(Are you guys ready for this? Might want to keep those paramedics on standby)

Chapter 6

Another knock sounds "Coming!" I reach the door and pull the handle, when I do my breath stops in my throat. There in the doorway I am met with deep chocolate eyes. That's all I see before my legs give out and the world goes black.

The softness of my couch cousins my head, that wasn't fair that dream it gave me hope. I think sitting up and prying my eyes open. I must have really been out. It seemed so real.

"Roza?"

The voice is one I used to know better than my own. One I haven't heard in four years. Turning around slowly I face him . I open my mouth to say something but my voice is nowhere to be found. Warm tears fall as I look him up and down. He's wearing his duster a black shirt and worn jeans. His face is dusted with sunlight and more worn than it was, his hair still hangs down and his eyes hold the same love as before only now it's mingled with fear and guilt. Afraid he might be some sort of hallucination I reach out and cup his face in my hand. He holds it in place and tucks himself deeper into it. "You're really here?"

"I'm really here." He whispers.

I have so many questions, so many but instinct takes over and I crash my lips into his. At first I am meant with hesitation but it's not long before his arms are wrapped around me holding me close. I know I should stop, I know we should talk before any of this happens but it's my mind that knows this not my heart and right now my heart is in control. I push his duster off his shoulders and pull him back towards my room without breaking for more than a breath. His lips on mine feel like coming home. It's as if they know this is what has been missing, kissing him makes me whole for the first time since the cabin. His hands rome my body slipping under my top. Exasperated, I pull my top off and let it fall to the ground before pulling him onto the bed. Logic is screaming at me, this is insane. I haven't spoken to the man in four years, but he is home and want to feel him inside as close to me as humanly possible. It's like I've been a walking corpse all this time and his touch is bringing me back one kiss at a time. Before I know it our clothes are long forgotten on the ground.

Afterwards, I fall next to him on the bed, trying to catch my breath. I reach over and pinch my arm. "This isn't a dream then."

"No, Roza it isn't." Dimitri brushes a hair out of my face.

Sighing I tilt myself onto my elbow "There's so much we need to talk about, we probably should have done that first."

Pulling the covers over both of us he turns to face me. "When did you become so mature?"

"That's something we need to talk about too, but first I want to know what happened. Where have you been the last four years?"

His eyes glaze over a bit " I woke up four years ago, in a hospital having absolutely no memory of who I was. Someone found me lying in a ditch not far from the academy, of course they didn't know that. I was there for three weeks before waking up, after lots of physical therapy they let me go. I didn't remember anything. The man who found me owns a ranch and he took me in and gave me a job. Well last week I was helping to train a new colt when he threw me. I hit my hand and when I came to I remembered everything. It was like someone turned on a light in my head. I knew I had to find you so I called someone I knew could , although he's not the most ruley of people. He gave me your address and well you know what happened from there."

Ignoring the fact he became an actual cowboy"Who did you call to find me?" I ask, pulling an oversized shirt from the dresser and over my head, it's freaking cold in here.

"In Russia we called him Zmey but his name is Abe Mazur." Dimitri looks embarrassed probably because he called on who he sees as a shady character to find me.

"You're kidding right? Abe talked to you last week? Gee dad thanks for the heads up." I mutter the last part to myself but Dimtri still hears me.

"Did you just say dad? As in Abe is your father?" I swear the man turns whiter than a ghost.

"Yeah, you would think since he was here yesterday he could have said something."

"That explains what he told me, well kind of." He falls back pulling his hair out of his face.

I groan at my fathers overprotectiveness. "What did he say?"

"Something about if I hurt you I wouldn't be back this time, actually he said if you hurt them. I'm not sure what he meant by that."

Sweat starts making its way into my palms as my heart pounds in my ears, here we go. "Dimtri, I have to tell you something-"

Before I can finish a small voice sounds slowly opening the door "Mommy, I had a bad dream." Lennon is standing there with a teddy bear in hand.

Her half awake state and the dark of the room keep her from seeing Dimitri, I however can see his face perfectly. Complete shock is etched in his eyes as he stares. "Okay baby go back to bed I'll be there in just a second okay?"

She nods, heading back to bed, I turn to Dimtri "Please it's not what you think just, please stay here for a minute I'll be right back."

He doesn't say anything but he also doesn't move so I'll take that as a good sign. Walking into her room I pull Lennon onto my lap. "What was your dream about baby?"

"The bad guys were here and they tried to take me away." tears fall from her little eyes.

"I promise, Lennon, I won't let anything happen to you. Mommy will kick all the bad guys' butts."

Her tears stop and she settles into my arms "Mommy tell me something new about daddy, please? I promise I'll go to sleep after that."

I can sense Dimitri outside the door of her room. He's going to know she's his. I search desperately for something to tell her that's vague enough to keep him in the dark just a few more minutes. "I loved the smell of his aftershave, when you were in my tummy still it used to help me fall asleep to put some on my pillow."

"Mommy, do you think daddy will ever come back? Or do you think the bad guys gots him forever?"

I desperately want to sate my baby girl's fears and tell her that he's right outside the door, but I can't , not yet so instead I answer "I hope so baby, go to bed now okay?"

"Okay mommy I love you."

"I love you too Lennon sweet dreams." I close the door behind me finding Dimitri in the hall his clothes once again covering his body.

"You have a daughter?" his voice cracks as he leans against the wall.I nod pulling him into the living room. "You tell her about her father as if you love him very much."

"I do, I love him more than life." I whisper, meeting his eyes.

They are dark and swirling with hurt "How old is she?"

I take a deep cleansing breath. "She's three."

Dimtri grabs for his duster no doubt thinking I cheated on him or found someone else not long after he disappeared. "I should go."

"Dimitri, wait." I pull his arm holding it tight.

"If you had her so soon after us, and you say you love her father I've made a mistake. I thought we were something special, something different but I guess I was wrong."

"Dimtri, stop, let me explain please." I beg. He stares at me a minute longer before sitting down on the couch. " I do love her father. I don't think I will ever stop. He's the most gentle and strong man I have ever known. She's just like him. She loves westerns, she's so calm and wise even for a three year old. She has his eyes and someday she'll be an epic fighter. She also has his name."

He looks at me with devastation written all over his face, for being one of the smartest people I know he's not picking up on this very quickly. I walk over to him and sit on his lap pulling his face up "Her name is Lennon Marie Belikov she's yours Dimitri."

The pain twists into confusion " How? We… were both.."

"I don't know. I think it has to do with being shadow kissed, but if you take one look at her you'll see it. She came home from shopping today with a little duster. I'm not joking. I honestly can't believe Lissa actually bought it for her."

He stares at me still absorbing the information I just told him. "She's mine we..we have a daughter?"

"Yeah,we do."

"And you've done this all on your own? Pregnancy, birth, raising her?" He looks worse than when he thought I cheated on him.

"Well, not completely, Abe honestly saved me. I probably would have ended up in a bloodwhore commune without him." he flinches as I say that "He loves Lennon so much, and she loves her Grandpa. Lissa, Christain, even Adrian have all been here. She's very well taken care of and very spoiled by her aunt and uncles."

"What does she know about me?" I can barely hear the tremble.

"Everything I do, I've read her your western books every night since she was only a few weeks old. It was the only way to get her asleep as a baby. She has a picture of you under her pillow although she doesn't think I know it's there."

"Tell me about her, please."

I stand up and retrieve a photo album from my room. We spend the rest of the night talking about our daughter. I show him pictures of her as a baby right to her third birthday a few months ago. He has tears in his eyes "She's beautiful, I'm sorry I wasn't there. I should have been."

"You were in a sense, I tried really hard to keep you in both our hearts. I tell her stories about you all the time. She loves hearing about you."

"Can I…" he seems so shy. "Can I meet her?"

My instinct is to say of course but I think for a moment "Only if you plan on staying." He looks up confused "She knows what you look like, she'll know who you are when she sees you. I can't stand how heart broken she'll be if you leave."

"Roza, I came back to find you. I'm not going anywhere without my girls." he pulls me into a kiss.

"Then yes you can meet her but it's three in the morning and it's been an eventful night, let's get some sleep."

Dimitri follows me cautiously, funny we've never actually just slept together. "Come on comrade. Keep me warm, my feet are freezing." A smile plants itself on his face as he follows me, stripping down to his underwear and shirt he climbs into bed next to me pulling me close, his arms wrapping around me. I fall into a deep and sweet sleep.

When the sun shines through the window I almost believe last night was a dream until I feel the giant Russian snoring next to me. He's here, he's actually here. He looks so peaceful, his face has a few more years on it, it looks like he's spent a lot of time in the sun. His hair is lighter too, sun kissed all over. "How long do you plan to watch me sleep?" He teases without opening his eyes.

"I was just making sure you're not a dream." I pull him into a kiss "Are you ready? Lennon is probably awake watching cartoons already."

He stiffens a bit "What if she doesn't like me?"

I laugh out loud at the thought "Oh, Comrade she already loves you. Come on get dressed I'll talk to her first."

I leave the room and sure enough I see Lennon snuggled calmly on the couch watching her Saturday cartoons. "Good morning baby, can I talk to you?"She smiles and turns off the tv, she's so mature for a three year old. "I have a surprise for you. Remember when you asked me if I thought daddy would ever come back?"

"Yes mommy, I member."She looks a bit confused. "You said you hoped he would someday."

I take her in my arms. "Well, he… he um." Before I can find a way to explain it to Lennon Dimitri rounds the corner of the hall. It only takes a second before she sees him nervously standing there.

Her eyes grow wide as she jumps from my arms and runs to him throwing herself up, if he didn't have the reflexes of a guardian he probably wouldn't have caught her but he does and she laces her arms tightly around his neck "Daddy!" I have never seen anyone melt as fast as Dimtri at this moment. "You never met me before, but I'm Lennon, you're my daddy. We thought the bad guys had you." she rambles still clinging tightly to his neck. "Do you like pancakes? Mommy always makes pancakes on Saturdays; she even puts chocolate chips in them if I'm good."

Dimtri laughs, "I love pancakes." I can see tears in the corner of his eyes.

She jumps out of his arms "Good you can sit by me." She pulls him down next to her. Three seconds and he's already wrapped tight around her little finger.

Dimitris' eyes meet mine for a moment as Lennon rambles on telling him about the things three year olds find important. There is happiness literally radiating off him. " And then Auntie Lis got my cowgirl hat, and cowboy jacket just like yours." Giggling to myself I start on the pancakes. Lennon jumps up from her chair and darts to her room.

Dimtri raises his eyebrows as I whisk the mix "Since when do you cook?"

"Comrade, it's water and powder, it's really hard to screw up. What is she doing?" I ask pouring the batter into the pan.

"She's going to get her "cowgirl" outfit on." he stands and wraps his arms around my waist, kissing my neck softly. "She's beautiful, you've done a good job."

Our sweet moment is interrupted by a knock and the door opening, as Abe, Lissa, Christain and Adrian.

Dimitris' arms are still around my waist and I am still wearing nothing but an oversize t-shirt.

Lissa, Adrian, and Christain all look like they just saw someone decapitate a chicken and I would love to smack the smug look off my father.