Nikita dumped her equipment on Walter's work table with a sigh of relief. She had just come off the van fresh from a grueling, if tedious, ten days in the field. She and her team had been staking out a lab making designer computer chips. Why they had picked a hot, muggy, bug-ridden jungle to do it in was beyond her.

Pausing to lean her elbows wearily next to the equipment bag, she gave the older, pony-tailed man a feeble smile.

"Hi, Walter."

"Hey, Sugar." His smile did not quite reach his keen blue eyes, which searched her face intently. "How did the mission go?"

"It was routine," she answered. "Just some surveillance."

"Yeah, that's good..."

He lowered his gaze from her, speaking almost absent-mindedly. She didn't know about it yet. He wondered if it was kinder to warn her now or to let her have a few more hours of ignorant bliss.

"Something wrong, Walter?" Despite her bone-tiredness, she was unable to ignore the older man's cautious mood. He hadn't even said anything remotely lewd or suggestive to her yet. Something was definitely amiss.

"No, no," he denied. "Nothing's wrong." He busied himself with inventorying the contents of her bag, looking decidedly uncomfortable.

Nikita stared at him for a moment, then decided she was too weary to push for the truth. She would go home and crash. There would be time to figure out Walter's secrets later, after she had gotten some sleep.

She pulled her hair out of its top-knot and let it fall free over her shoulders. Rubbing her neck absently, she gave the older man a parting smile and stood up from the table.

"See ya later."

"Yeah, later." He nodded and scurried off further into the equipment bay, almost relieved to get away from her.

Something very weird is going on, she thought. What the hell was it?

She had only gone a few steps further toward the exit when a soft voice behind her called out her name.

"Nikita..."

She stopped in her tracks, lowered her head, eyes closed, and sighed. "Yes, Michael?"

She always was a little excited, a little thrilled, as well as a little afraid, to be in his presence. But right now she was just too tired to deal with any more games, her mind too numb with fatigue to concentrate on deciphering his usual enigmatic signals.

She turned to look at him, hoping this wouldn't take too long.

All thoughts of sleep fled as she saw the look on his face. He was dressed in the usual black, his hair and his expression both under control. But his eyes, instead of being blank, held a hunted look, a look of desperation.

She hadn't seen that particular expression since... she remembered now. When Michael had first encountered Jurgen. A chill went through her. Something had happened to make Michael, a man who faced death daily with total stoicism, afraid.

Automatically, she stood close to him and lowered her voice to a whisper. "What is it? What's wrong?"

He paused, just looking at her for a long moment. "Madeleine wants to see us."

He stared at her for a moment longer, then turned on his heel to walk down the corridor, expecting her to follow.

"Wait, Michael!" Nikita grabbed his arm. "Is it bad?"

The green eyes softened, and he brushed a hand against her cheek in a quick but tender caress. "Bad enough. Bauer was here today."

"Bauer!" she gasped. "What does he want?"

Michael looked away from her, remembering how startled he had been earlier that afternoon when he had been crossing the main work area and had looked up at Operation's glass-walled office.

Terry Bauer, terrorist, liar, killer, was sitting there, chatting comfortably with Madeleine, Operations, and George. He was smiling and sipping his wine. The rest of them hadn't looked quite as happy, but were all nodding approvingly at whatever Bauer had just said.

Standing still below him, scowling at the man for whom he had nothing but loathing and contempt, Michael stiffened with shock when Bauer's gaze met and locked with his.

A slow smile spread over Bauer's thin lips. He raised his glass of champagne to Michael in a mock salute, and bent his head in a small bow.

Michael frowned, his mouth tightening in a grim line, but he kept staring at his old foe.

Mockingly, gleefully, Bauer looked Michael up and down. Lasciviously, his heated gaze lingered on the other man greedily, as if he were a vulture and Michael was a tasty, helpless prey.

Michael felt soiled by the look, feeling as if Bauer had not just looked at him, but had actually stripped him and groped him as well. Despite his discomfort, he did not break his steady gaze on Bauer, their eyes remaining locked.

Slowly, Bauer licked his lips and blew Michael a kiss.

Chilled, Michael broke the gaze and strode off to his office, unaccustomed waves of fear washing over him. He felt himself break out in a sweat, but his hands were ice-cold.

Now, Michael pondered the answer to Nikita's question. He wasn't sure, but he had a pretty good idea what Bauer was after.

"What does he want, Michael?" Nikita insisted.

Michael took a deep breath and answered her. "Us," he said.

"As you both know, we had a meeting with Terry Bauer today." Madeleine began, regarding the two operatives from across her desk thoughtfully.

Nikita was slumped in her seat in front of the desk, scowling. Michael stood tensely behind her, one hand gripping the back of the chair. Both waited in silence for Madeleine to go on.

"Bauer has been approached by a terrorist faction desiring to procure enough of a certain viral agent for an attack on Washington, D.C."

"The White House?" Michael asked.

"We believe so." Madeleine folded her hands calmly in her lap. "Bauer is willing to give us the name and location of the buyer, as well as details about their plan, for a price."

"How much does he want?" asked Nikita.

Madeleine looked at her. "Not how much. Who."

Michael stiffened. Nikita's lower lip trembled. It was what they both feared.

Madeleine sighed. "Apparently, Mr. Bauer has not gotten over the humiliating encounter with both of you on your mission with him two years ago. His resentment has festered..."

"He has asked for no money. His only request is that you, Michael, and you, Nikita," she said looking at each one in turn, "put on a .... performance for him. Something he feels he was denied before..."

Nikita cringed, remembering Bauer's lewd suggestion to Michael on the mission. The weapons broker had put his arm around Michael's shoulder and proposed that Michael watch him have sex with Nikita. When Michael had refused, Bauer had proposed that the couple perform for him while he watched and video-taped them.

Nikita jumped up, almost toppling her chair. "He wants to rape us, you mean.." She glaring defiantly at Madeleine, her chest heaving.

"No, not exactly," came Madeleine's calm reply. She seemed unperturbed by Nikita's outburst.

"Then what, exactly?" asked Michael, clenching his fists at his sides, his body stiff.

Madeleine tilted her head. "Bauer is much too cautious to submit to actual physical contact with you..."

Damn straight, thought Nikita. I'd break his neck first.

"He does, however, want you to be ... punished. Humiliated," Madeleine went on. "He wants you to suffer. Particularly you, Michael."

Michael said nothing, giving her the blank stare.

Madeleine stared back for a moment, then spoke in a sympathetic voice. "He wants you to watch while another man .. has intimate relations with Nikita...."

Nikita bit her lip to keep from screaming. Michael turned pale, gripping the back of the chair until his knuckles were white.

It got worse. "He also wants you, Michael, to submit yourself sexually to another man."

NO! Michael yelled inside his mind. It took all of his self-control not to cry out.

Nikita made a choking sound in her throat. "And you agreed to this?"

She was shocked, then felt angry at herself for being shocked. By now, she shouldn't be surprised at anything the Section asked them to do, no matter how sick and depraved it was.

"No, 'I' did not agree to it," Madeleine answered. "George did."

She frowned. "I had little choice but to go along."

I'm sorry, " she added, sighing. "I did, however, get him to agree to certain conditions..."

"Conditions?" asked Michael.

Madeleine nodded. "The.. session will be video-taped here in Section. And we choose who the third party will be. We have two days...'

Michael rubbed his hand over his chin, agitatedly. "Have you chosen someone yet?"

His mind was reeling, frantically inventorying the list of killers and criminals employed by Section One. The last man the Section had manipulated to come between them had been Jurgen. He didn't know how he would handle submitting himself or Nikita to any of the men on his list.

Bauer could not have found a better way to punish him if he had tried. This was hell.

"Yes, we have already selected someone," answered Madeleine. "He's on his way now."

Her voice was calm as she continued her orders. "The three of you will be on closed-quarters standby until the mission is finished. None of you will be allowed to leave until then."

She went on. "I want all of you to stay in the same quarters. Get acquainted. Adjust to each other. You will be given complete privacy to do so.." Michael and Nikita both knew 'adjust to each other' and 'get acquainted' were both euphemisms for having sex.

Madeliene finished. "Then, when you're ready, let me know and the session will start."

Nikita sat slumped in her chair, defeated, her hand across her eyes. Michael crossed his arms across his chest, feeling himself tremble a little. He wanted to take Nikita by the hand and run with her to the door, but he fought to control himself.

Instead, he stared as the doors to Madeleine's office opened to reveal the man who would join him and his precious Nikita in bed.

Madeleine looked up and greeted the newcomer.

"Come in," she said, smiling.

Dr. Brian Whicker, carrying his medical bag and panting a little from his run down the hallway, rushed into Madeleine's office. He was wearing a white lab coat over green scrubs, the coat unbuttoned and flaring behind him.

Tall, over six feet, with curly, almost black hair that touched his collar, he was, despite his height and imposing build, an unintimidating man. There was a kind look in his blue eyes, and a certain softness to the expression on his lean, handsome face. He had an air of sweetness about him, of gentleness, that was incredibly rare in Section One.

He had been one of the doctors who had cared for Madeleine after her kidnapping and torture at the hands of a terrorist several months ago.

He had admired her bravery during her recovery, and her amazing control, despite the pain she was in. When he had received her urgent summons to come to her office, he had grabbed his med-kit and hurried, running, down the corridors to see her.

Frantically, he had punched in the code she had given him on the keypad and waited impatiently for the doors to open. After a few seconds they did, and he stepped inside.

Three pairs of eyes stared at him. Madeleine was smiling.

"Come in," she said.

"I came as fast as I could," he said, broad chest heaving as he caught his breath. "Madeleine, are you all right?"

Madeleine gazed fondly at the gentle young doctor who had so carefully tended her while she was in Medlab. "I'm fine, Doctor," she said sweetly.

Brian assessed her quickly, then nodded, turning to look at the other two persons in the room. He recognized them; sooner or later all the operatives ended up in Medlab for one reason or another. He had treated both Michael and Nikita for injuries before.

Michael looked pale, but composed. Nikita was slumped in her chair, an expression of obvious distress on her face.

Quickly, Brian knelt in front of her chair and reached for her wrist to take her pulse. "Nikita?"

Nikita pulled her hand away from his, cringing at his touch. "Don't touch me!" she hissed.

>From behind him, Madeleine spoke. "No one's sick, Brian. That's not why you're here."

Warily, Brian stood up and turned to look at Madeleine. "Why am I here, then?" he asked.

Tersely and graphically, Madeleine told him.

Brian stood frozen, his eyes widening in shock. He stared straight ahead, feeling like a giant hand had come down and squeezed all the breath from him, and was now holding him immobile in its grip.

"Christ Almighty," he managed to choke out, and he sat heavily down in the chair Michael had declined to sit in next to Nikita's. He closed his eyes for a moment, then shook his head. He stared dumbfounded at Michael, then Nikita, then turned back to Madeleine again. He gazed at her in disbelief.

"This is nuts," he said. He ran a hand nervously through the dark curls. "You really expect me to do this?"

On the contrary, it is not 'nuts', as you call it. It makes perfect sense. You are ideal for this assignment..."

All three younger people stared at Madeleine in rapt attention.

"There are reasons why I picked you," she went on. " Besides the obvious ones of your being young, physically attractive and virile... "

Brian lowered his eyes to the floor.

"You are not a security risk. You have been in Section long enough for us to know you are a stable, reliable person, unlike many of those here...."

She smiled at him. "And unlike many operatives, your profile shows you have few if any, violent tendencies. You are distinctly .... non-aggressive, in fact..."

Brian kept his eyes on the floor, uncomfortable with the three pairs of eyes staring at him, as well as the bizarre situation.

Madeleine stood up from the desk and came toward him, lifting his chin in her hand until he was forced to look up at her.

"So," he said tensely, "If I'm so nice, what makes you think I have the stomach for this?"

"It's not really that repugnant to you, Brian, is it?" cooed Madeleine, stroking his cheek. "Given your past sexual experiences and your... orientation...."

Brian gasped and jumped up from his chair. "What?"

Madeleine smiled, continuing calmly. "You find both Michael and Nikita attractive, don't you? A bi-sexual like yourself would surely enjoy the opportunity to be intimate with both of them. It must seem like a dream come true..."

Brian gasped again. He was agitated, and, despite his placid temperament, he was incredibly angry.

"No! I am NOT doing this.." he shouted. The young doctor raced to the door, only to come up short against it when it did not open for him. Breathing raggedly, he turned to face them all again.

Michael's expression was blank and unreadable; Nikita still looked distressed. Madeleine was still infuriatingly, implacably calm.

"Look, I've never forced anyone against their will, and I sure as hell am not going to start now!" Brian yelled. "What do you think I am, some kind of damn rapist or something?"

"No," said Madeleine. "You're not a rapist. You are ...." she paused for emphasis. "...a lover."

She let her gaze flicker over the three young people. "And that's what all of you will be. Lovers."

Michael flinched and Nikita put her head in her hands.

Brian stared at Madeleine defiantly. "And if I refuse?"

"You won't refuse," she told him. "But if you are foolish enough to insist on not co-operating, you will be cancelled."

"Good," he said, crossing his arms across his chest, a mulishly stubborn look on his face. "Life sucks here anyway. That's fine with me."

He glared at her challengingly.

"Very well," agreed Madeleine. "We'll cancel you." She opened her desk drawer and took out a gun, aiming it straight at him.

The three froze. Slowly, Madeleine moved the weapon to her left until it no longer aimed at Brian but straight at the center of Nikita's forehead.

She pulled the hammer back with a heart-stopping click. "But first, before we cancel you, you'll watch Nikita die because of you."

"No!" Before Michael could move, Brian leapt between the gun and Nikita. Leaning his hands on the desk, his chest inches from the gun, Brian looked pleadingly into Madeleine's cold eyes.

"Please. Please don't hurt her," he begged. "I'll do anything you want..."

Madeleine gazed thoughtfully at the compassionate young doctor. She had known just what buttons to push. Everything would go smoothly from now on, she was sure.

She lowered the gun and placed it on the top of the desk, registering with satisfaction the three sighs of relief in response to her action.

Madeleine looked at all of them and smiled. "Very, very good," she said.

Sitting side by side on the couch, Michael and Nikita stared at Dr. Whicker in the opposite chair. They were locked into the small apartment-like quarters together, all of them acutely uncomfortable.

An awkward silence had stretched on and on between them. Nikita held Michael's hand and bit her lip nervously. She was the most outwardly frightened of the three, but inside the men were equally, if not more, terrified and apprehensive than she.

Brian shifted in his chair and broke the silence. "Look, I meant what I said. About not being a rapist, I mean. I don't know if I can..."

He swallowed nervously. "I'm not out to humiliate or hurt either one of you..."

Nikita sighed. "I know. But that's what Bauer wants to see you do. And we have to do what Bauer wants..."

Michael said nothing, but he was silently proud of her. In spite of her repugnance, she was learning to focus on the mission.

"This guy, Bauer," asked Brian, "Is he the same piece of slime that used that L-virus on that building downtown?"

"Yes," said Michael. "The same."

Brian shook his head. "That happened before I got here, but we studied the autopsy reports. Jesus, what a bastard...."

"We need to stop him," Michael said quietly. "Whatever our ... personal feelings may be, we.. just have to do the job."

There was a haunted look in his green eyes. He stood up and walked to the bedroom door. "I'm going to take a shower," he announced.

He looked at the two others. "Get acquainted," he told them.

He didn't want to watch. Michael stepped through the bedroom door and pulled it shut behind him.

Nikita bit her lower lip again and backed further away from Brian on the couch.

"It's not what you think, you know," he said gently.

"What?"

"Bi-sexuality." His blue eyes looked into hers. "I'm not some kind of sex-crazed pervert, screwing everything that moves. I.. I..."

Brian sighed. "Can I tell you something?"

She nodded.

"I'm not really all that experienced.."

"No?" said Nikita, disbelieving.

"Yeah. Believe it. Being bi sounds like, well, you'd see a lot of action. You know, twice the fun, twice the partners..."

He smiled shyly. "But in reality, it means I have twice as many chances to get turned down for a date on Saturday night."

Nikita gave a small laugh.

Brian, encouraged, continued. "I'm really not very kinky at all. I'm actually an old-fashioned kind of guy. I want to find someone, fall in love, stay with that one special person..."

Nikita looked at him thoughtfully.

He got up out of the chair, pacing. "I had a high school sweetheart." He grinned. "A girl, in case you wanted to know. I wanted to marry her..."

"What happened?" asked Nikita.

Brian sighed ruefully. "She dumped me for some jock on the football team."

"Ouch! Sorry," Nikita smiled, relaxing. Brian was really very charming.

Brian perched on the arm of the chair. "Yeah, she broke my heart. I didn't fall in love again for a long time after that. Until Med School."

He looked up at her. "This time I fell in love with a man. It didn't seem strange. It was very natural. We belonged together. We stayed together until..." Brian stopped, his smile fading.

"Did you get dumped again?" she asked sympathetically.

"No." Tears welled in the young man's eyes. "He didn't leave me. I.. " He took a deep breath and met her gaze again. "I killed him."

Nikita looked back at him, saying nothing for a long moment. Finally, she asked, "What happened?"

Brian went on, his voice low. "He got cancer. Of the stomach. Near the end, the pain got really bad, so bad the morphine couldn't touch it. I had to watch..."

He stopped, his voice catching in his throat. After a moment, he gained his composure and continued. "He begged me to help him. So I did."

"Oh, Brian..."

"He only had a few days left. Hours, maybe. But I couldn't leave him like that. I gave him the overdose and held him until... until..."

"I'm sorry," whispered Nikita.

Brian tried to smile. "It's how I got here. I was too stupid, or too grief-stricken, to cover what I'd done. I admitted it. I ended up in jail for murder, and then one day I woke up here in Section One."

He leaned toward her, eyes roving tenderly over her face. "And here I am now, locked in a room with a beautiful girl like you...."

Nikita leaned forward, closing the space between them and initiating the kiss that she knew he would not.

Brian stayed still, letting her mouth play over his. Then, groaning, he pulled her closer, becoming a willing partner in the kiss. Gently, he submitted, letting her taste his inner sweetness and at the same time exploring hers.

Before he became lost in the sensations, he pulled back. "Nikita?" he questioned tentatively, unsure of her response, not wishing to push too far.

"Shhh," she said softly, and pulled him down on the couch next to her, holding her body firmly against his. Determinedly, she kissed him again.

Michael softly closed the bedroom door all the way, shutting off the sight of the couple on the couch. He leaned his back against the closed door, closing his eyes. He stood that way for a long time before he found the strength to move to take his shower.

Nikita deepened the kiss and caressed Brian's broad shoulder, running her hand down the hard biceps and lower until she caught his hand in hers. Brian gripped her fingers, squeezing tightly, and moaned against her mouth.

Nikita sensed that she would have to be the one to lead things further with the shy Brian. Even now, with her lips and body giving him tacit consent to do anything he wanted, the young doctor hesitated. Instinctively, she realized that what Madeleine had said about him was right. He was not aggressive; he was a man who would be a devoted and tender partner if guided, a willing servant if led, but he would not take command of her now. To Brian, lovemaking was more about surrendering, than dominating. She doubted he would even know how to make love any other way.

The idea of having a man like him, so tender, so caring, and all hers to command, was a sweet one.

Sighing, Nikita took Brian's hand in hers and pulled it up between their bodies, placing it firmly on her breast. He gasped softly, his hand still for a moment, then gently kneaded the firm mound under his palm. His touch was almost reverent.

Burying his face in her hair, he breathed raggedly in her ear. "So beautiful... Nikita...."

His voice was full of awe.

With one hand tangled in the dark curls, Nikita pulled him closer for another kiss. The other hand pushed the lab coat aside and slipped down to slide along one hard, cotton-covered thigh.

She felt him tense, but she didn't pause, gliding her hand smoothly back up the hard muscles until she encountered his manhood, caressing him through the thin material.

He was already aroused, but she felt him harden further, his need growing under her touch.

Suddenly, he broke the kiss, gasping, and then pulled away from her, sitting up on the couch. He laughed nervously, breathless.

"O.K., O.K., you made your point. You can turn me on anytime you want. With no trouble at all..."

He looked at her tenderly, and softly stroked one lock of her blonde blond hair, his touch whisper-light. "You O.K.?" he asked.

Nikita looked at him. She knew she could trust herself to the shy Brian, and entrust him with Michael as well. Madeleine had chosen well.

If they had been forced to submit to someone like Bauer, she and Michael would have to fear being brutalized and violated. With Brian, she had no such fear. Perhaps they would all survive this mission after all.

"I'm fine," she said, smiling. "Really."

"Good," he said, a little nervously still. "I... I think I'll just go make some coffee.... all right?"

"Sure," she nodded. "Go ahead."

He stood up and moved away from her into the kitchen.

Alone in the living area, Nikita rubbed a hand over her face and then looked thoughtfully at the closed bedroom door. A moment later, she was on her feet and across the room, tapping quietly against it.

"Michael?" she called softly.

The door opened, and Michael stood there, wet from his shower, naked but for the towel around his waist.

He looked at her intently for a moment, then pulled the door wider, allowing her to enter. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

As soon as she had turned back to him, Michael was there, his arms reaching out to her. She fell against his chest, her arms coming up to wrap tightly around him. He clutched her to him, pressing his face to hers.

In silence, they stood holding each other like that for a long time.

Michael stroked Nikita's hair lightly, still holding her close in his arms. "I'm sorry, Nikita," he said softly.

"Shhh," she said into his bare, warm shoulder. "Brian didn't... We didn't...."

He pulled her away from him and they looked into each other's eyes.

"Madeleine was right about him," she told him. "He's not aggressive. In fact, he stopped..."

She brushed her hand softly against one side of his lean jaw. "I... I think we'll be able to get through this..."

Michael nodded, looking relieved. "I'm glad you're not afraid of him. And that he didn't hurt you...." He sighed. "I just hate the idea of anyone else touching you..."

Nikita's eyes softened. "I feel the same about you.."

"Michael, I'm sorry," she said, falling against his shoulder again. She felt so safe there. "It has to be so much worse for you..."

"I mean, Brian is a man, and I'm ....used to that. But you... it'll be your first time..."

Nikita felt Michael tense in her arms. "It's O.K.," he whispered softly. "It's not my first time."

Her head came up off his shoulder and she looked into his face, hardly believing what she saw there. "Michael?"

He held her gently away from him and went to sit on the side of the bed, his back to her. He lowered his head and stared at his hands, which he twisted nervously in his lap.  His voice barely audible, Michael spoke. "When I was in prison, the first night, I...." He stopped, unable to say the words.

Nikita slumped against the bedroom door, suddenly understanding. "You were raped..." she gasped.

"Oui," he said hoarsely, still not looking at her.

"Michael! I'm sorry..."

"There's more you should know," he went on quietly.

He had never intended her to know certain aspects about himself, but this mission had forced his hand. Nikita would know soon enough, once their encounter with Brian began, that he was not inexperienced with men.

He felt he owed Nikita the respect of explaining himself to her. In fact, it was almost with relief that he looked forward to her knowing about it; it would be one less hidden thing between them.

He hoped she would still care for him in the same way after she knew.

"It didn't happen just that one time," Michael told her. "It went on night after night...."

He took in a shuddering breath. "I was ... helpless. I couldn't fight back. They... held me down... took turns....."

"Oh, God, Michael...." She came and sat down next to him on the bed, reaching out to place one hand on a towel-covered thigh.

He shifted away from her touch, grabbing her wrist. He looked into her eyes. "I told you, there's more."

Her eyes were tender on his face. She could hardly stand the thought of the beautiful, young Michael being violated like that. She cringed at the thought of his suffering.

"What happened?" she asked.

He dropped her wrist and stared at his hands once more. "One of the inmates... took an interest in me. He was a powerful man, one of the gang leaders. He ... bought me...."

"Bought you?"

"Yes," continued Michael softly. "He paid off the others. Said I was his property. Made the rest of them leave me alone..."

Nikita didn't touch him again, but she shifted closer to him on the bed. "Was that any better, Michael?" she asked gently. "Didn't he rape you, too?"

"No, he didn't ..... rape me. He protected me." The soft voice shook. "I think he cared for me, in his way..."

"He didn't touch you?"

Michael closed his eyes and answered hoarsely. "No. He DID touch me. But not like the others.."

Nikita understood. Michael's protector had seduced him.

"I.. I.. came to enjoy it. It wasn't disgusting to me anymore..." he choked out.

"That doesn't make you gay, Michael," she said softly, almost to herself. Was Michael bi? Or were the labels essentially meaningless? Were the kind of body parts you had and joined with important, or was it what you felt in your heart for someone that really mattered?

"No. I'm not gay. But I won't lie to you," Michael said, the words rushing out. "I can't. You'll see for yourself soon enough. Being with a man can be ... physically satisfying for me..."

"Oh," she said. "Physically. But not .... emotionally?"

Michael lifted his head up and turned toward her. "There is only one person who can do that..."

His eyes melded with hers. Nikita reached for him. She pushed him back on the bed and began kissing him. Breathless, he pulled her closer, taking her face in his hands, thrusting his fingers in her hair as he plundered her mouth with his.

Nikita groaned and broke the kiss. "There's only one person who can do that for me, too..." she whispered.

Groaning, Michael turned her to lie underneath him. Nikita tugged at the towel, pulling it free from his lean hips. Hungrily, urgently, his hands roved over her, pushing away her clothes in turn.

Her fingers traveled over the warm, damp skin, all along his back. In a secret, deep hidden place inside him, Michael's battle-scarred soul leapt with joy that she had not been repulsed by his confession. That she still desired him, wanted him, loved him, just as much, if not more.

He tugged hastily at her top, pulling it up and fumbling underneath it until he found one soft, perfectly shaped breast, feeling the pink tip of it hardening under his fingers.

Nikita sighed in delight. After a moment he replaced his fingers with his mouth, lowering his face to the sensitive nipple. His lips caressed her, sucking, nipping, teasing. His hands found the top of her tight-fitting pants and slipped inside, fingers hot on her skin.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Nikita looked up into his glittering eyes. "Michael?"

"Nikita," he said breathlessly. "No matter what happens.. No matter who I'm.... with. What he does to you... to me... It will just be us together, oui? You understand?"

She gasped at his tenderness. "Yes, Michael. Always, just us," she whispered. "Just you and me..... Like this...."

With a loud cry, he captured her lips again in a searing kiss.

Soon, bodies as well as lips came together, interlocking, the two becoming one. Triumphantly, defiantly, their joining proclaimed their ownership only of one to the other. Despite the wishes and intrusions of Bauer and the needs of Section duty, they inviolately belonged, exclusively, irrevocably, only to each other.

MINE, thought Nikita, as she climaxed, shuddering, in Michael's arms. MY BELOVED.

MINE, thought Michael. AND I AM ONLY HERS. He sighed, trembling with pleasure in her embrace.

While Nikita showered, Michael dressed himself again and went back out to the living area to check on Brian. To 'get acquainted' with him, as Madeleine had ordered. He took a deep breath before he opened the bedroom door.

For a short, blissful time he had been able to forget the mission, lost in the sanctuary of Nikita's arms. Now the reality of their situation was back full-force in his awareness. There was little time left before...

Steeling himself, he pulled open the door and stepped out. At first, he did not see the other man, the quarters seeming empty.

"Brian?" Michael called out.

"Huh? What?" A dark tousled head rose up from behind the edge of the couch, followed by sleep-rumpled green-clad shoulders. Brian sat up with a start, blinking.

Michael went around to the front of the couch, sitting down next to the young doctor. Brian ran a hand through his dark curls, further disordering them. Blearily his eyes focused on Michael, a look of alarm in their blue depths.

"Is it time?"

"No, not yet," answered Michael.

Brian sighed with relief and leaned back against the couch, rubbing a hand over his face. He gave a small laugh.

"Sorry, I fell asleep. I even had two cups of coffee and was feeling REALLY uptight."

He shook his head, smiling. "It's an old habit from Med School. Used to drive John nuts. I can fall asleep anywhere..."

Michael was silent, but he gave Brian a small, answering smile.

Brian looked at him, then past him to the closed bedroom door. "Is... Nikita all right?"

"Fine," Michael answered, smiling further at the question.

If Madeleine had given them to Bauer, inquiring after Nikita's emotional state would have been the last thing he would have done. By now, Bauer would have already raped Nikita and him, and he would have enjoyed doing it. Bauer was remarkably free from anything remotely resembling a conscience.

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Michael was grateful to Brian for being the kind of person he was. If he had to share himself and his Nikita with another man, he was thankful it would be with someone like Brian.

Nikita trusted him, and so could he.

"Who is John? Was that your lover?" asked Michael intently.

"Huh? Uh, yes. Yes, he was." Brian looked up, his gaze meeting inscrutable green eyes. They smoldered with... anger? fear? .. desire? Michael was a total unknown. Brian was intimidated by him, attracted to him, and at the same time felt a great pity for the older man.

He didn't want to hurt him, but in this situation, how could he avoid it?

"Jesus, I'm sorry, Michael. This has got to be hell for you. I..."

"No, it's all right...." Michael moved closer to Brian on the couch, and slowly reached out to touch the other man's cheek, caressing it gently.

Brian froze, his eyes widening. Michael felt him tense under his touch. Gently, he brushed back a lock of Brian's hair, and then let his hand lower to the younger man's shoulder, his touch still feather-light.

Brian broke the gaze and turned his head away, his lips tightening in a thin line and his chest rising and falling rapidly in distress and apprehension. He knew Michael's attempt to make love with him now had nothing to do with desire but because Section had forced him to, leaving him no other choice. And the idea of force was repugnant to him.

"Don't!" Brian said, finally finding his voice. He pulled away from Michael's hand.  Sobbing a little, his voice agonized, Brian gasped out, "No! I know you don't want this..."

Michael gripped Brian by the shoulder and leaned in closer. "Look at me."

Brian turned his head and met the green eyes again.

"I DO want this..." He caressed Brian's face again, tracing the outline of his mouth with one finger. Brian's lips parted in a gasp.

"You do?"

"Yes...." Michael leaned forward and pressed his mouth to Brian's still parted lips. Slowly, he teased the other man's lips open further and darted his tongue inside, exploring gently.

Brian submitted to the oral caress, closing his eyes, staying still. After a moment, he moaned, his hands coming up to tangle in Michael's silky hair, pulling him closer.

There was nothing rough about the kiss. Brian responded givingly; Michael was still gentle. The kiss was a delicious exchange of sweet tenderness. Michael realized, as Nikita had before, that that's how love-making with Brian would be.

It was as Madeleine had told them -- Brian was not a rapist, but a lover. He would never be a cruel taker like Bauer. Brian was incapable of being anything but sweetly giving.

Michael broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Brian's. "Mmmmm.... I think your John was a very lucky man..."

Brian sighed and pulled Michael into an embrace, resting his head on his shoulder. "No, I was the lucky one.."

Michael felt him quiver with emotion at the mention of his lost lover, now dead. Michael knew what it was like to lose a partner. Michael now offered himself as a substitute for that long ago love.

"You see, now, how it will be?" Michael whispered, assuringly. "You won't hurt me, Brian. Or humiliate me....."

Brian lifted his head up and looked at Michael, who caressed his cheek again and went on.

"I... want you. We can do this. It won't be rape, it will be love-making, like Madeleine said..."

"But, Nikita..." Brian protested.

"Nikita trusts you, and so do I." Michael ran his hand down the other man's arm, then took his hand in his, squeezing it.

"If it helps at all, think of me as him, as your lover. It can be like that with us..."

"Oh!" Brian gasped out. The tension he was feeling eased a little, a burden lifting. He thought it would be possible now to survive this ordeal. Michael's words had shown him a way to do so.

Brian gave Michael a small, quick kiss. "You're sure?"

"Yes," Michael said, smiling.

"Thank you," Brian said, sighing in relief and smiling back. His eyes roved over Michael's face. "You're very beautiful, Michael. And very generous..."

Michael leaned forward, putting his hand on Brian's knee. "No," he whispered. "You are the beautiful one. And I plan on being very selfish...."

Jesus! thought Brian, as Michael's mouth came down on his again.

Brian let himself get lost in the deepening kiss. It had been a long time since he had been so close to a man like this. He felt Michael was honoring him with this tender caress; he felt almost... cherished, like when he had been with John....

But this wasn't his friend John. He wasn't home, safe in the arms of his lover. John was dead, and this was Section One. Reality crashed over him like a douche of cold water.

Brian put his hand on Michael's chest and pushed him away, breaking the kiss. Abruptly he rose from the couch and walked several paces away, then stood with his back to Michael, arms crossed across his chest, head down, chest heaving.

"You all right?" asked Michael gently from behind him.

Brian lifted his head, but did not turn around. "Yeah. Yeah. I..."

He sat heavily on the edge of the kitchen table and sighed, then looked up at Michael, who had come to stand next to him.

"It's not you. It's me. It's this damn situation..." Brian gave a small moan of frustration, and ran his fingers through his hair again.

Michael put a hand on his shoulder. "You can do this."

The grip on Brian's shoulder tightened. Michael took a deep breath and spoke sternly, as much to himself as to the other man.

"We don't have much time. We're as ready as we're going to be."

Brian stared at the floor, a stubborn expression on his face, and gave a slight shake to his head. "No. I'm not ready.."

Michael lifted Brian's chin up with his hand and forced him to look in his eyes. "You have to be. We should go now...."

Michael wanted it to be over with. The waiting was almost worse than the actual event. He was prepared to give himself to Brian. That part of it would not be so hard; he was coming to have a genuine regard for the other man. What he dreaded more than anything was seeing him be close with Nikita, touching her....

"Michael?" It was Nikita, coming out of the bedroom. She looked from one grim-faced man to the other.

Michael looked at her longingly, letting out a sigh. Then he set his jaw in a determined line. "We're going now..."

"Shit," said Brian and stood up, the expression on his face as stubborn as Michael's. "This is impossible..."

Nikita decided it was time to step in. She was as reluctant to begin the encounter as Brian was, but she knew Michael was right. It had to be done.

She went to Brian and put a reassuring hand on his arm. "Brian, look. It will all just be an act. When you get in there, order us around. Tell us what to do...."

"No!" Brian shook his head again.

Nikita brushed a lock of hair off his forehead and continued to gently coax him again. " We'll do anything you say. We trust you, Michael and I. You won't be hurting us..."

Nikita knew that's what he was really afraid of.

Brian responded in a soft voice, barely audible. "You'll agree. You'll go along. You'll.. do what I say. But it will still be against your will..."

"No, it won't." Michael stepped closer, speaking softly. "Brian, listen to me. You have our consent..."

"Your consent?" said Brian quietly.

"Yes," said Nikita. "It's O.K. Whatever you ask for, whatever you .. need, we'll do it."

"That's CRAP, and you know it!" Brian jumped up, shouting. He glared from one operative to the other, his eyes bright with tears of distress.

He pointed at Nikita, while he looked pleadingly at Michael. "SHE had a gun to her head!" he yelled. "That's not CONSENT, damn it!"

A tense silence ensued. The three looked at each other, in sympathy and dread, acknowledging without words that the truth had been spoken.

Michael knew that Brian was right, but the situation couldn't be helped. He was at a loss to know how to satisfy Brian's sense of honor and still complete the mission as it was laid out now. Their bodies would be surrendered for the greater good and their sense of personal dignity would be violated. Brian's values would have to be sacrificed as well.

Michael saw no way out of the situation without them suffering these casualties of the soul. And he didn't have a clue as to what he could say to Brian to make any of it acceptable. What could he possibly do to make an unbearable situation bearable?

"What if we give you our consent?" said Nikita quietly.

The men turned to her. "I told you, that's crap," said Brian. "I don't believe you."

"You're right. A blanket consent is meaningless," said Nikita, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"But what if you got our specific consent, for each thing you do? What if you were sure we agreed to each act as it was happening?" she asked him. "Would that satisfy you?"

The tight set of Brian's shoulders relaxed somewhat, and the tension on his face eased. "Yes. Yes, I could handle that..."

Michael looked at Nikita in awe. She had solved their dilemma. He felt lighter than he had since the whole mission began.

Brian would have their support and feedback, getting what he needed to keep his honor undamaged. And he and Nikita would get a badly needed sense of control. Michael was glad he would not be totally helpless once they started their performance.

Michael actually smiled. "Good," he said. "We'll need to work out some signals..."

A short, almost happy, discussion ensued. They agreed on two signals, one verbal, one non-verbal.

The word 'please' would mean consent. Any requests made for things to be done to them without that word, no matter how fervent, meant "no".

They had more trouble choosing a non-verbal signal. Finally, they decided on hand-kissing. If they touched any part of Brian's hand with their mouths, it was consent. If they did not, in spite of what they said or did to the contrary, they did not want what he demanded.

"It's not a perfect system, but it will have to do," said Michael to the others.

Brian nodded. "It's going to work, I think."

Nikita put her hand on the young doctor's arm. "Can I give you some advice?"

"Sure."

"You're not ruthless, but it's essential that you appear to be..."

Michael's eyes widened to hear his own words on Nikita's lips.

"You mean, I just have to ACT like a total slime-ball, while not really being one?" said Brian.

She smiled. "Exactly. It's all just acting. A performance...."

Their light mood evaporated as all three realized the imminence of that performance, and what it would entail, what uncomfortable things it would demand from them.

"We should go," said Michael somberly.

No one moved. A silence stretched out between them. This time there was no sense of divisiveness between them; the three were in one accord.

It was if they were all one animal, one lovely gazelle, perhaps, gathering itself before making a desperate leap across the lion's path to safety.

In unison, the three moved toward each other. It was unclear who opened their arms first, and, in the end, unimportant. What mattered was the strength and comfort they drew from the embrace, each holding and supporting the others.

After a few minutes, again moving as one, they pulled free from each others arms, breaking the tight circle. It was time.

Michael rapped sharply on the door of the quarters, signaling they were ready. The door opened and they stepped outside.

The ordeal had begun.

"Oh, shit," said Brian under his breath as he looked around the room Section had set up for their "performance". Cameras bristled from every corner of the room, some on the ceiling, some lower on the walls.

The light was not conducive to a romantic feel, either. It was painfully bright and glaring, reflecting harshly off the white walls. Apparently Bauer did not want to miss anything from any angle.

The room contained a bed and little else. The sheets were stark white like the walls. The only color in the room was the trio themselves, who, stripped of their clothes, now stood naked just inside the locked door that they had just entered from.

Nikita moved a little closer to Michael, putting her hand in his. He gripped her fingers, hard. In spite of his blank expression, he was as nervous as the other two.

Brian's stomach felt like he had just gone through a long drop on a roller-coaster ride, but this ride never seemed to come to a stop. The sinking feeling went on and on.

He felt suddenly cold, despite the hot lights of the room, his body feeling stiff and awkward. The hand that he ran through his hair shook a little.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. You have to do this, he thought to himself. Play the role. Become the bad guy.

He took one more breath and prayed. God help me.

Nikita watched the transformation as Brian turned around to look at them. An insolent smile played over his lips and he leered at them, eyes roving hotly over first Nikita's, then Michael's, bare skin.

Brian laughed. "Nice, very nice," he commented lewdly as he circled the pair, staring hard at them. The couple never took their eyes off of him, standing silent and uncomfortable under his lascivious gaze.

"Oh, yeah. I'm really going to enjoy this...." Brian stepped between the couple and stroked a hand down each of their backs, fingers trailing lightly.

"VERY nice," he said again, as his hands went lower still, caressing Michael's rear and then Nikita's, his touch no longer light. He squeezed the firm flesh in his hands.

Nikita stood straight with her arms at her sides, but at Brian's last rude caress, she attempted to move away from him touch.

"Hey! Where're you goin'?" Brian taunted, gripping her arm and pulling her against him. He kissed her roughly, laughing a little against her mouth.

Her hands came up to push against his hard chest, fingers splayed against the soft covering of dark hair.

"Please! Don't!" she cried.

It was their signal. Imperceptibly, Brian relaxed, knowing with the one word she had given him her permission and encouragement to go on with the game.

Michael, clenched fists at his sides, stepped between Brian and Nikita. His body was rigid with tension, but he gave Brian the signal as well.

"Stop. Please..."

Blue eyes met green in relief and gratitude. The signal to continue had been given.

Brian relaxed more into the role. He laughed again, and put one arm around Michael's shoulder, pulling him against him, hip to hip.

"Don't you worry, Gorgeous. I won't neglect you.." His hand in Michael's hair, Brian pulled Michael's head onto his shoulder and then lowered his mouth to his.

Brian brought up his other hand to take Michael's jaw in his grip, letting his fingers move close to Michael's lips, while the other hand pulled roughly on the silky long hair. Michael struggled in the younger man's firm grip, making a sound of protest in his throat.

Brian broke the kiss, and looked greedily from Nikita to Michael, whose face he still held between his hands.

"What do you say we get more comfortable on the bed?" leered Brian.

Michael struggled to get his head free of the other man's grasp, but in his movements his mouth brushed against Brian's fingers.

Letting out an imperceptible sigh, Brian grabbed Michael by the shoulders and then shoved him roughly toward the center of the room, where he landed on the bed.

Smiling, he turned to Nikita, who was cowering in the corner. "Come on, now, Pretty One," he said, swooping her up in his arms and kissing her again. "I won't leave you out of things..."

Nikita squirmed in his grip, trying to get free. "Please! No!" she gasped, as he tossed her on the bed, where she landed next to Michael.

Brian knelt at the end of the bed, letting his eyes rove over them again.

"What are you going to do with us?" sobbed Nikita, backing away from his gaze and moving closer to Michael.

Brian closed his eyes. Shit, he thought. Damned if I know.

Brian looked from one beautiful body on the bed to the other. He couldn't imagine any two people being more beautiful or desirable than these two. Both were perfect. His eyes met sculpted muscle and firm curves, taking in the soft breasts of one and the hard thighs of the other.

And they were all his, now, if he wanted them. He knew both would let him do anything to them, in any way, in any combination, any number of times.

Instinctively he knew that both of them would go on giving him their prearranged signals over and over again, acquiescing to his demands, whatever they turned out to be. They would help him, make it easy for him, submit to everything....

Brian suddenly realized that it was not his role in this little drama that was the hardest, but theirs. They had no real control; only he did. And if they agreed to everything, how was he to know in this bizarre game they were playing what the rules really were?

What, of all the things he might do to them, would really distress the beautiful pair lying in front of him?

And they were a pair. They matched. They belonged together...

"What am I going to do to you?" he laughed, responding to Nikita's fearful question. Brian suddenly knew the answer.

"I'M not going to do ANYTHING to you." He got off the bed and backed away from them, leaning against one cold, white wall.

Michael and Nikita watched him, moving a little closer to each other on the bed, unsure what Brian was up to.

Brian folded his arms across his waist and gave them an impatient look. "I'm here to enjoy myself. YOU are here to entertain me...."

Michael's eyes widened. Nikita looked questioningly from one man to the other.

"Go on, then! What are you waiting for? Let's see a little action...."

Looking into each other's eyes, the couple on the bed moved slowly toward each other. Michael pulled Nikita against him, so that they were lying side by side, long legs intertwined, faces close together, lips almost touching....

That's it, you two," crooned Brian, trying to make his voice sound disrespectful when in fact he was feeling something close to reverent awe as he contemplated the beautiful pair before him. The love between them, their strong connection, was an almost palpable presence in the room.

Brian realized that to come between that connection would be an obscenity, a violation of something sacred.

"Do it," he ordered. "Perform for me...."

The lovers lying side by side on the bed looked up at him, hesitating, waiting for a sign.

Brian gave it. "Please," he said.

Nikita shuddered and buried her face in Michael's shoulder, squeezing her eyes tightly shut in a futile effort to block out the sight of the harsh lights, the cameras, and the look of torment on Brian's anguished face.

But most of all, she wanted to shut out the image in her mind of Bauer watching them.

Michael held her close, arms enveloping her with his warm strength. It radiated out to her, his hands brushing her back, his hard chest pressed against her face, his caring presence, his body so close...

Michael held her tightly as she trembled in his embrace. He wanted more than anything to spare her this ordeal, but he knew there was no possibility of escape for any of them. The only way out was through. They would have to do this.

Taking a deep breath, Michael lowered his lips to her hair and then her temple, raining soft little kisses on her face. He nuzzled his mouth against her jaw-line, trailing kisses down her neck, letting each kiss linger on her skin longer than the one before.

Nikita sighed and held him even more tightly than before. The intensity of his kisses increased. By the time his mouth reached her shoulder, he was biting her softly, tongue lashing against her sensitive skin.

He reversed directions and nibbled his way back up the long neck to her jaw-line again, then to her ear. He took her earlobe in his teeth and then pressed his mouth against the tender shell-like contours above it.

"C'est nul moi avec toi, seule. Nous sont seule ici," he whispered urgently. "No one else, just us..."

He lifted Nikita's head up with his hand under her chin and looked into her eyes, a question in his green ones. Please, can you do this? he thought in his mind to her. Wordlessly, she answered him. He saw in her gaze calm resignation, and a determination equal to his.

And his heart leapt as he saw something more in her eyes -- a deep trust and and even deeper love, and a growing desire as well. The power of the feelings he saw there took his breath away.

Her hands came up to tangle in his hair and she pulled his face to hers, kissing him urgently and soundly, trying to convey her reassurances to him with her fervent caress of his mouth.

Michael closed his eyes, shutting out the outer world as well, losing himself in the rising passion engendered by Nikita's insistent plundering of his lips.

When she broke the kiss, they were both breathless. She buried her face against his neck again and whispered back to him. "Yes, here I will be only yours..."

He groaned and kissed her neck. "Nikita...."

She kissed him again. "Yours alone, Michael," she said against his mouth.

Michael let out a soft moan and lowered his mouth to one firm, perfectly shaped breast. In the back of his mind he knew he was putting on a performance for the cameras, but in his heart he knew that what they had whispered to each other was true. He was hers alone. He performed now only for Nikita.

He wanted to inflame her, pleasure her, give himself to her. He wanted her.

He pushed her gently back on the bed and straddled her. Settling himself lower on top of her, he took both breasts in his hands, cupping the underside of each soft mound in his palms. The pink tips hardened in anticipation of his touch.

Nikita, eyes closed, arched her back up to him. "Michael, please..."

Michael instantly obeyed, bending his head and taking one taut nipple in his mouth. His tongue darted and swirled around the hard peak, licking it, alternately suckling hard, then more gently.

Moaning, she arched again, thrusting the other breast up to be kissed as well. He obliged her, lavishing attention on the neglected twin, tongue insistently, devotedly teasing and exploring.

Several feet away from them, Brian slumped against the wall, feeling his knees go weak. He had been watching the couple on the bed in silence, trying to efface himself from their awareness to give them some slight modicum of privacy.

He, too, was trying to forget the presence of the cameras and the observers he knew were behind them. He was also trying to forget his own nervousness and apprehension. He watched as Michael and Nikita succeeded in their attempts to ignore the cameras, losing themselves in their passion.

Despite himself, Brian began to lose himself in their passion as well. He marveled at how beautiful they were together, and how in synch, moving in one accord on the bed -- Michael caught up in the urgent worship of Nikita's perfection, and Nikita responding to his devotion with the reactions of her body, twisting beneath Michael's mouth, soft cries of pleasure coming from the back of her throat.

Brian was overcome. A loud groan was forced from him. "Jesus, that's beautiful..." he gasped out.

The couple on the bed froze, the spell broken. The looked up at Brian, reality rushing back at them. Brian, anguished, looked back, his eyes pleading for forgiveness at his intrusion.

He was at a loss, unsure what to do next. His grasp on the role he was playing of commanding the situation had evaporated. He stood frozen, mutely looking at the others for guidance.

Michael and Nikita looked at each other, their eyes communicating perfectly again. They both knew that the situation had reached a pivot point; they could not go on as before.

The mission scenario required Brian to join them in bed, to take his pleasure first with Nikita, then Michael. It was unavoidable now. And both operatives knew that it was up to them to coax the shy doctor to perform with them.

Letting out a deep breath, Nikita reached out her arms to Brian.

"Please," she said breathlessly, her voice redolent with passionate invitation. "Come here......"

Brian took in a shuddering breath and then let it out in a rush. He hesitated a moment, then quickly strode toward them, crossing the short distance to the bed.

Instead of climbing on the bed with them, he knelt on the floor on one side, leaning toward the couple. His eyes locked with Michael's first, trying to read the messages there. Michael nodded his head slightly.

Instinctively, Brian knew that the other man was offering him the beautiful woman beneath him. Michael still held her, his arms wrapped protectively around her waist.

Despite his sign of agreement, and Nikita's word of consent a moment earlier, Brian knew neither of them wanted his participation in their passion. Brian himself did not want it. But it had to be done.

Tightening his lips slightly, Brian decided if he had to do this, he would do it HIS way. He would take his pleasure with Nikita, but it would be in the gentlest, least brutal way possible. He would avoid invading and violating the beautiful woman on the bed who offered herself to him now.

Swallowing hard, he forced himself to again take on the role.

Reaching out both hands, Brian gripped each of the others by the back of the neck, fingers tangling roughly in first blonde hair, then red-brown.

He forced a false laugh, then kissed each one in turn firmly on the mouth. "Mmmmmm, yeah, I am going to enjoy this....."

He loosened his grip on their hair, letting his hands trail brazenly across their shoulders, then up to each face, fingers near the mouths he had just kissed. He looked from one to the other in mute appeal.

He felt Nikita's lips brush lightly across one hand, then Michael's a moment later on the other.

They three locked eyes again, the couple on the bed waiting for Brian to make his desires known.

"What do you want us to do?" asked Michael softly, a tremor in his voice.

In answer, Brian bent his head and kissed Michael roughly again, his mouth invading the other man's more thoroughly than before. Both men were panting when he broke the kiss.

"You have a very talented mouth," Brian said hoarsely. "I want to see what you can do with it..."

Nikita tensed and let out a small gasp.

Michael's eyes widened, then narrowed in resignation. "All right," he whispered. He sat up a little and put his hand on Brian's chest, then moved it lower, tracing the dark narrow line of soft hair that created a path to Brian's manhood.

"No," said Brian, removing Michael's hand from his abdomen. "Not me." He shoved at Michael's shoulder, pushing him lower on Nikita's body.

The couple looked at him again in shock.

"I want you to use that mouth on her.." Brian ordered, shoving at first Michael's shoulder and then Nikita's, pushing her down to lie flat on the bed.

Michael pressed his face to Nikita's stomach, giving her navel a soft lick, then a kiss. Nikita closed her eyes and arched her hips up to his mouth. Each let out a sigh, that was as much from relief as from passion.

They were grateful to Brian that he had not taken from Nikita what she had offered, that passionate surrender which she only wanted to give to Michael.

Still kneeling on the floor, Brian bent over the bed and gave Nikita a quick kiss on the cheek and then whispered a concerned question into her hair. "You all right?"

"Yes," she breathed, smiling, and pulled him closer, deciding to guide him in his role. "Come here..."

It was Brian's turn to be in shock. Nikita kissed him and then took his hands in hers and placed them on her breasts where Michael's had been a few moments before. "Touch me. Please..." she begged.

Brian froze for a moment, then groaned. He kissed her eagerly, tenderly. With equal tenderness he began caressing the hard peaks under his hands, rolling the erect nipples carefully between his fingers.

Nikita groaned against Brian's mouth and bucked her hips against Michael's, urging him onward.

Michael found himself not distressed by Brian's pleasuring of Nikita, but aroused by it. He moaned in turn and lowered his head to pleasure her as well, his tongue parting the blonde curls and tasting the sweetness that he knew was to be his alone.

Soon the small white room was filled with the gasps and soft sighs of the three as they labored to complete this stage of their mission.

Nikita whimpered against Brian's lips as his hands ceaselessly caressed her. His touch inflamed her, just as her responsiveness to his touch aroused him. He moaned against her lips as well, their cries of mutual pleasure mingling in the kiss.

Michael's caresses inflamed her more. He had teased the soft petals of her womanhood open with gentle fingers, then brought them to flower with the insistent, exquisite penetration of his tongue inside her.

She hardly knew if she could endure such pleasure; Michael's mouth, his hands, his touch, along with Brian's, all overloading her senses.

It was incredible, the moment one of the most erotic she had ever known.

Michael, lost in his enjoyment of her, groaned and shifted on the bed. Nikita felt the hard, full length of his arousal jutting against her inner thigh. She gasped as she felt an answering tug deep inside her, her body tightening with a need as great as his.

Instantly, what was too much stimulation and pleasure for her just seconds before was now inadequate to assuage the raging need that overtook her at the touch of Michael's body against hers.

The situation, the cameras, even Brian's presence, were forgotten in Nikita's overwhelming desire for just one thing- to feel Michael inside her.

Gasping, she struggled to sit up, pulling away from Brian's kiss. He freed her from his hold and sat back on his heels by the side of the bed, breathing heavily. Nikita lifted her head and her passion-glazed eyes met Michael's. She held out her arms to him.

Wordlessly, Michael stretched himself on top of her to kiss her briefly, but fervently, before positioning himself between her knees. He was panting with need, incredibly aroused by the sight of her body under his and the taste of her that still lingered on his lips. He was only aware of the overwhelming need to have her. Carefully, he placed his aching need against hers.

In one swift, deft movement of his hips, Michael buried himself inside her. Both cried out in unison at the influx of overwhelming pleasure to their senses, pausing in their movements to process the shock of delight.

The couple remained still for only a moment. Nikita bucked her hips wildly against him; he in turn answered each of her movements with an urgent thrust of his own. They held each other tightly, even though there was no need for such a desperate clutching embrace. Neither of them would want to escape the arms of the other in that beautiful moment of merged surrender.

As Nikita thrashed under him, Michael buried his face in her neck and began giving little love-bites to her shoulders. She twisted beneath him, arching her back. He moaned in the back of his throat and closed his eyes, still thrusting hard inside her. She let out a ragged sigh of pleasure each time, after he withdrew his manhood from her and plunged it back in.

Suddenly, Nikita's movements stilled under him and she no longer sighed, growing silent and stiff in his arms. Michael opened his eyes to see what was wrong. "Nikita?"

She was staring off to her right and Michael's gaze followed hers. His eyes met Brian's.

Brian was kneeling by the bed, his eyes, like theirs, glazed with passion. The broad chest was heaving, every muscle tensed, his hands on his taut thighs, his erection rising between them. He was incredibly aroused by the couple's fervent love-making that he had witnessed in silent respect and awe.

The memory of the mission came crashing full force upon Michael. He froze. his eyes locked with the younger man's.

After a moment, Brian broke the gaze, and ran a nervous hand through his hair. Although in obvious physical need, Brian's eyes had asked for nothing from either of them.

A swift, sudden stab of gratitude filled Michael as he looked at the other man. Brian had refrained from taking from them what few other men would have turned down. He had allowed Michael to pleasure and possess Nikita when he so easily could have demanded to do both.

He could also have raped both of them in their quarters as well as for the cameras, and Section would not have disapproved- citing the ends justify the means.

Michael remembered how swiftly Brian had come to Nikita's defense in Madeleine's office, even stepping in front of a gun to protect her. Brian was a caring human being, and with a flash of certainty, Michael realized that he cared for the young doctor as well.

Brian had been willing to make sacrifices for their sake, and now Michael knew he could do no less than make a sacrifice of his own.

With total clarity, he knew what he must do. And he would do it willingly, for a multi-layered level of reasons. To complete the mission, to protect Nikita, to thank Brian, to satisfy a need in both himself and the man kneeling next to him, a mutual hunger and desire, a promise between them that had yet to be fulfilled.

For all these reasons, Michael would offer himself.

He turned to Brian and reached for one of his hands, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it.

Looking into the other man's startled blue eyes, Michael begged.

"Fuck me," he said. "Please."

Nikita gasped and pulled Michael's face toward her to look in his eyes. He was still on top of her, still embedded in her softness. "Michael!" She tried to read the feelings behind the glittering green eyes.

She saw no fear there in the green depths. There were no flashbacks, no memory-echoes of  the brutal rapes he had suffered, as she had feared there would be. Suddenly, she knew instinctively that what Madeleine had predicted about the three of them was about to come true-- they would all be lovers, lovers together, united as one.

The only thing she read in his eyes now was a tender desire and a plea for understanding.

She held on to Michael's waist tightly, pulling him further into her, kissing him fervently, giving her assent without words, showing him with her body that she still needed and wanted him. Michael moaned deeply, returning the kiss. Then he lifted his head from Nikita's to look at Brian.

"Please," Michael said again.

Brian's eyes were wide with shock, his breath coming in short, audible gasps. He closed his eyes for a long moment, then slowly leaned toward the bed. He put his face close to theirs, almost between them. In a gesture not unlike the embrace in their quarters, Brian draped his arms around their shoulders.

Leaning in close and speaking in a hoarse whisper, Brian asked for a further reassurance from Michael that what he had offered was really what he wanted to give.

"You're sure?" he said softly.

"Oui," said Michael, and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

Brian turned his head to face Nikita, this time asking her for her consent as well. "You're sure?" he said again.

Nikita kissed the hand that rested on Michael's shoulder. "Yes," she whispered. "Make love with us. Please..."

With almost a sob, Brian slumped against them, resting his head against Michael's neck. "Jesus," he gasped out fervently.

After a moment he raised his head and shared a deep, searing kiss with Michael.

Carefully he rose and positioned himself on the bed behind Michael. Brian caressed the hard outline of Michael's shoulder and ran his hand up underneath the silky chestnut hair. Michael sighed and thrust himself first into Nikita, then back against Brian's hand.

The younger man could feel him trembling under his touch as he lowered his hand to gently caress the hard, muscular back that Michael offered to him. Brian's touch was gentler still when his hand moved even lower to the beautifully curved buttocks, nestled in-between Nikita's thighs.

Michael, panting, ground his hips into Nikita's softness. She closed her eyes and moaned. She was not entirely sure about the situation, not knowing how it would feel, physically or emotionally, to make love with one man while he was merged with another. But Nikita knew she trusted them both, and she found, to her surprise, that she did not begrudge either man the pleasure they would receive from each other.

She vowed to herself to do everything she could to enhance their pleasure, while taking delight in her own.

Brian moved closer to Michael, settling himself between his legs, still caressing the firm curves of Michael's rear, kneading them in his hands.

"So beautiful," he breathed.

Brian looked past Michael's shoulders to meet Nikita's eyes. Again, she reassured him with her approval and consent.

"Do it. Please...."

Brian moaned and pressed his hips to Michael's, who gasped at the feel of the entire length of Brian's arousal pressed against the back of one of his legs.

Shaking with desire, Brian pressed a kiss to Michael's back, and then straightened. Brian spit into his palm, spreading the liquid over the throbbing hardness between his legs. Then he took one saliva-drenched finger and pushed it carefully into Michael, readying him for the entrance to come.

"O.K?" he whispered, as he felt Michael tense.

"Oui." Michael answered, voice hoarse with desire. It hadn't hurt, just felt good. Nikita had closed her eyes as she felt Michael's cock jump inside her in response to Brian's intimate caress.

Slowly, groaning in the back of his throat, Brian eased himself into Michael.

Michael stiffened and groaned. All movement stopped, both lovers pausing to give Michael time to recover. Michael shut his eyes and collapsed against Nikita's shoulder, moaning.

Brian's legs trembled and he steadied himself, one hand on the small of Michael's back. "All right?" he asked.

"Oui." Letting out a soft groan, Michael thrust inside Nikita again, then moved back against Brian.

The sensations were exquisite. Michael was both penetrated and penetrating, his hardness surrounded in Nikita's inner softness, Brian's hardness filling his inner depths.

Slowly, he began to move, bucking his hips between the hips of the others. Both moaning, they let him set the pace of their lovemaking. Between them, the three gradually established a rhythm that was ecstasy for them all.

Brian closed his eyes, shouting out incoherent sounds of pleasure as he felt Michael's body moving against him. When he opened his eyes, there was even more pleasure as he took in the sight of the two beautiful bodies straining together toward release, joined with his.

Nikita and Michael's cries blended with Brian's as they approached the point of no return. It was Michael who brought them to and carried them over the edge. Increasing his pace, he ground his hips against first one lover then the other, triggering a chain reaction of explosions.

He felt Nikita's inner muscles clench around him seconds before, with one last thrust, Brian's hardness spasmed inside him. The sensations of his partners' joyous release overcame all his control, and he climaxed strongly a moment after them. Michael felt the soft kisses pressed to his face by both his lovers as he came.

The three collapsed together on the bed, bodies still entangled, holding the embrace. None of them wanted to move far from the others, or to break the bond they had forged between them.

But the bond of friendship and unity was still there, even after they had come down from the heights. It was stronger than just a physical mating, forged in the crucible of the ordeal they had all undergone and survived because they had trusted in each other.

Madeleine nodded her head in satisfaction and switched off the monitor on which she had been observing them.

"Well done," she said softly. She poured herself another cup of tea, deciding not to disturb them just then.

"Dr. Whicker?"

Brian was in his office in Medlab where he had been filling out patient reports for the last two hours. He looked up from the huge stack of files on his desk to see one of the med-techs standing in the doorway, a look of alarm on his face.

"Terry?" Brian queried, beginning to be alarmed himself. The other man was rarely perturbed, handling medical emergencies and life and death decisions with implacable calm. Now he looked shaken. "What is it? What happened?" Brian demanded.

"It's Michael," Terry squeaked out. "He's here."

Brian blanched, all color rushing from his face. Oh, God, he thought. Please, no.

It had been less than a week since the mission to give Bauer what he wanted. He hadn't seen either Michael or Nikita since then, but both had seemed fine when they had parted. All three of them, in fact had been a little dazed by their experience, but not uncomfortable with the new closeness between them.

Brian himself had not had time to sort out all his emotions about the event. But he knew he cared deeply for Michael. And now his new friend and lover was here in Medlab.... Was he injured? Dying?

Brian jumped quickly to his feet and ran toward the main Medlab treatment area, almost pushing Terry out of his way in his haste.

"I put him in Room Two," Terry called out after Brian as he went flying past him down the hallway.

Brian reached the exam room door and burst in, the white lab coat flaring out behind him, chest heaving not from his running but from cold dread.

He came up short, jerking to a stop just inside the doorway. Michael was not dressed in a hospital gown, lying comatose on the exam table, as he had feared. He stood in the center of the room, dressed in his usual black, looking decidedly fit except for a concerned look of worry in his eyes.

"Hello, Brian," he said calmly in his soft accented voice.

"Michael!" The doctor exhaled a huge sigh of relief and slumped against the back of the closed door behind him. "Jesus, when they told me you were here I thought you had been wounded or something..."

The slightest hint of a smile crossed Michael's face, although the anxiety in his eyes remained. "I'm fine," he said levelly.

"Good! I'm glad to know that." Brian smiled back.

The expression faded as he went on looking at Michael, registering the tension in the other man's stance.

"What's wrong?" He asked, sobering. "What happened?"

Michael looked away, his luminous green eyes on the far wall but not seeing it. "Madeleine wants to see us," he said after a pause.

The doctor's eyes widened in shock. He exhaled all the air in his lungs suddenly, as if he had just been punched in the stomach.

"Oh, shit," Brian swore.

"Sh*t," Brian swore.

Michael nodded, agreeing with this assessment of the situation. He was as unsettled by the summons he had received as Brian was. "Exactly," he said dryly.

"Do you know what this is about?" asked the younger man.

"No," said Michael truthfully, "Not for sure." He hesitated before saying more.

Anything he could have told Brian at this point would have been pure speculation on his part. But his instincts told him that whatever Madeleine wanted to talk to them about involved Bauer.

"Bauer," said Brian, reading Michael's thoughts. He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his dark hair.

He took Michael's silence for a yes answer and continued. "Damn, I thought that piece of slime was through with us..."

"Apparently not." Michael felt chilled. He was trying not to think about what other twisted scenarios Bauer might come up with to punish him.

"Wasn't there closure on the mission?" asked Brian, exasperated. "Didn't Bauer give Section the intel they wanted?"

"Yes," Michael told him. "All the potential assassins were picked up days ago. This must be about something else."

Brian pursed his mouth in a grim line. "What about Nikita?" he asked tensely. "Does Madeleine want to see her, too?"

Michael let out a shaky breath. "Yes," he said hoarsely.

A frisson of fear had shot through him and had stayed with him ever since Madeleine had told him that morning to gather his last "team" together and report to her office.

He was struggling within himself not to let the terror overtake him. He could not bear to think in what kind of sick, cruel way Bauer might use his beloved Nikita in order to exact vengeance on him.

"Jesus, no!" Brian burst out. The mulishly stubborn look that Michael was becoming familiar with was back on the young doctor's face.

His blue eyes flashing, Brian grabbed Michael by the arm and spoke intently into his face. "We do whatever it takes," he insisted. "We protect Nikita from Bauer. We don't let him hurt her..."

Michael nodded and clapped his hand on Brian's shoulder. "Yes," he vowed softly, touched by the caring devotion of this new friend. "Whatever it takes.."

Brian held his gaze for a moment and then stepped back, slumping into a chair. Sighing, he rubbed one hand over his face and stared at the floor.

He swallowed nervously and hesitantly asked the question he had been desperately wanting an answer to since the night the three of them had been together.

"Michael, are you really O.K. about..." He stopped, and gulped nervously again. "You and Nikita, I mean. Is she all right? And the two of you....."

Brian sighed, and let out the rest of the words in a rush. "Aw, Hell, what I'm trying to say is, I respect both of you and I hope I didn't ruin anything you guys have together...."

He looked up at Michael, eyes pleading. "Please, just tell me two things," he begged. "Tell me I didn't fuck up your relationship with Nikita and that the two of you don't think I'm some kind of pervert..."

Breathlessly, Brian waited for Michael's answer.

Michael stared at the younger man, somewhat astonished at his questions. He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall, giving himself a moment to ponder the answers before speaking. It came to him in a flash that the answer to both questions was a resounding "no".

Michael remembered now his discussion with Nikita in the bedroom of their quarters in preparation for the mission. Brian could not know that they had already cleared the air about these issues even before the three of them had been in bed together. The mission parameters had forced him to be open with Nikita for once.

And unlike other missions they had had together, the cameras had not been rolling the whole time. He had had complete privacy to confess his past to her. He had been totally honest with her, revealing things about himself that he feared would disgust and disturb her, things that might push her away from him all together.

But Nikita had not pushed him away. Instead of reacting with the disgust he had feared, Nikita had offered him only sympathy for the pain he had suffered. She had not been shocked by his confession that the experiences in prison had confused him about his sexuality, making him doubt himself.

She, however, had had no doubt. Instead of cringing away, she had pulled him down on the bed and made love with him. She had whispered that it would be only the two of them, always, in each other's hearts, no matter who they shared their bodies with under orders form Section One.

No, Brian had no way of knowing that he and Nikita were closer than they had ever been.

"Everything is fine between Nikita and me," he reassured Brian. "Don't worry about that."

Brian sighed in relief. "You're sure? I didn't mean to hurt you..."

Michael regarded the compassionate, gentle man who had treated Nikita so tenderly and had just as tenderly made love to him.

"I'm very sure," he said softly.

Michael crossed the room and suddenly took Brian in his embrace. Startled, Brian stood still and had time only to gasp in shock before Michael took his lips in a gentle but insistent kiss, trying to convey all the gratitude and caring feelings he had developed for this man, his friend.

Brian broke the kiss, falling against Michael's shoulder with a little laugh.

"God, you are beautiful..." he breathed, looking into Michael's eyes.

Arms still around each other, Michael smiled up into Brian's face. "To answer your second question,....."

"No..." he said. "There are no perverts in this room."

"Please, sit down," invited Madeleine to the three young people in her office.

Nikita looked stubborn for moment, then sighed and plopped in one of the chairs in front of Madeleine's desk. Michael and Brian took their seats on either side of her, almost as if they were two knights flanking their Queen for protection.

Madeleine smiled at them and began. "I suppose you all know we're very pleased with the results of your mission last week. Bauer was quite delighted with your .... performance, as well."

Michael, staring impassively ahead, giving her a blank look; Nikita's expression was a close imitation of Michael's. Brian, who had not had the benefit of their cold op training, lowered his eyes, blushing furiously.

"I take it he gave you what you wanted in return," drawled Nikita. "The intel about the assassins."

To their astonishment, Madeleine shook her head. "Not all of it," she said. "He's holding back."

Michael paled, his stomach lurching at the idea of what her words implied.

"What does he want for the rest of it?" he asked quietly.

Brian shifted in his chair, the meaning of what Michael was asking hitting him. "Christ!" he swore. "Now wait just a minute....."

Madeleine went on to answer Michael's question as if Brian had not spoken. "I told you, Bauer was quite enamored of all of you. He wants more of the same...""

The three of them froze. It was what they had feared.

Madeleine continued. "Only this time he doesn't want to be just an observer. He wants to participate...."

Brian jumped up from his chair, standing protectively in front of Nikita. No!" he yelled. "No way!"

"Please sit down, Doctor," Madeleine said with steely calm.

Brian disobeyed. He stood, chest heaving, glaring at her.

"Brian, please," said Nikita and tugged on his sleeve. "Sit down."

Brian sat, still agitated.

Madeleine swiveled in her chair, fingers steepled in front of her. She ignored Brian's outburst and went on.

"As you know, it was not my idea to handle the situation with Bauer this way. I had a much different solution in mind...."

She tilted her head. "But I was overruled by George. Bauer was becoming somewhat of a problem for us. A wild card, uncontrollable, unpredictable. Unreliable...."

"George was the one who wanted to try solving the problem by giving Bauer what he wanted-- the three of you." She smiled again.

The trio sat silent, in rapt attention.

"Since Bauer has failed to keep his end of the bargain, proving his unreliability to us yet again, George has allowed me to find a solution to the problem..."

Nikita relaxed and began to grin. Sometimes Madeleine's solutions to problems could be very satisfying. She had a feeling she was going to love this one.

Michael let a little smile play over his lips. "And what is your solution, Madeleine?" he asked.

Madeleine only smiled back.

Brian, still tense, looked warily at Madeleine, then from one grinning operative to the other, unsure why they all seemed so pleased. Then it hit him, and he grinned, too.

"Cool!" he said, smiling broadly. "We're the bait, and we'll lure him in, and then...."

Madeleine smiled. "Then we'll take him," she said.

Bauer had demanded to party in style with the three of them first before taking them to bed, in a bedroom equipped with all the latest in high-tech muti-media equipment, including, of course, video cameras.

He had chosen an upper-class, exclusive five-star resort for their little tryst. After dancing and drinking the night away with his play-things, he would take them upstairs to the suite that had been prepared for them.

Bauer smiled, remembering how Madleine had agreed to every detail of his request, albeit reluctantly. He had Section One just where he wanted them. Bauer laughed to himself, and licked his lips. He loved toying with them almost as much as he liked the idea of tormenting and abusing Michael, Nikita, and Brian.

Reclining in his limo on the way to the resort to meet with his prey, Bauer went over in his mind what he would do to each one, what he would make them do to each other....

He laughed to himself, and yelled at the driver to go faster.

Instead of speeding up, the chauffeur pulled over to the curb and brought the car to a stop.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" whined Bauer. "Get going, I told you! I got a hot date tonight...."

The chauffeur said nothing, but got out of the car and went around to Bauer's door and opened it for him.

"I told you, dammit, get me to the hotel..."

"But your... dates are here to meet you, Monsieur," the chauffeur announced.

Bauer looked up to see Brian and Nikita coming toward him, decked out in full evening wear. Nikita wore a gown the color of her eyes and her hair piled on top of her head.

Brian's wild curls, for once, were combed into order over his handsome face. He had exchanged his green scrubs for black tie formal wear.

Bauer laughed. "All right! So you couldn't wait to begin the party with me, heh?"

"That's right," said Nikita, smiling.

Bauer patted the seat next to him and ushered Nikita and Brian inside. "Pour some champagne for us, will ya, Doll?" he said leering.

"Of course," Nikita agreed, retrieving glasses from the bar inside.

Blue Team, move in," said the chauffeur from the open door. He removed his uniform cap to reveal long, thick chestnut waves.

Bauer spluttered, choking on his champagne. B-B-But... YOU!" he gasped in shock.

"Yes. Me," said Michael.

He let a small smile play over his lips as the Blue Team operatives hauled Bauer, whimpering, from the limo.

Michael joined the others in the limo. Nikita laughed and handed him a glass of champagne.

All three clinked their glasses together in a toast.

"To us!" they chorused.

Nikita and Michael sat opposite Brian and smiled at him. The toasted the young doctor. "To you," they said, raising their glasses again.

Brian, resplendant in his tuxedo, sipped his champagne and smiled back.

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