A/N: As I always say, please read and review if you like the chapter!

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Raivis woke the next morning to see Lilli fast asleep next to him. She was sleeping so soundly that he almost didn't want to wake her until he saw the time. Ivan was going to be there in less than an hour! He had to wake Lilli up so she would be ready when he got there. That way, Ivan wouldn't be suspicious of them at all. Though, as Raivis thought more about it, Ivan was probably suspicious enough as it was.

He gently shook the sleeping girl next to him. "Lilli? Lil, we have to get up now."

Lilli opened her bright, green eyes and looked up at Raivis. Her mouth formed into a wide smile. "Good morning, Raivis," she cheerfully yawned, stretching. She reached up to cup his cheek in her hand, the sleeve of her pink nightgown falling down her arm. Her skin was warm from snuggling Raivis and being under a blanket all night. "Does this mean Ivan will be here soon?" she asked, yawning once more.

"I'm afraid so," Raivis answered with a sigh. "So we have to get up, get dressed, pack up, and be ready for Ivan when he comes."

She nodded, her eyes fluttering shut once more. After a moment, her eyes snapped open. "Ivan's coming to get us soon!" she exclaimed, registering the fact. Her body moved on its own as she rose out of the bed and ran a brush through her hair. "Raivis, we need to get ready!" Lilli stripped off her nightgown and began to slip into her dress. "Could you help me with this, Rai?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah," Raivis answered, walking over to her. He grabbed the zipper on the back of her dress and began pulling it up. "Like this?"

"Exactly like that," Lilli encouraged, peeking over her shoulder at him and casting him a warm smile. "You're doing great. Just pull it all the way up, Raivis."

He quickly did as told and she turned around and kissed him. "I should help you more often," he decided, blushing. Raivis himself wasn't even dressed yet, but he didn't seem to care as he kissed Lilli once more, losing himself in her for a moment.

"Rai," Lilli softly said, breaking off the kiss, "go and get dressed. Ivan will be here soon." She kissed his cheek and put her discarded nightgown into their shared suitcase. "We need to be ready, or he'll get suspicious. We need to prove that we're responsible."

Raivis nodded. "You're right. I knew that." He pulled out some clean clothes and changed into them. After trying to tame his curls for about five minutes, he gave up and went to pick up their suitcase. "Are you ready, Lilli?" he asked her.

"How much time do we have left?" she asked him.

"About fifteen minutes," he answered.

Being the sneaky and daring girl that she was, Lilli jumped into his arms and kissed him passionately. She knew just how to charm Raivis and just what to do to drive him crazy. Sneak attacks worked best. That much she knew. And at that moment, seeing how much time they had, she wanted to drive him wild, knowing full well that she wouldn't get another opportunity to for a long time.

Raivis's eyes widened before they closed as he accepted Lilli's love. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer, causing her to squeak against his lips. Oh, how he loved the noises she made! His hands went to her hips, gripping them firmly, as her arms looped around his shoulders. He never wanted that moment to end, but like all perfect moments, it did.

Lilli broke away to catch her breath, tears in her eyes. "It's not fair, Raivis! It's just not hair! Why can't I marry you? We would be so happy together, I just know it!" She clenched her hands into fists and placed them against his chest. "I love you, Raivis! No one else! Just you!" A tear made its way down her cheek. "Why can't Vash accept that? It's not fair! It's just not fair!"

He grabbed her fists, holding them gently in his hands. "I'll wait for you, Lilli. However long it takes. I will never marry another, for it's you that I love. And I promise to always love you, even if you marry someone else."

She shook her head. "No," Lilli said. "I refuse to marry anyone who isn't you, Raivis. And I'm going to tell Vash that when we get home." She took a deep breath. "It's time I stood up for myself and for what I want. After watching Toris and Natalia get married yesterday, I realized that was what I wanted, more than anything. But I only want it if it's with you." Lilli took a deep breath. "Raivis Galante, I will marry you. Just you wait and see. It will happen."

"And I can't wait for that day," Raivis told her, smiling widely. "You are going to make a beautiful bride."

"But only for you," she assured.

.

"How was the wedding?" Ivan asked once they were on the road. "Was Natalia lovely as always? How about Toris?" His eyes were shining as if he were genuinely interested in how it went, even though it was the wedding of his ex-girlfriend to another man. "I bet that wedding was just wonderful. It warms my heart to know that she is now with a good man for her. She deserves it."

As Raivis looked closer, there was a hidden emotion in Ivan's eyes that he couldn't quite pick out. It wasn't resentment. It was something else. Jealousy? No, that wasn't it. But it was as if his eyes were laughing about some dark, secret joke that only he would think was funny. That was one of the things that scared Raivis so much about Ivan. His words were always harmless and innocent, yet his eyes always told another story. The story in his eyes was much more terrifying to Raivis than he cared to admit.

Raivis forced a smiled to Ivan. "The wedding was beautiful," he said. "It was a traditional Jewish wedding. Natalia had requested it, actually."

Ivan thought for a moment. "That's interesting. She was never into her mother's heritage before. I wonder what changed that." He shrugged carelessly. "Oh well. Tell me more."

The Latvian boy went on about the wedding and how Lilli would ask questions throughout the ceremony. Ivan laughed a few times as Raivis would talk about Lilli asking questions. It made Raivis feel relieved that Ivan was laughing, though. At least that weird feeling between them seemed to be gone. That much was good.

The Russian turned to Raivis. "Did you see my sister there?" he suddenly asked. "You know, Irunya? Was she there with her child?"

Raivis looked closely at Ivan before answering. The older man's face was hard to read, which almost frustrated him, and he decided to choose his words carefully. "She was there, yes, along with her son."

"So she had a son," Ivan mused aloud. He hummed in thought for a moment. "What does the boy look like?"

"He looks like his father from what I can tell," Raivis answered. "The boy's name is Vladyslav Matthew Williams from what I've heard, named after his father for the most part."

"Matthew Williams," the Russian solemnly said. "That's his father's name?"

Raivis wanted to kick himself for letting that slip. "From what I gather," he answered, not wanting Ivan to know that he knew Matthew. "It all just seems complicated to me."

"If I ever come across Matthew Williams, I will break his neck," Ivan growled. "How dare he leave my sister like that."

The Latvian boy wanted to explain that Matthew didn't have a choice, but that would mean that he knew Matthew, and he didn't want to acknowledge that at all. That would cause many questions, and Raivis really didn't want that at the moment. His heart was pounding in his chest at just the thought of it. No matter what, there was no way he could acknowledge that he knew Captain Matthew Williams.

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Lilli woke up awhile later and went to sit with Ivan while Raivis slept. She leaned her head on Ivan's shoulder while he led the horses down the path, the carriage rocking back and forth in a soothing way. Her eyes began to feel heavy before Ivan began speaking to her.

"Did you have fun with Raivis?" he softly asked.

She looked up at him. "Of course I did," she answered with a smile. "We had so much fun, Ivan. And the wedding was beautiful, even if I didn't understand most of it." Lilli sighed in happiness. "I am happy that I came on this adventure with the two of you. It really opened my eyes to many things."

"Oh yeah?" Ivan asked, raising his eyebrows. "Like what?"

"Like to how much I truly do love Raivis," Lilli answered, blushing. "It's opened my eyes to what a wonderful man he is and has yet to become. He always made sure that I was comfortable before making himself comfortable while we were in Russia. Raivis is a good man, and I hope that Vash can see that one day."

"I hope he can as well," the Russian mused. "I want to see Little Lilli happy for a change. It's not fair to see you moping around like this. You've been this way ever since he left."

"You promised we wouldn't talk about him," Lilli softly said, looking up at Ivan. "You promised, Ivan. Max is not someone I just so openly talk about anymore."

"But maybe you should, and especially to Raivis," Ivan told her. "He deserves a right to know about the man you were once betrothed to, doesn't he?"

Lilli crossed her arms over her chest. "No he doesn't," she huffed. "Besides, we were only children, and his family moved far away. Max Schmit means nothing anymore. He's probably happy with someone else now with children. He doesn't think about me, and I don't think about him."

"If you don't think about him, then why are you so hurt right now?" Ivan asked her, slipping his arm around her in a comforting way. "I know that Max was your first love, and that he betrayed your love. Do you think Raivis will do the same to you?"

"He won't," she said, shaking her head vigorously. "Raivis would never do that. He has nowhere to leave me for, and no family to go with. It's just me and Raivis forever." Lilli swiped at her eyes before her tears could fall. "My Raivis would never leave me! I know that for sure. He's different from Max! Raivis is different!"

"Lilli, you don't have to convince me that he is," Ivan softly said. "I know that he is. Raivis only has eyes for you and a future with you, whereas Max wanted other things as well. That's where the two boys differed. I think that Raivis would be the best suitor for you."

Lilli looked up at Ivan once more. "You really think so?"

Ivan chuckled to himself. "Of course. Besides, Raivis is small like you, so I can put him in his place if he messes up at all."

She giggled. "Ivan, you're like the second older brother I never had." Her smile stretched wider as she leaned into him more, closing her eyes. "You're a good big brother to me."

He smiled down at the resting girl. "And you're the little sister I never wanted but am blessed to have," he decided with a smile. "Rest well, Lilli. I'll try not to let the carriage jolt enough to wake you up."

.

The trio stopped for a break in Ukraine, all getting down to stretch their legs and feed and water the horses. Raivis went to find Lilli after relieving himself. He found her petting the horses with Ivan. She looked so happy as she stroked a horse's mane with a brush. He didn't want to disturb her until he saw her smile directed at him.

"Raivis, come over here!" she called, waving him over. "Ivan was just letting me brush out Viktor's mane!" She giggled as she ran the brush through the horse's mane once more.

He walked over to them and smiled. "That's cool," he said, grinning at Lilli. "These horses sure are amazing. They've taken us almost all over Europe." Raivis reached out and gently patted Viktor. "They're good horses."

"You can say that again," Ivan said, grinning. "Viktor and Katyusha have been my horses since I was about your age."

"How old are you now, Ivan?" Lilli innocently asked him.

Ivan's eyes crinkled into a squint as he smiled at the girl. "That's a secret," he simply said with a chuckle. His hair was silvery, which would make him seem old, but then again, he was Irunya's younger brother, and Irunya wasn't that old. "No one but my family and Vash knows my age."

Lilli pouted. "Why can't we know?"

"Because then I would have to kill you," he carelessly joked. Then again, his eyes said something completely different from joking as Raivis looked at them. His eyes held a serious expression as his "joke" went over Lilli's head. "And that doesn't sound fun to me, because I kind of like the two of you. Also, it would be hard to explain to Vash what happened to you both."

The girl giggled. "You wouldn't kill me, Ivan."

"You're right," Ivan laughed. "I couldn't kill my Little Lilli." He patted her on the head. "It would cause me too much heartbreak."

"Exactly," she told him with a smile as she finished brushing the horse's mane. Lilli handed the brush back to Ivan. "Here you go! I have to go and do something, and then I'll be ready to go again." She took off running toward the trees.

Raivis turned to Ivan. It was moments like these where he wished he didn't have to be alone with the Russian. He never knew what Ivan was thinking, and that always made him nervous, almost resorting back to the days where he used to constantly tremble. But he knew he was stronger than that as he almost reached adulthood. He had to be.

Ivan smiled at Raivis. "Why are you so afraid of me?" he asked. "I would never hurt you. I know how precious you are to Lilli."

"A-Afraid?" Raivis asked him. "I'm not afraid at all."

"You are," Ivan answered, smiling. "I can see it in your eyes, Raivis. You are afraid of me. You think I might hurt you or Lilli, but I assure you that I will not. I am just misunderstood by most. People always think I have bad intentions, but I really don't. They say that my eyes give away my true motives, but I don't know what that means. I just like helping other people."

Raivis nodded. "I will keep that in mind."

"Thank you," Ivan said. "I would never want any harm to come to you, Raivis, for you are my friend. I hope you trust me on that."

As Raivis looked at Ivan's eyes, he could tell that the Russian meant what he was saying, but what did he mean by not understanding his true intentions in his eyes. He decided to dismiss those thoughts.

"I'm not a bad person," Ivan continued. "People think that I am, but I'm really not. I care, just like everyone else does."

"I believe that," Raivis answered.

"I think we just got off on the wrong foot," Ivan told him. "Please allow us to start over. Hello, Raivis. My name is Ivan Braginsky. I am your chaperone back to Switzerland. Please take care of Lilli. She is like a sister to me, and I know she adores you."

"Pleased to meet you, Ivan. My name is Raivis Galante, and I love Lilli Zwingli just as much," Raivis answered. "Please help me keep her safe."

Ivan smiled. "I will."

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A week and a half later, Lilli turned to Raivis as they sat in the back of the carriage. She slipped her hand into his and leaned her head on his shoulder. Her eyelids felt heavy. She didn't understand why she was so tired that day. She was always sleeping, it seemed. Lilli was the one who slept the most out of the three of them. It worried Raivis.

"Are you not feeling well?" Raivis asked her, cocking his head to the side in concern. "Would you like a blanket?"

Lilli shook her head and yawned. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she sighed. "I'm just always tired. It's exhausting. I think I'm getting sick."

"That's not good," Raivis said. "Do you want me to tell Ivan?"

She shook her head once more. "No, I don't want him to worry. He has enough on his mind right now with getting us home and all. He shouldn't have to worry about me getting sick and all." Lilli coughed a little. "I'll be fine."

Raivis frowned. "I still feel like we should tell him."

"Don't!" Lilli gasped out when Raivis made a move to go and tell Ivan. "You can't. I don't want him to worry. It's just a cold anyway."

"Do you remember my condition when I arrived at your house on Christmas?" Raivis asked her. When she nodded, he said, "That was just a cold as well."

She bit her lip. "Fine, tell him, but just not right now. Tell him next time we stop, but don't expect me to be a part of it. I don't want either of you fussing over me either."

"Well we're going to be, whether you like that or not," Raivis told her. "You're sick, Lilli. You need us to be able to feel better. So we're going to make sure you get better before we get back to Switzerland. Your brother will kill us if we don't."

Lilli nodded. "You may be right about that." She sighed. "Fine then. But I won't like it at all."

"You don't have to like it, Lilli. You just have to deal with it," Raivis told her.

She frowned at him, pouting. "I guess so." She jolted a little when the carriage stopped on the side of the road and Ivan joined them in the back. "What's going on?"

"I was eavesdropping," Ivan answered. "Lilli, if you're sick, you really need to let me know." He frowned. "Raivis is right about Vash being angry if we bring you back sick. He is trusting us to take care of you, and if we bring you back sick, he will be terribly angry with us."

Lilli sighed. "Ivan, I'll be fine."

"Lil, I've seen fatal colds before. In the next town we pass, I'm going to get some medicine for you," Ivan decided. "We're going to get you feeling better as soon as we can." He then turned to the boy. "Raivis, could you get a blanket to wrap her in?"

"I'm on it," Raivis answered before opening the hatch in the carriage and looking for a warm blanket.

"Lilli, you need to let us take care of you while you're sick," Ivan told her. "If you don't, you will only get worse, and then Vash may never trust Raivis."

She nodded. "I understand," she said. Tears stung at her eyes. "I just didn't want you to worry is all."

Ivan smiled at her. "Lilli, when it comes to you, I will always worry, okay?"

She sighed out. "Okay. I'll rest back here until I feel better."

"Thank you." Ivan placed a kiss to her fevered forehead before going back to the front of the carriage and getting it going again.

Raivis then draped the blanket over Lilli. "You'll feel better before you know it."

"I sure hope so," Lilli sighed, leaning into him. "After all, I would hate to have Vash mad at you." And that was the truth. If Vash was mad at Raivis, then that would make it so they could never marry, and that would never do for Lilli.