6 weeks ago:

Rose POV

I had just begun to add more weight to my set when I heard the outer doors to the guardian gym I was occupying open and a gust of early morning spring coldness drifted inward.

"Little dhampir. You know if you were needing an opportunity to get hot and sweaty you could've called" Adrian saunters into the gym with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Adrian you know the only person whose name I'm calling out is Dimitri's. Besides didn't Sydney just get back from her overseas visit?" I run my eyes quickly over Adrian who appears to be sober and in a good mood which I expect but he is practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation and can hardly stand still.

"She did" he sheepishly admits while continuing to appear antsy and anxious.

"So where's the giant Russian at and is there any chance we can go grab him for a chit-chat?

"No, he's in an early morning meeting with Croft to go over some new drills and intel for a strike team". Which, I am still unsure how I feel about considering Dimitri just started acting like his pre-Strigoi self. Even then we still have some rough nights and days. Between my nightmares, Dimitri's nightmares, triggers, the cautionary people who judge Dimitri and continue to talk down on him, and the rest of society who continues to berate and judge me even after I took a bullet for Lissa. I just want myself and my man to be able to heal and recover in peace. But 2 years later we still are just surviving.

"Well then this will have to do. Can we go somewhere more private?" Adrian's behavior becomes more serious and his eyes focus suddenly on mine when I hear his voice in my head," What I need to tell you can only be heard by you right now. Not even Her Majesty is aware".

"I was just finishing up anyways. We can head back to my place and I'll get ready there." I quickly pack up my gym bag and remove my weights from my setup before nodding at Adrian and we begin walking to mine and Dimitri's apartment. Our apartment is situated within the dhampir district of Court but closer to the Queen's accommodation. We've only just moved in a few months ago but are in love with how much it feels like us. Like a home and not some luxury accommodation for the "Queen's guard".

I unlock the front door and usher Adrian inside to the living area. Warm browns make up the majority of our furnishings and gives it an almost Western feel along with the coat rack currently housing Dimitri's black duster I got him last Halloween and the rest of our acquired decorations, and framed photos of our very mixed family. It's home.

"So what's going on Adrian? I haven't seen you this keyed up since you almost crashed your Mercedes after the Royal parade into the court fountain"

"Hey those children were terrifying and I had the top down that day." He chuckles before going silent.

Silence fills the room and we're looking expectantly at one another when I hear footsteps getting closer and the telltale sound of a key twisting in the door. My vision of an empty doorway is replaced with an exhausted-looking Dimitri which makes sense since he has been awake since 2 pm and barely had any sleep the night before.

"Rose? Adrian." Confusion fills his features and he observes our stiff posture as we resume our staring contest.

"Big dhampir. Come and have a seat. You should be here for this conversation as well considering you're the other half." Adrian breaks the tense silence with his barely redeemable joke before I begin to process his words.

"What do you mean by that Adrian? The other half of what?" I feel my anxiety levels begin to rise as I think of all the worst-case scenarios that begin to play like a slideshow in my brain before I realize that Adrian said it's both of us so with that I breathe and calm. As long as I have Dimitri by my side, we'll be fine. Dimitri makes his way into the living room and sits next to me on the couch while Adrian occupies Dimitri's recliner opposite us.

"No need to stress Rose. It's actually something exciting. Or insane. Probably insane considering this will change everything and no one ever thought it was possible and now it is. And now it affects you and Dimitri and honestly I don't even know if I should be telling this but you need to know in case something happens so you don't think you're going crazy" he finishes with a chuckle.

"For fuck's sake Adrian just tell me what "it" is!" I snap and feel Dimitri grab onto my thigh where he gently rubs his thumb back and forth across legging-covered skin.

"Okay, Rose. Okay… the thing I found out that you can't tell anyone about is huge. Rose, wait! I'm serious. Okay. Well, congratulations. Turns out you and the big guy here can actually have little dhampirs of your own one day. Well, any day really. There's a case that's been documented by the Alchemists about another former strigoi who was restored that had a child with another dhampir. Sydney helped run some tests and it's legit. Said there's no reason to think it can't be replicated with another restoration. Seems like a side effect if you ask me."