Author’s Note: La Femme Nikita and its characters don’t belong to me. I’m only borrowing them and haven’t done so for profit. Any characters found herein that aren’t part of the series are mine since I created them and can be borrowed if you nicely ask for my permission to do so! Thanks and enjoy!

A pair of ice blue eyes peered over the top of a magazine. The woman smiled as her four-year-old daughter struggled to get across the monkey bars. "Come on, baby," the young woman said, "You can do it!"

The girl, Kayla, smiled at her mother and continued to make her way across the monkey bars. After reaching the end, Kayla triumphantly leapt off the end and ran to her mother. "Didja see? Didja see?" she asked.

Jacinda set aside her magazine and lifted Kayla from the ground placing the girl on her lap. "Yes, I did and I’m very proud of you," she replied. "That was great!"

Kayla jumped off of her mother’s lap and ran towards the slide. Jacinda smiled and shook her head. Four years ago, she would’ve given up her baby, but now that option felt wrong somehow. Jacinda was content with her life – even if it didn’t turn out the way she had envisioned it as a child.

Happily watching Kayla run around, Jacinda easily forgot about the life she now lived. The beeping of her pager forced Jacinda back to reality. Slowly removing it from its place at her hip, she hoped against hope that the message would be from a friend instead of her boss.

Jacinda sighed knowing what the message meant. Any hope of the day being a lazy one had just been dashed. She gathered her things and called Kayla over to her. Ushering her daughter into the car, Jacinda cursed herself for choosing this life over a simpler one.

George sat in the rear of the quiet café. Seeing Jacinda walk in, he stood up and waved her over. Jacinda swiftly made her way to the table and sat down.

A waitress made her way over to them. "What can I get for you, miss?"

Jacinda looked over at the woman and for a moment longed to have her life instead of the one she had to deal with now. "Uh, just a coffee with cream and sugar," she finally said.

"Whatever," the waitress replied and left.

"We don’t have long," George announced. "You have an hour to prepare for a party where you’ll be escorted by Dr. Christoph Klemens. They believe he’ll be the target of . . ."

The waitress returned with Jacinda’s order. "Will that be it?"

"Yes, thank you," Jacinda said nodding to the woman. Without a reply the waitress left again to take care of her other customers.

"As I was saying," George continued, "they believe he’ll be the target of an assassination attempt tonight although they don’t know who will be the shooter."

"And my job will be to keep a look-out and make sure Dr. Klemens survives the night," Jacinda concluded for George.

"There’s a car and dress and other necessary items out back," said George. "You know what to do."

Jacinda thoughtfully sipped her coffee. "Isn’t there someone else who could handle this?"

George slid the car keys over to her. "They want you to do it," he replied.

"What if I refuse?" she asked.

"You can’t," he said, "and even if you tried, you know what they’d do."

"I don’t know if I can keep doing this anymore," Jacinda confessed. "Kayla is getting old enough to start asking some serious questions and I won’t lie to her, but I can’t tell her the truth."

George slowly stood up. "It’s not my place to tell you how to live your life," he stated, "but you know they won’t let you go and you have no where to run."

"I know what I have to do," Jacinda coolly said grabbing the keys on the table and the folder beneath them.

George nodded. "You’ll do fine," he said before leaving the café.

Jacinda quickly swallowed the last of her coffee and left the money for it on the table. Knowing the only option left for her was to follow the orders given to her, Jacinda left the café and got into the car waiting for her. Following the directions left for her, she made her way to her checkpoint where she would be briefed and be able to prepare for her mission.

"They only sent you to protect me," Dr. Klemens asked. Jacinda checked her makeup in the mirror and nodded. Dr. Klemens nervously laughed. "That’s – that’s insane," he added.

"Just because I’m small in stature doesn’t mean I can’t protect you," Jacinda retorted. "Now, let’s go, shall we?"

*** *** ***

Nikita nudged Michael as Dr. Klemens walked in. "He’s here," she whispered, "but he has company."

Michael watched Dr. Klemens and his much younger date circle the room greeting guests. "Try to find out who she is," he ordered Nikita. "I’ll take care of Klemens while the girl is away."

Nikita nodded and made her way towards the doctor. "Hello," she cheerfully said. "It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. We were afraid you weren’t going to make it."

Dr. Klemens nodded. "Yes, well, my friend here made me late," he replied. "She had forgotten about the gala and wasn’t ready when we came to fetch her."

Jacinda nodded to Nikita. "I’m his niece," she said, "and I didn’t remember the date of the party. I knew there was one, but I mixed up the dates."

"Oh! I’m Nikita," she stated, "and you are?" Nikita held out her hand for Jacinda.

Jacinda smiled. "I’m Jacinda," she replied shaking Nikita’s hand. "You have a very beautiful name."

"So do you," Nikita replied waiting for Birkoff to confirm the girl’s identity.

"She checks out," Birkoff said, "and I wouldn’t mind checking her out."

"I’m going to the ladies room, Uncle Christoph," Jacinda announced. "Don’t get into any trouble."

"I was just heading that way myself," said Nikita. "Do you mind if I join you?" Jacinda shook her head and the pair headed to the bathrooms.

"So. Who are you really, Nikita?" Jacinda asked locking the door behind her. "Were you and a partner sent to kill him?"

"Yes," Nikita briefly replied, "but he’s out there unprotected. You’re not doing your job."

Jacinda laughed. "I could care less about my job," she said. "I’d rather let them kill me than put my baby through this."

Nikita examined Jacinda’s every move. "You’re risking your life over nothing," she said. "A man will die tonight. A man you’ve been sent to protect."

Jacinda unlocked the door and walked out of the room without uttering a sound. Nikita closed her eyes and gave Jacinda a head start before warning Michael.

Michael and Dr. Klemens stood in the dark alley behind the library housing the event. Dr. Klemens knew what would happen next and cursed himself for believing Jacinda could’ve prevented it.

"Down on your knees," Michael ordered, "with your back to me and your hands on your head."

"I-I don’t understand," Dr. Klemens said as he followed Michael’s orders. "I-I haven’t done anything wrong."

Michael turned as he heard a door slamming shut behind him. He listened in the darkness and heard the clicking of a woman’s heels against the pavement.

"Shoot him," Jacinda said as she came up next to Michael. "Go ahead and do it. At least one of us will get our orders done right tonight."

Michael turned and looked down towards the girl. "Get out of here," he growled, "or you’ll die too."

"Take a number," Jacinda replied, "because you’re not the only one who wants to kill me."

Michael turned off his com unit. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Ask Madeline," replied Jacinda.

"Leave before someone finds you out here," Michael ordered.

Jacinda chuckled. "Just shoot him and go," she said. "Don’t worry about me."

Michael turned his gun on her. "If you don’t leave now, I’ll kill you," he said. "If you leave now, I’ll forget I ever saw you."

Jacinda smiled. "So you do have a heart," she jested. She walked up to Dr. Klemens and kissed his bald-head.

"Please," he begged. "You’re supposed to be protecting me. Kill him!"

"I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I killed him; I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you lived tonight," Jacinda told him. "Besides my daughter needs me. Hope you enjoyed your life."

Dr. Klemens trembled as he listened to her footsteps receding into the darkness. He didn’t understand what he had done to deserve to die and begged Michael to let him live.

*** *** ***

Michael slammed the door of the van shut. He ordered the driver to go and sat down.

"Did you?" Nikita asked. Michael silently nodded. Nikita took a deep breath. "What about the girl?" Nikita asked again.

"She was taken care of," Michael replied.

Nikita closed her eyes. She hadn’t wanted Jacinda to die, but Nikita knew the protocol of the Section. Still, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep at all that night.

"I didn’t think you’d show," Jacinda said as she watched her daughter play.

"Why did you want to see me?"

Jacinda turned her attention to her companion. "Did you ask Madeline about me?" she asked. "Did curiosity get to you?"

Michael looked over towards the children. "Which one is yours?" he inquired.

"Don’t change the subject," Jacinda forcefully stated. "I asked you a question. The least you could do is answer it before you start interrogating me."

"Yes, I spoke to Madeline about you," Michael replied.

"What did she tell you?"

"Everything," said Michael.

"Somehow I doubt that," Jacinda replied. "Did she ask about me? Did your friend, Nikita, ask about me?"

"Madeline only asked if you were still alive," Michael stated, "and I told her the truth. Nikita believes you’re dead."

Jacinda slowly nodded. "If you ever need anything, you know how to contact me," she announced as she got up to leave.

"You never answered my question," Michael said.

Jacinda turned and faced Michael. "What difference does it make?"

"I’d like to know," replied Michael.

"Do you see the girl with the light brown hair in the striped tee-shirt?" Jacinda asked.

"Is she yours?"

"Yes, that’s Kayla," Jacinda replied. She turned again to leave.

Michael reached out and grabbed her hand. He slipped a piece of paper into her hand as he held it. "In case you need to contact me," he explained. Then he let her go and walked off.

Jacinda bit her lower lip as she watched Michael leave. Shaking her head, she walked over to her daughter. "You have fun in day care, baby," she said. "I’ll see you later."

"They have a job for you," George said. "It’s important that you attempt to do it right this time."

"Well, excuse me for having left Dr. Klemens alone while I went to the bathroom," Jacinda sarcastically replied. "Besides, the bastard deserved to die."

George raised an eyebrow in response. "What do you mean?"

"He used innocent children like guinea pigs in his experiments," Jacinda replied. "How could we let a monster like that live? No amount of money is worth that!"

George sighed. "After four years with us, you still don’t understand," he stated, "Our job isn’t to protect anyone but ourselves. The rest of the world comes second to our own lives. We’ve lost powerful allies since Dr. Klemen’s death and they’re holding that against you."

"My daughter’s life comes first in my life and I come second," Jacinda argued, "and to be honest, this organization takes dead last when innocent lives are involved. They knew that from day one. If they don’t like it, they can kill me or let me go."

George sighed again. "We don’t have time for this," he said, "and I don’t want to argue with you here."

"Like hell we don’t have the time and as for the place, it doesn’t matter to me," returned Jacinda. She was beginning to raise her voice and draw the attention of the other customers.

"Dammit, child! For once in your life, shut up and listen when you’re told to," growled George. He placed a folder and car keys on the table. "They’ve chosen a target for you. They believe he’s the one who got to Klemens," George stated.

"I refuse to do it," asserted Jacinda. "For once in my life, I’m standing up for what I believe in."

George shook his head. "You don’t have a choice," he explained. "Four years ago you gave up the ability to make decisions for yourself. Four years ago you lost your free will. The last decision you made for yourself was to live like this. Everything you do, eat or wear is somehow dictated by our organization."

Jacinda folded her arms over her chest and sighed in defeat. She carefully picked up the keys and folder. "I know what I have to do," she said as she stood up and left the café to find the care she’d be using today.

Jacinda slid behind the wheel of the red convertible they left for her and adjusted everything to her liking. The folder only held directions to the checkpoint. Sighing, Jacinda started the car and headed out.

"Your target is this man," Gia explained as she handed a picture to Jacinda. "They have reason to believe he killed Dr. Klemens. Your objective is to cancel him."

Jacinda glanced down at the picture. "Michael," she mouthed.

Gia tossed back her chunky braid and smiled. "We have an itinerary for his moves over the next few days," she said.

Jacinda fixed her icy blue eyes on Gia. She knew the woman wanted to see Jacinda fail, but she wouldn’t give Gia that satisfaction – even if it meant killing Michael to do it. "I understand," Jacinda icily replied.

Gia tucked a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear and stood up. "They have a week’s worth of clothes packed for you, a passport, a round-trip ticket to Rome and hotel reservations ready. Your daughter will be cared for in the usual manner. The flight leaves in two hours. You’ll find a rental car waiting at the airport and all your equipment in your room."

Jacinda thoughtfully nodded. "I understand," she repeated.

Gia’s dark eyes danced in anticipation of Jacinda’s fall from grace. "Even you can’t screw this up," she stated with a short laugh.

Jacinda rose from her chair and walked over to the windows. "I know what I have to do," she said controlling her voice to sound detached and confident.

"Good girl," teased Gia. "They’re counting on you and they’ll only be able to tolerate a few more mistakes on your perfect little record."

Jacinda silently left the room. Once in the car again, she sighed. A part of her wanted nothing more than to prove Gia wrong by killing Michael; another part of her felt as if she owed Michael her life and couldn’t kill him. Knowing she had precious little time to make her decision, Jacinda started the car and headed for the airport.

Michael sat up as his cellular phone rang. The number on the screen was a local one and he wondered who could be calling him in Rome. He pushed the "talk" button and curtly greeted the caller.

"Listen to me carefully," the voice said. "I have something important to tell you, but I don’t have much time."

"I’m listening," Michael replied, "but who is this?"

"Just listen," the voice stated. "You’ll understand later. Are we clear, Michael?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, someone has been sent to cancel you. It’s someone you know," the voice explained. "This person doesn’t want to kill you, which is why I’m calling you. Watch your back, Michael. This person will try to take the hit and if you’re not prepared, you’ll die. Please remember that this person doesn’t want to do this, but they have their orders."

"When will this happen?" asked Michael.

"I’ve already said too much," the voice replied before hanging up the phone.

Michael blankly stared at his phone. He’d let Nikita know about the phone call so the two could prepare for this situation before it escalated.

*** *** ***

Jacinda positioned herself so she could get a clear shot. The club where Michael and Nikita were supposed to meet their contact was nearly empty. Jacinda watched all the people walking to and from the bar and waited for Michael to arrive.

Michael and Nikita slowly made their way to the table where their contact sat. Michael’s eyes darted around the club looking for anyone who appeared out of place.

"Michael," Nikita said, "let’s get this over with as quickly as possible. Come on."

Michael followed Nikita, but his attention was focused on finding the shooter. He nodded to the man at the table and sat down.

"Michael, pay attention," Nikita hissed in his ear. When she realized Michael wasn’t going to be of any help, Nikita began questioning the contact.

Michael’s gaze fixed on a pair of icy blue eyes. As he examined the person further, he realized the eyes belonged to a familiar face. In an instant, Michael knew.

Jacinda nodded her hello. She knew Michael recognized her. She also knew that Michael had already figured it out. She slowly pulled out her gun and set it on the table. Turning it to face Michael, Jacinda’s eyes never left Michael’s gaze.

"Jacinda," murmured Michael.

Nikita nodded as the contact left. She turned and said, "What did you say?"

"Jacinda’s the shooter," replied Michael.

"You killed her. Jacinda is dead, Michael. She can’t be the shooter."

Jacinda shot twice missing both times. Picking up the gun, she got up and walked over to Michael. "Go," she whispered.

"You’ll be killed for not following orders," Michael replied.

Jacinda shot him in the arm. "No," she stated, "I was sent to kill you. I made an attempt, but Nikita got in the way. You were wounded, however, and so was I." She handed Michael the gun.

"Don’t do it, Michael," Nikita said.

Michael took aim at Jacinda’s left arm. He understood what Jacinda was doing for him. He fired at her and dropped the gun. He quickly ushered Nikita out during the confusion.

Jacinda grabbed her gun with her uninjured hand. She stumbled out of the club and onto the streets. She ripped her coat and carefully wrapped her wound. Jacinda safely made it to her car before the police showed up.

As she drove, Jacinda removed her leather gloves and her blond wig. She made a stop at a bonfire set by a group of young boys.

Smiling at them, she threw in her torn coat, gloves and wig into the fire and watched the items burn. Jacinda then gave each boy a large sum of money to keep quiet about seeing her there. The boys smiled and nodded agreeing to Jacinda’s request.

She rushed back to her car as she heard the sound of sirens quickly approaching. Jacinda sped off to her hotel to grab her things. She’d wait for medical care until she got home.

"You failed us," came a voice from the shadows.

Jacinda sat with her gaze fixed on George. "I told you that his partner got in the way," she calmly explained. "He was wounded and his partner wounded me. They exited during the chaos that followed the gun shots."

"You were dispatched to cancel Michael," the voice said. "You were the best chance we had of executing him and you failed. Now we have no chance of getting him out of the way."

"There are others in the organization who are better than me," stated Jacinda. "You still have a chance; you have numerous chances."

"We’ll only be able to tolerate so many more mistakes," George announced. "If you continue down this path, you’ll be cancelled. You’ve been warned."

Jacinda nodded her understanding. "Now, if you don’t mind, my daughter is waiting for me."

Nikita pulled Michael aside. "You told me you took care of Jacinda that night," she stated. "Why didn’t you tell me she was still alive?"

"What difference would it have made?"

Nikita paused to think about it. "She told me she had a baby," she replied, "I wanted to know how her child was."

"Her child is four-years-old," Michael explained. "Her name is Kayla."

"Did you go to see them?" Nikita asked. "How can I contact her to see her?"

Michael led Nikita to his office. He secured the room before digging into one of his desk drawers. "This is her pager number," he said handing Nikita a business card. "Use that number. Jacinda will contact or meet you when she’s ready."

Nikita carefully took the card from Michael. He hadn’t answered her first question, but from his behavior, Nikita knew the answer. "You’d know from experience," she said, "right?"

"Tell her to watch her back," Michael stated. "She’s placed herself in a perilous situation by letting me live. It’s only a matter of time before they cancel her or send her on a suicide mission."

Nikita nodded and wondered if Michael was actually worried about Jacinda. There were times when he showed, in some small way, that he still felt things – he was still human inside. "I will," she told him. Nikita turned to leave the room. "I wonder if Jacinda was the one who warned you about the hit," Nikita asked. "I’ll have to ask her."

"I’m sure she’ll tell you everything," Michael replied evenly.

Nikita nodded. "I’m sure we’ll end up very good friends," she added before leaving the room.