It didn't take long before Cowen approved Corric's request for Mina to join the medical staff. Corric came to the house two days after their conversation with the news. When she heard that Cowen had approved the decision, she was relieved. Farm work had never been her plan for life, just one that had been handed down to her.

"You can come in tomorrow and I will give you an overview of how things work," Corric told her before leaving her to celebrate.

When Kolya came home that night, Mina startled him by yelling the good news as he came through the door. She waited expectantly for his reaction, hoping it would give her some insight into what he thought of them working closer together.

After he got over the initial shock of her springing the news on him the instant he walked through the door, he gave her the first genuine smile she had seen from him. He further surprised her by grabbing her hands and gently squeezing them.

"That is wonderful news Mina," he said, his smile lighting up his face.

Mina returned his smile and glanced down at their connected hands. Ever since she had initiated contact with the simple kiss on his cheek, he had seemed more willing to touch her. The quick change from the silent brooding man she had known since their wedding to the man before her now gave her hope. Maybe she had been right and there had always been something there hidden behind the invisible wall of chivalry.

As these thoughts bounced around her head, Mina felt the overwhelming urge to close the distance between them, if only to embrace him. She quickly dashed that thought, not wanting to push things between them. Progress was slow, but it was still progress. She pulled her hands away, careful to keep her happy expression visible so he wouldn't take offense.

"I'm looking forward to working in a different environment. But for now, I have things to do, so go about your business."

Mina made a shooing motion in an attempt to keep the mood light. It seemed to work, as her husband let out a deep chuckle as he moved away from her in the direction of his bedroom. She went to work preparing dinner, keeping her back to the room. She could hear him enter the room again and make his way to the living space, but what she noticed more was the sense that she was being watched.

She didn't dare turn around, afraid that she would see him looking at her and not know what to do with that idea. Lately, she had been feeling more aware of her husband and his actions. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she could feel something growing inside her. Her sister would say she was falling for her husband. The thought made Mina laugh quietly to herself.

"What's so funny?" a voice said behind her.

Mina jumped at the sound and spun around to find her husband standing behind her. She was brandishing her spoon at him in defense. The smirk that she had secretly come to love appeared on her husband's face. He looked down at the spoon she was pointing at him.

"Are you going to attack me with that? I didn't mean to startle you."

Mina shook her head and lowered her spoon. She placed it on the counter beside her and turned her attention to the man before her.

"Sorry about that. Did you need something?"

Kolya reached around her and placed his hands on her upper arms, pulling her off to the side away from the stove. He released her and picked up the spoon that she had relinquished. Mina raised her eyebrows in confusion at his actions.

"Acastus what are you doing?"

"I am perfectly capable of making dinner, you don't need to be the one that is always slaving away in here. I didn't marry you to just have you be a homemaker."

Mina was surprised at his statement. Other than the simple dinner he had made two nights ago, he had never offered to help before. She was secretly grateful, as she actually detested cooking. She stepped away to let him work, moving to set the table instead. As she worked, she kept her eyes fixed on him. She wondered where this behavior was coming from. Why was he suddenly being so nice to her?

Once the dinner was ready, they sat together at the table to eat, not saying much. Mina kept glancing over at Kolya throughout dinner, trying to get a sense of what had happened to make him act this way. One of the times she looked at him, she was alarmed to find him looking right back at her. She quickly averted her eyes and looked down at her plate.

"What's bothering you? Is there something wrong with the food?" he asked with mild concern.

Mina shook her head and without looking at him, stood up from the table and gathered her dishes.

"It's nothing. I was just surprised by your gesture is all."

Mina could feel the warm atmosphere suddenly cool. She internally kicked herself for even saying anything. She placed her dishes in the sink and focused on the darkness outside the kitchen window. The silence in the room was deafening. Even though he hadn't responded, Mina could sense that she had offended him. She had basically called him lazy by saying that him contributing was surprising. The sound of a chair being pushed back broke the silence and she heard him walk away from the table. She sighed and started washing her plate, keeping her head down.

She jumped when Kolya startled her for the second time that night. He was behind her again, standing very close to her. She didn't turn around, afraid to look at him.

"Mina," he said softly, lightly touching her arm to get her attention.

Mina turned around to find him closer than she had expected. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she kept her head down.

"Yes?"

She felt his hand under her chin as he encouraged her to look at him. Once she was, he released her.

"I'm sorry if I offended you in any way. I didn't mean to. If cooking is something that you want to do, I will leave it to you. I simply wanted you to know that I don't expect it. I don't expect you to keep house for me. I am not the only one that works all day, and you deserve a break too."

Mina's eyes looked straight into his, and she could discern his honesty. He didn't want her to be a simple housewife. That was why he had been so happy that she had been approved to join the medical team. He wanted more for her. She was touched by his concern for her happiness.

"I appreciate that you feel that way Acastus. I actually hate cooking," she offered breaking the stillness between them with a small guilty smile.

He let out a genuine laugh, causing Mina's smile to widen.

"Well I guess that settles it. I'll be cooking from now on."

Mina laughed along with him, glad that her worries about offending him had been unfounded. They were still standing rather close together and she could feel his body heat radiating off of him. All she would have to do is stand on her toes and she could meet his lips. Her eyes drifted to the area of his face in question. Koyla seemed to notice her attention and his own eyes raked over her face. Mina swore she could see him moving even closer to her and she reciprocated. They were so close, just a few inches between them.

That was as close as they got however. He suddenly pulled away from her and put some distance between them, clearing his throat. Mina tried to not let her disappointment show as she wiped her damp hands on her apron. The dishes could wait until the next day. She walked away from the scene of the almost kiss towards her bedroom.

"Goodnight Acastus," she said over her shoulder before entering her room, closing the door behind her.

She sunk to the floor, her back against the door. Her heart was beating fast and her face felt flushed. He had nearly kissed her and had pulled away. What happened? Did he doubt her or was he simply caught up in the moment?

The following morning, Mina emerged from her room to find her house empty. A small note was sitting on the table. Mina picked it up to read it.

Mina,

Hope you have a good first day.

Don't let Corric overwork you.

Acastus

Mina smiled at the sweet note. She hadn't expected it at all. After their awkward encounter last night, she expected he would be running for the hills, not leaving her notes wishing her luck on her first day. She clutched the note to her chest and felt her heart swell. She gathered her things and placed the note in her pocket before going out the door.

When she arrived in the infirmary, Corric was nowhere in sight. She glanced around and noticed a door that could very well be his office. She walked over to the door and raised her hand to knock, but stopped when she heard voices inside. The conversation sounded very heated. She recognized one of the voices as Corric's and the other one belonged to a woman. Mina couldn't decipher what they were saying, but figured it was a private conversation. She walked away from the door and sat on a chair on the other side of the room. Before long, the door opened and the woman that Corric had been talking to came out and quickly crossed the room before exiting. Mina got a glimpse of her face and could tell that she was upset. Her eyes were drawn back to the door by the sound of Corric's voice.

"Mina. I didn't know you were here."

He seemed embarrassed that she had witnessed the argument that had happened. Mina decided to quell his fears and waved her hand dismissively.

"I haven't been here long. But I am here and ready to get to work."

Relief washed over Corric's expression and he closed his office door before crossing the room to where she was.

"Why don't I show you around then?"

.After Corric had given her the tour, he put her right to work. Three people had come into the infirmary with various injuries. One of them was Sora. Corric had sent Mina to deal with her while he tended to the other two. Mina tended to a few cuts on Sora's arms and face. Sora told her that they were from training.

"What are you training for? It's not like we get attacked on a regular basis."

Sora looked at Mina suspiciously.

"He hasn't told you has he?"

Mina suspected she was talking about her husband but played along as if she didn't know who Sora was talking about.

"Who hasn't told me what?"

"Your husband. Cowen assigned him to train a task force. Eventually we will be ready to strike back against those Atlanteans. Take back what belongs to us."

Mina wasn't sure what Sora was talking about. She knew that the relationship with the people of the ancient city was strained, but didn't know why. Whatever the reason, Cowen felt that he needed to act against them. This explained what her husband had said about Sora hitting him during training.

"Well it seems you have some work to do. Your injuries are minor, but they could be much worse if you ended up on the wrong side of fight against a stronger fighter."

Sora scoffed at her words and rolled her eyes.

"What do you know? Until recently, you were just a farmer."

Mina's lips formed a thin line as she finished bandaging up Sora's cuts. It was better if she just kept her mouth shut. Sora was almost as prideful as Ladon sometimes, she always had been. After she was finished, she gestured to the door to signal that Sora was good to go. The young woman jumped off the table and walked confidently out of the room. Mina glanced over to the two men Corric was tending to. They seemed worse off than Sora, more cuts covering their chests and arms. It seemed that Sora had gotten off easy.

The rest of the day Corric spent teaching her procedure for the infirmary and introducing her to the limited staff. It was a lot of information that was given to her in a short time. She tried to memorize everything he told her. It wasn't long before more people came in with various injuries and maladies. Corric hadn't been kidding when he said he was understaffed. Mina was busy until he told her she could go home.

When she finally got home, she felt exhausted. She hadn't expected to have to do so much on her first day. Farm work was hard labor but didn't require a lot of mental power over the course of the day like this job required. She collapsed into a chair in her living room, not caring that it was her husband's usual chair. She leaned on her hand, going over everything she had learned that day. As she sat there, she could feel her eyes start to drift shut. It wasn't long before she fell asleep sitting in the chair, her face resting in the palm of her hand.

That was how Kolya found her when he returned home. He almost didn't notice her when he came in. He glanced around the room when he didn't see her and his eyes caught glimpse of a small figure in his chair. He crossed the room to find her sound asleep.

"I said not to let him overwork you," he said softly.

He reached out and pushed a stray clump of hair behind Mina's ear. As he looked down at her, he felt a rush of affection. She looked peaceful when she slept. He didn't want to disturb her. At the same time, he had slept in that chair before. It was not comfortable and he woke up with a sore neck. He left her on the chair for a few minutes, disappearing into his bedroom to shed his uniform.

When he returned, Kolya bent down to her level, reaching underneath her legs with one arm and placing the other behind her back. He lifted her into the air, surprised by how light she was. Her head fell sideways into his chest as he carried her to her bedroom. He felt his heart swell at the contact and he smiled. Placing her gently on the bed, he moved to remove her boots from her feet. He pulled the blanket over her unconscious form and brushed the hair behind her ear again. He moved to leave the room but paused before leaving. Without much more thought, he bent down and placed a soft kiss on Mina's forehead. Mina shifted at his touch and Kolya froze, afraid that he had woken her. When her eyes remained closed, he let out a sigh of relief. He stood up and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the domesticity of this chapter. These two are finally starting to feel things! The next chapter brings us into canon territory so we get some excitement. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think.