Disclaimer: I don't own anything VA related

"Rose, you have to talk to him," Vika said for the millionth time while she laid down on my bed. I was going around packing some of the things, most of what I needed for my dorms was either in a storage room or in the bookstore. "It's been three days and he's been staying at Mama's house driving everyone nuts. Please go see him."

"Why? He didn't talk to me when he was deciding about moving back to Russia."

"C'mon, he made that decision when -"

"When we were dating!" I shouted, reaching my breaking point. "Don't you get that, Vika? Doesn't he get that? Doesn't anyone in this goddamn world get it? He made that decision when we were dating, and not even like we barely knew each other dating. We spent every fucking waking hour together except for work and sleep. And yet he couldn't tell me he was going back to school or that he wanted to go back home?"

"Rose, please calm down. Look it's not that simple," she began.

"It never is! I…I don't want to be mad at him. I really don't. I want to be happy and proud of him for the promotion. Hell I want to celebrate that's going back home!"

"Then why aren't you?"

"Because he didn't tell me! Viktoria don't you get what that feels like? To find out through Natasha and not him? To know how all of you were harboring the news and he didn't trust me enough to share? What was he going to do? Wait for me to go back to LA before leaving for Russia and coming back before I did?"

"Actually…"

"Seriously? You know what...whatever. It's done and over with. I just want to finish packing, so no offense, Vika, but if that's all you came to do I'd like to finish."

"Oh," she said as she got off my bed. "Well have a safe flight."

"I'm not leaving yet. I'm just packing so I don't get stuck doing it the night before."

"Oh, well let's go out then! Wait…Rose…where did this stuff come from," she asked, her eyes unusually hopeful.

"What do you mean where did it come from? It's my stuff."

"Yea, stuff that was at Dimitri's apartment. Meaning you had to go back and get it."

"While he was at work," I corrected. "I had my dad's right hand man, Pavel come with me when Dimitri was at work to get my things."

"When did you do that?"

"Uhh yesterday. I had to ask Sonya for the day off," I said before stopping what I was doing and sitting down on my bed, pulling Viktoria with me. "Look, Vika, I love you, honestly. You've become one of my closest friends, and I don't make friends easily. I really hope that the end of my relationship with Dimitri means our friendship ends too."

"Oh of course not! Look, I'm not saying he was right in not telling you, cus he totally wasn't and I'm totally Team Rose for that one. I just hate how it's all going to waste because he made one mistake. But I'm done meddling. You're like my sister, Rose, and I'm closer with you than I am with any of my sisters. I just really hate that you're going back to LA."

I gave her a small smile. "I'll be back for winter break. And maybe I can convince Abe to get you guys out to my side of the map before than. I'm gonna miss you," I said, giving her a tight hug,

"Me too," she said, responding to my hug with a hug just as tight. "Why don't we go out to the mall? Maybe catch a movie or something…"

"I'd love to, really, but I really want to get all this packing done so I can see what I need to get for my room and order it so it'll be waiting for me at the store."

"Well, ok then, don't be a stranger, Roza." I gave a small smile as she walked out my room. I really hope I don't, I thought as I went back to finishing with packing.

"Hey baba, you busy?" I asked as I peeked my head into his office.

"No. What do you need, kiz?"

"Nothing, just wondering if you wanted to come out and see a movie with me. I was thinking we could make popcorn and sundaes and just a lot of junk food wouldn't ever let us eat all at once." He let out a deep chuckle before nodding his head.

"Sure sounds like fun. Just let me wrap this up. Give me like 30 minutes."

"Ok," I said with a broad smile. When I left his office, I went to the kitchen and put the popcorn kernels in a pot and called the pizza guy. I got out the ice cream to make sundaes and toppings.

"Kiz want me to pick the movie?" my father yelled from the other room.

"Yea," I replied. "I got the popcorn going if you want to come and make your sundae." It didn't take him long to come and together we made crazy sundaes. Our bowls had the three basic flavors: vanilla, chocolate (lots of it), and strawberry, and had a bunch of toppings. Mine had crumbled Oreos, gummy candy, marshmallow sauce, and hot fudge while my dad had Oreos, cookies, and some bourbon carmel sauce made specially for him. Afterwards, he took our sundaes and I put the popcorn into a bowl and brought that out with a 2 liter of coke and two cups.

"So what movie did you pick, old man? Let me guess...The Godfather?"

He let out a throaty chuckle. "No, but close. I've been wanting to watch this movie, The Family, with Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer. Looks good. So come one, nothing like a good mob movie to get your mind off things." I let out a laugh on my own and joined him on the couch. Leave it to my father to find a good excuse to see a mafia movie.

As my father pressed play and we got comfortable with our popcorn, sundaes, and soda, I was excited for the movie. Which actually was really good, it was funny and light but also had some of the darkness that comes with mafia movies. I found myself relating to De Niro's character, I mean fuck really is the one word that can be used to describe everything! (A/N: SPOILER ALERT!) However, shit hit too close to home when Belle fell in love with her math tutor.

"Don't do it," I grumbled as she approached him. "He's just going to use you." Sure enough… "Told you he'd just dump you!"

"Rose!" my father said, pausing the movie.

"What? She's the dumbass that thought he loved her."

"You sure it's her you're yelling at?"

"Meaning…" He gave me a pointed look telling me I knew exactly what he was talking about. "We're not talking about this."

"Really? Then when are we? I've never seen you this upset. Not even in the worst fight between you and your mother. I'd like to know if I threatened the poor boy for no reason."

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly, having a feeling I wouldn't like what he said.

He slightly paled and loosened his bright red tie, clearing his throat before saying, "He might of called the night you came back. And I may or may not have told him to stay away from you if he wanted to stay alive."

"BABA! WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE ME THE PHONE!" I yelled jumping up and going to the coat room. "I've spent the past three days thinking he never wanted to see me or worse, thinking he left! I though Vika was lying to me1" Once I had my purse and jacket I scream Pavel, knowing he hadn't gone home yet.

"Yes Rose?" he asked, coming in from the patio.

"I need you to drive me to the Belikova's home. Like now!" He nodded his head, going out to grab the car as I dashed to the front of the house. It took us longer than I'd like but none of it mattered as I ran to the door. I could see they were home because Dimitri's truck was in the driveway. As I walked up the steps, I passed the big window and noticed two figures in the kitchen, the light from the living room enough for me to make out who they were. I took a step away from the door and to the side so I could peek into the window clandestinely.

I could easily tell one of them was Dimitri because of his height, but I had trouble seeing who the other person was, except that it was a woman from the long hair. It wasn't until she took a step forward and more into the light that I noticed it was Tasha. My mood immediately darkened seeing her this close to him, but part of me reasoned that she was probably just being a friend and comforting him or something.

Of course that rationale went out the window when I saw her close the gap between them and kiss him. My jaw dropped and my heart crumbled away to ash, clogging my lungs which was why I couldn't breathe.

"Roza?" Sonya asked from behind me. I jumped and turned around, crashing my back into wall. She looked at me confused and curious, before looking into the window, her eyes darkening in anger. "Roza, I swear it's-"

"It was a mistake to come back," I whispered as I detached from the wall and pushed past her, running straight to the car.

"Back home?" Pavel asked, probably not completely aware of what just happened.

"No," I said firmly before telling him to get back on the freeway and giving him directions to our next destination. It wasn't a coincidence that we were in this car. When we got to where I wanted to go, I told him to stay put and went inside. Luckily there was no line so I got to the front in no time.

"What can I do for you ma'am?" asked the polite red-head behind the desk.

"I need a ticket for the the first flight out to Los Angeles."

"How was work, Dimka?" my mother asked from the kitchen as I came in early.

"Good. Stan let me out early so I could come home and get ready for Russia."

"Dimka, are you sure Russia was the good choice?"

"Mama, we haven't gotten back since we moved here. I just wanted to take the opportunity to go back there."

"Or use this as an excuse to reign in you're relationship with Rose." I let out a sigh and looked down at her with sad eyes.

""That's not it, Mama. I love her. Part me wanted to take her with me."

"Then why didn't you tell her? Why have you been here instead of back at your apartment? Why haven't you gone to her? Dimka haven't you thought about what she's thinking? She probably thinks the worst of you and feels incredibly stupid."

"But what if I had told her and she still would have left? I didn't want to lose her. I can't be in my apartment without thinking of her. And I talked to her father."

"Dimka, I'm sure whatever Abe said was to protect his daughter and he didn't mean it. Don't you realize that by keeping her in the dark you brought to life your biggest fear?"

"Mama what am I going to do?"

"You're going to go over there and talk to her."

"Right! Wait, but I don't know where she lives."

"Text Vika, she knows."

"Ok." I took a deep breath and got off the living, heading for the door.

"Wait Dimka! You've got to take something for here," she said as she grabbed the bouquet of flowers by the door.

"Mama, these are the flowers from your garden."

"Yes and I want you give them to her." With a new found resolution, I took the flowers from her and opened the door, almost running into the person on the other side.

"DIMKA!" Tasha squealed when she stepped back before slamming into me for a hug. "Are those for me?" She went to grab the flowers but I pulled back.

"Oh, Tasha. Nice to see you. I didn't know you were coming by. These actually, I'd just pick them and I was setting them down for Mama."

"Oh, well I didn't know you were over either. I was just -"

"Tasha everyone's known I've been staying here the last few days. But I need to go."

"No you're right, I actually came to talk to you."

"Ok," I said, stepping back so she'd come in. "Um let's go to the kitchen then."

"I just wanted to say how sorry I am, really, I-"

I raised my hand for her to stop. "Honestly, Tasha, I already said I forgave you, so please stop bringing it up."

"Oh, right. Well have you talked to her and clear the air?"

"No," I replied earnestly. "I've been so afraid she hated me and never wanted to see me, I didn't want to go find her and have it be true. Plus, Stan told me I had to leave by the end of the week so I've been busy packing and putting in my last shifts."

"Oh well what's going to happen with your apartment?"

"Well Ivan's moving in for the semester. Apparently his girlfriend's harboring her sister while she goes through a pregnancy so he's moving out to give her space. I just haven't wanted to go back. I can't go anywhere without seeing something of Roza's. In a week she's made my apartment more personal that I ever did the months I've lived there."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. But, Dimka, haven't thought that maybe her silence and absence speaks more than anything she could ever say? I mean, if she truly loved you, shouldn't she have reached out…even if it was to tell you how hurt she felt and how she never wanted to talk to you?"

"No. Not here. She's probably been dealing with it on her own, in silence, just like she did with Mason's death. And she probably thinks I just used her. I mean we had just taken the next step the night before and then here comes this big news that I'm moving away."

"Right, but if she loved you she'd be more understanding and she wouldn't doubt your feelings for her," Tasha persisted.

"No, not if she-" I cut myself off, wondering why she was pushing this. Then I remembered that uncharacteristic flash of something that when through her eyes when I talked about Rose and I sleeping together. "Tasha, what exactly are you trying to get at?"

"That she doesn't love you, not like I do," she confessed before taking a step towards me and kisisng me. I was too stunned to do anything. I didn't respond to her kiss, or push her away. It wasn't until we heard a bang against the wall that I pushed her away.

"What was that?" I asked, looking out the window to try to see if I could see anyone, but all I saw was a black SUV outside.

"I don't know, maybe Paul or Zoya bounced a ball against the wall," she said as she took a step towards me, but I was quick to react and took a step back.

"I'm going to go check it out," I said as I walked out of the kitchen, surprise to see Sonya inside the house but not far enough to close the front door, glaring at me with a knowing look. "What?" I asked, slightly flustered like I'm in high school and just got caught making out with someone in my room. Wait… I looked from Sonya to Tasha who was behind me, a lightbulb turning on. "Sonya it's not what it looked like."

"Yea, well it's not me you have to explain it too. It's that poor girl, Rose, that you have to. She must really love you, to come back here only to see that," she spat out before pushing past me.

"Wait, Roza was here?"

"Yea and as soon as she saw you two she ran off. I swear Dimka, if I hope not all men show their love the way you do."

Oh no, I thought as I walked out the house and got into my truck, dialing Abe.

"Please tell me she's home," I said once he picked up.

"I told you to stay away," he replied.

"I have! And she came to my mom's house and then ran off because of a…a…misunderstnading. Abe please tell me she went back home."

"She's not here," he said. I heard some shuffling noise so I'm assuming he was walking. "Dimitri none of her things are here."

"Vika told me she was packing when she dropped by."

"Yes, I know she was packing," he said venomously. "But still her room should be filled with boxes, but there's nothing."

"Where are they then?"

"I think I have an idea. Belikov, I think she left.

…

For Los Angeles."

A/N: Uh oh! Rose left! What do you think Dimitri will do? LEAVE ME A REVIEW OR THERE MIGHT BE SOME MECHANICAL ERROR WITH HER PLANE!