Nikita paced the room before sitting down at her desk, perched on the edge of the soft stool. She was trying so hard to get over this but she just couldn't get the image out of her head.

Michael's lips moving to meet someone else's. Staring deep into her best friend's eyes. She wanted to claw them out. She shook herself. Why did she want to kill Alex so much. She KNEW it was for a mission, she KNEW she had told them too, but try telling her heart that.

Deep down it wasn't just what had happened on the mission. Her and Michael had been fighting for days, engineered and real. The stress was getting to her. She thought back to operations, with those intimate photos of her fiancé and her best friend appearing for everyone to see. In that instant her heart felt like it shrivelled to the size of a prune, screaming, while the pain was radiated through her chest, filling up her whole body. Of course on the surface she was her usual composed self. Apart from the one look at Michael that slipped through the cracks in her finely polished exterior.

A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and rolled down her cheek. She reached up and gently wiped it away with the side of her thumb. The moisture glinted in the light and she closed her eyes wearily. The doubts racked through her. Maybe her and Michael were never meant to be. Every time they beat one obstacle ten more materialised. Division, Cassandra, Amanda. What next? It would never be over. The universe was against them.

She opened her eyes and saw the glint of her engagement ring in the light from the fire. It should have made her feel better but it just reminded her of Michael. The last time she saw him was on that sofa in the corner of the dimly lit club. Kissing Alex. Everything hit her at once and the tears started to flow, tumbling down her cheeks and leaving their streaky marks. She put her hands over her face and pulled her knees up to her chest, sobs rocking her gently.

'Nikita?'

She had been so absorbed in her own thoughts she hadn't heard Michael come in.

'What's wrong? Are you hurt? I thought you brought Watchman in easy?'

She dropped her hands from her face but couldn't bring herself to look at Michael. She just felt completely deflated.

'Nikita!', Michael persisted.

After a long pause she stood up. 'I'm fine. It's nothing.' Nikita couldn't stand another fight, not now. She began to get undressed for bed. As she perched on the side of the bed and slid off her heels he walked over to her and knelt down in front of her.

'You clearly are not fine and it clearly is not nothing.'

She finally looked down at him and met his eyes. They were filled with nothing but worry and concern. She broke down again and the tears once again flowed down her cheeks. He looked at her speechlessly, his eyes begging her for an explanation. She had never seen him like this; he was normally so sure of himself, of everything. Now he just looked lost. She gave in.

'It's just that…today. It was a lot. Seeing you with Alex.'

'Oh Nikita. You know that was for the mission. It meant nothing at all. Don't wo-'

She cut him off, standing up and pushing past him.

'Don't tell me not to worry!' She wheeled round, some of her fire coming back for the first time.

'All I do is worry. About you, about us, about Alex, about division. And to top that all off all we've done all week is fight! I feel like we're just getting further and further apart. Like why would you keep that whole thing about Alex from me? Do you have any idea how much it hurt me to see those photos? Especially in front of everyone? I thought I was fine with it, until tonight. You and her are so close.'

As she finished her outburst her voice broke, and her anger turned back into sadness and doubt. She turned away from Michael, who was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Her tears were back.

After a second she felt strong hands spinning her around. She had barely registered his face before his lips were on hers. He kissed her with a kind of desperation. His lips moved in a fierce motion and she couldn't help but kiss him back. All thoughts were gone and released all of her emotions into the kiss. After what seemed like eternity, Michael's faced pulled away from hers.

'YOU, are the one I want. YOU. Ever since I met you there was never anyone else, not really. We are meant to be together, to fight together, to get married together and grow old together!' He emphasised the last word. 'I. Love. You. Never doubt that.'

He placed his hands gently on either side of her face and she relaxed slightly into his hold. He stretched down and gently kissed away her tears, finishing with a tender, chaste and loving kiss on her lips.

'I love you too.' And she was so lost in the look in his eyes. She wanted – no needed – to be close to him, to be with him. She pushed him the few feet to their enormous bed and pushed him down with a wild ferocity.

Passion ignited in both of them and their lips met, their tongues twisting and moving together. He tasted so good. Michael's hands moved down to the curve of her toned waist and lifted her over him to the centre of the bed. In milliseconds he was on top of her, their bodies moving together as if they were magnetically attracted.

His lips left hers and moved to her neck, while his hands caressed every inch of her body, pushing her pretty tank top up. Nikita's hands grabbed at his shirt, deftly undoing the buttons until it fell to the side and she could feel the warmth of his skin. They parted momentarily as they ripped each other's clothes off. Michael delved back into her, kissing his way down her body. At this point she was overwhelmed, and she pulled him closer than they thought possible.

He whispered in her ear: 'I love you Nikita; you are so beautiful.' And she lost herself in him.

As they lay, intertangled, in the glow of their passionate love making she lifted her head and absorbed the sight of his beautiful face. She stared into his eyes, filled with love and adulation as emotion brimmed over.

'I love you Michael. You are my everything.'

'I love you too. So much.' Her lips curved upwards to form a slight smile. She just let him hold her, feeling his warmth surround her. She needed to recharge, tomorrow they were going after Amanda, and even though she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, for now she pushed it to the back of her mind and just let herself be there, with Michael.