Disclaimer: I cannot tell a lie. If I do the evil leprechauns will take me during the night! With that said, I do not own the movie Anastasia. That belongs to 20th Century Fox. As of now, the only thing I do own is the villain in this fic, Zachariah Salazar.
All Men Are Babies-
Chapter 10: Love Sick
Although Marie Feodorovna did tell him he was apart of the family, Dimitri was still intimidated. The glam and jewels and fancy titles had never been Dimitri's life, neither has the marvelous mansions. After marrying the Russian Princess, he should have expected to see the wondrous lives of royals closer than when he was merely a kitchen boy at the palace in Russia.
Alone in the sitting room with Anya, Sophie, and the Dowager Empress, Dimitri felt small. Yes, the Empress had summoned him and Anya this time. Still, though, Dimitri was uncertain of what the Dowager Empress had planned. Gulping, Dimitri looked at Anya; hoping that she was as nervous as he was. Of course she wasn't though, this was her biological family, she was born into the glam and jewels and fancy titles. Anya had no reason to be nervous.
In a way, Dimitri had no reason to be nervous either.
The watch that resided on his left wrist fascinated Dimitri as he listened to the Empress and Sophie drone on and on about an upcoming royal ball. The watch in itself was nothing special, nor was it interesting. Dimitri was bored. The talk of royal balls was not a part of his pathetic life either.
"And-"
Sophie cut her cousin, the Dowager Empress, off. "And we want you, Anastasia to be there!"
Anya's jaw dropped in surprise. "Me?" The poor princess couldn't remember the last time she was at a ball. Well there was that one, but she had a fight with a dead man and then ended up eloping with Dimitri afterward. Getting over her shock, she quickly glanced at Dimitri.
Rolling his eyes, Dimitri thought, Oh sure talk about the ball in front of the kitchen boy who is not permitted to attend, while he is in the same room as the princess. Although he married a princess, Dimitri knew that that meant he wasn't a prince. In other words, he would be hearing all about the glitter and jewels when Anya arrived home from the ball.
Reading her husband's mind, Anya responded. "I'm not going unless Dimitri goes."
The Dowager Empress knew that this would be an issue, but didn't think about the obstacle before hand. Anya was devoted to Dimitri and would not do something without him or his approval. The Dowager Empress knew this. Sophie knew this. Everyone knew this.
Sophie looked between her first cousin and Dimitri. Back and forth, her gaze wandered. Back and forth. "Well..."
"Just go Anya," Dimitri urged her. "Kitchen boys do not go to parties."
"But Dimitri, I-"
Sophie leaned in close to her cousin and whispered, "if anything, I'm sure the cook could use an extra hand in the kitchen."
Marie Feodorovna was tired of the debating in her presence. As the Dowager Empress she should not be permitted to listen to it. Sophie was telling here to have the boy work in the kitchen. Dimitri and Anya were debating with each other about whether or not the lost princess should attend. Touching her temple in distress, the Empress thought long and hard about what she should do.
"Enough!" she ordered tapping her cane on the floor to get their attention. The arguing stopped and three pairs of eyes traveled to the old woman. First her eyes looked Anya. "The Princess Anastasia will be at the ball." Anya opened her mouth to protest. Now the Empress turned her firm gaze over to Dimitri and continued. "And Dimitri will attend as our own personal guest."
xXx
The evening sun was shining dimly over Paris. Seeing as Sophie had whisked Anya away as soon as she could, Dimitri was left alone in the back garden with Vlad and Pooka. As a member of the Imperial Court, Vlad attended every royal event, while Dimitri worked in the kitchens. Now he was told that he was attending this ball as a personal guest to the royal family. Of course, that was only to get Anya to go. Dimitri knew.
Dimitri wasn't upset about that though. For one night, he, a kitchen boy would be living a life l like royalty. Even though, it was all for Anya, Dimitri didn't mind. No, the glam and jewels was not what upset Dimitri. The fact that due to the fact of his new job and her being whisked away for dress fittings, the fact that Dimitri hardly had time to spend with his new wife, upset him. Of course, none of this permanent. The dress fittings were only when the Empress insisted Anastasia be somewhere and the hours he was currently working would not last forever. Someday he would be able to move up in life or find another shift where it didn't require him being away from Anya all day.
"What has gotten you down in the dumps?" Vlad asked. "The Dowager Empress invited you to a ball."
"I know," Dimitri sighed. Being at a ball and not having to work in the kitchen was something Dimitri had dreamed about as a boy. He was ecstatic about that. But, how would Vlad understand what Dimitri was battling with inside his head? How could Vlad understand that nothing was what Dimitri would expect it to be like. "And I am happy about that. It's just-"
"Oh no!" Vlad exclaimed to the gray pup in his arms. "The boy is love sick!" Pooka yipped in agreement with the fat man.
"Love sick?" Dimitri exclaimed angered by his friend's comment. "I am not love sick!"
"Then what?" Vlad countered Dimitri's denial.
Dimitri sighed. "Nothing is how I expected it to be," he said. "I knew I had to get a job and I expected that that would keep me away from Anya for many hours at a time. What I did not expect was that Anastasia would need to start making appearances. I thought after eloping, the princess would be gone, and it would just be me and Anya, the poor, young orphans. I just want a day where it can be just me and Anya. Where I don't have to work and where Sophie nor the Dowager Empress wants Anastasia. I want to spend time with my wife! Is that so wrong?"
Of course, he had only been working a few days, but those few days Dimitri had come home to Anya tired, worn out, and sometimes grouchy. Dimitri had worked today as well. After arriving home and kissing Anya in greeting after his long shift of standing, cooking, washing dishes, lifting heavy stacks, and arguing with the cook he worked under, Dimitri had been informed of the invitation to talk with the Dowager Empress and Sophie. The second time they wanted Anastasia. The first time was two days ago, when Dimitri had arrived home from the kitchen he worked in to find the house completely empty except for Pooka. A quickly scribbled note told him that she was with Sophie and that she would be home later that night.
Vlad didn't think that Dimitri just wanting to spend a day alone with Anya with no other priorities was wrong. It was something that every young couple wanted. Ah, how it brought him back to the memories of when he first met his little cream puff, Sophie. However, the young man needed to learn to make the most of the time given with Anya, no matter how limited it seemed right now.
"I'll see you at the ball, right?" Vlad asked.
"Of course."
Well, this was chapter 10 of All Men Are Babies. Why do I have a feeling that another Anya/Dimitri fluffy chapter is going to follow? Yeah, I'm a hopeless romantic so of course I'm going to have a fluffy chapter before the drama starts. Well, please review so I can get on with the fluffiness!