Michael stepped out of the car and looked up at the building. It had not changed in the four years that had passed. He looked at the building and then closed his door. He slowly shoved his hands into his pockets and walked towards the entrance.

So much had passed in the four years that he did not know where to start and what to think about. When he had been transferred, his hair was short, but now it had grown again, longer than it had ever been before in his life. The years seemed to pass extremely slowly. Michael did not tell anyone of how he wanted to go back to Headquarters. If he did such, they would feel that it was because of Nikita.

Things were bad between Michael and Nikita when he received the transfer. He had almost not even told Nikita. Instead, two hours before he got on the plane to go to Hong Kong, he showed up at Nikita’s steps. The hallway was different from the hallway that he now walked down.

“Hello, Nikita.” Michael said when she opened the door. She did not move it past the cracked position and stared at him. She had recently broken a relationship off with a man who Michael believed that she had loved. She had been having a hard time readjusting since then. Michael knew he had not helped the situation.

“Michael.” Nikita said and Michael looked into her blue eyes. She must have heard the rumors by then.

“I am here to say good-bye, Nikita. I am going to Hong Kong.” Michael said and she nodded her head.

“Good-bye, Michael.” Nikita simply said and shut the door. Michael walked away from the door hurt and confused. On the plane trip to Hong Kong, he tried to contact Nikita, to talk. He found that Section had changed her cell phone.

Michael had kept track of Nikita, no matter how covertly he had to do so. Sometimes for months he could not access her files, while other times, they were almost sent to him. The missions that were very successful, missions that Michael himself would believe would fail were sent to him, with Nikita’s name highlighted on the top. Successful. Rarely did he find a mission that had failed.

Now he was standing in front of Nikita’s door. He heard the cheerful music and mused that Nikita must not of changed much of all. She had no boyfriend, that much Birkoff told Michael. Walter had refused to talk to Michael since he left. Michael did not know why, but Walter was protecting Nikita. Walter didn’t know that Nikita could protect herself from Michael fine enough.

Michael wrapped his knuckle against the door and he listened to some laughter. Maybe she did have a boyfriend that he didn’t know about. Maybe she had a girlfriend.

“Nikita.” Michael called out as he knocked on the door again. Slowly the door opened up and Michael stared at Nikita and the small girl with blonde hair in Nikita’s arms. There Michael was met with blue eyes like Nikita’s.

“Michael.” Nikita said and the girl dropped her head against Nikita’s chest. Nikita leaned down and kissed her head.

“Mia.. shhhh… It’s ok.” Nikita whispered softly and she looked up at Michael.

“Is she yours?” Michael chokes out as he looked at the little girl who hid her face from Michael. Then he looked up at Nikita. Her face was drawn, but seemed younger and more relaxed than it ever had in all the years that he knew her.

“Yes.” Nikita said as she stared back at Michael’s eyes. She held onto her daughter tightly and leaned back. Michael continued to stare.

“I will see you… in..” Michael said as he stepped back and turned and looked at Nikita once more with her daughter. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She must have a boyfriend, god, and even a husband. Michael stared at her and dropped his head.

“Of course.” Nikita said and looked at Michael stepped further down the hallway. Michael stopped and moved slightly back towards Nikita.

“It was good to see you, Nikita.” Michael said, but he could not move. Nikita lifted her head and placed her hand on the door. She looked back at Michael and dropped her head slightly, but then stared back at Michael.

“As it was to see you.” Nikita started out; “I have a mission in the morning, Michael. Goodbye.” Nikita said and closed the door with a soft click. Michael moved back towards the door and looked at its texture, wanting to grasp meaning to what he had just seen, and then moved away abruptly, knowing that it may never come.

*

Nikita sat her desk, typing at the computer. She had inherited Michael’s office when Madeline and Operations had promoted her. Nikita took her computer and her picture of Mia and steadily entered to office, and never mentioned it to anyone the fact that it had once been Michael’s.

Nikita turned her head to the side and sipped at the water from the plastic bottle and moved her head back to the computer. There was an important mission pending, and she was just starting her second check of the Intel. Nikita glanced at her watch and realized that time was running out on her for this mission.

There was a tiny noise from the doorway, and Nikita instantly snapped her head up to establish a visual on the door. Nikita swallowed, and she almost winced as it felt as if she was swallowing nails. She did not move her gaze, until the figure moved into the office and shut the door.

“Does it bother you to work in this office?” Michael asked in his attempt to start a conversation. Nikita looks at him and then pulls the drawer out of the desk. Michael looked over the desk, and watched Nikita turn off all the surveillance in the room.

“No. It never has. There was nothing significant to this office. It is an office.” Nikita replied with a cold tone that Michael felt rub his heart raw. Michael moved to the chair and sat slowly down. There was an odd feeling of magnetism as Michael sat down, sitting where Nikita had sat before him for numerous years. It was awkward having the things that were normal, to be reversed.

In a move to insert the power that Nikita had gained during Michael’s absence, she turned back towards her computer to consult the Intel, as Michael had traditionally done. Michael folded his hands and pulled the chair closer to the desk to look at Nikita’s features and that movement alone caused Nikita to take her hands off of the keyboard and back at Michael.

“What is it, Michael?” Nikita asks with a tone of annoyance and Michael looked around the office and then to her desk. Michael noticed the frame, but quickly moved his eyes away from it.

“Have you maintained surveillance on Lewis Sanchez?” Michael asked, as he looked to Nikita’s blue eyes. He had calculated that the mention of this particular target would cause a reaction in Nikita’s eyes. It became a way to put Nikita back to where she was before he had left. What Michael got in return was the firm blank stare of Nikita that could even compete with his own stare.

“No. He is on the green list.” Nikita said and folded her arms up on the desk and leaned closer to Michael. Her steamy breath was felt on his face and he continued to hold the intense glare into Nikita’s eyes.

“I would worry about revenge. Especially since you have a daughter.” Michael said and Nikita sat firmly up from the desk. The blank stare of emotional void was replaced with blatant anger. Michael, himself, sat back from the desk, as Nikita’s eyes of blue seemed to turn red.

“My daughter is of no concern to you.” Nikita said sharply, accenting every syllable. Nikita tilted her head to the side and maintain contact with Michael’s eyes. Michael ran his tongue around his mouth and stood up. He looked back down at the desk, and pulled the frame up into his large hands.

“Who is her father, Nikita?” Michael asked and Nikita smoothly stood up to her own elegant height and wrapped her hands around the frame. She took the frame and placed it back onto the desk. Nikita looked down at the picture and then back to Michael.

“None of your concern.” Nikita said as she started to move towards the blinds, but in reaction to the statement, Michael grabbed Nikita’s wrist and squeezed. Nikita turned towards him, to face him with eyes drawn into tight slits. Michael dropped the hand and moved only inches closer, but it felt as if the room had shrunk for Nikita.

“Would she be safer with the father? Lewis Sanchez could retaliate at anytime Nikita. We took down a major part of his business, and his son died at your hands.” Michael said firmly and Nikita looked at Michael and shook her head slightly from side to side, indicating no.

“She is safe with me. I am all that she knows, and that is the way it will be. Now, this matter is closed.” Nikita said and walked back to her desk. Yet, Michael moved back to the desk to continue the confrontation. Nikita lifted her head straight up and stared at Michael.

“Nikita, I hope you have your daughter protected.” Michael said and Nikita placed her hands defiantly on her hips. Her eyes narrowed again, and focused on Michael’s gray eyes.

“I have. That is why yesterday, Walter went away with her.” Nikita says coldly and Michael can almost hear warning bells with the statement.

“Why? Has Lewis Sanchez been a problem?” Michael asked. He stared at Nikita, but she remained quiet, as she pulled her rolling chair back from the desk. Michael could feel a sweat running down his forehead as Nikita sat down calmly.

“No. To protect her from you. Now, I have a mission, Michael.” Nikita said and turned back to the screen. Michael stepped back physically with the statement, but emotionally; it felt as if Nikita shot him through the head. Michael looked at Nikita and then exited the room without another sound other than his shoes hitting the floor.