Michael had decided that the day was already bad within five minutes of entering Section. With the terrible night with Sulfur done, and Nikita saving his butt, Michael had spent the night alone. He did not expect to go home to a warm and caring Nikita, he knew well enough that Nikita was mad. She rarely held a gun to his anymore these days unless she was extremely upset. He did not realize how upset Nikita truly was until he found out that she decided to spend the night in their Section quarters.

"Madeline wants to see you, immediately." Birkoff had said as soon as Michael entered. There was no hello, there was no,'why did Nikita stay by herself'... Michael didn't even have time to track down Nikita herself.

He was walking the halls on the wall to find Madeline as Walter hummed his way towards his workspace.

"Hey, Michael... man those new contacts work wonders!" Walter says with a great smile.

"I don't understand what you are talking about?" Michael responds quite rudely.

"Sugar... she wore them last night and said that the exercise went fine." Walter said, holding up a little contact case to Michael's field of view. Michael just nodded his head and continued on his way to Madeline's office.

He entered and closed the door. Madeline sat, staring forward, not even moving her eyes to look at Michael.

"What happened last night?" Madeline asks as Michael sits down.

"Nothing." Michael says, turning his head towards Madeline's.

"Michael...Nikita spent the night here, and there was a strange call for housekeeping... what happened last night?" Madeline confirms that she knows more than Michael wanted her too.

" 'Kita and I had a fight. That is all." Michael says, turning his head away.

"Would this fight have anything to deal with the change in your mood for about three days?" Madeline asks.

"Madeline, what are you trying to say?" Michael demands angerily.

"I know about Sulfur.... we were thinking of bringing him in." Madeline says slowly.

"He isn't even in our database." Michael says as he holds his clenched fists against his side.

"Nikita found enough information." Madeline says.

"I think that this is a conversation that I should be having with Nikita rather than you." Michael says standing up.

"Sit down, Michael." Madeline commands Michael. He does as told. "Nikita spent most of the night with Anna who was having nightmares... she is in no condition to speak to you." Madeline informs Michael.

"I won't be subjected to your questions until you feel it is the right time to speak to Nikita." Michael argues.

"I think I know why Nikita was mad." Madeline says softly.

"She was mad because of what I did.. I didn't tell her." Michael says.

"That is probably true. I have one more question, and I'll let you go." Madeline says.

"Whatever." Michael responds.

"Did you ever find the tracker?" Madeline asks. Michael looks down at his feet and then back at Madeline.

"She hid it along the seam of my button down jeans." Michael admits.

"That girl is a genius!" Madeline says and waves Michael out of her office.

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

Nikita walked down the Section hallway, tempted to rub the sleep away from her eyes, but to deep in thought to complete the action.

She had tried to go to sleep, she really really tried to go to sleep, but each time her eyes shut, there was Michael. Nikita knew that she had gotten use to at least knowing Michael was around. Maybe it had become like a survival instinct, but Nikita could not fall asleep.

"Hey, 'Kita.... I heard that Anna had nightmares last night!" Birkoff calls out from his computer.

"Yes, she did. She is terribly confused with her father issue." Nikita says, not moving closer to Birkoff.

"So, you got no sleep?" Birkoff asks as he notices that Nikita is not moving closer. He notes her messed up hair and her eyes looking like there were suitcases underneath them.

"No." Nikita answers simple. She stands still for Birkoff to say something more, but he doesn't. Nikita starts to move off towards the office.

"HEY SUGAR!" Walter calls out from behind her. Nikita wearily closes her eyes and reopens them. She wanted to get into that office and fall asleep if possible before she sees Michael.

"Sugar... why didn't Michael know about the contacts?" Walter asks as he pulls infront of Nikita.

"We don't share everything, Walter." Nikita says with a slight smile. "He still wears his boxers and I wear mine." Nikita says, trying to joke her way from Walter.

"Sugar.... Madeline is terribly upset today... having Michael see her immediately... What aren't you telling?" Walter says.

"I didn't know you still kept tabs on Madeline." Nikita says loudly. She immediately hears Birkoff's whistle and comment, "Low blow".

"Nikita." Walter says almost as a warning. Nikita's mind is trying to sort through what Walter has said.

"Does this mean Michael is here?" Nikita asks as she pulls her arm across her stomache.

"Yes." Walter says.

"I have to go, Walter. Don't worry... it was just that sometimes I have to prove to Michael who I can be." Nikita says and before Walter can say more, runs to the office.

Nikita slides down into her chair, and is met with the intel that she had gathered on Sulfur on her desk. She runs her fingers through the couple pages and sighs.

She turns her head and sees the couch calling out for her. Nikita slowly rolls her neck from the right shoulder all the way around. She pushes her hair back, and grabs the papers and moves to the shredder that Michael and Nikita had somehow got.

Nikita turns it on, and slowly starts the process of shredding the eight pages of intel that she had gathered.

Nikita's head raises slightly as the door opens.

It drops quickly as she realises who it is.

"Nikita... I thought you were sleeping." Michael says.

"Does it look like I am?" Nikita asks rudely as the last page goes through the shredder. Michael grabs the shreds and runs them over his hand.

"The intel on Sulfur?" Michael asks, but Nikita does not answer. She moves over and falls on the couch, exhaustion running over her weary body.

Michael moves to his desk and places his elbows on the desk and puts his face in his hands. He gently pulls at his hair and finally pushes off of his palms.

"Nikita.. I want to talk about this..." Michael says as he turns around and finds Nikita dead asleep. He moves over and smoothes her hair away from her face, and quickly exits the room.

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

Nikita wakes up and closes her eyes tightly again. Her bottom lip begins to tremble slightly as she stands up. She moves to her desk and pulls out a tiny disk and places it into her computer.

"Michael... this place... this place... ahhhh... look at it!" Nikita's voice is heard as the image of Saint Chappelle is seen. The vivid colors coming across the screen like it was just behind that little piece of clear glass.

"Yes it is Nikita... it's a piece of art, just like you are." Michael is heard saying. The room moves slightly and Michael is being seen in extreme close up. He bends towards the camera and kisses Nikita.

"I could stay here for hours... and have no worries..." Nikita says slowly, as she goes and starts to study Saint Chappelle.

Tears run down Nikita's face as she starts to view the video tape, hoping to find a way to gather her thoughts and feelings.

Madeline walks through the halls and several operatives are running towards her.

"Madeline.. he is going to kill them if he continues." the youngest operative says as they halt infront of Madeline. Madeline nods her head and moves to the workout area number four. Michael is inside with Billie and John. Madeline regrets that the papers for Billie and John still sit on her desk. If she had forwarded them to Operations, these two operatives would have been spared this.

"MICHAEL!" Madeline calls out, and all three operatives stop moving. Michael moves to the hallway quickly.

"I will not have you torturing operatives..... I just tapped into Nikita's computer... I think it wise that you spent sometime with her." Madeline says.

"She was sleeping." Michael says with a simple turn of his head.

"She isn't now." Madeline says and turns her own head a little bit.

"Oh.. Michael... why couldn't we have gotten married then... we were fine... But will anything change...." Nikita cries outloud as she continues to view the tape.

"Mmmmm... this is so beautiful..." The Nikita on the tape says and the door opens at that moment.

Michael moves over as the door closes and looks at the video tape.

"Nikita...." Michael says as he leans over and turns off the computer. "I didn't know you made that tape."

"You don't know a lot about me." Nikita snaps back.

"'Kita... he was part of my past... and I didn't want to mess you into it." Michael says as he pulls Nikita's chair around.

"I am part of it. If you can't accept that... then we can't get married." Nikita says firmly. Michael turns and sighs. The comment made Michael so angry, so sad, and so worried.

"NIKITA!" Michael says as he turns back around with tears in his eyes. "The only thing I am absolute sure of is that I want to marry you... I NEED TO MARRY YOU!" Michael says and the tears fall out of his eyes. Nikita pulls her head back, struck by the pure show of emotion by Michael. The extremes of Michael were driving her crazy... blanks stares yesterday and now open tears!

"I want to Michael... but what if this occurs again?" Nikita asks, holding back her urge to hug and kiss Michael.

"I learned my lesson... I will tell you." Michael says as he stares at Nikita.

"Michael... I love you..." Nikita says, grasping him into her arms.

"Each time we fight... I am so worried I have lost you for good... Sometimes I get scared by how much I truly love you... You have taught me so much about love." Michael says into Nikita's neck.

"No, Michael... you have taught me about love.... everything before this was not love." Nikita says and suddenly both are laughing. Michael pulls away, with his tears dried.

"Why don't you get more sleep... I'll be here." Michael says.

Nikita smiles.

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