"No... I was with her, Matthew..." James stated and Matthew nodded his head. His father at one time was a young man with hormones. Matthew understood that and wouldn't hold it against him.

"I understand," Matthew stated, hoping that his father would continue with the story.

"Well.. when I got downtime again... we went back to Seville... to see the moment of la Torre de Oro... and in the sunlight... Roberta was the prettiest woman I saw... Red hair... glowing," James stated slowly, remembering the images as if they were just yesterday. Whenever he did think about Roberta, he felt young again, even though the years had passed.

"Was she Irish?" Matthew questioned and James laughed. Roberta was far from Irish. She may have had red hair, but she didn't have a nice thing to say about the Irish.

"She was a descend from England... but her family was in Australia.." James smiled. He loved Roberta's accent, as it was a hybrid of the English heritage and the Australian drawl.

"Sounds interesting..." Matthew stated and James smiled. Roberta was funny and kept his heart happy when things were tough at the hospital.

NS Rota had a naval hospital that was to support only 46 men outside of emergency. That rarely happened during the war. They pushed the limits all the time.

"I was shipped out... after I knew her about six months... I loved her," James admitted as he swallowed. It was so painful, even today to think about leaving her. He didn't want to leave her. She had been acting strange for a few days, it was as if her body knew he was leaving.

He attempted to write, but was told that two days after he shipped out, Roberta went back to Australia.

"Maybe you should try to find her..." Matthew offered. He was a sucker for romance, even when it was his father he was talking about. James Joyce had given so much to Matthew, that Matthew only wanted to see his father happy.

"She is probably married, Matthew. She was a good woman," James chided Matthew for his idealistic and romantic outlooks. Matthew smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"You could just see her because she used to be a friend... It wouldn't hurt..." Matthew commented. James shook his head back and forth.

"Some things are better left alone..." James declared with a heavy sigh.

Matthew didn't agree.

*

It was another sunny day. The heat was building along with the humidity, but Michael and Nikita were outside, in the park, watching yet again.

But this day was different.

It was the last day planned. Michael and Nikita were going back to the house that Mick had placed them in since their escape from Nikita's torturous time in Psych Ops.

Was anything accomplished?

Nikita watched her father and the grandchildren. She watched them and watched them. There wasn't much else that was accomplished. She only briefly spoke to James one other time, to turn down a chance of having dinner with him, his son, and the grandchildren.

Michael thought that they should have, but it had been Nikita's decision. He was sure that it was because she was afraid to like James too much. Michael was already finding himself liking the man without really talking to him. Just watching James interact with other parents around and taking care of the scrapped knees and elbows, he was a remarkable man.

Plus, Madeline had sent some additional video from some actions of him while he was still working for the United States Navy. He was a brilliant doctor, who perhaps, cared too much for his patients.

He was definitely the source of Nikita's compassion and heart, even if Nikita never knew him.

"We can stay a few more days," Michael commented as he ran his fingers through Nikita's hair. Nikita shook her head from side to side, but not enough to be convincing.

"We followed the profile. We have to go," Nikita commented and Michael swallowed. He didn't think this is what Madeline wanted. There was nothing to close what Nikita had watched. She knew nothing more than what was supplied by Section One and Madeline.

"Nikita... why do you want to run away now?" Michael questioned as he leaned over her shoulder to look into Nikita's eyes. Nikita avoided his glance and Michael swallowed, feeling the fear build up again.

"Do you want to leave because you haven't been feeling right?" Michael questioned, needing to know if that was a factor in Nikita's decision to follow the plan.

"I need to go, Michael. It was the plan. I got to see him. That is all that I'm allowed," Nikita tensely stated as she looked up at the sky. Michael knew when Nikita was talking against her heart, and these were one of those times.

The profile was clean. They could have had dinner with James. They could have spent more time with the children. There could have been interactions there, although James wouldn't realize it that would have allowed his daughter to get to know him more. They were invited into James' house. Nikita could have learned additional habits by going for that dinner. James might have opened up. He may have unknowingly answered some of Nikita's questions.

And she had them.

"Why don't we invite him over tonight for dinner?" Michael suggested. He felt that leaving now; with nothing more was not correct.

"No, Michael. It has to be this way," Nikita firmly commented and Michael frowned. It didn't have to be this way. Things could be better. Much better.

Michael was unsure what was motivating Nikita's conversation right now. It was like she wanted to run away, which never solves anything. It could have also been motivated by the strange and odd eating habits of Nikita. Or maybe it was the nagging pain that was in her lower back. Michael didn't know, but he felt that something else was causing Nikita to say it was time to go, other than her not wanting to know anything else more.

Michael sat silent, watching Jacob and Jiles run around some more. The boys were so active. It made Michael think of Maralah. And that could have been another motivation in leaving her so quickly. Nikita had to be missing her daughter.

Jiles ran over to Nikita and waved to her before Jacob came running after the boy. Nikita smirked and dropped her head.

She didn't want to leave. She needed to leave. Any longer, and she wouldn't be able to tear herself away. Any longer, Nikita was worried of what she would do and what she would say. James seemed to be a wonderful man, a great grandfather and kind.

"Michael... let's go get lunch today," Nikita commented as she started to struggle up from Michael. This was something that shocked Michael. In the days that they were in this town, Nikita never left until James and the grandchildren did. The only time that they ran away from the park without watching James and the children go to their own house that was across the street from the park was the day of the thunderstorm. Going on, on the last day, and the last time to see them, was an indication of something being wrong.

"Are you scared of something?" Michael questioned as he sat up. He had been leaning back on one of his elbows, supporting the balanced Nikita on his chest. He now saw Nikita sit up and sway. He placed his hands on her shoulders, but she started to move again. "Maybe we should slow down."

Nikita shook her head, although it threw her body into another sway. She felt light-headed and slightly nauseous, but it was a feeling that Nikita had been having for some time and often had been able to hide it from the overprotective Michael.

This time, Nikita was pushing it. She knew it. She wasn't hungry, but she wanted to escape.

"Come on... there is that restaurant that you mentioned ten times this week," Nikita struggled out, knowing that Michael would have pushed her back down to the ground if he could have seen her face.

Instead, Nikita stood up carefully and focused on James. He was tying Jacob's shoe. Nikita wanted to smile, but her body was starting to feel so distance from her head.

Michael was pulling his own body up when he saw the sway in Nikita's body. "Nikita?"

"Michael?" Nikita called out, hearing Michael far away from her. Her mind was racing, knowing that Michael was only a few mere feet away from her. It shouldn't have sounded like he was shouting at her and was over a mile away. Her name echoed in her ear, sounding as if Michael had shouted it in a valley. It echoed and echoed.

Reaching Nikita was impossible. Michael was able to break her hard fall.

He didn't know what had happened.

"NIKITA!" Jiles cried out, but Michael didn't hear the little boy.

But James did.

"Nikita... Nikita talk to me..." Michael rushed out as he rolled Nikita onto her back. She wasn't responding. Michael pressed his lips together and pushed her hair out of her face. She was breathing and her heart was beating.

But Michael wasn't a doctor.

"Michael. What happened?" James questioned as he was suddenly down next to Michael. He grabbed Nikita's wrist and felt for her pulse. His eyes were raking Nikita's body, searching for indications of the problem.

Michael, usually calm under pressure, found it almost impossible to form words. One minute Nikita wanted lunch and now Nikita had fainted and unresponsive.

"Nikita... Can you hear me?" James tried but there was nothing. Michael lifted his head and stared at James. "Don't worry. I'm a doctor. Was she sick today?"

"Sick?" Michael softly questioned and James nodded his head. He saw how pale Michael looked. The young man was in shock of what was going on. James felt Nikita's forehead and found no fever.

"Yes, sick, Michael. Was she throwing up today?" James questioned and Michael shook his head back and forth.

"She hasn't been eating well.... It's hard to explain why..." Michael stated, suddenly feeling like his mind was coming back to him. Here Nikita was trying to run from her father and her father had now become her doctor.

Definitely not planned.

"The sun and heat doesn't help that... She could have passed out because of that..." James stated. He smiled as he saw Nikita's eyes flutter. She was starting to come too, but surely not quickly enough. It was a Sunday. There were no doctor friends to take Nikita too and James knew that Michael and Nikita were from out of the country. Going to a hospital at this point would be a mess.

"My house is right across the street... Lets get her into a cool place... And I'll look at her..." James indicated as he looked across the street. Michael nodded his head. He bent down and started to pull Nikita up. Her eyes opened and Michael stopped.

"Michael?" Nikita questioned. She was still out of it and Michael continued to pull up. There was no reason not to take James up on his offer. It was clear that Nikita needed some sort of help. If this was stress, then this might add to it, but Michael would feel better to know for sure.

"Jiles... get the blanket..." James ordered as he pointed to Michael's and Nikita's things. Jiles picked up the blanket and Jacob grabbed the cooler and followed after James as he led the way to the house.

"Has she been drinking water while you were out today?" James questioned and Michael nodded his head. It was the only thing that Nikita had cooperated with. She was a water drinker and it often caught up with her at nighttime.

"Yes... we had four bottles... she had three of them..." Michael informed, as he looked both ways at the street. They moved quickly to the other side of the street and up onto the porch. Jiles ran ahead and pulled open the door. Michael moved quickly, feeling the coolness of the house.

"Is there anything else I should know about her?" James questioned as he turned on a light in the living room. Michael settled Nikita down and Jacob pulled a sheet over Nikita's legs. Michael bent down and rubbed Nikita's forehead.

"She has been under a lot of stress... the reason why we came here.. We were going to go back tomorrow morning," Michael stated as he looked at Nikita. His worry was building. This was unlike Nikita. She wasn't even stirring.

"She may need sleep... Don't panic yet.... Let me get my stuff... we'll take her temperature, blood pressure, and I'll check her heart... She may simply be exhausted..." James stated and Michael nodded his head. Michael sat down on the floor and was about to dropped his head onto Nikita's lap.

But Jacob walked over and touched Michael's shoulder. "Don't worry... my grandfather is the best doctor in this town!"

~~

"I don't want to treat this aggressively... not until I worry too much..." James stated as he walked over to Michael, who was now sitting in a chair about six feet away from Nikita. Michael nodded his head.

The questions were going to have to answer now. All that Michael knew might provide information that could help James figure out what this was.

"It's been a bad time... for Nikita..." Michael started to state. It was clear that Michael was having problems sharing this information and James was patient. When someone had difficulties talking about things, it was a clear indication that it impacted greatly on what was going on.

"What kind of things?" James questioned as he settled on the edge of the couch that Nikita's legs didn't extend too.

"A while back... some repressed memories were triggered... She hasn't slept for weeks... It wore her down..." Michael commented, not knowing how far he could go into this. He didn't know where Nikita would want him to stop, but he didn't have Nikita to guide him right now. The point was to help Nikita and if that meant telling James everything, then that was what Michael would do.

"What kind of memories?" James questioned. He was concerned. For memories to keep anyone awake for weeks without sleep, they had to be severe.

"As a child... she suffered abuse... of all kinds..." Michael stated carefully. With a glance towards James, Michael closed his eyes. His words were an understatement of what happened to Nikita.

"Is she under treatment of a psychiatrist? Is she taking an anti-depressant?" James questioned and Michael shook his head.

"No... those things actually made everything worse and more acute... I took her out... and we started to heal... The things that happened to her... her mother profited off of using Nikita's body..." Michael bitterly stated. James nodded his head. He didn't think that these things were something associated with Nikita. From watching Nikita, she looked happy and content with Michael.

'This could be a reaction to that stress... You are right about that... But if she doesn't come too in the next hour... I would suggest the hospital..." James stated carefully. Michael nodded his head. He had to concur with that statement.

"Michael?" Nikita whispered as she rolled her head to the side. Michael smiled and moved towards her. It was like Nikita to wake up when they were talking about her.

"Hey, hon... how are you feeling?" Michael questioned and Nikita opened her eyes. She looked around the house and then looked into Michael's house.

"Where are we?" Nikita questioned and Michael softly smiled. This was the question he had been expecting first. It was one of the first concerns of an operative and it never faded.

"James brought us to his house... He is a doctor," Michael calmly informed Nikita. He knew that Nikita knew that he was a doctor, but James certainly wasn't aware of how much information that they knew about him.

"We are to go home..." Nikita stated as she started to sit up. She rolled her head to the side and moaned. She had a strong headache forming.

"Why don't you lay back some? I think you need to sleep a bit more," James said as he strode over to Nikita. He smiled down at Nikita as she settled back on the couch.

"But we have to be out..." Nikita stated and Michael pressed his lips together. Since Nikita said that they were leaving, they did really have to go. Madeline might be planning a mission for Michael right now. She was going to have to be notified if things changed much more.

"I think I would feel comfortable if you stay a few more days... Until we figure out what is going on... Or at least until your color improves," James stated. Both Michael and Nikita stared at him. "I have a guestroom... I can set you up in there... and I can watch over Nikita... I would like to get some blood..."

"Blood?" Nikita questioned as she rolled her head to the side. She hated when someone needed blood.

"Can we do that in the morning?" Michael questioned and James pressed his lips together.

"I can do that... as long as Nikita doesn't relapse... or get worse... And I'm going to get you something to eat..." James forcefully informed the couple. Nikita started to protest, but Michael nodded his head.

"Look, Nikita... listen to him. He is a doctor," Michael stated and Nikita continued to object to the idea of eating food. James swallowed and bent down to take Nikita's hand.

"I know that you have an upset stomach... but often it is a cycle.. that the first time you are really sick... and you don't want to eat in case you are still sick... and it is the fact that you aren't eating... that makes you feel like you are still sick... But you need something... You were out in the sun and only had water... I'm going to have to insist that you eat..." James stated and Nikita sighed. He could be right.

Nikita reached for Michael and looked into his eyes. She couldn't believe that this was happening. Her father was taking care of her, but she didn't want to get closer to him. Her mind was being pulled apart again and her heart was screaming to tell James the truth. "What about Madeline?"

"I'll call her..." Michael stated and James smiled. Michael and Nikita needed to sort out the specifics of their additional days, and James left the room. Something were better to get done without the doctor standing around.

~~

"What?!?" Madeline shouted into the phone. She was sure that she was hearing everything wrong at this moment. What she was hearing wasn't possible.

Or was it?

Walter looked over at Birkoff. Both had run into Madeline's office when they had heard that Michael had connected to Madeline, indicating an emergency. They both feared that Nikita had done something crazy this time.

She had that tendency.

"Madeline!" Walter snapped, but Madeline waved her hand at Walter. It was clear that she was listening to Michael explain to her once more what he had first said.

"What? What do you mean a few days? Michael... this is way off profile!" Madeline protested and Birkoff looked to Walter. This surely didn't sound good. They both knew that Michael and Nikita were in the town with James Joyce, allowing Nikita to see her father from a distance.

"This might be too bad, Madeline... Might help you with your obsession," Walter haughtily commented. Madeline threw a glare at Walter to drop the subject. Birkoff just shook his head. There was no context for what was going on between Madeline and Walter. Birkoff was just confused.

"I don't care, Michael!" Madeline angrily stated. It was clear that Michael cut her off again.

"Michael... you are in his house!" Madeline shouted and Walter whistled. This was more than a minor deviation from the profile. Birkoff turned around, ready to run away. This didn't sound good.

"Michael.... listen to me..." Madeline stated but she grunted in frustration as she slammed the phone down.

"What happened?" Walter questioned and Madeline snarled. She didn't like what she had heard and how Michael had handled the conversation. He didn't ask Madeline for her approval. He told her what he was going to do.

This was not good.

"He hung up on me is what he did!" Madeline snapped. Michael certainly had the nerve to hang up on Madeline, even if he did claim that James was walking towards him.

"What did they do?" Birkoff questioned as he turned back to look at Madeline. Madeline was running down the hallway, hollering for a mission team to be put together. It had to be a good sign.

"They didn't do anything... Nikita is just sick... and you wouldn't guess who is now her doctor?" Madeline sarcastically stated. Walter whistled. This was surely nothing that Madeline wanted to hear.

"How is Nikita? What's wrong?" Birkoff questioned.

"It appears as if it is just an after affect of the stress.... Now her father is learning of Nikita's abuse..." Madeline murmured as she sat down.

It could be a good thing. She wanted the truth to come out. She felt that it was, even away from her own wants and desires. Nikita needed to hug her father and know him as her father.

"This sounds like a mess," Walter commented and Madeline nodded her head.

This was a mess before Nikita was born.

*

"Jacob... Jiles... Why don't you get ready for bed?" James questioned as he settled in the living room with Michael. Nikita was in the den, on a fold out bed, reading some poetry when Michael had left her. She appeared to be much better.

She had some noodles for dinner, but notably, she ate less than the boys.

"But grandpap..." Jacob drowned on. James rolled his eyes and looked to Jacob.

"I know that your father isn't here... but he will be home to tuck you in... We have guests tonight... so best behavior... No ghost games," James warned as he wagged a finger towards his grandchildren. He knew them well enough to know that the warning was needed.

Jiles nodded his head. He was the older one. The silent type that would find a way to get into trouble sooner or later.

"Honest, grandpap... Grandma tucks us in..." Jacob stated and James rolled his eyes.

"Well.. why don't you get ready for bed so she can visit you?" James stated as Michael smiled. The boys were balls of energy. The boys bounded out of the room and James sighed heavily. "They are hyperactive."

"Maralah gets that way sometimes," Michael commented. He was feeling close to James already. Nikita hadn't really spoken for dinner, so Michael told the cover story of their marriage, their work, and Maralah. Nikita would smile and nod her head.

But that wasn't what James was going to talk about. Michael knew it.

"You are incredibly lucky to have Nikita, Michael..." James stated as he folded his hands in his lap. James knew of several children that he had pulled away from their mothers because of abuse. Most of them were damaged for life, never able to make it out the hate and anger that they had towards their parents.

"She is strong," Michael dryly stated. Nikita was more than strong, but Michael knew that the details were needed.

James was a doctor that the local shelter used. He saw abused children. He had treated them. Michael knew that he had to treat children that were raped and children that were used as tools for money. This wasn't too foreign for James.

But this was Nikita's life. Michael knew that it was terrible.

"When did it start for Nikita? Do you know?" James questioned as he poured some coffee for Michael. Michael pressed his lips together and swallowed.

"Young... six... not much older," Michael stated as he rubbed his hands together. He couldn't even think of taking a sip of the coffee. His stomach was rumbling with nerves, not wanting to talk about this.

"Didn't anyone stop it? Where was her father?" James questioned sternly. He hated when a mother did this and the father was nowhere to be found.

Michael swallowed roughly as he stared at James.

"She never knew her father... and whenever a teacher would approach the subject... her mother would move... they'd be lost in the shuffle... The only way that Nikita escaped was running away... and that was a double edge sword itself," Michael commented and James nodded his head. She got away from her mother and the abuse but she had to survive on the hard streets.

"How did she get to be this wonderful woman?" James questioned with a smile of awe on his face. Michael dropped his head. James was proud of Nikita, and right now, she was a complete stranger to him.

"I think her mind blocked out most of it... and once she found people who could love her... people who would support her... she was able to start dealing with it... It had been very slow at first... and then she was almost raped the one day... and it all flooded..." Michael stated as he finally took a sip of the coffee. His mouth was parched. The half-truths echoed in his mind. It wasn't an almost rape. It was doing a mission that called for anything.

"People? At a shelter?" James questioned and Michael blinked his eyes. He had to recall what he wrote in the profile. HE had ways of describing who Walter and Birkoff where. He even had Madeline.

"I was working part time at a music store... to pay off school loans... Nikita applied for a job with the manager... He was a sucker for blondes... Walter took her in... got her an apartment and she worked hard for him..." Michael relayed the story. James was nodding his head. He was eating up this success story.

"I only knew Nikita for three days... I had been given a trader's position and I left the store... When I returned three years later... Walter had helped pay for Nikita's schooling with a woman who became like a mother... Madeline... and in return.. Nikita trained the new manager of the store, Birkoff... When I saw Nikita again... she was a different person... And only then starting to face the demons..." Michael polished off the story. He could make up the details if asked about them, but the main structure of the story was there.

"Love at first sight?" James questioned and Michael smirked. He knew it was. In hindsight, Michael could tell that from the moment he learned of Nikita, his heart bounded to her.

"Soul mates," Michael whispered as the front door opened. James stood up and walked to the doorway.

"Son... glad that you are home... I want you to meet Michael..." James introduced the man that stood there. He was Nikita's height, but thankfully didn't look like Nikita. Michael stood up and shook Matthew's hands.

"Matthew has been staying here with the grandchildren..." James stated and Michael nodded his head.

"Your father has taken pity on me and my wife..." Michael commented and Matthew looked towards his father.

"Nikita.. his wife... fainted today and they were going to try to make it back to France... and I just couldn't let them go... if something happened..." James started to explain and stopped when Matthew lifted his hand. It was quite clear that Matthew was used to his father doing things like this.

~~

Nikita settled the book of poetry against the bed. She was bored and wished that Michael would come in. She felt perfectly fine right now and was sick of the porcelain doll treatment that Michael and James were lavishing on her.

The door opened and Nikita was almost ready to jump Michael's bones. She wanted the last night to be a good night, not spent in someone else's house.

And not just someone else's, it was her father's house!

But the body was way too small. Nikita blinked her eyes as Jiles walked into the room, holding a huge book in his hands. He walked towards Nikita and looked at her.

"I am awake," Nikita stated and Jiles smiled. He was a bit quieter than Jacob, but both boys had a wicked streak in them. Jiles moved to the other side of the bed and placed the book up before climbing up.

"I want to show you something," Jiles commented and Nikita nodded her head. She looked as Jiles opened up the book, showing the pages filled with pictures. He smiled and pointed at the picture. "This is when I was a baby... that's my mom... and my grandma..."

"You were tiny..." Nikita stated with a slight smile. Jiles was her nephew. Seeing these baby pictures were a treasure that Nikita hadn't expected to find.

"But I'm older... This is my birthday party..." Jiles commented as he flipped through several pages of the album. Nikita smiled as she saw the pictures of Jiles growing from that tiny infant to his first birthday. It made Nikita's heart ache for Maralah, but she wouldn't trade this time in for anything.

"You are covered with cake... my daughter did that..." Nikita stated with a slight laugh. Although it appeared as if Jiles was easier to clean up. Maralah had caked in every single strand of hair.

"Maralah, right?" Jiles questioned and Nikita nodded her head.

"This is when Jacob was born... I wanted a sister..." Jiles stated and Nikita laughed.

"But you have fun with your brother..." Nikita stated and Jiles smiled. He rubbed his hands together and closed the book quickly. He had a story to tell Nikita, something that he had never told anyone before.

"I play a joke on him... he thinks that my grandmother is a ghost," Jiles admitted and Nikita looked down at the boy. He was so excited that he was finally able to share this with someone.

"A ghost? I don't think this is funny," Nikita stated lightly, not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings. Jiles brushed off the comment with a brush of his hands.

"No.... Jacob likes it... I had a tape when I was young... of grandma singing to me... I sometimes play it next to him... especially if he is having a nightmare... It makes him feel good..." Jiles stated and Nikita smiled. It must be nice to have two children. They play with each other and watch out for one another.

"Well... that's good to hear... that sounds like being a good brother... not a joke..." Nikita stated and Jiles roared in laughter.

"But I leave slime!" Jiles laughed and Nikita crossed her eyes. She was sure that this was funny for boys. She didn't quite get it herself.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Matthew questioned as he pushed the door open. Jiles jumped off the bed and started to run out of the bed. Matthew shook his head and entered the room. "Sorry about that.... I'm Matthew..."

"Your father speaks about you a lot," Nikita stated and Matthew blinked his eyes. Seeing Nikita and hearing her changed a lot of things.

"Your Australian..." Matthew stated and Nikita nodded her head.

"I grew up there in my childhood..." Nikita informed Matthew, not sure what the point of it was.

"I just assumed that you were French like your husband..." Matthew stated as he looked at Nikita. It was all curious. "You just have to mind me... My father has this thing for Australian women... an obsession... he wants to know them... and I just found out why..."

""I'm not quite following you," Nikita admitted as she shook her head back and forth. Matthew backed off.

"I don't want to disturb you.." Matthew stated. He was ready to vacate the room when Nikita stretched her hand out to Matthew.

"Why don't you stay? My husband seems to believe that because I fainted I'm as delicate as drying rose... And I've read this book of poetry easily a hundred times already," Nikita said as she looked towards the book that was sitting nearby. Matthew smiled. He was sure that his father was trying to pull out the information about Nikita out through Michael.

"You have to understand... I just learned this entire part out about my father just a few days ago... but it totally explains his need to seek out Australian women..." Matthew stated as he settled in a chair next to Nikita. He bent down and pulled out a book. He placed it on Nikita's lap and opened it.

And the first thing Nikita saw wasn't James.

It was her mother.

She was so young and so beautiful. It was before the years took her life away. It was before Nikita was there.

"My father was in love with her... Roberta..." Matthew said as he touched the picture. His father had explained everything to him, and broke down in tears. Matthew knew that his father loved his mother, but there was something about his father that carried on with Roberta, that his mother would have never gotten.

"What happened?" Nikita choked out. She couldn't believe how good her mother looked. She wished that she had a chance to know this woman.

"My father was in the United States Navy... a doctor during the war... He was stationed in Spain... He fell in love with Roberta there... For eight months... and just as my dad was getting ready to ask her to marry him... he was unexpectantly shipped out... He never heard from her again..." Matthew conveyed the story. Nikita felt tears forming in her eyes.

Her life could have been so different if he had only asked.

"That's so sad..." Nikita stated and Matthew sighed. He flipped to the end of the book. He pulled out the envelope and a ring dropped into his hand. Nikita looked at the diamond and swallowed.

"He had gone everywhere in Seville with Roberta... He even went into Seville to buy the ring... The day he was to pick up the ring... his buddy was sick... and he did the shift... The next day.. he ran to Seville and picked up the ring... He was going to ask her that night... but when he got back.. the orders where there... He barely had time to pack..." Matthew romantically stated. He looked to the ring and swallowed.

"Now with my mom gone... I thought he should try to find Roberta... And all along he has... I didn't know that she was Australian... I guess he hopes that whenever he runs into someone who is from Australia... that they would know Roberta..." Matthew stated. Nikita dropped her head. She wasn't sure if she would be able to form words.

"That might not be so good," Nikita trembled out. Matthew looked from the ring to Nikita.

"Why not? He loved her. I know that she may have a family... but he said that she was his soul mate..." Matthew stated. Nikita felt her heart contract. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to do this. Her world was spinning again. She was sure that she was going to pass out.

She wished that she would.

"Are you ok?" Matthew questioned as he stood up. He was ready to call for his father. Nikita nodded her head somehow, trying to bring her body under control.

"I'm just saying.. sometimes it's best not to know... I don't know who my father is..." Nikita stated carefully. She closed her eyes. Each word was a lie. She didn't want James to look for Roberta, because it would expose him. There aren't many Nikitas in the world. He would figure it out and Nikita couldn't stand the thought of her father's life being cut short because of her fainting spell.

"I didn't know that..." Matthew stated, but Nikita didn't respond. She was leaning forward in the bed and her arms were wrapping around her stomach. "Are you sure you are ok?"

"I just..." Nikita forced out. She felt her stomach surge. The world was spinning and she was panting once again. "Michael..."

"Ok... I'll get him... Can I leave you?" Matthew questioned. He had been around a lot of sick people before. It was what happens to a child of a doctor. Nikita nodded her head.

But Matthew wasn't going to go far. He stuck his head out the door and swallowed.

"Michael! Dad!" Matthew called out. He turned around to see Nikita leaning over the bed.

Her stomach had rebelled. The precious noodles that had been eaten didn't agree with her stomach. Or was it learning about her father and her mother. Nikita didn't know. All she knew was that she felt awful and someone caught her before she dropped off the side of the bed.

"Come on... Nikita..." Matthew stated as he struggled to push Nikita back in the bed. He heard the footsteps and he heard the gasp.

"Nikita!" Michael nervously called out. All of his fears were getting worse. Just when it appeared that Nikita was going to get better and that it was just from exposure from the sun. Michael jumped up on the bed and cradled Nikita. She rolled her head to Michael. She just wanted to be left in Michael's arms.

"Get me some cleaner... and some Gatorade..." James directed his son as he went to Nikita's side. He picked up Nikita's arm and felt her racing heartbeat. He didn't understand what was going on. It was like Nikita was scared of something.

"I just want to sleep..." Nikita commented as she looked at Michael. She prayed that Michael could take the hint. She needed to get away from her father. She needed James to leave the room.

"You need fluids, Nikita... It is better to drink them.. I don't want to have to start an IV... You need to be monitored..." James decided immediately. He wanted to take blood right away, but decided it was best if Nikita calmed down.

"Michael... I just want to sleep..." Nikita begged out. Michael kissed her head and swallowed. He knew what Nikita wanted. She wanted to be alone with him. But Michael couldn't push James away. He didn't know what was wrong with Nikita, and Nikita was what mattered the most.

"You will... you will..." Michael stated as Nikita dropped her head into Michael's chest. She started to cry.

But it wasn't the fear of the situation like Michael and James believed.

They were tears for the life that she had almost had. The life that she missed out in having by a few hours.

*

"Come on... We'll get you settled in upstairs..." Michael directed Nikita as he pushed the door open with his foot. He had his arms wrapped around Nikita, although he was sure that Nikita was fine. This was for his own good that he did this.

Nikita had fainted once more after the blood was drawn.

Michael and James wanted to stay one more night. Michael knew that it was torture for Nikita, but he didn't think that they should have gone through all of this if James might have been able to find out what was wrong.

But Nikita wanted to go home.

Nikita did speak in the car, telling the story that she had found out. Michael started to piece together things. Like why Nikita threw up last night and why she was so distraught. It wasn't because she was sick. It was because only hours made the difference between the nightmare life she had and something much different.

But Michael wasn't quite sure if Nikita would have felt better if it had been days or weeks. Michael didn't know if anything would have made Nikita feel better about not knowing this man, who was her father, until now.

"I want Maralah..." Nikita stated and Michael closed his eyes. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. After Nikita told Michael the story of her father, she started to obsess on this. Her need for her daughter.

But something was wrong with Nikita. She wasn't healthy. Michael knew that nerves had something to do with last night, but the stress answer wasn't filling in the answers any longer. This was going on for too long and too severe to be just stress.

Maybe it was the flu or a virus. But now that Nikita dragged them away from her father, the man who had the blood and possibly the answers, Michael was going to have to start at square one once more.

"Nikita... after you feel better," Michael stated and Nikita shook her head back and forth. Michael wished that Nikita would use her energy that she was using to yell and scream about getting her daughter back into the house on other things. Like feeling better.

Or walking.

"Michael... I just want to see her," Nikita cried out and Michael dropped his head. He was ready to break. Nikita's pleads were getting more and more desperate. He didn't know why. There was no motivation behind it.

"Nikita... please.... Not now... it's late," Michael commented as he started for the stairs. He knew that Nikita could walk, but she was just throwing herself into the dark abyss of despair, creating more problems that she needed. Michael picked up his pace. The image of Nikita in bed was the only one that Michael would allow himself to have.

"Why are you denying me this, Michael? Why? It is what I want!" Nikita cried out in protest. Michael looked to Nikita's eyes and swallowed. He didn't want to deny Nikita anything, but he had been doing a lot of that of late.

Denying her Maralah.

Denying her the chance to call her dad, dad.

Denying her hopes and dreams for a family that she couldn't contact as a family.

"Nikita... we need time to regroup..." Michael emphasized as he reached the top of the stairs. He started to move towards the bedroom. Michael remembered a time not long ago, that Michael kissing Nikita while she was missing her daughter would bring together a chain of events that would help ease the pain.

But that wasn't going to happen tonight.

Michael didn't see that happening anytime soon.

"You are!" Nikita hissed as Michael settled her on the bed. Michael dropped down next to her. He couldn't believe this. He really couldn't. He was struggling to keep it all together and now Nikita was going to force him to bring someone else into the house to deal with, while Michael was at a lost for what was happening to Nikita.

"I'll see what Madeline thinks," Michael caved in. Nikita shook her head.

She wanted more.

"You will tell Madeline! She is our daughter, Michael. We should be a family with her!" Nikita emphasized strongly. Michael closed his eyes. Nikita's words were stinging.

"Nikita... I can only do so much," Michael begged out. He was ready to throw his hands up in the air. Never since the time Michael took Nikita out of Psych Ops, was he ready to give up.

But right now, he needed to walk away. He needed to gather his mind. The anger was building and building.

And it was all because Nikita didn't want for the test results.

What if something was wrong?

~~

Matthew sat at the computer as the rain continued to pour down. His boys were playing pirates underneath the dinning room table and his father was in his lab.

Working on Nikita's blood work, although Nikita was gone and James had no information on how to get in touch with Nikita.

Matthew had a project of his own. He was looking for Roberta. Although Nikita warned him that sometimes it was best not to know, Matthew felt the need to know. He looked at the ring on the desk.

His father had loved Roberta.

Maybe he also loved Matthew's mother, but it wasn't the same love that Matthew saw in his father's eyes when he was recalling Roberta. Matthew had the images of finding a great woman who had a great life.

So James didn't have to regret for the rest of his life that he missed her by hours.

The work was tedious though. There were a ton of Roberta's. His father had never told him Roberta's last name. Without it, it was nearly impossible to sort out who it was. Matthew found thousands of websites and prayed with each one that it would be the Roberta in the picture he had from his father's album.

Matthew pushed back his hair, trying to figure out another way to attack this task at hand. He had done a fair amount of computer work in his day. Some of it not always on the up and up. He had ways to get into the information that wasn't highly guarded.

How guarded was old Navy records?

Matthew would soon find out. His fingers started to slip quickly over the fingers. The first steps were easy, but Matthew was sure that it would get harder.

"Grandpa! You are in the range of the cannon!" Jiles screamed out from underneath the table. Matthew looked up suddenly. His father didn't know much about computers, so he wasn't worried that he would know that the files that he was currently in where supposively sealed.

"You look pale, dad," Matthew stated as he looked briefly at his father. James nodded his head and pulled out a dinning room chair, even against the protest of the boys. Matthew turned once more as his father heavily sat down.

"Well the good news is that Nikita is going to live..." James stated and Matthew nodded his head. He was sure that Nikita had the flu or ate something bad. But looking at his father, Matthew was stunned with his silence.

"You can't do anything, dad. You have no way to get in touch with them," Matthew pointed out. James nodded his head as he looked to the wall.

"She should at least know that she needs prenatal vitamins..." James bitterly stated. He was berating himself for not catching it sooner. The signs were classic. She was throwing up. She was light headed. She had a pain in her back. Nikita needed to be seen. And now, James was sure that he had failed her.

"Oh..." Matthew whispered as he turned back to the computer. He had seen his dad like this a few times before. Often when young teenaged girls were facing a pregnancy. But Nikita had Michael. Nikita had a daughter. Matthew didn't see this as being bad.

Matthew was about to say something else to his father when he reached the files he was looking for.

The hospital register at NS Rota while his father was stationed there. He had met Roberta there. She had been a patient there. There couldn't have been too many Roberta's in that hospital at that time.

Matthew's eyes started to scan the data. He was looking for the name. He saw his father's several times. Matthew started to let his tongue slip out of his mouth as he searched for the name. His concentration was focused that he didn't feel the sock that hit him in the arm.

And then there it was.

Roberta Wirth.

It was there before his father left and only a few days after his father had left.

Matthew failed to open the file to see why she was there.

Matthew moved quickly now. He had a name he could pop up onto the screen. This was going to be easy going now. With a few small details, he could find Roberta Wirth.

He could find his father's true love.

James had stood up and moved towards the children. Matthew was smiling. He was sure he was going to find out the good news.

But it wasn't.

"What?" Matthew hissed out as the computer screen as he saw the article. It was telling the story of the mother who had died at the hands of a revengeful family who were upset that her daughter had killed their son.

"What is it, Matthew?" James questioned and Matthew shook his head. He was sure that it was wrong. He read down the article, finding out that Roberta was from Australia.

"What is this?" James hissed out as he looked over Matthew's shoulder. Matthew pressed his lips together and allowed his father to look at the screen. It was too late already.

"I found your Roberta..." Matthew stated as he watched his father's eyes flicker over the screen.

Matthew hadn't read the entire article. James was about too.

"Her daughter?" James questioned as he read the screen. The things he was reading about Roberta didn't match, but the details of her childhood did match. James was about to turn his head away when the next line glared at him.

Daughter, Nikita Wirth, was convicted of the murder of the policeman. After receiving a life sentence, Nikita Wirth committed suicide in the prison.

"Nikita?" James questioned and Matthew turned his head. He didn't expect to hear that.

"What?" Matthew questioned and James pointed to the screen. James was never one to jump to conclusions, but this was one was too much. Nikita was not a common name at all.

"When did she have a daughter? And why Nikita? And who is this Nikita we saw?" James questioned rapidly. Matthew minimized the screen and opened a new one, trying to find out about this daughter, trying to find anything to make her not the same woman who was in the room with them less than a day ago.

"Nikita Wirth is dead, dad.... It is just a bad coincidence," Matthew stated as he typed quickly, trying to find the birth certificate for Roberta's child.

James turned his head as the copy of the certificate popped up on the screen.

For just under eight months after he left Roberta.

Nikita Wirth was his child. James started to cry and Matthew turned the computer off with a snap.

The doorbell rang and Matthew jumped up.

"I'll get it..." Matthew stated, as he looked this father.

In five minutes, Matthew had showed to his father that Roberta was dead, along with a daughter he never knew. He also ruined the memories of a nice woman, who was sick, and had been abused.

Matthew felt so guilty. He suddenly knew that he should have listened to Nikita.

*

Matthew didn't want to open the door. He wanted to get back to his father. Something was going on here that needed to be cleared up.

But Matthew didn't want one of his boys opening the door. His fear was on the rise. What if the Nikita that was in this house, was the Nikita that killed that cop? Why was she still alive? Why was she in the house? Did she know?

Matthew opened the door, expecting to have to sign for a package or something like that. He hadn't expected to find the impeccably dressed woman with chocolate hair smiling at him. She was wearing a deep plum dress suit and held her hands in front of her body. She appeared tall with the help of high heels.

"Can I help you?" Matthew questioned as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end and then some.

"My name is Madeline. I just speak with James, Matthew," Madeline spoke. She blinked her eyes as Matthew lost all color in his face. She seemed to have that effect on people and it also indicated that Matthew had found the information that Madeline had hoped wouldn't be found. It would have been so much easier if Madeline had explained it all. Newspapers made things sound so cold and calculated.

Real life was never as clean and simple as it appeared in the newspaper. There were emotions that never could get expressed in an article filled with words. That representation of the events was terribly wrong, due to Section's influence on the events and the nature skew of the writer to wrote the articles.

"May I ask why?" Matthew trembled out. Madeline blinked her eyes, smiling at Matthew's attempt to protect his father.

"This is about Nikita," Madeline stated. She half expected Matthew to slam the door on her face and try to block her entry. That would have been an acceptable reaction. But Matthew dropped his hand and eased away from the door. He sensed that this was something that needed to be dealt with.

This had never been done in Section One history. Madeline didn't know how this would affect the future of Section One, but that wasn't what mattered right now. What this was about was about Nikita and what she needed. For the first time, everything inside of Section One had halted for Madeline as she contemplated how to fix this mistake, to reunite the father and daughter, and to heal Nikita.

"He is back here..." Matthew stated as he started to walk backwards. Madeline looked behind her, closed the door, and followed.

"I see that you have found out the information..." Madeline conversed as she rounded the corner. She saw the boys staring at her and their father. Matthew continued to walk towards the room that his father was in.

"Dad... Someone is here to see you," Matthew called out as he approached the door. He felt that he needed to warn his father, but there was something about Madeline. It was like Madeline was cold and dangerous, but something else seemed to be nurturing.

"Matthew... whoever it is.. make them go away!" James implored his son. Madeline looked around the door and then moved towards the door. The confident man that James was, appeared to be lost. It was clear that information he had found aged him instantly.

"I'm here about Nikita," Madeline stated and James turned around. He was about to shake his head, but instead, he sunk back down into the chair.

"Is she an escaped convict?" James questioned and Madeline shook her head. She looked to Matthew and nodded her head, indicating that Matthew should be here to hear this too.

"This is the first time... that I have had to do this for my agency... It is the first time that we have put the welfare of an individual in front of the protection of the agency... Nikita works for me," Madeline explained as she closed the door and looked at the two men. They were confused and hurt. She didn't expect anything less.

"What? I don't understand this!" James shouted out. It was inappropriate, but his world was swirling. Matthew placed a hand on his father's shoulder and squeezed.

"I'll start from the beginning... from the time that you left Roberta," Madeline informed the duo as she stared at James. Madeline hoped that learning the truth wouldn't turn him away from Nikita.

"How is Roberta involved with this?" James questioned and Madeline tilted her head to the side. She didn't need to say it. James knew it now. His heart had found the horror of the situation and held onto the fact that he had another child.

Madeline slowly sat down in the last chair in the room. During this time, she was watching the emotions roll over James' face. It was best to give his mind time to process what was going on.

"Matthew... you should have opened the file on Roberta from when she was inside the naval hospital after your father shipped out... You would have seen that Roberta had a pregnancy test..." Madeline informed as she looked at Matthew. She watched his head drop. The son just wanted to help is father, but was sure that he had caused a lot more heartache.

"Why didn't she tell me?" James questioned and Madeline shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know why Roberta did a lot. The journals just didn't explain some of her actions. Roberta could have stayed in Rota, Spain until James tried to get in touch. She could have tried to get in touch with him. She didn't have to run.

Running ruined Nikita's life.

"I cannot explain Roberta's actions to you. I can only tell you what occurred and the facts of the life that was unknown to you," Madeline clarified as she stared at James. There was no reason to go over what Roberta did to him and why. What Madeline had found from Roberta's life, she never indicated why she ran. Madeline could only assume that she was scared.

And that Roberta, on some level, had some sort of mental illness. It didn't excuse what she did to Nikita, but it did explain it a bit more.

"Michael told me some things... she was abused, right?" James stuttered out. Madeline couldn't imagine what he was feeling right now. It had to be tearing him apart inside. His years of work and effort to help the abused children allowed him into the harsh reality that they lived in. The same kind of world that Nikita lived in and was still partially within.

"Roberta couldn't find work... she soon turned to drugs... and she found out that while she could sell her body... that her daughter, with the blonde hair and blue eyes as the better seller... Nikita made Roberta a lot of money," Madeline bluntly stated. It was harsh, but it was still kinder than allowing James to know the details and the journal entries.

"Oh god..." Matthew whispered as he turned his head away.

"I still don't understand... How did Nikita kill a cop?" James questioned and Madeline pressed her lips together.

The gray stuff.

How does one explain Section One and not give enough information away to expose it? How did Madeline tell Nikita's story and protect Section One in the same time?

Was that possible?

"Nikita was found guilty of the crime.. because we withheld information... She never killed that cop..." Madeline stated as she shrugged her shoulders. She never used to feel guilty for bringing Nikita in that way. There were thousands of other ways, but she was a street rat. She had been high on drugs. She had a mother who ached to have Nikita underneath her control once more. This was the only clean way.

"We? Who is the we that you are talking about?" James demanded as his eyes turned to Madeline. It was a stare that matched the one that she had often through the years had seen on Nikita's face.

"I cannot tell you that... what I can tell you is that I work for them and there are even superiors to me. We work for the good of the world, stopping the bad and in the terrorists before they get to. Perhaps our means are ruthless and it makes us sound inhumane and even evil... but we protect the world. Nikita has been a part of us now... and in many ways we saved her," Madeline spoke in a steady voice. She believed the words. She was almost sure that Michael and Nikita believed the words also.

"I don't get this..." Matthew stated as he shook his head back and forth. Madeline was disappointed. Matthew, more than James, should have been able to understand this.

She would just have to prove it to him.

"We aren't a governmental agency... although we are funded by many... we have technology that would blow your minds away... We brought Nikita in... she found Michael... and in finding Michael.. she found salvation... She would have died on the streets within two months of when we took her," Madeline confirmed. James looked at Madeline and panted lightly. All of this was making his world close in tightly around him.

"Does she really have a daughter?" James questioned. Madeline smiled. She was so pleased that she could nod her head.

"Yes... and Maralah has helped Nikita.... We have done a lot to her... we triggered her memories of the abuse... we found her mother's journals... and I killed her mother..." Madeline informed James. She knew at this point, that James had learned more about Roberta than he thought possible. She knew that although he didn't want to find her, that he had entertained some enchanted ideas and thoughts about what had happened to Roberta.

This wasn't one of them.

"She has to be in so much pain..." James cried out and Madeline nodded her head. She was trying to make this right. She had to make it right.

"The pain is going away... slowly... very slowly..." Madeline enlightened, but James continued to shake his head. He then stopped and looked at Madeline.

"She knew about me... didn't she?" James questioned and Madeline nodded her head.

"She followed through with orders... We traditionally do not allow contact with those who know you in the outside world... Often such contact is grounds from cancellation," Madeline stated. She watched as both James' and Matthew's eyes opened widely and then dropped. "Nikita knew while watching you who you were to her... and she remained her silence... But that doesn't help, Nikita."

"You want to help her? LET HER GO! LET HER AND HER FAMILY GO!" James shouted as he stood up. Madeline waited as the man circled the chair. She wanted to wrap her arms around James and cradle him. He needed to be loved deeply right now.

"I protect her, James. Michael does her good... but we protect her... Too many of the bad guys out there know Nikita... and Michael... and they know about Maralah... And they'll about you soon enough... We are only a few steps ahead of these guys..." Madeline sadly admitted. She realized that this was not what James wanted to hear at all.

"How do we know that you aren't one of them? How do we know that you aren't one of the bad people?" Matthew hissed out and Madeline dropped her head.

She expected this challenge. Madeline rubbed her hands together and looked around the room. She looked to the computer and then looked to Matthew. "We have operatives with us... that got in for doing much less than you just did in a few minutes, Matthew."

"NO!" James hollered, scared out of his mind that they would take his son also. Madeline looked to Matthew and sadly hung her head.

"I know why. You haven't told your father yet, have you?" Madeline stated. She watched as Matthew continued to lose color. Matthew more than anyone else in the room, should understand what kind of life Nikita had. And soon he would see Madeline as someone who wasn't all bad.

"Tell me what?" James questioned as he turned and looked at Matthew. Madeline looked at Matthew. The young man, the father of two delightful boys, couldn't tell his father.

"Don't you see the connection? If they find out that your wife... is someone connected to Nikita... We can't let Nikita free... but I can give Nikita to you... I can allow the contact..." Madeline spoke and Matthew started to cry.

"How do you know?" Matthew questioned as he dropped his head again. He couldn't believe what Madeline spoke about.

"We have been looking for her. Not because we want her. We don't want to hurt her. We want her safely returned," Madeline spoke out as she moved towards Matthew. She touched his shoulder and waited as James circled the room.

"His wife divorced him!" James shouted and Madeline turned and shook her head.

"His wife was taken at her work... by terrorist... Your son has been trying to hack into the systems to find her..." Madeline stated as she looked down to the vibrating beeper. Madeline looked at James and swallowed.

"I can offer protection... but more than that... I can give you the chance to know Nikita..." Madeline stated as she blinked her eyes. She truly meant her words. She also knew that above her word that once Michael was told of the arrangement Michael would create a way to protect Nikita's family more than Madeline ever could.

There was a knock at the door and Madeline looked at Matthew. "I think you should get that."

"Me?" Matthew questioned and Madeline nodded her head. Matthew inched out of the room. This woman was powerful. And she was dangerous. She held Nikita's life in her hands and Matthew wasn't going to go against her orders.

"Why?" James questioned as Madeline settled down in the seat that Matthew just vacated.

"You've worked with abused children, James. Nikita is possibly the worse case one could get," Madeline started as her body shook. The emotions of what was starting to be heard on her voice. James could sense the personal risk that Madeline was taking on this. "She has responded to men.... Michael... is not the only man that she has a personal and close relationship too."

"Walter?" James questioned and Madeline nodded her head.

"Kind soul. Knows Nikita to the core. Would have jumped at the chance to be her father. And Birkoff, is like the brother she thoughts she would never have." Madeline informed James. She knew that he was discovering Nikita through her, but Madeline could only give James so much. Most of what he was going to learn about Nikita was going to be through his own exposure.

"And Mick?" James questioned and Madeline laughed.

"Mick is a good friend.... not one that I would pick... but he is good for her," Madeline stated. She looked towards the door and swallowed.

"OH MY GOD!" Matthew's shout echoed in the house. Madeline sat still as she watched James dash out of the room. Madeline smiled to herself and swallowed.

"MOMMY! MOMMY!" the boys cried out and Madeline hugged herself. This family had lost so much time.

But they could gain so much more now.

*

Nikita stood against the door. She felt awful. She felt like she would fall over and never get up. The nausea never went away. She was so tired.

"I shouldn't leave," Michael whispered as he turned back. Nikita was pale. His heart was beginning to ache. He had lived through the hell that had been Nikita's life, but there was no reason for her body to be doing this to her now. He wished that he could get in touch with James, to see if anything was found out.

But it wasn't possible.

Michael was due in for a mission. Madeline was specific with her words, unless Nikita was unconscious; Michael was needed for this mission. He had only hours to get to Section One, see the profile, get ready, and load onto the plane.

"It's a mission. Madeline sounded worried," Nikita spoke as she pressed her hand against the door. Michael knew that the move was calculated. Nikita was holding on, hoping not to fall.

"I'm worried about you," Michael whispered as he reached out and stroked Nikita's face. Nikita turned her head to the side and felt the tears start to fall once more. Nikita blinked her eyes and then leaned her head back slightly.

"I might take a trip into town..." Nikita stated and Michael tilted his head to the side. Nikita hadn't been motivated to do much since they had returned two days ago. But this also created another dilemma for Michael. He didn't think that Nikita was in any condition to drive herself anywhere.

"Why? I think you should rest," Michael countered, hoping that he didn't sound like he was trying to control Nikita's life. Nikita looked to Michael, knowing that he was just worried about her.

She was worried too.

For some time, Nikita had tried to play this off. She even tried to play it off in James house, although the doctor never bought her act. But Nikita was getting scared now. This wasn't the flue. This wasn't a virus. Something was wrong.

"There is a doctor there... if I don't feel better," Nikita stated and Michael shook his head. If Nikita was thinking of going to a doctor, Michael would just rather take her into Section One with him to see a doctor there.

'Come with me.... We have excellent doctors," Michael spoke, but he saw Nikita mimicking his move from only seconds ago, shaking her head back and forth. Nikita was clearly not going to go back to Section One anytime soon. The further away she was, the safer she felt.

"They'll keep me... and I'm not ready to go back to that world, Michael... I'm still digesting stuff..." Nikita admitted as her blue eyes pled with Michael, asking him to see her side of the story. Michael sighed and cupped Nikita's face in his hands, wiping the tears away with his rough fingertips.

He didn't want to leave.

"Ok... Ok... What if I can get Walter or Birkoff to come up? So you aren't alone," Michael tried. Nikita shook her head back and forth, although her movement was restricted by the touch of Michael's fingertips.

"Please... I don't want them to have something else to worry about," Nikita stated. She waited as Michael's fingers started to release her. Nikita pulled back and turned her head towards the wall, to stare at the doorjamb.

"You are going to be late," Nikita finally spoke as she looked towards Michael. It was taking all of her strength to ask him to go. On some level, Nikita wanted to take Michael up on all of his offers. Section One doctors might have the answers. Walter would hug her and help ease the tension in her body.

But she couldn't be weak forever.

"Michael... Madeline wouldn't be pulling you away for some stupid mission," Nikita pushed Michael. Michael nodded his head. Michael chewed on his lip for one second before kissing Nikita's lips and then pulling away.

"I love you," Michael whispered and Nikita smiled.

The first time Michael had seen her smile all day.

~~

Knock. Knock.

Nikita jerked her head up with the noise. She listened for a second and then quickly decided that it wasn't important, that perhaps she had dreamt the noise. Nikita couldn't recall the details of the dream, but she was enjoying it immensely.

Nikita settled her head back down on the couch. It didn't matter how much she had slept, she couldn't get enough. It didn't matter where she slept; she continued to be tired and sore in the back.

Knock. Knock.

Again, Nikita wrenched her head up, looking around, finding her surroundings familiar but yet strange. IT took some time for mind to assimilate all that had happened to her and her feelings of illness to remember that she was in the house that she shared with Michael.

Nikita looked around. There didn't seem to be any shadows moving about in the windows. She was almost certain that she was dreaming the noise. Nikita was about to drop her head when she paused for one second.

Knock. Knock

Nikita rolled off of the couch, finding her balanced disturbed and difficult to gain as she placed her feet onto the plush carpet. She looked down, thinking of how nice it would be to sleep on the carpet, because it was so soft underneath her feet.

Nikita looked towards the door. It could be a salesman for all Nikita knew, and she almost turned back and went back to the couch to sleep some more.

"Nikita?" James called out as the rapping at the door occurred again. Nikita felt her heart race. Her father was at her door.

How did he find her?

What did he want?

Was something wrong?

Was he not a nice man?

Maybe he wasn't her father?

Maybe he found out that he was her father?

Nikita shook her head as she started out to the hallway.

"Nikita?" James called out once more. he knew what Madeline had planned. She had made it so he could talk to Nikita. She didn't understand why he needed to see her immediately, but that was between James and Nikita. He was going to be giving Nikita more than one piece of good information.

And Michael would be back soon.

Nikita opened the door and felt her chest catch. She knew looking into her father's eyes that he knew. Nikita blinked her eyes as the tears started to build again and then flow. Nikita turned her head to the side, as James didn't wait. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Nikita.

"Oh my god..." James whispered in wonder as he held onto Nikita. A daughter he hadn't known for more than a few days, a daughter to him within the past twenty-four hours. But holding her now, made the time seen like nothing. He wanted to make up for the lost time, but knew it wouldn't happen. He knew of the torture that Nikita had been through and he just wanted to make her life better from this moment on.

"I always wanted a daughter..." James whispered into Nikita's ear. They hadn't moved from the doorway. They were frozen there, both stuck in time, finally holding onto the other one, knowing that they needed this.

"Oh my god..." Nikita finally spoke out. She was in shock. Her mind was reeling in each direction. Her emotions were flipping around like the end of the videotape smacking around the projector. Nikita started to gasp for air and James wrapped his arms around Nikita, supporting her.

Madeline had predicted this emotional reaction. But James knew more. This reaction wasn't just the emotional response. Nikita's hormones were whirling around and surging, making everything more complex and irregular.

"How did.... how did..." Nikita started to question, but she couldn't form the question. James stroked Nikita's hair and kissed her forehead. Since Madeline confirmed this, James wanted to do that so badly. He had enough love inside of his heart for four more Nikita's, but was sure that this one Nikita was going to need all of that love.

"How did I find out?" James questioned. Nikita immediately nodded her head up and down. James looked at Nikita, wishing he could calm her down, but knew that she was rattled. "Madeline told me."

There was no reason to tell her how he found out. The news articles didn't tell the story of her life and only caused more questions. Madeline had explained it all and displayed how it was possible.

"I wanted to tell you..." Nikita began to chant. James shook his head. He looked around and realized that they were still standing in the doorway. Nikita lifted her head and then clutched her stomach.

"I'm going to be sick..." Nikita announced as she tried to lurch away. James had his grasp on her, knowing what to do and how to handle this.

"You need to take a deep breath... We'll go sit on the couch..." James informed Nikita as he immediately started the slow task of moving towards the living room. Nikita was difficult to steady. Although she was light in weight, her body wanted to be lying down badly. James settled Nikita down and stroked her hair.

"I know you are shocked.... to know.. And I know everything... We don't have to go through it again," James stated, trying to ease Nikita's worries and concerns. Nikita dropped her head onto James lap and continued to cry.

"I never thought... I never... I never thought that I would be able to do this..." Nikita bawled as her hands twisted in front of her face in a bad attempt to wipe the tears away.

James just stroked Nikita's hair back. "I'm here now, Nikita... That is what matters."

Nikita rolled to her side and heaved, but nothing came forward. James rubbed her back and sighed with a sudden realization.

Not only had he gained the granddaughter of Maralah, Nikita was carrying the next grandchild. He may have missed the birth of Nikita, but now he was gaining a whole new segment of his family, that he could love. In many ways, the emptiness that had been created when the navy shipped him away from Roberta, was being filled to capacity.

But the image of Roberta would forever be tarnished.

"I would have saved you.... I can't... I'm sorry..." James started to stutter out as he was overcome with emotions. He knew what abuse did to a person's mind. He knew how difficult that most who were abused, never found a whole life.

But with his help, James was sure that Nikita could make it.

"I wish I knew what was going on..." Nikita whispered as she rolled back. She licked her lips and James noted that she needed to get liquids into her body. James didn't want to tell her yet, not without Michael in the house, but it was clear that something else was going on here.

"I know..." James stated softly. Nikita lifted her head and looked up at James, feeling as if he was being sympathetic, not knowing that there was a medical reason. "And it is going to take some to get over this."

"What?" Nikita stammered. Her mind stopped and focused on the words. There was something wrong with her and Nikita felt everything in her body dry up. She didn't even have the strength to form the questions that were rattling off the sides of her head.

"I think you might like this...." James commented and he paused. He was dragging it out. Nikita didn't need that.

"Nikita.... you are pregnant," James stated and Nikita dropped her head slightly. She looked around and started to cry.

But it wasn't a sad cry. It was a happy cry.

"I've gained so much from you.... And I want to be here for you, Nikita... You got to believe that..." James stated. Nikita's words were few, but he was getting positive responses from the way that Nikita clung to him. It was like she had found him finally and she didn't want to let go.

To know that Nikita knew during that entire stay, James was shocked that she had been able not to tell him. As soon as Madeline told him, he just knew he had to talk to Nikita and be near her. The strength she had in order to get through that week had to have almost drove Nikita to insanity.

And all along, Madeline wanted both to know one another.

"Oh my god... I can't believe this... am I dreaming?" Nikita questioned as she swiped at her nose. James shook his head back and forth. In many ways, he knew what Nikita was feeling like. James, at several times after Madeline left, pinched himself, making sure that this was real and that his mind hadn't concocted some outrageous fantasy.

"No... Nikita... This is real..." James confirmed and Nikita smiled. She squeezed James and sighed.

She was tired again.

She wanted to sleep.

There was nothing stopping her from sleeping.

She liked being around her father. She liked holding onto him. She didn't want to let go. However, Nikita also realized that there was a major difference here with James. He could let her go and watch her grow. And Nikita liked that thought.

"Thank you.... dad.... Please hold me..." Nikita whispered.