Note: There is defiantly going to be Mikita in near future, so fear not =]

Chapter 5 (Unedited)

Cove Island was the name of the small little island that rested on the foot of the monstrous island. It was not quite big and not too small. The people were kind and caring, unlike the city that was cold and unnerving. Michael's contact had told him that a crew of fishermen had miraculously found a female body slowly sinking into the watery abyss and had steadfastly saved her upon their discovery. When they returned to town, they immediately transported her to the nearest hospital where they released her to the solace of professional medical help.

By the greatest luck, one of the fishermen was a close friend of a certain businessman, who in turn, knew one of Michael's contacts. The businessman was enjoying a peaceful retreat with his wife when he heard of the heroic news regarding the fishermen. The team was being hailed as the band of heroes, and the details of their rescue were clear enough. The businessman boasted the integrity of the town, expressing his great joy and pride to have been part of that community. When the contact heard of the news, he contacted Michael, hoping the information would be of some use.

Michael, without a moment of hesitation, jumped to action. In months this was the most helpful piece of information he was given. He thanked God for his faith and for his blessing. Perhaps fate played a big role as well. As he thought about the situation more, Michael thought he might become a true believer. It was already rare enough for a woman to be saved, but even more rare to have taken place around the area Nikita was taken down. Fate must have played a true hero when it had been one of his contact's friends to have had been in that town especially at that specific time of the year. Good grace, it HAD to be her!

After being given the coordination, Michael cove island to start his search. He anticipated all the interrogation he would have to do, and prayed to God that these people were willing participants. Snooping around might attract attention, but fortunately, this town wasn't big enough to arouse immediate curiosity. He unwillingly had high hopes that he would soon find Nikita, as if he was just on the other side of the door. After going to Cove Island, that door would open, allowing the light to return to him. After he had her in his arms, he would never let her go. He would promise her that he would protect her forever, that nothing will ever hurt her again. He would allow no such thing to even come near her. They would live a life that would make her happy and he would give her anything she would ever want or need. He would care for her and love her like she rightfully deserves. He was already hers.

I'm coming, Nikita, he thought to himself, I'm coming.

After preparing the meal, Owen assisted Nikita down. Most of her wound had healed, except the ones that had physically left scars. Her body was frail from abuse and the lack of use.

"You still haven't answered my question," she said.

"Owen," he said, "My name is Owen."

Owen… she silently repeated, trying to regurgitate any memory of him. She remembered saving a girl, then ultimately him. She could also recall how she took care of him when she was injured. That piece of memory comforted her, knowing the man couldn't be much harm to her. Still, her intuition would let go of an eerie aura about him. She knew she couldn't be completely trusting of him.

Owen could see Nikita struggle to remember. He knew she could only have good thoughts of him, mainly because he had never expressed obsession of any sort. This would go smoother than he had initially expected. After the death of Sarah, he dropped to rock bottom. Instead of letting him fall to nothingness, Nikita had reached out to him and pulled him back out. She was the one who refused to allow him return to the source of danger, the source of inhumanity- not that she could control what he did. The point was that she cared. She was the only one who cared. He was nobody but another piece of dirt polluting the beauty of the world. She was the light, the warmth, the goddess who gave him nothing but love and hope. Without realizing at first, he fell in love. He knew that he didn't even come close to deserving her, so he left. But he was only human, and he was unable to control his emotions. He thought of her constantly and was addicted to seeing her. He found himself spying on her, no, not just spying, but also stalking her.

One day she uncovered him, catching him in the act of spying on her. Being the kind person she was, she simply thought that he wanted a favour but was ashamed to directly approach her for assistance.

"How may I help you, Sir?" she asked teasingly.

He was dumbfounded for a minute, then said, "Nikita… how did you…"

Before he could even finish, she intercepted with a pretentious scoff, "Oh you know me. So what brings your return?"

Owen smiled, but he really didn't know what to say. He couldn't simply ask her on a date; that wasn't plausible in their trade. He didn't even know how to admit his feelings.

So she continued, "I you're planning to stick in town for awhile, you can stay at my place for the time being. Just do us both a favour and don't risk exposure."

He took her offer. But instead of doing his own missions, he joined her and proved to be a reliable and strong teammate. After a few months stay, they grew considerably close, but he could tell that there were certain topics she would avoid. He knew she wanted her privacy and personal space, and he didn't test that. He respected her and she respected him just the same way. They seemed to have a mutual understanding with each other and about each other.

One night she returned from a personal case she was working on. Of course, she spoke nothing about it, and he asked nothing of it. The point was that she returned more quite than normal, as if she was kept in a trance. He had made a simple dinner that night, so they ate in silence. He was unhappy because he felt useless. He could never convince her to open up to him, but he silently wished she would allow him to share her pain. So he did the one thing many people would do; he brought a large bottle of red wine.

"Well you can't quite deny there isn't anything wrong, but I'm not going to ask. You can at least do me the favour of enjoying this wine with me," he said happily. He wanted to try to lighten the mood as much as possible.

Nikita looked at him, and serenely nodded in agreement. He saw her tired eyes, which made him feel nothing but pain. Oh how he wished he could be her other half already. They both opened the bottle and cheered. They were going to turn this into a miniature celebration. He made a mixture of classic and hip song play-list from the computer and swiftly returned to the couch. Dinner was ditched altogether. They drank painfully fast, and laughed equally as much. She drank especially more, and was already tipsy, especially with the lack of food. Throughout the event, she would mumble only one word that was related to her sadness – Michael, that son of a bitch.

Then a slow song was played. Owen dragged Nikita to the open space of the room, and forced her to dance with him. Her cheeks were flushed and heated, her eyes barely opened, but her image was even more attractive. He couldn't help but be so close to her. His arms were around her waist. He did not even allow a single millimeter between them. Nikita leaned in to him. As they danced slowly into the night, she became increasingly tired. Owen knew she was slowly dosing off, so he gently placed her onto the couch. In her drunken state, she unknowingly pulled him in to her. Their eyes met, and he held back no longer. He kissed her forehead, cheeks, lips, and quickly moved down to her neck. He sucked and nibbled and kissed some more. He couldn't get enough of her. Oh dear God, nothing can explain her inner beauty, her warmth, her everything. He made her moan, which were all music to his ears. The night filled him with pleasure for a long time.

One day, he decided to take their relationship to the next step, and so he prepared a hearty dinner. He filled the open kitchen with candles and glued many glow-in-the-dark stars on the walls and ceiling. He heard Nikita return from her excursion, and so he stood awaiting her approach. His heart was pounding and he was scrambling his brain for anything sweet to say. He wanted to avoid as much corniness as possible. As she was walking down the stairs, Owen could hear her voice – she was speaking to someone over the phone.

"Michael, you know I would never do something like that to you," she said, her steps becoming increasingly slower. In a hushed voice, she yelled, "What I've done, I did for you!"

Owen felt torn. He knew who Michael was, but did not admire anything about the man. As far as he was concerned, Michael was Percy's brainwashed pet who certainly did not deserve someone as great as Nikita. Owen felt angry and frustrated. He, after all these months with Nikita, could not implement the same effect on her as Michael could have. Michael, as it seems, could affect her emotions so violently simply with the sound of his voice. Owen felt inferior. From the sound of her voice, Owen could confidently say that Nikita was trying was great endeavor to control her emotions and the level of her voice. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but he couldn't help but to do so.

"Everything I did that night, I did out of lo…"

Owen's heart stopped. It abruptly became difficult to breathe. His head pounded from realizing that Nikita probably did not return his affections. Everything he did seemed to have been a waste. He was a waste, and always will be without her. He knew what she would have said if she didn't stop herself.

Nikita was at the door. She saw the gracefully decorated space and the meal that had been tentatively prepared. She was lost for words. On the other side of the phone, Michael was repeated calling her name, willing her to finish her sentence. Still, Owen had surprised her, and at the moment, she couldn't quite determine if it was pleasant or not. She looked at him, seeing his embarrassed and flushed face. He also looked dejected.

"Goodbye, Michael," she said calmly and ended the call.

With her mood already ruined, Nikita had nothing to say. She decided that for once she was going to take the coward's path. She turned around and started to walk away.

"Wait," cried Owen, "After all that we've been through, do you seriously not feel anything for me?"

She stopped and replied, "Owen, I can't do this. I'm sorry."

"For once in your life, Nikita, you're going to have to give me an explanation," he yelled strictly, "Were you leading me on?"

"I… I didn't know. I know this sounds stupid, but I really didn't know… this," she stuttered nervously. In fact, she really didn't know. To her, they were always just companions. Yes, they had their fun and pain, but she didn't see him that way, and she didn't feel the same feelings as he did.

"This? Don't say it like you're disgusted!" he said becoming progressively more agitated. He refused to believe that she bore none of the same feelings, "You cared for me, you were there for me. Why were you even around if you didn't love me?"

"Owen, I would help anyone who needed me, especially those who suffered at the hands of Percy. We are alike, you and I. Percy killed my Daniel and your Emily, which were all the more reasons why I felt like we could understand each other."

"Oh don't bullshit me, Nikita!" he said as he walked rapidly towards her.

"I'm not! I don't lo…" she was forced to stop when he pushed her against the wall, knocking the wind out of her throat. His right hand grabbing her chin, and his left arm kept her in place. She was not one bit terrified, despite the death look in his eyes.

"Don't say that," he said sadly, "Don't ever say that."

She tried to push him away, but he simply pushed her back. Still, she believed that she could take care of herself. He kissed her so harshly and so roughly that her lip began to bleed. She closed her eyes, feeling too guilty to hurt him further. He kissed her cheeks slowly, and then leaned his forehead against her's. His eyes were closed but tears dripped little by little. She could feel his body shaking the slightest bit.

"I'm sorry Owen."

He fell to his kneels in front of her. He leaned in so that his head rested on her stomach. She put her arms around his neck and head, hugging him in that position. Owen felt that warmth, but felt the loss of that warmth more. Loneliness, drag, hatred, solidarity, and so much anguish all rushed back to him. Suddenly he felt as if his existence was meaningless once again. Nikita didn't need him; in fact, she never did. He had deceived himself. He remained silent.

Nikita was afraid, but not of him. She was afraid for their friendship and at her lack of confidence in dealing with these situations.

"You're better off without me anyways, Owen. The world is really a beautiful place if you truly try to see it. There's so much to it," said Nikita before walking away.

He watched her walk up the stairs and heard the door close a hundred times louder than it actually was. Somehow, the sound was amplified, signifying his cage and his doom.

Coming back to the present, Owen added, "And you're Nikita."

"Nikita," she repeated, as if trying to grasp a concept.

Owen loved the adorable look plastered on her face as she learned who she was. She had a calm face that didn't betray all the fear she hid. She scrutinized his face briefly, and looked away just as fast. More images of the past, including the ones that showed their intimacy, and arguments. She couldn't quite interpret everything yet, but knew that she bore no such feelings for this man. She would have to be cautious.

"Nikita," Owen started earnestly, "you don't have to be afraid. I'm here to provide you with everything you need. I'm going to protect you. I am going to take good care of you."

Something about the last phrase he said bothered her, I am going to take good care of you. It made her stomach tingle and her nerves alert. She couldn't quite apprehend what her gut was telling her, but she knew it wasn't good. The sinister feeling returned and she prayed to God there was a way out. The only solace she found was when the image of that man came up. She didn't remember who he was, but in someway, the thought of him brought serenity knowing that there might just be someone out there searching for her.