At George's urging, Anastasia enrolled for the upcoming fall term at the local university.
"I know you never cared much for school work, darling," he told her. "But you're so intelligent that it would be a real shame if you didn't use it."
"There are other ways to use one's intelligence other than going back to school."
"True, but in the twenty-first century, your career options are very limited without a college education."
"Careers. There was once a time when I never had to worry about such a thing."
"I know, hon. The same was true for me."
If high school was crowded, university was even more so. Much more so. Anastasia saw a few familiar faces that she recognized from high school, but the others were all strangers.
After her first three classes it was time for lunch. She asked directions to the cafeteria, also known as the student center. In the student center she saw all three of her sisters sitting together at a table. Unable to believe it at first, she had to look twice, and sure enough, it was them. There was no mistaking it. Compassionate but temperamental Olga. Regal, dominant Tatiana. Sweet, gentle Maria with her big, round blue eyes. They were all there, looking much the same as the last time Anastasia had seen them.
Her heart pounding with excitement, Anastasia sneaked up behind them and disguised her voice.
"Excuse me, but I'm new here. Could one of you ladies please tell me how to get to the library?"
"Nastya!" Tatiana exclaimed. Before Anastasia could react Maria's arms were around her, hugging her tightly.
"Dearest Mashka," Anastasia whispered softly into her sister's hair. Do miracles ever end, or do they just go on and on?
"Where's Baby?" asked Tatiana.
"You know he hates to be called that. He's in high school, in the tenth grade."
"Where do you live?" asked Olga.
"We both live with my husband, George, about a five-minute drive from here."
"Your...husband?" Tatiana's mouth dropped open.
"Yes, we were married last June," Anastasia said proudly.
"Oh, Nastya, I'm so happy for you!" Maria hugged her again.
Olga frowned. "But you're the youngest girl, Nastya. It isn't right that you should have gotten married first. That should have been me."
Was she kidding? With Olga one could never be sure. Anastasia saw how her sister's eyes twinkled. Yes, she was just kidding.
"Tell us about him!" cried Tatiana.
So Anastasia told them the whole story, beginning with meeting George on the bridge and continuing on through meeting Anne, starting school, meeting Madison, finding Alexei, graduating high school, marrying George. The only part she left out was the encounter with Gregory Ross-Peyton and her discovery of his true identity. She saw no point in re-opening old wounds.
"That's so romantic!" Maria sighed when she had finished talking.
"Tell me what's happened to you since the last time I saw you," Anastasia said.
"We arrived together, frightened and confused," Tatiana told her. "We didn't know what to do at first. I finally thought of going to the Russian Orthodox church for help. I told the priest who we were and what had happened. He didn't believe me, of course, but he was very kind to us. I told him that Olga and I both had nursing experience and he found us both jobs as nursing assistants at the hospital. You have to have a degree to be a regular nurse now, he said. He got Maria a job as a file clerk in the X-ray department of the same hospital. He also helped us find an apartment near the university. It's a little small but we love it. He's been ever so good to us. I don't know how we could ever repay him."
"What time does Alexei get home from school?" asked Olga.
"Three thirty."
"We'll come over and meet him this evening," Tatiana said. As usual, she spoke for all the sisters. She got directions to George and Anastasia's house and they all went back to class.
Madison also happened to be visiting that evening. She had decided to take a year off from school to work for her uncle and aunt's business and start school the following year. Her cousins Chase and Chance came over with her. Chase was twenty-four and Chance was twenty-one.
"This is Madison, Dimitri's great granddaughter," Anastasia told her sisters when they arrived.
"Dimitri?" asked Olga.
"The boy who worked in the kitchen at the palace in St. Petersberg. Don't you remember him?"
"Oh, yes! Dimitri!" Olga laughed.
"How do you do," Madison said, shaking hands with all three girls. "I've heard ever so much about all of you. Chase and Chance are Dimitri's great grandsons."
Alexei arrived home from school and was, of course, thrilled to see his oldest three sisters again. Olga, Tatiana, and Maria couldn't stop hugging and kissing him.
"All right, that's about enough, now," he laughed after awhile. As much as he loved his sisters, he was very self conscious for Madison and her cousins to see all the affection they were showering him with.
Jimmy, hearing all the commotion, bounded joyfully into the room, and the girls all hugged and kissed him as well.
"You'll never guess who Alexei's physician is now," Anastasia told them.
"Who?" asked Tatiana.
"Dr. Botkin!"
"I don't believe it! He's here as well?"
"Yes, and not only that, but there are new treatments for hemophilia now that weren't available back in nineteen eighteen. Alexei gets clotting factor injections now so his bleeding tendencies are under much better control. He still has to be careful but he isn't sick nearly as often as he used to be."
"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Maria.
"If only Papa, Mama, and Dimitri were all here, things would be just about perfect," sighed Tatiana. Dimitri Malama was an army officer with whom she had been in love.
Everyone was still there when George came home a couple of hours later.
"Well, I'm certainly glad you all waited for me before starting the party," he quipped.
"This is my sisters, Olga, Tatiana, and Maria," Anastasia told him. "And this is my husband, George."
"My new brother!" exclaimed Maria, giving George a hug.
"What a sweetheart you are." George kissed her cheek and then shook hands with Olga and Tatiana.
Everyone stayed and visited until almost midnight. There seemed to be ever so much to catch up on. Although exhausted, Anastasia was very reluctant to see her sisters leave.
"I almost feel that if I say good-bye to you I'll never see you again," she told them.
"But of course you will!" Maria gave her a reassuring hug. "We'll all see you at university tomorrow."
"Of course. Silly me," Anastasia laughed.
"Come to bed, darling," George gently urged her. "You need your rest."
Anastasia settled into his arms and was asleep within seconds.