"If you're gonna get high again, go somewhere else," Nikita approached Alex on the couch, sternly crossing her arms. She knew the young woman was struggling to come to grips with everything that had happened in Russia, but she wasn't going to let her fall back into terrible habits to cope with it all. Was it hypocritical considering she had gotten drunk the second she had reunited with her brother, probably. Yet Alex was supposed to be better than her. She had survived more. She had come out stronger than anyone on their team. Drugs couldn't bring her back to the terrible places she had fought so hard to escape.

"Those were some of the drugs my mom was taking to numb the pain," Alex mumbled an explanation. She wasn't trying to steal Birkhoff's pain medication. Despite feeling like shit, she wasn't going to relapse. Nikita nodded in understanding and moved to sit next to her on the sofa. The two had been somewhat talking since arriving at the beach house. Alex was mostly in a terrible attitude, while Nikita attempted to cheer her up. She felt guilty about that; the others had their own issues to deal with, she shouldn't be taking all of the attention.

But, God, it was so hard to move forward. She had never really learned how to cope with anything. She had been so hellbent on revenge that she hadn't thought about processing her complex emotions. It was about time for her to start doing so. Out of everything she had experienced in her short life, Alex wasn't sure where to begin. She found herself looking to Nikita for some kind of answer. The rogue seemed so on top of things. She was unflappable and immovable. Yet her voice was almost a whisper as she tried to comfort her friend, "I think she's just confused."

"She didn't want me. I mean, why would she?" Alex didn't mean to blurt out her thoughts so strongly. They erupted out of her at the first opportunity to argue against any defense made for her mother. It didn't help that she believed it. She was a broken woman, never able to accomplish all of the great things her father had laid out for her. She couldn't even enact revenge for her family. It was all falling down around her, and she was moping on a couch in a safehouse that wasn't even hers. How could anyone want to fight for her- a junkie who was no more than street trash.

Fortunately, Alex had someone like Nikita in her life. The rogue's brown eyes were fierce as they bore into her blue. She wasn't going to allow the young woman to think less of herself because of her mother. She had been in that position before, and she'd never wish it on anybody else. Alex deserved more than the pain of her family. They all deserved to not be dragged underwater by those they had loved. If their family really loved them, they would've supported them, "Hey. You're awesome. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise."

Alex flashed a small smile. Nikita returned the grin, pulling her into a strong embrace. The two women stayed like that for a while. Wrapped in her friend's arms, Alex felt she could breathe a little easier. Tears still sprang to her eyes, and terrible thoughts still invaded her mind. But at least she could somewhat breathe and relax. She wasn't just thinking about her mother and her inexplicable actions, however. Thoughts of her father and Semak wouldn't leave her alone. Did her dad know about the affair. How long had it lasted. Her voice was nearly mute as she contemplated that question, "Do you think I'm Nikolai's daughter? Or was the affair so long, I'm actually Semak's?"

"I'm my adopted father's bastard," Shrugging, Nikita pulled away from Alex. Although the young woman was confused, the rogue saw excitement in her eyes; it was about time she opened up about her family. After everything, it was only fair to reveal her own share of drama. Alex sat patiently throughout the whole story. From adoption to cover up an adulterous scandal, to Division recruitment to be 'saved' after witnessing an assassination, she let Nikita get through everything without interruption. The rogue appreciated it more than the young woman realized. She was always terrible about discussing her past. The only person she told everything to was Michael; everyone else just knew snippets. It felt peaceful to let another person in- it felt right.

"What a pair, huh," Alex sighed. Nikita couldn't stop herself from chuckling. They really were a mess at the moment. Amidst the drama with Division and Oversight, Ari having a black box, people trying to kill them, and whatever the hell was going on in their relationships, their family was the thing drowning them the most. It wasn't exactly laugh worthy. But Nikita was so strung out and exhausted over the whole thing, she couldn't form any other response. Alex barely chuckled with her. She hadn't learned how to push away her thoughts and feelings like she had. Everything was still too much. And everything still hurt.

Nikita stifled her laughter to focus on Alex. Of course she hadn't expected the young woman to process what her mother had done and move forward all at once. That took so much time and effort. Yet she had to know that she wasn't alone; she was far from it. She could talk and heal with the friends she had built around her, "I had this teacher back in highschool that I grew really close to. When things got too much at home, she always listened to me rant. She used to say her class was a safe place. This is a safe place."

Maybe Nikita should take her own advice. She used to talk with Michael, but he was gone. She shared some things with Birkhoff, but she wasn't sure if he completely understood. And Sean, well she didn't know if she could tell him everything just yet; there were simply some things she never wanted her brother to know. But after her outburst with Owen, she needed to talk- just like Alex. Taking in a steadying breath, she began to tell her how shocked she was when she had learned the true story of her adoption. She also explained the hurt she felt after Madeline offered her up to Percy. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be over those things. Sure, she had moved on. But she didn't think she would ever forgive anyone. She also didn't think she could go back home.

It took Alex a moment, but she began to open up as well. She believed that if she hadn't grown up with so much love in her home, it would've been easier. Having her heart broken and her trust betrayed by her own mother probably fucked her up more than the drugs. Nikita could definitely relate. The things she had been forced to do for Division was nothing compared to the fact that she was only there because of her adopted mother. The fact that so much pain came from their mothers, after they had told them how much they loved them, was life shattering. The women held hands fiercely. Nikita and Alex could draw from one another's strength. They'd support each other as they crumbled.

The two ended up talking for hours. Both never gave any credence to the 'talking helps' advice. Yet in that moment, it was the only thing that saw them through their dark thoughts. Eventually, the outside world called them and they had to put their conversation on hold. Alex was starving, so she moved to tease Birkhoff for his food choices. Nikita, on the other hand, was staring at a text from Michael. He was going to be at the beach house soon. They had to talk. Maybe her long conversation with Alex would lend its strength to hers and Michael's talk. That was a whole different set of emotions to sort through, however.

Michael and Nikita were at least provided some privacy to hash things out. Alex and Birkhoff left them alone, each coming up with their own excuse to run off. The nerd definitely knew more about what was happening than the young woman, yet she was aware enough to know that the couple needed their space. Besides, she didn't mind actually going out for food; the fridge and pantry were abysmal. As she walked along the beach to find something close by, she ran into Sean (who just so happened to have grocery bags in hand). Why either of them were surprised to see one another was a mystery. They managed to laugh off their daze, and slight blushes. Stumbling a little, she took a bag from him and tried to save him from even more awkwardness, "I wouldn't go in there just yet. Michael and Nikita are having a moment."

"About time," Sean breathed another chuckle. Alex just shrugged. Nikita had only informed her of the recent updates from the team. She hadn't gone into depth, or relayed anything about what had been going on. Sean sighed and rolled his hazel eyes. He had expected as much from his sister. Indicating that they took a walk before returning to the safehouse, he explained what Alex had missed. He didn't know a lot of the details regarding Max and London, but it was enough to satisfy her curiosity. He was curious about what she was doing with everybody else, though. He knew of the Guardian and black box chase. But that was occurring in Western Europe. How did she factor in, "How was Russia?"

"Your family drama is nothing compared to mine," Alex told Sean her own tale of events. They had talked on the phone before she arrived in Moscow. The last thing the Seal was aware of was the separate missions. She explained how they converged with Ari and the black box. He took that information with stride. Her mother and Semak, however, he seemed to short circuit as he thought about it. She didn't blame him. Yet she was done dwelling over the shitshow that was her family. It was time to hold her head high. Nudging him slightly, she led the way back to the house. She was still starving, and they had to put the groceries away. Hopefully, Michael and Nikita talked it all out while they were gone. They needed to all move forward.

When Sean and Alex crashed back into the beach house, Nikita and Michael stepped away from one another. Whatever moment they were having, was instantly ruined. Alex kind of wanted to ask about it. Were they yelling, making out, something in between. Except it wasn't really her place. Michael was also taking the groceries from her to help Sean put them away, and Nikita was busying herself with one of Birkhoff's computers. They'd share eventually. Or not at all, and the rest of the team would have to guess based off of how they interacted. That was how it normally went for the couple. In the meantime, Sean attempted to lighten the tension by making fun of his sister, "You let Ari have a black box?"

"If you're gonna be a smartass, why don't you call Oversight and say we have it instead," Nikita bit back immediately, sharing some half-baked idea she had created. She earned various looks for the suggestion, but she ignored them. They might be able to leverage Oversight and Division if they lied about having the last black box. Ari and Gogol wouldn't have been able to crack Birkhoff's encryption anytime soon. The team could create a mission to grab it later. All that matter currently was finally putting an end to the black ops group- to the war.

"I hate your schemes so fucking much," Sean was the first to agree. Michael and Alex came around with some more explanation. And Birkhoff just rolled with it as he returned to the room. Tossing him an encrypted cellphone to use, Nikita punched her brother in the gut. It was part payback for his sarcastic comments, and part cover for what he was going to tell Oversight. Whereas Michael and Birkhoff were unfazed by the siblings' antics, Alex stared in bewilderment. She had missed much more from the team than just drama and missions. The new dynamic was certainly a surprising development. She wasn't opposed to it, though. She liked how carefree and stupid it was. It made that complicated crusade simpler.

It all came crashing down once Nikita heard her adopted mother's voice over the phone, however. She was still so unequipped to meet her adopted mother again after a decade of separation. There was too much left unresolved. All she could do was stare at the cellphone, unmoving. Her voice was nearly robotic when it was her turn to sell the cover of capturing Sean and using the black box as leverage. If anyone noticed her reaction, they didn't show it. Michael did move closer to her. Yet she didn't know if that was to comfort her or to simply be near her. Either way, it did nothing to soothe her as the Guardians crashed the Oversight meeting, threatening everybody. The Pierce siblings glanced at each other in horror. Alex had to voice their thoughts for them, "What's Clean Sweep?"

"A contingency that can take out all of Division," Michael kept his tone steady. He had been the ones to identify the Guardians' voices. The instant the men stormed the emergency meeting Madeline told Sean Oversight was having, Michael went into mission mode. They couldn't just sit back and do nothing. Although the members were corrupt, they didn't deserve to die. They had to face justice for what they had done. Percy also didn't get to dictate what anyone did; he should've been burning in hell.

"We can't let that happen," Alex agreed with Michael. It wasn't just about Oversight. The team couldn't allow innocents to die. Division was evil- that was obvious. However, the agents weren't the problem. They had been abused by the same system as everybody else. Their focus was on destroying the leaders. Which meant they had to go on a rescue mission. Fortunately, Madeline kept her phone connected to the call; they could hear everything that was happening. But before they could attempt any sort of plan, Birkhoff informed them the only way to destroy Clean Sweep was inside Division. Their op was going to be beyond dangerous. But Alex was willing to try, "Birkhoff and I can do that, while you guys take out the Guardians."

Sean and Nikita hadn't said anything the entire time. Their attention shifted between the phone and each other. Sean was terrified beyond belief. Nikita was numb. She didn't like the dark thoughts that had drifted across her mind. The feelings settling in her gut weren't any better. She almost succumbed to them, had it not been for her team. Michael, Birkhoff, and Alex broke her out of her spell as they poured over the simultaneous ops. It was rushed and imperfect, but it was something. They really were going to rescue everybody. Even if Michael didn't like all the risks, "Not our best plan."

"I've had worse," Nikita mumbled and stormed off to save the day. Because that was what she did, despite everything.