Snakes In The Grass

20

I shook my head slightly as I prodded Dimitri's neck.

"Roza, I'm fine," Dimitri soothed but I shook my head. There was already a bruise forming.

"You could have died. What would have happened if Nancy didn't take both of you by surprise?" I snapped, looking up at him, "It isn't just you and me anymore. It's you, me and Briar."

Dimitri brushed his fingers over my wrist and gripped it gently.

"I'm fine, Rose," he whispered again, pulling my hand away from his neck. I sighed quietly and looked into his eyes, licking my lips. He nodded softly and pulled me into him, cradling my head in the palm of his head while I rest it on his shoulder.

I sighed quietly and gripped his shirt in my hands. Dimitri and Nancy snuck back into the party as it started to dwindle down, but I knew that they were both trying to hide something. Once I managed to slip away, I knew that something had happened.

I also felt slighted that Nancy near what we were, knew who Dimitri was, and never let on. I understood that it was partly because she was an ex-alchemist, but I felt slighted because I had confided in her about many things.

I had told her about Mason, about being taken hostage and how he was killed in front of me, and how my relationship with my mother only got stronger once I got pregnant. I told her things that were risky, and she just...pretended she was ignorant of it all.

Dimitri rubbed his hand over my back and kissed my head. I pulled back and shook my head slightly.

"I haven't been scared like that in a long time," I admitted quietly, "Not that I don't know what you're capable of, but that you were alone, and I was only a block away."

Dimitri's hands rested on my waist as his fingers slipped under the hem, rubbing slowly back and forth underneath my shirt.

"And I'd rather you here, safe, with multiple Guardians. Do you know why I was able to go out there on my own? Because there are two people in this world that I genuinely worry about. And your father and Eddie wouldn't let anything happen to you, and you wouldn't let anything happen to Briar. My two girls were safe."

I sighed and punched his shoulder gently.

"Don't go mushy on me, I'm angry at you," I said half-heartedly and cocked my head to the side, "And who was going to take care of me and tell me they love me every night if something happened to you?"

Dimitri's lips quirked. "I think you're being mellow dramatic here, Roza."

I rolled my eyes and pulled back but he stopped me, pulling me back to him. I smirked at him and leaned into him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"You're a pain in my ass," I said against his lips and he smirked before leaning back enough to look me in the eye.

"If I'm a pain in the ass, what are you?" he asked and I laughed, shaking my head.

"Alright, get in the shower," I said and Dimitri raised a brow at me.

"I'm sure that Abe wouldn't mind a few more moments with his granddaughter," he said pulling with him towards the shower. I smirked but closed the bathroom door and followed him.

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Dimitri went to work later that week as if nothing had happened. I had just seen Abe and Eddie off, already wishing that they were back. I didn't realize truly just how much I missed my friends and family until they were gone again.

Briar made my morning by saying 'mom' clearly and I was holding onto that high desperately. I needed to hold onto a little spark of happiness today.

"Mom, mom, mom, mom," Briar babbled away, her feet swinging from where they dangled from her highchair.