The next morning came and when she rolled over, Vladimir wasn't there. Sasha looked around, uncertain. His scent was all over the room, but there was no way to tell if he was still in the house. She slid out of bed and searched for her clothes. 

"Ach, there's no way I'm wearing this dress first thing in the morning," she said to herself. And, dammit, her bag was still out by the front door. She looked around the room and decided to put on his maroon button-down from the night before. It covered her up enough and it was comfortable, so she could venture out and grab her bag.

She was greeted by the smell of pancakes when she emerged. Unusual. She would have thought that eggs or porridge would be the most popular choice. Sasha looked into the kitchen and saw Vladimir standing there, spatula in hand.

He looked up and smiled. "Good morning, gorgeous," he said.

Sasha looked at him puzzled at first, then replied. "Good morning... What are you making?"

"Blini," he responded. "Hope that suits your taste."

She looked it over and smiled. "It smells very good."

He set a plate on the table and pulled out her seat for her. "What would you like on it?" he asked.

"What do you have?"

"Anything and everything you could possibly want," he purred, kissing her cheek. 

Sasha narrowed her eyes. "I feel like you are testing me..." she said.

His smile fell from genuine and bright to just a shade above sinister. "How so?" he asked.

"You are testing my English speaking, but I do not think I know the words for what I want..."

Vladimir was suddenly seized by laughter and he came back to her to hug her from behind and kiss her cheek again. "You're adorable," he said. "Alright, let me test you. What is this?" he asked, holding up a jam jar.

"That's easy," she said. "It is jam."

He set it down. "What about this?"

She looked questionably at it. "That looks like... Cream?" 

"Sour cream," he corrected. "But that's very good. I also have this..." He held up a jar full of an opaque, gold substance.

"... Is that..." She thought hard for a second, not for the English word, but for the Russian word which she was struggling to recall. "... Honey... Um..." She snapped her fingers, feining to be at a loss for words.

He smiled. "It's 'honey,' in English."

She brightened. "Oh! Like the English pet-name!"

"Exactly," he said. "Now... Which one would you like?"

"Jam, please," she chirped.

A couple of weeks passed, and Sasha was becoming a frequent visitor of Vladimir's. She would come over after "work," they would find something to fill the evening- whether that be a date or simply hours of fluctuating intimacy and naps- and then she would spend the night, have breakfast, and start the whole thing over again.

It was one particular morning that she woke up and Galaxy was anxious. "We need to get out of here, I can't take this anymore."

"Shut up, Gal; are you really waking me up for this?"

"Yes!" she shot back. "I am! We've been here for two weeks, you've done nothing but eat, sleep, and whore around with Vladimir, and you haven't gathered any intel. We're running out of time before we miss our window to go home."

Sasha scoffed. "It's not like we were given a date and time to leave. Just relax."

Gal snarled. "It's not that. What if MacTavish gets suspicious? Or worse, what if Makarov does?"

"Would you like me to talk to Vladimir and show you that we're fine?" Sasha groaned. She received no response and she rolled out of bed.

As she left the bedroom, she could hear Vladimir talking to someone in the living room. She didn't step past the threshold and listened carefully.

"Is it really fair to do this, Makarov?"

"We can't stop now. And I can't stay in one place too long. You, of anyone, should know that."

"I know, I know... I suppose I'm just thinking that maybe you could settle down somewhere more modest for a little while, and forage this new relationship. You've been alone for a while, and it's nice to see you happy again for a change."

"She's a wonderful woman, but I can't let this get in my way. I can settle down when all of this is over."

"What if it's not over for a long time?"

"Then I'll bring her with me. It's too soon to ask now, but eventually, I might do it."

"Taking it awfully slow for a man who claimed Natasha the first time he slept with her..."

"Don't patronize me," snarled Vladimir, his voice turning almost raw with emotion. "I told you never to bring her up again. Bite your tongue."

"Natasha?" she wondered.

The other man shrunk back in silence. "I'm sorry, Vladimir. I meant no offense; forgive me." He sighed. "I'm just worried you're going to neglect yourself and your desires and needs for an achievement."

"This is beyond me, Alexyev... I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for my country, my people... The world."

"I understand... Just don't lose yourself in the process, my friend."

Sasha stepped out and acted surprised to see another man in the house. "Good morning, darling, who's this?" she asked.

Vladimir started and straightened up from his position, leaning over a chair, the other man mirroring him. "You're up! Bunny, this is my friend, Yuri Alexyev; Yuri, this is my girlfriend, Sasha Barinova." 

"Bunny..?" Yuri muttered over his shoulder at his friend as leaned forward to take her hand and bowed his head to greet her. She noticed that his arms were riddled with various black tattoos, many of which seemed like prison tats. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said.

"Likewise," she said. "I apologize I'm not better dressed. Vladimir didn't warn me we were having guests."

He shrugged. "No worries. Actually, I'm not here for long, I just came by to say hello on my way to work." Yuri dipped his head. "Good day. Keep in touch, Vladimir."

When he left, Vladimir looked displeased.

"Everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah..." he sighed. "... Listen, baby, something's come up at work... I'm heading out of town for a little while."

She looked surprised and worried. "Oh? Where will you be? For how long?"

"A few weeks, I think." he said. "I'll be heading out tonight to Georgia."

"What's going on in Georgia?"

"A business partner of mine fucked something up and he's trying to leave town. I need to catch him and have a chat."

Sasha nodded gravely. "Georgia. Is there anything else you can tell me besides 'Georgia?' I want to know where you are in case something happens."

Vladimir grimaced, but didn't say anything before he gathered his thoughts. "I'll be on a flight- Flight 27- to the Kataisi national airport to meet him."

"Okay," she said. "Thank you. I'll be waiting for you when you get home." 

He grinned and hugged her. "Thank you. I'm going to start getting ready; you should probably do the same."

As soon as she left that day, she could hear two men by the garage speaking. 

"Kreigler, that poor bastard..." said the first.

The other was smoking a cigarette and breathed out a thick cloud. "I know... Shouldn't have gone AWOL at Al Kanammam."

"Well, he blew his cover and now Kingfish will get him, and when he does..."

"I don't think Vlad will kill him," said the second. "He'll probably beat the intel he needs out of him, and then he'll kill him."

"Kreigler..." she noted as she stepped into her car. "Sounds like some pertinent information." 

 Jessica texted MacTavish the signal to come home once she had driven far enough away. She was trembling. It felt like a daring escape, though she wasn't even sneaking out. Her nerves felt frayed; now that Sasha had taken a back seat, she was starting to feel an ugly, disgusting sensation wash over her.

MacTavish texted back. "Bird coming to LZ. ETA, 2 hours."

She sighed and put her phone back in her pocket. That evac couldn't get there soon enough.