RPOV:

"I can't keep going."

"Yes, you can."

"Go fuck yourself." I panted, busting my ass on the treadmill. My lungs burned, my heartbeat was so fierce I could hear it pound in my ears, and my legs ached from exertion.

"You've barely ran three miles so far. That's nothing."

"I think I'm dying."

"Don't be so dramatic."

Dimitri ran on a treadmill parallel to me. I glanced over at him. He was wearing black sweats and a gray cotton shirt and he had on his signature no-bullshit facial expression. I noticed he was going at a much faster speed than I was and had clocked in nearly double the miles I had. He had his breathing under control and was hardly sweating—I was, however, the complete opposite.

It was pretty intimidating. I used to be just like him—in peak physical condition, fast, agile. Now, thanks to the injuries I'd sustained and the time I'd needed for recovery, I couldn't even run a mile without feeling like I was going to puke.

Dimitri locked eyes with me, and it was like he could read what was on my mind. He gave me a rare, sweet smile that instantly encouraged me.

"You'll get there again." was all he said, and I kept going.

Getting back in shape for work was a pain in the ass—literally.

"I can't believe you punched your awesome girlfriend on the butt." I told Dimitri, who was currently examining my left cheek. A nasty black bruise the size of a fist had formed on my skin.

Dimitri gave me a look, and rolled his eyes. "It was an accident."

"Sure it was." I teased, tugging the plush towel around my body. "Try telling that to the police."

A playful look glinted in his dark eyes. "Oh." he said, tucking a wet lock of hair behind my ear. "Is that a threat, Roza?"

"No, not a threat—a promise."

Dimitri's hand suddenly slipped between my thighs, and I gasped.

"Okay, okay. I won't turn you in."

"Have you talked to Lissa yet." Dimitri said, standing up.

Talk about an instant mood killer.

I stood up and started brushing my hair. "You already know the answer to that. Why bother wasting your time?"

"Because she is your best friend."

"That wanted to murder me."

"Rose," he said, all serious now. "You don't know she felt during that time. It was dark and unimaginably difficult for her—for the both of us—to go through. All I'm asking is that you try to put yourself in her shoes."

"I would never even consider the option." I said. "I'm done talking about this."

"You can be such a coward at times." I heard Dimitri mutter as I walked away.

"Excuse me?" I stopped and turned around.

He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "It surprises me is all."

"How in the hell am I a coward?!" I was beginning to lose control of my speech. It angered me beyond words. I wanted to punch a hole in the wall.

"You run away from so much." he told me. "If things get too tough or you don't know how to handle them...you pull away."

"Fuck off." I snapped. "I've never turned my back on anyone that needs me."

"You're turning your back on Lissa now."

"She turned hers on me first." I shot back. "I don't have it in me to forgive her."

"You need to find it in you."

"The funny thing about betrayal, Dimitri..." I said, "is that it's done by the people you trust. I trusted her with everything—including my life. And she destroyed it. There's no going back now."

Dimitri opened his mouth to talk, but I silenced him by lifting my hand.

"Nothing you say or do can change my mind. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is."

4 months later...

"Thirty seconds left. You got this." Dimitri hollered from the sidelines, following along side the obstacle course. "You are on fire, baby."

It was hot outside. I was drenched in sweat. My feet were blistered. My body bruised and cut.

But there was no way I was fucking going to quit now.

I crossed the finished line and collapsed on the ground. Cheers from friends and former colleagues erupted.

I could not wipe the biggest, stupidest smile off my face.

Dimitri's towering form appeared above me, blocking out some of the blinding sunlight. "Welcome back, officer."

"Officer Badass." I corrected. "I did it!"

Dimitri gave a heart-melting smile, stuck out his hand, and helped me off the ground.

I got a buttload of high-fives, hard pats on the back, and hugs from all these familiar faces.

One familiar face stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Congratulations, Rose." Lissa smiled.

This was the first time I'd seen her since the time I had kicked her out. She looked so incredibly beautiful, absolutely radiant. Her pale skin was luminous, her hair golden in the sunshine, eyes like two beautiful shamrocks. She seemed to glow from the inside out.

"Did you just have sex? Something is different and so much more alive about you—holy fuck. Your stomach got big." I exhaled, and met her eyes for confirmation. "You're fucking pregnant, aren't you."

She smiled and rubbed her growing bump. "I am."

"Oh my god." My eyes became instantly misty. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Lissa was equally as emotional as I was. "You didn't want anything to do with me, remember."

"I was being stupid and immature and selfish." I said with a shaky, raw voice. I wiped my nose with the back of my sleeve and laughed. "Sorry I got snot all over the place."

"You haven't changed a bit. You're the goofiest girl I've ever known. You're still so amazing to me." Lissa sobbed, laughing and crying at the same time—such a strange, frantic thing. "Damn these pregnancy hormones are getting to me."

I smiled. "Oh shut up. You're perfect the way you are." I said. "I pretty much missed you a lot."

Lissa's chin quivered uncontrollably. "I missed you too! More than you'll ever know."

I once again stared at her expectant belly. "This changes everything, doesn't it."

She smiled and nodded. "Pretty much."

We stared at each other, and in that moment, I didn't give a damn about everyone who was staring at us or how damn ridiculous we looked. All that mattered was that my stubborn brain finally realized how important Lissa was to me. She was no longer just my best friend. She was the sister I never had.

I ran over and crushed her in a bear hug.

"I love you." I whispered, after just embracing her for a while.

"I love you too."

"You know what this means, right?" I asked her.

"You need to take a shower to clean all that sweat and grime off you?"

I pulled back and laughed. "Nah, that's fine. Your perfect, clean pressed white suit got most of it off for me already."

Lissa looked down and rolled her eyes, smiling. "Thanks."

"This means that you can no longer be a police officer," I told her sternly. "At least until after the baby is born. I will not put my niece in any danger."

"Look at you. Back for less than five minutes and already giving out orders. Some things never change." Lissa shook her head and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "By the way, why do you think it's going to be a girl?"

"I don't think it's going to be a girl. I know it is."

"Oh, and how do you know?" She asked as we walked.

"Mother's intuition."

"But I'm the mom!"

"Pretty much." I shrugged. "Don't ask me how I know...I just do. You and I have always had this special bond thing going on."

"Why are you throwing away your tampons?"

"I'm not. You joking me? Do you realize how expensive these things are." I told him. "I'm giving them to my friend Mia."

"And why is that?"

"Hmmmm." I hummed. "Well I figured I'm not going to be needing them for the next eight months. And Mia will. So why let them just sit there."

The look on Dimitri's face was priceless. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

I could only smile and nod as such utter joy consumed me. Dimitri's eyes flooded with tears. He jumped like some kind of spider monkey ninja, flew across the room, and picked me off the floor. He hugged me like his life depended on it, and I hugged him back just the same way.

Epilogue up next, my loyal readers! Thanks for being soooo patient with me! =)