Part 5 by Trace
As Nikita and Walter continued to drink and talk, the shadow looked on. He had watched them many times in the past, and each time he got the same feeling...a feeling of jealousy. He envied their closeness, their complete and utter ability to bare their souls to each other. He envied the father/daughter dynamic they had. He envied their friendship.
Taking another slow, satisfying drink, he slowly set down his glass, and picked up his pack of cigarettes. Taking one out, he fired up his lighter and ignited the end. As he took a long, soothing draw, the end of the cigarette burned amber red.
He was concealed in a dark, remote part of the room, with the only light being that of the burning tip. But, that suited him just fine. He liked the solitude, the silence. It almost reminded him of his youth, before he became what he was now. A person who was both a stranger, and an enemy to himself.
As he smiled upon this analogy, he glanced up from his drink, and saw Nikita and Walter preparing to leave. Crushing out his cigarette, and leaving his money on the table, he slowly slid from the booth, and followed.
Once they had exited the bar, and were at Walters motorcycle, he felt assured that everything would go as planned. Feeling a bit of bravado, and maybe longing for his youth, he pulled the collar up on his jacket, and stepped out the door.
Nikita and Walter were standing next to Walters motorcycle, and Walter was acting as if he were having problems standing up straight. Walking over to the couple, a sly smile forming on his face, he cleared his throat.
'Can I offer you two a ride home?' he said, his voice booming loud and suddenly.
Walter placed his hand to his head, and shook it as if in pain. Then, he and Nikita turned to the figure. Nikita only stood and stared, but Walter walked up to the figure. With a smile on his face, Walter stopped within inches of the figure.'No, but there is something you can do for me,' Walter replied.
The figure smiled in response. Then, taking his cigarettes out of his coat pocket, and tapping them against his palm, he looked back up. 'And what would that be?' he asked.
Walters fist whipped out, and made solid contact with Operations jaw. Operations went down like a ton of bricks, and was out cold before he hit the ground.
Walter just shook his hand, from the pain of the blow, and smirked. 'Go to hell..'
===========
part 6 by Andrea
As Operations gathered himself up, he shook his head to try to remember where he was. He looked at Walter and Nikita and remembered the punch. "Walter, what the hell was that for? I should have you canceled on the spot!"
Walter shot him a cold stare and said, "I've seen the mission profile. I'm sure if Nikita had seen it first, she would have killed you 'on the spot'."Nikita just stared at Walter, clearly not understanding what was going on between the two men.
"Sugar, I tried to hide the profile from you. I knew you wouldn't be able to handle what they are going to do to Michael."
Nikita glared at Walter and then back to Operations. "Walter, what are they going to do to Michael?", she screamed as she started to shake.
Walter looked at Operations and said, "Not here, not on the street. Let's go to Nikita's and have this out". The three of them got into Operations car and headed to Nikita's apartment.
The entire time, Walter just sat next to Nikita and held her hand. He tried to keep himself composed, not wanting to upset Nikita. He was glad he and Nikita were in the back seat, he couldn't stand to be close to Paul, especially after that "pat on the back" speech stunt he had pulled a few weeks back.
When they arrived at Nikita's, Walter handed her the PDA to view the mission profile. As she read it, she couldn't believe what was happening to her. She dropped the PDA and looked at Walter, she tried to keep back the tears. She said to Walter, "Why didn't you kill him - punching him out didn't help Michael, did it?"
Nikita looked at Operations and asked him if Madeline had seen the mission profile. He had a gleam in his eye when he said, "Madeline has decided to take a few days off - she was due for some down time."
"Why are you doing this? Wasn't Elena enough? Do you really think a Level 5 operative needs to be doing a Valentine mission?", Nikita screamed at Operations, not being able to hide her distaste for the man.
Operations smiled and said, "We needed to stop the wedding and we are researching all intel as soon as it comes in. So far we know that the reason Jennifer was attracted to her fiance is because she had a weakness for tall dark men with French accents. What better operative than Michael to pull this off. He gets her to fall in love with him and the merger of the two families is off."
Nikita looked at Walter and understood his pain, who would be hurt more - Michael or Jennifer - his friend or his daughter?
Nikita looked at Operations and pleaded, "Operations, no, there has to be another way. If I have to go to Oversight myself, I will not let you do this to Michael."
Operations coldly stared at Nikita and said, "Are you worried what it will do to Michael, or to you Nikita?"
"You bastard," she said right before she flipped herself into the air, her feet colliding with Operations head - once again knocking him out cold.
===========
Part 7 by Marie
Madeline looked out at the rain pouring down her bedroom window of her house. She knew how Walter felt when he had read the profile. She herself had watched her own son grow up within the cold walls of Section never knowing his mother. She had never allowed to comfort his nightmares or even show the slighest affection towards her Seymour. Walter at least had it better than she did in her opinion. Operations had kept Birkoff around to flaunt him in her face. Wiping the singular lonely tear that had slipped from her usual cold eyes off of her cheeks.
She looked at her finger where the singular drop of salty water stood and looked back as the rain pelted the windows. She couldn't let something happen to one of her oldest friends children and to the young woman she thought to be her own daughter.
"Don't worry Nikita, Walter. You have a secret angel on your side." She whispered in an almost inaudible tone and turned away from the window that was pelted with the tears of the rainstorm. The droplets looking like the unshed tears that Madeline no longer had the strenght of heart to shed herself so she let the rain do it for her.
@@@@@@@@@@
"Sugar what have you done!!!" Walter exclaimed.
"I still have connections you stupid bastard." Nikita spat at the unconsious body.
Turning around her eyes barely graced the rain on the window as she grabbed her jacket and headed out the door.
"Nikita where are you going?" Walter asked.
"I'm going to disapear for awhile and if I have to take Michael with me so be it." Nikita snapped.
"Sugar what are you saying." Walter gasped at the young woman's brashness. He had never seen this side of her, protective yes, but this violent and defient no.
"They are going to destroy him Walter and I can't allow that." Nikita said her face turned so that the older man could not see the few tears that she could no longer fight back.
"You love him don't you." Walter asked her turned back.
"I care about him very much and I care what happens to him. I won't see Michael destroyed by this bastard's fear of insecurity over his job." Nikita said.
"You didn't answer the question Sugar." Walter told her.
"Yes Walter, I do love him. I love him with all my heart and it breaks my heart to see the ordeals that Madeline and Operations put him through." Nikita said opening the door.
"Not Madeline, Nikita, just Operations." Walter said, but it was to late the over protective love struck blond had already left and he better split before Operations came too. He had to find George and solve this problem quick.
"No need Walter." Madeline said appearing as she came out of the shadows.
"I have a plan. Come on George is waiting in the limo." Madeline said her eyes burning with a fierceness he had only known in a younger Madeline. A Madeline who had been so much like Nikita that it was scary. For once the cold dark brown once again carried its hidden golden flame.
@@@@@@@@
Janet Clarkson looked at the picture of the dark haired blue eyed man. Her Walter had disappeared in the blaze so many years ago. So much she hid for the sake of her safety and her daughter's. If Walter had only known truly who she was or what she knew. "Janet darling." The brunette woman entered the room.
"Madeline love, its been to long. George." Janet said standing up and smiling.
"Where's my darling goddaughter Jenny?" George asked his smile going up to his light blue eyes.
"Out with her fiancee of course George, you now how kids are." Madeline said smiling.
"So why are you here?" Janet asked in her business like tone
"It's about Walter." Madeline said.
"Walter....." Janet voice said as her mind trailed off to a time that had so long ago passed away. A time when love had floated her way in the eyes and heart of a man who's rugged looks and baby blue eyes had captured her heart and dragged her into the world of the Agency. He had died so long ago in that fiery blaze leaving her with his seed at her darling Jennifer.
She closed her eyes only to remember.....