IF I LOVED YOU//ANASTASIA

IV.

"You can have fun with a son, but you gotta be a father to a girl..."

♡♡♡

"Get up, Dima..." a voice called out. Dmitry opened his eyes, as if he was waking up normally. Except, he wasn't getting up like normal.

Dmitry was too worried about where he was and what he had done to comprehend that his childhood pet name was used. No one, except Anya, of course, had ever called him "Dima" since his father passed.

"Where am I?" Dmitry asked, as he started to stand.

"They all ask that..." one of the voices laughed. They were two men, dressed in all white, standing next to him.

"I guess we need to take you to The Starmaker now..." the original one said, as he led Dmitry to another man in all white. He was polishing something bright and gold, as Dmitry approached.

"Hello, Dmitry..." the polisher (who Dmitry assumes was the Starmaker) said to him.

"Is this Heaven?" Dmitry asked.

"Close... we're at the back gate." The back gate of Heaven wasn't as decorated and marvelously the front.

"Why are we at the back gate?"

"Because, I like you, Dima. You need to redeem yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Usually, when someone hasn't done enough good in their life to get to Heaven, they're sent back here. I let them go back down for a day, so they can do good. I'm not going to lie to you-you've done plenty of good, but you need to go down there."

"Why do I need to go down there?" Dmitry asked, starting to get nervous. He didn't expect to get rejected from Heaven so quickly.

"Because, leaving your wife and daughter for your reputation is almost unforgivable. She needs you, even if it's for one day."

"Anya had the baby already?"

"Yes, she's fifteen already..." The Starmaker informed him.

"How is that?" Dmitry asked, concerned for his girl.

"A minute up here is a year down there. C'mon, we don't have too much time."

♡♡♡

Marie Grace Sudayev was as beautiful and headstrong as her mother and as stubborn and strong as her father. She wasn't the best at making friends with the other kids at school. This was partially because many people knew about Dmitry. Kids would stay wary of Marie Grace, since she was so much like her father. However, Marie Grace wasn't a total outcast. She was well acquainted with a boy who lived next door to her. He was fairly popular, but he was always kind to Marie Grace, and he would invite her to things.

Even when Marie Grace would think she was with her friends, she would end up being taunted by people. Dmitry saw Marie Grace compliment a girl on her dress, as she sat with her friends.

"I like your dress," Marie Grace smiled. Anya always told her that compliments could help her make more friends.

"Thanks... My father got it for me..." the girl with the dress gave an evil-looking smirk.

"My father would have gotten me a dress... you know, if he was still alive..."

Dmitry couldn't help but smile. At least she knew his intentions.

The girl started to laugh, causing Marie Grace to lunge at her. The boy next door practically had to hold her back, so no fight would break out.

Dmitry couldn't help but see himself in his girl. He remembered when he would get defensive over his own father. That was one thing that Dmitry and Marie Grace had in common. Dmitry just hoped that this wasn't a common occurrence, like it was for Dmitry in his day.

The boy took her away from the group of other teenagers, so they wouldn't have to deal with them anymore. Dmitry kept following the two, as he realized where they were going.

The two stopped by the carousel.

The old machine was dirty and old. The gold accents that were once shiny were now dull. However, in Dmitry's eyes, the horses' eyes still gleamed with excitement. Though all they did was go up and down around in a circle, the magic was still prominent in the horses.

"I'm sorry about what happened..." the boy, who's name turned out to be Leo, told her.

"It's okay, really..." Marie Grace responded.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do after graduation?" Leo asked her.

"It's no big deal..." Marie Grace, replied, avoiding the conversation.

"Well, do you plan on marrying anyone?" Leo asked.

"What the hell?" Dmitry murmured to himself, as he noticed the star that the Starmaker gave him before he went to Earth. He was supposed to leave it with Anya, so she would know that he was there.

"I'm never going to marry..." Marie Grace responded.

Dmitry chuckled. He was glad to know she had the same sense of judgement as her mother.

"Not even me?" Leo asked.

"I mean, if I loved you, I probably would, but I don't plan on loving anyone."

It was almost just like when Dmitry and Anya met. He felt the Deja Vu rush all around him.

"Then what do you plan on doing?" Leo asked.

"Promise you won't tell?" Marie Grace asked.

"I promise..."

"I want to be an actress... I have since we read that little stageplay in school."

I'm going to have the best seat in the house for all of her stageplays Dmitry thought.

"I'm sure you'll be wonderful at it..." Leo said, smiling.

"Thank you..." Marie Grace replied, "I'd better go home... it's getting a bit late."

"Of course..." Leo replied, as Marie Grace started home.