Michael trudges into Madeline's office to find Madeline with Operations and Anna. He looks away from their smiles and is tempted to come back later.

"Michael... I am surprized to see you so early." Madeline says turning to him. He turns back to them and stands as still as his aching muscle allow him.

"You said you needed to see me when I go in." Michael says blankly as he stares at a wall. Madeline hands Operations Anna and moves towards Michael.

"I didn't mean you shouldn't sleep." Madeline whispers into his ear. She pulls away from it and wipes at it. "Green paint?..

I won't ask." Madeline says as she walks to her desk. Michael sits down and Operations leaves to the hallway.

"I have a small mission for you to handle." Madeline says. Michael rolls his head to the side. "It's an internal mission."

"Oh, Madeline.. they are sometimes the hardest!" Michael complains immediately. Madeline bits her lip, knowing that this comment is because of too much entertainment and the lack of proper sleep.

"I just need some observation of Birkoff and Melissa. Birkoff has had his apartment for quite a while, and we have no idea what is going on." Madeline says. Michael looks at Madeline in disbelief.

"Birkoff earned that honor of no cameras!" Michael spits out, as he suddenly leaps out of his chair.

"Michael, we are just worried that things aren't working out for the two..." Madeline says, trying to calm Michael.

"So, what.. Nikita is gone and now I have to watch Operations kids!" Michael explodes.

"We just need a status report." Madeline yells. Michael shuts up and looks at the door.

"Yes, Sir." Michael says spitefully and slams the door on the way out.

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

Nikita lays out hazardly in one of the long chairs in the Section van as the trip drags slowly on. Each bump throws pains through her legs and back.

"Hey, want something to eat?" Mylo asks as he moves across the van with a bag in his hand. Nikita tries to sit up and is hit with pain, knowing quite well that she went way overboard last night.

"No, thank you." Nikita says firmly. Julie looks at Mylo and goes to Nikita.

"I know what is wrong." Julie says with a smile.

"Nothing." Nikita says shortly. Julie smiles and looks at Nikita.

"I haven't known a woman who hasn't gone way overboard a time or two... looks like it's your Michael is SOME MAN!" Julie says in a soft whisper and then a loud laugh.

"This is none of your business!" Nikita responds. Julie takes her hands on Nikita's legs and stretches them out.

"Hey, you have pants on, so it's not indecent and it will make you feel a whole lot better!" Julie says with a smile. Nikita wiggles and does feel better.

"And I probably know why you aren't hungry either!" Julie says with a huge grin and laugh and she starts to move away.

It takes Nikita a moment to run the possibilities before she understands what Julie had just said.

"YOU GET BACK HERE... and bring a sandwich!" Nikita orders Julie. Julie dives her hand into the bag and carries a sandwich to Nikita.

"Hey, hon.. with a man like that... I'd fill up..." Julie starts and Nikita surprizingly reaches up and grabs her ear.

"I don't know why you are thinking about me and Michael so much so stop it!" Nikita says firmly into Julie's ear. Julie steps back and grins.

"You must have forgotten what I was before Section cleaned me up..." Julie says with a smile. "At least I'm not totally clueless!"

Julie starts to walk back to Mylo.

"You didn't go there!" Nikita says jumping up on her feet. The van bounces and slides a bit on the rainy street, and the two ladies stand at a stare down.

"Yes, I did." Julie says with a smug look on her face.

"I don't think you and Mylo will ever have the class to paint each other... to hold each other in the arms just to be close."

Nikita says in a raised voice.

"Honey... what you are suffering is not sweet and tender.. but animal like... trying to make his mark on you!" Julie says with a laugh. Mylo turns away from the two woman.

"He made his mark on me a long time ago.. and if anything... I mark him!" Nikita challenges back.

"I wonder if you compare your black and blue marks in a few days who would have more..." Julie says with a smile.

Nikita walks closer to her. Julie drops her head and smiles.

"Glad to see that you are walking normal again." Julie says. Nikita finally notices that with the defense she had been putting on, that the pain had disappeared. Nikita turned red and walked back to her seat.

"Better get some shut eye.. it's a long trip." Nikita comments and shuts her eyes, hoping the dream would bring her into Michael's warm arms.

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

Michael holds a disk in his hand while pacing back and forth in the empty office. Michael looks around, hoping that somehow, Nikita would walk in that door any moment. He taps the disk down on the desk, and then moves quickly out of the office.

"Birkoff." Michael says as he walks to the computer genius.

"What is it, Michael?" Birkoff said in slight annnoyance. Michael looks at Birkoff and flips the disk up in his face. "What's that?"

"What?" Michael responds with a devilish grin on his face as he pulls the disk away. Birkoff now gives Michael his full attention.

"Ok, Michael... I don't think you are so lonely that you'd be pulling this crap with me!" Birkoff says firmly and Michael steps back a few steps.

"Where has all this come from?" Michael asks in mild shock. Michael registers the comment immediately, and realize that maybe Madeline's concerns are correct.

"Does it matter? Are you done with your games, now?" Birkoff says as he starts to look back at his computer. Michael steps forward and places the disk infront of Birkoff's eyes.

"I thought you'd be interested in this." Michael says smoothly as Birkoff takes the disk out of Michael's hands.

"Squash 4... this isn't suppose to be out until next month!" Birkoff hoots and whistles as he holds the disk in his hands. In a split second, Michael snatches the disk back.

"Not so fast..." Michael says with dramatic pauses. "I can't let it out of my sight."

Birkoff looks at Michael with eyes like slits. Michael stares back as he moves the disk back and forth.

"Let's take a walk." Birkoff says. He motions for someone else to take over and the two men start walking.

"Is this about Nikita.. do you want me to check on her?" Birkoff asks as they move through an empty hallway in the gut of Section.

"No. Nikita is a big girl." Michael says with curt words. Birkoff looks at Michael.

"I know you better than that." Birkoff says softly and Michael stops walking.

"Yes, you do... but I know nothing more about you." Michael says. Birkoff looks both ways and moves closer to Michael.

"What's going on?" Birkoff asks bluntly. Michael stares into the man's eyes and smiles.

"Madeline wants me to spend sometime with you. Learn more about computers... for me to get out 'with the boys'."

Michael says without breaking a smile. Birkoff leans back and laughs at the 'with the boys' comment.

"Fine. Bring the game to my apartment." Birkoff says. He turns and walks away. Michael closes his eyes and looks at his watch. It has only been six hours without Nikita and it had seemed like a hundred.

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

Nikita steps out of the van and shakes her head back and forth. She leans her neck back and soaks in some sun before looking at the man before them.

"I'm Gannon." the man says with a smile as bright as the sun. He extends a hand and Nikita shakes it.

"I'm Nikita." Nikita says as she drops his hand, and looks around the site, paying attention to the brillantly tall trees.

"So I finally meet the Aphrodite of Section One," Gannon chuckles as he moves towards Julie and Mylo, who he had already been introduced to. Nikita starts walking to the complex.

"I won't even respond to that... I want to get to my room, and then see what's all up here." Nikita says in a uniformed manner. Julie and Mylo pick up their bags and start off behind Nikita.

"It is a compliment." Gannon says as he catches up with Nikita, and directing her were to go.

"How so?" Nikita challenges Gannon. Gannon smiles and looks nervously away.

"You must be a goddess if you ever got Michael to love again." Gannon says softly and Nikita cringes with the comment.

He turns the corner and shows Julie and Mylo their small living quarters. Gannon continues down the hall with Nikita.

"You must have known Michael then." Nikita said with a raised eyebrow.

"He got anything he wanted, always head of the Section class." Gannon says with a small chuckle. "I was suppose to train you, until Michael decided he wanted you."

Nikita swallows and wishes that she never asked the question. Gannon stops and opens a door. Nikita steps into the room, which has a small twin size bed and a dresser.

"You have to be kidding!" Nikita laughs as she looks at the cubicle that is called her room.

"Bathroom is down the hall, to the right." Gannon says as he tries to enter the room, but the lack of space causes him to stay in the doorway.

"WHAT?" Nikita says with more anger.

"There is the meal schedule, you can chose what session you want to eat... and the phone is down one floor." Gannon says. He looks at Nikita's surprized face and moves to let her be.

"Oh, if these lights turn red, it means that some outsider has invaided... we tell them an outrageous price and then they usually leave." Gannon says as he points to a small strip of lights that run on all of the walls.

"I hope my room is not an indication of the rest of the retreat." Nikita says sarcastically as she stretches her arms out and can touch opposite walls at the same time.

"I give you the tour, in say an hour?" Gannon say as he watches Nikita's movement.

"With this room.. give me ten minutes." Nikita snaps and shuts the door.

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

Nikita lightly bangs her head against the wall as she holds onto the phone as Michael had to "go to the bathroom" soon after picking the phone up. Her back aches from the strenous walk that Gannon took her one, showing her the areas most used by Section.

"Ma chere..." Michael says softly as he comes back to the phone. Nikita smiles lightly with the french words from Michael's mouth.

"It's been a long day, I needed to hear you." Nikita says softly.

"Do you have time for a tete-a-tete?" Michael asks softly. Nikita pauses as she searches her small french vocabulary for what Michael said. She blushes once she knows what exactly Michael was asking for.

"This is a shared phone.. and there is a curfew." Nikita says without a hint of anger.

"Then let's call it a night... I spent the whole day with Birkoff and a computer." Michael says in a sad tone.

"Birkoff?... I won't ask. Yeah, I'm pretty tired." Nikita says softly.

"au revoir... adieu... a bientot... I love you, Ni-ki-ta." Michael says softly with a kissing sound and the phone disconnects.

-------------------------------------------------

Madeline walks into Walter's workspace and Walter immediately becomes nervous.

"Whatever it is, I had nothing to do with it!" Walter says with a smile. Madeline just leans closer to him.

"Do you want to go to the outpost?" Madeline asks softly. Walter shifts his eyes back and forth.

"Sugar is there.. yes I would." Walter says with a held back reaction. Madeline smiles.

"Let me fill you in about Nikita." Madeline says and Walter sighs.

"When will you two finally figure out that play games with my sugar only ends up kicking you guys in the rear!" Walter reacts in disgust of the comment.

"We purposely gave her an extremely small room, to see if she would assert herself. She hasn't even complained, not like herself." Madeline says. Walter shakes his head.

"You want Nikita, to be the Nikita she is when she has contact with Michael, but with no Michael?" Walter tries to clearify and Madeline walks away.

"You'll leave in three days with a supply van." Madeline says over her shoulder.

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