After kissing her and allowing her to embrace him one last time, Michael walked away from Nikita to allow her some time to come to terms with her decision. As he left the central area of Section, he heard her whisper, “I am not afraid.....I am not afraid.”

As he heard her words, Michael admitted something to himself, “I am afraid....I am afraid of this life without her, without Nikita.” He stopped for a few seconds and a shudder went through him. Six hours. In six hours, they could be far away from Section. But would that be a life? She had escaped once and had come back. For him, she said, because he had asked her to come back, and now, look at what had happened. She had become stronger, more directed, more committed and look at what it had cost her!

He took a step backward and turning on his heel, he quickly covered the distance and was at her side once again. This time, he didn’t settle for a kiss on the cheek. He put his arms around her and kissed her the way he had been longing to for so long. Their lips parted and they looked into each other’s eyes. Michael spoke. “If you go, I go. We go together if that is what they decide.”

“No, Michael, I want you to live. I won’t have a part in your death, I won’t” Nikita pleaded. “I can’t remain strong for the next six hours if I know that you have no future.”

“Nikita, you have had my heart since I first saw you. If I lose you, I don’t want to go on. I won’t go on. You have no say so in this.” He took her hand and led her to his office. A glance at his watch told him they had a little over five hours. He had things to say to her. It would have to be enough time.

*****************

At first, he had been content to just sit with her in his office. He had taken her hand and held it as he gazed into her wonderful eyes, eyes that now shown with a clarity of purpose that he knew his own eyes lacked. Then, slowly, he knew what he had to do.

“I have always loved you. I tell you this because I want you to know why I do the things I do. My purpose in this life we have known has been always to protect you, even when you didn’t want my protection. I did it to keep you alive, because by keeping you alive, I was also able to live a life that had become unbearable. Until you, I had no purpose of my own. I simply went through the motions that were expected of me. I knew one day that my luck would run out, but then you came and I found myself wanting to survive just so I could see you and be with you one more day. Now, when all seems lost, I choose to tie my fate to yours, so please accept that. Wherever you go, I shall also go. We will go together. If they take you, they shall also have to take me.” He smiled, “I remember a quote from the Bible, ‘Whither thou goest, so shall I go.’ That was never more true than now.” He stopped talking and looked at the tears that were slowly gliding down her cheeks, unaware that they mirrored his own until she put her fingers on his cheek to wipe them away.

“Michael,” she whispered, “I don’t want to be the reason for your death. I want you to live. I couldn’t stand it if you died for me. I just couldn’t!” At last, she broke down and he took her in his arms and held her until she regained her composure. She looked up at him and begged, “Live, please, for me?”

He held her tearful gaze for long minutes until she saw the light come back into his eyes. She could tell that he had just had an epiphany of sorts. He let her go and said softly, “If you won’t let me follow you, and you won’t run, then I will just have to think of something else.” He moved away from her touch to retrieve the cell phone from his desk. He came back to her and took her hand again and squeezed it as he dialed a number.

“Andrew? It’s Michael. I have a favor to ask of you. Operations will soon call your office with a cancellation request for an operative named Nikita. I want Oversight to deny the request. They owe me a favor............ What?” Michael looked at Nikita in alarm, and closed his eyes as he squeezed her hand tightly. “Are you sure?.....Of course. Yes, thank you, Andrew."

“Operations has received approval for his cancellation request.”

“Michael, you have to promise me....,” Nikita started to say, but something in Michael’s eyes stopped her words. “What is it, Michael?”

He was smiling, and as he put his arms around her and pulled her to him, he whispered, “The request was for only one cancellation, ONE, not two. And it was for Adrian, not you, not you, my love!”

**************

“Now do you understand why I urged you not to cancel Nikita?’ Madeline pressed a key to end the playback of the recording of the intimate moment between Michael and Nikita, in which Michael had told Nikita that if they took her they would also have to take him. “Do you understand?” She asked Operations again. “Is getting rid of Nikita worth losing Michael as well? You saw how he was when she was a prisoner of the Freedom League for six months. This time if she dies, we lose him too. He will either kill himself or allow himself to be killed on a mission. We cannot stop him if he wants to die, you know that.”

She stepped towards Operations and looked into his eyes. “Can you deny him something that you cannot deny yourself? I once told you that a bond between operatives is not such a bad thing. In this case, I think it would be beneficial to Section to allow this relationship.” She took a step closer to this man who she knew loved her beyond reason or duty. He showed her this side of himself more often than she wanted, and she didn’t hesitate to use the love if it achieved her objectives. And, in this moment, her objective was to keep Michael and Nikita alive.

He turned to her, “Are you sure? If something were to happen to Nikita on a mission, we could recondition Michael, couldn’t we?” Operations looked at Madeline, waiting for her answer.

“No, Michael knows the drill too well. If he wants to kill himself, he will. It’s that simple!”

“Very well! Handle it as you see fit. Just tell them to be careful and to keep their relationship out of Section and off during missions!!” He stormed out of Madeline’s office and didn’t see the smile that slowly spread across her face as she picked up her phone and dialed a number.

************

The sound of the phone broke the power of the concentrated look on Michael’s face as he watched a sleeping Nikita. Her head was on his shoulder, his arm caressed her as he held her close.

He answered quickly, unwilling to disturb the object of his intense passion. “Yes?” he said. He listened intently to Madeline’s voice and a look of relief and then happiness spread across his face. “He really said that? Yes, we can do that. Of course! I’ll tell her. And Madeline, thank you. I....we are grateful to you. I know how much this must have cost you. You know I would do anything for you........Yes, we will. Thanks!” He ended the call and jumped slightly when Nikita’s index finger poked him in the chest.

“And just what was that all about?” Her blue eyes were suddenly stormy as she demanded an answer.

“That was Madeline, she says we can go home now. Operations has given us his sanction to have a relationship as long as we are discreet and keep it out of Section and off of missions.”

Confusion clouded the stormy blue eyes. Just a few minutes ago, she was facing cancellation at the hands of a man who now was handing them special privileges. Nikita looked up at Michael, “Okay, what is going on? Tell me!”

Michael pulled Nikita to her feet and draped her long coat over her shoulders as he gently guided her to the door. “I’ll explain it on the way home. Your place or mine?”

“Yours. I’ve always wanted to see where you live.” She smiled up at him and lightly kissed him on his lips. As they walked across the main floor of Section, they encountered Walter and Birkoff, both of whom had worried looks on their faces as they saw Nikita and Michael approaching. Nikita hugged them both and whispered, “It’s okay. I’m safe for now.” She looked back at Michael and took his hand as she walked away from her friends. “We’re going home now. Goodnight!”

Both Walter and Birkoff stared at Michael as if for confirmation of Nikita’s words. Michael gave them a rare smile and nodded. Walter clapped Birkoff on the shoulder and walked across the main floor to his lair, wiping a tear out of his old eyes. His Sugar was safe and happy. All was right with the world. At least for a little while longer.

The End

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