Nate wanted to get the team back on track with their latest mark. They had plenty of planning to do to make sure things went as smoothly as possible. No matter what Nathan Ford was or did, he always put the safety of the team first. He really hated taking unnecessary risks. Nate wasn't sure if this woman was an unnecessary risk or not but Sophie was convinced the girl needed their help.

"She's off the grid. Whatever aliases she's used or is using aren't raising any flags with any government agencies. She's good at staying under the radar." Hardison explained

"What happened when she was 18 or 20?" Nate questioned

"Well, I'm not sure." Hardison stated with a frown, "Something happened but I haven't found what just yet."

Eliot could think of a few reason why she stayed off the grid. None of them were very good. He stood up and headed down to the Brewery to make a few phone calls. Vance was the best person he could call. He knew the importance of discretion. Colonel Vance was quite surprised to hear from Eliot. They talked for a little while before Vance promised to send him all the information he could gather. Eliot thanked his former commander before ending their call.

He needed to know who this woman was. What she had done. What had been done to her? If anyone could dig up dirt on her it would be Vance. Hardison was good but sometimes things are only on paper. If there were no computer files then Hardison would be out of luck. Vance could get him some real Intel on this woman. This woman who, and he would never admit it to anyone, reminded so much of himself.

He headed into the kitchen to check on their staff. Hardison may have bought the Micro-Brewery but he had turned it into a real restaurant. He was just checking things out making sure they were doing what he had instructed them too. Satisfied that the kitchen was running flawlessly, he headed back into their headquarters. Having had enough discussion on the young woman, Nate got the team back on track with their mark and what con would be best. Unceremoniously Eliot plopped down in his seat in between Parker and Sophie.

As Hardison had begun really digging through more seedy files, he discovered their mark had some information on a lowbie mob guy. If the Mob knew he had such information then they would surely do whatever they could to get it back. Nate had to give it to the redhead. She had pretty well nailed what they should do. How could they contact her to bring her into this con? While Nate and Hardison were going over plans, Sophie was creating the characters they were to be using should they need them during the con.

Around 5pm Eliot headed down to the Brewpub to gather some ingredients for the dinner he was preparing for everyone when his eyes landed on the mysterious redhead. She had just been seated at a small table in the shadows of the pub. Before he forgot what he was doing, he headed into the kitchen to get his ingredients. Once he had everything he had come for, he moved to stand next to her table.

"We were wondering how we were going to contact you." He stated, voice low and almost growling

"Breakfast was good so I thought I would come and see if the restaurant did decent supper as well." She stated, unconsciously looking around

"Come on up and have dinner with us." Eliot stated, "You won't be sorry."

It had really been a long while since she had anyone to have dinner with. Breakfast had been the first time in nearly 3 years to be exact. His blue eyes staring at her, waiting for an answer, suddenly made her shake her head yes. She wasn't sure why. He flashed her a soft smile before nodding his head towards the stairs. She followed the tall brunette up to the headquarters. Sophie was quite surprised to see Eliot return with Zoe in tow.

She greeted the young woman cordially as Parker settled on the couch. Hardison was still doing his research. Sophie found a seat with Nate at his table to go over things. Zoe was once again feeling out of place. This is why she never felt the need to find another family. With nothing better to do, she walked over to the bar that over looked the kitchen and found a seat. She dropped her bag quietly at her feet as she watched what Eliot was doing.

He seemed to so at ease as he chopped the onions and celery he'd gotten from downstairs. The man she had accidently bumped into was uptight and ready to fight. This guy was calm and almost at home here in the kitchen. He didn't say a word to her as he worked on chopping his vegetables before getting to chopping up and boiling potatoes. What was he creating? She was certain she couldn't create anything worth anything.

Eliot turned to check on the pot roast that had been simmering since before breakfast. It was nearly falling apart as it was picked up. The Hitter smiled to himself seeing his dinner coming together nicely. It wouldn't take the potatoes long to cook then he could begin making gravy. She watched as he got a large skillet out, poured a little bit of cooking oil in it, and then slid in the whole chopped onion and celery.

Sophie sat with Nate watching Zoe watching Eliot. She couldn't help but wonder what the redhead was thinking. Where did Eliot find her? How did he get her to come back up here? Sophie hadn't seen either of them speak a word to one another as Eliot continued cooking and she sat there watching him. The girl was petite but quite fit. She was wondered just how she got the better of Eliot?

An hour of silence later Eliot was calling everyone to the dinner table. He had to remind himself to set out 6 plates instead of the usual 5. Zoe found a seat at the far end of the table closest to the door. Nate sat at the head of the table with Sophie on his left and Eliot on his right. Parker sat on Sophie's left with Hardison directly in front of her. Zoe watched as Eliot sat down a plate of slow-cooked pot roast, mashed potatoes, thick brown gravy, caramelized onions and celery, and hot buttered what looked to be homemade rolls.

Everyone was quiet for a bit as they ate dinner. Parker, being her usual self, couldn't take the silence much more.

"So where are you from?" She questioned making everyone look at her

Zoe looked at the blond in surprise. Nate looked up to see if she was going to answer. Eliot looked over to her to see how she reacted.

"Texas originally." She stated apprehensively

Eliot was quite surprised to hear her tell them. Of course she could be lying to them. She really didn't have a reason to tell them the truth.

"Where did you grow up? If you didn't stay in Texas?" Parker questioned innocently

It had been a long time since anyone had asked her these simple questions. Her natural paranoia was kicking in and she began to wonder if she really hadn't walked into a trap. The last time anyone had asked her these type of questions, well…... it hadn't really ended all that well.

"All over really." Zoe replied

Her answers bothered Nate. She was being very vague and almost secretive. What was she hiding? Was Eliot right when he said someone was after her?

"Where did you learn to fight like you did?" Sophie asked, just wanting to get to know the young woman better

Zoe shrugged, "On the streets mostly. I had some teachers along the way though."

Eliot knew better. He'd seen a few of her moves before but hadn't realized it until now.

"Would you like to join us on our next job?" Nate asked

His question seemed to shock the young woman. Was he offering her a job? Was it a trick? Was it a set up? Sophie smiled warmly at the young woman. Zoe darted her eyes over to Eliot who was merely staring at her as he sipped his beer.

"Uh. Ok. I guess." She stated uncertainly