Dear all, I am finally able to post something for this story after a long month of no-updates. I am SORRY about that, but it is just a very busy moment and many things are going on and therefore I have to adjust my schedule and everything, and it's not so easy. I would like for some of you to understand that it doesn't mean I have given up on this story or don't know, don't have inspiration or feel lazy and don't want to write. I simply cannot sit down and write in the usual way I used to, so just please try to understand.

I think you understood I'm a rather "private" person that doesn't like to share much about my private life, which means you won't receive msg from me about my things, aside my updating schedules, when I'm travelling and when I am busy and cannot update. My "being busy" could mean a few things, so just please try to understand it and avoid certain messages or comments, thank you.

I say this because believe me or not, I miss writing and you know I LOVE writing and I love my characters and everything.

So, now I am posting a sneak-peak and then I'll go back working on the chapter.

On the right we have a lovely banner that Klovis made for me, really like it, thanks very much darl :-)

Now, hope you'll enjoy it and be a bit more patient because the full chapter will be posted as soon as it's completed, which is probably in the weekend. Thanks and sorry for the long wait.

Enjoy the sneak-peek to CH.7!

OLEG POV

I opened my eyes at the usual time and immediately looked to my right side, where Anatoly laid completely sprawled and clearly invading my personal part of the bed. I sighed silently and then my eyes ranked his figure and chest, now slowly rising and lowering at the rhythm of his deep and calm breaths.

Anatoly did not snore when sleeping; Anatoly did move around a lot and I do not mean simply rolling from one side to the other, but literally moving around and tossing his arms and legs just like the brat he was. That woke me up a couple of times, but it seemed not to disturb his sleep, as he just tossed around, therefore I let it go and let him rest there.

He was basically sleeping with his body forming an angle with the side of the bed, his legs completely wide apart and one of his calves almost hooking my leg, as his left arm rested on my abdomen and his head formed a quite strange angle while tipped on my pillow. His form reminded the one of a starfish and I sorted of smiled in seeing him sleeping so deeply and serene; his blonde and punkish hair was quite a mess and I realized he must have removed his top in that mess he had called sleep, because he was just wearing his sweatpants. My eyes closed a moment as I took a deep breath.

Sharing the bed with the last person I should have, but at the same time the only person that I would allow to and wanted here. Slowly my eyes opened again and studied his sleeping figure once more.

Last night I knew I would regret this the following morning, because it was not easy, not even for someone like me used to self-control and discipline; Anatoly might see me as a machine, but I was not. I was a human being, maybe a very strict and disciplined one, but still human and with pulsing blood.

Anatoly was constantly on guard and used his sarcasm and harsh attitudes as shield and weapon in every moment of the day, but when he was asleep he was completely relaxed and his barriers were completely down and it looked as if nothing was on his mind. He said my quarters were the place where he could find some calm and as much as it pleased me to hear that, it was as well rather problematic. But I would never chase him away and that reality just drowned down in my brain in that very exact moment. Even though he would not admit it, it was clear he did need some more guidance and I think he felt he could trust me. And that was correct. Anatoly could indeed trust me entirely, because I would never betray the Denisov family or him. I would rather die than betray them and the trust they placed in me.

I sighed silently another time as I realized I would need extra attention and control, because apparently Anatoly had something in him able to pull some strings deep buried in me capable to trigger some strong reactions; it already happened two times right in front of him and I sure could not afford to have this brat here understanding that.

Remember the limits; remember the line dividing the forbidden from the permitted. Yiest, remember the duties.

Quietly I pulled back and shifted the weight of my body on the side, as my eyes trailed his sleeping and quiet figure, a rather rare event, given his usual attitudes and immature remarks. His tattoos stood out on his skin, as a dark mark of his past, and then the scar on his lip caught my attention; it was a scar he gained the day he left the gang, the day he decided to do something so risky right when I was not in New York or around to watch over him.

Again something threatened to awake in me as those events replayed in my mind. He had taken a very high risk and it could have cost him more than what he paid. Something more began to agitate and menaced to grip my blood, thus I forced my eyes closed and took a deep breath.

When it had begun?  When I began to look after him?

I had watched over him in the past three years, especially after he joined that gang, as at first what worried me the most was the threat such gang could pose to the Denisov family. But last year there was something else that worried me.

When had I let my personal emotions slip out without realizing it?

I did not know, but there was no point in even taking time to dwell on the matter as it was out of question and out of reach. It was over a limit I could not step and surpass. Anatoly might have triggered my personal emotions to slip out of control for a brief and unexpected moment while doing my duties, but that did not mean I would let it happen again. Therefore I pushed myself up and walked to the bathroom, where I stripped for then stepping into the shower.

The water dropped on my head and neck and slid on my back warm and strong, as if washing away those lingering thoughts and emotions, especially when I recalled about what happened that day. At that specific thought my fist clenched and I found it ready to smash the wall of the shower with a strike as images of how he looked after that beating flashed in my mind. I had wished to hunt them down and make them pay one after one, painfully and slowly, even though I knew that was the price to pay for leaving the gang. And hearing what he said about that vermin had dangerously threatened my control to break.

How unprofessional of me.

This was absolutely unforgivable and inappropriate of me.

I took another deep breath and commanded everything to withdraw and shut down.

I indulged another moment in the shower as my eyes closed and my body and mind regained the usual and familiar composure. I went through the agenda of the day and that was enough to remind me of the position I had in this family. When I walked back to my room, Anatoly was about to wake up even thought it was rather early for him; he rolled his head to look at me and he seemed confused for a moment on why I was standing in front of him and then his eyes sparkled with sudden life and intensity as they ranked me up and down.

No words passed between us for a moment as I observed his reaction while looking at me with his stare growing deeper as the pupils travelled the lines of my tattoos. That was correct; Anatoly was curious to know more about them and right now he was studying the one on my left side that represented an angel holding the end of the rosary around my neck. I followed his eyes and he did the same, so we crossed glances. He kept his gaze on mine as he was now completely awake and I knew he did not want to lose the battle by letting go, but I as well knew it was not easy for him to keep it up. As a result he snorted shaking his head and looking away; I subtly smirked and quickly observed the side of his face and his bare chest. I let go of it and walked to my closet to get dressed and again I felt his stare on me.

But there was something different in the way he looked at me and when my eyes shifted to his, Anatoly did not turn them away but stood there and quickly ranked my body and tattoos once more. He shook his head another time and muttered something under his breath I could not hear. I observed him a moment and then opened the door of the closet as I realized a fact that never registered in me before.

The way I felt his stare on me still now while getting dressed was something different than his usual way of assessing me with his questioning and challenging eyes.

Anatoly was not just looking at my tattoos.

Did it elude my attention another time or was it not evident and so blunt before? Was he even aware of that?

I grabbed a white impeccably ironed shirt and then selected a dark grey pants to match a dark grey blazer and a black tie.

I decided to speak first as he kept silent on my bed, something that was strange to say the least considering his potentially explosive and bratty nature.

“You can sleep longer if you wish. It is still early for a kid that has school.”

“Damn bastard…” He murmured with quite thick voice and then looked around probably trying to understand what time was then. “What time is it? Better not be too early, but hey, old geezers don’t need to sleep, right?”

I simply smirked and let it go. It seemed to me that Anatoly was already wide awake.

“It is actually later than usual, as it is already 6.30.”

“Already?” He snorted with oozing sarcasm. “Damn, and I here I was worrying and fretting I’d be late for school.” When I looked at him he was rolling his eyes for then plopping back on the bed. “Fuck me, no way I’m getting up this early. Wait, did you do some freakish Hulk-like push-ups or other crazy work out this morning?”

“No, I did not.”

“And why that? I think you told me once that you do some exercise almost every morning, which is crazy as fuck, but hey, whatever. It’s you getting up this early, not me.” I said nothing and of course it ticked him off. “Hey, I asked you something.”

was correct. Duties. Duties and rules and principles I could not afford to forget about and sure could not permit myself to infringe.

“Yiest, Anatoly.”

He shot one of his typical irritated looks and sprang up ready to say something, but he fought it back and instead cursed under “And I heard it.”

“Are you going to answer to my question or not?” I shot him one of my usual granitic and cutting glares and he understood what I meant with that.

“If I recall correctly, a brat was and is still occupying my bed and quarters.” I simply said and needless to say it fired him up.

“Well sorry to freaking be a bother. I’ll leave at once and let you do your usual things. Oh right, it’s Monday and so we are back to damn annoying duties. Is that so?”

That his breath.

“Impassive and annoying bastard.”

Author's chit-chat:

So, what do you think? Are you satisfied with this beginning of the chapter or not?

I think we can see that it's going to be more complicated from now on and that more things will happen; we had here a stronger and clearer insight in Oleg's mind and emotions, which is quite a rare event, don't you think so? But as he said, he's not a machine. What do you think of what he told us?

Oleg has apparently realized something about Anatoly...how will that affect their current relationship?

Well, I'll go back now working on the chapter and yep, I think it'll be long :-)

Let me THANK YOU ALL very much for your messages, comments, support, love and kindness you are giving to me and to this story and its characters: THANK YOU!

-TheWitchAndTheCat-