A/N: Thank you for the reviews. :)

Rachel slammed her hand against the button on the alarm clock, it had taken two tries to nail it but there was sleepy satisfaction in the win against the annoying beebeebee. Half asleep, she pulled the blanket over her head and sighed. Another restless night of little sleep. She had long since gotten used to it, more or less. Kicking the covers off, she pushed herself up and sat on the side of the bed, her toes brushing the top of her black watch flannel slippers. Mornings like this required coffee, lots and lots of strong black coffee. She turned her head as she slowly moved toward full consciousness and looked at the picture on the nightstand beside her. "Another morning, super spy." She smiled grimly at the picture of them together. She dressed slowly, made coffee and moved through her morning ritual. She was running late for work, but found it difficult getting out of first gear. It was going to be that kind of day.

She stepped off the elevator at Division to the buzz and rattle of her cellphone. Plucking her phone from her pocket, she scrolled through her messages as she walked down the corridor. She grumped her way through the list of advertisements in her inbox. Penis enlargement. Check. Home mortgage adjustment. Check. Doggie breath tablets. Check. A one line text message. Nikita wanted to see her right away. Shaking her head, she walked down the hall like a twelve year old about to see the school principal. She took a deep breath and knocked on the office door. Nodding as she heard the call to come in, she reached to open the barrier.

Nikita looked harried as she bounced her attention between a computer and a haphazard pile of papers. The woman before Rachel tucked a pen behind her ear and looked up. "Hey. Sit. Okay Rachel?"

"Of course," she responded before sinking into the comfortable sofa near the door. She bit back laughter as Nikita blew out an exasperated breath as she fended off a call and tossed a stress ball into a corner trash bin.

Nikita straightened and smiled at Rachel. "Hey."

Rachel grinned at the other woman. "Hey. Busy day, eh?"

"I think I really do want to retire now. Turns out I can do missions, but the paperwork?" She snorted. "So I know I've been busy lately and wanted to touch base with you. How are you doing?"

Rachel rocked slightly from foot to foot for a moment. She knew where this was going. When Nikita touched base with her it was always the touchy feely stuff. "I'm doing well Nikita."

"How are you sleeping? You look tired, Rachel."

"Me? I sleep like a baby... like a rock... I'm ready for a new assignment."

Nikita looked at her closely. "You have been racking up the field work non-stop. I have been pairing you up and you are wearing out partners with your drive. That screams diversion Rachel. You need to deal not throw yourself into trouble so you don't have to cope with things."

"I am dealing just fine Nikita."

The older woman frowned. "Maybe. I will have a job for you shortly, but not until you have a new partner. Give me a few hours to try and round someone up."

"You can send me alone you know. I am competent." Rachel was seriously getting annoyed now. She wanted to be in the field where she thought she could do some good.

Nikita shook her head. "I'm not Percy and Amanda, Rachel. I value the lives of my team members and that means I send no one out there alone if I can avoid it. When they paired it was because they were as worried about rogues as getting the job done. I do it because I want the job done and everyone home in one piece."

Rachel scoffed. "Even in pairs, not everyone comes home."

She looked at Rachel for a long time. "Everyday I wake up and remember Alex is not in the world too, Rachel. It's painful but we have to think about what's in front of us and not who was behind us... You know that is what she would want for all of us."

Rachel shook her head. "Whatever. Just let me know when you find me a new partner and I can get back to work."

Nikita nodded sadly. "Of course." She watched as a stiff shouldered Rachel stalked out of the room. Considering a moment, Nikita picked up the phone and dialed. "Hey. I know I said I wouldn't bother you unless there was an emergency, but... I think Rachel is headed into a tailspin and I need a little help. Can I move you to active field duty for a little while?"

Alex opened up the plastic tray after a long frustrating morning of staring at the paint chipped walls of her room. She was ready to chew nurses when her tray arrived. She snarled. Salisbury steak, the bane of people with taste buds. She looked up as her door knob turned. Amanda came in. Alex forced a smile.

Amanda's head tilted as she surveyed the scene. "Are you alright Alexandra?"

"Aside from a potential case of food poisoning from the mystery meat, I'm doing okay."

Amused, Amanda sat on the bed and crossed her legs. "Really, I would think they would remember the first rule here. If you cannot immediately identify the meat, you should bury it in gravy."

A slab of meat looked lonely beside an ice cream scoop of barely gravied mashed potatoes. Alex tried to imagine it as real food. She didn't even have any interest in trying to work out what the greenish stuff in the corner was. She thought it might be Jello, but if it wasn't she didn't really want to know.

She frowned up at Amanda. " How about serving me food that I can identify?" She sighed. "I don't know what I'm doing. I can't remember shit and I don't know what I'm eating and you are kind of familiar but that doesn't take me far…."

Amanda smiled and held up a hand. "I cannot fix everything, but give me an hour to find you some real food. Be patient Alexandra. You have come a long way. Recovery cannot be rushed...much.."