Collateral Damage

EPILOGUE

THERE IS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE AT THE END PLEASE READ IT :)

A YEAR LATER

"You look beautiful," Abe whispered in my ear as I looped my arm through his, I can't believe I am getting married today.

"Am I doing the right thing?" I asked, as the melody to flightless bird, American mouth began to play.

"Do you love him?" my father asked, looking down at me through his long eyelashes.

"More than anything," I replied, as we began to walk.

"Then you are doing the right thing," he whispered into my ear as the celebrant and bridal party came into view.

Lissa and Tilly stood side by side on Dimitri's right and Christian and Adrian stood side by side on his left. The girls looked absolutely flawless in the green dresses they wore. As soon as my eyes met Dimitri's I knew I was making the right choice. He stared at me as if he had never loved me more than he did in this moment. And I loved him too.

Abe placed my hands into Dimitri's when we reached the end of the isle. "Take care of her," my father said, as he shook his hand.

"I will sir, forever and always," Dimitri replied. Abe kissed my cheek before taking a seat next to my mother.

"We are gathered here today to help these two amazing people celebrate their love for one another in the form of holy matrimony. Rose and Dimitri are proof that anything is possible, and through the most horrible heartbreaks we are still able to find our own ways back to one another. Marriage is not something to be taken lightly, yet it is a beautiful thing to experience and witness. This couple has asked for all of us here today to celebrate with them and remember this wonderful moment in their lives.

Almost twenty years ago Rose and Dimitri met in Oregon. Dimitri was assigned the responsibility of returning with Rose and her best friend Vasilissa to the academy. Much to the girls' dismay he completed his duty and returned with the two.

Around a year later, there was an attack on the academy and sadly Dimitri was taken. After some long and torturous weeks, Rose decided that she would venture from the security of the academy and free Dimitri's spirit from the body of a strigoi. With the help of her friends, Rose was able to return Dimitri to this world.

A short time later Rose and Dimitri parted ways as he took Guardianship of one of our finest Moroi and Rose once again ventured from the safety of the walls of the academy. She, not long after, found out that she was with child. She came to the realisation that because Dimitri and Rose had both been kissed by death, they were able to have a miracle child.

Rose decided that it would be best if she put her daughter in the safe hands of the academy. And 17 years later Rose returned.

Rose proved that even after all of this time, both she and Dimitri found their ways back to each other. Back to love.

And that story brings them here, to the present where they are able to reflect on their own love story and look ahead at all of the memories to make. Love is not something that can be described. It is the something to feel.

The feeling of warmth and fullness, the feeling of being one together. It is the feeling of being willing to die for one another. Rose and Dimitri have found a poem that they wish to be shared to try to explain the love they have for each other.

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being in love which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Many people have it, they have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom has fallen from there branches they find that they were one tree and not two.

Falling in love with each other isn't something we plan to do, nor is it something that should be a given or a privilege. So you both have written your own vows. Remember that these are promises you are making to each other as you place the rings upon each other's fingers. Dimitri," the celebrant said. His words beautiful and captivating, though I was so consumed by the brown in Dimitri's eyes I barely heard a word.

Christian handed Dimitri the silver band, and I watched intently as he placed it on my finger. "Rose, from the moment I met you there was just something about you. And I am not saying that because it's cheesy but from the deepest part of my soul. I saw the way you were willing to stand up for you best friend and it was so admirable, I was amazed that someone who held so little experience was such a mature person. I slowly fell in love with the brown in your eyes and the wave in your hair. I fell in love with the determination to be the best you could be and the way you begged for me to teach you to swear in Russian. The song behind your laughter and the mystery behind your words made me feel things I didn't think were possible. This is why I promise that I will stand by you, no matter what. I promise that I will love you for the rest of my life. There is no end to our story, and my love for you will never end."

I wiped a tear from the side of my eye as Lissa handed me Dimitri's ring. "My vows are not a sweet as yours but here goes. I have always loved your accent. I thought it was sexy as hell, I thought you were sexy as hell. After everything that we have been through, I never thought that we would be standing here at our own wedding. Yet here we are. Dimitri, I promise to pretend to be interested in your latest old Western novel, I promise that even when we are gross and wrinkly I will still find you and your accent hot as hell, I promise that I will stop calling you Comrade, unless it is totally necessary. And finally I promise that I will try to keep these promises by loving you in every way, in every moment of every day because you are my vow, and our love will never fade."

Dimitri mouthed 'I love you' and I did the same. The celebrant continued his speech as Dimitri and I took in each other. "To wrap up the ceremony so we can move onto the reception I have a few words from Blessing for a Marriage by James Dillet Freeman:
May your marriage bring you all the exquisite excitements a marriage should bring.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.

Dimitri Belikov and Rosemary Hathaway, do you take each other to be your lawfully wedded wife and husband for as long as you both shall live?"

"We do," Dimitri and I said together.

"Then I pronounce you both Mr and Mrs Belikov," our friends and family cheered and clapped as I looked around at them all, "Dimitri, you may kiss your bride."

Dimitri cupped my face in his hands and pressed his lips to mine. Everything around me dulled as I took in this moment. This perfect moment.

I don't know what the future holds, but I know with Dimitri by my side, my future is bright and beautiful.

ARGHHHHHH well that's it. Please head around to my other wattpad profile that I have with my bestest friend in the whole wide world. Its called 'oppsitshappening' a link will be in the description of this book and there will also be one on my profile. We have a book on there called Drugs, Sex and Scandals please please please go read it.

Also I just wanted to say that when I edit chapters I will be uploading them to the other profile, but I don't know if I will post the edited chapters on this account. I may add some things to the chapters to add a more clearer storyline, and I may also add in some completely new chapters. Who knows.

Anyway, thank you all for coming on this journey with me, haha.