Dimitri's Point of View
"Ok Comrade, quiz me."
Rose had spent the last few hours of this flight trying to learn as much about my family as possible. She knew some things from our time together at St. Vlad's, but apparently that wasn't enough for her. She wanted to know every detail, and I could tell it was important to her that they approve.
"Roza, just relax Milaya. They are going to love you."
"How can you be so sure?" She challenged; her face full of doubt.
I reached over and cupped her face in both palms before pressing a reassuring kiss against her lips.
"Because I love you." I told her before silencing her again with a kiss.
Despite Rose's apprehension about meeting my family, I wasn't the least bit concerend. I'd spoken to my mother about Rose enough times to know she approved. In fact on more than one occasion she'd bit my head off for being dumb enough to let her go the first time.
As for my sisters, they all just wanted to see my happy.
For the rest of the flight, I did my best to keep Rose occupied, even going so far as to watch a ridiculous rom com her and Lissa had been gushing about.
It was every bit as awful as I imagined it would be.
But when the plane landed, I noticed all my previous efforts to calm her had gone to waste, as her hand immediately went rigid again in mine. I took our linked hands and brought them up to my mouth for a kiss.
"Just breathe Milaya."
When we stepped off the plane, the car Abe had hired was waiting for us. It was a two hour drive from the airport to my small hometown and once the luggage was safely stowed away we settled in.
"So you have 3 sisters?" Lissa asked me.
Like Rose, she seemed to feel being prepared was the best approach in this situation. I wished they understood how different a Dhamphir commune was from the rest of the Moroi world. People in my community were more accepting and there was an understanding and respect you wouldn't find anywhere else.
"Yes. Karolina is the oldest, than Sonya, and the youngest is Victoria. She's a few years younger than the 3 of you." I told her, referring to her, Rose and Sophia. Victoria had been thrilled to learn they would be staying with us and had made me promise we'd come visit her at St. Basils the moment we were all settled in.
"Wow, 3 sisters, a mother and a grandmother…how did you survive all those women?" Christian mused, shaking his head at such a terrifying thought. Some days even I wasn't sure how I'd done it.
"Luck." I told him grimly as all the girls in the vehicle laughed.
I was glad to see Christian was finally warming up to me again. After everything that had happened with Rose two years ago, he'd been less than accepting when I showed back up in her life. I knew how protective he felt over her, especially after the Spokane incident. And the fact that she was bonded to his girlfriend only strengthed that feeling.
"I just can't wait to get a taste of Olena's home cooking." Ivan piped up with an excited gleam in his eye. And he certainly wasn't the only one. No one could cook quite like my Mama.
The rest of the car ride passed with quiet chatter but the closer we got to Baia, the more anxious Rose became. Why couldn't that stubborn woman just believe me when I told her that her fears were for nothing?
"Roza, please relax. Everything is going to be fine. My Mama already loves you just for making me so happy. And the moment my sisters see us together they are going to feel the same way. I promise."
She looked at me with small tears in her eyes.
"What if they don't?" She whispered almost two low for me to hear.
"Well then I'll just have to go all Rose Mazur at the dinner table and make them." I nudged her lightly, laughing as she rolled her eyes remembering her own outburst at Christmas dinner.
"Ha Ha Comrade." She slapped my arm playfully.
20 minutes later, the car pulled up outside my childhood home.
"Are you ready?" I asked, taking her small hand in mine. I gave her a gentle squeeze of encouragement as I led her up to the door.
"Ready as I'll ever me." She mumbled, letting me drag her inside.
Rose's Point of View
Okay, not that I'd ever admit this to him, But Dimitri was right.
Looking around the dinner table at all my loved ones chatting away, I couldn't for the life of me understand what I'd been so afraid of. Dimitri's family was incredible.
I supposed I shouldn't be surprised, given the way he turned out.
"Roza! Roza!" Dimitri's 8 year old nephew Paul shouted, trying to get my attention. He was the cutest little boy I had ever seen, an almost exact replica of a mini Dimitri. All I could think about when I first saw him was I wonder if that's what our own son will look like one day.
"Inside voice Paul!" His mother Karolina chastised, shaking her head. "I'm sorry Rose, he's not usually this worked up."
I waved a hand dismissively to show her it didn't bother me.
"Yes Paul?" I asked, leaning closer to the little boy who'd insisted on sitting next to me.
"Is Uncle Dimka your boyfriend?" he asked, his face as serious as stone. A round of giggles broke out from the adults at the table and Paul glared at the interruption.
"Why yes he is." I told him, trying to feign an equally serious face. I caught Dimitri smirking out of the corner of my eye. His lips were twitching like he was holding back a laugh.
"Dang." Paul sighed defeated, causing the adults to start laughing once more.
The rest of dinner went off without a hitch, and when the last of the food was gone, I eagerly helped Olena clear the dishes in the kitchen.
"Thank you for letting us stay here Mrs. Belikova." I told her earnestly. The house was larger than I'd expected and somehow had more than enough room to accommodate our large crowd.
"Oh please dear, call me Olena. And I'm the one that should be thanking you. Seeing Dimka so happy, well it means more to me than you could ever know."
"He's a wonderful man." I told her blushing.
"Who's wonderful?" Dimitri asked smirking from the doorway.
"Dimka, it's not polite to lurk." His mother told him fondly when he came to stand beside us to dry the dishes.
"Actually Mama, that's a guardian's sole purpose. We lurk. We're lurkers." He grinned broadly at his own silly joke. I slapped his arm with a dish towel, but he caught it pulling me closer to him to wipe dish bubbles on my nose.
"Stop it!" I shrieked trying to wiggle out of his grip. When that didn't work I scooped up my own handful of bubbles and smeared them into his face. He started coughing as the soapy water got into his mouth and beside me Olena started laughing loudly. When he finally had his mouth clear, he grinned wickedly at me and lunged.
"What are you doing to my Roza?" Paul growled at Dimitri coming into the kitchen to investigate the commotion.
"Paul, help!" I cried, deciding having a minion might turn the tide in my favor. With no further encouragement necessary he quickly began pounding his tiny fists against Dimitri's back so he'd release me.
20 minutes later we were a soapy bubbly mess.
"Thank was fun Uncle Dimka." Paul laughed as he shook his little mop of brown hair. I was busy trying to tie my sopping wet hair back in an effort not to look like a drowned rat. Dimitri was equally soaked which made me feel slightly better; at least until I realized what a mess we'd made in the kitchen.
"Your mother is going to kill us." I told him, looking around at the disaster zone.
"Nah, she'll just make me clean it up." He told me, wrapping his dripping wet arms around my neck. He leaned closer like he was going to go in for a kiss, but just before he reached my face he shook out his wet hair like a dog, and the water sprayed everywhere.
"Dimitri!" I yelled, trying to shield my face from the onslaught of water droplets. "You are so going to pay for that later!"
He laughed loudly, clearly unaffected by my threat before he pulled me in for a passionate kiss. Things were just heating up when Paul re-entered the room for a couple of towels in hand.
"Eww!" He cried, dropping the towels to shield his eyes.
"I think that's your cue to go get cleaned up." Dimitri murmured against my lips. "I'll deal with all of this." He said gesturing to the giant mess we'd made of the kitchen.
I gratefully took a towel from Paul and was about to leave the room when Dimitri pulled me back to him by the arm and wrapped me up in another heated kiss. By the time he pulled away I was breathless.
"Don't shower without me." He winked before slapping my ass and sending me on my way.
I swear that Russian will be the death of me.