It was quiet over the next few days. Nikita's threat seemed to have rattled Percy. There hadn't been a sign of Division or an active mission since. Yet the team couldn't completely relax. The bastard had obtained nuclear material. Whatever he was planning had to have been awful. The team needed to stop it before it could even start. Ryan analyzed relevant data in the quiet of his own safehouse, while the rest of them brainstormed ways they could finally kill Percy. Alex suggested they look at the banking information he had given her a while back, when she needed funds to get to Russia. Birkhoff took that and ran with it, leaving the others to just wait.
Well, wait impatiently for Shadownet/Shadowbot to do its thing as they trained and readied their equipment for the next op. Sean, on the other hand, was in and out of the safehouse, having to spend time with his other team and his other sisters. They couldn't fault him for needing to check in with his Seal commanders. Yet Michael ensured he looped Nikita in on what was happening with Jill and Sandy. She shouldn't have to remain separated from her family. She appeared to have bounced back from the hell Brandt put her through. But it had still been a rough few days. Alex couldn't help but wrap her in a hug one morning, "I'm sorry about your mom."
"I'm okay," Nikita replied softly. Strangely, the two of them hadn't really talked about what happened. The siblings talked about losing both of their parents. Nikita actually opened up to Michael about Brandt and how she felt over everything. He had reassured her with his own stories of his late parents, and that what had happened hadn't changed who she was or how he saw her. Yet, besides some things here and there, Alex and Nikita hadn't spoken at all. They should've. The young woman had helped the rogue's brother, after all. And the women shared so much in common already. It would've been beneficial to talk.
"You sure?" Alex certainly agreed with the idea, even if Nikita was hesitant to keep discussing her heartache. Her friend had made her open up and talk through all of her emotions over getting clean, and grieving her family, and dealing with her mother being alive and choosing Semak, and of course handling Semak in general. After all of that, why would she allow the rogue to continue not talking. She didn't have to hold onto the pain of her family by herself anymore. She had her whole team for support.
Fighting an eye roll, Nikita pulled back from the hug to smile at Alex. She appreciated the sentiment- she did. It was simply that she was all talked out. Michael followed through with his promise to teach her to love herself. It just required a lot of talking, and kissing; though, she didn't mind that at all. And, as much as Alex has been a great friend and a wonderful support system, she wasn't the person Nikita wanted to talk to the most. She didn't know when she could talk to those people again, "Yeah. Yeah. It's just… I kind of wish I could talk to my sisters."
"You can talk to me," With a gentle squeeze to her biceps, Alex made certain that Nikita couldn't escape. She had said they were family once- like sisters. That had to count for something. Although the young woman was fully aware that she couldn't compete or compare with the rogue's real sisters, she thought she could be a close second. They were best friends, anyway, and the first to team up and work together in that shitty war with Division and all the other groups just like them. Nikita had to talk to her one way or another.
"That's right. And we can talk while doing yoga," Once she realized Alex wouldn't back down, Nikita compromised. If her best friend wanted to have a conversation, then they would do it her way. How did that stupid saying go- every good compromise ended with both parties a little disappointed. Alex might have gotten Nikita to agree to open up, but she hated that it had to involve yoga. She was always too wound up for the exercise to effectively ease her muscles. Also, the rogue moved way too fast for her lack of skills to keep up.
"Have fun," Michael didn't move or say anything to help Alex as Nikita dragged her to the livingroom. He had caught the end of their conversation after checking in on Birkhoff's progress, and he absolutely agreed with the decision. His girlfriend had to keep expressing her feelings, especially to those who would understand her. She could never get too wrapped up in her head again. Those negative thoughts should never exist. Being active as she talked helped her battle her demons the most. It kept the focus not completely on her.
"Nice down-dog or whatever," In the middle of the women's conversation, Sean entered the safehouse and threw something at his sister. The team was usually active whenever he returned to the safehouse; they trained a lot. Practicing yoga was a nice change of pace. However, he wouldn't allow himself to think over that slight pause he had at seeing Alex stretching while in leggings. It wasn't the time or the place, especially with his nosey sister nearby. He had to focus on other things, such as the object Nikita absentmindedly threw back at him. He caught it with ease, "Oh. Okay. I can't tear Pooh Bear's eye, but you can throw him."
"Give me him," Instantly springing upright, Nikita launched herself at her brother. She was confused about what he was talking about. But the mention of her old stuffed animal had her sprinting towards him. He tossed the box he had had in his arms onto the couch, and held the bear above his sister's head. It felt amazing to finally be bigger and taller than her. He could taunt her for a change. However, he still wasn't faster. She poked harshly at his side until he dropped his arms. She grabbed Pooh Bear and ran away.
While the siblings were up to their usual antics, Alex moved to explore the box Sean had dropped. Along the side read 'Nikita's things' in thick black marker, and the tape that had been sealing it shut appeared to have been cut open recently. Curiosity got the better of the young woman, and she pulled open the flaps. Inside were a ton of photographs, some trophies and medals, a soccer ball, and a lot of CDs and books. She instantly went for the pictures. The first to catch her eyes was of Nikita, Jill, and Sandy as toddlers jumping on who she assumed was their dad as a baby Sean laughed, "Awe. Look at the babies. You guys were so cute. What happened?"
The Pierces flashed Alex the same annoyed look, causing her to laugh. Whereas Sean quickly returned to torturing his sister, Nikita became distracted by the picture that was found. She crossed over to Alex, and gasped at the sight of her old things. The box explained how she was holding her favorite toy again; someone must've packed up a few of her belongings after she had 'died'. Continuing to hold Pooh with one hand, she dug through the contents with the other. Michael was soon drawn by the commotion, wondering as he neared the box, "What is all this?"
"Jill, Sandy, and I began to clean out our mom's house. We found a box of Nikita's things in the attic. I think she was saving it for when you could finally come home," Quietly, Sean explained. Packing up their mother's belongings seemed to make her death so final. After a while, he needed a break. Nikita's old things were the perfect excuse to get out of there. He told Jill and Sandy that he would keep the box at his apartment. Although that was true, he would hold onto her things until his sister came home, he thought Nikita should look through it first.
"Glad to know your music and reading tastes didn't change between highschool and Division," Changing the subject, Michael teased Nikita for her CD and book collection. They were the same genres as the books and CDs she grabbed as recruit prizes, before he started making recommendations on what she should read or listen to. Those were based on his own favorites and opinions, however, so he couldn't make too harsh of judgements on what she liked. The look she shot him expressed as much.
"Well, I was still a teenage girl," Under any other circumstances, Nikita would've said that fact with anger. Division essentially kidnapping her when she was in highschool continued to sting. She might've just turned eighteen, but she was still a child about to start her life- just as Alex was when she was recruited at nineteen. Then wasn't the time to delve into all that, however. Nikita had made the comment to tease Michael about their age difference. It was something she had joked about before, yet it still wasn't appreciated by her boyfriend.
"Yeah, and an annoying one at that," Interrupting Michael before he could make his own taunt, Birkhoff joined the others as he took a break from his computer searches. The quip rolled easily off his tongue, earning him an agreeing nod from Sean. Nikita elbowed the nerd sharply as he passed, yet he was too distracted by the contents of the box to react. Everyone's focus had shifted to just how many photographs there were. The edges were curled or ripped from being tacked to a wall and then thrown in a storage box, but the memories were well preserved.
When she was younger, Nikita liked to keep the pictures that showed how chaotic her life was. They were either candid snapshots of wild moments with friends, teammates, pets, and family, or of posed photos that had gone wrong. Laughter and stories floated around the team as they took turns reminiscing childhoods. Michael was surprised to learn there were extended Pierce family members as well. But, of course Nikita wouldn't have talked about them. It was the same reason he hardly talked of all the family he lost. Fortunately, before they dived into that, Alex squealed over another picture, "Oh my God, was this your car? You guys look so pissed."
"Our parents believed kids should have a shitty car. Made us work hard to earn and then appreciate the nice stuff. So, we all shared it as we drove from school to practice and to work," Sean laughed, explaining why he, Nikita, Jill, and Sandy were all upset about the car they were given. Sure they had learned valuable lessons by paying for their own gas and having to take care of their car. But having to share something so horrible with their siblings was the worst. Though, Sean had gotten off somewhat lucky. He had a different car once he turned sixteen.
"I can still feel the cracked leather seats and the heat from the busted A/C in my first car," Chuckling, Michael shared. When he was a teenager, having a terrible car was the worst thing in the world. But as an adult, he looked back at the memories fondly. At least the good memories, anyway. That was the team's focus, only sharing the things from their childhood that made them laugh. They had had enough tragedy lately, they needed a light moment. Exploring fun memories and photos seemed like the best way to do that.
"Ours smelled like B.O and grease thanks to sports and working fast food. The horn barely worked, and we had to slam on the brakes to stop. I'm surprised we never died in that piece of shit," And it was, until one off hand comment by Nikita. She didn't think anything of it. Neither did Michael, Alex, or Birkhoff. They continued to giggle and tell stories. Yet Sean paused. There was a reason he had driven a different car than his sisters. Their first car had been totaled- a result of a crash that was thought to have occurred because the car didn't run right.
"You did die," His voice was emotionless. Sean didn't want to kill the mood, however, Nikita did die while driving that car. It might've been faked to get her recruited into Division, yet it had been very real at the time. Hell, it remained real for Jill and Sandy, and their father had died never knowing the truth. Laughter vanished instantly. Guilt ate away at Nikita for her phrasing. She should've kept her mouth shut about the car. Instead of joking around, she should've stopped herself from telling childhood tales. It would've only led to that point. There was no use in bringing up their past when they knew it ended in pain.
A happy ending didn't exist for them; it just wasn't their fate. Michael thought otherwise, however. His evidence was his favorite picture he had found. It was of Nikita when she was about six. She was dirty and bloody after a soccer game, and a popsicle was melting in her hand as she tried to hold a ball that was too big for her. Despite that, she was so unbelievably happy. That would be the team one day- it had to. They'd survive hell with bright smiles on their faces. In the meantime, they stood awkwardly. Until Birkhoff pulled out the same ball that was in the picture from the box, "Man, this ball is beat to hell. No wonder you weren't allowed nice things."
"Ms. Bennet was the one who drew on the wildflowers. She said it'd help me remember how strong I could be," Glad for the distraction, Nikita couldn't help but share where the doodles on her old soccer ball had originated. Carla Bennet continued to be a sore subject with her betrayal and death. However, the wildflowers were a gentle memory. Maybe that was just how the past would be for her- for the team. It was a mixture of good and bad. They had to wade through the weight and focus on the things that held them afloat, no matter how difficult it was.
"You wanna go kick it around outside? Boys versus girls?" Alex stole the ball from Birkhoff and did her best to bring the mood back up to what it was. Although the nerd rolled his eyes, he was game to get out of the safehouse. Michael jumped on board as well. The only hesitancy came from the Pierce siblings. Sean continued to struggle with his memories of the car crash and his life without his sister. And Nikita strived to think of ways to apologize for her comment and make it better for her brother. Both were at a loss of what to do.
"Come on, I've been dying to kick your ass in soccer since you were a recruit," Luckily, it wasn't just them. Someone else could take the burden. Michael nudged Nikita, and recalled a long ago conversation of theirs. It was another memory that proved her bittersweet theory. She had been drowning at Division at the time, but her handler was her lifeline. He had shown her that there were people who still cared about her. A smile couldn't be stopped from blooming across her features. It made her boyfriend grin brightly in return.
"Oh, you're on, old man," Until her smile turned into a daring smirk, and she dashed out to the beach with another quip about their age difference. Nikita also threw Pooh Bear at Sean to snap him out of his thoughts. He chased after her in retaliation, followed by Michael, Alex, and Birkhoff. The team was far from perfect and far from healed. Yet they would be alright. They simply had to talk, move forward, and know their friends would always support them. Just like in their happy memories, they weren't alone.