Where Is Your Heart?

Confrontation

RPOV

I woke up to banging on my door the next morning. Aleksandr woke up and started to fuss. I groaned and rolled out of bed. I quickly picked up Aleksandr and went to the door to open it up. I groaned and again and started to shut the door. The only thing keeping it from shutting was a foot. "You woke Aleksandr up. You need to get your damn foot out of the way so I can feed him. So if you don't mind," I finished. He came in anyways.

"I don't mind at all." I stared at him. "Nothing I haven't seen before, Roza." I glared at him. Bouncing Aleksandr, I grabbed one of his blankets and draped it over my shoulder, chest, and his face. He immediately went for my milk. That's my boy! He knows exactly what he wants and goes for it.

"What do you want? I don't have anything to say to you." He looked at me with a grim face. He put a hand on his neck and rubbed the back of it.

"I thought about what you said last night. When we were together, I know that you never would have cheated on me. And I got thinking, mathematically that is, and realized that you would have been pregnant back around the time of the cabin. Roza, I know that Aleksandr is mine. And don't even bother lying to me, because I can tell when you're lying to me."

I panicked inside. I should have never told him how old Aleksandr is. "Damphirs can't have kids together. Everyone knows this. It's not normal. Why on Earth would you even think that?"

His face grew serious. "You're not normal, Roza. Never have been." Now I was really panicking. What if he tries to take my baby away from me? He's mine. Not his. He's the one who decided to leave.

"Let's get one thing straight. Aleksandr is mine. Not yours, mine. All you ever did was fuck me and then left me for another woman. Where is Tasha anyways? And who is your friend that's been tagging along? You don't get to come back into my life and act as if nothing is wrong. You were the one that left me, not the other way around. I tried to call you, but you never picked up your god damn phone." I was trying so hard not to shout with my baby in the room. "So you can't say that I never tried to tell you, because I did. You didn't leave much for me to contact you with. All I had were a couple of old photos and a sweatshirt. None of those things were helpful to contact you with. So don't even think for a second that you can just walk back in and take Aleksandr. He is MY child."

"You can't keep me from my own son!" Now he was the one yelling. "He's my god damn kid too!" I put Aleksandr down and turned on his mobile. His eyes went wide with wonder as he watched it turn and play its song.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore right now. And don't you EVER shout in front of Aleksandr," I hissed in a menacing and venomous voice. "When you're done acting immature, come and talk to me." I pushed him out the door and quickly locked it. I went and picked Aleksandr back up and cradled him against my chest. I breathed in his newborn baby smell. I reveled in his warm and felt his calm, his innocence.

After I had calmed down from the encounter with Dimitri, I showered and dressed Aleksandr and myself. I walked out of the damphir dorms and headed to the Moroi part of campus. I had Aleksandr's bag over my shoulder while I carried him in his car seat carrier. I had almost reached the Moroi dorms, when the friend that had been with Dimitri at graduation walked up beside me.

"Can I help you?"

He stepped in front of me, blocking my path. He said, "You know, I could never figure out why Dimitri was so upset when he came home to Russia. But after watching him at dinner last night, I figured it out. It's you. He couldn't stop staring at you. What went down between you two? Whatever it was, he's still head over heels for you."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Dimitri and I are over."

"We were supposed to go out to breakfast this morning with his family, but he never showed up. Any idea on why that could be?"

"I am not in the why don't you get the hell out of my way before I punch that pretty face of yours into nothing."

"Damn. Someone got woken up at the wrong time this morning."

"Yeah. My kid woke up which, in return, woke me up. Now get out of myu way before I put you six feet under and nobody can hear you scream."

He was about to reply when joy o' joy! Dimitri showed up.

"Look at that," I said. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Now you can ask Dimitri yourself why he didn't show up to breakfast this morning." I turned to leave when I heard him speak.

"Can I least spend some time with him? Preferably sometime today?"

I sighed and turned around to face him. "I don't know, Dimitri." I'm still mad at him, for leaving us, but I don't want Aleksandr growing up without a father. It's not a good feeling.

"At least think about. Please," his voice was pleading.

"I'll think about it."

He grinned. I never knew how much I missed his smile until just now. "You know where to find me," he said. I nodded my head and finshed my walk to Lissa's dorm room.

DPOV

She said she'd think about it! It doesn't guarantee anything, but it's better than nothing. Ivan looked at me with the biggest look of confusion I have ever seen. "You have got some serious explaing to do." He grabbed my arm and dragged me over to guest housing. Ivan knocked and my family's door twice and loud and then walked in. He shut the door behind us, walked to the living room, and told me to sit on the couch. Ivan gathered everybody up, except the kids. Once everyone was settled, Ivan bombarded me with an interrogation. "Let's get this whole thing straight. You'll answer yes or no. And if I ask to elaborate, you elaborate. Rose was you student? She's seven years younger than you?"

"Yes."

"You guys obviously dated. Right?"

"Yes." I knew he was just trying to have a little fun in revealing that Roza and I had a serious relationship. Roza had mentioned me leaving her for Tasha in our fight this morning. I don't know where she got that idea from. I haven't talked to her in almost a year. I only just saw her yesterday, knowing that she was here to see her nephew.

Mama and my family looked at me with a shocked expression. Dating, sleeping with a student, then leaving her isn't really typical-me behavior.

"Now. What was that little exchange between you and Rose about? Why on Earth would you want to be spending time with her son?" I didn't say anything at first. "Hmm? Go on. Don't be shy. We're your family. Help us by clearing up this confusion."

"Rose is like Mark. She's shadowkissed. That means that she's far from normal. She always manages to make the impossible possible," I started off. Telling your family that you just found out that you have a son and pretty much abandoned him- even though I haven't even known Aleksandr for a full day- isn't exactly the easiest topic. "I know this is crazy and impossible, but it's true. I can feel it. Rose even confirmed it herself."

"What exactly did she confirm?" asked Ivan.

"Aleksandr is my son." There were collective gasps around the room and questions flew left and right. The only thing I could think about was that I hoped that Rose says yes to me spending time with Aleksandr today. I haven't even known him for 24 hours and yet, I have this tremendous pull so great it amazes myself.