The accident & the snowstorm (A VA fanfic)

Thirteen

Lissa'sPOV
"A nephew?" I squealed and threw my arms around Rose's shoulders. "Rose's son? You're a Hathaway boy?" I asked her baby bump. I was rewarded with a kick from Rose's Bubby and a laugh from Rose.
"My son is his father's son, Lissa. He's not a Hathaway."
My eyes shot to meet hers. "You're not putting Hathaway in his name? You're not even hyphenating?"
She shook her head with a sly smile. "Nope. We've agreed he's only taking his father's name."
"But surely that's too risky? And I never thought you'd go all typical traditional surnaming the child after the father."
"It's the opposite of the dhampir surnaming tradition," she retorted.
I smiled. "You're right, it is opposite. So, what are you two naming my nephew?"
"James Ivan," Rose smiled proudly and rubbed her bump.

A pang of jealousy shot through me, unnecessary and irrational jealousy and envy. Rose had had sex just the once with another dhampir and she'd gotten pregnant; I'd had it plenty of times with Christian, but because of propriety and pressure, we had to be cautious, we had to wait. I wanted kids, I needed kids, yet Rose was already having a son with my guardian. James Ivan Belikov. Leave it to Rose Hathaway to do the impossible while still in high school and make me jealous in the process.

"You'll be a brilliant Mom when the time comes, Lissa," comforted Rose.
But that time was ages away.
"It doesn't have to be, it's your future baby, you and Ozera can have your first child when you feel ready. If that's before society and Council thinks you should, then they can just deal. If you're both ready, then go for it. You don't have to have your babies to please Council, to rebuild the line and that crap. You and Christian want to start a family, then start it when you want, on your terms, and before Council can get their scheming, controlling hands on you."
She made it sound so simple, so easy.
"Because it is, numbskull!" Rose pulled me into her arms as much as James would allow.

She had it so easy without all the royal games. But as a young female dhampir pregnant with her forbidden lover's child she had it so much worse, so much harder. I'd seen and heard reports from Christian of how defensive and protective Dimitri was being without either parent actually saying he was the father. They were practically shouting it to the world they were together and expecting, but not a soul had uttered a word, spread a theory, whispered their suspicion.

A baby with Christian would be delightful. It would be a blessing if they had his hair and fire magic, my eyes and poise, with his grounding. It would do so much to help his reputation for us to start our family, and on our terms. Married or not, our first baby would bind us in a way nothing else ever would. It would shut Tatiana and her minions up, rule out entirely their deluded possibility of me agreeing to an arranged marriage with Adrian- I counted that as in-breeding and would not consent to it, not when Christian held my heart. So many positives, so, so many.

Christian walked in my door after knocking twice. I was teaching him some etiquette and manners.
"Lissa? Honey? Rose? Oh, what is our baby Belikov?" he added with an expectant laugh.
"A mini-Comrade," Rose beamed. While Dimitri wanted his Roza mark 2, Rose had wanted her Comrade all over again. And she'd been granted her wish.
My boyfriend paled. "Watch out world, a male Hathaway's coming!"
Rose and I laughed. "No, idiot. He's not a Hathaway, you've always said he's his father's baby." Rose actually thwacked him upside the head.
"Ouch! You're one scary pregnant woman, Hathaway. I'd be terrified if I was your child."
"Thanks," she smirked. "Thanks for the note."
"Go get some sleep, Rose," I instructed.
"Oh hell no, Vasilisa Dragomir, not with your plans."
Christian looked at me in confusion. Attic, I mouthed.
"That was pointless, Lissa," Rose shook her head. "Completely pointless." Rose turned to Christian before waddle-bolting out the door, "I give you permission to forget what James' Dad did."

RPOV
"Comrade, open up!" I banged on his door after sneaking into the guardian wing of dhampir dorms. And please be dressed, I won't be able to control my desires with Lissa and Christian going at it on top of my hormones.
"You okay, Rose?" Dimitri rushed out as he pulled me into his room warily but urgently and happily.
"I will be," I pouted and puppy-eyed.
"Roza, you know we can't, for James' sake."
I rolled my eyes and lowered myself on his bed. "My mind isn't that dirty," I laughed and patted the spot next to me. He sat and wrapped an arm around me, his hand tracing what was supposed to be my hip. I sighed contentedly and snuggled into his side. "Just distract me while Lissa and Christian destroy the sanctity of the chapel. Sing to James. Anything. Just keep me in my own body. I do not need to be there when they try to create a little Dragomir."
"You reckon they'll succeed?" he asked into my hair, rubbing the bump our son was making.
"She wants a mini-Christian so desperately and is so envious I'm carrying a mini-you. Besides, they're so frustrated it's not funny. In the last three months we've done it more than they have." It was true. They wouldn't be sleeping tonight.
Dimitri chuckled his infectious laugh. "Where's those scan discs?" he asked suddenly.
"Missing him already, are we?" I murmured against Dimitri's cheek before pecking it and gesturing towards my bag.
"I want to feel him kicking while seeing it, and yes, I am. He's with you twenty-four/ seven," Dimitri pouted and pulled the discs out. And my hidden supply of condoms. "Really Roza?" Dimitri chuckled while moving to load a disc in the DVD player. "Really? You're already pregnant."
"We are," I corrected. "And they're for... after James is born."
Dimitri smiled and blushed. "Don't put ideas in my head, you tease."

Dimitri and I curled up at the head of the bed and he pressed play on the recording of our son's check up. A hand was run through my hair. I was kissed on my head and temple every time the measurements had come back with positive outcomes. The words we'd been told for each positive check replayed in my head. We were so lucky, so, so lucky. James had beaten all the odds so far and was going to keep it up, I just knew it. He was Dimitri's and my baby, he was a fighter, it was in his blood to survive and thrive.

A knock sounded on the door just as James handed his parents a kick both on screen and in me. The magical moment Dimitri had wanted so badly his son had gifted him, causing my badass god to tear up. He didn't even pause the disc before answering the door, let alone try hiding me or even my bag. Was he asking to be fired?
"I thought I heard bonding parents," laughed Jean as she forced her way in. I'll admit, jealousy and insecurity shot through me, inducing a crying fit. How many women did he let in his room? Was I the only woman he'd gotten pregnant? Or were there others? Was James one of many children?
"Roza, honey, shhh. I love you, Mommy," Dimitri cooed, his arms wrapped securely around my waist. He then kneeled beside his bed and started singing to James.

Jean'sPOV
Nearly every guardian on campus suspected Belikov was either the legitimate father of Rose's baby, or he was the step-father. I now had the proof in front of me as I watched the Russian god (as the kids called him) singing in Russian to a five months pregnant Rose Hathaway's baby bump. With the ultrasound playing in the background.

The baby was going to have Belikov's height, I could tell already. The other features would have to wait and be revealed.

It was far from every other day that one got to see a stoic guardian turn fatherly and speak in baby. Even if it was Russian, it was still mushy speak that only Rose had previously managed to pull out... well, it was still her doing it, I guess. What truly surprised me was when she started humming the lullaby he'd just finished. I caught Dimitri murmuring Rose's name in Russian and both worshipping the name James. Their son, I realised as I silently fled the scene.

I knew I should report them, but she was 18, and therefore age wise they could date. I left them be, returned to my room, and brushed my teeth. It was hard to swallow the sight of the Rose Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov being all lovey-dovey and sweet expectant parents.