Alex stared at Semak from the crowd, lividity turning her veins to ice. She had gone over everything in regards to the Zetrov press conference. She was ready to answer any questions thrown her way, and she knew how to handle the Gogol agents stalking around. But she wasn't prepared for Sergei Semak being an absolute ass. He was really going to pretend that he worked hard for what he had. He had the audacity to say he made Zetrov better. Did she actually expect anything different from him, though. Kochenko had acted the same at his press conference, before she shot him. She couldn't wait to wipe that smug look off his face and kill him.

Waiting for the right moment to come out of the shadows was easier than she thought. She assumed her anger would've overwhelmed her and she'd snap. But patience settled easily on her shoulders. Alex already knew she'd do anything to save her mother; Semak couldn't claim another Udinov as his victim. She just never guessed that the feeling would extend to her emotions. She had those complicated things in check, for once. As she terrorized Semak and faced the press, she was going to be calm, cool, and collected. All that she had trained and fought for led her to that moment. It seemed as though something was finally going right.

When the reporter she had confided in asked her leading question, Alex took a steadying breath. Of the many journalists swarming the room that she had researched, that reporter appeared to have been the most reliable. Her story (the watered down version, anyway) wouldn't be muddled or misprinted; it would have the biggest impact against Zetrov. That was what she needed for Semak's eventual ruin. The world was going to know the vile villain that he was. Lifting her chin and squaring her jaw, Alex stepped into the limelight. Alexandra Udinov had returned to the world.

The expression of shock and fury that crossed Semak's face made Alex smirk. Her confidence surged, and she dared to hop up onto the stage. With every single camera and reporter documenting the moment and asking questions, she was safe from any harm. Gogol couldn't make a strike against her with how popular she had suddenly become. Which made her surprising hug that much more impactful. Semak didn't know how to react, making Alex smile wider. She felt far more powerful than she ever had in her entire life. She could do absolutely anything. There was no stopping her then.

Once the press conference was over and Gogol urged the reporters out of the hotel, Semak tried to get her to back down. Ari, on the other hand, didn't do a thing to help his boss. But Alex wasn't really focused on him. Her sights were on the man who had killed her father, stole her mother, and tried to kill her (on more than one occasion). She wasn't really interested in the money, and she didn't care for Zetrov. She wanted her family back. And she wanted him to burn in Hell. Smiling wickedly, she sauntered off to the hotel suite that had been offered to her. The mission was undoubtedly a success. The first of so much more to come.

Some of her confidence faded once she was alone in the room. Suddenly, it all seemed too much. There were so many things left to do. And she wasn't hiding in the shadows anymore. Alexandra Udinov was back from the grave. The world was going to have its eyes on her. Yet she quickly pushed that aside to scan the suite. She didn't think Gogol would've had time to bug the room. But she couldn't be cavalier then. She had gotten so far, she couldn't become complacent. Alex the Spy didn't get to disappear since her identity had been revealed. The secret agent and Russian heiress had to coexist.

Was it odd that she sort of wanted to thank Amanda for the ability to be two people at once. She always talked about masks, and layering one over the other. The role of Alexandra slipped so easily over Alex, that she could remain on her guard while pandering to the cameras. Amanda had actually helped her a lot on her path of revenge. She knew it was for ulterior motives. But she probably wouldn't have gotten to that point without Division's help. She definitely made mistakes along the way, though. And she trusted the wrong people. Yet she was going to fix it. She was determined to do the right thing.

The more Alex thought about it, however, the more she realized all her gratitude should go towards her team. Nikita had taught her how to compartmentalize while being a mole. She could separate her thoughts and feelings and focus on the mission. Michael helped her hone her skills and better her attitude. She could listen and disarm her enemies in more ways than one. Birkhoff was no doubt watching after her by hacking into the news stations and hotel. She could breathe and relax with him having her back. And Sean got her to see that there was a complexity to decisions. She could spot all the shades of gray that surrounded their world then.

God, she really had to call her team. So after assuring that the suite was clean, she took out the burner cell Birkhoff had encrypted. Nikita answered almost immediately. She launched into praises of how amazingly awesome Alex was. The young woman took them all with a roll of her blue eyes. Despite her apparent annoyance, she smiled as she relayed what had happened off camera to the rogue. They formulated a couple of ideas of what to do next, before Nikita warned her to watch Ari closely. After all, according to Carla, he and Amanda were partners. Alex was only able to sigh, "I'm tired of having our worlds turned upside down."

"I know I'm sick of learning shit," Nikita muttered. At least it explained why Ari wasn't surprised to see Alex. Amanda must've told him to watch out for her. The way that bitch could twist her mind while being oh so sweet to her was beyond bewildering. The rogue easily agreed with that; they always appeared to be surrounded by double-edged emotions. But instead of dwelling on it, the women pressed on. They had already spent too much time trying and failing to process the actions of the maternal figures in their lives. It was simpler to defeat the bad guys, "Oh. By the way, Nerd says Semak just ordered Ari to kill you."

"Cool. You want to fuck with them back?" Sarcasm slipped past Alex's lips first. But Nikita couldn't blame her. When Birkhoff told her of the conversation between the head of Gogol and the head of Zetrov he had caught, she just rolled her eyes. Even with all of the surprising twists lately, some things were still predictable. The young woman was resigned to her fate, and traded her burner phone for a com. Her hands were then free to find someplace to hide and wait for her attacker. She'd get the drop on him easily. Then, turn the tables back on Semak.

"Eh. Why not? I don't need you as a mole anymore," Already knowing Alex was going to proceed with that plan, Nikita shrugged. The crusade was becoming increasingly complicated, a mole inside Division wasn't going to cut it anymore. Besides, the young woman should be trying to save her mother. She didn't need the extra weight of poking around for information. With Carla at the safehouse and Madeline willing to work with the team, they could have all the intel they needed. Their strategies had to evolve as the war did.

"Thanks," Alex replied, rolling her eyes once more. Joking around together just seemed natural for the two. They were able to skip past the stress that was bound to weigh them down, and move straight to making fun of the situation. Honestly, when weren't they experiencing something ridiculous. No sane person could handle the amount of drama and twists and turns they faced. Hell, no sane person was as obsessed with revenge as they were. So of course they taunted until they were laughing. It was their way of not becoming completely insane.

Settling in a spacious closet to await her eventual attacker, Alex lowered her voice. Birkhoff was going to alert her when the Gogol agent was near. Except she wanted to listen and lie in wait. Her enemies had to know that she would always one up them; with the team supporting her no matter what, she was invincible. She hated that it took her a while to learn that fact. But the past was behind her. It was all about the present and future for them. The forgiveness that flowed between the rogues proved as much. As did Nikita's sincere words, "Hey. I'm proud of you."

"Learned from the best," Alex admitted, one hundred percent serious. She had joked about her and Nikita being a pair to behold. Although she was referring to their family drama and trauma, the sentiment was true. The women were a force to be reckoned with. They relied on one another, and trusted each other with their lives. Nikita might have taught Alex how to be an agent. Yet they both re-taught each other that caring for someone wasn't going to lead to hurt- they were able to open their hearts again. However, that kind of sincerity couldn't hold long. Alex quickly quipped, "And by that, I mean Michael."

"Thank God. I thought you were going to say Sean," Laughing, Nikita shot her brother a look. While Michael and Ms. Bennet discussed what she could remember about Ari and Amanda, Sean and Birkhoff were scanning the hotel's security feed. The Seal glared at his sister for the remark, able to hear her side of the conversation. She stuck her tongue out at him, and he abandoned his task to force her to stop. There was no chance of that, however. As he got closer, he managed to catch Alex's side of the call. Her reply did not help matters.

"Hell no. Your brother's a dumbass. You know how many times I had to cover for his ass in Division?" Alex had no idea what was occurring at the safehouse. She peered through the crack in the closet door, watching the empty hotel suite. She thought she had heard laughter and shouts from Nikita, but it was distant and distorted. The rogue must've pulled the phone away from her to say something to someone. Guessing it was Sean, Alex giggled. Having siblings on the team was a lot more adventurous than she ever could've imagined.

And an adventure was definitely happening at the beach house. Sean tried to grab the encrypted burner from Nikita. He had to defend himself from the things they were saying about him. But his sister was always faster than him. She was also better at digging things in and pissing him off. Lightly dancing around her brother, she avoided all of his attempts to wrestle for the phone. The two had had that kind of fight before. Granted, it was over a remote and they weren't trained in martial arts. Yet no matter what, she always came out on top, "That's what happens when you have a boy scout as a brother."

"Stupid moral compass. How are you even related?" Alex had no doubt that Sean was listening then. She made fun of him instead of actually replying to Nikita. Whereas the women laughed at his expense, he made one final grab at his sister. She shoved him away from her, and dashed towards the stairs to escape to her bedroom. Her brother gave chase. Chuckling at the sight, Michael and Birkhoff were blissfully distracted from their tasks at hand (leaving Ms. Bennet to wistfully stare). Whenever the siblings were up to their antics, fun and lightness ensued. They were all due for a moment like that.

"I have no idea. I thought I had bullied it out of him," Nikita slammed and locked her bedroom door in her brother's face. Sean barely managed to pull his hand away in time so his fingers didn't get pinched. He shouted her name and pounded on the door, but she just giggled. Alex laughed along with her, almost forgetting that she was supposed to be quiet. It wasn't that long ago that the team was trying not to drown in their stress. Apparently laughter really was the best medicine. Or, they had just realized it was alright to let go at times.

"Well you did bully drug addiction out of me," Taking a breath to fight her laughter, Alex shrugged. She attempted to downplay it; she didn't believe she could express her gratitude for everything Nikita had done. Luckily, the rogue understood. She didn't press for more, or try to make her expand on what she had said. She simply rolled with it, continuing the joke in a very surprising way. Alex nearly broke when she heard it. Nikita wasn't one to be open like that. The fact that she was, was monumental.

"Of course. You're family. And being a bossy older sister just comes naturally."