Again, I disclaim.
XXXXXX
Alex knows it's coming. She knows that Nikita will manage to distract Michael long enough so that this can all just happen. She knows that Nikita finally broke the ties that connected Percy to every sector of the government—that his puppet strings and his leverage are gone.
She knows it's time, and she knows she's supposed to take the back way out, and let everyone else just . . . end up wherever they end up.
She's supposed to leave, but she can't leave without him.
She can't do it, she wants to—that's a lie, she doesn't. She wants him to come with her, but she's terrified that he won't.
She has this night, and that's all. Tonight, that's when it will all go down. Tonight is the end of everything that's she's worked for. No, she corrects herself, tonight is when everything she works becomes worthwhile.
She goes to him, and he smiles. He has no idea what's to come.
He doesn't know why she's there. It doesn't matter though, because she loves him. She loves him so much—but he's so loyal to Division this could be the end of everything. She knows she's taking a risk. She knows that she could lose everything—she could ruin everything if he tips off Division.
She goes anyway. She trusts him to do the right thing.
"Hey," she says.
"Hey," he smiles back at her. His smile makes her melt in a way she hasn't let it before. Now she can't help herself—she's emotional, and she just can't help it.
"Come with me," she says.
His smile falters, but he stands up and follows her as she sneaks through hallways he knows they're not supposed to go through. "Alex—" he starts to protest, but she spins around and places a single finger on his lips, telling him to be quiet.
He does, mostly because he's curious about what she wants.
She takes him into a room that he doesn't recognize. She turns to him and puts her hands on her hips, starting to pace.
"Alex, are you okay?" he asks tentatively.
"No," she answers honestly.
"What's going on?"
Alex stops pacing and walks up to him, taking his hands in hers, and staring into his eyes. "I'm in love with you."
Thom feels like his heart is beating so quickly it'll explode out of his chest. "Alex, I—"
She squeezes his hands, "Thom," she interrupts. "There comes a time when you have to make a choice. This is one of those times."
"I don't understand." And he doesn't, not really.
She starts to speak, telling him about Division—saying things he's always been afraid to think about, but when she says them, he knows they're true.
"How do you know this?"
"I've been working to bring them down."
He drops her hands, and runs them through his hair. He doesn't know what to say or do. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because it's over, Thom. I'm leaving. Right now. And I need to know if you'll come with me."
She looks at him, not begging, not entreating him with her eyes. She simply looks at him, waiting for an answer.
"Why me?"
"Because I love you," she says simply. "And I wanted to give you a choice."
"You're the reason Nikita didn't kill me," he says, realization dawning. Because it's clear to him now: Alex and Nikita were working together to bring down Division. And they'd won.
Alex nods. That's irrelevant, she needs an answer soon.
"Yes."
Alex bites her lip to keep from smiling. "Yes, you'll come with me?" She needs to make sure.
"Yes." He's not even sure why he's said it, why he wants to be with her so desperately. He knows that if he stays, it doesn't matter, but it'll make him loyal to a cause not worth fighting for.
Alex holds out her hand.
Thom looks at it and without hesitation he takes it in his.
The real reason he goes with her is because she makes him feel; she makes him want more.
And honestly? He loves her. And that's why he goes.
XXXX
She takes him through a complicated system of passageways, and finally they're on the outside.
He doesn't know what to say, because this is it. It's over.
As they head out to nearby woods, where a car has been stashed for their use, and he begins to hear sirens. Alex doesn't look at him, she merely gets into the driver's seat of the car, and he gets in the passenger's side.
They drive along some windy roads, and he drifts off to sleep in the silence, because she hasn't said a word, and neither has he.
When he comes to they're outside of a building. Alex gets out, and Thom follows suit.
Alex leans against the wall in the alley where she's parked the car. She starts shaking and she sinks to the ground, beginning to cry.
He doesn't say anything, he just sits down next to her, pulling her towards him. She leans into his arms and he leans his head on top of hers.
He lets her cry. He doesn't try to interrupt. He doesn't try to comfort her with words, because she needs him to be there—he doesn't know how he knows that, but he does.
Finally, the tears stop. Thom looks up, and has no idea where they are. Alex looks up at him, leaning up slightly to kiss him lightly on the lips.
She feels like she's drowning in him.
She pulls away and smiles faintly. They both get up, and Alex starts to walk down the alley. Thom follows her as she turns corner after corner until finally they end up in a building that seems like it should be empty. It's not.
He follows her inside and up a set of stairs to a large open area. There are clothes and weapons and there's surveillance equipment.
Alex takes him to the top floor. "This is mine, she said that if she wasn't discovered this is where we'd meet up again. This is my . . . room." Thom looks around.
Alex walks over to the king-sized bed and drops down. "I'm so tired."
"I'm sure you are." He's beginning to see that there's so much more to this than he realized.
Alex drops back down onto the bed after looking up when he speaks to her. It is so soft . . . and she wants to sleep.
He walks over, taking off his shoes, and taking off hers too. He lies down next to her on the bed.
They both stare up at the high ceiling. Alex is nervous, she doesn't know what comes next.
Thom tentatively reaches his hand out to hers, she takes it. He squeezes and she squeezes back. He lifts her hand up to his lips and he kisses it, then lets their hands fall back down between them.
Simultaneously, as if they're reading each other's minds, they both turn to the left. Alex moves back against him, and they just stay there. His other arm goes around her in a hug.
For a brief moment Alex feels like everything is going to be okay. Moments later, she's asleep.
Realizing that she's asleep, Thom knows she trusts him, truly. He listens to her breathing and it comforts him, and he falls asleep with her in his arms.
For a brief moment, everything is perfect in the world.
XXXX
Later, Nikita walks in, and she's tired and exhausted. After she and Michael parted ways, she went off to make sure that everything went as planned.
She realizes that Alex brought back Thom, and she smiles. She's glad that Alex has found him—that he came with her bodes well for their relationship.
She thinks about her own complicated relationship with Michael and her smile falters.
She takes a shower, trying to wipe away the feeling of him—but her nerve endings are on fire, and all the water does is make her miss him more.
As she steps out of the shower she feels lonelier than she has in a while. She misses Michael.
She wonders if the hole in her heart will ever stop feeling so empty.
XXXX
Alex and Thom wake up almost at the same time. Thom wakes up because he senses the change in Alex's breathing. Then he smells food, and he knows it's time to get up. He opens his eyes and meets Alex's eyes. He lets her go and they sit up and look towards a waiting, smiling Nikita.
"Food?" Nikita asks.
"Yes, please." Alex says, bouncing up. "I'm so hungry, thanks."
Alex and Nikita sit down at a table in the corner of the room and Thom sits nervously.
Alex shoots him a look and smiles. At that he stands up and walks over to them, sitting awkwardly at the table across from Nikita.
Nikita smiles. "It's nice to officially meet you, Thom."
Thom's nervousness melts away when she hands him a container of food. "Thank you, Nikita."
And at that moment they decide there will be no war, that there is nothing to discuss, because Nikita has welcomed him into her home, and that is all there is.
As he digs into his food, Nikita begins to speak.
"You can't go back now, it's over. There's nothing to go back to. There are more than a few governmental officials who want nothing more than to watch Percy fry. Some of the others won't suffer as much. Most of the recruits will end up fine, after rehabilitation. Amanda escaped." At that Nikita's face hardens. "Birkhoff will probably get pulled into government service, as will most of the other recruits, depending on how they play it."
Alex interrupts, "What about Michael?"
Nikita's face saddens. "He'll be fine."
"Where was Michael anyway? He was missing during the raid." Thom almost didn't want to know the answer.
Nikita's face shuttered, "I kept him distracted. He'll hate me for it, but it was worth it. To keep him safe."
Alex shot a curious Thom a look that demanded he stop the line of questioning, so he went back to eating his food.
XXXX
Alex is worried about Nikita. It's been two days, and Nikita seems to be in another world.
Eventually she decides she can't keep waiting for her to open up. She and Thom are still living with her, getting ready to move. It's time to leave, it's time to start over. And Nikita is going with them. Alex doesn't want to go until Nikita is ready to leave.
"Nikita," Alex says softly.
Nikita turns to her, "Alex, I thought you and Thom were going to go out to the park today."
"He wanted to spend some time alone. To say goodbye."
Nikita practically whispers, "I understand that."
"I'm sure you do. What's wrong, Nikita?"
"What makes you so sure anything is wrong with me? I just took down Division—that's been my life for so long . . . it makes sense that I'd feel a little odd."
"It's not just that." Alex says simply, waiting for her to tell the truth.
Nikita feels a tear begin its descent from the corner of her eye. She wishes she could stop crying, but she's so emotional, she can't stop.
"It's Michael, isn't it?"
"Yes," Nikita is honest.
"Where is he?"
"I don't know."
"Maybe you should find him before we leave."
"I can't. If he wanted to find me, then he would."
"Maybe—"
"Alex, please. It's over."
Alex isn't sure what is worse—that Nikita believes it, or that it might be true.
