9th September, Friday

10 am

"Baby, wake up, you have to take your medication" Michael hoped she would wake up on her own but when that wasn't happening he had to step in. He didn't want to wake her up. She slept so peacefully but she had to take her medication in the morning.

"No" Nikita groaned. She was so warm and comfortable, wrapped in the covers. She didn't plan on getting up any time soon.

"If I get in with you for 5 minutes would you consider" Michael had already gotten up so he needed some kind of leverage here.

"10 minutes" Nikita opened the cover and pulled him into bed. He could only laugh. She couldn't say no to that. They always preferred waking up together. "Did you sleep well?" He asked, keeping her from falling back to sleep.

"Yeah," Nikita answered with a yawn. Surprisingly there had been no nightmares and she only woke up two or three times to go to the bathroom so it was a restful night and God did she need one of those.

"That's good. I've been waiting for you to wake up. I'm lonely" He nudged her nose with his and smiled. Nikita peeled her eyes open and smiled back "Then you shouldn't have gotten out of bed"

"Is that so? Who is going to walk and feed Archie then?" That hadn't been the only reason he got up early but it was the only one he could use in front of his wife. He had checked in with the team first thing in the morning to plan how they were going to carry out the surprise dinner. It was his only chance to get in touch with them before tonight. When Nikita was still asleep after he finished with that he did take care of Archie and took him on his usual morning walk.

"What time is it?" Nikita wondered after hearing that Michael had already walked Archie.

"It's 10. That's why I came to wake you up. You have to take your medication before 12" She was feeling better so they had to continue to stay on top of it.

"Oh, shit" Nikita hadn't meant to sleep for that long. She still couldn't figure out how after sleeping for 10-11 hours she was still tired and sleepy. Where were the days when she could survive on 2-3 hours of sleep a night. She began to rise out of bed but Michael was quick to pull her down.

"Hey, hey. Come here" She settled back in his arms and he held her tighter keeping her there "It's okay. There's no rush for anything. We have plenty of time"

"But we said we'd go to the mall, then the movies and later we have dinner" Nikita had just started her day and felt like she was hours behind.

Michael chuckled. Those were things they were doing for fun. They weren't tasks on some to-do list or schedule. They could do whatever they wanted."Gorgeous, it's 10 in the morning. We have a whole day ahead of us. The only thing you're behind on is my good morning kiss" That made her laugh and relax. "No"

"No?"

"You are the one that woke me up and didn't give me a good morning kiss" She teased back.

"Wow, what a jerk" Michael chuckled, leaned in and gave her a long sweet kiss. Nikita kissed him back, giggling. Now that was one perfect morning.

When they finally parted Michael caressed her cheek gently, locking his green eyes with hers. It captivated Nikita. There was so much love, admiration and care just in that one look. Like she was all there was in the world right now. For a moment it was just them two, holding each other and speaking without words. Michael snuggled into her more, breaking the spell. He brushed his forehead against hers, kissing her nose gently.

Nikita tangled her fingers in his hair, playing with it lazily. "And he said 5 minutes" She finally spoke to tease him. It had been more than 10 minutes by now, which was her suggestion.

"We both knew I was lying" There was no point in trying to deny it. His plan worked logically but he could never resist his wife.

Nikita chuckled and leaned in for a few more kisses. "How did you sleep?"

"Good" Michael answered simply. Nikita didn't like it. She felt him tense up for a few seconds. "Michael" She said with that all-knowing tone she used when she knew he was bullshitting her.

"I didn't sleep much"

"Why?" Nikita grew concerned. He never needed much sleep but barely sleeping wasn't like him.

"Nightmare. I couldn't fall asleep after." It was hard for Michael to even think about it. He didn't have that many nightmares nowadays. Most of his terrors at night had moved from his subconscious to real life. Worrying about his family, being more protective than usual, always being suspicious of everything. But when he did have nightmares they were the most horrible gut-wrenching ones that his head could come up with.

Nikita knew all of that so she instantly tightened her hold on him "I'm sorry. You should have woken me up. You always say I should wake you up"

"I know" He wasn't the best at listening to his own advice. "It's okay. You were on top of me anyway so I relaxed after a while." Nikita always slept in the most wild positions. Her personal favourite was sleeping starfish style in the middle of the bed then turning around and landing on top of Michael.

Nikita didn't find that so comforting. "What was it about?"

Michael sighed. He didn't want to get into it and bring the mood down but he knew he would have to talk about it. "Do you ever feel scared….like out of your mind scared of losing everything in just a few seconds…"

"Yeah. Most of my nightmares are about that" Nikita didn't feel like they were experiencing the same feelings though. Her fear stemmed from having a family now finally after all these years. Something she had never had before. Of course, she was scared of losing it.

His fears came from experience though. He had already had a family. A family he had lost in just a few seconds. "I know where my fear comes from. I've never had someone who loves me so deeply and unconditionally. I've never had a family before. Didn't know what that feels like. So my greatest fear is losing all of you. So most of my nightmares are just different variations of that"

"Only in your nightmares?" He understood what she was saying. Everyone in their family feared that. They had gone through so much together of course losing each other would mean death to them. However, what was looming over his head wasn't just a nightmare.

"What do you mean?" Nikita wanted to make sure she understood him well. They were getting deep into a very delicate territory.

"I don't have that many nightmares about it, It's more…in real life. Like during the day at random moments…you would be standing right in front of me and this fear and pain would grip me as if you were going to disappear in just a few seconds" It was the most strange and terrifying fear he had ever experienced.

This was the first time Nikita was hearing about it and she didn't like that. "Does it happen often?"

"No, I wouldn't say so and it doesn't last long. I could get out of it in a few minutes but in the last week…" He didn't need to say more. It had shaken them both in different ways.

Nikita felt a pang of guilt. He had focused solely on her and she hadn't thought about how he must have felt especially with her being in the hospital. They had talked about it but they mostly focused on the keeping secrets part.

"Hey" She cradled his face and pecked his lips. "I have had moments like that with my anxiety. What helps me even though it's probably not the healthiest thought is having you near. I know that I wouldn't let anything happen to you as long as I'm next to you and the other way around" That dynamic had always been there between them. Nikita would sacrifice everything for Michael. Michael would sacrifice everything for Nikita. Now that they were married it had transformed into this fierce protection of what they have. They would do everything to protect each other as a whole because without the other they would be dead. There would be no Michael without Nikita. No Nikita without Michael.

"We've got each other" Nikita whispered against his lips, sealing the words with a long kiss. Michael kissed her back and let a few tears fall. He didn't know what had gotten to him this morning. Well, he did know. It all started with that damn nightmare. He wouldn't let it drown him. Nikita was right. They had each other and no one could ruin that so easily.

"You know how stubborn I can be and Michael Bishop there is no way I'm ever leaving you" She wiped his tears and lightly teased. It was the absolute truth.

Michael kissed her again "I love you so much"

"I love you. Tell me when that happens again. Maybe I don't have your way with words but I want to be there for you like you are for me every day" Michael was the best person to talk to when she was feeling down. He always knew what to say somehow and made her feel so much better. She wanted to be that for him too.

"Are you kidding me? You make every single second of my day heaven just by being you. You, my love, as cheesy as it sounds, are my ray of sunshine that I can't live without" He wouldn't let her dismiss herself like that. Nikita had brought him back to life years ago. She turned his dark cold world into heaven on Earth every time they were together.

Nikita scrunched up her nose and laughed at his cheesiness "Ray of sunshine?" That's one way to describe her.

"Yeah, you don't like ray of sunshine?" He didn't think so. He saw how her eyes sparked when he said it.

"If you want to call me that I can't stop you" She did love it. Someone seeing her like that was nearly impossible to believe years ago but she had learned to trust and believe the people she loved. So it made her stomach flutter to hear Michael describe her like that. It wasn't the first time he had complimented her in such a way but her feelings about it never dimmed.

"Modest I see" They both dissolved into laughter, followed by a few more teases.

"Let's go get you fed and-"

"Medication, I know" They had spent more than enough time in bed. It was time to get going. Nikita was glad for the little heart-to-heart though.

Michael suggested she take a shower since he was already ready and dressed. He could make the bed and prepare breakfast for her.

The day was really ahead of them. Even though it was pouring outside they were still going to make the most of their time together. After breakfast, they headed to the mall as Michael had suggested. To their luck, because of the recent bad weather, a lot of activities in town had moved indoors including the weekly market. Nikita and Michael shopped around , ate some great food, laughed and moved through the mall hand in hand.

"So how about that movie?" Michael could see Nikita was getting tired from all the walking around.

"Yeah, if you still want to go. I don't even know what's on right now" The couple hadn't gone to see a movie in a while. They watched whatever they wanted to watch at home most of the time.

"Well, I had a look earlier and there are a few options. There is Avatar 2, Don't you worry darling, Spiderman…"

Nikita gave him an all-knowing look "Did you suggest going to the movies just to watch the new Avatar" Michael loved Avatar. So when Nikita found out it was on she caught up to what he might have been planning.

"Maybe" He smiled all innocently. Nikita laughed with a gasp and tried to untangle her fingers from his to tease him. He didn't let her and gripped her hand tightly, bringing their joint hands to his chest. "I was thinking of asking you to go see it anyway so it worked out. We can still see another movie today though" He wasn't going to make her sit through a 3-hour movie now if she didn't want to.

Nikita rolled her eyes and grinned at him. "I don't care what we watch but are we going to have time? Dinner's at 6" If Michael really wanted to see it she didn't mind it. It was a long movie though and they had plans after.

Michael looked at his watch "We'll be cutting it close but there should be time to go back home to change and then leave"

"Or we could just say we'll be there at 6:30" It was a casual dinner with just the four of them. There was no need for the couple to rush themselves after the movie. It made the most sense to just give themselves a little bit more time. At least Nikita thought so.

"Uhmm…" Michael was caught unprepared. He had no idea what the others were up to therefore didn't know if the time change would affect anything. "Yeah, I can send a text. See if it's okay. We should probably pick a different one"

"Why would it not be okay? We are probably going to be late anyway" Nikita wasn't sure why this seemed inconvenient to Michael. Maybe it was a guy thing. "You know what. I will just text Sonya now and we can settle this. I'm telling you it's not a big deal"

Michael had no idea what to say or if he should stop her. But how could he? He had no idea what the others were planning. Alex and Sonya took over. The only thing they asked him about was how he wanted to tell the others about the baby. He arranged it and that was how far his involvement went.

N: Heyy, Michael and I are about to go see the new Avatar right now.

It's a 3 hour movie though and we kinda failed to plan for it.

Could we push dinner a little bit? 6:30?

S: Oh, my god you will love it!

Yeah, that's totally fine.

N: Great! See you soon

"See? Not a problem" Nikita showed him the text to prove her point. "Your wife knows best"

Michael rolled his eyes and smiled. He wasn't going to argue that. "Okay, okay. Let's go then or else we'll be more late"

Michael didn't receive any texts while they were getting tickets and snacks so he assumed the time change didn't cause any inconveniences. That was at least one thing he didn't have to think about. He was starting to get nervous as the dinner approached. Excited was more the right word but he wanted it to be perfect for her so the nerves were overtaking. He had to keep it together though. The movie was a great idea. It will help him with that.

6:10 pm

"Guys" Sonya yelled from the kitchen, causing everyone to run over as quickly as possible. They were all on high alert. "Michael just texted. They are leaving their house now. Babe, pull up his location" She had taken the role of the coordinator for the night. "When they're halfway everyone needs to get into their hiding spot and we will- wait where's Sam?" She couldn't continue without him. They didn't have a lot of time. Everyone needed to be ready.

Alex, Sean, Ryan and Birkhoff all looked around amongst themselves. They hadn't noticed he was missing. "I'll go find him. You guys finish up here. I'll be a minute" Sean took the initiative of dealing with the former cleaner. He had been on everyone's nerves since yesterday. He barely paid attention to them. Something was off with him.

Sam was late when they were meeting up to fly over here. He exchanged only a few sentences with Sean, Alex and Ryan on the flight and when they arrived at Birkhoff and Sonya's house he kept disappearing somewhere. While everyone was preparing dinner and setting up he was nowhere to be found which irritated all of them.

Sean quickly found him on his phone in the backyard. No surprise there. He was glued to that thing. Sean was about to call him over but stopped himself upon hearing the conversation.

"Look, I don't like this. It will be a mess" Sam didn't like the answer he was given from the other end and kicked one of the stones on the ground. "I need more time. More details"

Sean couldn't stop himself. Sam had clearly gotten himself into something. He had to find out. Sam didn't say more, however. He just listened to whatever the other person was saying then hurried up and hung up. The cleaner then turned around quickly and spotted Sean. He was visibly startled.

"Sorry, just wanted to tell you it's go time. Nikita and Michael are on their way. You need to get back inside." Now was not the time for interrogations but he was definitely bringing the others into the loop as well. Sam had only brought troubles throughout the years.

"Yeah, coming"

They headed inside to help the others finish what was left to set up so they could take positions. The plan was for Michael to ring the doorbell and for Bikrhoff to yell Come in. He was more likely to do something like that than his wife. Only the lights in the hallway were on so everyone would be extra concealed in the dark and when the front door closed they all had to come out. It felt like a birthday surprise but it was the only way to do it for it to still remain a surprise. They didn't want Nikita growing suspicious if they dragged it out.

"You okay?" Alex whispered to Sean in the dark. Ever since he came back with Sam he had been deep in thought. She could tell. "Did he say something to you? I swear I'm so done I will-"

"Babe, shush. He didn't say anything to me. I overheard him talking to someone on the phone" Now was not the most ideal time to tell Alex but why hide it if she asked.

"And?"

"He's gotten himself into something again" Sean continued. Alex tried to look at Sam through the darkness. He was hiding in a corner as far away from everyone as possible. "Nikita mentioned something yesterday morning before the group call. She said that he didn't answer any of Michael's calls and texts so she had to get involved" Alex remembered now.

"But is that odd?" Sean was pretty sure Sam would do the same to him and they had a somewhat neutral relationship.

"Yes. Michael had told him it was urgent and he still didn't respond. Like the fuck? Nikita agreed as well. She has an off feeling about him too. And he didn't show up for the call. Michael had to send him an email" Alex was starting to piece together a picture she didn't like.

"Is he flying back with us?" Ryan, Alex and Sean weren't staying for very long. They were leaving the day after tomorrow. "I asked him like four times and he couldn't give me a definitive answer"

"I think he's staying"

"What would he do here?" Alex wasn't able to receive an answer from her husband. He was interrupted by Birkhoff's update "They are pulling onto our street"

"Get ready" Sonya followed.

"Don't say anything yet" Sean didn't want it to ruin the night.

"Of course not" Alex was on the same page. Tonight was supposed to be about Nikita and Michael. They could deal with Sam tomorrow. She only hoped he would behave himself and wouldn't attract any attention. If Nikita was already suspicious of him she would know something is definitely up by looking at him.

"I'm sorry. Say that again?" Michael was amazed at what just came out of his wife's mouth.

"What? I just think it's cool they are doing a back-to-back screening of the two movies." Nikita had seen the poster for the Avatar marathon on the way out of the movie theater. As they were driving to Birkhoff and Sonya she casually shared her observation with her husband.

"No, no, what you said after"

"Me saying that it would be fun to do doesn't mean I want to do it" Nikita had said it very nonchalantly not expecting to get such a passionate response from her husband.

"Why not?" Michael loved the movie so he would definitely be up for a marathon. He hadn't watched the first one in a while.

"Six hours in a movie theater?" That didn't sound fun.

"Well yeah it's a lot but if you don't have anything to do and you like the movie it's perfect"

Nikita studied him with her eyes very carefully. Was he actually serious or just messing with her? She knew him well. He wouldn't last as well. "I would probably fall asleep before the first one is over"

Michael choked on a laugh then gasped "Okay, definitely don't say that to Birkhoff"

"It has nothing to do with the movie. It would just be a very long screening" For a slight second she did consider mentioning that to the nerd just to see his reaction. He was a massive fan.

"Would you watch it with me at home then?" Michael wasn't giving up. It wasn't about the movie. He just loved how baffled she was by sitting and watching something for 6 hours straight.

"The only marathons I prefer for me and you at home are the physical ones" She smirked all too knowingly at him. He laughed hard and shook his head. "Now that would be one hell of a fun time. You should promote it"

"I already have the slogan Get your avatar on this weekend at home or in the actual theater if you're feeling frisky"

Michael couldn't breathe now from laughing. He had to focus. He was driving but he couldn't help it. How did she manage to come up with this stuff?

"Love the enthusiasm" Nikita milked the moment as much as possible.

There was another bout of uncontrolled laughter from Michael. His stomach started to hurt. Nikita couldn't help but join him. She loved those random moments with him of pure belly laughter at the most ridiculous things.

"Jesus" Michael wiped the tears that had streamed down his face. Nikita reached out to help him. She was finally calming down herself. Michael just took her hand and kissed it. "My ray of sunshine"

"My forever marathon of every kind partner" She just had to. It was on the tip of her tongue. Michael loved it "I am honored" so much that he almost missed the turn to Sonya and Birkhoff's street.

"Ops" Luckily he had time to react.

"I'm totally saying we're late because you took a wrong turn while staring at me" They both dissolved into more laughs.

Michael pulled into the driveway and composed himself as best as he could. The best was yet to come. He took Nikita's hand, keeping her close, and they walked to the front door. She still didn't seem to suspect a thing which was amazing. She was hard to surprise, always able to pick up on hints or her family's odd behaviors. This time around everyone had done great. No slip-ups. Well, if Birkhoff's the other night didn't count but Nikita had seemed to have forgotten about it. They were safe.

Michael rang the doorbell as planned and soon they heard Birkhoff yelling "Come in. It's open"

Nikita rolled her eyes and quipped "What a host"

Michael chuckled, having predicted her reaction. She didn't find it strange. It was such a Birkhoff thing to do.

Michael reached and opened the door for his wife. He felt her tense for a second, probably because the rest of the house was dark and there was no one in sight. That quickly changed though when everyone jumped up from their hiding spots exclaiming "Surprise!"

To say Nikita was shocked was an understatement. Her mouth gaped open and she froze in one place. She had not had even the slightest feeling that her family was going to pull off something like that. She had just talked to all of them yesterday and now here they were. Standing right in front of her.

They all gave her a few seconds to take it all in before rushing to hug her.

"After years we finally managed to leave you speechless' Alex excitedly stated. Nikita's reaction was better than she had imagined it. Alex would never forget the look on her face. There was the expected initial shock that Alex was so happy to see. There was also something else in there that Alex could only identify as relief and pure happiness.

"I can't believe you guys! How could you not say anything!" Nikita looked back and forth between all of them then settled her eyes on Michael, sporting a wide grin on his face "You were in on this!"

Michael just shrugged and continued smiling.

"Of course he was. Someone had to make sure you didn't spoil it for yourself" Sean backed up his friend. He was happy to see the couple too. Alex hugged Nikita again and led her inside. The boys welcomed the couple warmly as well.

The team had transformed the whole living area for the evening. The big dining table was decked out for a fancy dinner. The living room was rearranged so that there was more space for activities. Nikita could also smell the deliciousness that was coming from the kitchen.

"How long have you been planning this?" Nikita wondered. At first, she thought they had decided to come at the last minute after finding out she wasn't doing well. She had made a joke to Michael yesterday about how she wanted everyone here. But now she didn't think it was a last-minute thing.

"Oh, we have been conspiring for like a week" Ryan chimed in. "Sonya and Alex did everything though"

Nikita gave them all another round of hugs and felt her eyes starting to tear up "This is so nice. Thank you"

"Don't get sappy now. They came for me not you" Birkhoff quipped and nudged her shoulder. She pushed him and laughed. Sonya shot him a look but quickly relaxed. Their dynamic sometimes was so weird but somehow worked. Like a true brother and sister relationship, living to annoy each other.

"Everyone go grab a drink" Sonya directed them to the bar which was filled with all sorts of alcoholic beverages and sodas.

Birkhoff led the boys and Nikita to the bar showing his extensive collection of bottles which he saved only for special occasions. Which tonight he deemed was one.

Alex and Sonya hung back pulling Michael to the side. "The boxes are in the guest bedroom down the hall. I think it's best if you give them before dinner" Sonya suggested.

"I can't hide it anymore!" Alex was itching to tell Sean that Nikita was pregnant and scream how excited she was.

"Okay, but I have to tell her first. She has to know how we're announcing it" That was a bit tricky. Nikita was the center of attention now and pulling her away for a few minutes would be noticeable.

"I have an idea" Alex came up with an easy solution "You go to the guest bedroom now and we'll send her over in a few minutes. As long as you don't take too long the guys won't notice that the both of you are gone"

"Seymor's got them pretty occupied" Sonya observed and laughed. He was in a very serious discussion with Sean and Ryan about what the best brand of whiskey was. Nikita, however, was occupied with Sam.

"That's gonna be tricky" Sonya pointed out.

"I got it. You go" Alex was determined to get everything in motion. She urged Michael to leave and headed toward Sam and Nikita.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt. Sonya wants to ask you about something. I didn't understand a thing" She couldn't say anything in front of Sam and couldn't leave Sam alone so the next logical thing to do was to redirect. Alex could talk to Sam while Sonya caught up with Nikita on what was going on.

"Oh, okay" Nikita didn't question it and headed to the kitchen where she saw Sonya last. "Hey, can I help? Alex said-"

"Perfect" She rounded the counter and pulled Nikita toward the hallway "Michael is waiting for you in the guest bedroom. We have been working on a little something to help you announce… the news. So go 'cause we don't have much time"

But of course. Nikita was so wrapped up in the fact her whole family was here that she forgot what an amazing opportunity that was. It was all she wanted. It was exactly how she wanted to announce that she was pregnant.

She ran down the hall, bumping into Michael as she rounded the corner "Hey, slow down" He chuckled at her eagerness. Nikita just jumped up in his arms laying kisses all over his face. He pulled her into the bedroom so they wouldn't attract any attention and kissed her back. He was so happy to see her like that. Like herself. Giddy, bubbly, funny, spontaneous and happy.

"Good surprise?" He teased against her lips. Nikita just shook her head and kissed him. "As much as I love this, if we don't get out in 5 minutes we are eating outside in the rain" Sonya and Alex had been clear. They had a small window to get Nikita into the loop.

"Okay, yeah" She laughed "So you have something prepared?"

"It was so awkward. You guys made me do it on purpose so you could laugh about it!" Ryan complained.

"Oh, come on, Fletch, how bad could it actually be? You meet with strangers every day and connect with them somehow. What is so different about a blind date?" Nikita tried to understand why he was vowing to never do it again now. The team had suggested it at their last family dinner. He had mentioned that he was having a hard time forming a connection with someone. So they all assumed he was just never looking at the right places or the right people.

"How many of you here have been on a blind date before?" Ryan needed someone who could actually understand what he meant.

"Does Division throwing you at random man count? I think it should" Nikita was quick to reply. The guys threw questioning looks at each other not knowing what to say.

"Yeah. That should count. It's even worse actually" Alex supported her best friend's claim.

"Nope, not the same, girls" Sonya was ready to argue that. "That is too far off on what Ryan is trying to say"

Nikita and Alex nodded and didn't supply any more comments like that. They had worked out a little system between them. Because Nikita and Alex had gone through all aspects of Division their view on certain things was a bit tainted. Sonya however because of her hacking skills was spared that so she was the one that called out the traumatic wrong shit that happened to them. It had honestly helped so much and the guys appreciated it too cause they didn't have to stare at each other wondering how to react.

"First, I didn't have any accurate information about her besides her name. She looked nothing like what my colleague described, which is totally fine. She was beautiful but I felt so unprepared" Ryan continued.

"How prepared did you expect to be?" Sean wondered. "It's a blind date after all. You're not supposed to know much" He hadn't had much experience either but he knew that much.

"Maybe that's why you didn't like it" Michael hadn't been so sure the first time it was brought up but now he was certain it wasn't Ryan's thing. He always liked to do tons of research before approaching anything in his life. He had to always be prepared and know every possible outcome. "You can try something else. I heard your unit at the CIA is expanding. Lots of opportunities to meet new people"

"Yeah it is. I actually have an assigned partner now. Her name is Zoe. She's brilliant. I can't wait to start working together. You know I've never met someone so passionate about the work that we're doing the same way I am. '' Ryan proceeded to spend the next ten minutes talking about Zoe which left the whole team speechless. They were all staring at him at the end of it and that was what eventually made him stop talking about her. "Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

They all bursted laughing.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Fletch. You are one of the smartest people I know but you're so oblivious sometimes" Nikita managed to contain her laughter first.

"I still don't understand?" Ryan turned to Michael so he could elaborate on his wife's words. "Maybe you should get to know Zoe if she has left… such an impression on you"

"Oh, no, no. I can't mix work and personal stuff" Ryan shook his head instantly when he realized what his friends were suggesting. That was a line he didn't think he would be able to cross.

"Have you looked around this table?" Birkhoff continued laughing. There were three couples around him that had developed in very unique circumstances but at core it could be said that they developed in a somewhat professional/work environment.

"That's different. I'm not in a life or death situation every day with this person" Ryan had a point. There was still a big difference.

"What's the harm in trying? If not you will gain a good friend" Alex tried to encourage him. He wasn't so confident so expecting him to make a move on a woman so fast was unrealistic. He had a chance though so he should try.

"Or make it awkward" Ryan wasn't so sure.

"You'll do great, come on" Nikita patted his shoulder to comfort him. She wanted him to find his person. They all did but he had to have some faith in himself.

The team managed to lift Ryan's spirits quickly with more absurd jokes and teases. They had the opportunity to properly catch up until it was time to finally have dinner.

"Before we start with dinner, Nikita and I have some presents for you guys" It was time. Michael squeezed Nikita's hand and got up from the table to bring out the gifts. Nikita's heart started racing. Ever since she found out she was pregnant she had been imagining this moment. It was going a little bit differently than she hoped but it didn't matter. She was surrounded by the people she loved most and she and her husband were about to share their happiness with them.

"Presents?" Sean was puzzled and turned to his wife whispering "Do we have presents for them?"

Alex stopped the urge to roll her eyes and laugh. It was her fault. She always handled all the Christmas/birthday gifts and he just tagged along. No wonder he would think there was some gift exchange and he was just not informed about it.

"No, I would have told you" She whispered back to her husband. He relaxed and leaned back in his seat.

"What's going on?" Ryan immediately grew suspicious.

"We just got a little something for all of you." Nikita smiled softly and waited for her husband to hand out the boxes he had prepared for them, each with their name written on top of the lid. Nikita was trying so hard not to jump up from excitement. Sharing this with her family meant so much. She never thought she would ever get to this point. It was so surreal. The things they had all gone through to get to this point. Some scars both physical and emotional were never going to fade but they had made it. More than made, they had built this amazing new life together and now they were heading into a new chapter.

"Don't open them yet" Michael instructed them as he sat back next to his wife. He intertwined their fingers and took a look around the table. "We are very grateful to you guys for coming on such short notice. I am particularly thankful because I know how much it means to Nik. We love you and appreciate you… Anything you want to add my love?" He turned to his wife and grinned. He could feel her trembling in her seat.

Nikita smirked and turned to look at her family"You can open on three at the same time" Michael was always better with words than her. She wasn't sure she would be able to say anything right now especially.

The team threw questioning glances at the couple but complied. Alex counted to three for all of them and they opened their boxes. The contents were only a surprise for Ryan, Sean and Sam. Alex, Sonya and Birkhoff were well aware of what they would find there but were just as ecstatic.

Sean, Ryan and Sam pulled out their hoodies with the phrase The favourite uncle embroidered on the front. Birkhoff pulled out the same one. Alex's said The fairy godmother playing on the old joke. Sonya's said My favourite people call me auntie.

"Wait, what?" Ryan and Sean exclaimed and instantly turned to the couple for clarification. They were pretty sure they knew what was happening but they were in shock.

"Are you serious?" Sam finally spoke, the look on his face was different though. Nikita didn't have time to ponder on that because Ryan and Sean jumped up from the table, realisation finally hitting them.

Thank you so much for reading!

I'm sorry that I had to break up this chapter into two but it was getting way too long and I was nowhere near done with it.

Working on publishing the next one soon!

In the meantime, I started an Instagram account where I would like to connect with you guys more and talk all things Nikita!

It's nikitaxverse on Instagram.

Thank you for your continued support xx