The sleek car hugged the curve of the street as it raced down the mountain at speeds well above the posted speed limit. The bright yellow ticket that was slipped away in the glove department of the BMW Z3 meant absolutely nothing as the music changed from one CD to another, with the car able to hold three CD's in the player at once. There was beep on the onboard computer, indicating that there was mail to be retrieved from the Internet. It was a rich man's fantasy car.

It was Mia's car.

She laughed as she took the curve outside of the lines and caused another car to squeal and honk their horns. Her car was so expensive that most knew not to even attempt to hit her. She was a feign for speed, she couldn't get enough of it.

"Check the mail, Aubrey." The sixteen-year-old Mia demanded of her nine-year-old brother. The younger boy looked ever inch of Michael. He had the hair springing in curls that his mother never had in her life and it was so dark in deep brown tones that it made most brunettes jealous. He looked at his sister with the eyes though that were not of his father's. Nothing was there in those eyes but his mother, the blue eyes starting to simmer with anger.

"Don't order me around, sis.... I don't think Dad would appreciate hearing what you have been doing today." Aubrey pointed out with his boyish voice, still several years away from hitting puberty. He was still a young boy in an adult world. Neither child understood how lucky they were.

"Dad isn't going to find out." Mia claimed as she turned the speakers up louder and laughed as the sun broke out from the clouds and she was finally on a two-lane highway where she could pass people and show off the stunning car her mother, Nikita, had bought her. It was a big gift, but Mia was sure that it was because her mother had been absent now for the 16th month. Her mother was feeling guilty and throwing money at her. Mia wasn't going to complain.

"What are you going to do when Birkoff goes on his honeymoon? Who is going to fix your speeding tickets then?" Aubrey challenged out as he placed his hand on the handle of the car. They were going too fast and he was sure that they were heading to being pulled over for the third time this trip alone. The first time, Mia batted her eyes and got out of the ticket. Aubrey was sick of covering for his sister.

"I'm not going to worry about it, Aubrey. You act like Dad more and more." Mia hissed as she looked at Aubrey as she ran her hands along the surface of the sleek and smooth shiny black BMW Z3. It gave her such power, it made her someone.

"Well.. find, Dad won't find out about the speeding tickets... But what about the hair, Mia?" Aubrey pointed out and Mia laughed. To prove a point, she used a hand to stroke her hair up in the air. Until today, it was the same color as Nikita's, the blonde of the sunshine. In less than an hour, she went from looking like her mother to looking like some bad zombie who tried to color their hair with shoe polish. It didn't shine and it was so black, Aubrey was sure if he put tar into the hair, she wouldn't be able to tell what the tar was and where her hair was.

"I don't think it is a big deal." Mia slyly said as she smiled into her rear view mirror. She had just passed another cop and she glanced down at the speedometer. An easy 95 miles per hour and he didn't even budge.

The benefits of having a very expensive car.

"Dad loves your hair... it was so pretty, Mia!" Aubrey cried out in protest. He couldn't believe he had to sit there in the saloon with Mia as she handed over the money as if it was candy. For a hundred dollars, the least they could have done was make it look like real black hair. Yet, it looked like they took Mia's blonde hair off and placed a nasty black Halloween wig on her head.

"Aubrey, shut up!" Mia exclaimed as she reached for her purse and pulled out cigarettes. Aubrey stared at her in horror as she swerved into the other lane as she lit the cigarette up.

"MIA!" Aubrey cried out again. He waved his hand in front of his face, not able to take the smell of the smoke that she purposely blew in his face.

"You are such a baby, Aubrey." Mia commented and her brother sighed and looked to the window. He missed his mother, who wouldn't allow Mia to trample all over him like this. He hadn't seen her in ages. Yes, there was phone calls, but they were few and far between. He guessed that he should be happy that he often saw his grandmother and that his grandfather called often from his retirement home. Even Aubrey was feeling the grind of his father having the new position and all. It was a bad time for the young boy.

"If I'm the baby, why aren't you smoking in front of Dad?" Aubrey questioned and Mia started to laugh as she finished off the cigarette and dropped it outside of the convertible. She allowed the flow of air to toss her hand from side to side as she was filled with glee. She felt so alive right now.

"The same reason why you don't tell Dad why you quit the baseball team." Mia remarked and the younger boy dropped his head with a pout. That was something that he had been hiding for weeks now. Aubrey was just lucky that Michael hadn't been able to follow up with his promises to go watch a game or two. Of course he had to sweat it out a few times, but some urgent emergency popped up and his father had to return to work.

Mia shifted gear and actually applied her foot to the break, slowing as the traffic was getting heavier. It wasn't that she had suddenly started to follow the speed limit, she wasn't. She just slowed down. For Aubrey, he was thankful for the moderate slowing down of Mia and he promised himself the next time he would walk home from school rather than allow Mia to drive him home.

He should have been home some four hours ago. He would have finished his homework and could have started to communicate with Birkoff about some new computer software they two were working on together. Aubrey was sure that he had nothing to do with it, that Birkoff was doing all the work, but the program was named after the young boy.

Almost as sudden as Mia had slowed down, she turned the wheel violently and pulled over the two lanes of traffic to the exit. Before Aubrey could catch his breath, she turned off of the exit and proceeded down the road that Aubrey didn't want to see.

"So you have to personally see Birkoff about fixing that ticket?" Aubrey questioned and Mia rolled her eyes as she made the left hand turn, with an eighteen wheeler heading towards them. She smiled and giggled as he pulled his horn hard and the finally he swerved around them.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Aubrey screamed and Mia laughed and patted her brother's leg.

"Did you pee your pants, bro?" Mia rudely commented as she moved to park the car, not caring which spot she took. Aubrey was still blinking his eyes as she finally pulled the car to a stop and turned the revving engine off.

"You are going to get us killed someday." Aubrey commented as Mia opened the door and swung her hair around. She leaned over into the car and pulled out the mirror on the visor and started to apply the heavy make-up. Aubrey shook his head as he was finding it hard enough to stand up, let alone move.

"Aren't you going to take the eyebrow ring out like always?" Aubrey asked as he exited the door and slammed it shut.

"Do you really think that we are going to see Dad?" Mia commented as she pressed the alarm and bounced down the hallway to go to their father's work. For these two kids, this was a normal life. They somehow understood that they were well protected by their parents and special. They didn't know the lengths that Michael and Nikita had to battle in order to get the kids into schools outside of Section One. They didn't know the lengths of the security they had to layer on the kids so they could move around the real world as if their parents were a Joe Blow and Susie Homemaker.

"I wish he does, Mia... I wish he does..." The young boy sighed as he pressed his hands into his jeans and walked behind Mia. He blinked hid eyes and swallowed, telling himself that his mother wouldn't want him to cry. She told him to be strong and that she would be back soon.

That was 16 months ago.

*

The hallways had picked up some light in the ten years since Mia was the little six year old running around. She actually found the inside of Section One charming and the people amazing, especially when she needed something done, and she usually knew whom to ask too.

Birkoff.

The sweet young boy matured in the ten years that passed. His hair was no longer buzzed cut, but still kept rather short. His entire body seemed to have matured slightly and he was less boyish now than ever before. Recently, he had a glow upon his face and happiness that one never thought Birkoff would meet. Maybe it had something to do with the impending wedding in six months that kept that smile on his face.

Mia used this relationship to the fullest. Birkoff was whom she went to when she had problems that she didn't want her Dad to know. Birkoff had over the years, developed a sweet spot in his heart for both of Michael's and Nikita's children, especially taking pity and care of them while Nikita has been gone during this time. Although, Birkoff kind of knew that he was being used.

"Mia... He isn't always going to cover for you." Aubrey scolded Mia as they turned down the hallways, finding smiles on the operatives, something that their parents weren't sure would ever happen inside of Section One on a daily basis.

"Oh, Aubrey, How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?" Mia questioned as she rolled her eyes, irritated by the companion that she had recently been forced with. Suddenly, he had to be everywhere she went. The little girl, who once loved her little brother to pieces and would help her mother to change his diapers and bathe him, didn't want anything to do with him now.

Birkoff lifted his eyes as he heard the footsteps. He had become accustomed to them of late and knew them from a far off distance. He prepared himself for battle, knowing that he needed to give Mia a lesson that she would learn. He had bent backwards to long now, as Walter pointed out. He waited and waited, knowing that Mia's latest trick has been trying to sneak up on him. Birkoff knew it was something that must have been passed down from Nikita's side of the gene pool.

"Mia.... Have you come to talk about your two speeding tickets today and your one warning?" Birkoff questioned before he even turned around to look at the young girl who had just stopped in front of his desk. He started to turn and he gasped as his heart began to pound. "What did you do to your hair?"

"You like it?" Mia playfully questioned as she tossed her hair from one shoulder to the other. Birkoff continued to gawk at the sight, hearing Michael's words now. Birkoff leaned forward and studied the girl and swallowed.

"Your father is going to have a thing or two to say about it... And the belly ring you got last night that you thought we wouldn't find out about." Birkoff stated with serious eyes. He watched as Aubrey pulled at his sister's arm and then finally lightly slapped the arm.

"You knew that Dad didn't want you to do that. Even mom on the phone a month ago said not to do that!" Aubrey shouted and Mia snorted and pushed the younger boy away by batting at his head. He pouted and turned away, somehow knowing that he didn't want to leave the area. The younger brother could just sense that his sister was going to be getting into trouble, and that was something that he wanted to see.

"Let's forget all about that... Birkoff... Let's get down to business." Mia said as she pushed the tickets onto the desk and smiled at Birkoff sweetly. He looked at the tickets and then placed them back to the desk.

"I suggest you see your father about them." Birkoff remarked coolly, trying to tell himself not to melt for her charm that she was about to turn on. She was so much like her mother, but because she had colored her hair that coal black color, Birkoff wasn't even thinking about Nikita. It was a blessing for Birkoff and it was a curse for Mia.

"He never has time for us, Birkoff. Just take care of them and don't bother him!" Mia exclaimed and Birkoff turned his computer and started to type. Mia smiled and folded her hands across her little chest, developed and built similar to Nikita in every way. It appeared as if Birkoff was doing exactly what she wanted too, getting rid of the tickets.

"Done. Now go see your father about the tickets." Birkoff said as he pulled his hands off the keyboard and looked sternly into Mia's eyes. He stopped and glared at her. They were supposed to be green. Why were Mia's eyes violet?

"What do you mean?" Mia questioned as she batted her eyelashes at Birkoff. The older man settled on pushing the tickets closer to Mia.

"I mean.... You have a meeting with your father... He should be looking down on us now. You can deal with him about your tickets." Birkoff stated firmly. Mia looked up and dropped her head.

"Why are you doing this Birkoff?" Mia questioned with tears about to fall out of her eyes. Birkoff bit the inside of his lip, not able to stand seeing Mia cry. Yet, this was going on too long and he was sick of covering for the teenager from hell. Maybe it would have been different if Nikita was here, but she wasn't and Birkoff knew that it was only one part of the problem.

"Mia.... You got your first ticket... and cried for a week when your Dad punished you... You walked around here sulking the entire time and I knew he had been too hard on you.... But six tickets in the past ten days! I've fixed them, but this has to stop!" Birkoff explained and he stopped. Suddenly he sounded like Walter and Michael. It was only one sign of the changes that Birkoff was going through, and somehow knowing that in time, if luck would shine on his shoulder, that he would have kids of his own.

"But, Birkoff!" Mia whined out and Aubrey snickered from his position. The younger boy was having a blast watching his older sister wiggling on a branch, knowing that the wrath of their father was going to be even worse. It was about time that Mia got punished, and Aubrey could think of all the fun things he could plan while Mia is punished to her room at home.

"I don't want to hear it, Mia. Your mother gave you a wonderful gift and you are misusing it. You have to pay the piper. If you want to speed so deadly fast, then you have to pay the speeding tickets." Birkoff lectured out. Mia dropped her head in defeat. She turned to look at Aubrey and then to look up at the office above. The lights were coming on and her father would soon be approaching the glass. She turned and ran back to Birkoff's desk.

"You have to help me, Birkoff! Come on! Summer vacation just started and I have plans! I'm not going to be able to go anywhere if Dad punishes me!" Mia cried out as the tears started to streak the heavy eyeliner and mascara off of her face. Birkoff folded his arms and looked at Mia.

"You should have thought that to start with." Birkoff commented and Aubrey again started to laugh. Birkoff looked to the boy and sighed. "Oh, Aubrey, you father wants to see you too... Something about a coach of a baseball team wanting an uniform back since you quit?"

Aubrey dropped his head and trudged down the hallway. Birkoff knew that the boy was smart. Of course it looked like he was sad that he was caught, but he was just going to get a light punishment and maybe a lecture before Mia went up there and made her father fly off with his head. Birkoff knew now that Mia as in for some serious time.

"You know, Birkoff... This is my mother's fault!" Mia declared and Birkoff sighed. He had heard this argument too. Too many times it had worked. Not this time.

"Mia.... We all have jobs."

"She doesn't call us, Birkoff! SHE LEFT US!" Mia cried out as she slammed her hands to the desk, showing off her black fingernails that seemed to be sharpened to razor tips. Birkoff looked at Mia and shook his head.

"Go see your father." Birkoff demanded firmly and Mia stepped back.

"I HATE YOU!" Mia yelled and some operatives stopped. Once they recognized that the girl with the black hair was Michael's daughter, Mia, they turned and laugh, knowing how difficult the girl had become. Most thought it ironic that the girl was just like Nikita except for one thing.

She was spoiled.

"Fine, hate me. But I'm doing this because I care." Birkoff stated and Mia shook her head as the tears flung off of her face.

"No you don't. You want to get me punished because you are stuck in here day in and day out and have no life! You want to destroy my life! I HATE YOU BIRKOFF!" Mia yelled and Birkoff sighed and watched as the young girl stomped off in the opposite direction of Michael's office. Birkoff pressed the button and the guards were dispersed to get Mia.

It often happened this way.

Birkoff sighed and waited until the girl's screams were heard as she was taken to Michael's office. Birkoff looked across the hallway and Walter shrugged his shoulders. It had to be done.

Now it was in Michael's hands.

*

Michael was not an unreasonable man. If he had been, he wouldn't be running Section One now and most likely, he would have never been able to live inside of Section One. Things had to be done and he did understand the position his children were in. Yet, their pain of having Nikita's absence being so long was echoed in his heart. It sometimes made him so much harder to deal with, as Michael was trying to be father and mother at the same time.

Aubrey was sitting on the couch that Michael had demanded upon in the office. The young boy dealt with his problem and Michael had issued out the orders. Michael told Aubrey that if he starts something, he has to see it through. Michael explained that it was everything about teamwork when it came to baseball and that with him quitting, it wasn't only hurting himself and his father, but he was hurting the team. Aubrey nodded his head and agreed to go back to the baseball team, starting at tomorrow's practice.

"Dad, I just miss mom. Do you think we can go visit her?" Aubrey questioned and Michael frowned. He touched his young son's hair and looked out towards the glass. He wished he could do that for all of them right now. He couldn't remember the last time his entire family was in one place at one time for more than two hours. Even before Nikita had left, the restructuring and reorganization of Section One had one or both of them at the office at all hours. Michael had taken over when Operations left and Madeline had immediately gained a position that was like a liaison between Oversight and Section One. Michael was thankful for the one small favor that Walter didn't leave on his retirement, although Nikita had tried to get it to happen. The older man was too stubborn and sternly stated that he wanted to die inside of Section One with those that loved him.

"It is going to be impossible. I haven't been able to talk to her because of things, son. Give it time." Michael said as he looked at the sad face. He wished he could give him a day or a month. He wished there was some sort of timeline for when Nikita was going to return, but it always dealt with too many variables. It was the worse situation in Section Two where Nikita was and Michael understood that at times like these, Nikita had to put Section in front of her family.

"Where is your sister? Did she run again?" Michael questioned and Aubrey had shrugged his shoulders. Since he immediately escaped to the office before Mia and Birkoff had it out, he wasn't sure what happened to his sister. Yet, it wouldn't be abnormal to find out that the guards had to chase down the hallways after her. It was a bit too common.

"She misses mom badly... and I don't want to drive with her again." Aubrey said and Michael nodded his head. Michael personally found the transactions this morning, Birkoff covering over Mia's speeding tickets. He wasn't happy with Birkoff, but knew that this issue boiled down to him talking to his out of control daughter.

The doors opened and Aubrey stood up and smiled at Mia as she entered. He looked back and saw the stern look on his face as the color started to change to a deep red. Mia nervously twitched from one foot to the other as she wrung her hands. Aubrey took the hands of the guards and skipped out of the office, pleased to know that everyone got their day in his father's court.

"What did you do to your hair?" Michael asked with a strictness that made Mia lick her lips in fear. She hadn't remembered a time she had seen her father quite like this. With anyone. An operative, with her mother, or with her. He had never been like this.

He was more than angry.

"I colored it. It is the hottest color." Mia said and Michael stood up from the couch and moved closer to his daughter, inspecting her with his eyes. He stopped as the piece of metal winked from her eyebrow. Michael reached out with his hand and pushed the ring to the side of the eyebrow and then dropped his hand.

"And that?" Michael barked out and Mia smiled nervously out, hoping that the charm that usually worked on Birkoff would work on her father.

"An eyebrow ring... Do you want to see my belly button ring?" Mia said as she bravely dropped her head and lifted up her shirt. She played her pinkie finger against the ring, moving it from side to side to show her father. When she lifted her head she saw the look on his face.

"Didn't we tell you not to do that?" Michael questioned, making sure he was thinking straight here. He couldn't believe that Mia would so blatantly go out and disobey what her mother and father told her not to do.

"Well... You said no then.. But you could have changed your mind and I got a discount for doing both of them." Mia tried to explain with a shrug of her shoulders. She saw instantly that the causal approach with her father wasn't working. Michael turned his head and then moved closer to Mia.

"And what do I smell?" Michael questioned and Mia rolled her eyes in front of her father. She turned and stalked out to the window. Michael instantly tinted them, wanting this conversation for himself and his daughter. No reason to give the operatives the show he was sure was going to happen. Mia was sometimes a bit too over-dramatic.

"Come on, Dad. I know that the security must have told you that I was smoking. You can't smell it." Mia said as she placed her hands on her hips. She looked at her dad, as if challenging him to say that he smelt it.

"In fact, I wouldn't have found out if it hadn't been for a butt of a cigarette that you threw out the window, didn't fly into the window of the operatives following you and caught the newspaper on fire." Michael pronounced and Mia winced. That didn't sound good for her at all.

"But I didn't know that... And they aren't suppose to be reading newspapers at the same time as driving!" Mia exclaimed and Michael blinked his eyes. He felt his blood boiling and knew that he sorely missed Nikita on times like this.

"While we are on the topic of driving... When are you going to pay Birkoff back for the tickets he paid off for you?" Michael questioned. He watched as Mia dropped her mouth. He knew that Mia didn't know that Birkoff was personally using his money to make those tickets disappear and it was about time that she learned what was going on.

"We look out for your good. Birkoff was helping you with the speeding. I look out for your health and you continue to throw it back in our faces!" Michael hollered, losing what precious control he did have. Mia rolled her eyes. The movement did nothing to calm Michael down. It spurned him on.

"And look at you! You look like a freak vampire! Do you know how unhealthy it is to smoke? What about cancer, Mia?" Michael said sternly, barely able to control his voice.

"Oh, Dad... I'm just having a few. I'm not going to smoke for life!" Mia shouted back and she started to pace.

"And I'm mad at you! You don't even care to know who I am anymore!" Mia continued to shout. Michael turned his head and waited. He was going to listen to all that his daughter had to say. Maybe it was important to hear all of this.

"You just care about this damn job! You and Mom... Never home and never talk to us!" Mia continued and Michael dropped his head, feeling like he was failing as a parent again. Yet it was so hard with what he was doing. Michael and Nikita had worked hard to keep Mia and Aubrey in the normal world along with Section One. They didn't want to force the children into being operatives because they happened to be born to the parents who run Section One. It wasn't fair to them and so, with a lot of tough work and fights with Oversight, it is happening. Mia and Aubrey don't know how much Michael and Nikita pay in their everyday life in order to protect them.

"Let's try now." Michael offered as he extended his hand to the couch and Mia shook her head. She walked to the desk and started to throw off papers. She always did this when she had a tantrum up in the office and it was nothing new for Michael to see.

"I don't want to talk now. You and mom missed everything!" Mia shouted as she raced for her father and pounded her fists into his chest. Michael stood there as she circled around.

"I needed you... I needed her!" Mia shouted and Michael felt his heart tearing apart. He didn't know he had failed both of his children so badly.

"Mia... some things we can't do anything about... But lets talk now." Michael offered in a soft voice, feeling a building of tears himself.

"Oh.. sure... I'll tell you know that my first time with a guy hurt like hell, Dad. Do you really want to hear that?" Mia shouted and then stopped as both of their mouths dropped. Mia did not mean to shout that, but she had. That was the one thing she never wanted her parents to know. Neither of them. She had been taught about the birds and the bees in school and by her mother. But now she regretted each word she had said.

"What?" Michael questioned with a simmering anger that was about to burst out of his control. He clenched his hands as he looked into Mia's eyes and saw the violet contacts that she had. He didn't even know this person any longer.

"Let's forget about that." Mia said as she tried to turn and run away, but it was too late. Her father had closed the doorway off and continued to stare at her.

"You slept with a boy?" Michael questioned and Mia rolled her eyes and swallowed. She couldn't believe her father was acting exactly in this way. She was a smart girl and knew what to do in that situation.

"Yes." Mia admitted and Michael nodded his head as he turned away, blinking his eyes. He couldn't believe his little girl just said that. He couldn't believe that his little girl that looked like Nikita was gone and had created herself into a monster.

"When?" Michael questioned deeply, knowing that he was going to find the files from the operatives that were suppose to be watching her and grilling them for missing this one. His green eyes glared at Mia as she twisted her hands back and forth.

"The day before my 16th birthday... The day you broke plans with me and Aubrey to take us to Ling Lu's." Mia spat out, knowing that the words and the facts were going to hurt her father even more. Michael stared at her and shook his head. He as sure that this had nothing to do with puppy love and that most likely, Mia slept with that boy in order to do something to lash out at him.

"You're punished." Michael demanded and Mia rolled her eyes.

"I'll go home, right now." Mia sarcastically said and Michael shook his head no as he moved closer to Mia.

"No... I mean, you are punished. You are staying in the room you have here. You will see no one and you will go no where." Michael said and Mia trembled. She had only been punished to her room inside of Section One, once before in her life, the first time she slapped Aubrey, but that was only for a few hours.

"For how long?" Mia questioned as she backed up from her father, not liking the glaring eyes that took over his face.

"A month. You will have assignments to do... about AIDS, STD's, lung cancer, and charity, and if they aren't done correctly, you'll stay in that room until they are done correctly? Understand?" Michael questioned and Mia swallowed.

"Perfectly." Mia said and turned out of the office. Her mind was made up. She wasn't going to stick around here forever.

Michael's own mind went elsewhere immediate. To someone that the blame should be placed on, Nikita. Her absence was too difficult to handle and Madeline entered the office as Michael pushed down the receiver to call Birkoff.

"Get me, Nikita. I don't care what you have to take her away from." Michael demanded and Birkoff silently did as he was told to do as Madeline crystallized the windows.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Madeline questioned Michael as he stared off at the ground below. He continued to stare, feeling like he was lost. He didn't know what to do anymore.

"Michael..." Birkoff's tense voice broke the silence and Madeline blinked her eyes.

"Where is the line to Nikita?" Michael questioned.

"You better come down here, Michael." Birkoff ominously stated and Michael slammed his hand down and turned to leave the office. Madeline followed, knowing that tone in Birkoff's voice did not mean anything good.

*

"Michael... isn't that punishment too severe?" Madeline questioned as she flew down the stairs with Michael. She saw the anger that was still so clearly on his face. Madeline didn't know the specifics of what had transpired between the father and the daughter, but she did hear what Mia was screaming about as she flung her body down the hallway, in an abusive manner. It shook Madeline to the core, as the last time she saw that behavior it was from Mia's mother.

"Didn't you hear, Birkoff? I am needed." Michael said as he locked his eyes with Madeline for a second before the woman reached out and grabbed Michael's arm. Michael stopped and looked at Madeline. It was unsure of who had the power in this relationship. Michael controlled Section and Madeline was half under the control of Section One. He controlled one half of her. Often she was of great council, but he never allowed her in the matters of his family.

"This is important, Michael. This is your family." Madeline harshly stated and Michael sighed as he turned and continued down the stairs, driven by the voice of Birkoff. Birkoff rarely now exhibited and expressed worry as he did when he called up for Michael.

"Where is my line to Nikita?" Michael demanded as he turned the corner and stared at Birkoff as he issued orders out to the many operatives that operated the computers around him. Birkoff sat down and swallowed, knowing that he did not want to give Michael the information that he had to do. He couldn't believe it himself.

"They're gone." Birkoff stated and Michael blinked his eyes at the riddle. Madeline turned her head, getting immediately what Birkoff was saying. Michael though, after the heated fight with his rebellious daughter, wasn't seeing the statement clearly.

"Who?" Michael questioned firmly and Birkoff looked up at Michael and felt his throat trapping the words and the comments. He felt his eyes filling with tears for the first time since he proposed to his fiancée. He dropped his head to look at the screen once more and looked up at Michael.

"Section Two." Birkoff commented and Michael leaned forward as if the wind had been kicked out of him. He blinked his eyes, trying not to have the emotional response he was having.

"Michael... I can handle this." Madeline offered and Michael straightened up and took one long and deep breath. He knew that it wasn't right. Something might be wrong, but he deeply knew that he would know if Nikita had passed on. He wouldn't let it go. He had to do something.

"It didn't implode... We would have had the alarms here." Michael stated as Birkoff stood up and grabbed some of the papers that the operatives were quickly pulling up. He looked at the papers and swallowed.

"The last official communications from Section Two was 41hours ago... and there was an unofficial communication at 39 hours." Birkoff said and Michael swallowed and turned away from the desk. Everyone was watching Michael as they all knew that Nikita had been in that Section for sometime now. He looked off to the wall, now not even thinking about the problems with Mia. This was much more important.

Nikita.

Michael rubbed his lips roughly with a cupped hand as he looked to Birkoff as he typed quickly. It was taking longer as the links to Section Two were not as easily assessable. Birkoff had to break the codes to get into the computer in Section Two that appeared to still be functioning.

"Run a scan for any life." Michael issued as he looked at the flowing data. He noted that Madeline was standing nearby, probably waiting for him to lose his emotions and break down. Yet, he wasn't going to fail Nikita now.

Birkoff looked at the next piece of information and kept it from hitting the top screen. He was sweating bullets until this point. Now he looked at the information and finally felt the tears rolling down his face. It only made a strong case for the fact that Nikita was most likely dead.

"The failsafe is in tact." Birkoff stated as he pulled the report up from the printer and handed it to Michael. He looked at the numbers and the codes. He looked off to the wall and lifted his head.

"It doesn't mean she didn't get out sooner, Birkoff." Michael stated out confidently. Everyone around the area knew that this wasn't about finding out what happened to Section Two. This was about finding Nikita. That was all that mattered to Michael and in the new age of Section One, no one blamed him.

"Birkoff... no biological life," an operative behind Michael reported. The leader of Section One turned and glared at the operative with his green eyes glowing with every emotion that was feeling, but yet, he was still so in control.

"Not even insects?" Michael questioned and the operative shook his head. Michael looked around, knowing that at least, someone was going to have to go in and set the denotation devices off, to implode the building that was Section Two.

"Birkoff... Access their cameras." Michael stated and Birkoff looked to Michael. It was something that he didn't really want to do. He was afraid to look at the images that they were going to find. They all knew that with there being no other biological life, that this was most likely a virus, poison, or some other deadly agent. Most of them did bad things to the body before they passed away.

"Michael... are you sure?" Birkoff questioned and Michael leaned down and looked at Birkoff, eye to eye. Birkoff was still crying and Michael did not react to it.

"Let me take your Mary and kill her... and then tell you that you can't see her body. What would you do, Birkoff?" Michael questioned and Birkoff hacked into the computer and started the work to open up all the cameras in Section Two to Section One. Everyone stared at Michael, feeling that the man was going to break soon. He had too. The emotions he was showing were enough, but he had to break down. Nikita and the k ids were his life. If he didn't do anything soon, Madeline would be more than worried.

Michael turned from the computers as Walter moved to the area. Michael stared at Walter and couldn't contain himself any longer. The tears started to flow, but after three, Michael turned his head and focused on the computer screen. Everyone looked at Michael to tell Walter about Nikita's demise, but Michael didn't even think to do that.

She wasn't dead.

"I have the cameras... And bodies all over the floor..." Birkoff said as he turned his head away from the screen that seemed to be glaring the dead bodies so easily. Everyone there had seen too many dead bodies and shouldn't have been affected, but these were others like them and at the place that Nikita was to be. Walter was starting to sob as Madeline had explained to him what was going on. Madeline held onto the older man, knowing that he needed to leave the area, but knew that she couldn't chance leaving Michael, because she was sure that he would break once he saw Nikita's body.

"Load the image of Nikita, make the computers there find her body." Michael demanded and Birkoff only nodded his hands. He looked to his fingers, the first time in years looking at the keys to demand the computer to work. The younger man didn't want to look at the screen anymore and his fingers were trembling badly enough that he didn't want to hit a wrong key when Michael was on the edge as he was.

The screens started to flash instantaneously, searching the compound of Section Two for Nikita's body. Everyone held their breath, knowing that the next flash could show Nikita's body sprawled out as the others. The actions went on for minutes at a time, each passing minute making it seem more like Michael was correct.

The bodies weren't swollen. The bodies were mutilated. The skins were intact and there were no bruises. There was no spilling of body fluids. All of the bodies were still clothed, except the two of the women in the shower. They just all seemed to have fallen at the same time. No one was seen trying to escape the area. It must have been as sudden and it must have happened instantly. There were no visual clues to what had occurred to these operatives.

"She is not there." Birkoff announced as he looked at the stopped screen and the information that flashed across his screen. He looked to Madeline and then dropped his eyes. He felt Michael standing right behind his shoulder and staring at the screen.

"Get me a team in the van access now." Michael ordered Birkoff and he started to type furiously. Michael looked around and dryly swallowed. "Walter, I need the strongest biohazard outfits we have... Get me seven."

"But there is only six on the team?" Birkoff pitched in and Michael turned and looked at Birkoff.

"I'm going," Michael said and everyone gasped as they stared at Michael. Michael only glared back at the operatives, tempting them to stop what he had decided. He looked at Madeline and knew that she was willing to take the challenge of stopping Michael. Madeline stepped forward and shook her head. She took Michael by the arm and pulled him to the side.

"If Nikita is fine, she may try to contact you." Madeline said as she stared into the green eyes. She knew that should just stop there with her words, because nothing was going to change Michael's mind now. He was staring past Madeline, not caring about what she said. "What about the areas in the compound that don't have cameras. Michael, she is probably in there."

"Then I must find out." Michael stated brutally as he forced his arm away from Madeline.

"You aren't going." Madeline firmly stated and Michael turned and cocked his head to the side, not liking the tone that Madeline had said it in. It was definitely an order that she was trying to issue.

"You don't have the power to stop me." Michael commented back, hating that this argument was occurring because it was wasting time.

"I work for Oversight." Madeline firmly stated out as she moved forward and lifted her head to look into Michael's eyes.

"You half work for Oversight. How much good would the half of your body that works for Oversight be if I killed the side that works for Section?" Michael rudely threatened as he stepped closer to Madeline. His mere body presence was enough to back some people down, but it had been sometime since Michael had to do such a production to get Madeline to listen to his orders. This was Nikita, and he would do anything for his wife and the mother of his children.

Michael turned around in a circle to see if anyone else was going to challenge him. He knew that they weren't and he started to walk down the hallway, off to meet the team in the van. He was a man on a mission and Madeline dropped her head in thought. She couldn't blame him. He didn't know how to live before Nikita, and once Michael and Nikita saved each other, the forged a relationship that was there to go against all rules and actions.

"What about Mia and Aubrey?" Madeline called out, but Michael made no attempt to turn around and look at her. It was very clear to see that Michael believed that he was doing what was best for his children. Madeline knew that the children were upset at their mother for being gone for such a long time, but if it was forever and they never got to say good-bye, it would be worse.

"Birkoff... use the computers there to find out how this was done. And notify Oversight that Section Two is gone and that a possible head of a Section may have been taken by the terrorist group that had done so." Madeline issued and Birkoff nodded his head as he rubbed his neck. He couldn't remember the last time that he felt this stressed. It was just compounded with the fact that he had the argument with Mia. Now he wished that he had paid for the tickets for Mia.

"Is that they way we are going to handle this? Terrorist went in to destroy Section Two and took Nikita hostage?" Birkoff questioned and Madeline looked down the hallway. She had other things to deal with. Although she wasn't about to tell Mia what was going on, she had to calm the girl down from the fight that she did have from her father. Madeline didn't even respond to Birkoff as she turned and walked to the room that Mia had been grounded at.

"Great." Birkoff muttered underneath of his breath, feeling the pounding headache throbbing at his forehead. It was not a good time for anyone, but Birkoff cared for Nikita too and he would throw his entire life into this computer, trying to see what happened to her, because her children needed her more than they needed their unofficial Uncle Birkoff.

*

Michael stared at the operatives as they slowly moved into the Biohazard uniforms and slowly connected the oxygen supply. Apparently, the computers hadn't been able to find out any more information about what had caused all of this. The cameras had suddenly malfunctioned an hour before all of this happened. No one was sure if someone came in and did this or if this was a sudden virus. Michael looked through his crystal clear mask and looked at his gloved hands.

Michael already was telling himself that if he saw Nikita on the floor that he couldn't pull the suit off to join her, that he had the kids to worry about. He knew that Nikita would want him to stay with the kids, but already, he knew he couldn't do it without Nikita. If anything, the past 16 months showed that Michael couldn't handle being a father without Nikita around. He had pondered the thought a lot as he was in the van and now as the doors opened to Section Two, he was flooded with them.

The yellow suits moved through the bodies at the van access. A team must have just arrived or must have been departing. A few moments in either direction may have saved or spared their life's and then there would have been a way to access what happened to Section Two. Michael's eyes only glanced over the bodies, knowing that they weren't Nikita's and he moved on.

He was concerned about Mia. He looked at these people, how they seemed to have died in everyday activities and he swallowed. Mia wasn't his little girl anymore and it seemed as if her entire life was done with a snap of his fingers. One minute she was the sweet six-year-old and now she was the monster child that believed that being sixteen meant you were an adult. Michael looked around and swallowed. If Nikita was outside of this, he didn't want to be the one to tell Nikita that her girl was no longer an innocent virgin.

It bothered him that Mia had just blurted that out. Yet, Michael saw more behind that. Mia didn't hold onto the information until the fight without a purpose. She wanted to hurt Michael, and it had. Now, a mere two hours after Mia yelled and screamed that she hated him and that she had been spending some time in the arms of a boy, Michael was looking in a bunker area with dead bodies, wondering if he was going to find his wife among those that were dead.

"Michael.... Communications doesn't have Nikita," An operative reported in and Michael looked around and looked at the oval shaped glass window that over looked the smaller floors of Section Two. He turned and found the stairs, wondering if she had fallen in there somewhere. He wanted to send someone else up those stairs, but then he didn't want too. If someone was going to find Nikita, it should be her husband and no one else.

Michael studied the door as he pushed it opened. In his mind, he could see Nikita on the floor, dead as the others. In his logical mind, that was what he was going to find. He pushed the door open as the tears started to pour out of his eyes and he dropped his head.

No one.

Not one body.

No Nikita.

"Operatives report in? Do we see Nikita?" Michael questioned as he pushed at the communications device. He looked around at his wrist and saw that there were no air-born diseases being registered or poisons. Michael looked around and went to the backup computer. He pushed at the keys and started to view the cameras that did work.

There was heavy cloud that swarmed down over the hallways and then it was sucked away. This wasn't a small attack. This was a huge attack by a terrorist group that knew what they were doing. What Michael didn't know if the terrorist group knew if they got Nikita or if they knew that didn't get her. This might be an attack on Section Two, or this was a way to bother Michael and in turn, cause problems in Section One.

"Birkoff... Go to Closed Quarters. This was a planned attack." Michael stated as he looked around and indicated that it was ok for the masks to be taken off. He pulled the yellow helmet off and looked around, getting a bad feeling about everything he was seeing.

"Michael? What is going on?" Birkoff demanded as Michael turned and walked down the stairs. The location could be used again, but the method that was used to destroy the operatives that had lived in this Section Two showed that the location was known. Michael's worries were important. They might be waiting for more to come in for a rescue.

"Is there any intelligence in Section Two that we do not have at Section One?" Michael demanded as he looked around and rounded the operatives up. He looked at the computers and pulled at the small drive that would give locations of all the Sections.

"Just the master and their directory." Birkoff said and Michael handed the object over to a burly operative that stood next to him. There were tears in his eyes, this was a place that Nikita had been in and now they didn't know where she was. The terrorist group that did this may have taken her.

"Birkoff... get Nikita's crystal and find her." Michael ordered as he typed at the computer, setting the clock and moving the operatives out of the place once known as Section Two. They moved past the dead bodies, not caring about their names. It bothered Michael and he knew that Nikita, if she were ever found, would hate him for the cold way he dealt with the dead operatives.

"I can't do that, Michael. It's coded by Oversight because she was the head of Section Two." Birkoff protested as the elevator lifted Michael and his team, sweating in the yellow biohazard suits to the ground above before the structure below would implode.

"Isn't Madeline there?" Michael rudely commented, knowing that he was correct with the statement. He sucked in the air and rushed to the waiting van to leave the area. He didn't even want to be on the ground when the area imploded. Michael planned on being on the plane and heading back to Section One.

"Birkoff... Notify Section Three... They'll become Section Two. Move whatever outside operatives from what was Section Two that weren't inside to that new location." Michael issued out as he felt the van being lifted into the plane.

"Michael..." Birkoff whispered and Michael blinked his eyes as he stared out the van into the dark body of the plane. He felt dead inside, but it wasn't because he knew that Nikita was dead. He felt dead because he didn't know where Nikita was. That was worse than knowing that her life and spirit had moved on.

Birkoff knew the silence meant that Michael was thinking deeply. He turned to see Madeline moving to the desk to look at the computer. Birkoff had gone against protocol and pulled up Nikita's crystal. He had a location on her and he wanted to tell Michael, but something told him to stop.

Madeline was worn out. Mia had disappeared from Section One. This wasn't the time for this to be happening, as no one knew the fate of Nikita. That was until Madeline saw the crystal position and it indicated that Nikita was alive. She turned her head and swallowed as she rubbed her neck.

"Mia is gone." Madeline stated and Birkoff shut his eyes and swallowed.

"Nikita's in a hospital... I thought it was an accident... I pulled up the file... She has been a patient in and out of there for ten months. And she has been there for the past six months." Birkoff said and Madeline blinked her eyes and swallowed.

"Have you told Michael?"

"No."

"Redirect the plane. I'll tell him."

"Madeline..."

"Yes?"

"She has cancer."

"I'll have Nikita tell him." Madeline softly said as she blinked her eyes and moved away from the computers. She clutched her hands over her chest and walked down the hallway.

When it rains, it pours.

This was a hailstorm.

*

Madeline grabbed Birkoff's arm as he finished hooking up the transportable computer and communications board to his arm. Madeline wanted to talk in private, but right now, Michael was about to find St. Anne's Hospital. So far, Michael didn't even connect that Nikita may be injured or sick. He thought of all other possibilities, most of them being connected that she had a target that needed medical attention.

"What do you know about her case?" Madeline questioned as they walked down the hallway. Birkoff heard the buzz and looked down to his arm to pull up the line with Michael. He stopped and looked at the computer screen.

"Michael, you want to make a right hand turn. The hospital entrance should be on the left hand side." Birkoff said some operatives walked down the hallway. Of course Birkoff was decked out in technology about him, but he had used this device before, and it was Walter's and Michael's thoughts that helped to create it. It was best when Birkoff had to be in several places at once and had to move about away from the computer. Birkoff attached to a computer was much more effective that Birkoff walking from computer to computer.

"Do I need back-up?" Michael questioned and Birkoff looked to Madeline and sighed. Madeline turned her head away to the side; a she had seen the hospital record, seeing that Nikita hadn't been in and out of the hospital for the past six months, she had had permanent residence inside of the hospital.

"Just proceed." Birkoff stated out as he quickly flipped the computer screen to the information he had been able to pull about Nikita's condition. He was sure that Michael was going to find it all out sooner or later, but Madeline insisted that this was news that Nikita had to tell him herself.

"Her condition?" Madeline questioned and Birkoff nodded his head as he followed behind Madeline. It was amazing that he was able to walk at Madeline's fast pace around the hallways of Section One while working the computer, but Birkoff was not a genius for no reason.

"She has been getting chemotherapy for the past eight months... It has made her so sick that the past six months she hasn't been able to leave the hospital except for a few hours here and there." Birkoff started to explain. She looked at Birkoff, still waiting on the answer to the real question she had. Birkoff flipped through the screens quickly, knowing that he still didn't know what type of cancer that Nikita had been battling seemingly by herself.

"First report stated that she had ductal carcinoma in situ and that she refused the lumpectomy." Birkoff said and Madeline turned to stare at Birkoff about the information. But Birkoff was already back on the line with Michael.

"Ok, once you go into the main entrance, you have proceed to the elevators. Take them to the seventh floor. You'll transfer elevators there." Birkoff said and then moved to the computer and looked up at Madeline's eyes hotly staring at him.

"She refused the lumpectomy?" Madeline questioned and Birkoff dropped his head, now finding it difficult to follow behind Madeline, she was speeding up, in a hurry to get to the office she had gotten when she got the new position. Birkoff pulled at Madeline's arm and stopped her movement.

"If you want to know, you have to either decide if you want to get to your office or want the information." Birkoff hissed out, feeling the sweat building over his body, as it was too much for him to keep up with. Birkoff was also trying to find Mia during this entire mess.

"Her doctor suggested that the cancer could be beaten with a session of chemotherapy.... A regimen of CMF..." Birkoff said, starting to get confused with the terms. Madeline nodded her head and started down the hallway. Apparently, she knew the drug that he had quoted.

"What happened?" Madeline stated and Birkoff rolled his eyes. He was working as quickly as he could. Both Michael and Madeline were demanding him to answer them immediately and it just wasn't working correctly.

"The diagnosis switched to Medullary... and again, she refused the lumpectomy." Birkoff supplied and Madeline turned and opened her office door as Birkoff played at the computer. He blindly walked down the case of stairs, now a huge twelve of them.

"Walter? Have you found Mia?" Birkoff questioned and he shook his head as he looked at Madeline, not liking the report he was getting back from Walter. It was starting to get dark outside and Mia was still out on the streets somewhere. With all that Michael was going to be going through and all that Nikita has been going through all by herself, neither of them needed to find out that Mia had runaway.

"Her doctor?" Madeline questioned and Birkoff dropped his head.

"Birkoff, now where?" Michael's voice questioned out and he sighed. He pulled the scheme of the old St. Anne's hospital out. Birkoff was surprised to see a lay out as such. The elevators only went to the seventh floor where someone had to get another set of elevators to go to the tenth floor. He looked at the image; it being slightly distorted being on the smaller screen.

"You have to go to the right and up to the tenth floor." Birkoff replied and he glanced at the computer screen, hoping for three seconds just to contain the surge of adrenaline that had forced it's way through his body. He was working for everyone.

"The doctor's name is Dr. Phil Garrison... Looks like he came out of retirement to help Nikita," Birkoff informed Madeline and she nodded her head. She had heard of the doctor, he was a pioneer in the kind of treatment that Nikita was seeking, non-surgical. Yet, it was risky and probably was draining her body more than it should have been. Madeline though, deeply realized that the reason why Nikita sought this treatment and denied other methods was because she still have a poor body image, even after all these years. She needed to feel whole and Madeline was sure that the thought of them even removing the lump from her breast was breaking that feeling of being whole.

"Does that sound right? Coming out of retirement to help one patient?" Madeline inquired and Birkoff shrugged his shoulders as he switched to a new line.

"Birkoff."

"Birkoff, why is Mia sitting in my living room?" Operations' voice boomed over the line and Birkoff turned and waved at Madeline to come closer.

"Can you hold?" Birkoff questioned as Michael was again, demanding his attention. Birkoff looked to Madeline as he switched the line to Michael.

"Turn left... room 1078, it is a corner room." Birkoff stated.

"She is with someone?" Michael instantly demanded and Birkoff looked to Madeline with worried eyes. They had in essence sent Michael in blindly, not knowing what he was going to find. It hadn't even crossed his mind that Nikita was the one that was sick.

"Don't have satellite information." Birkoff quickly quipped as he turned the screen over and looked to Madeline. He had Michael going in the right direction, but now he had Mia at Operations' place.

Mia's Pappap as she liked to call him, had retired several years ago. It seemed like it was a totally different world from the time he left. Birkoff would have never been able to get engaged, even though the old man, Operations, had softened due to his exposure with Mia. He retired to the tropics, in Key West.

"How did she get to Paul?" Madeline demanded and Birkoff rolled his eyes. He couldn't wait until he could deal with one problem at a time. This was too much and it hadn't been this way in Section One since they took down a major section of Glass Curtain.

"Why do you assume I have all the answers, Madeline? What do I tell Operations?" Birkoff said and Madeline smiled and stroked the young man's cheek.

"He isn't your superior Birkoff. He is Paul now." Madeline commented and Birkoff took a deep breath, trying to do what Madeline had suggested. He did have the power and he didn't have to tell Operations, Paul, anymore than what he was comfortable telling.

"She ran away, Paul." Birkoff replied and Madeline smugly smiled. She had waited for Birkoff to grow up and call Operations by that name. She knew it was difficult for the younger man to do so, since his entire life Paul had been Operations. Technically, Michael was Operations now, but the name or term was never used, except when Nikita was mad at him.

"Birkoff... That is not an answer to what I'm questioning. I knew she ran away. Why else would she be here?" Operations hissed out and Madeline lightly chuckled at the statement. It was the least likely place that Madeline thought that Mia would go, but it did make sense. Her father's punishment, although really needed, was extremely strict and harsh. She ran as quickly as she could and Madeline almost feared that that was going to happen once she view the end of the fight.

"You want to know why? Ok... From what I have heard it could be because of the 7 or more speeding tickets she got? Or, just take a look at her. Black hair? Eyebrow ring? Belly button ring? Do those things look like things Michael or Nikita would allow her to do? Or just ask her about the operative who got burned because she was smoking?" Birkoff spat out, losing what was left of his patient nerves. He turned to view Madeline smiling broadly at him.

"Bravo!" Madeline sarcastically remarked and Birkoff shook his head and stood up with his mature body showing how much he had grown up. He didn't have to take what was being dished out and he wasn't about to allow it to continue.

"If you want further information, Madeline... SHUT UP!" Birkoff said as he pressed his finger to his wrist to connect to Walter. He might as well get Walter onto other business, probably about how to get Mia back into Section One before Michael realizes that she was had run away.

"Walter... Mia is with Operations." Birkoff stated and turned the line off before he heard Walter's screams. It didn't matter as the noise was heard down the hallway and Birkoff slumped.

"I will be talking to my granddaughter." Operations stated as Birkoff rolled his eyes around. It was a good thing that someone was going to talk to Mia. Birkoff was sure that Madeline would call him later and fill him in with the happenings of Nikita and Michael, but right now, after the past ten minutes or so, Birkoff was tired.

"You can look into her files later, Birkoff. Go take nap." Madeline ordered and Birkoff pulled at the Velcro that held the equipment to his body and ran up the stairs before Madeline could change her mind. She pulled up the receiver and found that Operations had not been disconnected.

"Birkoff??? Birkoff???"

"Calm down, Paul." Madeline stated and she heard the sigh on the other end, Yet, she wasn't sure if it was a sigh of relief or a sigh of anger that he had to be talking to Madeline now.

"Please try to talk some sense into her, Paul. We have issues with Nikita now and she may have to grow up real fast." Madeline stated and killed the line.

It was a cryptic message.

It was a cryptic situation.

*

The IV was adjusted as a new batch of the drugs flowed into the body. The bag hung there silently as Norma, a large nurse, with brilliant curly red hair, turned and fluffed the pillows. She helped Nikita back down to the bed and looked into her blue eyes, as they were drawn far away.

"Can I get you something for the pain, Nikita?" Norma softly questioned as she stroked at Nikita's now baldhead. Nikita lifted her blue eyes and lightly smiled at the woman. She enjoyed the nurse's company; she usually could put a smile on her face.

"Can I just have an extra pillow?" Nikita questioned softly and Norma nodded her head. It was the one thing that Nikita always requested for. For Norma, Nikita was a patient didn't know how to demand more and a patient that scared her. Nikita rarely spoke of her life. At first, when Nikita was in and out of the hospital on the out patient basis, the woman smiled, or so Norma heard. Now, that Nikita was trudging onto her seventh month of continuous care and treatment, she was more than listless. They had psychologists and psychiatrists in and out, but Nikita did not want their care.

She was a strong woman and Norma admired her. Yet, it felt that at times, Nikita was trying to punish herself by allowing the pain to continue and to not accept what help was being offered. When Norma first worked with Nikita, that first week Nikita had been an inpatient, Nikita seemed fine. Norma reported that Nikita was having no side effects of the chemotherapy. That was until one day, she found Nikita in the bathroom retching like she had never seen a cancer patient. Nikita often didn't call for the help of a nurse when she got sick like that, but Norma learned over time when Nikita would need her, and often just happen to be standing nearby.

Norma handed Nikita the pillow, which Nikita clutched to her chest quickly. She closed her eyes and swallowed. Norma wished that she would give in, allow them to give her some pain medication that they had been offering for months now.

Norma stroked at Nikita's baldhead, noting that she didn't even have the strength to place her wig on. Norma was told of how Nikita got her baldhead. Her hair didn't fall out. Nikita went and had her hair shaved off the first day after her first treatment of the chemotherapy. She then had her wig, made out of her own hair. Since then, none of it had grown back, but Nikita had been so caring to that wig, but now it didn't matter much to her. The drugs were tearing her system apart.

"You know that you don't have to ask me for anything, Nikita." Norma said as she touched Nikita's hands. Nikita looked up with a wane smiled and then hugged the pillow tighter. Norma smiled back at Nikita, but inside was frowning. A woman needed support during this time and it seemed as if Nikita hadn't had any. Yet, Norma was almost sure that it was by Nikita's choice that she was all alone. The one night, when Nikita finally had gone to sleep, Norma went to put Nikita's journal away in the little nightstand. A small picture fell out, and there was a healthy and beautiful Nikita smiling with what had to be her perfect family. Her husband had his arm securely on her shoulder, a perfect opposite, dark in his features. And her children. They were cute; they looked like their parents.

"You know I won't be far, Nikita." Norma announced as she turned and walked to the doorway and stopped, she saw the man in the picture, looking pale, but what she would see in a few moments later, would be a man with no color at all.

Michael was having a hard time walking down this particular wing of the hospital. From the rooms he was passing, it was apparent that they were cancer patients. His mind started to question why was Nikita here. He didn't want to think it, but he was afraid to continue onto the room that Nikita was in. He was afraid to find out the truth, that it was truly Nikita's room.

1078
Nikita Samuelle
Dr. Phil Garrison

Michael stood there; staring at the plague, knowing that the nightmare he tried to hide away in his mind was coming true. He looked to the door and the nurse that was walking out of the room, and he looked at the plague again, stopped in his path, stopped in his need to see Nikita. He now didn't know what he would find. The nurse brushed passed him as he stared at the door. He could barely step forward to touch the door and to slowly push it open.

Nikita didn't even lift her head at the noise of the door opening, sure that it was just Norma staying around to see if she was going to get sick again. Michael saw the baldhead and then moved slowly forward, although it didn't exactly look like Nikita, he knew it was Nikita.

"Nikita?" Michael questioned out in a soft and cracking voice. She lifted her head and her blue eyes that were always shining and filled with blueness, they were gone. There seemed to be nothing there and then there were the tears in her eyes.

"Michael? Why are you here?" Nikita questioned as she pushed the pillow closer to her chest, to cover her, and in a way protect her. She was trembling at the sight and as Michael rushed the bed and took his hands to cup her face. He didn't look her body over, he just look at her body.

"Why?" Michael questioned out and Nikita shook her head back and forth. This was the one conversation that she didn't want. She didn't want to tell Michael about this. It was a fear. She wanted to fix it by herself and return to Michael as his healthy wife.

"I have cancer... and I didn't want to worry you more." Nikita finally stated out and Michael nodded his head and stroked her face lightly. He trembled now, as he looked at her frail body, drained from the treatments that she was getting. He gradually realized that Birkoff and Madeline must have stumbled across Nikita's chart and knew what was happening. Michael pulled at Nikita's hand and looked at the IV that was there.

"What kind?" Michael questioned and Nikita shook her head back and forth as she bit her lip. Michael lightly pushed away to look at Nikita and she hugged the pillow. He didn't need Nikita to answer; it was there in her drawn eyes, how she was just staring down at the pillow.

"Breast?"

"Michael, please leave." Nikita stated out firmly as she lifted her head and stared at her husband. She was too afraid to ask him to stay, thinking that if she allowed him to stay, that it would show that she was weak and that the cancer would win. She didn't want her husband to see her like this; he didn't need to see her like this.

"Nikita... I'm not." Michael stated and Nikita stared at him as her stomach started to churn uncharacteristically early into the bag of the chemicals that were suppose to rid her body of the cancer. She didn't know what Michael knew about her condition and if he knew that in theory and in actuality, she was still a whole person, with only a few cells extracted from her breast.

"I don't want your pity, Michael." Nikita spat out as the tears continued down her face. She also didn't want to throw up in front of him. She was weak, but she told herself that she wasn't that weak.

"It isn't pity. It is concern for my wife!" Michael exclaimed as he tried to move to Nikita. She held her hands defensively up and shook her head again. She didn't want to have to say the words she was going to use. She wished that she could have her dream, that her family would come to her and that she would get healthy again. Nikita knew that the good stuff seemed to rarely happen to her. It was like ever since she got Michael, they had joy and then major heartbreak. There had been so much to happen now, that Nikita did not want to worry him about her condition when he needed to worry about Section One.

"Michael... go back to work." Nikita said as she turned her head to the side and swallowed back the churning fluids that wanted to be expelled from her body and most importantly her stomach. She twitched as she tried to continue to swallow it back. She wasn't sure how much longer she could do that for.

"Nikita... Section Two is gone. I thought you died..." Michael said and Nikita stared at him.

"You should have continued to think that." Nikita rudely stated as she closed her eyes. She looked up at his sad green eyes, trying to understand what was happening to her. She didn't even know herself, that was why she didn't want to drag Michael into all of this.

"I can get security to escort you out, Michael. Don't make me do that." Nikita warned and she flinched as he touched her baldhead. She closed her eyes as he lightly stroked it as if there was still hair there. She tried to pull away as he cupped her cheeks again and then finally pulled away.

"As you wish." Michael commented and retreated out of the room with a trail of black trench coat behind him. Nikita turned her head and moan as Norma walked in and grabbed the basin for Nikita.

"A little early this day?" Norma questioned as Nikita retched the contents up and started to cry. Norma had never seen Nikita cry like this and she wasn't one to eavesdrop, but she had heard Nikita's request, for her husband to leave. Norma sat down on the edge of the bed and held her patient, the one that she was most concerned about.

*

Mia was sitting in the huge bright living room, looking at the coral walls and the seashell décor that enchanted every single nook of the living room. She pushed her hands through her hair, pleased to be at the tropical setting, feeling good for the first time in a long time. Her Pappap had grabbed her hand hugged her and then stared at her. Of course she looked different, she had colored her hair, but he was also starkly concerned. Mia, though, knew that the grandfather had a soft spot for her and that more than likely would see her point of view on this punishment. Other than her mother, her grandfather was the only one who remotely had power over her father.

"Mia." Operations stated as he walked into the living room with a stern face that she had seen her Pappap give her dad quite often. She started to feel her stomach churn and knew that whatever was told to him, were all lies.

"Pappap... Aren't you happy that I get to spend the summer with you? This will be a great summer vacation." Mia gleefully said, hoping to pull a smile on her Pappap's face. She stood up and tried to go to hug him, when suddenly, he coldly sat down.

"It isn't that easy, Mia. I knew something was wrong when you arrived on my doorstep looking like a bad version of Mortica Adams." Operations drew out of his mouth and Mia stepped back on her heel and looked out the window.

"You know... Maybe we should talk later... I want to go check your beach out!" Mia said as she tried to escape the room, knowing that now, she was probably even more in more trouble.

"You're staying in this room, Mia. We are going to talk now." Operations stated coldly and Mia turned around and looked at him. She sat back down on the couch that she had been sitting on. She started to cry, knowing that all the men couldn't stand her crying. It had gotten her out of a lot of trouble in the past. Plus, she was on the tropical island; she wasn't going home now.

"But Pappap... I'm all alone... and Dad was so mean to me... and he said that Mom will probably never come home... and then he grounded me to stay inside of SECTION! Do you know how hateful that is??? I don't think he ever wanted a daughter! He is always so much nicer to Aubrey." Mia wailed out as she balled her hands up and placed them at her eyes. She looked up over those hands to see if he was buying her act. The only thing she saw was Operations tilted his head to the side and sighing in frustration of the production he was going to have to endure. But what Mia didn't see, was that he wasn't going to wait long before pouncing. If Madeline's cryptic message was as bad as it sounded, Mia was going to change her ways.

"Mia... stop the crying and grow up." Operations bluntly stated as he crossed to the couch and grabbed her hands down and pulled them away from her eyes. She blinked and stared at him, almost scared as she looked into his eyes.

"First, your parents do things for you that you will never realize and if anyone should be blamed for this mess you have yourself into... it is yourself!" Operations stated out and Mia pulled away from him quickly. She didn't even know who this man was.

"NO!"

"It takes a grown woman to know when they are at blame... I guess you aren't a grown woman," Operations stated as he turned and moved away from the couch. He was still processing what Birkoff had hissed to him. He would deal with them all. He felt he had too, something just wasn't right in Section One, if Michael wasn't on the next plane down to the island to claim her. Michael never allowed Mia to stay in the presence of her Pappap long.