"Always and Forever"
by Ashley

Summary: [ANASTASIA] Anya & Dimitri's eloping. ©98. Plz read&review, thx!
~*~

Anya looked at Dimitri. They were still on the bridge where they had battled Rasputin and won. Anya and Dimitri were standing, just looking at each other. They had nearly kissed, but Pooka had interrupted and handed Anya's Imperial crown to Dimitri.

"They're waiting for you," he said.

Anya took her crown and looked at him again. "Dimitri," she said, "I don't want it anymore."

Dimitri replied, "Why not? It's what you had wanted." He frowned, puzzled.

"No, it's not what I want. Not anymore," said Anya, "I may have been a Grand Duchess, but no more. I don't care about crowns, money or titles. I care about you. I love you, Dimitri and no title could compare to you."

Dimitri was in shock. She loved him? How could she after what he did to her? He asked her that.

"Because I love you and you showed me, through giving up the money, how much more you mean to me than being royalty. I mean, it was nice to know who I was, but now I only want you."

Dimitri smiled. "I love you, too. I couldn't stand myself and also I couldn't stand seeing you hurt, so I thought I would just leave. I thought being with your rightful place was important to you. I just couldn't take the money. I couldn't imagine how a Duchess could love a kitchen boy." He looked down.

Anya lifted his chin. "Well, one does and nothing will change that." She smiled. "Now, are you going to propose or am I going to have to ask you?"

Dimitri grinned. He took out his rose and said, "Anya, will you marry me?"

Anya took the rose and said, "Of course!" They embraced. "Now, to tell Grandmama."

***************

An hour later, the two were aboard a ferry on the Seine River. They had just had Anya's crown sent back to the Dowager, along with a letter explaining why, to the palace. They were happy.

Dimitri twirled Anya around. They laughed and had a wonderful time.

"Tomorrow, my love," said Dimitri, "We shall be married!"

"Yes, we will! And Pooka shall be your best man!" said Anya. Pooka, however, wasn't completely agreed to this, but he didn't say anything, just gave a doggy smile.

Finally, Anya and Dimitri decided to head to their cabin. They arrived in it and Dimitri climbed up to the top bunk. "Until tomorrow, Darling?"

"Until tomorrow, love," she replied. Pooka snuggled up by Anya.

***********

The next day, Dimitri was up and on the deck by ten. What a day it would be! The start of his new life with Anya.

"Ahem."

Dimitri turned around and saw Anya standing behind him, wearing the blue dress he had bought her, her long hair was flowing behind her.

Dimitri said, "Well, what do we have here? Has an angel descended from heaven?" He offered her his arm. Anya blushed as she took it.

"Perhaps," she said, "But we'd better hurry! The priest won't be kept long!" The two went down into the ferry to the little chapel. An older man stood at the alter.

"Welcome!" he said, as the two came up to him, "The happy couple is here! Come, come. Stand in front of me. There's a good pair! Now we shall begin. Have you your vows?"

Dimitri nodded. Then, facing Anya, and holding her hands in his, he began. "Anya, all my life I've been alone. No one but Vlad was there to help me. I was only after money and it didn't matter who I hurt. But now I don't care about money. You have now made my life full and now I know I'm not alone. No one told me I was going to find you. It was unexpected what you did to my heart. When I lost hope, you were there to remind me how wonderful life was. I knew there was somebody somewhere, alone in the dark like me, but now no one can tear us apart."

Anya said, "When I couldn't remember who I was, I thought no one could understand. But you do. I was so selfish, thinking only of finding my family, I couldn't see straight in front of me. But now I realize I was really looking for love and understanding. At first, we were strangers on a crazy adventure, never dreaming our true dreams would come true, Now here we stand, unafraid of the future, and I'm at the beginning with you. We started out on our journey looking for separate things, but now we know we only can be happy with each other. Love is a river, I want to keep flowing; life is a road, I want to keep traveling- now and forever, always and forever, with you. I love you."

"And I you, my princess."

Twenty minutes later, Anya and Dimitri were married and couldn't be happier. When the ceremony ended, the two, followed by Pooka, went back up to the deck and sat on a bench. The sun was high overhead and a breeze blew over them.

"Dimitri, where are we going to honeymoon?"

Dimitri frowned. He hadn't thought of that. "I don't know. Does right here sound good?"

Anya poked him in the ribs, which was the start of the many more pokes to come throughout their marriage. Anya laughed. "Sounds good!"

The two looked down the river, each knowing that with love, they would make it through life's tough times and triumphs. Dimitri said, "Where do you suppose this new road will take us?"

"I don't know," replied his new wife, "Wherever it may go, we'll be together on it, always and forever." The two enjoyed a kiss, while Pooka hid his face.

"Dimitri, how many children do you suppose we'll have?"

Dimitri gulped. Children?

No matter where life would lead them, Anya and Dimitri would be together, through thick and thin, triumph and disaster, always and forever.

(continues as in the movie)

...

ANASTASiA™ is copyright of 20thC.Fox, etc. ^_^

PS. Believe it or not, this is a work of fiction. All the incidents, names, and characters are imaginary.
Any resemblence to actual persons etc, living or dead, is completely coincidental. ^_~

written by Ashley ©98, edited by SimbiAni™ ©2G4