We walked on the shoreline as it was nearing midnight. We were laughing at our past from St. Vlad's and then we were talking about the cabin. Oh god, the cabin. The first time I had sex. I'll never forget that. I went to go put my feet in the water and he went with me.

"Okay, so you know the dolls you married?" I grinned. Dimitri laughed.

"What about them?" He asked, not even attempting to hide his smile.

"If I'm getting married to you, does this mean I have to share you…'cause I kind of failed that in Kindergarten." I asked.

"We are in no worry of that. I am all yours." GOOD!

"Alright, next question: If I were to jump in here, would you jump with me?" I asked skeptically.

"If you jump, I jump." AWWW! I love him so much. So I went a little farther in the water, turned around, and fell back. Dimitri just burst out laughing. Viktoria was going to kill me for the ruined dress. He dove for me and we started kissing and kissing and kissing. God, it's so much more romantic in water. Does that sound weird? He looked at me as my makeup was smearing. He started to rub it all off. Why he did this, I don't know, but then I found out when he started talking. "There's my fiancé. You look better without makeup. Don't let anyone tell you differently."

I blushed. "I thought you liked it."

"I do, I just like you better without it." He smiled at me and pulled me under. Waves crashed into us and we both laughed. He carried me to shore like a gentleman and got the picnic basket. He then went towards the car, but we heard a scream. We both stopped in our tracks.

"Rose, stay here."

"Dimitri! You don't have a–" He thrust his hand into the picnic basket and pulled out a Silver Stake.

"Rose… please just stay." He said it in the I-really-don't-want-anything-to-happen-to-you tone of voice. I reluctantly nodded and went to go hide in a bush. Like I've always said, Dimitri is BADASS. There were two Strigoi taunting a group of women. Dimitri didn't see the faces of the Strigoi, but when he did, he went into fierce God mode. The crowd scattered and Dimitri did a high kick to the woman Strigoi. She was pushed back into a wall and Dimitri started to pierce her heart. Then, suddenly, he got pounced on by the male Strigoi. No. This will not happen again. I won't let it. I ran to the picnic basket to see that there was another stake. Oh gee. Thanks Dimitri. Due to the fact I was barefoot, I was going to have to be careful with my footing. I grabbed the stake and ran for the male Strigoi. Dimitri was fighting them both off, but I could see that if I didn't interfere, he would lose. I kicked the male Strigoi in the gut and he was taken aback. I think that he didn't expect for someone to have such brute strength. The male lunged for me and I dodged it – nearly. I managed to scrape him on the shoulder with my stake, but that was enough of an opening. I pierced his heart and his struggles went limp. Dimitri's breath was ragged but he stared at me in a why-did-you-do-that sort of way.

"Don't look at me like that. You scared the crap out of me! I felt like I was reliving the caves!" I shouted at him. He was… shocked, I think it was. He pulled me in his arms and I cried. He shushed me, brushing the hair out of my eyes. God, it felt so good. "I don't want to lose you again." I sniffled.

"I'm sorry, Roza." He wiped a tear. "I forgot one of my own lessons – don't hesitate." I just hugged him and took in his aftershave and then heard a wail.

"Did you hear that?" I asked. He nodded. He clasped my hand and we followed the sound of the cry. It led us towards a trash can in the back of a restaurant. I looked at him and he shrugged. I opened the trash. A baby was there, but not just any baby – a Dhampir baby. I picked her up from the trash. She stopped crying once she was in my arms.

"Dimitri, we can't just leave her here – especially if she's a Dhampir." I whispered the last part. He had a smile on his face as he was making faces at the baby.

"What? You look like you've got an idea." I said peering at him.

"Roza, this is a sign. We're not able to have children, but Fate has given us one from nowhere. Let's raise her as our own." My mouth dropped open.

"I'm not ready to be a parent, Dimitri. What about Lissa?" I asked, numb. I will not leave this baby, but I love Lissa like she's my own sister. My phone started to ring. It was Lissa. I was about to put it on Ignore, but then, I decided it might be important.

"Hello?"

"I don't have much time to talk, but she's gone, Rose. Tasha's dead."

"How's Christian?" I asked. Dimitri took the baby and held her. He knew this was important. I suddenly heard an explosion and furniture being thrown around the room. "That bad?"

"Yes, that bad." Lissa sighed.

"Give him the phone." I said. I hoped this would work. I faintly heard a "CHRISTIAN! PLEASE! ROSE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!"

"What, Rose?" He sounded miserable. Oh God, my heart ached for him.

"I'm sorry for what happened to Tasha. I'm sorry that it was her. I'm sorry that there was a feud between Tasha and me, but Christian, you have got to let this go. It is unhealthy. I know you loved your aunt and I know she loved you back. She made her choices and they were bad choices. You have to stray away from those. Lissa and I love you too much to see you get pulled into the Dark Side."

"Star Wars?" He stifled a laugh.

"Does it matter? I want to hear that laugh more. I want to see you smile more. Please. One day, Christian, you're going to have a family and it's going to change everything." Dimitri was staring at me. "It changes your perspective on life and how you should treat others. You have to think about this cause for all you know, Lissa could be pregnant." I grinned. I heard a, "ARE YOU PREGNANT?" Then I heard a, "ROSE, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING?!" Lissa then had the phone.

"What are you saying to him?" She asked, shocked.

"Just… some life-altering things have happened to me today and Christian needed to know that it can happen to anyone."

"Rose… what happened?" She asked seriously.

"I'll Skype you later showing you. Seriously, Liss, It's a show-and-tell type of thing." Lissa sighed.

"Okay."

"Has he calmed down at all?" I asked, biting my lip.

"He's fixing the furniture right now." She said. "Seriously, what did you say to him?"

"My secrets!" I giggled. "I gotta go. Dimitri and I have some shopping to do."

"Have fun!" And she hung up. I took the baby who was fast asleep in Dimitri's arms and cradled her.

"Life-altering things, huh?" Dimitri asked. I blushed and nodded.

"So… we have to name her." I said.

"Skylar?" Dimitri asked. I nodded eagerly.

"That's perfect. And I think I have just the perfect middle name." I said confidently.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Skylar Marie Belikov," I said looking down at her. (I know this was Rose's ally as a strigoi, but I can't help but love this name. It's going to be my daughters name!)

"Perfect, just like her mother." He said kissing my forehead. We walked back to the car, but there was a problem.

"We can't drive without a car seat. That's unsafe and illegal." We hadn't thought this through. I bit my lip. "Hand me the keys."

"You're not driving." Dimitri shook his head.

"Dimitri, I'll literally be two seconds. I'm just going to a Walmart or a Jewel Osco or whatever they have here. Besides, I think Skylar likes you more." I grinned. He sighed and handed me the keys. I gasped.

"You're really giving me the keys?" I asked.

"You're holding back now?"

"You've always told me to hold back."

"But not on everything."

"But on some things." I took the keys and grinned. Dimitri handed me his credit card and I grinned widely. I kissed Skylar on the forehead and kissed Dimitri on the lips.

"I'll be back!" And I got into the car and drove off to find the nearest store. Ten miles away there was a Walmart. Huh. Walmart in Russia. Never would have expected that. I parked the car and went inside only to realize, I was barefoot. These are the times I am glad that those, "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service," signs don't exist. I ran to the baby aisle with my cart and put in diapers, bottles, formula, clothes. Clothes were essential. I picked out only the cutest clothes for Skylar, but not pink. Oh god, no. More like, red. I picked out a couple outfits that would be good for the rest of the trip and a blanket. I need… oh shit! I need a crib. I ran to the end of the aisle where there was one last good crib left. I grabbed it and carried it with me. I put that in the cart. That should be good for our home back in Pennsylvania. I think Sonya has a crib that Skylar can sleep in. SHIT! A carrier. Dimitri's going to kill me, I thought to myself. I grabbed a carrier and went to check-out. In total, in American currency, it cost $1,450.45.

"Do you need some help bringing that to your car Miss…" A stores clerk said to me.

"Hathaway, and yes, I would actually love that." Dale, his name was, took Skylar's things and helped me towards the car.

"This it?" He asked. I nodded and popped the trunk.

"So," He grunted as he put the crib in the back, "Are you a new mom?"

I blushed. "You could say that." You could also say I found my daughter in a trash can, but I'd punch you if you did.

"Do you want the bottles and outfits in the back seat?" I nodded and I opened the car door for him. He got everything inside like a pro. He shook my hand. "Well, I hope parenting works out for you, Miss Hathaway." I gushed and got in the car. I looked at my phone. Crap, two missed calls from Dimitri. I called and put him on speaker.

"Where are you?" He asked sharply.

"I'm fine. I swear. No Strigoi attacks or anything," There was a sigh of relief, "But I went all out for our daughter."

"Our daughter, I like that. Anyway, how much did you spend?"

I bit my lip.

"I know you're biting your lip." I gasped. "Just tell me, Rose. We do need things if we're going to be parents."

"$1,450.45 in American currency," I whispered.

"That's not as bad as you usually go. Remember the Rose necklace? Now that was pricy."

"Yeah, but I didn't buy that, Victor did." I sped up a little more and from the faint outline I saw a car swerving. "Dimitri – SHIT! DRUNK DRIVER!" I tried to swerve out of the way but that just made me connect with the car head on. The last thing I heard was, "ROSE!"

Dimitri

"Rose? Roza?" Oh My God, a drunk driver. I hope she's okay. I have to get there. WAIT. The car belongs to Abe. I dialed his number with tears in my eyes.

"What?" He grumbled.

"Mazur, does the car your Guardian gave us have a tracking device?"

"Belikov, why the hell –"

"ANSWER ME!" I shouted with all my might. Skylar stirred and blinked up at me.

"Yes, yes it does. My God, Belikov, what happened?" He asked, I think truly terrified.

"Rose was driving back from a store and the last thing she said to me on the phone was, 'Dimitri – SHIT! Drunk driver!' How do I track the car?"

"You LET Rose drive?" He shouted.

"She's perfectly capable of driving. This wasn't her fault. Now dammit, how do I find her?"

"Tap on Siri and say, 'Track Abe's Car.'" I nodded.

"Lissa has to get here." I said randomly.

"She can't. She's busy with the council."

"Her best friend/sister could DIE. We all agreed we didn't want the bond forged again, but damn it, this is an emergency." I heard a sigh.

"She's probably asleep."

"I don't care. I'll call her. Thanks, Mazur." And I hung up not even waiting for the response. I tapped on Siri.

"Siri, Track Abe's Car."

"Tracking… tracking… I found Abe Mazur's car outside an Olive Garden on 21st and Golif." I knew exactly where that was. It wasn't far away. As I was walking, I called Lissa.

"Dimitri, I swear to God if this is some ultimatum about how much you love Rose, when you get back, I will smack you."

"You need to get to Russia, now." I heard sheets ruffled and a zipper being opened.

"What's wrong? Did you and Rose have a fight?" She asked, concerned.

"No. Rose was driving and she got hit by a drunk driver."

"Dimitri… I know what you're asking me to do and I don't know if I can." She said hesitantly.

"Lissa, it's Rose. Rose who took a bullet for you. I can't lose her and I know it would kill you if you lost her too. Please can you heal her?"

"Dimitri, the bond will be forged again. Rose will be taking Spirit's nasty side effects again. I can't do that to her."

"You can heal the darkness out of her." I said as I sped up a little. I saw the faint outline of a fire. "Oh My God, Lissa, one of the cars is on fire, please, for the love of God, heal her!"

"It's on fire?" She asked in a small voice.

"Yes, I can't see which car it is." I said honestly.

"I'll be there by tonight." She said.

"Hurry, Lissa!" I hung up and finally got to the scene. I saw the damage and it was bad. Rose was still in her seat, unconscious. I dialed the emergency number for an ambulance.

"What's your emergency?"

"My fiancés car was just hit by a drunk driver. She's not responding to me and she's bleeding profusely. I'm outside Olive Garden on 21st and Golif." I hung up. I got the carrier out of the trunk and put Skylar in there. I brushed Rose's hair back and it was sticky with blood.

"Rose, God, Please, Roza, wake up. I need you, Skylar needs you, Lissa needs you." I soon saw the ambulance and fire truck rush in and get The Jaws Of Life and pull the door off. They got Rose on a stretcher and in the ambulance. One of the EMTs looked to me.

"Are you coming?" I nodded numbly. I got Skylar's carrier and we both sat in the ambulance.

"Her leg is broken, a few ribs cracked, and a severe contusion to the head."

"Is that why she won't wake up?" I asked while shaking my knee. They both nodded.

"Is it life threatening?" Suddenly Rose's pulse spiked. It went faster and faster until it stopped. "NO! Save her!"

"A rib is piercing her heart," one of the EMT workers said as we arrived at the hospital. Nurses came out.

"OR, STAT! Keep her breathing. She's not doing it on her own." Skylar and I went into the waiting room and sat down. Or more like, she was in her carrier while I paced back and forth. My phone buzzed and I saw it was from Lissa.

"Hello?" I asked numb.

"Is it that bad?" She asked nervously.

"She's not breathing on her own. She has a broken leg, a few cracked ribs, and a severe contusion to the head. Then suddenly one of the cracked ribs pierced the heart and Rose stopped breathing. She's in the OR." I heard a sniffle. "I don't know if she's going to make it, Lissa."

"She has too or I'll make her." I heard a jet lifting off and sighed in relief.

"See you soon." I said.

"Dimitri?" Lissa asked.

"Yes?"

"Everything's going to be okay, right?"

"I don't know."

"See you soon," She said and she hung up. I fell asleep with Skylar in my lap but all I had were nightmares, nightmares that Rose wouldn't make it. I was jolted awake by a male doctor.

"Mr. Belikov?" He asked with a gruff voice.

"That's me. How is she? How is Rose?"

"She has severe swelling to the brain due to the impact from the airbag, a couple of cracked ribs, one that is currently piercing the heart, and a broken leg."

"Did you fix the pierced heart?"

"We're working on that right now, Mr. Belikov. It takes a lot of time and one mistake could be fatal."

"What are the chances of her surviving?" I asked.

"Right now, it's at a 50/50. It could get better, it could get worse. We just don't know right now."

"How long has it been since she got here?"

"Four hours," Oh. So, Lissa wouldn't be here anytime soon.

"Please do your damndest to save her." He nodded briskly and walked back to surgery. I dozed off again and Rose visited me in my dreams. We were on the beach, holding each other, and she looked at me.

"Dimitri, if I don't make it, take care of Skylar. She'll need a father figure, better than both of ours ever were."

"Hush," I kissed her forehead. "You are going to make it one way or another. Lissa's on her way."

"You called Lissa?!" She glared at me. "Great, she's probably having a heart attack. Two people dying, that's just great."

"You are not going to die. I know we both agreed, but Lissa and I think we should re-forge the Bond."

"No. No, no, no, no." She shook her head.

"Rose, you have a VERY slim chance of winning at this game. You have to let Lissa heal you."

"What about her emotional toll? Her cutting? Spirits nasty side effects? Dimitri, you barely saved me last time and I highly doubt you'll be able to save me this time."

"Our love will save you. We're a family now. We can't be separated. You know what it's like to grow up without parents. You wouldn't want that for Skylar, would you?"

"No, I would never want that."

"Then, fight, damn it." I growled at her and her eyes widened.

"Is it that bad on the outside?"

"You have a couple of cracked ribs, one rib is piercing your heart, a severe contusion to the head, major brain swelling, and a broken leg."

"Dimitri, I'm so sorry…" She fell into my arms and I held her. I murmured a lullaby that I remembered when I was a little boy that my mom used to sing to me. She looked up to me and kissed me on the lips. I gasped awake. Skylar was smiling at me.

"You had a dream of Mommy too, didn't you?" Be strong for Skylar, be strong for Rose, be strong for Lissa, but mostly, be strong for yourself. I looked at the clock. Yeah, it's been about 12 hours since I've been here. Still no word. I called Lissa.

"Hey, you've reached me. You know what to do. Bye!" I heard the tone and I debated to leave a message. I decided for it. "Lissa, its Dimitri. Call me." I decided to fall back asleep because that's the best I could do now and Lissa is sitting on a jet plane, waiting for me.

"I thought only Adrian could do this." I said while walking up to her.

"He taught me well, I see." She said ruefully. "Any news?"

"Still not breathing on her own, but Rose dream walked to me."

"You're serious?"

"Absolutely."

"She kept on warning me about if she didn't make it what I should do and so on and so forth. She's really pissed that you're coming to heal her."

"I don't care! Due to the conditions that she's in, this screws whatever deal we made about not re-forging the Bond." Lissa said fiercely.

"How close are you to landing?" I asked.

"Fifteen minutes. Then it takes ten to get to the hospital."

"Get here soon. Please," I pleaded. I can't imagine a life without Rose. It would be dull and painful and I just can't think about it.

"Get some sleep." She kissed my forehead and I was left with pure blackness with the occasional visions of Rose and I laughing or Rose crying and my comforting her. I will always be there for you. Oh, Rose. Now I have to be there for you. I was shaken awake. But by who? Pain was flashed across my cheek.

"Ow." I mumbled.

"Whose baby is this?" Lissa asked.

"Long story that Rose will tell you later." She nodded and the doctor came back out and saw a high security team with us. He raised his eyebrows, but didn't question it.

"Well?" I choked out.

"I'm sorry. There's nothing else we can do. She's on Life Support, but you don't want to put her through that pain, do you?"

Lissa looked straight into his eyes. "Take us to Rose." He nodded for us to follow and led us to a small private room. She then said, "Go, now." Lissa then got a good look at Rose and she burst into tears.

"We have to take off the Life Support." I said, while putting Skylar down. Lissa closed her eyes and shut it off. I hugged her so tightly. She was gasping and heaving. I wiped her tears away.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked and she nodded. Lissa went over to Rose and started the healing of a lifetime.