Ding, WHOOSH

"Hi guys."

"NO! Don't open the ..."

"How's it gooooinnnnng?"

"... door."

WHOOSH, Ding ---- ***Area Secured***

Silence

"Sh*t!!!"

Silence

"Who's going to tell Operations?"

Silence

"Rock, paper, scissors?"

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

Nikita walks across the central area on her way to Michael's office. They haven't spoken since the day after their playing in the pudding.*** Madeline in her endless manipulations, has maneuvered the situations and missions in such a way that it has been over a month since Michael and Nikita have even been at Section at same time. But even Madeline isn't infallible. Nikita's mission had ended two days earlier than estimated.

Nikita raises her hand to knock on Michael's door when a bellow is heard from the observation deck. She glances upward in time to see a Tech Op fall to his knees in a begging position, Operations looming over him like a predatory vulture.

Grimacing in sympathy Nikita turns back to Michael's door and feels something fuzzy brush against her foot. She looks down. *Holy Spit! Louise must have lost her glasses again. Look at the size of that dust bunny.*

Nikita wiggles her foot trying to dislodge it but it sticks to her foot. With a sigh, she reaches down to remove it. Going into Michael's office with a dust bunny of this size attached to her foot would be paramount to trailing toilet paper behind her.

Just as she touches the dust bunny, a strange purring sound emanates from it. Nikita jerks her hand back. *What the hell?*

***see epipuddingolgue (Psychics, Perverts & Pudding)

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

Michael's door swings open just as Nikita raises her hand to knock again. Michael looks at her, his eyes fixated on her lips as he pulls her inside. In one smooth moment, he closes the door and pushes her up against it, his lips claiming hers in a long drugging kiss that steals her breath away.

"PURR PURR PURR PURR"

Michael breaks the kiss and starts nibbling in her neck and ear. "Is your chest purring at me?" he asks casually, his attention on other things.

"Hmmmm?"

"PURR PURR PURR PURR"

Michael pulls back and looks down at Nikita's chest. She has one arm folded across her and is apparently nestling a ... fuzzy thing between her breasts. "What is that?"

Nikita, pouting a little at the loss of his lips, looks down. "Oh! I don't know. Isn't it cute? I found it outside your door." She starts to stroke it lightly with a fingertip and it snuggles closer while the purring gets louder.

"Outside my door?"

Just then Birkoff's voice comes from the other side of the door, "Michael are you in there? I can't raise you on the com."

"Yes. I'm here." Michael answers in his operative voice while he watches Nikita stroke the fuzzy and feels an unaccountable moment of envy.

Michael and Nikita move away from the door just a Birkoff starts to open it, so he falls into the office a little bit. Catching himself, he finds that he is eye level with Nikita's chest, always a tourist attraction, and notices that she has a major dust bunny on her shirt. "Ummm, Nikita. I don't know how to tell you this, but ..."

"Yes?"

"You have a thing on your ... uh ... your shirt." Birkoff starts to reach out to brush it off but with a quick glance at Michael thinks better of the idea.

Nikita again starts stroking the fuzzy and it begins purring rather loudly. Both Birkoff and Michael stare at it bewildered. *What in the hell is it?*

"Did you want something Birkoff?" Nikita asks.

"Huh?" that purring is so melodic, so relaxing, so soothing. Birkoff jerks back to the present. "Oh, yeah. Operations is calling an emergency briefing. He wants you and Michael there immediately." Birkoff states remembering his original intentions.

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

Walking into the briefing with Michael, Nikita is greeted by, "There it is. Quick get it!!!" and a Tech Op making a grab for her chest.

"Hey! Watch what you're grabbing buddy." Nikita moves out of the way while protesting this treatment.

With a yelp of pain the Tech Op goes to his knees as Michael twists his wrist almost completely around. "Owwwwwwwwwwwww."

Michael ignores the Tech Op and looks at Nikita, "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Michael." Nikita smiles a little bit, "You can let him go now."

Michael looks at the Tech Op and then drops his wrist. The man stays on the floor, cradling his wrist and whimpering.

"If we are quite done." Operations' voice chills the air and draws the attention back to him. Madeline is seated at her customary place and has her lips compressed a little tighter than normal, whether in disapproval or amusement, it is impossible to tell.

Without a glance at the Tech Op who is gradually starting to get up, Michael and Nikita take their traditional places at the briefing table. Nikita carefully places the fuzzy on the table in front of her and looks at Operations.

He is watching her with a furrowed brow. "What is that, Nikita?"

"I don't know. I found it, or rather it found me, outside of Michael's door."

Operations looks around the table and pins the one remaining Tech Op, "Is this your project?"

The Tech Op quakes but answers in a shaky voice, "Yes, sir. It's a Tribble."

Operations rolls his eyes while Madeline makes a noise that sound suspiciously like a snort. Birkoff looks back over at the fuzzy, "A Tribble? Cool." Even Michael's lips twitch a little at this name.

Nikita looks around the table confused, "What's a Tribble?"

Madeline's gaze softens slightly as she looks at Nikita. It is moments like this that really bring home the type of life Nikita had before Section. "A Tribble is a creature that starred in an episode of the television series Star Trek." Madeline explains, keeping her tone devoid of the sympathy she is feeling for losses of the young Nikita.

"Oh."

"And why is this project sitting at our briefing table?" Operations' asks drawing attention back to focus.

The Tech Op that Michael intercepted is finally seated back at the table, "It escaped." he breathes through lips white with pain.

"Escaped?" Birkoff asks, "According to your project Intel, it's a remote control device."

"Yes, well ..." the Tech Ops glance at Operations nervously and the first one continues "We had to put some micro technology in it and Tom had been experimenting with AI and we don't have anymore money in the budget ... and the short version is that it's now sentient."

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

"Well of course he is capable of reason. Listen to this," Nikita strokes the Tribble and the purring starts again.

"What does that prove Nikita?" Madeline asks with a soft voice, involuntarily soothed by the harmonious purring.

"Who wouldn't reason that being stroked is good?" Nikita asks softly as she continues to caress the Tribble.

"Especially being stroked by you." the first Tech Op says in a dreamy voice.

Operations glances around the briefing table in disbelief, his entire crew is staring at Nikita and that damn Tribble, even Madeline!

"That's enough!"

Nikita stops stroking the Tribble and the rest of the operatives shake off their lethargy with blinking eyes and shaking heads. All except Michael who is apparently not mesmerized by the Tribble at all, but by Nikita.

"If I may have everyone's attention?" Operations drawls. They all look up at him. "Now that you have found your project, please remove it and this time, keep it contained." Operations directs the Tech Ops in scathing tones.

"Yes, sir." they speak at the same time. With that, the second Tech Op stands up and starts for the Tribble in front of Nikita. Instantly, the purring is replaced by a low pitched growl that causes the hair on the back of Nikita's neck to stand up.

"I wouldn't touch him if I were you." she warns.

The second Tech Op dismisses her with a superior glance and reaches for the Tribble only to draw back his hand with a yelp and a bloody finger. "It bit me!"

"I warned you." Nikita scoffs unsympathetically.

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

Nikita carries the Tribble back to the Research Lab. "What are you going to do with him?" she asks, unconsciously clutching the Tribble to her.

"Well, we will have to dissect it and do a detailed study to what makes it tick. That reminds me, I better call Medical and have them set up the equipment." The original pair hurry into another lab, making plans and forgetting their compatriots as their minds start to already dissect the Tribble in search of mysteries. They also forget the Tribble safely ensconced in Nikita's arms.

Two other Tech Ops knock over their chairs in their hurry to stand up as Nikita walks into the lab. Their eyes following her as she walks through the doors. *The Goddess Nikita ... in their presence ... this is the stuff dreams are made of.*

Nikita swallows as she listens to the casually made plans to dissect the Tribble. Not if she can help it. She quickly scans the lab and notices the attention she is receiving. It takes her about two seconds to realize that it's not the Tribble they are staring at, but her. With an inner smile, Nikita starts planning. Her only question, *Will the Tribble understand?*

"Hi guys." she says and watches in amusement as the other Tech Ops look around behind them to see who she is talking to. It's all she can do not to laugh out loud when they realize it's them.

"Uh, ... hi." the taller one stumbles out.

"So," Nikita walks over to their work area while casually shifting the Tribble closer to the table, "What do you guys do down here?"

"Us?"

She giggles slightly, "You silly! Of course, you." she smiles coyly and looks at both of them with big wide blue eyes. Inwardly she is grimacing at the reaction such a ploy would receive from Michael, but then these guys are not as immune to her charms as Michael is. They seem to melt under her smile and they both begin talking at the same time, explaining their jobs in a mass of technical jargon that means nothing to Nikita. She smiles and nods in the way women have been doing since time when men are discussing boring things, hearing nothing.

She places the Tribble on the table edge closest to the door while the Tech Ops, now enthralled with their subject, start to gesture and make inside jokes that causes them to laugh. The Tribble starts to move back toward Nikita but she pushes it gently back to the edge. It starts back toward her but then stops, pauses and moves back to the edge, seemingly poised to jump.

Nikita watches it out of the corner of her eye and when it reaches the table edge she starts to walk around the room heading for the door and keeping the Tech Ops attention on her by adding a little swish to her hips. "And what does this do?" she points to a computer terminal near the door.

In the stampede to show her their brilliance, the Tech Ops cross the sensor that opens the door to the lab and Nikita moves just enough to keep the door open for a minute. She covertly watches the Tribble slink out the door and into Section's hallways and hopefully freedom.

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

It is several days later before the ensuing chaos calms down, but finally the Tribble is declared AWOL and business goes on as normal as it can get in Section.

Nikita is exhausted. She has been examined and cross-examined by Madeline but so far nothing has come of it. She kept as close to the truth as she could, leaving out only pertinent details when necessary.

~~~~~~~~~

Birkoff glances both right and left before he sneaks over to the cupboard where his oreos are stashed. It's a private moment, not to be shared. As he approaches the cupboard he hears the floor buffer being run nearby. He stops and tries to locate where Louise is, just in case. Hmm, with a cavernous spaces all around Section it's too hard to narrow down.

Birkoff sighs and reaches for the door handle. It's been soooooo long since his last oreo.

"AHHHHHHHH" Birkoff is snowed over by an avalanche of Tribbles pouring out of the cupboard, the purring reaching deafening levels as the empty blue and white wrappers float softly to the ground.

Tens of hundreds of Tribbles scamper everywhere, in every direction, purring loudly in their wake.

"NNNNIIIIIKKKKKKIIIIIIITTTTTTTAAAAAAAAA" Birkoff screams as the Tribbles thunder across him heading for every square inch of Section.

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

"BBBBBBIIIRRRKKOOOFFFFFFFFFF!" Operations bellows as he opens the door to the observation deck. Inside Tribbles scamper happily along the window railing and across his desk spraying papers as they go. Several surround his computer and appear to be playing Space Invaders.

"NNNIIIKKKKITTTA!" Birkoff passes the buck without looking up. He knows what is going on and he also knows that the Tribbles follow Nikita around Section like the Piped Piper. With his peripheral vision Birkoff watches Nikita walk up the stairs and sighs in relief that the bellowing will stop soon. It makes it so hard to concentrate with all of the yelling. Birkoff punches in another series of commands and watches the Simm unfold. Now, if he hides his oreos in the laundry room, second shelf behind the bleach ....

"Sh*t!" Birkoff slams his hand on his computer table, *THEY FOUND THEM AGAIN!*, he watches in resignation as the Simm plays out the swarm of Tribbles descending on his oreos.

~~~~~~~

Nikita opens the door to the Observation Deck, after sidestepping Operations who is pacing outside and muttering to himself.

"I don't understand. There's no reason to be afraid of them." she starts.

"I'm not afraid of them!" Operations denies as he maintains a safe distance from the open doorway.

With a smirk she can't quite hide, Nikita steps into the room. Instantly the Tribbles stop what they are doing, start to purr and scamper over to her, happy to see her as usual.

Nikita crouches down and strokes each one, cooing at them in loving tones. They are so soft and give their affection so freely.

"That's enough Nikita! Get them out!" Operations barks from behind the door where he stands waiting.

"Come on guys, let's go." Nikita calls out and the Tribbles obediently follow her.

As she leads him out of his office, Operations slinks in, scrupulously avoiding contact with a single Tribble.

"Take them to storage." Operations commands from the intercom, safely barricaded in his office.

Nikita says nothing as she leads the latest batch of Tribbles to the white room that has been put aside for them. After finally getting a chance to watch the Star Trek episode, she has to agree that they are probably born pregnant or sneaky because they always seem to be out and about despite being put in the white room, time and time again.

She opens the door and the Tribbles obediently troop in and start to chatter with the Tribbles already inside the room.

Once the Tribble deluge had started, Nikita had suggested that the Tribbles communicated among themselves and had been scoffed into silence by the Tech Ops who had insisted (with their bandaged fingers waving in the air) that the Tribbles weren't sophisticated enough for language skills. She hasn't changed her mind.

Returning to Michael's office, she closes the door carefully behind her. Michael looks up from his computer, activates the silencer and starts to unbutton his shirt to proceed from where they were interrupted.

Nikita gladly goes into his arms and nestles there as his hands pull her shirt up and off. She giggles.

"Michael? Do you think it's possible Operations was frightened by a dust bunny as a child?"

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

"Well, what are we going to do about the ... problem?!" Operations demands, refusing to mention the word Tribble.

Nikita shots a quick glance at Michael who doesn't betray any outward reaction to Operations' aversion but who does nudge her with his knee.

"We could eliminate them." Birkoff suggests nastily. He hasn't had an Oreo in over a week and it's starting to make him cranky.

"We could," Madeline agrees with a small nod, "However, there appears to be a fraction of the operatives who are rather ... protective ... of the Tribbles. Might I remind you of the messages we have been receiving from SPOT*?" Madeline reminds everyone at the table while failing to mention that she is President of the current chapter. (*Society for the Protection Of Tribbles - thanks Betsy)

"Ummm." Nikita starts to say something and then thinks better of it.

All eyes turn to her.

"Yes?!" Operations barks. He has already decided that this whole ... whole ... MESS is somehow Nikita's fault anyway.

"Well." Nikita shifts uncomfortably under all of the attention. She can still remember the derision of the Tech Ops on her theories of the Tribbles. "Why don't we let them go?"

Silence

"What are you suggesting Nikita?" Madeline asks in a deceptively soft voice.

With a helpless shrug Nikita continues, "Let's take them to a forest somewhere and let them go. I know they like trees and the countryside."

"And how do you know that?" Birkoff asks snidely, his chocolate levels getting lower the longer the meeting goes on, the longer those beasts stay in Section. Not only have they destroyed his Oreo stash but yesterday he found one slurping his Twizzlers like it was spaghetti. If something isn't done soon, he'll be reduced to eating ... salad!!! The horror!!!

Nikita can feel Michael tense next to her and begins to bristle at Birkoff's tone. Who does Birkoff think he is anyway??? "I found them at www.uniquescotland.com, that's how." Nikita defends herself.

"UniqueScotland?"

"Mmmm. It looked like they were planning a vacation."

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

The announcement of the Tribbles planning a vacation meets with deafening silence. Nikita squirms in uneasiness. She knew she should have kept her mouth shut.

"Be that as it may." Operations announces in repressive tones, "I've requested that an expert in the field of microtechnobiology be loaned to us and he is finally here." With this grandiose statement Operations pushes a button and a side door to the briefing room opens up.

"So then the blonde reaches into her purse and gives him five dollars." is heard through the doorway. Laughter filters out from the enclosed room.

Nikita sits up, her back straightening as she concentrates, that voice sounds vaguely familiar, from a long time ago.

"Robert!" Operations thunders out.

Instant silence from the enclosed room, other than an "Oops."

A tall, slender, trim blonde man with bright blue eyes and an irresistible grin wanders out the door. "Sorry, chief...." he starts with just the right amount of respect to keep himself out of trouble until his eyes light on Nikita.

"Nikki???!!!!"

"Robbie???!!!!" Nikita echoes astonished.

Michael's head snaps around at this exchange, his eyes narrowing.

Robert runs into the room and snatches Nikita out of her chair before anyone can react, including Nikita. "Nikki, Baby, I thought I'd never see you again."

Robert starts to kiss her when his little reunion scene is interrupted by Michael.

"Excuse me." Michael states politely with a voice so cold the frost is visible. "Would you mind putting down my ... material?"

Robert lowers Nikita gently and looks at Michael, eye-to-eye, his manner not intimidated at all. "Your material?"

Operations interrupts before the matter escalates. "If you are finished?"

Nikita tucks her shirt back into her waistband and sits down without saying a word. Her head whirling with the current events.

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

Robert sits down in the vacant seat next to Nikita and flashes a friendly smile at her.

"Perhaps you would care to relate to us, the information you do have on the situation, Robert?" Operations asks, drawing everyone's attention back to the fact that they are in the middle of a briefing.

"Well" Robert shrugs, "We really don't have much info as of yet. It seems that no Tribble has been dissected and examined. Why is that?" Robert asks his good mood turning into one of intellectual contemplation.

"It seems that there is a little problem with that." Madeline starts to explain when Nikita interrupts.

"Do you really have to kill one Robbie?" she turns her blue eyes to him.

Robert shakes himself out of the beginning of a scientific fog and looks at Nikita dazed for a moment and then grins. "I won't if you help me Princess."

Nikita smiles at the long forgotten nickname.

Michael frowns.

"How can Nikita help you Robert?" Madeline asks as she watches the interplay at the table. *That's interesting.*

"Well, from the information you sent to me, I'd say that the Tribbles have a natural affinity for Nikita." He turns to look at her, "Maybe it's those big blue eyes or ..." he reaches out and rubs the top of her head, messing up her carefully arranged windblown look, "Maybe it's that mop of hair." he teases.

"Robbie!" Nikita scolds and swats at his hand.

Michael frowns.

"Robert!" Operations hisses.

Robert immediately turns his attention back to Operations, "Sir?"

"Take Nikita with you and go solve this ... mess. You have exclusive rights to her until they are gone." Operations slams down his hand and with a final glare to the whole table and stalks out.

"Ooooo Exclusive rights." Robert teases, "Just what I always wanted."

Nikita laughs and stands up to leave with Robert. "I'll show you the white room where the Tribbles are kept and then the lab okay?"

"Sounds good to me Princess." Robert casually slings an arm around Nikita's waist and squeezes her close for a moment.

"Nikita." Michael stops the couple.

"Yes?" Nikita turns around still encircled by Robert's arm.

"May I speak with you." Michael asks without a questioning tone.

"Michael, I think that Nikita needs to get Robert started on his task before she can talk with you." Madeline interrupts. "Go on you two. You know your assignment."

Nikita pauses for a moment, looking quizzically at Michael for a moment, waiting for him to say something else. When he doesn't she turns back to Robert with a shrug. Robert watches Nikita and Michael look at each other speculatively.

"Okay, this way."

Just as they are turning the corner to the back rooms, Robert looks back, over Nikita's shoulder and sees that Michael is standing where they left him, watching them walk away. Robert smiles a huge smug smile and deliberately pulls Nikita closer to him. She continues to chat away about the Tribbles.

-------

Once they are out of the main room and in the relative quiet of the back halls, Robert stops and forces Nikita to stop talking by placing a finger over her mouth.

Nikita looks at him questioningly.

"Okay, Sis, what's going on between you and the dragon?"

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

Michael watches Nikita leave with Robert and feels his gut twist. Who is that guy? and how dare he touch Nikita like that? and what is Nikita thinking to let him touch her like that?

Madeline touches his shoulder. "I'm sure that there is no cause for concern Michael." Madeline watches him carefully waiting for his response.

Michael allows his face to harden into the mask and turns to look at her, "I'm not concerned." he states and stops.

Madeline contemplates him for a moment and then smiles without warmth, "Good. After all, he's just here for the Tribbles. It's not like he's been permanently reassigned."

Unresponsive on the outside, Michael hears the threat on the inside. Madeline in her oh so subtle way is pointing out that it is entirely possible Robert could be assigned to Section One if he or Nikita behave inappropriately.

~~~~~~~

Nikita looks at Robert as he removes his finger. "Oh Robbie, I've missed you so much!" It's only because part of her is aware of the fact that they are standing in Section One that she doesn't throw her arms around him and hug the life out of him.

Robert grins at her, "Me too, Sis. Now, what the hell is going on with you and that green-eyed dragon? "My material"? Ok, give."

Nikita sighs and starts walking to the Tribble white room, "I don't know what you mean." she denies uneasily not knowing how to explain Michael to herself, much less Robbie.

Robert snorts as he catches up with her, "Let's see the last time I heard that phrase, you had just seen Kurt Russell in ... what was the name ... Oh yeah, "Escape from New York". You talked about how good he looked in that leather outfit for over two weeks."

Nikita blushes at the memory of her infatuation and also with the memory of how it felt the first time she saw that movie. He moved with such confidence and control. Her mind momentarily imposes Michael into that infamous outfit. OH GOD.

Nikita clears her throat. "You know, I heard he wore the exact same outfit for "Escape from L.A."" she tries to divert Robbie's attention.

He chuckles, "Nice try Princess. Spill."

Nikita decides on a complete sidestep and attacks, "How did you get here Robbie?"

Robert's grin fades and his face hardens until he resembles Michael on a certain level. "I was involved in the shooting of a convenience store clerk." he states with no emotion in his voice.

"Oh." Nikita ponders the unique way he phrases it.

"And you?"

"They say I killed a cop."

Robert snorts, "Never."

Nikita's heart contracts a little at the instantaneous disbelief Robbie shows in her guilt.

With a concentrated effort Robert shakes off the mood and returns to a lighter topic. "So what do these guys look like anyway?"

Nikita stares at him in surprise. "Surely you've seen the surveillance?"

"Well" Robert slants her a grin, "I saw the tape they sent but it must have been a screw up because it was of an empty white room."

"Empty? But ... there must be hundreds of them." Nikita starts to explain when she notices that they are at the door of the discussed white room. "Here, I'll show you." she smiles, "You'll love them, they are so sweet." and with that statement Nikita opens the door ...

Silence echoes throughout the empty room. Not a Tribble to be seen.

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

"Oh NO!" Nikita breathes. She semi-closes the door to check the panel, *Yes, it's the right white room*. "Oh ...... no."

"Okay Princess, what's the joke?" Roberts asks peering into the empty room.

Ignoring him completely, Nikita taps in several numbers on the intercom on the door panel, "Michael?"

"Yes?"

"Michael," she lowers her voice to a whisper, "Michael, they're gone."

"Gone?"

She hears a rustling and then Michael comes back,

"Hold on. I'll be there in a minute."

Nikita sighs and presses her forehead against the door, *Those Bastards!*

"Hey, hey, Princess. What's going on?" Robert's voice is filled with confusion as he realizes that something is amiss.

Nikita spins around, reminded suddenly that he's with her. "Oh Robbie, those damn Tech Ops!! They took them!" Nikita clenches her hands into fists, fighting her emotions, fighting back the tears. The Tribbles are too sweet to be part of a damn Section experiment. If only they had escaped in the beginning.

Robert puts his hands on her shoulders, drawing her attention back to him. "What's going on Nikki!?" he asks in a tone that she hasn't heard in over a decade. It used to get an immediate answer of the youthful willful Nikita fresh on the streets and always in trouble, now it earns him a blank look and silence.

Michael rounds the corner, his attention completely focused on Nikita. "What's going on Nikita?"

Spinning out of Robert's hold, Nikita answers Michael. "They're gone. Michael, all of them."

Michael opens his arms and Nikita instinctively moves into his embrace. With one arm around her waist, Michael buzzes the intercom. "Birkoff, where are they?"

"Nothing. There's no order for them Michael. Hold on, I'm scanning the survelliance."

Michael hugs Nikita closer and looks, for the first time at Robert.

Robert looks back at him and pointedly goes between Michael and Nikita and Michael and Nikita and then grins and gives Michael the "thumbs up" sign.

Michael feels something inside of him start to unravel as he realizes that whatever is going on between Nikita and Robert, she turned to him for support and comfort.

"Oh WOW, that is so cool!." Birkoff's voice interrupts the silent communication.

"What?"

"WOW!"

"Birkoff .... " Michael's voice warns of a whop up side the head.

"They disabled the survelliance, short-circuited the lock and split."

Nikita looks up from Michael's shoulder.

"Who?"

"The Tribbles!"

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

Epitribblelogue

Nikita relaxes at long last. Madeline was relentless but even she had to bow to the survelliance tapes. Birkoff's respect for the Tribbles has reached record levels as their detailed plans became clearer and clearer. Apparently they had tapped into Section Mainframe, downloaded the schematics and made their escape through the venting system.

Nikita sighs and pours herself and Michael a drink. Some nice Merlot to celebrate the end to the unsuccessful "manhunt" that had taken place as Operations realized the Tribbles had escaped with Section intel in their little microchip brains.

Michael stretches his legs out and sinks deeper into Nikita's couch. "You know Nikita. I never knew Operations knew some many variations of those words." Michael feels run through the wringer after having to try to placate Operations in this impossible situation.

Nikita chuckles to herself. It had taken over two weeks for everyone to calm down and get back to work. Operations hated that they couldn't find those things (he still refused to use the word) but even the hardest of the cold ops had refused point blank to ask people if they had seen a Tribble wandering the streets, so ...

"Here's to freedom. May they enjoy it." Nikita and Michael click their glasses and sip the Merlot.

"Speaking of enjoyment ...." Nikita starts.

"Yes?"

"I bought something I think you might enjoy. It will just take me a moment." Nikita teases and hurries up to her bedroom.

Michael allows a little smile to touch his lips as he runs through a list of possibilities. Is it that black lace nightie they saw earlier? Maybe that racy garter belt and low-cut bra set? As he leans forward to place his glass on her inn table he sees something furry out of the corner of his eye and freezes. She wouldn't!!!

Michael slowly sits up straight and fractionally moves his head. Yes, it's furry and what's that sound? Purring? PURRING?!!!!

"NIIIKIIIITTTTA!"

Nikita bounds out of her bedroom, crouching for action and stops short as she realizes that Michael is not being surrounded by enemy fire. "What?!" she asks peeved as she pulls the nightie the rest of the way up her shoulders and puts the gun back down by the stairs.

"What is THAT?" Michael asks through clenched teeth, pointing at the furry purring thing barely visible under the couch.

"What?" Nikita moves closer and then starts to laugh. Bending down, she scoops up the thing. "This is Pooh Pooh, the neighbor's cat, for god's sake Michael." she manages to say between giggles.

Michael slumps back onto the couch, relieved beyond belief.

Still giggling, Nikita opens the door and sends Pooh Pooh on her way. As she closes the door, Michael comes up behind her, "Sorry about that. I must have Tribbles on the brain." he apologizes as he notices what she is wearing.

Nikita walks past him, deliberately trailing the nightie lace across his slacks, Michael follows her back into the front room.

She stops at the foot of her stairs, in front of the telephone table, reaching behind her with one hand and forward with the other, Nikita glides open the drawer of the telephone stand as she draws a line down Michael's chin and throat. While Michael's attention is diverted by her touch, Nikita slips a piece of paper into the drawer and out of sight. "It's too bad you're so tense. Come let me ... help you." she whispers seductively as she closes the drawer on the postcard from Scotland.

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