"How's everything?" Ryan asked Nikita when she joined him in his office. He had asked her to meet with him once everything with Sean had settled. There were some things they needed to discuss as they moved forward. Ryan should be discussing those things with the team, yet he wanted Nikita's input first. She wasn't afraid to put him in his place, nor did she hold back from recognizing what was best for Division- even if it wasn't ideal. Some difficult changes were coming their way. Someone who could understand that should be told first.

"Alex's with Sean. I think it's gonna be a rough transition. Can't really blame him, though," Nikita informed Ryan. hardly any sane person transitioned into Division well. After what Sean had to go through just to make it to the bunker alive, he was going to hate where he was. He was going to hate being apart from his family. And he was going to hate Amanda for ruining his life. It might've been his choice, yet recruitment wasn't that much better than death. Luckily, he had Alex with him. She could soothe and help him. So could his team, if they weren't distracted by what Ryan was concerned about, "How're things here?"

Ryan simply sighed. Things were not going well with the President and her chief of national security, Danforth. Not only were they not pleased with Kendrick's death and the situation with Sean- though, they did appreciate that Division stayed hidden- they also increased the pressure to complete the blue file missions. Division wasn't given any breaks. They probably never would again, "Did you know Kendrick was fielding the assignments Danforth wanted to push on us? He gave the missions to the CIA so Division could stay on clean up duty."

"What does it mean now that he's dead?" Nikita felt as though she could figure it out. Kendrick had done so much for them with his position in the CIA. Even before he had a real position of power in the agency, he had helped Michael deal with the intel on Division Nikita had fed him. Kendrick's death had more of an impact than just horrific tragedy and the cause of Sean's fake death. The team was going to have to deal with the ramifications for a long time- probably for as long as Division stayed open.

"We lost our buffer and our ally," Ryan collapsed in his desk chair. Nikita followed suit in a chair across from his desk. Danforth could keep pressuring Division to do kill missions for the government until they completely lost their power to say 'no'. It didn't matter how quickly they rounded up the rest of the Dirty Thirty or how soon they killed Amanda. The President was going to get what she wanted from the agents. Ryan's gaze settled on the four blue files on his desk. There was still an option that they could do those four operations and things would be over. Maybe all the pressure would end, "Those blue files are starting to seem a bit more appealing."

Following Ryan's gaze, Nikita didn't say anything for a while. She had been completely against the blue files at first. Yet after some thought, she could see the slight merit to them. The files really could help Division agents be free. If they continued to play nice with the government, all their pardons and their freedoms could be granted. Though, how long would that actually take. How many more months- or years- did the agents have to suffer before they received what they deserved. Were the blue files a quick release, or did they prolong their contract indefinitely. Maybe it wasn't worth it to find out, "Yeah. They might be."

Nikita didn't hang out in Ryan's office much longer. She gave the blue files one last long look, told Ryan to go home, then went to find Michael. While she had gone to the office, her husband had said he'd be in the gym doing PT for his prosthetic. The increased sensor thing Heidecker had suggested worked wonders for his prosthetic. But it wasn't worth thinking about anything helpful Heidecker had done. Michael simply focused on improving his skill with his prosthetic. He was making great progress by the time his wife joined him. However, he dropped what he was doing to address her. She was far more important, "Hey. What'd Ryan want?"

"We're screwed," Nikita huffed. Later, she'd explain the whole situation to her husband. But for that moment, she'd much rather talk about anything else. She and Michael hadn't really had a chance to talk since the explosion. They had been running everywhere, doing all they could to save Sean from Amanda. There had been no time to check in with each other- besides that brief moment when she was being patched up in Medical. Nikita wanted to see how Michael was holding up. Kendrick had been a close friend of his in the CIA. Losing him couldn't have been easy, especially how he had lost him, "How are you doing?"

Michael couldn't help but scoff. Between Kendrick, Sean, and Amanda, Michael was not faring well. In fact, he felt like absolute shit. He had thought PT would take his mind off things, yet the solitude in the gym made his mind wander. Despite all the team's efforts, they couldn't save the day. Kendrick was still killed, and Sean was still taken from his family. It fucking sucked. And Michael had no idea how to make it better for himself or others, "Kendrick gave the eulogy at my fake funeral. But I can't go to his real one."

"I'm sorry, Love," Lovingly caressing his cheek and scraping her knuckles along his stubble, Nikita tried to comfort Michael. When he had fretted over her injuries in Medical after the explosion, she did get him to talk a little about Kendrick. But at that moment, she didn't know what else to say to make it better. She figured her tender touch was enough. Her husband kissed her palm, pressed his forehead against hers, closed his eyes, and breathed. She continued to hold him. No words were needed then. A loving and comforting touch was enough.

"I'm more worried about Sean now. It's not easy being dead," After a long moment of just clinging to his wife, Michael pulled away and said. He kissed Nikita's cheek, then moved to gather his things to go home. There were going to be a lot of things to do in Division the next morning. The most important one was helping Sean. Although he had agreed to be recruited, to have his death faked, and to be hidden away from the world, the full extent of that probably hadn't hit him yet. He couldn't return to any of his loved ones. Hopefully, when Division was dissolved, his name would be cleared. But that definitely wouldn't be soon.

"Alex has a protective watch over him now. But maybe you can talk to him later. You guys have a lot in common," Gently, Nikita offered. Yes, both Sean and Michael had been in the Navy, and they had kickass partners they'd destroy the world for. But they had also lost loved ones to car bombs because of Percy, and had to give up their lives because of Division. It was completely unfair and absolutely horrific that those things happened more than once. But at least Sean and Michael had someone who completely understood what they were going through and could lend a shoulder in support.

"Yeah, I was thinking about it," Michael agreed with his wife. He was aware that he couldn't be as comforting as Alex, but he was empathetic. He knew what it was like to have to abandon your life because of Division; he knew what it was like to have to fake your death in order to live. Michael could help Sean transition into the new and strange life. But not that night. Sean should rest that night. And so should Michael and Nikita. A lot had happened recently- too much had happened. They needed a moment to breathe, "Let's just go home tonight. All I want to do is cuddle on the couch with you, eat junk, and mindlessly watch a movie."

"Nothing with explosions or death," Stepping into her husband's outstretched arms, Nikita nodded. She'd love nothing more than to relax and do nothing with Michael. But only if she could forget about their troubles. She wanted to completely relax and enjoy herself with her love. She wanted to exist in a blissful bubble where they were the only two people in the whole world. That wouldn't be possible if she was reminded of so much death and destruction. Just for one moment she deserved peace and quiet. For once, there should just be joy.

"Oh, absolutely not," Michael had absolutely no intentions of watching anything remotely close to what they had been through recently. He didn't want to be reminded of how close his wife was to the car bomb, or how he had almost lost a friend. He just wanted to laugh and smile with his love. Grinning softly, Nikita took her husband's hand, kissed his knuckles, and led him out of the bunker. Together, they could manage to carve out the perfect night. Honestly, as long as they could hold each other, any night could be made perfect. The two would never take that for granted. They could never forget what their love meant to each other.


Sean kept drifting in and out of sleep. After Alex told him about her butterfly tattoo, he fell back asleep in a drug filled haze. Hopefully, the pain meds they had on him would wear off soon. There were things he knew he needed to discuss. Though, he was exhausted, regardless of the drugs' influence. Everytime he forced himself awake, he was dragged back under. The last time he had done that, he had finally noticed Alex curled on her side, staring at him. She wouldn't actually rest. Despite his struggle to stay conscious, he couldn't let that last. He needed to force himself to speak the next time he woke, "Alex. You need to sleep too."

"I can't," Alex whispered. She wasn't surprised that Sean had said something. She had been watching him fight sleep for hours. He refused to rest while there were things he had to talk about. Although she couldn't blame him, she never helped him wake up. It was far better for Sean to sleep. He needed to heal from the gunshot wound. And the fake death drug cocktail needed to be flushed out of his system. The two would have plenty of time to talk once he was well rested. She could promise that.

"Do you think we can get some room service in here? And a TV?" Sean mumbled as his eyes closed again. He could do with some food. And if he was going to stay awake with Alex, a TV might keep him conscious. He had to admit that he didn't have the energy to talk that night. So that could be pushed off for the morning. However, he wouldn't let his love stay awake by herself. She couldn't just stare at him and have her morbid thoughts take over her. She was comforting him with her warm touch, and he had to comfort her right back.

"I'll do both. Just stay with me," Alex kissed Sean's cheek gently. If she was going to stay up all night watching over her love, she'd need food, water, and probably something to distract her from dark thoughts. There was absolutely no way Sean was going to stay awake long enough to eat or watch something. Yet she could take his suggestion to take care of herself. She knew that was what he wanted more than to talk about what happened. Even while mostly unconscious, he had to ensure she was safe and taken care of. Alex kissed Sean's cheek one more time. He actually managed to kiss her before sleep took him again.

"Always."