I was sleeping normally, pure blackness… until I was pulled into a Spirit dream. I had always feared it would be Robert Doru coming back for his brother's revenge. But… it wasn't. It was Adrian. Wait. What? He hated me. Why does he want to see me? I walked through the garden looking at all of the roses and Adrian came out from behind a tree. This was awkward for him too, so I was going to keep it to light conversation.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey yourself, Little Dhampir." Adrian said.

"I thought… Well, I thought you didn't want to see me after our fight." He looked uncomfortable. So much for light conversation.

"I've been thinking a lot, and I talked to Sydney," He blushed and I totally caught it. "She said I'm giving you too hard of a time… that I should lighten up. So I wanted to say I'm so… I'm so… FUCK IT! I'm sorry for what I said in your bedroom." He said and I went to hug him.

"It's fine. I've always forgiven you. I've just been waiting for you to apologize." I grinned. "So… you and Sydney, huh?" He blushed again.

"Yeah… she's… she's amazing, Rose. I just had no idea." He would say no more.

"Alright, be mysterious." He smiled. "How's Jill? How is she handling being away from Court and being Shadow-Kissed?"

"Not well," He admitted. "Sydney and I kissed and you know the crush Jill has on me. Jill saw the whole thing. Do you have any pointers to control from going into my head?"

"That's kinda hard due to the fact she thinks about you almost all the time." I said and he sighed in frustration. I tried again. "Remember when I was in Russia hunting Dimitri and Lissa wanted to dream walk? For me it was expanding my mind towards her, for Jill it's probably no different." I thought about the darkness. "Has she been absorbing the darkness from Spirit yet?"

"Question numero uno, you're probably right. I'll talk to Jill and see what she thinks. Question numero dos, not yet, thank God. She hasn't mastered that and we're hoping we can find a way to break the bond a different way than you and Lissa did."

"That's one good thing coming out of my day." I sighed.

"Why are you asleep so early… Court time?" He asked skeptically.

"Dimitri and I are going to Russia for vacation. His family still thinks he's dead and I want to surprise them with their alive and well son." I said happily.

"Wow… that's really thoughtful of…" And the alarm rang. Damn it. I wasn't done talking to Adrian. Dimitri was facing the other way watching the sun rise. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked, yawning.

"Just long enough to see the sun rise. It's a beautiful thing to see." He turned to me, "Well, second most beautiful." I blushed and kissed him. I pulled back and looked at the sun with him.

"Sometimes I miss it. When we were on the escape, we were on a Human schedule and got to see it every single day. It's an amazing thing to wake up too." I said sighing on his chest. I then sat up and realized I had total bedhead. Nice. I went to the shower as Dimitri was watching the sun and then I heard a door click. I raised an eyebrow, but pretended like I didn't know what was going on. The shower door opened and Dimitri joined me.

"Much faster this way," He said and I laughed wrapping my arms around him.

"You're right," I said, looking to him. "It is much faster this way." I said while rubbing shampoo through his chin length hair. Oh, how I loved to touch his hair. It was sort of like ruffling his hair when I was washing it and he put his hands on my hips. I pushed him under the water and he realized he had a Mohawk. I grinned at him and he pulled me into a kiss. He pulled me under the water and started to wash my hair. God, his fingers touching my silken dark brown, almost black, hair felt like heaven. I thought this would never happen. If you asked me two years ago if I were to be in a shower with Dimitri Belikov, I would say Hell No! I would admit I would want it, but it would never happen. He finally got all the conditioner in and put me under the water. That's what I was supposed to say. I gasped and coughed. Dimitri helped me out of the shower patting my back.

"Rose, Roza, are you okay?" He asked looking into my eyes. Water threatened to consume Dimitri and me. What the hell? Why was I thinking of this now?

"I… I don't know. I just had this flashback to the bridge." He flinched and I hugged him, then I frowned. I needed to know this, maybe just because I needed to move on from that night. "Before I staked you, I said, 'I will always love you,' and you said, 'that's what I was supposed to say.' Were you going to say you loved me… even in that state?" He shook his head.

"I don't know, Roza. I don't know." He sighed on my shoulder.

"It's okay. That's in the past. It's over now. Why it came to me now, I'll probably never know, but we need to forget the past and move on with the future." I said and he looked to me smiling.

"How'd you get so wise?" He asked.

"I had a great teacher, one that gave too many Zen master wisdom crap lessons." I said grinning and Dimitri shook his head in exasperation.

"C'mon, we need to get dressed." He said, pulling my hand. I grabbed my towel, but totally missed. We were completely naked in our room. I sincerely hoped no one would come in. He gave me my clothes and I got them on in a flash. It was a little hard, due to the fact Dimitri and I kept on stopping to kiss. Alas, we finally got dressed and grabbed our luggage. I called Viktoria again.

"Allo?" There was a yawn over the phone. Shit! Time differences… oh well.

"Viktoria, it's Rose. I can call you back…" I said a little awkwardly. I felt so bad for waking her up.

"ROSE!" There was a shout over the phone. I winced at the loudness and Dimitri chuckled as we left our room. "No! It's fine, it's fine. Are you two leaving now?" GAH!

"Viktoria, you have to pretend like it's just me coming… not me AND Dimitri."

"Well…" She started.

"Holy Shit, who'd you tell?" I growled. Dimitri was shaking his head as we got into a car. You know, since I was 18 and all, I think Dimitri might have handed me the keys, but since Pennsylvania had a Hands Free law, he took the keys and drove. The universe had a sick sense of humor.

"Well… Yeva saw you coming with a bright light… and that says something because Dimitri was the Light of Yeva's life." Shit. Yeva would see Dimitri coming.

"Anyone else?" I asked warily.

"No." She said firmly.

"You swear on Dimitri?" I asked.

"I swear on D-You-Know-Who," She said firmly. Again.

"Alright. We're on our way to the airport. See you in 20 hours."

"SEE YOU SOON!" She screamed. I heard the faint outline of "Viktoria, who are you talking too?" "Gotta go, Rose. I swear, I won't tell. Bye Dimka!" She whispered the last part. Dimitri smiled.

"How the Hell could you hear that?" I asked. He shrugged while smiling. I cuddled into the seat and watched the road. Dimitri grasped my hand and squeezed it. I could tell that he was nervous. I squeezed it right back, giving him the message that no matter what happens, I'll be here for you. He seemed to have got the message because his features softened and sighed. "Everything's going to be okay, Dimitri." I said softly.

"I know, Roza. I know." He wouldn't admit it, but I knew that he was afraid… afraid that his family would reject him. I squeezed his hand.

"You know what Viktoria told me?" I asked looking at him.

"What?" He asked softly. Hopefully this will make him feel better.

"Yeva said that she saw a bright light coming." His eyes widened. "Weren't you the Light of her life?" He nodded, wiping a tear. That was rare. Really rare. I rubbed his hand and he smiled. "In a way, they know you're coming. So be happy… don't be sad or afraid. I'm here for you. You're not in this alone." His smile widened.

"Thank you, Roza." He whispered as we pulled into the airport. He drove around back and pulled into a parking spot.

"I'll always be there for you. How many times do I have to say it for you to believe me?" I asked.

"Too many…" He said while chuckling. We both got out of the car and were given a ticket to put on the inside of the car so the airport officials would know not to tow the car. I put it in while Dimitri was putting the luggage on the plane and greeting the pilots. I went right inside and… wow. I owed Abe big time. It was amazing. It looked just like one of the Academy jets, except more extravagant. I sat down on a couch and Dimitri sat with me. I lay down and he lay with me. The couch was just that big. He put a hand through my hair, murmuring soothing words in Russian and I pretty much lost track of the world.

Pure blackness… that's how it's supposed to be. Not for me. Not ever. So I wasn't surprised when I was pulled into a Spirit dream and I also wasn't surprised when it was Adrian, my ex-boyfriend and my friends boyfriend… if they even were a couple. I saw Adrian sketching under a tree. I was shocked. I remembered Daniella saying that he liked art, but I had never seen him draw. I went over to him.

"Hey, Little Dhampir." He said calmly.

"Hey. I figured you'd be with Sydney or Jill right now." I said and he shrugged.

"I wanted to see you. You're aura… wow. It's shining." He said. I thought about the same thing when Adrian came to me in a dream when I was on the run.

"Yeah… hey, I have a question. How's Jill? I know I asked you before… but how is she really… with being a Dragomir?" Dimitri would kill me later for asking this, but I might not get another chance.

"She's okay with it. She likes the idea of having a sister. She knows something's up with Lissa, but she doesn't know or she won't say. Now I have a question for you." Adrian said and shit, I just thought. This can't be good. "What does Lissa think of Jill being a Dragomir?" SHIT! I kept my face neutral, as a Guardian should, and answered very vaguely.

"She thinks of Jill as any sister would, use your imagination." I said and Adrian's eyebrow rose. "I can't tell you any more than that. I'm sorry, I just can't. I want to, believe me. I have two people on my ass that would kill me if I did."

Adrian sighed. "I guess I just have to accept that. I just hope this is over soon. I miss your beauty and charm."

I laughed. "Are you really flirting with me when you're with Sydney?"

Adrian had a knowing look on his face. "Well, we aren't official. We haven't DTR." My mouth just dropped open when he used the text-talk for "Define the Relationship." "The Alchemists are kind of coming in the way of that and Sydney's afraid… plus she denies her love for me, just like you did. Stubborn, yet sexy at the same time." I choked on a laugh.

"Sydney Sage… sexy? I can't even think about that. Why do you put these thoughts in my mind?" I asked and he laughed.

"Because she's all I think about, Little Dhampir. For now, get some sleep and have fun in Russia." He hugged me, more of a friendly hug, and I was left with pure blackness until I woke up my head on Dimitri's chest. My arm was draped over his stomach and the other hanging on the couch. This was perfection. I didn't dare break this spell because when I looked up, Dimitri was asleep. His left hand lay in my hair–lower part–and the other on my waist. A flight attendant came by and was about to go on the speakers, but she saw me shake my head. She made the motion for landing and I nodded. Now, normally, Prince Charming is supposed to wake up the Princess from her enchanted sleep, but hell. This time the rolls can be reversed. I leaned up and pecked him on the lips. His eyes opened, wide and alert, but when he saw me, he smiled and brushed a hand through my hair.

"We're landing soon. I didn't want us to go flying while they try to land the plane." I said with half a laugh.

Dimitri chuckled. "Yes, that'd be very, very bad." He sat up and broke the spell, but I sat up with him. I put my head on his shoulder, trying to keep the moment alive and he just looked at me with those brown eyes that I loved so much. I knew flight attendants were watching from somewhere, but, hell! Every time I look at those eyes is a time I want to kiss him. I pulled him into a kiss and he welcomed it with open arms. I gripped his hair as his fingers were soon entangled with my hair. What was just going to be a kiss became a very, very long kiss. There was an "Awww," from the cabin and our heads jerked up. The flight attendant apologized profusely, and we just gave each other a knowing grin. We landed at a small airport in St. Petersburg and there was a car waiting for us with a note. Huh. Who could it be from? We grabbed our luggage and went to the car. The driver was waiting outside the passenger door.

"Guardians Hathaway and Belikov?" He asked and we nodded looking to each other. He handed me a note. I opened the note and read:

Rose,

Please be nice to the driver. He was very hard to find with the type of skills I require. Have fun in Russia and do whatever you and Belikov need to do. Please don't break any more laws and end back in jail. That's the last thing we need.

Abe

I laughed. "What skills do you require?" I shook my head and put the note in my back pocket. Dimitri automatically knew who it was from right when those words came out of my mouth. The driver opened the back door for us and we got in. I watched the cities pass in awe. When I was hunting Dimitri, I didn't have time to take in the sights. Now I did and they were amazing. Dimitri clasped my hand and I looked to him. Worry was written all over his face. I put my hand through his hair. "Everything's going to be fine. You'll be much happier with your family in your life."

"I know, Roza." He put his head on my shoulder. "I know."

About an hour later we were nearing his house and Dimitri was shaking. I called Viktoria because obviously I was going to need back up on this.

"Allo?" Viktoria asked.

"Hey, we're nearing your house and… well… Dimitri's losing it." Dimitri just looked out the window like he wanted to jump out. Thank God he didn't.

"What street are you on?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm on Fifth and Nik." I said, looking as we passed the street sign.

"Crap. That's one more block from our house. I'll be right outside!"

"HURRY!" I practically shouted but she had already hung up. Our car had come to a standstill when we had come in front of a house. I saw a figure come out of the house. "Are you ready?" I asked squeezing his hand.

"I'll never be ready. But I have to do this." We both got out of the car and held hands. When Dimitri turned around and saw Viktoria, well, it was like his world coming back together and more of the Strigoi trauma peeling away. Viktoria ran up to hug him and Dimitri welcomed her in his embrace. It looked like Viktoria didn't want to let go, but she reluctantly did. She then hugged me.

"Thank you, Rose. You've given me… us our world back." She said choking on a sob.

"No… no… stop. I was happy to help and I couldn't have lived without him, so I had to take a risk. You should really thank Mark and Oksana for giving me the information." I said, grinning. Dimitri held my hand and Viktoria held his other. I looked up to him. "You ready?" I know I asked before, but maybe after seeing Viktoria, he might feel a little better. He nodded and we walked to the door. "Viktoria, you go in first. Introduce us, but don't say Dimitri's name." She nodded and rushed inside. I turned to him. "We may not be invincible, but we can do this…" And my words were muffled by a kiss. Viktoria opened the door while we were kissing and I looked scandalized. He did that on purpose!

"Dimka…" Olena's eyes were filled with tears as she rushed him inside. Viktoria PULLED me inside and we all started chatting.

"How… how is this possible?" Olena asked. Dimitri looked to me with a knowing glance.

"It's a long story." I said. They better brace themselves if they want to hear it.

"How dare you leave Rose like that!" Everyone chastised him. Dimitri looked at me. I looked at him. Messages were sent between us that said: you never really left me. I still got you in the end.

"Don't be upset with him. I'm not. Yeah, it took a lot of strength to get him back, but still, we did and I'm just happy to have my other half back." I said and he pecked me on the lips. Everyone "Aww'ed," and I blushed.

"Oh, Mark and Oksana will be so happy you're here." Olena gushed. I was kind of nervous to talk to Mark due to the fact I had made it my next vigilante mission to find a way to bring Dimitri back.

"Are you two married?" Paul asked. My eyes widened and Dimitri laughed, I think more of a nervous laugh. No one else seemed to think it was funny.

"Um…" I started. Failed that, might as well try again. "Well…" Words failed me.

"No… not yet." Dimitri said smiling. Not yet?! My eyes widened, more if they could've. Dimitri squeezed my hand, and I squeezed it right back, numb from what I just heard.

"Viktoria, take Rose to Mark and Oksana's. Dimka is staying here. He has chores to do." Olena's face hardened and I couldn't help a grin. Viktoria was pulling me out the door when he kissed me on the forehead as a goodbye. I finally left and we dashed off to see Mark and Oksana, once again.