Guts Over Fear ◇ NIKITA

Californication

Noah Reinhart

"Welcome to Division." Amanda wasn't smirking, but she wasn't smiling either, and Alys didn't like it. That word again, Division. "We've run into a problem, Alys," Amanda started, losing her almost smile to a small troubled frown. "The other week, we were haked by someone calling themself the March Hare."

"The fictional character from Alice in Wonderland? Isn't that a bit dramatic?" Alys asked with a lightly dazed confusion. Playing it off was easy like this. "Why should I care? I don't even know where I am."

"No one does. It's part of how we do our business." Amanda grabbed a thin file and pulled out a picture, dropping it on the coffee table between them, a small box adorned with 'Here lie the remains of Alys Gordon.' "The only place anyone knows you're alive is in Division. Your body was burned and sent back home to your parents." Alys's blood ran cold. Ari Tasarov wouldn't take too kindly to hear that his daughter recently died. "The corner signed off your death as respitory failure, your asthma made it particularly easy to kill you."

"You didn't answer my question," Alys pointed out, her face in a tight frown. "Why should I care if someone hacked you?" With a light sigh, Amanda stood and walked to the other side of the room, grabbing two things from a vanity before setting a laptop on top of the picture. She opened it, the screen glowing blue for Alys's view.

"We found this," she held out her hand, the God's Eye laying innocently in her palm, "in the heel of your shoe. I agree, a bit dramatic." Alys swallowed, her mouth dry as she looked from the drive to Amanda's face. Amanda just gained that sinister half smile again and plugged the drive into the computer. Almost instantly, the screen went black and had green letters of coding, all quickly changing with the exception of a small line.

'It's always ten seconds to tea time.'

Alys woke up with a frown. Her dreams never changed, always just a repeat of memories. There were exceptions, the nightmares and night terrors she'd never forget, but most of those even branch of from past events. The hand rested against her chest shifted and the body behind her pulled her closer. "Hey," a soft voice cooed in her ear. "You're alright. Do you need anything?" Alys shook her head, realizing that her breathing was a little fast.

"Nothing, mishka," she sighed, turning over to face her cover. After the run-in with Nikita, she didn't want to be alone.

"You haven't called me that in a while," he noticed as she gently traced the light stuble on his face. "When are you gunna tell me when you learned Russian?" Alys smiled a bit and looked a moment into his bright blue eyes.

"When I was a child," Alys informed softly, letting her accent slip into her native Russian one. "My papa taught me. When did you learn French?"

"When I was a pimply kid in high school," Noah admitted, making the blonde giggle. "And then when I spent a summer in Paris, they all laughed at my accent." Alys's smile grew and she wished that their relationship wasn't one she'd be forced to leave. She genuinely liked Noah, and maybe a small part of her loved him, but she knew Divison's conditions. Plus, this wasn't nearly as fun as sneaking around Division with Nikita.

"Say something pretty," Alys suggested, her eyes quickly moving over his face.

Noah didn't even have to think before saying, "Tu es l'amour de ma vie." Alys froze for a moment, an incredilous look on her face. After joining Division, she picked up on a few more languages.

"I'm the love of your life?" she asked after a quiet moment.

"Don't sound too excited," Noah backtracked, a slight frown pulling on his face.

"That's not what I meant," the blonde huffed. "It's just" - she paused and pushed herself up on her arms - "with my job, nothing's certain. I'm always waiting for a call to whisk me someplace else. And if I say it out loud it makes it real." Noah reached his hand out and held her cheek, trying to make sense of her explanation. "If it's real it can be taken away, and I don't want to lose you," she clarified, a frown of worry pulling on her lips.

"You won't lose me, Alys. Nothing you tell me can scare me away." She bit back a scoff, opting instead to give him a slow kiss.

"I feel it, but I won't say it," she whispered as she pulled away a moment, waiting for him to nod in understanding before giving him a short kiss. Alys laid back on his chest and ran her fingers over his side. "You're very special to me, Noah, and I've taken too many of the wrong risks."

"Relax, I get it," he sighed softly, running his fingers through her long blonde hair. "People have their walls. It doesn't surprise me that you do, too." She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by an excessive blaring ring coming from her phone. She rolled over in bed, and reached over towards her nightstand.

She didn't even bother in checking the caller ID, knowing it was most likely either Birkhoff or Michael. "You're interupting something," she sighed impatiently, giving Noah an apologetic smile.

"Nikita sabatoged Black Arrow and the reception, I was shot and the other agents aren't looking too good," Michael explained in a rushed, pained voice. "How fast can you get to medical?" Alys rolled her eyes at that, knowing that her words probably fueled Nikita's decision.

"Half an hour. Head straight to medical, I'll see you first." Alys didn't wait for his reply before hanging up, holding her face in her hands with a groan.

"Is that the call whisking you to someplace else?" Noah asked, his voice still soft and a bit cautious, as he ran his hand over the top of her head. She only nodded, not nearly ready enough to go back to Division on her night off. "Do you want me to wait here?"

"I don't know when I'll be back," Alys informed against her hands. "Some people are hurt."

"You're an army doctor," he guessed. "Some people getting hurt this late at night might be caused by something happening." More like Nikita happened.

"Sort of," she sighed moving her hands and studying Noah's concerned expression. "I really can't explain it to you. But yeah, something happened."

"So call me when you're home safe," he pointed out with an obvious look. He leaned down to kiss her before laying back in her bed. "Go save the world, Dr. Alys." The blonde chuckled with a growing smile, closely examining his profile.

"I don't know about the world, but a few of my friends, maybe." She gently kissed his cheek before getting out of bed and quickly dressing.

"Nah, you're a superhero," he replied, causing her heart to flutter.

"Only if you say so," she chuckled as she pulled on a sweater. Alys pulled her hair out of her collar and opened the bedroom door, spotting her keys in the kitchen.

"Alys," Noah called, bringing her attention back to him. With a small smirk, he tossed something small at her, which Alys easily caught, the L shaped inhaler in her hand showing her just how much he paid attention. "J'taime." Her breath caught but she still smiled, taking a pump of her inhaler before leaving her apartment.