DPOV

"Morning, love," I whispered as she stirred about an hour later.

"Morning, Comrade," she yawned. "I hope you know it's rude to stare," she sleepily teased. I could definitely get used to this, especially after having to go so long believing it was impossible then force myself to forget it was.

"Forgive me for worshiping an angel, my beautiful and peaceful sleeping angel."

Roza giggled and kissed me. "All good. I could get used to this."

"Me too, Roza, me too. Do you want to go out for breakfast? And there's plenty of sightseeing to do. I doubt Mama will let us go once we arrive..." I lingered meaningfully.

She nodded enthusiastically. "In that case, let's get going."

"Join me in the shower?" I suggestively murmured into her ear.

She shivered and groaned. "As much as I love you and want to, if you wish to do all that sightseeing you might just have to shower on your own."

Only mildly surprised and disappointed, I crawled out of bed and slinked into the shower.

RPOV

My phone rang just as Dimitri turned on the shower. Knowing it was Lissa I swore under my breath at my pleasantly sore muscles as I scrambled to find it before it rung out and clambered back to bed.

"Yes?" I demanded sleepily, slightly annoyed at the disruption. I'd been blocking her out, but couldn't do so right now.

"Where the hell are you, Rosemarie Hathaway!" screeched Lissa.

"Take it down a tone, would you? I just woke up."

"You just woke up? You just Woke Up! You should just be going to bed! You missed graduation and the flight to Court. Where the hell are you? We are all worried senseless Rose, even Christian, for Pete's sake that's a bad sign."

"If you'd just Shush, I'd answer your questions. I'm perfectly okay. I'm in safe hands; on holiday with Dimitri in Russia."

"Y-you're what? With whom? Where?"

"Don't tell Mom, please. I'm in Russia with Dimitri. We'll be back in six weeks. And before you ask, I didn't know until last night or whenever it was."

"Guardian Belikov kidnapped you?"

I broke out in laughter. "Oh Lissa. Oh Liss, you are too easily fooled. Dimitri took me on holiday, I already said that. His graduation gift, a month and a half in Russia."

"That's excessive for a mentor, isn't it? Even one you're friends with?"

"You're so innocent, Lissa. So, so innocent." Dimitri was basically taking me on the honeymoon we'd never get to have.

"I- what?" Her confusion sang to me, but the extra distance seemed to dull the intensity of the waves if it I felt.

"Lissa, Dimitri and I, we're not just friends."

"You're together? As in together, together?" she asked in shock and realisation.

I giggled very girlishly. "Yes Lissa, we are together, like in a proper relationship together."

"You are utterly unbelievable, Rose Hathaway. I cannot believe you went and fell in love with my other guardian and didn't dare tell me you could even possibly be crushing on him. Some friend you are." She'd said it teasingly, though I sensed the betrayal she felt.

"Lissa... I did consider it, truly I did. I just gave your issues with Christian and spirit a priority- especially after Jesse and the attack and rescue."

A wave of guilt washed over her. "I'm sorry, Rose-"

"Shush. It's fine. I should have just blurted it out, but there was no easy way to tell you in one sentence. Except for 'I love Dimitri like you love Christian'. Yeah, easy, real easy to blurt that out when you had a million different time and emotional constraints."

Lissa laughed half heartedly before yawning. "I'm going to bed, Rose, now I've found you and said my piece."

"Don't you dare tell anyone, Lissa, not a soul, not until we return. And Tasha is most certainly not to know."

Sleepily, she agreed wholeheartedly.

I quickly showered and dressed. Dimitri took me out to breakfast. Let me tell you, it was surprisingly delicious. Next, he hired a car and took me to tour major landmarks. All the while, he ran commentary on the beautiful, fairytale-like architecture and stunning locations. He was so passionate it warmed my heart and made me fall for him all over again.

After ordering room service for dinner and scarfing it down, we settled down in bed and watched TV. I didn't understand a word of it, but Dimitri translated the main parts, enough for me to follow along and enjoy. We only managed one show before crashing for the night.

Again, I awoke to Dimitri's loving gaze and ghosting hands that studied my body gently and reverently, memorizing every inch of me.

"Are we going to Baia today?" I enquired sleepily.

"Do you want to?" he returned with a raised brow.

"Aren't they expecting u- Dimitri! Don't tell me you haven't warned your mother and sisters that you're bringing home a girlfriend? Let alone one all the way from America?"

Dimitri's eyes shone with his guilt.

"Why? Why would you do that?"

He now was so audacious he laughed. "Because they don't even know I have a girlfriend. I haven't been home in ages, so I wanted to surprise them- just as I surprised you."

I groaned and collapsed onto his chest. "Why do you choose This to be all dramatic over?"

"Simply because," said Dimitri nonchalantly.

"So Are we going to Baia today?"

"We could... how do we get there?"

"By train and car," he chuckled, hands still holding me to him. "It's not the safest drive, Strigoi wise, but the village Is warded, just, but warded."

The image of the two of us on a train made up my mind. "Let's go," I grinned and kissed him heatedly. My tummy rumbled just as Dimitri began pulling off my top.

"Let's get breakfast and make our plans for the next leg of our journey."

By mid-afternoon we were boarded on my first Trans-Siberia train. It wasn't lush, by any means, but it was well decorated, just like the pieces of art buildings.

"You're still yet to convince me I'm not in an arctic wasteland," I teased as we waited for or dinner in the dining car.

"Oh Roza," he sighed in amused exasperation. "What am I to do with you?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Love me?"

"I don't get a say in that, my love, it's a given."

"Well... I can think of a few Other things."

"Honestly, Roza?" Dimitri flushed at my hidden meaning just as our food arrived.

Again, I was caught by surprise at how good it tasted.

We safely made it to Baia by sundown, pulling the rental into the driveway of a homely looking two-story house that brought about a wistful look on Dimitri's face. Leaving our bags in the car, we approached the front door hand-in-hand. Dimitri knocked and the sounds of feet rushing to the door and playing kids ensued.

A woman who was in her forties answered the door and froze in surprise. She was undeniably Dimitri's mother.

"Mama, I'm really home. And I'd like you to meet Roza, my girlfriend."

If I remembered rightly, her name was Olena. She slowly unfroze and a smile crossed her face as she ushered us in urgently.

"Welcome home, Dimka," I nearly flinched at the nickname. Dimitri shot me a concerned look but I waved it off. Still his arm snaked around my waist, reassuring me.

"Roza, are you alright?" Olena asked, having caught the moment between me and her only son.

"I'm fine, thanks Olena- I can call you Olena, can't I?"

She smiled and laughed. "Yes Roza, you can. You can call me Mama if you wish."

Now I smiled. "Thanks, but not quite yet. The idea of in-laws is daunting enough, meeting you..." I shook my head.

Olena glanced at Dimitri questioningly. "A purely Academy raised girl?"

Dimitri nodded. "Yeah, she is."

"I can count on one hand the number of times my mother visited." Only the most recent was the time she'd come willingly, the one I'd done a disappearing act on her. Olena looked at me apologetically and led us to he kitchen- the hive of activity. That paused at the sight of Dimitri then he was bombarded with hugs. I stepped off to the side with Olena to watch the spectacle.

The youngest registered me and asked in plain English, "Dimka, who's the girl who looks my age?" I wasn't sure if there was an insult in there or not.

"She, Viktoria, happens to be your unofficial sister-in-law and my girlfriend, Roza."

"Comrade," I giggled, "just because we're in Russia doesn't mean you have to wear out the Roza on me. Unless of course..."

"Ew!" exclaimed Viktoria, who I knew was a year younger than me.

"Roza, that's my little brother," chastised the eldest sister who I gathered to be Karolina since she was holding a two year old baby girl.

"I'm not little anymore, Karo," he defended and pulled me to his side, both arms around my waist this time. "Were you about to say I should wear you out another way, milaya?" Dimitri whispered suggestively into my ear.

I looked up at him innocently.

"Get a room!" whined Vika. "I'm glad you're happy, Dimka, but I really don't need to see you having eye-sex with a girl I'm still not convinced is older than me."

"For your information, Viktoria, I am a year older than you, and your brother is my world and my sanity."

She quirked her brow questioningly, challengingly.

"Leave Dimka and Roza alone, Vika," snapped the other sister who must be Sonya. "It's not like you're exactly Russia's sweetheart as you claim to be." Sonya took me into her arms. "I'm Sonya, just so you know," she laughed softly when she pulled back, hands lingering on my shoulders as she scrutinised me. "Hmmm. I can see why my brother fell for you, Roza. You certainly don't look you've just graduated."

"Thanks?"

Sonya laughed at me as she let go to lead me upstairs, and I noticed then that Dimitri had hauled Vika off somewhere, doing brother-duty or whatever. "We don't care, Roza. As long as Dimitri loves you as he so clearly does, that's all that matters. Vika might feel a bit off at the thought of her being with someone only a year younger than her brother, a similar situation, but that will pass."

She placed a finger over her mouth and gently opened the door to a nursery. She gestured me over to the cot the newborn was asleep in.

"She is beautiful, Roza, and I love her, but she is also an awful reminder. Her Moroi father is a major player, and if I'm right, he's the same Moroi that got Vika pregnant. If I'm right, Dimka sees Rolan as our horrendous Moroi father take two, and things aren't going to go down well if Dimka finds him."

I thought back to how Dimitri had man-handled Jesse like the player was a rag doll. Shivers ran through me. "I think I can see that happening," I commented softly as we started downstairs again. "There was a player at school that must have used nearly every girl in our grade to some degree, and Dimitri caught me kissing this dude. He nearly literally busted the door down with fumes coming out of his ears and nose. He actually barked at this idiot and threatened him."

Sonya looked at me disbelievingly, "A Moroi? He threatened another Moroi?"

I nodded. "He was furious. First at Jesse, then at me-" I paused to laugh in a reflective way- "then at himself."

"Why?" she asked, now engrossed.

"See, I was shirtless, in a black bra, on a couch in a disused lounge. Need I say more?"

"And he checked you out?"

I nodded. "Basically. It wasn't blatant or disrespectful. He just stood in the doorway studying me appreciatively, very appreciatively, after making this boy scramble away from me believing that messing with me also meant messing with the anti-social god of a guardian who happened to be my mentor."

"Are you really laughing about that Zeklos douche bag who liked to harass you," asked Dimitri, wrapping me in him.

"No, actually Dimka, we're laughing about you," replied Sonya.

"Roza! That was not one of my finest moments."

"Exactly," I teased. "That's the point of telling the story. Your finest moment is yet to come."

"You are incorrigible, woman."