DPOV
"How's that grandson of mine?" Abe demanded the second I carried James in the door. I still couldn't get used to that and I doubted I ever would. "Well hand him over, boy, since he's your fault in the first place," he demanded and I set the son-containing capsule on the table.

Abe didn't allow me to do the rest. He loved James, no matter how pissed at me he pretended to be. At least Rose and Janine tried to assure me it was all pretend because he was trying to be the over-protective father and especially since I hadn't asked him or Janine for permission to propose to Rose. I still wasn't so sure, but I had come to somehow trust him with my only baby, my and Rose's miracle.

Exhausted, I sighed mentally as I moved to a pissed Roza's side and helped her show my mother around our tiny apartment. It wasn't big enough for a family at all, really, but unless we have a second we won't be getting an upgrade out... or more like until we have a second, with the way Rose can't keep her hands off me. God, I was getting a problem just thinking about even a simple kiss from her. That woman would never understand what she does to me. I swear.

Rose shot me a look before she took James from Abe. I nodded and let her take control. Abe and my mother looked between us oddly. We shook our heads, we weren't ready to explain just yet. If at all. Rose shooed her father away and I led Mom out the door after pecking Rose's cheek. "I love you both," I murmured seriously. "You'll be fine alone, but you know how to emergency call me if you feel on the verge of panicking."
She mumbled her, "Uh-huh, yep, love you, now get outta here," and ran it all together against my lips.
I chuckled, pecked my fiancée's lips and my son's cheek, and guided Mom out the door to tour Court.

I worried over mother and baby alike. Rose was a brilliant mother- an even more amazing woman- but she couldn't see that. Yet. I loved her commitment to and love for our son, but there were more cracks in her resilience showing. Even around me she put on a brave face, but every night since the one we'd brought him home I found her in the nursery, sleeping in the feeding chair with the CD of Russian lullabies we'd recoded together on the sly back at St Vlad's playing in the background. She couldn't sleep any more unless she was by James' side, and she was now prone to panic attacks. Her guilt and I suspect also the bond may be responsible, but I couldn't know for sure. It was making leaving for Lehigh feel like a ticking time bomb, and I was dreading it. I didn't want to leave Roza relatively alone, but someone had to bring in meagre money for our survival, for James's. We had known this would be hard, but we hadn't foreseen this. No one could have. Rose and Lissa both wanted to use spirit on him, but Rose wouldn't let Lissa touch the magic while pregnant and the doctors wouldn't put Lissa on the med's again while pregnant. Adrian hadn't offered because only Rose, Lissa, the human doctor and I knew what was wrong.

At the main guardian café we came across Janine, finishing up her shift if timing was right. "Oh, hi Dimitri," she greeted warmly. Definitely off shift if using my first name in public.
"Hi, Guardian Hathaway." I was still grovelling, not simply being respectful. I was impressed by how she was changing when we were at home or around James, but I still didn't like her on the in-law level yet. She was still stiff and professional as ever the second duty came into the picture. "Mama, I would like you to meet Rose's mother and James' other grandmother, Guardian Janine Hathaway." To my shock, my mother waved me off and took Janine into her arms.
"It's been a long while, Janie."
I noticed the shock on Janine's face. It was almost amusing, but I was confused beyond belief. What the was happening?
"Nearly two decades exactly," Janine whispered before we stepped up to the counter to order.
I shot my mother a confused look as we sat to await our order's arrival. "You wouldn't remember, Dimka, but when your Rose was about four months old, Janine spent two months with us to escape from some of Abe's enemies and plan her next few steps."
Janine looked to Mom and both gulped before Mom nodded. "Dimitri," Janine said seriously, gravely, the look on my mother's face matched, "one reason I didn't react well to you and Rose is because your father is one of Abe's enemies..."
"Mama? Janine?" I pleaded in worry and confusion. "What else about that bastard don't I know? I want Rose and James safe, what aren't you telling me?" My worry and panic seeped into my voice and out through my mask.
Janine sighed and a pained look showed momentarily. "He tried to rape me," she admitted under her breath, "when I fought back he threatened Rose's life. Last I knew Abe didn't know and he was still keeping a track of Rose's movements." When Janine lifted her gaze to meet my eyes I saw compassion, apology and pleading. "I just want her safe, Dimitri, that's all I've ever wanted. When I learned of your relationship and James I was worried he'd find out, or that he had found her, raped her, and you were taking the fall." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My so-called father was after my Roza?
"I-" what could I say? I was shocked to speechlessness. I kinda wanted to run home to her right now and never let her out of my sight, and I do mean never. But another part of me knew she should never know and that she needed alone time with James right now.

When the true gravity of the situation hit me I was quaking with pure fury and rage. Never before had I wanted that asshole to suffer more than I had made him suffer when I was thirteen. I wanted him dead, by my hand. I'd said it after visiting Victor and threatening to have him killed, but I meant it even more now. I would do anything for Roza and James, absolutely anything to protect my family. If that meant killing two of the worst Moroi in existence then that's what I would do.

I pushed away from the table and left Janine to look after my mother. I'm a terrible son, I know, but right now my son and his mother- the other half of my soul- were more important. I had to be a good father and husband right now, that was my priority. I stopped by the tiny apartment I called home to check on my family. James was sound asleep and breathing normally. Rose was in the feeding chair, as asleep as our son in his cot, the CD was on again and she had her stake in hand. They were peaceful and safe, and I was going to make sure they stayed that way. I know I'd told Rose that my threat of having Dashkov slyly killed was an exaggeration, but I wasn't exaggerating now about having my father tracked and killed. A royal Moroi was not going to be a threat to Rose and James' lives. No one gets away with threatening to kill Rose. No one!

I stepped outside the wards and ran as far from Court as I could get while still receiving cell signal in the middle of nowhere. I put my phone on private before starting the tedious but worthwhile task of working my contacts in all the dirty jobs of our guardian world. My first contact was one of Abe's ex-guardian henchmen. Who still had powerful guardian contacts. And he owed me.

"You're a father, Duster?" Yes, we had code names, and a code in general.
"Yes, and zmey's my father-in-law, Keys."
"Holy shit, man. You scored one dangerous girl."
"Who's in danger," I growled.
"Hence the call." No shit Sherlock, as Roza would say.
"Just find someone who can find someone who can find Target B and..."
"He's on your very bad side isn't he?"
"What do you think?" I snapped. "He's after my wife and by default my child; that's worse than what he did to Matrushka."
"I'll call you when it's done, Duster, so you can relax."
"Thanks, Keys." I'll deal with Target D later. He's not as much of an immediate threat... yet, but I would be keeping a keener eye out.

"Where'd you go?" demanded the three women who dominated my life right now the second I stepped through the door. The sight of Janine and Mom standing either side of a pissed Rose was a scary one.
"Anything could have happened to your son!" continued Rose. I held up my hands in a sign of truce.
"I had business to attend to regarding yours and James' safety," I admitted. I hadn't planned on it since Rose didn't need the extra stress, but she did deserve the truth, and the truth was all I could blurt out under her powerful glare. She really didn't know what she did to me.
"Fine," she sighed after what felt like an eternity. My mother looked at me knowingly, and Janine looked both worried and appreciative. Rose just looked confused and condemning.
I nodded and pulled Rose into our room, knowing she'd command an explanation I didn't want to give her.

"Care to explain yourself?" she demanded. Her exhaustion and worry came through regardless of her attempt to hide it.
I ran a hand through my hair. "You remember after Dashkov I said I'd do anything for you and James?"
Her brown eyes glowed with confusion and knowing. It was a wrong assumption but. "I thought you said that was an exaggeration? Don't tell me you just called...?"
I shook my head before rolling it in a 'well... sorta/ sorta not' figure eight. "I did call someone, but not for who you're thinking."
"Then... no!" she gasped in a whisper.
I nodded sombrely. "He's one of the reasons Janine took you away from Abe and left you at the Academy."
"Then James? Does he know?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. But I'm not letting him get to know. I won't let him get near you." Rose jumped into my arms and cried her thanks. I held her close to my chest and kissed the top of her head repeatedly. Anything to protect her.

Once again, I awoke in the middle of the night to an empty bed. I checked James' room and found Roza as I had expected. Oh honey. My heart went out to her as I watched her feed our son and listened to her hum the first lullaby I'd taught her.

She was so young but so mature, such an amazing mother and woman. She had been since the moment I'd met her and she only continued to get more amazing each day. Each day she surprised me and each day she provided me with yet another reason to fall even more in love with her. How one person could have whipped me so immediately and so easily is beyond me, but I'm so glad she did. Life without her, without her as our son's mother, without our son? Pointless and meaningless.

Rose and James lit up my day and made me feel on could nine while also somehow, impossibly, simultaneously grounding me. They were the most amazing and inspirational part of my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Go back to bed, Comrade," she murmured quietly and looked away from James for a second to meet my gaze. Rose smiled exhaustedly.
I chuckled in response and shook my head. "I've got a ward shift in an hour anyway."
"All the more reason to get an extra half-hour sleep."
"I beg to differ."

I came and sat on the footstool in front of her and placed her feet in my lap as I had so many times before. Massaging them for the first time in five weeks while I reflected on how lucky I was and how much I had actually missed pampering her in this way. It may have been a painfully regular necessity so she could even get out of bed some days, but I missed bringing her pleasure through the almost meditative activity, the simple gesture to her of my love for her.

Roza moaned in delight. "Do you know what you're doing to me?" she whined in pleasure.
I nodded. "Of course," I smirked as I rubbed a particularly sore part of her left heel.
"You really are amazing, Dimitri Belikov." Her warm, soulful brown eyes met mine appreciatively and I got lost in the love that radiated from them. "God, I love you. I honestly don't know how I got so lucky to have you as my mentor, my soulmate and my son's daddy. You'll never know how you've changed my life in so many ways, all for the better."
I smiled. "Oh Roza, you became my life the second I caught you in Portland. You and James are the reason I get up in the morning, or whenever it is I have to, the reason I do my job. Back at the Academy I got up for our trainings wondering what you'd grumble out when you arrived however many minutes late. My last thought before going to sleep was what you were going to do to me tomorrow." It was true. I blushed before admitting the next part. "My dream the night of our first training was of you cheering me up after I first mentioned Ivan. Your smile, your warning glare as you protected Lissa, and your frustration when I refused to let you off all played through my mind that night. You know you're actually attractive when you death glare," I laughed quietly. James had just fallen asleep mid-feed.
"I am not. People shrink back in fear when I dish that out."
I shook my head and laughed again. "I'm not people. Whenever you use it on me you might as well be sticking your tongue out... or pouting. Cute and attractive." This stuff I hadn't yet revealed for obvious reasons.

"How is she?" asked Croft the second I stepped through his office door to sign in.
I suppressed a sigh. "Coping," I stated tiredly.
"Never thought I'd see Hathaway Senior be a grandmother, or Hathaway Junior be such a worry-wort and overprotective mother."
A smile broke out on my face. "When Guardian Rose Hathaway loves it's with all her being and she'll do anything to protect said loved ones. I should know, if anyone."
Croft scrunched up his face momentarily. "Belikov! I didn't need that image. You make one good father, Belikov," he reluctantly and gruffly acknowledged.
I nodded. "Thank you."
Croft lightened minutely but it was detectible. "You know nearly all the ranks worldwide considers you a lucky bastard, myself included?"
I sobered, but that didn't stop the pride that surged through me. "I bet, and have gathered by the looks and comments." I had received a rare offer from Tasha, which those in the guardian ranks who knew about were envious of, but it had been my dhampir soulmate who had already conceived my son. Yeah, I could see why they were jealous and envious.