His eyes were exhausted as he gazed down the book he was reading, the distant sound of children playing outside catching his ear every once in a while. When the bell for the school rang and signaled that it was halfway through recess, Sasha's head lifted slightly, and he glanced out the window.

Excitement filled his veins, and Sasha slowly rolled his wheelchair to stare out of the window at the playground. Snow was falling, the ground blanketed heavily and glistening in the winter sun.

Children were throwing snowballs and diving into the snow and making snow angels, and Sasha smiled gently. Snow angels could only mean one thing.

You were going to be coming home soon.

Sasha glanced down, taking out his wallet to open it up. Shoulders relaxing, Sasha couldn't help but to blush and chuckle to himself as he looked down at a picture of you, your arms around his shoulders as Sasha just rolled his eyes.

It was the day after he had been released from the hospital after Leon had shot him to kill the plagas he had infected himself with in order to fight for the independence of the Eastern Slav Republic.

While Leon had gone back to the states to continue his vacation, you had stayed behind to help the government tie up any loose ends and destroy any more B.O.W's.

However, when your time wasn't spent cleaning up Svetlana's mess, you were at the hospital and keeping him company; telling him about what was happening as he was recovering and letting him know how Svetlana's treason case was going.

He didn't know when he started to enjoy your company, when his heart stopped hurting every time he thought about Irina, when it began to race within your presence instead.

Sasha didn't know when he began to anticipate your visits and your talks or when you would take him to the public pool in the untouched parts of the city to help him with his physical therapy.