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| AUTHOR: Kelly (AnyaMuse@aol.com) | ||||||
| DISCLAIMER: In honor of Anastasia's first anniversary in 1998, Kelly wrote this story, and now Anya's Journey is bringing it back to you! | ||||||
| DISTRIBUTION: Anya's Journey | ||||||
| CONTENT: PG | ||||||
| SUMMARY: | ||||||
| AUTHOR'S NOTE: Have you ever wondered what happened after the movie Anastasia ended? That's exactly what Kelly and Sarah asked themselves -- and this was their response! | ||||||
ILLUSTRATIONS: By Sarah.
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Dimitri carefully poured the pancake batter into the pan.
Cooking breakfast wasn't so hard! Just pop a little bread in the toaster,
mix up a little batter, crack a few eggs...The food on the next skillet sizzled. Dimitri gulped as the smell of burning bacon filled his nostrils. Wrinkling
his nose, he reached across the burner to the knob,
spilling the half cup of pancake mix left into the bacon
pan. The bacon hissed and crackled. His mind racing,
Dimitri quickly turned the knobs...up! Before he could
realize his mistake, the whole stove came alive. The
burnt pancakes exploded, the bacon was now only a
thin spread of dust, and the eggs no longer even closely
resembled their former selves. He managed to turn the
knob DOWN this time, but it didn't reverse the damage
already done.Surveying the kitchen, Dimitri realized that it looked
more like a battlefield than a cooking area. What was he going to do now?!"Dimitri!"
Dimitri gulped and ran out of the kitchen, closing the door firmly behind him. He hadn't had such trouble
since he was a kitchen boy back at palace!"Anya," he scolded, seeing his wife at the top of the stairs looking back down at him. He ran up the steps
and took her arm. "A woman in your condition shouldn't be up and about," he said firmly, leading her back
towards the bedroom. She rolled her eyes as he dragged her."I'm pregnant, Dimitri, not contagious."
"Nine months! Due anyday! Needs to be in bed!" He laid her back down gently on the bed. She pouted,
that amazingly adorable pout that almost talked Dimitri's heart into letting her have her way. Two years of
marriage and he was still indefensible to her charms."I don't see why I have to be a prisoner in my own bed!" she argued.
"Because I'm not about to let you or he..."
"She! It could be a she!"
"SHE get out of my sight for an instant. You just watch, I'll leave for five minutes to take that mutt..." Pooka
growled from the chair by the window and Dimitri quickly cleared his throat. "I mean Pooka for a walk and
BAM, your water will break." He sat down in the chair beside the bed.Anya laughed playfully. "You're the only thing broken in this house, Darling."
He rolled his eyes then blushed, remembering the mess in the kitchen. "How're you feeling today?" he asked
quickly. She laughed and leaned her head back against the pillow."Fine as ever. Perhaps a little...full, but fine." He chuckled.
"Has he..."
"Or she!"
"OR SHE woke up yet?"
Smiling, she said, "No, he's...she's..." she sighed in frustration. "IT'S still asleep." Dimitri laughed.
"Any guess what IT'LL be?"
"Well," she said tentatively, "it kicks an awful lot."
"Does that mean it's a boy or a girl?"
"I really don't know," she giggled. "Your guess is as good as mine!"
Dimitri sighed and leaned back against his chair. "I'll be happy with either, as long as it's as sweet as it's
mother."Anya raised an eyebrow. "What'd you break, Dimitri?"
Dimitri blushed and leaned forward a little. "Break? Nothing, why do you ask?"
"Because I know that look, Mister. Something's either broken or torn. I better get up and see."
"No!" he said quickly as he stood. Anya looked up at him suspiciously and he blushed again. He turned on
his charming "sales" smile and sat back down casually. "Not to worry...""I got it all under control!" she finished. "You think in two years I haven't learned your little tricks?" She
laughed. "I'm going to give you thirty minutes to fix whatever's wrong and...whew, what's that smell?!"Dimitri eyes widened. He jumped up from the chair again. "Be right back!" Taking the stairs two at a time
he reached the kitchen door quickly and swung it open.Smoke filled up the small kitchen. Dimitri coughed and felt his way to the window. He opened it up and
watched as the gray fluff floated out. Turning back around he saw the problem. The toast had gotten caught
in the toaster and naturally, it had burned.But the burnt bread wasn't the only problem. The kitchen was still a mess and it smelled of heavy smoke.
Glancing up at the clock, he gasped; 9:30. He had till 10 to get it all cleaned up. Dimitri reached for the
phone. Only one thing to do in an emergency like this, after all.Within five minutes there was a knock at the back door. Dimitri ran and opened it gratefully.
"I thought you'd never get here!"
"We were only five minutes," Vlad said as he pushed his way in. Sophie stepped in petitely after Vlad.
"Oui! You think it is easy to drop everything and come
next door?"Dimitri rolled his eyes. Obviously Vlad and Sophie had
been sleeping in late when he'd called. They had gotten
married shortly after Anya and Dimitri, and loved
sleeping in on Saturday mornings like today."Now, what's this huge emergency, my boy?" Vlad
asked as he took another bite of the apple in his hand."Well, you see...why're you eating an apple?" Vlad
didn't like apples, everyone knew that. Well, except for
apple tarts...and apple fritters...and apple dumplings..."It's Vladdy's newest diet."
"Diet?!" Dimitri laughed, but stopped when Vlad gave
him a harsh look."I'm going to lose some weight by eating only fruit." Vlad
wrinkled his nose and threw away the rest of the apple.
"But I HATE apples!""You've eaten all the other fruit at our house except for
apples," Sophie reminded him. Vlad rolled his eyes and
scanned the living room. On the dining room table was a bowl of fresh apples, pears, bananas, kiwis, and
oranges."Do you mind if I have an orange?" Vlad asked Dimitri. Dimitri shrugged.
"Sure, have 'em both."
Vlad eagerly grabbed one and peeled it. "Really, though, you must tell us this emergency, Dimitri."
"Well, it started kinda innocently..."
"Is it about Anya?" Sophie asked anxiously.
"Oh, she's fine, although I won't be if she sees the kitchen."
"The kitchen?" Vlad asked suspiciously. Dimitri smiled sheepishly and opened the kitchen door for them.
Vlad and Sophie filed in."What happened in here?!" Vlad cried in shock.
"Well..." Dimitri started, following them in. "I was trying to make breakfast for Anya and..."
"And instead of making breakfast you made a mess, correct?" Vlad asked. Dimitri nodded.
"Pretty much. And Anya got a bit suspicious, so I gotta' have this place cleaned up in thirty minutes."
"Alright, alright, we'll help," Vlad said, finishing the orange. "Just get me that second orange."
"Vladdy, that's their last orange!" Sophie scolded as Dimitri handed him the orange.
"What do you propose they'll need it for?"
Sophie shrugged, "I don't know..."
"He can have it," Dimitri said, starting out the kitchen door. Vlad quickly grabbed his arm.
"And where do you think you're going?"
"Up to Anya," Dimitri answered. "She'll get even more suspicious if I stay down here, after all."
Vlad shook his head and let Dimitri's arm go. "Two years out of the business and you still haven't forgotten
the fine art of making excuses."Dimitri grinned and started up the stairs. "Don't forget to mop!"
Vlad sighed and turned back to Sophie. He took a slice of orange, ate it, then handed her a dish towel.
"Shall we, my dear?"Dimitri reached Anya's room and walked in. Anya was sitting up in bed reading a magazine. Dimitri softly
made his way to the chair again and sat down. He turned and read the magazine name."La S'habiller Bien Femme?" he asked. "The Well Dressed Woman?" He laughed. "You're well dressed
already."She sighed and sat the magazine down. "I'm not looking at the woman's section. See?" She handed him the
open book and he looked at the two page spread."For the baby?"
"Mmhmm. Look at those outfits. Aren't they cute?"
Dimitri held the magazine out at arm's length. "They look...frilly."
"Frilly is good!"
"Frilly is frilly!"
Anya laughed and took the magazine back. She closed it and laid it beside her, then let out a small "oh!"
"What's wrong?!" Dimitri asked anxiously as he stood up. "Did your water break?! Is it time to go?!
Where're those bags I packed for you?!""Dimitri, darling, sit down!" Anya laughed. "It's just the baby kicking!"
Dimitri let out a sigh of relief and sat back down. "Whew! I thought I was going to have to take you to the
hospital!""No..." she said dreamily, holding her hand over her stomach and looking down at it. "It's just talking."
"Talking?"
"Mmhmm. Babies talk by kicking. He...She..."
"It."
"It," she giggled, "heard your voice and woke up."
"Did it?" he asked. She nodded and smiled. Taking his hand, she let it rest on her stomach. He smiled
slowly, feeling the tiny baby kicking. He chuckled. "It's coming into this world a fighter like...IT'S dad!"Anya laughed and Dimitri leaned back in his chair again. "Whew! It's kicking up a storm this morning! I
think it's hungry..." she grinned. "So's it's mama." Dimitri scooted forward in the chair. "Want something to
eat?""Mmhmm...ice cream."
"Alright, ice cream."
"AND."
"And?"
"And ham."
"HAM?!" Dimitri blinked. "Ham and ice cream?!"
"And a pickle. And an orange."
"Alright," he said slowly as he stood up. "Ice cream...HAM...pickles...
and an orange.""Right!" she said with a smile. "And hurry! This baby's getting faster!"
"Coming right up!" Dimitri said as he kissed her forehead and walked out
of the room. Anya reached over and turned on the Parisian Traffic
Report and listened to that while she waited.Dimitri whistled down the stairs and opened the kitchen door. Vlad was
bending over with some difficulty to wipe away the pancake batter that
had dripped itself on the cabinet handles. Sophie had the mop and was
polishing the floor. Dimitri carefully stepped around them and reached the
refrigerator."Anya wants something to eat. Ice Cream...HAM," he wrinkled his nose, "pickles, and an orange."
"Sounds...like a typical pregnant woman's request," Vlad said with a laugh as he finished the handles. He
washed out the rag. "Ham and ice cream! Women!""What about that orange?" Sophie asked suddenly as she straightened herself and placed the mop aside.
"What about it?" Dimitri got out the ice cream and started scooping it in a bowl.
"You don't have any!"
Dimitri dropped the spoon with a clank. "WHAT?!"
"Vlad ate the last one, remember?"
"YOU WHAT?!" Dimitri whirled and looked at Vlad. Vlad blinked.
"You said I could!"
"But...she wants an orange!"
"I'll go to our house and see if we have any," Sophie said quickly, running out of the kitchen and through the
back door. Dimitri grabbed Vlad by the shoulders."You ate my wife and child's ORANGE?!"
"I didn't know it was theirs!" Vlad said. "It didn't say, 'Dimitri's wife and child's orange, do not touch!' on
it!""YOU ATE IT!" He fell back against the counter and slapped his hand against his forehead. "I hope Sophie
has some!""She doesn't," Vlad said. "I ate them all!"
"OH NO!" Dimitri slumped. "What'm I gonna' do now?!"
Vlad shrugged. "Go out and buy some more?"
"YOU ATE THE ORANGES!" Dimitri repeated again. He shook Vlad. "What am I going to do?!?!"
"I told you, go to the store!"
Dimitri let go of Vlad and sank down in a chair dejectedly. "What'm I...the store...the store! There's a
grocery two blocks away!""Right..."
"I'll get some there!"
"Yes..."
"And..."
"And?"
"And I gotta' go now!" He jumped up and in three leaps had made it to the back door. He ran out,
accidentally pushing Sophie down as she was returning, and started off down the street. Sophie stumbled
and fell into the bushes."Mon Dieu!"
Breathless, Dimitri entered the grocery three minutes later. He leaned against the doorframe wearily.
"May I help you, sir?" the boy at the counter asked. Dimitri managed to pry himself away from the door
and leaned against the counter. He waited a moment to catch his breath. "Yes, sir?" the boy tried again."Oranges..." he said breathlessly. The boy blinked.
"Excuse me, sir? What was that? Olives?"
"Oranges..."
"Oregano?"
"ORANGES!" Dimitri said. "I need ORANGES!"
"Oh," the boy said with a smile. "ORANGES!"
"Yes!" Dimitri said gratefully. "Oranges."
"We're all out of those."
"WHAT?!?!" Dimitri stumbled back and knocked into a display of canned peaches. The cans tumbled
down around him and he tripped and fell back on his behind. The boy rushed over."Sir!"
"I need oranges!"
"Are you alright?!"
Dimitri stood up quickly. "Where's the nearest grocery?"
"Well, I think two streets over...but sir, these cans..."
"Thank you!" he yelled, running out the door. The boy stared after him, cans around his feet, and shook his
head.Dimitri reached the next grocery and ran in. "ORANGES!" he yelled to the girl at the counter.
"Sir?"
"ORANGES!"
The girl blinked. "Oranges?"
"Yes!"
"Sir, the only place around here not sold out of oranges would be...Dulbous Grocery, I believe."
"Sold out? How'd everyone get sold out?"
"Oranges are a popular fruit, sir..."
"I know, I know, but..."
"Like I said, Dulbous."
"But that's across town!"
"Sorry, sir."
Dimitri sighed and ran back out the door. Off he went to Dulbous!
By the time he reached Dulbous, he was sure that he'd never be able to breathe on his own again. He could
just see it now, his wife and little boy...girl...BABY, helping him to stay on his respirator..."Sir?"
He dragged himself to the counter, and leaned against it. The young man smiled and spoke again.
"Yes, sir?"
"Oranges. I need oranges."
"Sir, I'm sorry, we're all out..."
"WHAT?!" Dimitri cried. Grabbing the boy's shirt collar, he leaned in. "Don't TELL me that you're OUT of
ORANGES!""Sir, I'm afraid..."
"LOOK!" he said, "my wife is nine months pregnant, do you understand me?! Do you know how
CRANKY pregnant women can be?! And she wants an ORANGE. An ORANGE! And she's going to
GET an orange if I have to grow an ORANGE TREE myself!"The boy gulped. "Perhaps we have some in the storage room...I'll
go check!" He quickly ducked out of Dimitri's grasp and ran to
the back room. He returned in five minutes and shoved a paper
bag in Dimitri's arms."Here! Twenty oranges!"
"Twenty?!"
"Twenty!"
Dimitri sighed, paid the money that was due, and started back out
of the grocery, much happier now. Twenty oranges...well, that
was more than one, sure, but he'd gotten his oranges, and that's
what mattered."OW!" he said as he knocked into a street lamp. He dropped the bag of oranges and watched frantically as
they rolled all over the street! "MY ORANGES!" he cried, chasing after them.Oranges rolled everywhere...under cars, by fire hydrants, near gutters, into the middle of the street. He
chased after them all, dodging cars that almost hit him, dogs that wanted a taste of them, and old women he
knocked into. One woman slapped him in the face with her bag, leaving a smudge of her dyed black purse
across his cheek.Back at the house, Anya was still listening to the radio.
"And...oh my goodness, a MAN is running around the street after ORANGES!" the announcer said. Anya
raised an eyebrow. Who in their right mind would chase after oranges in the middle of a busy Parisian
street?"He seems to be dodging cars the best he can...good grief, there's a car wreck now! Cars are crashing
everywhere! The man's still chasing down those oranges!" Anya laughed. This was hysterical! A man
chasing oranges!Back on the street, Dimitri didn't find it quite as funny.
He quickly looked in his bag and counted how many he had...Nineteen! Nineteen of the oranges were
back! But where was number twenty?!He looked over as a car screeched by him. He saw it! An orange in front of a car! He started after it.
"Hey, you idiot! Stop dashing in front of my car!" the driver of the car cried. Dimitri stopped quickly and
watched as the man...rolled over his orange!"MY ORANGE!"
"Your what?!" the guy cried. Dimitri stumbled back in disbelief.
"You rolled over my orange, bum!"
The man blinked. "Did you just call me a bum, shrimp?!"
Dimitri laughed. This man was the shrimp, not him! He was almost too short to see over the steering wheel.
"Whatever you say!" He turned and started back up on the sidewalk."Excuse me!" the man said. Dimitri heard the car door slam and turned back out.
"Look, shri...shri...oh no." Dimitri gulped. What Dimitri had THOUGHT was a shrimp was ACTUALLY a
HEAVY in a low seat!"Oh no!" the announcer said back at the house. "Another man just stepped out of a car! It looks like a
fight!" Anya laughed. A fight! Imagine two men getting into a fight over oranges!Dimitri's eyes widened. The man, who towered over him, crossed his arms.
"No one, and I mean NO ONE, SHRIMP, calls ME a SHRIMP or a BUM, got it?!"
"Um..."
"GOT IT?!"
Dimitri had a choice, he decided. He could either fight this huge man who would OBVIOUSLY knock him
out with one THUMP, or flee.He fled.
He ran, jumping over dogs and cats, dodging other light poles, knocking down kids by accident, and finally
tearing up the front path to the house and running in the door."AH!" he screamed, leaning against the door and dropping the bag of oranges. He quickly locked it and
pulled the front curtains closed all the way. Vlad and Sophie walked out of the kitchen, both eating pears."What's wrong, Dimitri?" Vlad asked, surveying his appearance; messy hair, shirt half-untucked, a smudge
across his cheek. Dimitri quickly picked up the paper bag."I'll tell you later!" He ran up the stairs two at a time and burst into Anya's room. "ORANGES!"
"Excuse me?" Anya said, turning to look at him. She reached over and turned off the radio. "What about
oranges?"Dimitri grinned and held out the bag. "I brought you your oranges! Twenty...nineteen of them!" he said,
remembering the squashed one."Oranges?!" Anya laughed and leaned her head against the pillow. Dimitri got the feeling that she shouldn't
be laughing so hard."What? What's wrong?"
"Whatever gave you the idea that I wanted ORANGES?"
Dimitri felt the color drain from his face. "You said you wanted oranges!"
Anya laughed. "I didn't say ORANGES, sweetheart! I said KIWIS!"
"KIWIS?!"
"Yes, kiwis."
"No," Dimitri said firmly, clutching the bag to his chest. "You said ORANGES. O-R-A-N-G-E-S,
ORANGES.""Now I'm SURE I said kiwis," she said.
"I don't like oranges, they're too hard to
peel.""ANYA!" he cried. He thrust the bag of
oranges in her arms. "You said
ORANGES! I just ran to three
groceries and almost got killed by cars,
mean old ladies, and a crazy driver, for
your ORANGES!"She looked down at the bag, then back
up at him. "Mean old ladies?""AHHH!!!!" he cried, falling down on
the bed. Anya gasped."Dimitri!" she yelled. She crawled over to him with some difficulty and leaned over his face. He looked up
at her weakly."You said oranges..."
"I said kiwis!"
Dimitri closed his eyes tiredly. She shook her head and stood up, the bag of oranges still in her arms. She
started to shuffle out the door when she stopped and turned in shock."YOU!"
"What?!" Dimitri cried, sitting up straight on the bed.
"IT WAS YOU!"
"WHAT WAS ME?!"
She leaned against the door frame and laughed. "You! You were the Orange Man running in the middle of
the street!"Dimitri groaned and fell back on the bed again, not even noticing that she was up when he'd tried so hard to
keep her from walking. She shook her head, shifted the orange bag to her other hip, and walked out the
door laughing."My husband the ORANGE MAN!"
She walked down the stairs and rested the orange bag on the dining room table. "Vlad! Sophie!" she said
happily. Vlad and Sophie turned from the window they were looking out of together and smiled."Bonjour, Anya!" Sophie said happily.
"Hello, Anya. And how are you feeling today?" Vlad asked as he walked over to her. She laughed and
patted her stomach."Same old, same old. About ready for he..."
"She!" Vlad reminded her.
"She or it to come on out."
"Where's Dimitri?" Sophie asked as she sat down on the couch. Anya shrugged and lowered herself with
Vlad's help into a chair."I think he's upstairs taking a nap. He looked like he needed one. What were you looking at outside?"
"There was strange man out there," Vlad said, "pounding on your neighbor's house."
"Hmm...oh well. Boy, I'm starved! Do you mind getting me some ham and pickles, Vlad?"
Back upstairs, Dimitri was still in shock at the recent turn of events. He sat up slowly and held his head.
"Oranges. She said ORANGES!" he cried."GET OUT OF THERE!"
Dimitri looked up. What was that?! He slid off the bed and to the window. Peeking out he gasped. The
driver was pounding on his neighbor's house!"GET OUT OF THERE ORANGE MAN!"
AND HE WAS LOOKING FOR DIMITRI!
Dimitri gulped and backed away from the window. The driver turned then and saw Dimitri's head peeking
out through the glass."YOU!!"
Dimitri yelped and ran out the door of the room. Rushing down the stairs, he tripped into the living room.
"HE'S HERE!"
"Who's here?" Anya asked as she took a bite of a pickle.
"THE DRIVER!" Dimitri ran around the house frantically, trying to close all the curtains and lock the doors
as fast as he could."COME OUT OF THERE ORANGE MAN!" the driver yelled as he pounded at the front door of their
house. Dimitri cried out and ducked behind the couch."Dimitri!" Vlad and Anya yelled together. The man continued to pound on the door, screaming to be let in
and see 'That Lousy Orange Man'. Anya walked over to the door and opened it. The driver pushed in past
her and scanned the room quickly."Where is he?! Where's that Orange Man?!"
"Excuse me, sir!" Vlad said protectively, standing in front of Anya and Sophie. "What is your business
here?""Get out of the way, Grandpa!"
"EXCUSE ME!" Vlad said again. "That is no way to speak to..."
The driver turned to him. "Look, you wanna' piece of me of too? I'll knock you out after I knock that
Orange Man out!"Vlad's face paled. When the driver turned his back he ducked behind the couch with Dimitri. The younger
man cried out softly."VLAD! What're you doing here?!"
"He threatened to beat me up too!"
"BUT MY WIFE'S OUT THERE!"
"So's mine!"
Equally sheepish, they both ducked down further behind the couch and waited for the driver to find them.
"Sir! What're you DOING here?" Anya asked.
"Lookin' for that ORANGE MAN! Do you know him, Madame?"
Anya blushed. "Well yes, that'd be my husband."
"Well when I find that lousy Orange Man he's gonna' get a wham!" He slapped his fist. Dimitri gulped. "And
a BAM! And a KAZAAM!" Dimitri took a few deep breaths. "And then I'm gonna' start after that
GRANDPA!" Vlad let out a tiny "urp" and both men found themselves gripping each other protectively
behind the couch."We are going to get killed!" Dimitri whispered. "Massacred!"
"Before we could even spend more than two years with our wives!"
"My son...daughter...BABY won't even know it's father!"
Anya had had just about enough of this by now. "Look, sir, I must insist that you leave..."
The man knocked into the mantle. Anya and Sophie watched in horror as the Chinese Vase, an expensive
gift, came tumbling down and shattered on the hardwood floor. Pooka leapt up in front of the man, but
driver accidentally stumbled forward and stepped on Pooka's tail. Pooka yelped and ran behind the couch.
He buried himself in between the men's arms."Men," Anya mumbled. Well if no one was going to throw this man out, then she would herself. "LOOK
HERE Mister, I WANT YOU OUT OF MY HOUSE!"The driver turned and took off his hat politely. "Excuse me, Madame? I'm just after the Orange Man and
the fatty...""FATTY?!" Anya cried. "ME? DID YOU JUST CALL ME FAT?!?!"
"MADAME, NO!"
"I WANT YOU OUT OF THIS HOUSE, UNDERSTAND?!" She pushed him a little to the doorway.
The man's eyes widened as he dropped his hat."But Madame..."
"Don't 'But Madame' me, you Bum! GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE!"
The man stumbled back out the door. "But Madame, your husband..."
"My husband is JUST FINE, thank you, and he'll be even better once you get OUT OF THIS HOUSE!"
She pushed him once more and the man fell back on his behind. She grabbed the hat he'd dropped and
threw it at him. "AND STAY OUT!" She slammed the door and locked it once. Sophie clapped."Bravo! Bravo!"
Anya laughed and the two women shared a high-five. They both kneeled on the couch and looked over the
back."Alright, Boys, you can come out now."
© 1999 AnyaMuse@aol.com
© 1999 AnyaCI@aol.com
