AUTHOR'S NOTE:Ugh, I'm trying not to be lazy, but these days I'm just hella lazy. Anyway, I felt like this took forever, I don't know why. I'm finding Nikita and Owen increasingly difficult to write while Sean and Alex are easier. Hmmm. Anywho, here is chapter two. FINALLY. Nikita and Owen's POV. A few times I wrote from Sean's POV but caught myself. I'm sure a few times it's from Sean's POV, sorry about that. It's 8 am atm and I haven't gone to bed yet.
I'm gonna be working on Safe and Sound next. I've been neglecting that series. Again, sorry for being lazy :/
And oh, if anyone's interested, in one of the future chapters of this series I'll be working Birkhoff in ;) Shhhhh.
"What's going on?" Nikita had asked, hands on her hips and her eyebrows furrowed suspiciously at Owen as he continued to grin at her. He'd returned two hours late from town, overly eager and insisting they go out tonight. She hadn't been in the mood, but she'd nonetheless agreed to go out since he seemed determined to get her to say yes.
"You'll see," was all he had said to her, and that was all she'd been able to get out of him. She'd even threatened him, but he knew all her tricks so she hadn't intimidated him. It infuriated her that she couldn't scare him into telling her what he was up to.
They didn't have far to walk, she noticed. She'd noticed the little house down the hill from them, wondering who lived there and considering going down to introduce herself, but every time she thought about doing so she got distracted and went back to settling into her and Owen's own home. She figured before they went around introducing themselves to their neighbors they should get settled in first.
"Who lives here?" Nikita asked, as they walked up the gravel path to the door. Owen knocked three times and then took a step back, smiling frustratingly smugly at Nikita without giving an answer.
"I'm going to kick your ass later," she said, eyeing him so hard and looking away with a shake of her head. When the door opened and she saw Sean, a smile spread across her face and she laughed. "Oh my God, Sean?" she said, looking him over and almost pinching him just to make sure it was him.
"No need to pinch me," he said. "It's really me."
"Wh-how-" she broke off, not even sure where to begin. Then it hit her and as soon as the boys saw the look on her face they ushered her in.
"So, how'd you manage to keep everything a secret from her?" Sean asked Owen, grinning at Nikita as he did so, earning a smack on the shoulder from her.
"Almost didn't. I was this close to telling her but I knew seeing the surprise and joy on her face would be worth keeping quiet." Owen chuckled and side-stepped to avoid a smack on the arm from Nikita, sitting on the arm of the couch as Nikita turned to Sean.
"Yeah, Alex has been pestering me all day. She tried to manipulate me into telling her earlier. She's sneaky, that one. She's getting ready right now."
"How is she?" Nikita asked him, and Owen looked down with a smile on his face when he heard the eagerness in her voice, mixed with the longing to see her and just know she was okay.
"She misses you, but she's doing really well."
"Good," Nikita replied, nodding. She had thought about Alex a lot over the past few months, how she regretted not telling her about the pregnancy. She wanted Alex to be the baby's god-mother and aunt so badly. There was no one else she could think of that was better suited for those roles. "I miss her, too." More than she could explain. There were some things that couldn't be explained, only displayed. "Thank you for doing this. Both of you." It meant a lot to her that they'd go to this trouble, though she doubted that they'd arranged for them all to end up on this one island. If they had, though, that'd be one hell of a coincidence. "It's funny how we're the ones who end up together again," she added, chuckling.
"Yeah, I can't get rid of you guys," Sean replied, smirking at the two of them.
Nikita smiled and placed her hand on Sean's arm, glancing down for a moment. "I know you've never been particularly fond of any of us," she began, cutting him off when he opened his mouth to protest; "but you're a part of the family now Sean, and you know what they say. Once you're in, there's no out," she teased, smirking right back at him.
Sean sighed heavily and closed his eyes, bowing his head which made Nikita laughed. When she glanced over, she saw Alex and stopped laughed, the smile sliding from her face as the shock set in. She felt her heart skip a beat and she swallowed hard, taking a few steps forward. She placed her hands on her stomach as she heard Alex say her name, which caused her to smile again.
"Alex," she said, and then she throws her arms around Alex and embraces her. She hugs her tightly, clinging to her and grasping some of her golden brown hair in her hand. Closing her eyes, Nikita tilts her head to the side and rests it against Alex's own head, sliding her free hand down Alex's back, rubbing it.
"I've missed you," Alex whispered, so lightly Nikita almost doesn't hear it. She smiles and turns her head to place her lips by Alex's ear.
"I've missed you, too," she whispered back. Pulling away, Nikita takes Alex's face between her hands and presses a kiss to her forehead and then to each cheek before hugging her once more. When Nikita pulled away once more, she cupped the side of Alex's face with one hand and gazed at her, her cheeks stained with tears and a smile on her face. She looked so healthy and so tanned, so much better than when she last saw her. She remembered the Alex back in Division, a ghost of a girl. This was the Alex she had always envisioned; a healthy, beautiful and happy Alex.
"Look at you," Alex said, practically yelled, looking down at Nikita's swollen belly. Nikita looked down with her and laughed. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked, feeling a bit offended at Nikita not telling her about her condition the last time they'd seen each other. It hurt her that she would keep something like this from her.
"I wasn't sure if I'd see you again," Nikita explained, sliding her hand down to rest on Alex's shoulder, playing with a lock of her hair. "I didn't want to – I didn't want to tell you about the baby and then never see you again. I couldn't bear that for either of us. Fortunately, we both have two very wonderful men who love us," she added, turning to look at Sean and Owen.
"Yeah," Alex agreed, slipping her arm around Nikita's back as she turned to look at Sean and Owen, a smile on her face. She leaned her head on Nikita's shoulder as she watched them, Owen still perched on the arm of the couch and Sean leaning against the edge of it right beside him, his arms crossed over his chest. They were both watching Nikita and Alex, smug smiles on their faces. "We're definitely lucky."
"Now let's celebrate with food," Owen said. "I'm starving."
"This way, mate," Sean said, clapping Owen on the shoulder and gesturing for him to follow him into the kitchen.
Alex and Nikita stared after them, curious looks on their faces. "Did he just -" Alex began, a smile slowly spreading across her features.
"I actually think they're getting along," Nikita agreed, surprised. She knew they'd never gotten along while in Division. It was hard for men and women to work together and keep romance out of everything, keep it all business. Very hard. But Sean had had nothing to worry about. She wondered, though, if that was the only reason they hadn't gotten along, Sean thinking Owen had had a thing for Alex. Whatever the reason, there was no need to bring the past up now.
"Men," Alex said, sighing and shaking her head.
"So what's for dinner?"
Fish. It had been a long time since either her or Alex had had fish for dinner. Despite that, it'd been delicious. Alex certainly had landed herself a good cook, Nikita had to admit. "It was delicious, Sean," Nikita complimented him after dinner, beginning to get up to help with the dishes.
"Thank you. And no, you sit down," he said, pointing at her to sit right back down as he got up and grabbed her plate. "Owen and I will do the dishes. You and Alex catch up." Sean gave Alex a wink and then went out to the kitchen with Owen, albeit a bit warily since the two of them hadn't spent much time together yet. He knew it was time to change things between them and now was as good a time as any.
While the boys were in the kitchen, Alex led Nikita out to the backyard, coffee cups in their hands. She took a seat on the loveseat, draping a blanket over herself and Nikita to keep them warm as the sun lowered into the trees, the sky getting darker and darker. "So how are you guys getting along out here?" Nikita asked. "This is some nice land," she added, surveying it. It looked like they had about four acres of farmland, lots of gardening space for Alex. And the granite farmhouse was in good shape. All the houses here were, surprisingly.
"Okay, I guess," Alex answered, shrugging as she took a sip of coffee. "I teach some self-defense classes in the town center a few days a week. You knew I'd end up doing something like that," she added, when Nikita shot her a look and Alex grinned. "I was too restless. I had to do something. I'll never lose that edge. Besides, it's good. And Sean hasn't lost that edge, either. We work out together. Spar, you know. We go running along some trails now every other morning. I counter that by gardening," she continued. "We've got four acres of land, so-... we've a stream up that way, and a few ponds. It's nice. I really like it here. It's funny, I never thought – I just never thought the day would actually come when we'd both be here, you know? It seems too good to be true. I keep waiting for something to happen."
Alex sighed, looking down at the dark liquid in the cup cradled between her hands, feeling sad for only a brief moment. When she looked up, she put on a smile for Nikita. "Nothing bad's going to happen, Alex." Nikita reached over and ran her fingers through Alex's hair, a gesture Alex found soothing and which made her slightly relax.
"Yeah, that's why my mom keeps saying," she said, and went on to talk about how they emailed and wrote letters to each other every week, talked on the phone once a month. "What about you and Owen? Where were you two before coming here?" she asked, inwardly cringing asking about Nikita and Owen. She didn't want to bring up how weird it was, the two of them. She'd studied them during dinner, trying to see what she'd missed all those months in Division. Had she seen the attraction but ignored it? Maybe. She'd had her own problems to worry about, to be honest.
"Just a few places" Nikita answered, resting her coffee cup on her thigh. "We went to Budapest, Istanbul, Berlin, Normandy, Barcelona and India. Stayed a few weeks in each place, but we stayed the longest in India. You know me, I had to visit the birthplace of yoga," she added, smiling cheekily at Alex.
"Sounds like you two had a lot of fun," Alex said, laughing. Then her laughter slowly faded and she sighed heavily and studied Nikita carefully, hesitating.
"What is it?" Nikita asked, sensing something wrong? She tilted her head to the side, studying Alex and already surmising what it was that Alex wanted to ask her. It was only logical.
"Why him?"
She smiled, immediately looking down and rubbing her lips together. "You'll never understand why, Alex. Not truly. But the best answer I can give to you is this: do you remember when I was in London?" When Alex nodded, Nikita continued. "I went to London with Owen to help him track down a fellow Guardian, but before that? Before that – before that something happened between us. Michael wasn't in the picture yet. He was still in Division, still working under Percy. Owen was the first person after Daniel I connected with, which was ironic since he was the one who killed him. And believe me, that bothered me. It really did. I had imagined so many times what I'd do once I met the person who killed Daniel. I never thought I'd forgive him, befriend him, accept him as a partner and an ally, and eventually fall in love with him. I connected on an emotional level with Owen that I really needed at that time. I needed someone in the same world as me. You weren't in that world yet and I didn't want you to be. I still wish I hadn't put in Division. I'm so sorry, Alex." Nikita sighed, realizing she'd gotten off track. "We were together for almost a year after London. As you know, Owen was having some problems with the Guardian regime. We were trying to find a way to get him off of it together." She paused, glancing back at the house since it'd been a long time since she'd talked about this with anyone. "We were tracking a doctor in Russia when we got separated. I saw him get shot and – and fall over a bridge. I looked for him. I dove in that water and looked for him but I couldn't find him. I stayed in Russia for weeks searching for him but I never found him. I thought he was dead. I came back to the States, but I kept some Russian contacts, asked them to keep an eye out for Owen. I heard nothing for several months. And then one day – well, you know the rest." Nikita swallowed hard, feeling sick to her stomach, not from the pregnancy but from what she had shared. She still hated herself sometimes for not trying harder to find Owen, for feeling like she'd given up too soon on him.
"Do you regret what you did?" Alex asked. "Giving up on him? Moving on and falling in love with Michael?" Alex's question hit a nerve, especially since it was so close to her thoughts at the moment. It was also so, so complicated that she wasn't completely sure if she could really give her a good answer. A clear answer. She couldn't even organize her thoughts.
"Yes. No, I mean – yes and no. It's complicated. I feel like I gave up on Owen too soon. I could feel he was still alive. I never gave up hope that he was - I continued to read news articles involving Russia and everything, and I kept in touch with contacts, but-... I never heard anything. There was nothing involving Owen. He just... disappeared. I didn't know what to think. As for Michael – I regret hurting Owen that way, but I truly did love Michael. I just regret hurting Michael, too. I love both of them. Let me ask you something."
"Okay," Alex replied, laughing nervously. She shifted in her seat, turning so her body was facing Nikita. She tucked her legs underneath her and rested her arm on the back of the loveseat, head resting in her hand.
"We never talked much about Sean and I'm sorry about that, so I'm fixing that now. You love him, right?"
"I do," she said, slowly and smiling slowly as well. It had taken her a long time to be able to say those words out loud to him. Three simple words, so hard to say. At least for her.
"What happened between you guys in Division?" Nikita asked, reaching out and placing her hand on Alex's. "I know you two fought. That he wanted you to leave. Alex, if he wanted you to leave, you should have. I would have understood if you wanted to. You didn't have to stay for me."
"I don't know," Alex replied, afraid at first to tell her what had really went on between them. She smiled hearing she could have left, that Nikita would have been okay with her leaving. It made her rather sad, but it was comforting to know that she would have had her blessing. At the same time, however, she grew piqued that she was only now getting it. She wished Nikita had been around more all those months ago, that she'd been able to confide all this to her, tell her this and possibly be able to discuss leaving Division.
"I was scared," Alex finally confessed. "I was trying to protect Sean from myself. I still haven't told him much about my past. As a sex slave, you know. It's hard. It's not something I like to talk about - it's something I'm ashamed about. I know it's something I should talk about with him, believe me I know," she added, when Nikita shot her a look. "I just felt like Sean was too good for me. I felt like I didn't deserve him. And another part of me was scared because I loved him - because I do love him so much. He's become my world. And everyone I've ever loved has left me and I couldn't bear the thought," (and here she pressed her hand against her heart, putting emphasis on her words), "of losing him. It hurts too much. He's my first love. My first true love."
"Oh, Alex," Nikita said, smiling warmly at Alex. "Come here," she added. Nikita took their coffees and set the cups on the ground and then reached her arm out and pulled Alex in for a hug. Alex moved closer to Nikita and lay her head on her shoulder, pulling the blanket up around them. She cuddled against her, smiling when Nikita rested her head against the top of Alex's own head. "Sean loves you," she whispered, rubbing her hand up and down her arm. "Don't be afraid to confide in him. I don't think Sean's going anywhere."
She really would try to confide in Sean, little by little. She'd told him bits and pieces of her past. Parts of her childhood in Russia, about her parents. Her father's death. He already knew all about her mother, had already met her. They'd talked about flying her out here eventually, maybe for Christmas. It was just the prostitution and drugs she hadn't opened up about much yet. She'd alluded to it, but not completely. "We've got some pretty great guys, don't we?" Alex asked, lifting her hand to wipe away a tear streaming down her cheek.
"Yes, we do," Nikita said, turning her head to press a kiss to Alex's hair. "Let's not ever take them for granted."
"Never," Alex agreed, not wanting to do that to Sean again. She'd done it before, realizing how much she depended on him when he was deployed on how much his absence affected her. She'd fallen apart in his absence and she didn't want to lose him again. She was tired of losing the people she loved. She finally had Sean and Nikita and everything seemed in a good place for once. "Speaking of our boys, should we go check on them?" she asked.
"Nah, let's let them bond."
The silence was painful at first, and several times Sean had considered sticking a fork into the side of his neck just to escape the awkwardness, but then they started talking and then... well, the more they talked the less pretense there was. His mind was still reeling from the way things had turned out – him and Nikita being together and not Michael, plus the fact that Sean had always thought Owen had a thing for Alex. But the main thing that was bugging him at the moment wasn't either of those things.
"So, let me ask you something," Sean began, putting the plates away. "Even though you're technically Sam now, she still calls you Owen?" he asked, referring to Nikita. "Isn't it confusing, and don't you ever, you know, want her to call you by your real name?"
"I'll always be Owen to her," he said after a few moments of consideration. "And to be honest, Owen is just a more watered-down version of Sam. The truth is, though, I prefer who I was with Nikita. Who I am with Nikita. And that's Owen. My life as Sam, that's not what I want. Or wanted. Or want again. She changed me and -... she made me a better person. I used to believe if we can't change then we don't deserve to live. Nikita brings out the good in people."
"You two are an odd yet seemingly good combination, I have to admit," Sean said, studying Owen. "How have you two been -?"
"A couple years, I think," he said, not entirely sure, but he was sure a couple years had passed since he'd first met Nikita. "It's been a long time. I never thought we'd get this far."
"Yeah, me either," Sean replied, letting out a laugh and sighing. He finished putting the dishes away and then opened the refrigerator and grabbed a couple beers for him and Owen. He uncapped them and then handed one bottle to Owen, taking a swig from his own bottle. "I always thought Division was indestructible," he admitted, relieved to be talking about the place with someone. He and Alex talked about it now and then, but only rarely. They were trying to move on and put it past them, even though there were things about Division they still needed to discuss. Maybe he could discuss them with Owen instead.
"Nothing's indestructible," Owen replied, taking a sip of beer. "Everything's got a weakspot. Division was bound to fall sooner or later. Just sorry I wasn't there to see it happen."
"I wasn't there either. Hell, wish I had been. I wish I'd been the one to press the button to blow the place up." Sean shook his head, wishing his mother was alive to know the place was gone, that everything was dismantled and they didn't have to worry about anything anymore. At the thought of her, he felt an ache and missed her, wishing he'd visited her grave more often.
"At least it's gone," Owen said, and that was all that mattered. "And so is Amanda."
"What happened with her, anyway?" Sean asked, not having the details on what had happened with Amanda. "Which one of you got to finish her off?"
Owen smirked, taking another sip of his drink before he arched a brow and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter, taking a large bite out of it just to tease Sean and torture him a little bit by making him wait for a reply. "I did," he finally answered, after several moments. "Nikita got some punches in, but I stuck the knife in. And if you're about to ask if she's really dead," he continued, pointing a finger at him and then waving his hand in dismissal, not even wanting to think of the possibility of Amanda surviving being stabbed and then being burned alive in a house - "We burned down the house we'd been staying in with Amanda inside. I don't see how she could survive that."
"Well, it's been six months. So far, so good." Sean held his beer bottle up in a cheer and then drank from it. He led the way out of the kitchen and into the living room.
Once they reached the living room, Owen paused when he saw Nikita and Alex from where he was standing, their silhouettes from the porch. It was getting dark outside, but he could tell they were cuddled together. He smiled, glad Nikita finally had this closure. She wouldn't have admitted it, but he knew it'd hurt her to leave Alex and that it'd been killing her to be away from her. He wasn't sure she knew just how close they were, how much she needed Alex. Nikita always thought Alex needed her, but she never took the time to consider how much she needed Alex, as well.
Without an explanation, Sean set his beer down and left the room. Owen watched him, his eyebrow arched for a moment, then he shook his head and just looked around and hung out. He studied the place, admiring how they'd made it feel like a home even though it wasn't really decorated with much. They had a few pictures here and there – on the mantel was a framed photo of them in wintertime; Alex wore a smile and Sean had his arm around her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. Owen smiled and as he turned around Sean came back into the living room carrying two plates, slices of what looked like chocolate cakes on them. He took them out to the girls.
"I would've taken a slice," Owen said, but Sean didn't hear him.
When she heard the door open, Alex glanced over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Sean. "Hey," she said. "What's that?"
"Some cake for you two," he said. Alex's lips formed an O and she pulled away from Nikita, taking the plate from him. Nikita took her plate from Sean and thanked him.
"Thank you," Alex said, smiling as she leaned up to reward Sean with a kiss. She rolled her tongue against his, and then caught his bottom lip between her teeth and gave it a playful tug then sucked on it before finally pulling away, grinning at him.
"How are you and Owen getting on?" Nikita asked, taking a bite of the cake. Ever since the pregnancy, she'd decided to indulge herself and lately she'd been craving chocolate. And the chocolate here was fantastic. She had to avoid dark chocolate, though, which gave her migraines.
"Well, there hasn't been any yelling or punching yet, so I think we're doing good," he joked. When Nikita shot him a critical look, he smiled boyishly and sighed. "We're fine. Don't worry about us." He reached out and cupped the side of Alex's face and then left them, but not before lighting some candles to give the girls some light once the sun fully set and left them in darkness.
"How're they doing out there?" Owen asked, once Sean come back inside.
"Good. They're catching up."
Owen nodded, inhaling deeply and then letting out a sigh. Sean arched an eyebrow at him, a corner of his mouth tugging up in a smile. "So what do guys do here?" Owen asked taking a seat on the edge of the arm chair. He set his beer bottle on his knee.
"Well, Alex teaches self-defense classes in the town center a few days a week. To relax she gardens. Weird, I know, but she likes it. I don't garden, just so you know. Well, obviously my past as a SEAL means nothing here. There's no base here. So I took a job on a construction site. The guys are good, you know, the people are nice. They're cautious at first, but they come around. Alex won them over, really. What about you and Nikita?"
"For now Nikita's just taking it easy," Owen said, shrugging lightly. "She doesn't want too much stress. I know what she would love to do, though. Teach a yoga class. I just know it. She does that shit all the time. She's even tried to get me to do it. I'm still looking for a job. I figure I'll find something. Saint Martin is pretty big, there's gotta be lots of places looking for people."
"You know, I can put in a word for you at the construction site, if you want," Sean offered. It was funny, Owen had always thought Sean had hated him, that he would have rather taken a knife in the eye than work with him, and yet here he was offering to get him a job so they could work together. Oh, how times changed.
"I'd appreciate that, but only if you don't mind."
"I don't mind," Sean said, and meant it.
Owen smiled and nodded, rubbing his lips together. They fell into comfortable silence after that, drinking their beers and glancing the girls out back now and then. After another hour had passed and they had talked a little more, they finally stood up and went outside.
As soon as Nikita saw Owen, she let out a sigh and nodded, turning to look at Alex, who had resumed her position after they had finished their slices of cake. Nikita kept her arm wrapped around the girl, though, dipping her head to kiss the top of Alex's head. "It's getting late; we should get going," she said, and Alex let out a little whimper and pouted. "I'll come back tomorrow. Or even better, you can come over and see me and even help me out with some stuff. I can lounge around while bossing you around," she added, smirking.
"Sounds like a plan," Alex replied, reluctantly pulling away. She stood up and held out her hands for Nikita to take, pulling her up to standing. Instead of leaving the way they had come, Alex suggested they leave via the trail. "It's a bit of a hike, but it's worth it. The trail is easy to follow, don't worry. There's a little bridge over a stream. You'll be home in no time."
Smiling, Nikita reached out and brushed the side of Alex's face with her hand and then enveloped her in a hug. "I'll see you soon," she whispered, whilst glancing at Sean standing across from her and smiling at him.
Alex hugged Nikita tightly, biting down on her bottom lip and nodding in agreement. "Soon," she agreed, smiling as they pulled away from the hug.
Owen slipped his arm around Nikita and they walked along the path that led up to their farmhouse a few miles away, following the directions Alex had given them. He glanced down at Nikita now and then, not disturbing the reverie she had fallen into. He brought his hand up and ran his fingers through her hair, a gesture which made her smile and rest her head against his shoulder. He turned his head and kissed the top of hers and then wrapped his arm around her again, holding her tight as they followed the trail back to the farmhouse. Sean and Alex had been right. The walk only took a little under twenty minutes, maybe less if you walked faster.
"Hey," Nikita said, grabbing Owen's hand once they were up in the bedroom of their farmhouse, the place locked up and all the lights off. She pulled him close, looking up at him. He looked down at her, lifting his hand and brushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "Thank you for tonight."
"I'd do anything for you, you know that, right?" he asked, cupping the side of her neck. She nodded, and he leaned down to press his lips against hers. She parted her lips for him, inviting his tongue into her mouth with her own and rolling her tongue against his. She took a few steps back until she felt the edge of the bed against the backs of her knees, and then she reached down and pulled Owen's shirt up and over his head, tossing it on the floor.
When she heard Owen let out a chuckle, she looked up with a slightly furrowed brow. "What?"
"Always wanting me naked," he teased.
"Clothes are a nuisance for you, you have to admit," she said, grinning. "Besides, between the two of us, you're the more appealing one of us naked."
"Hey, I've told you before, I still find you gorgeous. I always will." He placed his hand on her shoulder, slowly pushing down the strap of her dress, revealing her golden brown shoulder. Dipping his head, he kissed her shoulder and then up to the crook of her neck, sucking on the hollow point between her collar bones.
Nikita sighed, slowly closing her eyes and tilting her head to the side as she shuddered at the kisses Owen pressed to her shoulder and up to her neck, making her smile, go a little weak in the knees. She placed her hands on his arms, gripping onto him as he kissed even further up her neck and sucked on her skin, even nipped here and there making her laugh lightly.
She tilted her head back to tease him as she felt his lips along her jawline, the heat and wetness of his tongue against her skin. When she opened her eyes, their eyes met and he grabbed her by the side of her face and crushed their lips together. "You're terrible," she murmured, pulling away from kissing him and catching his bottom lip between her teeth and briefly pulling on it.
With a smile on his face, Owen watched her as she took her dress off and got under the covers, all the meanwhile doing it seductively and attempting to tease him. "You're just as bad," he pointed out, taking his pants off and getting into bed beside her. He slipped his arm behind her and she lay against him, her back against his chest. These days she preferred it that way, more comfortable with her back against his chest and her head against his shoulder. She slid down in the bed until she was comfortable and then lay her head against his shoulder, both his arms wrapped around her and her own arms wrapped around her as well.
Owen pressed his lips to Nikita's hair, bringing a smile to her face. She closed her eyes, savoring the moment and enjoying how perfect everything felt. She had, Owen and Alex and Sean. She had a little girl on the way. Everything was falling into place. Finally.