Season Four Ending Arc Spoiler

love struck Romeo,
sings the streets a serenade,
he's laying everybody low,
he's got a love song that he made,
he finds a convenient street light,
and he steps out of the shade,
and says something like,
"You and me babe, how about it?"

As the wind of the sea whipped across the beach in a frenzy of exuberant life, the fresh smell of sea salt and ocean air trailed along behind its blusterous companion giving life to the majestic setting. Shimmering blue water intermittently lapped and charged the almost completely deserted beach. A variety of ocean birds soared through the air occasionally swooping down into the water for a fish or two. The twilight hour was approaching, and as the sun began to makes its journey to the other side of the earth, the brilliant star left in its wake a glorious light show. Hues of yellow and orange flitted and danced along the horizon, gaily attempting to hold off the muted shades of blue and purple pushing them away. The color war was a painting come to life - an artwork of the greatest beauty, yet sadly a reminder of what was not to be.

Juliet says, "Hey it's Romeo,"
he nearly give me a heart attack,
yeah, well he's underneath my window,
and now she's singing, "hey la, my boyfriend's back.",
you shouldn't come around here, singing up to people like that,
anyway, whatcha gonna do about it?

He stood there on that pebbled beach watching the performance before him, numb to it all. He did not feel the cool breeze rifle through his curling hair. The refreshing scent of salt and sand had no affect on his sense of smell. Only the light show before him seemed to touch even a small piece inside of him, and then it was merely to bring about a fresh wave of grief. His mind echoed only a single thought as he held his vigilant watch, "She is not here."

now Juliet,
the dice were loaded from the start,
and I bet,
and you exploded into my heart,
and I forget, I forget the movie song,
when're you gonna realize it was just that time was wrong?
Julie

Over a week had passed since Michael's supposed cancellation. After walking out of the woods he forced himself to get into the waiting car and drive off into the proverbial sunset. Rushing down the country road the only thoughts filling his head were plans of where he would go next. He blocked out all thought regarding Nikita's last words, focusing on what was to come and not on what had just passed. Through a convoluted serious of paths throughout Europe, Michael finally settled on the island of Rhodes.

we both come up on streets of shame,
you know they're both dirty, both mean,
yes, and even the dreams were the same,
but I dreamed your dream for you,
and now your dream is real,
so tell me honey - now how can you look at me as if I was just another one of your dears?

With years of Section training forever embedded in his psyche, Michael's first move after stepping off the plane at Diagoras was to begin his profile for hiding in plain sight. Obtaining the necessary transportation, currency and clothes to complete his mission, he gathered his purchases and headed away from the busy city of Rhodes in the north for the smaller city of Kattavia, located at the southern end of the island, near the beautiful beach of Prassonissi.

now you can fall for the chains of silver,
and you can fall for the chains of gold,
you know ya fall for pretty strangers,
and the promises they hold,
well you promised me everything,
and then ya promised me thick and thin,
and now ya just turn away and say, "Romeo, I think I used to have a scene with him."

The drive down allowed him, for the first time in over a week, to collect his thoughts and gain perspective on the most recent events in his tumultuous life. In the span of a few hours everything had changed and for the first time, in a very long time, Michael was on the outside looking in. Madeline was dead; Mick turned out to be Mr. Jones, head of Center; and for the last three years Nikita has served as his Section informant. Even for a man like Michael, who has been to hell and back, these events were difficult to process let alone dissect. Only one thing remained clear amongst all the clutter, he refused to acknowledge Nikita's parting words that she never loved him.

ah Julie,
when we made love you used to cry,
you said I love you like the stars above,
gonna love you 'til I die,
there's a place for us,
I know you know this song,
and now when're you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong
- Julie, I'm so in love, so in love, yeah

If nothing else, Michael has always been honest with himself and he knew his attempt at totally denial was so he could hold on to the little piece of hope left in his life - Nikita. Hope was an emotion - a concept - an ideal - he had let go of too many years ago to recall when the loss occurred. That was, until four years ago, when Nikita stepped into his office and vehemently denied being guilty of the crime charged against her. In that moment, a flash of hope was ignited and little-by-little, over the years, she managed to keep the spark aflame. Eventually, Nikita's persistence paid off and Michael began to believe again enough that he was willing to chance a relationship between them. Unfortunately, that small spark may have been their greatest downfall.

but I can't do the talk like they talk on my T.V. screen
and I can't do a love song,
not the way you sung them to me,
I can't do anything except be in love with you

Arriving at the southern tip of Rhodes by late afternoon, Michael made his way to the charming, old home on the outskirts of Kattavia. At the first sound of a car in the driveway, a rather young, beautiful, dark-haired, olive-skin woman came running outside and after a moment's hesitation of surprise, she greeted Michael like a long lost brother. Melia and Toni Borelli were the couple he had mentioned to Nikita in the car on the way to Reykjavik. The last time he had seen them was a year or so before he transferred to Section One. Back then only their son Toni Jr. had been born, but since that time the family had expanded to include daughters Sophia and Marie. Welcoming him with warm hugs and teasing questions of where he had disappeared to over the years, Michael managed to find a small bit of solace amongst the family's warmth.

yeah, now all I do is miss you,
and the way it used to be,
I keep the beat,
I keep bad, bad company,
and all I do is kiss you through the bars of this rhyme,
when Julie I'd do the stars with you any time

After dutifully spending time with the Borelli's and catching up on the missing years, Michael now stood alone on the empty beach, half-heartedly watching the sun slip below the horizon while continuing to sort through his thoughts and feelings. In the end most of what occurred back at Section did not really matter - Madeline's suicide, the revelation of Mick and Nikita's true roles, even his cancellation order. The one burning question stuck on replay in his mind was, "Do I believe her?"

ah Julie -
when we made love you used to cry,
you said I love you like the stars above,
I'm gonna love you 'til I die,
there's a place for us,
I know, you know the movie song,
one day we're gonna realize it was just that time was wrong -

For Michael, a yes or a no would be too easy of an answer - black and white. Neither Section nor the people in it have ever been black and white, but a melding of the two extremes. Because of this, black and white answers have never settled well with Michael. So maybe his answer should be both and maybe it would be except that he knows that his and Nikita's love was never gray. There was no shadowy doubt seeping out to blur the edges or confuse emotions with one and another. What they had, from the beginning in all its various stages, was definitely love. This was never about mere friendship or lust, but always about love - his for her and hers for him, real or otherwise.

...Julie...

So once again, Michael asked himself the question, "Do I believe her?" Looking out over the darkening water and observing the few small boats out at sea, which brought back a thousand memories, he finally noticed the last of the glorious sunset fading before him. A lingering palette of indigo blue and deep purple remained, as his senses awakened along with conscious thought. The sand felt cold and gritty under his bare feet and the salty smell sharply penetrated the air as his kinesthetic senses absorbed his environment.

...Julie...

Shivering slightly at the bombardment of so much stimulation, Michael turned away from the water and climbed the dunes of the beach for his car. Slipping into the used vehicle, he headed back to the Borelli home and the comfort of the familiar. The short drive was uneventful and he made the trip in no time. Pulling into the drive, he exited the car and walked around the house to the back entrance.

...Julie...

Inside the warm kitchen where he entered, Michael was greeted by the melodious sounds of a family preparing for dinner. Melia stood humming at the stove stirring a sauce of some sort while the two oldest children Toni Jr. and Sophia set the table for dinner. Although not present in the kitchen, Toni Sr. and the baby could be heard playing in the front rooms of the house.

Sensing his presence in the doorway, Melia turned around and greeted her guest with an open smile.

"Hello Michael. Did you enjoy your trip to the beach?"

"Yes. Thank you," he answered in a soft, polite tone.

"Good," she replied, still smiling, "I hope you are hungry because I have prepared a large dinner in your honor. It won't be ready for another half hour or so if you'd like to freshen up."

Michael merely nodded his agreement and moved towards the front of the house to head upstairs. As he reached the doorway between the kitchen and living room, Melia stopped him briefly.

"Michael wait," she called out, "Before I forget, a delivery man came by with a package for you while you were out. I left it for you on the bed."

Smiling his thanks, Michael exited the kitchen, all senses on guard at this latest development. A thousand possibilities played out in his mind as he climbed the stairs two-by-two, striding down the hall to his room. Opening the door, his eyes immediately found the plain box on his bed. Upon further inspection the postmark read Berlin, Germany and there was no return address. Placing the box close to his ears, he heard no indication of a bomb and there seemed to be no visual evidence either.

Taking his chances, Michael pulled back the tape sealing the top of the box and lifted up the flaps. Inside, amongst several hundred pieces of shipping popcorn laid a P.D.A. He pulled it out and turned on the device. Only two words appeared on the screen: Be patient.

For the first time in over a week Michael allowed a small smile to grace his face. He had his answer - yes, he mostly certainly did not believe her denial of love.

well, this love struck Romeo,
sings the streets a serenade,
he's laying everybody low,
he's got a love song that he made,
he finds a convenient street light,
and he'll, he'll step out of the shade,
and he'll say something like, "You and me babe, how about it?"

Song note: "Romeo and Juliet" by the Indigo Girls off the rites of passage album.

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