His Wife

35

"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..."