Title: The Gift

Author: Rea Lynne

Background: Rose had announced her pregnancy on Mother's Day. This will be a follow up to that story. What gifts could Father's Day bring after such a wonderful Mother's Day gift?

"I appreciate you joining me today, Son." Abe said as a knowing smirk formed on his face. I swallowed harshly trying to avoid the shudder that threatened my body. It had been nearly seven years since I had found out that Zmey was Rose's father, yet I still had not grown completely comfortable around the man.

"I am happy to do so, but I figured you would want to spend the day with Rose." I replied.

"I have found it best to stay out of the way and to leave the little hens to their clucking. We will join them just before dinner. For now, we hunt." Abe said as he lifted his riffle and stared out into the forest. "Rose looks well." He added a moment later.

"She is. She complains a lot," I told him, "Not that I am complaining." I added glanced at me from the corner of his eyes. "I just go along with her whims and it seems to help."

"Complaining doesn't seem much like Rose." Abe noted.

"I blame the hormones. She seemed to handle pregnancy well until she outgrew her clothing." I lightly chuckled.

"I heard you were reduced to sleeping on Vasilissa's couch." He commented more in a questioning manor.

"Ah, yes. Apparently the wrong answer to her complaints of 'getting fat' isn't to suggest taking her shopping for maternity clothing. She accused me of calling her a whale and threw me out of the apartment for the night."

"Tell me you did not-"He began, giving me a look that would make any man shudder in fear.

"Of course not, I would ever say anything of that sort. Rose looks more beautiful every day. She just doesn't see it. I only mentioned that we could make a trip to the mall to look for maternity clothing."

Abe sighed, shaking his head slightly. We both trained our gaze to the forest as movement in the bushes caught our attention. An older looking doe stepped from the bush and seconds later Abe's riffle sounded off. "Looks like a successful trip." He grinned at me. "Let's get the old girl cleaned and carted back before we miss dinner."

I nodded and stepped out of the shelter of the hunting blind striding swiftly to the deer and lifting it from the ground. Rejoining Abe, we made quick work of the deer, and I carried the cooler of fresh venison to his house at Court.

As we unloaded the meat into the freezer, Abe kept giving me mysterious side glances. Clearing my throat, I squared my shoulders and stood and stared Rose's father down. "Is there something you need to say, Abe?" I asked him.

"No, No, nothing to get alarmed over." He waived his hand in a non-threating manor. "It's just, babies, children in general take up a lot of space. I thought that perhaps you and Rosemarie would like a bigger place."

"We have nearly enough saved to move into a larger apartment. You have no reason to fret. I promise, I am taking care of Rose and the baby, Abe." I told him.

"I didn't mean to offend you, son. It's just; I bought this house so I would have a home close to Rose for when I visit. Honestly it's entirely too big for just one or two people."

"I am not sure I could accept such a gift."

"Before you let your pride get ahead of you, son, let me finish. The house contains six bedrooms upstairs and the basement hosts four guardian quarters and a private gym. I thought I would offer to sell you the home before I place it on the market."

"I am not sure we could afford to purchase this type of home, Abe. Don't get me wrong, Rose and I have a decent amount of savings, but most of it we are setting aside for after Ivana is born."

"I am sure I can give you a fair price, even payment options perhaps." He suggested.

"I am grateful for the offer, sir. I just don't think we can afford it at this time."

"$400 a month and a provision that I am allowed to stay in residence while at court." Abe offered.

"We pay $575 a month for a one bedroom apartment." I countered "$400 makes it feel like you're just giving us the place still." It dawned on me too late that I had actually begun bargaining with Ibrahim Mazur.

"$475 and I not only get to stay in residence, but I also get use of one of the guardian units downstairs." He grinned back at me. He knew I had fell victim to his game.

"I think Rose should be a part of this conversation." I simply stated.

"I thought I would broach the subject with you before I spoke to Rose. My daughter seems to be an emotional rollercoaster right now. I don't want to do something to get on her bad side." Abe said as a semi-satisfied grin spread on his face.

"Well I have been on her bad side more times than not lately. This is all yours Abe." I told him, swearing internally, finally catching on to the truth of his little game. I was relieved once my phone began to ring.

"Belikov," I answered.

"If my father hasn't killed you yet, dinner will be in ten minutes." I heard Rose state.

"We are already on our way, Milaya." I told her, nodding towards Abe and motioning that we should head out.

We walked into Lissa's apartment to find Rose and Lissa resting on the couch as the other women hurried about getting the last of the food on the table. At five months pregnant, Rose was glowing. Our baby was making its presence more known. I caught her gaze and smiled as I slowly made my way in her direction. Settling my hand on her shoulder, I bent down, gently kissing her cheek. "How are you feeling, Roza? "

"Hi Comrade, did you have a good time with Abe?" She smiled. I nodded and settled my hand on the gentle swell of her stomach, chuckling when I heard a low growl coming from within.

"Let's get you fed, hmm?" I laughed.

"Oh Vlads, yes, they chased me out of the kitchen when I tried to slip a snack." Rose pouted in my direction. I quickly kissed the corner of her mouth and gently helped her to stand.

"Ibrahim, Dimitri, perfect timing. Dinner is ready." Janine called out from the table. I turned towards the more heavily pregnant Vasilissa, but found Christian was already helping her stand.

"This better be a girl." She commented rubbing circles on her lower back as she watched her son chase the younger children into the dining room pretending to be Strigoi. Boys are just too loud."

"You still haven't found out?" Jill asked as she settled into a chair.

"No. This child is more stubborn that Rose. Every time we have a scan done, she, hopefully, is turned so we can't see."

"I hope it is a girl also. Our babies will be the best of friends." Rose sighed happily as she lowered herself into a chair.

"Eric Andre, leave the girls alone, and eat your dinner." Christian told the young boy as he settled him at the small children's table before rejoining Lissa's side. "Seriously Rose?" He said as his eyes fell on her plate. "The rest of us are hoping to eat as well. At least the children have been served."

I cut my eyes to him, and rubbed Rose's shoulder hoping to somewhat diffuse her anger a small bit.

"Not today, Christian." Lissa hissed at him. To my surprise Rose didn't offer any witty comeback. Turning my head to look at her, my heart clenched in my chest. She was staring down at her overfull plate as a lone tear traveled her cheek. Giving Christian an angry glare, I found him sitting in stunned silence.

"I'm sorry, Rose, I wasn't really thinking." He began, but was cut off when Lissa slapped his arm, whispering for him to just hush.

"I remember when Janine was pregnant with Rose. She could eat two plates in one sitting. Hathaway women have healthy appetites. It just means strong healthy babies." Abe nodded knowingly as he spoke, only to have Janine slap his chest and give him a look of disgust.

"Oh, look, there's chocolate cake for dessert." I said as I kissed Rose's temple, hoping that the promise of chocolate would cheer her up.

"Someone just called me fat and your answer to that is to offer me more food and cake at that?" Rose sneered in my direction. I gave her an apologetic look.

"You just had to open your mouth." Lissa was hissing at Christian.

"It is not ever proper to speak about how much a pregnant woman eats, Ibrahim. You were completely out of line. If you want to act like children, perhaps you should go eat with them." Janine was scolding Abe as she moved his plate to the smaller children's table.

"That's a great idea Mom." Rose sniffled as she glared between Christian and me.

"I don't think I will fit, Malaya." I grinned at her. Her scowl increased and I swallowed thickly. Giving Christian a look that promised pain, I stood and grabbed both of our plates. "If I'm reduced to eating with the children because you can't keep your mouth shut, then you by Vlad, are eating with them too."

"Liss-"Christian began.

"You started this whole mess Christian, it's only right that you join them." She stated as she looked across the table at Rose. I settled our plates, and grabbing Christian by his shoulder guided him towards the smaller table.

"Just shut up Christian, before neither one of us has a couch to sleep on." I urged.

"Daddy got in trouble." His daughter smiled knowingly towards the other children.

"Eat." Christian warned as he began to dig into his half- filled plate. It was then that I noticed my plate sat empty in front of me. I slowly made my way to the table to fill my plate. Rose's eyes fell on me, the tears gone and her face once again calm. Noticing my empty plate she frowned.

"I'm sorry Dimitri." She said quietly as she took my plate and placed it next to her's, waiving me into the seat. I jumped at the chance and settled myself in, sending a quick smirk towards Christian, and began filling my plate. Resting my arm around Rose's shoulder, I dug in, keeping all comments to myself until everyone was finished with the main course.

Following my lead, Abe and Christian weaseled their way to the main table during dessert. Soon our transgressions were all but forgotten. The rest of the meal was spent in peace and laughter.

"Baba, I left your gift at the apartment. Would you mind walking over with us?" Rose asked as I gathered our things to take my tired wife home. It was like clockwork. Rose would fill her belly and within ten minutes would begin yawning. She turned toward Lissa, pulling her into an awkward hug. "I'm sorry, Liss, I just need to lay down for a bit. I'll see you tomorrow though."

"No worries, I'm ready for a nap myself. Growing babies is hard work." Vasilissa said beamingly as her hands roamed over her bulging belly. "Just think another seven weeks or so and we will get to see this one."

"I am so jealous of that at times." Rose huffed. "I still have at least another four months before Ivana gets here."

"It will go by quickly, treasure it while you can." Lissa smiled, her eyes glazing over in complete joy.

"Yes, because swollen ankles and aching hips are just awesome." Rose yawned out. Taking that as my cue, I gathered her under my arm and with a simple goodbye, led her out the door and toward home.

"I can swing by tomorrow, little girl, if you're not up to company tonight." Abe said as we neared the outer doorway.

"Oh no, Baba, come on over. I want to give you my gift today." Rose answered.

Abe simply nodded and cleared his throat. Saying nothing more, we continued our trek to the Guardian apartments just across the street. I gave Abe a warning look. Rose was too tired for the subject I knew he wanted to approach. We made it safely inside the apartment and Rose excused herself as she slipped into the bedroom, returning moments later with a wrapped oblong box.

"I hope you will like it." She murmured as she placed it in his hands.

"I am sure I will." He smiled gratefully at her. Settling on the couch, he began to open the gift carefully. His eyes glinted with tears as he pulled a photo frame from the tissue paper within. "It's perfect." He whispered, rising to hug his daughter. Pulling back, he hugged the picture of Rose and I standing beside a tall Elm tree, both of our hands hovering over the gentle swell of her abdomen, to his chest. Turning he began to place the framed picture back in the box when he let out a hearty laugh. "Now this is a wonderment all in itself." He chuckled out as he lifted one of the tackiest scarves I had ever seen from the box. I stared in horror as he unfolded the offending material allowing me to see it was covered in diapered babies and the words büyükbaba.

"I was told the words meant grandfather." Rose said as she tried to withhold her own laughter.

"They do." Abe said as he hugged her once again, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you Rose, I will cherish these gifts for as long as I live."

Rose began yawning once again and settled into the corner of the couch. Abe gave his goodbyes and promised to stop by around lunch before he headed off again. After walking him to the door and his awaiting Guardian, I sat on the opposite end of the couch and pulled Rose's feet into my lap.

"That feels good." She purred as she lifted her eyelids halfway to look at me. "Today was nice, wasn't it Comrade?"

"Very much so," I answered, glad that her eyelids had fallen closed again and she wouldn't witness the bewildered expression on my face. "Let's get you to bed, Roza." I supplied as I stood from my seat and began to lift her in my arms.

"Thanks, I think I'm too tired to walk another step." She said as she laid her head in the crook of my neck. She was asleep before I even made it to the doorway. Settling her into the bed, I quickly stripped down and climbed between the coverings myself.

Abe held his word and appeared at our door just before lunch time. I had not found a way to bring the subject to light with her so she wouldn't be blindsided. Rose and I both were independent and did not rely on others to pave our way through life. We talked in general while we completed our small midday meal, but once we settled on the couches in the living area, Abe pulled out a folded bundle of papers from his inside pocket.

"I have something, I would like for you both to see." He said as a hesitant expression marred his features. Taking the papers from him, I passed them to Rose. She slowly opened them, scanning the first page before lifting her gaze to Abe's.

"You're giving your house to the baby?" Rose asked in astonishment. "Abe, Baba, I don't know what to say. Are you sure? What would a baby even do with a house?"

I gave him a questioning gaze, but he just waived me off. "Well if you will read the document in its entirety, you will see that there are certain provisions that must be met." He said. Rose passed me the papers and I began to read through them.

"It says that we as the parents must reside in the home as caretakers when we are at court until our eldest living child turns the age of 18. At that time the house and property will become the child's sole property." I told her once I had found the provisions he spoke of.

"Oh." Rose uttered as she began to process the information. "That's a little underhanded. What if I don't want to live there?" Rose asked in earnest.

"I- well-"Abe began to stutter.

"I thought you wanted to rent or sell the house, Abe." I said.

"Well yes, but I thought this would be much better. Rose had mentioned several times that the only home she had growing up was the Academy. I don't wish that for my grandchild. I just ask that the two of you think it over before saying no. It would give me great pleasure knowing that there would always be a family home for the two of you, and any children you have, to return to when needed." He said softly. "Think over it while I am away from Court the next month and no matter the answer, we will straighten it all out upon my return."

"Thank you Baba, but I don't know. This is a pretty big gift." Rose said as tears danced in her eyes. "I appreciate the sentiment behind it, I really do. I just don't know how I feel about accepting such a gift." I nodded my head in agreement with her and settled the papers on the coffee table so Rose and I could go over them later and discuss what we wanted to do. Abe left soon after to meet his plane, leaving Rose and I both looking at each other in stunned silence.

"You knew about this?" Rose asked a few moments after the door had closed behind him.

"No, not this," I answered truthfully. "He did mention that he wanted to put the house on the market and asked if I thought we might consider purchasing it."

"And you didn't think to mention it to me?" Rose asked.

I immediately felt horrible for not saying anything to her. "Yesterday was so crazy it just slipped my mind until after you had fallen asleep. By the time we woke up, I couldn't find a way to approach the matter before it was too late."

"Oh Comrade, if you would have said something I might have been able to curb Abe's erratic ways." She lifted the papers and began to read through them with interest. "According to this, Abe has all be given us the house."

"He knew we would resist such a gift." I told her.

"So he found a way around it. Should we agree to this? I mean, we do need a bigger place, I'm just unsure if we need one that is as extravagant as that one." She continued, speaking my exact thoughts.

"That is what I was thinking too. I don't think your father sees it that way though." I told her as I recalled Abe's nervous demeanor. He had been spoiling Rose in one fashion or another since she had come to know of his true identity.

"What do you mean?" She asked me, scrunching her nose a bit.

"That it seems like he is trying to give you everything he missed out on providing for you all those years. I don't think he is doing this out of pity, but out of devotion and love for his only daughter." I explained. "And as it would be my luck, I would be the one that met and married Zmey's daughter." I chuckled at the spoken afterthought.

"Should we accept it though?" She questioned.

"I don't know, Roza. Perhaps we should think on it a few days and discuss it then." I told her shrugging my shoulders. I didn't really want to accept Abe Mazur's gift, but could I really deny his daughter such a gift, if it was one that she wanted? We both needed to settle our own thoughts on the matter before we made a decision together. Pulling her into my arms, I whispered something that I was quite sure she would agree to in her ear. The soft sound of the papers floating down onto the floor and Roza's hungry kiss, told me I was exactly right in knowing what we needed at that very moment.