Anything for Her - Complete

Chapter 15

"Do you think I should dress her up? It will be the first time he sees her." Rose was pacing the floor of their rooms in guest quarters. They'd rested throughout the Moroi night and were now waiting for Eddie to visit their suite. "I want her to look her best... but what if it makes him want to keep her?"

"I don't think how Lara's dressed is going to influence if Eddie wants to raise her," Dimitri replied reasonably. He'd never seen Rose this nervous before – even before battle. He was doing his best to reassure her – a hard task when he was apprehensive himself.

The previous evening Rose had asked Alberta to send Eddie across to their suite first thing, describing it as a surprise for her old friend. Alberta had a set of eyes, and once the seed had been planted, she thought she could see a likeness between Castile and Lara. But for everyone's sake, she took Rose's assertions at face value, even promising to give Guardian Castile the rest of the day off to 'catch up' with his old friends.

"I'm nervous, Dimitri," Rose admitted, clutching Lara possessively to her chest. "I don't know what I'm going to do if he wants to take her. I know I've only had her a couple of months, but she's mine."

"It will be ok," Dimitri murmured, wrapping his arms around Rose and Lara. He needed to be strong for Rose, so he kept his misgivings to himself and held his girls tight, dropping loving kisses onto Rose's temple and Lara's forehead. A rap at the door pulled them from their tender embrace. Rose passed Lara to Dimitri, and he stepped out of sight into the bedroom. They were hoping Lara would sleep until it was time to bring her out to meet Eddie, so Dimitri was going to try and settle her into her bassinette while Rose greeted her old friend.

Waiting for the bedroom door to close, Rose opened the suite door to Eddie. It had been seven or eight months since she'd seen him, but even in that time, he seemed to have aged. Always long and lanky at school, Eddie had filled out making him appear much more manly. He was a good-looking guy, Rose realized. Hot in a handsome boy next door sort of way! She mentally told herself off – unused to thinking about her friend in that way. Something in his eyes seemed older, too, though. Maybe it's because Rose knew he was now a father?

"Rose! What are you doing here?!" Eddie asked in surprise, picking her up and spinning her around affectionately. "Is Belikov here, too?"

"Yeah, he is... He's busy just now. Come on in." They'd only just sat down when there was the unmistakable wail of a baby from the bedroom. Eddie's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"Shit, Hathaway, got something to tell me?!"

"Sure do..." Rose replied with a tight smile. "Come on out, Comrade," she called out loudly. There was no point Dimitri hiding Lara now Eddie had heard her.

Dimitri opened the bedroom door sheepishly. "Sorry. I thought she was asleep, but as soon as I tried to put her down..." he explained shrugging.

"Give her here," Rose said with a smirk, reaching out for the drowsy infant. She'd been fed not long before, and would usually be asleep by now, but today she was fighting it all the way.

"Rose? That's a baby."

"Well spotted. Nothing gets past you, does it, Castile?" Rose replied with her characteristic sarcasm. "Eddie - can I introduce you to Lara."

"Yours?" Eddie asked in surprise, eyeing the sleepy infant warily.

"In a manner of speaking," Rose replied uneasily.

"Lara's mother was not in a position to look after her, so she asked Rose to take her and bring her up," Dimitri clarified.

"So, you're a mother now?" Eddie asked, still looking shocked.