Nikita's Paradox, a la femme nikita fanfic

Nikita looked down from the perch, scanning the site below her, and for just a moment, she expected to see Michael walking around the corner. Then the harsh slap of reality hit her as she realized she would never see Michael walking through Section again. She tried to remember how she got there, standing above everyone, peering behind the infamous glass wall of Section One. Being an operative in this hellish environment had stained her mind with so many terrible memories and stained her hands with the blood of countless faces; some of them had even been innocent. So many times, she had seen her targets with their fearful and anxious eyes haunting her even in her waking hours. This vile place was where so many decisions had been made about her life, her freedom, and her turbulent relationship with Michael, and now she was chained to it like a dog with no hope of ever escaping the confinement of his heartless masters. As her mind traveled down the side roads of regret, she shuddered to herself, shivering she wished she had put on a jacket that morning.

It was almost as if Nikita was drawing a blank; she couldn't compute the sequence of events that had recently unfolded in her life and propelled her down the dark rabbit hole that now seemed to be her new reality. She was emotionally blackmailed into taking over Section at her father's insistence. Nikita couldn't believe that she was back in this place. No matter how hard she tried, she could never seem to escape the dreaded walls of Section. She only agreed to stay behind in exchange for the life of Michael and Adam. It wasn't a hard decision when those were her choices. She loved Michael, and ultimately she had chosen to sacrifice her happiness for their safety and freedom. Her devotion had kept Michael from dying and restrained Section's hands from keeping their filthy grasp off his son. She felt it was a price worth paying if it kept Michael and his son alive. It was up to her now to run Section to be a part of the very thing she despised; maybe it was her punishment, she thought to herself, for all the lives she had taken, or perhaps she had died on a mission long ago, and now she was living out eternity in her own personal hell. Whatever it was, she was here now, and she was here to stay.

Later that evening, laughter had penetrated her sleep; it wasn't the first time. It was reminiscent of the terrifying laughter she heard echoing and bouncing off the paint-chipped walls those horrific nights she spent losing her mind in the drug-induced psychosis so long ago on a mission in the insane asylum. Sure, she was in deep cover and had been fully trained to compartmentalize emotions and put everything behind her when a job was finished. Still, the nightmare of that experience tarnished her psyche, and for inexplicable reasons, the sounds and smells of that hellish place had never entirely left her. She had sacrificed mind, body, and soul for Section One, and the nightmares left behind were further evidence of how much Section had stolen from her life, including her peace of mind.

With Michael gone, her days felt like lonely minutes chipping and ticking away at her vain existence. She thought her life without him would be void of any true meaning or substance. As tears started streaming down her cheeks, she darkened the perch until the wet droplets that seemed to have a mind of their own would quit betraying her orders to stop flowing down her face.

Several weeks had passed since Nikita had become "Operations." She was maneuvering through Section with more ease than she thought could ever be possible. People respected and admired her. Nikita was a natural leader and had an uncanny ability to oversee all the necessary components of daily life at Section. One thing that she despised was being involved in interrogations. She was, however, grateful for the "torture twins." They were both more than pleased to provide their services to Section and were completely dedicated to doing their job to perfection. She understood it was a necessary evil in this absurd world she moved and operated in, and to her shocking surprise, she found that she could tolerate it slightly better than she used to. She did take some solace in knowing its function was to help keep the "innocents" protected and alive, but it was a minuscule comfort. Her needs to use "Fric and Frac" were apparent, but she was always uncomfortable around them and viewed them as one might view freaks in an old carnie sideshow.

Nikita looked forward to finding a replacement for Madeline. She was hoping it would be sooner rather than later. Her presence would not be needed so much with the dreadful business of the white room when a replacement could be established. However, trying to find a suitable substitute for Madeline proved to be more complicated than she had expected. To her surprise, she had not been able to find anyone she felt was as proficient or competent as her former brilliant teacher. Madeline was a ruthless taskmaster, but her talent in Section was second to none.

She sometimes felt sorry for Madeline. She was trying to put herself in her shoes, thinking about the toll it must have taken on her life to carry the full weight of being Section's Executive Strategist for so long. Seventeen-plus years of staying one step ahead of some of the world's most genius criminal masterminds, not to mention being subject to Paul's constant demands of perfection, would be more than most people could put up with. Logic quickly removed all empathy, and an ample amount of loathing soon took its place because Madeline tried to strip Nikita of her humanity through the Gelman process and almost succeeded. Thinking about that always brought much hatred and disgust regarding Section One's leading lady.

Nikita always believed that Madeline hated her more and more as the years passed by, and she had an eerie suspicion that it had something to do with Michael loving Nikita more than the precious ideals of Section. Nikita thought Madeline blamed her for having ruined Michael, her perfect operative and protégé. When she first arrived at Section, Madeline was kind to her; it could even be said she showed her brief moments of tenderness. But as time passed, she seemed to delight in the pain she caused her and perhaps even relished it.

Nikita knew that Madeline had an appetite for recruits and took pleasure in training some of their best Valentine Ops. She had thought on more than one occasion that Madeline probably introduced Michael in the aspects of pleasing women. She never asked Michael if her suspicions were correct because she didn't want to know the truth about that possibility. It was something she thought she might not ever be able to get over if she found it turned out to be true. As far as she was concerned, that was one truth that should remain hidden and locked away forever.

Nikita knew Paul had admired Michael's ability to execute missions to perfection. No matter how intricate or complex a situation presented, he always provided countermeasures to get the job done. On the flip side of that proverbial coin, it appeared to her that he also envied the way Madeline felt about their number one operative. It's not that Madeline openly pursued Michael; it was how she pursued Nikita with such disdain that gave Paul some insight into how Madeline must have felt about their accomplished phenomenon. Nikita could see how much Paul loved Madeline, and she thought Madeline might have loved him at one time too, but all she wanted, in the end, was his respect and friendship. Nikita suspected that Paul's ego couldn't handle the blow that ultimately was Madeline's rejection.

Operation's often took his perverse pleasures in hurting Michael emotionally. He would implement and accomplish that task through whatever means he found interesting. Nikita thought finding new ways to be cruel was a past-time for Paul, and he often used Nikita to achieve that goal whenever possible. She knew this was all speculation on her part, but it would explain a few things about the tag team terrorist that seemed to always have it out for the both of them.

Oversight was becoming impatient and had sent three more files for Nikita to download and look at. They told her she had to decide by the end of the week regarding Madeline's replacement. Perusing the files, she found pictures of the possible candidates for the head strategist; three people were being considered for the job, two of them were women, and one of them was a man. Nikita didn't want to work with a man; she would choose one of the women for the position if possible. She wasn't trying to be arrogant or conceited, but men seemed to gravitate towards her beauty. In turn, their inability to see her as capable and authoritative could compromise her ability to do her job correctly. She didn't feel like dealing with that aspect of what would already be classified as an intense working relationship.

Once Madeline taught Nikita how to use the power of her beauty, she used it well. On one of her earliest missions, she caught Michael giving her a quick smile in Section. She was waiting for Chandler's call. Even then, she knew Michael was surprised because of her confidence that Chandler would phone her. That exchange earned her a smirk from Michael when she was proved correct. It melted her heart because it was rare she had ever seen Michael smile. "Why do I always do that? Why do I keep thinking about Michael? I have to get him out of my head; stop it, Nikita!" She told herself. She tried to stay busy and push the thoughts of him as far away as possible, but everything about this place reminded her of him.

Section One had been given very few missions while Nikita was rebuilding the bones of her prison. She knew that's how she would always view Section; as an eternal, continuous, permanent life sentence. The irony was not entirely lost on her that she was also the warden that held the key.

It took a lot of work to ensure that Section was filled with proficient and competent people. One of Nikita's first orders of business was to bring Walter back if he would have her. She had pushed the limits of their friendship countless times, and he forgave her, but she feared he might not pardon her from the monumental deception of working for Center. She would never forget the look on Walter's face while explaining to him that she had spied and collected information on her friends and her enemies in Section for her superiors.

She wouldn't blame him if he couldn't forgive her this time. Of course, Walter loved Nikita, and despite her dishonesty, he could never refuse her anything. To her pure delight, he returned from the farm to be her munitions man, and she was pleased to be called his sugar again. When Nikita revealed to Walter that she had worked for Mr. Jones and told Walter that he was her center, she meant every word of it. She had missed him and was glad he was by her side again. A little spark of contentment was felt every time she looked down from the perch and saw him tinkering away on his gadgets, and she was especially amused to see Walter always working the room. He flirted with every female, young and old, making it feel like home again.

Nikita had also been familiarizing herself with all the different levels of Section, and she was fascinated by how many interesting things had been hidden from her for so long. She studied every procedure and file for hours at a time. She poured over all the schematics of the entire building until she memorized every nook and cranny and secret corridor that section had to offer.

During one of her adventures exploring, she discovered where the entire collection of discs from the neural scrapes had been stored. She remembered how the previous head of Oversight, George, ordered all the key operatives and leadership in Section to be canceled on a black directive. However, they were not to be eliminated until they all had their memories downloaded to a disc. This sparked an idea in Nikita. Just a week before her recent discovery, she had been given Intel that Jason, Birkoff's twin brother, had been in a horrible car accident, and he suffered from severe internal bleeding. It was still questionable whether or not he would survive his traumatic injuries. He had complete amnesia, and the prognosis was not good that he would ever get his memory back. Nikita wondered if he didn't recover from his amnesia could they download Birkoff's memories into Jason? She would put that idea on the back burner until they found out if he would pull through; and if his memory loss would be temporary or permanent.

Nikita chuckled softly because she realized after days of working nonstop, almost collapsing from physical exhaustion, that the force driving her was her need to please Michael. She took to heart the words he had spoken to her when Paul and Madeline had taken away his status as a level 5 operative to punish him for being with her. "Whatever I do, I need to do it well. The best I can. That means something to me." She knew that Michael would never know how driven she was, but she wanted to make him proud of her just as if he had been there.

Michael wondered how a man could simultaneously experience such depth of pain and be so full of joy. Michael was so excited to have Adam back in his life; it was as if a piece of himself had returned to him with Adam's homecoming. Being reunited with Adam was a scenario he quit believing was ever possible.
He knew he had to be strong for Adam, but he didn't know if he had any strength left to navigate himself through the quagmire that his life had become. He imagined it would take a great deal of patience and time to fully get Adam to trust and love him again, and he hoped that losing Nikita wouldn't stop him from being the kind of father Adam deserved.

Michael fixed Adam's dinner; he always enjoyed cooking, but Section left little room or time for the small pleasures in life. It brought him some satisfaction to prepare a simple but elegant dinner for the both of them. When Adam was busy getting ready for bed, Michael sat down in the next room, trying to push the thoughts of Nikita away, but the memories would not flee. He physically ached to know that she was out of his reach. He had been tortured many times and had scars on his body and soul to prove it, but nothing he had ever been subjected to was more agonizing than being separated from Nikita; she was the best of him. After all, they had been through and all the odds they had beaten, didn't they deserve to be together?

Before Nikita came into his life, he had lived in an emotional fortress, partly because he had lost Simone, his first wife, and partially because Section had turned him into the perfect killing machine. They used Michael's talents to train other recruits and exploited his ability to deceive women artfully. He was an astounding operative, but it came with a price, and was much too high a cost. His own lack of feeling imprisoned him. He remembered telling Nikita, "I don't know what love is anymore… but the only part of me that's not dead is you." Nikita held the keys that set him free. All he had to do was listen to her heart beating, smell the sweet scent of her skin, or bury his face in her silky blond hair. He could spend hours nuzzled in the crook of her neck or kissing the curves of her body. Time stopped when they were together. Her warm caress was like a healing balm, medicating the wounds that only she could address. Everything faded away when he bathed in the pool that was her love. She was serenity and passion, peace and adrenaline; she was an adventure and a sense of home all wrapped up in the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She could be delightful and fierce, stubborn and sweet, and he appreciated every one of her attributes, even the ones that made her difficult to love at times.

He had trained her and admired how formidable an operative she had become. He had betrayed her, and marveled at her resilience to trust him again. He lied to her and was astonished by her capacity to forgive. He protected her and was amazed at how much she mirrored a lioness in her loyalty. He covered for her and watched as she put her life on the line to cover for him repeatedly. He rescued her, and she had done the same for him even to her peril. Nikita had already helped heal so many dark places within himself; he wondered what would become of him without her light. Adam came running into the room, wrapped his little arms around his neck, and jumped in his lap. He hugged his son tightly and thanked God for Adam's return.

Nikita got clearance from Oversight to bring in some operatives she and Michael had trained as young recruits. Nikita would have requested each of them, but because she had kept up with their progress throughout the years, she knew that out of the original five they had trained, only two had survived.
Jasmine and Claire would now be joining Section One. Both girls had reached level one status and had shown an aptitude for this line of work. Nikita knew that these young women would be valuable resources to Section One and herself.

Nikita wanted to surround herself with people she could rely on and trust to achieve Section One's objectives. However, Nikita was still at a loss because without Michael or herself in the field; a big gaping hole was left in their ability to tackle higher priority missions. Oversight decided to update Nikita on the main directory from all of the Sections and wanted her to choose some higher-level operatives to help her accomplish returning Section to the status quo.

Nikita was reviewing who she could use for an abeyance mission, another job she despised, when she received a phone call from Oversight.
"Hello, Nikita."
The blood drained from her face, and she could not believe what her ears were hearing. There was no mistaking whose voice that was. Silence filled the space between them, and Nikita could not bring herself to say a word.
" Yes, Nikita, it's me, Paul."
Finally, she was able to form a thought.
"They told us you were killed trying to save Adam."
" You know some of us have nine lives, Nikita."
She knew that had been true enough for Michael and her, and looking back over the past few years; she could now see the same held true for Paul.
"Leave it to you, Paul, to ruin the only decent thing you ever did in this world."
"And what was that?"
"DIE."
"Come now, Nikita, that's not a fair statement; I did try to save Michael's son, and as I recall, there were more than a few occasions that I could have had you canceled and didn't."
"Paul, why are you calling me?"
"Aren't you interested as to why they saved me, Nikita?"
"Just as long as you stay out of my life, I don't care."
"Well, Nikita, this isn't just a social call."
"And I thought we were having so much fun chatting about old times."
"I hear you have taken to the job of Operations like a duck to water."
"Please get to the point, Paul; I don't have all day."
"Well, Nikita, I just wanted you to be one of the first people I told about my wonderful news. I've just been given George's old position at Oversight, so you will once again be answering to me. I guess I didn't have to wait seven years for that review after all."
Again, silence echoed on the line between them.
"Nikita...Nikita, are you still there?"
"Yes, Paul."
" Let me officially say, Nikita, welcome home to Section."

Nikita didn't hang up the phone immediately; she just held it listening to the dial tone ring in her ear until it went silent. She thought, "I can't do this; I can't work for that monster." She knew that Paul could be cruel and ruthless, and she was sure that he would demand retribution for Madeline's death and retaliation for being manipulated by her in Section. The thought of how he would choose to measure out that vengeance was more than a little terrifying to her. She knew she had to get out if she wanted to live, but reality set in; if she left Section, Michael would no longer be safe from Oversight's reach. Michael and Adam would suffer the consequences of Paul's hatred for both of them. As much as she liked entertaining the idea of leaving, she knew her love for Michael would keep her in Section for whatever time she had left under Paul's control.

Michael had no idea that Paul was running Oversight. He did have minimal access to some low-priority information in Section, but it was minimal. He could gain entry through some back channels he had left open that he knew no one would be monitoring. Michael tagged the medical files in Section One to alert him if Nikita's name ever appeared in the database. He wanted to be notified if she was injured or, God forbid, dead. He had learned a few tricks while in Section and covered his tracks with safeguards he hoped would prove sufficient.

Nikita received word that Jason had indeed survived the accident and would not be recovering his memory. Needing Oversight's permission, she ran her idea by Paul, and he concurred that giving Birkoff's memories to Jason would be a viable solution to having Birkoff's talent back in com. Nikita informed Walter about her plans, and even he agreed that it would be an excellent solution to a very crazy situation. Walter and Nikita pledged never to reveal his true identity to Jason; after the procedure, from that day forward, he would always be known as Birkoff.

When Jason awoke as Birkoff, he was told his lapse in memory was due to his accident. He was told he had suffered trauma to the head. Eventually, Birkoff was back at com, and life was returning to normal again. Nikita felt terrible about the deception, but deep down, she was glad to have Birkoff back. He was like a brother to her; she had grown to love him very much over the years.

She couldn't believe she felt the end justified the means and it shocked and horrified her to think she was becoming a part of what she hated most about Section. She was doing whatever it took to make the machine that was "Section One" stay oiled, adequately maintained, and running smoothly.

Nikita was a little overwhelmed and stressed because Madeline's replacement would arrive today. After reviewing all the material on the potential strategists, even though she didn't want to work with a man, she ended up choosing Elijah. He had moved up reasonably fast in the organization and was considered a genius. His ability to outmaneuver the opposing side only matched my Madeline herself. He was tall with black hair and green eyes. Originally he was from Italy, but for the past decade, he had been working in a Section in the United States. His profile stated that he had a natural ease with people and could size them up in a matter of seconds with great accuracy. He excelled in psychology, statistics, and interrogation techniques. He was reliable, hardworking, and loyal to the Section's ideals. He put work first and had not been involved with anyone serious for the last three years. Those were just a few highlights that came to her while reviewing his paperwork.

Nikita was thinking about how much detailed information Section compiled on people and wondered how long they had been watching her before they dragged her into Section. The thought of it creeped her out; she never liked Section's big eye watching her. A smile crossed her face when she remembered throwing all the surveillance equipment she found in her apartment at Paul. She remembered how satisfying it felt to chuck that equipment at him and see the faintest twinge of a smile cross Madeline's face.

She felt guilty because of the intrusion on Elijah's privacy; reading the most intimate things about his life made her uneasy. Even though she was "Operations," she didn't feel comfortable invading people's privacy. Mainly because she valued her own so much, she already knew so many things about him, personal things, and it just felt strange meeting a stranger that you knew better than a best friend.

Elijah came walking through the door, and Nikita froze in her tracks. It's not that he looked like Michael in the face, but physically his height and build and even his clothing style mirrored Michael's in every way. When he walked around the corner and into the command center, it was unsettling to see how his stride paralleled Michael's walk. She knew she had to stay focused. She told herself to snap out of it and quickly. His job was reading people, and she wanted to maintain her composure. She remembered Michael's words about being in charge of people. "It's best to be ruthless. But, if you're not ..., it's essential to appear that way." The last thing she needed was him perceiving her as weak and trying to sidestep her authority at every turn. She put her best game face on and smiled the way Madeline had taught her to do. She waited with her hands behind her back until he reached her, and she held out her hand, offering him a welcome to Section One. He said he looked forward to working here and assisting her whenever she needed him. She showed him to his office and told him to settle in and that they would talk a little later.

It was eerie the way Elijah reminded her so much of Michael. She went to the perch and darkened the room. His presence brought back memories of Michael that burst open like a broken dam flooding her brain with every encounter she had ever had with him. Daydreaming, she thought of every touch burned into her skin's memory; she recalled every time they had made love and what an adventure it always was with Michael. There were so many things she missed about him, the way his curls on the back of his head always tickled her nose when her face was buried in his neck. She missed the way he would kiss her face like she was a delicate china doll starting with her forehead and slowly working his way down her eyes and nose and then her mouth. His lips were delectable, and his scent was intoxicating to her. He made her tremble. His eyes could pierce her very soul and speak volumes to her even when his mouth was silent. She would lay her head on his chest, and he would play with her hair; she always felt so safe and protected in his arms. She could never get enough of him. He was still a mystery to her, but she never tired of trying to figure him out. There was always something new to discover about Michael, some talent he had yet revealed to her in life and in bed. She missed him desperately but was thankful she had her memories to keep him close to her.

Nikita was surprised that she enjoyed working with Elijah. She knew it would take a very long time to be in sync professionally as much as Paul and Madeline were, but so far, they collaborated very well with one another. They were proving to be a very formidable team. He did share some of the same attributes as Madeline when he was "on the job," but somehow, he could hold on to his humanity.

Nikita went to work on picking her next team members. She had chosen a man named Gerard; he was at one time Army Special Forces, also known as "Green Berets." His training included Unconventional Warfare, Special Reconnaissance, Direct Action, and Counter-Terrorism. He could conduct military and paramilitary actions behind enemy lines, including sabotage and using his foreign language skills to intermingle with the local population to discover information that otherwise might be impossible to gather with other types of recon. Years later, after his stent with Special Forces, Gerard worked for different government organizations and privately contracted with them when they needed him for something "off book."

Nikita read the deposition that he had to give after being arrested. She was curious to see the events leading to him becoming a part of Section. "My full name is Gerard Robert Walker. I hereby give my statement understanding that I am under oath. On July 30, 1999, at approximately 6:30 P.M., I drove to Pete's Liquor store to get some cigarettes. While in Pete's parking lot, two guys were crowding a woman and not letting her get back to her car. I walked over to where they were and politely told the guys to let the lady through. When they refused, I did what I do best. A few loose teeth and a busted nose later, the guys were more than convinced to let her go. I walked into the store to get myself a pack of smokes. Being the friendly guy I am, I talked to the Joe behind the counter for a few minutes, and during that time, I could see through the window that the two thugs had come back with six more guys. I told the cashier to call the police and started to head out the door. The employee told me I should stay inside and wait for the police to arrive, but I ignored his advice."
Nikita knew this guy had a little more than a healthy ego.
"I just wanted to teach the punks a lesson about harassing ladies. Within seconds every single one of them had their asses handed to them on a plate. Bones cracked, blood spilled, and none of it was mine. I sat on the trunk of my car, smoking a cigarette, and waited for the police to show up. I didn't think it would be such a big deal. I could have left before the cops arrived, but I wanted to tell them what those idiots had been up to. Before I knew it, they arrested me. I couldn't believe it. If I wanted to, I could have killed the officers and left. I decided I would play it straight and let the powers that be straighten it all out."

When he was arraigned, he was charged with assault, battery, and attempted murder because he was licensed to kill. The judge wanted to make an example out of him because the Court had a personal vendetta against him due to the line of work he was in. The judge didn't like his ego or the fact that he could sidestep the law. He thought it was deplorable that the government used people like him to accomplish specific tasks. This particular judge wanted to make a political statement and ensured that Gerard paid a very high price. He revoked all of his Federal licenses to carry special arms. When his employers found out he got involved with the local authorities, they cut all ties with him. Section had already been watching him, and with his situation being what it was, he was a perfect match. They faked his death, and he was more than happy to come to work for them because he lived and breathed the special ops lifestyle. Nikita had some reservations about working with someone with such a huge ego, but she admired him for standing up for the lady in trouble. She knew his skill set would boost Sections numbers and decided he would be worth the risk.

Oversight sent Nikita her next operative. Jack's entire file was not yet available to Nikita; all she knew about him was that he was fluent in five languages and could pilot anything with wings. He was trained in Urban Reconnaissance and Surveillance and was highly skilled in evasion and escape techniques. He was quick thinking and extremely capable in blood cover situations. He had already participated in two marriages; in one, he helped take down a notorious opium drug lord feeding money into a terrorist organization called Faheem Alam. They were responsible for over 35 bombings that killed and injured hundreds of "innocents." He was exceptionally handsome with striking features, which served him well when working as a Valentine's Op. He had an impressive record and skillfully executed every order given to him. Besides that, she didn't have the usual information that someone of her level nine should be privy to. However, Paul told her that he would update her access to his files when it was necessary.

It had been over two months since she said goodbye to Michael, yet it had felt like an eternity. She wondered in the few quiet moments she had to herself what he was doing. Did he miss her as much as she did him? Of course, her heart knew the answer to that question was yes. She could feel him reaching out to her sometimes, and she hoped he could feel her presence too.

She thought about Michael doing the mundane things of everyday life, like cooking, cleaning, and scrubbing toilets. The thought of him with a toilet brush in his hand really made her laugh. She wondered if he was enjoying his new life or merely tolerated it for Adam's sake. He did tell her that someday he wanted to have children with her. They laughed about having the minivan, the dog, and the white picket fence.

She recalled how comfortable he seemed at home with Elena and Adam. He looked as if he truly belonged there. She could never fully wrap her brain around that because he was so different at Section. He had been so open and generous with his emotions with Elena and Adam. Of course, he was "in play" on a blood cover mission, but she never knew if he loved the whole suburban home life or missed his calling as one of the world's greatest actors.

She wished she had asked Michael more about his life with Elena. She guessed she never did because she feared that talking about the things that involved Adam would have been too painful for him to think about. Nikita wondered if he missed being "Michael" in Section One. Nikita knew he loved Adam with all his heart, she had witnessed firsthand how devastated he was when he lost him, but she also wondered if he missed the power and prestige of his position at Section. Nikita was thinking about many things when suddenly she felt sick; horrible nausea overcame her. She barely reached the bathroom and lost everything she had eaten only a short while ago. She wondered if she had food poisoning or was coming down with the flu. She had felt quite run down and tired lately. She figured it was due to all the stress she had been under trying to get Section up and running to full capacity again. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and looked in the mirror. She immediately thought she needed to get more sleep. Smiling to herself, she thought, as awful as she looked, she was almost grateful that Michael wasn't around to see her. She hardly recognized the face that was staring back at her. She would try to sleep tonight instead of thinking about him. Thoughts of Michael only led to restless nights filled with vague nightmares. She would always have a variation of the same dream, which always ended with her inability to reach him when he needed her. Insomnia seemed to be the standing order these days.

Jasmine and Clair had been working very well with Gerard and Jack, but Nikita and Elijah were both picking up on how much these girls were infatuated with the two of them. Nikita had to admit it was not unlike how she felt about Michael when they first met, and she could see for the first time why Paul and Madeline were so against romances blooming in Section. It took away from the concentration of the operatives and their ability to give 100%. However, unlike Madeline, she thought she could live with numbers being off by fractional percentages, and unless it interfered with missions being successful, she would not get involved. If she was right and knew she was, Gerard and Jack didn't mind the attention. She thought she had seen sparks flying both ways.

"Operations...Operations," Nikita looked up from her computer; sometimes, when she was knee-deep in her work, she would forget that she was "operations" now.
"Yes, what is it?" "Paul from Oversight would like to speak with you."
"Thank you, put him through."

"Hello"
"So, Nikita, we are all very impressed at Oversight with how well your teams are doing. You and Elijah are maintaining the highest success rate out of all the sections."
"I doubt you're calling to congratulate me, so why don't you just tell me what it is you want."
"Nikita, just because we have had a few bumps in the road doesn't mean we can't be civil with one another."
"This is me being civil, Paul; now, please tell me how I can help you."
"You always were a quick study, Nikita. We have a mission planned, and you will be in play."
"But I am out of the field, Paul."
"Don't worry, Nikita, it's only temporary. I'll be sending over all the details shortly."

It had only been a couple of months since she was on a mission, but a few weeks off could mean the difference between life and death. She worked hard to keep her body conditioned and her skills up in Sims, and now she was grateful that she had made the time to do that.
She wasn't upset about being out in the field again; in fact, she got tired of looking at Section walls, and she was pleased to have a reason to get out. Nikita was unaccustomed to having to stay so completely controlled all of the time, she just wanted to let off a little steam, and if it took a mission to do that, then that was fine by her.

Planning missions, reviewing Psych files, briefing operatives, interrogating hostiles, checking the status of recruits, answering to Oversight, and half a dozen other responsibilities took a toll on Nikita. She missed having the freedom she enjoyed as an operative. That idea was shocking to her because it wasn't that long ago that she felt like a caged animal, imprisoned by her zoo keepers at Section. That would be an extreme understatement compared to how she felt now. If she was in prison before, she was in solitary confinement now.

She felt her eyelids getting heavy and was thankful that tonight she might be able to sleep. Just as she started to nod off, Nikita was jolted out of bed and rushed for the bathroom door. Not again; what the heck is wrong with me? She turned on the sink to splash some cold water on her face, and then the realization of the unthinkable almost knocked her off her feet. She reached for the sink to steady herself; only it had no effect. She was still shaking and thought she had better sit down before she passed out. She sat on the toilet with her head between her knees, trying to breathe slow, even steady breaths." Oh my god!" she said, "I haven't had a period in over two months!"

Nikita started calculating the last time she had been with Michael. How could she be so stupid? "Calm down, Nikita," She told herself. "It could be a coincidence; you're under extreme stress, which can make you late, and your nerves are on edge... that can make you sick!" On the other hand, she knew no amount of reasoning could dismiss the physical signs of what was happening to her body, and she couldn't deny it any longer; she knew she was pregnant.

She instantly started to cry because she knew this was an impossible situation. No outcome would be the dream that she and Michael had shared for themselves. She slowly walked over to the bed and instinctively cradled her stomach. The thought of a part of Michael growing inside her was more than she could take in. He was with her, a piece of him, and she already loved this precious being she had just found out about with all of her heart. Was that even possible? She didn't understand it, but Nikita knew she wanted to hold onto that thought for as long as possible.

She imagined being able to share the moment with Michael. Nikita witnessed how much Michael loved Adam, and between the two of them, she knew this baby would have more love than any earthly bounds could hold. "Oh Gawd!" she cried, "it isn't fair!" Sobbing, she held her hands over the vulnerable, precious life inside of her.

Hours must have passed, and she was in and out of a tearful and fitful sleep. She knew that ending this child's life would most likely be her only course of action. She also knew if forced to make that decision, she would welcome death like a thick warm blanket on a stark, cold night.

Oversight would never let her go, and if she ran... "They might let Michael live," she tried to reason. She knew he could survive being recalled into Section, but there were no guarantees for Adam. She thought, "They wouldn't kill him; they would just use him to control Michael. She almost considered the risk worth taking for a moment, but then she didn't have any assurance that she could elude Oversight either. Even if she could avoid being caught, staying on the run when it was just herself proved extremely difficult. The dangers and hazards of living on the run with a baby would be nearly impossible. She knew she was cornered, and no amount of strategic thinking would solve her problem.

Personally, Nikita never believed in abortion. She tried not to judge other people, but she knew that life was sacred, no matter how tiny. The thought of an operative that kills for a living, thinking that life is sacred, would be more than laughable to some people, but the idea of the "innocents" being protected and their lives being saved made her job bearable.

She wished things could be different; she thought of a dozen ways to tell Michael that they would have a baby in a parallel universe. "A baby, a baby," she said softly to herself. She imagined a curly-haired, strawberry blond, chubby little...then she stopped. "Don't torture yourself with things that can never be, Nikita." With that thought, she closed her eyes, closed her emotions, and buried them so deep inside herself that she feared she would never be able to find them again, even if she wanted to.

She woke up that morning with wet swollen eyes, and no matter what she did or how much makeup she applied to them, nothing was helping them look less swollen. One look at her, and people would know that something was wrong. So, to cover her tracks, she stopped by medical; one, she wanted to confirm what she already knew was true, and two, she could tell people she had a slight allergic reaction to something she ate. She was pleased with her cover story and thought it would end any questions about why her face and eyes were red and swollen. Being Operations did have some advantages; she could see medical and not be reported because medical answered to her, and she would threaten death to the doctor by way of white room if her secret got out.

Sitting at systems planning a mission with Elijah was proving very difficult; her concentration was off, and he was picking up on it. When he asked her about it, she told him she was tired from the antihistamine that medical gave her for an allergic reaction she had.
Walter came by to say hello.
"What's shaken Sugar?"
"Walter, it's "Operations" here." Elijah smiled."Not much, Walter; I'm just trying to sequence this mission we're working on for Nigeria."
Walter looked at Nikita's eyes and instantly became concerned. He asked if he could speak to her in private. She didn't want to talk to him but agreed to go with him because she knew he would never stop asking questions until he felt he had gotten to the bottom of what was wrong. His concern for her was because he loved her, and she knew that but she just didn't think she had the strength to hold everything back from Walter once they started to talk, and she didn't want him to know about the baby.
"Okay, Sugar, lay it on me straight. What's going on with you? "
She gave him the song and dance about the allergic reaction, and he wasn't buying it. He had never known her to be allergic to anything except for maybe Paul and Madeline.
"No dice, Nikita; what's eaten you? "
The only thing she could say was that she missed Michael; she was holding back tears when Walter gave her a squeeze.
"I wondered how long it would take for you to let it all out. That's some heavy stuff you have to deal with. I know you love him, Nikita, but you have to let him go and move on; it's the only way you can survive here and do your job."
"Maybe I don't want to survive, Walter."
"Now, Sugar, don't say that. Birkoff and I need you here, and so do Michael and Adam."
Softly, Nikita whispered, "I love you, Walter."
" I love you too, kiddo."

Birkoff called for Operations to come to com. He only called her that when they were working.
"Yes, Birkoff,"
"You wanted the file as soon as it came from Oversight."
"Yeah, thanks" She gave him a quick wink before returning to the perch. Nikita was reading through the intel, and after Elijah had a chance to make his recommendations, she finished sequencing the mission.

Nikita started thinking about being pregnant and going on a mission. She remembered how it had affected Terry. Recollecting Terry dredged up all her feelings when she thought Michael might be the father of Terry's baby. She couldn't believe that it had been almost four years ago. It was at that moment she realized she had spent most of her adult life loving Michael. Sometimes, she wished she could have denied her feelings for him because of all the pain their love had caused one another.

She never had a father, her mother was less than motherly, and she lived most of her life going from place to place and living on the streets. Home was where ever she laid her head. She always felt blessed because she could choose to be happy despite her circumstances. She knew many people just like her who couldn't cope and ended up on drugs or worse. She told Helmut once, "We live with ourselves, and we die with ourselves and the choices that we make." She guessed that was a philosophy she had always subscribed to. Loving Michael was like breathing air. She just did it…she didn't think about it, it wasn't an option to stop breathing, and it was never an option not to love Michael.

Michael was trying to settle into a routine. He enrolled Adam in school and tried to make his life as normal as possible. He enjoyed being there for Adam and saw that his son was beginning to come out of his shell. He had endured so much loss in his young life, first Michael and then Elena. Sometimes he thought that Adam had hoped his mother would return to him as he had. He explained why that wasn't possible, but he wasn't sure if Adam accepted the truth of what he was saying.

Michael didn't have to work. Nevertheless, he thought it was important for Adam to be raised in a home where things were not just handed to him on a silver platter. He wanted to impart to his son a sense of good work ethics and the value of working hard for your accomplishments, so he took a job in construction. Michael knew he needed to do something physically that would wear his body out by the end of the day. It was the only way he could ever get any sleep...pure exhaustion. When the house was quiet and the day was over, he didn't want to spend hours lying awake thinking about Nikita and her new life without him. Fatigue was his escape from dreaming about what could have been. Even then, there were times when as hard as he tried to compartmentalize his life and keep it all separated, the walls would come crashing down. Nikita was always a part of him; she was never truly far from his thoughts.

Nikita was briefing Alpha team on their next Mission. She told the team that Oversight had her "in play" on this one. She detailed how they received reliable Intel of a Class-A Threat. A sleeper agent was planning a job at the United Nations Security Council. There are fifteen members; she explained that they had ten non-permanent members and five permanent ones. "We believe that the hostile is a woman.
They have a meeting in less than two weeks to pass a U.N. Security resolution. Intel suggests that one of the permanent member seats will be targeted for assassination. This narrows the possibility of targets to The United States, China, Russia, France, or The United Kingdom.
Norway has a non-permanent member status in the U.N, and its government has agreed to help us stop the impending, imminent threat on the Security Council. We have implemented a plan to fake the dignitary's death representing Norway's membership. My assignment is to stand in as her substitute, and Jack will be posing as my husband. We are sending a team a week ahead to assist with the simulated car accident, and when that has been accomplished, Alpha team will move in. Claire and Gerard will be working on security detail; Jasmine will be posing as an interpreter, Elijah will be in charge of tactical, and Oversight is running com from Section. Our goal is to stop the assassination by any means necessary. Pick up your panels at tactical; they will include the rest of the details you will need, study them, and all of you are on close-quarters stand by."

Elijah wanted to speak to Nikita about the upcoming mission. He knew most of the circumstances surrounding how Nikita became Operations. He felt that in the past few days, she was dealing with the repercussions of having to stay behind in Section without Michael. He studied her profile in depth and knew she and Michael had loved each other very much and had been deeply connected. Lately, he had seen a change in Nikita. Most people would not have picked up on the small subtleties because her game face was amazing. Although her demeanor had not changed, he sensed she was having difficulty dealing with her loss. She was doing her job efficiently; he admired her strength and effectiveness in piecing Section back together again. To the untrained eye, she may appear fine, but to someone who understood the art of body language, she did have some telling signs when things weren't going well.

These were some of the things he had already figured out about her. When stressed, her voice became authoritative, especially when she wasn't sure she had all the answers. Her posture changed slightly when she thought of things other than Section work. She often smiled and used precision, accurate kindness when frustrated with someone. He knew she always put her best foot forward and was artfully vague when anyone would discuss her personal life with her. Elijah felt concerned for her, and although he didn't want to admit it to himself, he was starting to think about her outside of their working relationship. He was beginning to feel a need to help her deal with her past. He believed it would assist her in her job as Operations, but he was also hoping to help her move past Michael as well.

He knew it had been a few months since she was in the field, and he worried that she would be unable to perform the nuances of a loving married couple. He thought she might feel as if she were betraying Michael. He had come to admire Nikita; she was beautiful, intelligent, and mysterious. He could see why Michael had given up so much to be with her. He would speak to her as soon as they had a moment alone. He liked being alone with her; he had not felt that way in a very long time.

Nikita was on the perch, looking down at the team she had hand-picked. She was proud of what she had accomplished in such a short time. She was also grateful for the proficient and capable people she had surrounded herself with; she knew those choices had made her job much more manageable. While she was contemplating these things, Elijah walked in and asked,

"Can I speak to you, Nikita?"
"Sure, Elijah, What's up?
"I know we haven't talked much about personal matters, but...
Nikita cut him off
"I would like to keep it that way; please don't get me wrong, Elijah, I am not trying to be rude, but I think our working relationship should stay completely professional. The intricacies of this job are complicated. We work long hours daily, day in and day out in close quarters, and adding a personal component would not benefit either of our positions in Section."
"Nikita, I was trying to say that it's my job to know when something is bothering you, and I am here to assist you both professionally and personally. I am a capable psychologist and strategist, and when someone's personal life is out of sync, it can affect one's performance at work."
"Are you saying that my performance at work isn't what it should be? Because we have the strongest numbers out of ALL the Sections."
"No, I am saying that it is my job to read people. I would be less than forthcoming if I didn't tell you that whatever you are going through right now may affect your ability to achieve your goals in the upcoming mission."
"What do you mean what I am going through?"
"I'm not a mind reader, Nikita; I can't tell you specifically what it is you are dealing with, but what I can tell you is that you are probably experiencing loss, sadness, possibly depression, and you need to deal with these things, so you don't end up shut down emotionally. As far as the mission goes, if you can't connect with Jack, you will tip your hand to the enemy. You put your life, the life of your team, and the target's life in jeopardy if you can't perform at the optimum level. I am here to help you, Nikita; you can talk to me. I can be instrumental as a sounding board and confidant. I assure you, Nikita, whatever you tell me would be kept in the strictest confidence."
"I appreciate your concern Elijah, but my personal life is none of your business, and I sure as hell would never put anyone in danger because of "something I was going through."
"I was not trying to make you angry, Nikita. My invitation to listen is always open. Nikita, you don't always have to hold the whole world up by yourself."

Nikita knew Elijah was right. She had to pull herself together; she would never forgive herself if her lack of concentration put her people in danger. She didn't know how, but she would work on separating her personal life from Section life. Nikita recalled a conversation she once had with Michael.
"You didn't like the way I acted when I had to take charge."
"You became a different person."
"No, the same person, just playing a different role. Something we all have to do in here to survive."

She was disgusted at what a spoiled brat she had been. She felt awful for the way she had treated Michael. Looking back, she could see how vulnerable he had made himself to her when he told her, "I think we should stay together." She fought back the tears knowing she was responsible for wounding him on purpose, telling him, " I don't think I want that anymore" She wished she would not have walked away that day.

Nikita received confirmation from medical that her test results were positive; she was pregnant. She had hoped with the slightest glimmer of hope that she was wrong, but now there was no denying what she already knew to be true. Nikita had to focus on so many things, including her upcoming mission. From that moment forward until the mission was over, she wouldn't think about the baby, and with that decision being settled, another of Section's masks had been fitted to her face.

Paul was pleased to play puppet master and had hoped his idea of putting Elijah with Nikita would eventually pay off. Paul had forced her to accept Jack into Section, and he was sure his cunning deception would fool Nikita into believing it was Jack she must be careful of. On several occasions, Paul had told Nikita that she was a quick study; he always admired her exceptional instincts as an operative. She was clever, and he knew she would expect retaliation from him for Madeline's demise and her ruse in Section.

He handpicked Elijah and ensured that he and Nikita would be very compatible. He knew that he could use their relationship to his advantage. He might not have all the details worked out yet, but he had foreseen a wedge he could plant between Nikita and Michael. He congratulated himself on his creative and resourceful plan. He thought it had all the makings of a delightful hobby. He would have dealt with her more directly, but Mr. Jones had placed many safeguards within Center to protect Nikita. He believed that if he couldn't cancel her, he would inflict enough carnage in her life that she would wish she was dead.

Michael came home from work and sat at his desk. He reached for his book when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his computer monitor was flashing an alert notice. He knew Nikita's file had been updated by medical. He closed his eyes for just a moment, "Please don't be dead," He thought to himself, "I don't want to read this." His training kicked in, he pushed away from the fear, and he deliberately and methodically started reading through the medical information. There was no Cause of Death Report! Relieved, he took a deep breath and kept searching through the data. He had hoped it wasn't serious. He read the following few words Result: positive for pregnancy. His mind couldn't wrap around the words he was reading, so he read them again. Result: positive for pregnancy. He looked at the name on the file just to confirm it was Nikita; it was.

He always knew she would make a good mother. He remembered watching her in the Balkans with the brother and sister refugees they had found; she was so tender, protective, and natural with them. Peter and Sasha warmed up to her right away, especially Sasha. Adam had done the same. He knew then that someday she would make a beautiful mother if she were ever given a chance.

The reality of what he had just read hit him like a tornado sweeping through his mind. His thoughts were picked up and slammed down into the present. "Oh god!" He thought to himself. He knew that as soon as Oversight found out, they would make her terminate her pregnancy. He remembered how Terry tried to escape from Section when she found out she was pregnant. He went to her house to convince her to have an abortion. He was only looking out for her best interest, but he was ashamed now of how callus he had been. Nikita risked so much for Terry, and he knew she would do no less for their child.

His thoughts took off like a bullet train speeding down the track. It broke his heart to think of her facing all of this alone and on her own. He knew that she would never survive emotionally, having to terminate her child's life. At that very moment, Michael decided, no matter what, that he would find a way for them to be together. He was going to get Nikita out of Section even if it meant they would be on the run for the rest of their lives.
As much as he loved Adam and wanted him to have a normal life, he already loved his new baby too. He would not idly stand by and watch Section destroy his baby or the spirit of the woman he loved.

Michael knew that contacting Nikita in Section was nearly impossible and extremely dangerous. He would need some help on the inside and was thankful he had previously learned that Nikita had brought Walter back. He accessed the files regarding everyone's downtime and was sure he could reach Walter if he could determine when he was scheduled for some of it. To his surprise, Birkoff was scheduled for down time too. He watched Birkoff die with his own eyes. He would ask Walter what that was all about when he met with him.

A couple of days later, Walter and Birkoff were enjoying a cup of coffee at a cyber cafe when Michael sat next to them. Both Walter and Birkoff were surprised to see Michael.

"What are you crazy? If they find you poking around here, they're gonna bring you back into Section, and then what will happen to Adam?"
"They won't."
Walter looked at Birkoff.
"They won't, he says"
"Walter, I need to speak to you alone."
"No problem Michael. I don't want to know what the heck is going on anyway. The less I know, the better."
Birkoff left to sit at a different table on the other side of the café.
Michael looked at Walter with a question in his eyes and nodded towards Birkoff.
"Yeah, it's a long story."
"I'm listening."
In hushed tones, Walter explained how Jason became Birkoff.
"Michael, why are you here? If Oversight finds out, your life with Adam is over!"
"I need to talk to Nikita."
"Look, Michael, I would love to help you, but Nikita is having a really rough time trying to carry on without you, and if you contact her, you are gonna dredge up everything all over again."
"Walter, it's important!"
"Not this time, Michael; Nikita is trying to put the pieces of her life together. She stayed for you and Adam. Don't do this to her."
"Walter...did you know Nikita is pregnant?"
Walter practically spit his coffee out. "You knew she was pregnant and left her in Section?"
"Of course not; I just found out a few days ago."
" I knew something was off, but when I asked her about it, she said she was missing you. She's been so strong! Ya know Michael, you'd really be proud of her and how she has that place humming."
Michael half-smiled.
"I'm not surprised."
"If Oversight finds out about her baby, you know what they're gonna make her do."
"That's why I'm here, Walter."
"Michael, did you know that Paul is running Oversight?"
"That's impossible he's dead."
"No, Michael, he's alive and holds George's position now."
"How is that possible?"
"You know, Section Michael, anything's possible!"
"Nikita is in even more danger than I realized. Paul will never let go of what happened to Madeline or the fact that Nikita betrayed him. Walter, I need some help on the inside."
"Sure, Michael, you can count me in."
"If it goes bad this time and you get caught helping me, Paul will never let you live."
"Yeah, well, how long can an old man live anyway? I ain't scared to die, and if I die helping my Sugar, well then, that's not such a bad way to bite the dust."
"Do you know the next time Nikita will be away from Section?"
"Yeah, She's gonna be "in play" on a mission soon. Everyone was on close-quarters standby, but a U.N. Security Council meeting got pushed back a few days, so everyone was told to stand down."
"Send me the details. I will arrange for Adam to be cared for, but I have to meet up with her while she's away from Section."
"Sure, Michael, I'll have Birkoff set up a secure line and give you the 411 on the mission parameters."
"Do you think he would be willing to take the risk?"
"No worries, Michael, he'll want to help if it's for Nikita."
"Walter, don't let Nikita know that you're helping me. I don't want to add any more stress to her life; I don't want her worrying about us. She has enough to deal with, and Walter, you can't treat her any differently. She can't know you found out about the baby.
"Yeah, alright, Michael. It's gonna be pretty hard keeping my worry on the down-low, but I'll do my best."
"Thanks, Walter"
Michael left, and Walter thought to himself that was the longest conversation Michael had ever had with him. He talked to him more in the last few minutes than he had in the previous ten years.

Nikita gave the go, and all operatives on the U.N. Mission were on the move. Team one had completed the simulated death of the Norwegian dignitary, and it was time for Alpha Team to proceed. The U.N Security Council would expect Nikita and her husband Jack to arrive shortly. When Nikita and her team arrived at the U.N headquarters on the East side of Manhattan, Nikita felt a spring in her step. The truth was that she missed the action and the adrenaline rush of being in the field.

The U.N. Private Security force was briefing Claire and Gerard about their detail. Jasmine made her way to the Interpretation Service Department. Nikita was being briefed by the Norwegian attaché about the U.N. resolution's particulars that would be voted on soon.

Nikita had to flow freely in conversations with the dignitaries outside the General Assembly at different social events planned for the U.N. Members. Understanding why this resolution needed to be passed was very important. The situation regarding the diamond trade in Sierra Leone continued to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region. She reviewed all the information about the disarmament, Demobilization, and reintegration program and the efforts to extend the government's authority over the diamond-producing areas. She knew if this assassination were allowed to take place, it would halt the resolution, which is precisely what the West African and Sierra Leone criminal organizations wanted. The money they would lose on such a resolution would be astronomical. She was being told something about the sovereignty and political independence of... When she got up from her seat and ran past the attaché.

Nakita bolted to the ladies' room. "Dam it!" I never thought about getting morning sickness on the mission. She made it to the bathroom just on time. I can see it now, engaged with hostiles, exiting egress and barfing a trail back to Alpha Point. She hated not having complete control over her own body. The thought never crossed her mind because she hadn't even allowed herself to think about the baby the last few days. She said she would put it out of her mind for the mission, and she did. She marveled at how training as a Section operative allowed her to believe her own lies. She learned to push things down so deeply that she could forget how to feel. For the very first time, she finally understood what ten years of this life had done to Michael. She freshened up, went back to her briefing, and made her polite excuses about feeling ill from the plane ride.

Michael arrived in Manhattan a few days before Alpha Team needed to be on site. He knew between coms and the surveillance team; he would have to be extremely cautious about alerting Nikita. He didn't want her to react to seeing him and tip off anyone that might be listening or watching. Michael had already made arrangements to be the Norwegian diplomat's chauffeur. He would pick up Nikita and Jack at the U.N and bring them to their hotel.
Michael waited patiently for the call that Nikita's driver was needed.

Jack was escorting Nikita down the walkway to the limousine. Michael was amazed at how beautiful she looked. He knew she was stunning, but seeing her in person after being away all these weeks made his heart beat just a little bit faster. Michael stepped out, had his hat and sunglasses on, and was careful to keep his head down. He opened the door for Nikita and helped her in. When he touched her hand, she trembled. It was ever so slightly, and nobody would have picked up on it, but he did. He wondered if she knew it was him. He stepped out of the way so Jack could enter the car. He put their luggage in the trunk and got back in the limo. The window was up, so Michael couldn't hear what they were saying. She stared out the window for a few minutes, looking like a ton of bricks had just been heaved on top of her. He wondered what she was thinking about. They arrived at the hotel, and Michael helped them both out of the limousine; when he grabbed Nikita's hand, he placed a note in it. He retrieved their luggage, handed it to the doorman, and then drove away.

Nikita felt the note in her hand and didn't tell anyone that she had received it. She wrapped her arm around Jack's, and the happy couple checked into their hotel room. They had a beautiful suite, and Jack was already making himself comfortable. Nikita told him she wanted to freshen up and change into something more comfortable. She walked into the bathroom and unfolded the note. Nikita knew the moment Michael touched her hand that it was him. Michael's scent was always delicious, and he had been close enough to her that she recognized it. Her hands were shaking; what in the heck was he doing here? All that was written on the note was to meet me in room 412. She flushed the message down the toilet. She turned the shower on and slowly got in. What was she going to say to him about the baby? She knew there was nothing he could do about it, and to spare him the agony of what she was going through; she decided that she would say nothing.

She was searching for a reason to go dark approach. After her shower, she got dressed and told Jack she was going downstairs to get a manicure for the dinner party they had to attend later that night. He said it sounded like a good idea, and he was going to try and get a little shut-eye. Their instructions were to conduct themselves like any normal married couple, so he didn't think twice about it.

Elijah spoke to Nakita through her com unit and told her to be careful. They had just received Intel that the assassin's boyfriend might be staying in the same hotel as they were. She wanted to know if they had any images of the guy so she could keep an eye out for him. No." He told her. All they had was a second-hand communication picked up by an informant stating that Ryan Holt could be staying at their hotel. Their only information on him was that his name was associated with a female assassin, and he was possibly her boyfriend.

"Perfect!" Nikita thought to herself. She took the elevator down, and as she spoke to Elijah, she stopped mid-sentence…. "Nikita, Nikita, are you there?" Elijah only heard silence; he asked Birkoff to check and see if there was a technical problem. Birkoff assured him there wasn't. Nikita came back on com and told Elijah she was going Dark Approach. "Nikita, why do you think it's necessary to go dark?" She didn't answer, and Elijah was a little bit worried for her safety, but he told Birkoff to let him know when she returned to coms.

She had to stop herself from running to room 412. She slowed her steps and paced herself. She wondered if she could look Michael in the eye. She knew in her heart that not telling him about the baby was the right thing to do. She just didn't know if she could stay strong enough to keep that secret from him when they were standing face to face. She stood in front of the door for a few minutes trying to will herself to knock. To her surprise, Michael opened the door before she could muster the courage.
"Don't you want to come in?"
"Of course."
He walked up to her, tugged her arm, and pulled her into the room. He pressed up against her, walked around her, and leaned against the door to shut it. She was facing the room, and he was behind her. He gently swept away her hair that was still wet from her shower and pushed it past her neck so that he could kiss it. He covered her with soft baby kisses, sliding across her shoulders, neck, and back. She was standing there with her hands to her sides, melting into his every kiss. Her skin was burning with his every touch. Speechless and dumbfounded, she didn't even ask him why he was there. He turned her around and looked into her eyes, and with the electricity that was flowing between them, he grabbed the back of her hair and tilted her head back so that he could expose the fullness of her neck to kiss and nibble her. Nikita's desire for him made her head spin like an out-of-control plane swirling down, down, faster and faster. Her eyes were closed, but she could feel him looking at her through their exchange of kisses. When she opened her eyes and met his gaze, she knew she would forever be a slave to his love. "Michael," she whispered, "I love you." He picked her up and carried her to the bed. She was already breathless, anticipating the place she knew Michael would take her. He pulled her to him, pressing his hands in the small of her back. She folded into him and kissed him over and over. He explored her body like he was discovering a new universe. He ravished her like each part of her was forbidden fruit, sweet and delectable. He spoke things to her that only he could say, and her spirit drank deeply from the well of his passion.

Michael craved her devotion and adoration, wooing her into yearning for his skillful touch. Pressing into her wrist, he held her hands above her head and kissed her throat. She breathed in deeply and exhaled when he bit her ear. He loved the noises she made when they were making love. He responded to her delights and gave her more of what she wanted. Her skin glistened with moisture from the exertion of their desire. He rolled her expertly on top of him, and he watched as she threw her head back and skillfully brought him to the culmination of his need for her. She knew mountains had heights, but Michael took her higher. She knew that oceans had depths, but Michael took her further. With full recollection, she recalled why everything was worth its cost. What Michael brought to her was pure desire. His love was all that she wanted. After they fell into an exhausted stillness, they held onto each other like their very lives would end if they let go.

Michael wondered how long it would be before she told him about the baby.
She wanted to say something, anything but no words would come out of her mouth. Quietness filled the space around them.
"Nikita, I love you."
She laughed nervously and coyly said, "Obviously."
"What's the matter, Nikita?"
She almost blurted everything out to him but buried her head in his chest and bit her lip.
"Michael, why are you here?"
"Nikita, I know."
"Know what?"
"About our baby."
Tears streamed down her face.
"How could you know? I haven't told anyone."
"I tagged medical to alert me anytime your name was filed in the database. I couldn't live with not knowing what was going on with you."
"Michael, how are you going to love me still when they force me to...force me to."
"Nikita, I would always love you no matter what! I will always love you! That's why I'm here I won't let them hurt you or our baby."
"Michael, we can't survive living on the run with children; I tried that, remember?."
"We will make a way, Nikita."
"I want to believe that."
"Nikita, I'm going to make it happen; I promise you that."
"Michael, how did you know I would be here?"
"Walter and Birkoff helped me."
"Do they know?"
"Yes, I had to tell Walter, or he wouldn't have helped me."
"I have to get back, or they're going to get suspicious."
"Nikita, we can leave now."
"Now? Michael, I have to finish this mission. Thousands of people will suffer if Section can't stop this assassination."
"Nikita, we might not get another chance to get you away from Section, not like the one we have now."
"Michael, I have to do this."
"You don't owe them anything, Nikita; we have paid enough with our blood and lives...Besides, you could get hurt!"
"Michael, I could get hurt crossing the street or driving a car. Elena is proof of that."
"You don't have to tempt fate, Nikita."
She heard the desperation in his voice and thought she might just walk away and go with him tonight.

"Michael, as long as I'm in Section... You, Adam, and I are all safe. We could use that time to prepare for our escape. As long as Oversight doesn't find out about the baby, I'll be fine. I can finish this mission, and we can plan for a future that will give us a good running start. I can hide the pregnancy for a while longer."

Michael knew she was right. It would be beneficial to prepare more, but he wasn't comfortable leaving Nikita again. He put his arms around her and caressed her gently while rubbing her stomach.
"Michael, our baby loves us already."
Michael laughed softly. "And how do you know that?"
"Because no baby in the history of the world was ever conceived in more love than what we have for each other."
He grabbed her as tight as he could without hurting her.
"I have to go now, Michael. I don't want to leave you, but I need to get back."
" I know"
Nikita got up and dressed, and Michael quietly watched her. She leaned over the bed and kissed him one last time before she left.
"How will you reach me, Michael?"
"I'll find a way."
She smiled, feeling like the world had been lifted from her shoulders, and with that being said, she walked out of the room.

Nikita was walking down the hall to catch the elevator. Before she reached them, the doors started to close. Completely bewildered and stunned, she couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. The doors closed, and he was gone. Had he seen her? Would he recognize her if he did?
She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she knew better than that. She never forgot a face and knew it had to be him.
She ran back to Michael's room and knocked. He opened the door, and she practically ran him over, trying to get in.
"What is it, Nikita? What's wrong?"
"I think I've just seen a ghost."
"I don't understand?"
"Neither do I, Michael; I've just seen Stephen Wolfe."
"Nikita, are you sure?"
"Yes, Michael, you have to stay here until you find out what's happening. If I'm right, we can use this information for insurance. Think about it, Michael; Paul would want to know his son is alive and where he can find him."
"If he's here, Nikita, I'll find him." Michael slipped his hands around her and kissed her tenderly. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at her with his head tilted a little to the side.
"What are you staring at, Michael?"
"You."
He lifted her shirt slightly above her waist and kissed her stomach.
Nikita ran her fingers through his hair while he rested his head on her.
"Nikita, be safe," He said in a hushed tone.
"I'm not going to say goodbye. O.k., Michael?"
"Alright then, how about see you later?"
"Yeah, yeah, that works. See you later then," she said with a smile.
She put her hand underneath his chin and lifted his head so she could kiss him one last time before she left.

Nikita turned her com unit back on.
"Nikita, you're back."
"Yeah, Birkoff."
"What happened?"
"I thought possibly our communications were in jeopardy of being intercepted."
"By Whom?" I wasn't picking up on anything.
"Ryan Holt"
"You've seen him?"
"Birkoff, how would I know if I've seen him if we don't have any pictures? Elijah told me he was possibly staying here at the hotel. I wanted to do a security sweep to ensure we weren't being compromised. I had two people following me to the spa" "I would have told you sooner, but this was the first time we've been alone. "Told me what, Birkoff?"
"Elijah is with Paul. I think that Paul ordered you to be shadowed."
"What, I'm Operations…he ordered me to be shadowed? Has the team reported anything back yet?
"Yeah, they have had communications with Elijah."
Nikita's heart sank; if they hadn't done it already, they would soon put the pieces together and find out that she had been with Michael. Oh, Gawd, what have I done?
Nikita wanted to know if Birkoff could use an encryption key to determine the communications divulged to Elijah. Of course, Birkoff would have no problem deciphering the text, but he didn't know if he had enough time to do it before Paul and Elijah might show up.
"Hurry, Birkoff, I know I'm asking a lot, but please, I have to know what they reported."
"O.k. here we go, Nikita, you don't have to worry. It's Jack that they were shadowing. Paul wanted to gather some information on him.
"Do you know why?"
"No, I don't, but they did report that you left your room and have been gone for almost an hour."
"Birkoff, I'm going to have to explain the long absence. Put me into the hotel system as having had an appointment for a manicure and a massage. Make sure it looks like you booked the massage first. Let them know I swept the hotel and didn't find anything out of the ordinary, and now I'm getting my nails done."

Nikita wore a long strapless, red gown that fit tightly to her body. It was a sweetheart neckline with a slit on one side that went to the middle of her thigh. She swept up her long hair into an updo and crowned it with a dainty tiara. She wore a modest diamond drop necklace with matching drop-diamond earrings. She slipped on her long-sleeve gloves that went just past her elbows. Her Porcelain skin was glowing, and her red lipstick finished her look. She looked in the mirror to check her appearance and had a flashback to the time Madeline first had her look in a mirror.
"Look at yourself. Admire yourself. See your beauty. You can learn to shoot. You can learn to fight. But there's no weapon as powerful as your femininity."
Tonight she could believe that. She was pleased with her reflection. She wished she could go to the dinner party with Michael instead of Jack.
She stepped out into the room, and Jack looked her over and flashed her a very handsome smile. "Nikita, you look stunning tonight, not that you don't every other night, but Wow!"
Nikita laughed and said, "Thank you. You clean up rather nicely yourself."
"I'm going to enjoy being your husband at the party tonight. You can be Bell, and I'll be the Beast, or maybe I'll just be beastly."
Nikita winked, then scowled and said, "Behave yourself, Jack; we have work to do."

Jack and Nikita went through security and entered the ballroom. Nikita looked around the room and was moved by the beauty of her surroundings.
Being an operative makes you observant of everything going on around you. You pay attention to the tiniest of details. She noticed the hand-carved woodwork around the ceiling and door frames. The room was lit with four enormous crystal chandeliers, and the tables had the most beautiful flower arrangements. Of course, after spending time alone with Michael, everything looked different, more beautiful, and more spectacular. She checked the surrounding perimeter and was already alert to every detail in the room. She always made her way through her mental checklist. Exit points, other team members, possible vantage points for hostiles, and a half dozen other things that the average person would overlook.

Elijah wanted to make sure everyone could transmit and receive on their com units, and when they were through testing, everyone was ready to go.
Security was extremely tight that evening. Jasmine was sitting at the table with the Chinese delegates, while Claire and Gerard were already on security detail. Jack was getting ready to dance the waltz with Nikita.

Elijah watched them through surveillance and had a twinge of jealousy run through him as he watched Jack and Nikita, and he was surprised because that was so unlike him. He thought that Nikita looked breathtaking and wished he was the one dancing with her instead.

Alpha Team was standing vigilant and went to work looking for anything out of the ordinary. When planning for this mission, they picked up back chatter that alluded to a possible second shooter.

Veronica was making her way to the ladies' room, and Nikita told Jasmine to follow her. When Jasmine got to the bathroom, she quietly looked for the assassin when another woman walked in behind her. The woman started freshening up in the mirror beside her, and Jasmine immediately started doing the same so she wouldn't look awkward standing in the middle of the bathroom. The lady conversed politely with Jasmine and thought, "I wish she would shut up and leave already." Jasmine turned for just a moment to look for Veronica. The woman beside her was adjusting her scarf when she suddenly put it around Jasmine's throat and started strangling her. Jasmine began choking and gasping for air. Meanwhile, Veronica stood on the toilet and removed a ceiling tile to recover her nine-millimeter fitted with a silencer; she had placed it there earlier in the week. Jasmine was keenly aware that the light around her was growing dimmer and dimmer. Reaching behind to stop her attacker, she was failing miserably. She knew that this bathroom would be the last thing she would ever see if she didn't act quickly. She side-stepped hard to her left and swung her right elbow into the attacker's ribs with the full brunt of her weight. She heard the crack, and the pressure was released from her throat. Coughing and trying to inhale air back into her burning lungs that felt like they were on fire, she tried to steady herself.

Veronica busted out of one of the stalls and pointed her gun at Jasmine. Jasmine reached for her firearm, and Veronica shot her. Jasmine fell backward into the sink and sank slowly onto the floor. Jasmine felt the warm blood covering her abdomen and, realizing she had been shot, closed her eyes and lost consciousness seconds later.

Veronica looked at her accomplice Stephanie and had seen that she was injured. She smiled and told her it was nothing personal, then shot her in the head. She walked out the bathroom door and quickly headed for her target. Elijah told the team that Jasmine was down and non-responsive. Jack stayed in the ballroom; Nikita ran to the ladies' room and went to Jasmine's side. She checked for a pulse and found a faint, thready beat. She immediately called for medical.
Instantly she remembered how relieved she was when Jasmine and the rest of the kids had helped save her and Michael from being gassed to death. Her anger turned to rage, and with fury, she pursued Jasmine's killer with only the thought of revenge pumping through her veins.
Veronica was making her way to the ballroom. Jack was already positioned there, but he didn't have a clear line of sight on the target with so many people around. He couldn't take a shot without endangering innocent collateral. Thinking of Jasmine first and saving the targeted U.N. member second, Nikita reached for her Glock and shot Veronica in the back of the head. She had killed for revenge before, but today she wondered where the girl had gone that would have felt at least a tinge of regret; today, she had no remorse about ending the life of another human being.

The mission would be deemed a success, but she felt responsible for Jasmine and knew that as long as she was Operations, she would bear the weight of that guilt many more times; she was happy that she and Michael would be gone soon. She wondered if Paul had ever felt the burden of loss. Being responsible for the lives of so many could take an enormous toll on a person. She wondered if he was different before time and circumstance had made him the soulless shell of a human being he was today. She also knew death was the only constant in Section, but Jasmine and Claire held a special place in her heart. She wanted to protect them and desperately wanted Jasmine to be alright. She asked Jack to stay with Jasmine until medical arrived.

Nikita put Gerard and Claire in charge of tying up loose ends at the U.N. She let Elijah know that she wanted updates on Jasmine's condition as soon as he knew anything about it.

Nikita took the hotel key she found in Veronica's purse. She wanted to gather whatever information she could about who hired her. She knew Veronica was a professional and the likely hood of her finding anything incriminating was slim but worth a look. She opened the door to her hotel room; if their intel was correct, the person she was staring at and looking back at her was Ryan Holt.
Nikita quickly and forcefully escorted him to room 412. She secured the hostile, ensuring he could not get free and gagged his mouth. Grabbing a pen and paper, she scribbled something down and pinned the note to him.

Michael walked into the hotel room and was more than a little surprised to see the present that Nikita had left behind for him. He read the note, and all it said was here sits Stephen Wolfe. Get the details. For some reason, he found the message very amusing. It didn't take long for Michael to convince Stephen that it would be in his best interest to be forthcoming about any information that Michael wanted from him.

Stephen admitted that he had faked his death. He was involved with a particularly heinous breed of criminal element for quite some time. He never really fit in. He did what he needed to do to acquire as much wealth as possible, to help him find his father. The government told his family that his father was MIA in Vietnam, but he always felt it was a lie. He thought maybe his father was still alive and perhaps even working for a clandestine organization somewhere in the world. He needed the money to track him down. He got into trouble, more than he could handle, and used Martelli to fake his own death. After his mother became ill, she didn't even recognize him anymore. He figured he wouldn't be hurting anyone and took on the pseudo name of Ryan Holt. He had been involved with Veronica for less than a year. He knew that she was involved with terrorists, but he never really asked her many questions about her life, and she didn't ask any questions about his. That was what he loved about their relationship. Well...that and a few other things.

Michael knew they had their Ace and felt much better about Nikita temporarily going back to Section. He knew their information would be valuable to Paul, and they would keep it under wraps until they needed something to trade.

Nikita was happy for the first time in a long time. She believed with all of her heart that she and Michael might have a chance to raise their baby together. She already cared for Adam and knew it would be an easy transition to love Michael's son. She hoped that he would grow to love her someday as well. Nikita remembered how open and loving Adam had been as a small boy and prayed that her child would share some of the same qualities as its brother.

Nikita's mood was lighter than usual, and she was encouraged by the good news about Jasmine's condition. With just a few weeks of rest, Jasmine would be back to her old self and as good as new.

Walter was happy to see his sugar back to her old self. Sometimes, Nikita, Walter, and Birkoff would eat breakfast together at the same table where Madeline and Paul used to eat theirs. It always brought a smile to Nikita's face when she thought how outraged Madeline and Paul would be if they could see them breaking bread, laughing, and having such a good time in the same place they had planned so many details of their operatives' lives.

Elijah was also sensing Nikita's newfound happiness. Of course, he didn't have to be a professional to see she had a bounce in her step and a twinkle in her eye since she returned from her mission. He wondered what had changed but knew that Nikita guarded her privacy above all else, and asking about it would get him nowhere.

He thought she was beautiful before, but now something was different about her, and she was even more breathtaking. He felt she glowed, and her illumination was irresistible. He was attracted to her like a moth to a flame. She filled a void in him that had been empty for a long time. He thought he would never feel like that about another woman ever again.

He met Lucy while training her. She was studying to become a Profiler. She was intelligent, beautiful, witty, and wise beyond her years. In his entire life, he had never really felt about anyone the way he felt about her. At one time, he was content with just doing his job and trying to be the best at what he did.
Lucy warmed him, and she found a way into his heart. After meeting Lucy and falling in love, he wanted more from life than what Section alone could offer. The Sections always frowned upon relationships that became too personal and involved. Ostensibly he agreed with their policy. However, what sounded good on paper flew right out the window when he met Lucy. She was a kind soul, and Nikita reminded him so much of her. He never thought he would get over the tragedy of what happened to Lucy, and in some ways, he never did. His love for her had almost destroyed him.

Scott was slated for an abeyance mission. Elijah had already reported his recommendation for his cancellation. He knew he was a loose cannon and thought it would be wise for Section to get rid of him. Scott found out he was listed for abeyance and blamed Lucy for it. Already unstable, this information pushed him over the edge, and he wanted her to pay with her life. He raped and murdered Lucy in the dark halls of Section 3.
When Elijah got a hold of him, his rage was so deep that man nor beast would be able to stop what he was about to unleash on the doomed operative. He quietly and methodically tortured Scott, and he made sure it took him as long as possible to draw his last breath. The only words that Elijah ever spoke through those hours of the crucible were, "this is for Lucy." No matter how much Scott begged for death, Elijah made sure that it didn't come until he inflicted as much pain and agony on him as he conceivably could.

Nikita was exhausted from the day and was happy to be crawling into bed. She turned over on her side and began rubbing her stomach. She always told the baby about Michael. It was a way for her to share her experience with him. She would say to the baby, "Your daddy is so handsome and strong and smart. He loves you so much, and you will love him too." She loved spending that special time with this new life inside her. She already thought about the tiny baby that would be perfect and fresh with no scars of this cruel world inflicted on its pure little soul. She knew that Michael and her would spend their lives making sure that no harm came to their children. Just as she was about to close her eyes, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. It lasted only a couple of minutes, and then it went away. She was uneasy for a moment, but it passed quickly. She was happy to close her eyes and put the day behind her. It only took a few minutes for the day to clear away, and she fell into a deep and restful sleep.

Nikita was alarmed because she heard her name being called. "What the hell?" She didn't know the source of where the noise was coming from. "Nikita...Nikita," she sat up in bed and followed the noise. She opened the drawer beside her bed and picked up the PF3 communicator. She was shocked to be getting instructions from this strange transmitter again.

Nikita always had the PF3 communicator close by ever since Walter and O'Brien helped her get it from Adrian's crypt. She thought of it as a good luck charm; it had saved her life once. She remembered how she had suffered terribly from the side effects of the Gelman process. She experienced headaches, flashes of light, and an extreme amount of pain. She went on a mission and almost died from being so disoriented. It was that tiny little good luck charm that had saved her life. At the time, she thought it was Michael's voice that had given her instructions over the odd transmitter that looked like a piece of jewelry. Later she discovered that it wasn't him and she thought perhaps it could have even been her father. All she knew for sure was that the disguised voice was her guardian angel.

"Nikita"...

"Who are you?"

"That's not important."

"The hell it isn't! Who are you?"

"All you need to know is that I'm a friend. Nikita, look into file number MPNM19751977."

That was the end of the transmission. Nikita wanted to know what the heck was going on, and she wanted answers about who the voice was behind the instructions.

She tried to go back to sleep, but the bizarre transmission left her unable to stop thinking, so she figured she might as well get up and check the file out. She quickly dressed and made her way to where the files were stored. She used the disc Walter gave her so long ago when she was trying to figure out who she was and why she had been brought into the section. Nikita knew it would get her to some level 12 material and hoped that the level would be high enough to download the file. She keyed in the code, and to her surprise, line after line of information was being revealed. She started reading the information and couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing.

Nikita felt a pain in her abdomen again, and this time, it was not subsiding. The pain was getting worse and worse. She finished reading the file and went back to her bedroom.

Nikita's head was reeling. She couldn't process what she was feeling. It was too much! Her breathing was labored, and she felt like the walls were closing on her. She sat on the edge of her bed, distressed about the pain and scared for the baby. It was like she was watching a bad movie. She wished she had never seen that God-forsaken file! Walter previously warned her not so long ago that she may be starting down a road from which she couldn't come back. "Oh, Gawd!" She thought, "Why didn't I listen to him?" Overwhelmed by the facts she had just read, she wished she could ignore and forget what she had seen. Nikita started to cry; she just kept seeing the horror play before her eyes over and over again.

After Paul had been recruited into Section, he was trained as an operative and turned out to be a very good one. He was highly skilled and moved up the ladder of Section rather quickly. He had met an equally gifted operative by the name of Madeline. She was beautiful but deadly. A perfect combination for a female operative as far as Section was concerned. Both Paul and Madeline were extremely useful. They were Section's dream team, and after a series of missions they had completed together, they fell in love. Section was against any such unions, especially theirs; they didn't want anything to interfere with their job performance. Oversight made it difficult for them, and it drove their romance underground.

Madeline eventually became pregnant. She never told Paul because she knew there was nothing he could do to get her out of Section. She felt there was no reason for him to suffer any more than he already had. He already lost his wife and child due to his recruitment. Madeline never knew who from Center arranged for her to be able to have her baby. Before she was contacted by whomever it was, she was planning on going rogue, but before she could go on the run, she was given instructions to tell the people around her that she was going on a deep-cover mission lasting about five months. During that time, she would be allowed to give birth to her baby and then give it up for adoption. Madeline had fraternal twins, a boy, and a girl, and the only thing she would ever be allowed to give them were their names...Nikita and Mitchell. Madeline tried to deal with the trauma of losing her children the best she could, and she returned to Section a much different person. She never found out who the person from Center was that helped her, but she was grateful it was all behind her now.

Paul was so happy that she had returned to him, but things were never the same. Paul never understood why she was so distant. He knew she still loved him, but she never allowed herself to get as close to him as she once was. She put a wall between them that he could never break down. Madeline just closed herself off and immersed herself in her work. It broke Paul's heart, and he both loved and hated Madeline for it. He desperately wanted things to return to how they were before she left, but his pride never allowed him to show his desperation.

Nikita knew this information was given to her so she would understand that she was one of the babies given up for adoption. She always wondered why she never looked like her mother; until now, she always assumed she must have taken after her dad. The mother that raised her had a normal life at one time but when Nikita's adopted father died, so did a piece of her mother. She turned to alcohol and men, and Nikita paid a high price for it. She never knew what a real family felt like.

She just couldn't wrap her brain around any of it. None of it! Why did Mr. Jones tell her that he was her father, and why did he sacrifice his life for Michael's son if he wasn't her dad? She had a hundred other questions, and this information didn't give her any closure to her past. It just fueled the fire to find more answers if it was true.

Did Madeline figure out she was her child? She once told her Operations was her father, so she must have known. If she did, how could she have treated her so hideously? Did Paul ever find out? Was the file even true? It could be a setup. She couldn't think straight, and her body suffered from emotional overload. She felt a twinge of pain again. She thought a shower might help calm her down; when she went to the bathroom, she noticed she was spotting blood. Her heart sank. She hoped the baby would be alright and forced herself to relax and bring her heartbeat to a normal rhythm. She permitted the shower to soothe her and thought she would try to settle for the baby's sake. She knew she wanted answers and proof before she acted on any of this. However, her first priority was to remain composed and serene. She didn't want to put her baby in jeopardy.

Her next mission was to find out if Madeline knew she was her birth mother. Nikita remembered when Madeline first met her and told her, "We're family now, Nikita." Did she know then? Did she mean literally? Somehow Nikita had to find answers.

Flavius was a master strategist with a passion for fighting the incessant evil prevalent in this world. He was an extremely wealthy man that came from very old money. You could even say it was ancient money. His family had served on the side of justice as far back as the Crusades. That is where their wealth started to accumulate. Eventually, they helped create an organization called The Sacred Order of CultusIustitiae Lumen. (The Service of Justice and Light) This was a secret organization that was responsible for worldwide affairs. They had been involved in making decisions about wars and dictators and the rise and fall of many different governments. They had money, power, and a desire to eradicate evil. They believed themselves above any law or authority and did not answer to anybody but each other. Breaking their oath of secrecy would be grounds for immediate death.

Eventually, this organization morphed into what is now known as Center. Center had certain ideals to maintain and the wherewithal to see their goals accomplished no matter how difficult the circumstances. Other men of power and influence joined Center to help maintain their power and monitor every world government. They had an influence on every continent and often were in complete control of different government systems. There was always friction within Center; balancing power against internal corruption was never easy.

Adrian and George were a part of building Oversight. Oversight was an extension of Center. It was their responsibility, as well as a few handpicked others, to ensure Center's agendas were carried out to the very last detail.

It was Adrian that birthed the idea of Section. She believed that for this organization to maintain its anonymity, it would use criminals to become operatives. It would help keep their obscurity. Faking a criminal's death allowed them to exploit people without an outside connection to the world. If they died on a mission, there was no reason to explain why or how they died, further shoring up the walls that kept Section inconspicuous. They used only criminals because it was also Adrian's belief that if they had to cancel an operative for lack of ability or quality of performance, they could justify that act of cancellation. She truly believed it was an opportunity for criminals to find redemption through the act of serving Center. The cancelation was a useful motivator if they didn't see it that way.

Paul was a very patriotic man. He loved his country very much and thought serving in Vietnam was an honor. He never did understand why he was pulled into Section. He didn't fit the profile or protocol Section used for other people's recruitment. From time to time, while running Section, he would try to find out why he had been chosen, but only for the sake of curiosity.

As a young man, he was actually relieved when he found out he would be working for Section. The experience of the torture he endured in Vietnam changed him. He knew while he was still overseas that as much as he loved Corinne and his son Stephen he would never be able to return to a "normal" life. He knew he would never be the husband or father that he once was, and his family deserved better than him. He felt he would be more useful in Section, and as hard as it was to say goodbye to his family, he fully embraced the duties his new life had to offer.

Now at Oversight, he thought he might once more dig into the mystery that brought him into Section, and maybe this time, he could finally get some answers.

Michael was preparing and making arrangements for Nikita to be able to have their baby. He wanted to ensure that she and the baby would be safe during her delivery. He hired a midwife to be available at a temporary safe house when the time came for their child to be born. Circumstances could have been better, but Michael was excited about having a new addition to his family.

Michael thought about his life in Section; sometimes, it seemed like he had been there forever. He put away all the thoughts and dreams he had for a personal life so very long ago. At one time, he felt like just being able to have a second chance at life should be a good enough reason for him to go on but having Nikita's love renewed so many dreams that he had lost. With the new baby coming, he thought it was a perfect tangible personification of what they were to each other, two halves that made a whole. He was happy to believe that Adam would soon have a little brother or sister to connect with; he needed that.
Michael tried not to worry about the inevitable dangers they would all face trying to stay ahead of Section, but he knew that failure was not an option. He would protect Nikita and his children, and they would build a life together no matter how unorthodox their life may be; they would make it work.

Michael was home from work, and Adam was home from school. Adam asked his dad if they could order pizza for dinner. Michael suggested they go to the store and get the stuff to make it themselves. Adam thought that was fine by him as long as they got to eat pizza.
Michael grabbed his keys to go and told Adam to grab a jacket because it was beginning to pour down rain. Michael turned the radio on, and after a minute or two, Adam turned the station. He was listening to something a little louder and more obnoxious than Michael was used to, but he was amused by Adam rocking out to the song they were listening to. The rain was coming down hard now, and Michael could barely see the lines on the road. The pelting rain sounded like tiny rocks hitting the windshield. Adam said, "Maybe it would have been better to have had their pizza delivered." Michael laughed, "Yeah, maybe you're right, son."

They arrived at the store, and while getting the ingredients for their dinner, Adam told his dad some jokes that he had learned at school earlier in the day. Laughing with his son and seeing him laugh was a really good feeling; he was happy to see that Elena's good nature was a part of Adam's character. They got in line to pay for their groceries, and Michael heard a gunshot. Instinctively he knew what the noise was, and immediately Adam fell against him. He thought it was Section, but while a hail of gunfire was being sprayed, he heard a deranged man screaming about being fired and losing his job. Michael was hit and saw the bullet wound on his son's head; he knew Adam was already gone. Michael's blood was flowing, and as his life force was seeping out from him, he thought of Adam, Nikita, and their new baby; then, there was blackness, and he surrendered to unconsciousness.

Nikita was briefing the Alpha Team when she felt a shudder run through her body. Almost as if a chilled, arctic breeze blew sharply across her neck. It gave her a slightly eerie feeling. She immediately thought of Michael and hoped he was alright. For a slight second, she lost her concentration. No one on the team but Elijah noticed, but of course, he noticed everything about Nikita. She quickly continued the briefing while the team listened to all the details of the mission. When she was through, she dismissed everyone and told them they could pick up their panels.

Nikita was standing on the perch, looking down at com. She wasn't feeling very well, and she felt a little clammy. She needed to give something to Birkoff and began walking down the stairs. She became dizzy and felt faint; she held on to the rails to steady herself. Walter came by to say hello and noticed she had no color on her face. She was very pale and had tiny beads of perspiration on her forehead. He was worried about her, especially in her condition. "Sugar, you don't look so good."

" I don't feel so good, Walter."

"Why don't you take a load off and sit down for a minute."

Nikita doubled over in pain and let out a small cry.

"Walter, I need to go to medical."

"Sure thing, honey, let me help you."

Nikita headed towards Medical with Walter's assistance. The pain was so severe that she had to lean on him for a moment. Standing in the doorway, holding on to Walter, Nikita felt a warm fluid between her legs. Scared and horrified, she looked down and saw that blood was dripping at her feet.

"Oh, Gawd! Walter, I'm losing the baby."

Walter desperately wished he could do anything to stop what was happening to his Sugar.

"It's gonna be alright, Nikita."

"Walter, it's never going to be alright...not ever again!" She said with tears in her eyes.

The doctor finished his examination and told her what her heart already knew was true. The baby was gone.

Walter stepped in to visit Nikita and see how she was holding up.

"The baby is gone, Walter." She whispered to him softly.

"I know, sugar." He said sadly.

"Michael is going to be so disappointed."

"Don't you worry about that, honey. He loves you, Nikita; he's just gonna be happy you're alright. There will be other babies."

She closed her wet swollen eyes and hoped that Walter was right.

Walter stayed by her side while she slept. When Nikita woke up, she told Walter she needed to be alone. He didn't want to leave her, but he saw the determination in her eyes and knew this was a fight he wouldn't win. He agreed to go and said he would look in on her a little later.

Nikita lay in Medical, looking at the ceiling and staring at the lights above her. She observed the cold steel walls that surrounded her bed. There was no life in that room, just an empty, barren space. She thought it was a perfect metaphor for how she felt. She reached down to touch her stomach and snatched her hand back as if a mouse trap was waiting to smash her fingers. Repulsion and disgust overtook her, and she became nauseous from the revolting thought that yesterday her womb was full of life, and today, it was a dark, empty place of death.

She started thinking about all the things she would never be able to do. She would never be able to kiss the face of her sweet precious baby or play with its little chubby fingers and toes. She would never see Michael pour out his affection and admire the little life their love had created. This was by far the worst thing she had ever experienced, and if Michael and Adam didn't depend on her to keep them safe, she believed she could have closed her eyes forever.

She willed herself to stop thinking about the baby. She let her training take over and buried her grief deeper than her mind was willing to go. She was grateful to be able to disassociate so easily. She had become a star athlete at telling lies and manipulating people and circumstances. She marveled at her stellar performance at being able to convince herself that she would be alright. And yet again, with another Section mask fitted to her face, she would put the incident of losing the baby behind her. Her new focus would be on Michael getting her out of Section.

Days had turned into weeks, and the weeks had turned into agony. She still had not heard from Michael.

Walter and Birkoff were worried about her. They tried to be a friend to Nikita and help her get through her loss. She just pushed them away with her fake smiles and small talk. She refused even to entertain the idea of discussing anything that had to do with the baby or with Michael. She never discussed anything personal with anyone anymore. She put on her Section game face and went on with the business of being Operations. Nikita knew that if she allowed even a fragment of her feelings to surface, they would overtake her like a tidal wave. She feared that she would never be able to stop crying. Only when she was alone in her bed did she wonder where Michael was. She knew he was connected to her medical file so that he would have found out about the baby. The way she saw it, there were only two possibilities, 1. he didn't love her enough without the baby to risk coming for her, or 2. he had been killed. Either possibility was too dreadful to contemplate. Every minute awaiting Michael's return was a living hell.

Elijah did everything he could to endear himself to Nikita. He didn't let her know that he knew about the loss of her baby. Elijah had access to all of the Section's medical files too. He had seen the day that Walter helped Nikita to medical, and although he didn't break protocol by accessing her file, he knew he had broken her trust. He sincerely wanted to help her deal with her grief, but he knew he would lose her friendship forever if she found out he had spied on her.

Paul had also been aware that Nikita was pregnant. He had hoped to be able to use that against her at the right time. When she lost the baby, he was surprised that he actually felt a little sorry for her. However, he didn't let himself get too carried away with sympathy. All he had to do was remember how she played him for a fool at Section and how she had pushed Madeline into killing herself. Any ounce of compassion he had for her was dried up like a puddle in the Sahara Desert.

Weeks had now turned into months, and Nikita was dealing with the realization that Michael wasn't coming for her. She went into survival mode and quit waiting for her rescue. Nikita's hours were filled with work as she consumed her duties at Section with a ravenous appetite. It was the only way she could get through the long days.

She continued to receive glowing reports and accolades from Center. Nikita maintained a success rate that continued to outperform all other Sections.
Even though Paul wasn't personally happy with her accomplishments, as far as Center was concerned, Section's victories were perceived as Oversight's triumphs. Her ability to attain Section's goals reflected very well on him. Paul was beginning to wonder if he should change his strategy concerning Nikita, he knew she would be miserable serving Section all of her days, and her misery was the stuff that sweet revenge was made of. He rather enjoyed the thought of her hard work helping his career at Oversight. "Yes," he thought, "I will have to rethink my strategy."

Nikita never thought about leaving Section anymore, and she resigned herself to the fact that she would spend the remaining useful years of her life as Operations. Anytime she would start to think about Michael, she would throw herself further into her work.

Nikita still pressed toward finding as much information as she could about Paul and Madeline. She had questions and lots of them. She needed to know if any part or the entire part of the file she found was genuine. She knew that Section played many games with the "truth" whenever it benefited their agenda. Not knowing who was behind her finding the information in the first place made her question the file's authenticity. She had to find the truth no matter where the road led her. If she had a brother and he was alive, she wanted to meet him. She needed to find out if, like herself, he was brought into Section.

Searching for more answers, she found a backup file that Quinn had filed in their database. It was the Madeline AI program that she had created for Paul. Nikita thought about how much that hologram had creeped her out and how much she hated seeing Madeline's likeness used like that. Even so, she decided to get Birkoff's help and have him download all of Madeline's memories from the neural scrape disc into the AI that had all her Psychological and analytical profiles documented. After all of these years, she thought maybe, just maybe, she would finally get down to the bottom of why she was recruited into Section.

Birkoff wanted to know why Nikita was so interested in having Madeline "resurrected," so to speak. Nikita told Birkoff just to do what he was told and quit asking questions. He didn't like Nikita being so harsh with him, but he knew she had been through a lot and tried to remember what she was like before she lost the baby. He told her it would be a couple of hours before he was through. Nikita told him to call her immediately when he was finished.

Birkoff called Operations to lab four. When Nikita arrived, Madeline was waiting for her. Birkoff smiled and said, "Wouldn't it be fun to slap her in the face." Nikita rolled her eyes and told Birkoff, "That would be all." With that being said, he shrugged his shoulders and left.

Even though she was uncomfortable talking to Madeline's AI, she began to question it.

"Did you have a baby?"

"I had two."

"Were they twins?"

"Yes, they were fraternal twins."

"What were their names?"

"Nikita and Mitchell."

"What happened to them?"

"They were adopted."

"Was I adopted?"

"Yes"

"Are you my mother?"

"Yes."

Tears were welling up in Nikita's eyes.

"Do you know why I was brought to Section?"

"No"

"Was it a coincidence that I came to Section?"

"That is a mathematical impossibility."

"Did you know I was your daughter?"

"When you came to Section, I was curious about your name. I didn't think much about it except that I always liked that name. I placed only one condition for the families that adopted my twins. They must retain their first names. I thought it might help me find them later in life if I ever had the opportunity to look for them. There were things that Section knew about you that you didn't even know about yourself. When you came to us, I familiarized myself with your file and found some odd similarities in the timing and circumstances of your adoption. I decided to test your DNA. I knew it was a long shot, but deep down, I never stopped hoping to find you someday."

"How could you say that? You were so cruel, and you even tried to have me killed."

"I was not always cruel to you, Nikita. Firm, maybe, because I knew your life depended on it. I did not become"cruel," as you put it, until Oversight administered the Gelman process to me. They found out through files that I thought were secure that I was going to finally tell Paul and let you and him both know that I was your birth mother and he was your birth father. On whose orders that directive was given, I do not know."

Nikita was trying to digest all that Madeline's AI had told her.

She understood better than anyone what the Gelman process did to people. She had almost killed Michael and knew how much she loved him. It made perfect sense that Madeline had no emotions regarding her. Everything she thought about Madeline was softening, and she truly felt sorry for her.

"Does Paul know he is my father?"

"No"

"Why did Mr. Jones say he was my father, and why did he sacrifice his life for the return of Michael's son?"

"I could calculate some probabilities, but that is all they would be."

"Madeline, did you ever love me?"

"Yes. Nikita, even though I am not really Madeline and cannot feel anything, I have access to all of her memories. At one time, she loved you and your brother very much. She suffered greatly over the loss of both of you."

"Do you know who my brother is?"

"Yes"

"Who is he?"

"You know him as Mick Schtoppel."

Nikita remembered dismissing that possibility when she discovered that she might have a brother and was shocked to find out the truth.

"Does he know anything about being your son or my brother?"

"To the knowledge of Madeline before she passed away, no, he did not."

"Wow! Mick Schtoppel"

"Nikita, it is not safe for you to know the information you now possess, and you must proceed with caution. I paid a high price for knowing these facts."

"I still don't know why I'm here. Why wouldn't they just leave me where I was? Who was it if it wasn't you or Paul who brought me here?"

"I suspect whoever helped me hide my pregnancy so long ago would know the answer to that question."

"Do you know who that person is?"

"No, I never found out, and it always remained a mystery to me."

"Could it be the same person that has anonymously helped me?"

"The probability of that is extremely high."

"I wish I could have known a different side to you, Madeline."

Nikita actually felt a burden lift from her shoulders even though she knew she wasn't actually speaking to Madeline. Knowing that she really did love her at one time meant something to Nikita. She still had many questions, but having some light shed on her relationship with Madeline had brought her some comfort, and it had been quite a while since she felt comfort of any kind.

Center contacted Paul. They received intelligence on a class ten activity and wanted to bring him up to date. Per the request of Center, Paul arranged a meeting with Nikita at Section.

Waiting in committee for Paul, Nikita wondered what the meeting was about and how she would feel about seeing him face to face now that she knew he was her father. The thought of that still made her queasy. She couldn't believe that his blood had run through her veins. " It would be nice not to have him as an enemy." She thought to herself, maybe she would break down and just be honest with him; "Honesty, what a concept." Then she remembered what he had done to his ex-wife Corinne. She couldn't imagine that if Paul knew she was his daughter, it would make much of a difference to him anyway.

Paul strolled into the committee room with an exaggerated air of confidence. In her opinion, it bordered obnoxious.

"It's so nice of you to host our meeting, Nikita."

"I didn't have much choice now, did I?"

"No, I suppose not."

"So, why are we meeting here anyway, Paul? What's so important that we couldn't have just spoken over the phone?"

"You're going to appreciate this one, Nikita...We will be working together...on a mission...in the field."
He said smugly.

"Please, Paul, tell me this is some sick joke. You really do need to work on your sense of humor."

"I wish I could say it was a joke, Nikita, but sadly it's not."

"Why us...together?"

"Center received vital information on a Class 10 Activity. Of course, that means this is now Section One's highest priority. A Soviet Arms Dealer named Adrik Grigorev is setting up a meeting to sell weapons-grade Plutonium, also known as Pu-239. Jakko and Halina Alekseer are business partners. They also happen to be father and daughter as well. They specialize in facilitating transactions between different criminal and terrorist organizations. They broker deals for both buyers and sellers, and they are in the supply and demand trade. They distribute whatever is needed, and they'll move anything for anybody as long as it turns a profit, weapons, drugs, fake documents, and even people. They are very good at what they do and have eluded Section for almost five years. A reliable informant has notified us that they will make the Pu-239 purchase on behalf of a terrorist cell called Femin Al-Sistani. The informant has also given us details about where Jaakko and Halina will stay for the next two days. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity to grab them.

This is going to be a threefold mission. You will put together your best Alpha-Team and apprehend both of them. Once we have them in our possession, Elijah will interrogate and acquire when and where the Pu-239 is being purchased and when and where it is being turned over to Femin Al-Sistani.
Adrik has never seen Jaakko or Halina, so Center wants you and me to pose as father and daughter and take them...
Before Paul could even finish his sentence, Nikita laughed, and thought isn't this an ironic turn of events, the two of us posing as a father and daughter.

We must secure the plutonium and take down Adrik. There can be absolutely no mistakes! If the Pu-239 is left on the market, it can be used in a small portable nuclear device that could be easily smuggled to almost any destination. After we apprehend them, we will turn around and make the drop-off meeting for the Femin-Al Sistani cell. "Any questions?"

"No, daddy...I think I got it." She said sarcastically."

Michael was chopping wood with Adam. He loved the way the pine trees smelled all around him. Nikita sat in an oversized chair, curled up with her cat, Roxel, and a good book. She enjoyed listening to the crackle of the wood in the fireplace next to her. Michael came inside the cabin and marveled at seeing his beautiful wife and equally beautiful sleeping baby girl. She was wrapped up tightly in the cradle he had made for her. He watched as the firelight reflected off Nikita's eyes and thought he had seen a small glimpse of heaven. Adam got out the Chess board to play a game on the floor while Michael stoked the fire. As soon as Adam was done setting up the pieces on the board as if on cue, Roxel jumped off Nikita's lap and knocked them all down. Adam got mad and started saying how lame the cat was. Michael just started laughing at him, and Nikita joined in. They started laughing so hard that Adam soon joined them too. The baby, Alexandria, didn't think all that noise was quite so funny as she woke up because of it. She started to fuss, and Michael picked her up and began whispering softly to her. She was his delicate little princess, and he would forever be her Knight in shining armor.

Michael felt a hard thump on his head. He was being dragged out of bed by his hair. He couldn't focus through the fog that surrounded his brain.
He heard someone yelling for him to get up, but his legs were shaky, and he seemed to have no strength. He couldn't get his mind or his body to cooperate. He felt a sharp kick in his side and wanted to get up and beat the hell out of whoever was kicking him...wait, he thought to himself...why am I being kicked?... Where the hell am I? His eyes were beginning to focus...this isn't the cabin. He forced himself to stay calm. He was trying to understand what the heck was going on. Remember, damn it, try to remember something! Why won't this guy shut up? Why can't I remember anything? He stood up, leaning his body weight against the cold concrete wall. He was almost backhanded in the face when Michael reflexively blocked the hit and instinctively took the palm of his hand and struck his assailant in the face. Screaming about his nose being broken, the bleeding man told Michael he would pay for that mistake and left to take care of his nose.

Michael was like a caged cat. He turned his head in all directions looking for a way to escape. His body was weak, and he couldn't even stand alone without leaning most of his weight on the wall. He was trying to remember any clue that would explain his circumstance. The last thing he could vaguely remember was riding in an ambulance.

"Oh, Gawd! Adam...he was shot! He didn't survive!" His heart was breaking all over again. His sweet, sweet boy. He couldn't catch his breath. "Adam, I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Are you Michael?"

Where was he? Why couldn't he think straight? A voice from the room next door was saying something to him. He couldn't make it out, so he hobbled over to a small hole in the wall.

"Is your name Michael? I heard the guards call you that."

"Who are you?

"I am a friend; my name is Amadi."

"Where are we?" Michael asked, puzzled and confused.

"In the pit of hell."

"Do you know who these people are?"

"They used to be part of a group called the Collective, but that was virtually destroyed, and now the new splinter cell group goes by the name of Femin Al-Sistani."

"How long have you been here?"

"About three weeks."

"What is our location?"

"We are in South Africa"

"What is this place?"

"It is a prison for the dead. Once you come here, you do not leave until the Great Ancestors take you to the place over the Deep River.
They have not killed me because I know where the brother of one of the guards is hidden. My people have kidnaped him, and I hope to trade his life for mine."

"I don't know how long I have been here."

"You were here before I came."

"I hear the guards speaking of you. They send a nurse girl to you each day. They wanted you to recover so they may gain information from you."

"Do you know what information they want?"

"No, friend, I do not know. I heard you stirring for the first time since I came here about three days ago. You keep calling out a name. "Nikita, Nikita," you say this same name over and over again. I heard the girl, Kaya, say, you were awakening from your coma. They must have done something very bad to you."

"I was shot by...it doesn't matter. I have to find a way to get out of here."

"I am telling you, my friend, there is no way for you to get out of here alive."

"Do you know what month it is?"

"It is June."

Michael couldn't believe he had spent almost four months in a coma.

The young African girl, Kaya, came into the tiny cell. She told Michael, "Please sit before you hurt yourself."
Michael did what he was told, but only because his legs felt like they would buckle underneath him at any moment.
She checked the bandages on his head and his chest. He winced a little when she touched his side. The kick he got from the guard must have bruised his ribs, he thought. She shyly began talking to him and told him she took very good care of him while he was there. He thanked her. She told him how she bathed him and kept his wounds clean, how she worked his muscles every day and how she gave him nutrition from IVs that she took out two days ago because it looked like he might be waking soon, and he did. "But you are still very weak!" She was quiet for a moment and then got up to ask him, "Is your woman's name, Nikita?" Michael was silent.
"You must love her very much!" He looked up at her with desperation in his eyes. He wished that she would quit talking about her. She said she was sorry for the intrusion. "My father always said that I asked too many questions."
She thought she was almost sad he was getting so much better. She liked taking care of him. He was very handsome, and she could tell he was a gentle soul. She had seen the many scars on his body and felt so sorry for the soldier man.

Michael wondered how long he would have until his interrogation. He knew that when Amadi told him who these people were, they wanted only one thing. They wanted the location of Section. He hardly knew if he had it in him anymore to resist the torture session he knew he would soon be facing.
He thought of Nikita and the baby. He loved them so much. He couldn't bear letting anything happen to them. He guessed there was still some fight left in him after all.
I will never lead them to Nikita, he told himself. He could barely think of her name without feeling so much shame; he felt like he had let her down.
He wondered if she and the baby were o.k. He wondered what she thought happened to him. He felt like he miserably failed everyone in his life he had ever loved.
Michael heard the guard coming down the hall. He was already taunting him about his dead son. Michael knew being in his weakened state physically that he would have to make up for it psychologically; he would not let this man get to him. Michael had not been a praying man in many years, but he prayed for strength to stay strong even to death so that he would not betray Nikita's location.

The Russian guard said, "Aren't you curious to know how it is we found you, Michael?"

Silence….

"When man killed your son and the others at store, the news broadcasted killing spree. One of my men saw your face when you were being transported to hospital. "

Silence….

"Oh, you think you are strong, man? We shall see."

Michael could tell that he was old-school Russian by the way he was stringing his arms above his head. It was in the style of knots he used in the rope. The guard removed his shirt and ripped the bandages from his body. He cut open the wound that had almost healed from one of the bullets he had been hit with. Michael winced in pain.

He put his mind at the cabin with Nikita, Adam, and the baby. Nothing could harm them there. Nothing could hurt them there. They all were safe and alive. He lived there while the torture continued.

They sprayed him down with water and electrocuted him.

"Where is location of Section One?"

Silence….

They broke two of his fingers.

"Where is location of Section One?"

Silence...

"You will tell me what I want to know. How much pain you go through that is up to you. You can stop this anytime. I will kill you quickly. You don't have to suffer. Just give me name of location!"

Silence…

Michael was spooned up next to Nikita in bed. The kids were sleeping, and it was just the two of them in their huge rustic bed. He could feel the warmth of her soft skin all around him. He buried his face in her silky hair and held her tightly.
A tiny smile traveled across his face, and his captor became even angrier. He gave orders to break his arm.

Michael heard the snap of his own bone but saw himself getting out of bed half-dressed, breaking a twig to put in the fireplace for some kindle, and adding a few logs to stoke the fire in their bedroom. He ran back to the bed and jumped in so he could get warmed by her body again. Lying next to Nikita, he caressed her shoulders and kissed them softly.
Michael was punched in the face and left unconscious from the blow.
"Get him down. He is giving us nothing... but he will. Take him back to cell. I do not want him to die before we get information!"

Kaya sneaked into Michael's cell to help him. She was putting her own life at risk, but when she heard what they had done to him, she had to come and help in any way she could.
She put his head on her lap and gently poured water into his mouth. She had nothing to give him for the pain but some whisky she had stolen from one of the guards. She helped him drink some of that too. She washed the blood off of his face and stitched the wound shut above his eye. Kaya set his broken fingers and wrapped his arm the best she could with her bandages. Michael groaned in pain. She laid him on the cot and rubbed ointment into his shoulders. She knew they would be sore from being strung up for so long. She also put ointment on his wrists, where he had rope burns. He again passed out from the pain and exhaustion. She took a wet cloth and wiped his hair from his face. She forgot even to be scared because she had grown to love this stranger. She kissed his lips softly and left before anyone noticed her.

Nikita sent her teams to pick up Jaakko and Halina Alekseer from the hotel they were staying at.

Having been successful at capturing them, Nikita ordered them both to containment when they arrived at Section. She spoke with Elijah, reminded him of the time constraints they were working under, and waited for him to get his results. Elijah had Halina moved to the Whiteroom for interrogation.

Elijah walked into the room with deliberate steps, squaring his shoulders and taking full advantage of the width of his broadness. He knew it was vital as he walked toward Halina to appear confident and in control. He lifted her chin firmly so that her eyes would meet his intimidating glare.

"You will tell me what I want to know if you want your father to live."

With a contemptuous attitude, she smiled sardonically and said," Do you think I would be so stupid to believe anything that you had to say? I know how this game works. I've probably been on your side of the chair more often than you have."

"You are going to leave this place dead. What your body looks like when you leave is completely up to you. Tell me what I want to know, and I will make you comfortable. Fight me on this; your father will pay severely for your defiance even before you do."

Helina spit in his face. Immediately Elijah backhanded her and sliced her cheek open from one of the stones in the ring he was wearing. Wiping the spit from his face, he said, "I see that logic is not one of your strengths." Her cheek was already swelling and stinging with pain. "I want to know when and where the meetings for the pickup and delivery of the Pu-239 are taking place."

She was momentarily silent.

He grabbed a fist full of her hair and yanked her head back, standing behind the chair holding a blade to her nose.
"It's amazing how much pain the human body can tolerate before actually dying." He pressed the blade, so it barely started to slice her skin.

She cried out. "Stop, stop! Please, even if I wanted to tell you, I can't. They have my sister."

"Who has your sister?"

"My younger sister Tanya was kidnapped this morning by Femin Al-Sistani. They contacted me earlier today and told me she would be returned when our deal was finalized. It is their way of assuring that we will not double-cross them by using their money for the purchase and disappearing with the plutonium. My father nor I will ever betray my sister! You might as well kill me now. I will never help you!"

Elijah gagged her mouth and walked around to face her. He squatted down to meet her at eye level.

"I am quite convinced that you will help me, Halina." He said while cupping her breast. "I would hate to mess up such a pretty face." He caressed her wounded cheek. Sliding his other hand firmly up her thigh, he leaned over and licked the side of her neck. He could see the absolute terror in her emerald green eyes.

"I think I will have a little talk with your father, but if he doesn't see things my way, I am confident I can convince you to change your mind."

Elijah left the room. He was nauseated; he hated this part of his job. He was good at what he did because he had a natural intuition about people. He learned the art of studying people, and he always got results. It was incredibly disgusting to him to treat a woman in such a demeaning manner. Even if Helina was a sociopath, it made his skin crawl. He thought sexual intimidation was the lowest of all the methods he used to get a woman to break.
He learned that in interrogating people, they usually fold by just applying verbal pressure. For those that do not, most aren't equipped to resist torture for very long. But on the rare occasion that a woman wouldn't break using traditional methods, they would almost always cave under the threat of sexual violence.
He had to remind himself that thousands of people could die from a nuclear bomb, and he was responsible for getting the information they needed to save them all. He would wait a little while and let Halina imagine the worst before going back to finish with her.

Nikita walked into Elijah's office.

"How is everything coming along? Do we have the information we need to make the next phase happen?"

"No. Not yet. I need just a little more time."

"We don't have much to spare, Elijah."

"Femin Al-Sistani has kidnaped Halina's younger sister, making their cooperation more difficult than I had anticipated."

"I hope you're up to the challenge Elijah. This mission has to be successful. There are too many lives depending on it."

"I'm aware of the urgency, Nikita."

"I'm sorry, Elijah, I know you are. Which one do you think will break first?"

"I haven't spoken to the father. I know he won't fold. He will protect his daughter, Tanya, even if he has to die to do it."

"How can you be sure?"

"Both Jaakko and Halina qualify as textbook case sociopaths. They manipulate, violate, lie, steal, and victimize, just for criminal thrill and profit. They have no allegiance to any ideals or philosophies. They're not carrying out any religious or political agendas, and they have no feeling about thousands of people dying because of them. However, Tanya was off of Section's radar, which means they both have gone to great lengths to keep her hidden and safe and out of the "family business." Her life and goodness represent redemption for both of them, especially the father. He won't give up anything if it means Tanya might die."

"And Halina?"

"She feels the same but is not as strong as her father. She has a weakness, too; she fears being raped. That's one of the reasons she stayed so close to her father and has been addicted to absolute ruthless power. She probably had a traumatic experience during early adolescence and has never been able to let it go."

"How did you find that out?"

"Nikita, you read my profile. You gave me this job for my expertise in interpreting body language, facial stress, reading between the lines..."

"Exploiting people's weaknesses?"

…...Yes, that too."

"It sounds like you have your work cut out for you. Elijah, I'm depending on you."

"Yes, I know." As horrific as his job was, he knew that thousands of other people were depending on him, too, even if they didn't know it.

Nikita left and was glad she had Elijah to deal with the interrogation.

Nikita was pleased that Elijah could obtain the information they needed for Section to try and stop the impending disaster. She understood the magnitude of the imminent threat lurking around the corner and was happy about being part of such a critical mission. However, her reservations about working with Paul were starting to weigh on her nerves. She didn't trust him as a partner; in fact, she didn't trust him at all. She believed her life was in danger and not just with the hostiles. She was sure Paul would use any opportunity he could to disencumber himself of her if he felt he could get away with it.

Elijah was briefing Paul and Nikita on the Intel that he procured from Halina.

He believed that the next phase of the mission would run smoothly. Especially since Adrik Grigorev was in a hurry to make the exchange happen, and he had never actually seen Jaakko or Halina.

Phase three, in his opinion, had a much higher risk of failure. The Al-Sistani cell had taken extreme measures to protect their interest and see the deal come to fruition. They made that abundantly clear by risking the kidnapping of Tanya Alekseer. Elijah was confident that Femin Al-Sistani knew what Jaakko and Halina looked like and that Paul and Nikita would need some latex help to ensure their ruse was successful. Elijah continued to explain how important it was that Paul and Nikita were convincing as father and daughter because there was no room for inconsistencies.

While waiting for transport, Nikita felt awkward being next to Paul. She still had a hard time believing that she was standing next to her father...her dad. She wanted desperately to scream out, "You idiot! You don't even know that your own daughter is standing next to you. "So much for Oversight staying ahead of everyone." She thought to herself. She wondered if she would ever tell him that Stephen was alive or use that information when she might need it later. What was really bothering her was why did she even care if he knew about her or not. She hated him!

Paul was standing next to Nikita in transport, about to go on their mission together. After everything he and Madeline had put her through, she survived...she survived all of it. As much as he despised her, he admired her strength and fortitude. She had the same kind of grit that got him through Vietnam. In some ways, her stamina and determination reminded him of Madeline. The thought of that was surprising even to him. Nikita had endured, and she had staying power. It took courage to accomplish that in Section.

He thought about the mission and wondered if Nikita would use this opportunity to dispose of him. He finally decided that her vendetta against him would be put aside, at least while the mission was on. She would always put the innocent's lives before her own; he was sure of that fact. Many times he had loathed Nikita, breaking Section protocol. Her integrity interfered with the job repeatedly, but now he was thankful for her one-track mind because he knew it would probably save his life.

Michael woke up from his pain-induced sleep. Drenched with sweat, his weakened body was trying to fight the effects of shock. He inhaled deeply, using breathing techniques to clear his mind and help control the pain.
He needed to find a way out soon. He was uncertain about his resolve to endure another round of interrogation.

Amid heard that Michael was awake.

"How are you doing, my friend?"

"I've been better."

"Kaya told me what they did to you. I am surprised you are still with us. You are a courageous man."

"Just determined."

"Kaya is very sweet on you. She came to care for you last night. She risked her life to attend to you."

"I'm grateful for what she did, but I don't want her to put herself in danger for me."

"I told her you would say that, but she would not listen to Amid."

"Do you know how many guards are in this place?"

"No, I have not been allowed to leave my cell, and I was blindfolded when they brought me here. I have seen the outside before, and they have many guards, but I do not know about the inside."

"Kaya is allowed to walk freely?"

"Yes, She does many things here. She runs errands for the guards, cooks, and cleans. The guards also use her when they want her."

"The guards use her?"

"Yes, sadly. Her family was very, very poor, and they sold Kaya so they could survive."

Michael's heart broke for Kaya; all he could think about was his precious baby. He wondered if she was a girl. The thought of someone hurting her the way Kaya was being hurt was more than he could stand. He knew he couldn't leave her there if he found a way out.

He hoped he could speak to Kaya before they came for him again.

Paul and Nikita showed up at the warehouse where the drop-off meeting was to take place. The two of them were on their own. They couldn't risk having backup teams because that would have jeopardized the integrity of the mission.

Paul and Nikita were surprised when a beautiful young African girl showed up to meet them.

"Are you Jaakko and Halina?"

"Yes, and you are?"

"My name is Kaya, and I have been instructed to make sure you are who you say you are. This must be done before you are allowed to meet with Solomon."

"And how do you propose to do that?" asked Nikita.

"I am to take a sample of your blood."

Paul laughed and said, "This is ridiculous. This was not part of our agreement."

"I was told to tell you if you ever want to see your daughter, Tanya, alive again, then you will cooperate. The test will only take a little while to complete, and if you are truly father and daughter, you will be brought to Solomon."

Kayla walked over to them with a small handheld device. She pricked their fingers and then left.

"Well, I guess it's over, Nikita. There is nothing more we can do here.

Paul started to walk away, but Nikita grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

She knew she had to tell him that he was her father or the mission was over, and they might never have another chance to stop Femin Al-Sistani.

"Paul, we're not done here."

"Well, unless you can manipulate genetic code, I would say this deal is over. They're going to see our DNA is not a match with each other. So yeah, I think we're finished."

"Paul, I don't know how to tell you this but just to come out and say it. When they do the DNA testing, it is going to show a match. "

"How is that possible?"

"Paul...You're my father."

"Nikita, have you lost your mind? Did they put that latex on just a little too tight?"

"Paul, just listen to me and don't interrupt until I am through. Agreed?"

"Agreed," he answered hesitantly.

"I discovered a few months ago that Madeline was my mother, and you were my father."

Paul started laughing.

"You agreed not to interrupt me."

"I'm sorry," he said sarcastically. "Please, by all means, continue."

"Madeline disappeared on a "Deep Cover" mission not long after you started seeing each other. She was pregnant, Paul, with your child. She knew you couldn't do anything to help her. Section would never allow her to keep her baby. After losing your family, she didn't want you to have to bear another loss, so she never told you. Someone from Center anonymously helped her. They arranged for her to give birth and made arrangements for the adoption of her babies.

"Babies as in plural?"

"Yes. She had a boy and a girl."

"So you're telling me that you were that girl."

"Yeah, that's what I'm telling you. And Mick was the boy."

"There is no way that Madeline would have had you submit to the Gelman process if that were true."

"You agreed to no interruptions, Paul."

"Go on."

"Madeline was going to finally tell you the truth about everything, but Oversight got to her first or Center. Who knows really? But they made her go through the Gelman Process herself. That's why she was so cold, to you, to me, to everyone, even for Madeline. I noticed a change in her, and I'm sure you did too. I just didn't know why. When she first met me, she was kind to me, Paul, but something changed her, and now I know what that something was."

Paul stood there with a strange expression on his face. His first instinct was not to believe a single word she was telling him. His memories started pouring out like a movie playing fast forward, every event, every conversation, every time he tried to reach out to Madeline. Putting things in perspective, everything that Nikita told him was making sense. How could he not have known? He finally concluded that she must be telling the truth, or they wouldn't be waiting here for the Al-Sistani to return. He had spent so long hating her that he didn't know how to respond to her, to the news, to any of it.

"Well, I hope you don't think I will tuck you in at night and read you bedtime stories."

"Ah, no." said, Nikita

Paul continued to stare at her, and for the first time in his life, he had no idea what to do or say.

"Paul, I might as well tell you while you're in shock that your son Stephen is still alive." Nikita knew she had nothing but Section left and felt there was no point in holding that information from Paul any longer.

"What? What the hell are you talking about, Nikita? He's dead."

"No, Paul, he isn't. When I went on the U.N. Mission, I ran into him. He is going by the name of Ryan Holt. He wanted everyone to believe he was dead because he was in a lot of trouble. More than he could handle."

Paul sat on the floor. Leaning against the wall, he folded his arms across his knees and put his head down. Nikita could see that he was shaken up. She had never really seen Paul "emotional" except when he was under the influence of a psychotropic drug. She really didn't know what to say to him, so she just walked away and gave him some space.

Nikita was sitting on a table in another room. She was thinking about her own life and trying to make some sense of it.

Paul composed himself and found Nikita.

"Why didn't you tell me about Stephen when you discovered he was alive?"

"Honestly, I was going to hold onto that information until I could use it on my behalf."

"Section did teach you well, Nikita."

"It must be a proud papa moment," she said mockingly.

"I'm sorry, Paul, I just wanted to...I just wanted to protect my..."

"Baby," Paul answered.

"How did you know?"

"Nikita, you should know by now how it works around here."

"Yeah, unfortunately, I do."

"Look, Nikita, we have to put all this aside for now and focus on the mission. They should be coming back soon."

Kaya came by to check on Michael. She always felt more comfortable being around him when he wasn't awake. He made her feel nervous because she liked him so much.

"I brought you a little food. You must keep up your strength," said Kaya.

"Thank you. Kaya, do you know how many guards are in this building?"

"Sometimes three, sometimes four but on the outside, they usually have about eight."

"How big is this place?"

"There are ten cell rooms about the same size as your room. They have two rooms for sleeping and a tiny kitchen. There is a big, big room that they keep their weapons in, and the room they use to hurt and kill people."

"That's good, Kaya. Can you tell me how many exits there are?"

"There is only one way in and out of here, and it is very heavily guarded, and they keep the door locked."

"Do you have keys?"

"No, they only give me keys to the cell rooms so I can feed the prisoners and empty the buckets."

"Kaya, can you get the key that goes to the outside?"

"Oh no, I cannot; Solomon would be very angry with me and beat me badly if I were caught."

Kaya turned around and slipped her plain white oversized dress off her shoulders to show Michael the scars she had on her back from incurring the wrath of Solomon.

"When he first bought me, he acted nice to my father and said he would give me a good life and take care of me. After he let his soldiers have their way with me, I tried to escape, but he took me to that horrible room and beat me. I cannot help you, Michael. I am very sorry." She had tears in her eyes, looked down at the floor, and ran out of the room before Michael could say anything more.

Paul and Nikita waited at the warehouse for the go-ahead to meet with Solomon from Femin Al-Sistani.

Part of Paul and Nikita's plan for the mission consisted of making sure Solomon was on-site in the compound. They would then alert com when they had visual confirmation of his presence. Once that visual was confirmed, the order would be given for a slightly delayed missile strike. It was up to Paul and Nikita to extract themselves from the compound before the launch against Al-Sistani took place. They would have thirty minutes to vacate the premises. Once the order was given to strike, it could not be rescinded for any reason.

Nikita had already decided to save Tanya from the compound if she could. She knew she was an"innocent," and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't at least try to rescue her. She never mentioned her objective to Paul regarding Tanya because she knew his standard protocol answer would be, "She is acceptable collateral damage." Blah, blah, blah, same song, different mission. She knew she couldn't win that argument with him, so she kept her plans to herself.

Paul and Nikita were both a little on edge. Their handguns and a small, low-grade explosive hidden in a lipstick tube were all they were going in with.
They knew they were no match for the firepower that the hostiles had at their disposal. It would take their cooperation and skill if they had any chance to survive this mission.

Kaya returned to the warehouse to take "Jaakko" and "Halina" to the compound where their contact Solomon was staying. Once there, they patted them down and took their weapons from them. Kaya escorted them to a cell and instructed them to wait for Solomon.

Solomon greeted them and said, "I hope your ride here was most comfortable."

Nikita, posing as Helina, asked, "Where is my sister, Tanya?"

"She is in a room down the hall from here."

"You better not have harmed her in any way or..."

Solomon interrupted before she could finish.

"We are all friends here, Halina, do not ruin the start of a beautiful business relationship with threatening undertones. Come Jaakko, lets you and I discuss the business at hand."

Nikita was left alone in the locked cell. She let com know that Solomon was indeed in the compound.

Nikita got to work right away. She used her lipstick tube to blow the lock off the cell door. Even though it was a low-grade explosive, it got the attention of one of the guards.

Nikita waited behind the door until he came into the room. She gave him a front kick to the back of his head and landed a devastating blow. He stumbled forward and turned around with his gun pointed. Nikita gave a mid-roundhouse kick and knocked the gun from his hand. She finished him with a palm heel strike to the face, and he collapsed to the floor. She quickly picked up his gun and headed out the door. Kaya was standing in front of her, and she had almost pulled the trigger.

"Where is the girl Tanya?"

Kaya pointed down the hall. Nikita was about to take off toward Tanya when Kaya told her to wait. She handed Nikita the key to the cells.

Nikita asked, "Where are the other guards?"

"Two of them are with your father and Solomon in the bad room. There are eight of them outside."

Nikita told Kaya to "Get out now!"

"I cannot go. The guards will stop me. I am not allowed just to leave whenever I want to."

"Kaya, do you know where they keep their weapons?"

"Yes."

"Can you bring some to me?"

"I will try."

"Go now, Kaya, and hurry!"

Nikita opened the first door she came to, and nobody was in the room. She opened the next one, and an African man stood against the wall. She told him that if he wanted to live, he had to leave the room and go with her.

She opened the next room and couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. He was thinner and had a scruffy beard, but she could never mistake those beautiful piercing eyes. It was Michael, her beloved Michael.

"Oh, Gawd! Michael how...? What are you doing here?"

Michael looked a little puzzled. He knew the voice that was speaking was Nikita's, but she looked... and then it hit him, she was wearing latex.

He had difficulty standing up. She ran to him. "Oh my Gawd Michael, what did they do to you?"

"I'm okay, Nikita; I look much worse than I am."

" I hope so," She said with a mixture of pain and joy in her voice.

He stared at her, not able to speak. He never thought he would see her again.

She stared at him, reflecting the exact same thought.

"The baby Nikita, what happened to our baby?"

Nikita heard yelling on her com. Solomon told his guards to string Paul up.

Michael, we don't have much time; I will explain later. A missile strike is coming, and we have to get out.

Amid came in to help Michael walk out.

Nikita made sure the hallway was clear and opened the next door. A young girl was sitting on the cot.

"Tanya?"

"Helina!" She screamed.

"Tanya, I can't explain everything right now, but I am here to help you. I am not Helina. I just look like her."

"I don't understand."

"If you want to live, stay quiet and follow me."

Nikita heard through her com unit that Paul was being hit repeatedly. Solomon was asking where the Plutonium was.

"If you want to see your daughters alive again, you will tell me where the Pu-239 is," said Solomon.

"I told you it is close by. We just wanted to make sure you had our money."

"Where close by?

Paul was silent

"Let's see how quiet you are when I cut out your eye!"

Nikita told everyone to meet her at the exit. Michael said he wasn't leaving without her.

"Michael, I have to get Paul."

"Paul, who?"

"Paul, Operation's Paul…Oversight Paul."

"Nikita leave him here; you don't owe him anything. Time is running out; we have to get out of here."

"I can't explain it right now, but I have to get him. I will meet you at the exit. Please don't argue with me; you just said it yourself we don't have a lot of time."

Just then, Kaya came running around the corner, and she had as many guns as her arms could carry. Nikita tucked another gun into the waistband of her pants, and she gave one to Michael.

She asked Amid, "Do you know how to shoot?"

"Of course, friend, I am a soldier."

"Good, take this and help everyone get to the exit."

Solomon had the blade to Paul's eye when Nikita dropped one of the guards. The other guard was locked on her. Solomon dropped the knife and reached for his gun. The guard was about to shoot when Nikita put a bullet dead center in his heart. Solomon had Nikita in sight, but before he could pull the trigger, Paul wrapped his legs around Solomon's neck. He continued to squeeze until Solomon passed out.

Nikita helped Paul down, and he said, "That was close."

"A little too close if you ask me; you must be slipping." Nikita rolled her eyes and finished untying him.

When Nikita fired the shots that killed the guards, the noise alerted the other guards on duty outside. Nikita and Paul were running to meet the others at the exit. The door flung open, and Michael shot the first guard. Another one came behind him and Amid fired at him.

Paul and Nikita were with them now. Paul took point and went out of the door first, and from the roof of another building, a guard shot Paul hitting him in the shoulder. Nikita took out Paul's shooter. A bullet hit Nikita on the top of her thigh. She fell and rolled out of the way of the barrage of firepower. Michael and Nikita hit her shooter at the same time. Kaya ran over to Nikita and helped her up. Nikita looked at her watch and shouted they had two minutes until impact. There was a five-foot brick wall that they needed to clear, and Nikita ordered Tanya and Kaya to climb over it. Amid was helping the girls over while Paul was covering everybody's retreat. Amid helped Michael over too. It was difficult with his broken arm, but he made it over. Nikita told Amid to get over to the other side; they didn't have much time. Paul shot another guard. Nikita screamed for Paul to move out and covered him from the top of the wall. As Paul was going over the fence, another guard came, and Nikita took him out. As soon as she jumped from the wall, they ran towards the tree line. Moments later, the missile attack began. They all hit the ground with a thud and covered their ears.

Tanya was screaming, "We're going to die, we're all going to die!"

Nikita told her to "shut up," Crying even more now; Tanya told Nikita that she couldn't stop because she was scared. Nikita told her that she was safe now and to stop it before she gave her a reason to cry.
Both Paul and Michael smirked. The thought of Nikita getting angry with a non-hostile for being scared just seemed a little too ironic to the both of them.
Nikita and Paul removed their latex disguises. Kaya gasped.
"It's alright, Kaya; see, it's not real." Nikita handed her the masks. Kaya was shocked. She said, "I have never seen such a thing in all of my days.

Nikita's leg was bleeding badly; it looked as if the bullet had passed through her leg. Michael began to put pressure on her thigh, and Paul grabbed his belt and wrapped it tightly around her leg to help stop blood flow. Michael couldn't believe what he saw transpire between Paul and Nikita. Silently he waited, wondered, and observed. "Paul is your shoulder o.k.?" asked Nikita. "Yeah, it was just grazed."

Michael asked Amid if he could get home without help and if he would be willing to take Kaya with him.
"Of course, my friend, getting home is no problem, and I would like to take care of Kaya very much. You do not have to worry; she will be safe with me."
Michael could tell that Amid cared for Kaya deeply and was glad she would finally be safe.

Kaya walked up to Michael and gave him a gentle hug around his neck. She told him, "You are a very handsome man, and your woman Nikita is very beautiful, and I hope you both will be very happy together now that you have found each other."

Nikita raised her eyebrows as if to say what's that all about?

Michael smiled and told Kaya, "Thank you for everything you did to help me."

Amid told Michael, "May we meet again, my friend, and if not in this life, then on the other side of the deep river."

With that being said, Amid and Kaya left.

"Nikita transport will be here any minute," Paul said.
"I'm not going back, Paul."
"I figured as much, I can give you a good head start, but you know that Center will never leave you guys alone."

Nikita heard the helicopter coming. "Paul, please tell Walter and Birkoff goodbye for me."
"I will."
Nikita stood up, and Paul helped Michael to his feet. Nikita limped over to Paul and said, "Don't expect any stupid cards or ugly ties on Father's Day."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Nikita gave him a quick half-hug, then turned around and walked away with Michael towards the tree line.

Michael and Nikita stayed in a beautiful part of Africa for a while. Their physical wounds were healing, and their broken hearts were mending. Their love for each other seemed as ancient and vast as the landscape around them. They moved together perfectly like the beat of the African drums, and their passion was hotter than the Sahara Desert. Like a warm tropical rain, the healing qualities of their love were as mysterious as the secrets of the jungle. Resembling a lion and lioness that rule together, they were finally masters of their fate. They would hunt, kill and destroy anything or anyone that would ever try to separate them from each other again.

Under the African night sky, millions of stars witnessed their union as they pledged their heart, body, and soul to one another now and forever in this life and the next.