Hello guys, here another chapter and my longest one to date! Again thank you to those of you that follow, favorite, story alert, and my reviewers (some Guests, The cat with blue eyes, passainte, haley2794, and stardreamer2608) I'm not a reviewer hound but I do love reviews because it lets me know what you guys think of the story!

**Disclaimer**: I don't believe I need to change this chapter to an M rating but the topics discussed in the flashback (the italics) are slightly mature. If made uncomfortable please just skip to the non-italics part.

Enjoy! :)

Flashback-Rose POV

"What's so important that you dragged me out of bed at 1 in the morning?" Dimitri asked as he climbed through my bedroom window. We were 17 and as attached to the hip then as we had been when we were 6; Dimitri was one of the few people on this Earth that I trusted immensely. He was also one of the few that I felt the most comfortable around. When around others-usually people in school- I was found to be the outgoing one, the one who danced on tables at parties, the one that got along with everyone but took bullshit from no one. With Dimitri I didn't feel like that, like I constantly had to be on show, to entertain him all the time, I could just be me. I also trusted Dimitri because regardless of whatever happened, whatever mess I got into, he always had my back, his trust in me endless and never wavering since we were 6 years old and be brought me home from where I'd been sobbing at the park. I could tell Dimitri something and he would take it to his grave, never using it against me, and instead being the logical one in our friendship and usually finding ways to help me. He was one of the first people I turned to when something happened that I couldn't handle myself, and that was the reason why I sent him a text at 1 in the morning telling him I needed his help. And like the loyal friend that Dimitri is, he slipped out of his house and came.

I was pacing my bedroom floor, nervously wringing my hands, scared out of my mind. "Rose?"

I looked up at him and wanted to immediately burst into tears-something I hated doing, in my mind crying was a sign of weakness. Instead I started to have a panic attack, something I hadn't had in years.

"Rose! Rose breathe, in and out. Come let's sit down." I let him lead me to my bed where I tried to follow his breathing instructions but it was hard because I felt like my world was crashing around me. How the hell could I be so stupid?

"Rose, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Dimitri asked, concern in his eyes. I felt horrible for dragging him into this but he was my rock, my best friend, the logical one; he would know what to do.

"I'm sorry Dimitri-I didn't-I didn't know who else to turn to." I said, my words coming out in a rush.

And because Dimitri was the guy that he was he shrugged, as if getting woken up at 1 in the morning by your best friend who was now having a panic attack was no big deal. "It's okay. I'm here now, you can tell me."

I took another deep breathing, trying to force myself to calm down. "God, Dimitri I've been so stupid."

"Whatever it is Rose, you'll be okay. We'll get through it." The fact that he said "we" and not "me" made me feel even worse because it truly wasn't his problem. But because I was a heartless bitch, I told him.

"Dimitri," I looked down at my hands, "I'm late."

I saw the confusion in his eyes, then the I-really-think-she-lost-it look and I decided to further my explanation, "I bought the test, but I can't take it. I'm scared." I said, whispering the last part.

And that's when I saw the light-bulb go off in his eyes. He stared wordlessly at me for a few moments, "No," he finally said

I choked back a sob because even without the test I knew, I felt it, and that scared the hell out of me. Dimitri's only response was to pull me into his chest and hug me as I cried. We sat there for a few minutes until he said, "But Rose, you have to take it to be sure. You can do it right now. I'll be right here."

Like I said I didn't need a test to tell me what I already knew; Dimitri held me the whole night as I cried and cursed myself for being so stupid, for being one of those girls I swore to never be, for being pregnant at 17.

Dimitri and I sat on my secret for about a week while I made my final decision on what I wanted to do. It was during another midnight "sleepover" at my house that I finally said it out loud.

"Dimitri, I can't have this baby." We were sprawled out on my bed opposite of each other, his head near my feet.

"Rose, there are other options."

"I can't." I said, my decision final.

He sat up and I followed suit, "You don't have to, you can have a closed adoption."

"Dimitri, I can't." I said, my voice breaking into a whisper. It was February of our senior year, hard work during my high school career got me accepted into Vanderbilt University in which I planned to study law and become a lawyer. I already had to get familiar with travelling to a whole new country, by myself and without my best friend-Dimitri was going to Johns Hopkins to study pediatric care. There was also the fact that I was 17, about to turn 18 and I didn't want to nor was I equipped to become a mother or even give birth to a child.

"You've made your decision." Dimitri remarked to which I nodded.

"What about the baby's father?" He asked.

I thought of Jay who also went to the same school as me, of our on-again, off-again relationship, his bad boy reputation, and how he had told me he was no one's boyfriend and that hanging together was all in fun. Granted, I was the one who told him I didn't do relationships and we had slept together only a couple times but the last time had felt different somehow, like the condom had possibly broke or gotten ripped. I could kick myself for not paying more attention. I didn't sleep around-he was the second guy I'd had sex with-but I was always very careful so situations like the one I'm in never happened.

"No." I said.

"No?"

"I said no Dimitri."

"No like you told him and he influenced your decision or no like he doesn't know?"

"No like I'm never telling him." I said.

"Rose!"

"Look Dimitri, this is my body and my decision and you can either help me or leave because I just feel very alone and scared and I don't want to go through it by myself. And no I can't tell Jay because not every guy is as supportive as you and yes, I know you think I'm an idiot and I probably sleep around but I don't and I'm always careful and I just want this to all be over because I'm so scared and I feel ashamed and I just want it to be over." My words pouring out in a rush, all of my insecurities and worries laid out for Dimitri.

He scooted closer to me on the bed, "Rose, I don't think that you're an idiot and I don't think that you sleep around." He said quietly

"You're just saying that." I whispered.

"Rose, you are one of the funniest, smartest, and most amazing people I know. You're just in a really bad situation right now," He paused collecting his thoughts, "And like I said, whatever you need, I'm here for you. But-I just want you to make sure that whatever you choose it's your decision and that you have no regrets because what you're going to do can not be undone."

We looked at each other, the room silent, "Dimitri, I'm sure."

I found a nearby clinic out of town-in town would have sparked gossip I was sure- and that also didn't need parental/guardian permission at 17. All throughout Dimitri was there for me, driving with me to the clinic, holding my hand as we walked into the clinic together, as it occurred he held my hand and smoothed back my hair. That night when I sobbed, he held me and told me everything was going to be alright. I was 4 weeks pregnant when I terminated my pregnancy; Dimitri was there for every step of my abortion. I asked him about a year later why he hadn't run for the hills or told anyone, why he stood by my side helping me with a baby that wasn't even his. He had turned to me with a funny smile and said,

"Well, what are best friends for?"

My sentiments exactly.

Present Day-Dimitri POV

"Hello Jesse." I said

"Rose isn't here."

"I know." I replied, scanning his face and seeing the faint outline of a bruise on his cheek bone.

"So why are you here?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk to you."

I wasn't at all a violent man, but I was sad to say it thrilled me to see the fear in his eyes. "It's kind of late don't you think?"

It was and I knew it and I didn't care. I'd been itching for days since Rose had told me he hit her to come and show him exactly what I believed a wife-beater deserved but I had waited, patiently waited. On Saturday he hadn't been home when we had come over and Rose said he was usually too hung over to carry on a decent conversation on Sundays so I waited until Monday night on my way home from work. I wanted him perfectly coherent and sobered up for what I was about to give him.

"Let me in Jesse." I said.

He hesitated briefly before opening the door wider to let me through. I waited until he had closed and locked the door and then I punched him square in the jaw. Unfortunately he had seen me coming and tried to counter-attack but I was bigger, stronger, and coming with too much force; instead of the jaw I hit him in the ear. He tried to swing back and missed and I grabbed him by his shirt.

"You want to beat on women?" I sneered, inches from his face as I swung again, this time hitting the intended target: square in the jaw.

He wriggled out of my grasp and socked me in the ribs, it hurt but with all the adrenaline I barely felt it. "I didn't touch her." He lied.

"Wrong answer." I said, swinging for his nose and hearing the crunch when my fist met it's mark.

"You bastard. If you broke my nose-"

"What are you going to do? Slap me around like you slapped Rose?" I shouted, enraged. Blood started to trickle from his nose and if anything it gave me a boost. I lunged again but I was sloppy and he got me in the eye.

Damn, I felt that. "That bitch had it coming! Thinking she could walk out on me! Who the hell does she think she is?" He spat out.

I kicked his legs out from under him and watched as he fell to the floor. I pinned him underneath me and just started punching.

"I told you!" I yelled, "I told you that if you did anything to her, I would come after you!"

He struggled beneath me, using my anger as a distraction and rolling us over so now he was punching me.

"You son of a bitch! Leave her the fuck alone, she doesn't love you and you'll never be hers. She is mine!" He yelled. I licked the side of my lips and tasted blood, I heard objects fall as we bumped into things. I knew it was a matter of time before someone came to investigate; I needed to end this, now. Using whatever strength I had left, I rolled us over again, giving him two square punches in the face and another in the ribs.

"Rose is not yours. She is not property! She's a human being and as long as I'm around she will never return to you!" I stood up over him as he tried to stand up. Ever so gently, I placed my foot on top of his diaphragm, one wrong or sudden move and I could crush him with my weight and he knew that.

"Rose will be back, she always comes back." He squeaked.

"Not this time." I countered.

"I have more power over her than you think. She will come back to me, whether she likes it or not."

"Are you threatening her?" I said, placing a small amount of weight on his diaphragm, watching him struggle a bit for breath. He remained silent.

"If you try to contact her, bother her, do anything that makes her unhappy, I'll be coming back for you. She divorcing your pathetic ass and if you don't sign the papers, I'm coming back for you. If you even do so much as say hello to her, I'll be coming for your ass and the next time, I won't be as kind."

"Fuck you." He whispered. I left him there on the floor in his apartment and I slowly walked back to mine; towards the girl I swore to protect.

Rose POV

I had came home late that night and expected Dimitri to already be there but he wasn't; he later sent me a text saying he would be late and not to wait up. I ordered pizza and worked on some case files but when it started to get later, I began to worry about Dimitri. I knew he was a big boy and could handle himself but it was past 10 and surely he didn't get off work this late. It occurred to me that prior to showing up unannounced and a mess at his door, Dimitri and I had been drifting apart the last few weeks. There was a reason why, when I'd initially left Jesse, I stayed at Lissa's rather than with Dimitri's; well actually there were multiple reasons. Many of them stemmed from their relationship or lack thereof with each other. From Day 1 they hadn't liked each other and when I told Dimitri I was getting married I felt it had gotten worse. Dimitri constantly said that he couldn't trust Jesse and Jesse was beyond jealous of my close relationship with Dimitri. When we would get into awful fights-usually when Jesse was drunk- he would accuse me of cheating on him with Dimitri and would always tried to point out "obvious" signs that Dimitri was trying to steal me from him. In an attempt to keep both parties happy, I limited the amount of time I spent with Dimitri when Jesse was around and usually didn't mention one when in company of the other. Another reason why I didn't go to Dimitri was because I was slightly ashamed. Deep in my heart I knew that Dimitri would never bring up the fact that he distrusted Jesse from the start but when I had walked out on Jesse my pride couldn't handle the fact that Dimitri had known all along; like a coward I slinked over to Lissa who of course welcomed me with open arms. My relationship with Jesse had me do something that I was also ashamed of and seldom-if ever-did: question my relationship with Dimitri. I started to question why I liked hanging out with Dimitri so much, did I have hidden feelings for him, was I emotionally cheating on Jesse with Dimitri, was it wrong for me to continue seeing Dimitri? Of course now I could see how toxic my relationship was with Jesse that he made me question my relationship with my best friend and that I had allowed it, but at the time, I felt lost and confused and like an idiot I decreased the amount of time I spent with Dimitri. However, after walking in on Jesse in our bed, with that woman, and after that huge fight I realized there was only one person that I truly wanted; the one person who helped me in the park decades ago. Lissa was great and I loved her like a sister, but it was Dimitri I realized, Dimitri who could always make me feel better regardless of the situation. Dimitri who was there for me every time I needed him and then more. Dimitri, who I wanted more than anything to hold me and tell me it would all be alright like he always did.

Dimitri who was walking through the door right now. "Did you forget where your apartment was?" I teased. He looked surprised to see me on the couch, case files around me, the rest of the apartment dark save for the lamp on the table beside me.

"No, I just got held up at the hospital." He lied. Somehow I always knew when he was lying and vice versa. He hesitated, staying in the shadows close to the door before saying, "It's late. I'm going to bed."

He started for his bedroom, but I was off the couch and in his way before he could get there.

"Rose." He said

"What the hell did you do?"

Up close I could see the bruises and cuts that adorned his face, and the way he was clutching his side. "Rose. I'm fine."

"Like hell you are." I said, examining his face. "I told you, I handled it." I said quietly.

"And now we both handled it." He said roughly.

Like so many years ago when I was 17, I immediately regretted Dimitri into my messes. I regretted turning my kind, gentle Dimitri into someone that used his strength for something so negative; even if Jesse had deserved it. Dimitri and I stood in his living room, communicating without words, the same emotions that swirled in his eyes I knew were mirrored in mine. Eventually I sighed.

"Let's get you cleaned up or else you're going to scare your patients tomorrow."

Rose POV

I was pissed. It was nearly time for my defendant's court time and he wasn't here. I was even more pissed because he had been in lock-up over night so being on time shouldn't be a problem with officers escorting him. However I knew what they were up to, they do this kind of thing all the time with juveniles. They make sure they bring them into the courtroom either a couple minutes or seconds before they're scheduled so that way I have no time to prep them or see what they're wearing or simply make sure they don't say something stupid like, "I didn't hurt his bitch ass." which 10 times out of 10 did not go well with the judge making them a little less sympathetic. The tardiness annoyed me to know end and of course I had gone through the proper channels of complaints but nothing had changed, who cared if the people, the "criminals" as others referred to them were late for court, they were going into jail anyway. But, I was over it; it was cold, I was pacing the outside of the courtroom with a mere 30 minutes to the defendant's court time, I had a headache, and I also had to pee. Those officers were going to feel my wrath when they showed up.

"Hey Hathaway, this piece of garbage is yours." the officers said, bringing the 16 year old up the court steps roughly.

"It's about damn time, you guys got here. How long does it take to get him from lock-up to this courthouse? It's right down the damn block!"

They glanced at each other and rolled their eyes, strolling past me and to my office where I would brief my client. "Hey looks like someone's on the red." One officer said to the other.

I waited until my client was out of ear shot until I responded, "People like you guys are going to hell. If any of you pull another stunt like this, I swear I'll strip you of your badges so quickly, you won't even noticed what happened until you show up for work and security is escorting you out. Do not try me." I said, the last part coming out through gritted teeth, slamming my door.

I took a deep breath before turning around, "Damn you sure told them!" Jake, my client, said.

"Ugh, don't follow my example it'll only get you in more trouble." I walked over to my desk, got the clothes and placed it in his hands, "There's a bathroom right in there, change and be quick about it. Remove the earring and try to cover up your tattoos as best as possible."

I waited, gathering my files until he came out. "It's a little big but it'll have to do. Now while in court no outbursts, you don't speak unless I tell you to or the judge tells you to. Stand when notified and don't look bored or disinterested. Got it?" I said, while helping him with the suit.

I was helping him tie his tie when he spoke, "You're not afraid of me?"

"No. Should I be?"

"Everyone else is." he replied

"Well, I'm not everyone else. And besides I can handle myself, don't let my height fool you." I was petite for a woman and always had been but I made up for it with extra hours in the gym, making sure that no one would look at my size and make me an easy target. Jake was easily about 6 feet tall and stood over me.

"Hot lawyer like you has to have a husband or boyfriend so how does he feel about you defending dangerous criminals?" Jake asked, a lofty smile marking his face when he said criminals. Early in my career I had defended anyone and everyone and it got me hurt multiple times both emotionally and sometimes physically; due to that, and for my own safety, I carefully reviewed each case before I decided if I should take it, and usually the ones I took were juveniles or defendants with misdemeanors.

I tried not to let his words get me too down as I answered, besides how could he have known that I was in the process of a divorce. It's been a month and a half since Jesse hit me and a month and a half living with Dimitri. I was slowly getting the pieces of my life together and although I refused to let my emotions show that didn't mean I didn't feel them. I never told Dimitri but some nights I would have really bad insomnia and couldn't fall asleep, every time I closed my eyes I felt Jesse's hand on my cheek, I heard the distant slap and bite of the abuse. I heard the crap he would yell at me when he was drunk and his negative words would flow as freely as the alcohol into his mouth. I hadn't even served Jesse the divorce papers to his face, I was planning too but when I saw him leave out the apartment one morning on his way to work, I found myself frozen with fear. I couldn't do it, I couldn't face him by myself. Instead I slipped the papers into his mailbox and when I reached to work, in my bathroom I had another panic attack which resulted in me crying and vomiting. I hated myself for being so weak, for not facing him after what he did to me, but I couldn't help it. I knew that if I told Dimitri he would want me to see someone, to get help but I just wanted to be over that part of my life. So instead I turned on the Rose bravado and put on a brave "I'm fine" face but I knew it was sooner or later before he would see through it.

"Well, I'm not married and I do not currently have a boyfriend so, like I said, I handle myself."

"Oh wow."

"We need to be discussing your case. I highly doubt in court they will be asking about my love life."

I prepped my client, we went to court and I got him released back into the care of a foster home-which I vetted because he had run away from his last one. Jake had been caught on the run when he had walked into a bodega that was being held up in a sting. He would have been released and all would be fine but the person had shot the store clerk in an attempt to get money, the said shooter happened to be one of Jake's good friends and foster brothers; when coupled with the fact that he was on the run from a foster home in which he said abused him and others, the police decided to throw him in jail and try to charge him with accessory to a crime because the shooter was his friend and they assumed he must have known about it. Cases like this made me very upset because I saw too many, instead of helping foster kids they were trying to throw them in jail like criminals. Well I'll be damned if they try to do it to my clients.

Uncharacteristically, this judge was very forgiving and we seemed to share the same views so he made his ruling quite quickly, and also made me early for lunch with Dimitri. It was something we had resumed when I continued living with him. Sometimes we would go out or sometimes we would eat food that Dimitri made the previous night which I argued was just as good as a restaurant and cheaper too.

I was told he was with a patient so I was sent to wait outside the patient's door; the hospital staff knew me so it wasn't a big deal. I sat and watched Dimitri with the patient and her mother; the patient was a little girl no more than 1 years old, she sat upright and sucked on her thumb, her attention completely on Dimitri as she strained her head up to look at him nearly falling backwards in the process. Dimitri was talking with the mother and deftly caught the child before she fell, tilting her back upwards and massaging her back. I knew exactly how it felt, whenever I was upset or troubled he would do the same to me. I observed Dimitri, really watching him from afar as I found myself doing sometimes while we were at home. Tall as always, a built body underneath that doctor's coat, but he wasn't a gym head like me so he wasn't too buff, a face with very defined features, his jaw bone, his lips, his brown hair that never wanted to stay in a ponytail holder instead framing his face-even as his best friend I had to admit that Dimitri was a very handsome man. Why doesn't he date? The question came to me before I could even register it. He had his share of girlfriends but they never lasted too long. His longest and his on-again, off-again relationship had been with Natasha Ozera, Christian's cousin and the wicked witch of the west. Her and Dimitri had met in college and she always tried to sink her claws in him. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, I never liked her and I let Dimitri know it, but Dimitri always fell prey to her, a weakness I just didn't understand.

My musings were interrupted when the door opened and out stepped the mother, the daughter and then finally Dimitri, who looked up when I got off the chair and walked towards him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself."

"Were you waiting long?" he asked.

"No just hours upon hours." I said dramatically.

"This coming from you who always runs late?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled, "But not this time. I'm turning over a new leaf." Yeah right.

"Yeah right." Dimitri said, dubiously. Let me just wash my hands and then we'll go eat.

"Hi Dimitri." came a female voice as we sat down and started to eat. I looked up to see a nurse giving Dimitri a very flirtations smile.

"Hi Lindsey." he said, completely clueless to the man-eater smile she was giving him.

"Hi, my name is Rose, it's so nice to meet you." I said, pretending to introduce myself as she walked away.

"What?" Dimitri said looking up confusedly.

I shook my head, "You know Dimitri, you might have grown up, got all hot, and all that stuff but you are about as clueless as women now as you were when we were younger."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hi Dimitri" I purred, giving him a slow, sensual wink and nodding my head in the direction that Lindsey went.

He turned red, "That was nothing."

"That was everything! She was basically asking you to strip her scrubs right there and then."

He made a face, "You're crazy."

"And you don't go out much." I retorted. "When's the last time you went on a date, or had any company with the opposite sex? Dimitri," I paused for dramatic effect, "When's the last time you had sex?"

I didn't have the pleasure of catching Dimitri off guard very often but when I did I reveled in it. I watched as his cheeks all the way to his ears turned very red, very fast. I laughed, "Okay that might have been too far, but come one Dimitri! You're young, you still got it. What's holding you back?"

"Rose. I'm just not looking for a relationship right now." He said

"Bull, I never said anything about a relationship." I said, waggling my eyebrows. "We need to go out. You, me, Lissa, Christian: a club. Saturday night."

"What? No. I'm not going." He retorted, shaking his head.

"Why not grandpa? Is there an episode of Mad Men you haven't seen yet? You work too hard to not have some fun. Saturday night, we're going, you're going to have some fun and if anything you're going to get laid." I said singing the last part and whipping out my phone to text Lissa.

He was quiet for a moment and then sighed and that's how I knew he was in.

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