Forgiveness
By: Kimberly
Michael paced the floor, nervous. He'd called Nikita on her cell twice - twice she'd told him she was fine, the second time, she'd started to become irritated.
But she rushed off the phone twice - telling him only that she was at Alex's apartment.
She was safe. He'd have been able to tell from her voice - she'd have given him a message, somehow. What made Michael nervous was why she was at Alex's - was she getting cold feet? Had she felt smothered lately? Nikita was used to living alone. She liked her freedom. When they'd exchanged their vow's, they'd been on the run essentially. They both knew they needed each other to stay free - alive. But 'each other' had been one of the primary reasons for running, really running.
No matter where they'd been, the rules were suddenly different now. They were back at Section. Their relationship was being tolerated - tenuously. Had part of Nikita's attraction to him been because he was forbidden fruit? Michael didn't think so . . . but right now, he was worried. She was going to be pissed when she found out what he'd done.
Not that he would blame her. It put them at incredible risk . . . but he'd rather face that risk now. Being caught, hiding it from Operations and Madeline later on, without having that leverage . . . that could be devastating.
Michael had plenty of time to think - to worry - about what Madeline and Operations would do next. Michael would bet that he or Nikita, or both of them - would find themselves sleeping with a lot of targets in the months to come.
He heard her key in the lock, she opened the door, and closed it behind her, "We have a huge problem on our hands."
Michael felt his stomach twist into knots . . . What had Madeline managed to do already?
Nikita quickly hung up her coat, dumped her purse on the coffee table.
"I was just over at Alex's, as I was pulling up - I saw Darren leaving - looking like he was possessed by a demon from hell - he looked hurt, angry, it just made me nervous. He didn't even see me - which is not good. I go up to Alex's apartment, and she doesn't want to let me in at first, but she did after a few minutes. At first I thought He'd raped her - she was wrapped up in a blanket, naked, she'd been crying - but she insists that he didn't. What she told me was that he came over, surprising her. She let him in, they had sex, he said 'how does it feel to be used' accused her of planting the evidence at Anna's apartment, and said 'thanks for the fuck' and left."
Michael sighed. He was about to say 'Is that all?' but he caught himself. This was important to Nikita, it should be to him. This would affect their performance - which could get them all killed.
"He's emotionally abusing her," Michael said gently, "He's angry - it's the only way he can strike back at her. He was devastated when he found out how badly he hurt her when he choked her."
Nikita looked at him like he'd grown a second head, "He was devastated? At what point did he not think he might not hurt her? Before or after he wrapped his hands around her neck?"
Michael sighed. Nikita thought with her heart - she saw things through the pain of others. It was one of her weaknesses - and a strength.
"Violence is not his first choice Nikita - when he killed his father - it was by poison - not getting physical. If Alex fights back - he'll back off," Michael told her, and ran in his fingers down the side of her head, feeling her soft hair.
Nikita groaned, "We have to split them up on separate teams. We saw the other day what happens - when he wouldn't allow her to help him."
"If we alter the teams, we draw attention," Michael reminded her, "The focus isn't going to be on them right now anyway."
Nikita blinked, confused, and then realization dawned on her, "Michael - what have you done."
Michael pulled her closer, but she wouldn't allow it.
"You don't get to distract me Michael. Talk!" She demanded.
He watched her face, readying himself for the 50th time that night, "I asked Madeline for her blessing to live together. She doesn't know we were married in Australia."
Nikita stared at him for a moment, "Michael! What is - I understand why you want us to be together - but what's going to happen now?! She'll have us sleeping with a target every other mission!"
Michael reached for her again, catching her hands, holding onto them, "Do we wait until we're discovered by accident? Right now, they're emotionally susceptible - because they're wrapped up in their own affair. If we continued to hide - we run the risk of being caught when they're not feeling their own needs. We'd have been caught eventually. Now is the time when we run the lowest risk of punishment."
Nikita drew in a deep breath, "So are we living in my apartment, or yours?"
Michael smiled at her, " I thought we'd move - someplace bigger - we've both acquired a lot of things over the years."
Michael's excitement was infectious, and Nikita found herself smiling, "So do we get to find one ourselves - or does Section get to choose."
"Madeline will provide some choices - for security reasons," Michael told her, "We do have to keep this quiet."
Darren had been expecting a good chewing out for two days. There was no way Nikita could not have known what he'd done. Darren had seen her getting out of her car, through his rear view mirror. But not once, had she, or Michael questioned what had happened. Darren had a good idea how Nikita had found Alexandra too.
He'd seen Alexandra in section, and she looked a little more deflated. When one of the cockier, more arrogant and certainly more senior operatives grabbed at her one day, she swatted his hand away, said something to him that elicited a few chuckles, and walked away. Darren remembered a time when she'd have kicked the shit out of him.
That had been over six months ago. It had been a rough six months, on all of them.
Today, he found her sitting in front of a terminal, reading a file. She saw Darren walking up to her, but she didn't budge. Lately, she'd been avoiding him.
"What are you looking at?" he asked her calmly.
"An assignment," she told him calmly, "I have to take someone out. Right up my alley I guess."
Darren humphed, "Who is it?"
She didn't look up at him, "Some political person out of the middle east."
Darren read over her shoulder. Her target was a true scumbag.
"What's your window?" Darren asked her.
"It's tonight," Alexandra told him, "I'm going to be picked up in a club - go home with him, and poison him in bed - it's the only time he's not heavily guarded. It has to look like a heart attack - and they want is body found in a potentially embarrassing situation. I'm supposed to be seen - leaving the hotel."
It was hours later, when Darren saw her leaving Madelines office. He'd hardly recognize her. She still looked like Alex - but Alex with a lot of makeup - in a dress she'd never wear, not anymore at least. She walked past him, and out to the transport. Nikita was going with her, Michael would be listening and directing from the Section.
Michael watched as Nikita and Alex turned down the hall, leaving for the club. He'd monitor from here. Between the two of them, it should be and easy mission. Nikita wouldn't even be going - except that Madeline wanted to keep their options open - in light of what happened to Alex not so many months ago. Just in case she couldn't do the job, Madeline said.
Michael and Nikita also knew it was a reminder to them that no matter what they did outside of Section, Section did own them.
Michael listened as they entered the club, positioned themselves. Alexandra was picked up by the target within an hour. Two hours later, the target was taking her home.
Nikita returned to Section one, changed her cloths, and came down to the comm station to listen in. Michael glanced over at her a couple times. He knew what was going on in her head. She didn't want to have to hear anyone go through what Alexandra was going through right now. No matter how many lives were at stake - it didn't make the actual act less vile.
They heard the slap, Alexandra cry out at one point, but then, judging from what else they heard, they knew she was OK. She'd tried everything to get to the whisky bottle to get the poison onto her target.
When Alexandra did manage to poison her target, and she was outside of the compound, and into a cab, Michael stopped monitoring. Nikita's expression was calm, but he knew inside she was angry and hurting. She cared too much about her material. But that was part of what made her a good mentor.
" Madeline will probably have some choices for apartments for us today," Michael mentioned, once he'd set the comlink down.
Nikita nodded, and said half heartedly, " Probably."
How many times had he had it drilled into his head, to not get attached to the material. He'd reminded Nikita of that same rule, over and over. He broke it with her, she broke it with Alexandra and Darren, Michael had broken it again with Alexandra and Darren.
Alexandra wrapped the cheap coat around her, but it wasn't enough to ward off the cold. Her own would be - but she was playing a role.
Her target wouldn't let her go, when he'd been done with her. He wanted her to stick around, for him to work up his vigor again. He didn't give her the option. Alexandra knew she only had to wait it out for him to lose consciousness. But the waiting was the worst part. She didn't try to pretend it was someone else with her - no one she could think of would be welcome right now. She could perform, and not be aroused, it was an advantage afforded to female operatives. She didn't have to please this partner, she just had to endure him. He was drunk enough to not care that she just laid there. When she tried to get up, and get the bottle, planning to slip the poison into the whisky bottle, he'd hit her, knocking her across the bed and onto the floor.
Thank god, he was thirsty enough, after fucking her, to want to drink the whole water bottle. So Alexandra waited until he was out cold, and didn't wake up when she pulled out of arms. She dressed quickly, and left, ignoring the snide remarked from his security detail. They would never think of disturbing him right now. Later this morning, they'd find him dead - the autopsy would say heart attack.
The light was just turning in the sky, when she was able to get away from him. She took a cab to a place four blocks from section one, and walked the rest of the way there.
She went in, and found Darren just coming in himself. The met up in the hallway.
"You're just getting in?" He asked, taking in her attire. The same dress from the night before, her hair was decidedly flatter, a bit mussed, her makeup smeared, the dark purple bruise on her cheek.
She looked over at him, wondering how he'd used this against her, "Yeah."
The reached the main floor, where Birkhoff's station was. She could see Michael up in Operations office, Nikita and Madeline had just walked out of Madeline's office, and were looking down at them. Nikita held her breath, afraid of what was going to come out of Darren's mouth next.
"I would have thought you'd be home hours ago - what did you do, hang around for round two!? Aren't the rough ones just so much fun?!" Darren asked, nastily.
Alexandra drew in a deep breath, "No - He was determined to finish this bottle of whisky - before he drank from the other bottle - consequently he was wasted - he wasn't exactly quick to come - and he wasn't drinking from the bottle I could put the poison in until he was done with me - and I had a really miserable night! Is that what you wanted to hear? Or do you want a minute to minute description? Would that be humiliating enough to satisfy this depraved need you seem to have to see me suffer?"
Section was still quiet at that hour, so there weren't a lot of witnesses, but there were enough key people around to witness it. Operations stopped listening to Michael, both of them being drawn to the arugment taking place on the deck below them. Madeline and Nikita stopped, just outside of Madeline's office. Two of the techs at Birkhoff's station turned to look.
" I somehow doubt you'd be able to live through what would be enough," Darren said quietly, and turned to walk away.
Alexandra turned towards the stairs, taking in the small audience, but not caring at the moment.
Madeline turned to Nikita, "This is a bit more fall out than I anticipated."
Nikita bit her lip, "We've separated them, as best we can, until their tempers cool. I don't want to coddle them."
Madeline raised an eyebrow, "I'm surprised. Your personality generally makes you want to fix things."
"They won't always have me to settle disputes - their not children, better that they learn to handle it now," Nikita said.
Alexandra reached the top of the stairs, only hearing the last bit of conversation. She felt filthy, wretched. It was nothing compared to what she'd felt after Iraq - her torment stemmed more from Darren than anything else.
"Would you like a more official version than what half of section just got to hear?" Alexandra asked them, walking up, "His heart rate was dropping rapidly when I left."
"Good," Madeline said, and gestured for Alexandra to enter her office, Nikita following.
"What's going on with those two Michael," Operations asked, "I hope your not letting your personal life rub off on your recruits."
Michael's expression was calm, even though he wanted to tell Operations to fuck off.
"Alex canceled Anna - this fall out is within the parameter's Madeline and I expected," Michael replied, "We expected his personality to be slightly altered."
"Alex doesn't usually lose her temper like that," Operations commented, "Is she cracking?"
"No," Michael replied, "She's burnt off her steam. That will be the end of it."
Operations remained quiet, watching the rest of the main floor go back to work. Five years ago, Michael wouldn't be profiling his own recruits - not openly. His statement would have began with 'Madeline thinks . . .' But Operations trusted Michael's judgment.
Nikita sat in on the debrief for two reasons. First off, Alex was her material. Second, she wanted to watch Alexandra's reactions. Nikita was beginning to learn how Madeline profiled. Knowledge was power - and power could protect.
Alexandra sat calmly in her chair, explaining what happened.
"He was determined to finish the bottle of whisky he brought with him first - and start on the water bottle only after that. I couldn't get the bottle away from him to slip the poison into it. I tried to pour some into glasses, he wanted to drink it out of the bottle. I even said I wanted some - he didn't want to share, that's how I got this nice bruise on my cheek. I reached for the bottle, and he hit me." Alexandra told them, "He stopped several times throughout the sex to drink off that bottle - consequently - he wasn't finished quickly at all - which is why I'm just now getting back. When he was done, he drank the entire bottled water - which had the poison in it. He passed out, I left," Alexandra explained, her eye's drifting to everyone present, wondering what was going on in their heads. Operations regarded her smugly. Madeline smiled and said 'well done'. Michael had his calm emotionless mask on, Nikita was calm, but Alex could tell she felt sorry for her.
Alexandra was dismissed. She changed into her own cloths in wardrobe, and went immediately home for a hot shower, where she scrubbed herself clean, to the point that her skin hurt, and crawled into bed, and slept.
Darren had a fair idea why he was being called in Michael's office. He shut the door behind him, and sat down on the cheap vinyl sofa.
Michael keyed something in to give them a little privacy. He turned his gaze directly on Darren.
"When Alex was having behavior problems, I had to physically lift her up and slam her into that wall to get her attention. Is that what I have to do you?" Michael asked him calmly.
Darren's lip twitched, "Is that a polite way of saying your going to kick my ass if I don't lay off of Alex?"
"This is interfering with your work at Section One," Michael said, his voice soft and calm.
"It's not a problem for me!" Darren snapped.
Michael stared straight at him, his calm emotionless mask in place, "No more cheap shots. It displays a weakness that can be used against both of you. Be in room 42 in 15 minutes - in gym cloths."
Alexandra was stretching out when Darren walked in. She looked over at Nikita, sending her a look that said, "Are you crazy?"
Michael walked in a moment after Darren.
"You're going to work on your attack and defense skills," Michael began, "Nikita and I will be observing from above."
They both left.
Alexandra and Darren just stared at each other while Darren warmed up for a few minutes, when he was ready, they both tool positions on opposite sides of the marked off square.
"This must be one of those 'work out your aggressions things'," Alexandra said, "You go ahead and attack first."
"I can't get too aggressive - I just got my chain yanked for picking on you," Darren said bitterly.
Alexandra snapped at him, "I can take your shit any day of the week!"
She made an obscene gesture, and turned around, and grabbed up her sweat jacket, and started to walk towards him, as if to go around him to go to the door, "Tell our mother and father wanna-be's to mind their own god damn business."
Darren groaned, closing his eye's, and shook his head. Alexandra saw his reaction, and stopped. She drew her hand back, and slapped him across the face hard.
"That's for making me feel like a whore the other day!"
Darren stared at her, rubbing his face where she hit him.
She stepped around him, and suddenly, taking him by surprise, swept his legs, laying him flat on his back, the air whooshing out of lungs. She leapt on him, straddling his hips, and sat there, glaring at him.
"What the hell are you doing?!" He asked her, catching his breath, "Trying to make me lose my temper or something?!"
A wicked grin spread across her face, and she slipped her hands under his tank top, spreading her fingers out wide, caressing his stomach. She shifted, grinding into his groin.
Darren gasped, grabbing her wrist, shocked at her wanton behavior. His body wasn't shocked though, his body wanted her, wanted her to continue. Immediately, his shaft became swollen and stiff under her. She ground into him again, and Darren hissed, and grabbed her hips.
"Stop!" He gasped, sitting up.
She laughed, her voice deep and sexy, and she said huskily, "Aint this a major pisser! You still want me don't you Darren!"
She leaned forward, and nipped at his neck, "God help you, but you're wishing that Michael and Nikita weren't watching, and that you could throw me onto my back and bury yourself into me right now, don't you?!"
"Alex!" He said, and he hated how his voice sounded, betraying how much he really did want her, "C'mon, don't do this - it's not you."
She laughed, the same deep sexy voice, and leaned back. To Darren's relief, she stopped grinding against him.
"You and I were friends Darren. We survived our first psychotic trainer together. We cried on each other's shoulders when we needed someone to cry to. I can damn near read your mind, and you can almost read mine! I knew you'd be devastated when I killed Anna, and I knew you'd hate me for a while - but would you have rather let Madeline and the torture twins play with her for a while? I hope to god you'd have done the same thing, if it was me and one of my old friends."
She pulled her sweat jacket on, " I don't like to fight, I don't like to kill, I hate it that I'm good at everything I do here - but you and I made a good team. You don't get to just toss that away I'm not gonna let you."
She got up, and picked up her sweat jacket, "You owe a huge apology. But you're gonna get off easy. Pick me up at 8:00 for dinner."
Darren watched her turn and leave, still shocked, and still aroused. He looked up at the observation deck above, seeing only mirrored glass, but he knew they were up there.
"You're all insane!" he said loudly up at the glass, "But god help me, so am I."
Michael heard Nikita gasp twice, watching the scene that played out below them. Neither one of them expected Alexandra to behave that way.
"Did you expect this?" Nikita asked Michael, when Darren got up and walked out.
"No," Michael said quietly.
Nikita stood up, "Well . . . I wish I'd done what Alex just did years ago!"
Michael looked at her, his gaze questioning. Nikita met his stare, heat in her eye's. Michael felt a smile start to spread across his lips.
"I'll be home as soon as I can," he said gently.
Nikita finished her last report, sent it, and headed out of Section One. She'd started to collect boxes, to pack up her things.
She was just starting to set everything out for dinner, when the phone rang, and she was called in. It crossed her mind that the date Alexandra informed Darren he would be taking her out on wouldn't take place now.
The mission did not go as planned at all. Michael had taken a hit in his leg, and had to retreat. Nikita's team had scattered when more hostile than there should have been arrived on scene. Darren found himself and Alex pinned down in the office.
"We're at the terminal Birkhoff!" Alexandra yelled, "We're pinned down - and there's too many to get through. We'll have to feed it to you on-line."
Alexandra shoved the keyboard to Darren, "You're better at this then me - I'll cover the door."
Darren nodded, and started the commands Birkhoff fed him. They heard more and more reports of hostiles coming. Half of the team was dead. The other half was injured, and barely making it back to the van.
"We can't get you out, and I can't get a clear link," Birkhoff said, his voice betraying his panic, "I can't raise Michael, or Nikita - and they're to far away from you to help!"
Alexandra looked over at Darren, they both knew there was no way out of this.
"You gotta go Birkhoff - that's what they'd tell you to do," Alexandra told him.
"There's a bomb shelter below you - there should be an access hatch. Take the computer box with you . . .maybe . . . there's an access point east - it's blocked, but we might be able to dig you out."
Darren yanked up the floor hatch, and started to yank connections off of the computer box, "Give us three minutes before you blow the place Birkhoff."
Darren freed the computer box, and started down the stairs, with it, "Alex, c'mon."
She looked back at him, "GO! I'll keep them back."
"Now's not the time for this shit Alex," Darren told her, grabbing her ankle, and yanking her toward him.
"Darren please, just -" She rolled onto her back, exposing the bloody smear on the floor, and her assault jumper, " I took a shot in my thigh, I'll slow you down - just go, before it's too late," she hissed, and kicked at him with her good leg.
"Birkhoff," Darren said through the comlink, "I'm having trouble getting the computer off the desk, it's bolted - give me four more minutes."
"I can give you two, break the desk or something," Birkhoff snapped back at him.
Darren grabbed Alexandra's good leg, and pulled her towards Him. He dropped the computer box on the ground below him, and pulled her back with both arms.
"Don't fight me now or I will strangle you when this is over," Darren snapped at her, "And by now, you know I'd do it!"
"The computer!" Alexandra said.
"The hard drive is all we need," Darren told her, and pulled her over his shoulder, and slid down the latter. He staggered when he hit the ground, and snatched up the hard drive that was now exposed, and ran as hard as he could. They heard the first rumbles of the explosion just as the shelter came into site. They slammed into the door, falling through it on the floor, and Darren kicked the door shut behind him.
Everything shook. Things fell off the shelves. Both of them yelled, convinced the ceiling was going to crash down onto them.
Darren crawled, scrambled over to where Alexandra landed, reaching for her. She reached back, and they managed to huddle together - and then the shaking stopped.
Alexandra opened her eye's, the first thing she saw was Darren looking at her, relief in his eye's.
"Holy shit and shove me in it! We're alive," Darren said, laughing, "Birkhoff? can you hear me?"
"Barely," Birkhoff's staticly voice said, " . . . . safe?"
" We . . . are . . . in . . . the . . . bomb . . . shel . .. .ter . .. Darren said loudly, and clearly.
Birkhoff's response was staticky, ". . . for 24 hours . . . . extraction . . . .out . . ."
The connection went dead.
Alexandra groaned, reaching for her leg, "You shouldn't have taken the risk!"
Darren looked at her, "Honestly tell me you'd have done something different!"
She struggled to sit up, and Darren lifted her under her arms, and she groaned, reaching for her leg.
"Damn," Darren muttered, laying her back down, "How bad is it?"
She took a deep breath, " I . . . the bone is intact I think."
Darren looked up around the room, "Stay put."
He shook the table, to see how steady it was, and then searched the shelves, and everything that fell on the floor, for a first aid kit. He found one, and flipped it open.
"They've got half of a medlab here - not that I know what to do with half if this stuff," Darren said, and looked over at Alex, " I'm gonna put you up on that table - when you're ready."
Alexandra nodded, and braced herself, as he picked her up.
Alexandra groaned, gritting her teeth, digging her fingers into his shoulder.
Darren set her down, and set the first aid kit next to her.
"There are some pain pills here - but I don't know how much to give you," Darren told her, "There's a chart here - kilo's and milligrams."
Alexandra took the jar, and read the side, and popped three in her mouth, "OK, next?"
Darren pulled out bandages, antibiotic ointment, scissors and a clamp looking thing. He tied off a tourniquet to her leg, just above the wound.
" You know, I didn't really watch to much when they did this to you," Alexandra told him, "I couldn't - it was the goriest thing I'd ever seen."
"If I leave this - you're going to lose your leg - or die of infection."
Alexandra nodded, "I know . . . just . . . hurry I guess."
Darren rubbed alcohol soaked cotton on the clamps, "Do you want something to bite on?"
She shook her head, "Just forgive me if I scream."
Darren nodded, and grabbed her leg, and dug into the wound with the clamps.
Alexandra howled like a banshee, and Darren dug faster. He found the bullet and yanked it out.
He dropped it on the table, and reached for the bandages, and tied them in place as tightly as he could.
She was panting, crying and groaning in pain still, when he was done.
"At least I passed out, and didn't feel anything," Darren said her, wiping the blood off an a bandage he'd discarded.
"We have to loosen the tourniquet - to check the blood flow," She told him.
Darren nodded, and loosened it, but didn't take it completely off, "Do you want another pill?
"No," she told him, " I took one to many as it is - cause I knew two wouldn't cut through the pain . . . we'll just wait an hour and see."
Darren nodded, and looked over at the bunk rack, bolted up to the wall.
" This shelter had to be planned as a safety measure, just in case that place blew," Darren told her, pulling the bunk down, and grabbing some blankets off the shelf, "and it's gonna get cold soon, and we have to stay warm."
She watched as he made up a bed, " I'll bleed on you."
" I'll live," Darren told her, laughing at little, "We've exchanged a lot of body fluids already Alex."
She grinned, "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
He stripped off his coat, and helped her pull hers off, and scooped her up, and carried her over the bed, trying to jar her as little as possible
She groaned, and tensed, relaxing only when he'd settled them, pulling all the blankets up around them.
Nikita felt relief and grief at the same time when Michael was the last person to limp into the van, and it sped off. Half the team was gone. Everyone who made it back was injured. Somehow, someone had been able to blow some of the their commlinks.
"Darren and Alex made it into a bomb shelter - with the hard drive from the core computer," Birkhoff told them, "But we don't have any Intel on how secure it is - if we knew about it, so do these guys."
"Notify Section," Michael told him, and looked around, to see how badly everyone was injured. He could justify the risk of going back for them, because of the computer data they had . . .
" I already have," Birkhoff told him, "An extraction team is en route - ETA 18 to 24 hours - and the medical team is standing by at the plane."
Nikita listened, and closed her eye's, trying to block out the looks of horror and pain. It had been a virtual slaughter. This wasn't a suicide mission either, which somehow made it worse.
They reached the airstrip, someone didn't get up to get out of the van once they'd driven into the back of the plane. Nikita reached out with a trembling hand to check for a pulse. She didn't find one.
She held her breath, trying to fight back the tears she knew would eventually fall, and lost the battle immediately.God speed your soul to where it is we eventually go . . .
Michael watched her, and took a steadying breath. It hurt him too, when he lost a team member. He'd been immune to it for so long. He'd built that protective shell up around his heart.
Then Nikita came along, and shattered it. But he wasn't angry about it . . . he just wished he could shed the anger, horror and frustration with a good hard cry, the way she did. But he just couldn't do that, not here.
She turned away, and climbed out of the van, cradling her arm. She'd taken a hit in the shoulder. Her eye's met Michael, and knew he was aching inside too. He just couldn't show it. Not here, not now. He'd let it go later, when they were along, together. It would be released in how tightly he held her, how ardently he made love to her . . .
"Alex!" Darren yelled in her ear, and shook her to wake her.
She'd been moaning and crying out in her sleep, caught in the throws of a nightmare. She woke up, struggling, gasping for air.
It was pitch black, they'd turned the flashlights off, to conserve the batteries. She twisted around, and he felt her arms move, reaching up.
"We're in the bomb shelter," He said gently, finding her face by touch, stroking her cheek, "Do you remember?"
" Yes," she said after a moment, "I . . . it was a nightmare - I woke you up."
He ran his hands up her arms, gently urging them back down, pulling the blankets black over them, "Iraq?"
She was quiet for a moment. How could she tell him that she'd been having nightmares of him strangling her?
"I . . .no," she said softly, "Not Iraq, it was just a nightmare."
Darren instinctively knew she didn't want to talk about it. In time, she'd tell him, or she wouldn't. He couldn't press her now. Not here.
"How does your leg feel?"
She humphed, "Like you don't know! - you got shot a month ago!"
d fingers started to massage her scalp, " I should probably check it - just in case."
She felt him reaching for a flash light.
The beam came on, and they both blinked at the sudden brightness. Darren slipped out of the bed, and turned on the lamp, and carried it over to the bed.
The bandages had bled through some, but not a lot. Her coloring was pale - but her lower leg didn't look like I had been oxygen starved. He flesh was still Darren's pink, and when he pressed his thumb in to her leg much lower so it appeared white, it turned back to its normal color when he let go.
"Capillary refill looks OK," Darren told her, "I guess you'll live."
"Not too bad for an amateur," Alexandra told him, and looked at his watch, "How long has it been?"
" 18 hours," he told her, " I guess that means we have another six to so, give or take."
She nodded and watched him turn the light off, and felt him slip back into the bed. She snuggled over him, and he drew the blankets up.
"What if they don't come back?" Alexandra asked him softly.
Darren took a deep breath, "They will."
She tried to look at him in the dark. She couldn't see with her eye's, but she traced her fingers over her face, she let him explore for a few moments.
"You're so confident . . ." she said softly, resting her chin on his chest.
"Section wants that disk bad . . . If Michael and Nikita cared enough to orchestrate all the crap they did . . ."
"Yeah, I guess your right," she said softly, her finger tips brushing across the stubble growing on his cheeks and chin.
She traced her fingers up to his lips, memorizing the shape, and feel. He parted them, his tongue reaching out to touch her fingertips.
"I almost did lay you back on the gym floor you know," he reached up, to hold her fingers there, taking one into his mouth. He heard her take in a sharp breath, and he switched fingers.
She felt his hand slide down her hip, across her butt, and he cupped her, squeezing gently.
A crackle sounded in their comm links, startling both of them. Section One was returning for them.
"Do we know how what happened?" Nikita asked, walking into the medlab room.
Michael was just having his leg dressed. Madeline stood back. The question had been directed at Michael and Madeline. Nikita expected to be treated as Michael's equal now.
"Preliminary data suggests that they weren't waiting for us, just better prepared than what we anticipated. You'll be happy to know that Darren and Alex were extracted. Alex has a minor injury, Darren is fine."
"The computer?" Nikita asked.
Madeline blinked for a moment, a little surprised. Nikita used to ask after the operatives first. But Nikita was learning how to play the rules in Section one now . . .
"We'll know when Birkhoff takes a look at it," Madeline told her, "The transmission recordings show they they're managing to work as a team again. They must have made their peace before they left for the mission."
" I think so," Nikita replied.
She and Michael left a little over an hour later. Knowing that at least two more of their team would be returning helped, but it didn't totally alleviate the burden resting on their shoulders as they limped out of Section One.
They undressed and got into bed, and Michael pulled Nikita close, and kissed her. They began to make love, not frantic, not lust driven, but hungrily just the same, chasing away the horrors they'd been witness too.
Continue on to Promotion