Nikita rounded the corner on the top floor, almost a full five minutes ahead of Michael. She read the number on the door of the penthouse. 4. Just like Michael said. She knocked politely, just to see if anyone was inside. No answer. She cautiously made her way into the room, gun drawn. She had picked up the gun where she had hidden it earlier in the evening. In this kind of a costume, there simply was no place to hide a weapon. Well, the kind that uses bullets anyway.

She edged carefully into the bathroom, after making sure the bedroom was clear. Eventually, she was satisfied that the room was not only people-free, but bug-free as well. The room was spacious and luxurious, reflecting the opulence of the grand ballroom yet on a much smaller scale. She had no further instructions, so she sat down on the bed to await Michael and the intel she needed to complete the mission.

That was when she noticed the long-stemmed red rose on the pillow. Raising an eyebrow at that, she leaned over and smelled it. It was real. Freshly cut, too. She twirled it in her hand, admiring its color and fragrance. It had a lovely satiny texture she liked. Not unlike the texture of Michael´s doublet and cape. She smiled, remembering the way he´d held her, murmuring to her in French. She didn´t pretend to understand half of what he said, but she knew about feelings that came straight from the heart. She blushed, thinking of how voraciously he devoured her mouth. Suddenly the temperature of the room felt several degrees warmer. She fanned herself with the rose, chuckling to herself.

But who had left this here? Was it for her? What a silly thought that was. Here she was, in the middle of a mission, acting like a fresh-faced schoolgirl with a crush. She took off her mask, rubbing her forehead. She walked into the bathroom and splashed cool water on her face. She looked at her reflection. She didn´t know what Michael saw when he looked at her, but she wished that one day, it would be enough. Enough to make him cross the line that separated them. Enough to compel him to admit that he loved her. She knew that he did. Maybe there was no happy ending in their future, but they needed a present. Give me something to remember. I will live off the memories forever, if I have to.

She began to wonder if Michael was meeting her here, after all. He was never late. Maybe something had gone wrong. No, she should stay here. If something had happened, he would know where to find her. If she went looking for him, they could pass each other ten times over and never know it. It was that crowded.

She yawned. Taking the bow off her shoulder, she wriggled her other shoulder loose from its bindings and adjusted the top of her toga so that it covered most of her breasts. That was much better. She lay down on the bed, intending to wait for Michael, but moments later, she was fast asleep.

Michael approached the penthouse in much the same way as Nikita had. He edged closer to the door and knocked. Nikita never heard the knock. He entered softly, gun drawn, and saw Nikita immediately. His first thought was, Nikita´s been taken out. Feeling his heart constrict, he forced himself to calm down. He leaned over her and felt for a pulse. Her pulse was slow and regular, as befit a trained operative in top physical condition.

She stirred under his hand. When she opened her eyes and saw Michael peering down at her, she froze. "Michael!"

He frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

They stared at each other for a few moments, as if trying to make sense of the situation they suddenly found themselves in. She sat up abruptly. "Hey, is this a set-up of some kind? Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Don´t be ridiculous."

Nikita pouted. "Well, I dunno what´s so bloody ridiculous about it, Michael. It´s not like we´re not attracted to each other. Why do you always have to be so argumentative?"

"I´m not arguing with you, Nikita."

"Well, resistive then. You fight the inevitable. What´s gonna happen, if you give in, Michael? You´re gonna succumb to the same urges the rest of us have?"

"You have no idea what urges I have where you´re concerned, Nikita!"

She slapped him, and he grabbed her wrist, dropping the gun on the bed. "Let go of me, Michael!

"No!" He almost yelled. "No," he repeated, more softly, but just as insistently.

She continued to struggle against his hold, and he couldn´t even say what came over him in that moment. But something snapped. He wrenched his mask off with one hand and wiped the blood from his lip, where Nikita struck him. He stared at the blood on his hand. Eyes glinting feverishly, he grabbed her face and held it with both hands, kissing her as hard as he could. She fought him initially, then moaned under his mouth. With that one moan, everything escalated.

Breathing hard, Michael straddled her body on the bed. He knelt over her, pulling open his doublet. Realizing he still had his boots on, he suddenly stood up, and Nikita betrayed her true feelings by reaching out to him. "Please, don´t go, Michael."

He stared at her a full second. He pulled his boots off, one at a time, and they hit the floor with a heavy thud, thud. "Oh, God, Nikita, did I hurt you?" He blamed himself for losing control. Every time he was with her, though, she drove him right over the edge. He searched her face, and she pulled on his shoulders, forcing him to lean so close, she could feel his breath rasping on her face. "I want you, Michael. Any way I can get you."

"You have me, Nikita." He pulled off the doublet, his hair all tangled and curling into tendrils from the heat they generated. "I warn you, though, I´m not stopping this time."

Nikita snuggled under his arm, running her tongue lightly along his chin. "Michael? Did you leave a long-stemmed red rose here on the pillow for me?"

He shook his head. "No…"

"Well, someone did. That´s odd."

He considered that. "Does it occur to you that this has been a very strange mission?"

"Does it occur to you that maybe there is no mission?" she said, feeling exasperated that she never thought about the possibility before.

Michael´s eyes narrowed. "Hmm…we should go find out, I suppose."

"Not me, you´re the team leader. You go."

"I´m too valuable to risk losing." Michael said facetiously, referring to his status as team leader and experienced field op.

"You are, Michael." Nikita agreed, not referring to his being an operative at all.

His eyes darkened. "Do you mean that, Nikita?" She nodded. He placed his hand over her heart, feeling her heart beat steadily. He bent his head over her breast and laved the nipple with his tongue.

He pulled her against his mouth. "You are so beautiful, Nikita." He helped her remove the toga, then wrapped his arms around her, feeling her breasts brush against his chest. "You feel so good…"

They both froze as Michael´s cell phone rang. He looked scared for a second, his hair falling into his face as he fumbled for the send button. To Nikita, it was the most precious thing he could have given her. His vulnerability. Even for a moment. She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly as he finally found the button and pressed it.

"Yes?"

Madeline´s voice was audible even to Nikita. She raised an eyebrow, clearly wondering, but Michael shook his head at her. "What did you say, Madeline?"

"I said, if you two aren´t in bed right now, I´m sending Birkoff back there to tuck you in personally."

Michael laughed, and it was a truly carefree sound. "I see." He kept nodding and saying, "Okay", but there was otherwise no conversation.

He turned off the phone and laid it gently on top of his cape. "Madeline sends her best wishes." He couldn´t help but chuckle. Nikita looked confused.

"And?"

"She said there is no real mission. Unless Operations asks, of course."

He sank down further in the bed, pushing his leggings off and throwing them onto the floor. "How long do we have, Michael?" He laughed. "How long can you last, Kita?"

They kissed softly, gentle kisses that belied the passion that flowed between them. He licked her mouth lightly, forcing a gasp from her, which he used to further the entrance of his tongue into her mouth. They began to kiss more urgently, and Nikita opened her mouth more, inviting Michael to kiss her more deeply. Warm, wet, open-mouthed kisses that made her body ache in places his mouth had not touched her yet.

He hooked his leg around her hip and pressed his groin against her. He licked her neck and groaned when Nikita ran her hands over his arousal. In a hoarse whisper, Nikita told Michael how much she needed him, how much she wanted him. ""Michael…I need you…inside me…now."

Just hearing those words come from her lips was enough to bring Michael dangerously close to climaxing, despite his strong control. He joined their bodies, burying himself deep inside her in one stroke. When he felt her begin to shudder beneath him, he lost his own fight for control and spent himself inside her in a surge of heat. He kissed her, swallowing her gasp as she climaxed. "I love you, Michael…"

He stopped kissing her, his eyes wide. "What did you say?"

"You heard me, Michael." She smiled sleepily, like a kitten that had been awakened from a particularly satisfying dream. "I love you." She kissed him, pushing his hair back from his face. "I do."

Michael looked slightly stunned, as if he had just received some rather unexpected but welcome news. "You do?"

"I do." She smiled lazily as Michael digested this news and contemplated what to do about it. It might take him a few times to get used to hearing it, but she would make sure he heard it often enough. "I love you, Michael, and there´s nothing you can do to change it, control it or otherwise turn it into something else."

He snuggled closer to her, giving her a mild ache between her legs as their bodies stayed joined. "I don´t want to change it or control it or turn it into anything else. I like the way you feel under me, but you can be on top anytime you like…cause guess what?" He nipped at her neck playfully, teasing both of them until she groaned out loud.

"What?"

"I know a secret…"

"What?" Nikita grew more restless under Michael´s intermittent stimulation.

"I…love…you…too…" Punctuating each word with a kiss, Michael met Nikita´s brilliant blue eyes dead-on, suddenly anxious to make her know how he felt.

"You do?" Nikita arched under Michael, bringing his lower body into closer contact with hers.

"Yes, I do. How do you feel about that, Kita?"

"Mmm…give me a moment…I need a little time to get used to it, that´s all."

Michael covered her body with his and suddenly rolled over on his back. With Nikita now sitting astride him, he surged into her again, feeling her throb around him. He pulled her down to his mouth and kissed her, his hands around her waist. "You used to it yet?"

She laughed around his mouth. "No, I need you to repeat it…every hour should do to start with…"

END