The Annual Royal Halloween party was in full swing and Lissa was happy with the final results.

There weren't many things she enjoyed in her role as Queen – too many meetings and too much politics – but one thing she really loved and insisted being involved in was planning the large parties and gatherings that were expected at Court. One such party was the annual Halloween bash.

This year the theme was 'Famous couples' and everyone had put in a decent effort. The Royal Banquet hall looked like a Gothic castle and the menu for the night was fancy cocktails and tiny hors d'oeuvres.

Abe and a heavily pregnant Janine were dressed as Bonnie & Clyde. It was probably the most subdued Abe had ever looked and he wasn't happy. He'd wanted to dress up like a famous pirate and have Janine as his bonny wench but after having been hit with every loose item in their bedroom and threatened to be beaten to a bloody pulp from a very hormonal and pissed Scottish woman, he gave up and went with her suggestion – at least they were just as infamous in the human world as he was in the vampire one!

Olena and Pavel were dressed as Princess Leia and Hans Solo, since Pavel's guilty pleasure was Star Wars. It was a bit of an adjustment for Olena and Pavel since they not only had to reveal their secret romance but move permanently to Court with Abe who wanted to set-roots close to Rose. It wasn't a hard decision to make – she had Yeva and her daughters' blessings plus she would be closer to her only son and daughter-in-law. Initially, Dimitri wasn't too keen about the whole situation but after a heart to heart between himself and Pavel, any and all tension surrounding the relationship was gone.

A lot of the Guardians – both those on and off-duty – were surprised to see the Head Court Guardian, Hans Croft, not only attend the party but actually partake in the festivities by dressing up as Mark Antony. His Cleopatra was Adrian's mum Daniella. Theirs was a love story no one saw coming – a crazy weekend that resulted in a baby girl 9 months later. No one thought or expected the two would actually become a couple – in fact this was actually the first time they'd attended a gathering together as an official couple. Even though Hans remained his normal stoic self, it wasn't hard to see the love and affection he felt towards Daniella.

Pavel, Hans and Janine weren't the only off-duty Guardians attending the party – Lissa gave a royal decree of absence to Mikhail, Eddie, Ryan, Rose and Dimitri so they could attend the party and enjoy themselves.

Lissa & Christian looked regal as Cinderella & Prince Charming – Lissa's favourite Disney couple.

After having binge watched the Matrix trilogy with her Russian husband, it didn't take much effort for Rose to convince Dimitri to attend the party dressed as Neo & Trinity.

Even though Sydney was still a bit apprehensive about attending Moroi events, she loved being at the Halloween party – especially since she'd done some background research into the couple she and Adrian were dressed as – the ever famous Romeo & Juliet.

Eddie found a kindred spirit in Mia's boyfriend – they both shared a love for DC comics. So naturally they convinced their respective partners to dress up as characters from that universe – Eddie & Jill were dressed as Superman & Wonder Woman while Ryan & Mia dressed as the badass couple Joker & Harley Quinn.

While Ambrose was working as a server at the party, his Aunt Rhonda offered to babysit the little munchkins – Declan, Anna and Catalina. This allowed Sonya and Mikhail a much needed 'date' night and they rocked up as Guinevere and Lancelot.

Being an official party consisting mostly of Royal Moroi, the festivities were wrapped up by 10am. Lissa and Rose, however, wanted to keep the party going so the gang decided to continue with an after-party at the royal private quarters. The palace had its own wing of guest rooms so Lissa suggested people go home and change into their PJs before returning. Before Sonya and Mikhail could back out because of baby duties, Janine kindly offered to mind Catalina for the night – she figured it would be good practice for Abe!

Since Daniella and Hans were picking up Anna from Rhonda they offered to take Declan for the night, freeing up Adrian and Sydney to enjoy time with their friends.

The only person who couldn't attend the 'fun' was Ryan, who unfortunately had gate duty and since the party was a last-minute plan, it was too short a notice for him to swap shifts.

Knowing that the Dhampirs would be starving from the lack of food at the party, Christian put through a request for a mini buffet to be set-up in their family room. Adrian promised to bring the 'good booze' even though Christian and Lissa had a fully stocked bar.

An hour later everyone had turned up to the palace – carrying an overnight bag and dressed in their night clothes.

When everyone was finally full and relaxed Jill suggested they play a game. It was called two truths and a lie and she'd played it at a frat party. The premise was that everyone took turns to say three statements – two would be truths about themselves that hopefully no one had prior knowledge of and one would be a lie. The people present would guess which of the three statements was a lie. Instead of shots, she suggested everyone be given M&Ms and if you identified the correct 'lie' you didn't have to eat an M&M, but if you got it wrong then you did. Person who had the most M&Ms at the end of the night was the winner!

Everyone wrote their names in a hat and Jill appointed herself as the official 'name selector'. Just as the game was about to start, Rose pointed out the unfair advantage the Spirit users had with their aura vision and of course Jill with her bond. To appease everyone, but mostly Rose, Sonya charmed three silver spoons and explained that as long as the Spirit users kept them close it would weaken their powers and prevent any 'accidental' cheating.

The game finally commenced and the first person whose name was drawn was…

Sonya

"Back in college I was in an Acapella group…

…I've won a County Fair prize for growing the largest Rose…

…I had a girlfriend for a whole year back in college".

The last statement left everyone gobsmacked. Sonya couldn't help but giggle as she watched the reactions of her friends and waited for them to make their guesses. Since the group was small, Jill suggested they could go around the room and everyone picked which statement they considered to be a lie.

It wasn't a surprise to Sonya that nearly EVERYONE picked the 'girlfriend' statement as the lie – well almost everyone. Rose had studied her for a few minutes and went with the 'Acapella group' statement as the lie – she said she wanted to be different, plus she thought she could see Sonya wanting to experiment in college.

Once everyone had picked their statements, Sonya revealed the lie.

"The lie was me winning a County Fair prize for growing the largest rose – I did win a prize, but it was for the tallest sunflower….so yes, the other statements were true. I joined an Acapella group for a semester at college, just for fun, and we got close to Regionals but didn't quite make it. As for the girlfriend…well I had a human room-mate one year at college who I fooled around with after drinking too much at a party. No, I'm not a lesbian nor am I bi-sexual…it was just a year of having an instant companion that was a room away – we both had hectic schedules so knew dating would be difficult for us. So whenever we needed a …hmm 'release'…we had each other. I still keep in contact with her – she is happily married just like me and has a son and a daughter".

Everyone applauded Sonya on her ability to fool them while Mikhail pulled her close and whispered a few choice words – words that caused her already deep blush to deepen further, prompting a round of giggles from Rose and Mia who kept trying to guess what he may have whispered. Sonya insisted that was one 'truth' she wasn't about to reveal to the group – causing everyone to burst into laughter and Mikhail to blush furiously.

Jill went back to the hat and pulled out another name…

Eddie

"I once attended a Comic Con with Mason dressed as Batman & Robin

…Not many people know I actually like to sculpt…

…I know how to drive a tractor".

People took longer to pick the lie and most were split between 'sculpting' and 'driving a tractor'. Only two people guessed the correct lie – Sydney and Rose. Eddie explained his statements.

"Sydney and Rose got it right – the Comic Con statement was the lie. Mason and I planned to go to Comic Con as the Dynamic duo before we started guarding but of course that never happened….anyway, I do actually like to sculpt but it's been a while since I got a chance to do so and there were a few summers during school I spent time at my mum's sisters farm and my uncle taught me how to drive their tractor…so yeah".

Even after all these years, every time Mason was mentioned a bittersweet moment fell over the group. A mini break was suggested, allowing people to stretch their legs, use the toilet and get more refreshments.

Rose watched Eddie trying to maintain his composure but knew he was suffering internally. She quickly left Dimitri's side and slid next to Eddie, bumping his shoulder playfully.

"How come you guys never mentioned this to me?"

Eddie looked up and shrugged – he could feel the tears stinging his eyes as memories of his best friend flooded him. Rose pulled him into a side hug.

"How about next year you and I go to Comic Con. But can we go as Batman & Catwoman – I don't want to be Robin!"

Eddie couldn't help but chuckle – that's what he loved about Rose, she always made him smile. He nodded in agreement and promised to solidify the plans next year – they would take the trip in Mason's memory and do everything the boys had originally planned.

When Rose returned to Dimitri's side, she was rewarded with a warm embrace and a soft kiss. Dimitri knew Rose saw herself as the protector of the group, but he knew his beautiful wife needed her own protector and he thanked God every day she gave him that role in her life.

The game resumed and Jill pulled out another name…

Lissa

"When I was a teenager I had a crush on a priest…

…I stole a lip gloss from Victoria Secrets…

…I currently own 20 handbags".

Many selected the 'lip gloss' statement as the lie – now way could a goody-two shoes like Lissa steal anything. Rose and Jill suggested the 'crush' was the lie – they couldn't imagine Lissa liking someone like Father Andrew. He was a gentle soul but he was old enough to be her grandfather!

Lissa giggled as she explained her statements.

"The lie was the handbags – I currently own 10 not 20…Yes I did steal a lip gloss from VS – this was during the time Rose and I were on the run. I was out of my favourite gloss and I didn't want to use our limited funds to buy one…one day we were walking through the store and while Rose was looking at some lingerie I took the gloss to the counter and used compulsion to make the cashier think I paid for it…as for the crush – it wasn't on Father Andrews! Eww! I don't know if you remember or not, but one year Father Andrew had a young deacon join him as part of his studies. And he was super cute…I loved attending service that whole year he was with us. I think he ended up going to different academy when he finished his priesthood – it's a shame such a good looking guy took a vow of celibacy".

Rose and Mia were lost in deep thought, trying to recall this 'hot' priest but clearly he hadn't registered on their radar.

Jill kept things moving along and selected the next name…

Adrian

"I've had sex with twins…

…I woke up butt naked in a monastery…

…I have a drink named after me at the Witching Hour".

The group was stumped – everything Adrian said was plausible for him. And since no one knew much about his past before he joined the gang, it all came down to making a good guess. Even though he had shared much with Sydney, these were all new revelations to her. She was the only one to guess the 'twins' statement to be false, even though it was still a guess on her part.

She was the only one who guessed right. Adrian gave his explanation.

"Yeh I know it's hard to believe but I was pretty wild in high school. One summer some of us were travelling around Europe and one weekend I got really drunk, even by my standards and woke up the next day on the doorsteps of a monastery in Florence – butt naked. Thankfully their head monk guy spoke English otherwise I would have been screwed. It was actually fun staying with them for a week and seeing how they lived their lives but thankfully my mates found me and we returned back to the States….As for the drink…well one time while I was visiting Vegas I was having a very good weekend – it was like Lady Luck was my companion for the night…at one point I was surrounded by 20 beautiful women… the bartender decided to honour my Casanova status by naming a new concoction after me – the Royal Stud…funnily enough I did have twins who were hanging off me that night but nothing eventuated. And so that was the lie – I've never had sex with twins, though I wouldn't mind…I mean if I was still single of course".

His quick change saved him from getting a back-hand from a disgruntled Sydney. She knew she married an ex-playboy but it still hurt to hear about his 'sexcapades' – especially since he was her one and only.

Jill quickly picked a name from the hat before things could get tense…

Sydney

"I've cheated on a test…

…I've kissed a girl…

…One time I drank 10 cups of coffee in a day".

The group was evenly split in selecting either the 'test' or the 'girl' statement as the lie – nearly everyone knew about Sydney's addiction to coffee so they could easily imagine her drinking the 10 cups. Sydney couldn't help but laugh at her friends and husband.

"My lie was the 10 cups of coffee – the max I've ever done is 7 in a day".

Having revealed her lie, Sydney fell silent and watched the group with an amused expression – she didn't have to wait long before her agitated husband called her up on her other statements.

"Aren't you going to explain the other statements and how they are true?!"

Sydney couldn't help but enjoy rattling the ever cool and debonair Adrian Ivashkov.

"Ok, calm down hun…I will explain the truth behind those statements…the test I cheated on was an annual refresher test the Alchemist administered to all field agents to ensure we were up to code and procedures. One year, the night before the test, I had a very busy night – it was an endless cycle of clean-ups & paperwork and I didn't get home till close to 6am. My exam was at 8 which barely left me with any time to sleep let alone study. One of the things I was certain we would be tested on where all the various chemicals we carried in our field cases. Normally I could recite these by heart, but my brain was fried after such a hectic night and zero sleep. Worried I would forget the names and functions of the chemicals, I created a mnemonic and then wrote the first letters of the chemicals in small writing on my inner wrist. If anyone where to see it …it would look like a strange tattoo or design. In the end I got away with it and got a perfect score. It was pure luck that I wasn't caught cheating – it was a one-time thing and thankfully I never had to do it again".

Sydney sipped on her glass of wine, watching all the guys squirm while the girls smirked with knowing smiles. It was poor Adrian who had to probe his wife yet again!

"Oh come on! Do I have to ask about the girl kissing thing as well?! Damn woman you are making me look like a complete fool…."

Sydney almost spat out the sip she had just taken when she saw Adrian's desperate expression. She looked over at Rose and gave her a wink.

"Care to share the story?"

Every guy in the room, including a very surprised Dimitri, stared at Rose in shock. Rose burst into giggles, along with the other females in the room – clearly all the women-folk knew something the men didn't.

"Ok – I guess it's confession time. During my bachelorette weekend with the girls – after we had consumed quite a bit of champagne…we decided to play a game of truth and dare… on one of Syd's turns she picked dare and Mia dared her to kiss one us girls and she explained it had to be a proper kiss, lasting at least 2 mins. Well guess who she picked for the honour? Nonetheless we kissed and that's that…"

Adrian slammed his shot glass down in frustration.

"I call bullshit! No way did you two kiss!"

Sydney and Rose rolled their eyes at Adrian's overtly dramatic tantrum. Having a silent conversation across the room, the two ladies got up at the same time and made their way to the middle. Without hesitation, Rose took Sydney's face gently in her hands and allowed their lips to mould together softly. Within a few seconds the kiss became passionate and Sydney pulled Rose's body closer to her as their kissing intensified. Not that anyone was timing, but they were certain this kiss lasted almost twice as long as the one they had shared that weekend, but neither seemed to mind. Sydney finally understood Rose's allure – she really was a sexy, badass chica! For Rose, kissing Sydney felt like kissing Lissa – it didn't exactly turn her on nor was it a turn off. It just felt like sharing an intimate moment with a very close friend.

For the men in the room, that kiss was their undoing. The alcohol had already lowered their inhibitions and now witnessing such a sexy kiss, well let's just say every single one was squirming in their seats and adjusting their pants!

The women tried not to laugh as they watched the men-folk struggle, while Mia concocted another plan to torture them further.

"Hang on! That's not fair – you've kissed quite a few people in this room but I keep missing out! I sure as hell am curious about your kissing abilities Rose – so what do you say?"

Rose could see the deviousness behind Mia's scheming and she loved it – hard to believe that at one time she was their number one enemy. She shrugged in indifference and met Mia in the middle of the room like she had with Sydney. Just like with Sydney, she took charge and held Mia's face before kissing her gently. This kiss started of soft and grew passionate until both girls were locked in a lover's embrace, Frenching it up big time!

If the guys were turned on before now it was just pure torture – no amount of adjustment could ease this discomfort. Dimitri never knew he could get so jealous watching Rose kiss another woman – another guy he could understand and even though her kissing Sydney and Mia was hot, he didn't like the idea of sharing her with anyone else – no matter their gender.

"Roza that's enough…" he pleaded, his voice strained from the control he was trying to maintain on his raging hormones. If he could, he would throw Rose over his shoulder and carry her to their bed for a good round of hard fucking!

Rose and Mia pulled apart, satisfied that they'd had their dose of fun. Mia gave Rose another kiss but this one was more friendly than passionate.

"I have to admit – you aren't a bad kisser…"

Mia couldn't help but grin when she saw her compliment caused the usual brash Guardian to blush uncontrollably.

Jill cleared her throat to get everyone's wanning attention – they still had another six names to go. Next name chosen was…

Mikhail

"I've won a Regional competition in Greco-Roman wrestling…

…I've come 4th in a triathlon…

…I've worked as a Centurion at a Las Vegas casino".

This time three people guessed the correct lie – Dimitri, Rose and Sydney. Mikhail had never entered a triathlon let alone win 4th place.

He went on to explain the 'true' statements.

"The Greco-Roman thing happened in high school. Not many know this but between the ages of 13 to 16 I was raised in the human world and had to attend a human school. Being a Dhampir I just had to be careful to hide my strength and speed. One of the things I fell in love with was their wrestling program and even though I had to purposefully lose some games to not raise suspicions or attract attention, I had loads of fun and it helped with my Guardian training. As for the Centurion thing…well this was when I was I was on my …personal mission… to find Sonya…At one point my search led me to Vegas and by then most of my savings had been depleted – in fact Vegas was the last city I searched before I was given an ultimatum by the Guardian Council to either return or go into exile….anyway while in Vegas I had to make some money and came across one of the hotels which needed some extra Centurions for one week as part of a special event. I auditioned and got the job…let's just say it was a very long week and a part of me was glad to return to Court at the end".

Jill went back to the hat and pulled out the next name…

Jill

"I won State for ballet…

…Once I ate half a tray of 'special brownies' and danced with a pair of undies on my head…

…I've attended a party with no panties".

Everyone looked at Jill in shock – of the group she was probably considered the 'purest', even more so than Lissa, so hearing two of her three statements sounding so risqué was mind-blowing. Naturally the split was on the last two statements – her mum was a dancer after all so everyone assumed the ballet option was definitely one of the truths.

Jill laughed as she revealed the lie was the 'ballet' statement.

"I did do ballet but only for a year when I was 5…I was always more inclined to Jazz…which is why the ballet statement is a lie …Now, I'm sure you are wondering how the other ones are true… well they both happened while I was at college…One day Angeline made a tray of brownies and I tried some…What I didn't know was that they were 'special brownies' and I'd eaten half a tray before Angeline stopped me…Boy was I high! I became hyperactive and ran around campus…At one point I took my panties off, placed them on my head, walked into a frat party and starting dancing with the damn this still on my head...When Angeline told me about it the next day, I wanted to hide in our room for the remainder of the year!"

Not wanting to dwell on her embarrassing situation any further, Jill plucked the next name and it was…

Christian

"I was in a rock band…

…I've set fire to a port-a-potty…

…I've the highest score on Dance Dance Revolution!"

A debate broke out amongst the group as they discussed what was true and what was false. Sydney and Mia were the only ones to guess right because they didn't believe Christian was obsessed with fire. Christian threw an arrogant smirk in Rose's direction, basking in the fact she guessed wrong. Rose huffed in annoyance and barked at him to keep things moving along and get through his 'explanation'.

"Keep your pants on Rosie...So yeh, as Mia and Syd guessed, the setting fire to a portable toilet was the lie…The rock band thing happened when Aunt Tasha and I lived in the human world…I taught myself how to play the guitar and when a group of guys in our neighbourhood started a band, I auditioned and played with them until we had to move….The game…well, while Lissa was getting used to being the new Queen…I kept myself busy playing the game…."

Rose couldn't help but be impressed – she didn't think Christian had the co-ordination or stamina to be good at such an active game but now she finally knew who the mysterious player with the initials 'COD' was.

Another break was proposed – with only three more names to go, people wanted to stretch their sleepy bodies and grab more sustenance to stay awake.

When the game resumed the name that Jill picked was…

Mia

"I've attended a human summer camp…

…I have a painting hanging in a New York City gallery…

…I've danced on top of a bar counter Coyote Ugly style".

Even though Mia had been 'adopted' by the group after the Spokane events, she hadn't spent enough time with the gang for them to say they knew her well. Her past was still a mystery so any of those statements could have been a lie. After much deliberation everyone unanimously decided it had to be the painting in New York.

Mia smirked outwardly as she went through her explanation.

"So me dancing on the bar counter was the lie …I never got drunk enough to do such a thing…Like Eddie…I too have a passion for the arts and it helped me out a lot after my mum's death… It was around that time I did a piece which I entered in an art comp and the prize was a lifetime spot in a prominent gallery in New York – so yeh I won and last I checked it's still there…As for summer camp…that happened one time when my parents wanted to do a road trip down Route 66. I didn't want to be stuck with them in a trailer and I'd always been curious about camp so it was decided that that summer I would attend one while they did their road trip…It was a surreal experience…unfortunately I got sunburnt a lot so wasn't as active as I would've liked…but yeh that's my stuff".

Rose and Dimitri looked at each other – they were the last two left and wondered what would come out via the game.

Jill pulled the paper out and it was…

Dimitri

"I came 3rd place in a cooking competition…

…I've danced in a ballet recital…

…I'm an honorary Chippendale".

As he stated the final statement, Dimitri couldn't help the light blush that flushed his face which was enough for Sydney to determine whether the statement was true or not.

Rose could normally tell when Dimitri was lying but tonight she wasn't sure. She studied her husband carefully and had to admit the only statement she could believe to be true was the cooking competition – he was almost as good as her mother in law!

Again a big discussion broke out while Dimitri sat there with his 'Guardian mask' until finally everyone made their guesses. Turns out no one got it right as Dimitri explained his statements.

"Contrary to what people think, I never took part in a cooking competition. I know I'm a decent cook thanks to my mama but I never got a chance to showcase my abilities in any kind of competition. Now the ballet recital…I didn't actually do ballet but I did attend the classes that Karolina and Sonya were a part of. In one of their recitals they needed someone to play a tall tree and they asked me to take the role since I was the perfect height and build for the costume. Since it was a dance recital even the person playing the tree had to dance…which for me meant swaying side to side and jump around the stage. Thankfully I only had to do it the one time but mama does have photos – I'm surprised Roza hasn't seen them yet. Now about being an honorary Chippendale. Well, one time Ivan and I were in Vegas and we met up with a group of women that were a hen's party. Ivan wanted to hang out with the ladies and we followed them to a male revue and it was a Chippendale show. There weren't many guys in attendance – as you can imagine – but at one point in the show they held a mini competition to see if any of the guys in the audience had what it takes to be a Chippendale dancer. Ivan dared me and even though I was Guarding him that night, I'd also had a few drinks and I don't know if it was him, the alcohol or the constant pleading from the group of ladies, but I agreed and went on stage. Long story short, I ended up winning the competition and was given a $100 drink voucher and bestowed with an honorary Chippendale title".

When Dimitri finished his story, he was watching Rose's expression to gauge her reaction – this was the first time she was hearing the story and he wasn't sure how she would react. Rose on the other hand pulled her own 'Guardian mask' into place and didn't react to his confession in any way.

No reaction from Rose was never a good thing and Dimitri became worried.

Jill didn't need to pull the final name out – everyone knew it was Rose.

Rose

"I've danced in a strip club…

…Came 2nd place in a writing competition…

…Stole a box of donuts from Krispy Kreme".

Just like Dimitri, people struggled to guess her lie but also by then many were tired or horny and just wanted to end the night and retire to their rooms. Only person to get it right was Sydney and it wasn't hard to see she was the overall winner with the only one who had highest number of M&Ms left over.

Rose kept her explanation short and simple – the game was no longer fun and she wanted this Halloween to be over. Finding out about Dimitri's Chippendale title in front of her friends was a strange experience. She didn't care it had happened – it was something from his past – but what hurt was that he'd never told her before today and she had to wonder what other things about his past he kept hidden and whether he would ever tell her.

"My lie is stealing a box of donuts – I know I love my donuts but I would never steal them…If I did it would put me off donuts forever because I would feel guilty every time I had one… Dancing in the strip club…it's not what you think…this was when I was in Russia on my personal mission and one day I had followed a pair of Strigoi into a strip club... I had to gain their attention so I started dancing by myself on the dance floor and was able to entice them out into the alley where I killed one and interrogated the other….The writing competition was something Mason and I'd done in grade school – we'd come across a horror story competition in a human magazine as part of their Halloween edition. We co-wrote a piece and entered it. We were shocked to win 2nd place. The prize was a $50 Amazon voucher".

By the end of her telling, Rose had tears in her eyes – even though she had tried her best, both she and Eddie's reminiscing about Mason bought everything to the forefront and her emotions finally spilled through. Dimitri quickly took charge and congratulated Syd on winning before wishing everyone goodnight as he whisked his loving wife to their room. Even though Rose needed the emotional support, she was still upset with Dimitri and couldn't help but give him the cold shoulder until she finally fell asleep.

That night she had the strangest dream.

She was back at the academy gym and was so absorbed in punching the bag that she hadn't noticed someone else had joined her.

"Hey Rosie – been a long time since I saw your hot body work out like that".

Rose was shocked to see Mason's grinning face and leapt into his arms.

"God I've missed you! How are you? This is a dream isn't it…God I'm so sorry Mason! It was all my fault! I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry" Rose kept mumbling, unable to stop the tears or her out-pouring of emotions.

Mason held her until she calmed down and then took her to one of the gym mats so they could sit down.

"Look Rose, you have to stop carrying this guilt. It's not healthy and you don't realise it, but it's actually holding you back from moving on with your life. I know you only loved me as a friend – I get it now but you should know that I would've always come back to help you like I did regardless of my feelings. You'll always be one of my best friends Rosie. Coming back to help you, even though I had no way to defend or protect us, it wasn't because of some misguided emotion – it was duty as well. We are trained from a young age to fight Strigoi and protect others – it's ingrained into our very essence. I'm certain that if Eddie wasn't so out of it from having been used as a blood bag he too would have returned with me to help you out in some manner. Maybe all of us could have survived if that happened…maybe you would have lost another best friend – hard to tell what would have happened now. But what I do know is that I'm in a better place and you need to finally let this go. When you think of me…think of the good times and not the final moment that took me away from you. And please do go with Eddie to Comic Con – it'd be nice to see him fulfil one of his dreams…"

Rose held Mason tightly – for the first time not feeling weighed down by her guilt.

"And Rose I know finding out about Dimitri's Chippendale status has made you question his past and your lack of knowledge of it but instead of shutting yourself off talk to him. I can see it now that you two were meant to be together – you are soulmates and not many people can brag about finding that kind of love in their lifetime. Don't ruin it by doubting his love or not communicating your fears. You owe it to yourselves to make it work and live a happy, long life".

Rose felt more tears run down her face as she snuggled further into her friend's arms. She felt herself drift to sleep while he hummed a tune – a song he'd always sung to her in the past when she needed to be comforted.

'That's what friends are for…'

Rose woke up the next day feeling lighter than she'd ever felt before and realised that just like Dimitri with his Strigoi guilt, she too had never fully forgiven herself about Spokane. Whether she'd really seen Mason or it was just a dream, it didn't matter – what did was that she could finally look at the event in a different light and it made things more bearable. She also took Mason's suggestion about talking to Dimitri to heart and when he stirred awake, they stayed in bed for a few hours just talking and holding each other. By the end of their talk she was starving but was much happier – she now knew everything there was to know about her husband, and he about her. Turns out he wasn't too happy either finding out about her 'dancing' at the strip club and so even though she didn't want to cause him pain and tell about her time in Russia, she did just that. But the talk wasn't all dark or crazy moments – there was also a lot of light-hearted, sweet childhood memories to share.

When they joined everyone later for a late brunch, Rose and Dimitri knew the long talk they'd had that morning had only further strengthened their marriage.

A week later, Dimitri had a little surprise for Rose.

Rose entered their house to find all the living room furniture had been cleared away and a lone chair was sitting in the middle. Intrigued she called for Dimitri as she took off her boots and jacket. Before she took another step, a sexy song came through their surround sound system – Pony by Ginuwine. The lights in the room were dimmed as Dimitri dressed up in his sexy Cowboy get-up from their Fantasy week walked in. Rose couldn't help but grin as he led her to the chair and told her 'no touching ma'am… only look'.

As the song continued to play, Rose could easily see how Dimitri had won the honorary Chippendale title. Once the song ended, the no touch rule went out the window.

Suffice to say it was another long, active, loud night at the Belikovs!