A/N: Not a super long one, but it's well past time we check in with our little birdie!

*Swan*

Sasha ran his fingertips along my bare skin, up my thigh, across my hip, and finally tracing my spine. I shivered when he reached the back of my neck. I felt his laughter shake his bed.

"I do love it when you do that," he said.

I smiled.

"You are odd."

"Shh," he said meeting my smile, and pulling me on top of him.

Again.

"Is this your favorite?" I asked quietly.

I scooted myself back to find him and closed my eyes.

"Look at me," he ordered.

I looked down at him as he began to enter me. I slid down the rest of the way and leaned over.

"So is it?" I asked again.

"Maybe," he said, pushing my hips down.

"God, you look lovely."

We rocked together for what seemed like the rest of the evening.

Even though I've never been with a human, after him I don't think I'd ever want to. He never got tired, so until I wanted to we didn't stop.

It was fantastic.

Afterwards I knew I'd have to go home soon. I never asked my parents if they would mind me spending the night, I didn't really want to. That kind of screams, "Hey, everybody! We are doing it!" It wasn't really Asa or Xandra's business, and this way Dad could just live in his happy little world and pretend that we weren't.

Mom knew though. I told her before it even happened. I just didn't want her to find out and then be disappointed in me or something.

Since my younger sister had just gotten married, I'd been getting treated a lot more like an adult at home. I felt like I could say something to her about it. I'd sure as hell never come home and tell her we tried a new position, but I didn't want to lie to her either.

She had said I was old enough to make my own choices. As long as I wasn't hurting anybody else, that I should do whatever feels right for me.

I was so glad I hadn't done more than a little fooling around with Nathan. That was a joke. This however, this was something.

I could always tell when Sasha was smelling my blood. He'd told me the way it rushed when we were in bed turned him on. I was totally fine with that. I wanted to let him drink from me eventually. I had enough vampire in me that I knew he'd be able to resist draining me, so I wasn't scared. I guess I was saving that for a special occasion.

I lifted his head from my throat and brushed my lips against his.

"I have to go soon," I murmured.

"I know. I've been deep in denial."

I stuck my tongue out and reached across him to grab my shirt.

"Just a moment," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I needed to speak to you."

"We can't talk with clothes on?" I asked.

"I'd prefer not to," he replied with a smirk.

"Okay, okay," I said, feigning disappointment. Not getting dressed would make it a lot harder to get out of here on time though.

I rested the upper half of my body on his chest and resisted the urge to lick him.

"What's up?" I asked.

"You know my last workshop is at the end of the month."

"I know."

It was in 21 days, not that I was counting.

I knew he wanted to go back to Russia. I just didn't know if I wanted to go back with him.

"Have you been considering things?"

"Yes," I said quietly.

"Have you reached a conclusion?"

"Not yet," I admitted.

"You've got a little time still."

I knew he and Kira had planned on sticking around for about a week to tie up loose ends after their class at the studio was over.

So I did have a little time, but not a lot.

When I got home everybody was already asleep. I'd have liked to talk to Mom before bed. Then again, I didn't need Asa asking me how naked ballet practice was. Especially since we'd actually done that before.

Just once.

Okay, twice.

Our entry way was the place where Mom hung all the family pictures. I noticed there were a lot more than when I'd left this morning.

The wedding pictures had come back!

Wow, and Mom had gotten them framed and on the wall already. After I thought about it, it seemed like she had help. I could smell a little trace of Mollie and Amy. Damn, I must have missed them.

I spent a while in the dark checking out the dozens of new pieces to Mom's personal art gallery. I liked the one of my dad dancing with Daisy, it was super adorable. There was a really funny one of Anthony dancing with Mollie. Who knows what, but in it she was laughing hysterically at something.

I wasn't sure about her and that short wedding dress, at first I thought she was insane but I kept my mouth shut. It grew on me though, she looked great it in and it was very Mollie.

I missed them. The twins talked on the phone every day, at least once, and Xandra went over there a lot since it was so close by. With her gone, that's when it really got quiet. When Asa went to hang out at Anthony's, it was just me.

I was up until almost the morning thinking. Part of me wanted go to to Russia, half of my siblings were gone anyway. They weren't gone though. Amy and my brother lived farther of the two, and they were only ten minutes away by car. If I went to Russia, I'd really be gone. Who would it be harder to be away from? I was pretty sure by the time I fell asleep that I had my answer.

First thing in the morning I saw I already had a text from Sasha.

Good morning, Princess. Let me see that sweet face.

How could I turn that down?

I faked a flirty smile, took a picture of myself and sent it to him before I got out of bed. I told him it was time for breakfast and I'd text him later. Then I turned my phone off and started to cry.

"Mom?" I said quietly.

She was at my door in about a second.

"Sweetie, what happened?" she asked, closing it behind her.

"I don't want to end it, but it's about to end because I can't go to Russia, I just can't! I've never even been there!" I wailed.

"It's gonna change, but that doesn't mean it has to end all together."

"But if I don't want to be with him enough to go, and he doesn't want to be with me enough to stay, what's the point?" I wondered, wiping my eyes with the backs of my hands.

Mom sat on my floor crossing her legs, and wondered too.

"Maybe you guys won't always feel that way. You have all the time in the world! I'm sure you guys could manage to visit each other every couple of months."

"A long distance relationship?"

Saying it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

"Aren't those a huge pain in the ass?" I said.

"I guess they could be at times. Isn't it better than the alternatives though?"

"I suppose."

"If you can do it though, I think then you'll know you've really got something."

Hmm.

I skipped breakfast and spent the rest of the morning in my room considering it. We could video chat every day, and go old school and write letters. Ooo I could buy cute stationary, that would be fun.

I thought about how exciting it would be to see him, if I only got to every once in a while. It would make it so much more special. I really did want to see Russia, despite the fact that I can't just pick up and move to a new country without even seeing it!

This was the first time Sasha had lived in America. He thought it was okay, but he spent as much time as he could in Russia. It was such a huge country that he'd been able to spend most of his long life there, just in different parts of it. When he wasn't there, he liked to stay close and lived in the surrounding countries.

He said he is Russian, and that's where he likes to be. At least, he was pretty sure he was Russian. That's where he was at when he was turned. He told me he always felt pretty sure he was actually from there, and not just visiting, even though he couldn't remember his human life at all. He didn't remember being changed, either. He always figured somebody just drained him and left him. That was in 1854. He didn't know how old he was when it happened, but he thinks he was around twenty years old so that was how I thought of him.

Ater he was turned, the first thing he remembered once he was able to move was becoming aware he was in a hospital bed. He then drained the very first person he saw, his nurse. He said he didn't mean to. He didn't understand why he did it, he just needed to. That was how he created Kira. He was so horrified at what he had just done that he ran. When he realized he'd just done to her what had been done to him, he went back for her. He felt pretty shitty about it, and stayed hidden with her in some kind of cellar the whole time she was transforming. He kept telling her it was almost over, even though he had no idea if he was telling the truth or not. All this while he was dealing with trying to figure out what had happened to him. Since I was born, not made like he was I never considered how crazy it would be to suddenly have super senses, and especially to not know why. He said it was pretty scary.

Once they emerged from the cellar, Sasha was pretty sure they were vampires so they didn't go out during the day at all. It was years until they found out that it wouldn't make them burst into flames. They were turned during the Crimean war, so all they had to do was follow their noses to a battle field and then they could have themselves a feast on the soldiers that had already died. Kira insisted they could survive and meet their needs without hurting anyone. She said she was a nurse, and she still thought of herself as one so they just couldn't. They figured out their new life together. Since then, he's thought of her as his child and always looked after her.

Once I thought better about the long distance thing I turned my phone back on. Isn't that always just a little disappointing when your phone has been off for a while, and you don't have any new messages? It didn't last though, I got a call around lunchtime like I usually did. He always pretended to take a lunch hour.

"Hello my little halfie," he said.

I smiled at his goofy nickname for me.

"How is the class going?" I asked.

"Average. No one terribly impressive in this one."

"Nobody like me, huh?" I teased.

"Nowhere. Will you come tonight? I'm actually on my way back from lunch hour, I may have a little something for you."

"Ooo. You know though, you don't have to offer me candy, I'll still get in your van."

"Pardon?"

I wasn't sure if it was his age, or because he had never lived here before, but sometimes he just didn't get it. That was one of those times I had to try not to laugh.

"Never mind. Let me know when you're on your way home."

I started to get a little nervous as the afternoon went on. What if he didn't even want to try doing this long distance, and he wanted to just break up? I had to think about what I would do if he said that. I started to get pissed off at him about things that were just hypothetical, and decided I should just wait and cross that bridge if I came to it. I talked to Mom again before I left, she agreed.

"Hello, my pretty," he said when he came to the door of his apartment.

I grinned at him. He put his hands on the small of my back and pressed me into him as we kissed.

"Are you interested to see what I've got for you?" he asked.

"Do I get a hint?"

"It's black, pink, and leather," he whispered in my ear.

"Hmm," I sang.

"Let's talk for a minute first though," I said.

As we walked through the living room we passed Kira, who was busy on the couch in a flurry of shiny fabrics and some sheer ones too. She liked to make leotards and costumes for the students, and herself. She could sew by hand much faster than if she used a sewing machine.

"Hello, halfie," she said and smiled, but didn't look up.

"Hey," I responded with a little wave.

Kira was cool, but sometimes I tried to pretend she wasn't here and just forget about it. It was weird that I knew she could hear anything that happened in Sasha's bedroom.

We settled on the Victorian style love seat in his room. He took one of my hands in both of his and looked at me expectantly.

I was more nervous than I thought I would be.

"Okay, um. What would you think about doing this long distance? I mean not forever, just for now. We can visit each other, and video chat and...just see how it goes."

"That sounds reasonable," he said with a smile.

I surprised myself when I was so relieved that I teared up.

He laughed softly, and stroked my face with the back of his cool, smooth hand.

"I was afraid you would be mad or something that I didn't want to go with you, that you wouldn't want to see me anymore at all."

"That is absurd. How could I not want to see this sweet face anymore?" he said, lifting my chin to look at him.

"My princess, you can visit and I'll show you my home. We'll have a wonderful time," he assured me.

As his lips made their way to my neck I smiled and wondered if maybe someday I can convince my family to spend a decade or so in Russia.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed getting to know Sasha a little better. If you haven't lately, don't forget to check out my website! If you are reading this on fan fiction, since they are assholes the link will not show here, but it's in my profile. My blog is right on the home page and that's where I post teasers, what I like to refer to as visual aides, and any random fun facts or current info. Find me at vanessawolfe dot weebly dot com!

I am working on getting ALL of AGU on there. I've putting up Part I which is now being properly edited for the first time! I'm looking very forward to having all of the story in a place where you guys can read it easily, and it won't ever be taken down!

Til next time, be safe ;)