A quick message!

Recently, someone had posted my work on another site and they were claiming it as their own. I mentioned it my last chapter, hoping that someone could give me some advice on how to report this person. But, to my surprise, I received a flood of support from people both on this site, and the other.

I cannot believe how many people responsed to this, and I can happily say this story was removed from the site.

I'm glad this ordeal is over, and I really would appreciate if the matter was forgotten. The story has been removed, and there is no longer any reason to contact this person or leave comments on their other stories.

I really do appreciate your determination to get this story off of the site, but I hope we can forgive and forget. After all, why spend our time dwelling on something like this when there's so many fantasic fanfictions out there to read? :D

A special thanks to ELFINA01 for informing me, and the person that contacted her about this.

Thank you so much!

Love, PRG

It's not over.

Often times, in the dark of the night, I can hear his whimpers, feel his body jerk and shake. I can hear as the air rushes into his lungs in a gasp, as he flings himself up in bed. Unsure of whether or not I should acknowledge that I'm awake, Dimitri takes the ignitiative, and gently nudges my arm with subtle desperation.

"Roza? Roza, please, wake up. Please, Rose."

I don't hesitate to roll over, pull him into my arms, let him rest his head on my chest as I try to lull him back to sleep, although both of us know it's not going to happen.

Odd, how I've lived without him for these past couple of years. Now it seems we are almost one, needing each other like the oxygen we breathe. It's either one of us or the other that awakes with horrid nightmares. Dimitri dreams of strigoi, while I always see what Robert had forced upon me - my friends and family dying, or worse. Robert's most effective weapon was to target my loved ones, even if they existed inside my subconsious.

Tonight, it's me. Tonight, I'm the one having terrible nightmares, I'm the one clinging onto Dimitri, buried into his chest, with his arms around me, sobbing as I see Mason die, as I see Dimitri bitten, as I see my own hideous death, every night, in my dreams.

It's not over.

And sometimes, I fear it never will be. Things have gotten better, there's no denying that, but there are still far from normal. Not that I could even begin to describe normal anymore.

Dimitri had onced joked that I would be bored with consistancy, with a relaxing environment. Perhaps, a long time ago, I would have been. Now, I crave normalacy, long for the times when my biggest problems in life were rumours in high school, yearn for the times when my biggest fear was strigoi.

Time passes, and we heal, slowly, but surely. The nightmares don't happen as often, and when they do occur, they aren't usually as violent or vivid as they once were, and we begin to realize that that's all they will be now. Nightmares.

Adrian, after being treated with anti-depressents, has drastically improved. He still drinks, and no doubt he still is pained by the memories, but he is forced to fight the bitter demons of Robert's magic, not his own anymore. I know he misses it, the magic, but knows enough to give himself time.

Jill, now seventeen, has been spending a great deal of time with him. Now living and receiving her schooling in Court, Jill, it seems, has made it her mission to reintegrate Adrian back into the society of Royals. She's the illegitamate child of Eric Dragomir, but her kind and bubbly personality has earned her a position in some of the Royals good graces, and she seems to be pulling Adrian along with her.

I see them, once in a while, in the gardens, or sharing a drink at the bar. I even run into them once, and pretend I don't see their interlocked hands.

Lissa's been running herself ragged, bustling around Court, working far too much and resting far too little, but she adores it. She can practically see the change happening before her eyes, as more and more people join the fight for Moroi to battle the strigoi.

The bond has slowly, very slowly, made it's appearance once more. It's brittle, and seems to have greatly faded, but it's becoming more and more strengthened over time. We don't call on it often, it's nice to be able to live our own lives. I don't have to worry about slipping into her head, and Lissa is content with having her own private thoughts.

My parents have both taken it upon themselves to ensure I'm still able to function on my own. I spent the first eighteen years of my life without them, and now barely a day goes by that I don't hear from them one way or another. Even Dimitri's family contacts me, calling me to talk to Dimitri, or just me. Olena often tells me she's proud of me, that she loves me, that she is thrilled that me and Dimitri have worked things out.

Everyone seems to be, and I receive constant emails from Karolina, Sonya, Viktoria, and even Yeva. Who knew she even knew how to use the internet, I figured she would have stuck to sending telepathic messages. Nevertheless, it puts a smile on my face every time I receive a story about Paul, or a picture of the babies.

Sometimes, with so many people so close to me, it's easy to forget about Viktor.

Dimitri and I are currently in the apartment's kitchen, making dinner. We don't speak, but the silence is warm, comfortable, and familiar. I'm chopping up vegetables when I suddenly feel arms slide under my arms, wrapping around my waist. I move the knife out of the way, only to have Dimitri steal a stalk of celery and move away.

I swat at his hands, and he chuckles. "I don't believe I've been scolded for stealing food like that since I lived at home."

Laughing, I shake my head, and empty the contents of the cutting-board into the boiling water. "Speaking of, have you called Olena back? She phoned yesterday. Apparently, even Russia heard about the events of that night. She's worried about you."

He sighs, and gives a tired half-smile. "My Mother always worries."

"She kind of has a reason, Sweetheart." Although it's a sarcastic nickname, he doesn't seem to mind, and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his cheek on my back.

"I suppose. I've given her enough to worry about, these past couple of years."

Suddenly, someone is knocking on the door: our guests have arrived. To my surprise, it's Adrian. I embrace him, assessing his appearance. He looks so much better, so much healthier. His skin is no longer transluscent, and the dark circles under his eyes have almost entirely disappeared.

"Adrian! How are you? Where's Jill?" I tease, but only half-joking.

He smiles, his hands shoved into his pockets. "She's at her parents house. We decided that it would best if I didn't join her."

"We?" I ask, raising a brow. An awkward smile breaks onto his face.

"Well, I did... I've never met a girl's parents before!"

"A girl you like?" I don't back down, challenge him, trying to keep the smirk from my face.

"So... can I come in?"

I laugh and gesture grandly, letting him into the apartment. The whole space is filled with aromas of a rich meal, one we've spent days preparing for.

Dimitri comes out of the kitchen, wearing his only dress outfit - a classic black knit sweater and trousers. He warmly shakes Adrian's hand.

"Hello, Adrian. Can I get you a drink?"

I hold my breath, but relief floods through me as I hear him request, "Coffee, would be great."

Once again, someone pounds on the door, and Lissa and Christian step through the door, toting a pumpkin pie.

"Rose!" Lissa wraps her arms around me, and Christian shakes Dimitri's hand, before they switch, Christian kissing my temple and giving my hair a gentle tug.

Our tiny apartment is now bustling, and we herd everyone over to the dining room, each taking a seat. Dimitri is rubbing my knee under the table, the men drinking coffee, both Lissa and I nursing glasses of red wine.

Since we're all without family, or family that we can stand to be around, we're all able to be together during the holidays. It goes uninterrupted, until Adrian receives a phone call.

He blushes, actually blushes, and excuses himself from the table. "Who is it Adrian?" Christian calls to him. "Is it Jill? Tell her I say hi!"

We all have a good time, calling and jesting, until Adrian reenters the room and pleads for us to stop with a desperate look.

"Yes. Okay. Alright. Happy Thanksgiving, Jill." Suddenly, he shoots us a glance, turning and cradling the phone against his ear. "See you Saturday."

He sits back down at the table, pretending he doesn't notice our stairs.

"So..."

"Shut up, Christian."

"Aww, Adrian," I coo. "I think it's great. Jill's adorable!"

"And God knows you've never been shy about women before..." Dimitri adds, a smile on his lips. But we all know Jill is different.

Quickly, his shyness fades, and the old Adrian is back. "You're might. Maybe I need a bit more practice; get back in the swing of things." He gives a rather flamboyant wink in my direction, just to get under Dimitri's skin. Luckily for me, now that we're together, Dimitri isn't the jealous type, but he does make a rather big show of wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders, much to everyone's amusement.

This, this is what I've longed for in the last few years. Normalacy. A nice, quite dinner with the people who are practically my family. There's no burdens hanging over our head. No danger, no distance. We're dependant on each other.

God knows we've been through enough together.

Dinner goes off flawlessly, and nothing was burned or ruined or dropped onto the floor. After we've all eaten, we move into the living room, rather, the space in the apartment that holds a sofa and armchair. Adrian lounges on the sofa next to Lissa and Christian, while Dimitri and I share the armchair. Well, Dimitri sits on the armchair - I sit on Dimitri.

In times like these - it's easy to forget. Easy to forget the memories that plague us, easy to forget those we've lost.

I'm up to my elbows in dishwater, trying to avoid splashing my dress. I'm nearly finished the plates when I feel his hands on my hips.

"Dimitri, are you going to let me finish washing up?"

He leans against me, pressing his lips against my shoulder, wrapping his strong arms around my waist. "I just finished cleaning the dining room, the extra food is in the fridge."

"Thank you," I say sweetly, and turn my head, just enough to press a kiss to his forehead with the side of my lips. "Happy Thanksgiving."

He smiles. "Happy Thanksgiving. It's still a silly holiday."

This was the first Thanksgiving that Dimitri had really celebrated, and he still never ceased to stop teasing me about it.

"It's not a silly holiday! It's a good idea, to take the time to be thankful for the things you may take for granted!"

"Why can't I be thankful for these things every day of the year? I don't need a specified day to be thankful..."

"Well, I'm thankful to be alive, to be well, that my friends are healing and healthy. I'm thankful that you're with me."

Dimitri brushes his head from side to side, tickling my back. "I'm thankful for you..."

I laugh. "Is that it? That's all your thankful for?"

Shrugging, he laughs as well, kissing up my neck. "I'm thankful that you saved my life, that you saved my soul, that you made me live, that you like my family, that you love me. But it seems ridiculous that I'd have to pinpoint a certain day to tell you."

"Well, without Thanksgiving Day, we wouldn't be having this conversation..."

I can feel Dimitri's frown against my skin. "Touche."

I can't help but laugh once more. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yes. You know I love you more, right?"

Easy, light-hearted banter, like a real couple, like a normal couple. Like two people who aren't plagued by horrible memories. It's easy to forget, when I have someone that allows me to be so dependent on him. It's easy to forget, when I take care of him, when he is so dependent on me.

"How long did it take you to fall asleep after your nightmare, last night."

He shrugs. "Not long. Thank you for rubbing my back, by the way."

I smile, straining even higher than the length of my heels, folding my arms around his neck, pressing my lips against his own.

"It's no problem at all."

Yes, it's easy to forget, but it's remembering that's hard.

So, I guess it's over! And as glad as I am to finally get this story over with, I think I might miss it.

Well, right now, I'm thinking about writing a shorter story for VA, one that definitely won't be 42 chapters ;D

I was thinking an angsty type of fic, a Rose/Dimitri (of course). So far, I've got the first chapter, but want to know if anyone's interested.

Here's the summary so far, as it may be up for editing:

After he's saved, Dimitri disappears entirely, fading from everyone's minds over the course of several years. But suddenly, he's back at Court, and he needs Rose now more than ever. But although Rose tries to help him, she knows he's hiding something... something big.

Well, that's about it! Thank you to everyone who is reading/has ever read this fic, and a huge thanks to everyone who's reviewed!