Chapter Twenty

Vienna, Virginia

August, 1944

A few months had passed since The Boss was released from the hospital in Balleroy. In the months following her discharge from the hospital, The Boss had received word from the three generals that The Cobra Unit would be placed on indefinite reprieve from all missions. They were all no doubt reeling from the news of The Boss's pregnancy and birth. The reprieve was probably a way of punishing her for not coming forth with the news herself.

She wanted desperately to return to battle, to take her mind off of loosing Adam to the Philosophers. Stepping back onto the battlefield would be exactly what she needed to clear her thoughts. Since her return, she realized how lonesome it was here without Sashenka or their bonny baby boy. After the news that Adam had been abducted by the Philosopher's, Sashenka disappeared without a trace. The other members of the Cobra Unit looked for him for a time, but he was nowhere to be found. She missed his friendship dearly and would think about him often. Knowing how bitterly disappointed in her he was about losing their child, she resigned herself to possibly never see him again.

Sighing, The Boss got out of bed and walked downstairs. A terrible storm once again passed though the area. Thunder crashed stridently outside as the streaks of bright blue lightening flashed brilliantly in the dreary dark skies. Ignoring the sounds of the dreaded tempest outside her front door, The Boss went into the kitchen to get a light snack before attempting to go back to sleep for the night. Going into her ice box, The Boss pulled out a few pieces of turkey, some cheese, and then walked over to her pantry to pull out some bread. After assembling her sandwich, The Boss put the meal on a tiny plate and began to walk back up to her bedroom.

Before she could begin to climb the stairs, there came a heavy pound on her front door. Placing the sandwich on a nearby table, she peeked outside to see who could possibly be knocking this time of night. Realizing it was a currier The Boss opened the door for the soaked young man.

"Are you The Boss?" The young man questioned.

"Yes." She said barely hearing the boy's question because the storm was so dreadful. "Yes I am."

"This is an urgent message for you Ma'am."

The Boss walked over into her parlor quick and grabbed money for the drenched young man. Dashing back out to the foyer, she handed the young man his tip, before taking the letter from him. The young man thanked graciously her for the generous tip she had given her then bade her goodnight. Meanwhile, The Boss proceeded to grab her sandwich and walked upstairs with the letter.

Putting her sandwich on the night stand near her bed, The Boss climbed back into her soft bed and pulled the sweet smelling white linen sheets over her body. As she nuzzled herself between the fluffy white pillows, she opened up envelope that housed her urgent message. It must have been something fairly serious if they sent someone out in this appalling weather to deliver it.

Dear Boss,

It is I, Sashenka. I am at a loss of what to say to you Boss. There is so much that I want to explain to you, but first I should apologize for abandoning you when you needed me most. I should have stayed by your side and helped you though that difficult period. It's just that when you said our son was gone and we would never see him again, I couldn't handle that heart wrenching news. I love our son and I love you. I will love the both of you until the end of time. I would do anything to reverse the turmoil of that day, but there are some things that go beyond my powers.

Secondly, I want beg you and the Cobra Unit for forgiveness. My behavior was completely inexcusable. I not only abandoned you, but my comrades as well. They too no doubt hate me for causing all this trouble for the unit. I don't blame any of you if would prefer that I never return to the Cobra Unit, but I must ask you all to forgive me for my actions.

And lastly, I will be returning to the United States Wednesday August 16th. I have spent too much time away from all the people and things I love and care about. If you do not wish to see me again I would not blame you nor would I hold it against you, but I must see you just one more time. You will be the first person I will visit when I return. Refuse me if you must, but I just want to see your beautiful face one last time.

Until we meet again,

Sashenka

The Boss looked at the letter one more time to check the day of Sashenka's arrival. Wednesday August 16th was tomorrow, which didn't leave her much time to get everything ready for his arrival. Putting the letter down and picking up her sandwich, The Boss thought about the contents of the message.

When she thought about how he just left her in the hospital, it made her a little angry. It also bothered her that he just abandoned the unit without so much as a goodbye, but she understood his feelings and knew the reason behind it. Yes some of his actions did make her contemplate never seeing him again, but she was reluctant part ways with him. His friendship was invaluable to her and she couldn't bear the thought of loosing the deep binding friendship they shared. No matter how hard she tried, she would not refuse to see him.

The rain continued on heavily during the early morning part of the next day. The bitter thunder storms were replaced by blinding rain which poured from the sky in large torrents. However it wasn't the sound of rain that woke The Boss up from her sleep. It was the sound of banging at her front door. Tossing the sheets off her body, The Boss quickly got out of bed and dashed to the front door.

"Sashenka?" She said sounding completely surprised as she pulled open the door.

"Boss…" He smiled feebly; he didn't know what to say to her.

"I knew you were coming," She said still shocked he was actually standing in front of her. "But I didn't know you would be this early."

"So you got the message I sent." He said softly. "That's good; I was worried you would not get it in time."

"Please." She said kindly. "Come in."

"Thank you." He said softly walking into the foyer.

The Boss closed the front door and ushered him into the parlor. Sitting down on the big blue sofa, The Boss found herself absolutely mesmerized by the fact that Sashenka had finally come back.

"Boss," Sashenka started instantly. "I want to thank you for not turning me away. I know it must have worried you, when I disappeared from the Balleroy."

"It did." She said. "Where did you go?"

"I went back to Russia." He said. "I went back to my grandmother's farm."

"I see."

"I needed some time to think." He said sorrowfully. "And that's exactly what I did. I thought about you, Adam, the Philosophers… I thought about everything. And at first, I…"

He sighed but then continued, "At first I blamed you for loosing Adam, but I know it wasn't your fault. I know now there was nothing you could have done to save him."

"Sashenka…"

"Please let me finish Boss." He said interrupting her. "I fully understand now about the choices and the sacrifices you have had to endure. I don't blame you at all for what happened. But know this, I love you and I love our child. I will never give up looking for him."

Sashenka sat down next to her and stared deeply into her blue eyes, then said "And I will never, ever stop loving you."

The Boss's heart melted. She still loved him despite all the hardship and all the turmoil. His words, his honesty meant more to her then anything else in the world. It takes a very brave man to admit his shortcomings and apologize for them. He truly did love her as she loved him. Smiling softly at him, tears began to run down The Boss's alabaster cheeks. Brushing them gently away, Sashenka leaned in and kissed The Boss's mouth gently.

A few hours later The Boss found herself snuggled up in Sashenka's arms as the pair lay silently in bed. Looking down at The Boss, Sashenka smiled brightly.

"We really have to stop doing this Sashenka." The Boss said softly.

Sashenka grinned but said nothing. The Boss let go of Sashenka and slipped under the soft warm blankets. Rolling over onto his side, and brushed the strands of soft light brown hair off her brow as he stared deeply into her enchanting blue eyes. The Boss turned her eyes away from his penetrating gaze.

"I'm serious," She said sternly. "We can't do this anymore. I don't want to ever have another child."

"I see." He said sorrowfully.

Realizing that her harsh words hurt his feelings, The Boss sat up on the headboard and folded her arms across her chest.

"It's just that I know that no matter what I do, where I go, any child I have will be taken away from me by the Philosophers. I couldn't bear to go though that again."

Sashenka sat up next to her and looked at the earnest yet miserable glance in her eyes. He could tell that she did still love him, but their love wasn't enough to overcome all the hardship she endured. Seeing that defeated unhappy gaze practically made Sashenka's heart tear in two. Turning away from her sad eyes, Sashenka's hazel eyes drifted to the horrible scar that trailed down her once flawless body; a scar he created when he was trying to bring their son into the world. As his eyes traced the length of her scar, his heart sank deep inside him. That scar would forever be apart of her, a constant remind of the child the both lost. It was little wonder that she never wanted to have another child.

Regaining his wits, Sashenka said softly, "I understand Boss. But I nothing will ever stop me from loving you."

The Boss smiled at him then sunk back down under the covers.

"Sashenka?" She questioned.

"Yes Boss."

"Out of curiosity," She questioned softly. "What would you do if you found Adam?"

"I would unite all of us." He said with reverent smile. "And I would want us to live as a family."

The Boss closed her eyes and envisioned what it would be like if they could be reunited with Adam so they could live as a normal happy family. Sashenka would be a good and loving husband and father and despite all her apprehensions she thought she would make a kind and loving wife and mother. This was a happy dream, one that filled her with unbelievable joy, alas, it was not meant to be. But it was still a very happy thought.

With her blue eyes still closed and a happy smile curved about her lips, The Boss said softly, "That's what I would want too."