Author's Notes:

I hate writing fight scenes because I lack the practical experience. I used to get beat up a lot as a kid, but that was more of the receiving end of the punches than the ass-kicking role. As far as I know, although I punched a few of my male cousins growing up, I've never been on the winning or skilled side of a fight. If it's bad, please just imagine this is action-packed and exciting.

--=o0/&\0o=--

"How was your tour of the house?" Abe asked behind himself, sitting placidly on the couch watching the football game.

Dimitri looked at Rose and smiled. "It was good. Rose gave me a full tour. And then some."

"Why don't you both join me watching the game for a while? We'll give your lunch a few hours to settle before we start some MMA sparring."

Rose shivered as if she were chilled and gave Dimitri a look.

"What's wrong, Rose?" he asked.

Rose whispered, glancing toward the kitchen where Janine was doing the dishes, "It's my mom. This fight ... it can't really end well."

Dimitri gave Rose a puzzled look.

Abe, still sitting on the couch watching the TV, called back, "What was that, Rose? I couldn't quite hear you."

"Nothing, dad," Rose said. She motioned to Dimitri to follow and then added, "Dad, I don't know if Dimitri is really into football, but you know that I'm not. Do you think anyone would mind if I took him to the other living room? I think Lissa's in there watching a movie or something."

"Sure, pumpkin," Abe replied, "We'll come get you in an hour or two when it's time for sparring. And Rose, you should get your gear on, too. I'd like to see you spar today."

--=o0/&\0o=--

As Dimitri and Rose sat down on the couch beside Lissa, Rose said, "Okay, so Janine - Mom - is just obsessive with winning. But she won't be happy unless you give her a challenge when you fight. Or it at least has to drag out for a while. It's got to be close. She wants to work for it."

"For real," Lissa added, "I hope you're ready to bring it, because Janine will give you the beat-down, if she can. Were you telling the truth about teaching MMA classes?"

Dimitri gave a curt nod. "Everything I said in there was the truth. I just omitted a few things; like competing in semi-professional underground MMA bouts to pay my way through college."

Lissa gawked. "So you really finished college at only nineteen? When did you start teaching?"

"That was actually my bachelor's degree. No one but Ivan's law firm and the martial arts studio would hire me for anything involving English or teaching at only nineteen. I ended up getting my masters' degree in education while working full-time at my other two jobs before I could find a teaching job. By then, I was twenty-two. Teaching at my old public school actually paid better and had better benefits than working at St. Vlad's, but it's a much different social environment. It required me to use my MMA skills occasionally." Dimitri pulled the hem of his shirt up and showed a slim scar on his stomach that Rose had never noticed before. "And it's where I got this."

Lissa was amazed at Dimitri's abs, never having seen them up-close and uncovered before, but tried to nonchalantly look away.

"Comrade," Rose gushed, "That's so badass."

Dimitri just chuckled. "If I was really as badass as I hoped, I would have stopped the student before he was jamming a piece of broken glass into my abdominals."

"I'm not sure if there's anything you could do to get my mom to like you. She never liked Adrian, and I can already see that she's taken a disliking to you. Do you think you'll be able to beat my mom? She is a marine with six years of combat training."

Dimitri frowned; more confusion lighting his eyes. "Do you want me to win, or lose? It sounded like you would prefer I put up a good fight for her and then let her win."

"Do you think you could win?"

"I haven't lost a match since I started teaching MMA classes. I'd be surprised if she could hold her own with me in a fight for more than two minutes."

Rose's eyes sparkled with an impish gleam. "Wipe the floor with her."

--=o0/&\0o=--

As Dimitri stepped into the gym in his athletic clothes, Janine was already bouncing on the balls of her feet and strapping on her gloves.

"Are you ready?" she asked, nearly immediately, while Rose and Lissa filed in behind Dimitri.

"Janine, could we please have a moment to get settled before you fight?" asked Lissa, "I'd like to get a good seat first."

"Yeah, mom, at least let Dimitri walk in the room before you try to jump him to the floor. Let him have a chance to win this one instead of sucker punching him while his back is turned."

Janine nearly choked at Rose's accusation. "I always fight fair!"

"Sure, mom, whatever you say."

Rose and Lissa took seats on some folding chairs towards one end of the small gym, then Abe stepped over between Janine and Dimitri. "Let's make this a good clean fight. No hits below the belt, and try to avoid the breast area - I've grown rather attached to Janine's over the past few years. Stay inside the square marked on the floor. Pinned for ten seconds, knockout, or tap-out wins. After fifteen minutes, we'll call it a tie. Are you both ready?"

"Ready. This will be over in less than a minute," Janine practically crooned.

"Ready."

Abe nodded at them both, stepped out of the way, and then yelled, "Go!"

Janine and Dimitri circled the floor without getting closer for a few moments, neither wanting to be the initial aggressor.

Oh, she's good! Dimitri thought.

He edged in closer to Janine from the side and as he did, she swept her leg out to try to take him out at his feet. Dimitri saw it coming and jumped over her in-motion leg.

Janine laughed. "You're an evasive one. You're going to need that if you want to date my daughter."

Dimitri kept his face neutral, the epitome of calm, and replied, "I have nothing to hide from Rose."

Janine threw a fist, but Dimitri caught it with his hand. While he was holding her fist with both of his hands, she swung in with the other arm and hit him in his solar plexus.

Dimitri let out a little 'oof' sound and Janine said, "It's not my daughter you need to hide anything from, Dimitri. I don't trust you and I feel like you're hiding something. I just don't know what yet."

Before Dimitri could rein it in, his lip curled in anger and he threw a punch, connecting with Janine's shoulder. She fell backwards and landed on the floor behind her, the wind knocked out of her.

"I'm not hiding anything you need to worry about!" he hissed out in anger, "Except that I don't think there's anything in the world I could do to make you approve of me!"

Janine bounded back up and, before anyone could stop her or she could take a moment to think through her rash actions, kneed Dimitri in the groin. Before Dimitri could recover or react to the low blow, Janine punched him in the face. Suddenly, his nose was gushing blood.

In the background, Abe whispered, "Holy shit, I think she broke his nose!"

But that didn't stop Dimitri.

Dimitri ignored the blood streaming down his face and aimed a quick punch directly to Janine's kidney, following it up with a sweeping roundhouse kick hitting Janine in the back. Janine again landed on the floor, gasping.

"Had enough?" she asked Dimitri with a smirk.

"My mother didn't raise a quitter," Dimitri sneared back, "Have you?"

"Never," Janine nearly growled.

"Someone needs to stop them," Rose pleaded with her father.

"Rose," Abe began, "You know the rules. One of them has to tap out or get pinned for it to end early."

Janine came at Dimitri with her fingernails bared and raked them across his cheek, leaving deep gouges.

"What was the point of that?" Dimitri squeaked out.

"You weren't focused on the fight," Janine replied, "Are you a man or a toddler who can't pay attention? Now, right or get out!" Janine followed that up with another right hook, which Dimitri blocked.

"That's it!" Dimitri yelled, "I've had enough! You fight dirty and I can't take it anymore. I am in love with your daughter and I will work to earn your respect, but I won't back down from you to try to get it!"

Dimitri took a hard and fast swing, aiming right at Janine's eye, and knocked her to the ground. Janine tried to sit, but she couldn't get up. Dimitri landed on Janine, pinning her and holding her legs so that she couldn't kick out. Abe slid in and counted out ten seconds.

"We have a winner," Abe said.

Dimitri stood, and offered Janine his hand. She eyed it speculatively for a moment, then took it, and Dimitri helped her stand. That eye had already started to swell, and it was past time to stop the bleeding on Dimitri's nose and get him some medical care, but they both stood there looking at each other. Janine extended a hand and Dimitri shook it.

"You fought well," Janine puffed out between hard breaths.

"As did you."

"Rose, I think I like this one. Let's get him to the urgent care for that nose."

--=o0/&\0o=--

Author's Notes:

Have you ever been in a fight? Did you win? Did anyone get a broken nose? Or have you ever had a broken nose from something else?

Fun fact: my 'baby brother' is now in his second year teaching secondary ed (what a time to start a teaching career!) and has taught me a LOT about teachers' pay and benefits and the differences in the types of public and private schools in the past few weeks. Yes, inner city schools really can be that dangerous. One of the female teachers he taught with in the Detroit area actually had to get stitches from being punched in the face by a student and then the parents threatened legal action because she threw an elbow (at the same student that gave her the need for stitches) to fight back and gave the student a bruised arm.