Prologue The Williams Residence 1982

An eight-year-old girl stared out her bedroom, with tears pouring down her face, watching her mother put suitcases in the trunk of a taxi. Just then a hand was laid on her shoulder causing the little girl to look up into the sad, blue eyes of her grandmother. Sobbing the little girl threw herself at her grandmother, who caught her.

"Why is Mommy leaving?" she asked between sobs. "Was it something I did?"

"Oh Sarah," the woman sighed as she hugged her granddaughter. "You didn't make your mother leave. She left because she wanted to."

"But doesn't she love Daddy and I anymore?" Sarah Williams asked sniffling.

"Your mother loves you very much," the grandmother said as she stroked lightly stroked her granddaughter's reddish brown hair and silently cursing her daughter for leaving a young, impressionable girl without a word. "But people fall in and out love all the time. Look at your grandfather and I. When we first met I hated him, because he had everything I didn't. He had a home and a friend when I had nothing, only Pooka. He even saved my life twice." Sarah wrinkled her nose momentarily forgetting her mother.

"Grandpa saved your life two times?" Sarah asked suspiciously.

"Yes," her grandmother said chuckling. "Once when I was your age and once when I was eighteen.

"But didn't you ever save Grandpa?" Sarah wanted know.

"Once," the grandmother said grimacing as she remembered a runaway baggage car.

"Anastasia its time to go," a man said as he opened his granddaughter's bedroom door.

"But Grandpa I don't want you to go," Sarah whined as she ran to her grandfather who picked her up.

"Dimitri I think it would be a good idea to stay the night," Anastasia Romanov Vasilovich said as she laid a hand on her husband's arm. "I'm sure the house will still be standing when we get back. And Jared isn't coming over tonight."

Dimitri Vasilovich sighed looking between his granddaughter's pleading green eyes and his wife's twinkling blue ones.

"All right," Dimitri said defeated causing Sarah to cheer. "We'll stay the night. But we're leaving in the morning." "All right dear," Anastasia said grinning as she kissed him making Sarah squeal in disgust.

***********

The next morning Sarah walked into the kitchen dragging her feet knowing the sooner she sat down the sooner her grandparents would leave. Anastasia and Dimitri exchanged a knowing glance before Anastasia rifled around in her handbag.

"Oh where is it?" Anastasia muttered digging in her purse. "I know I brought it."

"Brought what Grandma?" Sarah asked just as Anastasia triumphantly crowed pulling a little jeweled box from her handbag.

"For me?" Sarah gasped as Anastasia handed her the tiny box. "Is it a jewelry box?"

"Look," Anastasia whispered as she fitted the key into the tiny hole at the back of the box and wound it.

"It plays our lullaby!" Sarah exclaimed as the melody played.

"You can play it at night and pretend that it is me singing," Anastasia said smiling.

"On the wind, 'cross the sea, hear this song and remember, soon you'll be home with me. Once upon a December."

Chuckling Anastasia handed Sarah the small flower-shaped key.

"Read what it says," Dimitri urged Sarah.

"Together in Paris," Sarah read squinting at the tiny letters engraved on the back of the necklace before her eyes lit up in delight. "Really?" When Anastasia and Dimitri nodded Sarah cheered giving both of them hugs.