The accident & the snowstorm (A VA fanfic)

Nine

Alberta'sPOV
I had Yuri pack Belikov's stuff so we could return to the Academy while he stayed with his family in the hospital. As I approached after Yuri's call requesting me to see a discovery in their shared room he looked at me with a stunned and traumatised expression.

"What is it, Yuri?" I asked after shutting the door. Strigoi? No worries. Whatever this was? Shocked to the spot, unmoving. Then I noticed the piece of plastic in his hands.
"Apparently Belikov's an expectant father," he choked out and handed the positive test to me. I flipped it and recognised the handwriting. The smile escaped me.
"I thought as much," I chuckled. "Put it in his bag, Yuri."
"You recognise the writing?"
"Don't you recognise the timing?" I retorted in amusement.
"No," he gasped as his eyes bugged and his jaw dropped. "No way."
"Who else?" I raised a brow pointedly.
"Then..." He packed the test away and zipped up the bag.
"We know nothing. Got that? She can't do this alone. And we all know how he wants a family."
"With her especially. Okay. Unless they tell after it's born, we know nothing." With that, we left the room, never looking back. Well, figuratively speaking regarding the conversation.

We returned to the Academy and I worked on adjusting Rose's program. It was difficult because she'd be in field experience the second she returned. Sure, she'd just barely protected the baby from real Strigoi, but I couldn't have the guardians go easy on her either. She was going to be pissed off enough about her charge as it was, but I couldn't exactly assign her to Lissa either. And I somehow doubted she would tell a soul for a while to come, so that also wasn't helping.
Stuck, I decided to work on adjusting her normal timetable. Again, without doctor's recommendations I found it a task loaded with problems. I hadn't received Belikov's notice of accepting Tasha's offer, and with Rose pregnant I knew he wouldn't. Well, at least theirs was a training slot I could adjust. She wouldn't like it, but it would pay off for her. Pregnancy yoga and mark-throughs of fights, staking, and incapacitating.

Rose returned in time for field experience to start. Literally walked in the gym with Belikov seconds before Alto started speaking. My eyes kept flicking to where Rose sat between Ashford and Castile, hand protectively over her stomach and I was sure she wasn't even registering what she was doing. My eyes shot over to Belikov's the same time hers did, he knew what she wasn't registering and narrowed his eyes at her stomach after a slight lip twitch, her own lips twitched before her hand fell to her lap. That level of communication made them a deadly and dangerous pair of guardians, it also made their personal relationship really rather obvious. But in this crowd I was somehow the only one to register it. How nearly no one noticed them I'll never know. Though they did put on a good face, it wasn't good enough to fool absolutely everyone.

Christian'sPOV
Something was warring in Rose's mind, I could tell. We were what I'd call frienemies, so I cared about her even though we always fought... I think it's all due to Lissa and our identical characters. Sometimes I wonder if Lissa loves me not just because I'm me, but because she thinks of me as the male Moroi version of Rose. Beside the point. By Culinary Science I could too easily see something big was on her mind, no matter how much she appeared to be solely focused on her duty. There was this reflective gleam in her eyes, like she was putting an image on top of this one, creating an alternate reality... be it a past or future overlay I couldn't tell.

Then came her first test after dinner. She was amazing to watch... and dare I say almost beautiful. But it wasn't normal. I still remember the Guardians killing my turned parents, Rose was a part of that army of death now, but she wasn't fighting the way all dhampirs were trained. This battle between her and Guardian A--hole looked far more improvised than it should. Whilst Rose did go on the offensive, she seemed more defensive and protective... and not of me, but of her own body.

"Nice work, Hathaway," Guardian Ass grudgingly applauded. Only to backhand her seconds later. "But next time; a) pay more attention to your head, and b) focus on protecting your Moroi, not you."
Tears glistened in Rose's eye as she took three steps back in shock and anger, her breath quickened as she wrapped her arms around her torso. And that's when I suddenly understood.
"Lay off, Guardian Alto," I growled and went to wrap my arms around her shoulders. But Belikov appeared from nowhere, echoing me and beating me at pulling Rose into the shelter of his chest and arms.
"Petrov has me supervising Rose's every step when I'm not in training. I'd watch my words if I were you," he threatened. I was scared of his icy tone as Rose wrapped her arms around her mentor and cried into his chest.
"Calm down, Comrade," Rose sniffled into his chest. "I can handle him."
"Rose, you heard the doctor before we left; no stress and no sleep deprivation. You've barely been given the okay to lightly run and train." Belikov shot a death glare at the most hated guardian on campus between worried- *cough* actually close to petrified, terrified *cough*- and indulgent looks at Rose. So this was why he wouldn't take Aunt Tasha's offer.
"I'm not stressed and I'm not sleep deprived," Rose argued before pulling out of the embrace.
Belikov looked at me. "Christian, do you mind taking care of Rose overnight?"
"Dimitri!" Rose chastised pointlessly.
"Come on Rose, let's get you to bed." And I did mean that a pregnant Rose was not sleeping on the floor.
Belikov shot me a grateful look, Rose a concerned but warning one, and Alto a very, very, very dangerous one. One that screamed fear for your life because you just upset my girlfriend, and in turn pissed me off.