Dimitri POV
We had to come early. I don't know why, but for some reason Tasha demanded we visit Christian and Lissa three days early, right in the middle of a horrible snow storm. She said she'd call them. She said she'd take care of it.
From the look Christian's giving us right now from behind the door I know she didn't.
"Surprise!" Tasha screams as we stand on the snow covered porch. Christian doesn't look amused, not that I blame him. "Are you going to make us stand here in the cold all day or are you going to let us in?"
Christian looks at us for a moment before opening the door. "You're early," he states.
"I know. That's the surprise!" she exclaims. "Aren't you happy to see me?"
He starts to smile. "Of course, Aunt Tasha, it's just that-"
"Christian," Lissa says as she enters the room, "I found-" she pauses as she sees us, becoming a deer frozen in the headlight. "You're early!" she squeals as she throws herself at Tasha.
"I know!"
The Princess, who I didn't know was pregnant, turns to me and smiles and then turns back to Tasha. "What are you doing here?"
Tasha shrugs. "I wanted to spend Christmas with my family." Tasha hates Christmas, why would she want to come all this way to ruin the spirit of others?
"Liss, what did you find?" Christian asks urgently. Something's wrong. The question is what.
"Phone," she replies. Christian nods and it's clear he's worried.
What is going on?
Lissa takes Tasha upstairs to see the nursery and Christian goes off to make a phone call.
Where's Rose? She lives here. She wouldn't just leave her best friend and she definitely wouldn't leave around the holidays.
Did something happen to my Roza?
Stop it, Dimitri. She isn't your Roza. You left her, remember? You didn't say anything or call or write… you just left, and instead of apologizing to her you just-
The doorbell rings.
No one else is around, so I go to the door and open it, only to find Adrian Ivashkov staring at me, with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
"Belikov?" he asks in a rather stunned way. Is it that surprising I'd be here for the holidays?
"Hello, Lord Ivashkov," I reply in a hopefully friendly way. It mustn't have been, because Adrian still looks panicked. "Please, come in."
He does, but barely, stopping right in the hallway by the door. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here with Tash-"
I'm interrupted by the Princess. "Adrian!" she exclaims as she starts to frown. "Where's Rose?"
His suddenly moves his eyes away from me and looks straight to Lissa. "She isn't here?"
"You mean she's not with you?"
Christian appears and says, in an almost pleading way, "Please tell me she's with you."
"Sorry, Cousin," responds Ivashkov. "I haven't seen her." Christian starts to look worried. "Have you tried Abe?"
Christian nods. "Line's busy."
"You don't think she went out there by herself?"
No one says anything.
What the fuck is going on?
Lissa's the first to break the silence. "Why don't we all just come into the kitchen? She's probably just with Abe."
Abe? Who's Abe? Did Roza move on?
We all go into the kitchen and Ivashkov won't stop glaring at me. Christian is making tea in an attempt to calm himself down and Lissa is trying to lighten the mood anyway she can. They're both failing in their attempts.
That's when it got worse. Tasha enters the room.
"Hello, Adrian," she says the second she sees him. "Those flowers are beautiful! Who's the lucky lady?"
Adrian lost it.
He springs up ready to launch himself at my charge. Christian grabs him as I push her back.
The doorbell rings.
I'm closest to the door, but I don't want to leave the room while there is a possible threat. Christian nods at me and I get the door. I wasn't expecting what I saw.
There they were, standing in the wake of the snowstorm, Mr. Mazur, a very notorious figure back home, along with Janine Hathaway and Eddie Castile.
What the hell is going on?