The past school year had been crazy. With everything that happened, when Dimitri asked me to visit his family with him, I couldn't say no. And that's how I found myself sitting on a rather long flight with my boyfriend the week after school ended for the year.

"Are we almost there, Comrade?" I knew it was a long flight. But it seemed to be taking forever. And perhaps it was because I was anxious to meet his family. We'd spoken on the phone and Skype often, but meeting in person was completely different.

"Almost, milaya. Almost." He grabbed my hand with his own and squeezed it.

"Do they know our whole history?" I'd never thought to ask him this. But now that I was coming face to face with the most important women in his life, besides me, it occurred to me to ask. "Like how we met to begin with?"

My question caused Dimitri to laugh loud and deep. "If you mean, are they aware that I used to be your teacher and you my student...then yes, Roza. They are aware. And they don't judge. Trust me...they are going to love you more when they meet you. My mother has been planning for weeks." He succeeded in calming me till the plane landed and we picked up the rental car.

"It'll be several hours, yet, Roza. Try to get some sleep?" We'd loaded our bags into the trunk of the car and were already on our way down a highway and into the night.

"You're not tired, Comrade? We've been going all day." I was exhausted. The time difference was already messing with me. But Dimitri promised I'd have plenty of time to rest once we got to his childhood home.

But he stated matter of factually, "I'm used to this drive. And besides, I'm not letting you behind the wheel of a rental car in a foreign country...you don't even qualify to rent a car in America."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I didn't think you would. Figured we'd get a hotel or something for the night." It was getting dark already. He shook his head.

"No, I want to sleep in my bed at my mother's house…"

"OK, just please let me know if you get tired." I closed my eyes but then a thought occurred to me. "Where am I sleeping? In one of your sisters' rooms with them?" My question elicited another laugh. I never realized I was so funny. "What?"

"You're obviously sharing a bed with me. Don't be ridiculous." Sure we'd shared a bed before in the past several months. But this would be practically living together for the next month or so. And it would be an experiment for sure.

I woke up a few times throughout the ride but Dimitri quickly urged me to keep sleeping. "The drive is long and mostly boring at night," he told me. "We will see it during the day next time, I promise." And so I slept most of the ride, thankful for the chance to nap. It would surely screw with my sleeping pattern over the course of the next day.

"Roza," I felt a hand gently shake me and another resting on my cheek. "Roza, we are here."

I rubbed my eyes and sat up. The car's dashboard clock read 4:24 AM. "Dear God, Comrade. That was a long drive." I felt my nerves rising already.

"Come on, Milaya. Let's get inside. I'll get the bags in the morning." He pulled out his set of keys from home and then came around to open the car door for me.

"You keep a key for your family's house alongside your keys from home?" I had never noticed it before. "Cute."

"You're still tired, let's get you to bed."

We entered the house and it was dark and eerily quiet. "You didn't think we'd have a grand welcome at this time, did you?" He must have sensed the look of confusion on my face. "I told my mother that we'd see them in the morning...much later in the morning. They always let me sleep in the day after I get in. Don't worry...they won't be bothering us for a while."

And that was true. When I awoke much later in the morning, cuddled between Dimitri and the wall, I heard voices coming from downstairs. I didn't want to wake Dimitri, though, and tried to slowly climb out of the bed without stirring him. But he was beyond the point of waking up easily. And even though it was pretty early still, I felt awake. And I tried to go back to sleep, to no avail.

I was clad in an oversized t-shirt Dimitri gave me before we climbed into bed several hours prior and wasn't sure what I should do...no one could see anything. It was like a dress. I took the chance and began my trek downstairs.

"Rose!" An excited shriek echoed from somewhere in the house. The voice in question belonged to a girl who looked similar to Dimitri in every way except maybe her height. She walked quickly to me and threw her arms around my shoulders. Her dark brown hair was let down around her shoulders and streaked with various shades of blue. Viktoria, I thought.

"Viktoria?" I asked, even though I knew who it was. Although her hair wasn't various tones the last time we spoke on Skype. It had been just a normal shade of dark brown only a week prior.

"It's so nice to finally be able to see you in person!" She held me at arms' length and looked over my body. "Um, let's get you some shorts…and call me Vika, I've told you that so many times before." She directed me back up the stairs and into the room across from Dimitri's own.

"Mama won't let anyone stay in there. It's her Prince's room...but don't challenge her on that…" Reaching into her dresser, Dimitri's sister pulled out a pair of athletic shorts and handed them to me to dress. "That'll be better. My mother might not care, but Yeva would have a heart attack seeing you in her grandson's shirt with nothing underneath to protect your modesty."

"Thank you Vika. Really." I took the time to look around the room she shared with her older sister. You could tell two different personalities shared the space. Sonja's side of the room was much cleaner and Vika's needed to be organized and picked up. I'd asked Dimitri why the sisters still lived at home, even as adults. He assured me it was a cultural thing and it might be weird to them that I lived on my own with roommates.

"I have to admit, I was afraid to go downstairs in just this shirt. But Dimitri left our bags in the car last night...really, you saved me." I offered her a friendly smile.

"Well Dimka probably won't be up for a while...we have breakfast downstairs if you want to join."

I followed her back downstairs and into the main living area, where it was well lit from the morning sun. I noticed the picture frames lining the walls and mentally noted to check those out later. I was dying to see my boyfriend as a child. He didn't have any photos from that time of his life at his apartment, none that I had seen at least. Only current family photos. His other sisters, mother, and grandmother sat in the middle of a conversation in the living room. A young boy and a little girl played on the floor in between them all.

"Roza! You're awake!" Olena, Dimitri's mother, stood from her seat and walked over to greet me. Throwing her arms around me, much like Vika had done only minutes prior, she pulled me into a warm embrace. I knew Dimitri loved his mother more than anything and I knew she was a woman of strength and honor. And I already loved her too.

"Olena, It is so nice to finally see you and everyone in person...I'm sorry I'm not dressed...our bags are still in the car…" I felt the need to explain to her my current state of dress. Or lack thereof. I felt a cold stare from the corner of the room and looked up to see Yeva staring at me, her eye panning from my oversized top to my seemingly bare legs.

"Don't mind her, Roza." Olena whispered in my ear. Perhaps she could feel her mother's knowing stare from years of living with her.

"Where's Dimka?" The little boy, Paul, asked us. He stood up and came over to me, pulling on my arm. We'd spoken briefly every time we video chatted with the family.

"Hey Paul," I smiled. "Dimka is in bed still…"

"Dead to the world," Sonja answered. "That man can sleep for ages if the mood hits him. And unlike you both, we aren't on vacation and some of us have to work today!" She said it jokingly. She was aware our jobs only required us to work during the school year, for the most part. We did have conferences we were both due to attend over the summer and summer school duties.

"Perhaps you should go wake him up then, Paul…" I knew I'd regret it later once Dimitri learned it was me who put his nephew up to it. But I'd deal with that later.

We heard giggling coming from upstairs followed by a loud growl and then more laughter before one set of heavy footsteps bound down the stairs. Said foot steps belonged to Dimitri who had thrown Paul over his shoulder. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he placed the boy back on the ground and ruffled his hair.

I took in the man in front of me and smiled. His hair was always messy in the morning. And he had yet to put it into his trusty ponytail. "Good morning, Comrade." I stood on my tiptoes and tilted my head up for a kiss, which he obliged.

He placed an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in close. "I see you met everyone officially…" His sisters stood and hugged him, one by one.

"It's been too long since you've visited, Dimka." Karolina picked her daughter, Zoya, up after hugging her brother. "Say, yes, Dimka, isn't that right?" She spoke to her daughter with a higher pitched and squeaky voice. The little girl laughed. "She was only a few months old at her christening."

I was surprised to see Dimitri take hold of the toddler and hold with her ease and no signs of discomfort. "What?" He saw me watching them with a perplexed look.

"It's just...I've never seen you with a baby...or any kids, really. It's nice."

We all sat down once everyone greeted their son and brother. The last person Dimitri greeted was his grandmother. "Yeva…" He leaned down to kiss her cheek and the pair shared something in Russian. But Olena was quick to correct them.

"Let's try to speak in English for poor Rose's sake."

Yeva held on to Dimitri's hand as he sat next to her in another chair. She said something else in Russian and Dimitri laughed, looking at me.

"She says that one day you'll understand our language...but for now she'll do as she pleases." Everyone in the room laughed, including myself. Dimitri wasn't wrong when he told me his grandmother was a firecracker of a woman.

"Breakfast," Olena stood once more from her seat in an old armchair and clasped her hands together. "Let me fix you both plates."

"I can help," I offered but was shooed away from helping and directed back to my seat.

"Let her," Sonja interjected. "She loves to dote on Dimitri...and I guess you by default now."

"Never mind that," Vika moved seats to be closer to me. "When you are done with breakfast and ready for the day, I want to take you into town."

Dimitri snorted at his sister. "We've barely been here 5 hours and you're already pulling my girlfriend off to who knows where."

"I never said you couldn't come with us," Vika pointed out a valid point.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Dimitri and I explored his hometown. Vika tagged along when she was able. He introduced me to several friends of his from high school who were still in the area. And I found myself identifying with the troublesome teen turned responsible adult. "I knew there was a reason we clicked so well, Comrade. You were once a bad boy...I always did like bad boys." I winked at him and smiled. He playfully swatted at my arm.

"Let's not get into that, milaya." He continued driving down the road. But I wasn't sure where we were headed. I didn't recognize the surroundings. I knew we were in the city, not the small town where his family's home was.

"Hey, Comrade, where are we headed?"

"It's a surprise…" That was the only answer I received.

"A surprise? I'm not sure how I feel about surprises. Is it the good kind?"

"Why would I surprise you with something bad?"

"Touché, Comrade."

We arrived at our destination a few minutes later. To a park. I decided not to question his decision and to roll with everything. He got out of the car, helped me from my side, and then headed to the trunk and pulled out a picnic basket. He was full of surprises. "Wow, Comrade...I wasn't expecting this."

"Well, we only have a few more days here and I wanted to surprise you with one of my favorite places. I used to come here as a teenager and hang out with my friends. But there's a small pond around the corner, secluded, beautiful. Perfect for an afternoon with you, Milaya."

I felt myself blushing and looked down to avert his gaze.

We sat by the pond under a small group of trees and shared a meal he said his mother helped him to make. "This is delicious, Dimitri...your mother's help adds to the greatness of your cooking. I don't want to leave. You'll have to visit me here. I've already arranged it with Vika. I'll take your old room and…" Before I could speak another word, Dimitri leaned in and captured my lips with his own.

"If you stay, I stay." He said, his lips still touching my own.

"Darn it…" I added. "Was hoping I'd just become another Belikova woman…"

He suddenly pulled away from our kiss and set to doing anything else besides looking at me.

"Comrade, what's going on?" I reached over and pulled his face back to me by his chin. "Look at me."

He obliged and our eyes met. "It's just nice to know you get along with my family, Roza."

"I could say the same for you." It was true. Dimitri got along well with my parents because they trusted him and he protected me when I needed it the most. He'd proven his loyalty to me.

"I want our families to meet one day...maybe soon…"

I felt that the man before me was nervous. Sitting up on my knees, I gathered his hands in my own and brought them to my lips, dusting his knuckles with light kisses.

"I want that too. But there's no need to be nervous. My dad will charm your mom and Yeva just like he does everyone else."

Dimitri laughed. "It's not that, milaya. If I seem nervous, it's because I've never done this...well...not in this manner. Where I truly loved the woman with all of my being…"

"What are you talking about?" I wasn't entirely sure where he was going with this. Although one thought flashed through my mind. "Dimitri...are you...is this…"

"Marry me, Roza. Make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife." He got up from his seat on the blanket and dropped back down to one knee. Producing a ring from the front pocket of his jeans, he held it out in front of me and took my left hand in his own. "I could go on and on about what you mean to me. But I think over the past months, I've shown you."

I was still kneeling and sat up straighter to try and meet his height. No luck. But marriage? I sat silently with wide eyes for several seconds. It probably felt like more than that for the poor man.

"Dimitri...I...I…" I couldn't find the words to tell him anything.

My lack of response caused him to panic though.

"My sisters said it was too early...but when you know, you know. I guess…" It was my turn to stop him from rambling. I stood to my feet, threw my arms around his neck, and bent my head down to kiss the man I loved.

"Dimitri Belikov, make me a Belikova. I'd be honored."

"Seriously? Really?" He seemed surprised I'd told him yes, in so many words.

"You're questioning my love for you?" I shook my head and kissed him once more. This time a deeper kiss.

Dimitri wrapped me in his arms and stood from the ground, pulling me up alongside his own body. My feet hung about a foot off the ground. In between kisses, Dimitri slipped the ring onto my left hand. I took a moment to look at it. It was a beautiful thin gold band holding a smaller oval emerald, or at least what looked like an emerald. It was simple. And amazing. "Comrade, this is beautiful…"

"It was my Yeva's ring...passed down through her family…"

"But what about your sisters? I don't want to start something…" Surely, this should be passed down to Karolina.

"Roza, calm down. It's OK. They know my grandmother gave this to me...I have everyone's blessing to make you my wife. Mostly Vika's…"

After a full minute of gazing at the ring on my hand, I looked up to find Dimitri packing up the picnic. But he stopped when he noticed me staring at him with a large smile plastered on my face.

"Oh man, Comrade…"

"What's wrong?" He stepped over to where I sat and joined me again.

"Oh, nothing with me. Quite the opposite." I was happy and in love. And having the best trip with my fiancé. "However, once my roommates find out that I got engaged before them...there will be hell to pay."

"You actually think I would have proposed to you without seeking everyone's, and I do mean everyone's, permission? They are already aware of my intentions. You only need to call them and tell them it finally happened. Those two have been sending me cryptic messages this entire vacation."

"That sounds about right." I joked. But I appreciated that he asked my friends and my parents, it seemed.

"Oh Rose!" Vika met us when we returned to the house. She bounded down the steps two at a time, attacking me with a hug before I could even get out of the car. "I'm so happy! Come inside, mama cooked dinner! A special engagement dinner."

"Were you so sure I'd say yes?" I asked Dimitri who joined us in front of the car.

He wrapped an arm around each of us and his sister smiled up at him. "It's called a phone. I texted my sisters to let them know you'd accepted the proposal to be my wife…"

"And we have to talk about dresses and dates and…." Vika rattled on as we walked inside.

"Calm, Vika. Calm. We have been engaged for less than two hours and this isn't about what you want…" Dimitri all but scolded Vika. And she pouted, pulling away from her brother's embrace.

"It's OK, Comrade. Let her have this moment...she is after all, about to gain a new sister. And I for one am excited about having 3 new sisters…let's go see your family." I stood on my tiptoes and placed a kiss below his chin, the closest place I could reach without extra effort. It seemed to calm him from any further lectures towards his family in the coming hours.

The last few days were indeed spent discussing wedding plans. But after a frank conversation with Dimitri about what we each wanted, he decided to allow me some more time before we came up with those answers. Mostly because I promised to not leave him waiting for too long. His sisters didn't like that but they understood where I was coming from.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" We were on our way back to the airport to catch a red-eye back to the states and he looked over at me briefly to address our vacation.

"Did I enjoy myself? Comrade, I don't see how you can stand to spend so much time away from your family. I love them. They are genuinely nice people. I'm already planning my next visit…"

"Your next visit, eh?" He winked and continued his focus on the road, but reached out a hand to grab my own. "Well since you love it so much, I will try my best to make sure we make it out at least once a year. And Vika already approached me with dates she can come visit us in the future."

"I will make sure we visit with them as often as we are able, Comrade." And I meant it. His family was my family now and I looked forward to getting to know them more. "They're my family now too...even if Yeva still refuses to speak to me in English."

The entire trip, his grandmother spoke back and forth with me using one of the grandkids as a translator. But late one night while Vika and I sat up talking she insisted Yeva spoke perfect English. "She merely wants to see you working for a relationship with us, is all." And I even managed to pick up several Russian words while there. I wouldn't be fluent any time soon, but it appeased the matriarch regardless.

I thought back fondly on our trip. It was only 3 weeks long. We had to get back, him for the gym, and me for duties at summer school. Alto had talked me into overseeing some of the classes. Luckily, it didn't require any actual teaching. Though I'm sure I could hold my own. But I wasn't ready to be back in the real world. "Comrade…"

I knew he couldn't turn his head to look at me. But he answered with an "hmm…?"

"If I told you we should consider moving to Russia…"

He all but slammed on the brakes of the car, pulling over on the shoulder of the road.

"You'd want to move here? So far away from your family and friends…?"

"I'd move to the moon if it meant making you happy. So yes, I'd consider it. Think about how happy your family would be if you were so much closer. We could live in the city, maybe..and you could teach here. Somehow, I'm not sure of the logistics. It's at least something to think about. I wanted it to be known how I feel."

"Roza," Dimitri leaned over the middle console and brought my face to his own for a kiss. "Just the fact that you would do that is enough to make me happy. I truly appreciate it...and love you."

"I love you too, so much. I just want to make you happy." I returned his kiss with one of my own before sitting back in my seat, but let him keep my hand in his own.

"You really love the ring?" He asked. He had yet to ask that question but I would occasionally catch him staring at it with intense focus, as if it would reveal secrets.

"Comrade...you could have given me nothing. You could have given me a string wrapped around my finger and I would have said yes a thousand times over. Do I love the ring? Yes, it's absolutely beautiful and I can't believe I get to wear it as your fiancé. And your future wife. And perhaps one day, we can pass it on to our children or grandchildren…" I knew Dimitri wanted many children. He smiled at the latter part of my statement. "But what's important is our love for each other and I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives proving that to each other every day."

"If you keep saying things like that, I'm afraid we won't make it to the airport…" He leaned once more to kiss me deeply, pulling me in with his hand on the back of my head.

"Well, there's always other flights…" I kissed him back with as much passion before we pulled apart to catch our breaths. "Onward to the airport, Comrade. Let's go home so I can show off my ring." I allowed my left hand to linger on his shoulder as he drove, admiring both the man I loved and his gift to me.

And there's the cute little ending everyone loves. :) I have some other stories in the words for other fandoms. But I really enjoyed writing this one and having you all read and review!

Rachel