Nikita still on her knees, stroke his hair again and patted his thigh with her other hand urging him to go on.

"Finally, she asked me to intervene. I said to Adam I would take him to the hairdresser in the afternoon no matter what, that there was nothing to be afraid of. He insisted he wasn't afraid but didn't see why he should get his hair cut when mine was so long," he softly laughed.

"So you cut it," Nikita smiled.

"Yes, I had to. We both went to the hairdresser that day and we both had our hair cut. Elena was mad at me for doing it. And so was Madeline... But he was such a stubborn little boy...," he recalled with tears in his voice.

Nikita winced at his use of the past tense as if Adam was dead. But Adam lived, only his father had been killed by Section. Nikita shivered when she remembered that Michael's death could soon be very real.

She didn't know who she was trying to comfort when she laid her head on his lap. Her hand continued to caress his hair.

"I like it," she breathed huskily. "It makes you look younger."

He said nothing and only moved his left hand to stroke her long blonde hair. Nikita sighed under the caress and closed her eyes. They stayed like that for quite a while enjoying their odd embrace.

Nikita then slowly lifted her head from his lap and cupped his face with both her hands. He opened his mouth to tell her to stop but she firmly placed a finger on his lips. She had waited too long for this. She needed him to know, damn the consequences.

"Michael, I lo..." she started.

He interrupted her by covering her mouth with his palm.

"Don't!", he begged her. "Please, 'Kita don't say it!"

She was more surprised than frustrated by his reaction. She took the hand covering her mouth and placed it on her heart.

"Please," he insisted. His breathing was ragged and his eyes desperately tried to convey his plea.

"Why, Michael?," she asked tearfully.

He sighed and tried to explain.

"The words you want to say Ni-ki-ta...I said them so many times I don't know what they mean anymore. Words are meaningless, they can be used against you, to deceive you, betray you... I said those words in a dozen languages to so many men and women I lost count."

He didn't think she could understand. He wasn't sure he did. He knew one thing: he couldn't say those words to her. It would be a curse if he died and a lie if he lived.

And if she said them, he would have to say something back or risk hurting her again. It despaired him to see he didn't seem to be able to spend a single hour in her presence without hurting her.

Nikita read the pain on his face and acknowledged the desperation in his dead eyes. She inhaled heavily, he denied himself so many things. He couldn't even accept her love words. But she needed to get her point across.

"Then, can I just say this?", she breathed against his lips before kissing him languorously.

Michael's only answer was the pressure of his lips on hers and the brush of his tongue as his passion defeated him.

***********

Michael didn't know how it had started but he was losing himself.

He held her pliant body, ferociously devouring her mouth with his tongue, kissing her with the same urgency she felt. He was still sitting on the chair and she was on her knees between his parted legs molding her chest closer to him. Her hands caressed his hair as his fingers stroke her back. When she slid one hand down to his inner thigh, he held on to his last bit of sanity and broke the kiss.

Nikita nearly fell backwards as he let go of her.

"We have to stop," he panted, his face deadly serious.

"Why?," she asked frustrated.

She got up and started pacing angrily, tying her hair in a heavy bun as she retreated far from him. She had felt his response during the kiss, he wanted her, it wasn't another Section's manipulation. They were alone, being together was even their cover for a change. There was nothing stopping them. *Nothing*, she wanted to shout at him.

He rose from the chair and moved over to the sound of her footsteps.

Some of her anger dissolved at the sight, he suddenly looked extremely vulnerable in the dimly lighted room with his dead gaze desperately trying to reach her.

She caught one of his hands in hers and placed it on her cheek so he would know exactly where to "look."

His thumb grazed her skin in a light circle and she closed her eyes at the sensation. She felt the shivers down her spine, the goose pimples his simple gesture created on her skin. How could he deny something so strong? If he was only experiencing half of the pleasure she felt in his arms, how could he resist?

"This will get you hurt, it's not worth it," he breathed tenderly.

She shivered. She had been a fool to think he would give in, even under the circumstances. It's not that she wanted to catch him at his weakest and take advantage of him, but it was so difficult to find an opportunity to just reach him. She often thought that if they were given enough time alone she could get under his defences and conquer his heart. She had no idea it already belonged to her and a tear fell from her closed eyelids.

"Whatever happens tomorrow Michael, I'll deal with it", she promised.

Michael felt the tear land on his thumb.

"Ni-ki-ta," he sighed and embraced her.

She tensed in his arms and tried to move away from him.

"I don't want your pity, Michael," she stated with a voice full of pain.

It shocked her that given Michael's blindness she was the one saying that. But he acted like he knew she loved him, Lord she had nearly said it, when she on the contrary saw her doubts and fears return with full force.

He managed to keep his arms around her. When she was secured against his chest despite her hands that pressed against it to push him away, he stated:

"I've never touched you out of pity."

He felt her relax in his arms and he brought her closer to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. She needed his warmth to reassure herself that he was alive. Death could not conquer him with her buried in his arms. He was too alive to die tomorrow. She could feel the blood at his pulse, his soft breath on her skin, the strength in his muscles.

He held her closer, breathing in her hair, one hand caressing it while the other soothed her back in slow strokes. He could feel her tears against his neck. He wished he could give her what she wanted, what they both desired. If there was only a way, he wouldn't have to break her heart afterwards...

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

She flinched in his arms again. He tried to hold on to her but she broke the embrace this time. She didn't move very far, just enough to lose his touch.

"Stop feeling sorry and do something about it!," she lashed out.

Michael kept silent. *If only I could, if only 'Kita*, he thought.

"I know pain, Michael, I knew it long before you came into my life. If your only reason to stop is because you're afraid of hurting me later, you're underestimating me," she pursued forcefully.

"Plus, it never stopped you before," she viciously added.

Her words cut him like a knife. He had only made love to her twice but had lost count of the times he had felt compelled to push her away after that. He remembered acutely the pain he had brought upon her each time, though.

"It should have," he granted her.

Nikita moved to speak directly in his face, wanting him to feel her fury if he couldn't see it.

"Stop being so protective of me!", she screamed. "You want me Michael, I can feel it, what are you afraid of?"

Michael didn't shiver under her hot breath as he hid his emotions under his blank stare. He folded his hands in front of him. Nikita got the message instantly, he was all business when he spoke :

"You have no idea the length Section will go to...".

Nikita interrupted him shaking her head vehemently.

"Tonight is not about Section, Michael. It's about you and me. How we feel, what we want", she insisted.

"It's always about Section, Nikita. We cannot escape it not for an instant, even now", he chastised her.

"We did once though", she reminded him with a husky voice.

Their first love night had been the only time they had managed to escape their masters' surveillance together. She silently challenged him to contradict her. She prayed he would not tarnish this memory with words of regrets. But he surprised her.

"And you ended up regretting it", he recalled. His face was grave.

"I never did", she started agitated.

He grabbed her hands in his.

"After Jurgen, can you swear you never cursed yourself for it! Can you honestly say you never wished it didn't happen", he pointedly replied.

Nikita remained silent catching her breath. She bowed her head in shame. She had indeed cursed herself for loving him, trusting him and following him back into Section. She lifted her head to search his face. His expression was calm but his changing eyes roved on her desperately trying to connect with her. His grip on his hands was insistent, slightly painful.

"What about you?", she whispered. "Do you ever regret it?"

Michael looked away from her out of habit. It was his only defence when she touched him so deeply he feared she could read his soul.

He had many regrets but making love to her was not one of them. Even if he had the power to alter the past, he wouldn't be able to change that night. It had been inevitable. After six months in hell, going to her and loving her had felt so right. His whole life was a lie and his love for her was the only truth that sheltered his sanity. He regretted nothing except bringing her back to Section. He would never forgive himself for that even if she did.

"No", he finally said. "But if we make love tonight, you will regret it. I'll make you," he promised.

He needed her to understand that one way or the other tomorrow they still wouldn't be allowed to be together.

"I want us to LIVE to regret this," she vowed whispering against his lips in a seducing move, tantalizing him with the promise of her touch.

She didn't give a damn about the consequences of her actions. She could deal with the pain later. For, as much as she had often wished their night in Lyon hadn't happened, it still haunted her like a dream come true.

"Ni-ki-ta," he sighed, his hands moving to her shoulders in a slow caress on her bare skin. He didn't want to push her away. God, he didn't want to hurt her. No, he wanted to forget about everything but...

"I won't let Section or even you deny me this", she breathed before kissing him.

He let her do it maddeningly aware she was trying to seduce him with her lips and her tongue. He held onto her shoulders tightly, incapable of stopping her sensual attack. He only found the strength to resist by refusing to take an active part in the kiss.

Nikita moved inches away from his mouth to convince him further. She didn't want to use his body to satisfy her desires, she wanted to be the willing subject of his attentions. She tried to awaken the man desperate for her only. She knew he was struggling to come out below the emotionless surface.

"Don't let Section control your feelings tonight, they only can if you let them", she seductively asked. "I won't let them control how I feel".

Michael moved his hands to her neck grabbing her hair in his fists. Anger and desperation marked his features when he spoke forcefully:

"You're wrong! They'll make you hate me if it serves their purposes".

Nikita was a little taken aback by his statement. It sounded so ludicrous that she wanted to deny it but something in his face stopped her. For the first time tonight, he looked afraid. Nikita trembled slightly. She refused to believe they could manipulate her this far but she couldn't deny Michael's expertise in the ways of Section. She wanted to reassure him that she would never let them but she sensed he wouldn't believe her. So instead, she made the only promise she knew she would keep.

"I'll fight them. Help me fight them, Michael", she prayed.

Her words soothed his fears like nothing else could. After he was gone, he was so scared Section would try to break her by convincing her he had used her for a dark and secret purpose all along. He couldn't bear the thought that she would doubt him after his death.

More than anything, he now needed to make sure that whatever weapon Section used against his love for her she could never be completely convinced that this night hadn't been real for both of them.

He loosened his grip on her. He felt her shiver, trembling at the thought she had failed to convince him. He gave her a sad smile and untied her hair. She had no idea of the power she had on him. He tenderly played with the long silky locks, soothing her doubts.

"I can only give you tonight", he warned her regretfully.

Nikita's heart skipped a beat. She didn't care about tomorrow, he was finally hers.

The instant after she breathed "Yes", his lips crushed hers fiercely. The man she had summoned had taken over.

Their last conscious thought before they lost themselves in the kiss was how they wished the night would never end.

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

Home.

She felt like coming home, Michael thought.

She wasn't his weakness, she could never be a mistake. No, she was an anchor for his drifting mind, the living proof he wasn't completely damned. The damned didn't fall so completely in love.

Michael willingly dropped all his shields as he kissed her. His mouth conveyed his need for her only. His relentless tongue caressed her lips before plunging in her depths gratefully. His hands were tangled in her hair holding her in the kiss. His dead eyes closed at the assault of emotions she stirred in him.

Nikita mirrored his passion. She felt whole again as she brushed his tongue with her own, shivering at the increasing need he created within her. She caressed his back urgently, rediscovering the muscles trembling under the fabric of his dark shirt at her touch. Remembering with unceasing wonder that SHE had the power to make the King of the blank stares, the Prince of Coldness quiver in need.

He pressed his hips to hers, molding his body to hers as her hands lifted his shirt to greedily touch his bare skin.

*Yes* was all she could think about. Yes to his skin, yes to his scent, yes to his hands, his cock, his mouth.

He reluctantly broke the kiss to breathe and take their pleasure further.

"Mi-chael", she moaned.

"Come", he urged her leading her to the bedroom.

She took the hand he offered as he moved away from her and followed him. His thumb traced idle lines in her palm that were driving her crazy. To her surprise, he stopped to switch on a bedside lamp. By the time they reached the bed, a simple futon with white linen, she couldn't wait much longer.

It had been so long since he had last touched her. Nearly a year, since they had made love. Noone had explored her body but her own frustrated hands since. It would have been easy for her to find solace in somebody else's arms. An innocent or an operative. They were many in Section who only waited for a sign from her even though nobody dared flirting openly with her, assuming that she was off limits, Michael's own playground. It angered her but at the same time she did nothing to contradict the rumors. Even when her sensual nature rebelled against such a long drought of erotic sensations, she knew her thirst could only be quenched by him.

As he drew her close once again standing by the bed, she remembered all too well what it felt like to be desired by him.

His mouth conquered her depths hungrily to her moan. His eager hands stroked the fabric of her dress from her thighs to her breasts stopping there for a few achingly pleasurable minutes. He caressed her through the silk. Finding her erected nipples easily without a bra to hide them, he groaned appreciatively.

Nikita would have smiled at his reaction if she hadn't needed him so desperately. She slipped her hands under his shirt once more, hungry for the softness of his skin. She grazed it with her nails as his mouth moved to her neck.

She resisted his sensual assault to give in to a more urgent need moving away just enough to lift his shirt and take it off. Michael helped her reluctantly, frustrated to lose the taste of her skin even for a second. But his patience was soon rewarded by the pressure of her body on his naked chest, the feel of her tongue on his left shoulder and the caresses of her fingers on his back. He moaned as he nuzzled her neck, his hands lost in her hair.

As always, he was unprepared for her touch. She would probably never understand what she was doing to him. He wasn't sure he knew himself as he shivered under her caresses. He pressed his hips to hers conveying wordlessly the reaction she created.

Before their night in Lyon, he had fantasized many times, consciously or not, about making love to her. He dreamt of the taste of her skin, the feel of her body under his, the softness of her breasts. The very idea of laying his hands on her body excited him beyond thoughts. But he had never expected what her response would stir in him. How her hands on his skin would burn. How her abandoned kisses would touch his soul. How her willing and passionate body would intoxicate him for ever.

Michael moved his hands under the hem of her dress. The softness of the fabric was nothing compared with the silk he found there above the lace of her stockings. He felt her response instantly as she melted against his chest with a sigh of relief. He very slowly stroke her skin with his thumbs relishing on the accelerate beatings of her pulse he felt under his tongue at her throat.

Nikita's hands moved to his rounded curves pressing his length closer to her centre of need. She breathed another ragged sigh in his ear before sucking at his lobe as he lifted the dress higher to lay his hands on her stomach.

He was deliberately taking his time resisting the urge to ravish her. He wanted to stretch time, to make each second last forever, each caress everlasting.

He moved his hands upward until they rested under her breasts which he cupped before kissing her slowly, expertly, adoringly.

Nikita felt like she dissolved under his touch. She responded to his kiss urgently, needing more of him. More of everything. She wanted him wild, uncontrolled, unabashed in his desire. The further she could take him from his usual contained self the better. His valentine skills scared her nearly as much as they angered her. She had too often observed his seduction techniques. The fierceness of his lovemaking was the reassurance she needed. Tenderness was the weapon he used against his targets. But she had only witnessed his hunger, the desperation of his demands, the roughness of his need during their first night on the boat. Even during the Armel mission, she had seen the raging battle on his face as he fought to control his desires to prevent their viewers to understand the intensity of his need. He had held her hands through it all, preventing her to create a response he was afraid would break his cover.

"Michael", she begged.

He stopped the kiss and moved his hands to her face in an effort to read her expression.

"I need YOU", she tried to explain.

The question in his eyes was replaced by an expression of pure adoration and understanding.

"You HAVE me", he reassured her. "We have time. All the time in the world tonight", he said punctuating his words with tender kisses on her cheeks, her temples, her eyes, the corner of her sweet mouth.

She sighed and held him closer still desperate for him. Their was a knot in her chest she couldn't obliterate. Only a shattering release could maybe mask it for a while. She wanted him to lead her quickly into oblivion. Maybe with him buried deep inside of her she could forget her fears for him. She held him even tighter and he welcomed her cradling her protectively.

"This is not the last time", she voiced forcefully trying to convince herself.

"Ni-ki-ta", he breathed sadly in her neck.

"This is not the last time", she repeated strongly searching his face for an answer.

He understood that the comfort she was looking for was not only physical.

"No, I'll never leave you", he honestly promised. At this moment he felt strong enough to come back from the dead if needed. From Heaven, Hell or Nothingness, he would find a way to return to her side one way or the other. He didn't find the idea farfetched. She loved HIM, what could be more incredible than that.

Nikita drank in the love she saw written on his handsome features. She read the truth of his words in his dilated pupils and she believed him. She felt the knot in her chest recede and swallowed her tears. She loved him so much...

Remembering he didn't want to hear the words, she decided to prove it to him nevertheless. She brought his left hand to her lips and kissed each of his fingers before using his thumb to draw the smile on her face. She then claimed his mouth again tenderly tracing the contours of his lips with the tip of her tongue. She kissed his closed eyelids, his jaw, his brow above the stitches, before stealing again his breath away with the passionate plundering of her tongue.

Michael was moved beyond words by her ministrations. Noone had ever made him feel this way. So needed, so desired. He didn't know what she saw in him she loved but he was glad it was there.

The kiss lasted several minutes as Nikita finally surrendered to his unhurried pace. It only served to sharpen their senses and their hunger for each other. Soon, his hands found the zipper of her dress and slid it down. He stroked her bare back adoringly in long strokes to her moans.

She lightly bit his jaw possessively as his hands cupped her curves. He licked down her neck to her throat before pushing the garment down her arms revealing her breasts and her navel until it pooled at her feet.

He sank to his knees to help her get rid of her high heels. He took off his own shoes and socks before tracing the whole length of her body with his tongue. From her nylon covered legs to the satin of her underwear until he reached her navel. He then licked her there with abandon.

Nikita shivered and held on his hair for support. She pressed his face to her and he responded by arching her hips closer against his face.

The tremors of her body increased and she bent to kiss his head thanking him for the wonderful warmth he created within her.

He got up tracing his way upward with wet kisses on her stomach, her breasts, her throat. Her hands caressed the muscles of his arms and shoulders before she moved into his arms again, angling her hips to press against his shaft. It jumped at the contact and Michael moaned sliding his hands under her underwear to press her curves and move her closer still.

"Hummmmm", they both sighed.

Michael stayed immobile for a few seconds, his head back, relishing in the addictive feeling of her breasts against his bare skin, of his cock nestled against her warmth.

Nikita licked the strong neck he offered her and smiled as her hands traced the muscles of his chest. She grazed his nipples and felt his bulge increase.

"Tu es tellement belle, Ni-ki-ta", he murmured lost in the sensation.

She wasn't sure he was aware he had spoken french. She understood however. She trembled slightly in his arms overwhelmed. That he should say she was beautiful given his blindness made her shiver.

Michael captured her mouth once again.

"Don't you know how beautiful you are?", he whispered hoarsely in her ear after the kiss before sucking at her lobe.

She held his shoulders fiercely, too moved to answer him. She had always treated her looks as an inconvenience. It had always put her in trouble. With her mother's boyfriends first, with the pimps on the streets later and finally it took her into Section where "a woman with her looks" was supposed to be a deadly weapon. Madeline had taught her to use her beauty that way. But it wasn't until she had felt Michael's roving eyes on her during her training that she had finally enjoyed her femininity.

"The way you touch me makes me feel beautiful, Michael", she confessed in a sigh.

He growled in response and moved his mouth to her breasts.

"Then let me show you how beautiful you are", he breathed against a taut nipple.

He touched the tender bud with just the tip of his tongue and she felt a jolt of electricity course through her.

"Yesss", she nearly screamed.

He wickedly smiled before repeating his action more strongly. She bit her lower lip and her fingers held to his shoulders tightly.

He licked her relentlessly tormenting her aching nipple before sucking it strongly into his mouth. Her sighs of pleasures only spurred his pace. His hands held her back as he moved her closer to his lips. Her nails clawed his shoulders unconsciously and she began to rock her hips against him urgently.

When he grazed his teeth against it, she gave a sharp cry and her fingers moved to his head pressing him against her breast in need.

Michael repeated his action and bit her more strongly.

"Mi-chael!", she breathed huskily.

She had missed him so much. They had only been together twice but her body remembered with aching expectation how HE felt. For months, she had forced her mind to ignore her body's memories but now it was coming back to her full force.

As Michael trailed his mouth towards her neglected nipple, eager to give it a more ruthless treatment, he trembled with longing. *'Kita, you taste so good*, he thought as he took the rose peak in his teeth. He held her more tightly as he felt her shiver in pleasure under his lips. He relished in the sensation of power it gave him to be able to please her.

His ears were filled with the sound of her panting as he moved to reclaim her mouth hungrily. His desire for her was almost painful and he began to press his burning need against her in a tight circle.

"Yes", she breathed against his mouth as her hands moved to untie his belt.

The brush of her fingers against his shaft as she lowered the zipper of his pants made Michael gasp. He bit his lip as she sank to her knees to help divest him of the garment. She got up slowly making sure her breasts caressed every inch of his body on the way up. From the strong muscles of his thighs, to his cock, his navel and then his naked chest.

It was Michael's turn to pant as she passionately studied his reaction waiting for his next move. His hands captured hers as he claimed her lips once more. He devoured her mouth, nipping her lips more urgently now and Nikita recognized the wildness she had been waiting for.

Michael wanted to take his time, he wanted to be tender, something he never had the opportunity to be with her. If this should be her last memory of him, he wanted to be as far away of his usual ruthless self as possible. But she was making it so pleasurably difficult.

He was still holding her hands captive in an attempt to focus on his initial goal, make slow and tender love to her so Section could never tarnish her memories of their lovemaking with their lies. But all his resolve dissolved at her next words.

"Let go, Michael", she urged him when he let her breathe.

With that he surrendered completely.

"Oui", he vowed.

He could feel her smile while he kissed her desperately.

Michael was so hungry for her, his all body was shaking with excitement. He lifted her in his arms still kissing her. Nikita, eyes shut, sensuously wrapped her legs around his hips pressing her lower body against his pulsating length while he carried her to the bed.

He dropped to his knees and laid her as tenderly as he could on the mattress. Their hips stayed joined though. He trailed his palms on her chest lovingly, heatedly, as if he was trying to read her. Like a blind man, he now was, tracing a form to picture in his mind the valley and the curves, the peaks and the hollows.

Nikita breathed heavily under him, caressing his fingers and his arms. She drank in his sight, his closed eyes, his parted lips, the way his chest was heaving rapidly, his features remolded by passion.

His soft hands reminded her why she was still alive, why she had remained by his side in Section, why she waited, why she still hoped in spite of every hardship.

This was -HE was- a very good reason to live for.

"Michael", she called in a sigh while pressing her hips closer to him.

His breathing accelerated as his hands moved to her thighs above her stockings. He stopped tracing the map of her gorgeous body. He had been relearning her contours even though he had never been able to forget. His desire for her didn't rely on sight. She was a feast for his touch.

Making love to her stirred a mass of contradictions within him. He knew her body by heart and still felt like a foreigner to it. Her lips sated him and left him thirsty for more. He wanted her tenderly and violently. She fulfilled him completely but he could never get enough. Her pleasure was all he had in mind but his hunger had to be quenched.

Lost and found. Elated and in agony. Greedy and giving.

She brought him peace and endless torment. And he loved her. Oh God, did he love her.

His nails lightly scrapped her thighs and she quivered. His fingers found the top of her stockings and he rapidly took them off, both hands working at once while his cock never lost contact with her still covered depths.

The material of his underwear was straining against his bulge that pulsed at the heat and wetness it could feel behind the satin of her panties.

His fingers trailed again along the length of her body until they reached her face. He placed his hands on each side of her head carefully, to make sure he wouldn't pull her hair inadvertently.

Then only did he lower his body on hers, until he covered her completely.

He heard her sigh of relief as she opened her thighs wider and wrapped her arms around his back possessively.

The kiss they shared was full of erotic passion and longing for what was to come.

His hands found her breasts again and her back arched to meet his demands. His mouth left hers to ravish her aching buds again to her whimpers. He didn't need encouragement anymore. He was devouring her.

"Michael, Michael, Michael", she chanted lost in his arms, feeling whole again, lost in the sensation of his delicious weight on her, of his hungry tongue, of his relentless teeth.

The sounds she made only inflamed him more. The way her nails scraped his back made him growl.

They were rocking against each other, pressing their needs against one another which only increased their desire.

Still tasting her breasts hungrily, he urgently lifted her to slide his hands under her buttocks.

"Yes", she urged him.

In a quick movement and with her eager help, he got rid of the offending garment, while he still sucked at her breast. When his cock reconnected with her naked heat, he knew he couldn't wait much longer.

Nikita was panting, slightly trembling under him. She had been reliving (whether she wanted it or not) their two times together so often, some part of her was afraid she was dreaming again.

She tasted the skin at his shoulder hungrily, savouring it for reassurance. She smiled against him and rubbed her face against his cheek like a cat begging to be caressed. Her fingers were tracing the muscles of his back heatedly.

Michael abandoned her breasts to invade her mouth with the sweet strength of his tongue while he grounded his shaft against her.

Nikita whimpered and smiled again welcoming the change in him. As much as she hated the way he was controlling her life inside Section she enjoyed being partially controlled by him in bed. This was the way he had behaved with her twice before. On the boat, she had had to fight him a little to be able to be on top, literally. But in the end, he had NOT regretted it.

She supposed he behaved this way because his love life was not his own but Section's. Because he had to surrender to his valentine targets' will so often, choosing what would please THEM most and not acting upon his own desires.

But he was following his desires now. Oh yes he was...

"Hummm... Michael", she sighed head back as his hands trailed towards her thighs.

As his fingers came closer to their destination she parted her legs more and Michael felt his excitement double at her willingness.

His lips found her throat and he licked her lavishly. He felt her pulse accelerate when his fingers hovered near her depths.

"Ask me", he demanded breathlessly.

She refocused on his face, his pupils were so dilated there was only a thin circle of green around them. She swallowed heavily and said in a moan.

"Touch me".

This was all it took. As his thumb began to trace lazy lines on her pleasure bud, her last conscious thought was that maybe these words were magic and that she should have used them long ago on Michael.

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

Her heat. Her wetness. Her quivers. Her moans. Her scent. Her taste.

All of this was driving Michael crazy. His fingers kept pleasuring her while his shaft was beating furiously against the material of his briefs but he didn't want to stop to take them off just yet. As much as he ached to be buried deep inside of her, he was enjoying her reaction too much for now.

"Yes...Yes... Yessss", she panted.

With a growl, he increased the slow intensity of his caress against her bud and bent his head to her breasts again. Their moans mingled when he began to suckle her.

To not be able to see her was in a way strangely erotic for Michael. He never knew in advance where her fingers would caress his body, where her lips would tease him. Right now, her hands were caught in his hair, messing it adoringly. He loved the possessiveness of her touch as she was pressing him closer to her body.

His teeth captured the taut peak he had been torturing with his tongue as his fingers slowly caressed the pink folds at her entrance, his thumb still working its slow magic on her clit.

Nikita forgot to breathe for a second and her hips lifted from the mattress to urge him to continue.

Michael took the opportunity to slide his free hand under her, caressing her curves and holding her up to him slightly.

His fingers found her beyond ready for him and he moaned. He entered two fingers easily and stroke a velvet wall languorously. His thumb increased its rhythm on her at the same time.

She bucked under him, so close to the edge.

"Mi-chael", she mewled.

With a feral look on his face, Michael bit her aroused nipple to her scream of need. He gradually slowed the caress of his hand, not ready to let her come yet. He felt merciless as he thought of all the times she had tempted him, provoking him with incredible outfits that challenged Section's code of dressing and his own sanity.

"Noooo", she protested fidgeting under him to increase the pressure again. She was so close she ached. What was he trying to do kill her from frustration?

He thought of the belly button she exposed at his perusal with her incredibly short tops, of the backless black dress that looked so "decent" from the front but desvastatingly lethal from the back, and forced himself to abandon her delicious breasts.

He moved slightly upward and expertly blocked all her movements with his upper body, trapping her under him while his fingers teased her folds incredibly slowly. The hand on her curves moved to expertly capture both her wrists when she tried to reach for his shaft. He placed her hands above her head and pinned her to the bed more strongly.

"Michael!", she begged frustrated.

"Not yet", he warned.

Nikita groaned at the sight of the slight smile curving his lips. He was making fun of her. That was not fair!

He tempted her further by rubbing his heated length against one of her thigh. The friction only served to make it swell further and Nikita relished in the certainty he wouldn't be able to tease her long like this.

The weight of his body on her was far from uncomfortable. She felt surrounded, protected in a strange way, his nipples were pressed on her skin, her own breasts crushed by his chest. Even the tight grip of his hand on her wrists was pleasurable. And his hand, hummm, it was too slow for her taste but his fingers were still inside her and his thumb was making her clit burn with expectation.

She clasped her inner depths on his fingers to spur him but he didn't move faster on her. Only his lips curved upward on a knowing smile.

She bit her bottom lip and since her head was the only part of her body she could still freely move, she settled for a torture of her own.

She traced his annoying smile with the tip of her tongue, before nipping at his lips. When he moved to kiss her, she turned her head and licked his shoulder before grazing her teeth on the delicate skin there. She left a wet kiss where his shoulder and his neck met and he moaned.

"More", he requested hoarsely.

"You first", she teased.

He growled and bit her where he wanted her mouth to be, still denying her the release she looked for.

She gasped as the pleasure cursed through her body increasing the need between her legs. Then, she bit him as he had requested, her teasing partially forgotten. He tasted so good she didn't care to show him who was in charge. Her need for him was becoming wild but she rejoiced in the knowledge that his was taking dramatic proportions as well.

"'Kita", he breathed at her neck as his teeth and tongue devoured her.

He felt her relax under him and he sighed heavily desire coursing through his body. She was the proudest woman -no person- he had ever met and still after all he had done, she still wanted him, she was still ready to "submit" to him here. It excited him more than anything she could do. He didn't want to dominate her but he needed her so thoroughly, at such an elemental level in his existence, that he had to take the lead just to be reassured that she would follow, would happily, joyously accept his wildest demands.

She would never know how much he needed her love, her passion for him, especially BECAUSE she was aware of his darkest sides. All the other women who had said they loved him had fallen for the image he had created. Simone only, had known who he was, but still he had never hurt her like he had Nikita. His wife had never questioned him about his actions, their relationship was about acceptance. But his involvement with his former trainee was a constant challenge. It defied every rule ever conceived by Section, it even defied common sense. And it was more real than anything he had ever experienced.

Nikita felt the balance of power shift between them as he lifted his head to welcome her ministrations at his throat. It didn't matter if she appeared to be dominated, making love with him had taught her something essential about love. It was not a struggle for power or control over the other. It was not about who could give or take more pleasure, but about sharing : fantasies, passion, feelings even pain. And if he wanted her submissive and begging for now, she would gladly help him to act upon his particular fantasy. Because that's the way she wanted him, greedy and wild.

Michael's mocking smile had long disappeared replaced by an intense look of blind need and he let go of her hands. His fingers increased their rhythm at her depths when she bit his jaw.

"Oh yes", she panted.

He brushed his length more strongly against her thigh and she slid her hands inside the waistband of his briefs to knead his curves.

They both moaned as their arousal beat stronger within their bodies. His free hand moved to her mouth and he made her suck at his fingers for a while. She erotically complied, licking and sucking in abandon. He then moved his wet fingers to her breast torturing a taut peak into aching pleasure.

His thumb was caressing her clit relentlessly now and he added a third finger to the two stroking her walls.

She bucked against them biting her lip to suppress a scream.

"Yes, 'Kita", he urged her.

She moaned loudly, her beautiful noises filling his ears.

His rhythm doubled on her as he nuzzled her neck, alternating licks and bites. He was hitting her deeply, devotedly.

His fingers felt the increasing tension on her sugar walls, his bulge felt it too in the muscles of her thigh.

Nikita eyes closed, mouth open wide was waiting for the incoming cataclysm. She missed the pure smile of joy lightening Michael's face at the knowledge of the pleasure he was about to give her.

Suddenly, everything went faster, deeper. He nipped her throat, pinched her nipple, grazed her clit with his nail and ground his fingers against an incredibly aroused inner spot all at once.

She didn't know which movement triggered her orgasm as she was hit by the first wave.

"Mi-chael!", she screamed, her nails leaving light lines on his soft curves.

Michael growled and relished on the sounds she made and the violent quivers of her whole body. He rubbed his face against her cheek before stealing her breath away in a passionate kiss.

Her inner depths were clasping rhythmically on his fingers bringing them deeper and deeper. Her bud still quivered under his thumb, her hands were grabbing his buttocks almost painfully and he was finding more and more difficult to ignore his swollen cock. But as his tongue tasted her trembling lips he decided it was worth the wait.

It gave him an incredible sense of power and self to pleasure her. She was so beautiful, so sensual... He desperately wished he could tell her how much he loved her. He hoped she would never regret their time together in the future. But the only thing he was sure of was that he was going to make sure she could never deny this night had been real for them both. Section be damned, he would prove his love to her tonight. She deserved this much.

Nikita was burning. Her body glistened with sweet sweat as she tried to remember how to breathe. The waves of pleasure were still crashing on her when she felt Michael's fingers slowly retreat from her core.

She moaned under his lips but was unable to do something about it, her legs were opened wide, her hands had moved back to his hair as she held him against her.

Lost in sensation, she partially registered that his mouth was leaving her lips to trail down her body. From the heights he had taken her, she was only half aware of the brush of his tongue between her breasts, of his long eyelashes tickling her belly, of his hair caressing her inner thighs.

But when the tip of his tongue wet her still quivering clit, the beautiful realization of what he was doing hit her. She opened her eyes and lifted her head from the pillow to find him knelt between her legs, his mouth opened at her core licking his lips in expectation, his hands parting her thighs for his upcoming assault.

"Oh God", she muttered.

The last thing she saw was his smile, the first thing she felt was his heated breath on her folds.

After that she was not sure of what he was doing to her body. She only knew she was back in heaven. She floated in Pleasureland and he wouldn't let her come down.

Michael feasted on her hungrily. He savored her depths, relished on her honey juices, lapped her delicious quivering walls. His large tongue was hitting her powerfully, his nose rubbed against her bud, his lips caressed her outer folds. Her orgasm didn't seem to want to end and he couldn't get enough of her moans.

He lifted her limp legs on his shoulders, her calves resting on his back, to allow him a better access, his hands holding her hips. He plunged deeper and she screamed. His heart raced as he devoured her, his swollen cock was screaming for attention but he couldn't stop. She was addictive and he had longed so much for her taste.

His tongue hit a very sensitive spot and he felt her trembling double. He held her insanely bucking hips more tightly against his mouth for a torturously hard caress. He rejoiced in her cries of bliss before resettling her body to the mattress.

He slowly disentangled himself from her and for the first time since his accident he regretted to be blind. He was sure she was a stunning sight. He remembered all too well how achingly beautiful she looked in rapture. The memory tortured him every night.

He covered her still trembling body and kissed her, erotically sharing her essence with her. She moaned in it, tasting herself and tasting him at the same time. Nikita felt utterly happy. No happy didn't even begin to describe how her blood sang in her veins, how every pore of her skin seemed alive and how her heart pounded in her chest.

"Mi...chael", she panted breaking the kiss to catch her breath.

"Oui... Oui...", he moaned as he rubbed his length at her core, letting her wetness and her heat increase his madness.

When Michael moved away from her, Nikita was still too overcome to move or speak and just waited for whatever he had in mind.

"Are you watching me?", he asked as he was getting up.

She opened her eyes to find him standing by the bed. The sight of the bulge straining against his briefs did nothing to calm down her imperilled breathing. His face was tense with the effort it was taking him to refrain from ravishing her here and now. God, he was so sexy.

"Yes", she managed to say.

He sighed a little with relief as he slowly took off his underwear under her heated gaze. She unconsciously licked her lips at the size of his length, standing proud and swollen and so ready for her.

"Michael", she called breathlessly and held out her hand to him.

He blindly moved towards the sound of her voice and her heart contracted when he missed her hand. She had nearly forgotten that he was blind, that he could be dead tomorrow, that this night could be their last...

She caught his hand and guided him on top of her again. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and held him tight to his moans, his naked shaft beating furiously against her moist core. His hands trembled a little as they trailed to her parted thighs and his voice was shaky when he asked :

"Take me inside you".

She held her breath as she happily complied. Her hand stroke his shaft languidly once to his gasp. He lifted his body from hers and braced himself over her, his weight resting on his strong muscled arms. She slowly took the head of his cock in her depths and leaned back on the mattress with a whimper.

Michael, eyes closed and head back, was fighting for control over his rebellious desire asking him to possess her hard and fast. He managed to keep it in check to slowly, regularly, ease his large length inside her tight and smooth corridor.

Nikita moaned with delight. God, he was remolding her, straining her tight entrance with his hard flesh. He was filling her completely and she felt her desire for him burn anew.

When he felt her hands on his hips urging him to go deeper, he couldn't wait any longer and buried himself to the hilt in her.

"Oh oui...", he sighed raggedly. Home, she did feel like home...

Nikita writhed under him, overwhelmed. She was feeling complete again. She had missed him so much. And she didn't mean the sexual aspect of their relationship. She missed the man who was tender enough to cradle her in his arms, the man whose touch revealed his feelings. She saw such rare glimpses of him behind the ruthless facade. She did miss him. Constantly. And she wanted to give him a release so intense he could never deny this aspect of his personality again.

She wrapped her legs around his hips, crossing her ankles against his buttocks and he slid deeper into her. He growled like an animal in reaction and lost all control.

His first thrust into her made her burn for more. The second made her melt. With the third she forgot who and where she was. From then on, all she knew was that the man she loved was stroking her, hitting her deep, conforming her body to his needs for their mutual bliss.

He was intoxicated by her slickness, her cries, the rocking of her hips, the way her inner walls clasped tightly around him. All traces of the civilised educated man Michael was disappeared. All previous attempts at seduction and domination were completely forgotten. They shared a primal need that had to be assuaged. He craved for her touch like an addict for his next fix. He was driving into her spurred by an instinct created by her alone.

Nikita was meeting every hard thrusts halfway, her hands clasped on his large shoulders. She would lift her body from the bed and then collapse on the mattress with a moan under the power of his entrance. Again and again and again...

His wildness only served to inflame her more, she wanted to feel all of his body pressed on her, wished to succumb under his delicious weight, she missed the touch of his hands on her, the taste of his skin. On his next thrust she held onto his body tightly with a whimper until he gathered her in his arms. They fell on the mattress together, Michael crushing her under him.

She bit into his shoulder sharply before soothing the aroused flesh with her tongue. Her nails scraped his back lightly.

"'Kita!", he screamed and he throbbed more strongly inside her.

He searched for her mouth and hungrily plundered it with his tongue in time with the urgent beating of his shaft. Her need for him was driving him insane even more than his own.

Nikita wanted to mark him, claim him, tattoo her love for him on his skin for everyone to see and so he wouldn't forget. She wanted him to feel her love long after she had left his side. She knew there had been others, too many others. Many he didn't love, many he whored himself with. But he had loved at least Simone and probably Elena. She had often wondered where she stood between them. She was jealous of them. All of them, even his valentine targets. He belonged to her. She couldn't deny her possessiveness for him now.

Panting, she broke his insistent kiss to focus on his eyes. They had taken a shade of jade, like the eyes of a panther on the prowl. They were lost in a distance unseeing but alive with hunger.

The rhythm of his thrusts increased and she uttered a long moan. She caught a last glimpse of his feral smile before closing her eyes, wishing to experience the rest of their lovemaking the way he did.

Blind.

Michael drove into her sharply, ramming against her core then retreating nearly all the way out before slamming his shaft into her again. Her panting had turn to moans, her moans to cries. Her inner depths were sheathing his large length in the most torturously pleasurable way. Her hands clawing his back made him beg for more.

His palms slid to her hips and he used them to pull himself deeper within her. Nikita screamed and clasped her inner depths around his cock in reaction to his passionate demands.

"'Kita, oui!", he gasped out.

Eyes still closed, she opened her mouth but was unable to utter his name as her quivering began. She let out a rapturous hiss as her orgasm rocked her.

Pinned to the bed as he still stroked her instantly in a staccato beat, never leaving her core for long, she came violently, her nails scratching his shoulders.

Her release was nearly his undoing but he desperately enjoyed stroking her through it. It was an exercise of control almost unbearable for him as his body was overwhelmed by her screams, her shaking walls caressing him, her depths swallowing him deeper and deeper like an insatiable mouth. But he wished to take her higher, make her scream louder until she begged him to stop.

He moved a hand to her face to feel her expression as she came. He realized her eyes were closed.

"Look at me!", he asked hoarsely.

It took her several seconds to be able to moan :

"No... I wanna feel...... what you.... feel, hummmm".

Michael shuddered and slowed his insane rhythm on her. His heart contracted at her admission. He could feel the incredible emotions, only she could stir in him, course through his heart more rapidly than his blood. He shook his head and controlled the trembling of his lips enough to ask in a throaty voice :

"Now, open your eyes, 'Kita".

Shivering, his beautiful shaft still dancing through her, Nikita reluctantly agreed. She felt compelled to answer his plea, unable to deny him anything at the moment. She opened her eyes and shook more strongly at the beautiful vision he offered her.

With wonder, she took in the pearls of sweat on his brow, the curls of his hair matted on his neck, his parted lips swollen from her kisses, the scratches left by her nails on his round shoulders, the incredible tension in his tauntened muscles. But above all, it was the look in his impossibly clear eyes that amazed her. They were grey-green now, and so open, so vulnerable, so... loving!

Before she could gather the strength to speak, he turned her still quivering body so she would be on top of him. She collapsed on his chest and he gathered her in his arms, holding her possessively. He thrusted powerfully in her again and Nikita bucked above him with a whimper, the waves of pleasure still racing through her. She buried her face in the crook of his neck but his hands moved to cup her face. He fought to control his cataclysmic urge and lifted her head inches from his as her hands roamed adoringly on his chest.

"Watch me", he breathed against her lips.

He left one hand on her cheek to make sure her eyes remained open and he felt her nod weakly. His free hand moved to her hip and he gave her a long languorous stroke. She moaned but kept her eyes open mesmerized.

"You feel so good 'Kita," he desperately confessed as he drove his pulsating length into her more fiercely.

Nikita was entranced by his strokes as much as the expression on his face. She had never seen it so unguarded before. She could read the hunger, the desperation, the tenderness and the insatiable craving she created. Michael rarely let her see what went on in his head more than a few seconds. But now, he completely let her in, wanting her to see what she was doing to him. To see and remember when he wouldn't be there to remind her.

He twisted his hips to hit a very aroused spot and she gasped "Yes!" as the wanton need within her increased again.

Michael emitted a low growl and stroked her harder still. Nikita kissed with passion the palm of the hand holding her cheek and lifted herself to ride him, her back arched against his assault.

She took his hand in hers, briefly clasping it to wordlessly seal her promise that she would keep watching no matter what, and led it to her other hip.

She covered his hands at her hips with her own and met his next thrust halfway, clasping her inner depths nearly painfully around his incredibly excited cock.

"Take me", she vowed breathlessly.

The only answer she got was the growling sound he gave as his thrusts relentlessly hit her core towards completion. Her last words made him plunge deeper into her, push further, harder, stronger.

The releases his valentine targets gave him were filled with disgust at worst and guilt at best. But with her, he experienced happiness and togetherness in all their glories. Fear was gone. Pain never existed. Loneliness dissolved. And Death could wait. When he came. When they came. He couldn't hide the smile of pure joy on his face.

"Ni-ki-ta!" he shouted before turning her under him once more, insane with the desire to push her over the edge with him.

She was too enraptured to speak, she could only moan, crushed under him, her legs wrapped tightly around his lower back. His love was too much and far from enough at the same time. Her whole body was screaming for him, begging for his uncompromising explosion. His shaft felt like a rock inside her, stretching and reshaping her. He had lit an inferno between her legs with his insistent strokes and the adoring expression in his changing eyes.

As he felt her inner flesh ripple with aching familiarity along his over aroused shaft, he urgently asked her :

"Say my name, 'Kita"

"Mi-chael", she emitted with a rasp voice, her arms possessively wrapped around his back, bracing herself for the upcoming storm.

"Non! My real name!" he throatily ordered as he shifted his weight by gripping her shoulders to ram more roughly at her core.

"Michel!" she screamed as the first wave of the orgasm hit her with the force of an earthquake. She was fighting to keep her eyes open and was rewarded by the amazing look of bliss on his face.

"Encore!" he insisted as he violently began to shake within her.

"MICHEL!," she shouted.

And with that they came. Together.

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

Nikita woke up with a shiver, feeling cold, to realize that Michael had left her side. She saw his naked silhouette standing in front of the window on the other side of the room as dawn was slowly breaking.

"Michel", she called.

He slowly turned his face to her and for a moment she hoped he could finally see. But the unfocused look in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Not now," he softly asked.

She frowned and then understood. His real name was not to be used carelessly. It was like a secret name they would be sharing. It was supposed to be kept for special occasions. Like last night.

"Michael," she gently corrected. "Come back to bed, it's early."

He smiled and joined her under the sheets. He was glad she understood. He had distanced himself from her in an effort to gather his strengths before their return to Section. But she was right, it was still early and he didn't have to lie or push her away just yet.

She settled her body against his, shivering, and he welcomed her in his arms.

"You're cold", he noted stroking her back and arms with his warm hands.

"You left," she explained, nuzzling his neck, rejoicing in their intimacy.

He kissed the top of her head, "I'm back", he reassured her.

Michael realized that for the moment she seemed to have obliterated all her previous fears for his safety. He sighed, utterly content to have been able to alleviate her pain -and his- for a few magical hours.

Nikita held him closer and after a while, surrounded by his warmth, and comforted by his caresses, she fell peacefully asleep again.

She dreamt, but it was a happy dream and Michael stayed awake, relishing in her presence and the certainty she felt safe in his arms. Safe enough to dream.

She licked her lips close to his chest and he felt her smile against his skin.

"Michel," she sighed in her slumber, her delicious accent adding a sexy note to his French name.

Michael's heart skipped a beat. He held her more tightly and silently allowed himself to cry.

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

Hours later they were on their way back to Section. They had spoken little as Nikita helped Michael get ready. No words about last night were exchanged. In a way, none were needed. Nikita had dreaded that he would apologize or retreat, so she had welcomed the silence between them. She preferred it to any attempt at pushing her away.

When she had woken up the second time, Michael still held her tightly. But as she had moved to kiss him she had seen the change in him immediately. She had closed her eyes and kissed him nevertheless, hoping to remind him of the intensity of their union. He had kissed her back but less passionately than she had expected.

After that, he had left her side, and she had understood that the man she loved had retreated behind "Section Michael". Michel was gone. She had swallowed her pain and breathed heavily when her dormant fears for his safety awakened suddenly with a force that threatened to engulf her.

She drove him back to Section and helped him get out of the car. He accepted her hand willingly, leaning a little on her as they walked. It was the only outward sign he gave her that something had happened between them the previous night which allowed him to depend on her. Furthermore, he never once asked her to leave. Whether it was because he knew she wouldn't or because he didn't want her to, she didn't know.

She led him inside the halls holding his hand tightly, afraid to let him go. He stopped in his tracks as they approached Medlab.

"Whatever happens, remember your promise", he asked a little urgently.

He heard her sudden intake of breath but she didn't answer.

"'Kita", he urged her, "You promised".

She shivered internally at hearing him call her 'Kita. Nobody ever called her like that, others used Nik, Nikki, she was Sugar for Walter, but she was 'Kita only to Michael. She let go of his hand and slowly removed his sunglasses placing them in his black jacket pocket. She grazed his face with her fingertips not caring for one moment if they were observed.

Michael felt his Section mask drop, he couldn't leave before he was sure she would be safe.

"Please, I want you to live", he begged her.

Nikita took in his beautiful worried look and made her decision. If Section decided to cancel him, she was not sure she could "behave" like she had promised even if he didn't want to escape, even if it was hopeless. She was sure of only one thing and she fought her tears to tell him.

"I'll be waiting for you", she whispered hoarsely close to his mouth. "I won't give up... Even if it takes you a lifetime to return to me".

She traced his lips slowly with her fingertips but didn't kiss him. It would have looked too much like a final goodbye and she couldn't accept that. *This is not the last time* had become her mantra.

Michael struggled to remain in control of his body and processed the implications of what she had just said. *She won't give up*, he thought relieved. It was not exactly the promise he had asked for but it was much more than that. It was a vow she would never give up on him and more importantly on life. The thought she would outlive him filled him with gratitude and strangely with anger too. His mind was suddenly assaulted with images of a smiling Nikita, a laughing Nikita, a Nikita in love with another... He didn't want to feel greedy or jealous, he wished only the best for her but he couldn't help it, he didn't want her to forget him.

He felt her hands leave his face as she took a step back. But he kept feeling her warmth radiating from her. She was still close but at the same time out of reach. As always, especially now.

He took a few seconds to recover and forced himself to leave her side to walk into the Medlab. At the entrance, he turned, sensing she was still watching him. Before disappearing out of her sight he made her a promise too. One that sounded like a threat.

"You'll never be free of me"

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

Madeline had summoned Nikita in her office as soon as she had received word of Michael's admission into Medlab. As expected, she wanted to find out why he had taken so long before revealing the extent of his injuries.

The moment she laid eyes on Nikita she knew : the swollen lips, the dreamy gaze, her radiant sensuality, everything about her spoke of rapture. Nikita refused the chair she was politely offered and stood facing Madeline who sat comfortably in front of her desk. She looked straight into the cold eyes of Section's master strategist and was reminded of Michael's words : 'They'll know, they'll see it in our eyes'. *He was right*, she thought as she observed Madeline's subtle smile.

"Did you sleep well, Nikita?", Madeline asked impishly.

"Very well", she answered quietly and for a second she was tempted to play along.

She could enter Madeline's charade, pretend that she wasn't dead worried for Michael, knowing all along that the older woman knew, that her questions were just a way of gauging her. Suddenly, she felt like laughing hysterically. *Who cares*, she thought. The fate of the man she loved was being discussed right this moment and she really didn't give a damn about Madeline. She craved to run to Medlab to be by his side. Nothing really mattered outside of that.

"How do YOU sleep at night, Madeline?", she challenged chin up.

Madeline smiled of the smile she used when she was a little taken aback by a reaction. It didn't happen often but Nikita still possessed this rare quality. She was easy to manipulate, her feelings were highly predictable but she had never lost a rebellious streak Madeline found refreshing. It didn't mean she would not do her best to destroy it, of course.

"Did you have company last night?", she asked again, ignoring Nikita's question.

"Get to the point. I don't have time for your games today", she coldly answered.

"Very well... Was Michael with you?", she inquired in a business tone.

"Yes", she stated.

"Did you have sex?", she said stressing voluntarily the last word.

"No", she hissed.

"No? I find it hard to believe", she noted crossing her arms against her chest.

"We made love", she corrected icily. "But I'm not sure you're familiar with the concept".

Nikita could nearly hear Michael's voice scolding her, reminding her of her promise, telling her it was not the way to deal with Madeline, but she chose to ignore it for now. She had promised not to give up and that was exactly what she was doing. She was determined to win the battle of wits this time and win it her way.

"I see", Madeline granted her.

"No, you don't but it doesn't matter", she replied angrily.

"Why didn't you tell us Michael was blind after the mission?", she tried, half expecting Nikita to fall into her trap.

"He wasn't blind then, it happened this morning", she lied arrogantly, sticking to the story Michael wanted her to feed Madeline, knowing all along she wouldn't buy it.

"You're lying", she patiently countered.

"So what? What are you gonna do, cancel me?", she challenged her.

She partly hoped Madeline would give her an excuse to unleash her anger and her frustration. She moved closer to the desk.

Madeline eyed her carefully analysing her body language and every word she had chosen. Not for the first time, Nikita had the unnerving feeling she was studied under a microscope.

"He came back what more do you want!", she demanded raising her voice.

"I want to know why he needed 12 hours to do so", Madeline explained. She paused before deciding to push Nikita to her limits. "It must have been quite an interesting night", she sarcastically said.

Nikita's eyes flared with anger and for a second Madeline read her death penalty in her pale gaze. She clenched and unclenched her fists but after a while she unexpectedly gave a sad laugh, shaking her head.

She granted her superior a look of disgust and stated "I'm going back to Medlab".

"We're not done, Nikita", Madeline warned her.

Nikita smiled ruthlessly at her.

"Try and stop me", she challenged her.

Madeline read the determination and the total absence of fear in her eyes. Her whole body was tensed as if she was ready to jump at her throat, all she needed was an opportunity. The beautiful brunette judged it was unnecessary to provoke her further. She was absolutely capable to defend herself against Nikita's assault but it would be a waste to risk losing two excellent operatives the same day.

"Threatening me will not help you... or him", she offered to calm her down. "Trust me, we would hate to lose Michael".

Her words had the opposite effect on Nikita. She moved rapidly, leaning on the desk until she spoke directly in her face.

"I trust you in the knowledge you'll KILL him if you can't cure him", she accused nostrils flaring. "Will you do it yourself, Madeline? Not only give the order but press the trigger. Operations won't do the dirty work but I saw you do it. You had the nerve to execute your own husband! Surely killing Michael shouldn't be a problem!"

Madeline's eyes flared for a mere second but Nikita didn't miss it. She didn't flinch under Nikita's mad gaze as she calculated her riposte.

"What are you trying to say that you will destroy us if we cancel Michael?", she questioned in a dangerously sultry voice.

Nikita shook her head. She leaned closer to Madeline's face and stated very slowly.

"No, I'll make sure you and Operations live a very, very long life. And everyday, I will be there to remind you of what you did. And I intend to spoil any second of peace or reprieve you two can ever have. I will NEVER let you forget about HIM."

She stared at her for a few seconds to make sure Madeline had processed her words. She waited until the other woman was convinced that it was not an idle threat. Only then did she turned to leave.

Before exiting she added very quietly :

"If he dies, anybody involved will never sleep peacefully again".

After Nikita's exit Madeline took a long breath and dialled Operations' number.

"Any news of Michael", Section's chief asked immediately.

"Not yet, they're still examining him", she said.

"I want the best specialists Madeline. Even if we have to recruit one for the occasion. He's worth it", he insisted.

"I'll take the necessary steps if needed", she assured him.

"Do we know why he lied to us?", he asked.

"I'm not sure yet", she pondered.

"You don't believe he used that time just to be with Nikita?", he suggested.

"They spent the night together but I think there is more to it than that", she explained.

"I don't like that he fooled us so easily anymore than you do, but I'm not surprised he chose to spend a few hours with her given the situation", he stated.

Madeline genuinely smiled. Operations didn't find the idea farfetched because he could picture himself doing the same thing. But she knew Michael better, he was a pragmatist like her. And if she were in the same position, she knew what she would have done before indulging her more romantic needs.

"I think Michael must have taken the necessary steps to ensure Nikita's safety in case he was not salvageable", she pointed.

"You doubt his loyalty?", he asked worriedly.

"When Nikita is concerned yes", she admitted.

"Investigate and keep me posted on Michael's progress", he ordered.

"Or his lack of", she felt compelled to say.

"Yes...", he nodded. He paused for a long time and finally confessed : "This could be the most difficult order I ever had to give Madeline".

"I know", she sighed before hanging up.

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

Michael was aware of the agitation around him. He had patiently allowed the doctors to perform dozens of test. Madeline had stopped by to check on him and more importantly question him. He had lied and she hadn't believed him. But he didn't care.

He felt at peace, there was nothing else he could do but wait. He was not afraid.

He heard a few whispers around him and then a nurse came closer, the smell of lilacs in her perfume was mixed with sweat. He could feel the woman's fear as she approached him carefully. In his mind's eye, he pictured three other people surrounding him... Three operatives, not doctors, their shoes didn't make the same noises. He mentally pictured their position in the room out of habit. Two were within range, he could take them out easily before they restrain him. The third was too far for the moment...

The nurse moved to touch his arm with trembling fingers.

Michael swiftly caught her hand holding a syringe before she could react. He steadied her shaking hand and before the three operatives could move calmly advised :

"Don't break the needle in my arm".

She managed not to and retreated with a sigh of relief. After that, Michael let the dizziness overcome him without fighting. For a second, his mind was assaulted with flashbacks from his past all linked to Nikita and he sadly smiled. Then, he let the Nothingness engulf him without even wondering if he was dying or simply falling asleep.

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

Nikita was running in the halls of Section as an unexplainable sense of dread filled her. She arrived at Medlab breathless, heart pounding. She stormed into the room looking for Michael but he was nowhere to be seen.

She violently grabbed a male nurse by the collar.

"Where is he?", she shouted in his surprised face.

"Who?", he asked trying to escape her strong grip.

"Michael! What have you done with him?", she asked again shaking him.

"The blind guy? They took him away", he said gesturing at a door on the opposite side of the room.

Nikita let go of him to rush towards the door.

"Wait, you can't go in", she barely heard him say.

She opened the door to find Michael laying on a stretcher eyes wide open and her heart skipped a beat.

Hypnotized by the sight of his still body, she didn't hear the footsteps behind her.

"Get out of here!", a male voice said.

She turned to stand face to face to a doctor wearing his red outfit, mask, gloves and all, obviously ready to operate.

She gathered all the calm she could manage before uttering :

"How is he?"

The doctor took in her agitated features and swallowed. The woman was a lethal weapon as far as he knew and her relationship with Michael was no secret in Section. He chose his words carefully not to upset her more.