Nikita

[NIKITA]

While Qiao and Carrie were at Pavlenko doing God's work on Nikita's behalf, the man in question had finally decided to go see his people. He had gotten them to show up back home, and now that they were here, he needed to be there to welcome them back.

Nikita knew they would be worried about him, and he also knew that no matter what he said or how he said it, there was just no convincing his legion that he was okay.

That was kind of like trying to make Maggie believe that he wasn't having a mental breakdown, especially when he had rammed into his gates. He had gotten Natalya to tell him the truth, and that had put his mind at ease, but now, he needed to be the father to his people.

All of them had flown back to Russia in the past few days, and right now, the whole legion was in Todorov and at the base.

"Natalya, I'm leaving," Nikita said to Natalya. He figured that the woman loved him and the least he could do was make her not worry.

At least if he told her when he left and when he would be coming back, she would be at ease. The estate would always get lonely sometimes, and he didn't want to add to her misery.

"Alright, sir, should I expect you to be back today? Are you okay? Are you sure you can drive? I can call the guards to drive you around if it works. Are you—" Natalya ranted, but Nikita stopped her.

"Yes, Natalya, I am okay; I have even eaten breakfast. And yes, I will be back home soon, I'm not sure about the time, but I will be back home before the day ends, I promise," Nikita said with a laugh.

Sure, she wasn't anywhere near Yelena Pavlenko, but she was the remaining family he had. He would stay alive for her. It was weird how Nikita was slowly finding his purpose and motivation to stay alive in the oddest of places, not that he was about to complain either.

"Okay, sir, please be careful, though," Natalya said to Nikita.

"I will, Natalya, I will. Quit worrying too much, and it's not good for your health," Nikita insisted before he kissed Natalya goodbye. Natalya looked at the doctor, unsure of whether he was in the right state to step out and get to his meetings.

She was worried that something had changed in him, and she was right. Today he was more vibrant, happier than he had been in the past six months, and as much as Natalya wanted to frown at his happiness, she couldn't.

It was only sad that the person who was making him this happy, the person who had lifted his mood so much, was a woman he was about to go fight—the woman who was determined to save him, even from himself.

Maybe fate was cruel.

Maybe the universe was a bitch, but maybe this was also the first sign that things would get better.

Maybe this time, Nikita's happiness would last longer. It was, after all, the wish of everyone who cared about him. 

"How can I not worry, child? "Natalya sighed as she went to the kitchen to perform her duties. Given that she had recently cleaned the house, everything was okay. She didn't have much work, and she just needed to go to the market to buy some groceries, and everything would be fine. 

Given the accident the previous day, he didn't want to cause any attention, so he hopped on his Harley Davidson, because somehow at the back of his mind, no one would know that the doctor was driving a Harley Davidson that had been gifted to him publicly by his brother Yuri Maksim.

At that time, the bike had been the envy of many, and people tried to buy it, but the shipping costs had made it clear to them that they were just not wealthy enough to get something the young Pavlenkos were blessed with.

It wasn't like he would brag about it all, but who said it was a crime anyway? The wind whooshed past the doctor as he enjoyed the freedom only his bike could give him.

It gave him comfort, and sometimes, it reminded him that his brother had cared enough for him even to buy him a bike. This was his favorite of all the gifts that yuri had given him. And that was also why he had dedicated his life to this bike, only taking it out when necessary.

He loved it with all of his being and treated it like a papa would a child. Nikita could have worshiped his bike if he didn't believe in the existence of God, but he did. He was born in a Christian family that valued prayers and venerations.

His mother, Yelena Pavlenko, had taught him from a young age that when things got tough, he would just go on his knees and ray, and that was something he had been doing for the past twenty-six years.

He had been a devout child of God. He prayed before he went into the operating room and prayed after he operated on a patient. He had the faith many were willing to have but couldn't. However, even in his faith, Nikita knew there were things he needed to handle on his own.

It wasn't that he didn't believe in Karmic justice; he just wanted to get his revenge. He had all the plans laid out, but first, he would make his stop at the base. He would look at his people and ȧssure them that everything was okay.

He would make them understand that there was nothing wrong with him, and then he would go off and after Samantha, or instead Arya Knight, the woman who wasn't even scared of anything other than her mother, Caella Knight. Well, she was right to, because even Ricardo feared his wife.

"He's back! He truly is back!" One of the legion members shouted, and everyone stopped what they were doing.

It was almost like they had been summoned, only this time, they were summoned. The roar of the Harley Davidson brought more life to the hundred people in the underground bunker more than it even did the owner, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"If you're lying, I'll shave your hair," Morgana warned, making her teammates scowl rather impudently, but what could she do? It wasn't like she would actually arm them anyway.

Nikita had taught them to love each other like family, and even though most of them were crazier than Rael and Morgan, they had learned to adapt to the systems and their huge yet little family of misfits brought together by a  broken soldier who had truly loved them.

They adored them to bits, and Nikita knew that.