Set post-series. The women have a girls' talk on the beach.

"Hold on. Let's ask Nikita what she thinks," Alex told Sonya as Nikita returned with a bowl of fruit. The women were relaxing on the beach outside Michael's and Nikita's house, soaking up the warm sun. Their drinks and snacks were always full and their conversation ranged wildly. When one of them would leave and come back, they'd have to take a moment to catch up to the new topic. That time was no exception. As Nikita sat back down on her towel, she stared in confusion at her friends. The expression on their faces didn't clear anything up. Though, that was mostly because they were more focused on the fruit than her.

"Are you sure you wanna ask me something?" Laying back on her towel, Nikita asked. Alex usually didn't appreciate her take on things; she apparently went too far or said too much. If Alex was looking for someone to agree with her, she shouldn't have asked Nikita. She wouldn't get what she wanted. She'd just hear way more than she ever wanted to.

While Alex considered what Nikita said, Sonya rolled her eyes. She was just going to ask Nikita the question so they could move on with the conversation. It wasn't that big of a deal anyway, "Alex said that uncircumcised penises are ugly. And I said that a penis is a penis, doesn't matter what it looks like."

"It does matter. Uncircumcised dicks look weird," Alex continued with her point. Maybe she was being superficial. But she didn't care. If men could have opinions about women's bodies, then she could have opinions about their bodies. It wasn't that harmful of one anyway. Although she thought uncircumcised penises looked weird, she'd still fuck with them- if she was into the guy and horny enough.

"To be honest, all dicks are ugly and weird. If I'm not horny, I don't want to look at one- especially if it's flaccid," Shrugging, Nikita admitted. She could understand Alex's point. The penis wasn't the most attractive part of the male anatomy- one couldn't be better to look at when they were all ugly.

"See. That is what I'm talking about. A lack of foreskin doesn't change anything. A penis is a penis, no matter what," Not that Sonya cared too much, but she used Nikita's response to prove her point. Alex grumbled, yet she didn't say anything else. There wasn't much to argue anyway. They all somewhat agreed. And Alex didn't want to discuss penises further with annoying, oversharer Nikita.

However, Nikita started to laugh as she thought more about the topic. Not only did she have more things to say, but she also had some ideas to mess with Alex. She made it so easy by being so squeamish. Sonya hardly reacted that way. In fact, she often piled on, hoping Alex would overreact. That conversation could become a hell of a lot more fun. Nikita just had to push the right buttons, "I'm sure Alex is just more used to circumcised cocks."

"Don't say that word," Alex's nose scrunched up. She had a feeling she knew what Nikita was trying to do, and she hated it.

"You're the one prejudiced against certain kinds of cocks," Sonya teased Alex as well. She didn't like the word 'cock' either. But if it helped her tease her friend, she was all for it.

"Not you too," Alex groaned while Nikita and Sonya laughed. Her comment was never going to be forgotten. She might as well lean into it. If she kept denying or fighting, the others would keep teasing her. But if she owned up to it, maybe they'd stop, "Look, I think foreskin is just ugly and gross. That's it."

"So are ballsacks and you don't hear me complaining," Nikita quipped. Alex rolled her eyes and shoved some fruit in her mouth; that'd make her feel better.

Sonya popped some fruit in her mouth as well, but more out of thought than anger. Their conversation definitely took a weird turn, which wasn't surprising. However, it did make her think. The three had spent so much time saying how ugly the male anatomy was, but was that completely weird. Or did everyone do that. Maybe it was normal, and her time in Division had messed with her perception. She had to ask the others, even if what they thought was normal was vastly different than her, "Do you think guys talk about our genitals like this?"

"Probably. I mean, objectively, all genitals are really fucking ugly unless you're horny," Nikita reached for fruit as she shrugged. If it was a harsh stance, she didn't care. She just didn't want to look at any penises and vaginas unless she really wanted to.

"Oooh. That's why it's called bumping uglies," Alex had always wondered what that phrase was exactly referring to. It simply never clicked until she heard Nikita's admission. A lot of English phrases were probably like that. If she just spent two more seconds thinking about them, they'd make sense. She just didn't want to think.

"Sex is kind of disgusting when you really think about it," Sonya added. Yes sex was fun and amazing and it felt like bliss. But thinking about it too much- all the mechanics and anatomy and biology and fluids- just made it seem so gross.

"That's why God made us horny. We don't think, just do," Nikita chuckled at her own joke. Alex and Sonya would've rolled their eyes if they hadn't agreed with her. If no one got horny, no one would want to interact with each other's genitals.

"That's how you get pregnant," Replying to Nikita's phrasing, Alex quipped. Not thinking during sex, though fun, could lead to some serious problems. One always had to be smart and careful. No one wanted an accident- a baby, a disease, or otherwise- on their hands.

"Life finds a way, unless you get an IUD," Nikita wiggled blissfully. Whereas Sonya rolled her eyes and chuckled, Alex stared at her best friend in confusion.

It took her far too long to understand what Nikita was saying. Alex knew she was missing something; she just couldn't wrap her head around it, "You're gonna blow people up?"

"Yeah. The next time I have sex, my uterus is going to explode," Nikita snarked. She understood where Alex got confused, yet she didn't care to elaborate. It was more fun to mess with her anyway. Sonya agreed as she continued to laugh. Alex, on the other hand, glanced between the two, bewildered and hopelessly looking for answers. Surely Nikita didn't say what she thought she had. Thankfully, after a few more seconds of torture, things were finally cleared up, "I said IUD not IED, dumbass."

"Oh. Oooh. Didn't you just get one?" Realization hit Alex like a brick. Of course Nikita was talking about birth control and not explosives. She was a little more reasonable than that.

"There it is. And yeah. I got it a couple months ago," Nikita chuckled. She had gotten an IUD a few months after she had received her new identity. She and Michael had decided, while they adjusted to normal life (and continued to fight corruption whenever they found it), to wait on the whole kids conversation. So Nikita got birth control. She was excited to have it for a multitude of reasons. But one of them was definitely because it felt like she finally had a real life.

"So now you can have sex all you want," Although she knew she was opening up a can of worms, Alex couldn't help but nudge her best friend playfully. Birth control did more than just protect against unplanned pregnancies. But that had to have been the big draw for the married couple. They had always been all over each other; then, they had no limits.

"I mostly got it to finally regulate my hormones and stop my awful periods. But sex is definitely a bonus," Nikita flopped back onto her towel, smirking in triumph. She had wanted to get back on birth control since she had left Division. With a real identity and money to spend, she could finally do just that. She didn't have to worry about painful periods or unplanned pregnancies anymore. It was bliss.

While Nikita basked in triumph, and Alex just rolled her eyes, Sonya contemplated what the two had said. She had followed most of it, yet one thing had her confused. Maybe she shouldn't bring it up; they were only going to spiral into another weird conversation. But she couldn't stop herself from arguing, "You can have sex on your period."

"True, one thing leads to another…" Alex shrugged. Like Nikita had said earlier: when horny, you don't think just do. Having sex on your period was definitely an example of that.

"Ew. You guys are having sex on your periods?" Nikita responded automatically. She tried not to judge anyone's sexual preferences- as long as it was safe and consensual, who cared. But period sex just seemed too gross to her.

"It's not bad when you're on the tail end of your period," Sonya explained. Her periods weren't that bad; the worst part of it ended fairly quickly. So having sex while just spotting wasn't that big of a deal. Alex, who hated when they discussed sex and gross things, agreed with her, which further proved her point. For once, Nikita was the one overreacting.

Sitting upright, Nikita stared at her friends in bewilderment. Alex enjoyed the fact that she wasn't the confused and squeamish one for once. She basked it in for a moment. Maybe she wasn't the odd one for always wanting Nikita to just shut up when she talked about her sexlife. Finally, there was something Alex could tease her best friend about and make her wish she'd stop talking. She smirked in triumph as Nikita just shook her head, "I didn't even like Michael touching me when I was on my period."

"Yeah, I've heard the stories. Can't believe there were five days where you and Michael weren't all over each other," Alex snarked. She had heard jokes from Michael and grumbles from Nikita about how awful her menstrual hormones were- she had also witnessed them herself. The hormones were fun to make fun of when Nikita wasn't menstruating. So it was great that she was on birth control. Alex could taunt her all she wanted.

"Your period only lasts five days?" Stunned, Nikita practically screeched. A part of her felt like she already knew that about Alex, but that didn't replace her shock. It wasn't fair that others had better than her when it came to menstruation. Sure, what she had experienced in the past and probably some genetics she didn't know about potentially made things worse. But it still wasn't fair. She seriously couldn't have anything normal.

"Mine is only heavy for two. Then it's spotting the rest of the week," Everyone had different periods, so Sonya wasn't that surprised by the information shared. Yet Nikita looked offended- and angry.

In retrospect, Nikita realized she probably should've gone to an obstetrician for her periods a long time ago. Yet that was difficult to do when she was dead and a rogue. Everything was good then, though, so maybe she shouldn't complain too much. But it was too late, "Did I just get shat on by mother nature? I had seven whole days of raging hormones, clotting, cramping, migraines, and irregularity."

"I'm so glad you're on birth control," Alex sighed. She was honestly thinking about starting birth control as well. It'd definitely be nice. However, her periods weren't as monstrous as Nikita's, so it wasn't as pressing of a matter.

Although Sonya had also heard stories of how 'bitchy' Nikita was while on her period (Seymour's word, not hers) she was curious about why her periods were so bad. Obviously, it wasn't normal. But there had to be an explanation for it. After a moment of thought, Sonya believed she had an answer. Except, she was a little afraid to mention it. Nikita didn't like talking about her family- all those unanswered questions made her uncomfortable. Yet Sonya had to ask, at least to make her friend think, "Didn't your mother die in childbirth? Could that have something to do with why your periods were so intense? Something with your genetics?"

"I guess. Shitty uteruses could just run in my family," Focusing on the nearly empty bowl of fruit, Nikita muttered. She should probably figure that out. Maybe she could get some DNA testing done, or something. She shouldn't torture herself by staying in the dark any longer. Since she was free, there had to be something she could do to get answers about her family and herself. But, honestly, she was afraid to take the plunge. What if she found out something terrible. What if all the answers she wanted turned out to be horrific or just nothing. It was better to live in ignorance. She could just forget about the whole thing and live happily ever after.

"You don't actually know?" Cautiously, Alex asked. Nikita had to have known something about how her mother died in childbirth. Was it some freak thing. Did it have anything to do with any diseases- genetic or otherwise. Was the whole pregnancy dangerous, or just the birth. However, all Nikita did was shrug. She had nothing. No information. No names. Just a vague fact someone told her once when she was young.

Their conversations taking a weird turn could be handled. A sad turn, not so much. Nikita dejectedly ate the rest of the fruit while Sonya and Alex glanced at each other awkwardly. They had to change the subject immediately. Unfortunately, they were drawing a blank on what to talk about next. Sonya at least figured that they stay close to what they had already been talking about. Michael and Nikita had eloped recently, and they had had some sort of honeymoon. There had to be something to talk about there. Though, the hacker was a bit hesitant to go so extreme with her distraction, "So, what's married sex like?"

"So fucking amazing, especially since we're not using condoms. We can feel so much more of each other," Excitedly, Nikita took the subject change and ran with it. She was aware of what Sonya was doing, and she really appreciated it. She'd much rather make her friends roll their eyes as she overshared than think about how little she knew about her family. That conversation was supposed to be fun. And everyone knew sex was far more fun than confusing and hopeless family drama.

"Ew!" Alex shrieked, closing her eyes to erase the image from her brain. As glad as she was that Nikita was soon laughing again, she really didn't want to hear about that. No sane person did.

"That's a lot of trust in the IUD," Rolling her eyes at Alex (Nikita had said worse, and so had some of their other friends) Sonya replied. It was potentially her anxiety talking, yet the hacker never trusted birth control that much. She knew it was effective for hormonal control. But she had always believed that the more protection during sex, the better. Birth control couldn't have been enough.

"It's more effective than condoms. Also, we don't have any threats to be hyper-concerned about anymore," Nikita shared with a shrug. Being free of their wars with corrupt governmental programs meant that they were free in every aspect. They didn't have to be super protective or hyper vigilant. They simply got to relax and be happy. Of course that'd extend to their sexlife.

"So you're saying you wouldn't mind if you got pregnant?" Instantly, Alex questioned Nikita. She had always avoided talking about having kids when they were secret agents, but maybe she'd open up then.

Despite Alex's hope and excitement, however, Nikita went mute for a second. She blushed, picked at the edge of her towel, and eventually mumbled, "Let's change the topic."

"No. You make me uncomfortable, I make you uncomfortable," Alex argued a bit too forcibly. It was only fair that after she had to hear about Nikita's and Michael's activities in the bedroom, that she could interrogate her best friend about babies. She couldn't run from that conversation anymore. As she had said, there were no threats for them to worry about anymore. Anything was on the table for their future, especially kids.

"Oh, look at that. My husband's calling me," Catching Michael's eyes as he exited their house, Nikita hopped to her feet and sprinted away. That wasn't her most elegant way of escaping an awkward conversation. Yet Alex had had her trapped. She was desperate.

"Coward!" Alex shouted after her best friend. Although Michael looked at her in confusion, Nikita ignored her. She said something to her husband that made him chuckle, then he ushered her into the house. Turning back to Sonya, Alex rolled her eyes. She'd make Nikita open up about babies one day. In the meantime, she could focus the question on her other friend in a serious relationship, "What about you, Sonya?"

"If it happens, it happens," Sonya confessed offhandedly. She and Seymour hadn't seriously talked about kids. They wanted to see what their relationship was like when there wasn't a war occurring first. But they both liked the idea of having a family together. If that eventually involved kids, then that was completely fine.

Snapping upright, Alex beamed. She had known that Birkhoff wanted a family with Sonya, yet she had never heard the other hacker express the same sentiment. It was exciting that she did. The nerds had a whole future ahead of them, "You want little nerd babies?"

"I think Nikita had the right idea," Gathering hers and Nikita's abandoned towel and the empty fruit bowl, Sonya decided to return to the house. Some part of her was doing that to mess with Alex; she was so desperate for them to talk about babies, so Sonya was going to torture her by not. However, another part of the hacker wanted to discuss babies with Seymour first. She had a lot of thoughts about the subject, but her boyfriend should be the one to hear about them. He would've been the potential father, after all.

"I had to listen to you guys talk about dicks. But babies are off the table?" Following, Alex loudly complained. She just wanted things to be fair- as well as pry into her friends' futures. Was that too much to ask for.

Birkhoff shared a puzzled glance with Michael. They had heard the tail end of the women's conversation after Nikita had left the door open. The men probably shouldn't have questioned it. Usually when they heard something weird and out of context from the others, it was best to ignore it. But Birkhoff wouldn't let it go. Alex's last comment left him too intrigued and concerned, "What do we miss out on?"

"Nothing worth getting into," Michael instantly shook his head. For a peaceful end of the day, they should simply change the subject. They wanted to relax and have fun, after all. Laughter should flow between them instead. With nothing in the world to worry about, that'd be easy for them to achieve.