"Pictures of you, pictures of me
Hung upon your wall for the world to see
Pictures of you, pictures of me
Remind us all of what we could have been"

-Pictures of You, The Last Goodnight

Pain...

The same word consumed Michael's thoughts.

Pain is defined as a four letter word for hurt felt in the body or mind. But from this day forward, the word pain would mean so much more to him than just a simple seven word definition.

Michael sighed and looked around the barren room known as operations. Just a few hours ago, it had been bustling with a team of people ready to take Nikita down.

To cause her pain...

Nikita's profile picture was still up on the television screen; a lone light in the shadowy room. It took all of Michael's willpower not to throw a computer at the screen, to shatter those judging eyes.

He had taunted her, taunted her with pain.

"The more you try to do this, the more you hurt yourself."

"Michael, you have no idea how much pain I can take."

He flinched as the sound of her arm snapping replayed in his head over and over.

Looking back up at the picture, he realized that all he wanted to do was protect her.

To kill the spiders in whatever place she was living at, because he knew how they skeeved her out.

To hold her tight, when she had those nightmares. The ones she'd always had.

He wanted to run away with her and take her somewhere no one would ever find them.

Sighing, he leaned back and heard something fall onto the cold, empty floor beneath him. It was a piece of paper, delicately folded with his name written across the top.

Stop trying to protect me...it's easier this way.

-N

Michael smiled, despite the aching it brought to his bruised face.

"Gold star," he whispered to himself.

Author's Note: I kind of have this goal to make a new one-shot for every new episode of Nikita. So tell me what you think, thanks!