Sam was going to be out of town for a couple of weeks and while I don't mind being a third wheel, Kensi and Deeks tend to be high maintenance. Their continued innuendo swapping makes me crazy. I had asked Hetty to find me a temporary partner for the next two weeks. I don't know what I expected, but what I got was not anything like I expected: well you'll see.

Monday morning came and I walked into the mission to find a purse on Sam's desk and a cup of Hetty's tea sitting there waiting for its owner. There was a strange voice coming from Hetty's office. It was an older voice and one that Hetty was obviously comfortable with.

Hetty looked up and saw me looking in the direction of the office and motioned for me to join them. "Mr. Callen, join us please, there is someone I'd like you to meet."

As I came into the office Hetty pressed a cup of tea into my hands. I got the impression that she'd been waiting for me. My favorite tea just waiting for me, yeah, that's a setup if ever I saw one. She then turned to introduce me to an older woman. "Mr. Callen I'd like to introduce you to Carla Andrews, your temporary partner."

I shook her hand and got a strange vibe. She had looked into my face as she shook my hand and I felt like I was looking into my soul. I looked back into her face and hesitated a moment before speaking. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Andrews. Did I hear Hetty right, you're going to be my partner?"

"Yes, Mr. Callen I am. Is there a problem?" I didn't realize that I had made a slight change in inflection but she'd picked up on it. Carla looked like I'd hurt her feelings but I doubt that is what had bothered her. We agents tend to have thicker skins.

As team leader I have to voice my opinions on what is happening and I really didn't think that this aging woman would be able to keep up with us. "No Ma'am, I have no problems, but you might. This is a fast action, very physical group of agents. Do you think you could keep up?"

Hetty got her 'you're out of line' look on her face and I knew I was in trouble with not one but two formidable women. This wouldn't be my day.

Carla put her hand up to quiet Hetty, but she looked to me. I looked into her eyes and read the look on her face: I'd hit a sore spot. "First of all don't call me ma'am. I'm not that old. My name is Carla. Who do you think taught agents all your wonderful tricks?" She met my eye again and then looked me up and down. "Why don't you think I could keep up?"

I was feeling a bit uneasy. I not only was battling Hetty but this new force. "Don't take this the wrong way but you are a bit older…"

"Go no further Mr. Callen." Hetty's tone left nothing to the imagination. "Mrs. Andrews will be your partner for the next two weeks. There will be no arguments. Is that understood?"

While I didn't like it, Hetty wasn't taking no for an answer for some reason. I guess that I have a new partner.

I gulped down the last of the tea and excused myself from their presence. As I sat down at my desk Kensi and Deeks came in with a profusion of Kensalina's and Ferns. Like I said, two weeks of that would drive me nuts. I sighed. Mrs. Andrews it is then.

Deeks looked around the room and noticed the purse on Sam's desk. "The purse is a little feminine for Sam, don't you think?"

I must have rolled my eyes but before I could answer another voice spoke up. "That would be my purse. Mr. Hanna is out of the country for the next two weeks and Mr. Callen and I are partnering. My name is Carla Andrews and you would be?"

I began the introductions. "This is Special Agent Kensi Blye and her partner Detective Marty Deeks better known as Shaggy."

Deeks eyes popped open, he dropped his bag and then he looked my way as if to say 'for real?'

Kensi just sat behind her desk with a smile plastered on her face. She rose and went and shook Carla's hand.

Deeks still stood riveted to the spot and started to laugh. "This is a joke right?"

I honestly tried to save him. I gave him the "slash to the throat sign" to stop laughing but he couldn't.

Carla got up slowly and went to him. There was danger in those blue eyes. "What is so funny?"

Deeks kept it up. She took him down with a hand to his elbow and a kick to the backside of the calf. He landed on the floor and never even saw it coming. It impressed me. Hetty stood in the doorway of the bullpen and smiled.

We were in for a world of hurt with Hetty and Carla.

Eric and Nell appeared at the top of the stairs and with a new whistle called us up to OPS. Deeks peeled himself off the floor and headed for the stairs. Hetty, Kensi and I weren't too far behind him. Mrs. Andrews just stood where she was.

Kens and Deeks went up and I turned around. "Well partner, aren't you coming?"

Carla looked mystified as to what was going on. "What the hell was that?"

I smiled. Hetty calls it smirking. "That… is our call for a new case. We have to go." I motioned for her to join me.

Shock showed on her face and she refused to move. "That's a bit Pavlovian isn't it."

While I had to agree with her, it had become second nature. I nodded in agreement. "Yep, but we still have to go, after you, Mrs. Andrews?"

We walked up the stairs and met up with the rest of the team. Hetty smirked at our arrival. "Mr. Beale, if you would be so kind."

Mrs. Andrews had come through the door and stopped. I think Eric's domain had her boggled. This OPS Center is one of the best equipped in the world and when they built it, NCIS went for the best. She slowly came in and Eric and Nell hesitated, looked to Hetty and gave quizzical looks. "Oh I forgot to mention that Mr. Callen will have a new partner while Mr. Hanna is away. Meet Mrs. Carla Andrews."

Kensi and Deeks stood side by side and watched the big screen while eying Carla with the corner of their eyes. Deeks tried not to laugh but failed miserably and seemed to be going for a second walloping if he wasn't careful. Mrs. Andrews just eyeballed him into submission.

Eric waved and Nell went to shake Carla's hand and escort her in. Nell gave me a half smile as she deposited Carla to my left side. I wondered what that was about.

I was getting impatient, cranky even and wanted to start the briefing. "Eric… please?"

Eric looked at me and shyly started talking. "Oh… ahem. Meet Chief Petty Officer Sheldon Fielding. He had just stepped off of the U.S.S. George Washington two days ago on shore leave. This morning LAPD found Fielding's body behind the Staples Center with a knife in his back. His body had been stripped of all insignia and dropped into a dumpster. Since his wallet, with everything in it was still on the body, we know it was not a robbery. But wait… there is more. A canister was found next to him and his finger prints were all over it. There was also a trace of radioactive material on the body."

Deeks ears perked up with the information. "What was in the canister?"

Nell walked up and changed the picture on the screen. It showed a small canister the size of a soup can with a foreign language written on it. "That we don't know. We were hoping that one of you could interpret the writing for us. This is just in."

I gave it a good look and thought it was a dialect of an Eastern European Language. Hetty was checking it out as well. "Anybody want to make a guess?"

Carla walked up to the screen to read the wording better. She turned when she realized everyone was watching her. "What? I forgot my glasses at my desk." She turned back to the screen. "This looks like a Turkestani dialect from in the hills. The label was made to fit over another. If we remove that label we may find what it is." We all stood there and looked at her. "You never gave me a chance to tell you my skillsets."

I chuckled as I looked across OPS at her. There is probably a myriad of talents in that mind but we'll only see a few. "Carla, you and I are going to check out the crime scene and you two will go down to the Washington and see if they are missing anything. Have them run a check for radioactivity on Fielding's rack area. Let's go."

Carla had notice the change of Mrs. Andrews to Carla. She smiled a small smile for a small victory.

We all trooped down the steps as Carla stately made her way down. I already resented having to wait for the woman and it was only seconds different from us. I am hoping she is a little faster in a fire fight. I also realized that I had no idea of her shooting capabilities or her fighting technique. This was going to be an interesting mission.

As we were heading to the door Carla commented on how she'd like to drive. I could feel my stomach doing flips already. "I need to drive. I get carsick when others drive."

Carla snorted back a laugh. "Then why does Sam drive all the time? You can be a passenger for one day."

And that is how we got to the Staples Center.