Author's Note: Hello world, tis I and I bringth another update. I know I usually post new chapters at the same time for both my fics but I just get this beta'd chapter today. Shouts out to SparkyGirl123 and I hope you feel better. To the wonderful readers iut there just know that I appreciate every single one of you. You guys are the reason I write and have so much fun doing so. Now on to the disclaimer:

Disclaimer: I do not own this show.

My Brother's Keeper

Chapter Ten

A few days later the Ward siblings were getting used to living in a secret base. They were given rooms in an empty hall that was housed by no one but them. Coulson suggested putting them closer to the team but the three decided against it. Grant wasn't anyone's favorite person at the moment and the siblings didn't want to place him in a situation he wasn't prepared for.

Because Rose could feel the emotions of everyone around her she mostly stayed in her room or with her brothers. So far she hadn't been so emotional that she caused another thunderstorm but her body and head ached from all the foreign feelings. She found herself sleeping as a way to balance out the onslaught of emotions.

Thomas treated the new living situation by spending most of the time in his room sleeping, watching Netflix, and spending time with Grant. To him it was all the things he would be doing if he was back at his apartment in LA. Granted he would spend at least one night a week at a bar catching up with friends but getting to know his brother again was worth the move.

Grant, however, never left his room if possible. When he was hungry either Rose or Thomas brought him some food from the kitchen. He showered extremely early in the morning to make sure he never ran into anyone from the team. If he wanted a change of scenery he simply moved to Rose or Thomas's room and together they would either talk or watch a movie. It was nice being surrounded by people who actually cared about him.

"Are you ready?"

Grant looked up from the book he was reading and sighed. True to his word Coulson set up an appointment with a therapist to help Grant begin the healing process. While Grant was for the therapy in the beginning now he was doubting whether or not it was a good idea. "Honestly no," he replied, putting the book in his lap. "The thought of baring my soul to a complete stranger does not sound like fun to me."

"That's because it's not," answered Rose as she sat down next to him on the bed. "I'm not gonna lie to you talking to a therapist will be hard. Really hard."

"She's telling the truth," Thomas said as he walked into the room as well. He and Rose knew that today was Grant's first therapy session and they wanted to show their support. They knew better than anyone what therapy was going to consist of. "They will ask questions and while you'd rather stick a hot fire poker in your mouth than answer it's necessary that you do. It's how you heal."

"But John said-"

Rose hated hearing Grant speak John's name. "John is dead," snapped Rose. "He's dead and you're alive and it's time to start making amends. But before you can do that you have to heal yourself or else you won't be any good to anyone."

"I just don't want to disappoint you guys."

"This isn't about us Grant. This is about you and finally figuring out what makes you happy. It's time for you to find yourself," said Thomas contently. "I mean look at us. Our family did whatever they could to tear us down and somehow we survived. You will too."

Rose nodded. "You're a survivor Grant. Now come on, you have an appointment to get to."

Sighing, Grant stood and allowed himself to be dragged out of his room by his sister and taken to where the session was to take place. The three siblings entered the room to find an older woman already there, sitting behind the desk, and writing. She looked up when she saw them enter.

"Hi, you must be Agent Ward," she said, smiling as she stood. "I'm Dr. Evans."

"Actually I'm not really an agent anymore so you can just call me Grant."

"Well Grant, it's a pleasure to meet you. Please, have a seat," she said kindly as she gestured towards the sofa in front of him.

"Okay," he replied and turned to Rose and Thomas. "You guys can go now. I'll be fine," he reassured.

Rose stood on her toes and pressed a kiss against Grant's cheek. "Okay. We'll be waiting for you when you finish," she said, smiling softly.

Grant gave her a knowing smirk. "Let me guess, in my room."

"Where else would we be?" chuckled Thomas "Come on Rose," he said as he threw his arm around her shoulder. "See you soon."

Once they were gone, Grant took a seat while Dr. Evans closed the door and locked it. Then she grabbed her notepad from the desk and took in seat in front of her new patient who, like most people, looked extremely nervous. She gave him a gentle smile as she opened the notepad and leaned back.

"So," she asked politely. "Shall we begin?"

They were on their way back to their rooms, Thomas's arm still over Rose's shoulder when Thomas felt his sister shudder. "Are you alright?" he asked concerned.

"Honestly, no," she answered fearfully. "I just keep thinking that this was all some elaborate hoax just to get Grant here and when our backs are turned they're going to take him away."

Thomas smiled. "Pretty elaborate hoax if you ask me. Paying for our apartment, moving us onto the base, letting us bond with Grant. Really elaborate scheme."

"It's not funny Tommy," she mumbled irately.

"I'm just messing with you Rosie," he stated, shaking her gently against him. "But you have to admit I'm right and you have nothing to worry about."

Sighing, Rose laid her head on Thomas's shoulder. "I'm being stupid aren't I," she giggled bashfully.

"A little bit yeah."

"He's gonna be fine right."

"I think Grant is going to be more than fine."

"So Grant before we begin let me tell you a little about myself. I am Dr. Pamela Evans. I've been a psychiatrist for almost ten years. I used to have my own practice but now I do consultations for S.H.I.E.L.D. I have agreed to do these sessions with you for however long I see fit. Do you have any questions?"

"How much has Coulson told you about me?" asked Grant timidly.

"Not much but he did give me your file. I have to say I am quite surprised you are still alive."

"Why?"

"Well you did try to commit suicide three times while you were in S.H.I.E.L.D's custody. Why didn't you try again after you escaped?" she asked curiously.

Grant shrugged. "I don't know," he sighed. "I guess I didn't want to die anymore. I wanted to make things right."

"And did you?"

"If I had I wouldn't be here."

"So you failed again?" Dr. Evans stated curtly.

Grant suddenly became uncomfortable, squirming slightly. "Um-"

"Would you consider yourself a failure Grant?" she asked suddenly.

"Excuse me?"

Dr. Evans shrugged nonchalantly. "You failed John Garrett, failed to kill yourself, failed to make amends with your team. Every time you try and succeed you wind up failing," she finished with a crude chuckle.

"That's not true-"

"Isn't it? You never succeed at anything you try to accomplish so why will therapy be any different."

"It will be different because-"

"Because what Grant," she snapped abruptly, glaring at the man in front of her. "Because you actually want it too. How do I know you won't fail at this as well? Will that happen Grant? Will you fail at this too?"

"No."

"Why not? Why will this be any different from anything else you've ever tried to do?"

"Because I want to be here," he yelled, unable to bottle his emotions any longer. "I need to be here so I can be better person. I need to prove to myself that I can become a better person," he finished, chest heaving as he tried to calm himself. He looked back at his therapist to find her smiling at him.

"Now we can begin," she said happily.

"What was that?"

"I said those things to gauge your response. Working for this agency has allowed me to see just how far a trained specialist will go to convince everyone that they're fine. Even after suffering an emotional trauma they will continuously pretend that the therapy is working when they know deep down that it's not. Those patients, the ones that don't open up and aren't honest with themselves either find themselves at the bottom of a bottle or with a bullet in their brain," she said truthfully. "I had to make sure that this is something you wanted. That you, Grant Ward, want to be here because you want to change."

"I do. I want to be better."

Pamela smiled once more. "And you will be but only if you allow me to help you. That means you have to be honest with me. I'm going to ask you about your past, your family...John Garrett but I won't push you. I want you to come, speak when you're ready, and trust that I am here to help you. Will you allow me that Grant?" she asked tentatively.

He responded quickly. "Yes."

"That's a really good start. Now, tell me something about yourself. Who are you Grant Ward?"

It was a question he struggle with every day since Garrett's demise and he had yet to figure out the answer. "I don't know," he replied sadly, shaking his head.

Pamela simply smiled. "Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Together."

Tea. That's what Rose Ward needed most right now. While Thomas was lounging in Grant's room Rose discovered that what she desperately needed was a cup of steaming hot tea. Since arriving on the base her powers had left her feeling drained but today they were in overdrive by the fact that Grant was in distress. His feelings were causing her head to pound and her body to tense. Even though she tried to control herself, Thomas immediately became alert at the sound of the sky rumbling. He quickly suggested that she have some tea, offering to make it but Rose turned down his offer and went to do it herself.

Thunder could be heard in the distance as she placed the kettle on the stove. She cranked the heat up high so that the water would boil faster. The sooner she had her tea the better she would feel.

"Oh I didn't know anyone was in here."

While she hadn't talked to anyone from Grant's old team since the night they were caught, her brother had described everyone perfectly. The British accent was a dead giveaway as to who was currently behind her. Slowly, she turned around and leaned against the counter. "Agent Simmons," she said, smiling politely. "I'm just making myself some tea. I promise I will be out of your hair in a moment."

"That's alright," Jemma stammered nervously as she walked towards the refrigerator. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Jemma."

"Rose," she answered tersely. "But you already knew that."

"Yes, Skye told me."

"Of course she did."

"So how are things?" Jemma asked causally, opening the refrigerator door.

Sighing, Rose ran her fingers through her hair. "Can we not do this?"

Jemma was taken back. "I'm sorry?" she stated, confused.

"You don't have pretend that you actually want to have a conversation with me. I know how you feel about my brother and I know how you feel about me. Empath, remember," she declared, rolling her eyes. "I felt your indifference and disgust before you even entered the room and if you weren't so hungry you probably would have turned around without saying a word."

Now Jemma understood what was happening. Her body grew tense and her glare harden. "Surely you must understand that I harbor no ill feelings towards you but for your brother. You know what he did. He tried to kill me," she replied pointedly.

"I know and the fact that you're still alive proved that he didn't succeed."

"It doesn't make him any less a monster. We trusted Ward and to find out that he was Hydra the entire time hurt all of us deeply. I can't forgive him for what he did."

"No one's asking you too."

"How can you defend him?" the scientist scowled. "He's a murderer, he killed your parents and your brother for heaven sakes. He's a monster."

It was suddenly too much. Thunder filled the sky, its sudden occurrence startling Jemma. "Tell me Agent Simmons," hissed Rose angrily as she step forward. "How would you have turned out if you had a class A asshole for a father, a pill popping alcoholic for a mother, and a sadistic older brother who took pleasure in tormenting his siblings. What kind of person would you be if you were taken by a man who promised you a better life only to leave you stranded alone for five years and beat the shit out of you under the guise that he was making you stronger. What would you do when the man you deemed a father figure asked you to do things you weren't proud as a means to save his life. I'll tell you who you would be. You'd be my brother. You would be the one sitting in that room trying to figure out how to put the scrambled and tattered pieces of your life together."

As she spoke the thunder grew louder and closer with bright whips of lightening not far behind. "I don't care and if you like me or what you think of me because I'm not here for you. The only people that matter to me at the moment are Thomas and Grant. Not S.H.I.E.L.D, not your team, no one."

The whistle blew on the kettle and Rose turned her attention away from Jemma and concentrated on making her tea. Moments later she was done, the doctor still standing behind her with a frown on her face. "Oh, and if you decide to go out you should probably take an umbrella."

Rose grabbed her mug and left the kitchen leaving being a very stunned and speechless Jemma.

Therapy over, Grant left the office with a sad frown on his face. Parts of him were happy that someone actually wanted to listen to his side of events but other parts made him wonder if any of this was actually worth it. Rain beat heavily against the roof as Grant made his way to his room. He wondered briefly if the rain was naturally occurring and instantly received his answer when he walked into his room. Rose was sitting on his bed, eyes closed, mug in her hand.

"Is it me?" he asked, frowning.

"Some of it yeah," Rose answered honestly as she took a sip of her now partial warm team. "But most of it is me. I had a nasty run in with Agent Simmons."

"What happened?"

"What you expected would happen. She said some things, I got mad and defended you, and boom, thunderstorm."

"Are you okay?"

Rose waved her hand dismissively. "Fine, just tired."

"Where's Thomas?"

"In my room. We decided to watch a movie and now that you're here you can watch it with us."

"Okay."

"But we're not watching it in here. We are going to use that lovely entertainment lounge to watch our movie."

"But the team-"

"Can continuing doing what they've been doing. Ignoring us. We're going to be here for the next six months so they need to get use to seeing our faces because we aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Besides, we need to show an united front. We are Wards after all."

Grant chuckled at his sister's assertiveness. He couldn't deny that his sister was bossy, fiery, and all other characteristics that are assigned to red-heads. "If you say so Rosie."

"I do say so."

"Okay then what movie are we watching?"

"One that you are going to love. Ever seen City of Angels?"

Shaking his head he said. "No, can't say that I have."

Rose eyes twinkled with excitement. She stood up and grabbed his hand. "Then you are for a treat. Come on let's go," she said excitedly as she pulled him out of the room. A few moments later they were in the lounge and found Thomas sorting through a collection of DVD's in his hands.

Thomas looked up and gave them a smile. "I see she informed you of the plan."

Grant nodded and replied. "Yes, said that we were watching some movie called City of Angels."

"Aw come on," whined Thomas. "We didn't even decide on what we were watching and you picked already."

"Um...if you want me to calm down and the rain to stop then I get to pick the movie," declared Rose, hands on her hips.

Thomas gave his sister a pout. "But City of Angels. You've seen that like a thousand times already."

"And now it will be a thousand and one. We're watching it."

"Fine but I get to pick the next one. Deal," he offered.

Rose smiled and nodded in agreement. "Deal."

Thomas smiled as he placed the movie into the DVD player and grabbed the remote.

They had just settled down, Grant sitting in the middle, Rose on his left with Thomas opting to occupy the arm chair to the left of them. The movie had just started when Fitz and Lincoln walked into the room. The two men were surprised to see the siblings out of their rooms.

"What are you guys watching?" asked Lincoln curiously.

Rose turned and answered. "City of Angels."

"Good movie. Mind if I join you?"

Both Rose and Thomas looked to Grant to see if he was comfortable with the other man joining him. "Yeah, sure," nodding Grant without turning around. "If you want."

"Cool," the fellow Inhuman grinned as he sat down next to Grant. "How about you Fitz, you in?"

For a few moments the scientist felt conflicted. He hadn't spoken to Ward since that first night, unsure of how to approach the ex-specialist. "Sure, why not," he finally decided with a smile. "But we need popcorn."

Thomas nodded his head happily. "Oh good idea. I like popcorn," he grinned, smacking his lips together. "Okay we'll pause the movie while you go make popcorn. Extra butter."

"Really Tommy?"

"You don't want extra butter?"

Rose considering arguing but decided against it. After the day she was having she could use some comfort food. "Dammit extra butter," she grumbled disgruntle, folding her arms.

"I'll come with," offered Lincoln, standing.

Fitz nodded in approval. "Be back in a jiff," he told them.

Five minutes later the pair returned with four bowls of hot popcorn. Somehow Rose was able to convince Grant to trade seats with her so she could sit in the middle. Thomas rolled his eyes, knowing that his sister wanted nothing more than to sit beside Lincoln. Grant noticed too but didn't say anything, instead grunting and glaring heatedly at Lincoln's head.

"Now we can start," Rose replied giddily as she stuffed her mouth full of popcorn.

The credits were rolling when Rose turned to Grant with a smile on her face. There was no denying that City of Angels was one of her favorite movies and she watched it obsessively. "So what did you think?" she asked Grant curiously.

"Honestly," he began methodically. "I thought it was a pretty good movie," he said with a smile. "While I wasn't expecting that twist at the end I felt it was a more realistic approach to life. Just because you get what you want doesn't mean you get to keep it. However, it also doesn't mean that your life has to be over," Grant finished.

Rose nodded enthusiastically. "See. He gets it."

"Whatever," Thomas scowled, rolling his eyes. "I don't care what you say, this will never be my favorite movie."

"Idiot."

Thomas said nothing as he threw a piece of popcorn at his sister and laughed when it hit her in the face.

"That's how you wanna play." she growled as she grabbed her own popcorn and threw it at him. The battle raged on and soon everyone, including Grant, was engaged in the popcorn war.

Coulson was on his way to Ward's room, Skye to the kitchen, when they stopped dead in their tracks at the sight occurring in the entertainment room. In front of them were the Ward siblings, laughing and playing, as they threw popcorn at each other and at Lincoln and Fitz. They were surprised to see Grant interacting but even more surprised to actually hear Grant laughing and having fun. Actions they had never seen before.

Skye watched captivated by Grant and how happy he looked. Even before everything that happened with Hydra, when he was pretending to be their friends, she had never seen him smile so brightly. "Wow," she whispered after a few moments. "He sounds really happy."

Coulson grinned. "I think for the first time he really is."

"Maybe bringing him was a good idea after all."

"Oh there's no maybe about it Skye. It was a good idea," he said steadfastly as he walked into the lounge. "So who's cleaning this up?"

All five adults dropped their hands and turned to the director. They then looked around the room and immediately noticed the mess that they caused. After a few moments of silence and guilty stares Rose took a step forward, head down.

"Director Coulson."

"Yes Rose."

She looked up and quickly said. "Tommy started it," pointing at her brother before running past Coulson and Skye.

"Oh come on," cried Thomas, throwing his hands up and frowning. It had been a long time since Rose used this tactic and it was disheartening to see that she hadn't grown out of it.

Grant laughed loudly at his sister's escape and his brother's misfortune. It wasn't long before Fitz and Lincoln joined him, Coulson even smirking, while Thomas continued to frown.

"I'm not cleaning this up by myself."

The fluff, the bonding, the happiness is all so adorable. If you are not smiling right now then I did a terrible job with this chapter. And yes, I love City of Angels because it is a really good movie. Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls has been one of my favorite songs for years (sidenote that song will appear in this fic). I want to thank you all for reading and if you liked what you read let me know. Until next time,

Dance like no one is watching and if they are then give them a show. Jazz hands on three,

Ladycizzle.