It was the middle of a stormy afternoon before the team had returned to the office after their current job, and upon entering were greeted with the sight of their newest ally staring at the wall, staring at the weapon in her hand.
"Rose?" Eliot called out gently to gain her attention, carefully closing the space between the spy and his teammates. "Just put that down darlin', don't do anything we'll regret."
Slowly the redhead obeyed, setting the weapon by the open bottle of whiskey she'd purchased that morning after the meeting. India's deep, soulful, brown eyes where bloodshot from the mixture of alcohol and her tears the hitter noticed as he crouched in front of her running his thumb under each eye.
The faint Irish accent began to paint her words as it often did in times of distress, "El-" she trailed off turning to stare at the others behind him. With a shuddering breath she spoke again, "Take away my inhibitions, take away my solitude. Fire me up in your resistance and put me in the mood. Storm the walls around my prison, leave the inmates free the guards. Deal me up another future from some brand new deck of cards. Take the chip off of my shoulder, smooth out all the lines, take me out among the rustling pines, till it shines."
Quickly Sophie took the seat to the right of the shattered young woman, and Nathan to the left, both taking one of her hands and softly squeezing them. Everyone in the room knew what the 'it' the little redhead spoke of was, it was her trust in humans. That fragile trust had been utterly destroyed when she'd seen her parents burned alive by a man they thought they could trust.
"Kid?" Hardison called softly when the woman began to loose herself in the grief, gently squeezing her shoulder.
"Huh? What'd you say?" she murmured. Seeing the worry in her new co-worker's faces, India put up a weak smile and explained, "Recently some things have been like an echo down a canyon never coming back as clear. Lately I just judge the distance not the words I hear." Slowly she pulled away from the group moving to stare out the window, her arms crossed protectively over her chest. "I've been too long on these islands, I've been far too long alone. I've been too long without summer in this winter home," she sighed.
Carefully Eliot once again approached her, "Still, Rose, if we can make the effort, if we take the time, maybe you can leave the past behind and find your shine."
Cautiously she glanced towards the hitter, then the group as a whole, unease still showing in her rigid movements.
"I told you once Rose, your family now," Eliot stated gently reminding her of her recent near death encounter.
The others made various statements of agreement as they approached her. "We're a family Kid," Nate echoed, squeezing her shoulder softly, "And you're apart of that now."
"You may have lost one family in the past, but that's no reason to reject a new one now," Sophie added softly.
"Maybe," the sniper said softly as she glanced back out the window watching the clouds part to let the sun flood the room and cast a glow around her new friends. As she noticed this she smiled, and for the first time in three years she could feel her trust beginning to shine once more.