Nikita walked into the briefing room with a bright blue batik tank top on with a pair of jeans that had been worn out quite well. Her hair hung loose and a brillant smile touched her face gently. Nikita sat down and showed, with much delight, Birkoff the pair of blue jellie sandals that adorned her feet. Birkoff smiles and points to the blue nailpolish on her toes. Nikita wiggles the toes with a childish laugh and smiles again.

Michael has been sitting off to the side, immersed in his own thoughts of Nikita. Michael could feel the demeanor of the room totally change from the second Nikita crossed that doorway. Michael dwelled in his thoughts that the only other person who could change a room such as Nikita was Operations.. and he would always change the room for the worst.

Yet, Operations hasn't had that much of an effect, lately, Michael thought to himself as the tired man walked into the room. Before, all conversations would have ceased.. but Birkoff continued to chat with Nikita, and it wasn't until Operations cleared his voice that all talking stopped.

"I first want to welcome you back Nikita, to your active status." Operations says without a slight change in emotion. It is at this point that Madeline walks in late, which has become quite a regular event. Madeline sits down and looks at the room quietly.

Nikita sits in her chair, studying Madeline. Madeline smiles at Nikita, and Nikita stops her studying for another day.

"This is Emma Meana... she is the leading scientist at CPI.. Cloning Possibilities Institute. She has been working on many successful studies with cloning vital organs. Her brother lost because they failed to find a kidney in time." Operations says as the screen shows a picture of a late thirties woman with burnt sienna hair cut short of her ears.

"We need to keep her and her research going." Madeline interjects as the picture disappears.

"We have intel that most of the experiments of CPI are on cloning entire humans... but it wasn't until Mr. Birkoff traced some major transactions that we begun to worry." Operations says.

"What kind of transactions?" Nikita asks as she crosses her legs.

"We have reason to believe that they have begun to collect tissue samples of the notorious 'evils' of society.. Dahmer.. Manson... and even rumors of Hitler." Operations says as he pulls up the layout of the CPI labs.

"If this is so... why the extraction of Ms. Meana?" Michael asks before Operations continues.

"Her reseach is very important to us." Operations says and turns to the diagram. "You and Nikita will gain the trust of Ms. Meana, and be given access to the labs for a tour. Of course, you will not be alone. You will access Ms. Meana's office, download her files, and take the rest of the building out." Operations says and he pushes a button and red arrows indicate where explosives will be placed.

"How are we going to gain her trust?" Nikita asks as she sits forward in her chair. Michael looks over to her and smiles faintly.

"Emma Meana is an active member in the Society for Organ donation.... You will be Michael's wife who has just recently undergone a kidney transplant." Madeline says firmly.

"So?" Nikita says with a shrug of her shoulders, knowing that Madeline is not telling the entire meaning of what she is saying.

"Nikita, Michael, we will discuss your cover story further after the briefing." Madeline says in a clipped tone.

"You will deposit Ms. Meana with the Agency and leave for back here. We will monitor her progress through the Agency." Operations says and Nikita looks at the two heads and know quite clearly they are leaving out major parts of the briefing out. "Dismissed." Operations says and the room clears out quickly.

"Nikita, Michael.. I'd like to go over your mission identy in my office." Madeline says standing up.

Nikita walks over to Michael and looks at Madeline. "Give us a few minutes. We'll met you there." Nikita says with a smile.

Madeline nods her head, and looks down at Nikita's feet. "I like your shoes!" Madeline says as she sees the jellie sandals.

"Why, thank you." Nikita says and walks out of the briefing room.

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

Madeline sat down with Michael and Nikita in her office. She takes a deep breath, knowing that the plan that Operations had devised was going to be unacceptable to Nikita. Madeline started by clearing her throat. "You two will be placed in the empty house next to Emma Meana. She is very friendly, and of course will come to visit." Madeline starts and so far, not a bad reaction from either person.

"Nikita... for this mission, since you are still not a 100% of prior... you will be posing as the wife who had a kidney transplant." Madeline says slowly.

"We know this, Madeline." Nikita says in a sing-song voice. Madeline looks at Nikita and closes her eyes.

"Most of the mission, while around Emma Meana, you will be in a wheelchair..."

"NO!" Nikita says loudly and jumps up.

"Nikita... it is what we deem..." Madeline starts to useless battle.

"NO! I am at full status.. no reason to throw me into a wheelchair!" Nikita screams and Michael bows his head, understanding how Nikita feels.

"Nikita.. the wheelchair will give us a strength that we can't have if we didn't have it." Madeline says firmly, as Nikita holds the chair back of the chair Michael was sitting in tightly.

"Then put Michael in the wheelchair!" Nikita snaps loudly. Michael reaches up and grabs her hand.

"Nikita.. don't lie to yourself." Michael says softly. Nikita looks at Michael and slides back down into her chair.

"You won't be stuck in the chair!" Nikita says as she licks her lips.

"Nikita, you won't be stuck in the chair... you just had a kidney transplant and are still weakened.. in the house, you can move around.. and at the social.. you can dance a slow dance or two." Madeline says softly, as she can see the pain in Nikita's eyes.

"Why then did I try to get back to my best? Why did I even bother?" Nikita says as she looks around the room. There, in the corner sits the wheelchair.

"I won't do it." Nikita resolves and walks out. Michael drops his head and then looks up at Madeline.

"We could do it without the wheelchair." Michael says softly.

"Michael, the dance can be 6 or 7 hours.. do you think Nikita could handle that?" Madeline challenges Michael.

"If we do this this once.. aren't you going to always be second guessing is she can handle this this time, and that that time?" Michael says as he stands up. He touches the chair.

"Don't worry.. I'll make her see...." Michael says and he slowly exits.

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

Michael leads Emma into the living room that he had first seen only a few hours prior. Nikita had exhiled herself to the guest bedroom, which was deemed to be hers since of her profile for the mission.

"Where is your wife?" Emma asks with a wide smile as she sits down on the couch. Her clothes are a simple pink sweater and a pair of loose fitting jeans.

"I believe she was taking a nap." Michael says softly. He remembers that only minutes prior he had left the bedroom with Nikita screaming at him.

"Oh, yes moving would make anyone especially tired." Emma says with another broad smile, and looks at Michael closely.

"Well.. you don't..." Michael starts but is distrupted by Nikita's enterance.

"Know me... Hi, I'm Nikita." Nikita says as she leans against the doorway. Michael immediately jumps up, as he is even shocked by Nikita's physical appearance. Although when he left her, her cheeks were flushed with color, now her face lacked all color. Her capri black pants seemed looser and her t-shirt looked five sizes too big.

"Honey.. you should be resting..." Michael says as he grabs her arm and balances Nikita as she makes her way over to the love seat.

"Michael, we have a guest." Nikita says with a slight flush as she looks over to Emma.

"I'm Emma Meana.. I'm pleased to meet you." Emma says from her seat. Nikita nods her head as Michael sits down next to her. Michael leans his head down to her ear.

"Are you really ok?" Michael whispers.

"Of course, I'm ok, darling!" Nikita says loudly as she pulls away from his head. "He has been this way since my surgery... he didn't even want to move when he was offered this new job..." Nikita softly complains and then licks her lips. Michael stands up and retreives a glass of water from the bar.

"What surgery?" Emma asks immediately.

"Oh, you don't need to fret over it..." Nikita starts and then she takes a sip of her water.

"She had a kidney transplant." Michael informs Emma as he takes the glass from Nikita's hand.

"Wow.. you look good!" Emma says with a mild shocked expression cross her face.

"No I don't." Nikita says as she bows her head. "But, I will look good tomorrow night when my husband finally takes me out..." Nikita starts to lead into the ball.

"I'm not taking you to the Society for Organ Donation's Ball.. you're not strong enough." Michael reacts with mild anger.

"I can't stay inside houses for the rest of my life!" Nikita says as she looks at Emma.

"I'm going... I do research on organ transplants." Emma informs the two. Michael smiles at Emma.

"I would take her if she would stay in the wheelchair like the doctors say..." Michael says as he looks back at Nikita. Nikita rolls her eyes and sighs.

"How can I stay in the wheelchair when you are prancing your god-like body in front of me... I have to claim my man!" Nikita says with a chuckle. Emma joins in with the laugh. Michael looks at the two ladies, and can't stop thinking that had it been different circumstances, they would have been friends.

"Why don't you humor him.. if he allows you a dance or two?" Emma says raising an eyebrow. Michael and Nikita look at each other.

"I'd go for that." They say together, and Emma laughs. Nikita stands up.

"Where are you going, hon?" Michael immediately asks as he looks at Nikita gain her balance.

"I have some things to find for tomorrow... a woman never has everything ready.. I better start now." Nikita says as she runs a hand against the wall to keep her balance.

Michael looks at Emma and stands up. He looks at the mantel and then turns back to Emma.

"This is one of her bad days... she has been much better... the transplant went fine once a donor was found... but the infections afterwards almost killed her, several times." Michael says softly as Emma stands up.

"What I am working on would finish infections of that nature forever...." Emma says as she touches his hand. "I'll see you two lovebirds at the ball." Emma says and she lets herself out.

Michael immediately walks to the room, and finds Nikita with a needle in hand.

"What are you doing?" Michael demands as he reaches for the needle. "Madeline had Medlab give this to me so I can appear weaker today..." Nikita says as she drops the needle into Michael's hand. "That was to counteract the medicine."

"You should have told me!" Michael says as he disposes of the needle.

"We needed a genuine reaction of worry." Nikita says as she pushes Michael out of the room and closes the door.

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

Nikita sat in the wheelchair in the evening dress that covered most of her body. It was lightly sequined rayon dress with hints of Carrickmacross lace on it. Michael had enjoyed the lace, and the light green color enchanted the lace from Ireland even more.

Michael pushed the wheelchair dressed in the standard tuxedo, which Nikita had not paid much attention to.

They entered the ball, and realized that Nikita would not stand out, rather, sit out in the crowd. Nikita stared straight ahead and didn't break a smile until the bubbly voice of Emma was heard.

"MICHAEL!!! NIKITA!!!" Emma's voice sang out over the murmur of the crowd. She appeared in a black dress, nothing special about it. "I'm so glad you decided to come.. I love that dress!"

"Thank you." Nikita says looking up to Emma. Emma is then joined by a man.

"This is Edmund Rigullo, the director of CPI, the lab I work at." Emma says. Michael shakes hands with the man, and the man then takes Nikita's hand and kisses it gently.

"I heard you are quite a lucky one." Edmund says as he lets go of Nikita's hand.

"Yes, Michael is the best thing that ever happened to me." Nikita says immediately with a broad smile. This comment brings a slight chuckle to the group.

"Laughter is the best medicine." Nikita chirps in and Michael places a hand on her shoulder.

"Actually, I was coming to invite you and any of your friends and family to visit our labs. We'd love to see you there." Edmund says as he pulls out a card. "Call anytime, and your on the list."

With this Edmund walks away. Michael begins to push Nikita as Emma leads.

"Nikita... Edmund is the director alright.. he was working in the lab the day it was discovered that Dahmer's blood was missing." Birkoff says in the com unit, and Nikita continues to listen to the preliminary intel that Birkoff had gathered.

"Nikita... Nikita?" Michael calls out, and finally touches her shoulder. Nikita almost jumps out of the wheelchair. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I was just... thinking..." Nikita says as she looks at Emma. "I'm really sorry.. I just drift off when I'm in this damn thing."

Emma smiles at Nikita and then at Michael.

"I was asking you if you were up to a dance." Michael says as he walks in front of Nikita.

"As long as it is not a tango." Nikita says as she places her hands in Michael's, and he helps pull her out of the wheelchair. Emma rolls the wheelchair out of the way, and the two start to slowly dance. Nikita is leaning well into Michael's body.

"Edmund there is the guy who took the Dahmer stuff." Nikita whispers as Michael's hand rubs her lower back.

"Did I tell you how pretty you are tonight?" Michael whispers back into her ear.

"OH, Michael.. I feel so special!" Birkoff says loudly, as he couldn't stop himself. The comment causes Nikita to laugh out loud, and for a moment, she forgets that Michael is lacking his com unit this night.

Nikita leans into Michael's ear after he raises an eyebrow at her laughter, and tells Michael exactly what Birkoff said.

Michael looks at Nikita and shakes his head. Nikita sighs and shakes her head lightly.

Michael rubs a hand on her neck and they are moving slowly when the dance ends. They clap politely, and before Nikita could suggest another dance, Emma has rolled the wheelchair around to them.

"Thank you." Nikita says as she sits down, silently cursing in her head.

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

Nikita was in a black pantsuit, sitting in the wheelchair as Michael presented the card to the guard at CPI the next day.

"Michael.. Nikita.. so soon!" Emma said as she walked out to meet the crowd of six more that Michael and Nikita brought with them.

"Nikita wouldn't stop talking about how the support group would love to see this place." Michael says as the guard admits the group without a search or check of who was who.

"I hope the wheelchair won't hamper things." Nikita says as Emma holds the next door open for Nikita.

"No it won't. I guess you had too much last night." Emma says as one of the operatives takes hold of the door.

"Yes... I over did it.. but I don't regret a second." Nikita says with a broad smile, and the smile being mostly that no one checked her wheelchair, which safely hid every weapon the group of eight had.

"I'm going to take you to my office, and then I have to finish a meeting. It should be no more than ten minutes." Emma says as she pushes the button for the elevator.

"The office is going to hold all of us?" Michael asks as they split the group into two to go to the third floor.

"Yes... it is my office and lab..." Emma says as she leads the way down a white hall. She opens the office without a key. It is exactly what Emma said it was, a lab with a connected office.

"Make yourself at home.. Like I said.. I should only be about ten minutes." Emma says. Michael moves forward and pats her arm, and places the tracker on her.

"Thanks, thanks alot."

Emma leaves with her smile and Michael walks over to her computer and tries to pass the password, with her birthday and other easy things. Nikita looks up at her desk above her computer and sees about twenty products from Avon.

"Try avon" Nikita says, and Michael gains instant access. As Michael starts to download her entire computer, Nikita stands up and passes out the explosives.

"Three pulses once it is place.. understand?" Nikita says as the operatives look at Nikita and nod. Michael slides the disks into his pocket and Birkoff chips up, "We recieved it all.. you do have the backups?"

"Yes.. and we are now on the move." Michael says as he grabs a gun from Nikita. Nikita pulls out the tracking screen and immediately sees that Emma is only over a room.

"Wheel me down.. get Emma out of the room with pretending I'm sick..."

Nikita says as she jumps back on the chair. The operatives disperse to their targets and Michael rolls Nikita down the hall. He knocks on the door frantically.

"EMMA...EMMA!!" Michael calls out until the door opens up. A man pulls Michael in. Birkoff patches the words to Nikita.

"What are you doing here?" asks the man who pulled Michael in.

"My group was waiting for Emma.. but Nikita is sick... real sick..."

Michael says as he looks straight at Emma. Emma jumps up and leaves the room, against the orders of the others in the room.

"What is wrong, Nikita..." Emma asks as she approaches the wheelchair.

"You will be coming with us. Make not a sound, and you will live."

Nikita says as she pulls her gun out. Emma turns to leave, and sees Michael's gun pulled on her.

"I can't believe this.. I trusted you two." Emma says as Nikita ditches the wheelchair and arms the explosives in it.

"We are doing this for the world's own good." Nikita says as she runs down the hall. A few shots are heard, and Nikita nods for the two to move down the hall.

"ANTI-CLONING!!! I can't believe that you two..." Emma starts to say, but Michael covers her mouth.

"We have 2 minutes to exit the building walking.. or we exit the building in millions of pieces." Michael says firmly and then he drops his hand. Emma runs between the two of them.

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

Madeline walks into Michael's and Nikita' office and shuts the door. Michael doesn't look up from the report he is typing.

"Michael." Madeline says in a slightly annoyed voice.

"Madeline.. I'm trying to finish the report as you stand there.. I know it's late..." Michael says as he doesn't look up from the screen.

"Michael.. are you missing someone?" Madeline asks as she places her hands on his desk.

"Nikita? I haven't seen her." Michael says as he makes several mistakes in his typing as Madeline watches him.

"She threw herself on my couch two hours ago, and refuses to move!" Madeline says as she flips the screen off, causing Michael to look up at her.

"And you want me to do what?" Michael says with his blank stare.

"What happened on the mission? Why is she like this?" Madeline says as she moves away from the desk.

"I don't know if this is a problem of me.. or a problem of you." Michael says as he turns the screen back on and starts to type again.

Madeline stands, trying to understand the full meaning of the comment, but sometimes, Michael just can't be figured out. She hurries back to the screen and turns the entire computer off.

"You just lost my report!" Michael says as he looks up at Madeline again.

"Then give me an oral report..." Madeline says as she stands with her hands on her hips.

"It went more than smoothly. I had no problems with any operatives... it was picture perfect." Michael says and then he smiles. "Boy, that was quick.. we should do that more often!"

Madeline throws Michael the death stare and Michael looks away.

"There was a problem." Michael admits and Madeline's expression softens, some, but not a lot.

"And what was the problem?" Madeline asks as she moves closer to the desk.

"The medicine Medlab gave Nikita to appear sick." Michael says.

Madeline chews her lip for two seconds and turns in a circle.

"No, Nikita understood that. WHY IS SHE IN MY OFFICE?" Madeline says in a more fustrated tone.

"Maybe she needed somewhere quiet..." Michael says as he stands up, knowing that Madeline was going to require him to go talk to Nikita.

"She would have had more quiet with you." Madeline says as she opens the door.

"I'll go talk with her." Michael says and he flies out of the office and down the hall.

Nikita lays on the couch, almost asleep. Michael enters and Nikita doens't move.

" 'Kita... Emma seems to be happy with the bombing of the 'evil' dna." Michael says as he closes the door.

"That's nice." Nikita says without lifting her head. Michael picks her feet up and sits down.

"Madeline is wondering what you are doing in here." Michael says softly as he rubs her calf.

"Her couch is softer." Nikita absentmindly answers. "Sorry...I was just thinking... can we have our wedding outside Section... in a field.. in a park... somewhere outside Section?" Nikita asks quietly.

Michael smiles and is about to answer Nikita softly with the answer she wanted when Madeline smashes the quiet.

"BRIEFING TEN MINUTES... inform Julie and Mylo." Madeline says as she runs around her office. Nikita rushes out of the room and Michael sits still. Madeline pauses and looks at Michael.

"Are you coming?" Madleine asks. Michael slowly gets up and leaves.

"That's it.. out with the couch!" Madeline says as she closes the office door.

Send suggestions and comments to ranma.
OR
If you would like to send a comment to Nikita507, click HERE!!