The only thing Nikita wanted to see was her ring. After she and Michael raced to Sean and Alex in the clean getaway car, and met with the rest of Wolf Team at the airport, Nikita desperately wanted to look at the engagement ring that was worth all of Michael's trouble. He wouldn't let her. On the long flight home, he wouldn't even let her glance at the ring box. Since the surprise of the proposal was ruined, he didn't want the surprise of her ring to be as well. She glared at that argument. He kissed her.
Although she attempted to keep arguing, Michael fell asleep. How he managed that on the small, crowded, last minute plane ride Birkhoff managed to get them on, she had no idea. But Michael was dead asleep, with a tight clutch on the engagement ring in his pocket. Nikita couldn't sneak it away from him without waking him. She huffed. She'd just have to spend her time trying to relax, or she could move to talk to Alex and Sean. The two were busy flirting, however, so she remained in her seat. She'd just have to sit with her thoughts.
Her thoughts were annoying, though. She would've believed she'd only think about her engagement ring and when Michael would propose. That should've been exciting enough to hold her through the torturous plane ride. However, all Nikita could think about was Ryan turning off her com. He was going to let her boyfriend (future fiancé) stay in prison for weeks. He would be at the hands of the MSS until Division could quietly break him out. That was bullshit. Their mission had escalated past the point of staying quiet. They had to break Michael out, kill Martin, and threaten the MSS. It was the only way they could be successful.
Ryan wasn't seeing that, however. He was blinded by some kind of powertrip or something- Nikita wasn't sure. She just knew she had to talk to him, or yell at him. That was her only goal as the team returned to Division (after she had showered and changed, of course). The others could debrief and clean their equipment. She was going to ream out Ryan. Fortunately, she easily found him in Ops. Unfortunately, he appeared far too stressed out for any screaming. That seemed fair after the mission they just had. So, she decided to ease into it with sarcasm. At least he laughed with her; though, it made her sigh, "So you are still Ryan inside there."
"Nikita, I am the same guy you saved multiple times. I'm still your friend," Ryan sighed too. He had expected her anger. He was just surprised it took her so long to express it. He thought he would've heard yelling over a com the second she landed back in the States. Nikita was probably strangely calm enough to yell at him in private instead. That somehow made it worse. She had let her anger simmer. No amount of sarcasm could alleviate her lividity. She was going to lash out at him, and he'd just have to brace for it.
"But you're also my boss. That it?" Nikita bit, crossing her arms and glaring. She was daring him. She wanted him to say one wrong thing so she'd have an excuse for snapping at him. Ryan had grown accustomed to her murderous looks. However, he still backed away from her. There were bound to be repercussions for cutting her off on a mission. It wasn't just about Michael's safety or abandoning him to the MSS. Ryan stranded Nikita on an operation. He took her choices away from her, and left her to Martin's will. That was unforgivable.
He had his reasons, however. The analyst turned director had to cut Nikita off. She was bringing too much danger to herself and her team. Her rashness was damaging Division before it could even make a dent in bringing in the Dirty Thirties. They would all be dead before they even had a chance to live their lives. Ryan should've told Nikita the President's stipulation. If Division made too many mistakes or drew too much attention, it would all be over. Their happily ever afters weren't secured. However, he was too cowardly to mention the worst case scenario, "Not just yours. The other agents, they watch what you do. So when you break the rules…"
"You cut me off in the middle of an op. That's what they saw," Nikita didn't care about the practicalities. Fine, her disobeying orders and going rogue wasn't a great example. They couldn't afford a full room of Division agents going rogue. The team was struggling with the thirty (then twenty-nine) that they had. However, Ryan stranding agents in the field was just as worse. It was something Percy would've done. The mission wasn't going his way, so he cut his assets loose. Nikita couldn't allow her friend to fall into the same type of leadership. He was better than that. For starters, he actually had a heart.
"Nikita, I can see things happening in Operations that you can't," Attempting to make her see reason, Ryan dared to move closer to Nikita. She had to know that he didn't disagree with her or cut her off for his own means. He was thinking about everyone. It might've been difficult for her to see, but he had everyone's safety in mind. Then was probably the time to bring up the death threat. Yet, again, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew the news would be devastating. They never truly escaped their dark fate. He couldn't crush anyone's hope like that.
"And I can see things happening on the ground that you can't. And when that happens, I need to make decisions from my gut. It's how I survived this long. You know this, Ryan," She was fairly certain she had had that argument with Michael before. It was a long time ago, when he was her handler inside Division. She had done something reckless, and he had gotten pissed. The two were able to come to an understanding, however. They found a compromise. Nikita didn't think she'd reach that point with Ryan. There were things he wasn't telling her.
"It's about more than just your survival now," Like that- Ryan was holding back from her. Although his statement was true- Nikita couldn't focus on only getting herself out alive- it wasn't like she wasn't thinking about the others. She needed her friends and her brother to survive missions as well. She also wanted the Division agents to have a shot at the life she once had. They had had happiness stolen from them. They were shoved in the dark and forced to do horrific things. It was time to reclaim all that.
There was something to the way Ryan pleaded with Nikita to focus on keeping the others alive that struck her. It was more than him trying to get her to think. He wanted to tell her something. The fact that he wouldn't pissed her off more than when he cut her com off. Since when did they keep secrets from one another. They were supposed to be a team, for better or for worse. They had to share everything, no matter how detrimental it was. How else were they going to survive running Division if they didn't, "What's that mean? National security? This nation doesn't even know we exist."
"And we have to keep it that way," Ryan's tone matched hers. If the public knew about a black ops unit of the government that took criminals and trained them to be spies and assassins, the world would never recover. And all those agents would be killed in order to keep the civilians safe. Even Alex and Sean, who had real identities and lives outside Division, would be killed. They were liabilities, after all. No one was safe. Shutting down Division had to be the most careful and secure thing the team ever did. They couldn't afford it otherwise.
Having enough of the conversation, Nikita turned on her heel and stomped away. She needed time away from Ryan. How much time, she wasn't sure. Michael soon ran into her, providing her a distraction. After cleaning up and debriefing, he had tried to find her. The two had to get out of Division. The mission was over. The dust had settled. They were free to escape. As her engagement ring burned a hole in his pocket, that was all he wanted to do with her. She was too lost in thought to notice him at first, however. He had to gently hold her hand to make her stop and look at him, "Come on. Let's get out of here. I want to take you out to dinner."
"As long as it's far away from here," Fighting the urge to look back at Ryan, Nikita huffed. She'd gladly follow her boyfriend anywhere. If that got her away from Division's new director, even better. She didn't want to deal with him or with how much he was holding from her. She'd much rather relax with the man she loved. Just the thought of going out with Michael had her smiling softly. He grinned in return, excitedly whisking her away. He was suddenly filled with apprehensions, something she noticed quickly. She couldn't understand why he'd be nervous for a dinner date. Then, she remembered. He planned on proposing.
Michael didn't have to. She knew about the ring; she knew he wanted to marry her. He didn't have to make a grand gesture with a proposal. He could simply slip the ring on her finger, and she'd be with him forever. There was no doubt that she wanted to marry him as well. They had discussed their futures enough that their next steps were clear. Regardless, after eating at a romantic restaurant, he led her to a beautiful water fountain. She attempted to pull away, but he only held her hand tighter, "Just trust me. Okay?"
"Michael. Michael. You don't have to do this," Nikita was smiling from ear to ear. Michael was so sweet and endearing. He wanted to give her the perfect romantic proposal that she deserved. But she didn't need any of those things. She was perfectly fine not having cliché or normal when it came to their relationship. She loved it how it was. As long as he was with her, she was happy. He wasn't going to listen to her at that second, however. He was stubbornly set in his ways. He brought her to the fountain and held her in his arms. That was his moment.
"Yes I do. It's tradition. I'm a traditional guy. And I went through hell to get this ring. We're going to do this right," Michael was so serious. He was normally a very serious man. But he looked at Nikita with the most earnest green eyes she had ever seen. She was captivated by him. There was no fight left in her as he helped her sit on the edge of the fountain and dropped to one knee. When he pulled the ring box from his pocket, his hands shook. She gasped, tears welling in her eyes, the second he showed her the beautiful engagement ring. It was well worth the wait to see. Michael stared at her with every ounce of love he had and breathed, "Nikita…"
"You had me at 'give me the damn Glock'," She couldn't help herself. Nikita was so damn excited for the proposal, she was so fucking in love with Michael, and she couldn't wait to be engaged. She was sure he had a whole speech prepared. He was going to speak from his heart and tell her how much he loved her. She knew all that already, though. He was down on one knee, after all. He also laughed at her joke. Smiling brighter than the stars in the sky, Michael took Nikita's hand in his. Both shook as he finally slipped her ring on her finger. Pure joy and happiness flowed through the engaged couple. They just had to hold one another and kiss.
Slipping his fingers through her dark hair, Michael cradled Nikita's head. His other arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close. She melted into the affection. She clung to the back of his suit jacket to ensure he wouldn't go away. Though, that wasn't even a question. He'd stay with her until the end of time. Smiles split their kiss. They didn't mind. In fact, their happiness only made the moment all the more better. The engaged couple practically swayed in their kiss. They were nothing but smiles, especially as he whispered, "So, that's a 'yes'?"
Nikita bumped her forehead against Michael's, laughing and beaming. There were tears in her eyes, but they were born from pure bliss. She was so happy and so in love. She couldn't believe she was going to marry the love of her life. And with an absolutely stunning ring on her finger. He did an amazing job picking one out. The diamonds glinted blue in the light, completely stealing her breath away. No wonder he went through hell to get that ring. It was beyond worth it. Her engagement ring was beautiful. She couldn't wait to wear it for the rest of her life, "It's beautiful… wait. Did you ask Sean for permission to marry me?"
She meant to keep beaming and be lovingly wrapped in the moment. However, Nikita remembered Sean's comment in the hotel room. He almost blew the surprise of her proposal (before it actually was). He knew about it. Michael had to have told him. And since he was a traditional guy, he had to have asked for her hand in marriage. Michael began to stutter, "Well, not exactly. I mean, he is your brother. I wanted to involve your family. Let them know my intentions… uh, that I want to spend forever with you. You know, Alex knew too. She helped plan the original proposal. That's why the ring was in Hong Kong with our equipment."
"My family, huh?" After a minute of Michael floundering, Nikita decided to help him out. She wasn't as irritated as her accusation made her sound. She knew her fiancé (that was amazing to think about) wouldn't ask Sean for permission to do anything, let alone anything to do with their relationship. He was simply being his sweet self by keeping her family in the loop. Although she still couldn't return home to them, Michael could bring home to her. He'd build a relationship with her brother, and keep them all connected. She was so lucky she had him.
"Seems right. We'll be one big happy family soon. Might as well start bridging the gaps now," Michael recovered from his stumble, and smiled lovingly at his fiancée (God, he loved the sound of that). He traced her spine gently, and Nikita somehow brought herself closer to him. The fact that the recently engaged couple were by a public fountain didn't matter. They continued to hold one another and kiss with abandon. It was just all so freeing- their engagement, their future, their family, their love. Nothing could hold them back
"I love you," Breathing against her fiancé's lips, Nikita smiled brighter than the sun.
"I love you," Michael gazed at his fiancée so lovingly that when they kissed, sparks flew.