A/N:
Thank you so much for your reviews!
I really enjoyed writing the previous chapter. I hope it wasn't as pinnacle of the story. I feel like I may be loosing my touch, so let me know how it's going.
This chapter is a bit of a filler (just a bit).
Any and all input is more than welcome!
Reminder and for those of you who don't know me - I'm a reviews whore! (hint hint).
Hoe you have fun reading!
K
Rose waited for Dimitri to finish his security check before their first morning running the perimeter. She took the opportunity to stage a surprise attack on Dimitri. Pft. Impossible to sneak up on me my ass, Rose thought as she was hiding where the hall meets the kitchen, ready to pounce. She'd been waiting so long she had given up and turned to leave her post, opting for a spot on the couch. But as soon as she moved a hand grabbed her wrist from behind and a thick voice laced with a slight Russian accent breathed "Boo", in her ear.
"AHH!" Rose screamed, Dimitri chuckled. "You are a jerk!" Rose huffed and and smacked his chest.
"I told you you couldn't sneak up on me", Dmitri said smugly. "But keep trying, it's good training for the both of us".
As they made their way to the front doors of the mansion, Dimitri asked, "How long does it take you to run 5 miles?"
"I usually do it in 34 minutes. 38 if I'm feeling lazy. My best time was 30 minutes, but that was a one time thing. I bet that's pretty slow for you, comrade. You'll probably run circles around me with your height".
"30 minutes is a great time. I bet that if you're properly motivated you can beat that every time", Dimitri smiled.
Your smile's pretty motivating, Rose thought. She turned her head slightly so Dimitri wouldn't see the her impish grin at the thought. "What kind of motivation?" Rose worked really hard to keep her voice steady.
A butler opened the doors of the manor for Dimitri and Rose to step outside. "We race. A little friendly competition can go a long way".
They stepped down the front stairs. "Your on". Rose said and made a mad dash to gain an head start.
Dimitri caught up to her in no time and matched her pace. Rose was a very competitive person. Dimitri suggesting a race was the exact motivation she needed.
As they ran Dimitri gradually sped up. Every time he did, Rose matched his pace. It didn't seem all that difficult for her either. For a while. The last half mile it was a real effort for Rose not to slow down but she'd be damned if she'd let Dimitri defeat her so devastatingly. By the time they climbed the stairs to the front doors, Rose was ready to throw herself into a bath filled with ice. Instead, she settled for lying down in on the cold top steps, arms and legs spread out, until she could catch her breath.
Dimitri was out of breath too, but not nearly as badly as Rose.
The butler stepped outside to give them each a bottle of water, which they were grateful for.
When Rose could speak again she asked, "How did I do?"
"How do you think you did?" Rose gave Dimitri a glare that said 'cut the shit or I cut you'. Dimitri chuckled. There was just something cute about a pissed off Rose. "twenty eight minutes thirty nine seconds".
"Bullshit!" Rose yelled. "Really?"
"Yes, really. You did great out there. You didn't beat me," Dimitri smirked, making him look so much younger in Rose's opinion, not to mention sexier, if that was even possible, "But you did great out there. You beat your best time by over a minute! You should be proud of yourself"
Rose huffed. "I'll be proud of myself when I beat you!" Rose finally picked herself off the floor, "What's your best time?"
"I usually run 5 miles in 27 minutes flat. But my best time was twenty five minutes, thirty three seconds." Dimitri said, trying not to be smug. That just made him sound even more smug.
They started the trek back to the gym in Rose's wing.
"Let's make this more interesting. How about we make a wager, Mr. Belikov?"
"I'm listening."
"I bet that after one month of training, I can beat you".
"Interesting. So what do I get when I win?" Dimitri smirked. Cocky bastard, Rose thought. Sexy cocky bastard.
"What do you want?" Rose asked.
"A raise". Dimitri stated. He was well paid and not greedy by any means, but he didn't want to think too creatively about his prize, too afraid that he'd ask for something he shouldn't be asking for.
"Fine. If you win, I'll convince Abe you need a raise". Now it was Rose's turn to smirk. "What do I get when I win?"
"If you win, I'll give you anything you want". Dimitri answered confidently. It's not that he didn't have faith in Rose, he just took into account that while Rose would be working on improving her time, he would be doing the same.
"Anything?" Rose asked suggestively.
"Anything I have to give", Dimitri stipulated.
Rose nodded and they shook on it. Before releasing his hand Rose said, "You really shouldn't have said that, comrade". When she laughed almost maniacally and Dimitri knew then that he was in trouble.
"Shit", he said under his breath.
By this time they had already reached the gym. Rose and Dimitri decided that since it was already late and they had one hell of a run, they'd skip weights training and move on to sparring.
"Before we begin, show me some of your moves so I can assess your skill level", Dimitri said.
"How come you don't have to show me your skill level?" Rose asked childishly.
"Because, Roza, you have a file on me with all that information. Whereas I, on the other hand, don't have any knowledge of your past or skill set".
Rose thought she detected a bit of bitterness in his voice. She hugged it off. "I forgot about that", she murmured.
She started showing Dimitri some punches and kicks on a punching bag. While Dimitri was impressed, Rose still had a lot to learn.
"You're fast," he said. "That's good, it'll be your advantage against opponents who are bigger and stronger than you".
Rose smiled. "I'm also a quick study".
They started sparring. Though they were supposed to train together, Dimitri naturally took the role of the mentor, assuming, after Rose's display, that he had more to teach Rose than she had to teach him.
A few rounds and a swift kick Dimitri took to the shin later, he knew that Rose was holding back when she demonstrated her skills.
"And you said I would be able to sneak up on you".
"I said near impossible", Dimitri smirked before throwing Rose a combination of kicks and punches, ending with him flipping Rose on her back and pinning her to the mats.
"You know comrade," Rose said with a wicked grin, "if you that's the way you intend to beat me every time, I'll always want to loose", referring to Dimitri holding her arms above her head while pinning her body with his own.
Dimitri returned the grin but got quickly to his feet, pulling Rose up with him.
They continued to spar. Rose learned how to flip an opponent and resist getting flipped like Dimitri flipped her. By the time they called it quits, they were both sore, Rose more than Dimitri, and Alberta was bringing in their lunch.
"Where's Lissa?" Rose asked nobody in particular.
It was Alberta who answered her. "Ms. Dragomir is in a meeting with Mr. Mazur, something about a new project".
"Thank you, Alberta". Rose said kindly. She was always fond of Alberta and her motherly ways. "Oh before I forget, starting tomorrow, we won't be needing lunch. Apparently it's imperative that I learn some basic cooking skills, so Dimitri's going to teach me how to make lunch".
"That's nice, dear", Alberta said giving Rose and Dimitri an indulgent look older people give younger people who are acting silly.
Rose notice Alberta was a bit pale. "Are you feeling well, Bertie?" the old nick name brought a smile to the old woman's face.
"Just a little tired, dear". No sooner than she said that, Alberta fainted. Luckily Rose caught her before she hurt herself on the way down. Immediately Rose could tell that the elder woman was running a fever, she was burning to the touch.
Dimitri rushed over to lift the old woman in his arms and laid her on the sofa.
"Here, put these pillows under her legs",Rose handed Dimitri the throw pillows from the other couch. While he was doing that Rose took Alberta's wrist in her hand and check her heart rate.
"That's too fast for a woman your age", Rose murmured to herself.
"Dimitri, call Pavel. Let him know we need an ambulance ASAP and to send Lissa over here now".
Rose hurried to the kitchen and dabbed a clean wash cloth in cold water to apply to Alberta's forehead. She also brought a glass of water in case Alberta returned to consciousness.
"Lissa and Pavel will be here shortly and the ambulance is on the way", Dimitri informed Rose.
Everything after that was a haze. Lissa rushed in and started checking Alberta, while Pavel hurried to escort the paramedics.
Alberta was quickly loaded to the gurney and taken to the hospital. Rose wanted to go with her but Abe wouldn't hear of it. Instead he sent one of his more seasoned guards to accompany her.
Alberta was like another to everyone on staff. She always made sure everyone was taken care of, be they a guard, maintenance or kitchen staff, butler or resident. Always made sure everyone was comfortable, well fed and generally in good spirits. It's wasn't in her job description by any means, it was just how she was. Motherly.
She and Rose had known each other for years. Alberta always had the utmost respect for Rose because Rose was just as respectful of her.
"How did this happen, old man?" Rose was furious that Abe didn't let her go with Alberta, and she was taking it out on him by blaming him for Alberta's collapsing. "Did you overwork her? Keep her up at all hours of the night cleaning the basement again?" Rose knew Abe did a lot of 'business' in the basement which almost always required a clean up crew.
"Rose, she's old and she got the flu. These things happen. Not everything is my fault". Abe answered calmly.
"It's your fault I didn't go with her", Rose huffed, she knew she was being childish but she didn't care. She was too worried about Alberta.
"I promise you Rodrigo will take good care of her. And I will keep you posted with any information I receive". Abe wrapped his arm around Rose and dragged to unwillingly accompany him to the door. "She'll be alright darling". Abe said reassuringly before kissing Rose's temple and taking his leave, shutting the door behind him. He already knew that Rose would be ordering pizza for dinner.
"Come on, Rose. You should eat a sandwich". Lissa called Rose to have lunch.
Rose was still standing in the same place Abe left her, staring at the door where Alberta was taken. "I'm not hungry", she said.
Dimitri only knew Rose for a short time but he never thought he'd hear those word come out of her mouth. It raised his concern.
"Rose, you've had a long morning and worked out rigorously. You need to eat." Dimitri was slowly becoming Rose's voice of reason. "Please, Roza". Dimitri pleaded. He was touched by Rose's concern for the elderly woman. In that moment, Dimitri saw Rose as even more beautiful, despite the evident worry in her eyes. He idly wondered if Rose worried so for everyone in her life. Even so, she need to eat after the morning's workout.
Rose just nodded and sat at the kitchen island where Dimitri had set a place for her. She ate numbly, inhaling her food, not even paying attention to the taste. She then plopped down in front of the tv, surfing channels mindlessly.
Dimitri had an idea. "Rose would you like to join me for my security check?"
Lissa smiled at him, knowing he was trying to distract Rose's from worrying about Alberta.
Rose heaved herself of the couch. "Sure, why not", none too enthusiastic.
"I forgot to show you something very important".
Rose was skeptical, but that slightly sparked her interest. "Oh yeah? What's that?"
"The location of all the camera's in the wing". At that Rose's jaw dropped. In the back of her mind she knew there were camera's all over the place but she never really gave it much thought. Now, she had to know.
Dimitri took Rose through the all the rooms again, pointing out the location of all the in-house cameras. Emphasizing that in his regular sweeps would always make sure they aren't obstructed. The final stop on their tour was the surveillance room. Dimitri had yet to inform Rose that it was in fact a panic room.
"If anything ever happens on the compound and you need to hide, you come here and lock yourself in", Dimitri informed Rose while making sure she was following his instructions on how to lock down the room.
"Why wasn't I told of this before?" Rose asked.
"Mr. Mazur thought it would only cause you unnecessary stress if you knew. His instructions are that if anything should happen, I drag you in here kicking and screaming and lock you in myself".
"Then why are you telling me?" Rose asked.
"I think it's important that you know before hand. And in an event where I can't get you here myself you have to be able to protect yourself".
"Thank you Dimitri", Rose said. It meant the world to her that Dimitri trusted her with her own safety and that he understood her need to be able to take care of herself and not be the damsel in distress.
Lastly Dimitri showed Rose the monitors that were connected to the surveillance cameras and how to switch between viewing her wing and the rest of the manor.
"Are you saying I can spy on Abe from here?", Rose asked with a devilish grin.
"Yes, but don't. If Abe finds out I told you about this he'll dismember me". Dimitri shivered at the thought.
"You're secret's safe with me comrade", Rose smiled. It was the brightest she'd been since Alberta was rushed to the hospital.
Dimitri phone beeped, informing him that his presence was requested by Abe Mazur.
"Dun dun dun dun dun!" Rose said comically. "I wonder what the old man wants".
"I don't know, but I'll be back as soon as I can", Dimitri said reassuring and left for his impromptu meeting with his boss.
At 7 sharp, Abe appeared accompanied by Dimitri at Rose's door with the Rose-special for dinner - three boxes of cheesy pizza. He had no intention of staying for dinner, but he wanted to deliver the news about Alberta in person. Even though it was good news. Alberta just had a really bad flu and she wasn't a young woman anymore, couple that with exhaustion, she got dehydrated and collapsed. But she would make a full recovery.
"I wanted to tell you the good new myself", Abe told Rose.
Rose smiled brightly, "So Alberta's going to be okay?"
"She'll be up on her feet in a few days. I've insisted on her taking a leave of absence to get well. Though in her case I'm assuming she'll just be in the main kitchen baking cookies for everyone". Abe chuckled, know the woman never could just rest.
"Thank you, Abe".
"Your welcome, Kiz". Dimitri was surprised at the softness in Abe's tone. He didn't think the gangster was capable of it.
Abe excused himself for yet another meeting he had to attend and Lissa, Rose and Dimitri sat down to a hearty pizza dinner.
"What was that?", Lissa asked Rose. "Kiz?"
Rose rolled her eyes. "That's a Turkish mobster being affectionate". The rest of dinner was had in silence.
After dinner Lissa asked to discuss something with Rose and Dimitri. Little did they know what the blond was about to suggest would leave them shellshocked.
"I have an idea that will help Rose sleep through the night, without meds or sedation. She'll have a good night's sleep every night, wake up fully rested and completely refreshed. I don't need to tell you the affects of prolonged sleep deprivation".
"Stop rambling blondie, lay it on me", Rose lost her patience for Lissa's obvious nervous procrastination. Not when they were discussing her health - mental and otherwise.
Lissa looked between Rose and Dimitri and pursed her lips before she dropped the bomb on them.
"I think you two should sleep together".