Is this destiny?

Michael wondered, how is it possible that someone is so kind and forgiving? And she loves him as well.

Michael knows that he owes Oni a lot of explanations. And even though he does not want to talk about it, out of fear of losing Oni, he is aware that she should know why she got hurt, no matter how unfair it is to either of them.

"Aren't you going to ask me about Jesse?", Michael asked reluctantly without lifting his head.

He didn't dare look at her because if he sees a trace of disappointment or hatred, he can't take it.

Oni sighed. She remembered that Jesse told her that she is Michael's previous lover, but Oni does not think that information is relevant because she is confident that right now Michael loves her, and only her. And that is the only thing that counts. "I don't want to know about women from your past, because I care about the present and the future. I only need to know that I am the most important person in your heart and mind, and that your plans for the future include me."

Michael lifted his head and met Oni's gaze. Her face is slightly swollen and there are bruises, and he never saw a girl more beautiful than Oni. It must be because she is smiling at him.

He lifted her right hand with his left one and kissed the back of her palm.

"I was afraid that I am going to lose you.", Michael murmured into her hand. "I was afraid because regardless of what happens to me, I don't want a future without you."

Oni's smile widened at his words which mean that she IS part of his future. She tightened her hold on him and indicated that she wants to get up. He helped her to sit up on the bed and they held each other in silence.

As much as Oni is happy that both of them are alive and that they are together, she has many questions. "Can you tell me how did we get out of there? Where are we?"

Michael inched away to see her face and he decided to start from the beginning. "I saw her on the street…"

"Jesse?"

Michael confirmed. "I thought that I saw a ghost. I was convinced that she died on my last mission in Egypt. My mind was instantly a mess and I needed to confirm if that is her. I thought that if I can see how that is not Jesse, I would affirm that I was not fooled to think that she is dead; and if it is her then I would ask her so many questions. And with that… I forgot about the danger." He looked at her apologetically. "I am so sorry, Oni."

Oni didn't respond. She looked at him in silence and waited to hear the rest.

"I don't remember anything after entering the building. When I came around, I was strapped to the chair and she was asking me how I got there…" Michael skipped parts where he was tortured and he had difficulty talking about seeing her through the screen in front of him but he explained that they used signal jammers which made their devices useless.

"Aiden and Sarah got a notification when both of us went completely offline and they rushed from Romania to rescue us… We are in LA Medical Center and you had surgery. Your finger is reattached, and the surgery was a success. In a few weeks, they will remove the cast, and then they can confirm the functionality of your finger. Anna did the surgery; she is sleeping now…"

"What happened to you?", Oni asked while gently touching the cast on Michael's right hand.

Michael exhaled. He can see that she is worried about him, and he does not want to make it worse, but she asked him a question, and he needs to answer. He decided to keep it short. "My fingers are broken."

He saw that Oni frowned, and he added: "Anna and Emma assured me that my hand will be good as new after the rehabilitation."

"Those bandages are going high for broken fingers. And your left hand does not have a cast but it's still bandaged.", Oni continued probing.

He looked at his left hand which looks like a big white mitten made out of gauze. "I was electrocuted. Some of my nails came off…"

Oni inhaled a shaky breath and urged him to continue.

"I have cuts on my forearms.", he explained vaguely and refused to say more. "Can we not talk about it?"

Oni smiled sadly. "OK."

Michael saw that Oni's mood is getting worse and he tried to comfort her: "Whatever it is, it will heal. Anna treated both of us and there is no condition that she can't fix. And you know that Sarah has that cream which can do magic."

At the mention of Sarah's cream, Oni thought of another thing: "Are Sarah and Aiden angry?"

"Probably. Based on the reports coming into the army of Chaos, there are no more Shadow Ravens. And we have new bases in Europe."

Oni was relieved that Michael didn't say that Sarah and Aiden are angry at the two of them for messing up. She also observed that Michael said this without any emotions. "You don't care that they are wiped out?"

Michael shook his head, indicating that he doesn't. "I wanted to know what happened, and now I know. Jesse sold me out. Actually, she didn't. She followed the protocol. The organization found me and my teammates as non-necessary and Jesse's job was to dispose of us."

"What happened to her?"

Michael understood that Oni is asking about Jesse. Oni was knocked out by anesthesia during the whole flight, and she is not aware that they brought Jesse with them to the United States.

"She is the main base, here in Los Angeles. Aiden and Sarah suggested that we decide on her punishment but there is no rush. Take your time and heal, we will talk about it later. She is imprisoned and not going anywhere."

Oni smiled. She knows that it was only a few hours, but her time in that room seemed like an eternity in which she feared that she will not see Michael ever again. Talking to him about things that will come later sounds magical. "Can you promise me one thing?"

"Anything.", Michael said without missing a beat.

Oni looked him straight in the eyes and spoke while trying to prevent her voice from breaking: "From now on, we will do everything together. If you think that you saw a ghost and you wish to chase after it, don't leave me behind."

Michael's lips curved up. "I promise. I will never leave you behind."

Oni moved closer and kissed him.

"I love you, Michael.", she whispered.

"I love you, Oni…", he whispered back.

Oni's heart fluttered. This is the first time he said it straight like this, with words. She leaned onto him, and even with heavy anesthetic, she felt their bodies pressing on each other and it was heavenly.

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