All The Right Moves

Chapter Six: Enigma

I just want to share a few other Nikita stories with you that I'm currently loving:

'Silver Heart' by nikitafanx - It's probably unhealthy how much I'm into this story.

'Fighting' by Good Graces - A real Malex story, great writing.

'Secrets Unknown' by tamilnadu09 - CANNOT wait for the update on this!

'The Results Of Betrayal' by Lucy Freebird - The first Nikita fic I ever read. Truly great writing.

'Division Shall Be Divided' by 30SecondsToMysticFalls - I'm seriously hooked on this one.

I would like to thank not only those who have read, reviewed and added, but also those who write their own fics (like the lovely people above). Seeing how much interest and dedication there is to Nikita stories makes me want to carry on writing. So thank you, really.

P.S. Malex fans may not like me after this. Boom.

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Alex hammered on the door for the fourth time in ten minutes. She needed to speak to him but he wasn't making it easy.

"Your car's in the lot, I'm not stupid you know!" she yelled, hoping to elicit a response. Silence.

Nothing, yet again. That pissed her off. She wanted answers and even if it took all night trying, she was going to get them. Inside, Michael sat in darkness. He knew she wasn't going away any time soon, but he wasn't sure if he could face her just yet. He was confused as anything, in the midst of an internal struggle over which he had no control.

"Damn it Michael, open the door right now or so help me God I will shoot it down!" Her gun was in the lockbox of her car outside, but he didn't know that. With the current state she was in, anything was possible. Not warmed to the idea of having to explain a blown-in door to the building manager and probably Percy too, he stood up from the couch and moved over to his front door. Dropping the lock, he swung open the door and walked back toward the kitchen counter, allowing Alex to enter the apartment. He looked good. Tired, but good. Dressed in a fitted gray t-shirt and jeans, it was a side of him Alex hadn't seen before. Michael crossed his arms as she softly kicked the door shut behind her, moving to stand in front of him.

"Yes?"

"Don't give me that. You know exactly why I'm here. Let's get this over with, shall we? What is your problem? What have I done that's ticked you off so much that you're acting like we're in high school?"

"I don't have a problem with you Alex." he replied, as cool as ice, which only served to aggravate Alex even further.

"You didn't say anything to be on the way home last night. Elena got a full conversation and I got daggers in the mirror. Your texts are one-word answers and you avoided me at Division all day. That indicates a problem. So would you just man up and tell me what the hell is wrong?"

"I don't have a problem with you..." he began, but Alex was on a roll and she found herself rounding on him, unable to control her anger.

"That's seriously all I'm getting? You know what Michael? Screw you. Why the hell am I even bothering?" She had gone slightly red in the face by this point and Michael would have found it cute if she wasn't so angry at him.

"...but I do have a problem with Thom" he continued, reasoning that Alex at least deserved the truth.

"Thom? What does he have to do with anything?" She genuinely hadn't expected that but perhaps it would explain Michael's behavior the night before.

"Do I really need to say it?"

"Well clearly my invite to this little 'anti-Thom' party of yours got lost in the mail, so yeah, you're gonna have to explain a few things to me because I have no idea what's going on!" Anyone would have thought she was part-Italian with all the wild gesturing she was doing.

"He wants you Alex. Don't you see that?"

"He wan..." she started, before scoffing with disbelief. "So what if he does? If that's true, which I highly doubt it is, what does it matter to you?" Suddenly, realization dawned on her and it all started to make sense.

"Ohh, I get it. You're worried. You're worried that if Thom shows too much interest, then weak little Alex might actually go for him. And that would mean a black mark against you, wouldn't it? 'Michael, second-in-command, can't even train his recruits to follow the rules' huh? I'll tell you what, I'll stay away from Thom. How about that? I'll avoid him, so you can keep your place as Percy's lapdog in the perfect little world that is Division. Would that make you happy?" Alex practically spat the words out, her voice raising by the second.

"No."

"Then what?" she shouted. "What the hell do you want?"

"You damn it!" Michael yelled back. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and looked Alex dead in the eye. "I want you."

"Excuse me?" Another unexpected revelation of the evening, one which unnerved Alex ever so slightly.

"That's why I have a problem with Thom. I see the way he looks at you, the way he touches you. It makes me want to break his hands every time he goes near you." He spoke calmly, and the sincerity in his voice shocked Alex. He had never been this open with her before. Their relationship as mentor and recruit had clearly changed since she became an Agent. He had feelings for her. Feelings similar to the ones she held for him. This wasn't supposed to happen. All along, she had said to herself that she could look, but she certainly couldn't touch. She could have feelings for him, knowing she would never act on them for the sake of her mission. But he wasn't supposed to reciprocate those feelings. Alex had never been good with personal confrontation, so she did one thing she knew well: run. Slowly, she backed away from Michael with her hands out, palms towards him. A look of slight panic washed over her face.

"Ok this uh, this is not happening. Wow, I shouldn't have come here. Huge mistake." Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she inched backward to the door.

"Just...I'll see you tomorrow. Eight-thirty in Ops right? Yeah. I'll see you then." One final sprint to the door saw her out in the hall.

"Alex wait!" Michael pushed himself off the counter and ran to the doorway, but it was too late. Alex was gone, and he had ruined everything.

Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth shut?

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0830 rolled around and Alex strode into Ops, bang on time. First stop: apologize to Michael. She spotted him standing a few feet behind Birkhoff, watching a bright blue dot move around the large screen in front of them. She quickly moved to stand next to him, also focusing on the screen.

"Hey, about last night, I owe you an apology for freaking out like that." She spoke quietly to avoid being overheard.

"It's fine."

"No it's not. You told me something that was obviously difficult for you to say and I just ran. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I got caught up in the moment, that's all." His voice was sharp, cold almost.

"What, you think you're the first girl I've ever had a crush on? Please. Actually 'crush' might be a little strong - it's more of a sexual thing, really. Trust me, you're not the first and you certainly won't be the last." Alex recoiled as if she had been slapped. His words stung but his casual tone hurt even more, like he just didn't care. His body language mirrored his words - relaxed shoulders, hands in his pockets. He hadn't looked at her once since she arrived.

"Birkhoff, what do we know?"

Just like that, they were finished. In more ways than one. Michael may have ended the conversation, but Alex was damned if he'd be getting the last word. As Birkhoff worked to frantically pull up unformation on the rapidly moving target, Alex turned away from the screen and leaned in as close to Michael as possible. Casting one last glance up at the man in front of her, she whispered.

"Go to hell."

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The venom in Alex's voice startled him and the ache in his chest only intensified as he watched her walk away. He was trying to protect her, keep her safe from Division's scrutiny. If they picked up even a hint of something between the two of them, there would be trouble.

'They'. It had been a long time since Michael had seen himself as a Division outsider. As high up as he was in the command hierarchy, he found himself feeling more and more indifferent each day. He didn't feel so 'Division' any more. He wanted to tell Alex everything, but he couldn't risk it. If anything happened between them, she would be canceled without a second thought. Perhaps he would too - Percy was hard to predict nowadays. He would have to find a way to soften the situation with Alex, but knew it wouldn't be easy. She would ask questions, her natural curiosity resulting in truths she may not want to hear.

His attitude toward her had been a kind of defense mechanism. He had loved and lost too many times in his life to let his guard down again. She had practically rejected him the night before, so he had built the wall back up around him. He had loved Elisabeth and Hailey and now they were dead. He had loved Nikita and she betrayed him. Twice. He couldn't afford to love Alex and risk losing her too.

He had to try though. For Alex.

For them.

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'There's a thin line between the dark side and the light side baby tonight'

'But if I had you, that would be the only thing I'd ever need...'

Alex had heard enough. It seemed as though every radio station she tuned into was trying to torture her, with each song making her think of Michael. She shut off the stereo and tried to focus on the task at hand. He had said his piece, made his point. She would just have to accept it and move on. Earlier that morning, she had spent the drive to Division contemplating what to say to him. She had expected him to be embarrassed, or even deny all knowledge of the previous night's events. 'Cruel' wasn't a persona she would have applied to Michael, but apparently he did it very well. She would have to shut it out. She couldn't expose herself to distractions, not least a guy problem. Distractions meant sloppiness, and sloppy was not in her and Nikita's plan.

Percy had informed all Field Agents that they would have the afternoon free. He was dealing with the backlash of the Kracev hit, and it was about to turn very ugly. Alex had gotten into her car, headed away from the compound and onto the Interstate. She didn't know where she was going, but was sure to keep an eye on her traveling time, not straying over an hours' drive away from Division in case she was called back. Sometimes, what she really wanted to do was just keep on going. Drive all the way to the west coast and not look back. But she couldn't, of course she couldn't. She wouldn't compromise the plan and she wouldn't let Nikita down. And she wouldn't leave without Thom or...No. She shook it off and focused back on the road, noticing the sign for a plaza up ahead. Making the turn, she cruised into the parking lot and decided a little shopping might be necessary.

As she shut off the engine, something caught her eye. Another big black shiny SUV parked a few rows in front, with a very familiar license plate. Flipping open her phone, she dialled the number she had committed to memory and listened to it ring.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. I'm a little concerned y'know. All I see are women's fashion stores and a homeware store. Something you're not telling me?" she joked, listening to his warm laugh on the other end of the line.

"You stalking me now?" Thom replied.

"Put it down to coincidence. Getting some shopping in. Seems I'm not the only one with that idea."

"Not shopping, eating. This place has the best Italian food I've ever had. See Kohl's?" Erm...

"Got it."

"To the right - Maurizio's. Come have dinner with me." How could she refuse an offer like that? Dinner with a very good-looking guy who also happened to be a very good friend?

What could go wrong?

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Harri x