up. I nodded and she grabbed a pair of gloves and put them on. Dr. Claire lifted my shirt and felt around my stomach before pulling the waistband of my pants down a bit, feeling between my hips.

"That's a pretty tattoo," she commented as she pushed her fingers against my skin.

I grimaced when the pressure was too much. "Thanks."

Dr. Claire asked me a series of questions. Each question she asked was so specific to what I was feeling that I just nodded.

"The way to officially confirm an endometriosis diagnosis is laparoscopic exploratory surgery. We would be able to see any endometrial tissue and we would remove it. Is this something that you would like to consider?"

"The doctor in the ER said it can give some relief?"

"Many have said that they have gotten relief for a few years," Dr. Claire said.

"And how long would I need to wait for this?"

Dr. Claire turned to the computer and tipped for a moment. "There has been a lot of backlog at the hospital I work at, and the earliest I could get you in is six months from now."

I bit my lip and sighed. Six months seemed like a long time to wait, but I wanted a definitive answer and to know how to go forward.

"Okay."

"You don't want to speak to your husband first?"

My eyes narrowed. "My husband has no say over my body."

Dr. Claire smiled. "That is the answer I wanted to hear. I will go get the paperwork for you to fill out."

I nodded and sat up, crossing my legs and toying with the ends of my hair. Dr. Claire wasn't gone long and came back, going over the paperwork with me.

"What medications have you been prescribed?"

I turned to my bag and pulled them out. She looked at the bottles and her brows knitted together.

"This is a very high dose," she said, holding out the body that Delia got me.

"I have a condition where I metabolize medications very quickly," I said. Dr. Claire nodded and asked me to make a note of that on my paperwork. I did and signed at the bottom, handing it back to her.

"I will put you on a cancellation list as well," she said.

"Thank you," I said, "I really appreciate that. I think my husband is having a harder time with this than I am. He hates seeing me in pain."

Dr. Claire. "I understand that. I had the same problem and my husband used to make himself sick over it. You have a good man," she said sympathetically as she walked me out.

I wasn't sure if Dimitri was annoyed or amused. I went to have drinks with Ellison and by nine o'clock, the bartender had called Dimitri to come to get me. I could barely stand up on my own, and everything sent me into a fit of giggles.

When Dimitri got us home, he tossed me over his shoulder as he carried me up the stairs. I giggled the whole time, slapping his ass before groaning when the swaying motion made my stomach roll violently. Dimitri's arm was clamped highly over my hips as he walked, sliding the key into the door as I started to feel like I was going to puke.

Dimitri walked straight to the bathroom and carefully set me down on the edge of the bathtub and I moaned, sliding off it and kneeling in front of the toilet. I heard Dimitri walk out of the bathroom, but I started to gag, groaning as I leaned over the bowl.

I breathed deeply for a few moments through my nose as my stomach settled and I sat back, leaning against the side of the tub. Dimitri came back in with a glass of water and a banana, sitting on the floor beside me. I took the banana first and ate it slowly, taking my time to pass myself so I didn't make myself sick.

Once I finished the banana, I took the water from Dimitri and sipped it, slouching and leaning against him.

"Worth it?" Dimitri asked.

I moaned. "Yes and no."

Dimitri rested his hand on my thigh, and I closed my eyes. "Ellison is struggling a lot. How could Emily just abandon him? No wonder Ellison had so many issues growing up; he was Dhampir and had no idea. He felt like an outcast and didn't understand why he was different."

"I don't know," Dimitri whispered, "I don't understand. I didn't think she would do that."

I shook my head. "She just showed up at his house. How did she think he was going to react. 'Hi, sorry that I didn't tell you but I'm your biological mother. Surprise?"

"Ellison can't be the only reason you're this drunk," Dimitri said quietly.

I sighed and finished my glass of water, carefully setting my glass on the tub.

"I'm having the diagnostic surgery," I said quietly, "And I'm kind of scared."

"Why?"

I sighed. "What if it's worse than we think it is? What if I can't experience a normal pregnancy? I know that it wouldn't make much of a difference as an Ekon but… I don't know. It just makes me feel inadequate."

Dimitri wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple.

"You are not inadequate, Roza," Dimitri reassured but I shrugged. I was feeling a lot of emotions and I wasn't sure what to do with them. I thought getting drunk would numb that, but it didn't. Now that I was home and away from the booze, I was left to linger with my thoughts.

"What if being an Ekon doesn't cure this?"

Dimitri stroked his knuckles over my cheek. "We don't know that it won't. So far, turning has cured all ailments. Cancers, blindness, deafness, paralysis, and even psychosis. I don't see why this wouldn't be cured either," Dimitri said soothingly. I looked at him, pressing my lips into a thin line and gave him a small smile. It was hard to feel so optimistic about it, but I could feel how optimistic Dimitri was about it. He had more faith in my body than I did right now.

"Do you really think that?" I whispered.

"I do," he whispered back. I nodded and rested my head against his shoulder, rubbing my nose with my fist.

"I stink," I mumbled.

"You smell like bad beer," Dimitri chuckled and stood up once I did. He didn't join me in the shower but stayed nearby in case I slipped. Once I stepped out I stumbled to our room, pulling the pyjamas out from behind my pillow and got dressed. I climbed into bed and snuggled with Dimitri's pillow, waiting for the spinning to slow in my head. When I was getting dressed, Dimitri mentioned making me something to eat.

Can you bring me my heating pad, please?

I could feel Dimitri's acknowledgment of my request and I could hear the microwave turn on. I smelled something cooking and was happy that my stomach grumbled in hunger instead of nausea.

"I can hear your stomach grumbling out in the kitchen," Dimitri said when he came back in, holding a plate with a few grilled cheese sandwiches and my heating pad. I took the pad first and placed it over my lower stomach and then the sandwiches, almost eating the first one whole.

"I'm excited for tomorrow," I mumbled around my mouthful of food.

"I am too," Dimitri said with a smile, looking around at the boxes that littered our bedroom. Tomorrow was moving day.

"As long as I'm not hungover, I'll be happy as a cucumber tomorrow," I said with a smile as I picked up my second sandwich.

Dimitri rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling muttering in Russian. I had picked up a hand full of words over the years, and I depicted that it was a prayer for strength.

"Not that you'll actually let me carry anything," I muttered.

Dimitri snorted a laugh and tipped his head back to rest against the headboard.

"You should take it as a complement. Some men would expect you to carry heavy stuff," Dimitri laughed and kissed my forehead.

I rolled my eyes and wiped the crumbs from my face and set the plate on the nightstand. I curled onto my side and rested my arm over Dimitri's stomach.

"Promise to love me even if my stomach gurgles all night long," I asked as I closed my eyes, the alcohol setting and making my eyelids heavy.

Dimitri's laugh was quiet and rumbled in his chest as he kissed my forehead.

"I promise. Even if your stomach does more than just rumble all night," Dimitri joked.

Let me know what you think!

I may be taking a short break from writing/posting for a bit. I have to start studying hard for my Law Clerk certification exam.