RPOV
I was walking down the street in Baia, near my ex-mentor turned lover's family home. It was balmy, but I needed it to shake away the sinking feeling I was getting in my stomach. I'd been here for a handful of months-say nearly three-and was four months pregnant. Dimitri had been transferred to his old school, St Basil's, two weeks after the attack on my old school-St Vlad's. We hadn't parted on the best of terms, but we hadn't parted on the worst either. I'm now guessing the early pregnancy hormones were exacerbating the darkness side effects. But I guess we'll never know.
I had found out a fortnight later that I was pregnant. And immediately bolted. After first explaining things to Lissa. She'd been my friend and let me go. And, being the bestie and near sister she was, she funded my escape. The Belikova's had taken me in with open arms-Olena insisted I stay with them and call her Mama since my child would be calling her Babushka. They'd all agreed not to tell Dimitri. Yet. So he was going to fume when he found out, both at me for keeping it a secret and at himself for not being there for me and our child. If and when he accepted the possibility, that is. And he would be finding out. Any day soon because he had written, saying he would be coming home with Paul and Vika for the summer.
So you can imagine my shock when I smelled his aftershave milliseconds before I felt his warm, strong grip on my wrist. Seconds before I hear, "Roza?" come from behind me in that heartwarming, honey accent of his. I spun to face him and hear him chuckle before gasping.
"What?" I asked a little too harshly. "Oops. Sorry, Comrade," I softened. "Though it's not my fault my hormones are everywhere!" I teased with a pointed look at my baby bump then at him. I could see the wheels spinning as he tried to piece it together. "Come on, Dimitri. Let's get you home," I said. My voice surprisingly motherly. I entwined my hand with his and led him home, the gears in his head still turning.
"I was about to say 'bad form' for even letting me get so close to you," he whispered.
"I smelled you, Comrade. I most certainly did let you approach. And what are you doing home before Vika and Paul?" He gasped at that.
"How long have you been here, Rose?" he asked cautiously. I could sense his suspicion.
"Don't get mad at me, okay? Or them?" I was close to begging. Stupid hormones, I never beg.
"Okay," he sighed after taking a few deep breaths to calm down.
"I arrived two weeks after you did. Within three days of learning I was pregnant," I admitted. The only sign of his anger and frustration was the clenching and unclenching of his other fist. "Dimitri," I sighed.
"Why?" he cried in pure and unadulterated anguish as he looked into my eyes, seeing right into my essence. In just the one word I knew all the questions he wanted to ask, all the different 'why's he wanted me to explain.
"Why did I drop? Why didn't I tell? Why did I choose Russia?" He nodded each time, so I continued. "Because I wanted my baby, our baby, to be safe and happy. I wanted our child to grow up with a large, loving family. I wanted our child safe from experiments and media attention. I wanted our child near you, near your assignment. I wanted our child to have one parent who's always safe, always around before the age he or she can be at an Academy, then always be there for holidays. I knew I wanted and needed the support I wasn't going to get back in the States. And I couldn't find a way to contact you and beg you to go back to St Vlad's, it was only going to put you in jail."
"Roza," he gently interrupted while opening his bedroom door. "You're worth it. Believe me." The room was also mine. Thank you Mama for arranging that.
"But missing out on even more of your child's life? Is it worth it then?" I asked as I sat on the bed, tugging him down.
"Since when were you so reasonable?" he teased as he sat down next to me. Promptly pulling me onto his lap, our foreheads touched while his right hand rubbed our child's bump. His left arm held me close to him via my waist and my arms were around his torso.
We sat like that, in a comfortable silence, for a long while. It was only broken when Dimitri spoke. It was barely a husky whisper. "It's beautiful, Roza. You are, both of you are. I love you."
"I love you, Dimitri. I'm sorry I kept this from you. But you understand why, don't you? You understand why I had to?" Compassion and love radiated from his face and eyes. And in his voice when he spoke.
"Yes, Roza. I understand. I love you. Both of you. I'm home now, so let's go to sleep." His lips fused to mine in a kiss I have no idea who started. Not that it mattered once my hormones and his lust took over.
"We really shouldn't have risked our baby like that," Dimitri sighed. Despite his words, his voice and face conveyed no hint of regret whatsoever.
"No, we shouldn't have." I caught him by surprise with my agreement. Hovering above him with my hair forming a curtain around us, I lustfully added, "But you have no clue how damn much I've needed you in the last few months."
"Roza!" he quietly groaned. Trying to resist a second time.
"It's your fault I'm pregnant," I purred in his ear while one finger lightly traced a line down the middle of his chest and abs. He shivered just as I knew he would. "So deal with the side effects."
"I definitely can't say I don't want to," he growled playfully and carefully flipped us.
A knock on the door the next morning woke us both up.
"Go away!" we both groaned and I threw a pillow at the door. That just made Dimitri chuckle.
"I'm coming in!" warned Karo, completely unfazed. Damn her!
"Karo!" I threw another pillow in her direction when she stepped in the door. Promptly burying into Dimitri's chest with the covers pulled right up.
"Seriously?" she asked incredulously. "Roza, really? I know he's your baby's daddy and all..." A look of horror crossed her face. "Hang on, does he know?"
"Karo! I'm right here. And yes, I am aware I've got a secret, impossible child on the way with my Roza," said Dimitri.
"And you," my sister-in-law turned her incredulity on my lover. Oh boy! "Thanks for the notification of sneaking home early. And seriously? You've not seen her in around three months-having parted on a bad note, might I add-and the first thing you do with her is That? I thought Mama raised you better."
"Settle, Karo," I said in a gentle, soothing voice. "I had a good talk to him. We've moved past that spat. Three months without him is four too many, six too many really when pregnant with his baby."
"I didn't need to know that about you and my baby brother," cringed Karo.
"You're forgetting you're an aunt of our baby. Get over it. We've just gotten rid of Sonya's pregnancy moodiness, don't make mine worse," I noted then warned. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see Dimitri's amusement. Along with oh so much pride at being the daddy of my child and me being the mommy of his impossible child.
"You're incorrigible, Roza," sighed Dimitri in amusement.
"And we both know that's why you love me," I flirted, not that I ever needed to.
"No, it's One of the reasons I love you. The main reason is because I was made for you," he returned the flirty note.
"Guys! That's hurl-worthy. Roza, I need your help..." She drifted off and I knew what was going on. This frequently happened.
"Zoya wants Aunty Roza to wake her up?" I asked even though I knew that's all it could be.
"Yes, she does. She being so stubborn she's actually telling me she won't move until you're there."
"Then let me get dressed," I fired that warning at Dimitri. I knew that once I stood up he'd want to do nothing but stare, embrace me and caress our baby's growing bump.
