Birkoff burst through the door of his room. Star whirled around, a shocked gasp on her lips. She looked incredibly guilty.

What was she doing? She was bent over his laptop. Birkoff frowned. "I thought you didn't like computers."

"I-I don't. I just saw it here, and I wondered why you were playing with your computer…" Star took a deep breath, and with the inhalation, she transformed. From a shy, quiet, somewhat anxious girl into a confident, assertive, almost seductive woman.

"…instead of me," she finished.

"I was just visiting friends next door," Birkoff said, for no apparent reason. Perhaps he was hoping to protect himself by invoking the names of Michael and Nikita. But the reaction he got was clearly not what he expected.

Star looked hostile, and her manner was defensive. "Michael is here? With Nikita?" she asked shrilly.

"Yeah, but like so what? They're here for each other, if you know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean," she said crossly. Star didn't want Michael taken care of, or so she thought. Her sister knew better. She always knew better.

Birkoff caught a glimmer of something in Star's eyes and briefly wondered if this was the same girl he brought here. Hey, maybe that was it. Maybe Star had smuggled her twin sister into the hotel, and they were playing games with him.

Star pushed Birkoff back onto the bed. This wouldn't take long. Birkoff was a mere boy compared to Michael.

Nikita lay sleeping, her arms entwined around Michael's neck. They had made love, instead of going out, and Nikita discovered that romance was where one found it. Not outside in the streets of Paris. Or even in the hotel. But in her soulmate's arms. Wherever they happened to be.

Her nose wrinkled. A strange scent was in the room. It almost brought her completely awake. She felt Michael stir next to her. He noticed it, too.

When her eyes opened, she saw Star sitting on the end of the bed, studying the two of them.

"What do you want, Star?" Nikita said sharply, annoyed at the young girl's intrusion.

"Him," Star said, pointing at Michael.

"Well, he's not up for grabs at the moment, so go back and play with Birkoff, okay? He's more your speed." Nikita didn't want to be mean, but the girl was getting on her last nerve.

"Is that what he told you? About us?" Star said pertly.

Nikita blinked. Michael slowly rose up to a sitting position. "Excuse me, Star? I don't believe we've met yet."

"Ha! How like you to pretend you don't know me, Michael."

"But I don't know you."

Star looked confused. Nikita took advantage of her momentary confusion to get out of bed, intending to grab the girl physically, if necessary. But Star pulled out a gun, aiming it at Nikita.

"Then you won't mind if I kill your girlfriend." Star smiled wickedly.

"She's not my girlfriend," Michael corrected. Using Star's preoccupation with Nikita, he carefully eased himself out of bed on the other side.

Nikita's eyes grew wide. "I'm not?"

Michael shook his head. "We're not in high school, Nikita. You're not my girlfriend."

Nikita nodded slowly. "Then that would mean…you aren't my boyfriend either."

He smiled. "That's right." He rolled to the floor, grabbing his own gun and aimed it at Star.

"Star, put the gun down," he commanded.

She continued to look confused and almost catatonic. "Not…Star…"

Nikita tried to move, but Star's gun followed her, almost hypnotically. "You're not Star? Then who are you? Her twin?"

Star nodded, a vacant look in her eye. "I'm…Sparkle."

Michael blinked this time. "Sparkle? That's Star's codename, Nikita."

Nikita flinched. Something was definitely wrong here. Just once, she wished that Birkoff would interrupt them. Right now.

There was a knock at the door. A calm, controlled, polite knock. Not frantic. Not urgent. Maybe it was Birkoff. Nikita yelled, "Birkoff, get in here!"

A pounding ensued on the door. It was locked from the inside.

Star began to smile eerily…and her grip on the gun tightened. Her fingers began to pull the trigger…

Birkoff finally bypassed the security lock on the door and entered. "Star, no! Not Nikita!"

She swung the gun in Birkoff's direction, her eyes animated with hatred. "You lust after her, too? What has she got that I haven't?"

Birkoff glanced at Nikita nervously. "I-I wouldn't know."

Michael crept behind Star, suddenly close enough to disarm her. Quickly. Expertly. He grabbed a sheet off the bed and tied her hands behind her back with it. Then he reached for his pants.

Nikita hid a smile behind her hand. That was Michael. Protect first. Even if unclothed.

Once he was dressed, Michael asked Birkoff what he found out about Star.

"Well, that's an interesting story. It seems that Star did have a sister. A twin. But she died several years ago. What Star's been hiding from Section all this time? She suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. Unable to accept her twin's death, she…um…sorta became her. Sometimes."

Birkoff shrugged. "I don't understand all the psychological mumbo jumbo exactly, but at some point, Star became psychotic. Then her twin took over, supposedly to protect her."

Nikita frowned. "Only problem is, some of the things she was protecting her from weren't real."

Michael nodded. "I know, she thought we had a relationship. But I never met her before today."

Nikita sniffed. "A likely story."

Michael picked up the tightly-bound girl and pushed her in front of him, stopping only at the door. "I'll be back, Nikita."

Nikita smiled knowingly. He would be back. They still had two days left on their three-day weekend.

End