-1Disclaimer: I don't own it! Don't own it, you hear me?

A/N-- Thanks everybody! You're all so nice. Thanks, stsgirlie, for the comment and fav and alert. Yeah, that last chapter was the first one that I didn't actually reference to the dialogue of the movie, so some of it changed. Glad you liked it anyway! Okay, so I had to split the Paris chapter in two parts 'cause I ran out of time. This is really, really short, and I won't be able to update for a while because my computer is going bye-bye for reasons I don't particularly want to discuss. Anyway, here's chapter six.

"There it is," announced Dimitri the next morning, displaying the approaching land from the Tasha.

"That's Paris?" asked Anya doubtfully. She eyed the low buildings and untidy cobblestone streets, similar to those they had left behind in Stralsund.

"No. Paris is farther inland. But this is France."

"Oh." Feeling rather sheepish, she looked at Vlad.

"Yes. Oh, Sophie! I am so close to you! I will see you before noon today!"

They rode in a bus through the poor streets of Le Havre. It reminded Anya of the orphanage she had left. That was so long ago now, she could hardly believe that it had ever existed. Yet meeting the Dowager Empress didn't seem real either: nothing existed except their travels together.

"I'm going to go through a last minute check. Where was Uncle Boris from?"

Anya grimaced. They had gone over this so much in Germany… They had other things to worry about now. "What if Sophie doesn't recognize me?"

"She will," he insisted. "You're Anastasia."

"It's just that--"

"What?"

"Well, three days ago I didn't have any past at all, and now I'm trying to remember an entire lifetime!"

"That's what you've got me for. Now, where was Uncle Boris from?"

"Moscow?" Dimitri looked away, biting his lip. "No, no! Odessa!"

"Ah, yes, I remember so well," the young girl was saying. She had red hair and blue eyes, but she everything about her was fake. "Uncle Yoshin was from Moscow. Uncle Boris was from Odessa, and every spring--"

"We would take picnics by the shore on Sundays. Haven't you anything better to do?" demanded the Dowager Empress Marie. She stood, leaning on her cane, her sad blue eyes fierce with anger.

"Oh, no. Now you have to leave, now. Come, come, there you go, bye-bye," said Sophie, waving her out through the open double doors. Returning to the table, she continued, "Oh, I must say, I'm so sorry. I thought that one surely was real. Well, she real. I mean, she was human, of course, but not our real. But we won't be fooled next time, no, I'm going to think of really hard questions."

"No!" Marie said sharply. Sophie, taken by surprise, sat down hard in a chair. "My heart can't take it anymore. I will see no more girls claiming to be Anastasia." She took her photograph of the eight year old girl and laid it face down. "No more. No more."

Vlad raised an enormous fist and banged twice on the elegant front door of the two story Parisian house. A maid immediately opened it, and, curtsying, asked, "Oui, Monsieur?"

A blonde woman behind her squealed and pushed her out of the way, posing in the door frame herself instead. Taking her hand and kissing it, Vlad said, "Sophie, Stanislovskievna, Somorkov-Smirnoff!"

"Vladimir, Vanya Voinitsky Vasilovich. Well, this is unexpected. Oh, but look at me. Where are my manners? Come in, come in everyone." They allowed themselves to be led over the threshold. "I'm palpitating with amazement and shock and surprise. All three! Please, make yourselves comfortable." She left, leaving the trio awkwardly in the beautiful sitting room. Dimitri stood by the fireplace, while Anya sat in a chair and Vlad sat down on the couch, Anya fidgeting nervously.

"Sit still," Dimitri hissed in her ear, then resumed his pacing near the wall.

Sophie returned with a tray of tea then. She set it on the coffee table then settled herself next to Vlad. "May I present Her Imperial Highness, the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolayevna."

"Oh my goodness. She certainly does look like Anastasia. But so did many of the others. Now, where were you born?"

"At the Peterhoff Palace," said Anya with no hesitation.

"Correct. And, how does Anastasia like her tea?"

"I don't like tea," Anya told her, changing the "Anastasia" to "I" very deliberately. "Just hot water and lemon."

"Good…" Hours passed, as Sophie asked more and more questions about her history. "And, finally, you'll most likely find this an impertinent question, but indulge me. How did you escape during the siege of the palace?"

Dimitri leaned on the mantle and ran his hand through his hair. He had not told Anya the answer. He had not even considered the possibility. He had always considered it a personal memory, one that only he, the Empress, and Anastasia knew. Sophie wouldn't know, but Marie would. What were they going to do now?

Anya was thinking. "There was a boy… A boy who worked in the palace." She considered it further. "He--he opened a wall… I'm sorry. That's crazy. Walls opening…" She laughed a little, but Dimitri was staring at her. She knew. The realization fully hit him then: She truly was Anastasia. She had found her family. She would stay with her grandmother. She was a princess…

"So, is she a Romanov," asked Vlad, interrupting his thoughts.

"Well, she answered every question…"

"You hear that, child? You did it!" Vlad jumped up and danced around, hugging Anya and swinging her around. Sophie giggled and stood. "So, when do we go see the empress?"

"I'm afraid you don't," said Sophie sadly.

"Come again, my pet?"

"The empress simply won't allow it."

"Now, Sophie, my bright diamond, surely you can think of some way to arrange a brief interview with the dowager?" He hugged her around the middle from behind. "I refuse to budge until an answer occurs to you. Please?" He let go.

"Well… Oh! Do you like the Russian ballet? I believe they're performing in Paris tonight. The Dowager Empress and I love the ballet. We never miss it." She winked.

Dimitri excused himself and went out to the quiet courtyard to think. He didn't have much time, however, because Vlad came rushing out behind him.

"WE DID IT!" He shouted. "We're going to see her Imperial Highness tonight!" Vlad picked Dimitri up and jumped around with him.

"But Vlad--Vlad. She is the princess."

"Anya was extraordinary," he continued, completely ignoring Dimitri. "I almost believed her. And Sophie--"

Anya ran out through the double doors, breathless. Her face shone with excitement. "Sophie wants to take us shopping for the ballet! Shopping in Paris, can you believe it?" She twirled around, imagining what it would be like. She had never been in any sort of shop, let alone Paris.

"Yes, my dear," said Sophie, coming outside after her. "Tonight you shall see all of Paris!"

A/N-- I can't believe I actually used the words "untidy," "rather," and "elegant" all in one chapter. This note is actually about an upcoming chapter. I need an opinion from my four to five readers. For the ending, do you think I should write in the fight scene (which is actually pretty important) with a new random bad guy (I actually do have one, if you guys want to use this ending) or should I find another way for Dimitri to redeem himself. I know, that's spoilers, but you've probably all seen the movie anyway. So, if you want you're opinion heard, you'd better leave a comment or send me a message. (Giggles at her own brilliant plan for getting more comments) See you soon, RWZ