I woke up early the next morning, and I was immediately out of bed and heading down to the gym to work out. I had been plagued all night by thoughts of Rose, and the drama with Tasha and the fact that right now I was probably jobless seeing as how Tasha had practically thrown me out.

I walked into the gym, thankfully nobody was up yet so I was alone, able to find an outlet for all of my pent up frustration. To everyone else I was always controlled and stoic, but when left alone I was a mess... Especially over the last two years.

Though at the moment if felt almost as though the universe was against me because after an hour of running on the treadmill I decided to go and lift some weights, and after two reps she walked in.

I heard her laugh as she entered the gym, the sound was so sweet I hadnt realised how much I had missed that sound, it made my chest tighten almost painfully. I was around the corner in the weights room now so she probably didnt even realise I was here as she walked around in the main area.

"Mama will you show me how to punch someone today?" A small feminine voice asked. I sat bolt upright... had I heard that right? I was so sure it was Rose out there, her laugh was unmistakeable. I couldnt hear any other footsteps...

"Sure thing Baby, come over here."

Yes its definitely Rose. I had to see this for my own eyes, I couldnt just jump to conclusions...
I moved from the bench as quietly as I possibly could and crept over to the door of the weights room. Peeking around the side of it and into the main room.

I swear my heart stopped as I watched Rose, kneeling beside a punching bag holding onto it with both her hands as she smiled widely down at a little girl.

The child looked to be around 2 years old, with long silky smooth light brown hair that reached down to her waist, and her skin was a lightly tanned shade of brown. I could only see the back of her as I watched as she balled her hands into little fists and aimed at the bag, throwing little punch after punch. Her soft grunts of effort were audible even to me on the other side of the room.

"Keep your elbow in line with your arm when you pull it back, that way when you hit, you hit with all the power in your arm." Rose instructed the small girl, shifting her elbow so that her next punch was correctly lined. I moved back away from the door and leaned my weight against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.

"Good job baby, that was perfect." Roses voice, full of pride and joy floated in to the room.

I squeezed my eyes shut, it was true. I couldnt deny what I was seeing, she had a child, Rose had a baby girl... she really had moved on... I had to hold down the pain in my chest as it threatened to choke me.

Wait... if that was her child and she was almost 2 years old, then that means she moved on right when I left... maybe even before that...

My eyes flew open, was I blind when we were together? Was she cheating on me? Could she have been seeing someone else while I was still here? I had to know, I needed to find out from her, if she had been with someone else while I was still here then everything she ever told me was a lie... then she had never loved me...

I pushed off from the wall about to march into the next room and demand answers from her when I heard the main doors push open and foot steps entering the gym. I pulled open the door to exit the weights room at the same moment that Rose and the child turned towards the new comer.

"Uncle Adrian!" The young girl cried, a small giggle escaping her lips as she threw herself at Adrian Ivashkov. He caught her in his arms and twirled her around once before stopping to face Rose. "I learnt how to beat you up!" The little girl laughed.

"Oh Really? Mummy shouldnt be showing you things like that." He accused playfully turning his emerald green eyes on Rose.

She just shrugged, "Shes going to be as badass as me, especially with her parentage..." She trailed off hesitantly, as though she hadnt meant to say that.

I figured I should probably make myself known now, seeing as how I was basically standing right in the room but neither had noticed me. So I cleared my throat loudly and moved my way purposefully over to the locker rooms, nodding my greeting to the both of them as I passed.

Rose had frozen on the spot and was staring at me with wide eyes, like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. My eyes locked with hers for a moment and I saw a look of guilt flash through them, like she had been caught out with something.

I tore my eyes away from her, my mind was telling me to be angry, believing that she had been with someone else because that little girl, that cute little innocent girl was definitely Rozas daughter. I felt totally and completely betrayed, how could she?

"I'll... I'll take Faith and get her ready for preschool ok." I heard Adrians voice, speaking low to Rose as though he didnt want me to hear but of course I was close enough with my dhampir hearing to hear it all.

"What am I going to do." I heard a small, strained whisper. I dont think I was meant to hear it.

"Tell him. Rose you cant hide her forever, he should know the truth before he jumps to conclusions that arent true." Adrian whispered right as I walked through the changing room doors effectively blocking out any more of their conversation.

I stalked straight to my locker ripping it open with enough force that it flung back and clanged noisily against the locker beside it. I was breathing heavily, the anger inside me ready to burst free, but I couldnt. Not here, not with them right outside. I couldnt believe it, Rose, My Roza has a daughter... She had never mentioned anything about wanting children when we were together... Infact I remember her saying she didnt want them because it would impact on her ability to guard Lissa... so what changed her mind?

"Dimitri?"

I tensed, every single muscle in my body seized up as I heard her soft, voice murmur from the doorway. Half of my being wanted to run to her and hold her as close as possible, the other half wanted to yell and shout and throw things. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply before turning to look at her.

She stood in the doorway, looking completely unsure of what she was doing, she was biting her bottom lip. Even through my anger at her I couldnt help but be slightly mesmerised by her beauty. She was like a goddess even when she was in her messy work out clothes.

"Yes Rose?" I asked, my voice sounding obviously strained but I couldnt help it.

"I think I need to explain..." She started to speak, her eyes watching my expression with wariness.

I couldnt help reacting, everything about this women made me lose any sort of control I had, "Explain what? That you have obviously moved on.. and quite a while ago by the looks of it-"

She cut me off, "I have not Dimitri. Shut up and listen to me for a minute will you."

I shut up, the abrupt burst of anger was so sudden that it reminded me of the old Rose, the 'take no shit' Rose from the academy.

"Yes Faith is my daughter, no she is not Adrians, I have only ever slept with one person. I am faithful, I do not sleep around, no matter what you may think." She paused for a moment.

I was about to retort with a comment about how that was obviously untrue when it hit me, her words sinking in to my head. She has only ever slept with one person... she slept with me... and the last time was around 2 years ago... which means either shes lying or...

She read the look on my face, "Yes Dimitri. Believe it or not but You have a daughter. As impossible as it seems its the truth. Faith was as much a surprise to me as she is to you, I couldnt believe it at first, but its been proven by DNA."

I stood there staring at her, my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide, scrutinizing ever inch of her face for any hint of a lie.
There was none, she was being completely honest with me, I could tell just like I could when she was lying back at the academy. She was telling me the truth... an impossible truth... and yet I had seen her... I had just seen the impossible...

"But... but how?" Was all I managed to say

"A quirk in my DNA." She shrugged, like it was nothing, "Lissa thinks that when she bought me back she healed everything about my body, making me slightly more moroi than human... something like that anyway."

I didnt say anything, I couldnt form any coherent sentence in my mind. I just continued to stare at her.

"Look. This doesnt change anything, I know how you are about your duty and about how they come first, so I dont expect anything from you, you can leave when your charge does. Faith knows her father is a guardian and hes out there doing his duty. She doesnt know its you, and Im fine with that, untill she asks me specifically who her father is I wont tell her. I dont expect you to become her father, you dont have to be around her, you dont even have to have anything to do with her, ever, If thats what you choose. Im just telling you because I think you deserve to know, and everyone else that knows thinks you do too. Now what you do with this information is entirely up to you. Just know that if you stay and you get to know her, If you ever, ever hurt her the way you hurt me, I will personally hunt you down and make you pay." her eyes narrowed as she protected her daughter and then she turned and walked out of the room letting the door swing shut behind her.

I continued staring after her, this was so much to process... only one thing kept swirling around in the front of my mind though, only one coherent thought...

I had a daughter... Roza and I had a daughter...