RPOV

I think it was going well.

I managed to gain my voice back and was able to form actual words and sentences. Olena, Victoria and Karolina and I talked. Victoria told me about her school and Olena shared a few stories about Dimitri as a kid.

We were laughing and smiling.

Sonya and Yeva sat at the kitchen table peeling and separating peas while we seasoned and chopped meat and potatoes, having their own conversation away from us.

No matter how much fun I was having I couldn't help thinking I did something to make them mad at me. I had the feeling that just being there upset them. It could have just been my meeting the family paranoia.

Dimitri was in the living room playing with Paul and Zoya and talking to a few family friends that had dropped by, a couple, Oksana and Mark, and a few old friends of Dimitri's that used to be in the FBI academy with him.

"Where are you from Rose?"

I peeled back the top of an onion and resisted the tears from coming to my eyes.

"I was born in Ireland but I grew up mainly here," I answered Olena.

"I've always wanted to travel and go to Ireland," she said thoughtfully. She handed a potato to Victoria who was texting under the counter.

"Why don't you?" I asked, tone curious.

I was wiping my eyes now, peeling further into the onion.

"It's a little hard to travel with three daughters, an aging mother, and two grandchildren. We're all really close, anyway, and I don't think I could stand leaving them just to travel."

"That must be nice, being a close family."

I'd said it more to my self than to her but she smiled slightly.

"Yes it's the best thing in the world anyone could have."

I wouldn't know.

I didn't know what to really say to that so I just nodded and continued peeling.

"Where's your family?" Victoria asked closing her phone.

I saw Olena shoot her one of those motherly warning glares, out of the corner of my eye, but Victoria turned her attention to the potato and picked up the chopping knife, not seeing.

I didn't really think about what I'd say if I was every asked about my family. But now that I was asked, the best way to go was to be truthful. They wanted to know everything. Well everything involved telling them about my "family".

Even if I didn't really want to.

"You don't have to discuss it if you don't-" Olena started.

"Oh no, it's okay," I reassure her. I kept my burning eyes on the onions though. I wasn't sure if it was from the onions or venting about everything that I felt tears filling at my eyes. "It kind of has to do with how Dimitri and I met."

"This is going to be good," Victoria chuckled, still chopping.

Another warning glare from Olena and a light laugh from me.

I paused to take a breath before starting. Before even a word came out, Victoria leaned further on the counter when I'd opened my mouth to start speaking.

"My father is…one of the most wanted criminals in the western hemisphere or actually the entire world," I started.

Olena stopped chopping and settled her self onto a stool giving me her fool attention. I kept mincing the onions unsure if I could bare meeting their eyes.

I took an unsteady breath to continue.

Olena, sweet Olena, spoke for me to give me a moment to breathe.

"Is that the connection between you and Dimka?"

I nodded, chopping slowly.

"You don't have to Roza," she repeated.

I finally looked up and met those eyes so much like Dimitri's, I suddenly felt strength, courage, and comfort coursing through me.

"No, I really want to. Its better you know all about me know rather than find out later. I want you to hear it from me."

She nodded and rested and soft, hardworking hand on my own, something Dimitri usually did. Victoria gave me a reassuring smile to continue.

"Being one of the sought after men in the world by the police usually means being a terrible parent," I started again. "My father-" I'd always used that word, without any meaning but now it hurt, scolding my throat as it came out "-Abe, that's his name, was…is a terrible man. Especially to me and my mother really wasn't any better but I had no one out to get away from them or everything they were doing. About two and a half months ago, Dimitri and his partners-"

"Still Christian and Jessie?" Olena asked.

"Yeah. They approached me and my best friend Lissa, whose father is just as bad as mine, and they offered us a way out. We'd help them put our fathers away in jail and in turn, we'd get our lives back, maybe be saved. Honestly, though, it hasn't gone very well so far. Really bad things have happened but no matter what Dimitri's always been there to rescue me," I summed up.

Olena and Victoria both wore proud looks, leaning in, really getting into the story, making dinner completely forgotten.

"That's so romantic," Victoria sighed. "Even for Dimka."

I laughed, for the first time since getting here and it lightened the mood a bit.

"What else happened? I mean what happened next!" she asked excited. "If you don't mind telling," Victoria added after another one of those Olena, warning glares.

I smiled at how cute the mother daughter duo were and answered her.

"Well…what do you want to know?" I asked not knowing where to go on from there. I kept the summary short and didn't fill in a lot of detail. I wasn't sure what else they wanted to know.

"When did you and Dimka go out? How did you two fall in love? Stuff like that."

"Victoria is really into love stories right now. She's a bit of a romantic teen. That's why she'd being so persistent," Olena said smiling. "Really. Roza we'd like to know anything you're willing to share."

"Well…Dimitri would take me to places I'd never been before when we weren't working like museums or to the park for a music festival. Recently he took me to the pier and own me this giant Spongebob doll and we had candy and went on rides and it was so much fun. He even took me to a drive in once." I sounded like a little kid the way I was talking.

"That's so sweet. I knew I raised Dimka right," Olena said proud.

Victoria chuckled. "What about the rest of us?"

"Karolina and Sonya are okay but you're a work in progress."

She her mom and playful eye roll and nodded for me to continue.

I stopped laughing at the two of them and went on.

"Dimitri is definitely the nicest guy I know. He's the only person in the world who really cares about me," I said, sounding as if I was just realizing it my self. "And it's just because he's an FBI agent and he's supposed to. He really means it. Whenever he's around…" I let the sentence trail off, as I was lost in thought.

Any words I was going to use to describe the way I felt around and about Dimitri were too private, especially for his younger sister and m other to hear. From the expression on Olena's face though she understood.

"You really love each other," Olena said staring at me thoughtfully. I felt as if she was taking in my entirety.

I felt my eyes widen and was quick to shake my head.

"No, I don't think so. We haven't been together long enough for us to be…that word…what you said," I rambled.

She smiled, knowingly, not really buying it.

I wasn't sure if I believed what I was saying my self.

"It sounds like you two are in love," Victoria pointed out in a singsong voice.

"I don't…I'm not sure anymore what we are."

I looked away to let the thoughts settle in.

It was a few moments before Olena held me in a loose embrace and said, "No matter what you two are, you have my blessing. I like you Rose, you're…different."

"Me too. I don't know what it is but I like you and you're good for that non-smiling brother of mine. I don't think Dimka's ever smiled so much before you came into his life," Victoria said really thinking about it.

"Thank you both. I like both of you too."

This day definitely turned out better than I had assumed and worried it wouldn't be.

Olena hugged me once again and then went to pre heat the stove.

"I think my mom would like you even more if you gave her grandchildren," Victoria whispered.

"Victoria!" Olena exclaimed laughing, her accent coming out even more.

"It's true!"

Olena relented, taking a pan from under the cabinets.

"Alright it's true but I still like you very much Rose. I'm just one of those mother's who wants grandchild from her son."

"You have almost three grandchildren already," Victoria laughed.

"Yes but I want at least one kid per child," Olena said truthfully, a smile behind her lips. We laughed and continued chopping and preparing.

"Now that you're apart of the Belikov family, that applies to you too," Victoria told me.

I tried to hide the wide grin that was spreading across my face at her saying I was apart of their family after only three hours of meeting me.

"That's true!" Olena said moving swiftly around the kitchen, multi tasking. She gave up on having Victoria attend to the potato and did it her self I fast motions.

"What's true?" Dimitri asked from the kitchen door way.

Zoya was on his hip, tugging at his hair, and Paul was running a racecar along the leg of his jeans.

He met my eyes and winked.

I smiled, blushed, and looked down at the onions again, my happiness suppressing any tears from falling.

"Nothing Dimka," Victoria and Olena said together.

"Uh-oh. That's usually means it's something," he said setting Zoya down. "Are you two interrogating Rose?" he asked coming around the kitchen.

"Don't you use your police terms on us?" Victoria said smiling. "We were simply getting to know our future sister-in-law."

"I take it you two like her if your referring to her as your sister in law already."

"We do!" she grinned.

"You okay?" Dimitri asked standing behind me and turning me around to face him. He rubbed my shoulders first and then his hands went lower around my waist holding me close.

"Honestly Dimka, we're not torturing her," Olena said slamming the oven. She glared at her only son challengingly but smiling, pride in her eyes. I'd definitely won Dimitri some family points by telling them how kind he was to me.

"I was just worried you to were pressing her with questions."

"Hey you left her here, buddy, at your own risk. You know what would happen," Victoria said texting again. "She's fine. A little girl talk is all."

"If she's fine, why are there tears in here eyes."

"Onions Dimka," Olena laughed, slapping him with the oven mitten on the arm. He flinched smiling, faking actual pain. "If you're not going to help us get out," she ordered, sliding another pan into the oven.

"Okay! Okay!" he said surrendering.

He managed to pull me closer than before and kissed me on the forehead.

"I'm leaving," he said backing out of the kitchen.

We finished cooking by the early afternoon and Olena sent Victoria to call everyone for dinner. Apparently large dinners around here were common. I offered to set the table and lay the food out but she said she'd do it and told me to spend a little time with Dimitri and getting to know the others in the house.

"Go ahead. They're not as bad as Victoria and I."

I smiled and walked through the house.

There hung pictures of the entire family, some of the kids separately and some of the pictures were the same as what Dimitri had at home. I stopped to stare at a few of them making my way to the backyard where I thought Dimitri was. Karolina passed by and talked to me for a while and I liked her as much as Olena and Victoria and even Paul and Zoya seemed to welcome me. Well as much as they could with the distraction of toys in their hands. Karolina even said Dimitri was lucky to have me and that she too considered me a sister. It was a bit much for one day but I took it all in grateful and happy.

A few of the visiting guest greeted hellos as they walked by, making their way through the house too.

I returned the gesture and they smiled.

Everyone was so friendly around here. It was nothing like the city.

The couple, Mark and Olena, walked by and said hello too and passed hand in hand.

I felt a tug at my chest and thought of Dimitri. I kept moving toward the backyard to find him.

Maybe it was love…

I let the thought fall away, still unsure of whatever feelings I had.

I cared about Dimitri and I like him a lot but I'd never been in love before and I wasn't sure what it felt like.

Did it mean wanting to be near that person every second of everyday? Did it mean feeling safe and warm in that persons arms and never wanting to leave that embrace? Was it always thinking of that person?

Then…maybe I was in love.

I pushed the back door open and found Dimitri sitting on the back steps watching a few of the kids playing while the adults stood off to the side, drinking and smoking and talking.

Yeva sat in a rocking chair.

She looked up and gave me another evil eye.

"Hi," I tried.

She turned her eyes downward to her knitting.

Dimitri turned at the sound of my voice and stood.

"Hey," he said kissing me on the cheek. "Did you have fun with my mother?"

"I did. She reminds me a lot of you."

"We are related that happens sometimes."

I pushed his arm gently.

He grabbed my hand and moved for the door again to go inside the house.

"Come on. I want to show you something."

I went, willingly letting him tug me behind him. I cast one fleeting glance over my shoulder to Yeva who looked up and glared at me again. I thought I had started to notice softness to her glare but I couldn't.

Dimitri pulled me through a few hallways and up the stairs to the last bedroom down the hall. He pushed the door open and we stepped into a medium sized room with a singled bed in the middle, the walls blue and covered in old western movie posters and books scattered all over the floor.

"Dimitri Belikov's bedroom," I guessed. "This wasn't how I imagine it'd be."

"How'd you imagine it?" he asked amused.

"Very neat. I imagined everything primp and stacked and folded."

There were a few shirts hanging off the side of the dresser drawers and books covered every inch of the floor. Other than that it wasn't too bad.

The window was cracked letting in the night's breeze.

"I used to sit by the window and just read and look out at the stars sometimes," Dimitri said, memories playing in his mind.

"I can imagine that. You were probably the dark broody type weren't you?"

"Maybe," he smiled.

I'd guessed right.

"I just wanted to show a bit of my childhood since we're getting to know each other and everything."

I leaned up on my toes and kissed his rough cheek. He hadn't shaven in a while but I liked the scruffy look on him.

"I'm having a lot of fun so far and I think I'm in love with your family," I said truthfully. "They're so…friendly and they welcome me with open arms. Your mom and two of your sister's called me a member of the family already."

He smiled down at me.

"They really like you. I'm glad. I knew today would go well. Didn't I tell you that, Miss Worrywart?"

He held me in a nice hug, running his hands down my shoulders, peeling my sweater off.

He kissed my exposed skin all the way up to my forehead and down again.

"Mmm. don't be a know it all," I mumbled, content with the feel of Dimitri's lips against my skin.

He smiled and kept kissing and nipping at my neck.

"You know you wouldn't let me get this far before. What's changed?" he asked, his voice muffled against my neck.

"First impression is out of the way, I'm letting you have a little fun. Now I just have to get through the rest of the night which is why I'm stopping you right here so you don't leave any proof marks of what we've been doing," I said pulling away.

He chuckled but helped me pull my sweater up over my shoulders.

"Still doesn't make any sense but whatever," he muttered hiding his amusement.

"Yes it does! I still have two approvals to go. Your sister Sonya and Yeva who I don't think likes me very much."

He laughed to himself at a private joke as he tied the belt of my sweater around me.

"They're so alike it's funny sometimes," he muttered to himself. "Yeva is just getting a fell of you."

"That's exactly what your doing," I retorted.

He ignored that and went on.

"I meant that it takes her a while to like anyone. In fact I don't think she really likes anyone. She tolerates us because we're family. She just watches how they act and what they're like and if she likes you she won't say anything but if she doesn't like you I'm positive she'll tell you."

"That makes no sense what so ever!"

"It sounded less insane inside my head," he muttered buttoning my sweater. "She'll like you. The night's not over. As for Sonya-"

"As for Sonya," a female voice, a bit more accented than Dimitri's said from the hallway. A very round Sonya stepped into the bedroom.

She wasn't smiling like the others had but I was starting to get the feeling that it was just the expression she preferred to wear.

"As for Sonya, she's come up here to tell you both that dinner is ready…and to apologize for seeming rude," she said to me. All possible emotion was gone from her voice. "It's the hormones. It's not as much fun being pregnant as it was eight months ago."

I smiled and it brought the tiniest of tugs to the side of lipped making it quirk.

"It's alright."

I was more bothered than offended that she didn't take a liking to me quickly because of how worried I was over making a good impression but now everything was smoothed over and we were okay. She nodded.

"Okay. Come down stair for dinner you two."

Dimitri gave his sister an apologetic look and she took it nodding before leaving us alone.

"And now you're in with all of my sisters. That's as close to anyone Sonya has every gotten. What's you're secret?"

"I'm just special that way," I smiled heading for the door.

Dimitri stopped me to grab another quick kiss and we headed downstairs for dinner.

I wanted his family's approval, I couldn't stand being away from him for so long, and I felt chills and yet a tingling sensation with his hand in my own as we made our way down stairs.

Was it love?