NOTE: Everyone! Sorry this update took so long! I've been so busy that I haven't had the chance to work on the story, but don't worry! I plan on finishing this one =) I usually proof read my work before I post it, but I wanted to get this to you guys so please excuse any mistakes. I'm going to try to get to it this week. Thanks so much for all the great comments! I love the feedback and it really helps me keep to keep the story going. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

A New Beginning

"Michael?" Nikita said unsure if he was really standing right in front of her. He slowly walked towards her. "Michael what are you doing here?"

"I've been wanting...I'm glad you are here..." Michael said in awe completely unaware of her question. He reached to hug her, but she stepped back.

"Michael we can talk later. We don't have time right now, and I'm not finished talking to-"

"Nikita and Michael you need to get out of there now. The UN is in the building," Birkhoff told them. Nikita turned around to grab Bauer but Michael grabbed her arm.

"Nikita I need to talk to you-"

"Michael-"

"I think we should finish the mission first," Sam said. Michael turned to look at Sam, noticing that he was there for the first time. He pointed his gun at Sam and frowned.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Woah, chill. I'm just here with Nikita."

"Michael put your gun down. Sam is on our side." She pushed Sam's arm down to make him lower his gun. She turned back around and grabbed Bauer.

"Start talking!"

"Looks like you've got some problems to sort out."

"Tell me where you sent the girl!"

"The United States."

"Where in the United States?" He gave her another smirk.

"You found me, didn't you? You can find her."

"Nikita we need to go," Michael said. Nikita punched Bauer in the face one last time to knock him out so he couldn't escape and they went out the doors of the warehouse.

A few seconds later, the UN military came rushing into the warehouse only to find a mess of wounded and dead men on the ground. They all searched the barn and checked for survivors; there were still some who were breathing. One of the men walked over to Bauer who was slumped over in the chair.

"We found Dominik Bauer and his men...but it looks like someone was here before us," the man said into his com.

Alex sat in the room with Maryam and the rest of the board members wanting bad to go back to the safe house to help Birkhoff and Sonya and to find out what was going on. She excused herself from the room and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. She looked under the stalls checking to make sure no one was in there. Once she knew it was safe, she called Birkhoff.

"Yeah?"

"Birkhoff how is everything going?"

"UN just arrived at Bauer's dungeon, Nikita, Michael, and Sam are out safely..."

"Wait Sam?-Nikita?" Birkhoff closed his eyes annoyed that once again he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Yeah she-I helped her get there...it's a long story, but everyone's alright."

"Did they get the girls out?"

"They are probably doing it as we spea-I got to go, Niki needs directions." Birkhoff hung up the phone. Alex looked at her phone and sighed in disbelief that Nikita and Sam were there. There was so much that she was missing out on. She should be there, she thought. Then, she thought about everything that she was doing off the field, and she remembered that it was all worth it.

They ran in the direction of their cars and then Nikita turned to Michael. Sam stopped and turned around as well. Michael frowned at him.

"Michael I have to go."

"I need to talk to you, Nikita. You can't keep avoiding me." Nikita could see the frustration in Michael's eyes and knew that she needed to talk to him. It was time to stop running.

"...ill meet you at your hotel. Birkhoff can tell me where it is, right Birkhoff?"

"You know I can," he said.

"We'll talk then," Nikita said and began running to the woods where they parked their car. Michael went in the opposite direction.

They stopped running once they felt safe and made it to the dirt road in the woods. They began their walk silently.

"So...I guess Michael doesn't like me very much," Sam said.

"He just remembers you turning against all of your friends at Division and working with Amanda to sell the black box," Nikita reminded him. He got quiet then looked up at her.

"That's one thing I never understood about you, Michael, and everyone else in that hole. Why did you stay? You could've left. Everyone for themselves, right? I did whatever I could to get out of there and make sure I was well off so I would never have to work another day in my life."

"It is about family, Sam. It is about not leaving your friends behind. We are in this together. I hadn't had that concept of family when I first started, trust me. But I always cared about the people who had been there for me, always."

"Then why leave your 'family' behind?" Sam asked. Nikita got quiet and looked down at the ground.

They had made it to the car and Nikita got into the driver seat. She sat there staring out the window in a daze.

"Because I didn't want to hurt them or get them hurt, but I guess leaving didn't solve my problem either." Nikita didn't say anything more. She started up the car and turned on her com.

"Birkhoff can you give me directions to Michael's hotel?" Nikita asked.

"Sending them to Sam's phone now," he said.

Nikita drove to the hotel and then let Sam take the car. He got into the driver seat and then rolled down the window.

"Should I be expecting to hear from you tonight?" He said in a joking tone.

"I'll make sure I call to check in," she joked. Sam gave her a slight smile then his face turned serious.

"Be honest with him, Nikita." She nodded and smiled. She walked into the hotel.

"I told Mikey that you were on your way."

"You set all of this up didn't you, Nerd?"

"I'm signing off now. Good job today. Hope to see you soon." Nikita pulled the com out of her ear, shook her head, and smiled. She should've known that Birkhoff was behind it, and she was glad. If it was up to her, she didn't know if she would have been meeting with Michael.

She started to get butterflies in her stomach as she walked up to his door. She took a deep breath and tried to prepare herself for the conversation she was going to have with him. Nikita had been through a lot in her life and was trained to deal with a lot of things, but, at that moment, she was terrified. She didn't want to lose him; it scared her more than anything.

Finally, she knocked on his door. When he opened the door, the was a silent, tense air between them as he stared with at her with raised eyebrows and something like a smile on his face. She didn't know whether or not to hug him, kiss him, or neither. She just walked in once he opened the door. The room was small with only a bed, a small bureau, a chair in the corner, and a window overlooking Berlin. It reminded her of the hotel they stayed in together during their plan to kill Kasim. She walked over to the window and stared out at the city.

Michael shut the door and watched her from afar. He didn't know where to start. His mouth wanted to open, but the words wouldn't come out. He had so much to say, but he couldn't do it. He finally cleared his throat and tried to speak.

"So...how exactly did you find out about the raid?"

"Guess," she said turning around. Michael put on one of his smirks.

"Birkhoff." Nikita nodded and they both smiled.

"He wanted us to run into each other, i'm assuming," Nikita said.

"It is too bad that we had to have someone else put us in the same room together," Michael said looking at the floor. Nikita felt the nervous feeling again and tried to swallow.

"Michael, I wanted to tell you before I left, but I knew..."

"You knew what? That I'd follow you? That I would want to be with my fiancée?"

"I didn't want any of you near me. After what happened, I couldn't risk losing anyone again, especially you Michael. I don't know...what I'd do if-"

"And how do you think I feel about you? This isn't one-sided, Nikita. Why would I feel okay with you running off by yourself to find Amanda, with no backup, no support?" Michael got so frustrated that he began to pace the little room. Nikita watched him. She could tell out of all of the things that she had done, this one hurt him the most. "Nikita you have no idea what it felt like to see that ring sitting on the window seal...You have no idea what it feels like to be left behind by the person you love without so much as a goodbye. I was willing to put my life on the line for you to keep you from ruining yours and even after everything you leave. It was like a slap in the face, Nikita."

Nikita's heart was racing, her hands were shaking, and she reminded herself that she needed to breathe. She could feel his anger, his frustration, and his disappointment. He had been inching closer and closer then he turned his back on her and walked to the other side of the room. She felt like she was going to lose him any minute. She needed to explain herself.

"Michael, I have lost so much to Division. I lost Daniel, I lost Carla, and I almost lost you a fair amount of times. There is only so much that I can take. I thought that once we got rid of Division that all of our problems would disappear and that we could be together, finally, but that's not the case. I have to end this..." She reached up to put her hand on the back of his shoulder, but he swiftly turned back around which made her back up.

"We! Nikita...we need to end this. You are not alone anymore. You think that it is your obligation to make decisions for all of the people around you to the point where you keep everyone you love worried sick about you," he walked up to her. "When I asked you to marry me, I expected that we were in this together. No matter what. I don't want to be by myself anymore, and if this is too much for you...just say so." Nikita was taken back.

"Are you saying that you don't want to be with me anymore?" Michael sighed and shook his head.

"Of course not. I love you, but if you want this to work, we have to be in this together," he said. Nikita felt tears in her eyes and tried to keep them in, but they escaped. She quickly wiped one away, but more came running down her cheeks faster than she could wipe them away. She stepped forward, but hesitated. She didn't know what to think at that point. She didn't know if he would want to deal with it anymore. No matter what she did, she felt like she was always the reason that they couldn't be together. She was afraid of losing him like she lost Daniel. It scared her to death, and the only way she knew how to deal with it was to control the situatio

Michael noticed her hesitation. She could never hide anything from him. He had known her since she was a recruit. He was trained to read people's expressions and emotions and he knew hers all too well. When she felt vulnerable, she tended to back away from the situation or charge at it like a bull. She seemed to be straddling the line between the two, and he knew he would have to be the one to step forward. He didn't want her to feel like he didn't want to be with her anymore, but he wanted her to understand how he felt when he wad never given the chance to be in control. He wanted them to work together. He had so much built up anger, and he knew that she could feel it. He began to regret yelling at her; he wanted their relationship to last. He loved her more than anything. With his point clear, he hoped that things would only move forward. He couldn't take losing her again.

Nikita watched him reach into his pocket after what seemed like forever. He kept his fist closed after pulling his hand from his pocket and then held her right hand.

"We're in this together, right? Till death do us part," he smiled. She couldn't help but smile back and nod.

"Of course." he leaned in for a kiss, and it reminded both of them how much they missed on another. As he kissed her, he slipped the engagement ring back onto her finger. She looked down at the ring, and felt how much she missed having it there. Another beginning. She felt like he was proposing to her all over again.

She pulled him into a much needed hug and didn't let go. She couldn't help but cry; she couldn't believe she let him out of her life, again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. He placed his hand on the back of her head.

"I love you."

"You too."