A Modern Cowboy's Dream

Caroline Unmasks Her Aunt

After the corn and potato war ends due to running out of ammunition Caroline and Katya head back downstairs. Sasha sends Doug and her sons to the store with a list of things to get and Katya heads out with them. Ana comes back to her house sprawling out on the couch and falling asleep. Caroline heads downstairs and says "hey Mom I'm hungry." She looks seeing her mother asleep and says "well let me try Aunt Sasha." So she heads next door having saved the pictures of The Black Widow on her phone. "Since Katya is too afraid to ask I will do it." She knocks and Sasha opens the door half smiling "you know you can just walk in right?" Caroline smiles "didn't want to scare you." She heads into the kitchen and screams suddenly. Caroline walks in and sees Sasha swatting a very large spider with a broom. She kills it and sweeps it outside. Sasha says "of course I sent Doug to the store and one of those sneaky little bastards comes out!" Caroline half smiles "funny how that works." Sasha says "you want anything baby?" Caroline says "I know it's early but I'm hungry." Sasha says "I have a bit of left over stroganoff from the other night you want that?" Caroline says "sure." Sasha gets it out of the fridge making a plate and sticking it in the microwave." Sasha says "anything to drink?" Caroline says "sweet tea is fine." Sasha gives her a glass and then takes the plate from the microwave and gives it to Caroline. She eats it pretty quickly and Sasha says "my goodness you were hungry." Sasha takes the plate washing it in the sink then sets it on the rack to dry off. Caroline looks at the picture on her phone again studying the woman standing on the roof top as the sun is setting the sunlight reflecting in her striking beautiful blue eyes. Caroline looks up to see Sasha looking back at her with those same strikingly beautiful blue eyes the kitchen light hitting them just right. "Something is on your mind isn't it?" Caroline says "yeah." Sasha sits down in front of her "what is it? I'm here to listen." Caroline thinks for a moment then says "well you see. I'm doing a research project where you pick someone from recent history and learn about them." Sasha says "mhm, who did you pick?" Caroline says "The Black Widow." Sasha panics a bit but just says "oh really?" Caroline nods seeing right through Sasha's rhetorical question as her Aunt's eyes dart away. "When I was doing research I found a few pictures of her, and I couldn't help but notice she looks so much like you." Caroline shows her the picture standing on the roof top. Sasha sighs and says "if you could take off her mask you would see that yes it is me. Just 25 years younger." Sasha takes her phone and Caroline sees the same ancient look she saw in her Uncle's eyes. Sasha swipes and looks at the picture of her about to be hung. Tears well up in her eyes and she says "I should have died that day." Caroline says "how can you say something like that?" Sasha says "you must already know if you've done a lot of digging. I was a monster of a woman with a lot of blood on my hands. I sinned far more than most any man who fought during that time period. I had accepted my fate that this was for everything I had done. I said a final prayer before they opened the trap door, and just like that when the door opened a shot rang out and the rope was severed. The Darkhorse the man I was supposed to kill saved me instead." Caroline says "wow." Sasha looks at her and says "I don't deserve any of this. Your Uncle is too good of a man for a wicked woman like me. Even after I'd been given a second chance I'd began corrupting him." Caroline smirks "so I've heard." Sasha says "damn it I'm going to kill him now for telling Katya that!" Caroline laughs and Sasha can't help but to laugh as well. Caroline says "so he's the only man that's lived to tell the tale." Sasha turns red and laughs covering her face "yes he is actually and has three beautiful children to prove it." Sasha leans back in the chair and sighs "I thank God everyday for his grace and forgiveness." She wipes tears from her eyes and says "after that day I of course met your father who then introduced me to your Uncle. Now here I am a 45 year old woman on a farm in Georgia talking to you." Caroline says "you've lived a very interesting life." Sasha says "if you want to put it that way." Caroline says "this is the kind of stuff they make movies out of." Sasha laughs "oh yes there's quite a few out there." Caroline moves and sits next to Sasha. Sasha takes Caroline's left hand in both of hers and says "promise me something." Caroline says "anything Aunt Sasha." Sasha says "what I have told you stays between you and I. I honestly wasn't quite ready to tell you all this but since you figured it out on your own there was no use in keeping it from you. I will reveal my self to everyone else when I think the time is right." Caroline says "my lips are sealed." Sasha says "thank you baby." Sasha hugs her tightly and kisses her cheek. "I love you as if you were my own daughter." Caroline says "I love you too." Sasha says "how about some ice cream?" Caroline nods and Sasha gets up digging and shuffling around in the freezer before pulling out the tub of vanilla ice cream. Sasha says "this is my secret stash nobody else knows about." Caroline smiles as Sasha pops the lid and hands her a spoon. They eat their ice cream and Sasha smiles "oh yes I needed this." Caroline says "me too." Sasha says "give me your phone again I want to look at those pictures." Caroline hands it to her and Sasha flips through them saying "I wish I was that skinny again." Caroline says "you can train and exercise can't you?" Sasha says "try as I might I probably could do it but once you have children it becomes more difficult to drop weight. Plus I'm older now. I do like to go walking in the evenings sometimes." Caroline says "well you're quite the martial artist you could do that for fun." Sasha smiles "it is fun to kick people's asses." Caroline says "teach me." Sasha raises her eyebrows "now why do you need to know that?" Caroline says "so I can kick the ass of any dick head that messes with me." Sasha laughs and says "well in that case I will be happy to teach you what I know." Sasha looks back at the picture of her with her Druganov on her back. Sasha smirks "The Matador was lovely to shoot." Caroline says "Aunt Sasha." Sasha says "yes sweetie?" Caroline says "you're not a wicked woman you're just my sweet Aunt that's secretly a bad ass." Sasha says "oh stop it you're gonna make me cry."