"No thanks, Birkhoff. My family's secrets are traumatic enough. Don't need any more," Nikita walked away from the men gathered around the computer. She had already told Michael she didn't care about uncovering the truth or anything like that. She knew how she had gotten to where she was. Her brother hanging around the safehouse with her team was often a reminder of that. Madeline Pierce had always been self-serving and corrupt.

"It's about your birth parents," Birkhoff's statement pulled her back, however. Nikita was lying to herself if she said she never thought about them. When she was younger, she thought about what could have happened that made them want to give her up. And while she was locked away at Division, she often wondered how her life would've turned out if she was raised by her birth parents instead of the Pierces. Would she have had the normal life that was stolen from her, or a better one.

The adoption story she was told as a child was that her mother had died shortly after she was born. With no father listed on her birth certificate, Nikita was destined for the foster system. Madeline was volunteering at the hospital that day and had heard her crying. She didn't have her mother to sooth her, so Madeline did. She fell in love with Nikita instantly, and soon took her home as a new member of the family. In hindsight, that story was a load of PR bullshit. It was obviously a cover for the scandal Sean mentioned, "Isn't Dad your biological father?"

"According to Percy and Amanda," Scanning her file on the black box (in Percy's enemy folder, something she was very proud about), Nikita muttered. She didn't want to believe the two when they had first told her. Yet it made sense, despite how much she hated that it did. Her adopted mother was stricter with her than her siblings. Her father also spoiled her a lot more than them. She had heard strange comments about how she looked similar to her sisters and brother. And her parents awkwardly deflected whenever she asked about where she came from. All of those things added to a conclusion she once struggled to accept.

Sean was still struggling with it. He had thought of the same facts, yet he wouldn't dare consider such a cover up. His parents were loyal to their family and their service. However, his mother was overseeing a secret black ops unit of the government. A black ops unit that was corrupt as hell. The Pierces weren't as innocent and good as they appeared. Nikita's birth certificate on the black box helped to prove it, "And this."

"How did you know Dad died," Sean asked that question instead of all the other ones he was thinking of. He wasn't as skilled as the team at processing secrets. He felt as though he was drowning in information and couldn't break the surface. Nikita, on the other hand, let it all roll off her back. None of that was affecting her. At least, to the untrained eye she appeared unfazed. Michael noticed the tension in her shoulders and moved to stand beside her. His close presence let her draw in a deep breath.

"Amanda," It was one of the sick bitch's tests. She wanted to see if Nikita had accepted Division as her new family, that her old life was dead and gone. The young recruit proved herself by standing tall and nodding. She didn't let her tears cloud her brown eyes, or her lithe body tremble. She pretended not to care. She soon passed the fucking test, and made it the whole rest of the day before collapsing in her room and sobbing. Nikita shoved all of that aside, focusing on the word she didn't recognize where her mother's name should've been, "What's 'Rybat'?"

"Your mom's last name. Nikita Rybat," Shrugging, Birkhoff guessed. He had been handling himself well during the family drama he was thrown into. He continued to find it all bizarre and a little too much, but he was rolling with the punches. Having Sean around really bumped up the weirdness. And the tension, since Nikita barely talked to her brother. However, the intel they had against Division and Oversight was an advantage. Some good had come from the batshit crazy situation.

"It's a CIA designation. It means classified," So the batshit events continued. Michael shared the fact gently. Mostly because he was trying to wrap his head around it; he wasn't sure how Nikita was going to take that fact. She simply stared at the screen, attempting to force her thoughts to catch up to her discovery.

"My mom was in the CIA?"

"Explains how she met your dad. He was Army special forces right," Michael reflected. Birkhoff agreed with him, seeing how it was plausible. However, Sean was shaking his head. It was going too far. Although he was aware of people in the service being unfaithful while abroad, he had a difficult time accepting his father was. Despite the evidence overwhelming him, he wouldn't consider any more family secrets and coverups. They deserved to believe in that happy family they once had. He voiced as much to his sister, yet she wasn't listening. She was starting to ready herself for an op. Her boyfriend was the one to chase after her, "Where are you going?"

"To get info on my mom," Nikita confessed. The mission was a distraction from so many other things she had to focus on. Yet she wasn't going to let the opportunity slip away. Not after a decade of stumbling around, looking for a connection to her family. Her birth mother might have been different from the family she was searching to reconnect with. However, it was the best she was going to get.

Michael continued to chase Nikita as she geared up. He wanted her to find peace, and was oh so willing to help her. But her plan was reckless. She didn't survive an attack on the CIA months before, to go rushing back in on a slim lead, "You just escaped from the CIA. You can't go back. They're still hunting you down."

"Old records aren't at Langley," Determination burned bright in her eyes. It would have been impossible to stop her. Michael sighed, agreeing to follow Nikita to the ends of the Earth. If she was going to be reckless, he could at least be there to support her. Birkhoff rolled his eyes as he began to pull up the information they would need to outwit the CIA and all that jazz. The nerd had learned long ago that the agents were going to do whatever the hell they wanted out in the field. As long as he had their backs tech wise, he could stay behind his computer and make as many quips as he liked.

After a moment of hesitation, Sean did his best to keep up with his sister and her boyfriend's progress. He was going to go on the op with them. The two could use a Seal assisting them. He might even be able to get them access to the files they were searching for. Although he really didn't want to dig into a past he couldn't face, he wasn't going to leave Nikita out to dry. Not again, "Let me tag along."

"No. You're gonna sift through info with Birkhoff. Your time with Oversight can be put to use," She forced her emotions out of her phrasing. Yet for the past week, Nikita had been freezing Sean out like that. He wasn't fairing much better, though; he didn't fight against her demands. It was almost as if the brother and sister were afraid that if they talked, all of their hurt would spill out of them. They were so glad to have each other back in their lives. Having their sibling with them felt so great. Except, neither wanted to delve into the things they had bottled up so tightly. That was a dam that couldn't be broken.

Nikita left the room before any of the men could contradict her; none of them dared. She and Michael eventually grabbed her birth mother's records from the storage facility. There were a few hiccups here and there, but they made it out unscathed. With Birkhoff and Sean's help, they were able to find where her mother had been hiding out. Sean continued to hold his reservations, yet he kept them to himself. Nikita was going to chase her mother down, Michael in tow. They simply needed sleep first. Or at least an attempt to rest during the night. The couple was wired as they crawled into bed, "If it was my people out there, I'd be looking too."

"Okay. What's on your mind?" Michael had attempted to ease Nikita's anxieties. She hadn't said anything, but he knew she was struggling to accept that she was doing the right thing. Her past was always a sore subject, and he finally understood why. But, as he had been saying, getting answers would be great for her. She'd be able to breathe. And maybe she and her brother could finally talk. She wouldn't even talk to him in the moment though. She turned her back to him, claiming it was nothing. Liar, "Doesn't sound like nothing. Sounds like there's something you wanna tell me."

"Michael…" Sighing, Nikita turned to face her boyfriend. She couldn't put her thoughts into words just yet. Everything about families, and home, and Sean, was eating away at her. But the words wouldn't come. Instead, she was left fishing for anything to say. The halted sentence left Michael to jump to a rash conclusion.

"Oh my God."

"What?"

"Are you…" Soon, Michael was fighting for words. He paused, and Nikita instantly knew what he was trying to say. Quickly, she told him 'no'. Except he wasn't listening. The possibility gripped him tight and wasn't letting go. She wasn't sure if that was a positive or negative thing. Based on his expression, he felt the same uncertainty, "Pregnant?"

"No. I knew what you meant, and no," Nikita assured again. Michael relaxed in the bed next to her, breathing a sigh of relief. She knew what that meant too. Having a baby in the shitshow they faced everyday would've been a nightmare. No way could they have brought a kid into all of that. It wouldn't have been fair for such an innocent life. Besides, the couple was continuously thrown new family drama to deal with. They couldn't add more.

"Oh. Good. Not good, I mean. Well I… you know what I mean…" Michael spluttered. Nikita nodded, agreeing that she did. Whereas he flashed her a crooked grin, she remained serious and deeply lost in thought. He reached for her, running a gentle hand over her olive skin. She relaxed slightly at the motion, and shifted closer to him. His smoky voice soon expressed the concern shining in his green eyes, "What is it?"

"I feel like you're sacrificing so much for me, but I'm not doing anything for you," Nikita deflected by sharing what she had thought earlier. She felt guilty that her team was putting so much effort into the things she wanted. She had to return the favor. She just wasn't sure how. Maybe finally destroying Division and Oversight would get her close. They'd all have their happily ever afters. Or, at least the chance to have one.

"If I can't get my family back, then I can at least help you get back yours," As serious as ever, Michael admitted. He smiled at Nikita once again, and once again she didn't smile in return. She turned her back to him for the second time, attempting to hide behind covers and pillows. She probably could put words to her thoughts if she tried hard enough. But she didn't want to. The emotions hurt too much, and she was just so goddamn tired. Unfortunately, she had someone in her life that would call her out on it, "It's about Sean, isn't it? You need to talk. Either to him or to me."

"I don't think I can."

"Talk?"

"Get back to that family," Michael almost didn't hear Nikita. She barely spoke above a whisper, afraid to recognize that feeling. For ten years she had been fighting to return home. Ten years of wishing to be with her family again. Yet after discovering Madeline's and Sean's connection with Oversight, she didn't know if that was even possible. Her brother did join her crusade, and he seemed to be doing everything in his power to help her. But her sisters still thought her dead. Her dad died believing he lost a daughter. And her corrupted as hell adopted mother gave her up. Both of her mothers had given her up. Sure there were answers to fight for regarding her birth mother. But what family did she have to fight for.

"So you're searching for something else," Michael understood. When Nikita didn't say anything, he wrapped her tightly in his arms. She settled against him, breathing just a tad easier. He placed tender kisses along her cheek and neck, his fingers caressing her abdomen. He didn't speak for a long while. She had her moment of silence to calm her racing thoughts. There wasn't much he could say anyway to argue against her or try to bring her peace. It was complicated and messy; he couldn't offer her an easy fix, even if that was all he wanted. Instead, he whispered words she had said to him a week prior. Words that brought him out of the darkness and into her light, "You have a family. Right here."