Set pre-series, early season 3, and post-series. Just some stuff about Daniel.
"Is this The Cure?" Upon hearing the first few notes of the song, Nikita lifted her head from the couch pillow. She had crashed into Daniel's apartment after another horrible day in Division. She didn't want to do anything besides flop on the couch and be with her boyfriend- her fiancé. She still could hardly believe that they were engaged. She couldn't believe that Daniel loved her enough to marry her and run away with her. It was almost like a dream. She hoped she never woke up from that bliss. She'd find a way for them to escape Division and live the happy, peaceful life they promised one another.
"That's right. It's the cure for everything," Daniel's goofy smile graced his lips. He knew instantly that she had had another tough day; she was putting too much stress on herself trying to find a way for them to run and hide immediately. He wouldn't have her carry the weight of the world on her shoulders any longer. So, as she moped on the couch, he played music. He didn't think much of the song. He simply played something that could make her smile. He'd do anything for that brilliant smile of hers.
"Oh my God. That was so bad," Nikita giggled and groaned at the terrible pun, hiding her smile behind the pillow. Daniel beamed. He gently pulled his fiancée to her feet and began to dance to the music. It wasn't real dancing. Daniel simply jerked his and Nikita's arms to the beat. She collapsed in more giggles as a result. The tension in her shoulders finally melted away.
"'Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick/ The one that makes me scream' she said/ 'The one that makes me laugh' she said/ And threw her arms around my neck," Hoping to have her so relaxed she herself melted away, Daniel sang terribly. Nikita broke into bright, joyous laughter. He threw her arms around his neck while he sang the lyric, and he softly swayed with her. She continued to giggle. Her head resting in the crook of his neck as she did so.
"'Show me how you do it/ And I promise you I promise that/ I'll run away with you/ I'll run away with you'," Daniel whispered the next few lines. His voice dipped in sincerity, yet it was still light. He would run away with Nikita, and they'd be happy and free. Every moment they'd have together would be just like that one. They'd smile, laugh, dance, and be held so lovingly in each other's arms.
Lifting her head from his shoulder, Nikita stared into Daniel's eyes. He had claimed he'd follow wherever she led, but she always needed more assurance. She really needed to know that he was there with her forever. Smiling adoringly, he kissed her. She kissed him back.
And found myself alone, alone
Alone above a raging sea
That stole the only girl I loved
Nikita arrived at the lake later than she had wanted to. She had planned to meet Daniel in the city and drive to his parents' cabin in the woods together. But Division held her back- because of course it did. Her fiancé was okay with that, however. He just told her he'd go early, get everything ready, then meet her at the lake. The fact that he was so relaxed and easy going about it helped calm her down. It would all be okay. Division couldn't ruin her amazing weekend with the man she loved.
Pulling into the driveway, Nikita felt so excited she could burst. That was it. A weekend away with Daniel was going to be the first look at the rest of their lives. She was so close to getting them both out of Division's clutches. After the Barcelona Op, she and her fiancé would run. Her happiness was right there. She was finally going to take it.
"Looks like you already beat me to it," Spotting Daniel in the lake, Nikita ran straight towards him. She was going to surprise him by jumping into the water in her most tantalizing swimsuit. Yet he was already floating in the lake, waiting for her. She smiled so wide, her cheeks hurt. She had never been so happy, so free, so in love. God, she couldn't wait for her life to start.
Except, as she moved closer to the lake, Daniel never moved. He continued to float in the water like he didn't even know she was there. Nikita paused at the edge of the dock. Daniel was so far out in the water. She couldn't see his expression. He could've been messing with her. He could've been silently daring her to swim out to him so he could splash her and dunk her underwater. However, he was too still. It was too quiet, and he was too still. Fear shot through Nikita, "Daniel?"
There was no response. Nikita wanted to tell herself that she was being paranoid. Maybe he didn't hear her. She probably did have to swim out to him to be with him. Yet it didn't seem right. Something was off.
The first odd thing she noticed was the boat. Daniel said his parents had one, but he didn't know how to drive it. He didn't even know how to start the engine. Except, the boat was in the water next to him and the engine was smoking.
Daniel never would've taken it out, especially if he knew he might wreck it.
Michael had warned Nikita that she was getting too close to Daniel and that Division wouldn't want the relationship to continue.
Amanda had started to ask more questions about Daniel.
Nikita had been delayed in Division long enough for a boating accident to occur.
Though, it wasn't an accident.
"Daniel!"
Nikita dove into the lake and swam as fast as she could to her fiancé. His body was warm when she reached him. But he had been floating upside down for who knew how long. She tried to drag him out of the water and away from the smoking boat, yet he was deadweight. She couldn't heft him back up onto the dock. The best she could do was pull him onto the rocky shore and pray that was good enough.
Daniel never responded, however. He didn't cough. He didn't move. He didn't breathe. Nikita frantically checked for a pulse. When she wasn't able to feel one, she desperately began CPR. But it was of no use. She knew it was of no use. Her heart dropped. Her dreams shattered. And the image she had of her bright future disappeared, "No, no, no, no."
They were going to say he drowned. That false evidence was everywhere. Daniel was killed in a boating accident. There was nothing more to it. No one would think the death was suspicious or worth investigating.
Choking on a sob, Nikita knew the horrific truth. She had loved Daniel with all her heart, and Division killed him. They murdered him because of her. She held her fiancé as tightly as she could, crying until she couldn't breathe. She had killed him. She was naïve to think they could run away and be happy. The world would never let her be happy. She had killed her fiancé trying to achieve a dream that would never become a reality.
"Please. Please. Not you. It was supposed to be me. Not you. Please. Not you."
"Why are you so far away", she said
"Why won't you ever know that I'm in love with you
That I'm in love with you"
"Is that an engagement ring?" Alex startled Nikita from her thoughts. She had been perched on the edge of her bed, staring at her engagement ring. She didn't think the teenager would be awake for another couple hours. It was so early in the morning the sun hadn't risen yet, and they had been training non-stop. Alex should've gotten more sleep- they both should've. Nikita just couldn't stop thinking about Daniel.
"What? Oh… yeah," Sighing, Nikita quietly answered Alex. She didn't consider only telling a half-truth like she had done with other harsh subjects. She wanted to gain the teen's trust, after all. But also, she didn't believe she could hide Daniel's existence. He meant too much to her to be brushed aside. She had hurt him too greatly to just deny who he was.
"You're engaged?" Turning on the lamp next to their beds, Alex stared at Nikita incredulously. She was constantly learning new things about the other woman the longer she stayed in the loft with her. The engagement, however, was a huge shock. Alex had always believed Nikita was navigating the world alone, just like her. There was no one left to smile with, laugh with, live with. There was just darkness and revenge. Yet if Nikita had a fiancé, then that wasn't entirely the case. She had lied to Alex.
"No. I was. His name was Daniel," Nikita instantly dispelled Alex's shock, shaking her head. A faint memory of a similar conversation with Michael pulled at the back of her head, but she quickly shook it away. Her eyes remained on her engagement ring. Although it had been two years since he had died, she hadn't been able to take off Daniel's ring. She didn't think she ever could. She always had to keep a part of him with her. Despite the fact that she had ruined it, she had once been happy. Maybe after she destroyed Division, she could try to be again.
Alex relaxed once Nikita answered. That made a lot more sense than if she was still engaged. How could she always be at the loft with her, training her to take down Division, if there was someone somewhere waiting for her. The rogue agent was just as alone as the teen. And Alex suspected there was a similar reason behind that. Nikita wouldn't still be wearing her ring if she had simply broken up with her fiancé. Something tragic had happened. After all, she had spoken about him in the past tense, "What happened?"
"Division killed him too," Nikita's voice was barely above a whisper. Twisting her engagement ring around her finger, she attempted not to picture his body floating in the water. Instead, she focused on being open with Alex. The teenager had to know exactly what Division was like. The black ops unit of the government didn't just kill powerful people. The hellhole destroyed everything. Especially happiness.
"Why?" Alex wasn't sure if she should ask. She had never seen Nikita so downcast- so heartbroken- before. But the other woman knew everything about her; it was only fair that she knew everything about her in return.
"Because I loved him," Nikita tried not to cry. The tears burned in her brown eyes, but she refused to break down in front of Alex. Shedding any more tears over Daniel wasn't going to fix anything. She had to keep fighting Division. And with Alex stubbornly by her side, the two might just be able to burn the place to the ground.
Whereas Alex moved to comfort Nikita, the rogue agent got to her feet. They were both awake, despite the hour. So there was no need for them to both wallow in dark thoughts. There was still training, lessons, and planning to get done. Nikita and Alex should spend their time wisely. Talking wouldn't get them revenge. But action would, "Come on. We've got some training to do. I'm thinking forest survival today."
"Oh, that'll be easy. My papa already taught me that," Alex smiled softly. She wasn't just bragging when she had shared the fact, she was also trying to redirect the conversation. She wanted to circle back to Nikita and her fiancé, Daniel. She wanted to talk to the other woman, get to know her more. They could spend a morning just growing closer. They'd probably work better together if they understood one another more.
"O…kay? We'll just review then," Nikita glanced at Alex oddly. Her oligarch father taught her forest survival- that was strange. But then again, what did Nikita know about what was normal for a father and daughter to do, especially rich ones. She should ignore it and move on. There were more things she could teach. And, there was more she could be open about.
You
Soft and only
You
Lost and lonely
You
"What is it?" Michael found Nikita curled on the edge of the bed, staring transfixed at her engagement ring. She didn't have the dopey smile she usually wore while gazing at the diamonds. She was so serious and so sad. He was anxious to know what she was thinking. She couldn't possibly be regretting the choice to marry him. There had to be something else on her mind. He really hoped there was something else on her mind.
"Nothing," Nikita tried to shrug it off. She dropped her hand and grinned softly at her fiancé. Unfortunately, Michael saw right through her act. She sighed. There was no use hiding anything from him. She had to own up to it and share her thoughts, "Just never thought that I'd have another engagement ring on my finger."
"Yeah. I know what you mean," Michael admitted quietly. He sat next to his fiancée, taking her hand in his. He had never thought he'd be married again after Elizabeth. Hell, he had never thought he'd be happy again after his family was killed. But there he was with Nikita, brilliantly happy and in love. She had proven his dark thoughts wrong, just like she always did.
And just like he would do for her. Michael nudged Nikita's shoulder with his and squeezed her hand. When she glanced at him, he brought her knuckles to his lips, "But you taught me that it's okay for us to move on. We're not leaving our loved ones behind. We're always carrying them with us in our hearts."
A small, grateful smile pulled at Nikita's lips, yet it never became a full grin. Michael was right. But it didn't seem fair to her that while he was thinking about his late wife and daughter, she was mourning a fiancé who didn't even know who she really was. It wasn't the same. He had suffered far more heartbreak than she had. He practically said as much a few years before, "Even if it was just a cover?"
"I never should have said that. I'm sorry. I know how much Daniel meant to you. I'm sorry, Nikita," Squeezing her hand tightly and moving ever so closer to her, Michael apologized for the things he had said out of hurt and anger. He had always known how much Nikita loved Daniel and how much he loved her. It wasn't just a cover. Being with him had been her whole life. She could be heartbroken about the loss of her late fiancé. It was wrong for Michael to have suggested otherwise.
Nikita just hung her head and let go of Michael's hand. They didn't have to talk about that anymore. They had just gotten engaged; they could focus on happy things. Yet Michael wasn't ready to move on until he could make his fiancée smile again. After only a second of thought, he knew the perfect thing to say to lift her spirits, "After all, you did finally listen to me. You lived the lie until it became your life."
Pressing her forehead into Michael's shoulder, Nikita collapsed in giggles. That was such a stupid thing for him to say. Yet it made her laugh, so he chuckled too. After a moment, he cupped her chin in his hand and connected his eyes to hers. He stared at her adoringly as his thumb caressed her cheek. When he leaned down to kiss her, she met him immediately.
"I know you're not just staring at me cause of my good looks," Smirking, Sam caught Nikita staring at his bare chest. The former team of rogues, assassins, spies, and hackers had gathered on the beach outside of Michael's and Nikita's new house. They played in the water, ate food, messed around in the sand, and had an amazing time as friends and family. But ever so often, Nikita would stare at Sam. he finally had enough of it.
"It's nothing. Sorry," Tearing her eyes away, Nikita shook her head. She shouldn't have stared at Sam. Often, she wondered which of the many tattoos decorating his skin belonged to Daniel. Sam remembered everyone he had killed for Division with some sort of ink. After she had learned that, she wanted to ask which one was for her late fiancé. But she knew better than to pry. She also knew better than to talk to Sam about Daniel. The one time they had, she had almost killed him. It was good for both of them to never talk about it. They could move on and heal in their own separate ways.
While Nikita walked away, Sam realized why she had looked at his bare chest. She was studying his different tattoos. He had seen her do it before. She was obviously looking for a specific one. He could've let her remain curious about it. But it was only fair that he finally showed her. They were in a secure enough place to handle it, "Hey."
When Nikita turned back around, Sam was pointing at a tattoo on his ribs under his arm. It was a small blue wave, extremely simple compared to his more extravagant tattoos. She had probably seen it a hundred different times as they sparred and as she patched him up. But she had never paid much attention to it. Until then. That was Daniel's tattoo.
Unsure of what to say, Nikita just grinned at Sam. he copied her smile and nodded. Soon, Michael shouted across the beach to them, stealing their attention and ending the moment, "Nik! You still want your slice of watermelon to be as big as your head?"
"Bigger," Nikita shouted in response. Annoyed, Sam rolled his eyes. She just laughed and joined the rest of her family around the giant watermelon being cut open. They continued to laugh, joke, talk, everything they could with one another. They had all the freedom in the world. Nothing was going to stop them or break their hearts anymore. Although it didn't look like they had once pictured, the family had their happiness.
Just like heaven
