"It took many of my connections to turn a blind eye to the situation your family has made for themselves here in America."
Aleska had no doubt. Vassily had been furious and worried when she had finally contacted him, once she was sure that her actions in saving her daughter would not affect her family negatively. Showing up unannounced had frightened her cousins and sister, but Vassily had reacted with barely more than a few swears before rushing her into the house, where everyone had been waiting with bated breath after months of no contact.
Her cousin had inquired, rightly, first over Jupiter's health, and well-being as they had heard of her disappearance… And had not been able to suppress his grateful tears when Aleska had confirmed that her daughter had survived her fall, and was set on recovering with little to no repercussions, and had returned nearly in perfect health after her brief kidnapping. She had rarely seen her male cousin so affected. She had taken his surprising hug and soft prayers against her hair, spoken low and in a hoarse voice with tears in her own eyes.
When she explained Sergi, Vassily had gone uncharacteristically quiet and then had insisted on meeting him.
"No family of mine shall be removed from my protection without due cause, Aleska, I only wish to protect you and Jupiter from harm."
As idiotic and masculine as her cousin could be, Aleska could never doubt that Vassily thought of family first, and had appreciated his unneeded if prudent concern. The meeting had gone as well as Aleska could dare to hope, polite, with the posturing of the male kind, kept to a minimum. The fact that Jupiter and Aleska were to be taken away put into Sergi's protection instead of Vassily had grated on her male cousin's ego. The fact that he had promised to protect Nino and Aleska when they had fled their father's thumb, given them shelter and a job, had reminded Aleska that her cousin had wanted to help them, as tiring the circumstances they had found themselves in the United States.
They fought and argued, and Vassily strongly disapproved of the learning that Aleska had undertaken… But her cousin had respected her choices nonetheless. Her cousin had seen what her father had intended to do to Aleska and Nino alike and offered an alternative in his last visit to the Soviet Union, and gave them both instructions on how to flee the country without papers, without their father the wiser.
For all his faults and male ego, Vassily had offered Aleska help when no one else had, and for that, she would always be grateful. She had told him that much, gathering her and Jupiter's belongings so long ago. Her cousin had told her gruffly that if push came to shove, she and Jupiter would always have a home in his, and that they could always ask of them of anything, even if they were technically in a wealthier position than him by being in Sergi's care.
"Most only wanted to escape the Soviets for safety. When they fell, their lives had been made on this soil, children were born underneath the American flag," she told Sergi, simply.
Neither defending nor protesting Sergi's observation of the undocumented status of the majority of her family.
Sergi gave a soft sigh.
"Aleska, I know very well of the situation in Russia in your youth. I spent most of my career as an ambassador. Only tell your cousin to keep his head down. We can have them visiting Jupiter as much as you wish it."
She sighed.
"If anything, that is something my family can handle. We are not a bombastic lot… Thank you, Sergi, for taking care of us."
He smiled, and then Sergi sighed.
"Family is important," he said, and it was so wistful and sad...
Aleska, readying for rejection, quietly brought out a photo album. Her most precious possession carefully hoarded and loved. She had been hesitant to show him this, despite their better standing, their understanding...
"I… I brought… it is an album of photos… It belonged to Max. Things he wanted to keep close to his heart... It has pictures of our wedding. Of us. I have added to it, these five years since his passing. The few pictures I could have developed of Jupiter until this point, and the like..."
The expression Sergi gave Aleska was unreadable, but she could see the emotion in his eyes. Carefully, deliberately, he spread the album between both their laps. If he had any surprise that the first photo was one of him, he made no mention of it. Instead, together, Father and Wife of Maxamillion Jones looked over that which had been precious to him and healed the wound between them just a little more.