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romitrifan - Thank you! And hehe, no worries about that! They're being careful! :)

Chapter Five.

25th December 1960.

Rose had said yes almost instantly, to Dimitri's relief, and then he'd kissed her senseless. When the sun had set and they headed inside, he'd taken her straight to his room and retrieved the ring from the safe place where he'd hidden it. He'd grinned widely as he slid the small silver ring he'd saved up for months to purchase onto her ring finger. Well, it had taken him years of saving, money that he'd been planning to use to take a trip home to see his family, but he and Rose could save together once they were married. They could get better jobs, ones that had a higher pay rate, and go and visit his family, and buy a house… Dimitri had dreams for the two of them, ones that he hoped Rose would want to share. But Rose had deserved a ring, a proper ring. The one he'd found had a slim, silver band, with an oval sapphire in the middle. Around the sapphire, like flower petals, were small diamonds, which were tipped with silver, holding them in place so that none of the stones fell out.

Rose had tried to insist that he take it back, claiming that she didn't need something so precious, but he'd shaken his head stubbornly.

"No. You deserve something beautiful for once, Roza. Something that matches you, on the outside and the inside."

Her eyes had filled with tears and he'd wiped her cheeks dry as she sobbed, before kissing her softly.

"I love you."

She'd smiled up at him, the full, loving, happy smile that always made his breath catch. "I love you, too."

Now, over two months later, they were spending their first Christmas together, as an engaged couple. It was a slow and steady process, saving up to get married, but it was one they didn't mind. They'd set a date for the twenty first of June, so they had just under six months to continue saving and to organise things. Though they loved each other dearly, the wait gave them plenty of time to organise everything, to save up for the ceremony and to let everyone know, to buy a dress and a suit, and to change their minds if need be.

"Merry Christmas, Roza." Dimitri kissed the nape of her neck before he reached behind his back and pressed a large, yet soft present into her hands.

They were in Lissa room since it was slightly bigger, and as she had a job that was slightly higher up than Rose's it was less likely that anyone would interrupt. Lissa and Christian were curled up together, watching with mild interest as Rose leant back into Dimitri's chest and tore into the wrapping paper.

"Oh."

Rose was stunned as she lifted the garment up so she could see it fully and drink in every detail.

"Do you like it?" Dimitri's voice was soft and slightly nervous as he kissed the soft skin below Rose's ear. She nodded mutely, and let out a shaky breath as she clutched it to her chest, fighting back tears before she turned and kissed him deeply.

"I love it. It's beautiful." She pulled away to stare down at the delicate material, her fingers tracing the swirling patterns of the soft lace tentatively, as though touching it would cause it to disappear into thin air. "This is perfect as a wedding dress."

Dimitri's eyes widened in surprise, but happiness curved his lips up into a smile. "You want to wear it for our wedding?"

She nodded and gazed back down at the dress in awe. "With my hair curled and a large white rose pinning the curls back." She smiled. "It's perfect."

The dress was a soft white shift covered with a white lace overlay. It looked form fitting, and like it would fall to her knee, Rose guessed, with elbow length sleeves and a square neckline that would emphasis her delicate collarbone.

"How did you?.."

Dimitri smiled. "My mother made it. She's been working on it ever since I told her about you." Dimitri hadn't seen his family for twelve years, never being able to save up quite enough to go and visit them back in Russia, but he wrote to them as often as he could, letting them know how he was and catching up on the events in their lives.

Rose kissed him softly in silent appreciation. "Thank her for me, please. I'll write her a letter too." Then she blushed. How on Earth would her present match up to his? Once again, insecurity started to twist at her insides, but Dimitri cupped her face in his palms.

"Roza, don't start beating yourself up. You didn't have to get me anything, just spending the day with you was a gift in itself. Normally I'm alone every Christmas. But this year, I wasn't. You don't understand how precious that is to me."

Lissa giggled as Christian pressed a kiss to her temple. "I never thought I'd see you like this, Rose. Hopelessly in love and getting married."

Rose laughed along with Lissa, remembering the conversation where she'd been adamant that she wouldn't ever end up getting married. She hadn't, however, admitted to Lissa that she thought she'd never end up getting married to Dimitri, and she didn't think that she'd be able to marry anyone else. No one had ever caught her attention the way he had. But against the odds, he'd returned her feelings and now her deepest dreams were coming true.

"For your present, we have to go into the dining room."

"You got one of the band members to play something?" Dimitri sounded impressed, and Rose silently prayed that he'd still be impressed when it actually happened.

"Not exactly."

She lifted his wrist, to see the face of his watch and then nodded. "It should be empty now, so let's go."

Make sure to check out the banner pic and the ring. :)

Good night guys! The next chapter wil be in the morning!