DPOV
After spending half the afternoon running around after Jen while she learned how to ride her trike I was stuck in Alberta's office trying to convince her to let Jenée have her way and bring it with us on the ski trip.
"It's a ski trip, Belikov." It was abundantly clear she was trying not to laugh at my expense. I know, I know. I'm whipped. Jenée's got me wrapped around her little pinkie and when she says jump I can't help asking how high.
"I know, but she's little, Alberta. Surely you can't expect her to walk or be carried all over the lodge." I'd seen the layout a million times over. It was too big for a two year old to get from Rose's room to mine, from mine to the dining hall, or from the dining hall to the ski slopes. And knowing Jen, she was likely to want to go everywhere three or four times a day.
"She's a dhampir, Dimitri, she'll be fine. Besides, haven't you been working with her as well as Rose?" How the hell did she know?
"Yeah..." I replied hesitantly, not quite asking the question.
"Then she'll survive without the trike. I honestly don't know why you two bought her that thing."
"She's a child and she loves Disney Princesses. How could we not?"
Alberta couldn't hold her guardian composure any longer. She laughed. "You could have gotten her a Little Mermaid coloring book, you didn't have to buy her a trike she'll likely outskill and outgrow by the end of the school year."
"Possibly. And we got her the coloring books too- she's already taking them."
Alberta shook her head in amusement and resignation. "Okay. Take it, just try to get Rose to keep her on the slopes."
That'll be easy. Not.

"Mitri!" her sweet little voice called when I stepped on the jet. "Tike, Papa? Papa got tike?"
"It's trike, Jen, and yes, it's coming with us." I sat in the free spot next to Rose and Jen crawled onto my lap before I could buckle up. I laughed when she hugged me so tightly anyone else would think she was suffocating me and showered me in thanks and gratitude in English and Russian. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Rose throw her head back into the seat in frustration. I smirked at her. "You know you love it so stop being so dramatic."
She playfully slapped my arm.
"Momma! No hurt Papa!" chastised an innocent Jen. Then that look crossed her face.
"Jen," I warned, "Momma didn't hurt Papa." She pouted and I began to understand why Rose always wanted Jen in her line of sight. "Jen, don't even think of it."
"But Papa!" she whined softly. I hated having to resist those cute brown puppy eyes but it was safest very few knew she could use magic. Especially the healing with spirit.
"No buts, Jenée Hathaway."
She pouted but listened regardless.
Rose sighed, shook her head, and smiled. I knew what she was thinking in this moment: This is our crazy but loveable family.
Most of the rest of the others on the jet were conversing in groups, but a certain Scottish dhampir mother was watching us with curious eyes. "Go say hi to Nana, Jen," I nodded across the aisle and a row back to where Janine was sitting. It made me delighted to see Janine settling into the role of Jenée's grandmother, but it scared me knowing that I had her wrath to face one day soon and that day crept closer every hour Rose's graduation did, unbeknownst to Janine.
Jenée nodded and jumped down from my knee to run over to Janine. "Hi Nana!" she cheered.
"Hey Jen," Janine smiled and lifted Jenée up into a hug. "You're getting so strong, baby girl," she laughed and scrunched her face up as if Jen's vice grip hurt.
"Nana! Am not!"
Rose and I smiled while Janine buckled Jen in for take-off.
"She's definitely my girl, isn't she?"
I chuckled at Rose's observation. "Yes, Rose. She's all the best bits of you."
"Hey! She's picked up some of your finest qualities too."
"Is that right?" I deadpanned.
"You're a fool to think otherwise."

Rose's teasing smile was absolutely precious and lit her up in a way that made my heart skip a beat because she was just that heartbreakingly beautiful, the definition of gorgeous. There was no way she could possibly be only seventeen, not with that mature beauty, not with the way she adored and mothered Jenée. That smile, so youthful yet so, so mature, made me fall in love with her all over again, as if it was even possible for me to be in love her any more deeply than I already was.

Silence surrounded Rose and me, yet it wasn't awkward. Silence had never been and could never be awkward around us. I pulled Louis L'Amour's 'Hondo' out of my bag.

"I'm honestly surprised Jen hasn't picked up your Western obsession."
I chuckled. "She's two, Rose. If she picks it up it won't be for a while."
"She's Daddy's little girl," Roza retorted. "I'm pretty sure she's going to pick it up at some point."
I smiled and shook my head. "Don't forget she's also Momma's baby Princess so she may not become obsessed with the Old West."
Rose waggled her eyebrows. God! I just wanted- no, needed- to kiss that look away. "I don't know why you sound so sure."

When we reached the lodge I split from Rose and Jenée- much to Jenée's disappointment. I found myself walking through the elaborately decorated and fitted-out lodge to the guardian wing. We were twinning like the students and most other guests, but our rooms were the least expensive, lowest standard rooms but I knew from analysing layouts with Alberta that our rooms were still excessive by guardian standards. King beds, thick and plush carpet, huge wardrobes, bar fridge, and jacuzzi all included in the budget twin share rooms.
"How do you handle her, Belikov?"
"Who?" I asked Janine.
"Jenée... and Rose. How do you handle them?"
Keeping my mask in place was crucial but extremely difficult. "I really don't know how to explain it." Other than loving them to bits.
"Rose has made a good Mom, for her age and future career. Hasn't she?"

I thought back Rose's heartbreak while recounting Art asking her to hypothetically choose Jen or Lissa. Even just hypothetically, having to choose had destroyed a part of her. She'd told me she'd chosen Lissa, but I knew a part of her knew that if and when the time came she'd either hesitate or she would choose Jenée. I didn't understand how such a dedicate mother could think otherwise. She can delude herself into thinking she's going to always be guardian first, but she won't be. She isn't. She's mother first, guardian second. They were at contretemps, but her mother's instinct would win out. There was something special about Jenée that Rose was keeping secret, why Jen's biological father wasn't being disclosed. There was something special about Jen's conception that went beyond Lissa's healing Rose in that crash, but I didn't know what.

"Yeah, she has."
Janine sighed and pulled her hand through her short hair. "You really have become Jenée's father, haven't you?" The nervousness in her voice was clear.
I took a moment to carefully phrase my response. "I guess I have, but I assure you, Guardian Hathaway," sucking up through manners, "it's been borne from the situation not a malicious intent to take the dad roll away from Jenée's biological father."
Janine turned thoughtful for a few moments. "Okay then. Jenée loves you to bits and I can't stand the thought of me hurting her by telling you to stop. She deserves such a good father, but I swear Belikov, hurt her and you'll face my wrath and Rose's. As for Rose..."Oh god, here we go! "I'm okay with you two being friends- you are both parenting Jenée, when push comes to shove- but don't let either of your hearts too attached to each other." Too late for that. Four years too late for that warning. "Remember, Belikov, she's likely to be your guarding partner once she graduates and gets assigned, she's already likely to falter because of Jen, the Princess doesn't need Rose likely to save you over her, too." Again, four years too late for that cautioning.
"Noted," I agreed anyway.
"One last thing, Belikov," I didn't like the foreboding note in her voice, "just because Rose is a mother and you've stepped into Jen's father's role does not mean you can take advantage of her- she's still underage, after all."
I stepped in front of Janine and turned to look the five-nothing lethal guardian and mother in the eyes. "I wouldn't dare dream of it, Hathaway," I told her honestly and seriously, "I'm not that kind of man and I despise those who are."
Something close to approval shone from Janine's eyes. "You had better be because I'm entrusting you with my daughter's and granddaughter's wellbeing, Belikov and I expect nothing less than the utmost respect shown to both of them."
"I wouldn't give them anything less."
"Good. Now we're seeing eye to eye, welcome to this stuffed-up family, Belikov." She offered her hand and I shook it, closing the deal.

I found my room and collapsed on to the bed. Yuri was my roommate and in a bad show of dropping my guardian training I hadn't noticed he was already in the room until he laughed. "What?" I asked.
Yuri laughed again. "I've never seen you act so childish without Jenée around... Papa!" he joked.
I groaned despite the smile radiating on my face and from my eyes. "I haven't had a bed this comfy since I was eleven, give me a break."
"I saw Hathaway Senior interrogate you about Jen. I think half the school guardians saw and heard."
I groaned again at the amusement in his voice. Then I sighed. "It wasn't actually as bad as I expected." I'm guessing that was only because she didn't know just how late her warnings were, just how attached to Rose's heart mine already was.
"It sounded pretty serious to me, Dimitri. I don't get how you can say that wasn't that bad."
I sat up and spun to sit on the edge if the bed and face him. "She could've hauled me off to the farthest slopes, attacked me, and left me there to freeze to death."
Yuri's eyes shone with amusement. "I doubt she'd do that, Belikov. She wants Rose to have the level of support you give her. She wants Jenée to have the type of father you are to her."
"I suppose so." She's still going to do something equally bad to me after graduation.
"You know..." Yuri began mysteriously and mischievously, "I reckon you and Rose would make a cute couple after grad."
I couldn't stop my jaw from dropping. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean, you should ignore Janine's warning about getting too attached to Rose. I mean, you've already taken Jen in as your daughter, so I don't see why you shouldn't try dating the mother of your child. I mean, you and Rose already have this... chemistry, a synchronicity between you, one that heightens whenever Jenée comes into the picture. Just think about it, Dimitri."
"Yuri! She's my student. Not to mention she's seven years younger than me and a minor!" Like that's stopped us before.
Yuri chuckled and shook his head. "I did say after grad, Belikov. Even I know that she'll be well over eighteen by then. Seven years isn't that much, at least when you put it into perspective in the guardian world and that she's already a Mom. It would be a huge gap if she was an eighteen year old Moroi or human, but not in the guardian lifestyle. Just think about it, Belikov, there's already a number of markers that you two would be good in a relationship just from the way you two co-parent Jenée."
I sighed then laughed. "I really don't believe I'm hearing this, Yuri."

A knock on the door and voices on the other side interrupted the silence that had fallen.
"Jen, he mightn't be in there. He will have to work, baby."
"But he is, Momma! I can feel he's in there!" Jen whined in the voice, the one no one could resist.
Smiling, I opened the door to prove Jen right. "Hey Jen, hey Rose."
"Tol' you, Momma!" squealed Jen while she grinned Rose's grin and jumped up in a demand to be picked up and hugged. "Hey, Papa!"
"In English please, Jenée Hathaway."
"Said so, Momma!"
"Are you two coming in or is it pointless because Princess cutie here wants to go somewhere?"
Rose smiled her man-eater smile. "I don't get why, but she wants us to watch her first ski lesson."
I sent Jen a questioning look.
"Please Papa?" she begged while batting her puppy-eyes.
I caved. How could I say no to that face? She had me wrapped around her littlest finger. "I'd be honored and delighted."
"Dimitri! Stop speaking in Russian with her when I'm here. Are you coming to watch with me?" Her brown eyes pleaded with me to come, to keep her company for the two hour lesson.
"Just go, Belikov," Yuri encouraged from behind me.
At the sound of his voice Jen's eyes lit up. Yuri, like Emil, was one guardian Jen got along well with. "Yu-Yu!" she laughed. "Over, Papa! Over to Yu-Yu!"
Yuri took her from my arms and she bear-hugged him like she bear-hugged me. I caught Rose's eyes with my own and that something warm and wonderful flowed between us. We looked back to Jen with love and adoration. Our baby. Shared genetics or no, she was our baby... and she'd grown so, so, so incredibly much over the past few months, shooting up in height and rapidly developing and expanding two vocabularies, increasing in confidence and self-awareness. We couldn't ask for a better two year old to grace this earth, let alone be ours.

While we watched her learning to ski we smiled and laughed and our hearts swelled with love because she was just that cute. She fell a few times, tumbled to the end of the baby courses a couple of times, and she picked it up as if she'd been born doing it at other times. By the end of the lesson I swear she was getting overconfident because she got told of four times for showing off and attempting moves she wasn't ready for. She was Rose all over again and just as talented, just as gifted, just as quick at learning any new skill.
"She's growing up too quickly, Dimitri," complained Rose.
I chuckled and nudged her playfully. "You're being possessive and overprotective again."
"I am not!" Rose defended before Jen sprinted over and threw herself into her mother's arms. "Hey baby. Great work out there. Now, do you want to go inside and have a warm bath?"
"No! Wanna see Momma, Aunty Lissa, Chrissie and Masie ski!"
I laughed when Rose sighed in resignation, then again when she shot me a 'shut up' look. If only, if only I could kiss that look away into her lovesick one. Now so was not the time for those thoughts.

The other three emerged, handed Rose a pair of skis, and exchanged greetings with my little family. Together, the four made their way to the top of the slopes. Lissa and Christian stuck mainly to the easy runs but Mason and Rose took on the harder courses. Jen stayed on my knee and watched her mother and he mother's friends in awe and amusement. As far as I was concerned, Rose and Mason were already recklessly trying to out-do each other and was scared Rose would hurt herself. I knew it was nothing compared to how hard I worked her in training but this was something completely different in my books. Besides, she had Jen watching. Then again, even without Rose's influence Jen had been pulling off just as dangerous stunts.

"You guys are suicidal," remarked Christian when he and Lissa started to tire. They'd just watched Rose and Mason race down the hill at speeds they shouldn't have been able to reach. Mason grinned and Rose laughed while they skidded to a halt and sent snow spraying Jen and me. Jen giggled then wiped the white stuff off her face then snuggled into my chest, starting to cool down and yawn.
"Nah, this is warm-up, kids stuff."
Rose rolled her eyes. "No it's not. Jen did more dangerous runs at the end of her class."
Christian snorted. "What'd you expect? She's your child."
"Watch it, Ozera, I still haven't punished you for that fire stunt you pulled in front of Jen."
After shivering, Jen rubbed her hands and a little flame swirled from and around them.
"And that's exactly why I told you not to!" Rose pointed over at where Jen was nearly asleep on my knee and trying to warm herself.
"Jenée Luca Hathaway, put the fire out," I chastised in her ear.
"But I cold, Papa!"
"Put. It. Out. Or Momma and Papa will send Santa's presents back."
The fire disappeared while Rose agreed to spending more time on the slopes with Mason.
Lissa and Christian came over and Lissa bent down to kiss Jen's cheek. "Do you want to come in with Aunty Liss and Chrissie to see Ed-Ed, or stay with Mitri and watch Momma and Masie for a little bit longer?"
"Momma and Papa," she mumbled sleepily.

When Mason and Rose reached the top of the hill, he pointed out a course I couldn't quite follow but it seemed like the most dangerous one yet. Rose hesitated. Atta girl. For once you're thinking before jumping in head first just because he challenges you. Just as pride swelled within me, dread quashed it when she nodded her agreement and leapt off. She hit a certain set of moguls, jumped over a ridge, then made a hairpin turn at insane speeds, dodged a cluster of trees that were growing close together, then finally landed. She'd pulled the potentially-lethal course off flawlessly with snow flowing up around her. My heart could finally calm down, but I couldn't deny, as scared for her life as I had been she had looked insanely beautiful and invulnerable. Rose made her way to us, signalling she was calling it quits. Mason made his way down, though his skis caught half way down and he tumbled to the bottom of the hill.
As if sensing his pain and before one of the instructors could get to him, Jenée was by Mason's ankle and her face scrunched up in concentration before relaxing blissfully. Rose's face shone with horror when we realised she'd just healed Mason in front of a number of people. Rose and I raced over to Jen and she scooped our baby up and I lifted Mason to his feet.
"What were you kids thinking?" the instructor screeched at Rose and Mason. "What were you thinking, you're a guardian, you should have stopped them!"
I took a steadying breath. "I wouldn't have made it up to them in time."
She nodded before turning back to Rose and gesturing me to bring Mason inside to check for injuries. Not like they were going to find any.

RPOV
"What did she do?" Mase asked in shock when we were relatively alone.
"She healed you," I whispered, readjusting a sleeping Jenée in my arms. "Like Lissa can do off the med's."
Mason's eyes popped and his jaw dropped. "But she's a dhampir?"
"She's the child of a shadow-kissed dhampir," I shrugged. "She's special, she's always been special."
"Wow. Well, I owe her a big thank you."
"Don't you dare. It'll only encourage her and I can't have anyone else knowing- she can't! Not only will it likely elicit teasing and bullying, we don't know what cost her 'talents' come at."

Mason and I parted ways. After putting our stuff back in the storage shed, I went back inside through the back stairs and porch that overlooked the beautiful mountains, the ones closest to the room Jen and I shared with Liss. A voice spoke while I stomped snow of my boots by using the stairs. The surrounding air was thickly scented with something spicy and sweet.
"Hey, little dhampir, baby dhampir."
A Moroi male leaned against the wall, near the door. He rose the cigarette to his mouth.
"Put that thing out before I make you," I growled before he could take another drag of it.
Startled, he dropped it then stamped it out while smiling a smile that would, to any single female, be a fatal womanizing one. It didn't amuse me in the slightest, let alone touch the surface of being attractive. The scent, I realized, was clove cigarettes.
I took a wary step forward and adjusted Jen so she was wrapping her legs around my waist and her head used my shoulder like a pillow. I almost sighed. I would miss these moments where she clung to me. There was no denying she was a part of me, made to fit in my arms and on my hip as she grew up. In no reality could it be denied that she was my baby, that she was always meant to be my baby.
His eyes were blue or green, his hair was what he likely spent hours on creating the so-called stylishly messy do, and his leather dress shoes and cashmere-wool blend coat made him appear to have just come from a dinner party with those who had money... lots and lots of it. He also appeared to be shorter than Dimitri and younger than him too, only a couple of years older than me.
"Yeah?" I asked, keen to get Jen out of the cold before she started using magic in her sleep to warm herself.
I was used to being the Moroi male attention my body attracted, but I wasn't used to it be so blatantly obvious. Especially considering my winter clothes hid everything. Then he took in Jenée, though not in the same way. He seemed... intrigued by her.
"Just saying hi," he shrugged and returned his hands to his coat pockets.
I shrugged and took another couple steps towards the door. If he had nothing useful to say then I was going to go give Jen a bath, have a shower of my own, and put us both to bed for the night. My plans were stalled again when the boy suddenly spoke once more.
"You smell good."
"I... wait, I what?"
"Smell good. You. You smell good."
"You've got to be joking. I've been sweating all day- I smell and feel disgusting." It was an off thing, talking to this Moroi boy. I didn't want to hang around- especially with Jen to look after- but I couldn't help responding when he spoke. It was thoroughly frustrating. In no way was he attractive to me, but he just had that damn charisma that kept you enthralled, that kept you responding to a person even if you wanted to shoot them.
"Sweat isn't a bad thing." Would he just shut up already? He had relaxed into the wall and looked to the sky as if trying to express his next grand idea. Lord help me, get me outta here! "Some of the best things in life happen while sweating." He was a playboy. He had to be a playboy. And likely a royal one at that.
"Yeah, I know," I retorted, "I created the best thing in my life while sweating. I delivered the best thing in my life while sweating." I pointedly smiled down at Jen. "I wouldn't change it for the world."
His face was pricelessly amusing. His shock and slight disgust were plain as a human day. Oh boy, it took all I had not to laugh. "Thanks for that..."
"Rose. And you're welcome..."
"Ivashkov," no wonder he screamed money and arrogance, "Adrian Ivashkov. Nice to meet you, Rose." He extended a gloved hand. I indicated to switch hands because I wasn't about to shift Jen to my other side just to shake a womanizing Moroi's hand. I stepped closer and shook the swapped hand, detecting the smell of alcohol on him. Yup. Arrogant Royal Moroi playboy. "You going to be a mother or guardian when you grow up?"
"Both." And hopefully I can do a good job at balancing them.
His eyes widened in surprise. "How?"
"Not sure, but I'll make it work."
"How long until you grow up?" He reached for another cigarette and I narrowed my eyes warningly.
"Don't even think about it, Ivashkov."
After a twitch of his hand he sighed and followed instructions. "So, when do you grow up? Just incase I need a guardian."
I rolled my eyes. "I graduate in spring. But I'm already spoken for."
"By her father, I bet."
I shook my head. "Nope. By her Aunt, Vasilisa Dragomir."
"Hathaway? You're the Rose Hathaway?" he asked incredulously, surprised.
"Yup. Something wrong with that?" I smirked.
He shook his head. "It's just, with her in your arms you don't look like trouble or danger."
I grinned mischievously. "And that makes me all the more dangerous, doesn't it?"
"Very possibly... I'm sure her father thinks that... That's if you're with him, of course. You could get to know me if you're not."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, her father does think I'm more dangerous because I look harmless with her in my arms. And as for getting to know you? Yeah... no thanks. Not into older guys, 'sides, I'm taken."
He put his hand over his heart and gaped. "I'm wounded, little dhampir."
"Your ego is what's wounded," I corrected. "You're too prideful and arrogant." Why was I still here? I had a child to get out of the cold. Yet here I still was, trying to reason with him and shut him up, to rid him of the chip on his shoulder.
The sound of approaching footsteps prompted me to turn. Immediately, I saw Mia ascending the stairs.
"Are you sure you want to be guardian? Looks like you're begging to be a blood whore."
"And that's my cue to put Jenée to bed. I don't have to put up with a bitchy, narcissistic, self-disrespecting barbie psycho-angel baby."
Adrian made the sound of fighting cats.
"If you were a real parent you wouldn't insult-"
"You're not my child, and I think you're out after curfew." I spun on my heel, but Mia stalked through the door before I could.
"That's a turn on," he said cockily.
"Don't get your hopes up," I warned and pulled open the door, "like I said: I'm taken and not into older men."
"Sure you're not," he called softly but still presumptuously while the door closed after me.

DPOV
Despite being hurt by my second refusal to be her guardian and lover and baby-daddy, Tasha still invited me to her 'training' with Christian. I would've loved to remain blissfully selectively ignorant of the situation. That wasn't an option when I knew Lissa would follow her boyfriend over to his Aunt's room, and because of that Rose would follow... and naturally Jen would be in tow. So, as much as I would have loved to pick up another shift I decided I should make my way over to Tasha's room because someone other than Rose would have to keep Jen under control. Jen and fire magic was a recipe for disaster.

"Hey Dimka," Tasha smiled when she opened the door. "I was scared you weren't going to come."
"Papa!" Jen cried cutely when she spotted me from inside the room and ran over to me.
The smile only she could elicited made it's way onto my face without instruction and ignored the request to hide. "Hey sweetie." I scooped her up into my arms and met Rose's smiling eyes when I carried Jen back into the room. "Hey Momma."
Rose shook her head and laughed. "Morning Papa," she returned playfully.
"Hey Christian, Lissa," I greeted. Lissa was sitting next to Rose on the sofa. Meanwhile, Christian stood in front of the unlit fireplace, surrounded by rearranged furniture.
"Dimitri," Lissa returned with an indulgent smile when her eyes flicked between me and Jen.
"Belikov."
Lissa stood from the sofa and gestured for me to sit next to Rose.
"Lissa..." I declined awkwardly.
"No buts, Guardian Belikov. There's the sofa right there that'll be just as good for me." She nodded to the sofa directly opposite.
"Okay... thanks, Lissa." I sat next to Rose and Jen laid across both our laps, with her feet in her mother's. She had shot up and was now tall enough to do this comfortably. Jen now stood at her mother's hip and about six inches below mine. She was going to be tall, at least while a little, little one.

"So why can't I just stick to the consuming spell?" Christian asked Tasha.
"Has Jen..." I asked Rose quietly, nearly inaudibly.
Rose frowned. "At least twice her hands have lit up. Watch her face, she's studying them, scrutinising every movement and absorbing it. Dimitri... she's not even two and a half! What are we going to do? She wore herself out with Mase yesterday, and yet here she is this morning, literally playing with fire."
I ran a hand through my baby's curls. "If we can't stop her then we just have to do our best to make sure she learns how to control it and when she uses it."
Rose sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder. My other hand ran itself through Rose's curls. "It's all we can do, I guess."
"We'll get through this is."

I carefully studied Jen's face while Tasha flicked her wrist out, sending a jet of fire past Christian. Rose was right, Jen was absorbing what Tasha was teaching Christian. Christian mimicked Tasha's move and Jen pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes in concentration when Christian's flame almost hit her face. He had lacked her control, but she had deflected it, causing it to split and dissolve around her.
"That wasn't bad, that's if you count me needing to deflect you as a part of 'not bad'."
Jen focused on Tasha and before anyone could stop her she too had mimicked Tasha's wrist flick, sending the fire off to Tasha's right then she snaked it around Tasha's head and absorbed it back into her fist.
We all stared at her in shock.
Tasha broke the silence. "How old is she, Rose?"
"Twenty-nine months."
Tasha laughed gently. "You could learn a thing or two, Christian."
"She shouldn't be touching the magic, should you, Jenée Luca Hathaway?" Rose chastised.
"Huh, Momma?" asked a lost-looking and cute Jenée.
"No more magic."
"But Momma! Magic fun! Chrissie do magic."
Rose narrowed her eyes at our daughter. "Chrissie shouldn't be doing magic."
"Papa! Tell Momma magic good." Jen pouted and pleaded in Russian.
"Magic is dangerous, Jen." I turned to face Rose, "Why don't we take her out, huh? Sledding or on the snowmobile?"
"Or we could take her tubing?"
The other three laughed, though Tasha's did sound a little choked.
"You two sound like parents," Lissa laughed.
"We are," we sang in unison.
"Momma! Papa! What tubbing?"
"Tubing, baby girl; we could take you out on the slopes to show you," I offered.
"Please Papa?" She pulled those puppy-eyes on me again.
"As long as Momma comes too?" I looked at Rose with a 'You're not getting out of this' expression. She had suggested it in the first place.

We only got just over an hour together on the slopes, but Rose and Jen stayed while I went to my shift. I had a six-hour ward shift. Talk about the definition of boring. At least I got to walk the whole shift. We were all given 100-foot stretches to check. Normally, it would be at least three-quarters of a mile to a mile, but with recent events, the location and the sheer number of Moroi within this venue's wards our stretches were reduced significantly. We needed more man power out here if the wards were to be broken and breached.

I had another shift to 'clock-on' for an hour after dinner. This time, it was hallway-monitoring for four hours. Lovely. I had to be a shadow for four hours. The longer I was with Rose and fathering Jenée the more I came to hate shifts such as these. Well, to be quite frank, the longer Rose and I reared Jen together the more appealing deserting became. I wanted to take my family and run. I wanted to hide Jenée from judging eyes. I wanted Rose to never have to sacrifice her life for another. I wanted us to be less appealing targets to the Strigoi. But that wasn't going to happen, not when Rose was so determined to guard Lissa. Though, I knew for sure that there was a traitorous part of her that desired the same thing I did, a part of her that craved freedom from the Moroi's binds, freedom from their ignorance and self-centeredness. I knew without a doubt that a part of her desired to take me and Jen and run, to be a family that moved forward and never looked back. But Rose's bond with Lissa stopped that from ever being achievable.

When my shift was over, I 'clocked-off' to find Janine's makeshift HQ in panic. "Just who we need," muttered Janine while pouring over faxes, texts, and emails that were flooding in and the ringtones of were quickly driving me insane. "Belikov, get Rose- just Rose. Leave Jen with the Princess. We need you and Rose to fill us in on similarities with what you two went through in the Badica attack."
"Of course, Hathaway."

The last thing I wanted to do was wake Rose to make her relive that attack. But I did as told and retrieved Rose.
"Dimitri!" Rose quietly exclaimed in shock when she opened the door after I knocked.
"Get changed. Quickly. Leave Jen with Lissa. You're needed in your mother's room."
"Another?" she asked meaningfully, already having pulled the real request from me by my eyes and serious expression.
"Yes."
Rose disappeared inside her room.