Yay! I got a request done! I'm sorry it always takes so long you guys... ;_; I don't mean to be late or anything like that. Anyway, this is for Dalvanbraginski who wanted a version of Something There with Russia in it. S/He never mentioned any particular pairing so I got to choose!

Song: Something There

Madeline loved books. There were few things on the planet that she loved more than books. Scratch that, the only people she loved more than books was her brother and her father, and even then she wasn't quite sure. Perhaps then it's understandable why she was more than happy to inherit her father's book shop even when she could have gotten promising careers elsewhere. Her idea of a perfect day was being surrounded by books and occasionally helping others get good books of their own.

She had lots of perfect days.

On this particular day in fact, she was avidly reading The Horse and his Boy while drinking hot chocolate when the bell to her shop rang and three people stepped inside. They stomped their boots on the welcome mat to shake off any snow before tromping over to Madeline's desk. A large gloved hand slapped on the desk and Madeline finally looked up. She bit off a groan when she realized that it was Gilbert and his friends. To be fair, one of his friends was also her cousin but Francis acted like a jerk whenever he was with Gilbert. His other friend, Antonio, wasn't too bad, but he'd been worse before he'd gotten a girlfriend.

All three of them were incredibly handsome; Gilbert was albino, but his white hair and red eyes looked good on him, especially when he made them stand out by wearing dark clothing (which he usually did, he was wearing a black coat at the moment.) Antonio was Spanish by blood with curly brown hair, dark green eyes and tanned skin. Francis looked like how many people thought an angel would look with wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Madeline looked a lot like her cousin except for the fact that her hair was a shade darker and her eyes were indigo. She tried to tuck a loose curl behind her hair and asked, "Can I help you with anything? Is there a book you need?"

Gilbert scoffed and leaned in closer, "Nein! I don't know how you manage to sit here all day, gorgeous. A girl like you should be out and about…on zhe arm of an awesome guy like me!" He wriggled his eyebrows and snatched the book out of Madeline's hands. He thumbed through it and shook his head, "Tch, not even pictures." He let to book drop back onto the desk and Madeline quickly grabbed it.

"If you're not here for books, what do you want?" she asked, trying to keep her voice polite. Gilbert leaned in even closer until their noses were almost touching.

"I vant you to come with me to zhe awesome party Antonio's having at his place this Saturday, at eight."

Oh NO! A date?! Gilbert had been hounding her for a while, but Madeline had thought she'd been clear about how she felt towards him. He was more of a blockhead than she thought.

Gilbert drummed his fingers on the desk impatiently, "Vell?"

"I…I…" How do I say no while still being polite?!

The bell to her shop rang again and with a sigh of relief Madeline looked over Gilbert's should to greet the new customer…and promptly wished that she still had to face Gilbert. It was him. Ivan Braginski wasn't a regular customer at her store, but whenever he came Madeline couldn't wait until he was gone. He was tall, extremely tall, with ashy blonde hair and eerie purple eyes. He always wore a scarf, even in the summer, and Madeline's imagination lead her to some horrifying conclusions about why he constantly hid his neck. He'd never done anything truly alarming but his whole demeanor gave off a feeling of danger. Gilbert turned around and immediately glared at Ivan. "Vhat are you doing here, Braginski?" he demanded.

Ivan merely smiled back, "I'm just here to get new books. There's nothing wrong with that, da?" A creepy purple aura seemed to surround him and Madeline shivered.

Gilbert turned back to Madeline, "He's been here before?" Madeline nodded and Gilbert's glare deepened. He walked up to Ivan and looked up into his face. "Listen here loser, you keep avay from her. She's MINE." Without turning around he spoke to Madeline, "I'm picking you up a 7:30, zhat's vhen you close zhe store, right?" He didn't wait for an answer, he shot another glare at Ivan and motioned to Francis and Antonio to leave. They did so, though Francis hesitated and cast a concerned look at Madeline. Madeline sank into her seat when she realized that now it was just her, Gilbert, and Ivan.

Ivan hadn't reacted at all to Gilbert's declaration, he still had the same innocent smile he always had. His lack of response seemed to anger Gilbert further because he leaned in and hissed something to him. Madeline strained to hear what it was but they were too far away. But it seemed that it had upset Ivan for some reason because now his smile was gone. His mission accomplished, Gilbert sneered and shoved Ivan. Ivan stumbled back and hit a bookshelf wincing as several books rained down on his head and shoulders.

"Ksesese! 7:30! Be ready gorgeous!" Gilbert yelled as he ran out of the shop. Madeline groaned softly and hastened to help Ivan pick up the books.

"I'm so sorry about that! Gilbert is such an idiot, are you hurt?" She fluttered around the giant picking up any stray books. Ivan shook his head,

"It is nothing. Gilbert's personality is well known to me."

"O-oh…" Madeline cast him a sympathetic glance before placing the books on their appropriate shelves. Ivan pulled out his wallet and Madeline remembered why he was here. "What books would you like?" she asked.

"Just some from Edgar Allen Poe." The innocent smile was back.

Why does that not surprise me? Madeline thought. "Um, they're back there," she pointed to the bookshelves in the far back.

Ivan held up a hand to stop her from moving, "I will get them." Madeline watched as he navigated himself through her store. As she returned to her desk, she thought over what had just happened and wondered why she'd been terrified of Ivan. He was…different to be sure, but there was something else about him. She jumped slightly when Ivan returned, so lost in thought she hadn't heard him come back. He quickly purchased his books and was almost to the door when he swung around, "You don't have to go with Gilbert if you don't want to." Madeline was shocked by his sudden outburst. His voice and face were sincere and full of…longing? She couldn't really tell. Without another word, he left.

Madeline sat there for a minute, dumbfounded, before looking at her book and opening it. It was no use. The words danced in front of her eyes and made her dizzy until she finally closed it. "Oh dear…" she sighed.

Thumping bass and the smell of alcohol hit Madeline like a brick wall. She quickly tore herself out of Gilbert's grasp and found the quietest corner she could in Antonio's large apartment. It was just as well, Gilbert had forgotten all about her as soon as they'd arrived. Madeline watched the revelers cautiously. She knew many of them from school but she wasn't really acquainted with them. All of them seemed to be intoxicated, if the way they danced was anything to judge by. Soon enough she noticed a figure weaving their way through the crowd. As they got closer Madeline realized that it was Antonio. Thankfully, he looked sober enough. He grinned as he approached her.

"I'm glad you could make it chica!" he greeted, friendly as ever. "I wondered where you were, Gilbert's over there having a drinking contest with Francis. You want to watch?"

Great… "No thank you. I'm fine here."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Antonio shrugged, "All right then chica." He left her to visit with some other guests and Madeline sighed. This was going to be a looooooong night.

Time Skip

The party was finally starting to wind down. People were leaving in twos and threes or simply passing out on the floor. The entire apartment was a mess, but Madeline doubted that Antonio cared. He had a generous income to say the least.

"Heeeey! Maddy~!" Madeline watched Gilbert stumbled to her corner. She resisted the urge to gag at the foul smell coming from his breath when he leaned in closer to her.

"Are you enjoying yourself Gilbert?" she asked, not even bothering to hide the contempt in her voice by this point.

"Ja, ja! I need your help zhough." Madeline quirked an eyebrow. "I need to get back home, but I don't zhink I can drive." That was an understatement, but at least he was somewhat responsible. "Can you – hic – help me get a taxi or somezhing?"

Madeline nodded, grateful to leave, and started pulling him towards the door. "What happened to Francis?" Gilbert shrugged and mumbled something unintelligible. Madeline rolled her eyes and continued coaxing the inebriated man into the elevator, through the lobby to the apartment building and finally to the curb outside. Gilbert blinked against the bright lights of oncoming cars and looked blearily at an alleyway, pointing at something in it.

"Vhat's zhat?!" he yelled, going into a bumbling trot. Madeline followed him into the alley while mentally cursing all forms of alcohol. The narrow alley was dark and she couldn't see Gilbert. She was about to call out to him when something strong gripped her shoulders and slammed her against the side of a building. She gasped in alarm and tried to fight off whatever was holding her but it was to strong. Her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and she realized that it was Gilbert who was holding her down. His eyes had turned from glazed and dull to bright and sharp. He leered down at her and pulled both of her arms up until they were above her head. Using one hand to hold them there, he used the other to capture her jaw.

"Gilbert! Let go of me right now!" Madeline demanded. Gilbert ignored her, choosing instead to crash his lips against her for a sloppy kiss. Madeline let out a muffled squeal of terror and trashed against his hold. She could feel his hand wander down and start unbutton her shirt.

NO! Please! Somebody help me!

As if answering her prayer, something yanked Gilbert away from her and throwing him to the ground. Madeline immediately ran as fast as she could until she was back onto the sideway and in the comforting light of a street lamp. She heard faint thuds and groans coming from the alley and she tensed, ready to run back inside the building. But it wasn't Gilbert who emerged from the shadows…it was Ivan!

"I-Ivan?!What in the world-?!" Madeline gasped.

Ivan looked her over in concern, "Did he hurt you?"

"N-no…" The shock of what had almost happened hit her and tears welled up in her eyes. "He- he almost…I was…" A tiny sob escaped her throat and she threw herself into Ivan's arms. Ivan froze in shock for a second before timidly wrapping an arm around her. "T-t-thank you! So m-much!" Madeline choked out.

Ivan looked away and mutter gruffly, "Any true man would have done the same. I'm just glad I was there in time, дорогой ."

Madeline sniffled and rubbed at her eyes, "All the same, thank you Ivan. H-how did you know I was in trouble?"

Ivan shifted awkwardly, "I didn't, but I thought I was just…walk by to make sure everything was all right…"

This vain excuse didn't fool Madeline, she giggled and grabbed one of his arms. "Thank you for being concerned about me. I really appreciate it."

Ivan's cheeks turned pink and he looked away again, "Y-yes… Would you allow me to escort you home?"

Madeline looked up at her gentle giant and smiled warmly, "Gladly."

Methinks I must needs work on my endings. Seriously, they all seem predictable and sappy! Sorry guys...I hope I did well on this Dalvanbraginski, I tried as best as I could! (*sobs* I turned Prussia into such a jerk!)

Please Review!