Okay, so here is my update for the 20th. Please review? It's the longest chapter yet, so please?

Disclaimer: Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina belong to me. Rose and Dimitri? Sadly, they do not.


Dimitri came from the bedroom, looking upset, but also distant and cold.

"Rose, can I speak with you?" he asked quietly, not looking at me. I got a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach, and my heart sped up.

"Yeah, Dimitri," I whispered. He offered me his hand, and I took it, afraid that this was the last time I would see him.

He led us back to the bedroom and shut the door quietly. He still hadn't looked at me.

"Are you okay?" I whispered worriedly. Then it hit me – he still hadn't fed. Shit, I'd been in the middle of doing that when Lissa had shown up.

He glanced at me. "I guess." Not much of a response. "I was thinking. . . ." He paused and looked at me meaningfully.

Gasping, I stared at him and then at the kids. He couldn't seriously be thinking – no. I couldn't even think it. I couldn't even consider that thought.

"No, Dimitri. You know I can't. Not with them. Think of Adrienne." He flinched slightly. "Think of me."

"You don't have to be the one to do it," he reminded me. "We are in a building full of people willing to do it."

He was being unrealistic. He couldn't leave these kids. He couldn't leave me. "Then I'd come after you, and I'd tell them to kill me, too. Lissa would be able to take care of the kids."

He put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes intently. "No, Rose. You can't. Think of them." His eyes flickered to where Adrienne, Jeremy, and Sabrina were sleeping. I followed his gaze and almost burst into tears at the thought of our children never knowing their father.

"Then you think of them," I argued.

Worry seeped through the bond from Lissa. She didn't know what was going on. All she knew was that we were fighting.

"I am," he growled. "Rose, I almost –" He stopped. His face grew cold and distant. "I almost killed Sabrina and Adrienne today," he snapped.

"No, you didn't," was my knee-jerk response.

"Yes, I did," he insisted. "When Christian . . . when he said that, I forgot all about them. If you hadn't been there . . . I don't know what would have happened." He shook his head sadly, putting his fingers to his temples, like he had a headache, though it was impossible.

"Dimitri, you would have remembered. You reacted perfectly normal under the circumstances. Don't do this to me. Don't do this to them," I pleaded.

He sighed softly. "I have to – for their safety. I can't be trusted, Rose. It was easier before, but now? I haven't known these wonderful, beautiful, amazing people long enough to know that I can't harm them." He held my face in his hands and brushed my cheek with his thumb. "But you – you I know I couldn't ever hurt."

"You can't hurt them. You couldn't ever hurt them, Dimitri." Tears started to form in my eyes. "And you know it. You're just running away." My words cut through the air like knives.

He let go of my face instantly, looking shocked and hurt, going to stand next to the bed.

I continued my accusations. "What am I supposed to tell them, Dimitri? What should I tell them when they ask where's Dad?" I sighed, hating the idea. I could just see our beautiful triplets, crying when I told them that their daddy had left.

"Tell them . . . tell them." He sighed. "Tell them that he was an evil person who deserved to die."

I scowled. "I will not tell them that. Because they're not going to ask where Dad is, because you're going to be with us. Dimitri, they need you. I need you. Come on. We have to get through this."

He growled softly, finally meeting my eyes angrily "What about when they ask why I have red eyes? When they wonder where Mom and Dad disappear to every few days? What should we tell them then, Rose? I can't do that to them."

Lissa was now, to put it lightly, depressed. She didn't want Jeremy to be fatherless. Or any of the kids, for that matter.

I grinned a little, knowing that I had an answer for this question. "We'll tell them everything. We'll tell them about your strength, and all the good you have inside of you. We'll tell them that this wasn't your choice, and that you're learning to be good rather than evil. And they'll be so proud of you." I was choked up by the end of my speech.

"You can't know that," he whispered.

"But I do. Why am I the only one who sees how good you are?"

He glanced at me sadly. "Because you live under the impression of my old self. Everybody else sees me as what I am now."

"Which is you, just with different eyes," I finished.

He sighed. "We've been through this discussion a hundred times forward, and a thousand times back. We're not going through it again," he said roughly, raking his hands through his hair angrily.

"Dimitri, don't . . . don't do this," I pleaded.

He glanced back at me, and it was then that I saw that I was too late. He'd already done it. He'd already made the decision, and he wasn't going back on it.

"I have to, Roza," he replied.

"I-I can't lose you, Dimitri. I can't. I need you."

The door flew open, and Lissa stood there, crying. She came to stand next to me. I smiled sadly at my best friend.

"Dimitri, I know I-I haven't known you very l-long like this, and I know I didn't know you very well when y-you worked here, but you cannot leave Rose and your k-kids like this," she sobbed.

She fell against me, her small body shaking with the force of her sobs. "It's okay, Lissa."

"N-No, it's not!" she yelled, looking up at me with sad eyes.

I gazed sadly – but not accusingly – at Dimitri. Half of my mouth pulled up into a what-are-you-going-to-do? smile. She was my best friend, and it was clear that she felt strongly for our relationship.

It was obvious that she was on my side. She didn't want Dimitri to leave, either. I knew that that fact might affect Dimitri's decision. Well, I hoped at least.

He grimaced, surprised by Lissa's protectiveness of our kids. It looked like he hadn't expected to have Lissa in on the decision.

I glanced at the crib, where the kids – oblivious to what was going on – were sleeping. Dimitri happened to glance at them as well. Our gazes met, and I burst into tears.

Lissa and I cried with each other for a moment. I felt Dimitri's eyes on me, and I knew that we had to get this over with. "Liss," I whispered. "Go. I'll be okay. We'll figure this out somehow."

She looked at me and nodded. She left, glancing at Dimitri for a moment before more tears fell down her cheeks.

I kept crying. Dimitri's face was pained, but he kept himself still. I couldn't look at him for fear that I would start sobbing again.

Finally, he came and wrapped his arms around me hesitantly.

"Please, please, please, don't leave us," I mumbled into his shirt.

His resolve had been weakened over the last five minutes – the fact was obvious, even to me.

His voice was soft and hesitant. "I can't leave – that's evident. But I can't stay. You have to understand, Rose. I'm a danger to them," he insisted.

"I don't think you are."

He didn't fight back anymore. He just stared at me for an immeasurable moment. Lightning fast, he sank his fangs into my neck. I gasped softly. Normally, I expected it. But this time – there had been no warning, no usual ceremony. Just him, and some lesson he probably had in mind.

Yanking his head away, he licked his lips, and closed his eyes. "What if I did that to one of them?" he whispered.

I knew it. There was some lesson behind his actions.

"You wouldn't," I murmured.

"You don't know," he repeated.

Instead of fighting with him, about how I did know, I went the safe way. "No, I don't," I agreed. He looked shocked that I had given him that answer. "But I think that you love them so much that you couldn't even think of doing that. Besides, I'll be the only one you'll be feeding from, so you'll always be well-fed." I smiled a little.

He frowned at my word choice, but he couldn't argue with my logic. "All right, Rose. I won't leave. But if I make one mistake, I'm gone."

I nodded and hugged him. "He's staying, Liss!" I yelled. She flew into the room and tackled Dimitri – literally tackled him to the ground. I snickered.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said. "I just . . . I couldn't bear to think of Jeremy without his father."

"Get off of him, Liss," I said, laughing. She started laughing, too. "Well, I guess I'll get a few hours of sleep, and then we'll get going."

"Aw." Lissa frowned. "Do you really have to go?"

"Afraid so, Liss. But we'll be back before you know it."

She grimaced. "Well, okay. Now go to sleep. I know you need it." She smiled and hugged me, then hugged Dimitri.

Dimitri and I went to Lissa's bedroom, and I lay down on the bed and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Don't ever scare me like that again," I whispered.

He smiled a little. "I promise, Roza. I'm sorry. I just – I thought –"

"Shh… It's okay." I held his face in my hands, smiling at him. I kissed his cheek. "I love you. I know why you did it."

He swallowed and hugged me tighter. "I love you, too, Roza."

"I'm going to bed," I whispered, yawning.

He nodded and kissed my head. "I'll watch our children."

"Mmm," I sighed, closing my eyes. It wasn't long before I was asleep.

Dimitri woke me up when it was time to go, and we both flew into action. We knew we had to get out of here before most people were up and moving.

"Well," I said. "We'd better get going."

Dimitri nodded. "I've got Jeremy and Adrienne."

Which left me with Sabrina.

Lissa cuddled with Jeremy for the last few minutes. "Bye, Jeremy, Adrienne, Sabrina, Rose, and Dimitri." When she got to Dimitri's name, she lowered her voice.

"Bye, Lissa," I whispered. "Tell Christian bye, too."

She nodded. "Of course."

We made our way across the campus. Kids were just starting to wake up, so most of them were still in their beds. Except for, of course, Jesse. And I saw with distaste that he also had Ralf, the world's best sidekick.

We were only feet from the gate. I cursed our bad luck to hell and back. Well, hopefully, we could still –

"Rose?" Jesse's voice caught my ear.

I cursed. "Go, Dimitri. I can take them out, with one hand occupied." I grinned. "Leave. I'll be there in a second."

He nodded and crept out through the gate.

I turned slowly, forcing myself to smile.

"Oh, hey." I waved. Don't come near me, don't come near me. I was hoping my mental warnings would keep them away so I wouldn't beat the shit out of them.

"What are you holding?" Ralf asked.

"Dude, I think it's a kid," Jesse whispered.

"No way," Ralf breathed. I gritted my teeth. Breathe a word, you little shits, and you won't ever have kids, I mentally cautioned.

I stood there, raising an eyebrow, tapping my foot. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Is it your kid?" Jesse asked.

"Yes."

They burst into laughter. "That's too funny," Jesse gasped. I looked at Sabrina and smiled. She smiled bad, and the urge to beat them into the ground disappeared. . . Well, for the most part.

I turned around and started to leave. Someone caught my arm. I had to fight the instinct to flip them over my head. I turned around slowly.

It was Adrian.

"Hello, little dhampir." He looked down. "And littler dhampir." His eyes widened, and he glared at me accusingly. I wanted to dissolve into a pile of nothing. I would rather have run into Kirova than Adrian.

Ralf and Jesse were still laughing. Adrian gave them a truly vicious glare. They stopped laughing and slunk away. Thank God. If that was all he was good for, I would take it.

"So . . . no chance?" he questioned, anger and disappointment etched into his voice. At least he didn't look like he was drunk - well, not yet, anyway. The day had just started.

I shook my head. "Sorry, Adrian." I smiled. "I have to go. See you later."

He watched me carefully as I left campus.

"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked as I came closer to him.

"Yeah," I said, looking back at Adrian, who was gazing longingly out the gate. I cringed, refusing to let myself feel guilty over this. Dimitri was who I wanted. And anyway, I always knew that I was never coming back to Adrian. It would never work between us.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I looked back at Dimitri, and I smiled, kissing him quickly.

"Yeah. Let's go." We disappeared from the Academy for the last time.


Just so you guys know, if any of you were looking for an update from me on another story, I updated all of my stories today. Please review, I beg of you. I need reviews on this day.

- J.C.

February 28, 1961 - July 20, 2009 - Six long months without you has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do by far. I learned so much from you when you were here, and I'm learning even more now that you aren't here. I'll always miss you, and even though you did things I didn't agree with, I still love you.

I always will. I love you, Mommy.