They Never Should Have Danced
An Anastasia fan fiction
"Hey, Vlad? Vlad!"
"I'm up on the deck!" called Vlad.
Dimitri jogged up the stairs two at a time and spotted Vlad bent over a game table, setting up pieces for chess.
"Where's Anya?" Dimitri asked.
Vlad shrugged. "She's either in the cabin or using the facilities, I'm guessing."
"All right." Dimitri turned to go look for her.
"I suppose you're giving her that dress?" Vlad asked, noting the bunches of blue fabric Dimitri held in his arms.
"You suppose right," nodded Dimitri. He held up what was a big blue dress.
"She won't like it," warned Vlad. "She'd rather be in that tunic she's wearing, I'll bet."
"Look," shrugged Dimitri, "if Anya's going to act like a princess, she's gotta dress like one."
Vlad rolled his eyes. "That dress you got there is out of date, boy. Where'd you pick that dress up, anyway?"
Dimitri sighed, exasperated. "It was all I could afford."
"All you could afford, or all you wanted to spend?" Vlad gave him a look.
Dimitri frowned. He hated it when Vlad gave him that look. It made him feel like he was smaller than even Pooka. Of course, he would never admit that he felt like that out of guilt. But Vlad had given him that look many a time, and it always made him feel the same way.
"It's not that bad..." he muttered.
"Well, we'll see how she feels about it." Vlad smiled as he finished preparing the chess game.
Dimitri rolled his eyes as he went down below to look for Anya. She came out of the cabin and watched as he walked up to her. She looked at him suspiciously.
"There you are," he said. Anya didn't answer as she stared at the big blue ... thing that he had in his hands. It looked something like a dress.
"Here. I bought you a dress."
Anya blinked. She was supposed to wear that? Even she knew that dress would never fit with the styles ladies were wearing now.
She giggled at the pleased expression on his face.
"A dress . . . ? You bought me a . . . tent!" With another snicker, she pulled the skirt over her head, and just as she figured, the thing was way too big.
Dimitri hated it when Vlad was right.
"What are you looking for?" he demanded as he peeked into the top of the dress. He could see a mischievous smile on Anya's face as she answered.
"The Russian circus! I think it's still in here!" she teased.
Oh brother! He couldn't help but think. He jerked the dress out of her hands and gave her a look.
"Come on," he urged, shoving the dress into her arms. "Just put it on."
Anya took it without arguing. He shook his head and headed back up to the deck, not noticing the curious look she had as she watched him go up.
"Well, I got her to try the dress on," Dimitri said as he seated himself at the chess table.
"Is that right?" Vlad answered.
Dimitri rolled his eyes again. "You don't have to act so surprised, you know! I suppose I'm white?" He sat down at the small table across from Vlad.
"You're just lucky tonight," growled Dimitri as Vlad won over another pawn.
Vlad chuckled as he watched Dimitri make another move. "No, I'm just better at chess than you are."
"Hmpf. If we were playing poker," mumbled Dimitri, "the tables would be turned."
"Too bad we forgot our cards," joked Vlad.
"Oh no, I didn't, my friend," smirked Dimitri. "I have some in my bag."
"One game at a time, Dimitri. One game at a time," chuckled Vlad. "Checkmate."
Dimitri heaved a sigh. His mind had been on other things, like trying to picture Anya wearing something even remotely lady-like. It was hard to picture.
She's such a scrawny little thing. I'll bet she hasn't worn any kind of dress in her life! I wonder if we can make this work...
"Ahem..."
Vlad heard the sound of Anya clearing her throat, and looked up. A delighted smile lit up his face.
"Looks like the dress turned out better than we expected," he muttered before he rose to his feet.
"Wonderful! Marvelous!"
Dimitri heard Vlad praising Anya and looked up. He saw Anya twirling around in what looked like the dress he had bought and was spellbound.
Anya had changed the dress to make it look more like the dresses women wore now. The sleeves and collar lost its frills and the skirt was less of a ...tent than it used to be. She also had a sort of belt around her waist.
She looked like a real lady.
The next thing he knew, Vlad was pulling Dimitri over and ordering him to help Anya learn how to dance.
His stomach lurched. What was Vlad up to? He knew that dancing was something Dimitri hardly knew about.
"Erm . . . I'm not very good at it," he warned. He didn't dare to look in Anya's eyes as they fumbled for the right positions. Dimitri kept his eyes glued on their feet instead, hoping he wouldn't step on her small boots. They began to dance sloppily.
"No, no, no," interrupted Vlad. The couple immediately separated awkwardly. Dimitri felt stupid. Dancing was not one of his strong points, and Anya didn't look too sure of herself either.
"Anya, you don't lead. Let him."
Dimitri was expecting a sigh or a look of resentment from Anya, but there was none. Instead, she looked at him with a curious, almost shy look. In a matter of minutes, they were hand in hand. Her hand was on his shoulder, and his hand was around her waist.
At this close range, Dimitri could see how the dress brought out the many blues in her eyes. Her hair was longer than he had thought it was, now that it was pulled back only by a bow. The colors of the sunset made it glimmer in different shades of reds and golds.
For the first time in his life, Dimitri felt tongue-tied. It was just awkward dancing in silence, but when he tried to say something, he couldn't say anything.
His eyes drifted to her dress. "The...the dress is very beautiful..." he commented, openly admiring all the work she seemed to have put into it.
Pleasure lit up in her eyes. "Do you think so?" They continued to dance.
"Yes," he smiled. "I mean, well, it looked nice on the hanger, but it looks even better on you. You...you should wear it."
Wow, that sounded stupid. He inwardly kicked himself.
"I am wearing it," smiled Anya as he twirled her. He thought she was going to tease him again, but she just sweetly smiled as he grew embarrassed.
"Oh, yes, of course... I-I'm just trying to pay you a..." He couldn't find the right words all of a sudden. What was wrong with him? He had never felt so confused and out of place before... Why did he feel like this?
"A..." His eyes caught hers and she spoke.
"Compliment?"
He began to feel lost in her blue eyes. They were the color of the sky on a summer's day. "Yes, of course..." he murmured, not really sure of what he was saying. They both became lost in the dance and waltzed together as if they had been dancing for a long time. It just seemed so easy with Anya as his partner.
They waltzed around the deck. He twirled her and she smiled. And though there were no words spoken between them, they could read each other's thoughts with their eyes. Confusion and affection swirled between them with a new feeling that neither was really sure of admitting. It was a feeling that felt like more than friendship...
Dimitri looked into her face and realized Anya was no longer the lost skinny girl he had first met. There before him was a young woman who was transforming into more than either of them had expected.
She was perfect, and Dimitri was falling for her.
Anya blinked and tilted her head to the side as she looked at him with questions in her eyes.
She spoke quietly. "I'm feeling a little ... dizzy."
Dimitri smiled understandingly. "Kind of lightheaded?"
A shy smile spread across her face.
"Yeah..."
"Me too," he nodded. The dancing stopped, and Dimitri held both her hands in his.
"It's probably from spinning," he whispered. "Maybe we should stop."
His better judgment told him to back away, but his heart told him to just keep holding her hands and to keep staring into those twin pools of blue. At the moment, he was so enchanted with her natural beauty, that he couldn't think of doing anything else.
Anya's voice sunk to a whisper.
"We have stopped."
Dimitri blinked. He found himself closer to her now, and his eyes drifted down to her full, red lips.
"Anya, I ..." Back away, a voice whispered inside of him.
He shoved that nagging little voice aside when she whispered a single "Yes..."
Both their eyes slid shut as he leaned closer for a kiss that would rock the boat. But just when his lips were inches away from hers, Pooka's bark jolted him back to reality.
What are you doing? His inner conscience screamed at him. What happened to the plan? What about the money? All you are supposed to do is to take her to Paris and present her to the Empress. You can't let personal feelings get in the way!
He stifled a groan and shoved all the warring thoughts to the back of his mind as he opened his eyes and backed away. He felt horrible as he looked at Anya's expectant face.
"You're doing fine," he whispered. Anya's eyes opened and he abruptly patted her hand.
It was hard to walk away, especially when Anya had such a confused look on her face. Dimitri began to hate himself for causing it.
After he had pretty much fled down to the cabin, he plopped down in a corner of the room and held his head in his hands.
What am I doing?
You're falling in love, that's what you're doing.
Falling in love? Me?
Is it so hard to imagine?
His thoughts began battling against one another.
You did the right thing in walking away. It's best if nothing happens between you two.
But being with her just felt so . . . right. I felt like I belonged there. I felt like I was ... home...
And what if she finds out about the money? It would be better if there was nothing between you two, so you could just move on without regrets.
...But what if she's just another failure? What if Sophie and the Empress say she's not Anastasia? Just because she looked a lot like the portrait doesn't mean anything! And if she isn't, than we could go off together just like we are now! It could just be me, Anya and Vlad! And then I'll find some way to support us!
That small ray of hope rose inside of him. Maybe Anya wouldn't turn out to be the princess, and when this was all over, and she was proven to be another look-a-like, Dimitri would be able to forget the whole business of rewards and princesses and would be able to grow closer to Anya.
No, there wasn't anything to worry about.
They could continue going along as they were. And though Dimitri knew he couldn't deny the fact that he was beginning to fall in love with Anya, he wouldn't show it until the meeting with Sophie was over.
This does change the plan a bit. . . he thought. If she isn't accepted as the princess, then I'll have to explain everything to her before I ask her to stay with us.
He decided he would sort it all out when they got to Paris. He still had to sort out his feelings towards Anya, anyway. Everything was all muddled at the moment, and suddenly the thought of the reward of ten million rubles didn't have the same lure it used to.
It grew late. Vlad had packed a few things to eat on their journey, and they ate a small dinner in their cabin. Anya and Vlad were talking about Paris and what they would be able to see, but Dimitri remained quiet most of the time. He had too much on his mind to be in the mood for conversation. When they asked him if he was all right, he merely told them that he was tired.
The three prepared for bed, and Dimitri was the first one asleep. He stretched out on the floor with a blanket and his suitcase for a pillow. It wasn't much, but he'd slept in worse conditions before.
In the middle of the night, the ship began to rock back and forth as a storm raged outside. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled as the waves became choppy. Vlad, and Dimitri were unaware of any of this as they slept, but Pooka woke to the sound of the thunder— and of his mistress getting out of bed.
Like one who is in a trance, Anya walked out of the cabin with her arms outstretched. She appeared to be sleepwalking, but Pooka knew something was wrong.
The door slammed in the tiny dog's face before he could run to Anya's side and wake her up. With more than the average barking and yipping, Pooka tugged on Dimitri's shirt.
Dimitri groaned and turned over on his side, but the dog wouldn't quit barking or go away.
"Ugh... go away, Malkovitch..." he grumbled. "I said I was through with bribery..." Pooka jumped onto his back and tugged on his shirt, barking over and over.
"Ugh! What? What?" Dimitri rubbed his eyes and stared into the face of a very fidgety Pooka. He picked the squirmy dog up.
"Pooka? Pooka, what? What is it?"
He heard the sound of thunder outside and felt the boat rocking.
"The thunderstorm? Is that what you're scared about? Go back to . . ."
He glanced over at the bunk bed Anya was sleeping in, but she wasn't there.
"Anya? Anya!"
He jumped up and ran out of the cabin. He checked the privacy room, but it was unlocked and no one was inside.
She was outside on the deck!
"Anya!"
The boat's rocking increased. Dimitri had to fight to keep his balance as he ran for the deck. He was so intent upon finding Anya that he didn't feel a thing when the boat's rocking caused him to ram against the wall. When he got up on the deck, he could see water splashing onto the ship which flooded the deck's floor. A large wave rose up from the sea, and hit him hard. He was down only for a moment before he got back up and climbed higher to get a better view of the ship.
A few minutes later, he spotted her standing on the very edge of the ship. She seemed to be bending over, as if peering into the waves.
"Anya!" he shouted. She didn't seem to hear him. She looked as if she was about to jump off!
Dimitri became afraid. "What are you doing? Stop!"
One foot dangled in the air. Dimitri acted fast. He grabbed a nearby rope and prepared to swing.
"Anya, NO!"
He heard her screaming as he swung to her rescue. Before she tilted over into the dark waves, he caught her in his arms and leapt back to safety. As he pulled her back onto the deck, she struggled against him, or rather, against something in her dreams...
He grabbed her arms and shook her.
"Anya! Anya, wake up!"
Her eyes flew open and she gasped. She looked around her with a wild, frenzied look in her eyes. Dimitri could tell she had been frightened badly, but by what?
"The Romanov curse! The Romanov . . ." she babbled. Tears welled up in her eyes as she grabbed wads of his undershirt in her hands.
"The what? What are you talking about?" he asked, becoming concerned.
"The curse . . . the curse . . . I keep seeing faces! So . . . so many faces!"
Anya kept repeating the same things over and over as she buried her face into his chest.
Dimitri looked down at her, and wanted to take her fears away. So slowly, even a bit reluctantly, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close in a protective embrace.
"It was a nightmare," he comforted her. "It's all right. You're safe now..."
Rain was falling in hard pellets, and the waves were crashing against the ship, but they didn't notice any of the storm. Dimitri just stood there, content, holding the woman he loved as Anya kept him close, feeling safer in his strong arms...