Hey there, I'm back with a new story! I won't stall and just let you read the first chapter. Hope you'll like it :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.

CHAPTER 1

DPOV

"Inna, could you tell your sister to come down?" I asked as I helped Liam into his coat. "We really need to leave."

She nodded and ran back upstairs. I glanced down at my watch again and cursed silently. We were going to be late if we didn't leave right now. Luckily, Inna came back downstairs seconds later, with Alisa in tow.

"You got everything you need for school?" I asked them. They both nodded and I sighed in relief. "Great. Let's go then."

I picked Liam up and carried him outside to the car. After securing his seatbelt, I hurried over to the driver's side and got in. I dropped Inna and Alisa off at their school and waited until they were inside the school building before driving to Liam's school.

When we got there, Liam started to squirm in his seat. "Daddy, I don't want to go," he whined, gripping his teddy bear.

I sighed and got out of the car, opening the passenger's door. "I know, but you're going to have to, buddy," I said, ruffling his hair.

He was still pouting, but then nodded reluctantly and let go of his teddy bear as he climbed out of the car. I walked with him to the playground. As soon as we were there, he started clinging to my leg.

"Can't you take me back home?" he whispered, looking back up at me.

I sighed again and knelt down in front of him. "I wish I could, Liam."

He looked down. "I miss Mommy."

My heart sank. "I know," I whispered, pulling him into a hug. I felt so bad for him. I wish I could cheer him up somehow, but the only thing that would be able to cheer him up was his mother and she was gone. "I know, Liam."

He pulled out of the hug and looked at me. "You're not going to leave me, too?"

I gave him a small, sad smile. "Of course not." Clearing my throat, I said, "I'll pick you up at one o'clock, okay?"

Liam frowned. "But, Daddy, I was going to go and play with Toby after school. I was going to go to his house. Don't you remember?"

"Oh right!" I said. I'd completely forgotten about that. "Right. Then I'll pick you up before dinner, okay?"

"But I was going to have dinner there," he said. "Toby's mom is going to make pancakes. Last week you said it was okay if I'd stayed for dinner."

Now that he'd mentioned it, I remembered saying that. "Okay," I agreed. "I'll pick you up after dinner, then."

"Okay. Bye Daddy," Liam said before turning around and running towards his friends.

I watched him for a few moments before turning around and walking back to my car. Glancing at my watch again, I noticed I was going to be late for work. Again. This was probably the third time I'd arrived late at work this week. I was lucky they hadn't fired me yet.

Hurriedly, I got inside my car and sped off to work. Just like always, it was hectic, but I managed. After work, I went to pick up Inna and Alisa and drove them to their dance classes. I wish I could stay and watch, but I still had to do some grocery shopping.

I was just leaving the supermarket when my phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket and put it against my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Dimitri."

"Oh, Christian," I said, recognizing his voice. "What's up?"

"Just checking if you didn't forget my friend's coming over to your place in less than half an hour," he said casually.

I came to a stop. "What?"

Christian sighed. "Of course you forgot. Why am I not surprised?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused, as I started walking again.

"My friend! She's coming over to your place for the interview in-"

Suddenly, I remembered. "Shit!" I cursed loudly.

"You remember now?"

I clenched my jaw. "Yes." I glanced down at my watch for about the hundredth time today. I still had about an hour before I had to pick up the girls from their dance classes. "I'm coming home now. Make sure she's there in time."

Christian laughed. "You better be in time."

"I'm on my way," I grumbled before disconnecting.

I quickly loaded everything into the trunk and drove home. Hopefully, this girl was serious about the job and wasn't going to be another waste of my time.

RPOV

I checked myself one last time in the mirror before turning around to my best friend, who was sitting on my bed.

"Are you sure I look okay?" I asked. "You think this is okay for an interview?"

I was wearing a white blouse and a black pencil skirt. I know it was a little formal – maybe a little too formal for the nature of this interview – but I wanted to look at my best. I really wanted this job and, to be honest, I really needed the money.

Christian rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, you look amazing, Rose. Seriously, stop worrying. You're not going to a job interview."

"But I am," I said frowning.

He let out another sigh. "It's not a real job, Rose. It's just some babysitting."

"Whatever," I said shrugging. "I need to look good if I want this job."

"As long as you don't look like some blond bimbo, you'll be fine," Christian assured me. "Dimitri didn't like those."

I turned to the mirror again. "Should I let my hair loose or pull it into a ponytail?"

He groaned. "God, Rose. What does it matter?"

"Just answer the question, Christian," I said.

"Let it loose," he suggested. "Otherwise it looks even more formal."

"Okay."

Now that I was finished getting ready, I sat down beside him on the bed, hoping time would pass by quickly so I could get this interview over with.

"Tell me more about him," I said, "and his kids."

Christian blew out a breath. "I already told you about them."

"Yeah, but I want to know more," I pressed. "I want to be prepared for the interview."

"Fine," he sighed. "You already know he has three kids, right?"

"Yes. Inna, Alisa and Liam," I said quickly.

"Inna is the oldest. She's ten. Alisa is eight and Liam is nearly five years old."

I nodded, but then frowned. "Wait, how old did you say he was again?"

"I didn't. Dimitri's twenty-eight years old," Christian responded.

My eyes widened. "Wow. So, he was eighteen when he became a dad? That's so young!"

"Yeah, well, it was his own fault," Christian mumbled, shrugging. "He knocked up my aunt."

An awkward silence fell as soon as he mentioned his aunt and he quickly looked away. A few weeks ago, his aunt Tasha had passed away. She'd died in a car crash and now Dimitri had to take care of their kids on his own. Christian had told me Dimitri was looking for a babysitter because he couldn't run a household by himself since he had a full-time job. And now that Tasha had died, he really needed that job.

I put my hand on Christian's arm and squeezed it gently. He didn't really like to talk about his aunt so I decided not to press for further information.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Well, anyway, Dimitri is a computer technician at some company and right now he's in desperate need for a babysitter so you make sure you get the job, okay?" He forced a smile. "I want someone trustworthy to watch over my cousins."

I grinned. "Then why don't you do it?"

"No way," he said, shaking his head. "Don't get me wrong, I love them, but they drive me crazy after an hour. They can be pretty loud, especially Liam."

I laughed.

"But since…you know, my aunt…" he continued quietly. "They're kind of not themselves, you know? They're quieter."

"It must be really hard for them," I said, nodding. "For you, too," I added, giving him a sympathetic smile.

He smiled at me sadly. "I guess it'll get better in time."

"So, tell me more about Dimitri," I suggested, trying to distract him from his aunt. "What's he like?"

He frowned. "I don't know him all that well, actually. He doesn't talk much."

"Oh, you don't get along?" I asked, a little worried.

"Sure we do. He's a nice enough guy, but he's kind of quiet. He likes to keep to himself."

"Oh. What about the kids, then?" I asked. "Does he give them the silent treatment, too?"

Christian laughed; it was a genuine laugh, which I was glad for. "Oh no. He adores his kids."

I smiled. "Well, that's good to know."

He nodded and sighed. "I guess I should call Dimitri. He's probably forgotten you're coming over."

"Okay."

I waited patiently as Christian called Dimitri. It turned out that he actually had forgotten that he was meeting me. Good thing Christian had called to check. Otherwise I would've been standing at his door for God knows how long.

"He's on his way home," Christian said as he put his phone into his jeans pocket. "You'd better go before you're late."

I snorted. "It seems like he is going to be late."

"Well, if you're early it's going to score you some points already," Christian retorted as he pulled me up from the bed.

I grinned. "Hmm. That's true."

Suddenly, the door to my room opened and my roommate stepped inside.

"Ugh, you again," she groaned as she looked at Christian.

Christian smirked. "It's nice to see you too, Avery."

She rolled her eyes and strode over to her side of the room. "Don't you have your own room? Why are you always here?"

"I don't know. There's something really fascinating about a girls' room," Christian retorted slowly, a wicked glint in his eyes. "You never know what you can find in here."

She gave him a disgusted look and turned away from him, muttering, "Creep."

I chuckled. "Cut it out, Chris."

He just shrugged and opened the door, walking out of my room.

"I'll be back in a bit," I muttered to Avery.

"Whatever," she said shrugging.

I sighed and closed the door behind me. Avery and I didn't get along all that well and it seemed like it was going from bad to worse. I wish I could switch to another dorm room, but that was not possible. All rooms were occupied and I'd already asked around if someone wanted to trade, but as soon as they heard they would have to share a room with Avery, they declined. It seemed like Avery had made herself popular in our dorm building – note the sarcasm.

Christian was waiting down the hall, and together, we walked out of the dorm. He stopped outside the building and turned to me, smiling.

"Good luck, Rose."

"Thank you," I said, smiling back. "I'll catch up with you later."

He nodded and walked off to his dorm building. I walked across campus, taking out the piece of paper with Dimitri's address on it. It wasn't far from here so I decided to walk instead of taking the bus.

When I arrived at his house, after a ten minute walk, I noticed a car in the driveway. Good. That meant he was home.

I looked at my watch and saw that I was right on time. Suddenly feeling a little nervous, I walked towards the front door. As I passed his car, I looked into the window to see if I still looked okay. I smoothed down my hair and put some lip gloss on and then continued my walk to the front door.

Taking a deep breath, I rang the bell and waited. When the door finally opened, I couldn't help the small gasp that escaped my lips. There was a tall and very handsome man standing right in front of me. Tucking a strand of his shoulder-length brown hair behind his ear, he looked at me and smiled. Damn, Christian could've told me how hot he was!

"Hi. Are you Christian's friend?" Dimitri asked. God damn… His accent!

He started frowning and I realized I was staring at him. Quickly, I blinked, snapping out of my daze, and closed my mouth. Clearing my throat, I said nervously, "Uh, yeah, I'm Rose."

"My name's Dimitri," he said, "but Christian probably already told you that?"

I nodded.

"Well, come on in then," he said, offering me another smile.

I smiled back and he stepped aside so I could enter, closing the door behind me.

So what do you think? You liked it? Hated it?

I made Rose and Christian best friends again. I seriously love those two as friends! They make a great team :P

Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Hope you have a nice day/evening! :)