Nikita started walking home at 5 PM. Her job was OK, she was a Personal trainer at the local gym. She had started the job last month after being a waitress, the important thing was that the job she had now paid better than her last, enough to pay for her little apartment. Being a personal trainer was better for her since she knew more about fitness than she did about food.

Nikita made herself a new identity, it wasn’t that hard to do if you knew computers, and now her name was Josephine Dalsey, 27 years old, and all her family was deceased. And to her the last part was true. She never thought of her mother as being family and when she was with the Section, they felt like the only family she had ever really had. But now they were gone. There was no going back because if she did she would most likely be canceled. Either way she would never have a family again.

It was a 10 min. jog from the gym to her apartment. When she reached app. 227 she got out her key and unlocked the door. She turned on the light and quickly scanned her place, seeing that nothing was wrong or out of place she shut the door and locked it. It had been 6 months now but still she couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe section would find out that she was alive and had not been canceled like they had hoped.

She had been careful, not replying to the PDA that Michael gave her for fear that Section might find out and punish Michael for setting her free. The last thing she wanted was for Michael to get hurt. Nikita missed him, she missed everyone at section, well maybe not operations. But most of all she missed Michael. Through all the lies and betrayals she still loved him, and a part of her knew that Michael loved her too. That was why he had set her free. By doing that he had told her that he cares about her, that he loves her and would rather set her free and risk himself being canceled than to see her die and know he was the cause of it.

The first month Michael had left her a message about once every two to three days on her PDA but as the days went by the messages became fewer and fewer. The last time she had gotten a message had been over two weeks ago. She went into the kitchen and made herself some tea, something she had loved to do in her old apartment, back when she was with the section. Nikita sat on her couch and took out her PDA. There was no message. Even though she hated getting messages from him because she always had to delete it and not reply, still messages meant that he hadn’t given up on her, that he still cared.

She never could stop thinking about Michael and the people in Section. They haunted her dreams. Dreams of things that had happened while she was with them and dreams of things that might happen now that she was gone. Her latest dream was that the section would be breached while Birkoff was in the van like before but this time no one would be there to help talk him through it, no one would be there to back him up. And like always the dream ended the same each time, Birkoff would die. Nikita loved Birkoff like a big sister would a younger brother and she would hate herself if anything ever happened to him.

Then she heard a beeping sound coming from her PDA and looked at it. There was a message from Michael.

Nikita are you there? Please if you are alive, answer me.

Every time she saw a message it seemed to get more and more desperate. Now she started to think and worry about Michael, Birkoff, Walter, and Maddy. The thoughts were almost enough to make her reply to the message. Almost. She started to type out a message but quickly came to her senses and deleted it. Lost in longing for the ones she loved and cared about she strode over to her stereo and turned it on. Then she lay back down on the couch and set her PDA on the coffee table. This time she listened to the words of the song more carefully than she usually did.

Dreams last for so long even after your gone,
I know you love me and soon you will see,
you were meant for me and I was meant for you.

Nikita sat up straight and leaned forward, listening more carefully than before. There was something about the words of the song that sounded familiar. Like they some how were speaking her thoughts.

Picked up the paper it was more bad news,
More hearts been broken or people been used,
Put on my coat in the pourin rain,
Saw a movie it just wasn’t the same cause
it was happy and I was sad and it made me
miss ya o so bad.

Now she thought about her life and the way it had turned out. Freedom wasn’t every thing she thought it would be. She was forced to be on constant alert. Always watching out for the section and worrying about the enemy, like Legion or Red Cell, recognizing her. She really wasn’t as happy as she thought she would be. And the fact that she couldn’t get Michael and all of them off her mind wasn’t helping any.

I go bout my business doin fine,
Besides what would I say if I had you on the line,
Same old story now not much to say,
Hearts are broken every day.

Nikita also thought, *what would I say to Michael if I ever saw him again? What would I do? What would he do?*

Put on my PJs and hop into bed,
I’m half alive but I feel mostly dead,
I try and tell myself that it’ll be all right,

I shouldn’t think anymore tonight Nikita didn’t feel alive, not really. Inside her soul was almost as dead as it had been when she was with the section. When she was with the Section she had people that cared about her and people that she cared about, out here she didn’t have anyone, only aquaintances. She constantly had to lie to people about who she was and what her past was like. Not that she didn’t have to do that for the section. But she was free and the only thing she could think about was the Section.

Cause dreams last for so long even after your gone,
And I know you love me and soon you will see,
You were meant for me and I was meant for you,
You were meant for me and I was meant for you.

After the song had stopped playing Nikita Grabbed her PDA and put it in her purse along with her gun. Turned of the radio and quickly rushed out the door.

***********

A figure shrouded in black slowly makes his way to apartment 213. He slips his key into the door and it unlocks. Quietly he shuts the door behind him and makes his way to his laptop, never bothering to turn on a light. He sits behind his desk and turns the laptop on. The bright light bouncing off the screen to light up his face.

It had been six months now and still he couldn’t stop thinking of her. And just like he had over the six months since her supposed cancellation he thought of Nikita. Every thing about her always seemed to be so radiant, so pure. He found that she was like the light from his computer screen, so bright that it was enough to fill his soul with light in his world of darkness.

She had never belonged to their world, to the world of Section One. She had been innocent from day one. Wrongly accused of a crime she didn’t commit. Nikita was forced into a world of sin because of someone else. Michael’s mind raced back to Madeline’s office two days after he had set her free and everyone thought she was dead.

Madeline had ordered surveillance in Nikita’s apartment shortly after being informed of the beautiful blue eyed operatives refusal to kill an innocent. Madeline had her suspicions of what she might do and the were confirmed when Nikita came to her telling her that she couldn’t take it anymore. That she couldn’t live like this. Nikita had asked if she were ever to be free and Madeline had told her what she thought was the truth. “No, you will never be free from the Section.” Both Madeline and Nikita knew that the only way for her to ever truly be free from the Section was death.

Michael had been called into Madeline’s office to review the surveillance tape of that day in Nikita’s appartment. The day Nikita had gone home, typed out a message, taken her gun and put it to her head. Ready to pull the trigger, ready to commit suicide, thinking that it was the only way out. But then Michael had came. Telling her how he wished things could be different and that had been the truth.

Now Michael remembered seeing a close up of Nikita’s laptop in the surveillance images and the words on her screen were permanently etched into his soul.

The only sins I ever committed were on behalf of the Section. I’m only guilty of not taking charge of my own destiny. I fake obituary. Claimed I died in prison. In the end that statement is true.

*Is she alive? Does she think about me?* Not being able to answer his own questions he closes his eyes tightly only to find the image of crystal blue eyes, flawless skin, and pale hair. She was more beautiful than any woman had a right to be and ever since the first moment he had saw Nikita, she had affected him. He remembered her strength and stubborn refusal to give up her soul. He admired her for it. She was stronger than he was when it came down to stuff like that. He had given up his soul to Section where as she had not. He knew that if she was still with the Section, no matter what they did to her, the one and only thing Nikita would not give up would be her soul.

He opened his eyes after a single tear fell down his cheek. Typing on his laptop he established the link to Nikita’s PDA. And like all the other times over the past six months he asked the same thing.

Nikita are you there?

He said the words out loud but hadn’t even noticed that he had voiced them. After looking at the screen for a few seconds he close his eyes. Knowing he wouldn’t get an answer. He had hurt her too much. He would never see her again, or hold her in his arms again, and he knew it was all his fault.

When he opened his eyes he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. *I must be dreaming.* He sat up strait and looked at his screen again. Across it were three words.

I’m right here.

Sensing her presence in the room he turned around quickly in his chair to see a lovely sight. Nikita was standing right before him wearing jeans and a cream colored sweater. The light from his laptop was hitting her hair lightly and made her look more like an angel and more beautiful than he thought was possible.

Tears were shimmering in her eyes as she spoke to him. “I’m right here.” Michael got up and swept Nikita into his arms, holding her close to his body. Loving the warmth that she gave him simply from being near. He set her down before him to look into her eyes. They both had silent tears falling down their cheeks. Michael needed to know that she was really here with him, that this wasn’t all a dream.

*Didn’t she know what risks she’s taking in coming here?* Michael lifted one hand to her face and gently wiped away her tears. Then his other hand came up and soon Nikita’s face was softly cupped between both of Michael’s strong hands. Desire burning in each of their eyes. Michael leaned forward and kissed Nikita’s lips. As the passion was ignited in them both Nikita felt Michael’s tongue slip between her lips, his hands encircle her waist. She accepted his caress and deepened the kiss. Slipping her hands into Michael’s hair, loving its silky texture. Standing here now, kissing Michael, Nikita asked herself why she had waited so long for this. But as Michael swept her into his arms once again and carried her towards his bed, she found that it didn’t matter why.

They were together and would be for the rest of their lives. Michael knew this and so did Nikita. She knew that Michael would never let her be canceled by the Section, that he would always protect her, and that they would find a way to be together. Now that they had each other, neither would give the other one up. They would live and die for each other and love each other for the rest of their lives.

The End

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