This chapter took a bit longer to write than I´m used to, partly because I changed my mind about the direction in which I wanted it to go, and partly because I´ve been busy at work and with christmas coming soon, but enough about that now! Thank you so much for the reviews guys, you´re the best readers one can have :) As usual I don´t own them.
Nikita blinked. Shocked at the sight of Owen standing before her, but she didn´t have time to reflect upon it before Michael gave her push forward and they followed Owen out the door.
They crept down the hallway, moving quickly but carefully. When they reached the door leading to the outside they paused. After sharing a look Michael went first, openeing the door and exiting, Nikita went next and then Owen.
A moment from her left made Nikita whirl around.
"Stop!"
Nikitas heart stopped, and time seemed to stand still as she watched Michael turn towards her and then take aim at Andrej who was aiming at them.
"Michael no"
The sound of her voice made him hesitate, and he looked toward her from the corner of his eye, not letting Andrej out of his sight completely. Owen stood by his side, gun ready, a confused look on his face.
Nikita turned back to Andrej and met his eyes calmly.
"Andrej"
"Nikita, what are you doing?"
"I´m escaping" She let a wry smile cross her face. The fact that she was discussing her escape rather than executing it was rather strange.
"But, who are these guys?"
He looked so confused Nikita felt sorry for him.
"Andrej these are my friends, they helped me escape" She took a deep breath before continuing "Are you going to let us go?"
"Nikita..." He trailed off.
Nikita swallowed hard and took a few steps forward, coming face to face with him. She felt Michael tense behind her, she didn´t know how she knew since she couldn´t see him now, but she felt the tension in the air and knew it was radiating off of him in waves.
She looked at Andrejs face and felt a wave of emotion hit her. She hated putting him in this position, but what else could she do? It wasn´t just about her anymore now.
"I´m sorry Andrej"
He looked at her silently. Michael cleared his throat and spoke.
"Nikita. We have to move"
Andrej looked over at Michael and Owen standing a few feet away. He looked back at Nikita, a wistful look on his face.
"Good times, right"
She laughed, feeling tears in her eyes. It was strange, she had known Andrej only for a short while, it was starting to darken, so she guessed it was early evening now, and she had been captured during the night before, but still, she felt an emotional bond she couldn´t explain, not like the bond she shared with Michael, something different, almost sisterly in a way.
"The best"
He held out his hand to her and she took it, ignoring Michael and Owens stares burning into her back. She gripped his hand tightly and looked him in the eyes,
"You know this is no place for you. You said it yourself, that you regretted being here"
"I used to" He smiled "But now I see why I had to be here"
"Why was that?" She asked, not quite understanding what he meant.
"For you"
His answer was so simple, two short words, who meant an awful lot to her.
"Come with us?" She asked.
He shook his head regretfully.
"I can´t. I have to take care of Olga"
"At least think about getting out of this Andrej, you and Olga could move, start over"
Nikita was surprised to hear the pleading tone of her voice.
"I will, I promise. I just have to take care of some things first"
Shouting was heard from inside the house, and Michael cursed. Andrej released Nikitas hand and gestured for her to run.
"Go"
She looked at him silently.
"Nikita, we have to move!" Michael took a step forward, intending to grab her.
"You have to leave now" Andrejs voice was gentle.
Nikita took one last look at him before turning around and taking off through the trees, Michael and Owen beside her.
They ran through the forrest, Michael and Owen leading the way since they knew in which direction to go. They ran fast and soon the sounds of people following grew more and more distant. Nikita felt herself begin to tire, normally she would have had no trouble running for miles, but she was injured and her ribs ached like they were on fire.
"Michael"
Michael slowed down and looked at her.
"I can´t go on, I have to rest" Even as she said it she knew it wasn´t an option.
Michael looked worried, and he stopped beside her, Owen backtracked and came to stand beside them.
"We can´t stay here"
"I know" Michael snapped. He turned his eyes back to Nikita.
"I´ll carry you"
"I can go by myself, I just need a minute" She knew she needed more than a minute, time they didn´t even have, but she didn´t want Michael to have to carry her. That wasn´t who she was.
"Nikita, you can barely take a breath"
"I´m fine! I can do this, I just..."
Michael cut her off.
"You are not fine and we don´t have time to stand here and discuss it. Either you can get on my back by yourself or I´ll make you. Your choice"
Nikita looked at Owen for support, but from the way he met her gaze with a steely look in his eyes she gathered that he was team Michael on this. Well, wasn´t that nice. Since when were they best friends anyway.
She sighed and Michael turned his back to her and bent down at the knees. She hooked her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, trying to ignore how good he smelled and how close she suddenly was to him.
Michael grabbed a hold of her legs and without another word took off, Owen following close behind.
Nikita leaned her head down on his shoulder. She couldn´t believe that he was here. He had come for her. The pain from his lies were still there, and she knew that if they made it out of this mess they had an even bigger one between them to face. But for now he was here, and despite their current situation she felt safe.
They reached the car and Owen jumped in the driver seat while Michael settled in the back with Nikita. She had felt an overwhelming sense off loss when he had let go of her legs to let her slide down his back to the ground, but as soon as her feet touched the ground he had wrapped his arm around her and ushered her towards the car.
Her ribs hurt with every bump in the road they hit, and she couldn´t hide the gasp of pain that escaped her. Michael looked at her sharply and tugged her closer, trying to prevent her body from moving around so much by pressing it closer to his own. Still, when they hit a large bump he couldn´t stop her body from moving entirely and she winced. Michael glared at Owen in the rearview mirror, making Owen grimace.
"Sorry" he muttered.
Nikita felt herself starting to drift away, she was so tired, and her body hurt. She just wanted to rest her eyes for a bit... She leaned against Michaels shoulder, pressing her face against his neck. He pulled her even closer and before she fell asleep she thought she felt him press his lips against her forehead gently.
She woke from time to time, usually by some movement, but she soon drifted off again, her body too tired to stay awake for long. Sometimes she thought she heard Michael and Owen talking, but it didn´t make any sense to her, Michael hated Owen, didn´t he? It was all so strange and everytime she tried to focus the voiced sounded even more far away until she gave up.
She woke again when she was lifted out of the car.
"Nikita?"
"Hm?"
"Can you walk? We are going in to a hotel, and I need you to be able to walk so they don´t start asking questions okey?"
"I can do it" At least she hoped she could.
"Just hang on to me okey?"
Michael wrapped his arm over her shoulders and lead her toward the hotel. She stumbled a little, but the cold evening air made her head feel a bit clearer and she could focus more. They walked in to the hotel, Michael asking for a room, she thought she heard him whisper something about someone having had to much to drink, and it took a while for her to understand that he was talking about her. She wanted to laugh at the thought, but she was too tired.
Apparently it worked anyway because soon they were being handed a key and walking down the hall, Michaels arm firmly around her shoulders. They stopped at the door she assumed belonged to their room and Michael released her long enough to unlock the door and open it.
It was a nice room, she could tell, but she could care less. All she wanted was to sleep. No wait, she wanted to shower, and then sleep for many many hours she decided. She glanced at the bed, it looked heavenly. Of course, in her state a sheet on the floor would have looked lovely. First things first though.
"Michael"
He locked the door and turned to her.
"Yeah?"
He looked tired. Still as handsome as ever, but tired. He had dark circles under his eyes and if she wasn´t mistaken he still had on the clothes he had been wearing when she left. She wondered if the time she had been missing had been hard for him.
"I´m going to take a bath"
She took a few steps toward the bathroom but stumbled. Before she could completely regain her balance he was there, holding on to her.
"I´ll help you"
"I don´t think..."
"I´ll wait outside while you change, I just think you might, need help"
She looked at him, saw the look in his eyes and she understood.
"I can´t disappear from the bathroom Michael"
"I know. But I want to help you"
He looked so sad, and she knew. Just by looking at him she knew that he needed to do this.
"Okey"
Her voice was small, and sounded every bit as hesitant as she felt.
He let out the breath he had been holding and relaxed.
She walked to the bathroom, Michael following closely behind. He went in and filled the tub with hot water and bath foam while she undressed and wrapped a towel around her outside the door.
"It´s done"
His voice was soft.
She walked inside and stepped up to the tub and turned to look at him. He turned around to face the door and she folded the towel and laid it across the sink before sinking down in the hot water. She let it wash over her, felt the small cuts she had sting.
"You can turn around"
He didn´t at first. As she watched he seemed to wait for something. Finally he turned around, but he didn´t look at her, his gaze was locked at the floor. After a while his eyes locked up to meet hers and she felt shy.
Nikita was hardly a virgin, and she had worked for a black op unit for several years, one would think her ability to blush would have ended years ago. But it hadn´t. Not where Michael was concerned. But there was something so intimate about this situation. Was it because she was weaker than she usually was right now, or because of everything that had happened? She didn´t know.
Michael took a hesistant step forward. When she didn´t react he took another, and soon he was sitting on the chair next to the tub. It wasn´t her nudity that made the situation so intimate, she was covered in bubbles, so he couldn´t see anything below her shoulders, but maybe, in some ways, she was more naked now, in this moment, than she had ever been before.
She sank down to wet her hair and when she came up Michael had put some shampoo in his hands, and after a tense moment he gently started to wash her hair.
She relaxed under his fingers, they were running so gently over her head, she was almost being lulled to sleep. When he was done he settled his hands on her shoulders, after some hesitation he applied a little pressure, and then stopped, gesturing that he wanted her to sink her head under water to rinse some of the foam from the shampoo away.
She tensed, realizing the situation she was in. For someone who was taught to trust no one, letting another human being help her push her head underwater, no matter how little push it was, was very unsettling. She would have let Michael do it before. She had trusted him with her life at some point, many times in fact. Now she wasn´t so sure. Oh she knew she could trust him with her life, he had proved that time and time again. Today being the last in a long line of times when Michael had saved her life. No, she wasn´t worried about trusting him with her life.
It was her heart she was worried about.
Michael knew why she was suddenly so tense. But just because he could understand it, didn´t mean that it didn´t hurt.
They seemed to hang in the balance for a minute, both of them wondering about the next move, and which one of them who was going to make it.
Then Nikita slowly lowered her head underwater, Michaels hands following her down, and then up when she resurfaced.
His heart soared.
Hers beat frantically.
They didn´t say a word, both of them wondering what this meant.
Nikita glanced at the towel and Michael understood. He stood up to retrieve it and while Nikita showered to wipe off the last of the foam and dried off he went down to the reception, claiming his wife had had an "accident" and wondered if there was some way he could borrow another shirt for her.
When he returned with the tshirt Nikita was still in the bathroom so he knocked and she opened the door just enough to pass the shirt through.
While he waited for her to finish up he made up the bed, turning down the covers. A low curse was heard from the bathroom.
"Nikita?"
"I´m fine. It´s just.."
She didn´t get any futher before he opened the door, already having guessed the problem. He took the first aid kit from her and gestured for her to sit down which she did, too tired to argue.
He started cleaning the cuts, and bandaged two of them. He stroked his fingers carefully over the bruise on her cheek.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
His voice was soft, almost a whisper, but she heard him. She didn´t. She didn´t want to talk about Carter, or how the bruises came to be.
"No, not now"
He didn´t say anything else and she got up and walked out to stand beside the bed. He followed her and stood a few feet away from her. They stared at each other in silence before Nikita spoke.
"You know we have to talk about what happened before" Michael closed his eyes "With Owen, and all the lies".
"I know, but..."
"We have to Michael. This can´t be swept under the rug, it´s to big for that"
"I know we have to. But maybe..."
He stopped and took the few steps seperating them, stopping before her.
"Can I just" He swallowed, and Nikita was confused by the look in his eyes, he looked so lost "Can I just hold you? Just for tonight?"
Her heart broke even more at the thought that his too was broken and jaded. How had they ever come to this?
She couldn´t deny him what he needed. She understood that he needed to feel her close to him, to make sure that she was still there. She needed it too.
She nodded and made her way over to the bed and laid down under the covers. Michael quickly undressed to his boxers and laid down on the other side, Nikita averting her eyes.
For a minute they laid there side by side, no one moving. Then Michael reached an arm out and pulled her against him under the covers. She laid her arm across his middle, hugging him tightly to her. She let her head rest against his chest and felt his heart beat steadily against her ear. Michael grasped her hand with his free one, holding it tightly.
A song was playing on the radio in the next room, it´s soft murmur seeping through the walls.
Well I heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya?
Well it goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Well Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
she tied you to her kitchen chair
And she broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Michael closed his eyes and pulled Nikita tighter against him, pressing his lips against her hair.
Well baby I've been here before
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew ya
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
He knew they needed to talk. He didn´t know if she was going to leave him after tonight, or if she could even consider not walking away from him. He wanted to stay awake to remember this, the feel of her against him, but his body was tired and soon he was asleep.
Well there was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show that to me do you?
And remember when I moved in you?
And the holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
So there they are, asleep in each others arms ;) What did you think? And merry christmas to everyone!