Inspired from a short-story crossover by Ruth Berman......

REALITY BREACH

PART ONE

A red light began flashing above the 'Taping in Progress' sign as the directors' assistant yelled out for silence on the set. Jon Cassar waited patiently as the marker clapped down. "And Action!", the director said.

Alberta Watson rose from Madelines' desk and walked towards Peta Wilson. As she rounded the desk, her hip caught it's corner and sent her bouncing off her mark. "Damn," she muttered as Cassar yelled cut.

For whatever reason, taping wasn't going very smoothly for the cast of La Femme Nikita this day. Cassar sighed, feeling the beginnings of a headache at his temple. "Everyone take a ten minute break," he announced as he left the set in search of some aspirin.

Groaning, Peta Wilson flopped down onto the floor of  the set and proceeded to do some stretching exercises. Alberta went over to join Eugene Glazer (who had been off camera waiting for his cue), and started to chat about their upcoming scene. After a few moments they were called to take there marks back in Madeline's office. The assistant called out for silence and Cassar yelled, "Action!".

Alberta once again rose from Madeline's desk and this time she hit her mark perfectly. But the expectation that the shot would be a take was destroyed as a sudden flash of blinding light enveloped the set. Both Peta and Alberta winced, raising hands to eyes as their vision blurred against the bright glare.

"What the hell was that?", Peta exclaimed as spots slowly faded from her vision. 

Alberta started to reply and then stopped short, her mouth falling open in disbelief. "Alberta?", Peta asked questioningly. Then suddenly realized what had her fellow actor so surprised. A gasp escaped her as she looked around them.

They were standing in a room that had four walls and was completely enclosed. It was still Madelines' office, but it was the complete office as seen on television. Not the three walled, camera lit office on the set. "Is this some kind of joke?", Alberta asked as she went over to the newly materialized fourth wall and gave it a gentle push.

"Well, it is the kind of thing Roy would do if he could manage it," Peta said, thinking of previous jokes Rou Dupuis had pulled on the set. 

"I think something is not quite right here, Peta," Alberta whispered as she turned to face her. The seriousness of her tone and the look in Alberta's eyes made goose bumps break out on Peta's arms.

"What do you mean?", she asked. trying to keep the fear out of her voice. Before Alberta could reply, the door to Madelines' office opened and Operations strode in.

"Madeline, I need to ...",  he broke off in mid-sentence as he spotted Nikita. "I didn't realize you were busy.", he said, his cold gaze moving from Peta to Alberta. For a moment both actresses stood frozen, neither knowing how to respond. Then Peta grinned and putting a hand on her hip sauntered over and laughed into Operations face. 

"Good one, Eugene!", she exclaimed. Her Australian accent was thick with amusement. 

"I beg your pardon?", Operations hissed back.

"Who's idea was this?  Roys' or Joels'?", Peta demanded, thinking Joel Surnow could have pulled something like this off. "And what happened to your hair?", she asked, noticing that his short locks were no longer white, but back to being salt and pepper grey.

"My hair......?" Operations muttered and started to raise a hand to his head. At that moment Alberta stepped forward.

"Excellent Nikita.", she said in her best dismissive Maddy voice. "That will be all." She paused, "For now." 

Peta looked at her in surprise. As she started to respond Alberta shook her head slightly in a warning gesture. Shrugging, Peta decided to play along. "All right.", she said, and turning on her heel she headed out the door.

"And what was all that about?", Operations asked as he self consciously ran a smoothing hand over his hair.

Clamping down on her anxiety, Alberta put on her favorite inscrutable Maddy face and gave a slight smile. "Oh, Nikita just needed a little help with an accent she's been working on."

  "Hmmm......Australian wasn't it?" Operations guessed.

"Yes." Alberta replied as she willed herself to stay calm.

"Actually, I came by to............", Operations stopped speaking as his gaze lowered and came to rest at Alberta's feet. Following his gaze, Alberta almost groaned aloud.

"Madeline. Would you care to explain why you are wearing those?", he said as he pointed to the big fluffy Mickey Mouse slippers she had on. Trying not to shuffle her feet under his unrelenting stare, Alberta toyed with the idea of just blurting out the truth. Fact was, she could hardly walk in high heels. And that when her feet weren't on camera, they were either in a pair of sneakers or slippers.

"I twisted my ankle earlier.", she lied instead. "And can't walk around in heels at the moment."  Then added a finishing touch by limping over to sit at Madeline's desk.

"Have you been to medical?", Operations frowned.

""No. It's not serious," she answered coolly.

"Allright," he said, letting it drop. "Just......."

"Yes," she prompted, raising a dark eyebrow.

"Don't walk around Section in those." he ordered.  Alberta bit the inside of her lip and tried not to laugh.

Just then the intercom on the desk buzzed, making her jump. Operations gave her a strange look as she reached over and pushed the only flashing button on the console. "Yes," she said authoritively.

"Is Operations there?", Mathew Fergusons' voice blared out at her. 

"Yes Birkhoff, what is it?', Operations said, coming over to stand next to Alberta. "You wanted to know when the mission was at Van access. They just got in." "Good. Have Michael meet me in my office." 'Yes Sir.", replied Birkhoff dutifully.

"I've got to take care of something. I'll come back by later." Operations said as he moved towards the exit. Stopping in the doorway, he turned back towards her. "I'll have someone bring you something more appropriate to put on your feet.", he said, his face stern and his tone brooking no argument.

As the door closed behind him, Alberta let out the breath she'd been holding, her body collapsing down into her chair. "Oh God.", she muttered, putting her head into her hands. She had just put on the performance of  her life. A slightly hysterical laugh escaped her lips as she ruefully thought that no one had caught it on tape.

The office door suddenly opened and Peta came bounding back in. "Alberta! You won't believe this! The hallway out there leads to a real elevator! I got on and rode it around and there are people everywhere! People I've never seen before!". She paused to take a breath and then noticed the lack of response on Alberta's face.

"Are you okay?", she asked the older woman. "What happened with Eugene?".

Peta nervously started to toy with a piece of her long blonde hair. "That was the real Operations, wasn't it?" she asked fearfully, blue eyes wide in her pale face.

"Yes.", Alberta nodded slowly.

"Let me guess. We're not in Kansas anymore.", Peta murmured, sinking into one of the chairs facing Madelines' desk.

"That's one way to put it.", Alberta grimly replied.

"Well, what the fuck are we going to do?", Peta asked after a moment of heavy silence.

Giving a small shake of her brunette head, Alberta eased back in her seat. "I'm not sure. But one thing I do know." She grimaced, "The moment Section finds out we're imposters - we're as good as dead."

Peta's gaze locked pensively with Alberta's as both women tried to come to grips with a reality that had just been turned upside down.

PART TWO

"Okay, so you shake down Birkhoff and find out everything you can concerning parallel universes. In the meantime, we pretend to be our alter egos until we can find a way home." Peta said. "We can do this Alberta. Hell, I spend more hours of the day in Nikita's shoes than I do my own."

"Right.", Alberta replied. "After all, we are actors and these people are only what we've made them to be."

"Yeah, we can handle this. " Peta said. "No sweat."

The cell phone on Peta's hip chose that moment to start ringing. Peta bit back a startled yelp and took a calming breath before answering. "Yeah." ,she breathed into the mouthpiece.

"Ni-Kee-Ta.", Roy Dupuis' voice sounded in her ear. 

"Yeah.", Peta said, trying to sound casual.

"Did you forget we have a briefing?", Michael asked.

"Um, no. I'll be right there." she replied and heard the phone go dead. She stood up and hesitated, then realized that she was waiting for someone to yell cut and end the scene. Giving Alberta a rueful shake of her head, she turned to leave. 

"Seems I'm overdue at a mission briefing. Best not to keep Operations waiting." 

"Good luck.", Alberta said worriedly. "Contact me as soon as you can."

Flipping her a thumbs-up, Peta silently went out the door.

A few seconds later, Madeline's office door opened to admit a young oriental girl. She bustled in carrying an armful of boxes, which she dropped into the nearest chair. "Operations said to deliver these to you.", she said rather fearfully. Before Alberta could respond the girl had quickly backed herself through the door and out of the office.

Going over to the chair, Alberta gingerly lifted the lid of one of the boxes. Inside she found a pair of  women's low heeled dress pumps. I guess it's time to slip into Maddy's shoes she thought to herself as she slowly kicked off her slippers........

PART THREE

Not able to hold Operations steely gaze, she kept her eyes lowered, slumping down as far as her chair would let her. It wasn't her fault she had forgotten what level the main floor of Section was on. As Operations started the mission brief, Peta allowed herself a quick glance at Michael. A small gasp escaped her as she noticed that his hair was long again. 

His gaze suddenly shifted her way and gray eyes met blue as he raised one eyebrow questioningly. She felt her heart rate suddenly pick up speed and quickly broke eye contact. Wow, she thought as she fought the urge to blush. He looked like Roy, but having looked him in the eye, there was little doubt that this was a stranger. A very dangerous stranger.

Birkhoff entered Madelines office, a worried frown marring his face. It would be evident to the most casual observer that he was a very scared young man.

That was just what Alberta was counting on.

"Come in and sit down Birkhoff."

Birkhoff quickly scurried over to fling himself into one of the chairs at Madelines' desk.

Alberta coldly gazed into his eyes and gave him one of her best Maddy stares.

"Do you know why you're here?" Alberta asked.

Almost gulping aloud, Birkhoff nervously twisted his hands together.

"No, not really," He answered.

Alberta raised an eyebrow at him and tilted her head to one side. She gave him a long considering look.

"I mean..... I, ugh, I haven't helped Michael or Nikita or anything like that!" Birkhoff anxiously spewed out in a rush of words.

"Helped them do what?" Alberta continued, not quite able to stop the Maddy part of her from asking.

"Whatever it is you think they did?" He replied, his voice uncertain.

Alberta bit back a smile.

"Actually Birkhoff, I called you in here to head up an intel gathering project for me." Alberta paused dramatically. "It involves research on a subject that is rather subjective in terms of known quantities, but is big on tenuous theories."

"Oh," Birkhoff said, obviously relieved. "What's the subject matter?"

"You must understand that this is very sensitive work. No one," Alberta subjected him to another five second Maddy stare. "And I mean no one, is to know about this."

Birkhoff shifted forward in his chair, his eyes looking nervously into hers. "Not even Operations?"

"Especially not Operations." Alberta replied coolly.

Birkhoff slumped back into his chair, as if the air had just been let out of him.

"Do you understand?" Alberta asked.

"Yeah," Birkhoff replied dejectedly, thinking he was as good as dead. "I understand."

"Good. Because I want you to make this a priority. Outside your work on the current mission of course."

"Of course." Birkhoff agreed, his voice anything but eager.

"I'll need you to check in with me continually on anything you come up with. In fact, I would like you to forward the information as soon as you come up with it- don't bother putting it into any kind of format." Alberta said, thinking that time was of the essence. Then smiled at her own pun.

Seeing the weird smile form across Madelines' face made goose bumps break out on Birkhoffs' arms. The sooner he was outa here, the better.

"What am I looking for?" He asked.

The smile abruptly left Albertas' face.

In all seriousness she replied. "Time travel. Parallel universes. And the physical properties that would have to exist for such anomalies to take place."

What was taking so long, Peta thought as she risked a glance over her shoulder to see if Michael had followed her out of the briefing.

Peta impatiently punched the button on the elevator control panel for the third time. The last thing she wanted was a one on one with Michael. She was anxious to stay out of his way and get back to Alberta.

The elevator doors whooshed gently open to reveal a harried looking Birkhoff standing within.

"Nikita!" he exclaimed upon seeing her. Grabbing her arm he hauled her into the elevator.

"What's going on?" Peta asked in concern as the elevator doors shut behind her.

Depressing a button on the control panel that set the elevator in motion, Birkhoff turned to face her.

"You won't believe this! I just came from a meeting with Madeline. And you won't believe what she wants me to do!"

"Calm down Birkhoff. Just tell me." Peta said.

"She wants me to gather intel on time travel!" He said, waving his hands in the air.

Peta stood silently for a moment, wondering how the real Nikita would have reacted.

"So?" Peta replied cautiously.

"Don't you see!" Birkhoff erupted. "Section is investigating how to time travel. Think of what they could do if they figure it out!"

"Birkhoff, come on," Peta said in a soothing voice. "Time travel isn't possible. And even if it was, what are the odds that Section would be able to figure it out?"

Birkhoff thought for a moment.

"Pretty high actually," he responded. "My point is, they could totally rearrange our lives without us ever knowing it." The horror was evident in his voice.

"Why don't you just take it easy," Peta advised. "Find the information Al-....um, Madeline wants and wait to see if that's what's really going on before getting so upset."

Birkhoff let out a long sigh and turned to punch another button on the elevator control panel. "Okay, but I've got a bad feeling about this."

Peta gave him a sympathetic smile as the elevator came to a stop. Birkhoff stepped out of the elevator shaking his head and the doors slid shut behind him.

Whew! Peta went to punch in the floor she needed and suddenly drew a blank.

"Dammit!" She exclaimed aloud. For the life of her she couldn't remember what floor Madelines' office was on......

Alberta was surfing. Not on the water of course. No, she was surfing some of the TOP SECRET files of Section One. And boy howdy, was it an interesting read.

It hadn't taken her long to figure out what password Madeline used for her personal files. She shook her head in amusement. Madelines fascination with dolls was a little on the obsessive side.

Anyway, she had decided that the answer to their problem could lay in Madelines' pc. Afterall, the switch between the sound stage and Section had happened in Madelines' office. So, she had started reading.

And when she spotted a file on Michael she couldn't help but open it. Her eyes had been glued to the screen ever since.

The doors to her office opened and an angry looking Peta marched in.

"What's wrong?" Alberta immediately asked.

"I just spent the last fifteen minutes in the elevator riding from floor to floor looking for your office, that's all," Peta said as she flounced into a chair.

"Oh. Well, nevermind that," Alberta replied. "Come and take a look at this!" She excitedly tapped her fingernail on the computer screen.

Peta moved to stand behind her and started to read. What she saw took her breath away.

"Oh my Gawd!" Peta exclaimed. "No way," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "There is just no way!"

"We'll have to tell Joel when we get back! This would make for a great three or four part arc on the show," Alberta said. The LFN fans would be crazy about the storyline. "The ratings will go way up!"

"Yeah, but who could write it?" Peta asked, thinking the subject matter was a little to twillight zonish for their regular writing staff.

"You've got a point," Alberta agreed. She thought for a moment. "Wait, what about Lenkov?"

Peta nodded at the suggestion. Peter Lenkov had written some of their best episodes, including 'Slipping into Darkness'. Besides television, he'd scripted several movies in his career, most of which contained some kind of supernatural element. Or at the very least they held twists that came out of left field.

"It certainly explains alot. What a bitch she is," Peta said almost vehemently.

"She is, isn't she?" Alberta replied almost proudly, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Peta wagged a finger in her face. "Just remember, that bitch is back in our world. And don't think she isn't mucking around with your life while she's there."

That succeeded in wiping the smile off Albertas' face. "You're right. We've got to hurry and find a way back home."

"Speaking of home...... do you think you could find out where I live?" Peta asked. "We're supposed to wait to go out on this mission- but Roy," Peta rolled her eyes, "I mean Michael said to wait at home."

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to leave the general vicinity Peta. What happens if I suddenly get switched back and you're left here?" Alberta asked worriedly.

Peta frowned. "Well, I agree with you. But it could be hours or days till it's a go for the mission. I can't hang out here for that long. It would look suspicious since we're not on close quarters standby."

Alberta sat quite for a moment. "You're right. You can't hang around here indefinitely."

She bent over the keyboard and pulled up the file on Nikita.

"Okay, here it is," Alberta quickly scribbled the address down on a piece of paper. "I'm also giving you the number to my private line."

"Great." Peta leaned in closer to get a better view of the computer screen. "What else does it say in there about her?"

"Looks like mostly stats. Nothing to personal." Alberta said as her eyes skimmed down the screen. "Wait, what's this?" she asked aloud as she noticed an asterisk at the bottom of the page. She pointed her mouse to it and clicked.

A message box appeared across the screen and prompted her for a password. Alberta typed in the one she had used previously. The pc gave a beeping noise and the box disappeared only to reappear again with the same prompt.

She tried several other passwords. None of them worked.

"This doesn't make sense," she said.

"Why not?" Peta asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I know Madeline. In another reality I am Madeline. Therefore I know what words she might use as her password. Yet none of these work."

"What could be in Nikitas' file that even Madeline wouldn't have access to?" Peta asked rather fearfully.

Alberta shook her head in dismay. "I can't imagine."

Peta distractedly ran a hand through her hair. "Ominous."

Alberta nodded back. "Very."

The key turned easily in the lock and with a twist of the door knob she was in.

Luckily Peta had had the forethought to ask Alberta how she was supposed to get into Nikitas' apartment once she got there.

Alberta had advised her to tell Walter that she had lost her key and wasn't sure who to contact about it. (Since they weren't) Sure enough, Walter had her a new key within the hour, no questions asked. He was soo Don Frankish that Peta had gratefully given him a big hug and a kiss on his cheek.

Finding her way out of Section had been a whole other story. (one this author is not willing to write) But let's just say it was more than a bit disconcerting to emerge from it's depths and suddenly be in Paris.

Peta now stood with her back against the door as she her gaze roamed over the interior of Nikita's apartment.

It was, for the most part, a carbon copy of Nikita's apartment on sound stage four in Toronto. Nikita's old apartment that is, before she had escaped Section with Michael's help.

She had wondered where, in the scheme of things 'Section', she and Alberta had arrived. This could be a clue that they were stuck somewhere in season one.

A grimace of distaste crossed Petas' face. Not that she wasn't proud of the season one eps- in fact, season one contained some of LFN's best.

Her problem was Nikita. She was just so naive and innocent in season one that sometimes it was painful to think about, knowing what she knew now.

Nikita had come along way (baby) since then.

Peta walked over to run her hand lightly over the string of multi-colored sunglasses hanging above a counter top. A small smile tugged at her lips. She had missed these. One thing she did have in common with Nikita was a fondness for sunglasses and fashion.

She went over to the french glass doors and throwing the latch she opened them. As she stood in the doorway a breeze blew her hair back from her face.

She looked up past the small patio outside and for the first time beheld a real view.

It was just a little to weird. Standing by the french doors and feeling a breeze that wasn't generated by a fan. Looking out to see blue sky instead of a sound stage.

It was a beautiful view though, she thought with a sigh.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

Peta stood frozen for a moment. Oh no she thought, who the hell could it be?  Turning away from the french doors she scurried over to the front door to take a look. Damn. She'd forgotten that Nikita didn't have a hallway camera monitor in season one. Oh well.

Taking a deep breath she pulled the door open.

"Michael," Peta breathed out in shock and dismay. What was he doing here?

He stood before her, leaning slightly against the door frame, utterly still. A long piece of his hair had fallen forward across his face. The sight of him made the breath catch in her throat.

"May I come in?" he asked, his eyes staring into hers.

Regaining her composure, Peta hesitated for a moment. It wasn't a smart move to let him in, yet she really didn't have a valid reason not to.

"Sure," she replied nonchalantly, trying to play it cool. Stepping aside she opened the door wider.

He straightened away from the door frame and walked past her into the apartment. Seeming to ignore her, he went over to the open french doors and stood with his back to her, staring out over the patio at the blue sky beyond.

Shutting the door, Peta stayed there for a moment, wondering what her next move should be. Perhaps offer him something to drink? That's probably what Nikita would have done. Yet she had no idea what was in the fridge- if anything. And she couldn't afford the tiniest of slip-ups, not with this man. So, offering him a drink was out.

Crossing her arms in front of her, Peta leaned back against the closed front door.

She'd gotten good at playing this scene over the years. The one where Roy played Michael as 'quietly' as he could. Using the minuscule amount of movement and words to intimidate. Roy had always thought that less was more in some cases. And he'd been right. Some of LFN's greatest moments had been born from scenes in which Roy said absolutely nothing.

So, Peta warily watched Michael's back, and waited.

The silence continued to lengthen and Peta found to her dismay that his teqnique was working quite well. She could feel the tension tightening her shoulders, as if her body knew it was getting ready for battle.

Michael abruptly turned to face the room, his silver gray gaze pinning her where she stood with her back against the wall. The length of the room still separated them, yet if Peta could have taken a step back, she would have. She felt like somebody had just punched her in the gut.

Where Roy had played at being a ruthless killer, he wasn't. He was an actor, playing a part. And though he played it superbly, it was still pretend.

Meeting Michael's gaze now left little doubt in Peta's mind as to what the real Nikita had to contend with. This man didn't play at being dangerous. He was danger. Like a big untamed predator on the prowl. And he'd found his prey- her.

"What were you doing this afternoon?" he asked into the waning silence.

This afternoon? She nervously fingered a strand of her hair. She'd gone straight from the briefing to Madelines' office, then here.

"I left Section and came here." she replied truthfully.

"What did you do after the briefing?" he continued, his eyes never leaving her face.

After the briefing? Peta shook her head. "Just what I told you."

He never moved a muscle, yet his whole demeanor suddenly seemed more threatening. His cold stare a little colder. Peta fought back a shiver and stepped away from the wall she'd been leaning against.

"Are you aware that unusual activity on Section elevators is monitored by vid cameras?" he asked, his voice low.

For a moment her mind didn't grasp the significance of the question. Then it hit her. Her sojourn on the elevators, looking for Madelines' office. Shit.

Something must have shown on her face, for Michael's expression hardened even more (if that was possible), and he took a step towards her.

"You spent 13 minutes riding the elevator from floor to floor," he paused and then his voice lowered to a whisper. "Why?"

Peta almost groaned aloud in frustration. She should have known better, she should have taken the stairs. Shrugging her shoulders, she said the first thing that popped into her head. "I decided to take a tour of Section. Had some time to kill and I'd never really gotten around to seeing every floor I had access to."

This was met with silence.

As Michael continued to try and stare her down, Peta met his gaze with her own and tried not to waver. It wasn't easy. It took every bit of acting skill she had not to look away from those all to knowing gray eyes. Only one thing kept her from blowing it.

He loved her. Okay, not her exactly. But he loved Nikita. He wasn't interrogating her so that he could blow the whistle on her. Knowing that kept her partially insulated from his threatening facade. He was worried for her. Concerned. He wanted to protect her.

His next words seemed to bely that fact and took her completely by suprise.

"Don't fuck with me Ni-kee-ta." He said, his tone pure menace.

Peta's mouth almost dropped to the ground in shock.

On set, Roy was the epitome of the professional actor. He might joke around, but he wasn't one to throw out the four letter words. If anyone was known for that, it was her. Afterall, she was the more flamboyant of the two. Hearing that word come out of his mouth was......well, shocking didn't really cover it. Anyway, LFN was a cable show and although they had more license than a network series, they still couldn't get away with language like that. They just weren't that kind of show.

Peta felt her face flush as her temper started to rise. How dared he speak to Nikta like that? He might think he could talk that way to a season one Nikita and get away with it, but she was a season four Nikita now.

Forcing a cool smile to her lips that would have made Alberta proud, she replied, "Don't worry, I won't." Knowing he would get the double entendre.

The moment the words left her mouth she wished she could take them back. Nikta would never had said that. Not in that way.

She couldn't help but hold her breath, her eyes glued to Michael's face, fearful of his reaction. Once again his expression never changed, yet somehow she knew her words had hit their mark. Then he was moving towards her and it was all she could do to keep from running for cover.

"I'm sending you more information right now," said Birkhoff', his voice blaring out over the intercom.

"Thank you, Birkhoff," Alberta replied as she looked down at the computer.

Data suddenly poured across the screen, as the pages of information Birkhoff had found came streaming in.

Alberta started to read, but after a few minutes she leaned back in her chair, a sigh escaping her lips. This was useless, she thought. The information may as well have been written in greek, for all she could decipher from it.

She'd been reading over what Birkhoff had been sending her, yet nothing made sense. It was all gibberish, scientific gibberish that is. And she was no scientist.

There was no help for it. She was going to have to enlist Birkhoffs' help. Question was, how much to tell him?

She reached over and opened a line to comm. "Birkhoff, I need to see you in my office as soon as possible."

She waited for his affirmative reply, then killed the connection. Switching from her current file over to Madelines' email, she anxiously reread a message that had come in a few minutes earlier. It was from Operations.

Evidently she was to meet him in the 'tower' tonight for some kind of scheduled rendevou.

Alberta felt a nervous tremor run through her at the thought. That was so not going to happen. She reached out and hit the delete button and watched the message disappear off the screen.

They had to find a way out of here. And soon.

She looked up as the doors to Madelines' office whooshed open to reveal a wary looking Birkhoff.

"Come in," Alberta said, wondering where to begin.

Michael stalked slowly towards Peta with careful purpose, knowing he had all the time in the world and that she had no where to go. Yet another intimidation technique. She defiantly squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, her eyes holding his. Refusing to cower against the wall at her back, she stood her ground and watched him come.

He stopped less than a half foot away from her, deliberately invading her personal space. She wasn't wearing heels, so she had to tilt her head back a little to continue to meet his gaze.

He subjected her to that horrible 'blank' Michael stare which Roy had perfected over the years. The mask he wore when he was hiding things, or when he was busy killing someone.

He stood still a moment longer and then took that last step that put him within inches of her. So close that she could feel the heat from his body. Peta stood frozen to the spot, pride alone preventing her from backing away.

He continued to hold her eyes with his as he raised his hand to lightly finger a tendril of her hair. Then he raised his other arm and placed his hand against the wall by her head, effectively blocking her in. His breath feathered over her face and Petas' hard won courage started to desert her as panic set in.

In season one it had never been a good idea for Nikita to get this close to Michael unless she was really angry. The attraction he held for Nikita was a tool he had used against her unmercifully in many an episode. Using himself as bait to keep Nikita in line, or to complete a mission, never giving anything of himself in return.

It was a cruel tactic, using her feelings for him to bully and manipulate. No doubt he thought it would work here. Well, he was wrong.

Peta took a calming breath, reminding herself that she'd played this scene before. He was no longer dealing with the old innocent Nikita. At this point, Peta knew him better than he knew himself. And she could use that to her advantage. So, with the sound of her heart beating in her ears, she decided to throw caution to the wind.

Reaching up she put one hand in his hair and pulling his head down towards her, she kissed him. As her lips moved softly over his, she felt Michael stiffen in suprise. Keeping her lips planted firmly on his, she chanced opening her eyes. Blue eyes met gray from less than an inch apart, yet she couldn't discern a thing from his expression.

Closing her eyes, Peta increased the pressure of her lips, deepening the kiss to something more intimate. She let her tongue slip past his lips and touch his, one hand still in his hair as she ran her other hand across his chest to rest over his heart.

Michael's hands dropped to her shoulders and she felt the taste of triumph as she felt him start to push her away. She had caught him unaware, just as she had planned. For once, she would be the one to use their mutual attraction. And she'd use it to Nikita's advantage.

Peta had known he wouldn't continue the kiss, he had just assumed he could scare her into telling him what he wanted to know. Never believing Nikita would be the one to push the envelope. Besides which, he had a wife and little boy waiting for him at home somewhere. That was an ace up her sleeve that he couldn't know she knew.

He lifted his head away from hers and started to take a step back. But something of the victory she felt must have shown in her face, for his eyes suddenly narrowed and his hands tightened on her shoulders.

Uh-oh. Not liking the determined ruthless gleam that suddenly entered Michael's eyes, Peta involuntarily tried to take a step back. She felt the wall at her back as she bumped up against it. Michael moved in to close the small space between them, one hand moving from her shoulder to encircle her throat as he leaned his body into hers. She inhaled sharply and braced her hands behind her on the wall.

He pressed his full weight against her, crushing her between himself and the wall. A small gasp escaped her as his body let her know how happy he was to be there. A blush crept up her face as she realized she had inadvertently woken a sleeping tiger which she should have left alone.

Michael moved the hand at her throat up under her chin and tilted her head back. His other hand slid slowly down her side to rest at her hip. His head began to descend towards hers and for the life of her she couldn't turn her face away.

To his credit, Michael gave her plenty of time to do so. She tried reminding herself of the boyfriend she had waiting back home. That she was a one-man kind of woman. That she might not ever be able to look Roy in the eye again. But none of it seemed to matter as she looked up into Michael's face and felt the heat of dark desire lite inside her.

His head kept descending and she didn't move to avoid it. Her eyes closed as his lips made contact with hers, brushing over them, barely touching. He pulled back only to immediately brush his lips over hers again. Barely touching. Then he lightly bit her lower lip, using his teeth to nip and nibble his way provacatively over her mouth. Pulling back slightly he traced her lips with his tongue, then pressed his mouth hard over hers as his tongue sought the deep recesses of her mouth. Raising both arms, Peta wound them around Michael's neck and moaned deep in her throat as her tongue danced with his.

The hand he had at her neck slid to tangle in her hair and his other hand moved to slide up lightly over her right side, cupping one breast. Then his thumb gently flicked over her nipple, and Peta felt like she was going up in flames. She felt a whimper escape her lips into his mouth. Every nerve tingling with reaction, she fervently kissed him back. Winding her tongue around his she ran her hands through his beautiful hair. Rational thought fled, replaced by pure need.

Michael moved both his hands around to her back and then slid them low to mold her butt as he pulled her up against him, his mouth working on hers as if he would devour her from the inside out.

Drowning in sensation, Peta moved a hand down to the back of Michael's shirt and pulled at it, tugging it loose from his black trousers. She quickly ran her hand under it and up his back, sighing at the feel of his skin under her hand. She opened her eyes, as he abruptly took his mouth off hers. Pulling the shirt deftly up and over his head, he let it fall unheeded to the floor as he took one of her hands and placed it against his mouth. Never taking his gaze off her face he pressed a kiss to her palm, and then gently began to suck one of her fingers into his mouth.

Petas' head fell back, her eyes widening on his, as the erotic feel of Michael's mouth caused her insides to turn into molten fire. Sliding her finger out of his mouth, he pressed her palm to his chest.

"Touch me," he whispered.

Peta wasted no time in complying with that command. She reached up with her other hand and ran it lightly down the side if his face, down the curve of his neck, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder. Leaning in closer to him she bent her head and let her lips trail a path of wet kisses across his chest. He tasted salty and male, his scent both familiar and foreign. She stopped at his nipple to tentatively flick her tongue over it's center and felt Michael's grip on her left hand tighten. Gently pulling her hand off of his chest and out of his grasp, she moved her lips lower on his torso, kissing down his stomach. His hands moved to the back of her head and caressed her hair as she went down to her knees in front of him, her tongue licking the skin above the belt line of his pants.

Passion had long ago overidden any caution she may have had. Right now there was only Michael. While her mouth continued to nip and kiss the skin low on his stomach, her fingers tugged impatiently at the belt loops of his trousers. About to ask him to take them off, she leaned back to look up at him through half closed eyes. What she saw made her blood run cold.

His eyes were indifferent and distant, his face controlled and impassionate. As he caught her watching him, his demeanor immediately softened to one of ardent desire. But it was to late, she'd found him out.

Cold rage and something close to pain moved through her. He was pretending! He was using her like Michael had had to use so many other women in his past. How dare he use his Valentine Op skills on her! She wasn't just any other woman dammit! He was supposed to love her. Er, Nikita that is.

Noticing her hesitation, Michael reached down and pulled her up against him. Pressed up against his chest, she felt his lips slide across her cheek and move down her neck. But his touch suddenly left her cold.

Something was wrong here. Could it be that in this reality Michael didn't love Nikita? For a moment a feeling of despair gripped her heart at the thought.

No. His love for Nikita was the moving force that fueled the show. Even though this was some kind of twisted parallel, she refused to believe that fact could change.

No matter what universe they were in, no matter where they were - Michael would always love Nikita.

Yet a Michael that loved Nikita would never take her without love. He'd held back for over a year, because he hadn't wanted to hurt her. Which is why she had felt confident that things wouldn't get out of hand when she stood up to him now.

Michael started to undo the tiny buttons on her blouse, kissing along the exposed skin above her collar. She tried not to stiffen in anger. He was actually going to go through with it, she thought. But why?

Then a thought hit her. If they were in season one she supposed it could make sense. Maybe it was to early on, and Michael hadn't fallen in love with her yet. The attraction was definately there, it always had been. But if memory served, Nikita had really never known what Michael felt for her (if anything), in those early days. Not until he had helped her escape Section had Nikita begun to suspect the depth of his true feelings. And that was three years after she had been recruited by Section.

In fact, in one early episode he'd been willing to let her be beaten to death for the sake of a mission. Hardly the actions of a man in love. What was it Eugene had ruthlessly told Roy in one of those earlier episodes? 'If she fails - you fail.'

Talk about pressure. That had to be it. Thanks to her, he was working from the premise that threats would no longer keep Nikita in line. So, he would take it to the next step and use sex to manipulate her. With anyone else, that probably would have worked fine, but not with Nikita. She just wasn't that kind of girl. Unfortunately it was probably to early on for her to have figured out Michael's' modus operendi. Nikita would initially follow Michael's lead, thinking he genuinely loved her.

Catastrophe loomed ahead if the real Nikita came back and suddenly found herself faced with a Michael who seduced her out of nesscesity instead of love. Peta instinctively knew that it would break her.

A cool draft hit her back and she realized that Michael was smoothing her blouse back off her shoulders and down her arms. She had to put a stop to this right now.

"Michael," she said, her voice husky with receding desire. She nervously cleared her throat.

His hands stilled on her arms as he raised his head and looked down at her. Peta stared into his beautiful face, his eyes devoid of any emotion, and she suddenly felt very close to tears. It was there, plain as day. He really didn't love her.

Yet.

She raised a hand to gently brush back a lock of dark hair that had fallen across his face. It made no sense, yet she suddenly had an empty feeling in her gut. As if she had just lost her best friend. No. He hadn't been hers to begin with. And never would be.

In that moment she didn't know who she felt sorrier for - herself, him or Nikita.

Michael reached up and cupped her face in his hand. "What's wrong?" he whispered intimately, his mouth hovering over hers.

His cell phone began ringing and she was saved from having to answer him. Releasing her chin, he reached into his back pocket and pulled the phone up to his ear. "Yes," he spoke authoritatively into the phone, his eyes still on her face.

Peta bent down, breaking eye contact and grabbed up her top. Pulling it back on, she turned away from him, and tried to get her trembling fingers to rebutton her shirt.

This is ridiculous she thought, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. What the hell was wrong with her? She heard him finish with the call as she fumbled to get another button into it's loophole.

Michael walked around to stand in front of her, but she kept her head bowed, eyes down. As she struggled with yet another button, he gently brushed her fumbling fingers aside. "Here, let me," he said, deftly buttoning the last few buttons for her. "That was Section. We've got to go in. We're ready to move on the Donatti mission."

"Of course," she dutifully replied, still avoiding eye contact. She turned away from him and stepped towards the front door.

"Ni-Kee-ta," Michael sounded behind her, his voice stopping her in her tracks. Without turning she waited for him to continue, her hand on the door knob.

There was a moment of silence. "Are you allright?" he finally asked.

Peta felt all the fight go out of her, as if she were a balloon that somebody had just deflated. She had to fix this. Here, now, before it went any further. No matter what she personally felt for him, it would be Nikita who would eventually pay the price for what she'd started tonight.

Turning back round to face him, she looked him straight in the eye as retraced her steps to stand in front of him.

"No, I'm not allright Michael. I don't like being bullied or used," she said truthfully. "And I'd appreciate it, if the next time you want to touch me you do it because you want to," she continued, putting stress on the word want.

Irritation welled up in her as he calmly looked back at her, his 'blank' Michael mask firmly in place.

Eyes momentarily softening with regret, she touched her hand to his cheek, and whispered to him, "You don't ever have to play the whore for me."

For a moment a flicker suprise flared in his eyes. Then he abruptly jerked his head back from her touch, as if she had stung him. And she had in a sense, if not by deed, then by word, finally breached that cast iron wall he surrounded himself with.

Michael stared at her for a moment longer. Then walking past her, he opened the door and strode through it, never looking back.

As she watched him go, Peta hugged her arms protectively across her stomach, then closed her eyes with a sigh. She'd hurt him, but it had been necessary. Maybe in the future Michael would think twice before using such tactics again. God she hoped so, for Nikita's sake.

"So you see, we are in quite a predicament," Alberta finished saying, thinking that was the understatement of the year. "And we need your help Birkhoff. I can't even understand the information you sent me, much less put it to use."

A stunned and silent Birkhoff sat before her, staring at her as if she'd just sprung a second head.

Well, she really couldn't blame him. She had decided she had to trust him with the whole story, so she had spilled the beans so to speak.

"Well?" Alberta said when it became clear that he wasn't going to respond. "Say something."

Birkhoff hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is this another test? You're testing me right?"

Oh good grief. Alberta rolled her eyes at the suggestion.

"No, this isn't a test."

His expression was dubious and she wondered what she could say to convince him.

She had it! Snapping her fingers, she leaned down to pull out the Mickey Mouse slippers she had stuffed under Madeline's desk. Quickly kicking off her shoes, she slid her feet into the slippers.

In response to Birkhoffs' inquiring look she gave him a conspirital wink and jumping to her feet, she walked around to stand in front of him.

"Now, would the real Madeline ever be caught dead wearing these?" she asked gleefully, proudly posing one slippered foot in the air.

Birkhoffs' jaw fell open, his expression one of disbelief. Seeing his reaction caused a burst of laughter to erupt from Alberta.

This seemed to only increase his consternation and Alberta broke up all over again. She tried to control the fit of giggles that suddenly seemed to overcome her as she felt some of the days' nervous tension slide off her shoulders.

Getting a grip on herself, Alberta leaned back against the edge of the desk to survey a bemused looking Birkhoff.

"Do you believe me now?" she asked, a warm smile still hovering around her mouth.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I do."

"And you'll help us get home?"

Before he could answer her, the office door opened and Operations strode into the room.

Oh dear. Alberta quickly adopted her Madeline face.

Operations' gaze went from Birkhoff to Madeline, then lowered to her feet. A frown fell across his features as he moved further into the room.

Birkhoff glanced expectantly from Operations to Alberta and he nervously shifted in his seat.

"Birkhoff, shouldn't you be working the Donatti mission?" Operations asked impatiently, his gaze never leaving Albertas' face.

"I needed to see him about something," Alberta interjected before Birkhoff could form a reply.

Straightening away from the desk she gave Birkhoff a cold dismissive glance. "That will be all for now Birkhoff."

Birkhoff gazed back at her, his eyes questioning.

"I take it we'll have your full cooperation on the subject we discussed?" Alberta prodded, hoping he would understand what she was asking.

"Yes," He confirmed, his eyes holding hers. Then he quickly stood and beat a hasty exit out the door.

Operations watched him go, then returned his steely gaze to Alberta.

"Trouble?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Not yet," she replied cryptically, giving a cold little smile.

"Ah." he replied, then glancing back down at her feet he asked, "Did you receive the shoes I sent?"

"I did. Thank you," she answered softly, refusing to offer an explanation as to why she wasn't wearing them. Madeline rarely explained herself to anyone, about anything.

Operations gave a small secretive small. "You're welcome." Clearing his throat slightly he continued, "About tonight Madeline. Some thing have cropped up here unexpectedly. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to make it."

Relief flooded through Alberta, and she did her best to maintain her cool facade. Operations was standing Madeline up! Thank goodness!

Of course, Madeline wouldn't have felt relief. In fact, she thought perversely, Madeline would have been a bit put out. Although she wouldn't have shown it.

"That's quite all right," she replied, sending a chilly look his way. "I was going to have to cancel anyway. My ankle is starting to bother me."

Operations moved a few steps closer to her, a small smile on his face. As if he knew what she was thinking he said, "I'll make it up to you Madeline."

"Perhaps," she replied icily. No way would Madeline let herself be taken for granted.

The smile abruptly dropped from Operations face. "Fine," he said, obviously irritated by her response. "I'll need the profile on the Gannini source by the end of the day."

"Of course," she replied, all business.

Operations gave her a look, then turned on his heel and left.

Whew! Alberta shook her head ruefully, then let out a brief laugh. That man was something else.

Gannini profile? Looks like she had some homework to do. Wondering what the hell a Gannini was, she sat back down at Madelines desk.

"One 9mm Glock, one comm set, one explosive device with pre-set timer, and one mini-uzi," Walter verbally checked off the items as he laid them on a table in front of Peta.

She was dressed in black fatigue pants with matching top. Combat boots and black gloves completed the outfit. She had tied her hair up in it's usual knot atop her head. She looked cool, calm and collected, even though she felt anything but.

After her scene with Michael, she'd hurriedly locked up Nikitas' apartment and rushed after him. Only to find him standing outside next to a big black car, waiting impatiently for her.

The drive back to Section had been made in silence. Peta had sat next to Michael worrying about what she was going to have to do on the mission. She had paid absolutely no attention during the earlier briefing. She'd been to busy looking at you-know-who. Surely they would find a way home before they went out, she prayed.

Her prayers hadn't been answered. Upon arriving back in Section, she was told by a stoic Michael to go get ready. As he had walked away she had looked around uncertainly, only to catch Birkoff staring at her from Comm. As she stood there looking back at him, he got up and headed towards her.

"You're supposed to be getting ready," he whispered to her.

Peta didn't know exactly what was up, but she suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that Birkhoff knew who she really was. His next words confirmed it.

"Go to the room at the end of the hall," he pointed to a hall on the left," and take a right. There will be a room with lockers in it. Yours' is number one-seven- zero-one, your gear is in there. Change into it and report to Walter," he finished.

Peta gave him a grateful smile and whispered back," Thank you, Birkhoff." Then she had taken off down the hall to change.

If Birkhoff knew the scoop, then Peta could only assume that Alberta had been unsuccessful in her attempts to figure out a way home for them. Fear returned, bringing with it a bad case of nerves.

Listening to Walter as he handed out weapons to the other operatives, she suddenly felt nauseous. She picked the Glock up off the table and shoved it into the holster strapped low on her leg as she glanced at the other operatives. There were six of them in all, all similarly outfitted.

Reaching down she gingerly lifted the small black detonation device. It looked just like the prop they used on the show. Exept this was the real McCoy. Shaking her head, she slipped it gently into her pants pocket.

The comm unit went over her ear, also a replica of the one they used on the show. She bit back a nervous laugh. She'd have to remember to praise their prop department for being so up to date on their weaponry and surveillance devices.

Last came the mini-uzi. It was attached to a strap that went over her head. The uzi hung down low, almost to her hip.

Picking up a small belt clip, Walter held it out to her. "Here ya go, Sugar."

Peta reached her hand up to take it from him, only to stop short as Michael's' voice sounded from right beside her. "I'll do it."

Taking the clip from Walters' outstretched hand, he moved to stand behind her. She could feel his breath on her neck as he attached the clip to the belt loop at the back of her pants. Reaching over he pulled on the strap of the uzi and attached it the clip. The uzi now rested on her back, out of the way, but readily available to pull forward if needed.

Peta watched as Michael picked up his weapons from the table. He seemed completely back in control again. The epitome of Sections' brightest and best. He was definitely in his element, she thought as she watched him. Observing him, she couldn't imagine what he would be doing if he hadn't been recruited by Section. Somehow she just couldn't picture him working in a convenience store, or any other nine to five job for that matter. He wasn't meant for such mundane things. Let's face it, Michael just had spy boy written all over him.

Her musings came to an abrupt end as Walter handed Michael an extra ammo clip and said, "That's it. Good luck."

Peta began to perspire in earnest and she was suddenly finding it hard to swallow. Then she and the rest of the operatives were following Michael as he led them out towards van access.

"From what I can understand, there is some sort of symmetry between time and space displacement," Birkhoff was telling Alberta over the intercom.

"Allright," Alberta replied, leaning forward in her chair. "Exactly what does that mean?"

"That means that the wave of time displacement which brought you here could be coming back through. We just need to figure out the when and the where."

'The where is easy. Right here in Madelines' office," Alberta said.

"Okay," Birkhoff answered. "Approximately what time did you arrive?"

Alberta relayed the time to him. She listened to the keyboard tapping as he typed the information into his computer.

What if this wave didn't come back for another twenty years? She tried not to shudder at the thought. Playing Madeline was one of the best acting experiences she'd ever had. But she definitely didn't want it to become a permanent gig.

"You ready for this?" Birkhoff asked.

"Go ahead," Alberta said, holding her breath and crossing her fingers.

"According to my calculations - which could be wrong," Birkhoff felt compelled to add, "the wave will be back 12.3 minutes from now."

Alberta closed her eyes and let out the breath she'd been holding. They were going home!

"Oh no!" Birkhoff exclaimed.

"What is it?" Alberta asked, opening her eyes and leaning closer to the intercom unit.

"Nikita, er, um, I mean Peta - she's about to leave on the Donatti mission. They're headed to Van Access right now."

"Well, stop her," Alberta said.

"I can't. Not without a valid reason. Only you and Operations can stop them from leaving without giving an explanation." Birkhoff replied.

Alberta thought for a moment. "After today, when does the wave come back by again?" she asked.

"Never," Birkhoff quietly answered.

Alberta quickly stood up from the desk and slid her feet into her low heeled shoes. "Birkhoff I need you to stall them. Give me time to get down there, that's all I'm asking."

"What are you planning to do?" he asked.

"I'm going to pull Nikita from the mission," she said, then walked quickly out the door.

Peta slowed her pace and fell back behind the other operatives as they walked down the hall towards van access. She snuck a peak over her shoulder and looked behind her, hoping to catch a glimpse of Alberta. But no one was there. Gritting her teeth she faced forward again. Surely to God this wasn't going to happen she thought anxiously.

She was the last one into the small access room that would take them out to the van. The hatch like door stood closed before them. Above it in green letters was their mission name, destination and a numerical counter. The counter was currently running backwards. Peta realized that once the counter read zero, the hatch door would open. She had less than a minute left.

She felt like throwing up. Yeah- that was it. Maybe she could pretend to be sick, faint or something. Trouble was, you-know-who probably wouldn't buy it. Her gaze inadvertently wandered over to Michael. He had positioned himself at the rear of the room, just a few paces from where she stood. He must have felt her staring at him for he turned his head and met her worried gaze before she could veil the sheer terror that was in her eyes.

Michael cocked his head to one side, throwing her a questioning look. She quickly dropped her gaze to study the floor as he took a couple of steps closer and bent his head to her ear.

"What?" he whispered, knowing something was wrong. Peta just shook her head, refusing to give a response. He always had been good at reading Nikita. To good.

Her head jerked up as the display on top of the door suddenly let out a chirp. Oh no! Her eyes widened in dismay. The counter rested at zero. The door let out a weird sound, like a loud sigh, then started to swing forward. Shit!

"Ni-kee-ta", Michael said, laying his hand on her arm. Peta tore her gaze away from the opening door to look at his face. He looked back at her, his expression one of perplexity. "What?" he asked again, his hand tightening on her arm. His concerned voice implying she could tell him any dark secret she had. 

For a brief moment she considered just blurting out the truth. That she wasn't Nikita, that she couldn't go on this mission because unlike Nikita, she couldn't kill anyone. It would certainly get her out of going on the mission, she thought. But it would probably earn her a trip straight to the White Room. No thanks! Either way, it looked as if the Grim Reaper would get his due today.

Sighing, she closed her eyes, "Michael, I -"

She was suddenly interrupted by a loud computer generated voice.

 "Access denied", it blared. 

Peta opened her eyes to see the van access door stop in mid-motion then start to close. 

"Please stand-by", the computer voice said as the van access door closed with a clank. "Stand-by", it repeated. 

There is a God! Peta couldn't help but let a smile flood her face as she momentarily sagged against Michael in relief. He spared her a curious glance before letting go of her arm and stepping back. Several of the operatives in front of them turned to look at him inquiringly.

Michael lifted a hand past her and punched a button on the wall. "Birkhoff, why are we in stand-by mode?" he asked authoritively.

"Because I ordered it", Alberta said, her voice coming from behind them.

Peta started in surprise, then turned to face her friend, trying to keep the glee from her expression. Alberta stood in the arch of the van access entrance, every bit the Madeline that good little operatives feared, everywhere.

Michael turned to give Alberta an unsurprised blank appraisal. "Has the profile changed?", he asked.

"Yes, it has",  Alberta continued coldly. "Nikita is no longer part of the profile."

Peta didn't see so much as she felt Michael tense up at Albertas' revelation. He didn't like it. Michael continued to subject Alberta to a hard blank stare. Alberta coolly held his gaze and stared back. Almost daring him to ask her why. Tension suddenly filled the small room.

Great. Peta glanced from one of them to the other. A pissing contest. 

"Who's her replacement?" Michael finally questioned, relenting. He more than anyone else knew better than to step over the line with Madeline.

The question threw Alberta, though she managed to keep her expressionless face firmly in place. Replacement? She hadn't given a thought to that. Damn. Her eyes shifted to momentarily lock with Petas. 

Peta saw the danger in the question immediately. She met Albertas' gaze helplessly as she stood slightly behind Michael. Replacement? For the life of her she couldn't remember one operatives name from the first season. Well, not one that had lived, anyway. Wait! What about Mick? No, he'd been recruited in season one. He wouldn't be ready yet. Shit!

Peta gave a small shake of her head and silently mouthed 'sorry' to the older woman. Albertas' gaze flicked back to a waiting Michael.

"Who would you suggest?" Alberta asked Michael indulgently, as if she were testing him. 

But Michael would have none of it. "Whoever you've chosen will do fine", he replied. Both his expression and tone unreadable.

Alberta inclined her head slightly and calmly said, "Davenport will be Nikita's replacement."

Davenport! That character hadn't been introduced until the third season! Or was it the second? Shaking her head in despair, Peta held her breath, her eyes on Alberta as they waited for Michaels reaction.

"Fine", Michael conceded after a moment of silence.

Peta almost dropped to the floor, lightheaded with relief. Alberta gave Michael a small triumphant icy smile. Her gaze held his as she said, "Nikita". Then she turned and walked off down the hall.   

She'd done it! Alberta had saved her ass. Nikita moved forward and walked past Michael, only to stop in the doorway. She could feel the weight of his gaze on her back. Strange, now that she was free to leave she suddenly felt loathe to. 

"Michael, can I speak with you for a moment?" she heard herself ask, her back still facing him. She stepped into the dark hallway, out of sight of the other operatives.

Michael appeared in front of her. His stance wary, his face carefully devoid of any emotion. 

The perfect agent man, she thought. But somewhere in there was the other half of the whole. The person he had once said lived his life split in two. It was the human half she wanted to reach now. But how?

The time for pretense was past. Peta let the emotions she was feeling show on her face. Sadness, empathy, fear, sympathy, love. Knowing what she did about him, this man brought out all those emotions in her, and more. 

Whatever he read on her face was enough to make him take a step closer. He opened his mouth to speak, but she placed a hand over his mouth and shook her head. Then reaching up her arms she suddenly hugged him close, her head leaning against his shoulder. It wasn't a sexual embrace, more like a hug you would give for comfort. Right then she couldn't think of a soul that needed comfort more than Michael. He stood frozen for a long moment, his breath in her hair the only indication that he was alive. Then his arms slowly raised and he lightly hugged her back. 

They stood like that for no more than a couple of seconds. Yet Peta knew she would remember that moment for the rest of her life. 

Stepping away from him she gave him a small smile, then turned to run quickly down the hall. A man suddenly came running towards her from the opposite direction. He was fumbling to get his jacket on while he ran, his mini-uzi unclipped and flapping against his side. As he drew closer, she suddenly realized who it was. Davenport! He ran past her, looking pissed off and a bit panicked. 

Peta stopped where the corridor turned and chanced a look back, only to find Michael standing where she'd left him, staring after her. She held his gaze for a moment, then made a dash towards the elevator. 

"Where is she?" asked Alberta. Her tone finally losing it's calm. She paused in her pacing to check her watch.

"I just saw her run past Comm", Birkhoffs' voice piped over the intercom, "She should be there any second."

Alberta flung herself down into Madeline's chair. That's if she doesn't get lost on the elevator again. She shook her head in worry. "How much time Birkhoff?"

There was a brief moment of silence. "Thirty-two seconds."

Thirty-two seconds! Alberta impatiently let out the breath she'd been holding. Oh boy. They were cutting it close.

Alberta listened as Birkhoff communicated something on another line to Michael about the Donatti mission. She smiled as she remembered how surprised Birkhoff had been when she had told him to find Davenport ASAP and have him report directly to Michael at van access. Naming Davenport had been a long shot, but she had figured that he had to have been recruited and trained just like any other operative. Thank goodness her assumption had been correct. 

Birkhoff chimed in with a time update. "Twelve seconds." 

At that moment the office door swooshed open to reveal an out of breath Peta. Running into the room, flung her comm set to the floor and exclaimed, "Are we leaving?"

"Ten seconds", Birkhoffs voice warned.

Alberta smiled in relief as she stood up from the desk. "Yes, we're going home."

Peta grinned back and then abruptly shrugged the uzi off her shoulder and pulled the glock out of its holster. "I won't be needing these then", she said as she laid them on Madeline's desk. 

Both women held their breath as Birkhoffs voice continued the count down.  "Five seconds- four-  three- two- one...."   

And then a  flash of bright light blinded both women..........

"And Action!" Cassar yelled into the silence. 

Peta let out a scream of joy, her eyes focusing on Alberta as the other woman rushed forward to hug her. 

"Cut!" Bellowed Cassar in disgust. What the hell was it now?

The two women turned to take in the familiar sight of Madeline's office as they knew it. Complete with spot lights on the ceiling and a boom mike hanging overhead. They were home!  

Alberta gave Petas hand a quick squeeze and turned to face an impatient Cassar.

"John! You'll never believe where we've been!", she said excitedly.

"I can't take much more of this", Cassar replied, frustration in his tone. 

"We were in the real Section!" Peta exclaimed.

Several of the camera crew laughed uncertainly. Cassar silently stared at Peta as if she'd just grown a second head.  

The door to Madeline's office opened to admit Eugene Glazer. He walked into the room, a smile spreading across his features. "I would like to get out of that hallway sometime today girls", he remarked in reference to waiting for his cue. 

Alberta looked over to Cassar. "It's true. We were in Section." 

Cassar sighed. Why did he always get to work with the difficult ones?

Eugene laughed. "If you wanted to break for lunch Alberta, all you had to do was say so."

"Good idea", Cassar said, thinking some of the actors were already out to lunch. "Lunch everyone!" The director scrambled hurriedly out of his chair and gratefully headed off to the cafeteria. 

Eugene gave Alberta and Peta a wink as he sauntered off the set.

The two women watched as the various crew members took their leave. "No one is going to believe us, are they?" Peta asked Alberta in dismay.

Alberta slowly shook her head. "No. But can you blame them?"

"Alberta!"

Alberta looked to see her agent hurrying towards her. 

"What is it?" Alberta asked, surprised to see her agent on the set. She rarely ever saw the woman.

"I got what you wanted!" she said, handing an envelope over to Alberta.

Alberta took the envelope from her. "What I wanted?" she said uncertainty.

"Yes, just as you told me", she replied, nervously beginning to back away. "And I promise to work harder for you in the future!" And with that she turned and practically ran off the set.

"What was that all about?" Peta curiously asked.

"I have no idea", Alberta answered as she tore open the envelope and began to read it's contents.

Sudden laughter erupted from Alberta as realization of what had happened dawned on her.

"What?" Peta demanded.

Alberta succeeded in stifling her laughter to respond. "A raise. She got me a raise." Then she broke up all over again.

"Who? You're agent?" Peta asked, wondering what was so funny about that.

"No", Alberta gasped, trying to keep herself from laughing hysterically. "Madeline. Madeline somehow got me a raise!"

Peta looked at her dumbfounded for a moment, then burst out laughing. Alberta joined in, and laughed until her sides hurt. 

Still giggling, Peta flopped down into one of the chairs at Madeline's desk. "Do you think Nikita got me a raise to?"

"Are you kidding?" Alberta said as she propped herself up against the edge of the desk. "Nikita probably donated all your earnings to charity." This comment broke them up all over again.

As their laughter subsided, Peta suddenly shifted in her chair, then bolted upright.

"Oh my God Alberta!" She said in a stage whisper.

"What is it?" Alberta asked in concern.

Peta slowly reached a hand into her pants pocket and gently began to pull something out as Alberta took a step towards her.

Pulling the object clear of her pocket, Peta held it up in the flat of her palm so Alberta could get a good look at it.

Alberta gasped in alarm. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Detonating device", Peta said matter of factly. "With timer."

"What's the timer set for?" Alberta asked, taking a step back.

"I don't know, but not to worry. It's not set until it's activated." Peta replied, remembering Walters words of instruction concerning the device.

"Oh.", Alberta said in relief. "And how is it activated?" 

"This one can be activated manually by pushing the small blue button on it's side", Peta pointed to the button, "or from afar, using a radio signal from Section".

"This is our proof Peta", Alberta said. "It can back up our story."

"You're right. I mean, where else would we be able to get something like this? They'll have to believe us now." Peta replied determinedly.

Just then the device emitted a beep and the blue button lit up. 

"What the hell?" Peta exclaimed, jumping to her feet in alarm, the device still held in her hand. "It's arming itself!"

"No," replied Alberta grimly. "Section has armed it."

"Section?" Peta gasped. "But how?" 

"That's a Birkhoff question", Alberta said as she grabbed Peta by the arm. "Come on, this way!"

Alberta ran towards the side door exit, Peta followed, hot on her heels. They burst through the door and into the deserted back alley that ran the length of the lot. 

"Over here!" Alberta yelled as she ran over to a large  dumpster some yards away. She lifted the dumpster lid as Peta gratefully dropped the small device in. Then slamming the lid closed both women were running back towards the side door. 

Peta reached the door first and reached out to pull it open- only to find it locked. "Uh-oh Alberta", she pulled on the door again. "It's locked from the inside!"

"Forget it! Get down!" Alberta slid to the ground, pulling Peta down with her.

They barely had time to cover their heads with their hands when the device detonated. The force of it was staggering and Peta could feel the reverberation of it in her chest as the lid of the dumpster was blown off and went sailing up in the air. Peta and Alberta flinched back against the door as pieces of garbage shot out and began to rain down upon them. Flames and curling black smoke arched out of the dumpster, reaching skyward. But the dumpster took the main force of the blast, and held. 

Alberta leaned back against the locked door and nonchalantly picked a piece of banana skin off her shoulder, casually throwing it to the ground. "You've got something in your hair", she informed a wide eyed Peta. 

Peta ran a wary hand through her hair, pulling out the offending piece of garbage. Flicking it away, she leaned back against the wall next to Alberta and watched as the flames licked the side of the dumpster. The sound of a siren could suddenly be heard in the distance.

"Why would they do that?" Peta asked. 

"It wasn't 'they'", Alberta replied. She continued to stare at what remained of the dumpster. "This was Madeline's doing."

"Madeline! But why?" Peta questioned.

Alberta let out a sigh. How should she explain it?

"Because of what Madeline is, she couldn't let us live". Alberta smiled to herself. "Afterall, I might come back at anytime and replace her."

"That's ridiculous", Peta frowned. "No one in their right mind would want to go back to Section." She paused for a moment, hoping Alberta wouldn't point out that Nikita had done just that.

"Maybe." Alberta shrugged. "But Madeline wouldn't leave the possibility to chance." 

The sound of sirens grew closer. Peta turned her head to look at Alberta.

"Guess we'll just keep this little episode to ourselves then?" Peta inquired, not really expecting an answer.

Only if they both wanted to stay out of the loony house. Alberta subjected Peta to one of her best blank Madeline stares. 

"What episode?" 

THE END.......

Many thanx to the gals over at the Alberta Watson Message Boards for their kind words which inspired me to finish this story.

And a special word of  thanx to Night Fallen Angel, who encouraged me to keep on until the story was finished. She gets credit for the ending.

And finally a note of thanx to Fric, without whom this website would not exist.

Author: Frac

Background art courtesy of: Melissa Puzio. 

DISCLAIMER:  All characters Fictional or Otherwise are the property of the USA Network and/or themselves.