Dear Grandmama,

Wish me luck! We'll be together in Paris soon again! I cannot promise when our return will be but I know I will miss you. I also know you are smiling while reading this as much as I am while writing it. You were right after all, I wasn't as happy as I'd thought I was. But I am now! Thank you for the little conspiracy you and Sophie set up for the ball, it changed our lives.

I love you and I'll miss you!

P.S. Your Majesty, please apologise to Vlad for stealing Pooka from him. He seemed rather keen on following us.

With the greatest of respect, Dimitri.

Anya stared at the young conman in disbelief. "What?" he exclaimed in a rather high-pitched voice that had her suppressing a chuckle.

"Always so formal, Dimitri." She only commented and folded the letter they had just written. The way he tried to be polite to her grandmother amused her as much as touched her since she was aware all of his efforts were made just for her sake.

She placed the envelop on her grandmother's study and they both exited the room, but not before she glanced in nostalgia at the room all around her.

It had been a week since the event at Paris and four days after their return in St. Petersburg, they were eloping, taking just a valise with absolutely necessary things.

After mentally saying another goodbye and blowing a kiss to the Empress's window, she put on her cap and snaked an arm around Dimitri's, wearing a smile that the young man found perfectly disarming and dazzling. Am I blind yet? But he had to admit, he was smiling too, not only because her grin and happiness was absolutely contagious, but also because he felt so happy for the first time in his life. Maybe going to that ball was worth it after all! "Ma'am, are you ready?"

"I was born ready, Mister!" she joked and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. And with that they both hurried to the train station that would take them to Constantinople.

xXxXxXx|A day and a half later|xXxXxXx

The young Princess lifted her chin up with her eyes closed, enjoying the salty, gentle breeze of the sea. Whoever looked at her, thought that the beautiful girl was smiling to the heavens. The aura of happiness and joy emitting from her was enough to affect even the grumpiest of people. Dimitri was sure it had affected him.

He slowly walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her slender waist while placing a tender kiss on her cheek. He then rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered softly next to her ear. "It's a pity though we did not stay a bit here. It's a beautiful city, isn't it?"

Anya only moaned in agreement without bothering to open her eyes. She only tightened Dimitri's embrace around her. "We have plenty of time to visit Constantinople again. Just think of all the other wonderful cities this ship will take us to!" the excitement that the thrill of adventure caused her was limitless and just too obvious for him not to chuckle. "Wha-? Are you laughing at me, sir?"

"I would never dare laugh at the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna!" he called her by her full name in a dramatic voice. She only chuckled gently. "Anyway, you're right. This cruise in the Mediterranean Sea was the best idea Vlad has ever come up with! What's our first destination again?"

"I see you studied thoroughly the guide book I gave you." she commented with a slight hint of playfulness. "Destination No1 is Athens and then off to Egypt!" she exclaimed in a voice full of enthusiasm. He only smiled at her.

She slowly fluttered her eyelids open and looked at him over her shoulder, practically bringing them face to face. "Thank you, Dimitri. For everything."

He only shrugged his shoulders. "Anything for the Princess Anastasia."

Her reply was a kiss on his cheek.

xXxXxXx|Two weeks and a half later|xXxXxXx

"Come on, idiot! Hurry! We'll miss it!"

A frantic Anya kept on dragging Dimitri through the narrow, picturesque Italian streets of Rome in hurry. Dimitri only rolled laughingly his eyes at the young woman's childish and beaming enthusiasm. "Oh, we'll make it! Calm down, Highness!"

After a good run of five minutes, they were there; the Fontana Di Trevi before them in all its glory.

Despite her pants and irregular pulse, Anya beamed in excitement at its sight.

"Just in time." She commented with relief as the countdown had already begun.

Nine…

Eight…

Seven…

Dimitri slipped a hand in hers and entwined their fingers.

Five…

She offered him a smile and they both gazed expectantly at the sky.

Three…

Two…

One…

"Happ- ugh!" she didn't have time to even turn and look at him as he captured her lips in a breathtaking kiss. It was short and gentle but satisfying enough. Reluctantly they pulled apart and gazed in each other's eyes before he spoke in a softer voice. "Happy New Year, Princess."

"Yeah, to you too." She replied and they shared smiles, completely oblivious to everybody's cheers and screams of excitement around them or to the fact they were missing the reason they had ran all the way to the fountain; the fireworks. They just lost themselves in each other's eyes.

"Let's make a wish." He suggested suddenly, holding a coin up for her.

"Okay!" she smiled widely and accepted while he fished out of his pockets another one.

Holding hands they pushed their way through the crowd and stood before the fountain. They let go of each other and turned their backs on the historical monument. "Make a wish, make a wish." She kept on mumbling.

"Ready?"

"Of course!"

"One…two…three…NOW!"

And both coins flew through the air and landed with a watery, bubbling sound on the bottom of the fountain.

She looked at him expectantly. "So what did you wish for?"

"Well, I wished…" he started and took her hands in his. He had not realized how sweaty they suddenly felt or the fact that her pulse had suddenly and severely increased. "I wished you won't reject my marriage proposal." He finally said, looking surprisingly cocky.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in understanding and her smile widened significantly. "Do you know what I wished for?"

"How should I!"

"Well, I wished you would make a proposal so that I can reject it!"

His eyes grew twice as big before he smiled and shook his head. "Same, old Anya…" So they had been thinking and wishing for the exact same thing? "What am I going to do with a woman like you?"

"Uhh…marry me?"

"Oh, I intend to!"

"Damn, I'm going to marry a baby…" she whispered as she leaned in for yet another kiss. That was definitely the best Christmas and New Year's she had ever had.

So this is the end of a cute, little story! My, I love those two so much! Please, please tell me if you liked it! I was so nervous because it's been a while since my last update and I feared I had lost inspiration so please, please, please be kind and leave a review! :D

Thank you all of you who have stuck with this story from the beginning, you are awesome guys! It's so sad it's over!

Bye for now!

Love, kate xxx