"She's hurting bad, Mike," Nikita whispered, twisting her engagement ring. Alex was curled on the couch, staring out into the ocean. Their mission in Russia was far from a success. As Nikita had taken out Gogol's vehicles, Alex went to grab her mother. Semak and Ari were waiting for her however. Her mother had told the men about her; it was some vain attempt to save her daughter. Instead, it put her in a substantial amount of danger. Alex didn't understand at first. However, it was soon made clear that Katya was more loyal to Semak and his lies than to her; she couldn't have him die, even if that was what her daughter wanted most. Nikita saved her again, yet the young woman had been injured. The rogue had to rescue Katya on her own. That was when it somehow got worse.
"What about you, Nik?" Michael brought his fiancée into his arms. She had been overly factual when she had told him what had happened. That was how he knew something was wrong. She was trying to keep her distance from Russia. Though, some of it could've been her need to help Alex. Nikita wouldn't let it drag her down; she'd remain strong for the young woman and give her the support she needed. Her fiancé could see right through her, though. His conversation with Owen about the destroyed black boxes and scattered Guardians helped, "Owen told me what you told him."
"I… it… it's so much, and I'm so tired," Nikita collapsed into the solid wall that was Michael's chest. He wrapped her in a secure hug, kissing the top of her head. She settled into him, finally able to breathe. She mumbled her earlier rant about being tired and ready to go home, as he held her and whispered soothing words. She attempted to force herself to look at the positives. All the black boxes save one were destroyed. Although it was in the hands of Gogol, the Guardians were scattered and they could finally kill Percy. Division could end soon. It would all be over. Sure, they had to figure out Semak, and Amanda, and Ari, and Oversight. But with the information they had then and the team they had built around them, they could do it. They could go home.
"We'll get through it. We always do. You and me together forever. That'll never change," Michael squeezed Nikita extra hard, causing her to chuckle. After a long moment, the couple pulled away slightly to gaze at one another. Green and brown eyes stared adoringly in their own bubble of peace. Eventually, the world called to them and they had to break apart. Yet they'd return to one another soon. They'd always circle back to each other's arms.
While Michael went to work with Birkhoff and a returning Ryan about ways to proceed in their ever changing war, Nikita moved towards Alex. They had been giving her space since Russia. No one really knew what to say. She didn't appear to know what to say either. She kept her blue eyes trained on the sea, not reacting to the rogue's close presence. It wasn't until a strong wave broke against the beach that she muttered, "She didn't want me."
"I think she's just confused. I'm sure reuniting with the daughter you thought was dead is a lot to handle," Immediately, Nikita reassured. She wouldn't believe that was what happened with Katya; she loved her daughter. She was just confused. She was being pumped full of pills and living with a liar and manipulator. She didn't abandon Alex; things were more complicated than that. Nikita really wanted to believe that.
So did Alex. Yet after Nikita rushed back to the house and tried to rescue her mother, all her hope was lost. The rogue attempted to have Katya trust her by calling Alex. She slapped the phone out of her hand, however. She wasn't going to leave Semak, she loved him- always had. Once again, her daughter wasn't as important as that deplorable man. Even when Nikita reasoned with her, her choice was set. Alex couldn't bear to hear any more, "I heard what she said. I heard what you said."
Nikita could only nod. She wasn't going to argue with Alex. The situation was tough to swallow. She'd let her settle and process. Besides, she had done great in the field regardless of all that shit. The young woman helped the rogue fight off Gogol agents and escape; she was starting to become a great partner. Of course, she needed more training. And the two needed to sit down and talk. There had to be absolute trust in the field. If they were going to be teammates, they had to know one another. They also had to know that they would be there for one another, "I was raised in foster care. I still don't know if my birth parents are dead, or if they just gave me up."
"How'd you deal with it?" Alex had to know. She had to get past that pain and heartache. There were other things she had to focus on. She had to call Sean. She had to kill Semak. And she had to help Nikita burn down the organizations that allowed all of those things to happen. It was the only way to make everything right. However, she couldn't do any of that if she was suffering; she had to push it down and soldier on, like all the others seemed to do.
"I didn't. I wanted to forget all of that, and all of what my foster father did to me. So I turned to drugs," Nikita admitted. She knew it wasn't the answer the young woman wanted, but it was the truth. There weren't simple solutions to their problems. It was a constant battle, that sometimes took more than it gave. They had survived that much, though. They could keep pushing forward.
"The brothel got me hooked. But when I escaped I didn't want to stop. It was easier to forget," Speaking barely above a whisper, Alex shared. Forgetting was so much easier than dealing. Except, the way she had done so in the past was terrible. She needed to heal healthily. It was why she had gone to therapy after all. Although she couldn't go to a therapist about Oversight and Semak, she had people around her that understood. No one would have to go through all of the hardships alone.
"It hurt," Nikita was talking about all of it- the abuse, the drugs, their war. Alex just nodded. The women sat in silence for a moment, simply letting it sink in. They really had to focus on the positives. They were alive and clean. They had friends that cared for them. They were taking control of their future, ensuring they achieved the happily ever after that had been denied for so long. At some point, Alex took hold of Nikita's hand to ground herself. The rogue let out a breath and squeezed, "There was this woman at the halfway house I ended up at. She helped me get clean. And when things got bad, she'd remind me that I was in a safe place. You're in a safe place now too."
"I heard talking helps," It was the best suggestion she had. The team had other things to focus on. Yet getting those feelings off her chest might've made Alex feel better. Nikita glanced back at Birkhoff and Michael. The men were diligently working. But when they noticed her staring, they glanced up and smiled. She smiled back.
"We have time," She turned back towards the young woman. Alex and Nikita could continue their conversation until they were needed. Maybe the others could eventually join them. The young woman had to know every one of them had her back. They were all going to get to know one another and talk. God knew they desperately needed that. It'd give them a chance to sit down and think, just stop moving for one damn minute.
Birkhoff and Michael did join Alex and Nikita. The team talked and listened, supporting each other whenever they could. A couple hours later, Ryan returned. He awkwardly entered the beach house, unsure of how to proceed. The others felt the same. Alex decided to excuse herself. They could work on whatever had happened there without her; it'd probably be easier if she wasn't in the room, considering she had no idea what was going on. When they were ready, she'd come back. Besides, she was finally calm enough to call Sean. She could walk along the beach and inform him of everything. Her heart couldn't help but skip excitedly once he answered, "Hey, Sean. Can we talk?"
"I'm kinda busy right now. But later tonight, alright? We'll make a date out of it," Sean answered. His voice sounded hushed and strained, yet the sound of it eased Alex. She couldn't believe she had missed him that much. She should've called him sooner. She didn't think it would've changed anything with her mother. But she would've been somewhat calmer.
"Pizza and ice cream?" There was a teasing tone to her voice she had forgotten could be there. Alex walked around in circles in the sand, twisting her hair and smiling. She really hoped everything would work out. The peace she felt from talking with Nikita and the team, and how happy she felt with Sean couldn't have been for nothing. It wasn't going to be painful forever. There had to have been a light at the end of the tunnel. She believed it.
"The works," Ending the call, Sean promised. Alex beamed, and made her way back to the beach house. She was lost in happy thoughts for a second, allowing herself to be joyous. However, a flash of light caught her attention. It came from somewhere low in the sand, right where the waves crashed against the shore. Slowly, she approached the source of light. She wasn't sure what she was going to find, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to find anything. When she spotted the figure of a man holding a gun, though, she knew she had to force those apprehensions behind her. It was time to put what she learned into action. After Russia, tackling a lone gunman should've been easy.
Gathering her courage, Alex launched herself at the figure. He got off a shot, but it didn't do anything. He rolled in the sand with the young woman, attempting to fight his surprise attacker. Alex managed to get a few punches in, before realization set in. Both she and the figure stopped struggling to gape at one another. She had tackled Sean Pierce. Sean Pierce was at the safehouse with a gun trained on her new team. The two laid in the sand, staring at one another. Neither could move- neither could breathe. What the hell was going on.
Nikita, Michael, and Ryan didn't help matters when they rushed up to the pair. They trained weapons on Sean, pulling Alex off of him. She didn't fight them. She wanted to get answers to how he was there as much as they did. The rogues opted for taunting their captive first, then they'd question the Seal. At least Nikita did, before she knocked Sean unconscious, "What's up boy scout? Glad you could join us."