Words spoken in Russian will be italicized and bold.

Words spoken in English will be normal.

It is not often one has the opportunity to visit one's own grave. However when you're a scientific accident like me you can do all sorts of things deemed impossible.

You are probably wondering what I, an American, am doing in Russia. I came here I to look at my grave, the one that was erected when I faked my own death almost fifty years ago.

He deserved better than me. He deserved someone he could grow old with. Not a genetic freak like me. I was sure that he was dead by now. There was no way, and even if he was alive, he would be old. Probably sitting in his house with a wife by his side watching over their grandchildren. He has probably forgotten all about me.

I touched the words "Alexis Patricia Valentine; Valiant solider, best friend, bright sunflower." I knelt down letting my long sunshine colored hair fall over my brown eyes. Underneath the words lay an engraving of a sunflower. Smiling I touched the memory gingerly, barley tracing the lining. I haven't been here since the funeral. It hadn't changed at all. Someone must have been keeping it up; there were some sunflowers in a vase. They were dried and dead from the frigid weather and from being out of the ground. I touched a dry petal; it fell off the stem to the cold snow floor.

"Who are you?" asked a voice I had only heard in my dreams. I stood up and turned around slowly. Expecting there to be nothing, as usual. Just the cold snow falling to the ground like an angry snow globe. I turned my head to see an almost undistinguishable figure. As it walked closer it came into focus and when it did I inhaled sharply.

"Ivan?" I asked silently, not believing it myself.

We stood there for what seemed like hours just staring at each other. He still had the scar his sister had given him; I still had the scarf his sister had given me. He still wore that ratty old coat that just added to his serial killer like façade. Same violet eyes that seemed so childish, but held wisdom and a strange softness that he only showed to me. At first when I met him he was so scary, but then…

Flashback….

"So Mr. Braginski," I smirked from the chair he had tied me to. I, a hired assassin with one objective in mind. Kill Mr. Braginski. "You have me tied up, what are you going to do. Torture me? I won't feel a thing, my life in general is much worse than anything you could ever do to me. Kill me, I dare you."

He smirked and I didn't see what my employer had been talking about. He had said that Ivan had this evil aura. I didn't waver in my gaze from him. He just stared at me for a long moment, "You look like a sunflower," he said gently holding a lock of my golden hair in his hand. He was comparing me to a sunflower? What kind of- My thought was cut off by his hard across the face. "That is for trying to kill me; you won't try again, da?"

I smiled at him, "I do not fear you."

His eyes widened, "You don't?" Then he came back and knelt down in front of me. He was already a giant compared to me, but remember I was sitting in a chair. "Why not?"

I stared into his eyes, "I can see no malice behind your eyes. Even when you're trying to hurt me I see that it's just to protect yourself. It's like there are three layers to you, on the outside childish and innocent. Underneath there is anger and sadism, but under that someone who wants to be loved and fears being alone."

He put his hand on the back of the chair and stared into my eyes. Then he did a thing I did not expect, he kissed me.

End of Flashback

I saw the true Ivan. While in my flashback Ivan had taken the opportunity to regain his senses and ran up to me. "Alex?" I realized what had happened to late, for when I turned to run he had already had my arm in a tight grip. "Is that you?"

I looked him in the eyes, "You're supposed to be dead…"

"I could say the same thing about you, da," he said pulling me closer.

I carefully traced the outline of his face from his temple to his chin, finally my body and my brain comprehended that Ivan, the man I loved, was alive and standing before me. The world suddenly got dark and I lost control of my body. I think that's what happens when you faint.