An Unlikely Devotion

Chapter One

A/N: Just a heads up - some parts may be out of order (not to mention it starts in the middle lol), and the timelines may seem out of whack at first but trust me I've got a plan! This started as a joke and got Way out of hand lmao.

Also this has been cross posted across a few sites by me, so no worries if you see it somewhere else :)

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The sounds of the bustling spring streets of Moscow filtered in through the open window of the apartment above, cutting through the heavy silence within. A thin English woman stood before the same open window, thick white-blond curls whipping past her pale face with the force of the Russian winds below. The room was lit only by a series of ornate candelabras, despite the presence of electric wiring and modern light bulbs. She wore no shoes, preferring the feel of the thick persian rugs under her bare feet to the inside of shoes or stockings.

A man entered the library from behind her, announcing his entry only with heavy steps and the dropping of his thick-soled boots at the door. He preferred to wear shoes in his own home, but also respected his wife's preferences in her library and had promised to keep in line with her one small request. She did not turn around to greet him, but instead stayed where she stood before the open window.

Alice Kingsleigh heard her Josef come in behind her, and his careful steps across the wooden floor to the rug where she stood rooted. His heavy mitt of a hand gently gripped her shoulder as he came to stand just behind her. A hot-breathed kiss was laid on her pale cheek, Josef's neatly trimmed moustache brushing coarsely across the side of her face as she shuttered her eyes, leaning into the embrace. The strong beat of his heart rumbled against her bare shoulder through his linen uniform.

Alice felt the wind change directions as Josef used his strong arms to spin her around to face him, and only opened her eyes to meet his when she felt the steady pressure of his hands move from her shoulders to either side of her narrow face. His deep honey-brown eyes searched hers, nearly endless in their depths. It seemed as if he was drinking her in, almost obsessively, like a dehydrated prisoner who's captives had gifted him with a drink.

She fought to hide a smile, twisting her lips until they turned white. A small giggle erupted as his eyes grew wider with a mischievous glint. Alice could see Josef's mouth twitch as he too fought to hide a grin. She stared back with the same intensity, hoping it was enough to get a rise out of him, to break him from his usual stony façade. He brushed his left thumb over the side of her bottom lip, a callus catching ever so slightly on a dry patch of her skin.

"What are you doing?" Alice asked, to the best of her ability, his firm hands impeding her speech.

"All day I have been without you, am I not allowed to look at my beautiful Alice while I have the chance?" Josef countered with a question of his own.

Alice narrowed her eyes accusingly, but any words trying to leave her mouth were quickly crushed by his own open lips. It was a short, sweet kiss and she tried to savour it, but it ended before she was ready to let go.

Her Josef was not a large man by any means, but he had a look to him that demanded the attention of any given crowd. He was built very sturdy, with stern features, and rarely seen in casual dress outside of his own apartment. The contrast between the two is often somewhat of a spectacle in public, which Alice enjoys and Josef detests.