Thank you very much for the reviews, follows and favorites!

And I'm so, so, so sorry for not updating in like two weeks! I really am sorry. I had problems with my laptop (the screen froze and I couldn't do anything anymore) so I brought it back to the store so they could repare it.

Anyway, I've got my laptop back and I'm updating now. This is the last chapter and it's extra long. There will be an epilogue, but no sequel. When this story is finished, I'm going to write another one, but I'll give you more info about that next time. Hope you are all doing well ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

CHAPTER 44

DPOV

"Guys, this is a very important day," I told the children, "so please be good, okay?"

They nodded solemnly.

"So we have a deal?" I asked. "You're all going to be on your best behavior? Because we don't want to get Rose in trouble, right?"

I looked at Liam now, who glanced down guiltily. When Rose had moved in with us, he had wanted to help move the boxes. At first, I'd said he'd better stay at home, but then he'd gone and asked Rose. Of course, she'd said he could come along. Which had turned out to be a bad idea.

Liam had grown bored rather quickly and he'd run around the building, knocking on students their doors and then running away when they opened. At last, one of the students had caught him and returned him to us. He'd also accidentally broken Avery's lamp, but Rose had only laughed at that and said he could break more of her stuff if he wanted.

"I'll behave, Daddy," Liam promised as he looked back up at me. "I'm gonna make you and Rose proud."

I ruffled his hair, smiling. "Good. Let's get going then. We don't want to be late or Rose is going to kill us."

"Not us. Just you, Dad," Inna said as she walked out of the door and to the car.

"Probably," I muttered, following them. "You all got your bags in the car?" I asked. "Because we aren't coming back."

"Yes," they replied at the same time.

"You sure?" I asked, looking at them. They nodded. "Alright then."

When we arrived at the college's parking lot, it took us a long while to find an empty spot.

"How come there's so much people?" Liam asked when we followed a group of people to the entrance.

"Rose isn't the only one graduating, Liam," I said, smiling faintly.

"Where is she anyway?" he asked as he looked around campus.

"She's already inside. She had to be here earlier, remember?" I said, taking his hand in mine so he couldn't run off.

When we were finally seated in the Great Hall – which had taken forever – I had a hard time keeping Liam in his seat.

"Liam, what are you doing?" I said exasperatedly. "Sit down."

He stopped fidgeting around. "Where is Rose?" he asked.

"She'll be here soon," I responded.

"Is she going to sit with us?"

"No, she has to sit with her classmates."

Liam looked disappointed. "Why?"

"Because that's the way it is," Inna said, looking impatient. "Will you stop asking these stupid questions now? It's starting to get annoying."

"Inna!" I said, giving a her a warning look.

"Sorry," she mumbled shrugging.

A few moments later, the students walked in and Liam suddenly stood and shouted, "Hey, there's Rose!"

"Liam!" I hissed, pulling him back down next to me.

When I looked around, people were looking at us. Lucky for Liam, Rose had heard him and when she looked in our direction she smiled and waved. Liam waved back eagerly. "Why is she wearing that ugly dress?" he asked. "Why is everyone wearing that ugly dress?"

I chuckled. "It's tradition. It's an academic dress. They only wear that when they graduate."

Liam scrunched up his nose. "It's ugly." Then he brightened again. "Oh, look. There's Christian! Can we go say hello to him?"

"In a little bit," I said.

In a little bit turned out to be two hours later. The ceremony was long and boring. I could see Liam was bored out of his mind, but he made good of his promise and stayed quiet. Honestly, I was having a hard time too. No doubt Rose had trouble staying focused, too. I came back to my senses when they started to announce the students' names to collect their certificates.

When it was Rose's turn, her class broke out into applause and I think I even heard someone whistling. As she stood on the stage, her eyes found mine and I smiled at her, mouthing 'I love you' to her. She grinned and walked back to her seat.

Rose came to find us after the ceremony. Liam met her halfway and wrapped his arms around her, telling her how hard he'd clapped for her when she'd been on the stage.

"Congratulations," I said, kissing her cheek. "I'm proud of you, Roza."

She smiled widely and took my hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "Thank you, comrade."

RPOV

Like I'd already figured, the ceremony was boring and so, so long. The speeches were the worst. I hadn't heard half of it because I kept dozing off. I was relieved when that part of the ceremony was finally over and they started to announce our names. It took a while before it was my turn and I was starting to get nervous. When they finally called my name, I prayed I wouldn't stumble because that would be so embarrassing if that happened. But I received my certificate without falling over my own feet in this ridiculous long gown. I searched through the crowd for Dimitri and the kids. I found them quickly and saw Liam jumping up and down and rapidly clapping his hands together. Dimitri smiled at me and mouthed, "I love you."

Suddenly, I spotted someone very familiar in the back of the room. My eyes widened when I realized it was my mother. She was applauding and smiling. I think she even looked proud.

I stared at her for a few moments, shocked. I had sent her an invitation to come to my graduation, but I'd figured she wouldn't be able to make it. I hadn't seen her when I'd walked in so she must've gotten inside after the ceremony had started. It was a wonder they'd let her in. Nonetheless, I was happy to see her.

When the ceremony was over and people started to file out of the Great Hall, I tried to find her first, knowing she probably couldn't stay long.

"Hey Mom," I said as I strode over to her where she stood alone in the hall. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"It was a surprise," she said, offering a smile. "I believe congratulations are in order. You did well, Rose."

"Thank you," I said as she hugged me.

"Well, I need to leave," she said with a sigh. "Just wanted to see you up on that stage and congratulate you. I couldn't miss your graduation, could I?"

"Thanks for coming, Mom," I said, giving her a smile.

She left and I went to find Dimitri and the kids. I didn't have to search that long; Liam spotted me as soon as I noticed them and he came running towards me, flinging his arms around me.

"Rose!" he exclaimed. "Did you hear me clap when you were on the stage? I was clapping for you! Did you hear it?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I heard you. Thanks, buddy."

Dimitri wrapped his arm around my waist when I joined him and his daughters.

"Congratulations," he said as he kissed my cheek. "I'm proud of you, Roza."

I smiled at him and took his hand in mine. "Thank you, comrade."

Christian walked over to us with his parents. Dimitri congratulated him and greeted his parents. I thought it would be awkward, since they hadn't seen each other since Tasha's funeral, but they talked to each other easily.

"We did it, Rose," Christian said, hugging me.

I grinned. "I know right!"

We didn't stay too long at the reception because Dimitri had to drop off the kids at his mother's house for the weekend. He'd told me he had a surprise for me and that we wouldn't be home this weekend.

I said goodbye to Christian and his family and then we left the building. I glanced back one last time, realizing this was the last time I'd set foot here.

"Can we go back home first?" I asked when we got inside the car. "I still need to pack my bag."

Dimitri smiled as he backed out of the parking lot. "No need for that. I did it for you."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really? I hope you did it right."

"Don't worry, Roza. I packed everything you'll need for this weekend."

The kids started giggling then. I turned around in my seat and narrowed my eyes. "You guys know what he's up to, don't you?"

They nodded, all of them a huge grin on their faces.

"But we won't tell you," Liam said, sticking out his tongue.

I pretended to be hurt. "I thought you were my friend, Liam!"

"I am," he said. "But I'm also Daddy's friend. And he asked me a long time ago."

Dimitri grinned. "Thanks, Liam. I appreciate that."

"You're welcome, Daddy!"

I huffed, but turned back around in my seat and decided to wait patiently for my surprise. The plan had been to drop the kids off and then leave, according to Dimitri, but Olena made us come inside and surprised us all with a fancy dinner for my graduation. The whole family was there to congratulate me and join the little party Olena had organized for me. I was moved that Dimitri's mother would do that for me. It made me feel like I was a part of her family.

"I had no idea she was going to do this," Dimitri said. "I told her about your graduation, but I didn't know she would throw you a party. I'm sorry."

I smiled. "That's okay, comrade. I like it."

"Okay, but we can't stay too long."

I frowned. "Why not?"

"Because…" He hesitated. "I already had something planned for us."

"Oh, but we can do that tomorrow, can't we?" I asked. "I mean, we've got the whole weekend."

He sighed. "Sure." He glanced out the window. "I… I have to make a call. I'll be right back."

"Okay."

I watched him leave, wondering what was up with him. He was acting a little strange. Normally, he'd love to spend time with his family if he had the chance, but now he seemed to want to get out of here as fast as he could. I wondered why. I didn't have the chance to put much thought into it, because Viktoria called me to come and talk so I joined her and the rest of the Belikovs.

DPOV

"Dimka, what are you doing outside?"

Startled, I turned around and faced my mother. "Nothing," I said quickly.

She looked worried. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I said, waving her worries away. "I just needed to call someone."

She nodded, but still looked doubtful. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

I sighed. "Yeah, it's just-"

"It's just what?" Mama asked when I cut myself off.

I hesitated. "I, um, kind of had plans made for tonight. If I'd known you'd throw Rose a party I wouldn't have…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Dimka," she said, putting her hand on my arm. "I should've told you. But can't you just do whatever you planned for Rose tomorrow? You have a whole weekend."

"Yeah, I guess," I muttered, shrugging.

She studied me for a few moments. It made me feel a little uncomfortable so I glanced away and looked down at the ground.

"Is it something important?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it something important? The thing you planned for Rose?" Mama asked.

"Kind of," I mumbled, still looking at the ground.

"Dimka, look at me," she said softly.

Slowly, I looked up.

"Were you going to propose to her?" she asked.

My eyes widened. "Mama, I-" She gave me a stern look, silently telling me not to mess around. I sighed and admitted, "Yes, I was. I'd made reservations to this fancy restaurant and then, well, I was going to ask her… But it's okay," I added quickly when I saw the guilty look on my mother's face. "I called the restaurant and told them I couldn't make it tonight. I asked if I could book a table for tomorrow night. Everything's full, but they're going to see what they can do about it. They'll call me back in an hour or so."

"Oh, Dimka. I'm so sorry," Mama said. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to propose?"

"I wanted to, but I also wanted to wait until afterwards. In case she, um, says no," I mumbled. "I told the kids, though. I wanted to know how they felt about it. They're okay with it." More than okay, I thought, remembering their enthusiastic reactions when I told them. Even Inna had been happy, who'd disliked Rose in the beginning.

"Rose loves you very much and she knows how much you love her. She'd be a fool to say no to you."

I smiled. "Thanks Mama."

She smiled back. "Let's go back inside before everyone starts to wonder where we are."

I nodded and followed her back to the house. "Please don't tell anyone yet."

"I won't," she said. "But you have to promise me you'll call me right away when you've proposed."

"I will," I promised.

I was able to take Rose with me a few hours after dinner. Tonight hadn't gone how I'd planned, but I was glad that Rose at least had fun. When we arrived at the hotel it was already late so there wasn't much we could do anymore tonight – not to mention that Rose was exhausted.

"Hey, are you okay?" Rose whispered when we were finally in bed. "You've been quiet all night."

"I'm fine," I reassured her. "Just tired."

"Okay," she said, snuggling into the duvet. "Mmm, this bed is amazing. The matrass is so soft. You think we could take it with us?"

I chuckled. "I don't think we'll be able to get away with that."

She stifled a yawn. "What a shame."

I flicked out the lights before pulling Rose close to me and wrapping my arms around her. "Good night, Roza," I murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She let out a contented sigh. "Good night, comrade. I love you."

The next day flew by so fast and with every hour I got more nervous. Last night, during my mother's dinner, I'd gotten a call from the restaurant to let me know that there was a table available. I'd gotten lucky that some other guest had canceled, otherwise I would've had to come up with a new plan. Now that I had a table, I hoped I would be lucky again tonight when I popped the question. Just thinking about it now, made me feel nauseous. I prayed everything would go well and that Rose would be my fiancée by midnight.

RPOV

Dimitri was still acting a little strange the next day. He seemed nervous about something, but whenever I asked him if something was up, he forced a smile on his face and said everything was fine. I decided to let it go for now and just enjoy the weekend.

Dimitri had booked us a table at some fancy restaurant so I wanted to get back to the hotel – which was really fancy as well, might I add – in time to get ready. Dimitri had packed my bag so I wasn't sure if he'd packed a decent enough dress for me to wear to the restaurant.

"I'm going to give my mother a call and ask how the kids are," Dimitri said when I was about to go to the bathroom. "I'll wait for you in the lobby, okay?"

"Okay," I responded. "See you soon."

When I got out of the shower, I realized I'd forgotten my clothes. I wrapped a towel around me and opened the door, heading for my suitcase. But then I noticed a black space bag lying on the bed. There was a note lying on top of it. I walked over and picked it up.

Wear this tonight.

Love, D.

I smiled. Was this his surprise? I opened up the bag and let out a small gasp as I pulled out a beautiful dress. It was a red floor-length one shoulder dress, with glittering beaded straps across the open back.

I teared up a little as I looked at it awe. I realized this dress must've been expensive. I couldn't believe Dimitri had bought it for me. Smiling, I returned to the bathroom and pulled on the dress carefully. It fit like a glove and was actually comfortable to wear. I couldn't wait for Dimitri to see it. I knew Dimitri liked it when my hair was down so I chose an easy half-up half-down hairstyle. After applying my makeup, I was ready to go.

Like promised, Dimitri was waiting for me in the lobby. He was wearing a black suit and a light blue shirt underneath his jacket. He was even wearing a tie.

"You look stunning, Roza," Dimitri said, looking at me in awe.

I blushed. "Thank you. You really shouldn't have bought me this dress, though. I can't imagine how much this must've cost. What were you thinking?"

"Don't you worry about that," he said, offering his arm. "It was worth it. You really look lovely. Does the dress fit you?"

"Yes," I said smiling. "Thank you." I looked him over again. "You look quite handsome yourself, comrade."

Dimitri smiled.

"You going to tell me yet why you're doing all this?" I asked as he led me to the car.

"It's for your graduation," he answered.

"You really went out of your way for just a graduation," I noted.

"It's not just a graduation, Roza," he said, looking at me. "You deserve this."

I smiled again. "You really are the best boyfriend ever, comrade."

He muttered something under his breath.

"What?" I asked.

"Um, nothing," he said quickly. He looked nervous again.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No," he said, glancing at me for a brief moment. "Why would there be anything wrong?"

"I don't know. Maybe because-"

"We're here," he cut me off.

He parked the car, got out and went around the car to open the door for me. He held out his hand for me and I took it, giving him a strange look as we walked into the restaurant. Something was wrong and he wouldn't tell me. I could feel it. But I wasn't going to press it tonight; we were here to celebrate my graduation and I wanted to enjoy it. I would worry tomorrow.

A waiter led us to our table. I gasped when I saw it was on the balcony, overlooking a large garden. Small lanterns were lit to give us a better view of the garden and its colorful flowers and plants. In the middle, there was a fountain. I could hear the faint sound of water flowing down.

"Wow, comrade, this place is amazing," I said, impressed. "How'd you find this?"

Dimitri gave me a dry look. "How do you think? Ivan, of course."

I grinned. "Of course."

Ivan always took his dates to fancy restaurants so, evidently, he knew about a lot of places like this. No doubt he'd taken a few girls here in the hope he could woo them over.

"I'd actually planned on taking you here last night," Dimitri said.

My eyes widened. "Really? Is that why you wanted to leave so bad?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "I was lucky someone canceled so we could come tonight."

"Now I feel bad," I said.

He gave me a small smile. "Don't feel bad. We're here now. That's all that matters."

Dinner was very good. I had a steak with mushroom sauce and a salad on the side. It had been delicious. I wasn't a salad girl, but even that had tasted great. Dimitri had been quiet, though, during dinner and all he'd done was pushing his food around his plate instead of eating it. Something was bothering him. I wished he would tell me, but it seemed I was going to have to beg him before he'd even think of telling me.

"Are you okay?" I asked at last. "You barely ate anything."

He smiled, but it seemed fake to me. "I'm fine. I'm just not that hungry. You want some dessert?"

"I'd love some dessert!" I said, looking over the menu. "I think I'll have the Mint Chocolate Chip ice-cream cake. What are you taking?"

"Umm… I'm really not that hungry," he murmured.

"Awe, come on, Dimitri!" I said, giving him an incredulous look. "You have to eat something." I paused and studied him. "You look pale. Are you ill? Is that the reason you're not eating?"

"I'm fine," he said, fiddling with his tie nervously.

In the end, he ordered the same as me. After letting him push the cake around his plate for about ten minutes, I realized he wasn't going to eat it so I suggested I could eat his dessert, too. I wasn't going to let a perfectly good dessert go to waste.

"It's a shame you're not hungry," I said, taking another bite, "because this is really good." I held out my fork to him. "You sure you don't even want to have a taste?"

He shook his head. "No, you can have it."

I frowned. "You're acting really weird. I know something is up. Why won't you tell me?"

Dimitri looked at me and sighed. He looked nervous again, but then a determined look crossed his face. "Yes, there's something I've been wanting to ask you, but I've been waiting until the right time."

"And now is not the right time?" I asked distractedly, swallowing my last bite. I wish there was more; I could have definitely eaten more of this dessert.

"Actually, I think it is the right time," he said. He reached for my hand across the table and laced our fingers together. "We've known each other for almost two years now and we've been together for a large part of that time. And I hope there are still many years to come." He looked at me pointedly.

I froze. Oh my God… Was this what I thought it was?

"When we met, my life was a mess. I had to take care of three kids on my own while making a living. I didn't know what I was doing half the time." He paused and looked down at our hands, a small smile covering his lips. "But then you came along," he said as he looked back up at me, the smile still on his face. "You took care of my kids for me and you did a wonderful job at that – actually, you're still doing a wonderful job," he added, squeezing my hand. "There's no one I trust more with my kids than you. And you're not just taking care of them. You love them as if they are your own and I'm so, so grateful for that. You made my life and the lives of my kids so much better and I can't thank you enough for that."

I smiled and squeezed his hand back. He smiled nervously.

Taking a deep breath, Dimitri continued, "Roza, you're the most amazing woman I've ever met. I don't know what I would have done without you. You didn't just take care of my kids, you also took care of me. You were always there for me when I needed you. I know it hasn't always been easy, being with me, but you endured it all. Sometimes I wonder why you even bother," he added jokingly.

I laughed. "Because I love you, silly."

His smile widened. "I want to take care of you from now on, I want to be there for you...always. If you let me," he said, locking eyes with me. "I love you, Roza. I love you so much and I can't imagine spending my life without you by my side."

Dimitri got out of his seat and knelt down on one knee in front of me. Several people had turned to watch by now – hell, the whole restaurant had turned to watch.

"Roza," he said softly, pulling out a small black box and opening it. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand as I stared at the three-stone diamond ring. It was the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

I looked up at him, speechless. He looked nervous as hell and, suddenly, I realized why he'd been acting so strange.

A smile broke out on my face. "Yes! Yes, I'd love to be your wife."

A grin spread across Dimitri's face and he slipped the ring on my finger. He got up and took me in his arms. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight. He pulled back slightly to look at me and kissed me passionately. I could hear people clapping around us and I smiled against his lips.

"I love you, Roza," he murmured when he pulled away from the kiss.

"I love you too, comrade," I said, wiping at my eyes. Tears were threatening to spill over and I didn't want to ruin my makeup.

He smiled and kissed me again. "You just made me the happiest man alive."

Smiling, I looked down at the enormous diamond ring on my finger. "Gosh, Dimitri. It's so beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you are," Dimitri murmured, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I love you," I said again.

He smiled and whispered in my ear, "Let's go back to the hotel."

I grinned and took his hand, lacing our fingers together. "Yes. I believe we have lots to celebrate tonight and I'd prefer to celebrate it just with you."

Dimitri might have said I'd made him the happiest man alive, but when he proposed, he made me the happiest woman alive. Because spending the rest of my life with him was all I'd ever wished for.

And he'd just made my wish come true.

I hoped you liked this final chapter and, again, I'm so sorry for the very late update. Next chapter will be the epilogue. Hopefully I'll be able to update it in a few days.

A thank you to the people who followed me on Wattpad. I probably am going to write my own story, but I don't know when. I'll need to find some time first. And if you want me to follow you or check out your stories, let me know :)

Have a nice day/evening! :)