Chapter 16: Family
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. I would love to borrow Adrian and Dimitri for a night though=)
This chapter is a little fluffy. I wanted to add a little happiness into the picture for once. So many stories are full of doom and gloom. Enjoy!!
RPOV
Adrian left and I walked slowly over to the mirror on the back of the door. I looked at myself and shuddered. There were dark circles under my eyes, my hair was a rat's nest, there were bits of dried blood caked along my scalp, I was still very pale and I was wearing a white night gown.
I can't go down there like this I thought to myself. I went to the dresser and opened the drawers hoping to find a t-shirt and some shorts at best when there was a knock on the door.
Whoever was on the other side didn't wait for me to answer.
"Rose?" Came a female voice. I turned and looked at the young girl who had entered. I think her name was Viktoria. She was Dimitri's youngest sister. She looked to be just a little younger than myself.
"Hey." I said awkwardly. What do you say to your twenty-four year old boyfriend's younger sister?
"Don't be shy. I am so happy that you and Dimka have found each other. You're very special to him." She said coming over and sitting down on the bed.
I felt a blush creep into my cheeks, but I didn't say anything. It was nice to have at least one of his family members on my side.
"So dinner is in a few minutes and I thought maybe you'd want to wear some real clothes." She said with a smirk.
"Yeah, I was just trying to find some in there." I said pointing to the dresser.
"Ha! You won't find anything that fits you in there. Even as a teenager Dimka has always been a beast." She laughed.
"I brought you these." She said holding up a bag and dumping the contents onto the bed spread.
There was a pair of grey velour pants, a matching hoodie, a white tank top and socks.
"Thanks." I said "You've been really kind to me."
"Anything for you Rose. You're part of the family." She said with a wink.
I was taken aback. They really did accept us being together. This was so different from the way we would be treated at the Academy or even at the Royal Court next year. I could just imagine the look on Queen Bitch's face if she found out.
"Hey I also brought you a brush and some make up." She said pulling me out of my reverie. "I can help you if you want."
"I'd like that a lot." I said grateful for everything she'd done to make me comfortable.
She led me down the hall into another room. It had a bathroom attached to it. "This is my room. " She explained.
I looked around. It was what a typical teenage girl's room should look like. Clothing was strewn across the bed and the floor, a large floor length mirror hung on one wall, a vanity with all kinds of toiletries sat on one side and the room was decorated with pinks and purples. There was even a teddy bear dressed as a doctor on the unmade bed.
I smiled when I saw it. She followed my gaze.
"That's Dr. Pepper." She said matter of factly.
"Dr. Pepper?" I questioned the odd name for a teddy bear.
"Well it's a long story, but I went through a phase where I would only drink Dr. Pepper when I was a child. Mama says I was fussy. It was hard to find here in Russia so she had to stock up when she came across it. Dimka thought it was funny and one day he took me to the Baia town fair and won me the bear. I of course thought he needed a name and Dimka teased me, but told me I should name him Dr. Pepper since I was so in love with it. He even got me a little stethoscope and made him a lab coat out of an old pillow case. It was our own private joke.
I was stunned by her story. I never thought of Dimitri as a fun older brother. He rarely showed his soft side and usually only to me for a brief minute or two. I envied his childhood here with his family. It wasn't common for Dhampirs to be raised in such a loving environment. My own childhood had been spent at the Academy.
"That was the day DImka told me he was leaving to be a Guardian. It was one of the last times I saw him." She said sadly. "Until you brought him to us." She smiled genuinely at me. I marveled at how alike she and Dimitri looked when they smiled.
"She went about fixing my hair and she applied minimal make up to cover up my dark circles.
"Do you like lip gloss Rose?" she asked.
"Do I ever?" I said with a smile.
"I'd die without mine." She said.
"I know the feeling." I replied laughing when I remembered whining to Dimitri during our training sessions about being out of lip gloss. Back then I'd thought it was the end of the world. I also remembered him sneaking and buying me some to make me happy. My heart swelled with love at that memory. I should have known then how he felt about me.
"There now you are ready." She said with a nod. "Look in the mirror."
I looked at what she had done. She'd removed the bandage from my neck. She'd brushed and straightened my hair so it fell loosely down my back. She's also removed most of the debris that had been snarled in it. She'd covered up my dark circles added mascara to make my eyes big and put on a touch of pink lip gloss. The clothing was a little big because she was slightly taller than me, but I had to admit I looked pretty good for being Strigoi fodder.
She took my hand and led me downstairs. Everyone was sitting around a large table that had been set up in the dining area. There was an enormous amount of food and it smelled really good. I was so hungry I could have eaten a horse.
Everyone looked up as we entered the room.
"Wow you look so much better Rose." Said Lissa through the bond. I could tell she was happy, but there was a slight jealous tone coming from her as she looked between me and Viktoria.
My parents were sitting next to each other and they both smiled when they saw me. "Rose, I'm glad to see you feeling well." Said Abe rising from his seat to give me a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks to you old man." I said teasingly punching him slightly on the arm.
He laughed and his eyes crinkled as a wide grin broke across his face. He still looked like a mobster, but a happy mobster at the moment. My mother just looked back and forth between us with an amused smile on her face.
Everyone else at the table looked at me in awe that I had the nerve to call Abe Mazur old man and that he didn't put a hit out on me. If only they knew I was a baby mobster.
I looked around the table and noticed that Dimitri wasn't there. My face fell. Where did he go? I thought.
As if sensing that I was looking for him he came up behind me and snaked his arm around my waist.
"I'm right here Roza." He breathed.
I relaxed and let him lead me to a seat at the table right next to Lissa. He took the seat on the other side of me. I was nestled in between the two most important people in my life. I couldn't have been happier if I tried.
This was by far the strangest yet most wonderful dinner I'd ever eaten. The food was all traditional Russian dishes and Dimitri told me the names but they were difficult to pronounce so I doubted I'd remember them tomorrow.
After dinner while Dimitri helped his mother and sisters clean up and my friends went upstairs with Viktoria to see about sleeping arrangements my mother and Abe pulled me aside.
"Rose we know about you and Guardian Belikov." Stated my mother.
I already knew that she knew and that it had been pretty obvious to my father.
I looked her in the eye. "And?" I questioned.
"Do you love him Rosemarie?" she asked.
"Yes I do very much." I replied.
"And he didn't force you into anything?" she asked
"No of course not he wouldn't ever do that."
"That's all I wanted to know." She said.
"Will you tell the Academy?" I asked biting my bottom lip nervously.
"Not so long as you both remain professional until graduation while in public." She responded.
"You wouldn't want to tarnish either of your reputations."
"Belikov is a good man. He comes from this wonderful family and I'm very happy that you have such a loving man to take care of you Rosemarie." Abe interjected. "Just know that if he steps out of line I will be there to make him pay." He added. He sounded like he was joking, but I wasn't so sure he actually was.
"What would you know about that anyways?" I snapped. I didn't mean to, but deep down I had resentment towards my father for never being around. I knew that Moroi fathers were never really around for their Dhampir children, but it doesn't mean that I had to agree with it. I wondered if he had Moroi children out there somewhere too.
"Rosemarie! Do not speak to him that way." Gasped my mother appauled at my comment.
"Well what do you want me to say? I'm glad he is here to help me right now, but there were many other times in my life where I needed someone and neither of you were around." I said quietly.
"That isn't his fault." Said my mother.
"I looked her in the eyes and I knew it was the truth."
"Janine you don't have to make excuses for me." My father said interrupting her.
"No she needs to know the truth Ibrahim." She looked at me.
"Rose do not ever think that your father is the one who decided not to be in your life. We were young and in love and when I told him that we were going to have you he was very excited and happy. He asked me to marry him and run away together. I agreed at first, but the night I was supposed to meet him I thought about what I would be giving up and I changed my mind. I left him a note and fled back to the States." She said sheepishly.
"I was a coward and I'm sorry."
I was astonished. My father had wanted to assume and my mother was the one who said no. I'd always figured it was the other way around. I just stood there staring between the two of them. My mother had a look of shame on her face and my father just looked sad.
"Rose Abe has always taken an interest in your life. I've sent him pictures, he donates money to St. Vladimirs and gets updated reports on your training and grades. He was worried sick the last two times you were missing. " She continued.
Fresh tears welled up in my eyes. I did my best to hold them back. I fixed my gaze on Abe.
"Do you have other children?" I asked him.
He laughed. "No, I am very sure I do not." He replied.
"Not even Moroi children?"
"You are my only child." He repeated. That made me feel kind of special in a way.
"Will you keep in touch with me now?" I asked him.
"Nothing would give me greater pleasure." He said embracing me tightly. "I have maintained a distance at your mother's request, but now that I've met you wild horses couldn't keep me away. I had planned on a visit to the States soon now I have even more reason to prolong my visit." He said sincerely.
His words made me very happy and I hugged him with everything I had.
"You have no idea how many times I've imagined this exact moment." He whispered and I have to admit I got a little teary eyed.
I wondered what my friends would think if they knew I had a mobster for a father. I'd have to tease Sparky with that later.
Dimitri was watching our exchange with curiosity from the doorway of the kitchen. I'd have to explain to him , but right now I was too exhausted to say the least.
As night fell we were all tired and as the house was not large enough to accomedate all of us my father suggested that he and my mother and one of his guardians would stay at his house just outside town. His other guardian would patrol around the perimeter of the house.
Olena would bunk with Dimitri's grandmother whom I hadn't met yet. She had been very elusive. Dimitri had once told me that she was a witch and a part of me was a little frightened to meet her. Karolina, Sonya and Viktoria would stay together in Karolina's room with Paul who had been scarce as well. Lissa and Christian would take Viktoria's room. I would stay with Dimitri and Adrian would take the couch. I laughed at the almighty Lord Adrian Ivashkov being banished to the couch.
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