It was quiet; all he could hear was the steady heartbeat of the woman he loved. Who he hoped felt the same way about him as well. But thinking back to the past few days, a part of Michael felt that he had lost Nikita.

Glancing around the room he couldn't help but wonder if the past few days had been a dream, a nightmare really. Everything had been déjà vu.

Cassandra had showed up in his life and feeling his inner Nikita take over, he felt the need to go to Belarus and take her out of the mess he as a Division minion had left her in. He knew the moment he chose to go save the damsel in distress that wasn't meant to be his, that he would get himself into an emotional web of lies. He had absolutely NO feelings for the victim of a mission that had taken place 6 years ago, but deciding to help her out might have sent mixed signals; especially to Nikita, who felt betrayed when she found out about the old mission.

In Belarus, Cassandra had shown up with a little boy. For a moment there, Michael was excited, thinking that it was his son and though he regretted it now, he was disappointed when the woman announced that the boy was only four, that he wasn't his. Hiding his disappointment he offered Cassandra helped which she declined at first. Eventually she agreed, and with Nikita's help they saved the mother and child.. But not before almost losing them to a car bomb.

He had lost Elizabeth and Haley to a car bomb 10 years ago and the image still haunts him to this day. The feeling of almost losing yet another mother and child, although they weren't his family terrified him.

Michael was brought back to reality when he felt Nikita turn, laying her head on his chest. He knew he had hurt her and this mission probably scared her. But she had put on a brave front acting as if everything was no big deal until last night. Replaying the images, he couldn't help but feel as if he was at fault for the tears that covered her face when he had found her in the bathroom. He remembers waking up to find the bed beside him empty, and walking in to the bathroom to see Nikita crying her eyes red. When he had asked what was wrong, she brushed it all away as if it were nothing. Deep down, Michael knew that it had everything to do with Cassandra. But it was all in the past now and he couldn't do anything to change the mission and its results.

He adjusted his position on the bed, careful not to awaken the damaged goods in his arms. He loves Nikita. He has never felt this strongly for anyone. The love he felt for Elizabeth was real but this new love he has with Nikita, is beyond his dreams. Thinking back to everything the two of them had been through, nothing would make him leave her. Not even the forces of nature.

And he knew that one day when they had taken down the black ops program where the met years ago, they could settle down and start a family. Maybe have some kids when all the danger was past.

He could wait for that day, he could wait… or at least he hoped he could.