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

Note: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up…was suffering from writer's block.

Hope you like it – will be all DPOV

Special shout out to:

BookWretched – for being my awesome Beta (check out her stories – they are awesome!)

Will Dimitri be able to save his Roza?

*Note: There are spoilers to The Ruby Circle*

THE WEDDING PART III

DPOV

The last 24 hours have not gone the way I imagined they would.

I was supposed to be happy, feeling complete and married to my love.

Instead my heart aches, I feel lost and I have no idea where my Roza is.

Everything that happened after Mia handed me the USB is a blur – hearing about the ambush from Mia (before she passed out from exhaustion), finding our families to let them know what happened, watching the video on the USB, the Queen and the Moroi Council taken back to Court straight away for security reasons, the wedding getting cancelled, all of us returning to Court.

How did this happen? How can someone's life change so drastically in 24 hours?

Guardians are moving all around me, but I don't hear them or pay any attention. I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. I am hollow, empty. All I can do is stare at my hands and feel like a failure.

Abe and Janine have been channelling their anguish and anger towards getting things done – anything that will help them locate their daughter. Lissa has been in session with the Council for the last three hours, hoping to convince them to let the guardians put together a search and rescue party, but it doesn't look promising. Since our return I have remained at Guardian HQ, so I can be kept in the loop, but more importantly, I can't face our empty apartment.

Mia is still in the infirmary and I am waiting for her to wake up so she can give us more details. There must be something, anything that can help us.

The video on the USB (the only file on the stick) had been completely useless. It was a recording of the raid Rose had been in a few days ago (one that I had not been informed about). Hans had filled us in on the details and how the building had cameras. It now appears that there was a reason for those cameras being there – my sick, disturbing father had wanted to film the raid and send me this video – why, I don't know. Maybe it was to cause me pain, because that's what I felt every time I watched my Roza appear on the screen.

She was deadly, lethal and so, so beautiful. Her movements perfect and graceful, she dealt out death flawlessly. I just prayed that this wasn't the last image of Roza I would see.

As I sat there, holding my head in my hands, I felt someone lightly squeeze my shoulders. Looking up I saw Mia and Ryan standing next to me. Mia still looked like hell, the split lip had required some stiches and the bruises on her face had turned purple. She was leaning on Ryan for support and seemed to sway, still recovering from the after-effects of the pain meds.

"Dimitri, I need to give you something. Rose gave me this for safe keeping, because she didn't want it falling into the wrong hands. I am sorry I didn't give this to you yesterday, but I was pretty out of it. It came with the roses Randall sent to Rose".

She handed me an envelope, which contained a picture of Olive and Diana and a card from my bastard of a father. I felt my anger grow as I read his message.

"Please don't be mad at us, especially Rose. She didn't want you or your family to have to deal with your dad. And, Dimitri, she was worried about…about…"

I looked up at Mia, trying to soften my expression, hoping it would ease her enough to finish what she wanted to say. She took a deep breath, and leant in to whisper the rest.

"Dimitri, Randall found out about Declan".

I felt myself stiffen at those words. No, this cannot be happening. This man cannot be doing this again – ruining so many lives, hurting so many people.

Before either of us could say anything, Lissa burst through the doors, tears streaming down her face, anger flashing in her eyes.

"Those stupid assholes! I can't believe they are doing this! I can't believe they won't let us conduct a search and rescue!"

Everyone in the vicinity had stopped what they were doing, frozen in place. Total silence engulfed the room. No one had ever heard the Queen swear like that, not even her closest friends. Lissa's stormy eyes looked around until they fell on me.

"Get up Dimitri! Find Abe, Janine and Hans. We are going to have our own little session".

And with that, she turned and headed straight for one of the empty meeting rooms, followed closely by four of her royal guards.

I stood up slowly, still in shock. But before I could leave, Mia touched my arm to get my attention.

"Dimitri, I think it's time a few more people found out about, well, you know. I think you should bring the others to this meeting because I have a feeling this secret is going to come out soon".

Squeezing my arm in a small gesture of comfort, she and Ryan made their way to the room Lissa was currently occupying.

Taking a deep breath, I made my way to guest housing. To find Adrian and Sydney.

Fifteen minutes later we were all sitting around the meeting room, each one of us with varying emotions and expressions on our faces. Lissa and Christian looked determined, Abe and Janine fluctuated between fury and agony, Jill was being comforted by Eddie, while Sonya sat there quietly in Mikhail's arms, lost in some other world. Mia looked like she was about to faint and was leaning on Ryan for support. Neil, Sydney and Adrian looked sad and anxious, while Hans sat there with a grim expression.

It seemed like it was up to me to start the meeting, with no one else taking the initiative. But before I could say anything, my phone rang. I was about to ignore the call, when I caught the name and picture on the screen - 'Roza'.

I had been trying her phone non-stop since yesterday and had left countless messages. So I was stunned to see the call – could she finally be calling me back? Is she safe?

I stumbled on the button to receive the call, forgetting everyone else around me.

"Roza?" I saw everyone else in the room stiffen as I said her name.

"No Dimka, unfortunately Rosemarie is currently unavailable, but I hope you will speak to me".

I gripped my phone tightly and my free hand clenched into a fist. Anger and hate boiled within me, and it took every ounce of control to not scream and shout at the bastard. I turned the speaker on before continuing the conversation, knowing from the looks everyone was giving me that they would want to know what was going on.

"What have you done with Rose? Why do you want her? If you hurt her, I swear I will kill you!"

A cold, sadistic laugh flowed through the phone before he responded.

"My, my Dimka. Aren't we a bit possessive? My daughter-in-law is fine... well, as fine as she can be in her current state. I have no intention of harming her… yet… as long as you follow my instructions. You see Dimka, we have some unfinished business and I was hoping to take care of it face to face. I will call you back in 15 mins to give you further instructions on what I need you to do and I suggest you don't miss my call. I am not a patient man".

And with that the line went dead. There was something different about his voice, it sounded cruel and cold – not something I recalled about him from my memories. But I felt a familiar sickness in the pit of my stomach and I prayed my suspicions would be wrong.

The silence that had surrounded the room during the call, was suddenly broken as everyone started talking and shouting. Abe was the loudest, flushed with pure rage and spewing out threats and ultimatums. It was total chaos and I didn't know how to calm everyone down nor what I should do next. Sydney was the only other person who had remained silent along with me, watching everyone and when she saw that the craziness would not die down, she stood up and gave a shrill, two finger whistle to get everyone's attention.

The noise was harsh, especially to the sensitive ears of Dhampir and Moroi, but it got the job done. Everyone suddenly shut up and looked at Sydney expectantly.

"Screaming and shouting all at once is not going to help us in anyway. We need to come up with a plan to save Rose. Lissa what did the Council say? Can we put together a team with the Court guardians?"

Lissa hung her head in shame, looking more like her teenage self than the Moroi Queen.

"No, they voted against the motion. We can't use them because she is just a Dhampir and this is a 'domestic' dispute. You would think the Ivashkovs would be for it, considering its one of their own who is involved, but nope. I hate them all so much sometimes, especially the Ivashkovs! No offence Adrian…"

"None taken cousin. I share in your sentiments", Adrian grinned, trying to mask his own worries.

Sydney watched the exchange quietly and took charge again.

"Ok, so where does this leave us? As I see it, Randall will call back and give Dimitri instructions on where and when to meet up with him. He will probably stipulate something like Dimitri needs to come alone or something, so anyone who is going to help him with this, and he will need help, will need to be hidden. Guardian Croft any thoughts?"

Hans looked at Sydney and gave a small smile.

"Well the Council have been quite clear on this matter regarding guardian involvement. However, as I see it, Neil here is not a Court guardian, so is free to do what he wants with his time. Same goes with Janine. Ryan, Mikhail, Dimitri and Eddie still have some vacation time they have not used, so if they wanted to use some of that time in the next few days I will not say no to them. What they do on their own downtime is none of my concern. I am happy to take over some of the royal guarding duties, and can keep an eye on her Highness… I mean Lissa".

It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. Hearing this gave us some hope. We would have liked more, but this was still better than nothing, though I wouldn't doubt that every guardian in the room would have found a way to help, even if it meant going against Hans and the Council.

Sydney gave Hans a curt nod and went back to addressing the room.

"Thank you Guardian Croft that is very much appreciated. Now I can help out with a few things so I will go with you guys while Adrian stays behind to look after Declan. Don't give me that look Ivashkov. You are staying and that's final! If you are up for it, we would appreciate your help in the rescue Christian and Sonya. Your powers could definitely be useful. We will keep ourselves in the distance so that we are not in any immediate danger or be a distraction for those going in. I am assuming that you will be part of the rescue Mr. Mazur and Guardian Hathaway?"

Janine and Abe looked at one another and with twin deadly smiles gave Sydney a quick nod. Abe's eyes sparkled with the promise of dangerous retribution.

"I am also happy to bring in some of my own personal bodyguards on the matter. Depending on what the time frame is, I can get at least 8 to 10 of my men here to help with the rescue".

A grin appeared on Sydney's face, hope flashing in her eyes.

"Excellent! This is sounding very promising. Now we just need to know where we are going so we can scope out the location and determine the best way to approach the mission. But before we get into this further, there is something we need to discuss. Something which may come to light during this rescue and we feel needs to be addressed now so it's not a total shock".

Sydney took a deep breath and looked at Adrian for confirmation and support. He gave her hand a quick squeeze to let her know he was there for her. God! That's what I have with my Roza. The heartache deepened and I felt tears pool up in my eyes. No, Dimitri, you can't lose hope, you can't be weak. She needs you, so now is the time to man up!

Sydney looked back at the group assembled around her and with another deep breath, took the photo of Olive and placed it in the middle of the table, before beginning her tale.

She had just finished telling everyone about Declan's true parentage but before anyone could say anything my phone rang again. This time I didn't hesitate and answered on the first ring, putting it on speaker straight away.

"Belikov"

"Ah Dimka. Good to see you are still an attentive, focused Guardian. Olena must be so proud. How are the girls and her, by the way? I so do miss them. Maybe after our catch up I might pay them a visit…"

"Leave them out of this! You said you have unfinished business with me. They don't need to be involved and they don't need to see you Randall!"

"DIMITRI BELIKOV! Do not talk to me like that! I am your father and I expect to be treated with respect and decorum. I may not be able to punish you for your rude behaviour, but I am sure Rosemarie won't mind taking it in your place. I wonder if she will scream the same way Olena did when I punished her. I wonder if her blood tastes just as sweet, if not sweeter…"

Before I could say anything, Abe's loud booming voice cracked through the room, as he shot up in pure rage.

"RANDALL IVASHKOV! If you so much as touch a single hair on Rose's head I will personally make sure your death is a slow and painful one! I will skin you alive, tear you limb by limb and make sure you remain awake for the whole ordeal as you see yourself pulled apart!"

Janine tried to calm Abe by stroking his back and arms, but the man was trembling in fury from head to toe. For the first time in my life I was glad that Abe Mazur was on our side.

There was silence for a few minutes on the other end and I started to worry Randall had hung up. But when the cold, deadly voice returned it was lined with something sinister.

"Ibrahim Mazur, is that you? It has been far too long. I must say I am surprised you are involved in this. I know you have always had a soft spot for the Belikovs and you are one of the reasons why I had to stay away from them – something I am not happy about and will deal with at another time – but hearing you so angry and passionate about a simple Dhampir girl, it makes me wonder why you are so invested in her?"

I held my breath, just like Abe, as we both realised we had given Randall yet another reason to harm Rose. Please don't figure out he is her father, please don't figure out he is her father, I prayed internally.

But luck was not on our side.

"Oh Dimka, you sure do know how to pick them! Of all the girls in the world you could have fallen for, you had to pick Zmey junior! But then again I can see the attraction. She is beautiful, that can't be denied, and she has her father's fire and passion, which I am sure makes for an interesting and exciting sex life, hmm?"

I felt bile in the back of my throat and did my very best to keep my emotions in check. I couldn't afford to lose my control again. I couldn't give him any excuse to hurt my Roza. Abe had gone pale as he realised his mistake – revealing himself as Rose's father meant revealing his greatest weakness. He slumped down in the chair and rested against Janine, looking for support and comfort. I had never seen him like this, and it scared me.

Trying to find the courage and strength Rose had always told me I had (though I never believed her), I spoke to Randall, ignoring his earlier question.

"Randall, you said you would let me know when and where you wanted us to meet up. Please tell me, so I can be there. I will do anything you want, just please don't hurt Rose".

He gave a stony laugh before he replied.

"Yes you are right Dimka. I said I would give you instructions and so here they are. We are somewhere in Indiana, I will text you the address of the location. You need to come alone and unarmed. If I see anyone else in the vicinity, and trust me I will, I will kill her, whether you are here or not. I expect you to get to the property by tomorrow 10pm sharp. For each minute you make me wait, well let's just say Rose will lose more than her beautiful hair. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes" was all I could say, my emotions stretched to their limits.

"Well then Dimka, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow". And with that the line went dead.

Everyone sat there quietly, holding their breaths, what for I don't know. I just stared at the phone, hoping to somehow see my Roza. I wished I could have spoken to her, to hear her voice, to know she was ok. My thoughts were interrupted by a small buzz from my phone, as Randall sent me the text with the address. I passed the phone to Sydney, trusting her to look into this. I collapsed into the chair, my head yet again in my hands as everyone else broke out of the silent spell and started speaking and moving around me.

Everything was a blur as we got ready for the mission. I was on auto pilot, letting others tell me what to do, where to go, even what to eat. I was in battle mode and I had to keep my focus. I tried to keep myself busy, scared that any downtime, any quiet time would make me think of Rose and the emotions I was holding back would consume me. Sydney, Abe and Janine worked together on the plan. The location was an isolated farm near the northern border of the state. A single storey property with a lot of land and encased by a small forest in the east. Sydney was planning on hiding herself, Christian and Sonya in the forest, where they would monitor the situation through cameras (located on the guardians) and binoculars. Once given the all clear they would come closer to the property to help out as back-up with their magic. Eddie, Neil, Mikhail, Ryan, and Janine were going to be given invisibility lockets that Sydney would make, so they could make their way on to the property undetected and take out the guards. Abe and his men would remain hidden until given the all clear to move in and help the others take out what was left of the inside guards and Randall. I would abide by Randall's wishes and meet his men down the road of the property, unarmed and alone.

It wasn't long before we were making our way to the property. We had taken Abe's private jet from Court and had organised rental cars to take us the rest of the way in Indiana. I had my own car, while the others shared. I tried to push back the fear and anxiety and keep my hopes up, knowing that the closer I got, the sooner I would see Rose.

Being in the middle of nowhere with not many street lamps, the whole place was dark. It was the middle of the night, and we had to stay alert. Not only for Randall's men hidden in the darkness but the possibility of Strigoi. I left my car in the designated area and made my way towards the property. I had a small camera attached to my collar, hidden from view, so the others could see what I saw. I wasn't in my normal combat gear as I didn't want Randall to even get a hint of the possibility that there was a fight to come.

After his men (humans) had intercepted me and patted me down for weapons, they lead me towards the property. From the outside it looked very old, like it was falling apart and had seen better days, but there was light and activity inside. I kept my gaze forward, not wanting to tip-off the guards that I was taking in the surrounding environment. I had no doubt there were others hidden amongst the trees and darkness, patrolling the area.

I was led through the house, straight towards the back family room, where I assumed Randall was. Again I saw more men, spread throughout the various rooms and entrances. So far I had counted at least 15 human guards inside the property. I noticed the dark light-blocking curtains, and the way the guards carried themselves. They were alert, but with some hesitance and nervousness. The last time I had seen humans like this was when they were around Strigoi.

Randall was waiting for me in the large family room that housed a large desk and leather lounges. His back was facing me and he appeared to be talking to someone. Sensing my approach he slowly turned around. I felt my heart skip a beat and my breath caught in my throat.

Randall, my deadbeat, abusive Moroi father was standing before me as a Strigoi.

How could this have happened?

When did this happen?

He was already a monster, did he really need to complete his transformation and become the ultimate monster?

I looked away from his red ringed eyes and took in the room. Rose was not here.

"Where is she? Where is Rose?"

A small smile appeared on his pale face, as he sized me up.

"She is somewhere in the house, but you shouldn't concern yourself. We have so much catching up to do first, Dimka".

And just like that he was in front of me, grabbing me by my neck.

"I have to say Dimka, I am surprised you followed my instructions and came here alone, unarmed. You are either very foolish or very brave. You really must love this girl if you are willing to put your own life on the line like this".

I took a deep breath and looked directly into those cold, deadly eyes.

"I love her with all my heart and soul. I would gladly lay my life down for Roza without a second thought".

Randall gave me a cold smirk and suddenly pulled me in closer so my neck was directly under his mouth.

"Hmm, I can hear your blood rushing through your veins. I can smell your sweat. You are trying to keep calm, but your body is saying you are anything but. Don't you miss it? The rush of taking a life, consuming the very essence of a living being. Having all of your senses heightened, that every touch, every smell is beyond comparison to what you have experienced before. You could join me Dimka, and together we could rule the world. I have heard you were very powerful in your own right when you were Strigoi. Imagine what we could do, together as father and son".

Before I could even utter a single word his fangs were in me, drinking my blood. Even though it was only for a few seconds I still felt the slight effects of the endorphins rushing through my body. I fought back against the overwhelming sensation of bliss – I was not going to let my guard down. Randall pulled back suddenly, a look of disgust on his face.

"What is wrong with your blood Dimka? Why does it taste so strange?"

I couldn't help but smile, feeling satisfied with the thought that there was no way my father could drink me dry and turn me. The most he could do would be to snap my neck and kill me, something I would prefer over turning back into the monster that still haunted my nightmares.

"It doesn't matter Randall. I am here because you wanted to talk. But before we do that I need to see Rose. I need to know she is ok. That is the least you could do considering I fulfilled your instructions".

I held my head high and met his gaze. I had to look respectful, but not weak. I still remembered those days of being Strigoi – prey vs. predator. I could not let him make me his prey. I had to be the predator, a sneaky predator.

He looked at me, deep in thought before giving a quick nod to one of the guards, who turned and walked out of the room. It felt like hours, but really it was only a few minutes before the guard came back, carrying a small figure in his arms.

She lay there, so still and looked so small. Her beautiful hair hid her face from me. She seemed so fragile, so vulnerable. I wanted to take her from the guard's arms. It should be me, only me who gets to hold Roza like that. But I stay put, knowing that the last thing I want to do is anger the dangerous Strigoi in the room. I can't help but wonder if he is the only one here or if there are other Strigoi nearby – this could definitely hinder our plans.

My gaze followed the guard as he lay Rose down on the lounge, leaving her hair still covering her face. Was she sleeping? Drugged? She wasn't moving, but I could see her steady breathing. My hand twitched beside me, desperately wanting to reach out and push her hair back, stroke her beautiful face, kiss her soft lips. Instead I turned back to face Randall. I had to get some answers of my own.

"How did you become Strigoi? When did you become Strigoi?"

He kept his hard gaze on me, contemplating on how much he would divulge. I didn't hold much hope that he would listen to me, let alone answer my questions, so you can imagine I was surprised when he did.

"It happened 6 months ago. I was out of money and completely cut off from the Ivashkovs, even Nathan. I hated feeling so weak and out of control. I wanted to feel powerful again. I wanted to take what was mine and damn the consequence! I was tired of staying under the radar – shunned from Court, ignored by my family, ridiculed by all other Moroi. So I decided one day I would become the master of my own destiny and that day I found a human and drained her. Now I am finally who I was supposed to be – a God amongst men!"

I bit my tongue, holding back the harsh words that wanted to pour out. How could he do this to himself willingly? I knew he was an abusive and sadistic asshole, but to willingly become this monster, to take a life without remorse, I guess I didn't realise just how dangerous Randall Ivashkov really was.

"And so now that you are this 'God', what are your plans? Why am I here? Do you really want me to join you and your little empire? Don't you have other Strigoi already following you?"

I was hoping my stroking his ego just a tiny fraction he would become complacent and divulge his real goals. Randall might be a deadly, dangerous Strigoi, but he never was smart when he was a Moroi. I just hoped some of that stupidity had carried over after his awakening.

He studied me carefully, lost in another world for a moment, before his eyes suddenly flicked towards Rose. A dangerous smile appeared on his face, one that made my blood freeze.

Before I knew what was happening, Randall had used his Strigoi speed and was now bent right in front of Rose. I took a step forward and the guards next to me grabbed my arms instantly, holding me in place. I watched as my father carefully moved the hair away from Rose's face, like she was a delicate flower. My breath caught in my throat, as I saw the bruises and black eye. But even with all of this marring her face she still looked breathtaking. And I wanted nothing more than to grab the hand Randall was using to touch her and break it into tiny pieces.

"She really is a beauty Dimka. And so young. You won't mind if I just have one little taste will you? I won't kill her, not yet anyway. But I just can't resist. She reminds me so much of Olena when she was young. Beautiful, fiery, passionate. Ah, to be young and in love".

And with that, he sunk his teeth into her neck before I could utter my protest.

I lost it, whatever control I had, was gone in that instant. I struggled and fought my guards, causing more to come and hold me back. I heard growls and snarls, and suddenly realised the sounds were coming from me. I was no longer the controlled, seasoned guardian. No, I was a vengeful, lethal being who wanted to destroy everyone in that room to protect the one he loved.

Thankfully I didn't have to go rogue because a few things happened all at once.

First Randall pulled back in disgust after taking in a bit of Roses blood, probably tasting the same 'foulness' he tasted in my blood. What he didn't know was that just like Neil, Rose and the other guardians had all gotten tattoos that were inked with the special Spirit blood, which would prevent them from being turned into Strigoi. A small smile fell on my lips as I thought about the tattoo Rose had gotten – my initials just below her left hip. While Randall recovered from the foul blood he had consumed and was getting ready to question me, the large window shattered into millions of pieces as Abe and his men stormed the building. Eddie, Neil and Ryan suddenly materialised out of nowhere right by my side and took down the guards who were holding me back. While Abe was busy engaging Randall, I made my way to Rose, only focused on getting her out of here. But Randall was fast and had sensed me coming. He spun around and grabbed her by her neck in one quick movement, lifting her off the lounge like she was a rag doll.

"STOP! Or I will snap her pretty little neck!"

The mini-fights that were happening around us all stopped at his loud command. We couldn't let him take back control but he had Rose and it wouldn't take him much to snap her neck. We were in stalemate for only a few seconds because suddenly someone with red, fiery curls had thrown themselves on Randall from behind, pushing him towards the large mahogany desk. His grip on Rose loosened just as his body slammed into the desk.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion somehow. I watched in horror as Rose's body fell side-ways and her head slammed hard into the corner of the desk. Janine and Abe were too busy with Randall and everyone had resumed their fighting. My feet felt like they were made of lead, I just couldn't seem to walk fast enough to her.

I grabbed her before she fell to the floor, feeling the blood trickle down the back of her head and neck. Her eyes fluttered behind her closed lids, and a small moan escaped her lips. Her breathing became erratic and my heart started thundering in my chest.

"Roza! Roza! Please wake up. It's me, Dimitri. Oh God! Please Roza, wake up", I begged.

Her eyes fluttered open for a few seconds, recognition shining in her eyes.

"Dimitri…" was all that came out of her lips before she fell silent and her breathing became laboured.

I watched in horror as Janine grabbed her out of my arms, laying her down on the floor and started CPR. All the noises around me faded into nothing, the people forgotten. My eyes never left her face, as I watched frozen while Janine did the compressions and gave mouth to mouth. I felt numb, my heart felt like it was being ripped out of my body. Not again, damn it! Not again! Why did this keep happening to us?

I couldn't breathe and I wondered if my body was just mirroring what Rose's body was going through. After all we have always been so synced that it wouldn't surprise me if my body died the same time she did. In fact I would welcome it. I could not possibly live in a world without my Roza. I don't know what happened next, because suddenly everything turned black.

When I woke up I realised I was in some kind of infirmary. It looked like the one back in Court. How did I get here? I looked around and saw Eddie sitting in a chair next to me, watching me intently as I slowly woke up.

"You scared us there for a moment Dimitri – who knew the great Russian God could faint".

I think he was trying to use humour to diffuse the tension and anxiety that had suddenly increased in the room.

"Rose!" I practically jumped out of my bed.

"Hey, hey calm down Dimitri. She is fine. She is in the next room. The doctors said you went into some kind of shock or had some kind of panic attack. It probably didn't help that you hadn't eaten anything proper since the lunch at the resort. You need to take it easy. You are not doing anyone any favours by collapsing again".

I nodded and laid back down.

"Please can you ask the doctor to come and see me", I whispered to Eddie. I needed to get out of this damn bed!

He gave me a quick nod and left the room. A few minutes later a doctor came in to check my vitals. I prayed he would say everything was fine and that I could finally leave. I just wanted to see Rose and hold her in my arms. The fact that she was in the next room gave me hope she wasn't badly injured and doubly thankful she wasn't dead (like I had feared).

After checking me thoroughly he instructed the nurse (who had followed him inside) to remove the IV drip – I could finally leave. The moment the needle was out of my hand, I was practically jumping out of my bed and stumbling into the next room. Eddie followed closely, still worried I would faint or something. I didn't care about myself, only the sight that lay before me. She looked so peaceful, so angelic. Her dark curls fanned out on the stark white pillow and her bruises didn't seem so bad in the fluorescent light. Janine was asleep in the chair next to her, and I could only assume Abe was nearby somewhere. I hesitantly took a step closer, causing Janine to wake up and fall into a fighting stance. When she saw it was only me she relaxed and fell back in her chair, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Dimitri, what are you doing up? Did the doctors say it was ok for you to leave your bed?"

All I could do was nod. I seemed to have lost the ability to speak. I just kept staring at Rose. Why is she still asleep? What's going on? I want to ask, but my mind fails to connect my mouth to my brain. I couldn't help but look at Janine in utter despair, hoping my eyes would convey everything I wanted to ask but couldn't seem to at this moment.

Thankfully she understood and came over to give me a small hug.

"The doctors say she has a concussion. Luckily the head injury wasn't too bad and she didn't lose a lot of blood. But the fact that Randall had her in a drugged-up state meant her heartrate was already irregular. They had to put her in a medically induced coma to help her body heal on its own".

A hiss is all that comes out of my mouth and I stagger back, feeling Eddie's reassuring arm reach out to guide me towards the chair Janine had been sitting in. Medically induced coma. She is in a coma!

I stay by her bedside after that and no amount of begging or reasoning from anyone makes me leave my spot. They bring me food and I eat the bare minimum so I can stay alive and awake, waiting for her to come back to me.

We were meant to be married right now! Our honeymoon wasn't for another 3 months but if things had gone as they were supposed to, we would be back in the apartment, starting our life as husband and wife. Laughing, cuddling and making love. Not sitting here in the hospital, not with her in a coma and me keeping a constant vigil next to her.

Why is the world so cruel?

Why are we not allowed our happiness?

Have we not given our entire lives to our profession, to others? How much more selfless can we be? Is it so bad for us to want this little bit of happiness for ourselves?

It's been a week since Rose has been in her coma and the doctors finally feel she is ready to be brought back. I stay in my spot, holding her hand like always, while Janine, Abe, Lissa and Christian are nearby. The others wanted to be here too, but the doctors were worried it would be overwhelming for Rose to have too many people all at once surrounding her. It felt like hours, but slowly Rose's eyes fluttered open. Those beautiful brown eyes. How I missed them. She slowly scanned the faces that surround her, until finally her eyes meet mine. Our gazes lock and I felt my soul rejoice. She was alive and awake! I wanted to hold her and kiss her more than anything in the world right then. I am so lost in my own happiness I didn't notice her expression changing. She looked so confused and scared and her eyes scanned over everyone again before falling back to me.

Pulling her hand out of mine and she quietly whispered, "Who are you?"

Poor Dimitri, what's wrong with Rose?

And what happened to Randall?
Part IV (final part of the Wedding piece) is ready – just doing final edits and check.

Should I post it later today or end of the week?
Decisions, decisions… :P