I've gotten a lot of wonderful reviews. It warms my heart to hear that so many enjoy my work. Thank you.
I still don't own Vampire Academy.
Rose POV
"Come on, Rose, wake up. We have to celebrate." Lissa says as she pulls the covers off me. Luckily, Adrian didn't stay the night with me or this would be pretty embarassing. I groan as I roll over on my stomach and bury my face in my pillow, ignoring Lissa. It doesn't do much good though as I feel someone smack my butt hard. I look over to glare at the offender only to see Mia standing by my bed with her hands on her hips.
"Get your ass in the shower already before I spank it again." she threatens. I know Mia. My ass isn't safe here in bed, so I reluctantly crawl out and head to the bathroom. I can't believe I agreed to this. It's a week away from Christmas so Lissa thought it would be fun to do our Christmas shopping and celebrate the end of the trial that put Lord Conta and Emily in prison for attacking me. The trial was really quick since one of the Moroi that were there in the bathroom with Conta testified against the others in a deal with the prosecuters. It feels great to have those two out of my life for good now. Unfortunately, I still have to deal with Spartacus. The Queen fell in love with the ugly mutt and took him in when Emily was first arrested. She takes him everywhere and he's always growling and barking at me. He must remember when I locked him in that dog carrier. Who knew dogs could hold a grudge?
Now, Lissa, Mia, Tasha and I are going to a photo studio outside Court to finish getting our Christmas gifts for our men. Mia and Eddie started going out after the Ball. I found out first hand when I accidently walked in on them making out in the equipment room at the gym. Mia had a half naked Eddie pinned down on the pile of mats and didn't even blush when I caught them. Eddie did though. I still love teasing him about that. "Rose, hurry up." Lissa shouts as she pounds on the door. I can't help it if I like my hot showers. Not wanting her to actually knock my door down, I get out and dry off. I wrap my towel around me and walk out letting the stream billow out behind me.
"Here, I thought you might want your Christmas present early." Mia says as she hands me a red and white wrapped box. I rip it open to see a beautiful black and white lacy bra and panty set. "I thought you could wear it today if you want. I think Adrian will like it." she winks. The four of us have decided to get our men the same gift, sexy pictures of us. Not of us together, of course. Although I think they might really like that. Tasha was a hard sell since she's ready to pop, but I assured her that being pregnant makes her even more beautiful. It's true. I hope I look half as good as her when I get pregnant. Many, many years from now. Don't jinx me.
"Thanks Mia." I say as I put them on. I finish dressing in some jeans and tshirt with a sweatshirt over it. I grab the other lingerie I have and put it in my bag. Lissa has all the make up and hair stuff we'll need so I don't even bother doing anything with my hair and face yet. She wants to wait until right before we get photographed. "Alright, I'm ready. Let's get Tasha and get over there."
The three of us make our way to her place and knock. Dimitri opens the door and let's us in. "Lissa. Mia. Rose." he greets us as we walk past him.
"Hey comrade. Aren't you supposed to be on duty?" I ask him. Today's my day off but I thought he had a shift.
"In an hour. Where are you taking her?" He asks crossing his arms over his chest. He's gotten pretty protective of Tasha now that she's ready to deliver in a couple weeks. I roll my eyes.
"I can't tell you that, it'll ruin the surprise. Don't worry, Dimitri. I'll guard her with my life." I tell him looking him in the eye. He studies me for a second and relaxes. He knows I'll keep her safe. He's getting more and more nervous as the due date grows near. I can't wait to see how he reacts when the baby is actually here.
"Dimka, stop interigating Rose. She'll protect me just as well as you." Tasha tells him as she waddles up to the door. God, she's getting huge. Just like a magnet, my hand goes right to her belly and starts rubbing gentle circles. I bend down so my face is right next to her stomach.
"Hey little Roza. I can't wait to meet you, just not today. We have things do to." I stand back up and see Dimitri rolling his eyes at me. I glare at him as I walk out the door. Tasha is trying to leave but she's getting held up by her warden.
"Do you have your cell phone?" he asks her.
"Yes." she says.
"Do you have some snacks on you in case you get hungry?"
"Yes."
"Have you used the bathroom?"
"Yes."
"Did you go the feeders recently?"
"Yes, Dimka." she says getting irritated.
"Don't worry comrade. If she needs any blood I'm sure I can lure some hot young stud over for her to enjoy." I tease him as I waggle my eyebrows up and down. I just love giving him a bad time whenever I can.
"I'm sure you can. Just take care of her and bring her back safe and sound." he says with a bit of an edge. Tasha reaches up as best she can and gives him a kiss. He kisses her back, but he's still reserved. I don't know if it's because we're all standing around watching or if because he still hasn't let her have his whole heart. Hopefully he'll come around and fall completely in love with her.
It's super early in the morning for us because I didn't want to be caught without the sun since I'm the only guardian going. It would be too embarassing having a bunch of guardians watching us pose. We help Tasha in the front passenger seat and I get behind the wheel and we take off. Thankfully the place is only a thirty minute drive away. I pull into the parking lot of the T&A Photography studio. Cute name. We walk in and I notice all the pictures on the walls of gorgeous women in their underware while lounging on a bed or couch. I also see one picture of a hot couple. The pictures are very nice and I'm gettig excited to get my own piece of art done. We are greeted by the receptionist that looks really out of place. She reminds me of someone's grandmother and should be serving cookies and milk instead of working at a sex photo shop. "Hello dears. I''m Gladis. Do you have an appointment?" she asks us sounding just like Aunt Bea from Mayberry. I push Lissa forward since she's the one who booked our session.
"Umm, yes, Gladis. It should be under Hathaway." she tells her. What? I pull her closer to me so I can talk without Gladis hearing.
"Why did you put it under my name?"
"Because I was too embarrassed to put is under mine. Besides, this was all your idea." she whispers back to me. Well, that's true, I did make the suggestion. I just didn't think they'd agree to do it.
"Oh yes, here you are. Gerry will be with you shortly. If you'd like to start getting ready, you can go into the back room to change. Did you bring any props?" Gladis asks us. Props? Is she talking riding crops and handcuffs? I have no idea.
"No. No props. I just brought Lily and Daisy here." I say indicating my breasts. She smiles to me and marks something down in front of her. We four walk back and see some changing rooms and a lighted vanity to do our hair and makeup. Looking around further, I see a couple beds, couches and various types of chairs. I recognize a few pieces from the photos in the lobby. As we each enter a room to change, Mia decides to make conversation.
"I never pictured you one to name your boobs, Rose." Mia shouts. I know she's just trying to embarrass me, but I know how to play the game.
"Actually I didn't. Adrian did. They're flower names, get it? He says my body is like a garden that his snake likes to play in." I hear Lissa gasp at my forwardness.
"Rose, that is really too much information that should stay between you and Adrian." Lissa tells me from the next stall over. Mia wasn't done with the topic yet though.
"What'd you name his snake, Rose?"
"Kaa, from the Jungle Book. Don't say anything to him though. He'll kill me if he found out I told you guys." All three of them started laughing so hard, it's a good thing we haven't done our make up yet. I'm sure their faces are wet with tears.
About thirty minutes later, we're all looking drop dead sexy and waiting for the photographer to start snapping away. We let Tasha go first since she's getting tired and just wants to take a nap. Mia also gave her a sexy nightie for Christmas which she put on. It's blue and black and brings out her eyes nicely. Since she wants to hide her belly, Gerry, a middle aged balding man, has her leaning over the headboard. She looks gorgeous. Dimitri isn't going to know what to do with himself.
The rest of us do our poses and I don't mind admitting that we all look like goddesses. At the end, I ask Gerry if we can do a group shot. "Why not. Sounds hot." is all he says. He's a man a few words. Because of Tasha's belly, the shot is from the waist up and we have our heads close together, looking seductive with our hands on each other. Looking at the proofs, we know our guys are going to love these. We make our orders and pay Gladis before we leave. That was so much fun, I think I'll talk to Adrian about coming with me for some very private photos of the two of us. I look around and notice that while we were inside, mounds of snow have fallen.
"Alright, I'll come back on Thursday to pick up the prints." I tell everyone as I pull out of the parking lot carefully. I hear a ding and look down and notice that the gas tank is almost empty. "Shit. I've gotta get some gas." I pull up into the first station I see, barely making it before the car dies. The station is completely empty and the sun has just gone down. I pull the hose out and to start filling up when I get that nauseous feeling. I grab my stake and look around. "Lock the doors!" I yell at the three Moroi in the car. Dimitri is so going to kill me. I should've gone to a station with more people. I turn around and see five Strigoi walking toward me. I pull out my stake and walk toward them to keep them as far away from the car as possible.
"This must be our lucky night. It looks like we only have one guardian in our way of a feast." One of the males says. I don't say anything but wait for them to charge, which they do. Maybe for the average guardian, five to one odds are deadly, but for me, not so much. I let my training guide me and take two out within the first thirty seconds. One of the females manages to scratch the hell out of my arm before I staked her. Son of a bitch! I hate when they do that. About five minutes and a black eye later, I have all but one dead on the ground. I turn to see the last one running to the car and jumping on the hood. I leap in the air and take him down to the snow covered ground. We wrestle around a couple minutes until I see my opening and stake his heart. I get up and quickly get back to the car and get in the driver's seat. I call the nearest alchemist to come clean up before I even notice Tasha next to me breathing rather hard. She better not be doing what I think she's doing.
"Tasha, now is not a good time to practice your Lamaze breathing, so knock it off. You're scaring the crap out of me." I tell her firmly. They way she's holding her belly and he he-ing and ho ho-ing tells me this is not a drill. That last Strigoi must have scared her into labor. I figure the best thing to do is get her back to court ASAP. I turn the key and nothing. Damn, I forgot I'm out of gas. I jump back out to fill up the tank when I notice that the station is empty for a reason, it's closed down. Good going, Rose. I look out the window and see the snow coming down even heavier now.
"Rose, I know this is the last thing you want to hear right now, but the baby's coming." she says between breaths.
"Call Dimitri." Lissa tells me. Right, call Dimitri. He'll come and get us out of here. I dial his number and thankfully he answers right away.
"What wrong?" he says as a greeting.
"Don't kill me, but Tasha's in labor and we're stuck at an abandoned gas station with no gas and no way to get back to Court." I say in one breath. I hear him mutter something in Russian and it doesn't sound good.
"Where are you?" I tell him the street and name of the station. "I'm on my way. Keep her calm and warm. I'll be there as soon as I can." he says before he hangs up. Rude much? I tell Lissa and Mia what Dimitri said and we decide that we need to get her into the back seat where she'll be much more comfortable. As we're moving her, her water breaks. At least it happened outside right before she got back into the car. I go to the trunk and find a couple blankets stored in there for emergencies. Well, if ever there was an emergency, this is it. We get her settled in with the blankets. I'm getting nervous because it seems like the contractions are coming a lot faster than they should.
"Rose, I hope Dimitri gets his ass here quick because I don't think the baby's going to wait much longer." Lissa whispers to me so Tasha doesn't panic. Apparently making me panic doesn't mean anything. Just as I'm about to say something, my cell goes off and it's Dimitri. Hopefully he has good news.
"Rose, the roads are closed due to the snow storm. We're doing what we can to get to you all. How is Tasha?" he sounds nervous and worried. I don't blame him.
"She doing good, but it's going pretty quick. I've never delivered a baby before and I don't really want to start now, so get your ass here pronto." I tell him before I hang up. Tasha's been pretty quiet up till now. She lets out a scream with the last contraction, scaring the shit out of me.
"The baby's coming Rose. I need to push." Oh no no no. Please don't do this now. I think I'm going to be sick. She gives another little scream and I realize that I need to be strong and help her. Lissa is holding Tasha's hand and coaching her through her breathing. I go to Tasha's other end and look down to see the baby crowning. Keep it together Rose. Do not throw up.
"Okay Tasha. When the next contraction starts, push as hard as you can for a count of ten." I tell her. Mia, who has been quiet in the front seat looks at me confused.
"How do you know to do that? Are you trained in baby delivery?" she asks.
"No, ER marathon last week." I tell her while never taking my eyes off the baby's head. Her contraction must have hit because Tasha starts pushing and grunting and the baby starts moving a little. A few more pushes and the head is out. One more push and the shoulders clear and I help ease her out. I give her a little slap on the bottom and she starts to cry. It's the most beautiful sound in the world as we all stare in awe at this little miracle. I hand her over to Tasha who starts crying as she looks at her little angel. I use the shoelace Mia pulled off my sneakers like I asked her and tied the umbilical cord tightly. She's so beautiful. We need to keep her warm so Tasha opens up her shirt and puts the baby on her exposed skin and then we cover them both up with a blanket.
Tasha starts to feed her daughter like a natural and Mia steals a couple photos with her camera phone and sends them to Dimitri, hoping it will hurry him up. I can't help watch this wonderful mother/daughter scene before me and imagine what it will be like for me when the time comes. I sure hope I don't end up delivering in a car in the middle of a snow storm. Knowing me, it will be something much worse.
Tasha and the baby are asleep in the back while Lissa, Mia and me huddle together in the front as we wait for reinforcments to arrive. A few hours later I climb over the seat to check on my patients. Tasha opens her eyes weakly and looks up to me. "When is he going to get here?" she asks.
"Any time now, I'm sure." I say again, like I have everytime she wakes for a second to ask. By the look on her face, I don't think she believes me anymore. I touch her forehead and notice she isn't as warm as she was. She's been using her fire magic to keep the baby warm, but she's getting too tired to keep it up.
"I need blood Rose. I'm too exhausted to keep using my magic." she looks down at her daughter who is sleeping soundly. I don't hesitate, but roll up my sleeve and bring my wrist to her mouth. The intense pain only lasts a second before it's replaced with euphoria. When she's taken enough to get her strength back up, she pulls away. Lissa heals the bite marks as well as the injuries form fighting the Strigoi and I climb back over the seat to rest. Giving blood always takes a lot out of me. I lean my head against the window and fall asleep.
I don't know how long I was asleep until I'm awaken by someone knocking on the window I'm leaning on. I have to wipe away the steam clinging to the glass to see who it is. Thankfully, Tasha isn't only keeping her and the baby warm, but the rest of us too. The face I see belongs to a very freaked out Russian guardian I know, Dimitri. Oh, thank god he's here. I open the door and jump out to see that he came in one of the Court ambulances. Well, at least he was thinking. "It's about fucking time you got here." I yell as I open the back door. I know he got here as soon as he possibly could, but I'm tired and cranky and it just slipped out. Dimitri doesn't even hear me as he rushes to Tasha's side. She pulls the blanket off and shows him his little baby daughter for the first time. I wipe away the tear that is rolling down my cheek as I watch him practically glow as he looks her over. He's going to be a great dad, and I know she's going to be one spoiled little princess. Auntie Rose will make sure of that.
The paramedics that Dimitri brought with him help get Tasha and baby into the ambulance and get them cleaned up and comfortable for the ride. The rest of us squeeze in and we head back to Court. "You ladies did a very good job delivering the baby." One of the medics praises. I feel a swell of pride knowing that we did a good job and that everyone is alive and well.
Once back at Court and at the hospital, Tasha and baby are admitted so they can run tests to make sure they're alright, Dimitri never leaving their side. I'm so tired I just want to lay down and sleep, but my desire to make sure they're okay keeps me sitting in the waiting room with Lissa and Mia. Adrian, Christian and Eddie eventually make it to the hospital a little while later. Adrian looks like he's been worrying about me as he runs to me and pulls me up and hugs me tight. "I think this is the first time I've come here that you weren't the one laying in a bed." he teases. I ignore the jibe and pull him down to the seat next to me so I can lean against him and rest.
Finally, a nurse comes out and tells us we can come see Tasha. We walk in and I see Dimitri standing by the bed close to her head, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. Tasha is holding a little pink bundle and I can't wait to get my hands on it. "You can't hog her all day. May I hold her?" I ask looking at both parents for permission. They both nod and I pick her up. She doesn't seem to weigh a thing. I cradle her in my arms with Adrian looking at her over my shoulder. She's so beautiful. She already has a mass of brown hair atop her head and chubby little cheeks. "Hey, little one. It's your Auntie Rose and Uncle Adrian." I coo at her. "I just want you to know that if you ever get in trouble with your mom and dad, we'll give you a place to hide out until the heats off." I try to whisper the last part, but by the scowl Dimitri is giving me, I think he heard it.
"So what are you naming her?" Lissa asks. Tasha and Dimitri look at each other and then at us with a smile on their faces.
"Everyone, we would like you to meet Roza Olena Belikov." Dimitri says. I can't believe they did that. I look down at her face as tears roll down mine.
"Little Roza." I whisper to my name sake. I look back up to Tasha and Dimitri a little confused. "Why would you do that? And give me top billing too?"
"Rose, do you really need to ask that with everything you've done for us? Besides, we had a feeling you'd call her Roza behind our backs even if we didn't name her after you." Tasha tells me. Man, they know me so well. I see Lissa getting anxious to hold Roza so I pass her on over so Auntie Lissa can have some time with her. This little girl is going to be so well loved and spoiled by all of us.
After about an hour of visiting, we leave the new family alone and head back home. Adrian takes me to his place and pulls me down on the couch and starts planting kisses all over my face and neck. "So, has seeing that little baby caused your biological clock to start ticking away?" he asks between kisses.
"No, not really. I want to get married first and focus on being a guardian and wife for a few years first. Are you wanting a baby now?" I ask pulling away a bit to look into his eyes.
"No, no. I can wait. I just wanted to know where your head was." he admits.
"I don't want a baby right now, but that doesn't mean we can't practice the baby making part of it. You know, so we're ready when we do decide to extend our family." I say getting really turned on by the lusty look in his eyes. "Oh, Mia gave us our Christmas gift early. Want to see it?" I ask as he gives me a confused look at the abrupt topic change. I place my finger under one of the bra straps and pull it out so he gets the hint as to what the gift is. I hear a growl come from him as he looks me over. I sit up and get off the couch to walk to the bedroom. He jumps up and grabs my waist from behind.
"I say we unwrap it now." he says as we both run to the bedroom to enjoy such a thoughtful gift.
Yay, Tasha had the baby and they named it after Rose. Sweet, huh? I know the delivery was pretty unrealistic, but we can just pretend it's that easy for the sake of the story. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.