It was a good victory. Ari was fired from Gogol. A good man was in power at Zetrov, completing Alex's need for revenge and continuing her father's legacy. Katya was finally safe, as was the team for the moment. But the most important win was that Amanda was on the run. Division was no longer a threat. The heroes could get their pardons from Madeline Pierce. Michael reminded Nikita of all the great things they had accomplished when he found her sitting by the window, staring out into the ocean. She wasn't silent because she was upset, however. She was proud of her team and all they had done. They had proved how strong they were; she had proved how strong she was. Nothing could knock them down anymore.
Taking the time to relax after all that drama, the team more or less did their own things. Ryan remained in his safehouse while he continued to gather information. Birkhoff worked on improving Shadownet, taking some things he had learned from battling Sonya. Alex went to visit her mom in Greece and help her start her new life. Michael and Nikita focused on making up for lost time as a couple, as well as talking about the more damaging things that had occurred. And Sean caught up on some of his Seal duties he had missed when he was gone. He also checked in with Jill and Sandy. Those weren't the sisters he was concerned about, though. He and Nikita still had so many things to discuss. So when he found her sitting on the couch early one morning, he took the chance to get her to talk, "So. Do you wanna watch Power Rangers or cartoons?"
Softly, Nikita chuckled. No matter the time or place, someone in that crowded safehouse was bound to ruin a moment of peace and quiet. Although she usually glared or snapped whenever her meditation or moments alone with her boyfriend were interrupted, she didn't mind it that time. She needed a distraction from thinking about the nightmare that had woken her. Sean referencing how they used to spend their Saturday mornings as kids absolutely helped. But she needed to be a bit more active to fight off her terror. Her brother kept saying he wanted the chance to truly kick her ass. What better time to do that than the present, "How 'bout sparring?"
Sean didn't have to be asked twice. Together, the siblings moved furniture, set up the mat, and began to spar. They were silent at first. They could use the excuse that they were focusing and trying to gage the other's abilities. But really, they simply weren't certain how to start talking. The two couldn't keep dancing around subjects and making fun of one another. That wouldn't get them anywhere. Nikita mentioned returning to her home and family a lot for someone who wouldn't allow the family she had already reunited with see who she had become. Sean was somewhat guilty for the same thing. Yet he was striving to move forwards- somewhat, "Alex told me about you and Amanda on the op."
"I've been through worse," Dodging her brother's strike, Nikita shrugged. She had only told him the basics of the mission, mostly the results of winning the day. But she didn't want to dwell on any of the confrontations she had had with Amanda. Of course someone else would've told Sean about it, however. She figured it would've been Michael. Except, Alex and Sean had been talking a lot recently. They were sharing everything with one another, growing increasingly close. The young woman probably thought informing the Seal of the painful conversation she had heard over the coms would help his sister. She was right. It definitely got the siblings to start talking, even if they kept trading punches.
"Like Daniel?" The harsh blow Sean received was purely coincidental. He had let his guard down, and Nikita struck. She didn't feel sorry for it, however. Bitter sorrow always ate at her whenever her late fiancé was mentioned. Her brother was lucky she only knocked him to the ground. She could've yelled or stomped off or hidden herself away. Yet it was about time he knew about Daniel. She couldn't keep hiding the pain from him. He deserved to know everything about her crusade. He was fighting it just as much as she was, after all.
"Who told you? Michael, Alex, or Madeline?" Nikita just couldn't open up about Daniel while sparring. The guilt continued to claw at her, and she couldn't shake it. Instead, she could discuss their team and their mother. One of them had to have told Sean about her fiancé. To what extent, she had no idea. But she wasn't going to ask. He could form his own questions; she knew he had plenty enough as it was. Maybe if he started the conversation, she would find it easier to simply let it all out. It would certainly give her an opening. She just hoped she didn't run from it.
"Mom knew about things in Division?" Although Sean was aware that his mother sanctioned hits for the black ops group, he didn't think she knew about the everyday shit recruits and agents went through. At least, he wanted to believe that. If that was true, then it was possible she wasn't the villain. She was only misguided and corrupt. His sister was nodding as she broke one of his holds, however. Madeline knew someone Nikita loved had been destroyed by Division, and she still did nothing to stop Oversight. In fact, she continued to let them hurt her adopted daughter and everyone she held dear. Sean's blood began to boil.
"The unsanctioned stuff she knew after the fact. But she was aware of the kill order on Alex, and the bombing that was supposed to kill Michael but killed his family instead," Trapping her brother in her grasp, Nikita explained. She tried to land the blow gently, yet there was no gentle way of admitting their mother was okay with murder. Sean shoved her away from him, and tried to retaliate. His movements were a bit more harsh. He wasn't aiming to pull his punches anymore. She matched the energy, ducking and dodging. Whether it was a good or bad thing that the siblings were letting their emotions control them was unknown. But honestly, neither cared. It was better to leave it all out on the sparring mat than to hold it all in.
"Now I know why you're so angry," A sweep of his feet had his sister falling hard. Sean had assumed most of Nikita's anger had been frustration. And maybe some of it still was. Yet she was mostly angry because she was hurt. Her heart had been broken one too many times for her to just be happy. She could reach that point again some day. Until then, she was fueled by fury born of pain. The Seal could see the same effect in Alex and Michael. So much had been taken away from the team. The fact that they could experience other emotions besides anger was a miracle.
"And you're not?" Using the momentum from her fall to knock down Sean as well, Nikita had to ask. She needed to know why he kept returning to Madeline. He was upset by the things that were occurring- that much was obvious. However, he didn't distance himself from their mother like she had. He continued to try to make the complicated pieces of their family fit. The rogue had given up on that long ago. It wasn't worth it. Going back to the person that hurt you time and time again was stupid. The love that existed before didn't matter. At least, that was how she felt about it. She couldn't understand how anyone could think differently.
"I am," Sean admitted easily. He was angry at Madeline, at Division, at Oversight, at Percy, at Amanda, at Semak, at Ari- the list could go on. He hated what those in power did to others. Except, it didn't obscure his ability to forgive. There wasn't a chance he could forgive the others, but his mother was different. He knew how much she could care and love. The more information he learned of the situation, the less he thought redemption was possible. But he and his sisters could still have their mom. Things simply had to change. His thought process already had. Striking at Nikita, he attempted to put all of that in words, "As a Seal, I learned to follow orders without question. But I've seen too many terrible things, both in the Navy and here with you, to just follow commands anymore. I have to follow what's right as well."
Striking back in return, Nikita thought she could follow along with Sean. She understood needing to revolt after witnessing horrors- God was she aware of that. And she knew damn well that sometimes the right thing to do wasn't what one was ordered to do. But she struggled to see how that connected to Madeline. Maybe her brother believed that the love of their family was far more important than the heartbreak they had endured. Considering Jill and Sandy remained in the dark about all that hell, he was probably right. They deserved the bliss ignorance brought. They couldn't lose their mother like Nikita had. If she wanted to go home to her sisters, then Madeline was going to be a part of that. The rogue sighed, but she didn't put words to those thoughts. Instead, she smirked, "I always wanted you to break a rule, Boy Scout."
"Well we all can't be icky," With a roll of his hazel eyes, Sean shot back. The siblings traded more taunts with punches as they continued to spar. Both were working up a sweat, but neither was willing to quit yet. One of them had to be the clear winner. They might have come to a draw in regards to Madeline, yet someone was going to leave that mat the victor. Nikita was confident that it was going to be her. Fighting against a trained Navy Seal meant nothing to her. She had taken out far worse opponents. The fact that he was her brother only helped her. She knew exactly how to make him fold.
On the other hand, Sean knew how to get under his sister's skin. He knew how to annoy her enough for her to let her guard down. He could handle a rogue no problem. They were evenly matched for the moment. Yet one of them was bound to break. It wasn't as though they had won every single fight they've ever been in. That thought pulled at the back of Nikita's mind. They might still be 'icky' and a 'boy scout' yet they had experienced almost too much. They needed to face the changes they had been through since they were kids. It wasn't as fun as telling jokes, but it had to be said, "But we've both seen and done some shit."
Slowly, Sean nodded. A Navy Seal and a rogue assassin knew more fucked up shit than most. They had been ordered to do questionable things in the name of their country, and they had lost many to the casualties of war. Their innocence was definitely among them, as well as a sense of peace. The only way to really get through that was talking, though. As simple as that idea was, putting it into practice was almost impossible. It took a lot out of him to just suggest it to Nikita, "You wanna break confidentiality and talk about it?"
"Hell yeah," Nikita quickly agreed. Their strikes were harsher as if to drown out the pain of their stories, yet they continued to share them. Sean had plenty of things to say from his Seal missions. He tried not to give away too many details, but he was able to explain his thoughts and emotions throughout all that stress and danger. She did the same with her Division operations. She didn't share too much, yet it was enough to satisfy him. Eventually, things shifted to them talking about their teams. Light anecdotes of the fun they managed to have filled their strikes, holds, and breaks. Smiles illuminated the siblings' features.
When they were all talked out and beginning to pant from all their harsh blows, Sean decided it was time to finally kick his sister's ass. She was faster than him, but he was far stronger. With the last bit of strength he had, he trapped Nikita in a fierce hold. She attempted to kick her way out of it, but he managed to lift her up and slam her back onto the mat. He stood over her in triumph as she winced. She was too stunned to react right away, and her brother took that as a victory. Instantly, he boasted, "And the Seal defeats the rogue. Take that, Icky Nikki."
"You've gotta teach me that," Michael's voice floated from the entryway. He had woken to an empty bed, and immediately went on the search for Nikita. He only caught the end of her sparring match with Sean, but the fact that they were both talking and laughing made him smile. It also made him want to join in on the fun. So after the Seal knocked down the rogue for good, the agent continued to tease her for her defeat. Any move that could end Nikita's bragging on the sparring mat was an excellent one. He definitely had to learn it, even if it earned him a glare.
"You act like you've never taken Nikita in a fight before," While Sean celebrated his victory and Michael chuckled, Birkhoff sleepily stumbled into the livingroom. He didn't appreciate being woken up so rudely. His grumpy quips about Sean never defeating Nikita before expressed as much. The Seal tried to explain that since she was his older sister she always beat him up. The nerd simply shrugged and pointed out that although he was younger, he was still her bigger brother. Eyes rolled and laughter spilled in response. He had a point.
Instead of building off the quips, however, mischief shone bright in Nikita's brown eyes. Michael was the only one to catch it as she hopped to her feet. He did his best to hide his smile over what he knew she was about to do. Once Sean turned his back on her, she ran and leapt on top of him. She used her momentum and body weight to swing around him and take him down, holding his arm in a break hold. He was stunned, and shocked, and confused about what exactly just happened. It was so fast, he could barely make sense of it. He could only shout as his sister let him go, "Holy shit! What the fuck was that?"
"You might be able to take Nikita in a fair fight, but she doesn't play by the rules," Controlling his laughter and proud smirk, Michael replied. Nikita winked at her boyfriend before teasing that he had experienced the same torment before. Sean was too surprised that his sister had taken him down like that to notice their flirting, though. He started to complain about it, earning him more taunts from Birkhoff. In his defense, it was a dirty move to employ after they had finished sparring. But that was what he got for fighting a rogue.
"God, you're so dramatic. If you want a rematch, just spar with Alex. I know you want her underneath you anyway," Not able to take any more whining, Nikita dropped the innuendo. It caused Birkhoff and Michael to instantly erupt in laughter. Sean, however, was left gaping as a result. He thought he would've fought back, and maybe he would've in the past, but a deep blush marred his cheeks. More laughter flowed through the team. Everything else melted away to their jokes and smiles. They had had a good victory and time to settle their raging emotions. They deserved to feel that joy.