After destroying any trace of Division from the terrorists' apartment and after debriefing with Ryan, Alex went to find Sean. The terrorists had been taken care of, people had been saved, and Division had been kept in the shadows. The latest mission was a victory, yet they hadn't completely won. Amanda was in the wind, and people had died- innocent people that should've never been involved in Amanda's schemes. It was awful. Alex needed a hug. Fortunately, once she found her boyfriend, he wrapped her tightly in his arms and whispered praise against her temple, "You did good today. Especially with Owen."
"Yeah. Well, I meant it," Alex muttered into the crook of Sean's neck. She had only told Owen the truth: everyone deserved a second chance at life. Owen wasn't an exception just because he couldn't remember his past life. He could rebuild and change, just like the rest of Division- and just as Alex had told Sean when he was recruited. But they didn't need to go over that again. They should just live their lives as best and as happily as they could, starting with going home with their loved ones, "Let's go home."
"Yeah?" Sean pulled away from the embrace, excited. All he wanted was to go home with Alex. He understood why he was trapped in the bunker, but he was so ready to leave. If only it didn't take a major and tragic event that'd shift the news cycle's focus off him to make that happen. It was unfortunate, yet it was true. It was also unfortunate (beyond unfortunate, really) that several of those events had happened so soon. At least he could leave Division and follow his girlfriend home. It was the one good thing to come out of that hell.
"Probably tomorrow," Curbing Sean's excitement, Alex suggested. She wanted him home as well. But maybe they should wait a little bit longer. Things should settle completely before Sean risked being out in the open. Although it was frustrating to have to stay one more night in the basement, he couldn't argue against her need to protect him. Besides, as long as Alex spent the night with him, he'd be alright. He could hold her in his arms and know that whenever they were together and safe, they were home.
While the couple moved to Sean's temporary recruit room, Ops exploded with activity again. They had gotten another alert that left them scrambling. It wasn't news coverage, or an attack, or anything like that. But, to Division, it was just as disastrous. As soon as he got the ping, Birkhoff called out to Nikita. She had to know what was going on. Especially since it probably concerned her the most, "Nikki. Nikki. We've got an encrypted phone call. It's her."
Nikita didn't stop to think. She just told Birkhoff to connect her to the call in another room. She needed privacy as she talked to Amanda. She planned on saying some pretty vile things that the others shouldn't be privy to. The bitch deserved her wrath in every possible way. Nikita wished she could deliver it in person. But attacking her over the phone had to be good enough. At least Amanda made it easy by being so bitchy, "Word on the street is Ari Tasarov's been picked up by federal agents."
"Don't believe everything you hear," Nikita snarked. Obviously Ari hadn't been taken by federal agents; that was simply the story Division was spinning so they could keep their capture of him under the radar. The real feds would have him eventually. Once he told Division all he knew, they'd pass him off to the authorities so he could receive his punishment for his various crimes. Justice would be served, one way or another. The bitch just had to go down first.
"I know he's there, and I know he's helping you," Amanda bit. She didn't sound like she was toying with Nikita anymore. Usually, their conversations were annoyingly full of her acting like she was the superior one. However, that time, her mask slipped. Amanda seemed genuinely hurt by the fact that Ari had turned his back on her. Nikita couldn't help but smirk at that fact. It was what she deserved, after all.
"Is that why you called, to confirm a rumor?" Proudly, Nikita fired back. She loved being able to taunt Amanda. For once, she had the power- the superiority- and she could lord it over her. They both knew that Ari's knowledge of Amanda's operation could lead to her downfall. Since Nikita had the former head of Gogol talking, it was only a matter of time before Amanda crumbled. There was no doubt that the bitch would try some last ditch effort to save herself. But Nikita couldn't wait until the bitch was down for good. The victory would feel so sweet.
"I just have one question. Why the delay? You couldn't get Saalim's name out of him?" Amanda tried to regain control by pointing out how long it took Division to stop the terrorists. If they had had Ari in custody for as long as they had, then they should've been able to stop Crimson Wave before the first attack; if not then, then definitely before the second. It shouldn't have taken them so long to save the day. They should've been better than that.
Thinking over her response carefully, Nikita attempted to find the words that wouldn't tip Amanda off to the truth. Her assumption was correct. Nikita should've gotten Ari to talk sooner than she did. Yet she couldn't give the bitch that satisfaction of being right. She had to say something to distract her from the truth. Admitting that she had killed Saalim for Division seemed like a good choice, "I didn't need to. You did that."
"I'm a hero. Just like you," It was Amanda's turn to snark. Nikita could feel her blood boiling at just the thought of Amanda being a hero. She wasn't even close to that word. Calling her a villain was more apt. The only reason she had killed Saalim was because her schemes were over and she no longer needed him. There was no sense of good in her actions. She was as self-serving and corrupt as ever. She wasn't a hero, and she was nothing like Nikita. At least, Nikita believed that the latter was true- she really hoped they weren't anything alike.
"Oh, Amanda. You are gonna pay for the lives you took," Focusing on Amanda's evil deeds- it was the easier thing to do- Nikita threatened. The victims of the terrorist attacks were all on Amanda's head. If she hadn't twisted Saalim's grief over the tragic loss of his daughter, and if she hadn't supplied the Crimson Resistance with training, weapons, and equipment, none of those atrocities would've happened; the world wouldn't have been gripped with terror, and people would've been safe and sound. It was all Amanda's fault. And she had done it just to destroy Division. Nikita was going to make her pay for everything she had ever done.
"You had a chance to kill me before, but for some reason you didn't. That was a mistake," Coolly, Amanda reminded Nikita. The former rogue could've killed her the year before in Moscow during the attempted Zetrov coup. Yet she had let the bitch live. She had thought that it was the right thing to do- be kind, show mercy. But, apparently, it was the worst choice she had ever made. Because she hadn't pulled the trigger, Amanda was going after her family and so many innocents, "I guess I have a target on my back now, just like Stefan."
Whatever Nikita was going to say next got trapped in her throat. She undoubtedly believed Amanda's plans. It wasn't as though she was above using or hurting children for her own means. She was going to kill Stefan for what Ari did to her. And there was nothing Nikita could say to stop her. Amanda's assault had already begun, and Division had to scramble to catch up to her, "Nikita, are you still there?"
"You leave that boy out of this," Shaking, Nikita seethed. She was agreeing more and more with Ari's decision to hide Stefan with a well trained bodyguard. The teenager shouldn't be involved in their war; a target shouldn't be painted on his back because of who his parents were. Enough kids had suffered that same fate. Amanda needed to back off and leave that boy alone. Or Nikita really would kill her that time.
"Ari betrayed me. The boy is fair game. You're lucky you lost yours," Nikita was lucky that Amanda had hung up the phone after she had leveled her threat. Her words hung in the air, choking the former rogue and turning her thoughts to mush. Not only was Amanda beyond determined to kill an innocent boy, she had confirmed Nikita's worst fear: if she had had her baby, Amanda would've killed it. She couldn't have a real future while Amanda was still around. Nikita and everyone she loved would always be hunted.
Throwing down the phone, Nikita made a break for Medical. Ari was being patched up after her extensive torture, yet she didn't care to give him more time to rest. He had to know about the threat on his son's life. And she had to help him save him. Amanda needed to be stopped once and for all. Division couldn't keep going through the cycle of ending the bitch's schemes and not letting her win. They had to do it once more, and that would be all. Stopping her from hurting Stefan had to be their last mission. Fortunately, with Ari committedly on their side, they could end things, "Something has to be done."
"It will. You're gonna sit down and give us all the details of Amanda's operation. Names, dates, everything. And if this protector of yours is as good as you say he is, then Stefan will be fine until the current deposit runs out," Nikita sternly told Ari. Although she was panicked about Amanda and Stefan, she couldn't let Ari be as well. He needed to be level headed as he told Division everything. That was his best chance to save his son.
Sighing, Ari attempted to think of where to start. There was so much he had to say- so much to share so he could save his son's life. But he couldn't think of where to begin. All that was on his mind was why he was so desperate to protect Stefan, "Shortly after Amanda's betrayal, I found myself alone, riding the subways. I ran through every possible scenario, and I realized I was in a place I had never been. I was out of moves."
"I've been there. It tends to change your priorities, like kids do," Nikita replied more gently. Being out of moves certainly helped put things into perspective; the most important things in life truly shone. And although she had only been pregnant for a couple months, she was already changing so much to prepare for hers and Michael's child. She would've done anything to make sure it didn't have the same life as her. She hadn't gotten the chance to actually ensure that. But she would help Ari keep his son out of that life. She'd help anyone keep their loved ones out of that world of pain.
"Yes, well, it suddenly became very clear to me the only thing worth fighting for was my son. Which is why I did what I had to do. You should understand," Ari expelled a heavy breath. He didn't regret withholding the information on Saalim. Yes, people died. Yet, he refused to lose his son. Stefan was the only person in his life worth fighting for- worth living for. He'd let the world burn if it meant his son would live. Nothing else mattered besides him.
"I do. But I'm also here to protect the innocent. The difference is, I'm not gonna lose myself in the process because if I do, Amanda wins. And I am not gonna let that happen," Nikita promised with more confidence than she actually felt. It was possible that Ari saw right through her. But he didn't seem to really care. He wanted to believe in her confidence just as much as she did. Innocents would remain protected, and Amanda would lose. Division could pull it off with the right amount of information. The world was done getting hurt.
Soon leaving Ari to rest with his thoughts, Nikita went to find her husband. She heard he had been doing something in Ops. So, securing her wedding ring on her swollen, battered fist, she hurried to join him. He smiled the instant he saw her. That helped her relax a tad- let some of the weight lift from her shoulders. Things would be alright soon. They had to be. They succeeded on that mission, after all, "All traces of Division gone?"
"FBI thinks Saalim was killed by one of his comrades, so we are safely back in the shadows," Michael confirmed with a proud grin. Everything regarding the Crimson Resistance had been tied up neatly for the feds, which meant Division was free and clear to focus on other matters. He had thought that news would make his wife smile more, yet Nikita seemed to be weighed down by something. She hadn't been able to find the positives in their victory; she was surrounded by darkness. Michael instantly became concerned. Something was wrong; something had happened, "You alright?"
"They were together for twenty years. It was all a charade," Nikita couldn't stop from commenting. She should've said something about Amanda's threat on Stefan's life. But Birkhoff had been listening in on her phone call with the bitch, and she had said something in passing to Ryan as she located Michael. She also probably should've said something about Amanda's taunts regarding the miscarriage. Yet she couldn't drag her husband through that. She also couldn't stop thinking about Ari's and Amanda's relationship to say anything else. How could people be so devoted to each other, yet it all be so fake. How could they not really be in love.
"But it was Amanda. How could it not be?" Gently, Michael replied. Amanda was a manipulative bitch; how could anything be real with her. However, he didn't know her like Nikita did. He hadn't heard her say how special he was. He hadn't had his confidence built up by her. He hadn't finally felt as though he was worthy of life because of her. But Nikita had. She had believed that she and Amanda had some sort of caring relationship between them in Division. Had that all been a lie too. Was Nikita just another means to an end with her. Considering all Amanda had done to hurt her, probably.
"There's no forever in this business. That's what he told me," Nikita muttered. Ari was just speaking pessimistically after the shit he had gone through with Amanda. However, Nikita could believe him. Nothing good stayed in their lives. One way or another, the things they wanted most were taken away from them. So how could a bright happy futures with their loved ones stay. Sure, they were fighting for it. But they might not achieve it
"Here's what I have to say to that," Immediately, Michael moved to comfort his wife. He wrapped his arm around her, ushered her to the computer he had been working on, and showed her what he had been up to. He had satellite images pulled up of a beach in South America. Nikita was able to guess that it was in Ecuador. He smiled proudly at his find before he explained why he was focused on that particular image, "Mompiche. A little fishing village. Beautiful beach. Private residence. Space for a dog."
Grinning in amazement, Nikita leaned against her husband. He kissed the top of her head. He had found them a place to live. Once their war was finally over, they were going to get their little house on a beautiful beach- and maybe get a dog too. It was perfect. Yet a nagging thought in the back of Nikita's mind almost ruined it. The two could have their future together in paradise, but what if Michael wanted more. He had almost had more with her. What if he wanted it again, and what if she couldn't do it, "What about kids? I know how much you want them, but after everything…"
"We should heal and talk first. And we'll have plenty of time to talk about them when we have a future- when we're both free enough to make that choice," Michael interrupted. He took his wife's hand in his and kissed her knuckles lovingly. They'd continue to heal from the miscarriage, then they'd discuss the possibility of kids in the future. They didn't have to rush into the discussion then. The two would have all the time in the world to plan for their future once they had it. Nikita smiled at the thought. Michael kissed the top of her head once more, then took her home. Their hands remained clasped the entire time.