ViVa - By Lana

[Annie]

ViVa
Fanfiction written by Lana

Please do not reproduce this elsewhere without the owners permission

Prologue


British Airways - Flight No. BA106 London Heathrow Terminal 4 (LHR) - Dubai International Terminal 1 (DXB)

Passenger Name - Daniela Vicenti - Vadinova
Class - First
Date/Time - 18th Feb 0920

Daniela smiled weakly at the check in assistant, flying first class always had its advantages, fast check in being the primary one before take off.

"Miss Vadinova?"

"Vicenti - Vadinova. Yes?"

"I would like to remind you, that although you are a first class passenger, with easy check in, and no queues, you still should arrive at least two hours before scheduled departure time."

Daniela nodded, not really taking in what the woman was saying, she knew it didn't matter. And there was nothing she hated more than being sat around in airport lounges, no matter how nice they made them. So what if it was only thirty minutes before take off and the flight was about to start boarding, she knew Heathrow Airport like the back of her hand, and had paid enough money not to get treated like a disobedient child. A beeping in her Louis Vuitton handbag distracted her as she picked up her passport and boarding pass and walked through to departures, reading an new email on her Blackberry.

To: Dani Vincenti <[e-mail]>
Fr: Axanna Dabrineva <[e-mail]>
Re: Arrival time?

Dani,
What time does your flight get in? I need to arrange whether its me or Nikolay who picks you up. I think its me, because Nikolay is meeting some friends at the Aviation Club.
Ciao
Anna

PS - Elena can't wait to see you!

It was so typical of Axanna, she thought as she walked purposely through the crowds of tourists towards her gate&ldots;why did they always put flights to the UAE as far from check in as possible? About Axanna, her 34-year-old sister, and completely useless when it came to organisation. And her husband Nikolay was just as bad, Daniela failed to see how Elena, their seven year old daughter had managed to survive that long in their care. Especially so far from the aid of their mother Yuliana, Axanna and Nikolay having chosen to live in Dubai, which was where Daniela was headed, to see them, and her niece.
To: Axanna Dabrineva <[e-mail]>
Fr: Dani Vincenti <[e-mail]>
Re: Arrival time?

Anna,
I'm due to arrive around 2020, are we eating at the Aviation Club? I take it Nikolay's plans involve us, they generally do. If so, I can just get a cab there. Honestly.
Reply quick.
I'm on the plane.
Dani

To: Dani Vincenti <[e-mail]>
Fr: Axanna Dabrineva <[e-mail]>
Re: Arrival time?

Of course his plans involve us. I'm his wife. You're his sister in law. And Elena's being looked after by Maria. Sorted.
Don't you dare get a cab to the Aviation Club on your own. I will be there, and early. I know that flight has a tendency to arrive early.
Safe flight and all that jazz.
Anna

[Annie]

Chapter One
Daniela pulled the crisp white shirt over her shoulders and pushed open the door of the locker room, walking towards the Cellar restaurant and singing to herself as she buttoned the shirt. “What if I had never let you go…would you be the man I used to know, if I’d stayed, if you’d tried, if we could only …”

“People generally use the locker room to get dressed…” She heard a laughing male voice behind her.

“Yeah but then you wouldn’t get a free show now would you.” She replied, hoping the guy was young. Doing up the last button she turned round and grinned cheekily.

“And that would be such a shame.” The man replied, looking her over as Daniela in turn did the same to him with a flick of her piercing green eyes. Her broad grin was replaced with a subtle smile, those who knew her would tell you it was a good sign as she surveyed the tall man with deep brown eyes, wavy brown hair and the sort of half smiled dancing on his lips that she adored.

“Would it?” She winked slyly and turned on her heel to continue walking towards the restaurant, his gentle laughter floating down the corridor behind her.


“Daniela!” She didn’t need to look up to recognise the fake Italian accent, her brother in law Nikolay stood grinning at her.

“Kolya, darling, how are you?” She kissed him three times on the cheek and stood with one hand on her hip as he pondered his reply.

“Dani, living with your sister…well, need I explain…”

“No…now introduce to someone young, charming, and single, preferably male and good looking.”

Nikolay grinned evilly, he knew exactly the person. “Follow me.” Daniela raised her eyebrows in surprise, Kolya actually knew someone who fitted that description, and there was someone here like that…. wow.

“Marat, how are you?” A tall man turned round and grinned, Daniela’s eyes flew wide open, it was the man she’d flirted with in the corridor…he was a friend of Kolya’s!?!?!?!

“Good, thanks. And you?”

“Very well. Marat, this is my sister in law Daniela…someone for you to talk to considering everyone else here is discussing business. Dani, this is Marat Safin, he’s a tennis player competing in the championships.”

“So I’m the only one your treating to free shows then?” He laughed.

Daniela bit her lip and blushed, she wouldn’t normally say something like that to someone she thought she’d ever have to have a conversation with.

“I don’t want to cause any divorces…” She nodded towards the numerous couples in the room.

“How could you tell I wasn’t married?” He cocked his head and looked at her.

“If you were married you wouldn’t have said anything and just walked away to go and jack off.” Daniela laughed, as did Marat, sizing up what this girl, well woman’s character was like.

“Can I get you a drink?”

“Er, yeah, white wine and soda please.”


“So, Dani, darling, how’s Tomas?” Kolya laughed, slightly tipsy as they ate dessert. Dani’s eyes flew up from her plate of strawberry tarte…her fork paused halfway to her mouth as a subtle silence fell over their side of the table, Axanna looked ready to kill her husband who was sat with a cheeky grin, Marat looked confused and a few people who knew Daniela looked worried, knowing she wouldn’t react well.

Placing her fork down calmly, an expression of steel fixed on her face; Daniela pushed her chair backwards and got up. “Kolya, being drunk doesn’t suit you.” Her voice cold as ice as she turned and walked out of the restaurant, the door banging behind her as she walked quickly through the club and into the darkness of the grounds, sitting down by the small lake she began to cry.

Back inside Nikolay was feeling the full force of his wife’s rage; “Kolya!” She screeched, “How in the hell could you say that? You know what happened between them! You know how she felt about him and what he did to her! I cannot believe you could be so insensitive.”

“Well I guess that’s no sex for me tonight then...” Nikolay muttered to Marat who snorted with laughter into his sleeve, realising that this wasn’t the moment to be enjoying a joke. Even the slight smile that remained on his lips was dissolved by a death stare from the seething Axanna. “No sweetness, I don’t…”

“Don’t play innocent with me Nikolay Dabrinev…”

“No sex for at least two days…” Marat nearly choked as he tried to stop himself laughing again.

“Marat, I suggest that you get a drink of water.” Axanna glared.

“I’m fine.” He muttered under his breath as Axanna prepared for another onslaught at her husband.

“Look, Nikolay, you know full well that she and Tomas are on a break, essentially because he finds it impossible to be monogamous. Their relationship is in essence, over. And you take it upon yourself to remind her of that fact when she was just getting over him.”

“How long have they been split?”

“Two and a half months.”

“And you failed to tell me?”

“Kolya!! I did not fail to tell you, you failed to listen, as usual.”

“I think now would be an appropriate moment to apologise and shut up…” Marat muttered in Nikolay’s ear.

“And I’ll have no smart ass comments from you Safin!”

“Yes ma’am.” Marat flashed a smiled at Axanna and mimed zipping his lips; he was rewarded with a gracious smile from a clearly seething Axanna. He’d known Axanna for years; he’d met Nikolay through Yevgeny Kafelnikov at a Moscow function when he was 19 and had met Axanna shortly after. He liked the Dabrinev’s a lot, they ignored his fame and everything the Russian press said about him and he enjoyed catching up with the couple as much as he could.

[Annie]

Chapter Two
“Take it or leave it…” Daniela muttered to herself, the last thing Tomas has said to her…put up with an open relationship or end it, how could he be so callous? She shivered just thinking of him. Lying back on the grass she gazed up at the sky, a few stars visible despite the ambient light of the city. Time to move on, she thought…time to move on completely.

“Dani…” Her eyes shot open as she heard the soft voice of her niece. “Aunty Dani, are you okay?” The little Russian voice came out of the darkness and Daniela sat up and saw her stood a few metres away.

“Elena?” She knelt up as the small girl ran over to her and hugged her. “What are you doing out here on your own?”

“Mummy told me to come out and play. Masha just brought me.”

“Oh.”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too habibi.” She smiled at the innocent face of her niece. “Come on, we should go in, your Mum will be worried about me, I’ve been out here for hours.”

“You’ve been crying. Why?” Elena asked as Daniela picked her up, resting the slight child on her hip.

“It doesn’t matter. Its grown up stuff…”


Marat glanced up as he saw movement in the doorway of the restaurant, it was Daniela, her figure silhouetted by the bright light behind her, she was carrying Kolya and Axanna’s daughter, her long legs only covered slightly by the short denim skirt.

“Let me down…” Elena asked softly, wriggling in Daniela’s arms until she let her slide down. Elena went charging across the room towards the table where Daniela had been sat. “Maratik!” She shouted with joy as she neared Marat, he laughed as she ran up and hugged him. Daniela smiled to herself and walked over.

“Aunty Dani, do you know Marat?”

“We’ve met…”

“Oh. I was going to introduce you, I was practising introducing Masha to the door man today.”

“Masha?” Marat raised his eyebrows and looked towards Daniela as she laughed at her niece.

“Oh…sorry, Anna’s maid who doubles up as a nanny.”

“Okay.”

“Maratik, I haven’t seen you in so long. Where you’ve been? Don’t you like me anymore?” Elena demanded, tugging on Marat’s shirt.

“Lena…don’t pull his shirt.” Dani took her nieces hand.

“Sorry. But why Maratik? I missed you.”

“I’ve been playing tennis.”

“You can’t have to play tennis everyday.”

“I have to, it’s my job. I’m a professional player.”

“I forgot. Have you won Wimbledon yet?”

Marat laughed. “No, not yet. And don’t expect it too soon.”

“I thought you were ranked quite highly?” Dani asked, sitting down on the chair next to Marat and pulling Lena onto her lap.

“I am, but I’m never going to win Wimbledon I just can’t play on grass.”

“Fair enough. Won any grand slams?”

“US Open in 2000, Australian Open this year.”

“Why the long gap? Sorry if this is rude.”

“Its okay. I won the USO too early, too well…I destroyed Pete Sampras and then thought I had to play like that every time I walked onto court, I was in two Aus Open finals in 2002 and 2004. But no matter how close I came I couldn’t break the barrier. I was injured for most of 2003, and only started playing really well again at the end of last year. Most of its down to my new coach, Peter Lundgren.”

“Pete’s your coach?”

“Yeah.”

“Awesome.”

“You know him?”

“Do I know Pete? Hell yeah…he’s the best.”

“He’s turned my career around. I owe a lot to him.”

“Stop talking about boring stuff…” Moaned Elena, Marat and Dani burst out laughing.

“By the way, are you okay now? You know, after Kolya pissed you off.”

“Yeah.”

“She was crying.”

“Elena….”

“Sorry.”

“Its okay sweetie.”

Marat watched as Daniela fussed with her niece’s hair, tucking the wavy blonde strands back behind her ears and smoothing it down. It was obvious that Elena meant a lot to Daniela, she was someone it was easy to fuss over having been ill when she was younger; Marat himself was fond of Elena.

“Lena, I was wondering where you’d got to…” Daniela and Marat twisted round to see Axanna behind them.

“Mummy, isn’t this the best, Dani and Maratik came on the same day!” The three adults laughed at Elena’s excitability as Axanna took her daughter from Daniela’s arms.

“Yes, its great.” Axanna smiled warmly at the pair of them, noticing how Marat was looking at Dani as she fiddled with a napkin on the table. “And its time for us to go home.”

“Oh but…”

“No buts, Aunty Dani’s coming with us and you can see Marat tomorrow. You’ll be here tomorrow?” Axanna added quickly to Marat as her daughter grinned.

“Yes Lena, I’ll be here tomorrow. But you can only see me if you go home now.” Marat had learnt that the best way to deal with Elena was to compromise.

“Okay.” Elena flashed a smile at Marat and grabbed Daniela’s hand. “Come on Aunty Dani, you can read me a story.” Daniela stood up, partly dragged by her niece and raised her eyebrows to Marat, smiling slightly.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow…”

“I don’t think you have a choice.” He laughed. “Night Axanna.”

“Goodnight Marat.”

[Annie]

Chapter Three
“Baby don’t believe it, oh its in your eyes, I can see the weakness you don’t have to hide.” Daniela sung along to the music as she drove towards the Aviation Club from Jumeirah where Axanna and Kolya lived, preferring the upmarket beach district to the buzz of central Dubai. She drove a sleek black Range Rover, it was her’s, for her use when she was in Dubai, which was rare. The penthouse Kolya and Axanna lived in was in fact Axanna and Daniela’s father’s; Andrey Vadinov was a billionaire who lavished his two daughters with everything they could possibly want, and that included expensive cars that were only used three times a year.

Daniela pulled up outside the Aviation Club at the same time as one of the official Mercedes tournament cars, parking the Range Rover she hopped out, grabbing her bag from the boot and walking towards the club entrance at the same time as Marat got out of the tournament car.

“Good morning Mr Safin!” She laughed, running up behind him and grabbing his waist.

“Daniela?”

“The very same…”

Marat laughed and looked around. “What? You didn’t bring my favourite Dabrinev?”

“She’s at school, I came down earlier because I wanted to have a swim.”

“Oh right. So how are you today?”

“Pretty good, Kolya apologised this morning which is rare so that cheered me up a lot. Are you playing today?”

“Only practising, I think my first match will be on Tuesday.”

“Know who you’re playing yet?” They were now stood in the corridor that led to the locker rooms.

“No, they haven’t done the draw yet.”

“Okay.”

“I have to go practise now, I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah.”

Marat and Daniela grinned at each other before disappearing from sight into the respective locker rooms.


“Maratik davai!” Daniela glanced to her left as she recognised the voice yelling at Marat as he played his first round doubles match with Juan Carlos Ferrero on an outside court. She was sat with Peter Lundgren and Patricia, JC’s girlfriend. Dressed in tiny red adidas shorts and a white vest top, with a straw type wide brimmed hat to protect her fair skin from the sun, one leg tucked up on the seat as she laughed at Elena who had obviously just arrived at the Aviation Club. Marat glanced up into the stands as Elena ran along the row of seats to sit next to Daniela and put a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet for now.

“Ssshhh habibi! Marat has to concentrate.”

“Can’t you tell he’s happy to see me? He will win now, for sure.” Daniela nearly collapsed with laughter at the precocious youngster’s comments. Patricia and Peter laughed and grinned, Peter waving lightly at Elena as Marat served an ace to win the game, heading to his chair and smiling at the group in the stands as he and JC discussed the match.

“Patricia, this is Elena, my niece. And this is my sister,” she smiled as Axanna slid into the seat next to Elena. “Axanna.”

“Nice to meet you.” Patricia smiled warmly and reached behind Peter to shake Axanna’s hand only to find the cross face of Elena in the way.

“And what about me?” She demanded.

“Well naturally I’m extremely pleased to meet you too.” Patricia laughed.

“Lena sshhh,” Axanna smoothed down her daughter’s hair and smiled. “How’s he playing?” She whispered in Dani’s ear as they walked back onto court.

“Okay, just look at the score, and Pete says he never normally plays that well in doubles.”

“He doesn’t.”

“You’ve seen him play before?”

“At the Moscow tournament, and in Davis Cup, St Petersburg and here most years. I’m a regular Marat fan.” Axanna winked as Elena cheered again. “As is this young lady. How’s JC after last year?” She asked Patricia as the two of them won another game, edging closer to victory.

“Physically fine, mentally…he has his ups and downs.” Patricia shrugged.

“He’s playing well enough now.” Peter laughed and clapped as JC hit an outstanding return that gave them a break, enabling Marat to serve for the match.

About seven or eight minutes later Marat smiled warmly up at Daniela as she held and excited Elena in her lap, ducking around the corner he disappeared from sight but not from Daniela’s thoughts…