"We've come a long way, my friend," Alexei smirked, his cheeks coloring slightly at the reminder of his younger days. It had been such a long time since he had been that young boy. It had been even longer since he had truly been innocent. He nodded, understanding what Nikolai was trying to tell him about being ready. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized he was right.<br/><br/>The day that Liz had arrived to meet Pavel, both of them had been so unsure, especially the young Princess. Now look at them, absolutely devoted to each other. He wondered if he had it in him to grow like that. When Nikolai reminded him of his father, he actually growled without realizing it.<br/><br/>"No one deserves to be my father, let alone that innocent girl," he scowled, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself. His father had been dead for years, and just the mere thought of him made his anger surge to it's boiling point.