There were times when the parameters of a mission were such that Nikita could almost forget who she was. Times like tonight. When the heady scent of gardenias in full bloom drifted in through the open windows and the soft crescendo of strings accompanied the dark-eyed woman singing of unrequited love on the dimly lit stage. Nikita sighed and closed her eyes briefly, surrendering to her senses for just a moment. The silk of her dress swirled about her legs as her companion turned her with ease across the dance floor. The warm breeze caressed her bare shoulders. And her partner's hand, large and strong, splayed against her lower back holding her comfortably. Unconsciously she leaned forward, pressing her temple lightly against his cheek. She felt him turn, ever-so-slightly. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered, opening her eyes but not looking up. She focused instead on the singer, losing herself in the words she sang. Each note plucked at the lonely ache that lay like a heavy knot in her belly. If only she could forget. She would erase the memory of how it felt to have his hand gliding across her skin, or the brush of his lips against hers. The taste of his mouth. The contours of his body pressed against hers.

"Ni-ki-ta."

She stiffened as the sound of Michael's voice, faint and slightly mechanical as it transmitted over the com unit, broke her out of her reverie. Her partner felt the shift in her manner and he raised a brow at her questioningly. Nikita lowered her lashes as she waited for Michael's instructions.

"Proceed to point two."

Keith, her partner, guided her back to their table where she excused herself to go to the ladies room. So much for her momentary escape from reality. Over the com unit she listened as Michael directed the other teams. Keith was to keep an eye on Wilkens and his bodyguards. Tremaine was at the main entrance, Kyle and Wasson at egress points 3 and 4. Nikita smiled obliquely at some of the other guests she encountered in the hallway, then turned in the opposite direction from the bathrooms and headed toward the second floor.

"How much time do I have?" she asked, as she hurried forward.

"Two minutes from the time of entry."

Not much time at all then, Nikita thought as she approached the door to the office. She retrieved the disk from her purse to save an extra few seconds. "I'm there, Michael," she said when she reached the door. "Buzz me through."

A second passed then Michael gave her the signal to enter. Nikita moved quickly, heading directly for the computer, not wasting any unnecessary movement looking around. A minute and fifty seconds later she slipped out just as quietly as she had come in. "I'm out."

"Exit through point three," came the reply. "All teams report in."

Nikita arrived back at the van together with Wasson who held the door open for her as she smiled her thanks and climbed in. Inside she saw that the other team members were already in. Wordlessly she handed the disk over to Michael, carefully avoiding touching or looking at him. Keith slid over and patted the seat next to him. She sat down and took a deep breath to calm the adrenaline pumping through her blood.

"Good job," Keith said quietly, smiling at her as the van lurched forward.

"Thanks," Nikita answered. She bent down and removed the heels from her feet. "I gotta hand it to you. You're a very good dancer."

Keith smiled and leaned closer to whisper in Nikita's ear. "After all the hours Madeline spent teaching me how, I'd better be good otherwise she'd probably cancel me herself."

Nikita chuckled then lay her head back and relaxed. The other operatives were talking quietly amongst themselves. She didn't dare look over to see what Michael was doing. Although they had established a satisfactory working relationship, it still bothered her that she still longed for him so much. For that reason she tried to avoid him as much as possible. Michael seemed to sense this. He still chose her often to serve on his team but they were rarely paired anymore. Instead he tried her out with various other operatives and so far Keith seemed to be the one she worked best with. Beside her she felt Keith moving and then felt a coat being placed over her. She opened her eyes, then smiled at him.

"Thanks. It is getting kind of chilly in here," she said in a low voice. Keith smiled back and patted her knee, then crossed his arms in front of him as he stretched his legs out in front and closed his eyes. Looking at the other operatives Nikita could see that they had also settled in for the long ride back to the Section. In spite of her resolution not to, Nikita found herself slanting a quick look over to where Michael was seated. He was seated in front of the laptop computer, typing. The light from the screen illuminated his face and Nikita felt her heart lurch. Damn this weakness, she thought, then closed her eyes as she pulled Keith's coat tighter about her.

After several minutes, Michael looked up to see that all of his team members were either asleep or had their eyes closed. He allowed his gaze to fall lastly on Nikita. A sharp pang of jealousy shot through him as he saw Keith's jacket covering her. There were blankets in the storage bin beneath the seats. If she was cold she could have used one of them. He immediately chastised himself for his thoughts. So what if she was using Keith's jacket. It didn't mean anything. Michael logged off of the computer and closed it, effectively eliminating all of the light from the van except for the small yellow emergency lights that ran along the bottom of the seats. He sat then in the dark and stared at Nikita and Keith.

They worked well together. Even Madeline had commented on it. From a tactical point of view, Michael was glad on the success of this new pairing. But on a personal level Michael had to admit he felt an increasing dislike for Keith Pauley. There was an openness about him that Michael knew appealed to Nikita. Keith was friendly, smiled easily and was well liked by everyone. In other words, he was the complete opposite of himself, Michael thought wryly. Keith was the type of man whom Nikita wanted him to be. So far there was no indication that there was anything more then just friendship between the two operatives, but Michael suspected that could easily change if he continued to pair the two of them.

God, if he could only forget.

It was difficult though when images of Nikita continued to haunt his dreams. Lately he kept dreaming of the Armel mission. He kept seeing Nikita smiling at him, kissing him goodbye at the door as he left for work. He remembered what it felt like to have her curl up next to him in bed in the middle of the night. And the scent of her hair as it tickled his nose. The feel of her fingers as they curled around his neck. The sound of her voice, warm and husky as she murmured in her sleep.

Through the darkness Michael saw Nikita shift and lean her head against Keith's shoulder. A knife twisted in his heart and he suppressed the urge to walk over there and physically pull her away. In self-disgust he turned his head and closed his eyes, not wanting to torment himself any more. But it was hopeless. For even with his eyes closed Michael saw Nikita, and he acknowledged once more with a sigh that as much as he wanted to, he would probably never be able to forget her.