I said goodbye to all my friends before getting on the plane. Abe was already on along with all his guardians. I sat in a surprisingly comfortable seat with Dimitri sitting to my right. "Are you exited to see your family Comrade?"

"Absolutely, and I can't wait for them to meet you. How are you feeling about all of this?"

"Nervous, but exited as well." The plane soon took off. It was going to be a very long flight so I got comfortable. By the time will we land and drive from the airport to Baia we would get there early morning. I drifted in and out of sleep all throughout the flight. Sometimes talking with my father about his past and mine. Talking to Dimitri about his family. Dimitri would go between talking, sleeping and reading one of his old, battered western books. Once we landed Abe said his goodbyes. He lent us one of his many cars for the three-hour drive to Baia, while he attended to business in the area. He left making a promise that he would stop by the Belikov house at some point to see how things were going. I sat quietly in the passenger seat while Dimitri drove. Since I had nothing to do I slipped into Lissa's head to see how things were back at the academy. It was late at night, past curfew, but she wasn't alone in her room. She was with Adrian, they were talking about me.

"Wow, I can't believe the darkness made you do that to Rose." He must have just told her everything about the night he tried to force himself on me. "She never told me any of that. Was she okay?"

"I know, I hate darkness for that. We talked, she's okay and she said she forgives me because she understands the things darkness can make a person do. But I still can't forgive myself. What if Guardian Belikov didn't come in? I knew any other day she could fight me off, but that darkness, I felt so strong, I'm surprised I didn't bruise her from just grabbing her. I know I need to go on some sort of medication to keep my magic at bay. So, I wanted to talk to you about it since you have been on it."

"Yes, well, I find with the medication it works for a bit. But then I just end up missing my magic so much that I go off it. However, a big part of it is I always see people get hurt, mainly Rose, and all I want to do is heal them. When I'm on the meds it stops me from being able to. Though you don't have that healing ability really, for you the biggest thing will be dream walking and seeing auras. Do you think you can just, stuff your magic in a box in the back off your mind? Because that's what if feels like."

"I don't know. But for Roses sake, and mine, I need to at least try."

"Okay then, tomorrow we can go to the infirmary and talk to the doctor about it."

"Okay, thank you cousin."

"No problem Adrian." I slipped out of her head and looked around at my surroundings. Dimitri and I were still in the car driving to his home. Everything outside still looked the same.

"You were with Lissa?" Dimitri was concentrated of the road but I saw his eyes quickly look over at me .

"Yeah, Arian was with her. He wants to go on medication for his spirit."

"Good, because if he ever lost control like that again then I'll-" I lightly squeezed him upper arm, causing him to briefly look over at me before returning his eyes to the road ahead of us.

"Relax. Everything will be fine. He's going to go on some medication so the darkness doesn't get to him again." He nodded his head but remained silent. We still had two hours until he arrived to our destination so I got comfy, which ended up making me tired and falling asleep. It only felt like a few minutes before I was being lightly shaken awake.

"Roza, wake up." I blinked a few times before straightening out in my seat. We were still driving but unlike before there was now large homes around us. "We're only a minute or so away." I could tell by Dmitri's body language that he was very exited. Almost as if he were a kid in a candy shop. We soon pulled up at a large home. A white balcony at the front of the house with steps leading to it. It was nine in the morning. Which meant that most likely everyone was up in his house. We walked up the front steps and he knocked on the door. My nerves growing more and more by the second. I could hear footsteps approaching the door. Dimitri squeezed my hand in reassurance. The door swung open to reveal a short woman in her mid forty's. She had brown hair, she same shade as Dimitri's, along with his eyes. It was his mother. She gasped when she saw Dimitri.

"Dimitri, my sweet boy! Is it really you?"

"It is mama." She quickly took the last few steps towards him and hugged him, he hugged her back just as loving. It was heart warming to see. From inside the house I could hear a young girls voice.

"Mama, who's at the door?" A girl about my height with slightly lighter brown hair appeared in the doorway.

"Dimika!" She squealed. She ran up to him and hugged him just as their mother backed away.

"Hey Vika." He said softly. The rest of the Belikov woman followed and took there turns hugging him. His mother spoke up once Dimitri let go of Karolina.

"Dimitri Belikov, are you going to introduce this young lady you have brought with you or have I not raised you well enough?"

"Relax mama, I was getting to that." He put his arm around me and pulled me close to his side and smiled down at me. I smiled back up. "Everyone, this is the love of my life, Rose. Rose this is my family." He pointed out each member of his family as he said their names. Including a new addition to the family that he hadn't known about; Zoya.

"Hello, it's great meeting you all. Dimitri's been so exited to come back home he hasn't stopped talking about you all." His mother came up and hugged me. I was surprised at first but hugged her back.

"I'm so happy to meet you Roza, my son has sent some letters home. Your name coming up many times. We all knew there was something special about you." I turned to look at Dimitri in surprise.

"I didn't know you wrote to them about me Comrade. I'm going to have to get my hands on some of these letters." He shrugged his shoulders while his family laughed.

"Now come in, come in!" Ushered his mother. The Belikov home was warm and comforting. For a small family in would be big. But with everyone one that lived inside it was the perfect size. We sat at a large table that was filled with food. Her mother quickly grabbed two more of everything for her surprise guests. "Now, how long are you planning to stay? The longer the better!"

"Two weeks." Answered Dimitri.

"Okay, well Dimitri, you can have your old room back and Rose you can either stay in his room with him or you could share Vika's room if you like." I looked over at Dimitri who had a slight smirk at the fact that we could freely sleep in the same bed together.

"I'll stay with Dimitri." She smiled kindly.

"I figured. Now, I know from Dimka's letters how you two met and that he's your mentor, but I would love to know more about the two of you."

"Of course, what would you like to know?"

"Well, how long have you two been official?"

"Two months." Answered her son.

"Does anyone at the academy know?"

"Not really, although Roses father knows."

"I do hope he's okay with you too?"

"Yes, he is, he knows how much we love one another." I answered back. Vika spoke up.

"Is it hard with Dimitri being a guardian and you still a student?" She quickly spoke again before I could answer. "I hope that didn't come out rude, I just mean that he has six molnija marks and you haven't really experienced the guardian life. Do you think that will change you guys after you have?" Dimitri spoke up before I could answer his youngest sister.

"It won't change us. Rose has experienced more things in high school then most guardians will in their life."

"Wait. Does that mean you have killed a strigoi before?" She asked. Her eyes staring into mine.

"Yes." I turned around in my seat and held up my hair. I heard gasps from all around the table. They saw the three separate molnija marks along with the battle star.

"Wow. How did you kill so many?" Asked Paul, Dmitri's nephew. I know he had no idea the weight his question held, so it wasn't his fault for him to ask such a deep and personal question like that, he didn't know any better. His mother scolded him but I could tell that everyone around the table was still very curious. Dimitri grabbed my hand under the table and gave a little squeeze.

"Well, I killed my first two at around Christmas time. It's a rather long story that I don't really want to get in to. I then fought in the battle at St. Vladimir's, as well as Dimitri. I then killed about a month ago, I went out to dinner with my dad when a group of strigoi attacked us, along with his two guardians.

"I'm guessing that your father is moroi?" Asked Dimitri's eldest sister.

"Yes."

"That's rare, to have a moroi father stick around. I'm glad to hear yours did."

"Yes well, I only actually met him about a month ago. He'd been in the background, keeping tabs on me, which I had no idea about until resently. I found out when he and my mum told me."

"Are you close with your mother?" Asked Olena.

"Not exactly, I would say that even though I just met my father I'm already closer to him. My mum dropped me off at the academy when I was four. I can count on one had the amount of times she has come and seen me. But we're trying to work things out now. Janine Hathaway isn't exactly motherly type, but she's trying now."

"Oh my god, did you say Hathaway?" Asked Vika.

"Yes."

"So, you're Rosemarie Hathaway?"

"Yes." She turned and looked at her brother.

"Dimitri! Why have you failed to mention that you girlfriend just happens to be the total badass Rosemarie Hathaway?" He both didn't really know what to say.

"Sorry." Was his brilliant answer. She rolled her eyes.

"Rose, everyone has heard about you and how you've already killed multiple strigoi and ran away for two years."

"I had no idea I was so…well known." Conversation flowed easily all through the rest of breakfast. It made me extremely happy to see how much his family welcomed me apart of their own. I offered to help Olena clean up, she refused and made Dimitri and I relax in the living room while the rest of the Belikov's helped clean up. I snuggled close to Dimitri's side on the couch. "I'm glad you asked me to come."

"So am I." He ran his fingers through my hair softly. "I was thinking, today we should just relax around the house. Tomorrow though I want to take you out in the town."

"Sounds good to me." We kissed and remained silent in the living room. Right now, felt like a dream. I felt so loved and safe. It felt like nothing could ever go wrong. If only that were true.

Longest chapter yet! Tell me how you liked it and any thoughts you might have!