This is my version of how Season 5 will start. It is my effort to answer some questions that were left open. At this stage, everyone adds that these characters all belong to LFN and WB and no copyright infringements are meant. This is my first venture into the world of fanfiction from this side of the page. I'd love to hear your comments, good and bad.

She sat tied to a wooden chair, strip of all of her mission gear, alone in a vast and echoing room. The pain was intense. She knew she was dying and this time, no one would come to rescue her. Her thoughts were fuzzy and disjointed. They kept going back to the mission that brought her here.

The building was right in front of them, but she knew that they would never make inside to reach their next mark. She never should have agreed to lead this team. They were all level 1 operatives or recruits but Operations had asked her. Why had she believed him when he said he was trying to change, that he knew she could get them through their first mission?

The shooting was fierce. Her team was lying dead around her and she could see the other side quickly coming at her and her few remaining operatives. Before she could respond, she felt a sharp pain in her head and blackness surrounded her.

Bright light kept shining in her eyes and her efforts to evade it just bought more pain so she slowly opened her eyes. Immediately, she wished that she had just left them closed. She sat tied in a chair with 2 other section ops tied next to her. As she looked at her captors, she recognized faces from Red Cell and knew that what was to follow would not be good.

"Get them ready" was all the leader said and everyone was lead into a different room, stripped of their gear and tied to a wooded chair. There was nothing else in the room, no windows. Onlt a single door and a light hanging from the ceiling.

She could hear them screaming, already. The recruit would talk first and die first.

He hadn't been trained well enough to resist and the level 1 op wouldn't be far behind. It wouldn't be long before they came into her room and started their interrogation. She had no fantasies about how it would be. She been here often enough to know what was to come and while she didn't look forward to it, she just wished they wuld hurry and get it over with. There would be no last minute escape. This was the end.

They did come, later than she expected. The level 1 op had held out much longer than she had given him crdiet for but in the end he died, alone and in pain. Now it was her turn. They were very expert at what they did. The pain was intense but each time the darkness came for her, they backed off until it receeded. Then they would start again. They didn't question her saying this was only retribution for all that Section One had done to them. It didn't matter. Pain was pain no matter the reason.

It seemed like days that they worked on her. There wasn't a spot on her battered and bloody body that didn't hurt. But as long as there was pain, she knew that she was alive. But now, the numbness started to creep in and she knew that the end was near. They stopped the beatings and just left her alone, alone in her pain and alone to her death. She took a deep breath and realized she was ready for it to be over. She looked forward to the end. After all, there wasn't anything or anyone left to live for.

The quiet was very peaceful. No noise, no voices, no sounds from in the corridor. Just a gentle touch of fingers across her bruised cheek. She remembered that touch, what a wonderful memory to take with her. And that voice whispering in her ear. Whispering that it was ok, he was here and he would get her out. Blackness swept over her and she never felt the gentle hands cut her bonds, lift her from the chair and gently carry her away. She never felt the tear fall on her cheek or the shuddering of the strong arms that carried her to the waiting medics.

It was the light that awoke her, the light shining in her face. The last time light woke her it brought incredible pain. NO, she couldn't go through that again so she came up fighting, screaming, doing everything she could to break away only to find herself restrained. She struggled more, pulling at leather restraints and IV tubing alike until people surrounded her on all sides trying to calm and quiet her struggles. But to no avail. Finally, the doctor came and sedated her, putting her once again into oblivion and peace. When she was finally quiet and the tubing and wires again reattached, the doctor turned to the man who had stood quietly in the background, watching the turmoil.

"This is the fourth time that she has responded to consciousness like this. She needs to wake up but I have no way to keep her quiet and calm. Consciousness only brings her pain so she fights. There's nothing else I can do for her." Mr. Jones sadly looked on and said " I know what she needs" and walked out of the hospital room.

He walked slowly though Center, unaware of the people around him, lost in thought. When he reached his office, he closed the door and turned to a laptop computer that was separate from tha rest of the equipment in Center. He typed in a brief message...She needs you... and just sat and waited.

The light was in her face, again. Wouldn't they ever stop! She just wanted to die! LEAVE ME ALONE!! The scream started in the back of her throat but just as it was exiting, she felt arms gently embrace her and fingers gently stroke the bruises on her cheek. She felt a calming warmth steal over her and knew that this time it was ok to open her eyes. She was safe.

She was in a strange room, not stark and white like Section's medical but a medical room all the same. The tubes and wires were connected everywhere she could see. She saw bandages on her arms and lags, felt them around her ribs and saw the cast on her left hand. She also saw Michael next to her on the bed, gently cradling her in his strong arms and the pain didn't matter anymore.

"What are you doing here?" Nikita asked, her voice weak and husky from not being used. "You were free. Why did you come back?" " I came back for you" came the reply and he leaned down and place a gentle kiss on her lips. "Sleep. I'll be here watching you. We'll talk when you're stronger." And sleep she did, deep and restfull for the first time in many days without drugs or dreams.

When she awoke, she found herself in a different room, with walls painted a pale blue, windows with gauzy curtains blowing in a warm fall breeze. The wires and tubes in her body were gone, The bandages decreased in number though the cast on her hand was still there and the various aches and pains still made themselves known when she moved.

She must have made some noise because Michael quickly walked into the room. She looked at him carefully and saw a very relaxed and expressive face, definitely not his blank stare that she was so familiar with. In his hand he had a glass of fresh orange juice and she realized that thirst was the first order of business. As he sat on the bed and helped her to sit up and drink, she reveled in his touch and warmth. He propped pillows behind her when she was done and she was able to look around her. "Where are we?" she asked. "It's a small cottage on Center grounds. Mick... Mr. Jones felt that you would be more comfortable here to recover instead of in the hospital." Michael moved over to the windows and looked out. A brief shadow passed over his face and then was gone.

Seeing that brief return of Section Michael made Nikita wince. "Come sit over here," She said. "We need to talk. I need to know what's going on. How did I get here, and why here instead of Section One? How and why are you here?"

Michael brought a chair to the bedside and sat beside Nikita. He looked at her still bruised and swollen face and thought of how closely he had almost lost the most impotant person in the world. "After you were captured by Red Cell, Operations had to contact Center to let them know that not only had the mission gone wrong but that the whole team had been lost. Mick... Mr. Jones was not pleased to say the least. There was no way that anyone in Section One was capable of a rescue attempt so he sent out feelers to try and find me. We made a deal and he was able to give me the intel and resources that I needed to find you and get you out. I wasn't sure if you would survive, you were so badly hurt but part of the deal was that they would do everything medically possible to keep you alive and to get you back on your feet even if you were no longer able to meet section standards. He kept me appraised of your condition and when they couldn't get you to wake up without having severe psychotic reactions, he called me back to help. Here we are. Through all of this, I finally realized that the only way for us to survive, whether in Section, Center or outside in the world, is with each other." He reached out and took her hand and gently brushed her palm with a kiss.

The tears fell from Nikita's eyes and she listened to him talk. Again he had given up, what, to save her. "I do love you, Michael. I always have and always will. With you, I can do anything but I need to know what you promised to Mr. Jones and what happens now?'

" I promised to go back to Section under Operations. I agreed to help get Section back to the original goals that it had started with, to train the new operatives the way they should be trained, to recruit people that really should work there, not the dregs of the earth but special forces, CIA, people with the training and know how to bring down the criminals and terrorists that can't be touched otherwise. If you agree, I'd like you to be there with me, helping me with the 'feeling' side of the equation. He has agreed that we could have a relationship, if that's what you want, or we could keep it strictly business. Operations has already agreed to all of my terms. He needs all of the help that he can get. Morale is at its lowest, there is noone there that can train or teach. I know that this is a lot to think about so take your time and let me know."

"Michael, I don't need to think about anything. To make Section into what Adrian wanted and what it should be. To be with you as your partner and equal, how could I say no.: She smiled up at him and reached out to touch his face. "This time, we'll do it the right way, no lies, no holding back. Together, we can make Section One a place to be feared by the criminals and a place to be proud to work in by the operatives. This is our time. To the Future of Section One." She held out her glass of orange juice and together they toasted The Future, theirs, together.

THE END

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