Drabble:42
POV: Third Person

After Dimitri learned that Rose's parents would grill him about his relationship with their daughter, he was scared. Then again, who wouldn't be? Rose's mom, Guardian Janine Hathaway, was not only a lethal guardian, but when pissed off, was awe-inspiringly terrifying. Dimitri had seen that side of her when Rose went missing during Christmas, and he wasn't looking forward to reliving it.
If that wasn't enough, Rose's dad Ibrahim Mazur, was reputed to be a fearsome mob-boss. One who apparently could put the fear-of-God in his 'victims' by simply chatting. And presumably had a knack of leaving bodily injuries that weren't visible-in-plain-sight.
Even Adrian Ivashkov, who hated him for the Rose-debacle, laughed hysterically upon learning of Dimitri's impending interview cough*doom*cough. And Christian and Eddie actually rolled on the floor, howling uncontrollably, when Rose informed them of his predicament. Regardless, Dimitri knew he had to face them. For him, family was important, and even if Rose's family had only 'reunited' very recently, he knew he had to answer to them-for her.
Rose tried her best to dissuade both him and her parents, but she was assiduously ignored. Her parents were hell-bent on interrogating him, and Dimitri had decided it was the right-thing-to-do- for her, for their love and for their future. But after a-lot-of-pleading from Rose, her parents agreed to talk to Dimitri in Court first, near civilization, before carting him off to wilderness with firearms.

After some advice from the gang, which ranged from hilarious to disturbing, and a standing offer to flee to Siberia from Rose, Dimitri bade them (hopefully-not-the-final) goodbye and set forth to meet his doom-erm, Rose's parents-in the Court café. He found them sitting in a dimly-lit back-alcove, dressed fully in black, looking like characters out of Quentin Tarantino's movies. Murmuring a silent prayer, he took his designated seat between the two. And then…..it began.
He was prepared for their many probing questions, even their slightly-offensive-conjectures and he got through most of them without breaking a sweat. Everytime he hesitated, the perceptive couple, noticing his discomfort, fully exploited those topics. But he got through those too, because he had vowed to tell them nothing but the absolute truth. He was also prepared for their threats, which ranged from thinly-veiled predictions (Janine's promise to break his jaw) to gruesome tales of what they'd (happily) do to him (skin him alive, and painstakingly-and-strategically break his bones while torturing him with the elements) if he failed to meet their expectations or hurt Rose, even unerringly. Then it was over. They'd accepted him, deemed him worthy of their daughter. Dimitri emerged from the encounter physically-unscathed, though forever mentally-scarred by Abe's colorful threats. But before he left, something happened that stunned Dimitri.

Returning to his apartment, he found Rose there, pacing anxiously. She flung herself at him, then examined him for any signs of physical-damage. After reassuring her and recounting most of the interview, Dimitri came to the incident that made him question reality. "There's something else", he added slowly, still wondering if he had hallucinated that bit.
"What?", she questioned, anxious again.
"Your mom hugged me"
"Oh", Rose relaxed. "She was just welcoming you to the family"
"Roza, Guardian Hathaway hugged me", Dimitri clarified. "After I admitted to sleeping with her underage daughter, and recounted all I'd put you through after being turned."

"So?", Rose shrugged.

"Rose, your mom hugged me", Dimitri repeated.
"Contrary to popular belief, she's actually human", Rose teased, grinning now. "And she always liked you. This was her saying she's accepted you".

"But-but-", Dimitri floundered, still dubious. "She hugged me!"

"Did she whisper a few last-minute-threats in your ear when she hugged you?", Rose asked patiently, already texting to let the gang know Dimitri had returned unharmed.

"Yeah"
"And there's that!", Rose replied cheerily. "Now let's go celebrate you being alive".
When Dimitri reached for the duster he'd taken off indoors, she clarified, "In the bedroom".

Firstly, I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but its exams-week, and I-don't-have-a-life-anymore. But thanks for sticking around, you guys rock!
Please leave a review on your way out and make me less-miserable. And pray that I survive the week-from-Hell. Cheers!

PS-Would you like the full story on my 'Dimitri's-pre-wilderness-interview-with-Janine-an d-Abe?'