Set between Seasons 2 and 3 and during 3x01 "3.0". Mikita and their engagement.

"If you didn't want to care about us, you should've killed me when you had the chance," Nikita taunted Sean. The two were in the safehouse kitchen, cooking dinner for everyone. Having volunteered to feed the whole team, Sean was mostly cooking by himself; Nikita was sitting on the counter occasionally peeling vegetables, but mainly teasing Sean. He tried to fire back, and though he got a few quips in, his last comment about not wanting to cook or care for the rogues anymore set Nikita off. She claimed it was his fault that he was stuck in that position. And, honestly, there wasn't much he could argue against that.

"And have Michael go all Wyatt Earp vengeance ride on me? No thanks," Deciding to build off of Nikita's light tone, Sean joked. When he had first started battling the rogues, Michael honestly hadn't seemed like much of a threat, especially compared to Nikita. But after getting to know the couple, Sean knew that if anything happened to them, the other would go ballistic. If Sean had killed Nikita, Michael would've killed him. It was that simple.

As if proving the Seal's point, Michael joined Sean and Nikita in the kitchen and glared at the man who had tried to kill his girlfriend. It was all in jest, however, so Sean just rolled his eyes and returned to his cooking. Nikita, on the other hand, reached for her boyfriend and pulled him into her arms. He came willingly. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and beamed, "Aw. Am I your Huckleberry?"

Chuckling softly, Michael bumped Nikita's nose with his. He then stole the vegetables from her so he could actually help Sean with dinner. The Seal greatly appreciated that. Though, Michael's help was only so beneficial. Ryan soon entered the kitchen, crowding the space and causing distractions, "That is not how that expression is used."

"No one asked you," Rolling her eyes, Nikita snapped. She didn't need Ryan correcting her when she was being cute. Especially when he did it with a smirk just to piss her off.

"How is it used?" Genuinely curious, but also just being an ass, Michael asked. Nikita stuck her tongue out at him. He returned the expression, causing Ryan's and Sean's light laughter to explode. The sounds drew Alex and Birkhoff into the kitchen. They didn't help with dinner, though. They simply added to the chaos- and to poking fun of Nikita.

"'I'm your Huckleberry' basically means 'if that's the situation, I'm in'," Once in control of his laughter, Ryan shared. Honestly, it wasn't important what the real meaning of the phrase was. He only wanted to rile Nikita up. With Michael playing along, it was surprisingly easy.

"So it could still be romantic," Nikita argued. She could make anything work to prove herself correct- even a quote from a movie Michael had once forced her to watch with him. Ryan's logic couldn't best her. She'd always find a way on top.

"How?" Although Ryan didn't doubt that Nikita would try to be right, he did question her thought process. The quote from the movie was supposed to be intimidating. She couldn't make that sweet and cute. Well, actually, considering hers and Michael's relationship and the fact that their romantic gestures were often linked to dangerous situations, maybe she could.

"Ask me a romantic question," Smirking, Nikita dared. Alex, Sean, and Birkhoff broke out in laughter and jeers, goading Ryan to rise to Nikita's bait. He just stammered for a moment.

Maybe it would've been easier for Ryan to respond if Michael wasn't staring at him as he chopped vegetables. A part of him knew that Michael was just joking. But Ryan couldn't help thinking about how Birkhoff had gotten punched for kissing Nikita, and now her boyfriend was holding a knife. Ryan continued to stammer for another long moment before rationality caught up to him and he finally realized what he should say, "Uhhh… what would you say if Michael asked you to marry him right now?"

A chorus of laughter and praise for the smart response surrounded Ryan. Yet the couple wasn't a part of it. Their focus shifted entirely to each other, imagining what it would be like if Michael did propose. Nikita beamed. Michael stopped chopping the vegetables and crossed over to her. She grabbed his hands as soon as he reached her and looked adoringly into his eyes. He crowded into her space just as she teased, "I'm your huckleberry."

"Is that a 'yes'?" Alex squealed in excitement. She knew Michael and Nikita had talked about marriage. And now that their war with Division was over, that hypothetical future could become reality. Alex had hoped that the couple could've had a more romantic proposal than what just happened. But she'd take anything that got the two of them together.

"The phrase technically works," Ryan couldn't help but instigate. There still could've been a better way for Nikita to use the phrase. But that didn't matter, not when the others could tease the couple for the weird way they progressed their relationship.

Whereas the team joked and teasingly congratulated the couple for their 'engagement', Michael and Nikita kept their focus on each other. That wasn't at all how they wanted a proposal to go, so neither would count it as real. However, they would allow the moment to plant ideas in their heads. The one that struck Nikita the most was the image of Michael slipping a ring on her finger. She couldn't stop smiling brilliantly as she shared, "Get me a ring and I'm yours."

"Done and done," Keeping his gaze locked on Nikita's, Michael raised their clasped hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles. She just stared at him agape. She had wanted to make another joke, tease her boyfriend for being so serious even while he flirted. But his promise of buying her a ring and properly proposing had her stunned. She couldn't speak; she could hardly think. All Nikita did was stare at Michael as he smirked.

Soon, however, Michael pulled away from Nikita to hand the vegetables he had chopped to Sean. She continued to stare at him, sitting silently on the counter for the first time. Sean couldn't help but laugh uproariously at the turn of events. He had been trying to shut Nikita up for so long. Turned out, all it took was for Michael to agree to buy her a ring. The rogue wasn't as tough or as complicated as he had thought. She had her weaknesses, just like everybody else, "So the best way to incapacitate a rogue agent is for Michael to be romantic?"

"Always has been," Birkhoff easily quipped. That snapped Nikita out of her daze. She retaliated against the nerd, sending the two- plus Ryan and Sean- into a taunting and petty conversation. Michael shot his girlfriend a smile, then left the chaos. There were things he had been doing in the other room that he wanted to wrap up before dinner- namely, finding himself and his girlfriend an apartment.

Alex also left the kitchen while the others traded barbs. She didn't return to what she had been doing, though (it hadn't been that important). Instead, she chased after Michael. She needed confirmation on what he had said to Nikita. If he was serious, which she was certain he was, then she had to be a part of his plans. She knew just what to do to make his proposal to her best friend perfect. And she knew how to completely surprise Nikita, "Wait, Michael. Are you seriously going to get an engagement ring for Nikita?"

Chuckling softly, Michael felt himself blush at the idea. Yes, he wanted to marry Nikita. The two had discussed spending their freedoms and futures together, and both of them saw marriage involved with that. The two simply hadn't discussed when they would be married. Michael had thought about it, though. Since their war with Division was over, he thought about buying an engagement ring and proposing to Nikita soon. All he needed was the perfect jewelry and the perfect timing, "Uh, yeah… I mean…"

"OhmyGod! Okay. I know the best jewelry store; Nikita loves it. And there's this fountain in the city that at night, wow, it is so beautiful, Nikita will have to say 'yes'," Practically bouncing on her toes, Alex began to plan everything out. Nikita hardly talked about the romantic side of her relationship, yet her best friend knew she liked to be swept off her feet. She just wanted to be treated like she was special- like she was a princess. Alex had no doubt that Michael could do that for Nikita. He just needed a little help.

"Are you planning my proposal?" Putting a stop to Alex's rant, Michael questioned. In all honesty, he hadn't completely thought out how he was going to propose to Nikita. He knew what he wanted to say when he was down on one knee. But other than that, it was blank. Maybe they could spend the day at the beach- their favorite place. That seemed like a special enough day to propose on. Especially if it was just them for a whole day.

"Well, you're gonna need some help if you want to surprise Nikita," Alex shrugged. Fine, she should let Michael handle the majority of the proposal planning. But she'd definitely help him keep the romantic schemes underwraps. Nikita deserved the surprise of a traditional proposal. The rogue couple could at least have something normal in their relationship.

"When I have a ring, we'll talk," Rolling his eyes, Michael promised. His only priority was asking Nikita to marry him. Whether that was a surprise or not didn't matter. But he did want it to be a special moment. With some help, he was sure to make the happen.


Michael had gotten a ring. He had found the most beautiful engagement ring while exploring the store Alex had suggested, and he had bought it instantly. It was perfect. Nikita was going to love it. He couldn't wait to give it to her.

He had planned to take her to the beach for a day. They'd enjoy the day in the surf and the sand, and as the sun began to set, he'd drop to one knee and ask her to marry him. He had known what he had wanted to say to her as he proposed for a long time. Michael loved Nikita; he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. And since they had fought so hard to take down Division and be free, they could have that future.

Unfortunately, the weekend he was going to put his plan into place (with help from Alex so Nikita never guessed what was going on) was the weekend they got the call for their first Dirty Thirty mission. Michael and Nikita were flown to Hong Kong to track down the Division agent who hadn't accepted the recall order and stop him from killing more CIA agents. The proposal had to be delayed so the two could save the world. Michael shouldn't have been that surprised by the complication. It was on par with other events in the relationship, after all.

Though, Nikita and Michael always managed to find one another while in the middle of hell. Why couldn't they also start their new lives that way. They were going to be busy with Dirty Thirty missions for a while. Waiting for the perfect time would be maddening. Michael should make the time. He should take every moment he had with Nikita and make it perfect.

So when he had learned that he and Nikita would be in Hong Kong for a few days while Birkhoff searched the entire city for their Dirty Thirty, Michael changed his plans for the proposal. He hid the engagement ring in the weapons-loaded gift basket Division was going to send to their hotel room, and thought of how he could take Nikita on a date while they were technically on a mission. He was certain he could figure something out. He refused to waste an opportunity to ask her to marry him. They were going to be engaged before the weekend was over. They were going to start their new lives together immediately.

Once in Hong Kong, Nikita and Michael posed as a married couple and stayed in a beautiful suite. Since Michael had checked them into their room and introduced themselves as Mister and Missus, Nikita had been beaming at him and clinging to his arm. She only let go when she saw the gorgeous view of the city outside their window. He couldn't blame her. After hiding out in safehouses, basking in the open light of the day was fantastic. Especially with the view that stole her breath away, "Wow. This I could get used to."

"May have to. Extended stay, huh?" Michael fought to control his smile. Her excitement was infectious. Yet he had other goals in mind. He checked their smuggled weapons in the gift basket that had been sent to their room, and he pocketed the ring he had hidden amongst them. If he could just convince Nikita to go on a date with him while they stayed in Hong Kong, then everything would be perfect. He had the ring and the words, he just needed the girl.

"Well, Birkhoff will be doing his sweep of the street cams, and that will take at least a couple days so…" Finally turning away from the window, Nikita sauntered back towards Michael. The two had tons of time to kill together. They might as well make it worthwhile.

"Yeah, that's right," Michael was on the same page as Nikita. The two could explore the city, find a nice restaurant, have the perfect date, and plan their futures in the time it would take Birkhoff to find their Dirty Thirty rogue agent Martin. There was no point in staying in the hotel any longer. The couple should have their fun then.

"So I was thinking, maybe you should take your jacket off, Mister. Stay a while," If only Nikita's idea of fun wasn't so different than Michael's. As he tried to move her towards the door, she molded her body against his and began to remove his suit jacket. Her lips also brushed against his in a tantalizing ghost of a kiss. In normal circumstances, he would've let her remove his clothes, and he would've kissed her. But that moment wasn't a typical one.

"They got the air blasting in here, don't they?" Awkwardly, Michael fought to keep his suit jacket on. If Nikita got her way and his jacket fell haphazardly to the ground, the ring might fall out. And if the ring fell out, the surprise would be ruined. Michael couldn't let the surprise be ruined. The couple had to have at least one normal, traditional moment between them. He was determined for it to be their engagement- and possibly their wedding too. So Nikita couldn't see the ring; she couldn't even see the ring box, not until the moment was perfectly right.

"I'll keep you warm," Pulling Michael flush against her, Nikita tried to take his jacket off again. She knew all the right moves to keep him hot under her hands. He didn't ever have to worry about the A/C with her.

Knowing that there was no way he could deter Nikita from getting him undressed, Michael quickly shed his jacket. If he draped it carefully on the chair behind him, then there was no chance the ring could fall out. He could still surprise Nikita; things could still be perfect, "Whoa. Whoa. Hi, okay, alright."

"Are you okay? Because you seem a little jumpy," Finally noticing how nervous Michael was, Nikita asked. He had been fine when they had walked into the room. But all of a sudden, he was jumping all over the place. What had happened. What was he thinking.

Michael knew he was being uncharacteristically jumpy. Yet he couldn't help it. He was so focused on perfection, that he couldn't take anything that ruined his plans. The proposal couldn't go like most of their missions did. Everything had to be right. They deserved that. The two deserved the best foot to step into their futures with. Michael just didn't know how to tell Nikita that without spoiling everything, "Heh. Well…"

"Hey. Hey. Is it the mission? You know there's always a mission. Might as well enjoy it," Cupping Michael's chin so his wild green eyes would settle on her, Nikita smiled comfortingly. Just because they were cleaning up Division instead of tearing it down didn't mean that their missions had to change. They were still taking out a bad guy and saving the world. It was the same as it ever was. There was no need to be nervous or scared. They could handle it. They were together, after all. They could do anything.

"You're right. There's always gonna be another mission. Our lives may be mission to mission for a while right? So it would be pointless to wait until things were normal," Michael knew that was his moment. He could drop to one knee right then or whisk her away to a romantic outing in the city. Either way, right that moment, as Nikita stared at him with her beautiful brown eyes, was his moment to propose. It was time to cement their discussions of their future and start living happily ever after.

"I hate waiting," Unfortunately, Nikita's mind wasn't on the future. She was entirely focused on getting what she wanted in the present. She whisked off Michael's belt that she had undone without him noticing, and she pulled him into her arms for a heated, passionate kiss.

"Wait…" Michael tried to slow Nikita down; they could start making out after he proposed. But Nikita was on a mission. She continued to kiss him and undress him, and she even managed to shove him to the bed. Honestly, Michael could've stopped Nikita if he really wanted to; it wouldn't have been difficult for him to push her off him. However, when she kissed him, even when all he could think about was proposing to her, he couldn't focus on anything else. All he wanted was to kiss her back.

"Man cannot survive on mission alone," Unbuttoning his dress shirt, Nikita husked against Michael's lips. She rolled her hips tantalizingly against his and kissed him passionately once more. Michael finally came alive under her impassioned kiss. He kissed her back, held her close, and unzipped her dress. He was just about to unhook her bra as well when she suddenly pulled away, "Wait, wait, wait."

"What?" Startled, Michael asked. A part of him wondered if Nikita finally realized what he had been talking about before she had kissed him. If so, then he'd roll out of bed and quickly grab the ring from his jacket pocket. His proposal plans kept changing, yet he didn't care at that point. He simply wanted to profess his love for Nikita and marry her.

"Ryan said Martin was on extended assignment for six years. Six years? Was the guy a monk? I don't think so," Excitedly, Nikita shared her epiphany and scrambled off of Michael's lap. He propped himself up on his elbows and stared at her incredulously. What did she think about while she made out with him. It obviously wasn't about them. Her mind had wandered to their Dirty Thirty, and she was off to complete their mission. Michael couldn't catch up with her. He was simply left dumbfounded and in a constant state of whiplash.

Though, as he watched Nikita with her dress still unzipped call Birkhoff and share her idea (after she taunted the nerd), he couldn't help but smile. That was the woman he wanted to marry. The crazy, sarcastic, caring, amazing woman was going to be his wife. He was absolutely certain of it. He couldn't wait for things to calm down enough for him to propose.


"Let's go!" Nikita called for Michael. Martin was dead. CIA agents were safe. The police and MSS were distracted. It was time for Division to go. They needed to get out of Hong Kong as fast as possible. More heat would fall on them if they didn't. And the amount they were dealing with- plus the fact that Amanda had decrypted the black box- was enough. They had to save themselves, regroup, and deal with the fallout.

However, Michael wasn't willing to go just yet. The second he reached Nikita, he began to wrestle for the gun in her hands. She fought him off, confused as to what he was doing. Yet he was determined. He wouldn't go until he got what he wanted, "Give me the gun!"

"Why?" Of course Nikita would give Michael her gun if he needed it, but he didn't. Alex was covering them from above; they just had to focus on running somewhere safe.

"Give me the damn Glock," Finally, Michael ripped the pistol from Nikita's grasp. He didn't have time to explain. He had to go back and get the engagement ring he had stupidly brought into the field with him. He should've known something terrible would've happened. It always did. And now he had to keep fighting for what he wanted most.

"Where are you going?" Standing dumbfounded in the middle of the road, Nikita shouted. She couldn't understand why Michael was sprinting back towards the police station. He was free; he had gotten out; it was time to go. But despite the handcuffs and the hell that was occurring, he was determined to go back. It was as though he was on his own mission. The rest of the world could be damned because of it.

"To get your engagement ring!" Michael shouted, and Nikita's ears rang. She continued to stand in the middle of the street and stare at Michael agape. In hindsight, she probably should've gone to help Michael get her engagement ring back from the police. But in the moment, all she could do was smile dreamily at the idea of her and Michael married.

"Go!" A distant voice commanded, ripping Nikita out of her daydream. She looked around confusedly at who could've shouted; then, she noticed Michael running towards her. He shouted again, and that time, the words struck, "Go, go, go!"

Frantically, Nikita snapped herself out of her happy, dreamy shock and ran to the driver's seat of the MSS SUV she had stolen. Michael climbed into the backseat and managed to close the door just as she took off.

Nikita, however, didn't look at the road as she drove. After all the trouble they had just been in, she absolutely should've watched out for more dangers. Yet she couldn't help but look back at Michael. He was too busy breaking out of his handcuffs to notice her. She was okay with that, though. Only a part of her concern was on him. Mostly, she was curious about her engagement ring, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Michael brushed off Nikita's concern. He hadn't been hurt, and he had gotten back what he needed. All was great, especially if they got out of Hong Kong safe and sound. Since things were deescalating, that should've been possible. Of course, that was as long as Nikita watched the road, "Watch out!"

"Shit," Nikita swerved to avoid hitting the car she had no clue she was about to hit. Once she corrected, she paid more attention to how she was driving. But, occasionally, her eyes drifted to Michael. She couldn't see a ring box. Even as he uncuffed himself and climbed into the passenger seat, she didn't see her ring. She was beginning to fear that he hadn't managed to grab it. It wouldn't have been the end of the world if he had lost it. There were millions of other engagement rings out there he could buy her. But, even without seeing it, she wanted that one. It was the one Michael fought so hard for, "Did you… did you get it?"

"Yeah, I did," Proudly, Michael patted his pocket and smiled. He wouldn't have been able to leave Hong Kong without Nikita's engagement ring. Although he could've bought another, he knew he could never find a ring like that one. It was perfect. It was Nikita's.

Before Nikita could ask Michael if she could see her ring, Alex called. A part of her was tempted to ignore it. She wanted to talk to her boyfriend about her engagement ring. But, a mission was still going on. Michael answered the call while Nikita remained in her stunned silence, and Alex updated the two on what was occurring, "I've got a fresh car, and Sean's with the Alpha team packing up the hotel room. I'll send you the coordinates where to meet me."

Michael took over navigation as Nikita struggled to split her attention between him and the road. She was getting better at it the further from downtown they moved. However, she was still thinking up what she should say when he began to give her directions, "Turn right."

"You were going to propose?" Nikita eventually decided to blurt. It was the only reason she could think of that'd explain why Michael had her engagement ring with him in Hong Kong. How it had gotten confiscated by the police, she had no idea. Yet he had the ring back, so it didn't matter. Michael could propose to Nikita now. He could complete what he had set out to do and the stupid mission had interfered with.

"That was the plan," Michael huffed. He wasn't annoyed with Nikita. He honestly should've known better than to try to propose to her while a mission was occurring. Her attention could only go one way or another; he shouldn't have expected her to be fully engaged in their engagement. He had just been so excited. He couldn't wait anymore. He honestly still couldn't. But racing out of Hong Kong was definitely putting a damper on things.

"You were going to propose to me on a mission?" Bewildered, Nikita tried to clarify Michael's thought process. She knew their relationship had its non-traditional moment. But did that also have to extend to their engagement. She guessed it sort of had to. How she had discovered he was going to propose definitely wasn't normal. The two simply had to make their relationship work for them as best as they could. Waiting for things to become normal was pointless. They should just find happiness together in whatever way they could.

"We were supposed to be spending days in Hong Kong. I was going to take you out, be romantic," Michael defended himself. It wasn't as though he was going to propose to his girlfriend in the middle of a firefight- though, that was technically what happened. He had planned to be romantic. Their crazy life had just gotten in the way- as it always did.

Remembering how jumpy and weird about his jacket Michael had been in the hotel suite, things finally began to click for Nikita. She turned to her boyfriend and gasped, "Is that what you were doing in the hotel room?"

"Yeah, thanks for finally noticing," Michael couldn't help but tease. A part of that was on him; he should've been more direct. But, Nikita's single-mindedness was a problem at times. There was something both of them had to work on.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Nikita shrieked. If Michael had said he had wanted to propose, she would've waited to take off his belt. And she probably wouldn't have thought about their Dirty Thirty. Hell, she probably wouldn't have been able to think about anything. In the middle of a fight, she hadn't been able to move or think after just the mention of her engagement ring. Just the idea of marrying Michael had her in a spell. She wondered what it would be like once they were married. She bet it would be bliss.

"I did. But then you did that thing with your tongue, and I got distracted too," Smirking, Michael leaned over to smear a kiss to Nikita's jaw. She was too confused to respond. Yes, she knew which kisses of hers drove Michael wild- that wasn't what had her puzzled. What she couldn't wrap her head around was that her boyfriend had been serious and romantic, and she had completely missed it. Had that happened before. How many times had she missed sweet, endearing moments from Michael because she couldn't stop thinking about something else.

Nikita wasn't given long to dwell over that thought. As she thought through hers and Michael's relationship, he stopped her and pointed to someone slightly ahead, "It's Alex. Stop."

Slamming on the brakes, Nikita managed to stop the SUV before she hit Alex. The young woman glanced at her incredulously for her suddenly poor driving skills, yet Nikita had no excuse. She was still too distracted by her engagement ring to really do anything. Michael didn't help. He jumped out of the car and forced her to follow. Nikita stumbled as she did so, which further confused Alex. She must've missed something while she had been on the roof. Hopefully, it wasn't anything bad, "What happened? What took you?"

"I had to get the ring back," Michael admitted. There was nothing for Alex to worry about, just past stupidity that had been resolved. Everything should've been good from that moment on. Michael had the ring and Nikita, so he was sure of it.

"You brought it into the field with you?" Bewildered, Alex questioned. Bringing the engagement ring with him on the mission was one thing- it had been an extended assignment and he would've had opportunities to propose. Yet chancing the possibility of losing it in the field wasn't like Michael. He must've been so distracted by the idea of marrying his girlfriend that he hadn't been able to think straight.

"I didn't want to leave it behind incase something happened," Michael honestly had no real excuse for why he had brought the ring with him. It was true that he didn't want to leave it behind incase anything happened. But a part of him also didn't want to separate from it. He couldn't take the ring out of his pocket until he put it on Nikita's finger. Only then would he know it was safe and where it belonged.

Whereas Alex and Michael moved towards the car Alex had secured, Nikita remained rooted on the street. She glanced curiously between her boyfriend and best friend, more thoughts and realizations clicking in her mind, "Wait. You knew?"

"Yes. Now get in the car," Alex ordered. The two could talk on the way home. But in the meantime, they had to escape the country. Snapping herself out of it for the hundredth time in just a few minutes, Nikita hurried to catch up.


After talking to Ryan in his office about what he had done during the op, Nikita was furious. The plane ride to Division had been full of debriefing- both about the mission and the engagement ring- and post-mission exhaustion. Although Nikita had managed some rest, talking to Ryan about his choices made her frustrated and tired all over again. She could not understand him. Since taking over Division, he had changed. She couldn't possibly understand why. Maybe there was more going on than she had realized. Or maybe he was just being a dick.

While Nikita sulked in the hallway, Michael found her and took her hand. He assumed Ryan had her pissed off. Fortunately, he had the perfect solution to make her feel better. He squeezed his girlfriend's hand tightly and led her to the carport, "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Although Nikita let Michael lead her through Division, she still questioned him. After her discussion with Ryan, she wasn't in the mood for anything besides going home, curling on the couch, and eating junk. Michael better have been leading her to those things. If not, she was going to drag her feet and whine.

"Out," Michael said simply. After talking with Alex, he realized that he could salvage the proposal. If he took Nikita to a fancy restaurant and brought her to that fountain Alex had mentioned, his proposal- his real proposal- could be romantic and magical. What had happened in Hong Kong was only a setback. He could still do things right.

"Like a date?" Just the thought of going out with Michael instantly perked Nikita up. She smiled softly. He grinned in return, excitedly whisking her away.

However, as they moved closer to their car, he was suddenly filled with apprehensions. She couldn't understand why he'd be nervous for a dinner date. They had gone on several by that point. Then, she remembered. He still planned on proposing, "We can stop by the apartment first to change and freshen up, but I made reservations at…"

"Reservations? So this is like a real date? Are you still trying to propose?" Nikita stopped Michael. If he wanted to propose to her, he didn't have to make a big deal out of it. She was fine with something simple, especially with the day they had had. Take-out in their pajamas while a movie played in the background sounded amazing. No pomp, no frills, just the ring she had yet to see (Michael refused to show it to her) on her finger. It was simple and sweet.

"Well, I haven't actually done it yet," Flashing a crooked grin, Michael pulled Nikita into his arms. Despite their exhaustion, the two deserved the real proposal with love on their lips and in the air. She deserved to be treated special. And he deserved to express his love. A mission couldn't take that away from them.

Although Michael didn't drop to one knee and ask her to marry him, Nikita felt as though she had already said 'yes'. He was hers, and she was his. There was no need for any of that. Michael didn't have to stress himself out with the most amazing and spectacular proposal in the world. The amazing things he had done for her were enough. She was already brilliantly happy with him. She didn't need more, "Yeah, but…"

"So you don't want to go on a date with me?" Michael teased. There was no way Nikita could say 'no' to that, especially since going on that date would make him happy. She was soon taken to their apartment to freshen up and to change into something befitting a proper date. When both Nikita and Michael were ready, he whisked her away to a perfect night.

Michael honestly didn't have to try so hard to make things perfect. Nikita knew about the ring; she knew he wanted to marry her. He didn't have to make a grand gesture with a proposal. He could simply slip the ring on her finger, and she'd be with him forever. There was no doubt that she wanted to marry him as well. They had discussed their futures enough that their next steps were clear. Regardless of her assurances, however, after eating at an expensive, fancy, romantic restaurant, Michael led Nikita to a beautiful water fountain. She attempted to pull away, but he only held her hand tighter, "Just trust me. Okay?"

"Michael. Michael. You don't have to do this," Nikita was smiling from ear to ear. Michael was so sweet and endearing. He wanted to give her the perfect romantic proposal that she deserved. But she didn't need any of those things. She was perfectly fine not having cliché or normal or whatever when it came to their relationship. She loved how it was already. As long as he was with her, she was happy.

Michael wouldn't listen to Nikita or let her stop him from proposing that time, however. He was stubbornly set in his ways. He brought her to the fountain and held her in his arms. That was his moment.

"Yes, I do. It's tradition. I'm a traditional guy. And I went through hell to get this ring. We're going to do this right," Michael was so serious. He was normally a very serious man- her serious man. But he looked at Nikita with the most earnest green eyes she had ever seen. She was captivated by him. There was no fight left in her as he helped her sit on the edge of the fountain and dropped to one knee.

When he pulled the ring box from his pocket, his hands shook. She gasped, tears welling in her eyes, the second he showed her the beautiful engagement ring. Diamonds decorated the small band, and each one- especially the giant one in the center- glittered blue in the moonlight. Nikita couldn't breathe as she stared at it. It was well worth the wait to see. And well worth it for Michael to steal her gun and rush back for.

Before Nikita could just reach out and take her ring, Michael stole her attention by the way he gazed at her. He looked at her with every ounce of love he had and breathed, "Nikita…"

"You had me at 'give me the damn Glock'," She couldn't help herself. Nikita was so damn excited for the proposal, she was so fucking in love with Michael, and she couldn't wait to be engaged. She was sure he had a whole speech prepared. He was going to speak from his heart and tell her how much he loved her. Yet she knew all that already. He was down on one knee, after all. He also laughed at her joke. The two didn't need love declarations or heartfelt speeches. Their actions were enough. And so was the way they looked at one another.

Smiling brighter than the stars in the sky, Michael took Nikita's hand in his. Both shook as he finally slipped her beautiful ring on her finger. Pure joy and happiness flowed through the newly engaged couple. They just had to smile, laugh, hold one another, and kiss.

Slipping his fingers through her dark hair, Michael cradled Nikita's head. His other arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close. She melted into the affection. She clung to the back of his suit jacket to ensure he wouldn't go away. Though, that wasn't even a question. He'd stay with her until the end of time. Smiles split their kiss. They didn't mind. In fact, their happiness only made the moment all the more better. The newly engaged couple practically swayed in their kiss. They were nothing but smiles, especially as he whispered, "So, that's a 'yes'?"

Nikita bumped her forehead against Michael's, laughing and beaming. There were tears in her eyes, but they were born from pure bliss. She was so happy and so in love. She couldn't believe she was going to marry the love of her life. And with an absolutely stunning ring on her finger. He did an amazing job picking one out. She couldn't wait to wear it for the rest of her life.

Eventually, the newly engaged couple wrapped their arms around each other and walked back to their car to go home. They were all giggles and smiles, too ecstatic for words. They simply swapped kisses and caresses as they walked, basking in their bliss. The two were on cloud nine. And there was no possible way to bring them down. Not even the insistent buzzing in the pocket of Nikita's dress as Alex repeatedly texted her and begged for an update, "And?"

Finally reading the messages, Nikita chuckled to herself and replied to her best friend. As she typed her message, she thought that a picture of her with her ring on would've been a far better reply. So, she stopped Michael and held out her phone to take a selfie, "Wait. For Alex."

Since he was grateful for Alex's help in finding the perfect ring and in planning the proposal, Michael joined Nikita in the selfie. The newly engaged couple smiled brightly as she ecstatically showed off her engagement ring and took the picture. It was an adorable photograph of the two, and they both wanted to keep it. So, Nikita quickly saved it before she sent it to her best friend with the simple caption, "We're engaged!"

"Tell me everything!" Alex texted back instantly. After never knowing what had been going on between Michael and Nikita in the past, she deserved to know everything about their engagement. Of course Nikita would tell her. She was too happy to keep all that to herself. Her future with Michael was something she had to revel in. It was all she had ever wanted and more.

"Tomorrow. Right now, I'm going home with my fiancé," Nikita replied, then put her phone back in her pocket. Alex could wait for the details. Nikita still wanted to live them. And so did Michael as he picked up his fiancée, twirled her around, and kissed her.