Set after 2x18 "Power". The team taunting each other over names and accents. The Russian comes from quick Google searches, so I apologize for inaccuracies.

Nikita had just finished her yoga routine. She had taken up space in the great room to stretch, relax, and ease some of her sore muscles from the recent mission. Everyone else in the safehouse were more or less doing their own thing, so they didn't mind her taking over the room. Even if they did, that probably wouldn't have stopped her. She needed a moment to focus on her breathing. After that terrifying moment in Moscow where she couldn't breathe, she really wanted to just sit and relish the air filling her lungs.

Michael absolutely wanted to relish in the fact that she was still alive as well. He considered it a miracle that Nikita had survived two encounters with Amanda. That needed to be celebrated- along with all their other victories from the latest mission. But since Michael had the chance to have a moment alone with Nikita, he was going to celebrate her first.

Usually at the end of her yoga routine, she'd sit in an active pose on the mat and pretend to meditate. Michael knew she just used that as an excuse to hum along to her music and ignore everyone else; Nikita couldn't sit still and think if it was to save her life. So when he walked in on her 'meditating', he grabbed the tablet she was blasting music on and changed the song. She snapped out of her peaceful moment and shot him a glare. He ignored her, turning the music up louder. She hopped to her feet and tried to threaten him into changing the song back. But he had already begun to sing, "'Hey Nikita, is it cold/ In your little corner of the world'?"

"What are you doing?" Nikita chuckled slightly as she judged Michael's actions. He just kept singing to her, however, doing his best impression of Elton John.

"'Oh, I saw you by the wall/ Ten of your tin soldiers in a row'," Moving closer, Michael reached for Nikita. He swept her up in his arms and danced with her to the beat of the music. She didn't know whether to find the gesture sweet or weird. So, she just stared at him with a confused smile on her lips. He continued to sing, regardless.

It took a few more notes of the song for Nikita to realize what exactly Michael was singing to her. Once she did, she pulled away from him. He was not getting away with singing that song to her. She had heard it enough growing up from kids at school, "No. You're not singing this song to me."

"'Oh, Nikita, you will never know/ Anythin' about my home'," Michael sang through his laughter. He had known that Elton John's "Nikita" would get under her skin. Yet that was why he wanted to sing it to her. He wanted to hear Nikita laugh. He wanted to mess around with her, just be silly and carefree. They had had enough moments of stress and seriousness. They should've been able to be ridiculous as well. It was the perfect way to prove they were still so alive. Laughter was their best medicine.

"No. Absolutely not. You are not making a song about a Russian border guard romantic," Attempting to control her giggles, Nikita backed further away from Michael. The more he smiled, sang, and tried to dance with her, the more she wanted to fall under his ridiculous spell. But she refused to do so while "Nikita" was playing. That was not going to be the romantic song her boyfriend swept her off her feet to.

"'Nikita, I need you so'," Gently pulling his girlfriend back into his arms, Michael whispered the lyrics against her lips. Nikita hated that her knees nearly gave out. Alright, so that line was swoon worthy. Especially with the intense way Michael looked at her. But she wasn't going to give in that easily.

"You know this song's about a guy, right?" Jerking away just before Michael kissed her, Nikita teased. He chuckled, and her body melted against his.

"There's a girl in the music video," Michael husked as if that perfectly proved his point. Yet before he could attempt to kiss her again, Nikita slipped out of his arms. She didn't move far. She simply walked across the room and shot him a playful look over her shoulder. He smirked and continued singing, "'Countin' ten tin soldiers in a row/ Oh no, Nikita, you'll never know'."

Walking backwards, Nikita moved towards the tablet. She hoped to divert Michael from her goal to turn the song off. Her smile seemed to have him distracted enough. The words she threw his way simply became a bonus, "It's sung by Elton John. It's about a guy."

"Prove it," Daring her, Michael tried to close the distance between them. Nikita was right. A song by Elton John about a Russian named Nikita was undoubtedly about a man, no matter what the music video would have people believe. But Michael could twist the meaning for his girlfriend. He was singing directly to her after all, "'Nikita, do you count the stars at night'?"

"Give me the iPad," Nikita reached for the tablet. Before she opened the internet browser, she stopped the music. A proud grin only graced her lips for a second. Once the song ended, Michael scooped her up in his arms and squeezed her tightly. She nearly dropped the tablet. Yet that didn't stop him from shaking her around in an attempt to stop her from looking up the lyrics. She giggled uncontrollably and even squealed, "No!"

"'Oh, Nikita, you will never know'," Regardless if there was music playing or not, Michael would sing to Nikita. The fact that it annoyed her was a bonus. She was laughing and squirming in his arms as he held her tight and tickled her slightly.

It was a huge struggle for Nikita to type on the tablet. Michael kept messing with her, singing and laughing in her ear. She fought to control her giggles and to break her boyfriend's hold, yet it was no use. She let autocorrect do most of the work for her, and scrolled helplessly until she found what she needed, "Look, look, look. 'About a Russian border guard named Nikita'. So it's about a guy."

"Nikita's a girl's name too," Gently tossing aside the tablet, Michael turned Nikita in his arms. They were arguing about nothing by that point. But that honestly wouldn't stop them. They'd always try to one up each other. It was a challenge they hoped never ended.

"Not in Russia. And not when Elton John sings it," Nikita rubbed the fact in Michael's face. Literally. Her nose bumped his as she shook her head and grinned. Matching her smile, he moved his body flush against hers.

"Name a world famous Russian man named Nikita," Running out of things to argue, Michael simply tossed the words out there. Nikita laughed at him. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Nikita Khrushchev," Sean interrupted. Michael and Nikita quit giggling to cast him a strange glance. They hadn't noticed him entering the safehouse. In fact, they hadn't even known he was back in the country. As far as they had been aware, he was still in Greece with Katya.

Stepping back so she wasn't too close to her boyfriend for Sean's comfort, Nikita shook her head clear. A part of her felt like the Seal's entrance ruined her moment with Michael; they couldn't freely flirt and tease when their team was around, not without being made fun of. But she could recapture some of their argument, at least enough to drag them to another empty room, "There's also professional hockey players named Nikita."

Upon hearing her say 'hockey' with an unmistakable midwestern accent, Michael and Sean quickly looked at each other. They bit back their laughter. Nikita, however, misinterpreted why they did. She believed the two thought it was weird that she knew hockey players. She hadn't caught the accent that had slipped out. And she wasn't aware that it got even worse with her next sentence, "What? I can't watch hockey? I am from Michigan."

Sean and Michael cast each other another glance before erupting in laughter. Nikita glared at them incredulously. Fortunately, her confusion didn't last long. Sean soon cleared up what he and Michael were silently making fun of her for, "Say 'hockey' again."

"You should hear her say 'bear' and 'hippopotamus'," Michael chuckled. For the most part, thanks to learning new languages and traveling the world, Nikita lost her Detroit accent. But some words, specifically vowel heavy ones, were drawn out like she was still in the midwest. Michael thought it was absolutely adorable- and hilarious.

"I forgot y'all are from New Orleans," Glaring, Nikita fired back at Michael with a (bad) southern accent. He had once, when tired and stressed, let a 'y'all' slip out. It reminded Birkhoff and Nikita that he was from Louisiana, and it was the topic of their jokes for a whole week. She would never let Michael live it down. It was too funny not to tease him for it.

"'I'll never know how good it feels to hold you/ Nikita, I need you so'," Flashing his crooked smile, Michael began to sing again. His girlfriend rolled her eyes and ran from him.

"Shut up!" Scurrying up the stairs, Nikita shouted over her shoulder. Her boyfriend wasn't deterred. He chased after her singing, despite the taunts she threw at him. Sean was left in the great room hopelessly confused.

At least he wasn't the only one puzzled about what was happening. Alex joined Sean, staring after the disappearing couple. She had heard music, laughter, and shouting in the other room, but she hadn't paid too much attention to it until she had heard Sean's voice. That was what eventually drew her out to investigate the strangeness, "What's that all about?"

"All I gathered was that they were making fun of each other's names. Then they made fun of their accents," Sean shrugged. He wasn't completely sure about the name thing, just that Nikita's name was a huge topic. And the accents seemed more like a fluke. The team didn't really have that distinctive of accents, probably because of their travels. Or, in their efforts to hide where they were from. Michael and Nikita just seemed like they were taking any opportunity to rile each other up. Sean had really walked in at a terrible time.

"You should hear them both say 'black boxes' when they're tired. The midwest and south really clash," Giggling to herself, Alex recalled. Time away from their home states, learning new languages, and being immersed in other worlds erased the team's regional accents; Alex's was the strongest example of that after her time on the streets. Yet when they were exhausted, words slipped carelessly off their tongues. It was clear where the rogues were from then.

"And your accent doesn't come out when you're tired?" After recovering from confusedly witnessing Nikita's and Michael's antics, Sean countered. Alex had fazed out her Russian accent completely when she was speaking English. Except for when she was exhausted, or when she encountered a new word. Unlike Michael's and Nikita's accents, it wasn't hilarious when Alex's slipped. It was simply further proof of all she had overcome. At least that was how Sean thought of it, especially after he had spent so much time with her mother, "You know, you sound a lot like your mom when it does."

Alex rolled her eyes. People had claimed that she sounded like her mother since she was a kid. Although it was great to hear again, the comment was still annoying. She'd rather just move on from the conversation. There were more things she wanted to talk about, anyway, "Speaking of my mom: what are you doing back so early? Thought you were coming home at the end of the week?"

"I was, then your mom insisted that she was safe and that I should stop you from getting into further trouble," Sean explained the change of plans. Since Semak and Zetrov were no longer threats, Katya had no further use for a Seal bodyguard. Sean was free to return to the States, and she could enjoy paradise in Greece. Before he left, however, she advised him to watch after her daughter. Alex wasn't ready for paradise yet, so Sean should keep an eye on her. Katya even compensated him for his trouble, "She also gave me money for the latter."

"Sean, give that back!" Instantly, Alex shoved back the wad of cash Sean had pulled from his pocket and presented to her. How could he have taken money from her mother. She needed it more than either of them did.

"I am! Don't worry. She wouldn't accept it in person, so I'm gonna send a wire transfer later. Relax, Саня. I'm not gonna leave your mom destitute," Chuckling, Sean assured. He had already tried to give Katya back the money before he got on the plane. But she had refused to take it with a stubbornness that rivaled her daughter's. He'd return it to her one way or another, though. He didn't need to be paid to protect Alex. He'd do that for free.

"What'd you just call me?" Alex took an involuntary step back. She hadn't heard Саня in so long, she had almost forgotten about it. So how did Sean know to call her that.

Sean hadn't expected that reaction from Alex. He hadn't wanted to freak her out with the nickname. Maybe he didn't say it right. Katya had teased him about his pronunciation when he had tried to learn a few Russian words. He probably called her by a completely different name than he had intended, "Sanya? Did I not say it right? Саня?"

"Did my mom tell you that?" Alex asked. Sean had pronounced Саня as well as she had expected him to. But that wasn't the issue. She needed to know where he had heard it, and why her mom would've possibly told him about it.

"Yeah. She said you're her little Алексаня," Sean nudged Alex and smirked. Katya had told him a lot about Alex's childhood while he had stayed with her in Greece. And he had loved every minute of it. Though, repeating what Katya had said earned Sean a harsh glare from Alex. He hoped it was only out of annoyance and not him stumbling over how to say her name, "Aleksanya? That's how you say it, right?"

"I don't know what's worse. My mom telling you my family nicknames, or you butchering them," Shaking her head, Alex sighed. Sean didn't actually say the nicknames wrong. He just didn't have the right accent; he sounded far more SoCal than Russian. The words sounded so wrong coming out of his mouth. It was honestly pretty funny. It almost made up for the fact that her mother had given Sean material to tease her with.

"I could just call you Волчонок. That's what your dad called you, right?" Tenderly, Sean repeated the other nickname Katya had told him. He wasn't sure if it was okay for him to say. But he figured it was worth the risk.

"You said that so wrong," Alex focused more on Sean's poor pronunciation than the name. Unlike Саня, she hadn't even remotely forgotten Волчонок. Her father's special name for her had stuck with her through the worst of her experiences. His voice always echoed it whenever she needed his strength. She never thought she'd hear the nickname again, let alone from Sean. The fact that he had said it so gently made her heart flip. She needed to focus on something ridiculous just to be able to breathe.

Unbeknownst to both Sean and Alex, Birkhoff had entered the kitchen behind them as they spoke. Also unbeknownst to them, the hacker was conversational in Russian- at least enough to pretend to be a mad Russian scientist per Michael's request. So when he had heard Волчонок, he was able to figure out what that meant. He laughed as soon as he did, "Your dad used to call you little wolf."

Instantly, Alex whipped around to Birkhoff and glared. He held up placating hands and moved out of the kitchen, "I'll go bother the other odd couple then."

As soon as he said that, Nikita and Michael broke into screams of laughter. Alex, Birkhoff, and Sean shared a confused look. No one still had any idea what the couple was doing. The hacker went to find out, though, leaving the Seal and the young woman alone again. Alex expelled a long breath. She had never thought that there would be consequences to asking Sean to be her mother's bodyguard in Greece. Yet she had just encountered some. Shaking her head, she began to leave the room, "I knew leaving you with my mom was a bad idea."

"Come on, they're cute names," Sean followed Alex, laughing softly. He wasn't calling her the nicknames to be mean; he just wanted to see her smile. That couldn't have been so bad.

"Not when you say them, Seanie," Attempting to even the playing field, Alex tried out a possible nickname for Sean. She'd have to talk to his mother and his sisters for embarrassing childhood stories about him. That actually sounded like a lot of fun for a multitude of reasons. Alex would love to talk to Sean's family. She'd also like to talk to Madeline Pierce outside the confines of Oversight. Getting dirt on Sean would just be a bonus.

"Nice try. My family never called me that," Though some people had called him Seanie before, none had been in his family. Sean could proudly smirk at Alex. She huffed and pouted just a little bit. All his resolve melted at that look. He relented and smiled gently, "Fine. Just teach me how to say your nicknames, then. Also, what does тупица mean? Your mom would roll her eyes and call me that a lot."

Alex couldn't help but laugh. Her mother used to call her father a тупица whenever he was oblivious about something. She didn't know what Sean could've been oblivious about, yet it was funny that her mother had clocked him on it, "You really need to work on your Russian."

"Did she call me an idiot?" Sean guessed. Katya never said it in a mean way, so he assumed it was just a joke. Probably at the expense of his language skills.

"Something like that," Giggling, Alex admitted. She was relieved to know that between sharing stories about her, she had made fun of Sean. That made it somewhat even.

"Come on, Sanya. Teach me some Russian. It might save my life on later missions," With his own eye roll, Sean somewhat pleaded. He was stationed more in the Middle East than anywhere else as a Navy Seal. So Arabic was more useful to him. But he never knew where he'd be sent next; the team of rogues had proved that. Learning Russian would be beneficial to him. And not just for operations.

"As long as you never call me Саня, Алексаня, or Волчонок ever again," Alex wasn't entirely certain if she was serious about that or not. She wouldn't completely mind if her team called her by those nicknames, especially if it was in English. They had become her family too in a way. The names could continue on with them. She'd simply have to get used to it first.

"Unless I earn them, right?" Sean closed the distance between him and Alex. He was trying to challenge her- tease her, and maybe flirt a little bit. But it backfired. Instead of playfully glaring back at him, she stared at him intently. He dropped his smirk and returned her seriousness. The two gazed at one another for who knew how long. They didn't say anything. They just sort of drifted towards each other.

Poorly contained laughter from above them broke Alex and Sean apart. They looked up to see Birkhoff, Michael, and Nikita upstairs watching them. Grinning wickedly, Nikita leaned over the railing and called down to Alex, "Hey, little wolf! What do you want for dinner?"

"Тупица," Alex muttered at Sean as her team snickered above her. Him and his stupid big mouth. Because he had shared her father's nickname for her in front of Birkhoff, she was never going to live it down. Next thing she knew, her code name for missions (that they hardly ever used) was going to become wolf related. Although Alex was grateful that Sean had protected her mother, and that he was sweet about wanting to continue her family's nicknames for her, she was annoyed that her friends learned about the names too. She needed new material to make fun of them with as soon as possible.

"Dumbass. See, I'm learning already," Following Alex upstairs, Sean finally translated the Russian word. Although the team laughed at him, he was proud of himself. Alex also gave him a small smile as she rolled her eyes. That made his translation all the more worth it. And, it carried him through the team dinner where everyone taunted each other- like a family would.