The characters in this story belong to the Nikita franchise. This story is not intended for children to read and it is a parents responsibility to monitor their children's use of the internet, not mine.


October


Division headquarters is an austere place with hard surfaces that repel frivolity like personal trinkets or decorations. No one celebrates holidays in a black ops organizations, unless it is part of a mission, and the idea of giving gifts to cheer up a fellow agent is unheard of. But sometimes, even the threat of Level Six or a mission that no one returns from, isn't enough of a deterrent when it comes to gratitude.

When Nikita walked off the elevator and onto the training floor, she waded through a sea of nameless recruits with vacant expressions. She was once part of them and although she often wanted to reach out and tell them not to be discouraged, she couldn't lie. Instead she blocked their idle chatter from her mind and ignored the shell shocked looks on some of their faces and headed straight to Operations.

Inside the hub of Division, monitors flickered with movement, computers hummed and the sounds of technicians tapping on keys could be heard in the background. Birkhoff looked up, brushed the hair out of his face and barked a few orders out before going back to work. He eyed Nikita suspiciously when she walked in with a brown paper bag in her hands.

"Hey Nerd, I brought you a present." She swung the bag into Birkhoff's lap.

"I know you got the hots for me, but presents won't make me give it up for you, baby." He had a glib look on his face.

She did her best to look stern, but a smile cracked through. "If you're going to be that way, give me the bag back."

Birkhoff held onto it possessively and slowly peeked inside, it was his turn to let a smile crack through. Inside was a cache of Halloween candy. "I take it back Nikki, I'm all yours." He pulled out a bag of individually wrapped Red Vines and looked at it with affection. "What exactly do you want?"

She looked at him innocently. "Nothing, sometimes you just have to do something nice for someone else, right?"

He gave a subtle snort and unwrapped and bit into the candy. "Yeah, right." His cynicism was written all over him.

Nikita looked at him thoughtfully. "I mean it. Enjoy." She turned and walked away. He was a useful ally and she had grown to respect his brilliance and to appreciate his capabilities. They had landed inside of Division around the same time, and while she was learning the subtle art of breaking someone's neck, he was finding and plugging up every hole in Division's computer network. One day she looked at him and realized they had something in common. It wasn't enough to do your best, you had to be the best, and they saw that when they looked at each other.

Birkhoff looked around the room before digging into the bag of treasures. Along with the Red Vines, he found a bag of candy corn, another of jack-o-lantern Peeps, tiny boxes of Red Hots, and taped to the front of the peanut M and M's was a note that simply read: a panacea for what ails you

It made his insides ripple a little to think about the info he had passed on to her. He was speechless at what he found, and he'd never talk about it, but it made him think about being trapped in this shit hole called Division. He ripped the slip of paper off of the package, crumpling it up and tossing it into the wastebasket. Even though he knew someone was examining his trash, he didn't care, the note could mean anything. He shoved the bag of candy onto the floor and kicked it under the desk.

Birkhoff chewed on his Red Vine, looking through the window and watching Michael stop Nikita on the training floor. He could clearly see the tension in their bodies. Sometimes he wondered if they wouldn't just combust and when Roan was sent to clean up the mess, he would find a cherub with a bow and arrow in the ashes.

The idea of having friends bothered him. It had been far too long and he wasn't sure if he could stomach the idea of having them taken away, but dealing with Nikita had made him realize it was worth the risk, He was a good guy, after all. He told himself, if he were made to do things that would hurt them, he would find a way to make up for it.

Michael had stopped her on the training floor. No matter how engrossed he was with Division business or his own personal baggage, he couldn't deny how beautiful she was. She would take his breath away when he least expected it, like now. He mentally chastised himself for even going there.

"Are you reporting to Roan in Munitions?" He asked politely. They both knew she was and the question seemed without merit.

"Yes, I came in early to ask Birkhoff about something." She answered him vaguely.

Michael stared at her with hard eyes. "About what?"

She stared back. "Why are you asking?"

He folded his arms at her and the tension in his face grew. "Just curious, but let me give you a word of advice, if you're hiding anything, don't take others down with you."

Nikita felt more than a prickle of annoyance. "Someone should have told me that before I started working with you."

Michael grit his teeth. He looked around and realized they were in full view of the recruits and Operations. "I need a word in private."

"Can't it wait, I don't want to be late." The last thing she wanted was a dressing down from him. When she saw the sparks in his eyes, she knew he meant business and she decided this wasn't a fight worth having.

"All right." She said defiantly, making sure he knew she wasn't caving in to his orders.

Michael led her into an interrogation room and closed the door. He walked over to panel on the wall and flipped a few switches. Nikita knew he had turned off the audio and visual recording equipment in the office.

"What do you want Michael? If this is another speech, you can save it. I get it." Her tone was bitter and angry.

Michael aggressively walked up to her and for a split moment, she thought she should fight him, but the second passed. Instead, she let him slam her against the wall. Her heart hammered in her chest, when he planted his hands on either side of her.

She couldn't look him in the eye. There was far too much that had happened between them, and she didn't know if she had it in her, to face off with him, yet again.

"Nikita." He said in his dark raspy voice. "I don't want to loose you."

She was shocked at his words and when she did meet his eyes, she saw they smoldered with intent. Michael leaned down and whispered her name before his hands cupped her face and his lips found their way onto hers. The kiss he gave her was slow, loving and sensuous. When she responded, they moaned breathlessly together.

"Michael…" She murmured as they continued to kiss each other. Their lips had opened and they turned their heads slightly this way and that way to explore and sink into each other. It was a slow tortuous dance, their tongues probed and stroked and it was like an accelerant, their senses bursting into flames.

Nikita wound her arms around his neck and when their lips finally parted, he rested his forehead against hers.

"I don't believe in happy endings. I can't look to the future and I can never be the man to make things right, please understand that?" He murmured the words into her ear before pulling her against him.

"Don't say never, don't tell me you can't." But as she said the words, she already knew they wouldn't make a difference. He was Michael and she was Nikita and nothing they said to each other could change that.


Nikita walked the streets toward her apartment, lost in thought. She had left Division after being briefed on their next mission. It was ugly, no one could convince her otherwise, but somehow the anger she might normally feel was tempered with sorrow. She responded to Roan's blanket explanation of who they were dealing with and what their objective was, with reservations and anxiousness. A family, something she would never have herself, and she would be part of destroying it.

Ruminating over it only made her feel worse. Kelly had once told her not to go there, not to try and make sense of it. These missions they were sent on were part of a much larger picture, one that no one could see until much later. Her part in it was to follow orders, the alternative was to die, and that was a total waste. It was better to be the best agent she could, while she could, because it was inevitable, someday some other recruit would take her place. She had taken that advice to heart because she wasn't ready to die.

She wanted to live and to love, and be loved. She wanted to know what happiness was and what a future felt like. She thought about the feel of Michael's lips on hers, the desperate kiss they shared and the hunger they both felt and it made her ache. Maybe it was time to give it up, maybe loving him was a mistake.

A pair of kids, ran out of a store and startled her out of her head and back into reality. They were laughing and making exaggerated and funny noises under the latex masks they wore. She thought how comical they looked, one was a pig, the other a rabbit and as they snorted and hopped down the street she was reminded it was Halloween.

Tomorrow would be November and she would leave with a team to Russia. The mission parameters had been set and the op had been named. Operation Pale Fire.