Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or anything surrounding it (but I do own this plot :D)
RPOV
"Vasilisa Dragomir, you have officially gone nuts." Honestly, the things I do for my best friend.
Said Dragomir rolled her jade eyes and hooked her arm in one of mine that was occupying a firm stand on my hips. "Come on Rose, the guides say we have to be prepared so research is vital." She said tugging me towards the door.
"Lis, you still have another seven months of this thing inside of you." I pointed out.
Without warning, she stopped and her eyes began to fill with water, "Thing?" she blubbered and I immediately regretted my words.
"Oh, Lissa." I pulled her into a hug and she gripped my shirt and sobbed. "I didn't mean it like that; you know I didn't mean that."
"I know." She mumbled, pulling back and wiping away her delicate tears. "I am really starting to hate these mood swings." She laughed, cleaning off the last of her anguish. Lissa was a normally pretty emotional person, add a baby and she had the exposed to gamma rays thing going on: one minute, calm, caring and angelical Lissa, the next, the hulk. No-one had been spared from her roller-coaster of emotions, least of all Christian. In fairness to the guy, he was being a real trooper about it – taking the verbal and physical abuse in his stride – so I had laid off being too mean to him.
"Come on, this parent-to-be whatsit it about to start." I nodded over to the door she had been leading me too. Through the large living room window, we could see a vast array of women settling themselves down on the various sofas. Many appeared to be over the age of about twenty-five so two teenagers crashing the party were going to raise a brow (still needed to get Dimitri to teach me that one), but some people were like Lissa, their bumps barely visible, which made her feel comfortable enough to release the nervous tension in her shoulders.
Alongside putting together the concert, Lissa had done a ridiculous amount of research regarding pregnancy and babies: as in she now possessed six different folders that were neatly organised and colour coded with respect to whether she was having a girl, boy or more than one. Christian nearly choked on his coffee when she produced the 'more than one' folder at one of our social gatherings. I didn't blame the guy – two more Christian Ozera's in the world was one scary thought.
Thus, she had found this mother-to-be group. The ratings, she said, were fantastic so had put this one at the top of her list but still insisted that I come with her. I had grumbled and whined "why can't Christian go" but was met with some pretty sound logic that not even my Rose-Logic could counter:
"It is a mother-to-be group which means they will be talking about girl stuff and whilst I love you babe, I don't think you'd be comfortable sitting there." She said pecking her fiancée on the cheek.
And so, here I was.
We made our way into the house. I could see the woman all engaged in conversation with each other and Lissa worry of being alone with these girls perked up again. I wrapped my hand around her own and she offered me a brave smile. I tried to return the gesture but I yawned instead: clearly all those late shifts at the inn were not doing any favours for my sleeping needs.
"Oh, someone is looking quite tired." A woman's voice brought me back to where I was. I blinked to see a slender but elder woman who had the demeanour of a vulture. She had her long bony fingers wrapped in a clasp in front of her flat stomach and her entire body reeked of perfume.
I decided that I didn't like her.
"Well, I have been walking since I was two." I said sarcastically and felt Lissa's elbow in my side.
The vulture-woman narrowed her eyes but her fake-smile remained in place. "You must be the new girls." She said and Lissa thought it best if she did the talking.
"Yes, we are just trying a couple of things out – we're quiet new at this." Lissa's voice held no sarcasm and the woman's eyes widened and she smiled genuinely at her.
"Yes, it is so nice to see the two of you supporting each other through your pregnancies, I hope you like it here." Wait, what?
"I am not-"
"Thank you." Lissa cut me off with another elbow. The woman smiled and wandered back into the crowd. As soon as she was out of view, I turned on my best friend.
"You want to tell me what that was about?" I jerked my thumb in the direction of the woman.
Lissa sighed. "They only allow expectant mothers into the group and I didn't want to come on my own so I kinda said…" she drifted off.
"…that I was pregnant." I finished. Lissa bite her lip and I sighed. I knew getting angry with her was not a great idea but this was a little sneaky, almost Sparky sneaky.
Oh.
"This was Christian's fab idea wasn't it?" I asked and she nodded timidly. I sighed again and looked over at the gathering of women. "Okay, how hard can it be?"
"You'll be fine." Lissa reassured, linking her arm with my own and leading us over to an isolated couch.
"You know Lis." I said, dumping my body onto the soft cushions. "There is one massive loop hole in your-Pyro's master plan."
"Oh?" She queried, sitting gracefully next to me. I nodded over to where a blonde-haired woman was settling on a disgusting brown piece of furniture. Her belly was massive – she looked as through she was about to pop – and Lissa got the point. "I only really need you to come for the first couple of sessions so I am not too alone. After that, we can say you didn't like it, so left. No-one would notice." She shrugged after making what sounded like a very Adrian-like comment.
"Oh, please tell me Adrian didn't help you on this one." I groaned.
She offered a sheepish smile. "He was the one who filled your form in."
"There was a form?" I questioned as the door to the living room shut.
"Yeah, it was just some personal details but Adrian had a bit of fun with it…" she trailed off again.
"Oh, I'm sure he did." I grumbled.
"Yeah, if anyone asks, your full name is Rosalie Haley Copter." I could tell she was suppressing a giggle at that. I just buried my face into my palms and Lissa let out her laugh.
"Ladies," The voice of the vulture-lady hummed through the room as she settled herself onto a wooden chair. It was at this point that I noticed the furniture had been arranged in such a way that it made a circle. Oh Lord, I groaned inwardly. It had just become very clear that the group leader – Kinova or something – was a teacher and let's just say teachers and I don't really get along. Vulture-lady smiled again and continued, her voice laced with a somewhat dopey hum that made you want to fall asleep, "thank you for being here today. For the new additions, I'm Ellen Kirova and I am here to support you throughout this challenging, but rewarding time. I can assure each and every one of you that there is a glorious light at the end of this long and trying tunnel which we will journey through…together."
What.
The.
Fuck.
I groaned again. It was lucky that Lissa was my best friend and I loved her so much because if not, oh boy, I would have stormed out of there and taken the complementary biscuits with me. Speaking of Lissa, I glanced over to see if she was in much pain as I was, but I had no such hope. Her face was stuck in some awe-struck state as she twiddled the pencil between her fingers and began rapidly making a transcript of everything Kirova was saying.
I leaned my head against the back on the sofa, preparing myself for a very long couple of hours. As Kirova began banging on about how wonderful being pregnant is, I found myself looking round the room for something to do. The room was furnished with tables, chairs and lamps that clashed horrifically and the wallpaper (yes, actual wallpaper) looked like it had been pulled through a rubbish bin a couple of hundred times.
I grimaced and began looking round the group. In fairness, everyone in the room (bar Kirova) seemed…nice. They all had warm and loving expressions and appeared to be generally happy to be in each other's company. Maybe I could trust them to take care of my best friend for a couple of hours a week?
I sighed and pulled out my phone, desperate for some form of distraction. Well, who else was I going to talk to?
Hey comrade, stuck in hell. How's your end holding up?
I put the device down and pretended to listen before it vibrated in my hand.
Not too bad Roza, meeting will finish earlier than expected, one of the clients decided not to show up. Would you like to come out with me tonight? I have an idea that I think you may like…
It had only been a couple of days since Dimitri and I decided to give us a shot but I was loving every moment of it. We spoke a lot more and it was hard not to admit that he was slowly taking my heart from me. He was, in short, perfection. Without trying to inhibit the increasing grin on my face, I typed my reply.
Oh, what would we be doing?
Not a second later I had my answer.
It's a surprise…
I rolled my eyes.
Comrade, if there is one thing I hate, it is surprises.
There was a brief hesitation but his punctuality did not falter.
You'll like this one ;)
I laughed quietly, causing Lissa to look at me with a weird amusement on her face and some other women around me to give me a confused look. Whilst Lissa did not partake in the 'Let's tease Rose about her Russian friend', she still liked to be updated on the whole thing and I doubt she was surprised that I was not paying any attention.
Confident?
A little…
Well, name the time and place.
6 o'clock and nice try Roza
I frowned, realising that I was not going to get it out of him.
Alrighty, see you then Cowboy
Cowboy?
Ha, it was my turn to tease now.
Do you not have a fetish with the Old West?
I wouldn't call it a fetish…
You're adorable, you know that?
Thanks.
I chuckled.
Oh, you're welcome honey :P
Anything for you sugar 3
I was having a very hard time suppressing my full-blown laughter and I had a feeling that Dimitri was too.
Comrade, I am supposed to be listening. Quit trying to make me laugh.
I felt a sharp jab in my right lower ribs and I turned to see Lissa shooting me a very nervous glare. I frowned and rotated my head slowly to meet Kirova's cold stare.
"Mmmm?" I hummed.
She pursed her lips and cleared her throat. "My, my, we have a strict no cell phone rule in these meetings Rosalie-"
"It's Rose." I corrected against my better judgement, but seriously: a no cell phone policy? It really was like being in school again.
She smiled sickly at me. "We were just getting to know Vasilisa here and her fiancée: Christian. I was just asking about your baby daddy: how did you two meet and so on."
Oh bullocks…
I hadn't been rendered speechless a lot in my life, not even when my mother seemingly brought my father back from under the grave he had astounded himself with. But this, this had left me without words.
I looked to Lissa for some help on the situation, but I only got a bitten lip. Desperately looking round the room for any inspiration, my eyes landed on my disallowed mobile. Oh well, here goes nothing…
"We met a pub – the one I work at." I said, nodding my head to make it seem more believable.
"Ooooo, what's his name?" the same blonde on the verge of explosion from earlier asked.
I clenched my fist together and forced a smile. "Dimitri." Damn, he was going to kill me.
"Was it love at first sight?" A slightly more exocentric lady clapped her hands together.
I thought back to the first time I spoke to Dimitri: "Not really."
"Was that who you were just talking to?" a girl with brilliant ginger curls asked excitedly.
I looked down shamefully. "Yes."
"Is he the same age as you?" another asked.
"No, he is older."
"Does he have a job?" another.
"Yes."
"Is he rich?" I was losing track.
"Not particularly."
"Is he hot?"
I was going to kill Lissa…
Never before I had I relished fresh air so much in my life. "Freedom!" I exclaimed and slumped against the concrete side. The pre-evening sun gave a warm feeling and lit the streets with a sea of golden bliss.
I glanced over to the door to see Lissa talking amongst the other ladies. Kirova was not among them, thank the Lord, but Lissa still seemed to be enjoying herself. The same could not be said for yours truly.
"It wasn't that bad," an amused, slightly accented voice read my mind and chuckled next to me. I looked up to see a pair or caring eyes and gentle features: you could tell this woman was a mother.
"Were you just in a freezer because I got grilled in that oven?" I said standing up properly.
The woman just laughed. "Yeah, the younger girls get a little excited when new people join – especially if they are teenagers. I guess it makes them feel a little younger again." She shrugged and leaned against the wall, affectionately rubbing her swollen abdomen.
"How far are you along?" I asked curiously.
The woman smiled. "Eight months. How about you?" she asked.
I hesitated but found myself being able to trust her familiar brown eyes. I sighed. "Just between you and me, I am not actually pregnant. Lissa there is my best friend and she wanted me to come with her for the moral support." I expected her to be disgusted so you can imagine my surprise when her eyes widened with awe and understanding.
"You are truly a great friend, not a lot of people would show such kindness." Her voice was soothing and something about her accent gave me comfort. It was also annoyingly familiar – I could not get the feeling of déjà vu out of my stomach – but I could not place it. Urgh, these late shifts were making me loose my judgement. Damn you Stan.
Moreover, I was a little taken back by her compliment but I responded nonetheless. "Thank you." I said honestly and she smiled beautifully.
"Rose, are you-oh, I am so sorry." Lissa blushed furiously and looked away.
The woman smiled again. "No, not to worry…Lissa, was it?"
"Yes." Lissa nodded.
The woman smiled again and extended her hand. "Karolina, but you guys can call me Karo. And don't worry, Rose told me the truth-"
"You won't tell Kirova, will you?" Lissa interrupted, her voice full of panic.
"Of course not." Karo assured, placing her hand on Lissa's. "I was just going to say that if you ever need some advice of help, I would be happy to help out. This is my second pregnancy, my younger sister is also expecting and my mother raised four children, so we like to consider ourselves experts on this situation." Karo chuckled.
"Really?" Lissa asked and Karo nodded with a smile.
"Really."
"Oh my goodness, thank you, thank you, thank you." Lissa attacked to poor woman in one of her fierce hugs.
Karo initial surprise turned into another laugh and she returned the embrace. "It is really not trouble." She gave me an amused look and I mouthed: 'she's a hugger' which only made her smile more.
Lissa managed to peal herself away from Karo as Kirova poked her head out the door, looked around, sneered when she saw me and slammed the door shut.
I scowled. "How does that woman have such good ratings?!"
"Most people find her advice quite useful and she has a great ability to take charge when things go wrong." Karo shrugged.
"She was still a bitch. Not to mention boring as hell." I stated which made Karo smile.
"I don't know Rose: I found what she said to be very informative." Lissa said flipping through the fifteen pages of notes she made whilst Kirova the Vulture-lady droned on.
"Well, you must have been in the same freezer as Karo here." I grumbled and Karolina smiled again. Lissa just frowned.
"So Lissa, how long did you say you and Christian had been engaged for?" Karo said steering the conversation in a new direction.
Any displeasure left Lissa's eyes and she smiled brightly at Karolina. "A little over a year now."
She smiled at her enthusiasm. "That is wonderful. Is he excited to be a father?"
I snorted in response for Lissa. Karo gave me a weird look whilst Lissa just glared. "He is: he is just a little…shocked." That was an understatement. I had a call from Adrian in the middle of the night telling me Christian had gone missing and we found him in the Shadow Kiss Inn violently baking shortbread whilst reciting twenty-seven different lullabies.
"Amen to that. My husband was scared stiff when I told him about Paul but he came through and now loves being a father." Karo informed her and Lissa nodded.
"Yeah, he is just a little nervous. Being a dad at twenty wasn't exactly in the plan." Lissa said with a slight shrug.
"What about you Rose?" Karo asked.
I sighed. "Marriage and the kid thing isn't really my thing." That wasn't a lie. I had never really wanted kids and marriage seemed like a bit of a faff to me.
"I'm sure that will change when you meet the right guy." Karo assured. "Or girl." She quickly added and I smiled a little.
"Thanks Karo." I chuckled.
"I'm serious, I didn't realise what I wanted before I met Kaylan but now, I wouldn't have it any other way." She said rubbing her swollen abdomen affectionately and a pang of longing pulsed through my body. I shut it down immediately. Mercifully, there was a loud honk of a car horn to distract me and the three of us looked up to see a little boy waving out of a car window on the other side of the road. "That's my lift." Karo mused and waved back. "It was lovely to meet you both, I hope to see you soon." She smiled and gave us both one last hug before making her way over to the car.
After Karo left, Lissa and I walked back to the Inn. I won't lie, it was nice to spend a day with just her; I didn't get to do it very often. She would be Christian or I would be too busy: life just seemed to get in the way of us being sisters. But she would always be my sister, even if she was dragging me to mother-to-be groups or picking out preschools three years and seven months early.
"She was so lovely." Lissa said after a couple of minute's silence.
I chuckled. "Yeah, she was."
"You know, I feel a lot more confident about all of this." She gestured to herself.
I smiled. "I'm glad; though now you have Karo on your side, does that mean I don't have to come anymore?" I silently begged for the answer I wanted.
"Rose…" Lissa began teasingly.
"Lissa…" I countered.
"You are herby relived of your 'pretend to be pregnant' duties." She grinned.
"Thank God!" I exclaimed causing her to laugh.
"Though I must admit, your acting was quite spectacular." She said linking her arms in mine again.
I raised my arms in surrender. "Hey, you put me on the spot – don't expect an Oscar-winning performance."
She chuckled again before a sly smile worked its way onto her face.
"What?" I narrowed my eyes.
"Nothing." She hummed innocently but I wasn't buying it.
"Lissa…"
"No, it was just interesting to see that you chose Dimitri to be your fake baby daddy…" she did not bother controlling the grin on her face.
"Oh no…" I groaned.
The grin only got bigger. "Oh come on, you could have picked Mason or Eddie or Adrian-"
"Ewww, Adrian!?" I exclaimed involuntarily but Lissa just ignored it.
"But no, you chose Dimitri, which can only mean that you are serious about him. Is this the Prince Charming you were waiting for?" she batted her eyelids but my hesitation gave her enough to squeal at. "Oh my God, Rose!" she exclaimed, stopping suddenly and dropping her mouth to the ground.
"Lissa!" I hissed.
"Oh my God, are you guys dating?" she squealed.
"Lissa!" I hissed again.
"No, no, no, no. You cannot say something like that and walk away." She said pointedly.
"I didn't say anything." I exclaimed.
She rolled her eyes. "That is the point! You hesitated, which means you like him a lot. Rose, this is so good. He could be the one and-" she cut herself off. I frantically looked over her for injury, but she only bit her lip and nodded her head. I turned slowly to be met with a very attractive sight.
"Roza." His eyes danced with a mixture of affection and amusement.
"Heya, comrade."