Beneath the Ice Ch. 08

"I love you, Zoe." Again that rough voice, thick with emotion. Charlotte knew without having to see his face that he was fighting tears of his own. "I have something for you too, zaya."

"A present? For me? Is it another princess dress?"

A chuckle. "Not this time. Here."

"Your necklace?"

Oh, stop. My heart. Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut as more tears slipped out.

"Yes. It's yours now."

"Won't you miss it?"

"Not at all. It's meant for those about to go on a journey or adventure, and you, zaya, are going to go on so many, I just know it." More rustling, then the voice grew in volume. "You'll have this with you, and you'll know I'm with you, protecting you and sharing your adventures."

"Do you promise?"

"Always."

Charlotte fell back from the door as Alexei opened it, Zoe cradled against his side in one strong arm. He took one look at her face and sighed. "You heard."

She couldn't even form words. She threw herself at him, her arms going around both her true loves.

"Mommy! Look." Zoe patted her shoulder and Charlotte lifted her face to see Zoe holding the familiar St. Christopher medal out from her slender torso. "Daddy gave me this."

Alexei's eyes grew wide and darted to Charlotte. It was the first time she'd ever seen him look uncertain. She bit her bottom lip and nodded at her daughter. "It's beautiful, sweetie. Did you say thank you to Daddy?"

Alexei continued to stare at her and she met his gaze steadily, neither of them moving as Zoe squirmed from his hold a moment later. She darted to the living room, the TV clicking on as she settled on the couch.

Moving closer, Alexei's arms went around Charlotte and he dropped his head to hers, his body trembling with a long inhale.

"Yes?"

She nodded and lifted onto her toes to circle his big shoulders with her arms. "Always yes."

─────

EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER

Zoe Novikov wasn't nervous about graduating from Yale. She had her five-year plan detailed down to the second. Well, almost the second. Never had she doubted herself on her path to this point and she supposed it was because of her family.

After all the speeches and cap-throwing, Zoe found her family in the crowd. Her little brother, Alexei Jr., or AJ as he preferred to be called, was the first to spot her. He wrapped his twiggy little twelve-year old arms around her and squeezed.

"Congratulations, Zo."

"Thanks, champ." Zoe hugged him back. He was rapidly approaching the age where he'd be 'too cool' for big sister affection so she took it when she could get it.

A moment later, two more sets of arms circled her and AJ. Grinning, Zoe looked down and bent to kiss the tops of her twin sisters' heads. Katerina and Sarah both smiled up at her, gap-toothed smiles nearly identical. After her siblings let her go, Zoe embraced her Auntie Sarah, and Sarah's husband, Andre.

Sarah sniffled and dabbed her eyes as she hugged Zoe. "So proud of you, Gremlin."

Zoe laughed at the old nickname. "Thanks, Aunt Sarah." She wasn't her biological aunt, but Sarah would always be Auntie to her. She wished Auntie Theresa, Uncle Clyde, and her grandparents could be there, but they'd opted to stay behind in Chicago to help out, since Grandpa Tom was having knee surgery the following day. They'd been there for her high school graduation, and every other big milestone, and they would be there for any others to come, Zoe knew.

At last, her mother stepped forward and swept her into a tight, achingly familiar embrace. Zoe sighed and closed her eyes. Nothing had changed over the years, not her love for her amazing mother, nor the warm comfort of her arms.

Pulling back, Charlotte Novikov clasped warm, soft hands to Zoe's face and blinked more tears free from eyes so similar to Zoe's. "I am so proud of you, sweetie. You have achieved so much and I can't wait to watch you do even more."

"Mom." Zoe tried to roll her eyes but they filled with tears. Okay. Today, she'd allow everyone to be maudlin around her. It was a big day, after all. She'd graduated from Yale and would be heading off to Princeton medical school next. After that, who knew?

"I never doubted for a second that you'd finish at the top of your class." Charlotte wiped her cheeks and kissed Zoe's forehead. "My little, energetic genius."

Zoe grinned and nodded, hugging her mom one more time. "I'm not little anymore."

A gruff voice joined the mix from over her head. "You will always be little to us."

Tilting her head back, Zoe smiled at her father. "Everyone is little to you, Dad."

Alexei nodded and then gave her one of his rare, genuine smiles. "You are beautiful in your gown and cap, zaya."

He'd never stopped calling her his little bunny, from that first day that she could barely recall. At some point, she'd stopped calling him Grumpy, and he'd become Dad. After he'd married her mother, they'd made it a legal fact, not that any of them had needed it.

"Thanks."

When Charlotte finally released her oldest daughter, Zoe turned and let herself be folded into Alexei's big arms, his big chest a familiar resting place for her cheek, and his big, big heart thumping steadily underneath.

No, she didn't remember the days before her father had come into their lives. And the days before didn't matter. All that mattered was that Alexei was her dad, and he'd been the rock she'd always leaned on, the warm hug she'd never pulled away from, and the firm strength she'd been more thankful for than she could ever express.

His lips came down on her head and she sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. She'd kept it together through everything but now, with her dad whispering words in Russian against her hair, she started to cry. She'd learned enough of the language from her dad over the years to know what he was saying. That he'd never been so proud and that his life hadn't begun until she'd stomped her way into his heart.

Who would she be without this man? Without his love? What had she done to deserve a father who didn't share her blood?

"You will take over the world, zaya. I have always known."

She laughed, the sound weak and watery as she continued to cry into his big chest. "No pressure?"

His responding laughter rumbled under her cheek and his hand rubbed a familiar pattern up her back and down again. "You can take over or not. I will be proud of you no matter what."

"We both will be," Charlotte said and Alexei lifted one arm to bring her into their embrace.

One-by-one, the other three Novikovs joined in, and Auntie Sarah straight-up sobbed as she took pictures on her phone.

No, Zoe wasn't afraid of graduating, or of going to medical school. She wasn't afraid of anything and hadn't been since the day Alexei decided they were it for him. Under her robe, the St. Christopher medal rubbed against her skin. With that and her family's unflagging love and support, she thought she could do anything.

Take over the world? Why not.

THE END