Author's note: I'm so sorry this one took so long. I can explain, for now enjoy the chapter. Thank you RStyle for beta reading. Enjoy.

What Will It Take?

Chapter 26

Ela let out a grunt as she was knocked onto her back, the wind knocked out of her.

"Too slow." Zofia chastised, "You keep leaving your left side vulnerable."

Ela got up and wiped the sweat off her forehead before returning to her fighting stance.

"Remember what we went over."

Ela nodded as she clenched her fists; Zofia didn't miss that.

Not willing to give her sister the chance to get the upper hand on her, Zofia swiftly went for a punch, which Ela quickly dodged effortlessly. She brought up her arms to deflect two more punches to her face. Zofia went for a kick but her target was barely able to jump away. The younger sister smirked as she noticed an opening before going for three quick jabs onto her sister, which caused her to rebound, Ela seized the opportunity and went in for a roundhouse kick to the side. Zofia, however, she grabbed onto Ela's leg as it made contact with her side before immediately getting her with a leg sweep. Ela found herself staring at the sky again as she landed on her back.

"Pierdolić!" Ela yelled, punching the ground in frustration. She was hitting her target, but for some reason, her strikes weren't being as nearly as effective as she hoped. Zofia always reacted incredibly fast and while Ela could dodge her older sister's advances, her counterattacks were always deadly.

"Maybe we should take a break." Zofia suggested, noticing how her sister was struggling. Despite her father's request, Zofia couldn't help but slow herself down when she practiced close quarters combat with her own sister. It was one of a few secrets she'd keep to herself forever.

"Why can't I get it right?" Ela asked, more to herself, as she sat down in the grass.

"Hey, don't get too upset over it." Zofia said as she sat down next to her younger sibling, "You just need more time to practice, that's all."

"I don't think he's going to like that answer." Ela said as she looked back toward the house. At the doorway to the back yard stood their father, Jan.

"Zofia." He called immediately, "It's time to go."

"Coming father." Zofia answered as she jumped to her feet. Today was a special day for the older Bosak, she would be participating in a sparring match for the academy. Over a dozen students that were as skilled and as dedicated as her were competing, with the winner getting additional marks on their transcripts. Zofia was excited, as she had taken a liking to hand to hand combat and had practiced tirelessly for months.

Ela, on the other hand, couldn't care less for the sport, having trouble with even the basics despite her intense training regime. Unfortunately, she couldn't skip it as it was still a part of the academy's curriculum and a requirement for graduation. Ela was already struggling with most of the other subjects, she didn't need another problem on her plate, or another lecture from her father.

The pair made their way back into the house. Zofia being filled with excitement, quickly rushed inside. However, as Ela attempted to enter through the door, her father stuck his arm out, blocking her entry. She rolled her eyes, knowing this as a sign that he wanted to talk.

"I can't help but notice that you've been struggling…again."

"Just a few setbacks, it's no big deal." Ela answered.

"Just like how your poor performance in most of your other classes isn't a big deal?"

To say that Ela hated those moments of her life would be the understatement of the century. Ela knew she had to up her game or she'd be left behind, but having her father constantly stepping on her toes didn't help a bit, "Everything is alright father, I'll do better, I promise."

"Then you better get back to training."

"Of course. As soon as we get back from the competition, I'll get back to it." Ela tried to force her way through, but the obstacle in her way hadn't moved an inch.

"Or you can start practicing right now." Jan said with a dulled expression.

"What about Zofi's competition?"

He stepped forward, wanting to keep the following words between them, "She doesn't want you there."

Ela blinked. She was too dumbfounded to actually feel anything at that second as his words struck her like a sledgehammer, "What?"

"She said she doesn't need the…negative impression, of being one of the top performers in the academy while being related to someone who can barely get the basics."

The younger Bosak was confused and hurt that her sister could have said such a thing, she opened her mouth only to close it immediately after, not sure how to respond.

"Why don't you just stay back here and get some more training in?" He put a hand on her shoulder.

"I guess if she really doesn't want me there." Ela was still in shock.

"We'll be back before dark." He said as he made his was out to the family car.

Ela went back out to the yard and began practicing the techniques that she could do on her own.

Zofia was already in the car when she noticed her father was approaching, alone.

"Where's Ela?" She asked him.

"She didn't want to come." He told her.

"What? She doesn't want to support her sister on her big day?"

"She said that staying home and drawing in her book was a much better use of her time." He answered, starting the car, "Don't tell her I said that, she wanted me to lie and say that she was feeling sick, but I thought you deserved to know the truth."

Zofia was speechless as they pulled out of the driveway and made their way to the academy.

"Baby sister?" Meghan asked, her eyes darting back and forth between the two -apparently sibling- Polish operators, realization slowly sinking in.

"It's been a long time." Zofia said as she walked towards the green haired girl. Her arms were open and a wide smile across her face. She confidently went to hug her younger sibling, only to have her hands swatted away as she neared her.

Ela's expression remained stoic and without saying a word, she turned around and calmly walked back upstairs. The atmosphere of the room seemed to have thickened significantly on these few moments as many of the operators watching the display immediately felt uncomfortable by the exchange.

"Ela wait! Where are you going?" Meghan called, but oddly enough, there was no response.

"I wasn't expecting that reaction." Monika commented, surprise and confusion on her face.

"I was." Zofia sighed.

"I'm sorry, but your Ela's sister?" Meghan asked to clarify.

The newcomer gave the blonde her full attention, "Lieutenant Zofia Bosak, GROM." They shook hands, "And yes, I am Ela's older sister."

"Lieutenant Meghan Castellano, US Navy SEALs." Meghan introduced herself on response, "I'm uh, Ela's girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Zofia frowned involuntarily; despite her best attempt, she couldn't hide her surprise.

"Yes."

"Hmm." Zofia remained stoic.

"I'm sorry about this." Monika interrupted, "I thought since you two were family, a surprise reunion would be nice. I wasn't expecting such a harsh reaction."

Zofia smiled shyly. "I guess that means Ela hasn't told you much about me."

Ela couldn't retreat to her room fast enough. An entire range of emotions were swirling through her mind, none of them good. Deep down, she knew that seeing her sister again was an inevitability, but here of all places, why? And how? Just when things were starting to settle down and life was beginning to look up for the Polish girl, fate decided to throw her another curve ball. Maybe that was the reason, maybe life was just going a little too well for her and the little peace of mind she had needed to be stripped from her yet again.

This wasn't the same as before, when she reunited with her old team. When she left them, it had been for their benefit, at least that's what she thought at the time. She figured they wouldn't want her and that they would be better off anyway if she had moved on, thankfully she had been given the opportunity to fix that mistake, a second chance with those she considered her true family.

But this. This was different. She left her blood family behind because it would benefit herself. She never lost the love she had for her old team, the opposite could be said for the Bosak name, in her father's case she wasn't afraid to admit she hated the man. As for the rest of them, maybe hate wasn't the right word, but the fact was that none of them did anything to make her life as a child or young adult any easier. She wanted to sever ties, never wanting to see any of them ever again. She had many demons, she could bury this one, at least that's what she fooled herself into believing.

Her mind raced as her head involuntarily reflected on her entire life. All the memories, all the trauma. The constant berating by her father, the rift that slowly opened between the two sisters, eventually leading to them no longer speaking to one another. The letter she got from Zofia after six years, it wasn't a greeting card, but a simple message stating that their father had taken his own life.

From the moment they both decided to follow in their father's footsteps, almost no good memories could surface into the girl's mind. It was in that moment that she decided that she would not, could not, reconcile with her sister. Whatever grievances she had could go with her to the grave, unlike with Isaac and the gang.

Isaac…

He oversaw the selection of new operators, which means he had specifically chosen Zofia, despite knowing Ela's history with her family. Why would he bring her here?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Only then did she realize that she had been in such a rush to get out of there that she had left Meghan behind. The blonde was probably worried about her. She rushed to answer the door, only to be shocked once again as it wasn't the SEAL. It was Mike.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Mike." Ela said, surprised, "Yes, I'm fine."

He could clearly see that she was lying, "Can I come in?"

"Sure." She said as she stepped aside and let the man in her room.

"You want to tell me what that was all about?"

Ela wasn't sure why Mike of all people would be concerned about her and her sister, but there was no point in keeping anything hidden from the rest of the team, if she didn't tell them, Zofia would, "Zofia is my sister."

"Right, we all gathered that much." He said matter-of-factly, "I'm talking about your little escape routine. Running isn't exactly what you'd expect when being reunited with a loved one."

"'Loved one' is a stretch." Ela muttered.

"Come again."

"It's been forever since I've seen her." She answered, "And I was hoping to keep that way."

"Ah." Mike answered, getting the picture. "Trouble on the home front?"

"That's putting it mildly."

"Well," He sat down in one of the chairs, "let's hear it."

It felt odd talking to someone different about this, her old team along with Meghan were the only ones who knew about the hardships she faced growing up, "My whole life, I felt like I was merely a shadow to her, never amounting to anything close to what she could accomplish."

Mike sat in silence, listening to her story.

"Being the oldest child of Jan Bosak, she was expected to be able to walk in his shoes from the moment she could stand." Ela continued, "She did, with flying colors. I, being the youngest, was expected to walk in both of their shoes. While she was able to run, I could barely take my first steps. Every test, every practice, every opportunity to prove myself, I struggled or outright failed. Meanwhile, she became the model student, a prodigy, surpassing every standard as if it were nothing. Soon, it became apparent to our father that Zofia would go on to be an excellent soldier, a perfect gem on the family legacy. I on the other hand, a stain."

"And I take it he didn't exactly hide his thoughts about your performance."

Ela nodded, "At first, it started with what one would expect, longer studies, more practices, less time for fun. Then it got unconventional, under no circumstances was a child of Commander Jan Bosak going to fail his own program. All night studying, harsher training, even to the point of breaking bones, no interaction with friends. Eventually I wasn't even allowed to see my own sister." Ela let a single tear trail down her face as she recalled the next memory, "When even that didn't work, he said perhaps his time, energy…and love were better spent on something else."

"'Something else' being Zofia." Mike guessed.

Ela could only nod.

"And how did she view all of this?"

Ela shook her head, "I wasn't allowed to be around her, remember. But eventually she started leaving me behind, she wouldn't want me at any of her matches or events, she stopped training with me. Soon, we stopped talking all together. So, I stopped bothering after that, I figured if they didn't think I was worth their time, then they were not worth mine. When I was only sixteen, I left for Berlin, I never spoke to him again and haven't spoken to her since."

Mike took the time to go over what he had just been told. It was clear that his Polish associate was deeply scarred, even traumatized from her experiences growing up. He wanted to help her somehow, one of his trademarks was being a mentor to the younger operators, and despite being in her early thirties Ela was still one of the youngest team members in Rainbow. Mentoring someone like her wouldn't be easy, but it couldn't be more difficult than Dominic, he had even managed a breakthrough with Taina and she was in league all her own, "Listen, Ela."

Ela stopped her reminiscing and focused her attention back on the team's oldest operator.

"There's no way I could ever understand your situation or what you are feeling right now." He began, "But, I might have an inkling about how your sister feels."

Ela was intrigued, "How?"

"You see, I was also the older sibling, and the favorite. I joined the army as soon as I was old enough, and on top of that I became a part of none other than the Special Air Service. I took part in many operations and now I'm one of the most decorated members of the team. My brother however, always getting into trouble. When we were kids, he would always get into trouble in school, failing exams, skipping class. Even as adults, on more than one occasion I've received a call in the middle of the night to gather his drunken arse from jail. It was clear that our parents were more pleased with myself rather than Paulie."

This did nothing to help Ela feel better, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because at no point did my love for him as a brother diminish." He looked her in the eye to let her know that he was serious, "Yes, when your young, it goes to your head a little and yes, it put strain on our relationship at times. But I still consider him my family and he considers me the same. I would kill for him just as soon as I would for any of you, because at the end of the day, family is all you have. I'm willing to bet money that your sister probably feels the same, at least something close to that."

Ela took in the advice and thought hard, "But it's been sixteen years, can I even still call her family?"

He gave her a serious look, "I can't answer that, but I can tell you this, I don't think she came all this way for the weather."

Ela still felt uncertain.

"Look, what I'm trying to show you is that you're not alone on this one. How you coped with your situation involving the captain and his lads is one thing. But now you have us, the entire Team Rainbow is standing with you." He gave her a comforting smile, "Not to mention you've got the bloody toughest soldier I've ever met as a girlfriend."

Ela thought back to all the times Meghan had supported her through her struggles, "She has helped me before."

Mike put a hand on her shoulder, "You're tougher than you think Bosak, don't let a dead man blind you of that."

"Sixteen years?!" Meghan asked.

"Yes." Zofia answered.

"And she hasn't contacted you once?"

"Not even so much as an email."

"Have you tried to get in touch with her at all?"

"I'll admit, for the first six years or so I didn't even try." She explained, "But after my father died, I decided that it wasn't worth letting old demons get in the way of what little family I have left. Ela thought differently, when I found out she had passed selection I tried to reach out to her several times. She never responded…I can't say that I blame her."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eliza asked.

"Let's just say that our father didn't make things easy for us growing up, especially for her."

"I should really go check on her." Meghan said, beginning to worry about her girlfriend.

"Before you go, may I ask," Zofia interrupted, gaining Meghan's attention once again, "how did you two end up…how did you meet?"

Meghan blushed, completely forgetting that this was in fact the family of her significant other, "Ten years ago, we worked together on an op. We only started dating recently, just a couple months ago."

"And you're…taking care of her, treating her well?"

Meghan wondered if this was how Ela felt meeting her mom, "Absolutely, you could even say she's doing a better job taking care of me to be honest." She said, referring to her crutches. She didn't wait for a response as she left the room and slowly making her way up the stairs.

"I'm sure Ela will come around." Monika said, "Come on, we should continue showing you around and getting you checked in."

As Meghan approached Ela's room, she saw a familiar face step out. "Mike?"

"Castellano, perfect timing." Mike greeted.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Just having a little talk about what's got her bugged out." He answered, "She's going to need some time to get over this hurdle, but I think everything will be fine. Just make sure she knows you have her back."

"Of course." Meghan was both surprised and touched that Mike would be caring enough to check on the Polish operator.

"I guess things were going a little too smoothly." He joked as he walked away.

"You can say that again." Meghan didn't bother knocking as she entered the room. Ela was sitting on her bed, looking deep in thought, "How you doing?"

Ela sighed, "I don't know."

Meghan sat down next to her, The Polish girl barely acknowledging her presence, "I talked with her a little."

"And…?"

"She was so 'by the books' that I couldn't see a family resemblance." The blonde joked, trying to lighten her girlfriend's mood. Ela having a smile on her face was finally becoming the norm and she didn't want that to go away, not when they had worked so hard to make it happen.

Ela's only response was a menacing glare that told her not to push it, that this was definitely not the time.

Meghan put her hands up, "Sorry." Normally she knew exactly how to help Ela when she was down, she couldn't get it right every time she supposed.

Ela just shook her head in annoyance and went back to thinking.

"You know, she does care about you."

"What makes you say that?"

"I think she was thrown off by the fact that we're dating. She was immediately concerned about how I was treating you."

"You told her about us?!" Ela yelled as she slapped the SEALs arm.

"Was I not supposed to?" The blonde asked, rubbing the spot that had been assaulted.

Ela could only roll her eyes, another thing to make this unexpected reunion awkward and stressful.

"Are you going to speak to her?"

"I have no idea." Ela answered, "I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would leave my family behind, that I never wanted to speak to or hear from any of them again. But if she's on the team now, I don't see how that's possible." Ela stared off into the distance, looking lost.

Meghan recognized that look, it was the same look she had when she found out Isaac was in command, "Well, whatever you decide Ela, just know that I'll-"

"I know." Ela interrupted and took Meghan's hands into her own, "I know you'll be there for me, because you always are."

The two smiled at one another, nothing more needing to be said. Fate had tested them before, this time they were ready for whatever the world had to throw at them.

Author's note: Again, I'm really sorry this one took so long. Life kind of got thrown into high gear for me. After five years of serving in the military, I am once again a civilian. Now I'm back home, working a normal job and waiting for college to start in the spring. Thank you all for being patient and I promise i'm going to do my best to make sure a three month wait doesn't happen again. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. As always, I hope you enjoyed and feel free to leave a review. Until next time.