"Hey Andrei," Steph said with a poorly veiled sense of trepidation. "I got a major 411. Ollie heard through the grapevine that the cops found Christina's car last night. They had it towed to the lot at public services."

"They found her?" he said in disbelief. Andrei did not notice that the rest of the family, including the large German Shepherd that was lurking behind the couch, took notice.

"No," Steph answered. "They just found the car. No Christina."

by Admiral Krunch

---

 
Chapter 53

        Christina drove through a watery void bounded on either side by the eerie white streaks of aspen trees as she sped past. Rain came down in sheets through the starless night, battering her car. The impact was so loud that it drowned out the sound of the engine and the creaking noises that Christina's old Saab made as it struggled around corners, though it did not mute the thoughts racing through the girl's head. In a way, the vacuum was fitting; Christina Chase had no idea where she was going. No road sign or landmark could tell her when she would have arrived.

        It was better this way, she thought. Her family would never know her secret. She used to fear that they would learn that Christina Chase was a lie; a temporary fiction. In truth, Christina had long ago realized that Christina Chase was not a fabrication, nor was she even a different person than she had been as a boy. She had always simply been herself. As a boy she'd felt out of step with rest of the world. It was as though she were a square peg in attempting to conform to a round hole. It wasn't until she'd met her cousins that she really figured out where she fit. It wasn't just that she longed for a family, or just a real and lasting connection with anyone. Christina had not changed, she'd just found the place where she naturally fit.

        When she was living as a girl, when she was living as a daughter or a sister, she felt normal. It was the first time she could remember in her entire life that she'd ever felt like a normal person. She didn't have to constantly try to guess the rules of every situation and play along. She didn't have to force herself to act the way she thought everyone else expected. She didn't feel awkward or lost, and all she had to do was be herself. Though it had taken over a year to admit it, being a girl was her normal. There was nothing comforting in that thought. On the contrary, it made her feel broken. There was even less comfort in having discovered that she might not be entirely male. That was just confirmation that she was literally defective.

        Christina knew her family loved her. She was certain that if she had come to them as a boy, they still would have accepted her, though she would have never wanted to be Alek and Misha's adopted son. Though she didn't want to tell them the truth about her body, she knew in her heart that they wouldn't abandon her if they found out. They'd already accepted her as she was, and they would likely look upon her condition as a birth defect or maybe just another reason why their niece needed their shelter. She played the confession in her mind a dozen times, and not in a single instance could she picture them rejecting her because of it.

        What they didn't realize, Christina thought as she sped through the watery nothingness, what none of them had worked out, was that regardless of the complications with Christina's gender or even with how she was born, was that as a person, she wasn't worth loving.

        Christina liked to tell herself that her father had always made time for her, but she knew this was a deception. Alexander Chase had been a decent man, but Christina knew that his career had always come first. That's why they they'd moved so often. That's why Christina's favorite birthday memory with her father was a make-up birthday. He couldn't have been bothered to be with her on the actual day. She didn't blame the man. On the contrary, she thought that he'd made the right decision putting his work first, as much as she longed to be with him.

        Christina had always resented her mother. Not just because she had replaced her father with another man, but because she had picked Danny over herself. As much as it hurt, Christina understood that the reason was because her mother knew her well enough to know that Christina didn't deserve to be the one she stayed with.

        As much as she hated Danny, she detested the part of herself that actually desired to please him, just once. She knew that she could never pass one of the man's tests, but the awful part was, she had always wanted to prove to the him that she was worthy of his respect, even if she didn't respect him. In a way, punching Danny was as much about hating him as it was an attempt to impress him. Christina loathed herself for even wanting the man's admiration, and thought it was even worse that she could never earn it. The one lesson that Danny had taught her was that no matter how hard she tried, she would never be good enough. He was a bastard, Christina thought, but he wasn't wrong.

        Christina Chase couldn't lie to herself any longer. She'd always tried to keep the whole truth away from her family. She had never wanted them to know that she was one of the least important people who'd worked for Mr. Patel. She had never wanted them to see her old apartment in its run down and dangerous neighborhood. She had never wanted them to know when she'd been unemployed or when she ran out of money. She certainly had never wanted her family to find out that her own mother had abandoned her.

        Christina felt it in her bones that her family loved her. They'd learned the truth about all of these things, and they still loved her. She knew that if she told them the truth about how she was born that it wouldn't make a difference. But she felt, in the depths of her soul, that much like her mother and father did, they would eventually see her for who she really was. The real mask Christina Chase had worn in Oak Grove was that she was someone that could be loved. Christina knew her family and friends loved her, but only because they hadn't seen past that deception.

        It would hurt them, she thought, when they realized she was gone. At least then they would always have their memories. That would be better than if she'd stayed. That was better than if they knew the real her. That's why she knew she would eventually have to leave. Now that she'd finally found the nerve to go, it didn't matter where she went. It didn't matter what happened to her. She pushed harder on the accelerator, pressing faster into the nothing.

        That's when she saw the twin halogen lamps slice through the water. They appeared around an unseen corner; two bright lights careening across the road. The muscles in Christina's belly tensed. Did she see it right? Were the lights over the yellow line?

        Christina felt her mind contract; she couldn't move as the world folded in around her. Gripping the steering wheel so tightly that all the blood was forced from her knuckles, Christina could see every rain drop as it fell in slow motion across the oncoming beams. Unable to breathe, Christina threw her foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal, and the wheels of the car locked. The shriek of tires mixed with the assault of the storm as the lights came directly at her. She had the sense memory of impact on every inch of her skin and she braced herself for the end. It was as though the lights were falling towards her, and they grew so close that they blocked her entire field of vision.

        And then, they were gone.

        The old Saab rattled to a halt, parked in the middle of the empty road.

        The girl trembled, her hands still clutching the steering wheel, her foot still on the brake. It was moments before Christina's mind began to thaw. Her consciousness had been a torrent of violent thoughts that more than matched the maelstrom outside, but there was nothing remaining now but crippling fear. Slowly her grip loosened and her foot retreated. She started taking rapid but shallow breaths as her paralysis receded.

        More from instinct than thought, Christina's hand went to her chest and made a fist. She felt her heart pounding, though she hadn't put her hand there to feel its beat. She was clutching her necklace though the fabric of her red knit top.

        As the pace of her breathing slowed and the depth increased, her shoulders lost their tension and dropped. Reaching into her top, Christina pulled out her necklace and studied it in the palm of her left hand. In the dark she saw the outline of the small, ornate, silver cross and the faint sparkle of the diamonds from the engagement ring that she'd added to the chain. Christina Chase had thought she was going to die, and her first instinct was to hold on to these things as tightly as she could.

        It wasn't real. There had never been another car. How was it possible she could have been so terrified, to the core of her being, of something that wasn't real? She looked up at the rear view mirror. With her right hand, she tuned on the cabin light and adjusted the mirror so that she was looking into her green-gray eyes.

        Was it a hallucination? Was it a memory, or an echo through time? Or was it one last message from Anastasia? Studying the eyes in the mirror, she found that no one else looked out from the reflection. When she looked in the mirror, she saw only herself. When she looked into the palm of her left hand, she saw the only things in the world that mattered to her.

        She became aware that she was parked in the middle of an unlit mountain road in the middle of one of the worst rain storms she'd ever experienced, which was probably not the best place to remain. Turning off the cabin light, she repositioned the rear view mirror. Giving her necklace a final squeeze, she placed it back into her top and took her foot off the brake.

        Checking all around the car as best she could, Christina pressed on the accelerator. The back wheels of the old Saab skidded as the girl threw the car into a violent u-turn and sped back towards Oak Grove.

        She pressed so hard on the accelerator that there was no gap between it and the floor. While she'd driven as fast as she could to put as much distance between her and her family, it was nothing compared to how hard she drove to get back to them. Before, she'd embraced the fluid netherworld. Her only intention now was to escape it.

        With no beacons on the road other than the ghostly aspens, Christina couldn't tell how close she was, though she drove for what felt like hours. The rain did not abate as she went, but the car started to buck. The girl struggled a bit with the wheel to keep the car steady as it fought against her. The engine cut out and the car glided through the sheets of water. Doing her best to react, Christina threw the wheel to the right and guided the car onto the shoulder.

        "Dammit!" she cursed as she pounded the steering wheel. Surveying the instruments, she saw that the car had run out of gas. Christina looked around the cabin of the car as though the answer to her problem was somewhere within. Overcome with frustration and emotion, she opened the door of her car and leapt into the darkness. Nothing was going to stop her from getting home.

        The rain soaked every inch of her clothes as she ran, though she paid no attention. She saw that she was on the edge of town. She was so close, but rather than continue into the middle of town, she took the road to the left and did her best to jog up the mountain. Her feet ached and her leg muscles burned as she got closer to the large house she knew was nestled among the pines and aspens. Christina Chase was going home, but before she could, she needed the answer to one question.

        She was almost out of breath as she ran down the cobblestone driveway. She'd never had this much endurance when she, Steph, and Lisa jogged through town, but her body was just about at the breaking point. She pushed herself until she reached the impressive wooden door. Balling her right hand into a fist, she pounded the door. If she'd had any air left in her lungs, she might have shouted.

        Leaning over, she supported her palms on her knees and breathed in as much air as she could. Her long blond hair dropped in front of her from the weight of the water it had trapped. After she felt she could breathe a bit easier, she stood upright and rang the doorbell. When that elicited no immediate response, she resumed pounding on the door.

        The girl stopped when she saw the lights come on. She tried to push her wet hair out of her face, but it refused to cooperate, as she waited. When the door opened, she saw Richard, extremely tired and looking confused as he stood before her in a pair of long sleeved light blue cotton pajamas.

        "Christina?" he asked in shock. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he surveyed the girl. "It's the middle of the night!" Noticing that the girl was completely soaked, he took her by the hand and pulled her into the house. "What are you doing?" he repeated.

        Still winded, Christina took some deep breaths, making high pitched wheezing sounds as she did. "I ..." she started. "I ran away. I mean, I was running away."

        Richard's expression sank. He remembered that the girl had told him in the hospital that she was going to leave Oak Grove, but he hadn't wanted to believe her. "You don't-" he began, but was quickly cut off.

        "I need to ask you a question," she panted.

        Richard held her hand and waited for her gasping to turn into measured breaths.

        "I was running away," Christina repeated.

        "Because you think your family won't accept you?"

        "No," she admitted. "I'm ..." she began uncomfortably. "I'm scared ... all the time. See, the thing is ..." Christina felt the urge to turn away, but she made herself meet Richard's eyes. "I um," she pressed. "I ... hate myself ... I hate myself more than anyone else possibly could."

        Richard started to speak but was cut off by Christina's raised hand.

        "I am so ... scared, all the time, that people will find out that I'm just ... not a good person. And," she continued as she shivered, "I have a really hard time believing that anyone could ever really love me ... because I would never want me. And, I'm just so scared ... that even though it seems like people might love me, that it's just all gonna end, cause eventually they're going to find out ... that I'm just not worth it."

        "If I leave tonight," she explained, "I won't ever come back. Even if I find somewhere to live ... And get a job doing ... something, I don't know. Even if I take care of," she said as she moved her hands in front of herself, "my body, or ... cure cancer, it won't be enough. It will NEVER be enough to make me feel like I'm good enough for them."

        "Christina-" Richard interjected.

        Shaking her head, she continued, "But the thing is, they really do love me. I know they really love me. And I'm starting to figure out, that I don't know myself as much as I think I do. I'm still working out who I really am. I think maybe ... they know me better than I do, and they still love me."

        She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. "And I was just going to run away. And leave them. Without even an explanation. And it would hurt them. It would hurt them so much. Every time I leave, it hurts them, and I don't even want to go. I'm just- I'm just so scared, all the time, that I do stupid things, and I don't want to be like that anymore."

        "So," Christina persisted as she collected herself, "I'm gonna try being, you know, brave, I guess. From now on. It can't turn out worse than being scared and running away all the time. You know, probably. I don't want to leave. And I'm going to tell them the truth."

        Richard asked, "What are you going to say to them?"

        Christina raised her arms and let them fall to her slides making a slapping noise. "I'm gonna tell them that I'm exactly who they think I am. I was just ... born a little different than everyone else." Moving her hand over her body, she explained, "I don't know what it's going to take, but I need to take care of myself so I can really feel like me all the way, and I know I don't want to go through that without them."

        "Well," Richard started, "I uh," he still couldn't quite bring himself to admit his feelings. "You won't have any problems from me. I think it's ... fine if you want to stay."

        "Well, that's good," Christina responded, "but I didn't come here to ask for your permission."

        "Of course," Richard corrected uncomfortably as he scrunched his brow. He paused for a moment, then asked, "Why did you come to see me?"

        Christina reached behind her neck and undid the clasp of the silver chain. She scooped the necklace out of her top and pulled the ring off of it. Palming the ring, Christina redid the clasp and put the cross back where it had started.

        Holding out her right hand, Christina presented the engagement ring to Richard. "You gave me this," she said, "and when you did, you didn't know everything you should have. So, I can't take it. It's not really mine. I came here to give it back and to apologize. I wouldn't feel right unless I gave it back to you."

        She motioned with her eyes for Richard to take the ring. The man raised his hand and Christina placed it into his palm with her right hand while simultaneously cupping from the bottom with her left. "I'm really sorry," she said sincerely as she held his hand.

        Richard withdrew his hand and the ring with it, giving a depressed nod.

        "But," Christina began again, "I was sort of wondering ... if I could have it back."

        It took a moment for that sentence to connect in Richard's brain. "Excuse me?" he asked.

        "Uh ... " Christina hedged. "Well ... now that you do know everything you need to know ... I was wondering ... if maybe you might want me to have it back."

         Richard looked as though he was completely in shock. "You," he began slowly as made a fist around the ring with one outstretched finger. "You ruined my life. I was content. With my career. My house. My love life ... and then you came along. You may think I was the one that tricked you into falling in love with me, but that's nothing compared to what you did. I didn't know what love was; not really. But, I fell in love with you." And then," he continued as he pointed around the house, "everything I'd worked for, everything that I'd built. All of this ... I did it all for me. Everything I've ever done in my life was for me. But after falling in love with you, all the things I thought mattered, didn't mean anything anymore. I didn't know what it felt like to care about someone else more than myself. But I do now ... and It stinks. I don't know how to handle needing someone. I'm not good at it. I was better off before I knew what love really meant."

        Waving his arm as though he was playing to an unseen jury, he pressed, "And then, you ruined my life again! I thought you took away the only girl I'd ever truly been in love with. I thought she was a figment. I thought she was gone and never coming back, and it destroyed me. Do you understand that? It destroyed me."

        "Finally ..." he finished sadly, "I realized you were still ... you. And that I'd lost you." Holding up the ring between his thumb and forefinger, he said, "And now you want to know if you can have this back."

        He looked at the dripping wet girl with the green-gray eyes and slowly kneeled before her.

        "You ruined my life, and now, you're the only one who can fix it. I don't want you to have this back, I need you to take it," he implored. "I don't know where you go from here, but I need you to tell me that where ever that is, that I can go with you. Christina, you have to marry me, because I don't know how to be without you anymore. I need you to say you'll marry me."

        "Yeah," Christina said as she smiled and gave a tiny shrug. "I will." She held her left hand out as Richard slid the engagement ring onto her finger.

        Standing, Richard pushed Christina's wet hair to either side of her head and kissed her. When the kiss broke off, they touched foreheads and gazed into the other's eyes. "I love you," the man said.

        "I love you too," Christina answered.

        Richard held her gaze for another moment, then announced, "You're very wet."

        "I know," Christina dismissed. "The sky is really angry at me for some reason."

        "Come with me," he said taking the girl by the hand. He lead Christina through the living room and up the staircase to the second floor.

        The couple went down the hall to the master bedroom. Christina had never been to the second floor, and certainly never to the master bedroom. A king size bed covered with an expensive comforter dominated the room. The bed had a thick wooden frame and a giant headboard. Much as she was with everything else in the home, Christina was very impressed by the bed and assumed that the piece had cost a small fortune.

        Richard unbuttoned the top of his pajamas and handed them to Christina.

        Christina took the garment, pausing as she surveyed Richard's bare chest. Pulling herself away, Christina saw the entrance to the private bathroom and went to clean herself up. Once inside, she stripped out of her soaking wet clothes, save for her somewhat damp panties, and hung them on the shower rod to dry. She took a towel from the stack near the sink and patted her hair until she had absorbed most of the water. Searching the shelves and under the sink, Christina found a hair dryer and went to work primping her hair in the mirror. The end result was not perfect, but she found that she liked the slightly wild look her mane assumed.

        Christina watched the smiling girl in the mirror with the flush cheeks as she buttoned Richard's pajama top. She could smell the man's scent on the collar. Her torso practically swam in the garment that was far too wide for her, though her butt just barely peeked out from under the bottom edge.

        When she emerged from the bathroom, she saw that Richard was standing next to the bed holding the blankets back. "Hi," she said with a blush as she approached him.

        "You look very nice," he complimented.

        She held her hands up, hesitating before placing her palms on his bare chest. "You look ... uh ... nice too," she responded. The man patted the bed and Christina slid between the sheets. She felt a little odd being in Richard's bed. She was sure her uncle would not approve, but then, she was engaged. That had to count for something.

        Richard climbed into bed behind Christina and pulled the girl tightly against him. Draping an arm over her belly, he spooned his bride to be and planted tiny kisses down the back of her neck.

        Christina felt a tingle as the kisses cascaded down. She also felt a growing warmth against her backside which she found reassuring. She feared that Richard would never be able to see her as a girl again. Clearly that wasn't a problem. She felt the urge to roll over and touch him, but between the late hour and all the running, she was completely exhausted. "I could get used to this," she whispered.

        "You're going to have to," Richard joked.

        Christina rested her hand on top of Richard's, asking, "Are you gonna hold me all night?"

        "Miss Chase," he answered playfully, "I never intend to let you go."

 

        Christina wasn't sure what time it was when she woke up, but she could sense that she'd slept late. She was disoriented at first, but her memory of the previous night came flooding back when she saw there was no canopy over her head. She was in Richard's bed. Everything about the room she'd found herself in was somehow masculine. The modern black drawers on the others side of the room were spartan, with shiny metal handles. The bed she was in was ridiculously massive. Turning to her right, she saw that Richard was still in bed next to her, not more than a foot away, and very much awake.

        "Good morning Princess," he said.

        Christina pulled the covers up to her nose then gave one of her finger waves from just underneath the covers. "Hi," she said in a playful voice. "Whatcha doin?"

        The man explained, "I was just watching you sleep."

        "Aww," she mocked lightheartedly as she pulled down the comforter, revealing her wide grin. "That's so creepy." She held her breath as the man she loved nudged closer to her. Just before he could make contact, Christina put her hand in front of his face to catch the kiss that had been meant for her lips. "What do you think you're doing?" she feinted as though she were genuinely surprised.

        Pulling back his head back, Richard explained, "I was going to kiss you good morning."

        "Oh," Christina said absentmindedly, as though the idea were foreign to her. The man resumed his approach. She let him get within striking distance of her lips, then she looked up at the ceiling, causing the man's face to smoosh against her cheek. "Who said you were allowed to kiss me?" She phrased it in a puzzled tone as though she expected a real answer to the question.

        Retreating again, Richard pressed in his mock courtroom voice, "Well, I am quite fond of you."

        "Yeah," she said as she looked back at the man.

        "And," he continued as he inched over, "You did concede to be my wife."

        "Sounds like something I would do," she sparred.

        "And," he said as he neared the girl's lips, "You are in my bed ..."

        "Oh my god," Christina objected, halting the man's advance. "Did you know that you're the pushiest man on the face of the Earth? I said I'd marry you, but I never said you could kiss me."

        "I can't kiss you," the man reiterated, inches from her face.

        "No," the girl teased.

        "Can I squeeze your bottom?" he offered.

        "Uh, no," the girl said, pretending as though she were annoyed that he would even ask.

        Playing along, the man queried, "What did you think it meant when you agreed to marry me?"

        Christina scrunched her lips to the side of her face, as though she was pondering the question. "I thought maybe you would take me to the movies sometimes?"

        "Well, Princess, what exactly can I do?"

        "Hmmm," she hummed as she mentally cataloged the things that she would allow the man to do, "You can Eskimo kiss me."

        He repeated, "Eskimo Kiss you?"

        "Eskimo Kiss me," she said definitively.

        "And how does that work?" he asked.

        "You know," Christina said in a counterfeit serious tone, "for a guy with a reputation it turns out you don't know a lot."

        The man's eyebrow raised, demanding a demonstration.

        Making an exasperated sigh, Christina inched her body forward until there was hardly any space between them. "You do it like this," she explained. Without closing her eyes or losing the disinterested face she was forcing herself to make, she touched the tip of her nose to Richard's. Moving her nose slowly from side to side, she rubbed her nose against his, incanting, "Eskimo, Eskimo, Eskimo." She relented and gave the man a look that one might give a confused child.

        "Do you have to say 'Eskimo'?" he asked.

        "Yeah you have to say 'Eskimo'," she replied with detachment. "That's the most important part."

        Richard countered, "I believe the indigenous people of the North American arctic prefer to be called 'Inuit'"

        "No they don't," Christina said in an unimpressed tone, "Because that isn't a word and you just made it up because you like to sound smarter than everyone else."

        "Miss Chase," he argued, "I assure you that 'Inuit' is in fact a proper name, meaning 'the people', and that in many circles, using the name 'Eskimo' is considered quite offensive."

        "Really?" she asked as she gritted her teeth.

        "Really," Richard said assuredly.

        Christina pursed her lips, giving the matter a good deal of thought. She rubbed her nose against Richard's, repeating, "Inuit, Inuit, Inuit." After she stopped, she announced, "I like my way better."

        It was all Richard could do to keep a serious face. "Well," he offered. "Let me give it a try." He leaned forward, pausing just as his nose made contact with the girl's. He then moved further until his lips were touching hers.

        Christina closed her eyes and parted her lips as Richard kissed her. The kiss continued for several seconds. When the man pulled away she opened her eyes. "You're really bad at this," she proclaimed.

        "Oh," Richard said as though he were disappointed in himself. "Then I'd better try again."

        "Um huh," Christina said hazily, though she was still trying to keep up her end of the game.

        Richard placed his hand at the small of Christina's back and pulled her close until their bodies were touching. Again he kissed the girl, and held her in that embrace.

        Christina was lost in the sense of her body pressed against Richard's and she felt her breath slip away as they necked. When the kiss finally ended, she conceded, "Okay, you're allowed to kiss me, but just good morning." She gave the man another kiss then sat up in bed, holding the comforter up to her chest. "I'm going to make you breakfast," she proclaimed.

        "You don't have to do that," Richard said.

        "I know," Christina said as she looked down on him with a smile. "But I want to." Jumping from her side of the bed, the girl sped across the room on her tip toes, her pajama top bouncing all the way, giving alternating views of her pantied bottom.

        Seeing the display, Richard got out of bed and followed the girl downstairs and into the kitchen.

        Though she'd been in the kitchen before, Christina marveled at the marble counter tops and the island in the middle, above which was suspended professional cookware. Going to the cupboards, Christina hunted for flour. Finding none, she went to the refrigerator in search of eggs, bacon, or any other real food. Turning to the man, she grumbled, "I can't believe you live like this."

        "Like what?" he asked.

         She complained, "All you have is frozen dinners and instant mashed potatoes!"

        Laughing, the man said, "I guess I've never been much for cooking."

        "And you have like the world's nicest kitchen."

        "I guess it's just for show," he shrugged.

        Christina went the man and put her arms around his shoulders. "Not anymore," she promised. She almost lost herself in his eyes when she was brought out of the moment by a faint but persistent beeping sound. Looking towards the brushed steel microwave, Christina asked, "What is that?"

        "What's what?" Richard asked as his hand trailed down the girl's back and rested on her butt.

        "The beepy beep noise," she stated plainly.

        "It's just the answering machine," he dismissed.

        Christina pouted, "Make the beepy beep noise stop."

        The man gave her bottom a squeeze and went to the hallway. Having never allowed herself to explore the house before, Christina followed behind. Richard led her to a home office that had a large wooden table and an impressive shelf of books against the wall to the left. It looked to Christina like a miniature version of his legal office. A light flashed on an impressive looking conference phone. Richard tapped the button, then took Christina back into his arms.

        "No more beep," he promised.

        "Hey, it's Nina," said the scared voice on the answering machine. "Um, I know you guys broke up, but I was wondering if you heard from Christina. We don't know where she is and ... honestly I'm getting kinda worried. I called her phone but it's just going through to voice mail. If you know anything at all, please call me as soon as you can."

        Christina's eyes went wide as she listened to Nina speak the number for her phone. "Oh no," she gasped. "No, no, no, this is NOT good."

        "What is it Princess?" Richard asked.

        She closed her eyes as tightly as she could and rested her forehead on Richard's bare chest. "I am gonna be in so much trouble," she muttered.

        Richard comforted, "It can't be that bad."

        Looking up at him, she explained, "I sort of ran away from home last night."

        "So you said," Richard dismissed.

        "I don't think you get it- I left just about everything I own, including my phone, and bolted in the middle of the night. I didn't even leave a note." She put her hand to her forehead as though she were developing a headache. "And," she elaborated, "I may have ditched my car just outside of town."

        "Your abandoned your car?" he repeated in shock.

        "Kinda?" she squeaked. Looking at the machine, she saw that it was now 10:38 in the morning. "Oh my God," she added, "and I missed church- they missed church, cause they're probably looking for me." Stepping back from the man, she repeated, much louder, "Oh my God! And I'm in your house, and I'm not wearing any pants!" Pointing at Richard, she trilled, "And you don't even have a shirt on! You have to go put a shirt on."

        "Princess," the man assured her. "Just call home and tell them you're okay."

        "Call them? And tell them I'm okay- at your house! With no pants!" Holding the edge of her pajama top, she observed, "This isn't even mine! Oh, I'm in so much trouble."

        "Christina," Richard said as he put his hands on Christina's tiny shoulders. He hoped calling her by her proper name would make her focus. "I'll take you home. We'll go together. It's going to be fine. Coming home late might be bad, but remember the alternative was you never coming back. This is preferable."

        "Okay," Christina eventually agreed. "That makes sense. We'll do that." Christina held up her left hand, noticing the engagement ring. She'd been so excited last night that she hadn't wanted to take it off. "And I guess I should tell them that we ..." Christina trailed off as she realized the gravity of the situation. "Richard," she started very seriously.

        "Yes Princess?"

        "Um, you sorta have to ... uh ... you have to ask my uncle for permission to marry me."

        Richard chuckled, but stopped as soon as he realized that this wasn't one of Christina's flirty games. "Are you serious?" he balked.

        "You have to ask him," she reiterated. "He's old fashioned."

        "Christina," he protested, "the man is an ogre!"

        "Don't call my uncle an ogre!" she whined.

        Pacing, Richard elucidated, "He is irritable, combative, and pig headed. Not to mention the fact that he hates me."

        "He doesn't ..." Christina began to object, but finished, "Yeah okay he does sort of hate you. But he's not an ogre."

        Richard shot the girl a steely glance that contested that statement.

        "Look," Christina begged as her shoulders collapsed. "He's my ogre, and I love him. If you love me, then ask him because I'm asking you to."

        Richard grunted in disapproval, but answered, "Fine. I'll do it for you. Nothing is ever simple where you're concerned."

        "Sorry," she said with an apologetic grin.

        "Besides," he dismissed. "It's not like you won't marry me if he says no."

        Biting her bottom lip, Christina was conspicuously silent.

        "Princess!" he exploded.

        "Of course not ..." she sputtered. "I don't need his ... I can't believe you even said ... that's so stupid." Taking him by the hand, she pulled Richard out of the office and down the hallway. "We'd better go right now, cause eventually, they're gonna look for me here and it's not gonna be good if that happens."

        "Uh, Christina," Richard said.

        "What?" she asked as she lead pulled him towards the front door.

        Richard motioned down her body with his eyes.

        "Pants!" she gasped as she looked down at herself. "I should put on my- I'll be right back." She started towards the stairs to the second floor, but returned to take Richard's hand again. "And you!" she complained. "You have to put on a shirt! What is wrong with you?"

        The pair went upstairs. Christina changed into her mostly dry clothes from the previous night. She would have taken a shower and properly styled her hair, but she had none of her beauty supplies, and she was short on time. Richard dressed as he usually did, in a pair of dress paints and a crisp button down shirt. Christina hoped that her uncle would take his clothes as a sign of respect, though she doubted it would make a difference.

        After they were dressed, Richard drove Christina back to the Levchenko home. Seeing the old green pickup truck in the driveway, Christina knew that the family was home. Part of her wished they hadn't been. She was nursing a fantasy in her mind that she could sneak into the house unnoticed, and then claim that she'd never left and the entire fiasco had all been a big misunderstanding.

        As Richard parked the car in front of the barn, he saw the troubled look on her face.

        She said, "Remember last night when I said I was gonna try and be brave from now on?"

        "I do," he answered.

        "How about I start tomorrow?"

        Richard took the girl's hand. "Christina," he said sincerely. "I'm going to be right beside you. And, I think you're the most courageous person I've ever known."

        "Really?"

        He gave her a kiss on the back of her hand and confirmed, "Really."

 

        Inside the house, the family was regrouping.

        "I tried calling everyone I could thing of," Nina said to her mother. "I think ... I think maybe we should call the police."

        "Do not fret Nina," her mother consoled as she led the girl from the kitchen into the living room. "I am sure your cousin is fine." Misha was very much not sure that Christina was fine, and she'd spent the morning phoning all over town while her husband and son drove around looking for her lost niece.

        Alek was pacing in the middle of the room trying to think of where to look next. He'd driven all over Oak Grove looking for any sign of Christina's Saab. "Misha," Alek said to his wife, "Andrei and I will search the road to Franklin's Notch." He had no better plan to offer than to increase the search radius.

        Andrei sat on the couch feeling his stomach twist into knots as he listened to his father explain the plan. He knew that Christina had run away from home, but he couldn't bear to tell anyone. He could hardly handle the news himself, much less relay it. He wondered if he was doing them a favor by not telling them, though he knew at some point the charade would have to end. Part of him wished that there was some small chance that he and his father would have found her, even though he knew they wouldn't.

        His thoughts were interrupted by the rumble of his cellphone in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw that it was a call from Steph. Nina had recruited her into the search though Andrei wasn't even sure he could share the truth of Christina's disappearance with his girlfriend. "Hello?" he said as he answered the phone.

        "Hey Andrei," Steph said with a poorly veiled sense of trepidation. "I got a major 411. Ollie heard through the grapevine that the cops found Christina's car last night. They had it towed to the lot at public services."

        "They found her?" he said in disbelief. Andrei did not notice that the rest of the family, including the large German Shepherd that was lurking behind the couch, took notice.

        "No," Steph answered. "They just found the car. No Christina."

        Andrei was stunned. "I see," he said. "... Do we know anything else?"

        "No," Steph answered. "You okay? Do you want me to swing by?"

        "Uh, later," he said in shock. Standing, he noticed that everyone was looking at him. "I uh, I have to go. Call around and see if you can find out anything else." Andrei couldn't make sense of the news. Christina had left, but why had they found only her car? It didn't make sense, and that made him scared. A tiny part of him wondered if the girl really had simply disappeared.

        "What is it Andrei?" Alek asked, his voice laced with concern.

        "Uh," he said as he scratched the back of his head. "They found Christina's car. Abandoned. They had it towed."

        "Abandoned?" Alek repeated as though he didn't understand what the word meant.

        "Look," Andrei started, deciding that the family needed to know everything that he did. "There's something I need to tell you." He paused trying to find the words to say it.

        "What is it Andrei?" Misha asked.

        "Christina ..." he began, but he was interrupted by the sound of the front door as it opened. Turning, he saw Christina and Richard holding hands. "... is at the front door," he finished.

        "Hey everyone," Christina said in a timid and contrite voice.

        "Tina!" Alek boomed. "Where have you been?" he said in desperation. Recognizing the man at her side, his emotions turned to anger. "Where have you been!" he repeated.

        Letting go of the man's hand, Christina went to the middle of the room and held her palms up, as though it would prevent the daggers that were shooting from her uncle's eyes at her suitor. "I know this looks ... bad ... And I know I made everyone worried, and I'm really sorry, but I'm okay."

        "Tina," Alek seethed as he pointed his thick finger, "Were you with HIM all night?"

        "Well, hold on," she said as her voice wavered. "It's not quite what it looks like. I ... that is ..." She cast a glance at Richard, causing the man to join her in the middle of the room. "See, the thing is," giving up her explanation, she whispered to Richard, "I think now is as good a time as any."

        "Mr. Levchenko," Richard calmly addressed the man, "I admit these are unusual circumstances, but I can assure you nothing untoward has transpired between your niece and me. In fact," he continued as he surveyed the group and the girl he loved, "I've come to feel very strongly for Christina, and I hold her in the highest regard. To that end, I've come here today to formally ask for your permission to ... that is, I would like your blessing to take Christina's hand in marriage."

        Not a sound cut the ensuing silences except for Nina's hushed, "Whoa ..."

        Alek froze in place trying to process what he's just heard. "You want ... what?" he growled, almost in confusion as he noticed the sparkling ring on his niece's finger.

        "I would like-" Richard attempted.

        "You want what!" he shouted as he charged the man.

        "Uncle Alek!" Christina blurted as she threw herself directly in his path. She was shocked when her uncle picked her up by the waist and placed her aside as though she were of little concern.

        "No!" the man barked, a mere foot away from the interloper. "You do not have my blessing." The word 'blessing' was smothered with venom. "You do not have my permission to speak to her ever again!"

        Offended, Christina protested, "Uncle Alek!"

        Misha went to her husband's side, admonishing, "Alek! Hear them out."

        "Sir," Richard said, attempting to reason with the man, "If we could just discuss-"

        "What did you do to my niece last night," he seethed.

        Using his best courtroom voice, which was a poor choice of tactics given the audience, Richard answered, "Mr. Levchenko, I promise you that nothing inappropriate occurred."

        A look of distress seized the Alek's face as he looked back at Christina.

        "Tina," he asked gravely, "Do you ... HAVE to marry this man?"

        "Do I have to ..." she pondered in bewilderment, then gasped when she realized her uncle was implying that Richard may have gotten her pregnant. "No!" she squealed. "It's not like that at all!"

        "Alek," Misha commanded, "you will sit down and hear them out!"

        Shaking his head, he resisted, "I have heard more than enough."

        "Alek," Misha said, not raising her voice, but making it clear that she was not telling him, not asking, "You will sit down and you will hear them out."

        Grunting as he complied, he grumbled, "It will make no difference." His shoulder blades clenched together in frustration as he went to the chair by the couch. He sat in it as though he was a lord who was very displeased with his petitioner and was a moment away from ordering his beheading.

        Repeating himself, Richard said, "Nothing happened between Christina and me last night."

        "I do not believe you," he condemned.

        Christina insisted, "Uncle Alek, it's true."

        "Tina-" he began to object.

        "Uncle Alek," she defended, "I'm telling you the truth. I stayed at Richard's last night, but nothing happened."

        "Tina," he said again, though it was more of a plea.

        "I wouldn't lie to you."

        Alek shook his head remorsefully because he knew he could not protest that statement. "I know that you would not lie to me," he caved.

        "Mr. Levchenko," Richard said in ernest as he approached the large man, "I know we've never been ... on the best of terms ... but I promise you that I am deeply in love with your niece. I know I don't have to tell you what a remarkable woman, what a treasure, she is. If there's anything we agree on, it's that."

        Alek continued shaking his head, not wanting to give the man an inch.

        "And," Richard pressed, "I have the intention and the means to take very good care of Christina; to cherish her. Nothing would please me more than to spend the rest of my life ensuring that each and every dream she has becomes a reality."

        Nina was so taken by the speech that she placed both her hands over her heart as she let out a nearly inaudible, "Aww!"

        Andrei, for his part, was still attempting to connect the dots in his mind from Christina leaving forever to accepting a marriage proposal.

        Misha put her hand atop her husband's shoulder, declaring, "The man is sincere."

        Alek put two fingers to the top of his nose and closed his eyes.

        Christina shot a pleading look at her aunt, whose only answer was a simple nod. Understanding Misha's silent advice, Christina approached her uncle and knelt before him. She gathered one of his giant hands in both of hers, and looked up into his face.

        "Uncle Alek," she implored. "I love Richard. He makes me so very happy. I don't think I've ever felt this way in my whole life, and I really really want to marry him. But, I don't want to get married unless you give me your blessing. And if that means I have to beg you, then I will." She rested her forehead against his hand and said, "Please, Uncle Alek."

        "Oh Tina," the man said in a wounded voice. He had been completely disarmed. "I would never deny you your happiness."

        Christina looked up into the man's face.

        He surrendered, "You have my blessing."

        The girl's face beamed as she got up and hugged her uncle.

        Nina cheered and Andrei was at a loss for words.

        Christina went to her betrothed and threw her arms around him.

        Richard leaned down and kissed the girl.

        "This is a joyous day!" Misha proclaimed. "Andrei," she said to her son, "invite Stephanie over at once!" To her daughter, she commanded, "Nina, call ... " she threw her hands up in delight saying, "Call everyone!" She went to the kitchen announcing, "I shall make a feast."

        Boris jumped around the room inserting himself in the merriment, while Nina went to her cousin and hugged her. As soon as the embrace ended, she demanded to survey the ring she'd only earlier caught a glance of.

        Alek alone was left out of the celebration. He stewed in the chair, loudly demanding to the indifferent crowd, "It must be a long engagement!"

 

---

 

Edited into coherence by Holly H. Hart.

Thanks to Sephrena Miller for taking an early read.