A/N: So here Is the next chapter, it's been sitting ready to go for a while now, I've another chapter ready to go, let me know if you want it.

They travelled around before eventually settling in a French town thirty minutes outside of Paris, close enough that Anya could see her grandmother frequently, and far enough that Dimitri didn't have to endure Sunday lunch with the Dowager empress every week. Not that Dimitri didn't like his wife's Grandmother, in fact he was rather fond of her, and he liked to think she was rather fond of him. Although Anya was her only remaining family member left which meant she took far to much interest in her granddaughters life and In turn in his.

If she asked him one more time if he was still doing odd jobs before offering to put him in contact with business men she knew well, he would scream. He'd never forget the look on her face when Anya had informed her of the waitressing job she took, even though he'd begged her not to tell her grandmother, at least not when he was there to hear the forced 'well that's lovely darling'

He'd been mortified when she'd offered him one of her many expensive rings to give Anya as an engagement ring.

' I mean, you haven't even got a wedding band between you both, people will start to talk' she had scrunched up her nose.

' I know your highness' did she actually think this fact didn't bother him? 'And I've promised Anya that one day, when we've the money to spare I'll get her a ring, but for now…' he trailed off feeling his cheeks burn, not wanting to tell her that the money went towards putting food on the table instead of a ring in Anya's finger.

'Dimitri, I've told you before it's Marie,' she sighed, glancing down at the ring, 'Anastasia loved this ring when she was younger,' Dimitri didn't have the heart to tell her that was her Anastasia, not his Anya.

'Maybe you could give it to her…Marie' he shrugged, 'when I give her a ring, I want it to be from me, with my money, do you get what I mean,'

Realisation glistened in the older woman's eyes, and a small smile spread across her lips.

'Yes, I understand,' she had nodded, 'I think that's very admirable Dear,'

When it came to their apartment, Dimitri had no more fight in him.

'But Grandmama…' Anya had argued, glancing at Dimitri who simply shrugged helplessly as he looked around the one bedroom flat. It wasn't extravagant, so he supposed it wouldn't really have broke his in laws bank, and they couldn't stay at the B&B much longer.

'No buts,' sighed her grandmother, 'you wouldn't let me help out while you were traveling, you wouldn't let me give you the ring' she ignored Anya's enquiry into what ring she was talking about 'think of it as a wedding present, a wedding, need I remind you, I wasn't at'

Anya glanced at her husband once again.

'Thank you, your grace, it's far too generous,'

'Dimitri!' Anya huffed, 'where's your big ego when I need it,'

No, Dimitri much preferred the Sunday routine Anya and he had developed over the past few weeks from moving into the apartment. They would get up around 9am, go for a leisurely stroll, Anya tucked closely to his side to protect her from the cold. They'd stop at the shop on the corner of their street, Dimitri would purchase a news paper before they headed next door to the quant little bakery.

They'd sit by the window, after ordering a coffee and hot water and Lemon and when Dimitri had had a good week, croissants. Dimitri would read, while Anya would stare out the window and people watch, making up her own stories for each couple, family, dog walker who passed by. A habit, she had told him once, that had developed in her teenage years, when she was trying to find her family, wondering if the people walking past her could belong to her. Could she belong to them?

He knew something was strange when he had almost read a full article without Anya Gasping over an adorable couple with greying hair that has just strolled by. Dimitri would roll his eyes, and go back to the paper and Anya would stick her tongue out at him and turn back to the window, completely missing the look of adoration on Dimitri's face.

'No one catching your…' he trailed of as he glanced up to find Anya snoozing, her head leaning awkwardly again the window, and her arms wrapped around herself for heat, He smiled softly, guiding her head gently to rest on his shoulder, before turning back to the paper and letting her catch a few extra minutes of sleep.

An hour had almost passed by when Anya was woke by the sound of the bell above the door ringing as a woman and her two children entered the bakery.

'I told you you should have stayed in bed milaya,' Dimitri murmured as she stretched, curling her self further into her seat,

'I know but with your work we haven't seen each other all week,' she pouted her lips which he promptly sealed with his own.

'you weren't home until after 1am this morning,' he arched his eyebrow, folding the paper up

'Nadya was showing me the ropes behind the bar,' she yawned, rolling her eyes at Dimitri huffy sigh, 'look, lets face it, you're not getting anything solid, bit of labour here and there but it's not secure, this is full time, I'm doing it,' she asserted stopping to take a sip of her water and lemon, scrunching her face in disgust when she realised that it had obviously gone cold.

'I'll get you a hot one,' Dimitri laughed at her facial expression and headed towards the counter.

He waited patiently behind the woman who held her baby close, her toddler hiding against her leg, peeping up at Dimitri every so often, before promptly hiding in the material of his mother's clothes when Dimitri's eyes caught his. The older man couldn't help but smile at the antics of the young boy, sticking his tongue out at him when he took another peep, causing him to erupted into giggles.

'Motya,' his mother sighed, adjusting the baby closer to her.

'Motya,' Dimitri muttered the Russian name, hunching down on his hunkers, 'hello there'

Motya's eyes brightened at the sound of his own language, instead of the confusing gibberish everyone had been speaking to him. He came out from behind his mother, his thumb firmly in his mouth stepping hesitantly towards Dimitri.

Dimitri never really cared much for children, but there was something about this little boy that caught his attention. The chestnut coloured hair that fell into his deep brown eyes, his toothy grin and chubby cheeks, he couldn't help but be sucked in. The little boys eyes widened as he spotted the tray bakes behind the glass, toddling over to push his face against the guard. 'Ah yes, you've spotted the tasty things'

'No…2 uh…' his mother stuttered in broken French, 'two loaves of bread,' she reverted back to Russian with a frustrated sigh.

Pierre, the owner of the bakery exchanged a withering look with the woman, clearly getting agitated.

'Just two loaves?' Dimitri asked the woman in Russian, standing up straight, she nodded her head eagerly, relief washing over her face, as Dimitri turned towards Pierre relying what has been said to him in French, 'the strawberry jam is good too,' he informed the woman who pondered for a moment before nodding her head, ' and a strawberry jam,' he asked Pierre before crouching down beside the little boy as his mother paid for her purchases.

His chubby hands pressed against the glass were a chocolate croissant perched, glancing up had his mother pleading, 'Mama?'

'No Motya,' his mother shook her head, 'we talked about this, we have to make do until papa gets more work,' she explained, knowing the child wouldn't understand.

Dimitri stood up straight as Pierre, looked at him expectantly. He glanced down at the little boy before pointing to the chocolate treat 'that one?' He asked the boy, who nodded eagerly in response, 'a hot water and lemon for Anya and that chocolate croissant wrapped up to go'

'No, no…' his mother argued. Dimitri simply waved his hand her direction before handing over the money, and handing the pastry to the toddler, 'share with your mama,' he teased, ruffling the little boys head and turned towards Anya.

'Thanks,' Anya smiled, sipping her drink, 'do you know them?'

'Yeah,' he murmured, glancing out the window, smiling slightly as Motya tried to keep up with his mother, munching happily on his treat, 'I think that Sergei's family,'

' Brick Layer Sergei?' She asked glancing over her shoulder.

'Yeah he's a son called Motya, that's what you called that toddler, he's Sergei's double,' Dimitri informed, 'he give me his last shift so…' he shrugged.

Anya nodded her head, squinting as if in thought, and Dimitri knew better than to interrupt that. 'I didn't know you were good with children,'

'Am I?' Dimitri asked taking a bite out of the croissant Anya had yet to touch, not receiving the usual objection, instead she pushed the plate toward him encouragingly.

'You are,' and she couldn't help the softness in her voice or the loving look that appeared behind her eyes.

'You up sold,' Pierre popped out of no where.

'Huh?' Ask Dimitri.

'You convinced that costumer to buy a pot of jam she didn't want, you up sold' Pierre explained, Dimitri paused for a moment.

'I suppose I did,' he shrugged.

'You speak both Russian and French,' Pierre observed once again.

'Well spotted,' Dimitri deadpanned, turning to Anya with an exasperated roll of his eyes, earning an elbow I the gut.

'He has a bit of English and I'm also teaching him German, it's not been as easy,'Anya added, clearly getting where Pierre was going with this a lot faster than her husband.

'I'm sorry Bilingual isn't good enough' Dimitri rolled his eyes this time in Pierre's direction.

'German would be helpful,' he murmured more to himself, 'English…well…an extremely good bonus'

Dimitri turned to look at his wife, this guy was really starting to annoy him.

'You've a certain charm, a people person' Pierre concluded, covering his mouth with his hand.

'Clearly stating the obvious' Dimitri said out of the side of his mouth to Anya.

'Can you bake?' The baker asked, and finally Dimitri's mind was catching up.

'Can he!' Anya grinned, thinking back to the morning a few weeks ago he'd tried to teach her to make bread, which had ended in them naked on the kitchen floor covered in flour.

'Can you?' Pierre asked again.

'Yes, well, only bread but I'm a fast learner,' Dimitri sat up straight, 'and a hard worker, I'm not afraid of breaking a sweat, or long hours,'

'Bread is sufficient enough, I need you mainly for behind the counter, just weekends for now, but we'll go from there.' Pierre stated holding out his hand to Dimitri who clasped it immediately.

It was later on that evening, while Dimitri was in the bathroom shaving and mentally spending his wage that he had neither earned nor received yet when Anya pipped up from were she lay in the bath.

'I don't think we should have children' as if it was a run of the mill conversation.

'Jesus…fuck…Anya,' he muttered running his blade under the tap, wincing as he seen the blood appear, he'd almost done a full shave without a cut too 'what have I told you about important conversations while I'm holding a sharp object,' he asked her while looking at her through the mirror.

She rolled her eyes, sinking deeper into the water. He couldn't help but admire her, Her hair was piled up on top of her head, her eyes were tired but they always looked bluer when she was sleepy and the baby pink that was painted on her toes the last time she visited her grandmama and Sophie complimented her milky white skin well. Although he had to admit, she did look slightly peaky in the face, she hadn't been able to touch her croissant, and when he'd pushed her on it she'd simply put it down to her cycle starting soon and Dimitri dropped the topic immediately.

'It's true,' she hummed more to herself than anything 'only a woman can multitask'

Dimitri glared at her profile in the mirror, before splashing water over his face and towel drying.

'So,' he stated, turning around and leaning against the sink, crossing his arm over his chest, smirking slightly at the way Anya's eyes linger on his arms, 'you don't think we should have children yet? I thought that was kind of a given'

'No,' Anya shook her head, her eyes concentrating on her finger swirling in the water, 'I don't think we should have children, period.'

Dimitri stared at her unblinkingly for a long moment.

'Riiiiight,' he dragged the word out, scratching the back of his neck, trying to find the right words, 'and why are you bringing up the topic now,'

'Well,' Anya glanced up at the ceiling, and it was the first time during the conversation that her façade dropped ever so slightly, 'I seen you with the little boy today, and like I said, you were very good with him, and I just wanted to clear things up incase…' she trailed off as he nodded, walking over to perch himself on the baths edge.

'So, just to clarify,' he asked, looking down at his feet, avoiding her gaze, 'it has nothing to do with the fact that you think I'd be a shockingly awful father?'

'What? No?' Anya, gasped, sitting up so quickly the water slouched out behind her slightly, 'well maybe a little, I mean I think we'd both be shockingly awful parents,' she added as she lay a wet hand on his bare bicep.

Dimitri couldn't help but chuckle at that last statement, glancing at her out of the side of his eye. He felt it wouldn't be appropriate for him to tell her that he thought she'd make an amazing mother so he kept his mouth shut.

'I mean think about it Dimitri,' Anya tilted her head slightly, her expression deadpan, 'neither of us really had parents, how would we know how to be them?' She had a point, 'not that I'd ever say that to grandmama, it would kill her and I suggest you don't mention it to Vlad,'

'But all the children at the orphanage…' he wondered, causing her to snort.

'Yet another reason not to!' she exclaimed, 'the thought of having to clean snotty noses…'

'I think it's a bit different when it's your own' he didn't know why he was arguing the case so much, he'd never much thought about having his own children, well, not until he met Anya, and even at that the thought wasn't too endearing. 'To be honest, I'm kind of relieved'

'You are?' Her nose scrunched up sceptically.

'I am,' he nodded, leaning over to kiss the crinkle across her nose, 'let's be honest, financially we can barley look after ourselves, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better, I think it would be pretty selfish to bring a child into this,'

'Exactly! Selfish!' Anya's head nodded eagerly, 'so that's that settled then,'

'I guess it is,' Dimitri grinned, he truly didn't see how having children could make their lives any richer. 'We'll need to be a bit more careful when it comes to…you know…'

'Having sex?' Anya asked bluntly, leaving Dimitri wondering where the shy girl from the ship had gone.

'Yes, working around your cycle may not be enough, I know a guy, leave it with me'

'That sounds dodgy' she sighed.

'Does it matter if we're guaranteed no baby?' He arched his brow at his wife.

'The only guarantee of that is abstinence' she informed.

'I'd like to see you try,' he chucked, leaning forward to capture her lips with his own.