Disclaimer: I do not own VA and thank Richelle Mead for writing such an awesome series.

Note: I know Dimitri is an introvert and his behaviour in 'Bachelor Party' is totally out of character. Which is why I kept saying:

(1) Adrian was the mastermind behind the 'Bachelor Party' activities

(2) Dimitri was extremely drunk and so everything he did was out of character

Just wanted to state this incase anyone else wanted to point this out :P

Otherwise thank you to everyone else who have given me positive/encouraging feedback on what I have done so far…

Special shout out to:

Gigi256 – your sweet words encourage me to be more daring and bold with my writing

BookWretched – for being my awesome Beta

As the big day draws close, will everything go smoothly for Rose and Dimitri or will there be more complications?

*Note: There may be some spoilers to The Ruby Circle*

THE WEDDING PART I

RPOV

Fuck my life

I have a hard life.

I am not trying to be a whiny bitch. Just stating the obvious.

Nothing has come easy to me – I have had to work really hard to get the things I want in my life.

Taking care of my best friend = hard

Becoming a badass guardian = hard

Finding and keeping my soulmate = hard

I think God (or whatever higher being is out there) has a sadistic approach when it comes to my life. Nothing can ever go to plan or be easy for me – otherwise how would it be 'entertaining'?

And so here I am (just two days from getting married to Dimitri) and instead of relaxing and taking care of last minute wedding details (which aren't many, thanks to Lissa playing wedding planner), I am getting ready to go out on a fucking Strigoi raid.

Don't get me wrong – I know my duty as a guardian comes first before my personal life – but come on! Seriously! Can't Rose Hathaway just have this one event in her life go to plan without any drama!

I was sitting in one of the bigger meeting rooms, big enough to accommodate the large number of guardians present for this particular raid (the last time we had this many guardians was when we were rescuing Christian and Lissa from Dimitri).

The Guardian Council (with the reluctant support from the Moroi Council) had slowly started sanctioning small raids, targeting big groups of Strigoi that were gaining momentum in the US. We were using a combination of Dimitri's intel (from his days as Strigoi) and the information the Alchemists were gathering from their monitoring/observations. Most of these raids were small and precise, planned perfectly to the last detail (to minimise our losses). And at each raid, Dimitri and I were at the forefront, leading the team on each mission, ensuring we got our target and came out with no one from our side dying (getting injured, unfortunately, we couldn't avoid).

Hans waited until the guardians settled down and found their seats.

"Right, let's get down to business. It has come to our attention that a large group of Strigoi have been sighted near the outskirts of Philadelphia…"

And with that, Hans went into the finer details of the location, numbers and schematics of the raid. It took all my energy to stay focused on the debriefing, and keep my mind from wandering – splitting my thoughts between the wedding and what Dimitri could be doing at this moment in time. He and Christian had been called back to St Vlads for a surprise assessment of the new Moroi defence elective. Hopefully they would be done in time to make the wedding, but unfortunately not for the raid. This would be the first raid I would co-lead without him (Hans taking the reins in his absence).

The raid (like all other raids) was scheduled for daylight, and with the plan to mobilise the team by sunrise, we all had about two hours to get ready. As I made my way back to our apartment, to pack my raid bag, all I could think about was the wedding.

Truth be told, I thought I was going to have a long engagement, probably getting married in my 30s. But Lissa was not having any of it and had started bugging me a month after the proposal.

"Why do you have to be engaged for 10 years before you get married? What's stopping you from getting married sooner?"

I had looked at her like she was insane. "Seriously!? Are you nuts! I just got engaged. There is no rush for us to walk down the aisle. In the words of Beyonce he 'put a ring on it' – so he doesn't have to worry about me running off or something. Not to mention how expensive weddings are. We would need to save up heaps before we could do anything decent. So yeah, something sooner just isn't feasible".

Lissa had given me one of her famous pouts. "Rose, do you really think I would let you pay for the wedding? I will take care of everything. And no, don't even bother objecting. If I have to, I will make it an official royal order. You are my sister and you mean the world to me. As for waiting till you are in your 30s, that's just stupid! What's wrong about getting married next year? I only need a year to plan the wedding".

"Next year!? So I am getting married at 21! Come on Liss! That's sooo young!"

"Yes, it is. But tell me this – do you want to spend the rest of your life with Dimitri?"

"Yes"

"Do you see yourself with anyone else?"

"No"

"Do you have any doubts about your love for Dimitri or his love for you?"

"No"

"So why wait until you are in your 30s – why not start now? Would it really be so bad becoming Mrs. Dimitri Belikov at 21?"

I was stumped and couldn't find the words to counter argue. All the reasons that had been running in my head, that had convinced me that I couldn't (shouldn't) think about marriage until I was much older just didn't seem valid any more. What was stopping me from marrying the man of my dreams? I had no doubts or reservations about our love. We had been living together at Court since becoming guardians to Lissa and Christian (so we knew we wouldn't tear each other apart living under the same roof). And considering the close calls we had faced (in almost losing one another) – well life really was too short and unpredictable – so why wait in joining myself completely to my Dimitri?

Lissa saw my decision even before I voiced it and had grabbed me in a big hug, squealing in delight.

"You won't regret this Rose! I promise I will take care of everything!"

Lissa, knowing the challenges the guardians would face managing security for her attendance, decided the location of our wedding had to be somewhere in the States. Even though I had given her complete control on planning and executing the wedding (this was sooooo not my thing), she still insisted on my involvement. I had moaned, grumbled and complained, but she wouldn't have any of it.

"Rose, I know you don't care for such things. But think about Dimitri. Think about his family. Think about your family. Everyone who loves you two wants to celebrate your love and I know you are still hesitant about getting married so young, but this is a big deal. This is a big day. Please, you need to put some effort into it. Think how happy you would make Dimitri. All he has ever dreamed about is making you his wife – standing in front of family and friends and proclaiming to the world that you are his and he is yours. Surely you can do this for him?"

Damn her, she knew my one weakness and had used it against me to finally get my input.

And so here we are, almost a year since Dimitri proposed to me at the Academy. We were having a Russian Winter Wedding (as an homage to Dimitri's roots). The ceremony would be officiated by Father Andrews from the Academy (it just made sense to us considering he had been a big part of our lives).

We had found a beautiful resort in Vail, Colorado – Arrabelle at Vail Square. It could be described as 'Bavarian luxury meets storybook fantasyland' and was breathtaking. Lissa had Hans scope the place out and when he gave his approval, she booked the whole resort for the wedding. Working alongside the Alchemists, she ensured that most of the staff and security for the wedding would be either Moroi or Dhampir (still don't know how she pulled that off). With the location and date fixed (November 13th – exactly a year since the beautiful proposal), the invites were sent out.

The guest list was difficult – naturally we wanted our families and close friends there – and then there were people who had come into our lives during one mission or another (like Mark and Oksana). But the most frustrating invitees – the Moroi Council.

"Why do I have to invite those stuck-up, two-faced snobs?! It's a Dhampir marrying another Dhampir – something most of them look down up on. Why would we want them there?"

But Lissa had explained that if the Queen attended the wedding then the Moroi Council had to be invited too – it was just polite protocol and expected.

"I know you don't want them there, but if I am to attend, they need to attend too. It's just the way it is. I'm really sorry".

After the challenges of the guest list, everything else was simple and easy: menu (a sit down banquet – mix of authentic Russian home-style cuisine, with a few Turkish and Scottish dishes), cake (a four-tiered chocolate cake, with chocolate frosting and chocolate scroll borders, finished with cascading white and brown chocolate roses on the side), DJ for music (a band was so not my thing), flowers for the bouquet and centre pieces (mix of lily, gardenias, jasmine and roses) and the dresses – mine and the bridesmaids.

Ok, maybe finding the perfect dress had not been easy (probably the second most challenging item after the guest list). I wasn't a girly-girl so didn't want anything that was over the top (like a princess gown). I can't remember how many stores we had visited or the endless Bridal magazines Lissa had made me flick through. I had started getting worried – it seemed like everything else was more or less sorted but the dress. I don't know why, but it suddenly became my mission to find the perfect dress – the dress that would give me goose bumps and make me feel worthy of Dimitri's love. I thought we had visited every store in Pennsylvania, but then we found one we hadn't noticed before. A small, family owned establishment that had one-of a kind pieces. And it was here when I finally found the dress – my wedding dress.

Pushing thoughts of the wedding out of my mind, I got ready and packed my bag, getting myself into battle mode. I tried to not think about the fact I was slightly anxious and nervous to go out on this raid without Dimitri – it wasn't that I didn't trust the other guardians in the team – I had just become so used to fighting with Dimitri side-by-side, his presence made me feel extra safe and boosted my confidence. I was tempted to call him, but chickened out at the last minute, knowing it would only make him worry and increase my anxiety.

It wasn't long before the teams were loaded in the black SUVs and we started making our way to the designated location – an abandoned power station – which was being used as a lair during daylight. Everyone in the car was quiet, focused on the task at hand and mentally preparing themselves for the battle. Once we got close enough to the power station (but still far away so as to not alert the Strigoi) we gathered around the cars to quickly re-cap the battle plan and do final checks of equipment.

The plan was to split into two teams, each team taking one of the two entrances. These teams would then split into half, with one half entering the building while the others stayed outside to take care of any Strigoi (or humans) that may try to get out. We didn't think there would be any victims, but if there was a remote possibility, the outside team would be able to offer assistance and medical care. Naturally Hans and I were leading the two teams that were actually entering the building. It was times like this I wished I was still shadow-kissed – having an in-built Strigoi detector was definitely an advantage.

Finally it was time and we all made our way to the power station (walking the last bit to give us the small element of surprise). No one dared to speak once we were there – no whispers of 'good luck' or 'see you later' – just curt nods, allowing the team to acknowledge we had each other's backs. It didn't take us long to find the Strigoi and the chaos of battle ensued. I lost count of how many Strigoi I staked and my team and I made our way deeper into the building, fanning out and making sure no corner or room was unchecked. My ear piece crackled with Hans and other guardians shouting information back and forth, and I was tempted to pull the damn thing out. My team reached the basement entrance and after a quick sweep of the area, we slowly made our way down in the darkness, turning on our vest lights.

There was only one room in the basement and luckily it only had four Strigoi, which didn't take us long to take care of. All in all, the raid was a success and I finally took a deep breath to calm my nerves and slow down my heartrate. No one had died from our side and we had killed close to fifteen Strigoi. As the injured were lead out and we did our final sweep of the place, I noticed cameras located through-out the building. It seemed strange that an abandoned building would have so many security cameras (which looked brand new and appeared to be recording). We didn't find any surveillance room, which further stumped us on why the cameras were there in the first place. Something didn't feel right – my gut instinct was telling me that we needed to investigate the cameras further, but Hans had other priorities and so the cameras were forgotten.

Once we had reached the Court everyone dispersed – the injured taken to the clinic while the rest of us headed back to the administration building to fill out our reports. I really wanted to go home and have a long, hot shower, but the damn reports had to be done before anything else (Hans insisted on this approach, stating it was good to fill them out while the memory of the battle was still fresh in our mind). It took almost three hours to finish the stupid reports and I was finally home. I didn't even make it to the shower, flopping onto the lounge and falling asleep.

I awoke the next day to someone knocking on the apartment door. My muscles felt stiff and sore, and I regretted not having the shower to allow my muscles to relax. I dragged myself to the door, and was surprised to find Lissa standing there, jumping from one foot to another in excitement, until she saw my appearance.

"Oh my God Rose! What happened? Are you ok?"

I had no idea how I looked like, but I knew it wouldn't be pretty – probably covered in bruises and blood.

"I'm fine Liss, just came back from a raid and fell asleep before I had a shower. Everything ok? Why are you here?"

"You forgot didn't you? We are supposed to be flying out today to Vail. You know for the wedding", she rolled her eyes.

"Shit! Ok, give me an hour to shower and get ready. My stuff is already packed so I will meet you at the airstrip".

An hour later we were in the air, making our way to Vail, Colorado. The plane was full of my bridal party and six royal guards (there for the protection of the queen and the other Moroi on board). I took the opportunity to get some sleep – I was still recovering from the battle and felt too tired to join in the excited chatter. Thankfully the girls let me be and didn't wake me till we reached our destination. It was as short trip from the airstrip to the resort and the newly fallen snow made the whole place look magical. Lissa had told me on the car ride over that wards had been placed around the resort for extra protection. Guardians would still patrol the area but at least this way we had two layers of protection.

I was staying in one of the King Suites and thankfully not by myself. Mia, one of my bridesmaids, was staying with me and I was glad for her company. I would have preferred Lissa but being Queen (and needing guards) she had her own suite (also Christian wanted to stay with her – so that would have been awkward). Jill too had her own room with guards (being the Dragomir Princess), plus I think she wanted the opportunity to spend time with Eddie. Sydney was with Adrian and Declan (who was our page boy), Sonya was with Mikhail and Viktoria was staying in a chalet with the other Belikovs – helping her sisters with their kids who were part of the wedding party – Paul was ring bearer, and Zoya and Katya (Sonya's daughter) were the flower girls.

We had arrived a day before the wedding to give us time to relax and take care of any last minute items. Lissa insisted I stay away from Dimitri, stating it would be bad luck if he saw me before the wedding. This did not bode well with me, as I hadn't seen him in two weeks and was missing him terribly.

'I miss you Comrade!'

'Do you think we could sneak away somewhere and 'catch-up?''

It didn't take Dimitri long to reply back to my texts.

'I miss you too Roza. But I am being watched like a hawk and Lissa will know if we snuck away'

'I love you…'

I sighed in frustration. This was going to be the longest 24 hours of my life.

'I love you too…'

Day of the Wedding

I woke up to bright sunlight streaming into my room

I

Was

Getting

Married

Today

The thought made me bolt upright and I could feel the beginnings of anxiety and nerves stirring within me. But there was something else there too – excitement and immense joy. Today Dimitri would officially become my husband and we would be joined for the rest of our lives.

When I walked into the living room after my shower I found Mia setting up the small coffee table with our breakfast she had ordered.

"Morning Mrs. Belikova!"

I rolled my eyes at her and plonked down on the floor next to her to dig in.

"Not yet. Still have another 12 hours or so before I become Mrs. Belikova. Though even then no one will call me that – I will either be Guardian Hathaway or Guardian Belikova…"

It was Mia's turn to roll her eyes.

Before she could comment someone knocked on our door.

We looked at each other and shrugged. We weren't expecting the rest of the girls till after lunch (we were all going to get ready in my room) but it could have been any other number of people – we had been receiving visitors non-stop since our arrival yesterday. It had been an endless stream of well-wishers and hotel staff (who were either relaying messages, keeping me informed or getting my approval on final wedding details).

I got up and opened the door and found one of the bell-boys holding a large white box.

"Ms. Hathaway, these were delivered for you today".

Before I could ask anything (like who it was from) the boy handed me the box and walked away.

It wasn't heavy, so I balanced it in one hand and closed the door.

Mia watched me with silent curiosity, as I placed the box on the side table and opened it.

Inside were 12 blood red roses – fragrant, beautiful and perfect. Strangely they were covered in sharp thorns. I had received roses before and I had never seen any with as many thorns as these had. I wanted to touch the flowers but was wary of being pricked. Something about them made me feel uneasy, that even though they were gorgeous there was something sinister too. I saw the little envelope and hesitantly lifted it out.

I carefully took the card out of the envelope but before I could read the message and discover who the flowers were from a photo fell out of the envelope. My heart gave a loud thud and almost stopped beating. Two Dhampir girls were smiling in the photo, arms around each other as they posed and one was heavily pregnant.

It was a photo of Olive and Diana.

Poor Rose and Dimitri – they can never seem to catch a break.

Any thoughts on who the flowers are from?

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