Anya’s gloved fingertips gently touched the icy windowpane as she gazed inside the store. Christmas was only two weeks away, and she STILL didn’t have Dimitri anything! It would have helped if he’d actually done what she’d asked and made out a list. But of course, he hadn’t. Which was why she was trudging through Paris that cold day. Trying to find him a few Christmas presents. And it was SO hard! Since it was their first Christmas together, she honestly wasn’t sure what he wanted. Maybe some new shirts or slacks for work? Nah, Dimitri wasn’t too thrilled about clothes, although he did need some. Anya sighed and moved on away from the clothing store’s window.

Just a few presents, that was all she needed. They had both agreed not to get each other anything expensive, or get tons of presents for the other, simply because they WERE just starting their lives together. And Dimitri wasn’t making a LOT of money yet. Enough to pay bills and get by of course. And they were perfectly happy with each other, so presents weren’t all that important. But Anya knew he’d have her something, a few things anyway, and she did have to find SOMETHING for him.

She stopped in front of another store and looked inside. It looked like a lot of nice little gifts. She walked in, stopping inside the door and letting the warm air soak through her coat. The little shop was full of knick-knacks and stuff. Anya picked up a pretty watch chain. Vlad might would like that, expect she knew Sophie would probably get him one. Anya moved to another display. Diaries and picture frames, stuff Dimitri wouldn’t care for. Figurines and dolls, toys for little children. Nutcrackers and pretty boxes with flowers engraved on them. Silver baskets and red ribbons. Sachets and clocks and lamps.

Anya picked up a pen set. Dimitri might would like that. She set it back down. Then she noticed some candles. They were pretty candles, imported from Germany, like the Nutcrackers. They were swirled patterns, done in peppermint colors or reds, greens and whites. Anya decided to buy one for the mantle. It would look good with holly and berries around it. She picked a nice one up and walked around some more. But her eyes didn’t see anything for Dimitri. She paid for the candle, and the salesclerk carefully wrapped it up in paper and put it in a bag for her.

Anya walked back out on the snowy street. Great, she’d just bought a candle for both of them, and she STILL didn’t have him anything for Christmas morning! It started to snow harder as Anya headed back home. She might as well forget shopping for today. She’d talk to Vlad and see if HE knew what Dimitri would like, and she’d ask Dimitri to make a list out for her again.

Anya stepped inside their townhouse and walked into the living room. She set the candle on the mantle. It looked nice there, but... Anya sighed loudly and sat down in a chair. It needed more stuff. It just didn’t FEEL like Christmas. The house needed to be decorated, and they needed a tree, and presents underneath it. Anya hadn’t had a good Christmas since 1916, her last Christmas in Imperial Russia. She could remember getting all sorts of wonderful presents that a Grand Duchess would want – like more dolls for her Russian dollhouse, and bracelets and dresses and boxes of candy. But after that, while she was in the orphanage, she NEVER had a good Christmas. The orphans didn’t get nice presents, and they never decorated. Anya loved Christmas though. It was her favorite holiday, and she really wanted this Christmas to be special. It was her first Christmas with someone she truly loved, and her first Christmas in a new life. Dimitri had to work 2 more days this week, so when he got off work, maybe they could start getting things ready. Anya smiled at the thought. It would be wonderful, to share a special holiday with him! She stood up and decided to clean the house. It would need to be dusted before they started decorating, so she might as well do it!

---

When Dimitri walked in the front door that evening, and instantly smelled sugar cookies. “Anya?” He hung his coat up and rubbed his hands together. “Anya, where are you?”

“In the kitchen! Come here!”

Dimitri walked into the kitchen, only to find Anya hurrying around in an apron, with flour on her hands and cheeks, her hair pulled back with wisps flying around her face, and a couple of racks of cookies cooling. “Hi Honey!” Anya quickly leaned up and kissed him, wiping her hands on a towel at the same time.

“You made cookies!” Dimitri grinned. “Can I have one?”

“Only if you help!”

Dimitri rolled his eyes and picked up a cookie. “You know I can’t cook.”

“I know, but I’m sure you’re creative enough to ice them!” Anya’s eyes sparkled. “Go change and get back down here!”

Dimitri laughed. “Okay, I’ll be back in a minute.” He disappeared up the stairs. Anya pulled out the last batch from the oven, and started making icing. She needed red, green, white, yellow, blue... And candies... Anya sat some little candies out on the table with the icing. Dimitri walked back in at that moment, out of his work clothes and in slacks and a sweater.

“I get to ice them?” he grinned and picked up a tube of red icing. “Oh goody!”

“Hang on!” Anya laughed. She reached for the tube he had, but he held it back from her.

“Which one’s are which? Oh look! You made Santas and reindeer and stars and Christmas trees...”

“That reminds me, we need a tree.”

“We can get it in a couple of days when I start holiday vacation.”

“I know, I’m just telling you.”

“Well right now icing these are more important.” Dimitri squirted some icing in his mouth. “Yum! That’s good Anya!”

“DIMITRI!” Anya tried not to laugh. She took the icing from him, and he started to pout, that adorable childish pout that she HAD to laugh at. “Here,” she giggled, “you can ice the stars. Take the yellow.”

“Can I put little silver candy balls on them?”

“Maybe.”

“PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEE?”

“Here!” Anya handed him the yellow icing.

He grinned and took it, and started to trace the stars’ edges in icing, putting little candies on a few of them. Anya started on the reindeer.

“Ok, I’m finished. Can I do the Christmas trees?” Dimitri asked with a smile.

“Yes, I suppose so.” Anya grinned. “Here, don’t use ALL the green.”

“Yes, Your Grace!” Dimitri teased. He started on the Christmas trees.

Suddenly Dimitri accidentally squirted a little icing on Anya. It had only been a mistake, but Anya dropped the red icing and stared at him. “DIMITRI! Why you...” She grabbed the red again.

“Hey! I didn’t mean...” Red icing squirted across his hand. Dimitri licked it off and grabbed the yellow. He squirted Anya back.

“Oh, if you want to FIGHT...” Anya giggled and grabbed a bowl of flour.

“That’s not playing fair!” Dimitri protested. His reply was a handful of white flour in his face. “Ohhhh, two can play this game!” he smirked, wiping flour out of his eyes. He grabbed a box of sugar and took a handful, slinging it at her. She started to laugh, and more flour flew through the air. Dimitri reached for the cinnamon on the counter and caught Anya by the arm, pouring the spice down on her hair.

“Haha! That doesn’t count, it matches my hair!” Anya laughed and tossed flour over her head, nailing Dimitri in the face again. “Two points for me!” she sang. “Come on ‘Mitri, you can do better then this!” More flour hit him. He reached in the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of eggs. Anya stopped. “Oh, now wait, that ISN’T fair... We’re only using DRY ingredients in this Dimitri...”

“Noooo, flour wasn’t fair either, which ended ALL the rules!” Dimitri grinned. “Besides, you just challenged me to do better!” He lightly threw one of the eggs at her. She quickly sat the bowl down on the table and caught it in her hands. It didn’t break. Anya grinned. “HA!”

“Oh, let’s see if you can catch the other one!” Dimitri smirked. The second egg sailed through the air. Anya thought fast, and threw HER egg back at Dimitri, catching the second one. Dimitri wasn’t expecting her to throw the first one BACK at him, and it hit him on the face, shattering and sending yellow yoke dripping down him. Anya burst into laughter. He grabbed a towel and wiped his face, then grabbed the bowl of flour on the table and started chasing Anya, who threw the second egg at him. It broke on his chest. She started laughing again.

“You just wait until I catch you Anya!” he teased, running through the kitchen. Anya skidded across the floor and hit the counter. When she turned around to dart the other way, Dimitri bumped into her, sending them both to the floor. The bowl of flour landed on top of BOTH of them, covering them in a thin, fluffy powder. Anya flipped on her back, laughing even harder. Dimitri started to laugh too. He pulled himself up, then helped Anya back on her feet.

“Oh geez...” she giggled, “Dimitri look! This whole kitchen is such a mess!”

“I’ll help you clean it up.” he managed to say between all the laughing.

“You’d better! Half of it’s your mess!”

“Oh wait, I need to tell you something.” Dimitri said suddenly, growing serious.

“What?” Anya stopped laughing and looked at him.

“Well, it’s a Christmas present.” Dimitri smiled slowly, pulling Anya to him, and wrapping his arms around her.

“Oh, what SORT of present?” Anya smiled.

Dimitri frantically reached on the counter behind her, trying to not smile. “A very special present...”

“You’re getting mysterious on me Dimitri.”

“Well, it’s a very big surprise.” Dimitri smiled just a LITTLE. Suddenly Anya felt sugar pour over her head. It cascaded like a waterfall in front of her face off the top of her hair. She gasped.

“DIMITRIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” he laughed. Then he turned and ran out of the kitchen. Anya ran after him.

“Get back here! Oh, you asked for it Dimitri Mikhailovich!” she laughed.

“You have catch me first!” he yelled playfully from upstairs. She ran up the stairs and down the hall.

“When I get hold of you...”

“Is that a threat?”

“Where ARE you?” Anya pushed the bathroom door open and received a spray of water across her face.

“AHHHHH!!!!”

“Really Your Grace, you shouldn’t look so messy!” Dimitri grinned at her. “Why don’t you take a bath?” He gently pushed her in the shower, clothes and all, and turned the water on warm.

“Dimitri!” Anya was laughing harder now, and she pulled him into the shower too. They started splashing each other.

“Is it some sort of new fad to take a shower in your clothes?” Dimitri asked, throwing a washcloth at her.

“Your sweater is soaked! It probably weighs a ton all wet like that!” Anya rolled her eyes and brushed her hair back out of her face.

“Fine!” Dimitri shrugged and took the sweater off.

“I’m NOT taking a shower with you.” Anya groaned. “Forget it Dimitri!”

“I never said you had to! ALL I said was that you needed to wash off!”

“Alright, wash off, and then we BOTH have to clean that kitchen!” Anya laughed.

---

“Warmer?” Dimitri asked, leaning against the love seat in front of the fireplace. He and Anya were sitting on the floor, popping popcorn. Anya cuddled up against him as he held the popper over the fire.

“A little. I was freezing after the hot water went out.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “If SOMEONE hadn’t used it all...”

“Don’t start that again.” Dimitri smirked. “At least we got the kitchen clean!”

Anya smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. “Yea, that’s a good point.”

“So what are we going to do with the popcorn?” Dimitri asked, pulling it off the fire and pouring it in a bowl. “Eat it?” His eyes lit up.

“No! Not all of it anyways!” Anya took the bowl from him, and he put some more kernels in the popper, which went back over the fire.

“Then WHAT?” Dimitri asked, reaching for a handful. He stuffed it in his mouth.

“We’re going to make popcorn strings to put outside on that bare tree!” Anya said happily. She threaded a needle and picked up some popcorn.

“Why?” Dimitri asked. “I’ve heard of decorating Christmas trees in popcorn, but not outside trees.”

“For the birds and stuff.” Anya smiled. “So they can have some food!”

“Isn’t that nice?” Dimitri grinned.

Anya rolled her eyes and slid away from him. “If you’re going to be like THAT...”

“I was only teasing and you know it. Don’t slide away! Anya!”

Anya giggled and snuggled back up to him, slowly starting on her first string of popcorn. “It’s just something to do, since we’ve cleaned the house, and we can’t decorate until we get a tree.”

“We need stockings too.” Dimitri pointed out.

“For St. Nicholas?” Anya asked, poking another piece of popcorn on the needle.

“Who else?” Dimitri asked. “But ONLY if you’re a good little girl!”

“I don’t think I have to worry about being good! It’s you that might get coal or switches!”

“Oh, yes, you’re an absolute angel. An angel who threw flour in my face two hours ago!” Dimitri crossed his arms. “St. Nick remembers stuff like that!”

“Who poured sugar on who’s head?”

“You started it!”

“Did not!”

“Did to!”

“Did NOT!”

Dimitri caught her and started to tickle her. She dropped the string of popcorn and started to laugh.

“Dimitri! Stop! ACK! That tickles, come on!”

Suddenly Dimitri DID stop and pulled her into his lap, growing serious. She leaned her forehead on his.

“Listen, I’m going to make this the best Christmas either of us has ever had.” Dimitri promised, letting his fingers twine with hers. “I know I can’t get you all sorts of stuff you got when you were little...”

“If all you gave me was a kiss, it’d be worth more then ANY present I got when I was little.” Anya whispered, smiling at him. Her hand ran through the hair on his neck. “And I KNOW this will defiantly be the best Christmas either of us has EVER had!”

Dimitri smiled and kissed her, lingering for a moment before they parted.

“Are we going to finish this popcorn?” Dimitri grinned. “If I let it burn...”

“Oh! The popcorn!” Anya twisted around and pulled it off the fire, just in time.

“Come on, I’ll help you finish those strings!” Dimitri smiled.
 

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