"I am curious as to what you guys did to him," I asked after Misha and I had been walking through the streets for a while.
He turned to look at me. "What we did to Alexander?"
I nodded.
With a laugh, he answered, "I've told you many times. Have you already forgotten?"
"Not really, I just want to know exactly what has happened."
Misha gently rubbed circles with his thumb on my hand and said, "Well, we've taken away his reputation."
"Naturally, you've taken away mine too then."
Misha stopped rubbing circles and stopped walking. Then with a sigh, he said, "Okay fine, I guess you're right. But that is why we stopped."
I laughed. "I know, I know. Just tell me what to expect when I go back. Will I still have to keep my status and be all reserved? Or have you ruined him enough that I'll just be like a normal and average person now?"
Misha smiled. "You can never go back to being reserved and collected. Haven't you learned anything from your stay with us?"
Yes, yes, of course, I learned something. I learned how fun life actually was. I learned that I loved life and I didn't need to maintain my status and reputation because that sucked.
"I knew you'd learned something. It's an important lesson to enjoy life, isn't it, love?" Misha asked and smiled when he saw my face light up with a smile. He wrapped his arm around me and we walked in silence, just enjoy the beauty of St. Petersburg, and the nice snowflakes falling slowly.
"You know, it's funny how much I've learned from you guys. Especially from you." I said after a while.
"Oh? Please do explain." Misha playfully smiled.
"Well, when I first woke up in San Diego with you guys, I mean, I never ever thought that we'd get this far. You know?"
"Ah yes, love works in a very interesting way."
I gave him a little shove and laughed. "Not just love. It's family. You guys are family for me. I haven't had this close of a family in a very long time and everything that we've been together through has been just very, well, it's taught me a few things of course, but it's also made me feel things that I thought I'd lost for good."
"Like?"
"Well, it's the bonds that I see between you guys that has taught me the most. You've told me how you'd do anything for the gang and they of course clearly feel the same. You each are so different, but when you come together you use those differences to build a beautiful relationship."
"Really now?"
I laughed and thought back to the very first day of my adventure, and then to this moment. How much we've been together through, and how much I've learned.
"You have a very interesting first impression, Misha."
He laughed and then raised an eyebrow. "Do explain, love. I want to know the first impression I made on you."
"Well, you were definitely annoying. Always pulled pranks and talked so much. But you made my stay way easier because you'd make me laugh. You seemed to be very careless with life and it seemed like you didn't care about anything."
"And that has changed?"
I laughed and looked up at him, and stared into his dark eyes for a second.
"Yes, yes it has. You're very wonderful to talk with because you've been through so much. Behind all of your jokes and flirtiness is so much history and depth. You still manage to make me laugh and I've learned the most from you. You're definitely not annoying but..."
"But...?"
I simply smiled and hoped that he would understand everything he meant to me now.
Misha wrapped an arm around me and pulled me closer. "But now I'm your one true love whom you can't wait to see each day and your heart breaks every second that we are apart and all you can think about is... me."
I laughed and gave him a push but his strong arms around me still held me tightly. "You are such a tease. You're awful."
"I love you too." He whispered and placed a kiss on my forehead.
After a moment of silence, Misha said, "Well, your first impression was actually different from who I think of you now."
It was my turn to raise an eyebrow and say, "Oh, please do explain, love."
He laughed but replied, "It was very obvious that you were way too perfect. You acted so calmly even though you had just been kidnapped. You followed everything we said without any word of hesitation, and you didn't ask unnecessary questions. You knew how to control your emotions, way too well. And I hated that."
"What?" I laughed, "I would have never guessed that would be my first impression."
"Well, you acted so perfectly and that's exactly how Alexander acted. He's so calm and patient and I used to be that way when I was in the top society of Russia. It's all an act and that's why I hate it. But for you and Alexander, it's not really an act. Even with the pregnancy hormones, you're managing your emotions way better than someone would in your position. It's your character but at the time I just thought you were excellent at acting."
I smiled. I knew that I was a very mature person, but much of it was an act. After being with Alexander and being required to be the perfect Mrs. Vasilievna, his perfect wife, my entire life became a perfect act.
"So, I tried to annoy you as much as I could. You were basically immune to all my jokes and flirts, and that irritated me. But then in Spain, I saw that you were just so sheltered. You didn't know any other way to live, and you were so scared of losing the status that you were forced to maintain and I... I felt sorry for you."
I laughed. "You thought I was sheltered and scared?"
"Yes. So I tried to make your time with us an adventure so you would be able to love life again."
I laughed. "No way, you seriously meant for all this to happen? That was your main mission with me?"
"Well," Misha paused a moment and then said, "no and yes. My main mission was to ruin Alexander and when I began to know you better I realized that you didn't deserve to also be ruined. He'd already done that. You deserved to love life and so I wanted to do that for you. Falling in love, of course, never even crossed my mind but here we are."
With a frown, I asked, "You think he's ruined me?"
"In a way, yes. You're not you when you're with him."
"I'm myself when I'm with you? Is that what you're trying to say?"
Misha let out a small laugh. "No, you're yourself when you don't care about your reputation. And being on this adventure has allowed you to realize that."
"It's allowed me to fall in love again." I quietly said.
"Were you ever in love with Alexander?"
I laughed. "Misha... yes of course I was. For a little while, I was indeed in love with him. Our personalities were perfect for each other."
With a sneer, he replied, "His personality may seem perfect for you at first, but he's made you someone you were never meant to be."
We walked in silence for a little bit longer until Misha asked, "So do you think he's ever loved you?"
I thought for a moment.
Before we parted, I thought that he did love me. But now that I learned how much Misha loved me and how he showed his love made me reconsider Alexander's love.
"I don't know Misha. I thought he did, but..."
"But now that you see how love really looks like you're unsure."
I nodded and smiled at how perfectly he finished my sentence, saying exactly what I was thinking. Misha stopped walking and then pulled me into his chest. He put his hand on my head while I rested it on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"I love you, Maria. Please, always remember. I love you."
I nodded against his chest. He put his hands on my belly and then laughed.
"The baby's kicking again."
He pulled away from me and then crouched down so he was on the same level as the baby. Then he slowly leaned in and whispered, "I love you too babe, don't think your momma is the only one getting all the attention. You're going to grow up into an angel and if you listen to your momma you'll be blessed and so happy. So do that for me, okay?"
He pressed a gentle kiss to my belly and I smiled. Why did he have to be so perfect?
"Now, Maria, I wanted to do one more thing today."
I smiled at his childish grin and took his outstretched hand. "And what would that be?"
"I think it's time we found out if you're having a baby boy or girl. Let's go?"