Hello everyone! God, it's been so long since I've updated, eh? Well I have a semi-long chapter for you, and its kinda dramatic. I know most of you will probably not like the ending, but I promise that you'll find out sooon enough!

I woke up in Dimitri's arms. It was about noon time, and I was still pretty tired from last night's lovemaking sessions. We had went out to dinner at this fancy restaurant a few blocks away. Then, we got a little wasted and bought two bottles of champagne for when we got back to the hotel. It was really worth it, if I said so myself. A night of passion and lust with just us two was heaven.

We were too lazy to get out of bed and get some breakfast, so Dimitri called up room service and ordered a buffet for me. I was starving. The restaurant last night only had those little entrees that you needed a magnifying glass to see. Seriously, it only took two bites for me to finish that thing.

I looked at the menu, my mouth watering at every picture. I ordered eggs benedict, bacon, and pancakes with extra whipped cream. Once Dimitri hung up, we started to fix up the room a little bit so it wouldn't look like animals had attacked it. The pillows were thrown halfway across the room, the wall had some scratches on them, a little glass figure was smashed, the sheets were crumpled and shoved under the bed, and the floor was wet in the bathroom. I was pretty sure we had had sex in every inch of this room. We did everything we could do to make it look presentable just as there was a knock at the door. A boy no younger then me delivered our food and I consumed every crumb of it rather quickly.

I was eager to go see CC and Jared again, so I gathered all our things and we left the room. We reached the lobby in a few minutes, and there was no sight of Angela. At this point, I didn't know what to think of her. She was a mystery, and I couldn't trust her. She reminded me slightly of Tasha. I tried to trust Tasha, but then looked were that led. But Angela had a past that I didn't know about, and Dimitri seemed to have faith in her. I mean she seemed fine with Dimitri and I, but then again so was Tasha, until she threatened to break us up. I was confused. I had promised Dimitri that I wouldn't get jealous. I guess I had to believe in him that he would only love me. But the thing that struck me was that why would he leave Russia without telling Angela? I was thinking there was a whole backstory to their relationship, and it was my job to find out what it was.

Just on cue, Angela jogged into the lobby panting heavily, wearing a pair of black running pants and a red sports bra. A thin layer of sweat adorned her body and a few strands of hair were stuck to her neck. You could tell from just seeing her that she was out for a jog. Typical dhampir. I clenched my teeth, breathing out of my nose. Dimitri squeezed my hand as Angela caught sight of us and walked over.

"Hey Rose, Dimitri," she greeted, bringing a bottle of water to her lips, then placing it on a nearby table. "Checking out already?"

Dimitri nodded. "Yes. We have to meet up with some friends."

She smiled at me. "Well I hope you two enjoyed you stay. It was really nice meeting you, Rose. And seeing you again, Dimka. Do you guys live at Court?"

"Yeah," I answered. "My charge is Lissa Dragomir, so we don't really have a choice."

Her eyes widened in excitement. "Wow. Really? The last Dragomir? I heard from somewhere that she's going to be the new queen. You must be a really good guardian then, Rose."

I grinned. And for once, it wasn't a fake one.

"Thanks," I responded. "So why are you working here instead of being a guardian?"

She shrugged. "It's complicated. Something happened and I couldn't get my promise mark."

I felt Dimitri tense up. What was happening? Maybe it was just cold air.

"Oh," I replied. "Well do you still want to be a guardian?" I couldn't help but asking.

She nodded then grinned. "Of course I do. I run three miles every morning then come back here. I've petitioned myself to get my promise mark and become an official guardian."

"How do you do that?" I asked. Wow, I hadn't known I was actually making conversation with her.

"Easy," she said quickly. "First you have to make sure your really ready, like you have to train really hard and stuff. Then you notify the Court that you'd like to get your promise mark because you either didn't finish at the Academy or something else. Then from there you just have to take a normal trial, like I'm sure you did. If you pass, then you'll receive your mark and wait until a Moroi calls claim for you."

"Wow," I muttered. "When's your trial?"

"In two weeks," she answered. "So I'll probably see you guys at Court or something."

I grinned. "Maybe. Well, uh, we'll see you later, I guess."

"Okay," she nodded her head. "Bye."

Dimitri said his quiet goodbyes and we were on the road. I had underestimated Angela. She was pretty cool if you talked to her. I wasn't suddenly transformed into Team Angela, but I thought she was okay, for one of Dimitri's exes.

The short trip back to the cabin was silent and a bit awkward. Dimitri didn't talk. He only had his jaw clenched and his hands gripped firmly on the wheel. From my point of view, he looked either deep in thought, or angry.

"You okay?" I asked.

He didn't answer. I was afraid that he wouldn't respond, but indeed he did.

"I'm fine," he replied with a set jaw. We pulled up to the Ivashkov cabin and I jumped out of the car just as Lissa and everybody else came running out. CC came running to me and jumped, pulling me into a big hug.

"Mama!" I shouted. "I missed you!"

I smiled. "I missed you too, CC. Did you behave?"

She nodded. "I did! And Uncle Adrian made cookies for me!"

I let out a hearty laugh. "That's good, cookie monster." Then, CC caught sight of Dimitri coming out of the car and dashed over to him. "DADDY!"

Aleyna, carrying Jared, walked over to me and gave me a small hug before handing him over.

"Hi, Jared," I cooed. "Did you have fun?"

He stared at me with knowing eyes and I toyed with his curled fingers.

"Rose!" Lissa hugged me. "It's good to have you back. Come on, let's go inside. Christian's got your bags!" She snapped her fingers and pointed Christian to the trunk of the car. He rolled his eyes and slouched his way over.

I let out a small chuckle and grabbed Lissa's hand. "So where's Katherine and Andre?"

"Inside sleeping," she answered. "As usual. So...tell me all about the anniversary!"

"It was...satisfying." I said proudly. "Listen, I think I should go unpack then Dimitri and I'll meet you guys downstairs for lunch, 'kay?"

She nodded and let of my hand. Christian dropped off our bags in our room and gave us a joking salute before leaving. I placed Jared down on our bed and CC was busy jumping around, being hyper.

While I was unpacking our things, Dimitri sat down on the bed quietly, staring at the blank wall. I tilted my head at him. His behavior had been unreadable lately. Then again, when was I able to read his expressions?

I sighed then dropped the shirt I was holding to sit down on his lap. He snapped back to life and clenched his jaw. I wound my arms around his neck and gave him a light kiss on the lips.

"Tell me what's wrong." I said softly.

"Nothing," he stated.

I rolled my eyes and looked at him. "I could tell that something's going on with you, Dimitri. And don't even try to hide it."

He shook his head. "Rose, please. I'm just tired from the trip."

I smirked. "Come on, comrade. I can tell that you're lying." I kissed his cheek and leaned forward. "Tell me."

"Seriously, Rose." He warned.

I jolted back in surprise, raising both my eyebrows. "What? All I want to do is see if anyth-

He sighed, but more of a sigh of frustration. "I told you, Rose. Nothing is wrong. Now please, stop it." He said that with so much force that it stunned me. But also in some way, it had hurt me as well. He never talked to me like that, and when something was wrong with him, he usually opened up to me. No, scratch that, he always opened up to me.

I recoiled and winced at his words, unwinding myself from his touch. He looked surprised at first, but I just shook my head.

"If your ready," I whispered coldly, "then I'm always going to be here to talk. I'm your wife, Dimitri. Somebody you could tell absolutely anything to. And if you're just going to talk to me like that, then what's the point?" He stared at me, his eyes frozen in place. I blinked my eyes twice, then looked away, turning towards the door.

"I'll be downstairs," I told him wearily. I left the room without another glance back. I couldn't believe it. Whatever was captivating Dimitri like that was horrid. There was something in his mind that he didn't want to tell me.

"Where's Dimitri?" Aleyna asked once I got to the kitchen.

I shrugged. "He's still upstairs. Said he's gonna finish unpacking first."

Everybody nodded their head and went back to their individual conversations. I stared at the empty place in front of me. I wasn't hungry anymore.

"Excuse me," I said, pushing back my chair so I could stand up. "I'm not really hungry. We ate before we left. Um, I think I'm gonna run to the store to get something."

"What do you need to get?" Christian asked. "We went to the store yesterday."

"Rose are you okay?" Lissa asked, her eyebrows furrowed. She clearly saw that there was something wrong with me.

I nodded. "Yeah, of course. I just need to go for a run."

Before anybody could answer, I left the room. I grabbed my jacket and scarf and slipped on some boots.

"Mama?" a tiny voice said. I turned around and found CC looking up at me with big eyes. "Where are you going?"

"Just going out, CC." I said to her calmly.

"Can I come?" she asked.

I looked down at her with beaming eyes. "Where's your daddy?"

"He's still upstairs with Jared," she said. "Do you want me to ask him to come?"

I smiled weakly. "It's alright, CC. Sure you could come."

I slipped on her coat and everything else until we finally stepped out into the wintery snow. She clasped my hand tightly and I squeezed back. I lead us slowly through the tangled but free woods until we finally hit the icy sidewalk. I felt CC shiver and I pulled her closer to me.

All I needed right now was to clear my mind. Kind of kinky after an anniversary getaway, eh? It was just the fact that Dimitri had been acting weird lately. Ever since we had left the hotel, he had suddenly vanished from his normal form. He wasn't the warm, soft Dimitri that loved to talk with me. Instead, he was cooped up inside himself.

"Mama?" CC whispered.

"Hm?"

"I'm cold." She said, hugging my leg tightly.

I knelt down and she jumped into my arms. I continued walking while carrying her. She snuggled close to me and my jacket. In the distance, I could see a line of stores coming forward. Maybe one of them had a decent heater. I was growing a little bit cold, too.

Once we reached the little town, I went inside a mini bakery. The scent of sweet scones and pastries hit me. CC jumped out of my arms and looked at the window of varied sweets.

I ordered us some cookies and donuts and hot chocolate. It was pretty warm inside, so we decided to eat in there.

"Cookies!" CC squealed happily. "I love cookies!"

I let out a lifeless life. "And I love donuts."

While she munched on her cookies like a monster, my phone started to vibrate. I pulled it out and read the caller ID. I expected it to be Dimitri, but instead it was Lissa. I flipped the phone open and answered it.

"Hey Liss," I greeted, dipping a piece of my chocolate glazed donut into my hot chocolate then taking a big bite.

"Rose!" she exasperated. "Where have you been? It's almost been two hours!"

I looked at my watch. Aw shit.

"Shit." I muttered. "Sorry, sorry! Um, CC and I are at this bakery place in town."

"Thank god! We were getting worried. Oh yeah, and I also called because Dimitri told me that Jared's getting hungry."

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. "Oh, okay. We'll take a cab back the cabin. See you in a few."

I hung up my phone and waited until CC was done drowning herself in cookies and hot chocolate. Then, we both piled into a cab and drove back to the cabin. We went inside quickly, because it was way to cold outside.

I found Aleyna, Adrian, Christian, Lissa, Katherine, and Andre in the den watching tv. Lissa looked up at my entrance and smiled.

"Jared's in the kitchen with Dimitri," she told me.

Great. For once, I wasn't in the mood to see Dimitri, and that was a real shocker.

CC jumped in between Adrian and Aleyna and started watching whatever program was on. I gave them one last look before entering the kitchen. Dimitri was there, looking out the window and Jared was in his little carrier. He didn't give me one look as I entered. I quickly grabbed Jared and breastfed him. I didn't care if anybody walked in or anything.

Once he was done, I pulled on my shirt and burped him before he fell into a restless sleep.

Just as I was about to leave, I stared at Dimitri for a few seconds then turned away, heading towards the door.

"Rose." His firm voice stopped me.

"What?" I asked blandly.

"Where did you and CC go?"

I looked at him emotionlessly, when it truth, there was a thousand emotions running inside me.

"None of your concern," I said through gritted teeth. His face was pained for a moment, but he quickly recovered.

"But Roza-

I interrupted him. "If you can't tell me stuff, why should I?" I left the room with a frozen Dimitri in place.

I wanted to scream my head off. Literally. I stomped into the den, letting out a dreaded huff. Everybody's eyes drifted from the tv to me.

"You okay, little dhampir?" Adrian asked.

"Just peachy." A hint of sarcasm was in my voice. I plopped down in the armchair next to Lissa.

"You don't seem okay, Rosie." Christian teased.

"I swear to god, Christian. If you call me that one more time, I will rip your freaking balls out and I'll make sure you'll never have children again."

Christian and Lissa looked terrified. I rolled my eyes and turned away.

"Now I know there's really something wrong with her." Aleyna emitted. "I'm getting kind of tired. See you guys tomorrow."

Her and Adrian left, Adrian muttering something about how my attitude was especially monstrous today. I growled silently and perched my feet up on the coffee table.

"Mama, I'm tired." CC moaned, rubbing her droopy eyes.

"We'll take her to bed." Lissa offered, rocking a sleeping Andre.

"Thanks." I said. I hugged Lissa and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Night."

After they left, I plopped down into the bigger sofa and laid my head on the armrest. Just then, I heard some shuffling as somebody walked in. I craned my head and found Dimitri coming out of the kitchen with a sleeping Jared in his arms. I looked at him with wanting eyes, but I knew I had to resist it. He too looked at me with sorrow. We stayed there staring at each other for quite a while, until he finally spoke.

"Are you coming to bed?" he asked.

I bit my lip and hesitantly shook my head.

"I think I'll sleep here tonight." I choked out.

I saw the pain in his eyes and it was unbearable. I always went to bed with him and we were never apart at nighttime. Not once.

But I didn't want to be with this new Dimitri. There was something going on in his head, and I really wanted to help him. I did. But if he was going to push me away like that, then what was the point?

"Goodnight, Roza." he whispered coldly. He gave me one last longing look before going upstairs.

I didn't cry, even though I really wanted to. My heart was aching for him, but something told me to keep my distance.

I cuddled up in the bed-like sofa. I didn't care that I was still in my clothes. I didn't hive a shit about anything right now except my family. Maybe this was a sign that Dimitri and I were drifting apart. Maybe not. But it wad definitely something.

Sorry about the cliffy! But I'll try to update soon. No guarantees! Vote on the poll in my profile! Thanks and review!