Where Is Your Heart?

Catching Up

RPOV

Dimitri and I made it back to my room and we both sat down on the edge of the bed. "I think we need to clear up a few things before we can really move on."

Dimitri nodded his head and asked, "Like what, Roza?"

"Well, for starters, I think we need to figure out what's going to happen when we go to court. I think we should have a plan set for when we get there."

"If you're bringing this up, I'm assuming that you already have plan thought out?"

"Yeah, I do. It's actually a couple different plans, but any one of them will work. If you're planning on living at Court, then we could get apartments near each other so that either one of us will be close by in case there's an emergency or wants to see Aleksandr. Another option is that we- I mean you and I, together- get an apartment." I cleared my throat awkwardly at the end. I didn't know exactly how to say that I really wanted to get an apartment with Dimitri with our barely-back-together family, so it all just kind of came out like word vomit.

A couple minutes passed and I started to get nervous. "Well, say something, Comrade. Don't keep me in suspense." Dimitria leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, his hand rubbing his chin.

"I thought you said you wanted to take things slow?"

I sighed. "I do. I also want our family to act and look like a family. I was just thinking that maybe starting to live together would help us look and act like a family until we figure out how to be a family."

"Are you sure," Dimitri asked as he turned his head to look at me.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I think that this might be good for us." Dimitri nodded his head and grabbed a hold of one of my hands in his.

"If this is what you want to do, then we'll do it, Roza." I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"There was another thing I thought we should discuss today. When I showed you that letter a few days ago, you were really confused. You didn't write the note?"

"Of course not. Whoever was blackmailing me didn't give me much time to say goodbye. They threatened to hurt you if I tried to tell you goodbye in any way. If I could have said goodbye, I would have."

"Someone must have forged the letter then. It looked exactly like your handwriting. Who could have known your handwriting so well to forge it?"

"I don't know, Roza. We'll make sure to find out who did though. I want to look the person that took me away from you and Aleksadr in the eye. I want to know why I deserved to miss out on Aleksandr's first few crucial months and helping you with the pregnancy. I wanted to be the one that holds your hair while you got morning sickness and the one that got up in the middle of the night to get whatever food you were craving."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Comrade. If it makes you feel any better, whatever food I really liked before I just wanted even more. No late night cravings in particular. I didn't even have morning sickness." I grabbed his other hand and held both of his hands in mine. I squeezed them in an attempt to reassure him. "The only part I really wished you were there for is when I was in labor. I was the one that had to calm everyone down and tell them it was okay when I was scared as hell."

"I still feel bad for not being there at all. At the time, I thought it was best that I wasn't with you so you could still be a guardian. What we did is still technically illegal. I didn't want for you to get caught up in all the legal business. If I had known, I would have fought with every ounce of my being to stay and be there for you." He hung his head down and his voice had dropped. He was very quiet.

"Comrade. You clearly didn't have much of a choice and you didn't know. Hell, I didn't even know until you left. The person that was blackmailing, it's their fault. They had no right interfering with our relationship and our family. I'm sure if we think and look hard enough we'll find out who blackmailed you into leaving. We'll find the person that did this. Maybe even through a good punch or two in." Dimitri picked his head up and looked at me. He smiled and put and arm around me, pulling me close.

"When did you become so mature?"

I laughed. "It kind of comes with the job description of becoming a mom. Being one at a young age just makes you realize that fun and games are over. Your kid is now your main priority. Aleksandr is totally worth it though. I can't even imagine my life without him now that he's in it."

"I love you, Roza." My heart stopped. I hadn't heard that in so long, I suddenly didn't know what to do. Then I unfroze myself, felt butterflies in my stomach, my hands tingling.

"I love you too, Comrade. You have no idea how much I've missed you saying that." He laughed and kissed me.

Dimitri and I spent the rest of the day catching up. He told me about his time in Baia. He spent the months catching up on lost time with his sisters, mother, grandmother, nieces, and nephews. Ivan had called him up one night when he was in town. Ivan helped him out by offering him a part time job as his guardian again. I think Ivan did it to screw around and hang out with Dimitri during the day instead of having typical guardians around.

I told Dimitri about my pregnancy and how Aleksandr was. I told Dimitri how Aleksandr liked to annoy the hell out of me by sitting in weird positions. I told him that Aleksandr always liked to sit on my bladder, kicked me like he was already taking novice classes, and how he wouldn't let us figure out if he was a boy or girl for an extra month and a half. Dimitri and I spent the day sitting and laying on the bed laughing and enjoying being together. We were glad that we finally got the chance to catch up and have some alone time to sort through the things that needed to be discussed.

Dimitri and I went and picked Aleksandr up from Lissa's later on that evening and decided to go out for dinner. There was a nice little cafe right outside the academy. Even though it was daylight out, Dimitri and I had strapped on out stakes under our shirts and packed an extra knife or two to be safe. We packed up Aleksandr's diaper bag and put Aleksandr in his carseat. We drove out to the cafe and went inside. The cafe was a 1950s styled theme. Bright red booths, vintage pictures of old cars, and waitresses in pink uniforms. Dimitri and I sat down. A nice old waitress came over, gave us our menus, and said she'd be back in a few minutes.I sat Aleksandr next to me. I remembered to pump a couple bottles before we left. I held up his bottle with one hand and looked at the menu with my other.

The food was delicious. Dimitri ordered a double cheese burger with a side of fries. I ordered myself a salad and an iced tea. I won't be able to get my pre-pregnancy body back with just exercising. I needed to lay off the junk food and start eating healthy again. Dimitri and I paid the bill and left a nice tip before leaving. Aleksandr was starting to fuss, so I sat in the back seat with him to try and calm him down. The sun was high in the sky now so there would be no Strigoi threats. We made it back to the academy right when everyone was getting ready for bed. Dimitri and I walked back up to my room, put Aleksandr down, and then passed out on the bed for the night.