Nikita opened the door wider and motioned for Jade to come in.

"No. It's okay." Jade said quickly. "Jones implied in his not so subtle way that he wanted me to stop by and inform you that I'm right across the hall. It seems he thinks having us in the same vicinity on the job and off duty will produce more favorable relations."

Nikita was surprised to hear the news but didn't allow any emotion to show on her face. She had to admit it would be nice to have someone she considered a friend close enough to talk to, but that depended upon Jade's willingness to mend fences.

Sensing that Nikita was about to once again attempt to bridge the gap between them, Jade quickly retreated because she wasn't quite prepared yet to deal with all the events that had led them to where they were now.

"Look, I've gotta go." Jade said quietly.

"Jade, wait." Nikita responded quickly when she realized her friend was about to bolt. Unfortunately, Jade was determined not to talk to Nikita until she was ready. She was doing her best not to shoot off her mouth and say things she might be forced to regret later. By the time Nikita had gotten her name out, Jade had already turned around and took the few steps that was required to get to her apartment. A swift turn of the key in the lock and Jade was through the door and had it closed before Nikita could continue.

It took Jade all of ten seconds to realize she was making the situation more difficult than it already was by her refusal to face the fact that she and Nikita needed to talk to each other. It wouldn't do to go back to Section and add to the tension that she was sure already existed in the place. Never one to procrastinate when something distasteful had to be done, Jade took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and exited her apartment as swiftly as she had entered it. She tapped lightly on Nikita's door and then entered before she could change her mind yet again.

Nikita allowed herself a brief smile before she turned to face Jade with a blank expression on her face. Nikita thought Jade looked like she was in pain so she simply waited for Jade's next move.

Jade stared at Nikita's blank expression and then let out a deep sigh. She ventured a little further into the apartment, closing the door behind her once she realized that Nikita had been expecting her. They knew each other too well. Jade couldn't help but smirk at that fleeting thought. In her case, she had thought she knew Nikita. That's what this whole thing was about, Jade realized reluctantly. She finally faced the fact that she didn't know how to feel about being so wrong about someone she had known for years. As a result she had turned cold and unforgiving without bothering to give Nikita a chance to defend herself. It was time for her to rectify her mistake.

"I'm sorry about storming out like that." She began without preamble. "I, um, always seem to respond in an unenviable fashion when I'm around you lately. The truth is that you seem completely different from the person that I thought I knew, I don't know how to talk to you anymore."

Nikita slowly walked toward the couch she had moved into the middle of the room and took a seat facing Jade and motioned for her friend to join her. When Jade complied, Nikita looked away to stare at the far wall and took a moment to gather her thoughts.

"I understand how you feel." Nikita began. "I knew going into this that I was risking everything and everyone I had come to care about. I never expected Jones to pair us together, Jade. I'm sorry this is so hard for you."

"I can't say it doesn't matter." Jade replied softly. "It seems like the last six years were nothing but a recurring dream, pleasant in places but mostly full of heartache and pain. Then just when things seem to get good you wake up to find out you've really been in a nightmare and nothing is as it seems. I feel like I'm in a bad Shakespearean tragedy."

Nikita let out a short laugh. "Shakespeare? I never quite thought of it that way."

"I didn't know you were a Shakespearean fan." Jade replied after a moment, a bit surprised that Nikita agreed with her.

"Michael liked Shakespeare." Nikita said softly in explanation. "He used to read it to me sometimes."

"I'm not surprised." Jade said after a moment. "Michael, was always able to see the irony in a situation. No doubt he saw you two like everyone else did. The modern day Romeo and Juliet. Star crossed lovers kept apart by opposing families. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that his Juliet didn't want her family or him."

Nikita turned to study Jade for a moment and then shook her head as it finally sunk it just what she had been trying to ignore the whole time.

"You really believe that, don't you?" She said in some surprise.

Jade gave a short little mocking laugh which fell just short of actual amusement.

"Why shouldn't I, Nikita?" Jade asked quietly. "You know I never thought about it till now, but the ending of Romeo and Juliet definitely applies in this situation."

Playing along Nikita waited for Jade's next words, bracing herself because she was certain the words were going to hit her like a blow although Jade's soft tone never altered.

"You did what no one else was quite able to do by crushing Michael's spirit and he of course submitted to his cancellation. Which basically means he committed suicide, just like Romeo."

"And me?" Nikita asked after a moment. "I'm still alive. I didn't wake up to find Romeo dead and then plunge a knife into my breast."

"Didn't you?" Jade said quietly. "You killed your soul, Nikita. The very part of you that made every one believe and trust you even against their better judgement sometimes. You willingly and openly handed over your soul to betray everyone you ever pretended to love. So you see, you did commit suicide in a way. And in perfect Shakespearean tragedy, I guess you could say that the two of you killed each other with your endless manipulations and mind games of each other.

"I did what I did to save what was left of my soul?" Nikita said just as quietly. "You don't know how many times I asked myself if there was another way. I had to continually reexamine who I really was, or if I was doing the right thing. I was given a chance to make the Section a more civilized place, but I also had to sacrifice everything to make it happen."

"Was it worth it?" Jade demanded a little more forcefully than she intended. "What did you gain from this sacrifice but personal satisfaction? So far the only results I've seen that have been beneficial to anyone is that you got a chance to get back at everyone who had ever done anything to hurt you. You did whatever you had to do to achieve your goal. The people that should have paid didn't. Paul Wolfe is still the Head of Section One. Madeline died on her own terms, and probably amused by the fact that she had you practically begging to keep her alive. Somehow I don't think the point was made with Paul and it no longer matters as far as Madeline is concerned."

Jade paused in her impassioned tirade waiting for Nikita to respond to her accusations.

Nikita was at a loss to get Jade to understand. If the truth were to be told she still didn't quite understand herself. Everything Jade was saying was true, yet there were details missing that Jade couldn't possibly know about. In the end Nikita gave Jade the only answer she could.

"Yes. It was all worth it."

Jade was momentarily stunned by Nikita's answer. Unable to quite comprehend what she had just been told she began talking again almost as if she were speaking to herself.

"Walter is banished to a place far removed from where he wants to be and what he wants to be doing. As much as he hated the iron fisted ruling of Operations, he loved what the Section stood for. And let's not forget Michael. He paid the most. First he gave everything he had to the Section only to be betrayed whenever it was convenient for them to do so. Then he gave everything to you with the same results. I guess he got his comeuppance for every lie he was ever forced to tell you and for every manipulation and deception he ever practiced on you and countless other women who knew him, yet you say it was all worth it. I—"

"Jade, we can talk about this all night and you won't ever understand." Nikita cut in forcefully.

With a deep sigh Jade determinedly reigned in her emotions. There was nothing she could do and she knew Nikita was right. If the answers weren't what she wanted to hear, she wasn't going to listen, anyway. This was a subject best left alone … for now.

"You're right, Nikita. But there is just one more thing I want to know."

"What's that?"

"How am I supposed to trust you?"

Nikita stood and walked away from Jade to look out the window. She knew what Jade was really asking, but yet again she couldn't give her the answer she wanted.

"You have to decide for yourself, Jade. I can't give you any guarantees."

Still sitting on the couch Jade continued to stare at Nikita's back before she looked away to some unknown spot only she could see. Refusing to believe she could have been so wrong about someone's character, Jade made a few silent promises of her own. A sneaky suspicion had been nagging her ever since she had first met with Mr. Jones and Nikita and Nikita's continued silence and lack of defense of her actions made Jade more suspicious than ever. She decided she was going to find some answers on her own, then she and Nikita would revisit this conversation once again. A good strategist knew when to back off and regroup. Resigning herself to the fact she was going to have to wait for the answers, Jade did the only thing she could do in the circumstance. Her decision didn't come easy, but she refused to give up on someone she had known for so long. No matter how she fought against it, Nikita needed a friend more than anything right now and it looked like Jade was going to have to be the one to step up to the plate. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't walk away, she would also do the right thing.

Once the decision was made it was easy for Jade to release the anger and hurt she had been holding on to like a protective shield. Standing swiftly she slowly walked over to stand beside Nikita.

"Truce?" Jade offered quietly.

Nikita turned slightly a little surprised at Jade's swift change of mood. She studied the darkened gaze that was watching her intently and knew that for better or worse Jade had decided to stand by her and be the support she needed right now. It seemed as if a small weight had been lifted off of Nikita's shoulders. She knew Jade's decision wasn't a light one. For that reason, Nikita made a few more silent promises to herself. Smiling slightly at Jade she reached out a hand and gently placed it on her friend's arm.

"Truce." Nikita agreed just as quietly.

Jade reached over and squeezed Nikita's hand gently before they both broke contact and simply stood staring out the window. Both watched darkness quickly overtake the city below and not for the first time wondered what the morning would bring. One hoped it would bring answers, while the other hoped it would bring a new beginning.

Unfortunately for both of them, neither of them would get their wish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 9

It was a few hours later after Jade had left to get some unpacking done, that Nikita found herself sitting on her new balcony nursing a hot cup of tea.

Thinking over the past few weeks she felt an uneasy sensation in the pit of her stomach when she thought of returning to Section after all that had happened. Although she had succeeded in keeping Jade from knowing, the other woman's words had found their mark, Nikita found herself rethinking and replaying all the deceptions she had orchestrated. When her thoughts wondered to Michael, she ruthlessly suppressed them and turned her mind to other things. Right now her thoughts were dwelling on Mr. Jones and just what game he called himself playing. Despite his deceptive Mick Schtoppel persona he was a very dangerous man to be partners with. Nikita still remembered their first meeting five years ago after Michael had let her go...the first time.

five years earlier

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The train slowed up and then very carefully maneuvered it's way into the station to let the passengers depart at it's final stop for the night.

Nikita silently waited until everyone had exited her compartment before carefully moving her injured leg. Trying her best to be inconspicuous she moved slowly so as not to draw to much attention to herself. She finally reached the exit and departed the relative safety of the train. Not quite sure what to do with herself she took a moment to collect her thoughts. She opened one of the numerous pockets on her mission pants and pulled out a slim leather wallet. She had two credit cards and a few hundred dollar bills. Realizing that use of her credit cards would be a gigantic smoke signal announcing her whereabouts to the world, Nikita knew she needed to find a place to stay that night and some minor painkillers to take care of the bullet wound in her leg. Quickly reorienting herself with the streets she struck out of the train station and headed to take care of her most immediate needs.

She had one month of blissful freedom after making sure Section hadn't somehow found out what Michael had done and then come looking for her. After moving her location several times in the few weeks she had been on her own, she had begun to be certain that Section thought she was dead, and the only one looking for her was Michael. As hard as it was for her to ignore his messages, she had done it knowing that her contacting him would be dangerous for both of them. In the end, it really wouldn't have mattered because on her way home one day, she realized she couldn't have possibly known that after spending all her time looking for Section to come after her, someone else had been a lot more interested in her whereabouts. Suddenly her life was once more out of her own control because of the arrival of someone she never would have expected to see.

Ironically, enough it had happened on the day she had decided to make another more permanent move, and find herself a better job. She had returned to her place after making that resolution only to find herself with a surprise visitor who had made himself at home.

"Schtoppel!" Nikita practically shouted, not even bothering to hide her surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Actually, it's Jones." Mick began in a very un-Mick-like voice. "I thought the question would be how did I know you were alive."

Without giving Nikita much of a chance to recover, he continued.

"It doesn't matter really. I already know who to thank for your fortuitous survival. It falls into my plans nicely therefore his demise can be delayed pending upon your agreement of my proposal."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Nikita said carefully.

"Oh come now, luv. 'course you do. Your mishandling of the Shays mission, which led to your abeyance mission is what landed you in the position you're in now. We both know how you escaped, so let's not play games."

"What are you doing here?" Nikita bit out once again.

"Well, that sort of depends on you." Jones began. "You either agree to my proposition or I'll have to arrange a fate worse than death for your swift return to the Section. As much as I like you, it wouldn't do to have a supposedly dead Section operative running around the country."

Nikita rapidly realized that she wasn't dealing with the Mick Schtoppel she remembered. The man before him had his face and some of his mannerisms, but he was more ruthless and quite sure of his power over her. Never underestimate your enemy. She still remembered her first lesson by Michael, when she had attacked him in the White Room. This time was no different.

"Who are you?" She asked quietly.

"Clever girl." Mick replied in voice tinged with admiration. "The Center is the organization which resides over both The Agency and The Sections. I'm Mr. Jones, and I'm the Head of the Center. The boss if you will of both George and Operations."

Nikita decided that now was a good time to sit down. Of all the people to find her, it had to be the Head of the Center. There was no question of not believing him. In some twisted sort of way it made sense, and despite what she knew of him, the man standing in front of her reeked of the smell of danger. He was oddly compelling and for some reason he had sought her out.

"What do you want from me? You have to want something otherwise you would have turned me into Section by now or killed me." Nikita asked bitterly.

"True." Jones agreed. "But, on the contrary you and I have something in common."

"Really?" Nikita tiredly. "What could that be?

"Our dislike of the way things are handled in the Section. I have a proposition that I'll think you'll find intriguing."

"And if I don't agree?" Nikita asked already sure of the answer.

"Well, as I said, it just wouldn't do to have a Section operative running around the country, and Michael's rising career in the Section will be cut short rather prematurely. You see I have some plans for Section,, and I've decided that you will fit them nicely. Do we have an agreement?"

"What choice do I have." Nikita said, her tone quietly resigned to her fate.

Jones gave her a look that implied he was well aware of her preferences. Taking her statement as acceptance he began to outline his plan. By the time he was done, Nikita had a whole new view of how the covert world operated. She actually started to look forward to her new role for the Center, even if she had to reenter the Section to get what she wanted. She made some plans on her own because when she was done doing her job for the Center, then he would definitely owe her a debt, a debt she fully intended to collect.

"How am I supposed to get back in?" She asked after Jones finished outlining the training she would undergo at the Center.

Jones folded his hands together and leaned back in his chair as he let out a loud laugh.

"The same way you got out. That will be a lot easier than you think. I'll take care of the arrangements myself. Here's what I want you to do …"

And so it began ….

Nikita shook her head quickly from side to side almost as if she could dispel those unwanted memories from her mind. Just like the night she had been taken into custody by the police for a crime she didn't commit, once again her life had been changed irrevocably. Jones, like everyone else had given her an offer she couldn't refuse. When she had found out who he was and the power he held over not only her but over everyone at Section as well, her decision had been fairly easy to make. He had even offered her a deal for herself. Now that deal didn't seem like much compared to what she had given up.

Even then she thought she had accurately counted the cost when she had agreed to the proposition the Head of the Center had given her. The consequences hadn't been close. She had simply added more nightmares to the atrocities she had been forced to carry out. Now it was all she could do to get a few hours sleep at night. When she finally did close her eyes at night all she could see were images of Birkoff just before he died, Madeline's lifeless body just after swallowing a cyanide pill, Walter's hurt and angry look when he had found out he had been betrayed, and finally Michael's anguished expression when she had first sentenced him to death, and then saved him only to send him away for good. After weeks of denial and suppression silent tears began to slide down her pale cheeks. Coming slowly at first, they increased rapidly until they were a steady unceasing flow. She cried long into the night until exhaustion finally won out and she slowly dragged herself from her balcony and collapsed fully clothed on her new couch. Her last thought before falling to sleep was what her latest bargain with Mr. Jones would cost her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 10

"I expect your complete cooperation, Paul."

Operations gritted his teeth in an effort to keep himself from telling Mr. Jones what he could do with his expectations. The morning had started out normal enough for a Section that was still uncharacteristically subdued. Then the atmosphere subtly altered and he was informed that there was someone to see him in Committee. He couldn't contain the dread that had consumed him when he received the message. The last time he had been in committee he had met the real Mr. Jones face to face and then he had entered an alternate universe where people he had never expected were in charge of his life and the lives of those around him. Now, here he was again finding himself with the same feeling accompanied with another feeling of rising anger as he digested Jones latest orders.

"Paul?"

"Yes. I'm here." Operations finally bit out, swiftly putting his mind back on the conversation. "I understand, Mr. Jones. How long is this supposed to be in effect."

"As long as it takes, Paul." Jones answered in an amiable tone. Knowing full well that Operations was not happy about this new state of affairs, but doing a very good job of hiding it.

"Of course." Paul answered swiftly.

"Good. I will be transferring the majority of One's missions back to you in a day or so. Make sure you're prepared. I expect a status on Section One's resources and manpower in twenty-four hours, and I'll have a full report from Jade and Nikita in a few weeks."

Without another word, Jones signed off and Operations had no choice but to click his phone shut and turn to face his new 'employees'. He took in the pair standing before him and barely checked the impulse to roll his eyes in disgust. Sharply dressed from head to toe in black pantsuits, Jade and Nikita arrived in the Section shortly after seven a.m. He had received the call to go to Committee and for a moment he thought the nightmare had started all over again. Without any preamble Nikita simply stated that he should check his messages for a missive from Mr. Jones. His temporary shock at seeing Nikita waltz back into the Section as if she still had a place there had been replaced by an ever increasing rage he was trying very hard to conceal. He refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing his anger, knowing it was what she expected. Instead he simply did as she said and wasn't surprised by the brief message that instructed him to contact Mr. Jones at The Center upon the arrival of Jade and Nikita.

With undisguised impatience he dialed the required number only to become even more annoyed when Jones had informed him that both Nikita and Jade would be at the Section helping him to fill Madeline's and Michael's positions until further notice. Having just gotten off the phone with the man Operations wasn't inclined to be polite.

Feeling the sudden need for action, Operations moved swiftly to the door of committee and walked out not particularly caring whether Jade and Nikita followed him or not. A few moments later he was back in his office and he wasn't really surprised when the two of them walked in after him. He turned his back on both of them and walked over to the windows in his aerie overlooking the Section as he swiftly gathered his thoughts.

The first thing he observed was that the two young women's march through the Section had not gone unnoticed by the other Section personnel. Suddenly, Operations anger all but evaporated as he thought about the circumstances under which Nikita had left. Her status as the 'Center snitch' was now common knowledge. Just maybe the problem would take care of itself. Jones couldn't possibly blame him if something happened to Nikita out on a mission. He couldn't really be expected to control it with everything else going on at the moment. At least that would be his excuse to Jones. Immediately, he began to feel better, almost positive that there were more than a few operatives who would take Nikita out if given half the chance. He would be sure to provide them with more than enough motive and opportunity to do just that.

He heard soft footfalls next to him and looked up to see Nikita standing to his right and Jade to his left as all three of them looked down on the Section.

"Jones says you're assigned to Section indefinitely." Operations began without preamble. "Now that you're here we can start with replacements. It seems that at the moment, Nikita you're the only one remotely qualified to take over Michael's position, so that's where we'll begin."

"Of course." Nikita answered quietly as she turned from the window to face Operations who had walked away from the window to stand facing Jade and herself.

"Jade, there are many positions you could fill, but the most noticeable gaps are in the Master strategist position and profiling, that's where you can start. You may of course be called upon to assist Quinn in Comm if that becomes necessary."

"It won't be necessary." Nikita interjected carefully, "Jones will be sending Jason to help out temporarily. He should arrive tomorrow."

"Ah, so Jason is also returning. Good. Jones assures me that Section's full mission status will be returned within twenty-four hours. I suggest you two get started right away with the new personnel inventory for transmittal to Jones. I expect a report in three hours. That will be all."

Nikita turned to exit the aerie but paused when she noticed Jade wasn't behind her. She turned to find Jade still standing staring at Operations. Nikita paused and waited to find out what was on Jade's mind.

"What is it, Jade?" Operations questioned in an amused tone.

Jade cleared her throat, loathe to bring up the subject but finding it necessary in order to establish some sort of central location for herself. Despite what Operations may have been telling himself it was obvious he was sorely missing the presence of Madeline. Jade found herself surprised by the fact that she actually felt a small bit of sympathy for Operations because this time he was truly all alone. Nevertheless she and Nikita had work to do.

"It would be helpful if I had access to Madeline's old files." She began tentatively. "Would you have an objection to my use of her old office?"

Operations eyes flashed with unconcealed anger before he quickly masked it and carefully responded to Jade's inquiry.

"You will receive all the intel you need, I would prefer it if you moved into one of the newer offices."

"Of course."

"That will be all!"

Jade turned quickly to join Nikita and they both exited Operations presence with extreme haste.

"Well, that was suitably unpleasant." Jade stated dryly as soon as they were out of earshot.

Nikita gave her a half smile of amusement that was quickly squashed as they entered the main center of Section and came face to face with several angry looking operatives. All eyes were focused on Nikita, and not one of them was friendly.

'Tough room' Jade thought half amused and half nervous at the reception they were receiving. It never occurred to her she would be considered a traitor as well, but she supposed walking in with Nikita didn't exactly endear her to the other Section operatives. If she was going to be any help to Nikita, she would have to remedy that problem immediately. Jade was well aware of where the hostility stemmed from and she couldn't really say that she blamed any of them. While a lot of these people didn't have the advantage of a close relationship with Michael, he had been a well-respected team leader and colleague. All of them had been witness to how much he had risked to save the woman who now stood before them as his betrayer. None of them was likely to forget it anytime soon since Michael and Nikita had been a common sight in Section, especially in the last year and a half when they were always together, united, the best, most deadliest twosome Section had ever known. All this came to Jade in a rush and she was rapidly beginning to see the function she was going to serve, thanks to Jones and his clever ideas. She quickly snapped out of her reflections at the sound of Nikita's voice close to her ear.

"Don't worry, they're not after you?"

"Haven't you heard of guilt by association." Jade responded. "Maybe we should remove ourselves from the kill zone sort of speak."

Nikita gave Jade a look that said she wasn't amusing.

"Sorry." Jade muttered.

Nikita squared her shoulders and then met every single stare trained on her with a cold, implacable mask. With Jade walking next to her both women briskly made their way across Section, passing Comm and headed directly for Systems. Neither said a word as they sat down at workstations and began the long process of evaluating the existing personnel in Section. So far the first hour in Section had been anything but a picnic, and both wondered what the next minute would bring. Only time would tell what was really in store for both of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 11

Three weeks after their return to Section One, Nikita stormed into Jade's office and in an uncharacteristic burst of violence threw her PDA across the room, before flopping down in one of the chairs standing in front of Jade's desk.

Jade wisely kept her mouth shut and continued to type while she waited for Nikita to tell her what else had happened. She knew it had to be something major for Nikita to finally lose the cool, calm, control she had been cultivating since her return to Section, despite the dirty looks, jibes, and all out hostility she had been on the receiving end of for the past few days.

In the space of only a few hours the personal attacks against Nikita had begun. Their second hour in Section, Nikita had gone to Quinn to get a higher level access code so that she and Jade could complete their inventory for Operations, when she had passed by a group of cold ops she knew and had worked with personally. As Nikita neared them every single one of them stopped their conversation and glared at her with unconcealed resentment. One of them had gone so far as to comment that they shouldn't look too closely she might run to Mr. Jones and have them all marked for cancellation. That incident had started the trend. First Nikita had an 'accident' during a sparring session and found herself out of commission for a few days because of bruised ribs, then profiles began to be altered and intel ended up missing on those missions Nikita ran tactical for. On and on it went, and each day the tension grew and the hostility became more evident among the more advanced operatives.

Most of them had either considered themselves Nikita's friend, or trainees and colleagues of Michael. Jade suspected Michael would have been more than a little surprised at the loyalty he had generated among the Section…then again maybe he wouldn't have. It was obvious many of the longtime ops had pretty much assumed that Michael would be the next leader of Section. Although ruthless, he had been someone they respected and would have dealt fairly with them. Now in their eyes, thanks to Nikita there was no chance of that.

Jade knew that Nikita's actions towards Michael weren't the only reasons why the other ops were being so callous and ruthless towards her. Nikita had been a ray of light to them, no matter what Section threw at her, she had always done what was right. She maintained her dignity, integrity, and her soul. She had been an example to all of them and now they felt betrayed. Everything that was cruel, ruthless, and unforgiving in the remaining operatives had come to the forefront, reminding Jade of why they had been recruited to Section in the first place.

Nikita had been holding up well under the pressure, taking it in stride and managed to get what she needed in spite of the obstacles put in front of her, but Jade could tell she was wearing down quickly. After all, Nikita had cultivated friendships with these people, and now all of them acted as if they hated her. As far as Jade knew only Jason and herself actually spoke to Nikita as if she were a person and not an distasteful insect of some sort. Operations spoke to her behind a cynical, amused laugh, Quinn was openly hostile, and the rest of Section became mute in her presence. Jade suspected they could teach the Amish a thing or two about the fine art of shunning.

Jade admitted to herself that she was more than a little worried about her friend and the success of the assignment given to them by Jones. If this is how the operatives were reacting in the Section, how would they react with all of them out in the field when the time came. Because of her concern the few missions that they had over the last few days, Jade had opted for more risky profiles with Nikita running the missions from Section just so she could be kept out of the picture a little while longer until things had settled down. Operations had let Jade get away with it on the last three missions, but Jade suspected it was for his own amusement. It was obvious he was blatantly ignoring the situation. His attitude dared them to call Jones, knowing that it would do nothing more than make the situation worse and remind everyone that Nikita had sold the Section out.

It had been five minutes since Nikita had entered her office. Jade felt that was probably enough time for her to cool down enough to tell her what had happened this time. She turned off her office surveillance equipment, then turned from her computer and faced Nikita. Nikita was still slouched in the chair staring moodily into space. Jade arched a delicate brow in silent inquiry, demanding without words that Nikita tell her what was wrong.

"You know the profile you worked up this morning?" Nikita asked quietly, her voice still held a tinge of anger.

"The Hayes mission." Jade inquired. "What about it?"

"The team just came back, with the intel but our target managed to escape."

"How could that have happened?" Jade demanded in surprise. "It was a simple in and out."

"It would have been a simple in and out had the teams followed my orders." Nikita bit out impatiently.

Jade nodded silently in sudden understanding.

"So what was the team lead's excuse?" She asked quietly.

"He swore there was a problem with the comm sets, so he had all teams switch to alternate channels and directed the teams on his own. Everything went fine, but somehow the target who wasn't even supposed to be on site was warned of our presence and he had enough time to escape."

"What does Operations have to say?"

"He blames me, of course." Nikita answered bitterly. "He didn't even bother to address the fact the team leader acted out of protocol. It's also obvious that Hicks got away with his behavior because the intel was retrieved, although he disobeyed a direct order from me. As long as we got the intel, he's satisfied. A retrieval mission was profiled and I just received notification that the target is en route. I wasn't even notified that they had gone back out."

"Did Hicks lead the team?"

"Of course." Nikita almost spat. "He led the first mission, so Operations gave him an opportunity to fix his mistake. If I didn't know any better I think he planned it, but I don't see where he had the opportunity."

"Do you think Operations knows why we're here?" Jade asked speculatively.

Every opportunity they had to get the intel Jones wanted seemed to either reach a dead end or fail. Jade didn't even want to deal with the third objective of their mission. It wasn't going to go anywhere at the rate Nikita was being ostracized. There was no way any of the operatives would talk to either of them about the underlying goings on in the Section. They figured one snitch was enough.

"How could he know?" Nikita asked in response to Jade's question.

"Operations has a way of finding out things that he shouldn't. Still you know Operations isn't going to lift a finger to help us, help Jones. What else is wrong, Nikita?" Jade asked carefully. She knew there was something else going on that Nikita was hesitating to tell her.

Sighing in resignation she gave it up without another thought.

"I expected problems, but we've been here three weeks and we don't have anything to tell Jones. Jason can't find out anything, and none of the operatives don't trust me as far as they can throw me." She admitted tiredly. "I'm so tired of all of this. Coming back to Section wasn't even my idea to begin with, but this was a mistake. I wanted to make Section better and so far I don't see any results. People whose lives I used to save on a daily basis are now looking for every opportunity get back at me, even hurt me. This isn't how it was supposed to be."

"Do you remember Carla?" Jade questioned carefully, her voice mild.

Nikita sat up in stunned surprise at the mention of the first friend she had made outside of the Section two years after her recruitment. Quickly recovering she leaned slowly back in the chair and just as carefully answered Jade, wondering what Carla had to do with anything.

"How could I forget her. She was the first lesson I learned about not being able to trust people on the outside."

"I'm glad you remember. Now you understand how everyone feels about you and what they think you've done and their ideas about the reason behind it." Jade said in a carefully neutral tone.

Nikita's eyes narrowed as she glowered at Jade.

"Are you defending them?" she demanded in an angry tone. "I was attempting to do something for everyone in Section, although a lot of good it did me."

"Just listen to me for a minute, Nikita." Jade said imploringly as she sat forward. "Carla's betrayal of you is almost equivalent to what they consider your betrayal of them. I still hold to something that you disregarded all those years ago. Carla was your friend, but she felt she was doing the right thing. Now you know how she felt."

For the first time, Nikita finally began to see the long-term effects of her actions toward those she loved. Jade had a solid point and she knew it. Her friend couldn't have used a better example. After all, Carla had pretended to be her friend for two years. Of course, now she truly could see Carla in a different light and realized that she was probably as much of a friend as she could be under the circumstances. It didn't make Nikita feel any better to know that she had been practicing her deception with the Section when Carla had revealed hers during Operations and Madeline's quest to destroy Adrian and retrieve the Gemstone file all those years ago. The realization hurt her as Jade knew it would. Looking up into her friend's eyes, Nikita also realized that Jade's telling her hadn't been any easier than her having to hear it.

"You have to give them time, Nikita." Jade said. Her voice soft and her eyes full of compassion as she reached her hand across the desk.

Nikita took Jade's hand for a moment and then released it as she stood up.

"Thanks, Jade." She said quietly as she walked toward the door.

"Hey, that's what I'm here for." Jade quipped lightly.

She watched Nikita leave her office and then she turned back to her profile, once again pondering over Jones reasoning for sending them back to the Section. The man had to know what state Nikita had left the Section in, yet he had blithely insisted that she just waltz back in as if nothing had happened knowing that he would leave Operations in charge. Another piece of the puzzle clicked for Jade and her suspicion of Jones increased one more notch. It was time to put her theory to the test, and Jones would be her first guinea pig. She briefly smiled as she wondered if Jones was ready for her next move, somehow she doubted it. She wondered if Jones realized that even he didn't know that she and Nikita weren't as predictable as he thought they were. Jade was almost positive the man had an alternate motive and agenda for sending them back to Section other than what he had told him. Jade decided it was time to find out what that was. He was just a little to clever for his own good. As soon as they returned from their meeting, Jade would start laying her own little trap to see what she could find. It was time to throw a wrench in Jones carefully laid plans.

Chapter 12

Jones reviewed the current report sitting in front of him and smiled in satisfaction. His two little side projects seemed to be progressing nicely. Everything was falling into place, and if Nikita and Jade had good news to report then he could put his other plan into action. It was at that moment that he heard his intercom buzz to announce the arrival of his newest Center recruits.

Nikita walked in first. Resplendent in skintight white pants, a cropped double-breasted white jacket, white boots, and her new short hair piled on top of her head in a riot of curls, she looked as if she was coming to pose for a modeling shoot rather than give a report about one of the most dangerous organizations on the planet. Jade entered shortly behind Nikita looking every bit as sexy as her counterpart dressed in a beautifully tailored red suit that fell short of being demure by the daring thigh high silts located on both sides of the slim skirt, and her long, curly, waist-length hair pulled back on the sides to cascade down to her back.

Both women came to stand a few feet apart with their hands folded behind their back in the center of Jones office facing him as he rose from his desk to greet them. Jones gazed in frank appreciation at the two beauties before him. He came from around his desk to stand in front of Nikita and began to circle her as he let his gaze roam from the top of her head to the sole of her feet.

"Good morning, ladies." He greeted them in a somewhat distracted tone.

"Good morning, sir." Nikita replied as she turned her head to meet Jades amused gaze where Jones had just finished administering the same treatment to Jade.

"'Morning, Mr. Jones." Jade drawled once Jones had completed his perusals.

Jones returned to his desk to sit on the edge of it, one foot firmly planted on the floor and the other one dangling and continued to study both women in a suddenly serious vein.

"So tell me. How are things at the Section?"

"Progressing." Jade answered evasively.

"Progressing?" Jones questioned. "Would you care to elaborate? How many operatives have you interviewed?"

"Not very many?" Jade replied once again, still not giving Jones a full answer.

"How many have you interviewed?" Jones repeated a little more impatiently this time.

Nikita heard the underlying command in Jones tone and knew he wasn't going to stand for any half measures on their answers. Jade's attempt to stall the inevitable wouldn't accomplish anything.

"My return to Section didn't exactly make everyone want to sit down and have a heart to heart. We've had some difficulties finding out anything. It's going to take a little more time." Nikita explained in a dry matter of fact tone.

"Why is this a problem?" Jones demanded his voice suddenly going hard with his irritation. "Do what you need to do to get the intel."

"It's not that easy!" Jade insisted. "You forget that when it's all said and done they will still have Operations to answer to. Thanks to your underhanded tactics, sir they don't exactly want to cooperate. You can't expect them to trust us and be willing to tell us everything they know. We are from the Center after all."

Jones abruptly stood up and began to pace back and forth in front of them. Suddenly he stopped in front of them. His gaze hard and his tone even harder, he began to address both of them.

"When you left my presence thirty days ago, I asked you to do one thing and that was to get me information. Your objective was to reenter the Section and evaluate Paul's continued effectiveness as the leader of Section One without the aid of Madeline and Michael. Your second primary objective was to find out why Oversight, namely George, gave Operations the key file and return it to the possession of Oversight and the Center. Your last objective was to reevaluate remaining Section personnel and provide a recommendation to the Center based on your evaluations for a new operating policy. You two are telling me that you haven't made any progress on getting this intel, or any intel even with Jason's technical assistance."

"It's only been a month, Jones." Jade answered slightly irritated at his impatience. "We can't perform miracles. When you outlined your plan you neglected to consider the fact on how Nikita's presence would affect the remaining operatives in Section. Not to mention the fact that evaluating Operations performance at this point isn't something we're able to do. He knows the Center is watching him. He's being very careful. He's not going to try anything this early in the game, when anything he tries will be more prone to discovery. "

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear on the Center's expectations." Jones continued calmly, ignoring Jade's statement. "All I've heard are excuses. I don't want excuses I want results. You assured me that you could do the job, and I told you then we were in a very tight time frame. I would hate to think that I made a mistake in judgment."

His last statement was addressed to Nikita.

Nikita turned her head to meet Jones leveled gaze on her.

"You haven't made a mistake. We just haven't had enough time or the opportunity to get much information."

"It takes the Section less than a week to assimilate a profile, plan, and totally destroy a threat to this country. Yet you two don't have one shred of intel that is useful to me and you've been there a month with a security clearance some of the more senior operatives don't even have."

Nikita and Jade both remained silent, very aware of the fact that they were treading on thin ice. They couldn't disagree with Jones synopsis since they knew his words to be true. Telling him what was really going on at Section concerning the problems Nikita was having getting cooperation, let alone valuable intel, wouldn't boost his confidence in their ability to get him what he wanted.

Jade was very aware of the fact that Jones was pushing them faster and harder than was necessary or practical. Although she hadn't found out what Jones wanted them to discover, she hadn't been idle in the time she had been in the Section. She had started to put together a very interesting picture of what the players of this macabre little play had been up to. There were still too many variables, too many unanswered questions, and too many coincidences. Jade wasn't so sure that Nikita's defection from the Section and her subsequent induction into the Center was over. Something else was going on with the plan and she was getting closer and closer to finding out what it was. She only hoped she could figure it out before whatever was brewing hit the fan and she and Nikita were caught in the backlash.

"I'm giving you another month to find out what I want to know." Jones said quietly. Immediately drawing Jade's attention back to him.

"It took you and Nikita six years to discover what you needed in order to evaluate Section One. Now you're telling us you want us to restructure in less than half that time? What's the big rush, Jones?" Jade challenged him. "Why is this suddenly so critical?"

Jones came to stand directly in front of Jade, his voice deceptively soft as he answered her question.

"It's important because I say it is, or have you forgotten who I am?"

"Oh, no." Jade answered softly, her voice just as menacing as Jones. "I haven't forgotten who you say you are at all.

Out of the corner of her eye Jade saw Nikita move quickly and found Nikita had planted herself between Jones and herself.

"We'll get the intel, Jones." She said quickly, her voice determined.

"Yes, you will." Jones commanded allowing Jade's comment to slide. "And remember that the Center isn't as patient as Oversight or the Section. You now have four weeks. That will be all."

Nikita was determined to get Jade out of Jones presence quickly. She knew Jade had goaded Jones on purpose, but Nikita also knew that her friend was underestimating Jones power. He was completely different from the Mick persona Jade had been used. Nikita was well aware of how ruthless the man could be, and Jade didn't need or want him as an enemy. Both women left and it was when they got to the door that Jade glanced back behind her. She wasn't surprised to find Jones watching her with those dark thoughtful eyes. She turned back to find Nikita waiting for her and quickly followed her friend out the door.

Chapter 13

Later on that evening, Jade found herself pacing in her apartment as she went over all that had happened at the Section in the past month and then measured it against Jones reaction to them in the meeting that morning. To say that the man had been over the line was putting it mildly. Her first little test had helped her only in that they had confirmed her suspicions.

All the while, he had been ranting and raving in that quiet menacing tone of his, Jade had studied his body language. Granted, he had done a good job of pretending to be upset at their lack of progress, Jade had an inkling that he had been more upset because they hadn't come to him with something he could use for whatever it was he was really planning. The only problem was Jade couldn't pinpoint what his alternate plan could be. She wasn't even close to guessing. As far as she could see he had removed everyone that was a danger to him. Operations was sentenced to another seven years as Head of the Section. Granted it wasn't above Paul Wolfe to try and get rid of Jones to get what he wanted in light of his lack of hesitation in doing George in at the first opportunity, Jade knew Paul was inclined to be more cautious because he didn't have Madeline to come up with her plots that would make even the Borgia's roll over in envy. Nikita was plainly on his side because Jade suspected he had promised her she would have the opportunity to improve the Section like she had always wanted. Although, Jade was almost positive he hadn't told Nikita just how he had planned to allow her to do that. She wondered if her friend would have accepted the offer had he told her she would have to go back to the Section to do what she wanted. Jade really didn't know, and for some reason she wasn't inclined to speculate to much on that subject.

Bringing her mind back to the subject at hand, Jade once again tried to figure out just what it was Jones thought he was up to. She allowed her thoughts to run the full gamut of people that could do him harm as she ticked them off in her head.

'Paul out of the picture. Madeline dead, definitely out of the picture. George out of the picture thanks to Paul. Michael out of the picture thanks to Nikita. Nikita not completely out of the picture, but still on Jones side so for all intents and purposes out of the picture.'

"So who does that leave?" Jade asked herself out loud as she went over the list again.

She wasn't exactly a danger to Jones, although she suspected that he had partnered her with Nikita, not only to protect his investment so to speak, he also did it because he wasn't quite sure where her loyalties lay. He didn't know if she was going to retaliate for George's death, and if she did would it be against Operations because he had actually cancelled George, or would it be Jones because he had allowed Operations to slide. What better way to keep an eye on her than to keep her close to his organization. In that way he killed two birds with one stone, Nikita's every move was watched by her, and every move she made was watched by Nikita.

"Okay, maybe that's part of the alternate plan." Jade said aloud. She continued to talk to herself as she walked to her kitchen, poured herself some juice and then went to the couch to continue her verbal evaluations.

His motive for pairing Nikita and herself together was twofold. He surmised that there would be tension, despite his protests to Jade on the contrary just before their return to Section. If there was tension then he surmised that she wouldn't completely trust Nikita, no more than Nikita would completely trust her. In that way he ensured that if one of their actions began to be contrary to what the other suspected, then what? They would double cross each other? Unlikely, but Jones didn't really know that, this was the Section after all? Okay, if they did double cross each other how would they do it? They would go to him and then he would do what?

"Think, Jade!" Jade yelled aloud as she suddenly got frustrated at not coming up with any answers to the silent questions she was asking herself.

A soft knock on her door, startled Jade since she hadn't been expecting company. Sighing softly she got up and her bare feet barely made a sound on the floor as she walked over and opened her door to see Nikita standing there leaning against the doorjamb with her arms crossed.

Nikita leaned in slightly and looked around the wonderfully, stylish apartment then turned her focus back on Jade.

"Who are you talking to?" Nikita asked, her voice quietly amused as she had already figured out the answer.

Jade gave a reluctant laugh, realizing she probably sounded like a raving lunatic to anyone standing on the outside of her door.

"Myself, as you very well know." She answered as she walked back into her apartment and sat back down on her couch.

Nikita walked in and closed the door before joining Jade on the couch.

"Is there a particular reason you're yelling at yourself at ten o'clock at night?" Nikita asked barely able to control the laughter bubbling up.

Able to see the humor in the situation Jade started laughing and Nikita joined her. After a few minutes they both calmed down and Jade sobered as she thought of how much she had missed just this kind of simple interaction with Nikita. The Nikita she had known used to smile and joke with her on the rare occasions when they both had downtime and Nikita hadn't accompanied Michael on a mission. Thanks to Jones, Jade felt she and Nikita would never get back to that easy camaraderie.

"What's wrong, Jade?" Nikita asked quickly picking up on her friend's changed mood.

"I don't trust Jones." Jade answered quietly. "It's what's been wrong since this whole thing started, and you're probably the last person I should be confiding that information to."

"Why? Just because I've worked with him for the past six years." Nikita asked softly. "It might surprise you to discover I don't trust him either."

"Well, it's a relief to know my instincts aren't as off as I thought they were beginning to be. What's he up to Nikita? You and I both know that Jones stated reasoning for wanting us at Section has nothing to do with his real unstated reasons."

Nikita ran her fingers through her now shortened locks and got up to walk around the apartment touching a figurine here, or a picture frame there as she passed it, trying to think of the best answer to give Jade.

"You need to be cautious around Jones, Jade." Nikita began carefully, hoping her friend would take the warning to heart. "He's a very dangerous man despite what you may think."

Jade's eyes narrowed as she tried to read between the lines and decipher what Nikita was trying to tell her without just coming out and saying it.

"Believe it or not, I'm not as reckless as you seem to think." Jade pointed out. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Good. Then maybe you can clue me in!" Nikita shot back, frustrated at Jade's continued evasiveness.

"I would love to, but that's not a good thing to do right now." Jade responded as she picked up her glass and took another sip as she watched Nikita's reaction to her words.

"You still don't trust me." Nikita stated trying to hide her dejection at the realization.

"I'm trying, Nikita but you don't make it easy." Jade retorted. "I ask you a question about Jones based on what your instincts are telling you, and your response is a warning I don't need. What does that tell me?"

"That I'm concerned about what you think you're doing." Nikita replied her voice carefully modulated, not wanting to fight with Jade. "Challenging him the way you did today in that meeting was not a smart thing to do. He won't hesitate to retaliate if he feels threatened."

"That's not it, Nikita and you know it." Jade responded, a sudden thought clicking into place. "I think it's the fact that you're not telling me everything you know. Maybe you're part of Jones alternate plan. Maybe he partnered you and me together to set me up too. I mean why not, I was also your friend. I pulled all kinds of strings to help my friends when I could. I also have a grudge against him because of what he allowed Paul to do to George. So after all, I have to be watched. What's going to happen in another four weeks, Nikita? Are you going to recommend my cancellation like you did, Michael's?"

Nikita stopped pacing around the apartment and turned startled, blue eyes full of tears in Jade's direction.

"Is that what you think of me?" She whispered painfully as Jade's darkened gaze met hers unflinchingly.

Jade sighed, hating what she had said to Nikita but needing to know all the same.

"You're a good actress, Nikita. Anything is possible." She returned in as spiteful a voice as she could manage.

Hating to hurt Nikita with her words, but knowing it was necessary if she was going to find out what she wanted to know.