A/N – For those waiting for the next update to "Escape": don't worry – I haven't forgotten. I found out last week that I'll be out of a job soon so the only thing I've been writing lately is my resume. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back to updating "Escape". Sucks, I know, but I'm not going to let it ruin my holidays.
This is a little one-shot that I've had in my head for a while. It's just a little fluffy Nikita Christmas story. This story takes place long before "All The Way".
Disclaimer: I own nothing…
It was late in the evening. All of Division's recruits had gone to bed.
All but one.
Alex checked one more time to make sure she was alone in the computer lab before running the shell script. She enjoyed these moments: it was their time to talk - her and Nikita. Nikita was almost like the sister she never had: the big sister who showed her how to apply makeup…
find dresses that made you look good…
talk about boys…
show you how to disassemble and reassemble a SIG-Sauer P239…
…blindfolded…
teach how to take down an opponent quickly and effectively…
how to hack a computer system…
show you pain points on the human body and maneuvers for self defense…
You know…all of that stuff big sisters know about.
Alex opened up a command box and typed in the command to activate the shell script. As soon as the chat box appeared, she typed into it:
:All is quiet here: not much going on.
Nikita turned as Alex's electronic voice echoed throughout the room. She grabbed her headset and spoke into it; her computer translating her words into text. "Percy must be laying low for a while: after the last setback, he's probably regrouping and planning his next move."
Alex smiled at Nikita's response. She then typed:
:It's a welcome change from the chaos we've faced lately.
Nikita smiled. "Well, at least I can catch up on my sleep," she said jokingly.
Alex typed her reply:
:What's happening with you? Anything going on out there?
Nikita got up and looked out of the window to the snowy street below. "Not much…just enjoying view of the snow covered city outside."
Alex raised an eyebrow in confusion.
:Snow?
Nikita nodded. "Yes. It's December 24th today…Christmas Eve."
Alex winced as she read the text on the screen. Since Division doesn't allow access to anything to the outside world, including a calendar, she had no idea what day it was. It didn't matter anyway to Alex: Christmas filled her with sadness. The last number of Christmases were hell: after her parents died, she spent too many Christmases either sleeping under a bridge strung out on withdrawal, or in some strangers bed after a night of loveless sex and getting high.
Last Christmas was around the time Nikita decided to take Alex on as her protégé. Still, it wasn't all fun times as Alex was in detox from all of the drugs in her body. It wasn't just the physical pain that hurt the most: it was the fact that all of the grief of her parents' death could no longer be hidden by the chemical soup she doused herself in every day.
Christmas was supposed to be a time of joy but Alex never felt that way. After her parents died, everything changed.
Nikita noticed the chat had stopped. "Hey. You still there?"
Alex awoke from her thoughts as the text appeared on the screen. She tried to mask her feelings by making light of the situation.
:Yeah. Still here. I realized I forgot to get you your Christmas present.
"Oh yeah? What would that be?" Nikita replied with a smirk on her face.
:I don't know. How about a SG 552?
Nikita chucked at the witty response, but she knew that her Alex's silence was more than just a joke. She'd known Alex for a year now, and had followed her for two years before that. If anything, she knew that Alex didn't have any good recent memories of Christmas.
She was going to change that.
She replied back to the text: "I have something for you, though."
Alex's eyebrows shot up. A gift? For her? She was surprised – nobody had given her a gift in a long time.
And let's face it: how the heck would Nikita get it into Division anyway?
:Really? You shouldn't have. I guess I'll see it when I finally get out.
Nikita smiled as she sat down at her keyboard and started typing a few commands. "No, I'm sending it to you right now," she replied.
Suddenly, another box appeared on Alex's computer screen. In an instant, she was overcome with emotion. Tears started to well up in her eyes threatening to stream down her face. She covered her mouth to stifle a gasp and sob as she looked at what appeared in the new box.
It was a picture of her, on the couch of their home, in between her parents.
On Christmas Day.
Big smiles on everybody's face.
She was twelve.
Alex stared at the picture in front of her – memories of that happy Christmas came flooding back as she stared at the smiles on all three of their faces.
"Come on, Dad! Hurry up!"
Alex's dad smiled as he tried to work the family's new camera. He just figured out how to get it on a tripod. Now, he was furiously flipping through the instruction manual to find out how to work the timer. "I know, sweetie. Hang on."
Alex felt her Mom's arms grab her from behind. "Patience, my dear. I know you're excited it's Christmas..."
"…but I want to see what Santa brought me!" the young Alex interrupted while bouncing up and down.
Her Mom laughed out loud at her daughter's enthusiasm and took the bouncing twelve year old in her arms. "We will open our presents in a minute, OK?"
Before Alex could answer, they heard the camera start to beep. Her Dad smiled triumphantly. "OK. I think I got it. Everybody on the couch sitting pretty."
The three of them sat down on the couch with Alex in between her parents. She felt her parents move closer and put their arms around her. As the countdown neared its completion, Alex heard her Dad say, "Everybody ready? Say 'cheese'!"
With great big smiles on their faces, they all yelled, "CHEEEEEEEESE…"
(click)
Alex reached out to the screen touching the faces of her parents. It had been so long since she saw anything that reminded her of them.
She had spent the last ten years trying to forget the past. Right now, though, Nikita brought back to her a small shred of happiness.
A small smile started to form in amongst the tears. After a few moments, she finally got her composure to type:
:Where did you find this?
"I've had this for a while," her companion replied. "I searched your family's house after the fire, and I found this picture. I thought you might want to have it."
Her family's home – the one that Division burned down after her parents were killed – the home that she thought she'd never escape from as it burned around her: Alex couldn't believe that, out of that burned-out shell, Nikita found this picture.
:I thought everything was gone.
Nikita nodded. "This was one of the few things that didn't get destroyed. When you get out, I'll give them to you if you'd like."
The young Division recruit was intently looking at the picture that she didn't hear the door open behind her. Suddenly, a familiar voice broke the silence of the computer lab. "Alex?"
Alex jumped and turned to see Thom standing there. She quickly closed the chat box.
She couldn't close the picture in time.
"Alex, what are you doing here? What was that?"
"Oh, it was nothing," Alex lied.
Thom looked at his friend and comrade. "C'mon, I can tell you're lying," he said with a slight smile. "The fact that your eyes are puffy and wet and that you quickly closed something on your computer screen are a dead give-away."
Alex realized he was right. "You won't tell anybody, will you?" she asked with trepidation.
Thom just smiled. "Depends."
Alex nodded, deciding to trust him. She knew that, if there was anybody at Division she could trust, it was him. With that, Alex opened up the window with her family picture. Thom looked at the picture intently. "Is that you?"
Alex nodded slowly, wiping tears from her eyes with her sleeve. "I was twelve at the time."
"Aw, you look so cute!" Thom exclaimed, receiving a swat from Alex as a reply. He then added, "You look so happy. Is that your parents?"
Alex nodded. Thom then asked, "Are they…"
He never got to finish the question as Alex's face gave him his answer.
"I'm sorry."
Alex nodded in acknowledgement. "I miss them, Thom. They were killed just a few months later after this photo."
"And you're hoping that, by joining Division, you'll avenge their murders?"
Oh, you have no idea, she thought.
Alex was surprised when Thom pulled her into a hug and said, "Don't worry. I won't tell anybody about this photo. This will be our little secret, ok?"
"Thank you," she replied returning the embrace.
After letting her go, he said to her, "Hey, I found out it's Christmas time. Consider it a Christmas present to you. If anybody asks, I was helping you with one of your hacks. OK?"
She nodded and watched Thom leave the computer lab. He stopped and looked at Alex. "I hope you find who killed your parents, Alex. If you need anything, let me know."
His warm smile filled her with its warmth. She smiled back warmly and replied, "Thanks, Thom. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Alex."
With that, Thom turned and left, closing the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, she reopened the chat box.
:Sorry about that. I had a visitor stop by.
"Everything ok?" Nikita asked with a little worry in her voice.
Alex looked back at where Thom left and smiled. She then looked back at the smiling faces in the picture. This time, happy tears formed in her eyes and a little warmth filled her heart.
:Yeah, everything's great. Thank you so much for my gift. It's the best present I've received in a long time.
Nikita sighed as she sat back and smiled.
"You're welcome. Merry Christmas, Alex."
I hope everybody has a Merry Christmas!