A/N: This is my first FanFic. I don't know if I should keep this as a one-shot or not. Please R/R.

I do not own the rights to Anastasia and its components, only Elena.

She looked like she was about to jump into the churning waves. Trying his best not to panic, Dimitri grabbed his daughter, Elena, and lifted her up, away from the side of the boat. He tried to set her feet down on the deck, but the little girl kept struggling against his grip on her arms. That's when he saw that her eyes were closed.

This was all too familiar.

Dimitri knew what he had to do.

"Elena! Wake up! It's me!" he yelled, almost pleading her to wake up from her nightmare.

Sure enough, Elena's blue eyes fluttered open, and Dimitri saw how terrified she was. More than she had ever been. This was unlike her, the girl who always smiled, never afraid of anything… until now. Until he had almost lost her.

She was hyperventilating. "Papa! Don't let them hurt me!" She was not yet fully awake. Elena's little fists grabbed Dimitri's shirt. A few of her stray brown locks were plastered to her face, as she held on for dear life.

He wanted to know what had happened in his daughter's dream, fearing that it was similar to that day when… No. It couldn't be the same. Rasputin was gone.

"P…Papa," Elena stammered, her blue eyes brimming with tears. "I had a bad dream…"

Dimitri lifted her up and wrapped his arms around her small, shaking frame as she buried her face in his shoulder. "Shh… I know sweetheart," he whispered as he rubbed her back soothingly. "It's okay now. It's over."

"B…but…he said… he… he's coming… back…" she whimpered, holding onto him as if he would disappear if she let go.

Dimitri's breath hitched in his throat. "What are you talking about Ella?"

She lifted her tear-streaked face from his shoulder briefly. "He…he said his name… it's… Rasputin." Elena promptly hid her face once more in her father's shoulder, bursting into sobs.

Impossible! Anya and I got rid of him, Dimitri thought, lightly stroking Elena's sopping wet hair as he tightened his grip on her.

He snapped out of his reverie. Now wasn't the time to think about that.

"Let's get you inside sweetie. I don't want you to catch a cold."

Elena lifted her face out of his shoulder and nuzzled her head under Dimitri's chin. "He…he's not gonna hurt me… is he?"

"Don't worry Ella," he gently moved some strands of hair from her face. "I won't let anything happen to you."

She looked up at him pleadingly. "Promise?"

"Anything for you, malinkaya," Dimitri's fear for his daughter's life turned into a smile as he carried his little girl back to their cabin. She needed some dry clothes.

Malinkaya – little one