Nikita decided that the best thing for her sanity was to not be present during the first part of the phone call. Michael could tell everyone what had happened on his own. The thought of having to sit through a retelling of the past couple of days was like someone was choking her. Even if she did stay she wouldn't be able to say anything. Michael would have to do all the talking for her. The couple came to an agreement that it would be best for everyone but especially her to leave the room. Michael could handle all the raised questions on his own and she could come at the end to reassure her family that she was okay. There were bound to be concerns about her well-being.

When the time for the phone call came Nikita got Archie and went upstairs. She wasn't sure what she was going to do exactly but anything would do to distract her. There was no way she was just going to sit and wait. She had no idea how long it was going to take.

She went into the bedroom to read her book. Didn't work. Her thoughts were too loud so she couldn't take in any of the words on the page. She put it away and tried the TV next. Another fail. Her thoughts were way too demanding and nothing could silence them.

Nikita was starting to go insane. She paced the second floor until she found herself focusing on one specific door. The door to the storage room. Nikita and Michael had discussed a few hours ago how that room would be perfect for a nursery. That is something she could do. They had to start clearing it out soon now that it was decided.

She couldn't remember the last time she was in that room. It wasn't the main storage room of the house. Nikita wouldn't even call it that. It was a room for shit that didn't have any place to go. Things that they almost never used or looked for but had to keep. The house had a big attic that the couple had renovated and made into a third floor. There was an additional guest bedroom there, a room that Nikita used as a painting/craft room and a large room for storage (Christmas decorations, extra furniture etc.)

The room on the second floor was small and cozy with a big window bringing in natural light. Looking at it now Nikita was even more reassured that this was the right pick. There was quite a lot to get done though. First, she had to find a place for everything.

"What the actual fuck?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you actually serious?"

Michael was facing an onslaught of questions left and right. He expected that reaction. They both did hence why Nikita wasn't next to him. "Okay everyone calm down. One by one"

"I'm confused. Did she find her real parents or not?" Ryan asked. They needed some clarification. It was all too much information all at once.

"There is no way to know. Nikita doesn't want to do a DNA test or even see and talk to them. She wants to kind of forget all about it" Michael said carefully, preparing for the next uproar. There was nothing though. Just an eerily silence that Alex ended up breaking. "Don't tell me you agreed with her?" Alex knew the answer to the question as soon as it came out of her mouth. If he disagreed with her things would be a lot different.

"I have no say on this matter"

"Yes, the hell you do! You know better than anyone why she is doing this and you are letting her?" Michael should have talked to her more and made her contact her therapist about it. Nikita was avoiding the topic because it caused her great pain and fear. That had to be addressed, not brushed under the rug.

"Alex, it's not that simple. Birkhoff some backup on this would be nice" Michael knew that pretty much everyone would have that same opinion. He was hoping at least Birkhoff would support him, having seen everything unfold firsthand.

Silence.

"See he agrees with me" Alex was ready to get the hacker on her side. She saw from the beginning of the video call that he was hesitant and unsure.

"No, he doesn't" Michael argued.

"I'm sorry Mikey but I do. We have to talk to her. She can just do the DNA test. Nothing else" Birkhoff wanted to have that conversation one-on-one with Michael but maybe that was better. Maybe with everyone here, he would listen more.

"Do I have to remind you guys that she ended up in a hospital?" Michael wasn't just agreeing with her just because. The news about her (possibly) parents had taken a huge toll on her. She was still recovering. There was no way he was going to force her to do anything she didn't feel comfortable doing. There were so many things to consider - her health, both physical and mental, she was also pregnant (he couldn't use that as an argument at this moment). It was stressing him out so he couldn't even imagine how it felt for Nikita.

"I am not putting any blame on you Michael, but the way she found out has a huge role in her needing to go to the hospital. Yes, she would have still been upset but maybe not to that extreme." Alex put it as lightly as possible. If he had sat down and talked with Nikita it would have been different. She understood to an extent but still. He should have known better. Something like that was bound to happen the longer he avoided telling her. What if the Carters went to her themselves and told her? Alex kept those thoughts to herself. Michael probably went over them already a thousand times.

"I know that. We talked afterwards and her wish remained the same. She doesn't want anything to do with the Carters. What am I supposed to say to that?" He really didn't know what role he was supposed to take on. No one could answer Michael's questions. He wasn't in an ideal position but they had to think of something. They couldn't just give up.

"How bad do you think it's going to go if we talk to her?" Alex asked. Nikita was very stubborn. If Michael couldn't crack her no one would be able to. Alex was willing to try still. The thing she was worried about was her reaction.

"Well, as you can see she's not here so that should be a clear enough statement on how she feels about it" It would be a disaster to put it lightly at least as of right now. Everything was still very fresh and raw.

"So what? You are just supposed to share with us what happened and we can't say anything about it" Ryan chimed in.

"Pretty much yes. She doesn't want to talk about it with anyone. I only get a sentence if that." Michael had tried here and there to see if maybe she was willing to talk about it again but he hit a wall every time.

"So we can't talk about it tomorrow?" Alex asked even if she wasn't sure herself. She had organized the dinner as a fun surprise to make her best friend feel better. It didn't feel right to talk to Nikita then. The couple was also supposed to announce the pregnancy officially to their family.

"I would ask you not to really. She is still recovering and I just want her to have some fun for a little bit" Nikita needed a break for sure. Their family time should be used to lift her up, not bring her down more.

Everyone agreed that they should hold off on saying anything tomorrow. The important thing now was to focus on Nikita's well-being. Michael decided it was time to call Nikita over so that everyone could ease their worries about her. He prepped everyone beforehand that they really shouldn't try to ask her anything at that moment besides if she was okay.

And the team pulled through. Everyone was very respectful. Nikita reassured them she was alright and that she was almost fully recovered. Her family was happy to hear it. Michael nodded behind her confirming it was true. She tended to pretend she was fine when she wasn't. She didn't want her family worrying about her. That's why everyone trusted Michael to make sure it was the truth. Then after a while, the conversation carried itself as normal. Alex and Sean supplied teasing comments, and Ryan made her laugh. Michael was pleased at how well it went. Sam was not able to make the phone call so Michael sent him an extensive secured email explaining the situation. Sam was expected at the family dinner tomorrow so he had to be informed.

After they said their goodbyes and hung up Nikita turned to Michael "Did you tell them everything?"

"Yes. That's what we agreed on, right?" Michael was confused. They had talked about it several times. There was only one thing he had to remember to not mention "I didn't tell them about the baby don't worry"

"Yeah, yeah that's not what I meant. It was just….they were…" Nikita couldn't put it quite into words.

"Not asking questions" Michael finished her thought. He was hoping her noticing and voicing it was a good thing. Maybe she wouldn't have minded answering one or two questions. He had to pass on that information to the team later.

"Yes"

"Well…just because they didn't ask you anything now doesn't mean they won't next time. They were just worried about you now" Michael carefully observed Nikita's reaction. She nodded but stayed silent.

"What's on your mind?" Michael rubbed her back gently and encouraged her to talk to him. Maybe now was a good time to talk.

"It's just been a lot…I'm in my head a lot and it's just chaos" Nikita leaned back on the couch and sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"While you were here I decided to go into the storage room, see what was in there. I found a box of shit we used to try when I started having panic attacks" The box was full of random things like a deck of cards with simple affirmations, books, a light therapy lamp, coloring books, fidgeters. "I had forgotten about them" It was crazy how far she had come. It wasn't that she didn't need those things anymore, she just got to know her body more. What worked for her and what didn't.

"It gave me a good push to do something I have been thinking about. I called my therapist and managed to get an appointment this afternoon" She had been thinking about doing it back when she was in Greece and started having panic attacks and frequent nightmares. When she came back she had pushed it to the back of her mind until she hit a wall.

"That's good. I'm glad you did that. You'll feel so much better after" There was only so much Michael could do. He was always there to support her and listen but when shit needed to be resolved inside herself she found it best to go to her therapist about it. Nikita benefited from therapy a lot. She didn't think it would work for her but it did surprisingly.

"I know. I shouldn't have procrastinated so much" She hadn't gone to her therapist in like 2-3 months.

"It's fine to take a bit of a break. Want me to tag along? I can do the grocery shop while you're there" There had only been a few instances when he accompanied her like that. Michael wasn't sure if she wanted to be alone right now or not.

"No, I'm fine. Macy called me too. We haven't seen each other since I came back so we are going out for coffee after my appointment. I can go to the store too. We'll probably end up there anyway"

It took a second for Michael to respond. What had happened in such a short amount of time to better her mood like that?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Michael was just staring at her and she couldn't help but laugh.

"No, nothing. I just…I'm glad you're feeling better" Now thinking about it he didn't care what it was as long as she was feeling back to herself.

"I am. Turns out rearranging a whole room really does boost one's serotonin" Nikita joked. It was true though. As soon she got to work all those dark depressing thoughts quieted down and slowly started to fade away.

"What?" Now it was Michael's turn to laugh. What had she been up to?

Nikita took his hand and led him upstairs to the storage room. She was pretty proud of herself. "Don't worry I didn't lift anything heavy. I left it for you. The rest of the stuff I put away in the other rooms and the things in the corner need to be taken up to the attic" She proudly presented.

Michael was impressed. The room was half cleared out. He could do the rest today and they can start planning how to decorate it. "Good job, baby. How much stuff did you take out?" The room was pretty full and now it looked empty even with the few things left he had to take care of.

"Surprisingly not a lot. The boxes were taking up the majority of the space. Since they were organized I just had to find a place for the things inside" She had finished just a few minutes before Michael called her to come downstairs.

"I'll finish up then while you're gone so it's ticked off the list" He came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms, his hand resting on her lower abdomen. "This room will look amazing I'm sure of it." He laid a kiss on her cheek.

"I was thinking of possibly doing something on this wall. The sun rays come in that direction so it will look even more bright" Nikita explained excitedly. She wouldn't let anything diminish this happy time for them. She was going to start a family with Michael. It was crazy to even dream of it and now it was reality.

"Yeah, I think so too. The room is big enough to do quite a few things with it" Michael gave her another kiss. "Are you going to tell Macy?" Nikita had met Macy when they first moved here 3 years ago. Macy owned a yoga studio in town and that's where they met. They quickly formed a lovely friendship even dragging their partners into it with double dates and all. It was hard to form friendships after everything they had been through. It was hard to trust people but with time they learned.

"I don't know. I still want to kind of keep it a secret for a little while. Also, Ryan, Sean and Sam still don't know. I would like all of the family to know first. Can you sort that out for me? Make them fly over here." Nikita joked and leaned into her husband. She wanted to celebrate the good news and sit through the endless fight of who was going to be the best aunt/uncle or godparents. She didn't want to drag it out any longer. Who knew when the next time they would see each other was going to be?

"Anything you want, my love. Don't you worry about it" Little did she know that everyone was already on their way to make the surprise family dinner tomorrow.

The married couple stood there and leisurely talked for a few more moments. Then Nikita declared she wanted to have a nap before going out and dragged Michael to their bedroom. He happily followed along, excited to spend some more uninterrupted time with her. Unfortunately, though he hadn't taken into account how tired Nikita might have been. She was out as soon as her head hit the pillow. Clearing out the room really must have drained her out. Michael chuckled and tucked her in.

Since he had promised to stay with her he couldn't do anything for the next hour or so besides lay there next to her. He was almost ready to try and sleep as well when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Alex: Ryan and Sam have arrived. We are taking off very soon. I'll keep you posted. Everything alright with you?

Michael: That's great! She is feeling better so my hopes are up for tomorrow night. Sonya will call tonight to invite us over. She'll say yes for sure.

Alex: Okay, we're on then!

Everything was going great. Alex offered her private jet for the last-minute trip and they were all going to arrive late tonight. Birkhoff and Sonya were going to host them and the plan was for Sonya to call Nikita today to invite them to dinner. Michael's task was to make sure she said yes.

"Tell me how was Greece. I was hoping to squeeze in a vacation this year but with the renovations on the studio, it's not going to happen" Macy excitedly asked, as she took a sip of her coffee.

"It was great. We weren't in a very touristy part so we actually enjoyed some peace and quiet." Nikita shared. It seemed so long ago now. So much had happened between then and now. She wasn't planning on sharing any of it with Macy. Not that she didn't trust her but the only people Nikita felt comfortable to be vulnerable with were her family.

"When did you get back? I expected you to come to the studio the minute you got off the plane" Nikita was a regular at Macy's yoga studio. She went almost every day. She had broken that routine now. She hadn't gone once since she was back.

"Like a week ago. It was very hectic so I haven't been able to come around. Hopefully, in the next couple of days, I can sort out my schedule" Nikita was dying to get back to how things were. Going out with a friend made her feel somewhat normal. Her therapy appointment had also done her well. A simple reset and she was going to feel like herself again very soon.

"Oh, It's so hard for me to get back into rhythm after a vacation so I get you" Macy continued chatting away and the two women had a lovely afternoon. They did end up at the grocery store. Macy was a big foodie so she went almost every day looking for something new to try. Nikita did the grocery shop and was on her way home just in time to start preparing dinner.

Michael greeted her at the door eagerly. He had felt a bit nervous when she left. The events of the last couple of days had left him more shaken than he thought. Not having her right in front of his eyes proved difficult. He didn't want to be overbearing so he didn't call or text her while she was out.

He quickly walked over to her car and opened her door "Hey, you" As soon as she smiled at him he relaxed. It was a genuine smile, indicating she had a good day.

"Hey, you" Nikita stepped out of the car and wrapped her arms around his waist. He pulled her tightly to him and spoke softly "I missed you"

Nikita chuckled "Did you?" She missed him as well and she would never get over the feeling of coming home to him at the end of the day. Even after all these years, nothing could beat it.

"Yeah" Michael answered simply, cradled her face and kissed her sweetly. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, It was nice. I did some serious damage at the store. There is definitely a reason why people say don't shop while hungry" She might have gone a bit overboard but everything sounded good.

Michael laughed and moved to carry all the bags inside. Nikita tried to help but he wouldn't let her so she gave up and turned her attention to Archie who had found his way outside with them. As soon as the dog saw Nikita he forgot about Michael and followed her inside. Archie definitely had a favourite.

"You can wash up dinner is ready" Michael was quick to get her to eat something now after he found out she had been hungry for a while. He knew at what time she would usually get home so he prepared dinner early.

"Have I told you how much I love you recently?" Nikita was so very grateful for him and everything he did for her from the simplest smallest things to the big ones.

She sauteed over to him and gave him another kiss. She was starving.

"I love you too. Now go, it's still warm" Nikita practically ran upstairs to go change while Michael set the table.

They sat down and dug in. Nikita hummed and she took her first few bites.

"You worked up an appetite?"

"Oh, I am loving just wanting to eat food simply because. Those anti-nausea medications are really working their magic." Nikita was feeling so much better by the hour. The only pregnancy symptom that was still very much present was exhaustion. She felt like she could sleep a whole day and it would still not be enough. That one she could handle. She was growing a human after all. She could bear it as long as she didn't have to run to the bathroom after every meal.

"That's good. Hopefully, it will go away completely"

"God, I hope so"

"How's Macy? What'd you do?" Michael was eager to learn about her day.

Nikita happily shared every detail. She had had a great day. Her therapy appointment went well and she booked another one. She felt a bit lighter after it was finished which encouraged her even more to go more often in the future. Then she met Macy at a coffee shop where they had a great time catching up and laughing loads. Then as per usual, they ended up at the nearby store where the ultimate damage was done. After they checked out they hung around by their cars for a little bit and parted with the promise of hanging out again very soon.

"By the way, Sonya called while I was on my way home. She asked if we were still up for dinner tomorrow night. I said I'd talk to you first" Nikita didn't think much of the invite the other night. The couples hung out like that almost once a week. She still wanted to check with her husband first though. Now that they were taking a few days off she didn't know if he had something possibly planned.

Michael was prepared. Sonya had texted him right after she talked to Nikita.

"Yeah, sounds good to me"

"Okay, I'll text her. She said around six as usual"

"Do you not wanna go?" The way she said it seemed odd? Disappointed?

"No, no, it's not that. I wanted to do something fun now that we won't be working tomorrow but it's supposed to rain badly all day" She wanted to take advantage of having a free couple of days. Staying at home felt like a waste of time.

"Well, we can go to the movies. We haven't been in a while. The movie theater in the mall for example. There is lots to do there" Michael was quick to provide an alternative.

"Mhm" Nikita thought about it. It didn't sound too bad. "Yeah, we might do that. But we are sleeping in for sure" The pregnancy plus the nightmares had really robbed Nikita of a good night's sleep.

Michael laughed. "You can sleep as long as you want, baby. You deserve it"

"Did you have the chance to take those things to the attic?"

"Yeah, I did. The room is empty now"

"Thank you" She leaned in and rewarded him with a peck on the cheek.

"You did all the work and I actually have a little surprise for you" Michael wanted to continue making her day better and showering her with so much love.

"Surprise?" Nikita had no idea what she was in for.

"Yeah so how about I go and bring you your Sprite" She loved having one after dinner recently "You sit here and enjoy it and I just need 5 minutes"

"Okay?" Nikita chuckled at his antics. He was being very sweet.

Michael quickly cleared the table and Nikita could see him getting something out of the fridge. Nikita tried to peek but Michael was making sure she couldn't see anything.

"What did you make?" She was growing impatient.

"Have a guess?" Michael turned towards her, hiding whatever was behind him.

"Mmm" Nikita loved everything that Michael made. It has become one of his biggest love languages. He loved to cook for her. "Give me a hint. Is it…a dessert? It has to be" They had just finished a fabulous meal.

"Yeah….It's something you have been asking to make but I never had enough time. Today I did though"

"Nooo…..you didn't." Nikita knew right away what it was.

Michael revealed the cake stand behind him, holding Nikita's absolute favourite chocolate cake. Nikita gasped audibly. That fucking cake was her last meal if anyone ever asked. The first time Michael had made it was for her birthday years ago. They were still engaged. Ever since then, Nikita demanded that cake for her birthday every year and would get Michael to make it for her at least a couple of more times throughout the year.

This year however he had made it only once and that was in January for her birthday. She had asked him to make it again a few months ago but it always seemed to slip his mind. It wasn't a regular chocolate cake. The layers were made from gingerbread and the rest was all chocolate. Michael had found the recipe online randomly and decided to give it a go and the rest was history.

Nikita made grabby hands towards it. Michael laughed and set it on the table, "Let me get some plates"

"Oh, you can just give me a fork and I'm all set" Nikita could eat it straight from the cake stand. Michael laughed even more. She could be impatient as a child sometimes. He was only going to take a few seconds.

"Here" He cut her a big slice first then got one himself. Upon taking her first bit Nikita hummed loudly and slid halfway down her chair. "What do you put in this honestly?"

"I'm happy you love it so much" Michael managed to answer between laughs. She always had some kind of dramatic reaction ready. He adored her.

While Nikita was devouring her slice of cake Michael shared about his day.

He had been keeping himself busy by cleaning the house, emptying the storage room, taking Archie on another walk and of course stopping by a shop to get all the ingredients for the cake. The idea had come randomly to him. He was thinking about what to make for dinner focusing on what she would love to have after a long day and then he remembered what would really make her happy.

"Thank you for the amazing dinner, my love" After finishing up, Nikita had to praise her husband and reward him with a kiss. She was being treated like a queen.

"You're welcome" Michael stole a few more then the couple decided to clean up after dinner first then to the living room to watch a movie and relax. The cleaning up was easy and quick especially when there were two of them. Afterwards, though, Nikia persuaded her husband to join her in the shower and they didn't end up coming back downstairs for the rest of the night.

Thank you so much for continuing to read and review this story even though the updates are inconsistent. I have a bit of a break now from work and uni so I will try my hardest to get the next chapter to you as fast as possible.

Thank you again for the support, it means the world to me xx