I forgot what it felt like to be under the heat of studio lights. There was so much that Dimitri wanted to get wrapped up before the baby came, and I was more than happy to help him do that. I even flew out to New York to do the filming with him, but I was starting to sweat under the heat.

"I'm going to sweat this makeup off," I chirped at Dimitri as the set crew took care of the last few touches.

"I know, me too," he chuckled. I smiled at him and ran my hands over my dress. I blew my lips as I looked around at the crew. The idea was simple, another dance, but this time it was a full video. The dance itself wasn't hard, and Dimitri and I had been practicing with the choreographer for a week straight. I was a little worried that my belly was going to get in the way, but Dimitri wasn't concerned about it. He laughed and said that it would just add to the video.

The crew left the filming area and I smiled at Dimitri.

"We're going to do this in full run-throughs with multiple angles," the direction, Aiden called out. He had worked with Dimitri in the past and we had always loved his work.

I nodded at him and looked up at Dimitri, getting the count in for the music. I was excited that he picked this song to do a video with, and I knew that it was going to turn out amazing. As the music started we moved, it was sensual, hands grabbing at each other and fingers lingering in touch.

When the song turned to the chorus, I took a deep breath, nervous about this particular move. It was a lift, and while I had no worries about Dimitri's ability to hold me, I was just anxious because I was so big. I wrapped my arm around his neck as his arm wrapped under my shoulders, hand gripping the side of my chest. We were going in different directions, but I knew that watching was stunning. The choreographers had shown it to us so many times before we attempted it, and I could only imagine what I looked like between two people who said love in their glances.

We transitioned from the lift, my body coming around for Dimitri to embrace me as we went to our knees. By the time we had finished the dance, I was a little breathless. Aiden called cut and I braced myself on Dimitri's shoulder.

"Doing alright?" he asked.

"I think this is the closest I've gotten to cardio in a while," I mused.

"Last night didn't count?" he teased in my ear, making me blush and I swatted his shoulder.

"Shut up," I murmured. Aiden rolled back the tape and looked up at us.

"Are you alright, Rose?"

"Yeah, it's just hard to do a lot with a big baby on my diaphragm. Do we need to do this again?"

Aiden shrugged slightly as he watched the footage. "I'm hoping that doing this in one take will be all that we need. We had multiple angles and cameras for a reason. I don't want to put too much stress on you."

I nodded and took the bottle of water Maria brought me, her eyes watching me carefully as I drank my water.

"I'm fine," I whispered to her, but she just narrowed her eyes at me. When Andrea went over with us what I needed to avoid during my pregnancy, Maria sat there and scribbled notes the whole time. She made sure I took my vitamins every day when Dimitri was on tour, made sure I was eating proper meals, made sure I drank enough water, helped me with my physical therapy, and watched me like a hawk to make sure I wasn't overdoing it.

"I think what we have is fine. Worst-case scenario, if we need to refilm things, we could use a body double. All the parts where we wanted to see your face look good," Aiden said, "Now go home and relax!"

I smiled and opened my water bottle again, drinking more water. I walked off the filming set and slipped my slippers on, taking my sweater from Maria as she followed me.

"I'm going to get changed," I told Dimitri, "Then we can get food?"

"Of course," he said. I went to my changing room and sighed as I closed the door, cocking my head at the package on the table next to my purse. I raised a brow and walked back out of my changing room.

"Hey, who put this box in my room?" I called out. Ivan had his phone to his ear but turned and raised a brow at me. He walked over and poked his head in, spotting the box and furrowed his brows.

"Hey, hang on a sec. Guys! Who put this in here?!" Ivan called, licking his bottom lip as he waited for a response.

"It wasn't here when you got here?"

I shook my head. "Maria? Do you know where this came from?" I asked.

She shook her head as well. "No idea."

I pursed my lips but before I could say anything, Rufus was slipping into my changing room. He examined the package for a moment before opening it, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, I've seen some strange things, but nothing like this before," he said. I started to step into the changing room but Ivan stopped me, looking into the box.

"What the hell?" he asked with a slight chuckle, "Did you ever tell anyone about your weird craving for vegemite?"

"No. Why?" I asked.

Ivan reached into the box and lifted up a jar of it. "It's full of them."

I sagged and chuckled quietly. "That's weird."

"What's weird? I thought you were changing," Dimitri said as he ran his hand over my shoulder.

"Rose got her first weird and unexpected fan mail package," Ivan said, "We'll let her get changed now."

I shook my head and watched Rufus take the box out of the room.

"I wouldn't trust it," he said.

"Wasn't planning on it," I chuckled as I closed the door between us.

DPOV

I couldn't help but smile as I listened to the music happening behind the door.

"Who is in the studio?" Tasha asked as she looked up from her phone.

"Rose," I said with a smile.

Tasha tilted her head and listened. "That's the piece she wrote in high school."

I nodded. "I don't know what's gotten into her, but she's been hanging out in there all weekend," I said with a smile.

Tasha smiled and got up, creeping to the door and pressing her ear to the door. I chuckled to myself. I wasn't the only one doing that these days. Rose had been keeping what she was working on a secret, but all I knew was the piano piece.

Tasha scampered back to the couch and practically jumped onto the couch next to me. I smirked at her when the door opened, Rose walking out in my favourite outfit these days. It didn't matter if it was August, she was always in her sweatpants, sweater and slippers. It was adorable, and all I cared about was that she was comfortable.

"Hi," she said to Tasha.

"Hey, what cha working on in there?" she asked nonchalantly.

"You want to come hear it? It's finished," she said with a smile. I wasn't sure who had moved faster, me or Tasha, but we both walked very quickly to the studio. Rose simply laughed at me as we walked into the studio. Rose unplugged the headset and let us hear what she had been working on.

I had heard her singing the words in and out of sequence for days, but hearing the lyrics in their entirety, it hit me in a way I wasn't prepared.

"This is so…raw," Tasha said a moment after it had finished, the two of us sitting in complete silence.

"Yeah?" she asked with a hesitant smile on her face.

"Like the composition is amazing, but when you pay attention to the words, it's vulnerable. Like, I know you, and I can see these things in you, but for an outsider listening in, this is a whole new level of raw," Tasha said with a shake of her head, "I love it."

Rose blushed and I rubbed her shoulder. "I love it too."

RPOV

I ran my hand over my stomach and sighed quietly to myself. Dimitri was out with Ivan, doing some things to wrap up the tour season. Which gave me the time I needed today.

"Hey, you okay?"

I jumped when the door opened. I hadn't spent a lot of time at my own apartment lately, and it was nice to be curled up on my couch.

"Yeah. Why?" I asked Tasha.

She held up her phone. "Maria and I have been trying to get a hold of you all afternoon. Lissa is planning a baby shower for you," she said and cocked her head at me, "What's wrong? Your face is all wrong."

I licked my lips. "I had a Will drawn up this afternoon."

Tasha furrowed her brows as she sat down beside me. "Dimitri never mentioned the appointment. I would have rescheduled his day if I knew."

"He didn't know," I whispered. Tasha set her hone down on the coffee table and ran her hand over my leg.

"What's going on? I know that you've been on edge lately."

I shrugged and picked at the bulbs on the blanket.

"I can't explain how terrified I am, Tash. The bigger this baby gets, the more scared I get."

Tasha got more comfortable on the couch and gripped my hand.

"Honey, you have one of the best doctors in the state. And she's been consulting with a specialist about your condition," Tasha whispered soothingly.

"But knowing that I can hemorrhage during labour? Or even as the pregnancy continues? I can't fathom the idea of losing our baby, or God forbid, Dimitri having to raise our kid alone. I just… I just want to have everything in order just in case," I explained as I rubbed my stomach, "I told Andrea that if something happens, and it's me or the baby, that she needs to make the call, not to make Dimitri make it. If I'm going to lose the baby, let them go. I know it sounds terrible, but we could always find another way to have a baby. We can't have another me. I named you my healthcare proxy. I know everyone expects it to be Andrew or Dimitri, but I know that you will make the best decisions for me, and not let your emotions get the best of you. Dimitri is the proxy for my finances and general matters."

Tasha frowned and rubbed her hand over me gently.

"Can I tell you something?"

I nodded at her.

"Dimitri and I had a similar conversation, and he had a similar conversation with Andrea. He said that if it came down to it, to do everything that she could to save you. That you two could find other ways to have another baby, but that there wasn't another you," she said softly, "He's worried about you too. Talk to him. I think that he has also done a lot of research on his own. And had many phone calls with your specialist."

"Really?"

She smiled. "Yeah. Me, Maria, and Dimitri; we've all spoken to your specialist. We all want information on how to help you, and how to keep you safe and healthy. We are all worried about you, honey. So, let us worry about you, and try not to worry. I know that's harder said than done."

Doing an interview with Dimitri made me more nervous than performing. I had never been the center of an interview before, and while I did the video one in Russia, being in front of other people was making my stomach do flips.

The host, Emily, was great and kind, easing us into the interview. The beginning was basically asking how the tour was internationally, but as we started to round out to coming back to the States, I knew where Emily's next questions were heading.

"So, I know that the show in L.A. after you returned to the States was intense for you, Dimitri," Emily said as she crossed her legs.

"It was. I was about ten minutes from walking on stage when a few crew members brought to my attention something that was on the news. When I realized who it was, I- I wanted to puke. We were arguing a lot, and all I could think about was that conversation and how things were between us."

I could see that Dimitri was getting upset, so I rested my hand on his knee. He rested his hand over mine and gave me a tight smile.

"How did you manage to get through the show? I mean, if it were me, I would have bolted."

"I wanted to," he said with a laugh, But I knew that I would be more of a hindrance at the hospital than help. My manager had promised me that she would go to the hospital and stay with Rose, giving me updates throughout the night. It was best that Tasha went because she's known Rose since they were young and had been there when Rose was a teenager."

"Tasha was there when I woke up from the car accident I was in when I was a teenager. She has helped me a lot in the years," I said after a moment, smiling at her where she was standing behind the set. She smiled at me and I looked back at Emily.

"The whole show, any time there was a break between songs, all I would hear in my earpiece was 'Rose is in triage', 'Rose is on her way for an x-ray', 'Rose is being admitted for observation'," Dimitri said, mimicking the voice of the backstage crew. "It helped me stay cool enough to leave before the encore."

"And that must have been a terrifying situation for you," Emily said to me, a crease forming between her brows.

"It was. Thankfully, I don't remember much of it. But it was scary, but at the same time, something good came out of it. That was the day I found out that I am pregnant. I thought Tasha was going to hurl herself over the gurney at the doctor when he told me. She thought he was playing a joke," I said with a shake of my head.

"On a happier topic, there has been teasing of new music coming. Can either of you comment on this more?" Emily asked with a smile.

I looked at Dimitri and smiled at him.

"It's about us," I said, "It's about how we met one night, and then years went by, and now here we are," I said with a smile, "I am very happy for everyone to hear it."

"What else can we know about it?"

"I produced the music, but Rose is the voice on the record," Dimitri said as he laced his fingers with mine, "It really is something amazing."

"There has been a lot of talk about the two of you writing a lot since you finished the tour."

"Yes. It seems as though as we embark on an exciting time of our lives together, it has given us both a lot of inspiration. I know that since meeting Rose, I have truly been inspired."

Emily smiled and I could see the genuine happiness for us on her face.

"How exactly did you two meet? It's all been hush-hush," she asked. My eyes flicked to Tasha and Abe who were standing off set and then to Dimitri. A few days before the interview, we were told the kind of questions we would be asked. We knew that it was something everyone wanted to know, but at the same time, neither of us wanted to play that lie anymore.

Dimitri and I looked at each other, not exactly sure who was going to speak first. I smirked and blushed at Emily.

"Um, I was hired to pretend to be his girlfriend," I said with a laugh.

"Get out! Seriously?"

"Yes. Before his last album, Tasha approached me with a job opportunity. Part of it was to pretend to be his girlfriend, but also to help him with writing."

"She was also, not to either of our knowledge, designed to be a huge portion of my support system," Dimitri cut in, "I didn't trust a lot of people, and those that I did were the people that worked for me directly. When Rose came into the picture, we became friends almost instantly."

"It's the kind of friendship where we had only known each other for a week, but it felt like we had been friends for years. It came so easily," I added, "It was almost crazy. I mean our romantic chemistry came so fast that neither of us saw it. We were 'together' for about six months before I went, 'Oh my God, I'm falling in with him."

Dimitri smiled at me and leaned into me, kissing my hair.

"I think I realized that I was in love with you around my birthday," he said and I blushed at him.

"It's crazy to think that things weren't what they seemed."

"I joked one night that I was the 'Great Pretender' because I had fooled everyone into thinking I had been involved with Dimitri for so long, but I also fooled myself," I laughed, "But in the process, I gained one of the best friends I've ever had."

"And how long was it before the relationship moved from professional to personal?"

"Around the album launch," Dimitri said, "Neither of us openly acknowledged it, but we saw the change and just sort of went with it."

Emily smiled and looked like she wanted to ask more about our relationship, but we both knew that there were more questions to be asked about music.

"The music that the two of you have been writing, how is it going to work if you are not signed with a label?"

"All of the music is produced by Dimitri essentially. Abe Mazur was able to find some other ways for it to be possible, but the 'music' is by Dimitri and the lyrics and vocals are by me."

"So almost like a feature?"

"Exactly," Dimitri said, "And because most of it has been done in my home studio, it helps make the music easier to use."

"Have either of you thought about how things will change once your baby is born?"

"I think I'd like to take a year or so to spend time with my family," Dimitri said, "In fact, I'm kind of glad that the touring is done so that I can be with Rose."

"Yes, you were supposed to do the whole tour, weren't you?" Emily asked.

I nodded and cleared my throat. "Yeah. I was supposed to go with Dimitri the whole way through, but because of injuries I sustained when I was a teenager, it's made my pregnancy high risk. My doctor came with me to Chicago. If she had it her way, I'd be on bed rest until I gave birth," I laughed, "But I know where she's coming from. I'm not just a patient to her, I'm her son's best friend. She wants to make sure that I'm safe and healthy."

Emily nodded. "A lot of people have noticed that you and Tasha are very close. I guess that is from knowing her for such a long time?"

"Yes. And I didn't know until recently that Tasha is why the authorities stepped in and removed me from my mother's custody."

"Really?"

"When I was twelve, I got my period for the first time. My biological mother never really explained any of it to me, and when I told my mother, I knew she was high the minute I woke her. She did nothing, just told me to go away. Tasha always drove me to school because I walked to my best friend's house. When I got there, she noticed something was wrong. She told me to hang back when we got to school, and I explained what happened. She took me to the mall, and bought me new pants and new underwear, and I think that was when she realized the extent of things. She had to help me get my first bra and she saw just how malnourished I was. Two days after that I was pulled from my biological mother's care."

I licked my lips and took a slow breath, but it shook and I gripped Dimitri's hand to ground myself.

The rest of the questions were more directed at Dimitri, but once we got to the end of it and they yelled cut, I blew out a breath and slouched down in my chair with a chuckle.

"Oh God, I didn't think I was gonna make it," I laughed.

Emily laughed too and shook her head. "To be fair, you looked really composed. Even when you got to the heavy bit. I'm sorry that you went through all of that."

"I literally was sitting here like, I hope nobody can see how much I am sweating," I laughed as I got off my chair, stretching a little bit as the crew members came to take my mic and sound pack.

"You did fine," Emily reassured, "I've had some people come on here who look nervous. The only thing that I was noticing was your stomach gurgling."

"It does that nonstop. I swear, I could make her a full-course meal, and she's still hungry ten minutes later," Dimitri teased. I scoffed and swatted his shoulder, making Tasha and Abe chuckle.

"She gets that appetite from me, thank you very much," Abe said and then smiled at me, "I think that went rather well."

"Yeah? You don't think too many people are going to flip out?"

"Nah. I think that because you were honest about it, it'll be okay. I was shocked but I kind of like it. It's a meet cute," Emily said before saying her goodbyes, her own manager called for her attention. I looked at Abe and sighed.

"Can I go put my sweats back on now?" I asked jokingly.

Abe rolled his eyes. "I swear, they're going to mould to your body," he said with a smirk, ushering us off the set.

As strange as it was, sometimes I just liked going out alone. I wasn't even putting on disguises anymore. I was just…over it.

Not that I didn't like my fans, because I did. I loved them, and if they approached me on the streets, nine times out of ten, I'd stop and take a photo or speak with them.

But today, I just wanted to be alone.

Rufus didn't exactly count, he trailed me like a bee to pollen, always nearby. I was happy that it was closer to October. The heat was murder on my body and I was starting to become uncomfortable all the time. But sitting on the patio was nice. It was almost perfect weather for me.

I toyed with the handle of my mug, pursing my lips as I rubbed my stomach. I felt almost too large and knew that I was only going to get bigger. And I was so down with unsolicited advice from complete strangers.

Don't drink coffee. Decafe is dangerous. No deli meat. No hot baths. Can't have sex. You shouldn't be getting vaccinated. You shouldn't have massages. Too many ultrasounds will radiate your baby.

It was overwhelming. The number of times that Andrea had to talk me off the wall in the last few weeks was ridiculous.

I looked up from my mug when someone sat down across from me.

"Hello?" I asked.

She smiled at me. "Hi," she said, angling her body towards the street and sipping her coffee. I glanced at Rufus, and he was watching the two of us.

"You looked like you were needing some deep thought time. I noticed a few people watching you and I figured, if someone was sitting with you, they're more likely to leave you alone."

I bit my lip and nodded. "Thanks."

She nodded and watched the street, sipping her coffee. I had recognized her, but it was difficult to place her face.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

She shrugged. "We met a long time ago when you were a teenager. I was one of your therapists after your car accident."

I furrowed my brows. So many things from around that time were hazy.

"Your hair was different?"

She nodded. "Yes. I was blonde then."

I nodded and tried to think back to what her name was. I remembered her face and the sound of her voice, and vaguely remembered how her laugh sounded.

"Kate," I said after a moment, "Kate Reich."

She smiled. "Yep."

I nodded and shifted on my chair, trying to get comfortable. Kate watched me with a slight furrow on her face.

"How have you been feeling physically? Have you been having any discomfort that isn't run of the mill?"

"Um, my pelvis hurts a lot, but I guess that's bound to happen with a six-pound baby."

She smiled and leaned forward to look at my stomach.

"You don't look like you're carrying a six-pound baby. Have you tried using a yoga ball?"

"A yoga ball?" I asked with a furrowed brow.

She nodded and turned towards me. "You had multiple fractures in your pelvis. And while they healed, you had to use a yoga ball instead of a chair, right?"

"Yeah," I said cocking my head.

"Yoga balls help relieve the pressure in your pelvis. It's the same principle. And if your back is really hurting, try finding one of those pool floaties with the hole in the center."

I smiled. "That sounds like an amazing idea," I said as I slumped on the chair, "I think that is the first piece of advice I've received lately that I didn't hate."

She laughed and smiled. "I get that. I had that problem with my first. Everyone thought they were helping, but all it did was make me feel crazy. I didn't know what to believe. And then there's all the books and the articles. It's chaos. Do you mind me asking which obstetrician you are using?"

"Andrea Castile."

She nodded. "She's a good one. I had her with my third. Very smart, doesn't sugar coat anything."

"Yes. She's been kind of perfect. She's really helped me and Dimitri in this whole process," I explained, "I'm very fortunate to have her."

She smiled at me and took another sip of her coffee, remaining silent as I continued to think about all the chaos around me.

"Do people ever stop giving you unsolicited advice?" I asked after a moment.

Kate smirked into her cup. "No. But you just learn to tell them to shut up," she said.

Rough edit but enjoy :)