Immortality was a bitch. So was fate.

Once I was a young woman who was as lucky as could be. I had a husband who loved me. We didn't have much, but we were happy. We had a child, a home. We were what most would consider poor, but it didn't matter, we were rich on life. Our child was happy and brilliant. She would run in the fields behind our house, the puffy dandelions floating through the air as she stirred them.

Dimitri would watch her run with a smile. He was beautiful and strong, taller than most too. He towered over me, but despite his height and size, he was always so gentle with me. His hands were rough from hard work but would caress my cheek so tenderly that it was like a feather.

And in a blink, they were both taken from me.

I had gone to the village to trade while Dimitri stayed with Claire, stating that he had a special surprise in store for me. I smiled at him and gave him a cheeky remark as I left. But looking back I wish that I had said so many other things.

There had been fear running through the village for weeks. Fear of a woman that was striking men, women, and children down with nothing but a wave of a hand. I never put my stock in it, but when I returned home to find my family dead, Dimitri's body shielding Claire's, I was overwhelmed.

It had been the straw to break the camels back in the village. Dimitri knew how to use a sword, and had secretly taught me how to wield one too, stating that one day I may need to use one day. If only he hadn't been so right.

The men had gathered, vowing to put an end to the witch, and I joined the mass. Many of them voiced against it, but in the end, there wasn't much of a fight. I was going whether or not they wanted me to.

The witch was sneaky and powerful, but no one who have expected a woman to be in the masses advancing her. Dimitri's sword in my hand, I was able to sneak up on her. But just as my sword pierced her chest, her hand sunk into my chest.

"I curse you with life," she hissed in my head, "You will never know peace. You'll walk this Earth for eternity."

It felt as if my veins had been lit with a flame, burning me from the inside out as embers crawled through her skin. I hoped that the fire would burn me too. But the witch was true in her curse.

I was cursed to walk life alone.

Hundreds of years had passed, and I adapted as I lived through the years. I watched modern technology build, the change in the views of women, and the development of society. I watched the people grow and die, never finding solace. When I slept, I'd see the faces of those I lost, but it didn't give me peace.

I kept to myself, for the most part, not wanting to grow attachments to anyone. I had acquaintances, but no close bonds. There were witches I met along the way. I was hesitant about them in the beginning, but one, in particular, was kind and had an air about her that I could trust.

Lissa was what we called a 'neutral' witch. She for not for one side or another, but was safe ground. I had told her of my curse, and she had heard the rumours of a witch that possessed that power. She couldn't break it, but she could weaken it to an extent. She was a believer of the soul, and that there was always another soul that was designed for another. I told her of Dimitri, and she smiled at me.

"Dimitri may have been an embodiment. But souls have a habit of finding their way back. Just wait," she had said softly, but I didn't exactly believe her. It was hard to believe that I would ever find solace in another person as I did with Dimitri.

But the universe was a fickle bitch. It liked to play jokes.

It had been eighty years since Lissa had tried to bend the curse, but I was still alone. I found ways to pass my time though. I started working in various places, but the current one was a coffee shop. I liked hearing people talk, and how frivolous people's lives were. They had things so much easier than I did.

I had men leer at me there. It wasn't anything new, but I still would tell them off. Dimitri would always say that I was too beautiful for my own good, but in this world and day, with all the makeup and artifice, I don't think he'd believe that.

The night was winding down as I dried the mugs, my back to the counter. There was a clearing of a throat and I turned, opening my mouth to say that I would be with him in a moment but I felt my heart stop for a moment.

Dimitri.

He looked almost the same, but different. His hair was longer, brushing down below his chin, but his eyes were still the same deep, bottomless brown. He was just as tall, just as built. It felt like I had stepped back in time. He raised a brow at me and gave me a half smirk, one that I had seen before.

"What?"

I blinked and shook my head. "I'm sorry," I said with a slight scoff, "You just look like someone I used to know."

The man nodded. "Do I now?"

I nodded. His voice was the same, the same Russian accent.

I nodded and asked him what he wanted to drink, and he ordered a simple coffee. I nodded and pulled up a cup, pulling the cap off the marker.

"Name?" I asked, half expecting to hear Dimitri come from his lips.

"Henry," he said with a smile, "And yours?"

I smiled at him as I set the cup down in front of him. "Rose."

His eyes flicked from the cup to mine, something registering in them before fading away.

"Have a good night, Roza," he said as he set a bill on the counter and picked up his cup. I faltered.

"What did you say?"

Henry stopped in his steps and turned back to look at me with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I had been speaking to family before coming in here. Sometimes is hard to switch from one language to another."

That wasn't why I had asked. It wasn't because it was a different language, but because it was a name I hadn't heard in so long.

He may have a different name, but maybe Lissa was right. Maybe souls did come back.

Lissa looked at me smugly. "If you look at him any harder, you'll burn holes in the back of his head," she said, gesturing her head to the side. I shot her a look but smiled to myself anyways. Since the first night meeting Henry, he would come in every day.

It had been a month and I would still get a warm tingle in my chest each time I saw him.

"Leave it be. Let a girl have her moment. He doesn't know who I am," I said as I pulled the leaver back down on the espresso machine, ending the hot steam spray in the spout.

"You don't know that."

I was glad that my back was to her so she couldn't see the sadness on my face. "It's been weeks. If he knew who I was, he would have said something."

"How do you know that he doesn't know who you are, and hasn't said anything because you might think he's crazy?" Lissa asked as I poured the steamed milk into her mug. I gave her an unconvinced look as I set it down in front of her.

"Because he wouldn't leave me to be alone. If he knew, he wouldn't have kept it to himself," I said firmly, "You didn't know him."

Lissa twisted her blonde locks between her fingers as she frowned. "Have faith."

"My perception of fate and faith is corrupted. Remember? Who would believe in faith when yours has been shaken repeatedly?"

"That's a poor outlook."

I turned and found Dimitri, Henry, standing at the counter. "Faith and fate are curious things. Giving up on either is dangerous."

I shrugged. "If you lived my life, you would disagree."

Henry smirked and rested his elbows on the counter. "Alright. Indulge me. What could be so bad to shake your faith?"

Lissa looked between us and then scooped her mug between her hands, "I'll be back," Lissa said tossing a glance at me.

Tell him, Lissa's voice floated through my mind as she walked away. I took the carafe of coffee and filled the cup he brought with him.

"It's morbid," I said filling his up.

"Try me."

I shrugged. "I came home one day to find my husband and daughter dead. It warps one's sense of faith."

I looked up from his mug and found his heartbroken expression. "Sorry. That was blunt," I said, setting the carafe back in the cradle.

"No," Henry said with a slight shake of his head, "No. I just…you're so young, and you've already experienced the worst thing someone could go through."

"It's life," I said with a shrug and toyed with the ends of my hair with my fingers.

"Still, I'm sorry you had to go through that," Henry said, "I feel kind of bad now."

"Don't feel bad," I said with a small smile.

Henry chuckled and shook his head. "No. I mean, I had looked for a ring the last few times I've been here. I was going to ask you to dinner."

"Oh!" I said with a laugh, "You don't need to feel bad about that either."

"It's not too soon?" he asked, "Because if it is, I completely understand."

I shook my head. "No. It's not too soon, I'd love to get dinner with you," I said, blushing the slightest bit. Henry let out a breath and smiled at me.

"Perfect, tomorrow?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah, you can pick me up here. I'm done at seven."

That first date could have gone better, but I wouldn't ask for anything different. Henry had picked me up from work, kissed my cheek and told me that I looked stunning before we walked to a restaurant down the way.

While the place looked impressive, the food and service were a bit of a letdown. The portions were small, and the waitress was more occupied with flirting with Henry than serving us. Henry thankfully was a perfect gentleman and made his disinterest clear. We made it through our meagre meals with happy conversation, but we both left the restaurant hungry.

I had smirked at him and took his hand when we made it outside, pulling him further down the block to an all-night food truck that had the best street food. Henry chuckled when he realized what was happening and tried to pay for our second meal of the night, but I shoved the bills into the vendor's hand.

It was a little funny seeing the two of us on a bench under a street light; me in a dress and heels and him in a dress shirt and slack chowing down on burgers, but I had a smile on my face the whole time.

"So, you have three sisters?"

Henry nodded as he took a bite of his burger. "Two older, one younger. The younger is a bit of a hellion. But funny enough, you remind me of her a little. You get the same look of mischief in your eyes when you're planning something."

I snickered and pinched an onion ring from his container, winking at him. "I'm always up to mischief," I chuckled.

"I wouldn't be surprised."

I snorted a laugh and crossed my legs, popping the last of my burger into my mouth. "And you work as an associate lawyer?"

Henry nodded and wiped his mouth with his napkin, shifting on the bench to face me, resting his elbow on the top of the bench. "But enough about me. I want to know more about you. You said you had a daughter? Is it too much to ask about her?"

I smiled to myself a little. "Claire. She was beautiful. She looked so much like her father. Dimitri, his name was Dimitri. Claire loved animals, birds in particular. She loved to run through the field behind our house, flapping her arms like they were wings," I said with wistful memory.

It wasn't often that I dwelled on my past, I found that it was harder to think about Claire. She barely had time to become her own person before she was gone.

I jumped when Henry's fingers brushed my cheek. I hadn't noticed while in my inner musing that I had started crying.

"I'm sorry," I breathed, wiping my finger under my eyes. "I haven't talked about Claire out loud in a long time."

"You don't have to apologize, Rose. I'm sorry if I pushed."

I shook my head. "You didn't. I didn't know that I needed to talk about her until now."

Henry nodded and let his hand fall from my face but to my hand, slipping his fingers between them. He asked about everything he could think of; what she was like, what she looked like, her favourite foods. He listened intently as I spoke, laughing when I told him when she wanted to be a duck and we found her covered in mud in the shallow end of the pond.

"What was Dimitri like?" Henry asked softly. "I know it's an odd question to ask on a first date, but he's just as important to you."

I looked up at him and met his eyes, Dimitri's eyes, Claire's eyes.

"He was…like walking in from the cold and into a warm blanket. He was funny and smart. He was tall, like you, and he had a weak spot for the first snowfall. I was younger than him. I was seventeen when we met, and we were married a year and a half later. We got married when I found out that I was pregnant, and we welcomed Claire six months later."

"I had never met someone so good to everyone he met. He was far too good for me. I miss him," I explained squeezing Henry's hand. I miss you.

"How long has it been?"

I couldn't tell him how long it'd been. So, I told him the best equivalent. "Two years."

Henry nodded and gave me a comforting smile. "It's tough. But from what I've seen, you're strong. I can't say that I can sympathize, but I can understand how hard this is."

"Thank you," I said quietly with a sniff, "It feels relieving I guess to talk about him. I haven't talked about any of this in a long time."

"How old are you?"

I chuckled. "Isn't it rude to ask a woman how old she is?" I asked.

Henry shrugged.

"I'm twenty-seven," I lied, giving him the closest equiveillance again. Henry nodded and pulled away just enough to take a sip of his drink.

"How did you meet Dimitri?"

I snorted a laugh. "Well…"

"Oh, I think this will be good."

When I met Dimitri, he was hired as a helping hand on my parents' farm. I had spotted him when I went to collect more water from the well, seeing him work with another hired hand, Jesse. Jesse had made advances on me multiple times, but I didn't return the interest.

I had a slight crush on Dimitri after meeting him on the first day, my dad introduced us while lunch happened. We didn't have a lot of interaction because my mother felt it was inappropriate for me to be involved with a foreign hired hand, but I would bring my dad and the hired hands down water and snack during the day.

While my interest was actually in Dimitri, Jesse thought I had changed my mind. When I was heading back to the house, Jesse had cornered me near the equipment shed. At the time I didn't know how to defend myself, but thankfully, Jesse couldn't do more than pull my skirt up to my knees before Dimitri came around the corner.

Long story short, Jesse left the farm with a black eye, broken jaw and jobless.

"Um, Dimitri was hired to work for my parents, and we just clicked. It also helped that he beat the crap out of the other hired hand who thought he could take liberties with me."

"Liberties? What are we in the eighteenth century?"

I shrugged.

"So, he was sort of like your knight and shining armour."

I nodded. "Sort of, yeah. When I turned eighteen, we started dating officially, but there were a few stolen kisses before that. My parents flipped when they found out we were dating because there were seven years between us."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Seven years when you're eighteen is a big difference. But now, nobody would bat an eye," Henry said with a smirk.

I shrugged. I looked down at our intertwined hands and smiled to myself. I had deprived myself of another person's touch for so long. It felt good to hold someone's hand, to be close to someone. It gave me the same flutter in my chest that holding Dimitri's hand would.

There were two more dates after that one, both equally as pleasant and perfect. I was a little put out that he hadn't kissed me yet, but knew that he didn't want to rush me. And I appreciated that. If Henry wasn't Dimitri, I would have been put off if someone tried to kiss me the first night.

But because they were the same, I just wanted to know if kissing Henry would feel the same as kissing Dimitri. They smelled the same, they spoke the same, and they thought the same way. I just wanted to know if it felt the same.

I switched the stereo system from the typical playlist to a more relaxed, jazz-like playlist as I cleaned the café, already had taken off my apron and taken my hair out of the bun it had been placed in.

I heard the jingle from the door and called out.

"We're closed!"

I heard hurried footsteps and turned around as a tall figure came around the corner.

"Henry?"

He had a look of worry on his face before it relaxed into relief.

"Is everything okay?" I asked as he came closer, setting my rag down on the counter. Henry nodded and scooped me up in a hug, pulling me off my feet. I could tell something was bothering him but just wrapped my arms around him, resting my cheek against his shoulder.

"I just needed to see you were okay," he whispered into my hair, holding me tighter. I nodded and squeezed my arms around him, letting him hold onto me as long as he needed. After a few moments, he set me back on my feet.

"What's wrong?" I asked, resting my hand against his cheek.

Henry gave a sharp shake of his head. "Just a messed up dream."

I glanced at the clock. It was just past one in the morning.

"Want a cup of coffee and talk?" I asked, jerking my thumb behind me towards the coffee machines. If I had to stay a while to soothe him, I had no issues with that. Henry sighed and nodded his head, rubbing his hand over his face. I noticed that he hadn't even bothered to change, still in his pyjamas and t-shirt under his duster.

I poured two cups and fixed them with cream and sugar before heading back, gesturing towards the couch by the window instead. We both sank onto the couch, me sinking close to him. Henry took a sip of his coffee and then set it down, looping his arm around my shoulders. I scooched closer to him and ran my hand over his arm.

"Tell me," I encouraged.

"It sounds crazy to say it out loud."

"It's okay. You can tell me."

Henry looked down at me and I could see the fear and worry still lingering in his eyes. "It felt so real. I-I was laying on the floor, but I didn't recognize where I was but you were there. You dressed in this…dress but it didn't look like something you'd wear. Honestly, it was like sixteenth century. And you walked through the front door and you just stopped. You looked at me and then you looked behind me and the scream you made."

"You ran towards me and got down on the ground in front of me before you moved to whatever was behind me. I can still hear you screaming in my head," he said, his breath becoming laboured. I felt a chill settle in my chest as he spoke. God, he was still alive when I found them. I closed my eyes and took a slow breath, licking my lips.

"I'm so sorry," I said squeezing his arm. Henry nodded with an audible swallow.

"It's okay, it just freaked me out and I just needed to know that you were okay."

I reached up and stroked his cheek. "I'm okay. I promise," I whispered. Henry nodded and gave me a weak smile. He turned his head the slightest bit and kissed my palm, closing his eyes and resting against my skin.

"I'm right here," I whispered again when he pulled back. He nodded and pulled me into his embrace and I rested my head against his chest, hearing his heart flutter heavily in his chest. He was still shaken up. I ran my hand over his back, feeling the muscles ripple under my hand.

I felt him shift and I looked up at him, giving him a small smile. He returned it and lifted his hand to move my hair away from my face, his thumb moving over my cheek. It felt warm and rough, but gentle at the same time.

"I don't think I've ever told you how gorgeous you are," he said quietly. I smiled and tipped my head into his hand, enjoying the feeling.

"Thank you," I said quietly, resting my hand on his. Henry smiled at me again but I could see something else in his eyes. He shifted again and dipped his head down, pressing his lips gently to mine.

When his lips met mine it was like a shock went through my body. It zapped through my body, all the way from my fingers and down to my toes. His lips felt the same, and the taste of them was the same. A hot and cold sensation followed the shock, flooding my body.

I didn't want to pull away, because, for a sick moment, I could pretend I was back to where I was from, standing in our kitchen. I half expected to hear Claire squeal at us.

When I pulled away, I opened my eyes and found his eyes baring down at me, but confusion was there too.

"What?" I asked.

Henry didn't say anything, his eyes just moving over my face before he shook his head the slightest bit.

"Is this real?"

I snorted a laugh. "I didn't think my kiss would be so unbelievable."

"Roza," he whispered, "I've been gone for so long. I'm so sorry."

I pulled back even further, shaking my head the slightest bit. "What do you mean?"

Henry didn't answer my question, instead stroked my brow with his thumb. A gesture that Dimitri used to do when I was sad or in pain.

"You looked just the same as the day I married you, minus the wildflowers in your hair."

A shiver moved through my spines and down my arms. It couldn't be.

"What did I used to call you?"

That question would tell me the truth. I had only ever told Henry that Dimitri's name was Dimitri. But I called him something daily.

Henry laughed, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "Comrade, Roza. Or cheap foreign labour, your choice."

A laugh bubbled out of my chest and I launched myself towards him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight to him, kissing the side of my head.

"You're here."

"I'm right here, Roza. I don't plan on leaving you again."

I stayed content in his arms, my face pressed tight into his neck. So many times I had dreamed of this, but I never put much faith into it. I guess that was changing.

I pulled back and pressed my lips to his again, shifting to get closer to him. Dimitri's arms slipped lower and lifted me into his lap, hand twisting into my locks.

A horn blared outside as it passed the window and it became apparent that we were still at the café I pulled back, licking my lips with a laugh.

"I should probably finish up here. But maybe we can go back to mine or yours? And catch up?" I asked biting my lip. Dimitri nodded and pressed another quick kiss to my lips before loosening his arms from around my waist.

As I stood up he sat up straight on the couch, looping his arms around my thighs. I chuckled and ran my hands through his hair, giving him a grin.

"I don't want to let you go yet," he whispered, resting his face against my stomach. I ran my nails over his scalp and listened to the quiet groan.

"I know, I just need ten more minutes and then we can go," I said softly, leaning down the best I could to kiss his head.

Lissa sat primly on the bar stool when I walked in for my shift a few days later. I smiled at her as I came around the counter, pulling my apron on.

"You okay? Your aura is crazy. I've never seen it so…It looks like a kaleidoscope," Lissa asked as I set a latte in front of her. I shrugged and poured myself a cup of coffee, putting some caramel syrup in it.

"A kaleidoscope?"

"Yeah. It's strange."

I shrugged again and took a long drink of my coffee. I felt exhausted. I had barely slept the last few nights, not for lack of wanting or need, but simply because there was too much to catch up on. Once Dimitri remembered who he was it was like he went through all of the stages of grief. He had to come to terms with how much time had passed, how much I went through alone, grieving Claire.

I heard the bell chime over the door and I stood up straight but smiled when I noticed it wasn't just any customer. I spotted the smirk on his face as he walked toward us. Lissa looked at me with a smirk, assuming that I was just happy to see Henry.

"Hey," I said when he got close enough.

"Morning beautiful," Dimitri said stepping into the spot where the counter opened for staff to walk through. I smiled at him and met him for a kiss, letting my hand rest on his cheek.

"Ty vyglyadel yeshche krasiveye, kogda my prosnulis' etim utrom," Dimitri said when he pulled back. I blushed and playfully smacked his chest.

"Shush," I said with a smirk and picked up another mug and poured some coffee in it, sliding it onto the counter for him. Dimitri took it and sat next to Lissa and looked at her for a moment before looking at me.

"She really doesn't look like a witch, but then again, so did Tasha," he said as he took a sip of his coffee. Lissa looked puzzled before her face went blank and then jubilant.

"Oh my God. You remember," Lissa squealed, throwing her arms around his shoulders in a hug. He was a little surprised but he wrapped an arm around her.

"I'm so happy for you both," Lissa said earnestly, practically beaming in her chair.

"Thank you," I said softly, looking at the two of them. "You were right, Lissa. Souls do have a way of getting back to one another."

I smiled at the two of them and felt like I was too lucky. But I needed to accept that I was lucky. I had waited a life time to have the man I loved back. It wouldn't be the same without Claire, but we could start to rebuild our lives here.

Maybe fate wasn't a fickle bitch after all.

Hello hello!

This was just a little something I've had hiding in my WIP folder for months. Kind of inspired by Sleeping Beauty, but got the itch to write it while watching the Last Witch Hunter.

For those of you following Getting Out While You Can and A Rose For A Rose, there are chapters in the works for both. I promise!

Let me know what you think!:)