From Russia With Love

The morning was grey and sleepy outside the wide windows when Dominika peeled herself away from Gerard’s side and tip-toed into the bathroom they now shared. It had been planned the night before that John would pick her up and take her to the ballet company to collect her choreography that morning, but Dominika regretted the plans the second the steaming water of the shower beat down on her, afraid to leave Gerard in case he needed her. He’d reassured her a thousand times the day before that he could cope for a few hours by himself, and although she knew Donna was more than capable of assisting her son if he needed it, she still felt as though she was abandoning her responsibilities. And even beyond that, she wanted to be there for him even if it meant missing out on ballet school, not that he was likely to let that happen.

Dominika finished her shower and stepped out of the stall, toweling the water off herself as she examined the reflection in the mirror in front of her. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in a tangled mass, the result of several days of neglect and the lack of a hairbrush in all the commotion of Gerard’s homecoming. When she finally located it, she pulled it through her hair quickly, trying to hurry as she knew John would be waiting for her in the driveway any minute. She hastily pulled her dancing clothes on, throwing sweats over the top without caring what she was wearing. She walked out into Gerard’s bedroom again to see he’d barely moved, his arms enveloped around her pillow. She approached the side of the bed and watched him for a moment, his chest rising and falling in deep, even breaths. Leaning down, she pressed her lips against the side of his cheek and crouched further so her lips brushed his ear.

“I’ll be back soon” she whispered “I love you”

Dominika took the steps two at a time, anticipating John waiting impatiently in the driveway. Her intuition proved correct as she made her way out the front door, bag slung over her shoulder.

“Good morning, Domi” he greeted, turning to look back at her as she slid into the backseat, pulling the door shut silently.

“Morning” she replied, pushing a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. She stuffed her bag into the gap between the front and back seat as John adjusted the heating vents. He steered the car away from the curb and began to amble down the long driveway, looking back at her briefly.

“How’s Gerard?” John asked casually.

“He’s okay” she replied, staring absently out the window at the streets as they whipped past “he gets a little better every day, but he’s still struggling at times”

“Of course. He’s been through a lot, Domi, beyond the physical wounds, I bet his pride is wounded, too. You’re a good girl, being there for him, he needs you”

Dominika looked down at her lap, heat rising to her face.

“I love him, John, I’d do anything for him”

John laughed then and the sound surprised her, filling the cabin clad in pale leather, the luxurious scent almost overpowering in the limited space.

“I know, Miss, I probably knew it even before you realized it yourself”

He met Dominika’s eyes in the rearview mirror and instantly recognized the emotions as they registered across her features. First anger, then confusion, then denial, and finally resolution. There was no emotion on her face as she spoke again.

“It is what it is” she said, finally. John glanced over his shoulder briefly at the neutral expression on her face.

“Yes, Miss”

Anxiety spiked in Dominika’s stomach as they pulled into the lot of the ballet company, John parking right next to the front steps.

“I’ll text you when I’m done” she said as she slammed the passenger door. Her heart had begun to beat rapidly in her chest but she was determined not to show it. John leaned out his open window, grinning at her.

“I’ll be waiting”

Walking into the building after a week of absence was a strange feeling, as though she’d been gone much longer than a few days. A female receptionist she’d never met before sat talking on the phone animatedly behind the desk, the rest of the lobby abandoned. She held up her hand and smiled briefly as Dominika approached, causing her to retreat back to the lounges in the corner of the room. It finally occurred to her that today was the day she’d find out her place in the company’s production of The Sleeping Beauty, and her heart thumped in her throat as she realized all the preparation she’d endured had led up to this moment.

Mr. Rush appeared in the doorway after a few long minutes of waiting, smiling so widely at her it bared his whole set of perfect white teeth.

“Princess!” he greeted happily “how lovely to see you, we’ve missed you around here. How is my nephew? I’ve been wanting to visit him but things have just been so crazy-”

“He’s okay” Dominika interrupted, desperately wanting to change the subject. If this was what people wanted to talk to her about today, she’d never be able to dedicate her full attention to the task at hand.

“Good” Mr. Rush said, clasping his hands together “I’ve spoken to my sister at length and she’s explained the situation. I want you to be able to play your role, Domi, but I’m worried you won’t have the time to dedicate to it, as it is you’ll miss out on most of the group training, do you think you can handle it?”

“It won’t be a problem” Dominika replied dismissively “I can handle it”

Mr. Rush held her gaze for a long moment, searching her expression for any sign of faltering before he gave in, sighing in defeat.

“Okay, Domi. But I want you to promise me that you’ll let me know if it gets too much”

“I will” she promised. As Dominika wandered down the empty hallways of the ballet company, she wondered if things would ever be the same again. Would she end up back here after The Sleeping Beauty ended? Would they keep her on? Her attendance had been excellent up until Gerard’s injuries but would they hold that against her? She sighed as she reached the external doors of Albert Hall where Mr. Rush had told her she could find the role postings. She pressed her index finger to the page as she approached it, scanning the list for her name amongst all the others, and suddenly the name of her friend caught her eye amid the long lists of names.

Daphne Helston – chorus

Dominika trawled down the list slightly, trying to find her own name. It was absent from the minor roles, and for a moment she was worried she hadn’t been cast at all, knowing her performance definitely hadn’t qualified for any of the main roles.

Finally, she found it, and her mouth dropped open as she read the words in front of her.

Dominika Way – lilac fairy

Way?! Obviously it was a ploy in an attempt to mask her real identity, but it was still an odd sight to see. Heat prickled her face as she realized she liked the name change. Although it was meant to connect her to Gerard’s family, she couldn’t help but feel giddy, imagining what it would be like to sign that as her real name someday. She read the paper in front of her again.

Lilac fairy

It wasn’t the role Dominika had originally wanted but the Lilac fairy was one of the most quintessential and loved characters of the story. It was a main role in its own right. Her chest brimmed with excitement as she closed her eyes and imagined herself dancing on stage in the graceful, carefree form of the Lilac fairy. For a fleeting second she pictured Gerard there, too, watching her amongst the audience as she gave her all on stage. Her cheeks flushed pink involuntarily, wishing and hoping he’d stay long enough to see her performance.

“DOMI!” a high pitched, shrill female voice called down the hallway. She recognized the sound instantly, spinning around to face the source.

The wind was knocked out of her as her red-headed friend slammed into her, taking her hands and jumping up and down excitedly.

“Where have you been?! No one will tell me anything! We thought you weren’t coming back!”
Dominika should have been happy to see her friend in that moment, but instead she was anxious, knowing she’d have to explain the complicated story convincingly. She toyed with the idea of lying, but she was too tired to make up any more stories, and resigned to telling Daphne the almost-truth instead.

“My boyfriend…” she began “Gerard. He was injured in the conflict in my homeland. He came back to America on an emergency medical flight and he only got out of hospital yesterday, I’ve been looking after him”

Daphne’s eyes grew wide instantly and she threw her arms around Dominika’s shoulders, pulling her close.

“Oh, Domi, I’m sorry, is he okay?”

“Yes” Dominika said softly “he’s okay, but I’m not going to be around here much for a while, he needs me”

“Are you still going to dance with us in the production?” Daphne asked, eyeing Dominika skeptically.

“I will” she promised “but I won’t be here again for a while, I’ve got to fulfill my responsibilities at home first”

Daphne held her gaze for a long moment, deciding her best response before she answered.
“Do what you need to, Domi, we’ll miss you, but we’re here for you”

“Thank you, Daph” Dominika said, tears threatening to fill her eyes as she looked at her friend.

“No problem. But I at least wanna meet this guy, it’s my job as your friend to make sure you’re not throwing everything away for some loser”

Dominika laughed then, sniffing back the tears before they had a chance to fall.

“Okay, you have a deal”

Notes

Wow forty chapters and I still haven't given you guys any smut, I'm cruel :P Don't worry though, cause we are working into it, AND THERE WILL BE SMUT! It has already been written, I'm just waiting for the right time to fit it into the story. Vote, comment, subscribe, reader love always inspires me and makes me want to post more, hint hint ;)