Bundle of Joy
Chapter Five

Rose's point of view

"Rose?" Dimitri asked, coming into out room after his shift with Christian.

"In here," I called, sitting in the small, attached lounge, watching some show on HBC.

Dimitri entered and I looked up, smiling. "Hey comrade, how was your shift?"

He shrugged, "Alright. I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?"

He reached into his pocket and took out a small, black box. My eyes went from his face to the box and my heart stopped.

"Don't look so scared," he said, allowing a soft laugh to escape his lips. "It's not what you're thinking."

"Are you sure because I've seen this in all the movies y'know. Surprises that come in those kid of wrappings usually lead to some pretty steamy newlywed sex." My voice was half joking and half terrified.

I loved Dimitri, of course I did, but I didn't want to get married until I was at least between twenty-one and twenty-five.

He chuckled, "Relax." He came over to me, and sat next to me. "It's not an engagement ring. Not yet, at least."

I smiled involentarily at the idea of being Ms. Dimitri Belikov. But I still didn't want that just yet. Even with a baby on the way. Everyone would think he was only marrying me because of the baby - after they realized it wasn't Adrian's - and I didn't want that, either.

He opened the small box, and revealed a tiny banded, silver ring with small embellishments around the band and a small sparkly stone in the middle.

"It's charmed with the elements. Consider it a promise ring. Someday we wil get married and with this ring it's a little more protection against stirgoi."

I smiled, the ring sparkling in the light from above. It was gorgeous and definitely not too much. He took it out and slipped it onto my finger. For a second, I was speechless - which doesn't happen very often.

"I love it," I said, moving my eyes from the sparkly ring on my left hands ring finger to his face. He seemed just as happy as I did.

"I knew you weren't ready to get married," he said gently, leaning in and cupping my face in his large, weathered hands. "but I do want to make sure you know that you're never alone."

"I know that," I whispered, closing my eyes and leaning in to kiss his lips. "Sometimes in the past it was hard to let people in. When you got changed..." I shivered. "Even though I had Lissa I felt extremely incomplete. You're both halves of me. Well, thirds now, I guess." The baby. "I thought when you were changed back you'd just come running back to me and I was so angry that you had this complete worship for Lissa and wanted nothing to do with me. I felt like I had lost you, and..." I frowned.

Dimitri frowned, and took my entire frame into his arms on his lap. "I was scared, Rose. I was haunted, and still am sometimes, of what I did to all those innocent people, and especially what I did to you. I felt ashamed and facing you was too hard. When you persisted though," he said, chuckling. "I had to just disconnect myself as much as possible. I felt devoid of all emotion."

I nodded. "I know, I'm glad things are better now. Since that time in the alley... I knew things could only get better."

He smiled and kissed me passionately. We stayed like that for a while, kissing and touching as though we woulf die if we pulled apart. It was nice to have such an emotional - and physical - attraction to someone. A knock on the door interrupted us, though and I sighed, pulling away and untangling my fingers from his hair. I smirked at him before getting up and going to the door.

As I opened it, I saw Dr. Steven's and my mother on the other side. I quirked a brow. "What's going on?"

"Can we come in?" Dr. Steven's asked.

I nodded, stepping aside. I was suddenly worried that something was wrong with me, or the baby, but as they shut the door behind them and Dimitri came to my side, I sat down on our bed.

"Everything still seems to be going good, however I want an ultrasound," Dr. Steven's said. "If you had time now I can get you. I think I may have some answers as to how this happened, too."

My mom didn't look to pleased still, arms crossed over her chest. "Come to her office and she'll explain things."

I nodded and looked at Dimitri before we grabbed our coats and shoved on our shoes, leaving our room and following the two older women to her office.

It was late, but there were still some people wandering through the hallways and I felt awkward. They were all royals, and they watched as I walked by, whispering to one another. I had a feeling that enough time had passed for the news to have competely made it's rounds and I gulped. I was used to being the center of attention, but I didn't like how the story was wrong. It wasn't Adrian's, and I felt as though it caused him more pain to hear that around campus considering I had broken up with him, than if people were saying it was Dimitri's. I knew Adrian wanted a future in us, but I couldn't give him that, not when my heart laid with someone else, even when he was pushing me away. I had deluded myself into thinking that I could love someone to the extent that I loved Dimitri. It wasn't Adrian, it really was me.

We walked in silence for a few, long moments before finally arriving to her office. No one was there, not even the receptionist. It was late and I assumed she only responded to emergencies in the nighttime. This wasn't really an emergency but I also asusmed my mother told her to try and keep it quiet.

"In here," Dr. Steven's motioned us into the last room. It had an ultrasound machine set up and she told me to lay down on the bed.

I took a deep breath in and laid down, Dimitri by my head, holding my hand, and my mom at my feet. Dr. Steven's came around to the other side of me from the one Dimitri was on, and turned the small monitor on. "This will be a little cold," she said gently, as she pulled my shirt up to reveal my belly. She squirted some blue-ish gel on my belly and as she spread it carefully with the little stick attached to the monitor, Lissa came in, Christian staying in the door frame. "Your mom told me," she whispered, coming up by my head and placing her hands on my shoulders.

I looked to my mom and gave her a small smile before Dr. Steven's tried to get a picture. I closed my eyes. This was real... She was about to show me my baby. My and Dimitri's baby. I looked up to the monitor and waited, but almost immediately I could hear two heartbeats coming from the machine and finally, she got a picture at the bottom of my belly. A four week fetus looked nothing more than a seahorse, but it hit me.

My eyes welled up and it was a mixture between happiness and terror. How was I going to raise a baby?

"Wow," Dimitri said beside me. He squeezed my hand and Lissa's grip on my shoulders tightened. "Oh my God, Rose!" She squeeled happily.

And I started crying.

My mom came up beside me and Dimitri let my hand go so she could come closer. "This isn't going to be easy, Rose..."

I nodded, silent tears streaming down my cheeks. When I started to speak, I hiccuped. "I can't do this..."

Lissa ran her fingers through my hair. "Yes, you can. You have all of us," she said softly. "Look Rose, it's a miracle. A little baby. Your baby."

Dimitri understood that I was shaken up and my mom rubbed my upper arm. Dr. Steven's printed out the pictures. "The baby looks fine," she concluded, turning the machine off and wiping the gel off my stomach with a towel. "I know it's overwhelming," she said. "But I think this whole situation has to do with the fact that you were Shadow Kissed, Rose. You died, and came back to life and when Lissa did that, a larger portion of you was moroi than dhampir. I think that's why you excelled so much faster than your classmates. You inherited a lot of moroi genes, and when that happened, I think your body changed slightly and it was able to kick-start your reproductive system."

"But why didn't this happen sooner?" I asked softly.

Dr. Steven's quirked a brow. "What do you mean?"

Dimitri and I had slept together before we had five weeks ago but I couldn't tell them that because we weren't supposed to of slept together then, it was forbidden. "Uh, well, five weeks ago wasn't exactly my first time with a dhampir," I admitted. "I was with one a few months back, but this didn't happen."

Dimitri knew it was him, and he stayed quiet.

Dr. Steven's shrugged. "Some people try multiple times before it happens, others have one accident and it happens. It all has to do with your cycle, etc."

I nodded and took a deep breath in.

"I want to do an ultrasound every 3-6 weeks, okay?"

Dimitri nodded, "So this pregnancy... Everything should go okay, right?"

For a second, I got the impression Dr. Steven's didn't approve of Dimitri having got such a 'young girl' pregnant and I shuddered. "Yes," she answered gently. "It should. Just take care of her, she may have some complications, nothing major, but there's many foods to deal with morning sickness and that kind of stuff."

He nodded and looked to me. I wanted some time alone with him. "See? Everything will be fine."

I nodded. "Physically, yes."

I was completely overwhelmed and Dr. Steven's handed me the pictures. "Take care of yourself. If you have any questions or anything, you know where to find me."

I gave her a small smile and thanked her before we all got ready to leave.

Authors note:
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Any questions, suggestions, etc, just put them in your reviews as per usual!
-Dramaticfield