Sean woke with a sticky-note stuck to his forehead. He had spent the night at Nikita's apartment. Once she had calmed down, the two talked for hours. They discussed Michael and his prosthetic. They talked about the engagement. She asked about their family, and he answered. Then, she turned the conversation completely on him. Nikita made Sean explain why he had left Division and why he was so terrified that everyone he loved would die in that hellhole. She forced him to open up- actually share his thoughts instead of running away. If he was there with her, then they were going to work things out. Neither were going to suffer anymore.

Although the siblings talked for so long about the problems plaguing their minds, no real solutions were reached. Sean and Nikita simply comforted one another and promised to continue talking- and not just with each other. Nikita had to keep talking to Michael, and Sean had to talk to Alex. Communication was key to fixing what was occurring between all of them. They couldn't let things go and ignore one another. They shouldn't be afraid of pushing the other person. Even if they knew what was best for themselves, they shouldn't stubbornly go it alone. They needed one another. Their pain couldn't make them forget that.

At some point during the siblings' conversation, Sean suggested that he talk to Michael too, but Nikita negated the idea; she'd handle it. Her brother would have argued had he not fallen asleep. He woke some time later in the empty apartment, a note attached to his head. Groggily, he ripped it off and read that his sister had left for a mission. He hoped she had slept before then, yet he doubted it. Nikita didn't seem like she'd be able to sleep for a while, not until she fixed things with her fiancé. After what was shared the night before, Sean wouldn't let her carry that burden by herself. He had to talk to Michael too. And probably knock some sense into him.

Meanwhile, Michael was trying to talk sense into himself. He had finally made a fist with his prosthetic. After he had stupidly snapped at Nikita, he had formed a goddamn fist. It was quite possibly the worst timing ever, especially since he wasn't in direct control of it. Of all the times he needed to make a fist, yelling at his fiancée wasn't one of them. And although he was able to maintain it for a while, taking his self-hatred out on a cabinet, he couldn't form a consistent fist. It continued to take too much concentration to make his prosthetic react. He hardly had any control over it and how he felt about it.

So, when he was called for an intel gathering mission, he had Owen take his place. Michael ran the mission from Ops, leading Owen and Nikita on their attempt to gain any new information on Amanda. Although they were eventually successful, there were some hiccups. Owen nearly blew the whole thing with his awkward inexperience. Michael reamed him out for it during the operation and afterwards in Division. Nikita didn't appreciate that. He couldn't keep snapping at people. They were all on the same team; they all wanted to help. They had to get through it together, "You know, you could've been nicer to Owen. He is trying."

"He needs to try harder, especially if he's going to be your partner," Stopping in the empty hallway Nikita cornered him in, Michael confessed. Making an inconsistent fist with his prosthetic wasn't enough for a mission. He couldn't be a supportive partner if he had that massive of an issue. His skills were much better utilized in Ops, instead. From there, he could train and push agents to do a better job than he could. Owen was no exception. Michael could shape him into an agent instead of just a Cleaner or Guardian. He'd be a great partner then.

"My partner?" Nikita blinked. She didn't know if she had heard Michael correctly. More accurately, she didn't want to have heard Michael correctly. Sean had spent the majority of the night assuring her that her fiancé still loved her. But if that was true, then why was he pushing her away. Why was he forcing her to work with Owen. He was taking himself out of her life and replacing his presence with someone he had once hated. Next, he was going to ask for the engagement ring back. He didn't want to be with her. After all, she had done enough to hurt him.

"I'm more useful in Ops. Owen's better suited to be with you in the field right now," Michael stated matter of factly. He tried not to look at Nikita directly. He stated the information, then turned down the hall. He knew if he looked back and saw her standing alone completely crestfallen, he'd falter. Assigning Owen as her new partner wasn't something he enjoyed. He still wanted to be in the field with her. However, he couldn't. With his prosthetic, he couldn't be the partner she needed. But Owen with his Cleaner and Guardian skills could. Nikita would be safe with him. That was all Michael needed, for her to be safe.

As he walked away from his fiancée, Michael's prosthetic twitched. He attempted to control it, yet that only made it worse. He felt the twinge of phantom pain start to shoot up his arm. He needed to manage the situation. His first instinct was to rush to his space in Medical. There was equipment in the room that would let him recalibrate his prosthetic. Maybe as he did so, he could finally make a consistent fist. Once he got through the pain and discomfort, he needed to keep working with his prosthetic. He shouldn't give up then. The frustration and pain had to be all worth it.

It took Sean some time to make his way to Division. He had to return to his apartment, clean up, and wait for the mission to wrap up. He didn't want to accost Michael in the middle of an active op. What he had to say would be listened to more if they were alone. After searching most of Division, Sean finally located Michael in Medical. He was intently messing with his prosthetic. That matched up with some of the things Nikita had said. However, Sean was still startled by the sight of his friend missing his hand. It was one thing hearing it, and another seeing. It took him a second to get past it, "Hey, man. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Michael slowly flexed his prosthetic. He was beginning to believe he had it figured out. Sure, there were glitches and continued inconsistencies. But the new upgrade and his intense focus just might be the winning combination. He could have full control of the prosthetic in no time. Once he did, everyone would know that he was fine, and they'd stop asking about it. The fact that Sean was there in person asking instead of calling was a surprise. However, Michael wouldn't dwell on it too much. He just wanted the conversation to move along.

"I heard you're not going home. You know, most guys say getting back to something normal is the best way to heal," Sean attempted to engage with Michael. A part of him wanted to immediately tear Michael a knew one, but he knew he had to be more gentle than that. There was a lot more going on than just him being an asshole. He was dealing with massive trauma and change. Sean should address that before he mentioned Nikita. Maybe it would make the discussion easier. If Michael actually wanted to listen to him.

"I know what they say. And I'm fine. I'm handling it," Still not glancing at Sean, Michael shrugged him off. He had been in the Navy as well. He knew how soldiers dealt with their loss and pain. The Seal didn't have to use that coping tactic with him. He also didn't have to come all the way down to the bunker just to check on him. Michael was fully aware of what he was doing and how he was healing. Just because it didn't look like how anyone else coped didn't mean he was doing it wrong. He was fine.

"Did you know Nikita never let me see her cry after Mom died?" Sean blurted. That gained Michael's attention. Yet only for a moment. He did know that Nikita hid her emotions from her brother after their mother died; she had tried to do the same to him. She wasn't one to let others see her falter. She always had to stay strong, even when she was a kid. That was something Sean actually knew more about than Michael. He always experienced it first hand. His sister always tried to be stronger than him to protect him, "Did you know I was with her when she witnessed the assassination that night, and she never let me know what was wrong?"

Michael snapped his gaze towards Sean. He did not know that. Nikita had told him about that night, but she had left her brother out of the story. She constantly did everything she could to protect him, even from people she trusted. Sean needed to step up and return the favor. He had to protect his sister. To do so, he had to make Michael understand that her crying was a big deal. Nikita had been hurt terribly by her fiancé. That needed to be resolved. Michael needed to fix his mistake before it was too late, "She cried all last night because she thinks you hate her. She even turned to me for comfort. Even after I accused her of killing our parents."

"You said what to your sister?" Shooting to his feet, Michael yelled. At first, he had felt like shit for how he had made his fiancée feel. But upon hearing the revelation of what Sean did to make Nikita so angry at him, the lividity shifted. How dare he say that to his own sister. There was no excuse for placing that blame on her after what she had been forced to endure. If Sean wanted to hate Michael for making Nikita cry, then he should look in the damn mirror. He had made both her and Alex cry before he left. Which, if he had accused his sister of murdering their family, what horrible thing was leveled at his girl, "What the hell did you say to Alex, then?"

"Look, I know I messed up. But at least I tried to fix it. I'm not sulking in Medical, making the person I love most think I hate them," Crossing closer to Michael, Sean bit. He had already beat himself up for what he had done to Nikita and Alex, and he was already attempting to fix it. The agent didn't have to get on him. The one who should be lecturing was Sean. Michael couldn't hide in Medical any longer. He had to talk to Nikita and pay for his mistakes. Yes, he was struggling and in pain. But that was no excuse for how he was treating others.

"No, you'll just voice their worst thoughts about themselves aloud," Michael shoved Sean out of the Medical room and into the hallway. Sean pushed back. After that, a punch was thrown. Yet who exactly did it was unclear. The two men were soon attacking one another in the hallway. Their anger and self-hatred had reached a boiling point, and they exploded in kicks and punches. Sean landed more blows than Michael, thanks to his mostly useless prosthetic. But the agent didn't let that slow him down. He went at the Seal with everything he had.

Their loud, stupid commotion quickly drew an audience. Division personnel around Medical flocked to the hallway to watch Michael and Sean beat the ever-loving shit out of each other. No one made a move to actually stop it. Honestly, they were too confused and scared to do anything. Nikita's fiancé and brother were seriously fighting without any sign of slowing down. They just kept slamming into each other and the walls. Eventually, Alex joined the crowd. She was confused at the commotion, then she was perplexed at the sight of Sean, and finally, she was shocked at the scene Michael and Sean were creating.

"Knock it off!" Alex screeched at Michael and Sean. Neither heard her. Or, if they did, neither paid her any attention. The two kept making fools of themselves in the middle of the hallway. They grunted, and cussed, and slammed each other into walls trying to knock the other down. They wouldn't stop. Whether it was stubbornness, idiocy, or a mixture of both stemming from their anger, the men continued to deliver blow after blow. Yelling at them wouldn't make them quit. They were too determined to hurt one another.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Alex seethed. She didn't expect a response. She only waited for a break in the men's punches to step in between them. When Sean soon had Michael pinned against the wall with one hand and drew back a fist with the other, Alex moved. She grabbed the Seal's arm, harshly yanked it back, and shoved him aside. Before Michael could then attack, she pushed him back against the wall. She kept one hand on his chest, the other she held up to keep Sean away. It took the two a moment to register her presence; yet once they noticed her standing in their way, they abruptly stopped.

Despite the fact that both men wanted to hurt one another, they wouldn't let Alex get caught in the crosshairs. They stayed still on either side of her, glaring over her head. She rolled her eyes and huffed. Sean and Michael seriously had to knock it off. She didn't know what had gotten into them, and she honestly didn't care as long as they stopped fighting in the middle of Division. She figured Sean was to blame. Michael wouldn't have started all that trouble. The person she had to force to stop was the one who decided when it was convenient for him to be in and out of Division, "So you only came back here to beat the shit out of Michael?"

"He knows why," Sean muttered, staring directly at Michael. He had sworn once that if the agent ever broke his sister's heart, he'd kick his ass. The warning was mostly performative when he had first said it. He had only given Michael a hard time as he talked about marrying Nikita. He never would've thought that he'd ever hurt her, not after everything the couple had been through. Yet the night before proved Sean drastically wrong. Nikita was actively crumbling because of her fiancé. Her brother couldn't let that stand.

"Shape the fuck up. Ryan has a mission," Harshly, Alex shoved at the two men one last time. She let them go with the information Ryan wanted her to share with them, then she stomped away. She didn't want to deal with whatever it was between Sean and Michael. If Sean only came back to Division to start shit with his sister's fiancé, then she didn't want to be involved. He could do whatever he wanted. Alex had stopped caring about him when he had walked out of her life expecting her to follow.

The rest of the crowd that had formed to watch the fight slowly dissipated. They went back to their stations, knowing they were going to be needed for the next catastrophe. Sean and Michael, however, stayed in the hallway. While the agent attempted to correct his appearance before meeting with the team, the Seal stared after Alex. He had been so angry at Michael, he forgot he needed to talk to Alex as well. Yet, considering the words she had thrown at him that he had finally registered, that ship had sailed. She'd refuse to talk to him. An unfortunate fact that Michael also picked up on, "If she hasn't come around by now, she never will."

"And if you don't go home to Nikita, you'll lose her forever," Slamming Michael into the wall again, Sean snapped. He didn't need to hear relationship advice from the agent at that moment. Not only was it not worth anything, the Seal hadn't completely given up hope yet. He could get Alex to talk to him eventually. Nikita had said the night before that in order for him to truly make amends, he had to stay. Sean needed to work on his fears, and stay. That was also the best way to ensure his loved ones remained safe. He could actively protect them.

Michael was the last one left in the hallway. Sean had bitterly joined the others in Ops, yet he remained all alone. He knew his fiancée's brother was right. If he kept pushing Nikita away, she was just going to leave him. His excuses of trying to protect her could only go so far. He was hurting, and he was taking it out on her. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. He had made her hurt in return. Michael had to do something to correct his mistake. Even with all his efforts to keep her safe in the field, he still might lose her. His pain might ruin them too.