Upon arriving home, Sasha got busy with Rahel preparing the documentary for release. They were going to release it in mid-November with the title of 'Witness: The Conclusion of The Liquidator & The 6 Year Old.' NatGeo again gave carté blanche to both women to make it however they saw fit and it would be broadcast on the website, their YouTube, and their tv channels. Though Rahel had all of her necessary equipment at home in Israel, she was invited to use the ones in the DC headquarters that were very state of the art and she was honored at the opportunity. This gave her more of a foothold within the company she dreamed of working in.

      While Rahel worked feverishly on editing and establishing the documentary, Sasha traveled to DC as well to record the voiceover for it. The two women spent many hours together working hard on making this momentous project have the finale it deserved. Though Sasha knew very little about filmography, Rahel explained every inch of it to her and again showed Sasha just how much them working together made her mature and grownup. They had just gotten back from a dinner when Ben called on their video chat app.

"How is it going over there?" He asked with interest.
"Pretty good, actually. Sasha is learning about film editing and we just had some superb steaks for dinner." Rahel bragged as Sasha giggled.
"Are you trying to make me jealous?"
"Absolutely!" Rahel declared and the three of them laughed.
"The documentary will be ready by its scheduled release date." Sasha said seriously then.
"That's terrific news! I can't wait to see it. Wish I was there with you both, but I don't think I'd be of much help."
"That's ok, you were there when it counted the most." Sasha replied kindly and he smiled.

     After they hung up, the women hugged outside of their rooms saying goodnight. Within a few weeks, everything was done and Rahel flew home to Israel to await the release while Sasha flew back to New York. The two women parted at the airport with tears and hugs along with many well wishes and looking forward towards the future. They knew without a shadow of a doubt that the three of them and perhaps Vasily too would definitely work together again and now they also had a very solid bond that nothing on earth could break.

     Which reminded Sasha of something and upon returning home in early November, she sat in her office and typed out a page long recommendation sheet on the company's stationery. After she was finished and reviewed it carefully, she sent it to Ben who called her two hours later.

"Wow, that was fast. It looks pretty good and concise."
"I didn't want to put it off any longer and he deserves to come onboard officially, especially with everything he did in the last mission." Sasha said with a small smile.
"I agree, I have been working with management here and drafting my own recommendation letter. I wasn't going to ask you about it until after the documentary release. Looks like, as usual, you're two steps ahead of me." Ben smiled on his end. He really did love Sasha; she was one of the best human beings he'd ever met, undoubtedly one of his best friends, and he often wished they lived closer, and were somehow related.
"I'm back in New York now and just waiting for the release so before I tackle the next project that's apparently growing weeds on my desk, I figured I would get this done now." Ben chuckled at the description.
"Growing weeds, eh? Didn't think you had another one so soon. Where to this time?"
"Actually, I accepted it right before Vasya's widow called me that first time, so I put it on hold and the senior editors were alright with it. Indonesia actually. Apparently some prehistoric bones were found near a semi extinct volcano and the paleontologists and geologists are working together so HQ knew I'd find it fascinating."
"Sounds like something right up your alley. Have fun; when are you leaving?"
"Right after the documentary release." Sasha smiled.

      That was her life in a nutshell. She was never home for very long; as soon as a new story emerged that struck her fancy, she was on the next flight out. After winning the Pulitzer, the CEOs wanted to promote her to senior editor in New York City but Sasha wasn't interested. She couldn't sit behind a desk 9-5, five days a week. That just wasn't her style nor what she signed up for. So instead they gave her the title of Senior Author and Project Manager along with a significant pay raise and let her run around the world writing wonderful stories.

      On November 18th, the last portion of the 'Witness' story dropped globally. Sasha was at home watching with her family exactly like she was for the first Chernobyl documentary. She was, of course, connected to both Ben and Rahel as they watched it from their respective homes. It was beyond powerfully haunting and had everyone crying at Sasha's own reactions and voiceovers. Finally, the world got to see what Vasya and the other three looked like because up until that point, he was just recreated from memory and here were pictures, stories, and actual experiences from his widow and family.

      The service was beautiful, touching, and Sasha's own words at his grave that were subbed in 90 plus languages at the bottom made ones heart ache for this strong and brave woman and what she had done to restore his honor and life however short it was. As the camera panned from one tombstone to another, the faces on them were ingrained in the viewers minds because these four men represented all of the tens of thousands of liquidators that went to Chernobyl at that time and then were essentially erased from their families lives and buried in unknown places out of fear and embarrassment. As Sasha watched, she silently prayed other families could get this same kind of closure and that other former Soviet governments would release the burial locations of all of the other men that deserved proper services and gravestones as well as acknowledgement.

     The documentary received critical acclaim internationally and this time the award for Best Documentary of 2017 went to Rahel and she was moved beyond tears. It was all Sasha, she kept repeating in her speech but the truth was, she was behind the camera, she did the editing, she had made it. Sasha was on assignment in Indonesia by then and couldn't fly anywhere to be there to congratulate and celebrate with her. This time, the award ceremony was held in London so Ben was able to attend and support her. When they had a quiet moment alone, they connected with Sasha, it was February 2018 by then.

"Congratulations Rahel! You deserve this award so much! Sorry I couldn't be there." Sasha said with a proud smile as Rahel blushed and looked down. Getting praise from Sasha was rare so this meant the world to her.
"Thank you, Sasha. That means a lot coming from you." Rahel said quietly as Ben smiled and then asked:
"How are the dinosaurs or volcanoes or the combination of the two, whatever you're doing over there?" They all laughed, which lightened the mood instantly.
"It's extraordinary and a little dangerous; just don't tell my parents." Sasha giggled.
"Dangerous how?" Rahel asked concerned.
"Oh nothing major, the volcano just belches on occasion. The geologists aren't worried so neither am I. But the excavation just has us finding new and wonderful things often, even if they're tiny."
"Only you Sasha, would be around some version of an alive volcano and be totally blasé about it. By the way, when are you going home?" Ben asked shaking his head. There was a brief silence as Sasha figured out the logistics quickly in her head.
"Um, I think I will be done in mid-April here and finish writing by mid-May. My family wasn't happy I left so soon after the documentary. Apparently they're planning to kidnap me to go on a cruise for two weeks in June." She ended with a laugh.
"Now that sounds interesting, your family kidnapping their own daughter to go on vacation." Rahel said pointedly as the three of them chuckled at the image Sasha painted.

    It was not a joke as Sasha discovered when she arrived home in Mid-April. Her family let her finish her story and as soon as it was published in another large double issue in June, they sat her down at dinner one evening and laid out an actual contract in front of her. She looked at them like they had gone mad as her mother explained:

"Sashenka, we love you but this insane work schedule has to stop. Or at least change a little bit. So to start, we have already booked the 2 week cruise that's leaving in 5 days. This contract that you must sign, says that you cannot work, think of work, bring your laptop with you, or do anything work related for the entire two weeks."
"Where are we going?" Sasha asked with interest. The prospect of slowing down a bit wasn't unattractive to her.
"Alaska! To find fat penguins!" George chimed in excitedly and everyone laughed. Sasha sighed.
"Well if it's to help George find those fat penguins, how can I say no?"

      With that, she took the pen and signed her name on the contract much to her family's delight. She wasn't a stubborn woman and knew that in the last three years since she was given the Chernobyl story, she had barely slowed down or taken time off to be with her family. And this was the perfect opportunity for a vacation. After speaking with Kathy, who found it funny and also told her to have fun, it was all set. They were sailing out of Seattle, Washington on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

     As Sasha stood on deck of the massive ship looking out over the water as it slid effortlessly north towards the final frontier, her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Before leaving, she had gotten word that Vasily had been offered an actual paid position to work under Ben in London and to travel with him during his own missions. Her recommendation had done wonders along with Ben's and Vasily was over the moon. He had called her to thank her profusely and couldn't wait to work with her again in the future. She congratulated him and he wished her much required rest on her vacation; he would be moving to London in September and starting work soon after.

      Ben was preparing to welcome his new assistant and was working on some small science project in Norway that summer. Meanwhile, Rahel also found her footing at NatGeo and was no longer just a freelancer which she shared excitedly with the other two the day before Sasha left for vacation. She was headed to Greece for the summer to both rest and take many pictures of the continued restoration and upkeep of the Acropolis and Parthenon. Sasha's work family was doing well and she was very happy for them.

     She had also introduced Mrs. Violetova to her mother by phone and they spoke about having some of her family come out to New York the following summer. They were going to save some money and Sasha said NatGeo was willing to help cover the expenses given how much they had given to Sasha, so a trip to NYC basically free of charge, was nothing. Sasha was excited about both families meeting; they were forever connected by one young man and the face of that young man popped into her mind.

    Vasya. She smiled as she thought of just how far she had come because of his guidance. She had completed a one would think impossible mission to give him the honor and respect he deserved. He forever would live in her heart and also in the hearts of millions around the world. Now, it was time to finally move on and see other amazing things this world had to offer. With him watching over her, there was absolutely nothing she couldn't do. Just then, she felt an arm around her waist and her mother's gentle voice said:

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?"
"Not just him, but all of us and just how much has changed in 3 short years." She sighed.
"That's life, my darling. Something small or large can shake your foundation to the core. But in your case, you found the strength to fight for what was right and you won." Ekaterina smiled. Sasha was silent for a bit. Her mother was right as always. Then she put her own arm around her mother's waist and asked with a smile:

"So what's next?"
"Next, we join everyone else for George's explanation and look at the map he drew explaining where fat penguins live." They both laughed.
"Ok! Let's go help George find his fat penguins!" Sasha announced with a grand flourish to more laughter.

       Mother and daughter walked down the deck with their arms around each other. Two generations of Morozova women; strong, proud, caring about those they cherished most. Sasha was ready for whatever adventure was around the corner because the knot in her soul had been completely untied and for the first time in her entire life, she felt full and unbridled peacefulness. Let the future come! Thank you, Vasya.

***The End***