I'm glad you guys liked seeing things in Dimitri's eyes, even if it was only for a short time. Thank you for all the reviews, as usual :) Well, let's get into this…

"So…she's crazy?"

I was lying in my hospital bed, my parents sitting next to me, just as we had after I'd been attacked in the alley. It had been a couple of days since I'd, well, technically died. It was still weird to think about. I had stitches in my stomach where I'd been stabbed, so I couldn't move around too much.

I nodded. "Yeah, completely bonkers." I paused. "I've told you what happened to me. Now it's your turn."

My mom nodded. They hadn't wanted to tell me what happened with Lissa while I was still recovering. They thought it would slow me down. After assuring them it wouldn't, we made a deal that if I told them everything that happened to me, they would explain things with Lissa and how they'd found out where I was. I'd told them about thinking I'd been stalked and how they'd sent a picture to me about Lissa. I pretty much told them everything except the pictures of Dimitri and me. They didn't need to know about that anytime soon.

"The day after you tried to save her, Christian tried to talk to someone on the street about Lissa's whereabouts. He said he knew the guy knew something about it because he reacted to Lissa's picture. He tried to deny it at first, but Christian persisted. I don't know about everything he said to the man, but I do know that he appealed to him by telling him that Lissa was the love of his life. You'd have to ask Christian about everything, but the man wound up telling him that he'd seen Lissa the day before.

"Christian told Mahoney the address the man had given him and they checked it out. Lissa was being held in a small building that was vacant. She was being held by two men no one knew. She wasn't hurt, just a little shaken up. They questioned the men who were holding her, trying to get information about where you were. They'd already figured out that they were just using Lissa to get to you. The men didn't give them anything, though." my mom explained.

My dad took over. "As for how they found you, your mother went to the police as soon as she got home. I was still on my way here. They asked for permission to contact the phone company and get your call logs and texts when they couldn't trace your phone. Of course she gave it to them. It took a while to get the right paperwork and approach the phone company. Even with our permission, they wouldn't give them your phone records without a warrant. So, when I got back in town, the first thing I did was go to the phone company and demand to see your records.

"They couldn't show me what was sent in the messages, but they did show me a list of phone numbers you'd sent and received text messages from. I didn't recognize the first one, so I typed it in my phone, hoping it might be useful. It was. Rebecka's number was in my phone. I didn't know why she would be sending messages to you, so I decided that that was something I needed to tell the police." he concluded.

I looked to my mom, expectantly, but she didn't say a word. When she realized I wanted her to continue with the rest, she looked at my dad, worried. "I don't know. I think that's enough for today, don't you?"

He shrugged. "We've told her everything else. Why not finish it?"

"I suppose." My mom shook her head before turning back to me. "We tried calling Rebecka, but she never answered. Officer Blake went by her house, but no one was home. Their neighbor came out and told Blake that both David and Rebecka left the night before and hadn't been home since. It was suspicious, so they wound up tracing her cell phone. They suspected you might be with her and that there were probably more people with her, so they got a team together to check the place out. And then they found you and arrested everyone."

Again, I thought that Rebecka and her team had been sloppy. How had they not slipped up all this time? If Rebecka was getting phone calls from my parents, she should have turned it off if she didn't want to be found. Maybe she subconsciously wanted to be found. The entire time I'd known Rebecka, she was someone who hated seeing anyone even get a scratch. Whether it was Eddie falling off the trampoline, Mia getting hit in the head with a soccer ball, or me falling out of a tree, Rebecka would be there in an instant. She even called Christian's dad one time when Lissa accidently hit him in the head with a baseball bat, making sure she didn't need to call an ambulance.

Putting all of that together, I thought that, in losing her son, Rebecka went crazy in grief, thinking that the only way she could make it even a little bit better was by killing me. But she subconsciously knew that that wouldn't make anything better, that she didn't really want to kill anyone.

Good God, I was turning into Dimitri.

"So, what happens now?" I asked.

My mom gave me a pointed look. "Now, you need to focus on getting better. All you need to know is that Rebecka and her henchmen are locked up somewhere they can't get to you."

Before I could respond, there was a knock at the door. It cracked open and Lissa poked her head in. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

My dad laughed. "I think that's our cue to leave."

With one last kiss on the forehead by my mom – and a promise to keep things short with my friends so I could rest – my parents left. To my shock, Lissa was by herself. She quickly took the chair my mom had just occupied. "Are you okay?"

"Eh, could be worse." I shrugged.

Her eyes began to water and she had the saddest expression on her face. "I was so worried about you."

"Excuse me?!" I asked, bewildered. "You were the one who ran off with a bunch of maniacs. I think I get first dibs on worrying."

"I did that to help you. And then you go and get yourself in trouble anyway." I'd thought my small joke would lighten her mood, but she looked even more grim than before.

I sighed. "Liss, what happened to me would've happened even if you hadn't tried to help. It was inevitable. So, please, don't feel bad or think that this is somehow your fault. I just –"

The door opened, cutting me off. Christian stepped into the room. He was followed by Eddie and Mia, whose faces lit up when they saw me. Christian, on the other hand, gave me a smile and a nod before focusing on Lissa. I think he'd follow her to the ends of the Earth.

"Hey, Rose. How you feeling?" Mia asked, coming to stand on my left, opposite Lissa.

Eddie stayed next to her the whole time. He spoke before I could reply. "I'm a little disappointed. I figured you'd at least have a cast this time."

I laughed. "Sorry to disappoint. I am gonna have a scar on my stomach, though. Does that make up for it?"

They all looked away from me, the mood plummeting in the room around us. Mia was the first to speak. "So…what was it like? Being stabbed?"

"Mia!" Lissa exclaimed, standing up. "Think you could be a little more sensitive?"

"It's alright." I said calmly, hoping everyone else would take a hint. "I don't mind talking about it. Actually, I think I'd prefer it." I waited until Lissa sat back down and everyone looked back to me. "It was…the scariest thing that's ever happened to me. I know it hurt, but the experience of seeing a knife sticking out of me was so paralyzing that it dulled the pain. It was overwhelming."

No one said anything for a minute. In the silence, I had the urge to say something just to fill the void, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. What would I say? I didn't want to go into too much detail. For once, I wished my brain would've blocked my memory.

Christian finally sighed. "I'm starting to think you're indestructible, Hathaway. You got attacked twice and stabbed, but you're still here."

That lightened the mood for about two seconds before Lissa put her hand on mine. "When we got here, you were in surgery, and I heard a nurse saying they thought you weren't going to make it. Eddie heard you were already dead. There were so many rumors going around, we didn't know what to think until you finally got out."

"Uh…" I was locked in a debate in my mind. Should I tell them that I had technically died? It might be cool for them to think I'd defeated the grim reaper, but it might also worry Lissa even more. I decided I would tell them, but I'd lighten it up. "Well, my heart did stop for a minute or so. I don't remember anything about it, but that's what they told my parents."

"Whoa. You died? I'm with Christian: you're pretty indestructible." Eddie gasped.

This time, we all laughed, including Lissa. They started asking me question after question about everything that had happened. Liss relaxed more and more as we talked. Pretty soon, she was back to her old self. I hadn't realized how long we'd been talking until a nurse came in to announce visiting hours were over.

Lissa held back while the others walked out the door, Christian telling Eddie he needed to pay up for something. "What's all that about?" I asked.

She smiled. "They had a bet going on what injuries you had. Eddie bet you'd be pretty beat up, but Christian thought you'd only have one really bad injury. He was right."

"I'm touched that they were so worried about me." I said dryly.

"Listen," she said, walking over to me. "I…I heard what you wanted me to hear. You know, before…?"

I looked at her, confused. "Before – " I stopped as it dawned on me. She was talking about when I'd said my goodbyes to everyone. So many questions popped up in my mind. How had she managed to do that? Did we have some sort of connection that no one else did? Had she told anyone else about this? But I picked the most important one to ask. "Did you… Did you hear everything?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It depends on how long it was. All I heard was you telling me goodbye and explaining why you'd done what you'd done."

Oh. Okay, so she'd heard what I wanted her to hear. I thought that may come in handy later, but I never got a chance to tell her so. Another nurse came in to tell Lissa that she really had to go. Lissa said goodbye to me and ran to the door, but stopped before walking out.

"Oh, and it's nice to know you don't completely hate my boyfriend."

I brought a hand over my face and groaned as she left. She was never going to let me live that down.

[BREAK]

Wednesday morning, I got up and got dressed. It was my first day back to school and I couldn't wait. It would be the first time I saw Dimitri since he'd saved me, but not the first time talking to him. We'd been on the phone the entire weekend, but we couldn't find any excuse to see each other. I was also excited that this would be the first time I got to go to school in a while without having to look over my shoulder constantly. I may have gone through hell, but at least it was all over.

I came downstairs for a quick breakfast before heading off to school. My dad was sitting at the table already, reading the newspaper. My mom lectured me as she made pancakes, telling me to take it easy and come straight home after school so I could rest. I rolled my eyes and said a word here and there to appease her. "Oh, that's right," she murmured as she took a pancake out of the skillet. "Let me go get your note from the hospital. You need to give it to Mrs. Stepp before you go to class, okay?"

She ran off upstairs before I could assure her I would. My dad flipped a page in his newspaper as he asked, "Are you still seeing Mr. Belikov?"

I was momentarily panicked. Instead of automatically apologizing like my brain was telling me to do, I calmly replied, "I guess so. Why?"

He nodded. "Just thought it would be a good idea after everything you've been through. Talking seems to help you. Any idea when your next appointment is?"

"Uh, today. Not sure what time, though." I answered.

He nodded again, the discussion apparently over. My dad was so weird sometimes, but I was thankful he was being weird instead of interrogating me. As I finished my breakfast, my mom brought my note to me. I stuck it in my bag and started to head outside when my dad stopped me, getting up from the table.

"I'm going to take you to school today. We don't want you walking to school with stitches in your stomach." he explained.

I shrugged. It was probably better that way.

The ride to school was silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I was used to my dad being silent at times and I really didn't have anything to say. I listened to the radio instead. It wasn't until my dad parked in the parking lot instead of just letting me out that I knew something was up. "What gives?" I asked.

"I want to talk to the principal, make sure he knows you need to take it easy. I don't want anyone giving you a hard time." he explained as we walked to the side of the school.

I rolled my eyes. "No one is going to give me a hard time, old man. Everyone knows what happened to me. Hell, it's been on the front page of the newspaper two weeks in a row!"

"Watch your language." he snapped. His tone of voice meant there was nothing I could say to talk him out of this. It also surprised me. My dad normally didn't care if I said anything like hell or damn. I tried to study his face without him noticing and saw that he was a little angry. Where was that coming from?

Luckily, my friends weren't waiting for me at the school doors today. I didn't want them to see this. We went straight to the office when we got inside.

"Hey, Mrs. Stepp. I have my note from the hospital for you." I explained as I got to her desk. She was wearing an awful dark orange blouse and black pants. Her lipstick matched her blouse.

"Rose, Mr. Hathaway, it's nice to see you. I'm glad you're okay, Rose. Everyone was so worried about you. I'll take that note to – "

My dad cut Mrs. Stepp off. "Is Mr. Belikov in his office yet?"

Mrs. Stepp looked like she didn't appreciate my dad's interruption, but she nodded. "Yes, he just got here. Do you need me to go get him?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I'll go speak with him in his office. Come on, Rose."

The old man dragged me down the hall and into the waiting room. I tried to ask him what was going on, but he wouldn't even let me finish my questions. He knocked on Dimitri's door and every moment we stood there, waiting, felt like torture. What in the hell was going on here? Surely he hadn't found out about Dimitri and I…

The door opened, revealing Dimitri. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a brown t-shirt today. He kept his face calm as he saw my father. "Oh, hello, Mr. Hathaway. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Uh huh." my dad dismissed. "Come on. We need to talk."

There was a pit of fear in my stomach as my dad motioned me inside. Something was definitely wrong here. Dimitri began to go behind his desk, but my dad stopped him, making him sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. He made me sit in the other chair, taking the chaise lounge for himself.

We said nothing as we waited for him to speak. I wanted to look at Dimitri, but I was scared I would give something away. My dad looked back and forth between us, finally sighing.

"I think I know what's going on here. I saw your phone records, Rose. I know you two have been talking…way more than a patient and counselor would. So, I'm going to give you a chance right now. Before I say anything, I want you to tell me if there's anything I need to know. If you do, I can promise that I won't hurt you." he said.

I looked back and forth between my dad and Dimitri, panicking. How had he come to that conclusion based off phone calls and texts? As far as I knew, the phone company doesn't keep records of what is sent in the text messages, it just showed that a text had been sent. I knew because Lissa's dad had once been convinced that she was sending nude pictures to Christian and tried to find them through phone records. He hadn't been able to find any because it would take up too much memory to store photos in the phone company's database.

There was a long, awkward silence before Dimitri finally spoke. "I don't know what you're talking about, sir."

My dad was on his feet the moment Dimitri finished. He stood over him, looking menacing. "Don't you give me any of that! I know there's something going on between the two of you. I may not be able to prove it, but I wasn't born yesterday. You're going to stay away from my daughter. Do you understand?"

Dimitri never moved, never blinked. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

The old man grabbed the front of Dimitri's shirt, yanking him up. It didn't matter that Dimitri was taller than my dad, he was still intimidating. "Oh, yes, you can. And you will. Even if I have to beat you into it."

"Dad!" I exclaimed, trying not to make too much noise. Dimitri's door kept most sound in, but not all. "Stop! Let go of him. We haven't been doing anything. Dimitri just helps me deal with everything. Please, don't hurt him."

He stood there looking at me, eyes wide. He still had Dimitri's shirt in his hand. "'Dimitri'?" His fingers lost their grip and he took a step back from Dimitri. "I didn't want to believe it. I didn't think you'd ever do anything like this, Rose…" As fast as his anger dissipated, it came back. He glared at Dimitri. "You are never to see her again, never to talk to her. If you even think about my daughter, I'll have my lawyers on you so fast, you won't even be able to say 'I'm sorry'."

Dimitri held his gaze for a moment before looking at me. It was clear there was a war raging in his head. He looked back at my dad, shaking his head. "Like I said, I can't – "

The old man lurched forward, grabbing Dimitri's shoulder and raising his right hand in a fist. "If you don't want me messing up your face, I'd suggest you agree to my demands."

"If that's what you have to do to feel better about this, go ahead." Dimitri told him.

My dad really looked like he was going to punch Dimitri, but I stepped up to them before he could. "No, Dad, stop! I…" I looked at Dimitri, hoping he'd understand what I was trying to tell him with my eyes. When I was sure he understood, I looked back to my dad. "I promise I won't see him anymore. Just please don't hurt him."

"You swear?" the old man asked me. "Because if you have some sort of plan to see him behind my back, I'll know. And I won't hesitate to press charges."

"Yes, yes." I nodded vigorously. "I promise. I won't see him ever again."

My dad held my gaze for a moment before finally letting go of Dimitri. "Okay then," he sighed. "We're done here. Let's go, Rose."

"Wait," I said, quickly. "Can't I say goodbye? Please?"

But I could already tell from the look on his face that it was out of the question. "No. Come on."

With one last longing glance at Dimitri, I left his office. I followed my dad out to the hall without a word, Mrs. Stepp handing my hospital note back to me as we did. Without another word, my dad left. I was going to go to the cafeteria to meet my friends, but the bell rang before I could.

How had this happened? Better yet, how was I going to fix this? There was no way I could stay away from Dimitri…but I couldn't risk getting him in trouble. We would just have to find a way to meet without being seen. The problem was finding out where to do that without talking to Dimitri.

On top of it all, I was worried about what else my dad would do. Would he tell my mom? I didn't think he would, but I couldn't be certain. And he'd implied that he wasn't going to press charges unless we kept seeing each other, but… He was so mad. I wouldn't be surprised if he changed his mind.

"Rose?"

I was so worried that I hadn't even been paying attention to my surroundings. I'd been on autopilot, heading to my locker. I looked over to see Ms. Amos in the doorway to her classroom. She was slightly smiling, just like always, but it didn't reach her eyes this time. My face must have been giving all my emotions away and she was worried. "Yes?"

She stepped to the side of her door. "Could I speak with you for a minute?"

"Uh, I have to get to class…" I told her.

She shook her head. "It'll only take a minute. I'll give you a note if you're late."

I shrugged and stepped into her classroom, wondering what was coming next. Today was just full of surprises. I walked over to her desk, expecting her to be behind me, but heard her shutting the door. That feeling of dread I'd had earlier returned. What was going on?

When Ms. Amos turned back to me, she was no longer smiling. Instead, she looked…mad. She walked over to me, staring me down the entire time. She did smile when she got to me, but it wasn't happy-looking. It was…menacing. "Did you get the picture I sent you? What about the ones in your locker?"

I stepped back, gasping. "That…that was you?! How?"

"As if I'd tell you." she dismissed me. She brought her face down right in front of mine. "Now, listen to me. You are going to stay away from Dimitri. All your relationship will do is get him in trouble. I can't have that."

My shock subsided as anger took its place. "Are you sure that's the reason? Sure you don't just want him for yourself?" I scoffed.

She put her hands on her hips. "Well, it's not like he really likes you. He's probably just using you. I'm actually doing you a favor."

"Like you have a chance in hell with him."

Ms. Amos laughed, pulling something out of her pocket as she did. "It doesn't really matter. All that matters is that you're out of the way. If asking you won't do it, maybe a little incentive will." She unfolded the paper she'd plucked out of her jeans, turning it toward me so I could see. It was another picture of me and Dimitri in Lissa's gazebo. It was almost the same as the picture she sent to my phone, the only difference being us kissing. "I could always take this to Fink."

"I call your bluff." I said, sure of myself. "You wouldn't do that to Dimitri. You love him. You just said you couldn't have him in trouble."

She shrugged. "Well, he'll certainly be put away for a time, but I'll be there when he gets out. Now that I think about it, things are actually better that way. He couldn't possibly still want to be with you after that."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

"Don't believe me? Alright then. I'll just go have a little chat with the principal. Be right back." She turned toward the door.

Part of me wanted to let her go, thinking she would never do it. But there was another part of me that couldn't take that risk. I reached forward and grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Okay, fine! I won't see Dimitri anymore. You have my word. Just…don't get him in trouble."

Ms. Amos looked at me and smiled. "Be sure that you don't see him again. I'll be watching, Miss Hathaway. Now, you should run along before you're late. I no longer feel like giving you a pass."

Without another word, I left, my mind spinning. I now had not one, but two people trying to keep me from the man I loved. Not only that, but one was at home and the other was at school, the two places I could constantly be under watch. The only way we could manage to see each other was if I snuck away, telling my parents I was at a friend's house. But, even as I thought there was no way we would be able to pull this off, I kept thinking the same thing:

There was no way I'd let anyone keep us apart.

The End

Story finished! At least, for now. I might take a day or two off before starting the next one, but there is going to be sequel. I don't know what it will be called yet, but I will add a chapter to this story letting everyone know what the title is once I put it up. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! You guys have been the best! I hope to hear from all of you in the next story :)