Epilogue

Rose's Point of View

It was a warm summer's night and Dimitri and I had decided to take Anya to the park. Despite our hectic schedules, we made sure we always had time for each other and most importantly, for Anya. She was fast becoming a miniature replica of me, much to Dimitri's delight. She had just turned 4 and was the biggest tomboy I've ever seen. Soon, she would start kindergarten at St. Basile's Academy. She was excited about this, especially as she had Ethan to keep her company. The two of them were inseparable, often wrestling each other and building sandcastles together. Too often, Lissa would be called to the nursery to pick Anya and Ethan up as they had given someone else a bloody nose. Usually, it's because someone had teased Anya for being a boy or Ethan for catching cooties off Anya. In jest, Lissa blames the mischief they get up to on Anya's predisposed streak of violence; Christian jokingly calls her a bad influence. But I knew that secretly, we were all proud of them for sticking up for each other. I was especially proud of the bloody noses that Anya was already dishing out.

'She's going to break some bones when she grows up,' I smiled proudly at her as I watched her gleefully push herself down the slides, knowing that she'll dominate it until she decided that she's had enough, 'God help whoever crosses her,' I sat myself down on the grass beside Dimitri.

'I think she'll break more hearts than bones,' Dimitri said as he leaned back on his hands, a content smile forming on his face, 'She looks exactly like you,'

'But with your eyes,'

'But with my eyes,' he agreed, his brown eyes crinkling at the sides with laughter. I smiled happily at him as he pulled me in for a kiss.

'She'll never get a date though,' he said solemnly, pulling away from my kisses. I looked at him questioningly, wanting his lips back on mine. 'The poor boy will have to get past me first,' he explained protectively.

I furrowed my brows in mock contemplation, 'Yeah. Terrifying thought,'

'Poor Anya,' he joked, leaning in once more to kiss me. I moaned softly into his kisses as his hands sneaked underneath my top to caress my breasts. 'More like, poor boy,' I whispered, not really caring about much else but the feel of his hands on my hot skin.

He chuckled as rolled me on my back. The grass was slightly wet from last night's rain. He covered my body with his as he kissed me hungrily. It was a Sunday night and there weren't many people in the park, which was good because Dimitri was seriously testing my self-control.

'Papa!'

We looked up to see Anya standing above my head, her little brows knitted in a knot. She looked exactly like Dimitri when he was contemplating something seriously. It made me laugh out loud. She crossed her hands in front of her. 'What are you doing?' she inquired, her large brown eyes were directed at her father.

Dimitri cocked an eyebrow at her and laughed as he rolled off me. I sat myself up as Dimitri picked Anya up and carried her in his arms. He looked at her adoringly, and I saw how much he loved her. She looked exactly like me, but she had the same mannerisms as he did. She mimicked his frown when I placed something she didn't like on her plate – like carrots, and she had Dimitri's slow, guilty smile when she had too many sweets before dinner and was trying to hide it from me. Once, I saw her raise an eyebrow at Dimitri and me when she waddled into our room, catching us in the middle of something private. Dimitri found it terribly amusing. I had never seen him prouder of our little girl.

'Were you hurting Mama?' she demanded sulkily. Dimitri threw his head back as he let out a deep laugh. He gave her a tight cuddle as he said, 'Mama's not hurt; she loves it,'

Anya's eyes brightened as she tried to wriggle her way out of Dimitri's arms. He put her on the ground and she rushed towards me, nearly toppling me over. Gently, much to the amusement of both Dimitri and I, she pushed me towards the ground. I complied with her request, easing myself flat on the ground, feeling the dampness in the grass again. Dimitri sat down beside us, his eyes full of silent laughter as Anya placed herself on top of me, imitating the way Dimitri was.

'Do you like this Mama?' Anya asked. I couldn't have loved her more as I laughed my response, 'I love it honey, I love you,'

I felt her smile against my neck as she sighed happily. As I gave her a kiss on her forehead, I caught Dimitri's gaze. He was staring lovingly at the both of us as he reached out to stroke her dark hair. He laid himself down beside me and extended an arm towards me. I lifted my head slowly as I wriggled into his embrace, careful not to disturb Anya who was by now, snoring softly on top of me. It wasn't unusual for her to fall asleep unexpectedly, especially when she spent most of the day running around with Ethan. Dimitri planted a kiss on my forehead as I looked up towards the sky.

It was a beautiful night and the stars shone brightly in the sky. Dimitri and I tried to make out the different constellations as we enjoyed a rare quiet time together. 'Aren't they beautiful?' I gushed.

'Not as beautiful as you, Roza,' Dimitri said gruffly, as he nuzzled against my cheek. I blushed in the darkness. After all these years, I still couldn't get used to his compliments. They still transported me to a time when I was 17 and crushing heavily on my mentor.

'Oh look, a shooting star!' I exclaimed, 'Let's make a wish!' I closed my eyes and wracked my brains for something to wish for. Frustrated that I couldn't think of anything, I decided to take a peek at Dimitri. I opened my eyes to see him staring intently at me.

'Did you make a wish?'

He shook his head. 'You sure know how to waste an opportunity, Comrade,' I teased, my old nickname for him accidentally slipping through. I hadn't used it in years.

He looked pleasantly surprised at the slip of my tongue as he brought his lips slowly to mine. 'I already have everything I could possibly wish for,' he whispered lovingly before kissing me deeply. My heart soared with joy as I stared into his eyes. They burned with all the love in the world.

He lifted Anya's sleeping form off me before helping me to my feet. And with Anya in his arms, we walked hand in hand back to the house we shared with Lissa and Christian, knowing that Lissa would be waiting for us to start dinner.

'I didn't wish for anything either,' I said, smiling at him as we neared the house.

His eyes twinkled knowingly as he asked, 'Why?'

'I already have everything I could possibly wish for,' I repeated. And his laughter filled my heart with love, joy and devotion.

- The End -

And there it is, the very end of it all. I hope you've enjoyed reading (and I'm sorry for flooding your inboxes with all my chapter updates!) - I know I've rushed through some parts; and I know that I've really focused only on Dimitri and Rose. I could explore other relationships - Adrian would be an interesting one to write about, but from the start, I've decided that this would really be about Dimitri and Rose's romance. It's been fun to write, and even more fun to read all your thoughts. Maybe, one day, I might start writing Adrian's story. He does deserve a happy ending. :) But until then, thanks for reading! I would love to hear any final thoughts, so please, please review and let me know.

Take care!