I'm backkk :D

Finally managed to finish a long enough chapter to update. I've been writing a paragraph here and there when I had time so yay! It is a bit longer too.

Why do I even go to school? I do most of my work at home…

But you guys don't want to listen to me, you want to read. So enjoy!

"What'd you expect? Small cabin, two people who you said you were all for getting married…" I said, hoping beyond hope that Abe didn't set him aflame or something with his ninja moroi powers. Come to think of it, what was Abe's element?

"I said I wanted to walk you down the aisle, not walk in on my just barely legal daughter making out with her previous mentor." Ouch. I felt Dimitri flinch under my hand that rested lightly on his chest. "And Dimitri," his gaze swivelled to stab him. "You knew full well that I was coming back to speak with Rose. Did this really feel like an appropriate moment…?"

I raised an eyebrow at Dimitri, who shrugged. "Got caught up in the moment." He didn't seem near as embarrassed as me. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was more scared for his life than anything else. By the look in his eyes, I was surprised he wasn't already on his knees begging for forgiveness.

He rolled his eyes. "Young people. They never change, no matter what generation, do they?" He seemed to go back in time to his memories of him and his… lover. I refused to think of him and my mom in a situation like this.

"Um… I wouldn't know, Dad. Being this generation and all."

He ignored this and continued to change the subject, surprising me. Here I was, thinking Dimitri was going to be a puddle of nothing on the floor once Abe was through with him. But I guess there wasn't much he could punish me for, since he was the almighty Zmey who also happened to impregnate my mom. If anything, he'd be the biggest hypocrite of all. "Anyways, before this situation arose before my previously virgin eyes," I snorted, "I was going to discuss the happenings of court and your futures." He had my attention with the whole 'if you don't listen, I will destroy your futures' attitude radiating from him. I got off of Dimitri, making sure my robe stayed closed, no need for Abe to see that much, and plopped down on my chair. It was now cold from my long absence.

Abe's face relaxed some and he continued, all business now. "Victor's trial takes place tomorrow. He his charged with escaping from prison, which happens to be illegal, the torturing of a Dhampir and will be questioned to indicate whether charges on the murder of Tatiana are legitimate and required." He looked at me and I braced myself, knowing what he was going to say next, "We will show Ambrose's video then, to show that they are not."

"Won't I have to be at court to show as a witness to my… torture?" I asked, tentatively, not wanting to go, to relive it all.

He shook his head. "No. The guardians that accompanied Adrian and Dimitri shall suffice. Adrian will be witness as well. You, currently, are not safe to return to court. After Amborse's video is settled, debated on and he is charged as guilty, you will be innocent of those charges." He bit his lip, as if he was debating sharing the next information.

"I will be cleared of those charges…" I urged him on.

"You will be cleared of those, but not of others. At least, not unless you make a really good argument saying that they were required and if you didn't, the world would surely parish."

Not liking the sound of that. Dimitri asked, "What are the other charges?"

"Breaking out of jail, assaulting many Guardians, all that stuff that seems to be the norm for Rose." I smiled at that.

"I think I'm getting off easy, personally. Like, come on, I influenced moroi to perform illegal craft, abused alchemist connections, refused direct orders, the list goes on." Wow, Rose. Look at you, bragging about your criminal history.

"Those aren't technically illegal." Dang. Wait, shouldn't I be happy about that? All of what I did, I only managed to break two rules, all of which I did during the first five minutes of my escaping. "Anyways, once I make sure it's safe for you to come to court, I'll come pick you up. You'll go to your trials etc and after some bribing and sugar coating everything you've done, I'll make sure you get your Guardianship reinstated. Can't have my little girl going around all shamed up. Bad for my image." This time, Dimitri snorted. That brought Abe's attention back to him though. "You, unfortunately, are also going to have to go to trial for your charge of being an escapee's accomplice." I was shocked at this. If Dimitri was an accomplice, what about Lissa and Adrian and the Belikovs? Sidney was safe. He seemed to read my mind. "Everyone else is safe. The guardians you assaulted don't remember Lissa and Adrian, just that they felt really disoriented and tired. Your family, "he nodded at Dimitri, "was taken under arrest for knowingly helping criminals." Dimitri cursed in Russian. "They said outright they helped you and weren't ashamed to hide away two innocent people whom they loved dearly. You should be proud of their courage and love for you." Dimitri smiled at that.

Abe clapped his hands, indicating he was finished his little news run. "Well, I'm feeling a bit hungry. Any food left? Of course there is!" He walked into the kitchen, helping himself to the food still in the boxes with his fingers. "This stuff is really good, you should eat it," he said while spooning some rice into his mouth (with my spoon, might I add).

I looked at Dimitri, who looked at me and we simultaneously picked up our abandoned cutlery and joined Abe in the dinner eating.

Now, I'm sure you all have had an awkward moment before but I know none of you have had an awkward moment like this. Just think of the tension wrapping around you during the aftermath of your rich, blackmarket dad walking in on you and your lover making out, laying down your criminal charges and then sitting down all homely-like in the romantic setup of the kitchen with you.

Yeah.

Abe picked up one of the petals on the counter top, sniffed it. "How many roses did you pluck?"

"Great way to put it, Abe," I muttered.

Dimitri just shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe a dozen. I went around to all the rose bushes in the back."

"There are rose bushes in the back?" I asked.

"Yeah. You know, in the garden?"

"With the veggies?"

"Yeah."

"Ah. That's why I didn't saw them." Me? Pick vegetables? Never.

More silence ensued and I couldn't even pay attention to the yummy, now slightly cold, Chinese food in front of me. You know it's bad when I can't even think about food.

Abe, finally feeling the pressure of silence, abruptly stood up and said, "Well, I best be off. I have plenty to get ready for." He made his way to the door, and turned, hand on the door knob. "Oh, and behave. Please, my fathery mind refuses to process my daughter getting all frisky with a man."

"I've been frisky with men years before I met Dimitri. Me plus frisky is old news."

Abe just fixed me with a glare, eyed Dimitri meaningfully and swiftly exited, yelling a quick, "And get some sleep tonight! You guys are moving tomorrow!" The door slammed shut behind him.

I twirled my fork between my fingers as we both stared at the door. "I thought he was picking us up when we were safe?"

"Well, he never said where he was picking us up from…" The fork suddenly fell with a clatter, both of us jumping at the sudden assault of noise. Dimitri and I both jumped down to retrieve it, bumping into each other as we tried to take up the same space. Despite the cool floor beneath my bare feet, heat immediately washed over me as our previous arrangement sudden rushed back to me at that touch. The feel of his mouth against mine, on my neck, his hands roving my body. I froze for a second, my body longing for the reality of those memories. Dimitri used my distraction to pick the fork up and tossed it towards the sink. It banged loudly on the stainless steel, a perfect shot by a perfect god. He turned his gaze back to mine and returned my sly smile.

"Now, where were we?" I asked, before crushing my lips to his. Not that either of us needed reminding.

XXX

A loud rapping ripped me from my fog of sleep. I nuzzled against the warm muscle beneath me, trying to make the noise go away, but being all Guardian-tastic, I was of course, immediately awake and aware of my surroundings. My cheek pressed happily against Dimitri's chest, his strong arms wrapped around me, the soft rise and fall as he breathed. Rap, rap, rap. "Rose! Answer the door! You took the key out from under the mat." I groaned, knowing that I wasn't going to be able to avoid this.

I lifted my head up, resting them on the backs on my hands, still half-lying on top on Dimitri. "We should get that," he said softly, his fingers dancing through my hair.

"Yeah, but I'd rather stay here with you." No truer words have ever been said.

"Me too, but I don't really want your father breaking down the door to see this."

"Mmmm, I guess. I think we already scarred him with yesterday."

He smiled and slowly got up, gently lifting me off him and placing me back on his bed, his spot still burning with his body heat. I breathed in his scent from his pillow. I studied his back as he picked through his closet, grabbing a pair of shorts and a shirt to pull on over his nude body. I sadly watched as his beautiful butt was covered with jean shorts, he being Mr. Commando, and he left the room, a shirt making its way over his head. I sighed, regretfully leaving the warmth of the bed and the steam of the night with it. Standing up, I stretched, arms reaching above my head. I did a quick look around for my pile of clothes before I remembered that my robe had been discarded early into the night in the kitchen. I'd happily throw on one of Dimitri's shirts but I'd still be without pants. Or underwear. Quickly, I cracked open the door to see Dimitri just placing his hand on the doorknob, yelling "Coming, coming" at Abe, who was still trying to break the door down with his fist.

"Dimitri," I hissed. He paused and looked over his shoulder at me. "I have no clothes."

His eyes widened for a split second before yelling, "Just a sec," at the door and dashing into my room. He quickly returned with a set of the most provocative lingerie Lissa packed me and a normal V-neck and straight leg jeans. I raised my eyebrows questionably at him as I pulled them on, Dimitri secretly watching out of the corner of his eye. He shrugged and said, "Grabbed the first thing I saw," with his Guardian mask which immediately made me think otherwise. I dropped the topic and motioned at the discarded robe. He jumped up and disposed of that as well. He did a quick look around for anything else that might be used as evidence for our night before returning to the door and yanking it open. Now that the noise had stopped, I realized that Abe must have hit that door bloody.

"If I have broken knuckles now, I'm charging you with the bill," Abe stated, not happy with the wait.

"And I'd get you to pay any hospital bills I get so you'd end up paying for it anyways," I retorted, not happy with his interruption.

"I do remember saying to get lots of sleep last night. Moving, remember?"

"We did get…some sleep." I flickered my eyes at Dimitri and we both smiled.

"Not lots by the looks of it. It's noon and you still have bags under your eyes."

"Hmph. Not the way to compliment and lady in the morning."

"Ladies don't make gentlemen wait at their doors."

"Well, sorry. If I knew you wanted to see me running around naked I would have let you in myself," I said, not thinking. Geez, Rose. Way to dig yourself into a hole.

"What! I believe I told you two to behave." He glared at Dimitri who, to his credit, only shrunk back in his pupils, where it cannot be seem by the average man, or moroi. Or hopefully Abe, even though he watches for these weaknesses. He obviously wanted to yell at Dimitri, maybe attack him or use some sort of blackmail material but thought better of it, maybe remembering that I was perfectly legal and we were both one of the most badass Guardians and we'd quickly restrain and dispose of anything if need be, including blackmail material and possibly him. He continued glaring before finally getting back to the reason he was here. "Well, since I expected you two to already have your stuff packed and the house clean, our schedule will be set back a bit. But no worries, I'll whip you guys into shape. Now, get your asses moving before I leave you here to rot. None of the vegetables grow in the winter." He swiftly walked in and plopped himself on the couch, pulling out a book from god-knows-where.

Dimitri and I looked at each other again before continuing on back to our rooms. I quickly stuffed all my clothes and other possessions into my suit case and was about to make my bed (shhh, let's pretend I already washed the sheets) when large hands slid down my waist to my hips and past my jean line, playing at the lace he had chosen for me. "You know, these look really nice on you, both in my mind and reality." His breath tickled my ear and the thought that he was thinking about me in them made me shiver happily. "So good, I might just have to take them off." His breath left my ear as he shoulder checked behind him. He turned back to my ear. "Sadly, it'll have to be later."

"Much, much later if you guys don't get going." I jumped at Abe's voice as it suddenly played contrast to Dimitri's soft, seductive one. "Chop chop, people. I told you to pack your clothes, yes, but I wasn't counting the ones you're already wearing!" he exclaimed, frustrated. He waved Dimitri out and shut the door once he exited. Abe turned to me with that look that said he was about to give me 'the talk'. Before he could get a word out of his opened mouth, though, I interrupted.

"Don't even try to tell me I'm too young. Mom had me around this age. And let's not forget you're the reason why. And I can't have kids with Dimitri, so there's no issue."

He glared and tried at another card. "Just because you can't get pregnant doesn't mean you should act like rabbits."

I snorted. "You make it sound like we're always at it."

"Every time I come around you are."

"You've been around, what, three times? Two out of three. And the two were the only times so," I stuck out my tongue at him and continued with my clothes.

He sighed. "I don't like seeing my little girl being a big adult. I never really got the chance to have you as a little girl, to enjoy your innocence. I got to meet the grumpy, hormonal, determined teenager right off the bat. No building up to it. So don't blame me for my concern."

I glared at him. "I am not a grumpy, hormonal teenager."

He smiled. "Well, at least you admit to determined."

I smiled back. "Well, no one can stop me from getting what I want."

"And I believe that whole heartedly. I think you get it from me."

I rolled my eyes at him. "At least I can say I made my badass name on my own."

"And what would you do if I said you got that from me as we-" A pillow smacking his face shut him up.

"I'd do that. Now, since you were the one that said we'd better hurry up, don't you think you're being quite the distraction?"

He rolled his eyes and waved. "I'll give you fifteen minutes before I expect your bags at the front, ready to be packed into the car." He left and, in fifteen minutes, I was shoving my bag into the trunk, trying to get it to fit around Dimitri's bag and all the random stuff Abe stored. Four spare tires, a complete tool box, a gazillion spare stakes, a box labelled 'private and confidential', no doubt housing numerous blackmailing material, and a tub full of blood stain removal formula.

I pointed at the tub, "Do I want to know?"

"No. Probably not," he answered. I shut up and got into the backseat beside Dimitri, hands all proper in my lap, thinking up reasons for Abe to have such things in his car.

Any guesses or morbid reasons you guys have for the blood stain removal formula?

And seriously, anyone know what Abe's element is? So mysterious….

So! I'm sorry for the delay but please still review. It's no good to punish the writer...

It is indeed possible to have 4 and a half hours of math homework, believe it or not. I never actually thought it was possible until recently, when I had 4 and a half hours of math homework.

DX

REVIEWWWWW

xoxo Darla