La Femme Nikita. Adam Samuelle. 010. Years.
Title: As Long as There’s You
Fandom: La Femme Nikita
Characters: Michael/Nikita, Operations, Walter, one canon character; Adam, Elena, and three canon characters referred to
Prompt: 010. Years.
Word count: 1131
Rating: PG
Summary: Michael would wait a lifetime
Author's Notes: Spoilers through mid-Season 4; some original dialogue from “Man in the Middle” and “Love, Honor, and Cherish.”
As Long as There’s You
They were being punished. Operations couldn’t overtly sanction Michael; he had Adrian.
Instead, he went for Nikita. A blood-cover wasn’t a threat to her well-being, and had proven to be successful in the past; ironically, by Michael. He had been instrumental in bringing down Salla Vacek. Now Nikita would bring down Helmut Volker and his faction of Red Cell.
The church was virtually empty, yet Michael sat in the pew behind Nikita. Lame subterfuge for anyone watching, and there would be. But at least they could spend a few moments together in relative privacy.
“What are you thinking?” Before the Gelman process, Michael would never have had to ask that question of Nikita. But now, and especially in light of her pending blood-cover with Volker, he really didn’t know. It was a feeling he didn’t care for; at all.
“I’m thinking about the man I’m going to marry.”
A business arrangement for Volker. He admitted he only needed a wife to gain his inheritance. But Nikita had to convince him that she loved him enough to marry him.
No easy task; something Michael knew from experience.
Elena was an innocent; a young girl without worldly experience whose reserve was neatly trampled beneath Michael’s Valentine skills. He convinced her that he loved her; it was his job. Naïvely, he’d hoped the whole blood-cover would be over in a few months. Instead, he was with Elena for nearly seven years. They had a child together. Adam. Nikita knew every kind of hell Michael had gone through when he lost his son. He couldn’t let the same thing happen to her.
Helmut Volker was no innocent. He was a drug-dealing arms merchant firmly in the pocket of Red Cell. He was intrigued by Anna; claimed to adore her, but superficially. Everything about him was superficial. Michael couldn’t let Helmut insinuate himself into Nikita’s life; she felt things too deeply. He would only hurt her.
“You have to separate Anna’s life from Nikita’s.”
“Is that what you did with Elena?”
He tried; and mostly he succeeded. Until Adam. Michael grew to care for Elena very much. She was a good person. But Michael loved his son beyond words. The baby, then the boy, still held his heart.
“Even with everything you went through, you still think it’s possible to hold on to your heart?”
“Yes,” Michael replied.
As long as there was no child. Unlike Michael’s profile, in which Adam had been factored in from the start, there was no such provision for “collateral” in Nikita’s blood-cover. Volker needed a wife; not a child. But Michael knew Operations would do anything to achieve endgame. Nikita would have to be extremely vigilant, and not just around Helmut. Unless…
“We’ll find a way to stop this.”
But Michael failed, and Nikita became Anna Volker. Operations knew Michael had tried to abort the mission. Did Nikita? She trusted him, and he let her down. She might even feel betrayed. Michael didn’t know, and he couldn’t find out.
“It’s over, Michael. Nikita has her job to do and you have yours. Forget about her.”
Michael left The Perch, passing Walter in Munitions on the way to his office.
“I…I’m sorry about the nam demodulator. I don’t know what happened. It should have worked.”
“It did.”
Walter frowned, then glanced at The Perch. He understood. Michael’s plans had been thwarted by one of Operations’ flunkies. Probably Davenport. He’d come from Housekeeping and was climbing steadily through the Cold Op hierarchy. He was a Level 3 now, but wanted more. He’d do anything to get there.
“Michael, if it’s any consolation…”
“It’s not.” Nikita could be trapped in her blood-cover for years. There were no empty platitudes that could undo that.
“You know what they say. ‘Time wounds all heels.’” A weak joke at best, and time couldn’t move fast enough for Michael.
A three-week honeymoon. Three full weeks for Nikita to let her guard down and Volker in. He was charming. Nikita wasn’t the same naïve woman who’d fallen for Alec Chandler’s polished charisma, but she hadn’t spent three weeks with him. Living with him; sleeping with him. Volker amused her, and knowing that he sold arms to terrorists wasn’t as great a sin, in her book, as selling children. Given enough exposure to Volker, with no interference from Section, who knew what Nikita would be thinking, especially after Gelman process?
Operations didn’t care.
“If you’re harboring any thoughts about separating Nikita from her assignment, you’d better get them out of your head.”
Michael was consumed with “separating” Nikita from Volker, especially when she reported that he was actually a top tier agent for Interpol; marrying “Anna” to solidify his own cover. Operations stood firm.
“Until I can be sure our interests don’t conflict, nothing has changed,”
But things had changed. Nikita hadn’t been happy to see him.
“There’s not a lot of time. You should go.” She couldn’t look Michael in the eye.
He was too late. Had their words in the church meant nothing? Was she losing her heart to Helmut?
Nikita was torn, understanding fully now what Michael had meant by “conflicted’.” It pained her more than she could ever let him know that she had to send him away; couldn’t give him one hour to reaffirm their love.
Michael had been in his cover for six years before the Armel mission. Nikita had lived with Helmut for one month. If she had followed her heart and made love with Michael, however brief their time together, Helmut would know. He’d already lost his beloved brother; “Anna’s” duplicity would only compound his pain. He didn’t deserve that. Mentally, she willed Michael to understand. They would be together again. When she was free.
And then she was. Her cover blown by ‘the Hague bombing that wasn’t’, Nikita saved Volker from Red Cell and Interpol. And Michael.
“You’ve become so precious to me,” Helmut had told her just the day before. “You’re all I have in the world.” He was wrong. Helmut Volker didn’t have “Anna.” And Michael didn’t have Nikita. Not fully; without reserve. She had, in her own way, come to care for Helmut.
Michael was willing to wait until Nikita was ready to be with him again; on her own terms.
Even if it took years.
“As long as there's you at the end of every road
To give me all your love, and a gentle hand to hold
As long as there's you at the end of every night
To tell me it's all right and shield me from the cold
“I'll be strong and I'll be tall
There is nothing I can’t do
I may stumble I may fall
I won't care if there is you
At the end of it all.”
~ Tony Romeo
My prompt table is here.
Fandom: La Femme Nikita
Characters: Michael/Nikita, Operations, Walter, one canon character; Adam, Elena, and three canon characters referred to
Prompt: 010. Years.
Word count: 1131
Rating: PG
Summary: Michael would wait a lifetime
Author's Notes: Spoilers through mid-Season 4; some original dialogue from “Man in the Middle” and “Love, Honor, and Cherish.”
As Long as There’s You
They were being punished. Operations couldn’t overtly sanction Michael; he had Adrian.
Instead, he went for Nikita. A blood-cover wasn’t a threat to her well-being, and had proven to be successful in the past; ironically, by Michael. He had been instrumental in bringing down Salla Vacek. Now Nikita would bring down Helmut Volker and his faction of Red Cell.
The church was virtually empty, yet Michael sat in the pew behind Nikita. Lame subterfuge for anyone watching, and there would be. But at least they could spend a few moments together in relative privacy.
“What are you thinking?” Before the Gelman process, Michael would never have had to ask that question of Nikita. But now, and especially in light of her pending blood-cover with Volker, he really didn’t know. It was a feeling he didn’t care for; at all.
“I’m thinking about the man I’m going to marry.”
A business arrangement for Volker. He admitted he only needed a wife to gain his inheritance. But Nikita had to convince him that she loved him enough to marry him.
No easy task; something Michael knew from experience.
Elena was an innocent; a young girl without worldly experience whose reserve was neatly trampled beneath Michael’s Valentine skills. He convinced her that he loved her; it was his job. Naïvely, he’d hoped the whole blood-cover would be over in a few months. Instead, he was with Elena for nearly seven years. They had a child together. Adam. Nikita knew every kind of hell Michael had gone through when he lost his son. He couldn’t let the same thing happen to her.
Helmut Volker was no innocent. He was a drug-dealing arms merchant firmly in the pocket of Red Cell. He was intrigued by Anna; claimed to adore her, but superficially. Everything about him was superficial. Michael couldn’t let Helmut insinuate himself into Nikita’s life; she felt things too deeply. He would only hurt her.
“You have to separate Anna’s life from Nikita’s.”
“Is that what you did with Elena?”
He tried; and mostly he succeeded. Until Adam. Michael grew to care for Elena very much. She was a good person. But Michael loved his son beyond words. The baby, then the boy, still held his heart.
“Even with everything you went through, you still think it’s possible to hold on to your heart?”
“Yes,” Michael replied.
As long as there was no child. Unlike Michael’s profile, in which Adam had been factored in from the start, there was no such provision for “collateral” in Nikita’s blood-cover. Volker needed a wife; not a child. But Michael knew Operations would do anything to achieve endgame. Nikita would have to be extremely vigilant, and not just around Helmut. Unless…
“We’ll find a way to stop this.”
But Michael failed, and Nikita became Anna Volker. Operations knew Michael had tried to abort the mission. Did Nikita? She trusted him, and he let her down. She might even feel betrayed. Michael didn’t know, and he couldn’t find out.
“It’s over, Michael. Nikita has her job to do and you have yours. Forget about her.”
Michael left The Perch, passing Walter in Munitions on the way to his office.
“I…I’m sorry about the nam demodulator. I don’t know what happened. It should have worked.”
“It did.”
Walter frowned, then glanced at The Perch. He understood. Michael’s plans had been thwarted by one of Operations’ flunkies. Probably Davenport. He’d come from Housekeeping and was climbing steadily through the Cold Op hierarchy. He was a Level 3 now, but wanted more. He’d do anything to get there.
“Michael, if it’s any consolation…”
“It’s not.” Nikita could be trapped in her blood-cover for years. There were no empty platitudes that could undo that.
“You know what they say. ‘Time wounds all heels.’” A weak joke at best, and time couldn’t move fast enough for Michael.
A three-week honeymoon. Three full weeks for Nikita to let her guard down and Volker in. He was charming. Nikita wasn’t the same naïve woman who’d fallen for Alec Chandler’s polished charisma, but she hadn’t spent three weeks with him. Living with him; sleeping with him. Volker amused her, and knowing that he sold arms to terrorists wasn’t as great a sin, in her book, as selling children. Given enough exposure to Volker, with no interference from Section, who knew what Nikita would be thinking, especially after Gelman process?
Operations didn’t care.
“If you’re harboring any thoughts about separating Nikita from her assignment, you’d better get them out of your head.”
Michael was consumed with “separating” Nikita from Volker, especially when she reported that he was actually a top tier agent for Interpol; marrying “Anna” to solidify his own cover. Operations stood firm.
“Until I can be sure our interests don’t conflict, nothing has changed,”
But things had changed. Nikita hadn’t been happy to see him.
“There’s not a lot of time. You should go.” She couldn’t look Michael in the eye.
He was too late. Had their words in the church meant nothing? Was she losing her heart to Helmut?
Nikita was torn, understanding fully now what Michael had meant by “conflicted’.” It pained her more than she could ever let him know that she had to send him away; couldn’t give him one hour to reaffirm their love.
Michael had been in his cover for six years before the Armel mission. Nikita had lived with Helmut for one month. If she had followed her heart and made love with Michael, however brief their time together, Helmut would know. He’d already lost his beloved brother; “Anna’s” duplicity would only compound his pain. He didn’t deserve that. Mentally, she willed Michael to understand. They would be together again. When she was free.
And then she was. Her cover blown by ‘the Hague bombing that wasn’t’, Nikita saved Volker from Red Cell and Interpol. And Michael.
“You’ve become so precious to me,” Helmut had told her just the day before. “You’re all I have in the world.” He was wrong. Helmut Volker didn’t have “Anna.” And Michael didn’t have Nikita. Not fully; without reserve. She had, in her own way, come to care for Helmut.
Michael was willing to wait until Nikita was ready to be with him again; on her own terms.
Even if it took years.
“As long as there's you at the end of every road
To give me all your love, and a gentle hand to hold
As long as there's you at the end of every night
To tell me it's all right and shield me from the cold
“I'll be strong and I'll be tall
There is nothing I can’t do
I may stumble I may fall
I won't care if there is you
At the end of it all.”
~ Tony Romeo
My prompt table is here.