This is my version of 'All The Way' and moves on from there.

All The Right Moves

Chapter One: Grenade

"A journey of a thousand miles, must begin with a single step" - Lao Tzu

Flashback

The pain in her chest increased with every step she ran. The escape hatch was getting closer and closer. Not long until she would finally be free. The alarms were deafening; the bold red lights, blinding. But that didn't stop her. Nothing could...

"Alex! Stop!" she recognized the voice immediately. Shit, what now? Slowly she turned round, hands in the air. Confusion ran over her face, as she took in his appearance. His suit jacket was missing, his hair stuck up in odd places, and he was unarmed. Not what she had expected.

"Thom, I can explain. I can, but..I have to go. I have to go and you can't stop me." It almost sounded like a challenge.

"Yes, I can. I have to. You need to come back with me right now, or it all ends here. I can't let you do that, it's not supposed to end this way. I've worked too damn hard for this." So have I. Wait, what?

"Thom? I don't...what are you talking about? What's not supposed to end this way?" Her arms were still raised, only they had adopted a more defensive position, up in front of her.

"We don't have time. In a few seconds, there will be a unit coming down this hall to secure the area, and we can't be here when they do" he replied, casting a quick glance over his shoulder. What the heck is going on?

"I don't believe you" she countered. How did she know he hadn't signalled the guards to capture her? As far as she had been told, Thom had been loyal to Division from the minute he was recruited.

"I know you don't believe me, Alex, but you have got to trust me. The minute I heard that you captured Nikita, I knew something like this would go down..." The sound of several pairs of boots hitting the floor echoed down the hallway. "Shit, Alex. Just...just trust me? Please?"

He could see the indecision on her face. She had to get out, but a part of her also trusted him. She had to find out what he was up to. If all else failed, Nikita would be here soon. If Thom's explanation didn't hold up, or didn't sound right, then she could leave with her. She was suspicious. She had never questioned Thom's loyalty to Division - until now. Something wasn't right, but Alex had a feeling it could work to her advantage. In a split second of impulse, she grabbed his outstretched hand, and he pulled her through a set of doors, into a darkened stairwell Alex had never seen before. Mere seconds after the doors clicked shut, a team of heavily-armed security guards stormed past.

They stood up against the wall, breathing heavily, until the footsteps fell silent. Thom ran a hand roughly through his hair, before speaking quietly, as if erring on the side of caution.

"Stairwells aren't monitored, we can talk here." Alex was beyond pissed.

"You're damn right we can talk!" she all-but yelled. "You can tell me what the hell is going on!" Just as Thom opened his mouth to speak, a new, different alarm sounded.

"Nikita" he breathed. "She's making her move." With that, Alex moved to rush past him, but he was quicker, and pulled her back to him.

"No. I told you - you're not going anywhere."

"What do you mean, ugh...will you just let go of me?" she spat out, uselessly struggling against him. He was definitely much stronger than she was.

Once again, Thom's response was cut off, this time by a new set of footsteps. He moved to the doors, cracking one open slightly, before yanking on the handle and stepping out fully into the hall.

This, Nikita hadn't expected. She certainly hadn't expected the young agent to pull Alex from his hiding place, either.

"What's your name again?" she yelled over the alarm, rapidly moving towards them. "Oh yeah. Thom? MOVE. You're not stopping us. Come on, Alex, we have to go." Thom stepped aside to let Nikita pass, but held onto Alex's arm tightly.

"That's where you're wrong, Nikita. You're free to leave, but Alex is staying with me." Nikita snorted.

"Look kid, you're seriously getting in the way here. Don't try to be a hero. Let Alex go, and I won't have to kick your ass. For the third time in a row" she smirked.

"NO. She stays, or it all goes to Hell. Now, you've got about three minutes before they're on your tail, so I really don't have time to explain anything. You wanna know why Alex has to stay here, then just ask him."

This caught her by surprise. "Ask who?"

"Owen."

End flashback.

Alex waited patiently as Michael unlocked the door to the apartment and led her inside. It was compact, but that was all she needed. Black granite countertops, black appliances, black couch. Alex could sense a theme here. The open-plan kitchen and lounge was decorated minimally, but tastefully. A glass coffee table and large flat-screen TV filled the rest of the space around the couch. A tall lamp stood in one corner, while a pair of white printed curtains closed over the bay window. The kitchen and lounge connected via a wooden step down. She'd have to remember that, or things could get painful. Upon Michael's impromptu tour, Alex discovered that the door to the left gave access to the bedroom, and another left from there took her into the ensuite bathroom. Overall, not too shabby for her first ever apartment, she just wished it could have been achieved under different circumstances. Remembering what she had done to get this apartment, and the promotion, sent chills down her spine. She shivered involuntarily.

"...but I'd try to avoid knocking any walls down, if I were you." Michael's words brought Alex back to the present, and he smirked at her expression.

"Good job I don't give pop quizzes, huh?" he joked as he moved to settle on the couch. Not an easy feat with a hole in his leg. Alex moved to the window and opened the curtains, mid-afternoon sunlight streaming in.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Everything ok, Alex?" She turned to face him slowly, noticing the concern both in his voice, and on his face. "I know you two didn't exactly get along, but it still must have affected you? Knowing Jaden was lying to you, all along? And I know you may think that canceling her was extreme, but we have no use for someone like her in Division. We're already stronger for getting rid of her."

"No, I understand, I just...didn't expect it." Liar. "Jaden always seemed like she genuinely wanted to be here."

"That's how a good mole works" Michael replied, unaware of the compliment he just gave Alex. "They infiltrate so deep that no one ever suspects them. Well, apart from Thom of course." He sighed and leaned back. "Had to be one of my recruits, didn't it?"

"Um, sorry. Thom? What's he got to do with it?" Keep it up, Alex. Lying had become second nature to her.

"You didn't hear?" Of course she had. "According to Thom, as soon as Nikita was captured, Jaden started acting strange. He noticed it, and went to Percy. He requested a group of guards bring Jaden to him, but they couldn't find her. She was conveniently absent from training before and during Nikita's escape. When she finally came back, the guards found the security equipment on her." He shook his head, clearly reliving the moment he'd been told he had been training a traitor.

Thom's plan was good. Take the access card from Alex, ask Jaden to meet him away from the training mats, plant the card in her hoody pocket, then go to Percy with his 'suspicions'. To ensure her conviction, Thom had returned the fingerprint copy to her, telling Jaden 'she should be the one to take the credit for discovering Alex'. It had worked perfectly, and Alex was clear. But the guilt was there, all the time. No matter how much she had hated Jaden, she didn't want her dead.

After her debrief with Percy, things took off for Alex. She'd been whisked off to Amanda, who had taken delight in organizing her new wardrobe; seen Birkhoff who had hooked her up with a cell phone, GPS device and numerous other gadgets; and taken her new car for a test drive with Michael. She hadn't seen Thom in over 48 hours, but boy did he have some explaining to do. She still had no idea why she had trusted him in the first place, but when Nikita had given her approval after a few private words with Thom back in the hall, that had been good enough for Alex. If Nikita agreed, then so did she.

"Anyway, I'm supposed to have you back at Division soon. Dante wants to fit your for your pieces."

"Pieces?" Alex queried.

"Pieces" Michael confirmed. " You know, firearms? Now you're an Agent you have to carry, at all times."

"Right," she took a deep breath. "Carry at all times. Got it."

"Good" Michael grimaced, trying to stand up. Alex stepped forward to help him, but he brushed her away. "Thanks, but I got it." The pain on his face told a different story. One which Alex wasn't about to stick with.

"Look, you're pretty much a cripple right now. Let me help you. I'm not having you do yourself a mischief on my watch, buddy" she smirked, trying to lighten the situation. A through-and-through was no laughing matter, but Alex could see Michael fighting to stay behind his macho exterior. Even the toughest needed a little help sometimes.

"Cripple? Just you wait until the doc clears me." He stepped back up into the kitchen, admittedly with a light touch from Alex. On his way out of the apartment, he muttered something.

"I'll give you cripple..."

Ok, just a short one to get you into it. How much did 'All The Way' suck? The acting sure was great, and the overall plot, but Thom dying? Silverstein, not cool!

I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think. Next chapter will be up on Monday.

Harriet x