A/N: Thank you all for the birthday wishes! I'm actually feeling much better now and that's why I was able to type this chapter up so quickly. I hope you enjoy! Just a for a warning, the first scene is lemony! ;-)

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to Richelle Mead.

The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by Ms. Belikov. Please do not copy, reproduce, or translate without express written permission.

1 month later...

RPOV:

"Take off your clothes and throw them on the floor."

Laying on the canopied bed, I grinned and tossed my legs in the air, rubbing the skin of my calves and thighs, teasing him. "You're a boss in that office. Not in this bedroom."

Dimitri growled. "Want me to prove you wrong?"

"You already have. Many, many times. Over and over again."

He unbuttoned his work shirt, slid it off his broad, tan shoulders, and let the fabric fall to the ground.

"God, you are amazing." I licked my lips, unable to tear my eyes away from his ripped body. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Maybe. Is it working, Roza?"

"Oh, yeah." My toes curled. "But...we can't. I gotta get out of this room. We've been at it like rabbits for the past month."

"Really? Because I disagree. I don't believe we've had nearly enough playtime under the sheets."

"I can't remember the last time I saw the sun."

"You want sunshine? I'll give it to you." Dimitri strolled over to the black curtains, ripped them open.

Rays filled the room. I squinted. "I'm blinded! And it burns."

"What are you...a vampire?"

Darius' voice made me scream at the same time Dimitri cursed.

"Hi Rose, how are you? You look good. And you're glowing. Have you been working out? Oh, hey, boss. I got those papers. I don't mean to interrupt on your private bizz."

"Too late for that." Dimitri ripped the folder out of his grasp. "Knock next time."

"The door was unlocked. Didn't feel the need to."

The God reincarnate shoved the colossal man out of the room, ignoring the protests and curses, then he locked the door and eased back on the canopied bed with me.

"I want you, Comrade. Believe me, I want you more than anything right now. It's just..."

"Finish your sentence." Long, graceful fingers brushed my cheek ever so gently.

Blushing like crazy, I murmured, "Sore. It's a good kind of sore, but still...it aches. And my lower back? Killing me. I don't think my body can handle any more sex. At least not today."

"That's fine." Dimitri got on his knees, hooked his thick forearms behind my knees, and dragged me to him, my shirt lifting up to my ribcage in the process. "I will gladly do all of the work. And I promise to be gentle with you, Roza."

"What are you doing?"

"Pleasuring you."

"But it hurts-"

"This won't. I promise. It'll relax your body." A large, warm palm smoothed over my belly, fingertips circling my navel. "Just lay back, relax...enjoy. Give yourself to me completely."

Those warm brown eyes met mine and I suddenly wasn't afraid. My shorts came off, followed by my underwear.

"Are you sure?" The heat crept to my cheeks as his stare went straight to my most sensitive parts. It was so exposing and vulnerable, yet exhilarating and euphoric as something dangerous and sensual cemented in his eyes. "You don't have to. It's kind of weird-"

My words were cut off as he rested on his stomach and elbows, then lifted my calves up so that they straddled his shoulders. My feet hooked around his strong neck on their own accord. Slowly and deliberately, he spread me wide open to accommodate him.

It was the most erotic thing staring into Dimitri's eyes as he looked up at me, his head between my thighs, merely inches away from my throbbing core.

"You don't have to do this if you don't wanna-"

"I do." He lowered his mouth and I cried out.

I opened the door and froze. "Holy shit. Yeva…is that you?"

"I'm glad you're finally done screwing the brains out of my grandson." Yeva shoved past me and went into Dimitri's bedroom.

"Some things never change," I muttered. "Crazy old lady."

Ancient with knowledge, scary as hell, black eyes stared at me. "I may be old, but my hearing is as young as you are. Watch what you say, little girl, before it comes back to bite you in the ass."

"The only thing that has every bitten me in the ass is your grandson. Last night. Right after he was done bonking me from behind." The cruel grin I gave was no better than telling her to Go to hell. "Did I forget to mention that we're still not married? Or even engaged? Yep. You and your damn old fashioned traditions can chew on that shit for awhile."

Dimitri's grandmother yelled something in Russian that didn't exactly sound complimentary. "I have seen public bathroom toilet seats cleaner than that mouth. You are a disgrace to our family. I cannot tell you how much I wish my grandson would have fallen in love with another woman. A woman he could be proud to be with. A woman who comes from a good family. A woman that is worthy of him. Not a disloyal, betraying, tramp like yourself."

The strain to keep up my cool and calm facade was almost unbearable, considering how much her words hurt and stung. It took every ounce of self control in me to not burst out in tears. But it wasn't as if I could blame Yeva. She had every right to treat me like dirt because of what I'd did to Dimitri when we first began dating all those years ago.

We were staring each other down when Dimitri casually walked out of the bathroom, obviously having not caught the little spat Yeva and I had tangled in.

"Babushka!"

It was like a switch in Yeva's emotions had been turned off. Her black eyes morphed brown and she smiled so widely I thought her leathery face might crack. She beamed as her grandson scooped that tiny, frail body of hers in his massive arms and hugged the old lady like there was no tomorrow.

Feeling out of place, I quietly grabbed my purse and sunglasses, then headed down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Dimitri asked, looking up from the adoring conversation he'd been having with Yeva in his native tongue.

"Out. Just for a little while." I slipped my bag on my left shoulder, balancing the weight on my hip. "Uncle V's doctor appointment is today. The guy needs some fresh air, too. He's been spending all his time with that plasma."

A large hand smoothed over Yeva's thin arms. "Go find Mama and tell her I'll be down in a minute, okay?" When she nodded, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Babushka."

"As I love you, my only grandson."

When Dimitri came towards me, Yeva's smile faltered. She stared at me for a moment in disgust, then muttered a curse under her breath, turned around, and headed for the staircase.

"Did you know they were coming?" I asked him.

"Yeah, they come to visit. Quite often."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was a surprise. Please don't be angry with me."

I sighed in exhaustion, placing a hand to my forehead and closing my eyes. "I'm not. I just wished you'd told me."

"That kind of beats the whole surprise thing, doesn't it?" he smiled beautifully, brushing a few strands of damp hair out of his eyes, tucking it behind his ear.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. Let me work on my surprise face. How's this one?"

Dimitri barked out a harsh laugh. "You look like a goddamn serial killer. Or a killer clown."

"But don't I look…HAPPY!" I grinned like the Joker. "My favorite person in the world is here to see me! And she just loves me to bits and pieces!"

"Rose. Stop." Dimitri's long fingers gently tugged at my cheeks, making my face normal once again. "You and Yeva will get along eventually. It just takes time."

"I can't change my past actions. I'm sorry for what I did. I would never, ever do anything like that again."

His jaw clenched in anger at the memory, but he remained collected. "I know, Roza. And in time my grandmother will realize that."

"You think?"

"Trust me," Warm, soft lips pressed against mine. "She will."

"Alright." After a little more mouth-to-mouth action, I pulled back and stared up to those bottomless eyes. "I gotta go. Victor's appointment is in forty-five minutes."

"I'd feel better if the doctor came here."

"You can't protect me from everything, Superman." Teasingly, I poked his chest and stomach.

"Yes, but I can sure as hell try."

"Nothing has happened in over a month. All the crazy activity has died down."

"That doesn't mean he's still not out there."

"True. But you can't keep me trapped in this mansion like a prisoner. Honestly? I kind of feel like I'm loosing my mind. I need to get out for a moment. Go back into the real world." I said. "Besides, I can handle myself. I got my big girl panties on…remember? You helped me put them on yourself."

Dimitri licked his lips slowly, seductively. "I most certainly do. Since it's obvious you're set on leaving and it doesn't look as if you're going to break anytime soon, I insist that you go out with some protection."

"Cool." I fist pumped the air. "Where's the gun?"

He laughed humorlessly. "You're funny."

"I'm being serious."

"So am I. I will not have you shoot your foot off." Dimitri said. "So I'm going with you."

"Oh, no. No. No. No. No." I shook my head automatically. "No. No. No. NO."

He frowned. "Am I that horrible of company?"

"You stay here with your family. Spend some quality time with them. You haven't seen them in a blue moon."

We stared each other down for the longest time, challenging, seeing who had the dominant hand, until Dimitri blinked and looked away. "Fine. I will get someone else."

I crossed my arms. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Don't think of it as a babysitter…more like a loaded gun." Reaching in his back pocket, he pulled out a sleek black cell phone. After flipping it open and pressing a few buttons, he held it up to his ear and winked at me.

When the person on the other line answered, Dimitri barked something in another language. It wasn't Russian. I was sure of that. While he conversed on the telly, it took me a few moments to realize it was Italian.

"Just frickin' wonderful." I muttered, knowing who was going to be my right hand man for the day.

Darius strolled out of his bedroom, dressed head-to-toe in black. He gave Dimitri a hard pat on the back, then smiled at me, flashing a set of keys. "We're taking the Rover, senorita."

"Damn it. Uncle Victor, sit down! Don't make me roll up your window and lock it."

Victor crossed his arms, pouting like a child, and muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?" I glared at him in the rearview mirror.

"Nothing."

"Yeah. That's what I thought."

"What's her favorite color?" Darius asked, seated beside me in the passenger side. He'd been like this the whole drive to the doctor's office, firing question after question. All about Mia.

"Why do you care?" I stopped at a red light. "It's not like you're interested in her anyways. Besides, she's unavailable. Mia has a boyfriend."

That shut him up.

For a minute.

Those massive shoulders that overwhelmed the black Range Rover shrugged. "Just trying to make conversation, senorita."

"Pink. Her favorite color is pink."

Uncle Victor kicked the back of my seat, but I ignored him. He always got this cranky when he was hungry or tired. And considering he hadn't been allowed to eat since midnight because of his upcoming test and I'd dragged him away from a Rambo movie, his crabbiness was amplified to the extreme.

"What kind of pink?" Darius asked, completely entranced in what little information I was giving out.

"What do you mean? Pink. She likes pink. It's a pretty goddamn ordinary color." Pressing my foot on the gas pedal, I sped into the parking lot of Dr. Greene's office and whipped to a space.

"You could not be more wrong about that." Dimitri's financial advisor said as we exited the vehicle. "There are all different shades of pink. Dark, light. Fuchsia. Mauve. Magenta. Salmon. Amaranth. Carnation. Coral. Fandango. Do you see what I'm saying? The list is endless. Can you be a little more specific?"

Bursting out laughing, I said, "You can name every shade of pink. Oh, that's masculine. Totally."

"Whatever."

"Mia loves hot pink. You know, that really bold color that sticks out. She absolutely goes nuts for it."

Darius beamed. "Thank you, senorita." His brutally handsome face grew serious. "Next question."

I slapped my forehead and groaned.

And the drilling continued…

"I'm sorry…" My voice cracked with emotion and shock. "Can you repeat yourself again, Doc? I don't believe I heard correctly."

Dr. Greene, one of the country's most sought after specialist, stood before Victor and me. She was in her late fifties, with dark, cropped hair and gray eyes so rich with knowledge you felt privileged to be in her presence. Her expression was extra grave as she spoke softly, carefully. "The test results came back from the lab, and they show that the Sandovsky's cell growth has tripled."

Victor had gone ghostly-white beside me, green eyes glassy and blank. He was utterly silent at the news.

"You told me three weeks ago that the cell growth had stopped entirely after those radiation treatments." My voice rose with each word until I was shouting.

"I said the disease had gone dormant, Miss Hathaway. Sandovsky's syndrome is chronic, it never goes away completely." The doctor said. "Victor's illness has, and always will, have the ability to flare up unexpectedly. And that's exactly what it did this time."

The tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. There would be time to cry later. "What does this mean for his future?"

"I would advice chemotherapy."

"And if he doesn't want to go through with it?" God…chemo? How had it gone so badly so quickly? I could remember the last time Victor had been through the treatments. Those weeks had been awful. The uncontrollable vomiting, headaches, exhaustion, hair loss, the constant worrying of getting infections. It was hell on earth for him. It made me sick to my stomach knowing that he had to go through it all again.

"Without it…his survival rate is very low."

I cringed, then grabbed onto Victor's limp, cold hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze, letting him know that I was there for him and that we were going to battle this monster together. "How low?"

"Fifteen percent. I would say Mr. Dashkov has no longer than a month to live. Possibly even just a few weeks."

"Fuck." A tear slipped out of my eye and fell off my chin. "What would happen if we went with the chemotherapy?"

"To be completely honest? The chemo is a poison that breaks down your immune system but also kills the Sandovsky's cancer. If the treatments succeed in killing the cancer, he wins. If not, he dies."

Victor spoke up for the first time. "I'm doing the chemotherapy."

As I walked into the mansion, I heard booming voices and laughter spilling from the dining room and wanted to hurl. Though it was terrible for feeling this way, I envied Dimitri's family for being so happy. Why did they have a chance when Victor and I didn't? The universe could be so cruel.

Darius rubbed my back surprisingly gently. "Are—"

"I'm fine." I snapped, grabbing Victor's forearm and leading my uncle to his room.

"Would you like something to eat?" I asked as I helped him into bed.

"Just some rest, dear. I am incredibly exhausted."

Me, too. "How about a movie to help ease you to sleep?"

"The quiet would be nice, Rosemarie. It'll give me sometime to, I don't know…think."

"Okay." I bit my lip hard, trying to keep my cool. "Would you like me to stay with you?"

Victor leaned forward, looking shockingly pale and thin and old. He grabbed my hand, then placed a kiss to my forehead. "I just want to be alone, dear. Would that be okay?"

Swallowing the painful lump in my throat and the near irresistible urge to drop to my knees and breakdown, I said, "Yeah. That's fine. Sleep good, uncle Victor."

When my hand was wrapped around the door handle, he called out to me.

"Yeah?" I spun around to face him.

"Don't worry about me so much, honey. Whatever happens, happens. Okay? I'm old. I've lived a great life. I've been shown true love, thanks to my self-sacrificing and extraordinarily caring and giving niece." His tears became glossy, but they weren't sad tears. They were full of acceptance and peace. "The only thing I want is for you to be happy, Rosemarie. So think of yourself for once. I love you." Victor pulled the covers up to his chin and rested his lids.

Too chocked up to say anything, I ran to my room.

And cried my heart out.

MPOV:

My cell phone rang, a Jay-Z song from The Black Album spilled in the silence. Flipping it open, I said, "Hello?"

"Tesoro."

I was so surprised and shocked to hear that wonderful, low, accented voice that I yelped and fell off my bed, tumbling to the ground.

Breathless, I fumbled for the device and held it to my ear. "Are you okay?" Darius asked, concern making his tone sharp as a knife. "Did you fall? What happened? Mia? Mia?"

I had to smile. It was the first time he'd ever used my real name. Boy, did it sound incredible on his tongue. "How the hell did you get my number?" I demanded.

"Rose gave it to me."

"She did, did she?" Oh, the girl was so going to get it. She could forget borrowing anything from my closet for a whole month.

"Yeah, but don't be mad at her." he said. "I, uh, I kind of…threatened her to give me the digits."

"What'd you threaten her with?" I twirled my hair anxiously; a thing I only did when I was nervous…or when I was deeply entranced by someone.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"How's your jaw?"

Darius' deep rumble of a laugh was music to my ears and I closed my eyes to absorb the sound in. "The medical bills will be in your mailbox. Also, I'm suing you for pain and suffering." he teased.

To my absolute surprise, I giggled like crazy. "So, why'd you call?" Climbing to my feet, I lay down on my bed and clutched a pillow, pretending it was him that I was holding onto. Of course, considering Darius' size, I'd probably need to cuddle with a Hummer for it to come even close to feeling like the real thing.

"I wanted to hear your voice."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "I have a boyfriend, you know. One that I'm very much in love with." That had to be one of the biggest lies I'd ever told.

There was a deep growl on the other line, and I assumed that Darius' wasn't exactly a happy camper. He proved me right when he spoke his next words, "Really? Are you sure that you're so head-over-heels? Because I doubt your man was on your mind when I had my tongue shoved down your throat."

Way to ruin the moment…

A hissing noise came from my lips. "Let me tell you something, Darius, just because you're insanely good looking and you've got a great body and you have an endless stream of women willing to pleasure you, doesn't mean that you can get whatever the hell you want." I was so angry that my ears were turning red. God, why did he always get to me like this? "It was just a kiss. One kiss. Stop acting like it was something monumental. Let's just forget it ever happened. Oh, and one more thing? Lose the whole macho attitude. It's really beginning to annoy me. Being big doesn't make you bad."

He was quiet for a long time, almost like he was blown away with the way I'd talked to him. "And you have proved that, Princess. You are five feet of pure trouble."

"Five feet and one inch to be exact. Just saying."

There was a stretch of silence, and it was strangely peaceful and calming just listening to his soft breathing on the other line. It was the sound I wanted to fall asleep to at night and wake up to every morning.

My stomach knotted.

How could this man make my heart beat so fast and make me feel so alive when my own boyfriend couldn't at our most intimate moments?

"What's your boyfriend's name?" Darius asked as if he sensed my thoughts.

The door opened and Aaron came in, a bag of McDonalds in one hand and a drink holder in the other. "Hey, honey. I have dinner."

I smiled and blew a kiss at him, but those gestures were about as fake as my nails.

"I gotta go." I said to Darius.

"Don't leave me."

"Just give up now. It'll save you tons of energy and time." I had to choose my words wisely under the naive eyes of Aaron.

"I never give up, il mio tesoro. You should know that by now."

Completely rattled, I slammed my cell shut and forced a Barbie smile to the man I wasn't in love with and never would be. "Hi, Sugar. I missed you dearly. Where's my McFlurry?"

RPOV:

A soft knock at the door made my head snap up. "Go away. Please."

Light spilled into the room as the oak slid wide open. It was engulfed in complete darkness a second later.

Dimitri sat on the bed and gently grabbed my hands. "Why won't you let me comfort you?"

Because I hate you seeing me weak. "I want to be alone. Just please…right now is not the time. I don't wanna be around anyone. Go away." Ripping away from his touch, I turned away and faced the wall, hugging my knees to keep myself together.

Minutes later, I heard the soft thud of Dimitri's feet as he exited my room. "I love you, Roza. So much."

I fell apart again.

The next hour was filled with uncontrollable crying, vicious sobs, hopeless screams, and mindless blank spots where I just stared off into space.

There was a high chance that Victor was going to die, even with the chemotherapy. Countless money and the best specialists in the world weren't going to fix his fate, and neither was hoping and praying that he would live.

Victor was the only family that was left and I had a sickening feeling that he was going to be ripped away from me very soon. My whole world had been turned upside down in one day. Damn. Destiny could be a really evil bitch sometimes.

The door suddenly opened without a knock.

I roughly wiped at my fallen tears. "Dimitri, I told you to go away—"

"Not Dimitri, little girl. It is me." Yeva said.

"Oh, great. This day is really shaping up." I said. "I'm not in the mood to hear you call me a whore. Look, I don't know how many times I have to tell you I'm sorry that I cheated on your grandson at that party, but I truly am. And I hope that you know I would never do anything like that again. Now, be a dear and leave, will ya?"

The crazy old lady didn't say a word as she walked over and sat on the bed. I gasped when she grabbed my hand. Her skin was leathery and her bones were visible, but her touch was surprisingly warm and seemed to give me strength.

"You are in pain." Yeva's brown eyes bore into my face. "No one deserves to suffer as you are right now. Come here, child." she opened her arms. "Let it all out and know that I am here for you."

Overcome with emotion and shock and the need to be comforted by a maternal figure, I dropped into her embrace, hugging her tiny body tightly. The flood gates opened all over again. "Thank…you."

"I haven't told you this before," I had a feeling Yeva was smiling. "But I have always liked and admired you, Roza."