Harriett has always been afraid of this call.

But she did not bargain for that it would come that quick, only after a few months being together with G.

It was a quarter past four in the night, it came over her cell phone, which was laying at her bedside table.

`Sam`s calling` said the writing on the display, shining through the dawn in their bedroom.

Harriett grabbed it quickly, pulled it to her ear while she was sitting up, answering it.

„Yes, Sam?"

„Harriett, please don`t worry, G`s nearly fine!" Sam assured her quickly at the other end oft he line.

Nevertheless, Harriett felt alarmed.

„What happened?"

She was sitting upright on the mattress, she was cold, she was shaking and her heart was beating right up to her throat.

„He`s got a headache, took a blow on his head!" Sam said to her.

„He don`t want to drive himself, so it would be great if you could come an take him home!"

„Of course, I`m already on my way!" Harriett answered.

She finished the call, got out of bed and got dressed. She was thinking about if Sam was lying to her. If there was no worrying for her, then why did G not make the call himself? If it really was not such a big thing, surely he had no problem with it, telling her? Meanwhile sometimes he has handled it, to confess some weakness to her.

In a hurry she took a gulp of juice, was still chewing on a cookie while she took her bag and the car keys, and left the flat.

Normally it lasts about thirty minutes to reach the headquarters of the NCIS, now, with the morning traffic not started yet, some minutes less.

She hadn`t seen G for two days. He`d just told her, he had an assignment. She tried hard not to ask. Tried to accept it and have comforting words for him when he called in the meantime.

Anything else would have been useless.

She did not know the entry code for the headquarters. She also was not owing a parking card for the health center next door any more, despite of that, she was absolutely not in the mood for walking over the ground half in the dark to the connecting door in the wall.

So she grabbed her cell phone, after that nearly endless drive only a few seconds away from getting out of her mind because of worrying about G, standing in the driveway, and called Sam.

He answered her call after ringing twice.

„Harriett! Everything`s alright?"

His voice sounded, like most of the time, calm.

„I`m in your driveway and I don`t know how to come in!"

Harriett could not avoid her voice sounding tearful. She did not want it, but being not up to date was getting on her nerves, much too much for the whole long time driving here. Up until now she had already believed, being better with handling this.

At the end of the line she could hear Sam laughing.

This calmed her down immediately.

He did not dare to laugh if G would be really bad.

Instantly she felt better.

"I`m opening the door!" she heard him answering. And then saying to someone in the back: "Harriett`s here!"

This someone was probably G.

Harriett felt a second stone dropping from her heart. In relief, her foot nearly slipped from the gas pedal, she hardly was able to drive into the yard after the big brown gate had opened. She was about to stop the engine as the wooden door of the house opened and G walked outside.

Now Harriett calmed down completely.

Bad thing was, that her body could not handle it that quick. It gave her a quiver and made her shaking. She could not step up to G like this.

While she was loosening the seatbelt, G was already opening the car door from outside.

"Hello!"

Harriett tried to keep her voice calm, as easy as possible while she got out of the car.

She was a little unsure how to act here, at his working place, while being watched.

"You`re fine? I`m a little worried about you since Sam called!"

G smiled.

Even here, in the half dark, she could see that his face was a little pale. He looked drained, tired. There were little scratches on his face.

"Come!"

He reached out his arm and grabbed with his hand her arm, pulled her close. He put his arm around her shoulders, bowed a little down to her and kissed her. Harriett laid her arm around his waist and replied his kiss.

Subliminal she noticed how careful G was moving. His lips were cool.

"You`re shaking." he meant to her and looked at her. His eyes were clear, but small and his look tired.

"I`m dressed wrong, I thought, it would be warmer!" she answered him quickly, caressed with her hand over his side.

"What happened to you?"

She looked at him carefully.

"Got a hit on my head, no big deal!" G answered. Harriett noticed clearly, that in no way it was so easy for him as he tried to pointed it out for her. Nevertheless she tried not to show.

"Got a bruise? Please let me see!" she tried as nonbinding as possible and had to took trouble for not reaching to his head. G bowed his head into her direction. In his short hair was a long bloody cut, maybe two, three centimeters long.

"Okay."

Harriett could stand it, she was trained for helping in a doctor`s office.

"Do you have been unconscious?"

"Sam said, a few minutes."

Harriett looked at him interested. She tried hard not to show her worrying.

"Did you through up?"

"Two times."

She nodded. Stroked with her hand over his chest.

"Should we drive to the hospital?"

"No." G answered immediately.

Harriett nodded. She did not expect anything different.

"Then let`s get your things und drive home, hm?"

"Thank you." G meant and kisses her quickly. Then he pulled her softly into the building.

Harriett has not finished with her good advices for him, with her worries for him, yet. But she avoided it for now, at the moment there was no getting through to him.

She followed him into the building.

No more employees seemed to be here.

Only Sam was sitting in an armchair beside the sofa in the corner and was reading a newspaper.

As he noticed her, he immediately stood up.

"Hello Harriett!"

"Hello Sam! Thank you for calling!"

„No problem!" Sam came to her and greeted her with a soft hug, Harriett loved to reply.

He also looked tired and drained.

She liked Sam.

He was authentic and loyal, to G, even-handed. That wasn`t always easy!

Harriett noticed, how G carefully took his bag from the floor and then came to her.

"See you tomorrow, Sam!"

"See you tomorrow, G, get well soon!" Sam replied.

"Bye, Sam!" Harriett meant and gave him a smile.

"Thanks again!"

"No matter, Harriett! Take care, that he`ll get a rest!" Sam replied, with a small quick move of his head to G.

"Please call me if something`s wrong!"

"Thank you! That`s very kind of you!"

She nodded into Sam`s direction, followed G into the hall and out in the yard then.

Without a word G went to the passenger side of the car, opened the door and went in after putting his bag with very slow moves on the back seat.

Harriett swallowed lightly.

He`d never done this before!

He`d asked her to come for driving, but until now she had been under the impression, he would change his mind. They never argued about driving, it always was G`s turn. Harriett left it to him only just too willingly.

Letting her drive today just like that pointed out, that he was not as well as he wanted to make her believe!

Harriett went in on the driver side, closed the door, fixed the seat belt. Before she started the engine she looked over to G.

He seemed to be a little sank down on the passengers seat. His eyes were lightly closed and his head lent back against the back rest. His right hand laid at the upper part of his body, near his stomach.

"Did everything go well, G?" she asked him while starting the engine, driving back the car carefully.

G gave her a short glimpse. His eyes were small.

"Yes. Everything`s fine."

She nodded.

"Have you been far away?"

"No. Not very."

Surely their talks seemed for people outside strange. But she couldn`t do without noticing his work, to ignore it completely. It was normal to her to take part of it, even if it was just a little bit.

The beginning morning traffic longed their way home for some minutes. Harriett looked worried to G, at the passenger seat. He seemed tense. In the dawn she could see how pale his face was, how unease his position.

In secret it was a relief to her as they reached their flat, after she parked the car in front of the house.

She heard G exhale deeply.

"Driving with a headache isn't fun, hm?" she meant feeling for him, caressing with her hand over his leg, looking at him.

"It`s okay." G answered through clenched teeth, opened his seat belt, opened the door and went out of the car.

Harriett saw him resting beside the door for a long moment, with one arm at the car frame, one on its roof before finally bowing into the car and getting his bag out.

She had surrounded the car in the meantime, activated the central locking and reached, while going to the front door, for her keys.

Their flat was on the third floor.

In the small hall G put his bag on the floor and searched for her eyes.

"I`ll take a shower and lay down a bit!"

Harriett gave him a smile.

"I`m happy with that! Please take care that not too much water will get into the wound! I would like to take a look on it in the light!"

"Of course, Kalinka! Why don`t you come?"

He took her hand und pulled her to the next room, wanted to enter the bath with her, but already in the sleeping room Harriett held him back slowly.

"Wait, please! Let`s go to the window!"

She pointed with her finger to the small cushioned bench in front of it.

"Please, sit down there!"

G took a seat on the bench on front of the window. Harriett stepped up behind him and laid her right hand softly on the right side of his head.

"I`m just looking! I`m very careful Habibi, it won`t hurt!"

Despite that she felt G getting tense. Carefully she caressed with her hand over his scratchy cheek while looking closely to the wound. It was lightly angulated.

She did not feel able to say, what a thing would have caused it. Luckily it did not seem to be very deep, but severe enough to cause G`s discomfort.

"Okay. Take a shower and then you`ll try to sleep, yes?"

She felt how G grabbed her hand, pulled it to his lips und placed a long kiss on it.

"Thank you, Kalinka."

He stood up, bowed over to her, put a quick kiss on her lips before going into the bathroom.

"G, do you have laundry?" she called after him.

"I would like to get a machine filled!"

"In my bag!" G answered.

"Thank you!"

Harriett left his bag untouched. She did not like it, too, if people touch her personal belongings. In this case they both had their little secrets. It wasn`t as if she did not know what G`s bag, with the fainting printed `Callen, G` on it, contains. She just only sometimes wondered about, where he`d got it from. As far as she knew, he never joined the military. But he spent a lot of times on military bases!

She heard, how the shower was put on.

So she went to the kitchen and put on the TV, made coffee. Her feeling for the time was totally wrong.

Mostly it was in the evenings when she was here together with G. In the forenoon it was not often, except on some weekends.

While she made herself some cereals in the news was said, that nearby the city a militia group was caught, which had also stolen weapons from the military. Harriett asked herself secretly, if G has been a part of the operation or otherwise stated the gas accident, by which a man from the Sudan lost his life, who was under the suspicion to recruite young Americans for terrorist attacks against their own country.

While she was chewing her cereals she heard she shower stop. She had the feeling not being really awake after the coffee. And there was no reason against getting back to bed again. The state of California would possible get it not wrong if she took that day off to care about one of its agents, who risked one more time his life in the night for doing an important job.

So she called the coroner`s office and took a sick day.

The she put out the TV, the coffee machine und went into the sleeping room. The curtain was closed and gave the room a soft apricot light.

G was laying in the bed, on the left, his, side, but in a very unusual position for him.

Normally he was laying on his back, stretched out one arm or both, taking a lot of space. Now he was nearly rolled together, in an embryo-like position.

If it had something to do with his assignment? With him being hurt?

His cell phone was laying on the bedsite table. Harriett did not like it there. She wanted his sleep undisturbed, and after a job like this more than anything else. She wanted to put it in the living room, but she did not dare.

G winced lightly in his sleep.

"Mali … cormoara meu …"

He crumbled his nose lightly. Then he was laying again motionless.

Harriett stood for a long moment at the foot end of the bed.

G often talked in his sleep. Mostly in a foreign language, she did not understand. Often he startled up, like out of a bad dream, or his arms or legs were twitching. She assumed, he did not cope with the attack on his life yet. He did not talk about it! About that and other things!

She slipped on her half of the mattress on the right, carefully, for not waking G up.

It did not happen often that she laid in bed with him during daytime.

Here, in the new flat, it was even the first time.

It was unusual, unusual by the light, unusual by the feeling of time, unusual after being without him for two nights.

Carefully she slipped on the mattress a little more over to G`s side, looked at him in his sleep.

He even did not seem to be resting, the expression of his face appeared tense. Still there were very small scratches at the left side of his face.

His right hand, on the mattress, formed a fist.

Even in the dimmed light here the dark hair of his beard were clear to see against his pale skin. His long lashes were shaking lightly. Still his eyes were reddened. His lips were moving slowly. She could feel the warmth descending from his body, and the smell of his shower gel on his skin.

Harriett closed her eyes. Tried to calm herself, to relax.

"Mali!"

She nearly frightened to death as G on the mattress beside her startled up, gasping for air.

"G!"

With her heart beating to her throat, shaking, she slipped – not for the first time in such a situation – over to G, laid her arm quickly around his shoulders and cuddled up to him.

"Maybe you had a bad dream! Habibi, everything`s all right!"

G gasped for air.

The look of his blue eyes wandered over her face disorientated for long seconds, then he slowly seemed to find back to reality. He wiped with hand over his sweaty face.

Harriett felt on her arm, how his shoulders sank down, how he calmed down.

"I`ve … had a bad dream."

Harriett cuddled up more close to him, laid also her other arm around him and pulled him close.

She searched for his eyes.

"Understandable after an exciting job, hm?"

G looked at her.

The look of his eyes became suspicious for seconds, like she was knowing much more than she was allowed to.

"As always I don`t know nothing!" she assured him quickly.

"But it`s enough what I from you!"

G`s smile to her was small.

He pulled her close, laid both arms around her and kisses her. His lips were cool, dry. Harriett felt the slightly shivering of his body.

She loosened her lips from his, put her hand softly on his cheek, looked at him.

"G?"

"Yes?"

He looked at her, still seemed confused.

Harriett searched for words. But this time she wanted to go through with it.

"When you`re sleeping … sometimes … often … you say a name. Mali. I assume, it is a name. And you say something like `cormoara meu`. May I ask, what it means? Is Mali a name?"

G avoided her eyes instantly. He even turned his head and disconnected their touch. Harriett let her hand sink. She knew at once, she had crossed a line!

G exhaled deeply. Then he cleared his throat.

"Please excuse me! I`ve got to get something to drink!"

He put a quick kiss on her cheek and slipped out of the bed. Harriett assumed, as he left the sleeping room, that he would not return. He did not want to talk!

But to her surprise he came back after some long moments with a glass of mineral water. Harriett noticed that he was still moving very careful, slowly. He still was very pale. As he slipped back on the mattress now, opposite to her, it also happened slowly. He drank from the water before putting the glass on the bedsite table.

Harriett looked at him.

G reached out his right arm for her, put his hand around her wrist and pulled her softly close. He laid his left arm around her shoulders, bowed over to her and kissed her. The he pulled her close again. Harriett cold feel that he leant his head to hers.

"I became known to Malgorzatta … Mali … while I was working … she was married to an ambassador. I fell in love with her on first sight. She was stunning. We`ve met a few times, some long weekends, and I had loved to marry her. She wanted to end her marriage, we`ve already planned that. We had a date the evening I was gunned down. We wanted to make further plans for her divorce and our live after that. I`ve never seen her again! Sam told me, that she was by my side at the hospital, the first night! In the morning he sent her home, for a rest. Her man shot her at the embassy as she arrived there. I don`t know if he find out with us!"

His voice was shaking with his last sentences. Harriett felt the quivering of his body more clearly. And how he held her very tight.

Slowly she caressed with her hand over his shoulder.

"I`m sorry, Habibi!"

She just was able to whisper.

G`s breathing against her chest was heavy. He turned his head, looked at her.

Harriett laid her hand on his cheek, felt the light sweatiness of his skin. Small drops of sweat were standing on his forehead.

"Mali had beautiful eyes." G went on.

"Like you have. I`ve noticed that the first time I saw you. And that you`ve been unbelievable patient with me when I was there. You know, I hate needles. I`m surely not easy to handle with that! And I`ve surely been awful on our first dates! I`m absolutely not good on that! I`ve just heard what went wrong on Kensis dates!"

Harriett let her eyes wander over his face slowly.

It touched her beyond believe what he was giving away from him at the moment.

"My dates with you were magic." she replied with a low voice, caressed with her thumb tenderly over his skin.

"I`m not into it that you should do this after a plan, like this should happen at the first date and you don`t have to do this on the third one! Besides that, you had the advantage, that you don`t had to get me on your side anymore! I fell for you the first time you showed up for your examination!"

G`s smile was small but truly honest.

He kissed her softly.

"You`re always able to let things seem to be so easily! I`m feeling like the biggest jerk because I`m afraid of needles and all you say is: That`s not so bad, I`m fine with this, things like this happen! That`s unbelievable! Sam`s acting this positive, too!

"Unfortunately you`ve seemed to made a lot of bad experiences!" Harriett replied gently. Again she kissed him, softly, insistingly.

„Something like that leaves marks! That`s not your fault! No one is looking for that! But except this obviously adversed circumstances you became a very good human being! A very loveable one!"

"I am very happy that you`re with me, Kalinka!" G whispered in a low voice. He stroked with his lips over her cheek.

Harriett did not move.

She tried to keep her thoughts away from comparing with this Mali! Was she similar to her?

She knew, men mostly been attracted to the same kind of women. Was G, too? How similar she was to Mali? Did he saw her when he looked at her? Tenderly she caressed with her hand over his head, over his short hair.

"G?"

"Yes?"

G`s lips still were stroking over her cheek, his fingertips softly over her neck.

"You must`ve loved her very much, hm?"

"I wanted to share my life with her and she wanted that too!" G replied, in a low voice.

"Even Tracy, my Ex-wife …"

"You`ve been married?"

It hit her so sudden that she nearly jumped, slipped a bit from him without really wanting it. The astonishment in her voice even sounded for her without borders.

And she wasn`t even able to explain!

It seemed to be the situation she always has been afraid of! Getting to know things of him, she had to handle good!

"Yes … !" G looked at her wondering.

„Not for long, just a few months … „ he stopped, looked at her.

Harriett felt his eyes on her face interested. Of course she knew him well enough by now, to know, that she could nothing hide from him.

"Why are you`re so astonished about that?"

"Because … it surprises me!"

Quickly she slipped close to him again. Caressed with her hand over his chest.

"I don`t know much about you, G! You`ve told me a lot today, that was nice and I am grateful about it. But this now was … a little unexpected!"

"Maybe I`ve should have told you earlier." G meant, turned his head for a moment.

"But it did not seem important to me! Tracy and me got married on an Undercover-Job, as a married couple! I am not sure if this marriage was even legal! Nevertheless … we divorced very quickly … but I had loved being married with Mali!"

Harriett had to swallow hard.

It hurts to listen. But it seemed to be being good for G to talk about all this.

"It sounded very tragic how you`ve lost her?"

"I was in hospital." G went on after a long while.

„When I start feeling better I wondered, why Mail did not come for a visit. We`ve always had contact before, even when we were not able to see each other! So I did not understand that she did not come! Sam found out for me … that she is dead! What happend!"

"I`m sorry!"

For moments she saw the blinking in Gs eyes.

He swallowed hardly. Then kissed her cheek.

„And then I came for getting my job back and met a woman with beautiful eyes, which is not only unbelievable patient with me being afraid of needles. No she went very brave through each of our horrible dates and still wanted to be together with me! And I am very happy about that! Thank you, Kalinka!"

Harriett had to smile.

She went on letting her hand caressing over his back.

On her fingertips she could feel the dampness of his shirt because he was sweating.

"Not knowing anything I am standing in the hallways when I saw this Federal Agent, everyone knew of, that he was to panic about needles, but they also knew, why, because has been in hospital for weeks for being gunned down. And I was nervous beyond believe because I don`t wanted to hurt him and had a crush on him!"

G laughed in low voice, a little bit embarrassed.

He put both hands on her cheeks and kisses her, long, devoting.

Harriet laid her hands on his.

"Not to tell that you`ve saved my life twice!"

She left her face near to his, talked against his lips, looked at him.

Felt, how G`s lips next to hers moved to a very little smile.

"I`ve already lost two women by a horrible death! I can`t allow this happen to you!

I want to keep you!"

"Two, G?"

Harriett had to swallow.

She caressed with her hand down his back.

Her fingers reached the naked skin between the seam of his short and the waistband of his shorts. Very softly she let them slip under the cloth, over his warm skin.

"You mean … someone else besides Mali?"

"Yes." G`s answer was quiet, distracted. Harriett felt him enjoying her tenderness, enjoyed it, feeling him leaning heavy against her.

"Would you like to tell me who it was and what happened?"

She caressed with her lips gently over his scratchy cheek.

G moaned in a low voice, comforting.

"Some time later. I would prefer it now you going on with what you`re doing!"

Harriett smiled.

She also slipped her other hand under his shirt.

"You would like to keep me for this reason? By the way, thank you for that!"

"Not just only for that!"

G caressed with his fingertips very gently, carefully through her hair, over her neck, over her shoulders.

"There are a lot of reasons, Kalinka! I can tell you later!"

"Mh, mh!"

Harriett looked at him closely to see, if he wanted to avoid her. But G has always been honest to her.

He has closed his eyes and was enjoying her Tenderness obviously.

Her body against hers was warm, heavy. His breath caressed over her cheek.

"What about your head, G?"

"Better!" G murmured in a low voice, without opening his eyes, without looking at her.

"Just a little dizzy. But what you`re doing … is pleasant."

"Then it`s better when I go on with it!" she whispered to him.

"Or maybe I`ll get an idea of something else?"

G laughed in a low voice.

He turned his head and kissed her, Harriett felt his hand caressing on her shoulder, his fingers to the strap of her top.

G let his lips follow his fingers, slowly, tenderly, now and then he put the top of his tongue against her skin and his beard was scratching behind.

"Careful when you`re still dizzy!" Harriett whispered as she felt G`s lips stroking down more.

With both hands she grabbed to the seam of his shirt und pulled the cloth softly up his back, over his head, G slipped willingly out with both arms. Harriett let the shirt simply fell on the floor beside the bed and looked to G.

"Maybe you want to lay down? Carefully?"

Slowly she caressed with her hand over his skin, which was feeling very soft, very smooth, while G laid down into the cushions slowly, he pulled her with him while doing it, slipping the stripes of her top down over her shoulders.

Harriett bowed her head over his chest and placed a tender kiss under his Adam`s apple, caressed with her lips lightly into the direction of his chest bone, put again a kiss on his skin, felt the tickling of the small hairs on his chest.

She felt G`s hand sank down on her shoulder. Carefully she went on stroking with her lips, down to his belly, she could feel his breath becoming low, slowly.

As she looked up to him she could see, that he had closed his eyes a little bit.

Slowly she went on with wandering her lips around, played with the tip of her tongue on his belly.

G moaned low, comfortable.

She felt his hand on her shoulder grabbing her shoulder, the stroking to her neck.

In this moment the cell phone on the bedside table was ringing.

Harriett could not avoid to wince.

G sighted slowly.

He went up, pulled her with him, put his arm around her and pulled her close while placing a quick kiss on her hair, saying: "Sorry, I have to answer this, it`s important!", grabbing with his right hand to the cell phone at the same time.

"Of course!"

Harriett laid both arms around the upper part of his body and cuddled up to him while G answered the phone.

"Yes … you`re still there? Okay, wait for me! Yes, I`m nearly on the way! Wait there, will you? Bye!"

The undertone of hid voice was intense. He closed the talk, let his hand with the cell phone sank and looked at her.

"Come with me, please!"

"Where?"

Harriett looked at him closely, stroked with her hand over his back.

It must be very important for him when he was going to sacrifice their familiar togetherness, but normally there was nothing so important in their private life!

If it had something to do with his job, it had not to be in her interest!

"I want you to meet someone! Please!" G meant, bowed over to her and kissed her.

"Okay." Harriett agreed wondering.

G drove to the police station.

Harriett had never been here.

G on the other side, seemed to be familiar with and led her through the hall ways, to a kind of a waiting area, just a few people here, sitting on wooden benches on the wall.

The floor was dirty. Both of the high, wired windows too. At one wall was an old telephone, operating with coins.

In the left corner of the room was cowered a shady looking young man maybe at the beginning, in the middle of his twenties.

He wore torn military clothes and there was blood on his face, dirt, his nose was swollen, blue, he was unshaven, seemed to be without sleep for nights, and exhausted.

Harriett did not know what to think about it when he jumped up from his bench when his eyes fell on G. Quickly he made the few steps to them, his thin figure expressed embarrassment.

"Hello."

"Hello Jay!" G meant to him.

„You`re okay?"

Harriett noticed the watchful expression on his face.

The sound of his voice was careful.

"So far!"

"But you`re allowed to go?" G went on asking.

Jay nodded.

"Yes. The district attourney will talk to me later. And to you!"

G nodded.

"Okay. Come with us! Did you call your mother again?"

Jay looked down embarrassed.

"I`ve got no money! They just allowed me one call!"

"Let`s go!"

G touched his shoulder asking.

"Jay, this is Harriett! Harriett … " he looked at her, a small some kind of begging smile moved his lips.

" … this is Jay!"

" Ma`m!"

Jay instantly pulled the cap from his head before stretching out his hand, Harriett had to smile.

He looked absolutely battered, ragged, but he seemed to have good manners. That was very important for her because it was very uncommon these days.

She took his hand.

„Harriett, please! What happed to your nose? Look like it would hurt!"

"Halb so wild!" Jay answered verschämt.

„Let`s go!" G meant and pushed him out of the waiting area.

Harriett looked asking at him. The little smile, he gave her, seemed to be a little nervous.

She felt, Jay being important to him, for what reason ever!

"Maybe I can again … I would like to call my mum please! So she can come and get me!"

"Of course!" G meant and gave him a short glimpse while grabbing for his cellphone already.

"But let`s get out of here first!"

Jay made the call at the parking area.

Harriett watched G. He stood a few steps aside, the expression on his face was closed, a little bit tensed and she tried to figure out for herself, how both men fitted together.

Did they know each other for a longer time or have they met a short time ago?

Had Jay something to do with G`s last job?

"Thank you!"

Jay handed G his cell phone over. He still held his cap in his hand, his hair was a mess, dirty, too long.

"My … my mum will be here in two hours and get me!"

G nodded.

"Okay. Then we will use this two hours to transform you back into a handsome young man! Or do you want to meet her like this?"

Jay looked down on hisself.

"N … no … I don`t think so! Certainly I look horrible!"

He looked over to her, Harriett caught his embarressed look as their eyes met.

"Yes, you could say so!" G meant with a little smile and pushed him into the direction of his car.

"Come!"

The shop assistant at the next men`s shop seemed to be very irritated. She was barely able to look away from Jay while she was getting him a new jeans and a sweater.

Jay felt clearly uncomfortable and did not know where to look, being embarrassed, Harriett felt sorry for him from minute to minute more. She nearly was convinced that he had gone through bad things.

They took the clothes without trying them on, Jay did not want to. G paid with a credit card. Harriett was done with looking for an explanation for all this. She simply stood for it.

Also, that G took the way home after the shopping. In their flat he showed Jay the bathroom and asked her for making some coffee and sandwiches.

Harriett nodded silently and went into the kitchen.

Normally her flat, their private life was holy ground for G.

Except for Sam, once, nobody has been here.

G always told her, to give her address only away if it was necessary. He also told her not to use always the same way to her work and vary her way home, even if this would mean to make a detour.

Getting Jay here, into their "sanctum", just proved her assuming, that it was really important for him.

Harriett had just switched on the coffee machine as she heard G coming into the kitchen. From the bathroom the running water of the shower was to hear.

It was strange to know, that some else was in the flat.

G stepped behind her.

Harriett felt his hand caressing over her shoulder. Then he bowed forward to her and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you!"

Harriett turned around to him, looked at him while she put her right hand on his side.

G`s eyes were calm on her face.

"That`s important for you, hm?"

G nodded.

He looked a bit tired.

"What about your head?"

"It`s okay."

He cleared his throat.

„When Jay`s away I will tell you what I am allowed to!"

"You don`t have to!"

Harriett got on the top of her toes and put a kiss on his lips.

"Everything`s alright!"

G laid his right hand on her cheek, bowed down to her and kissed her.

"I love you!"

Harriett looked at him surprised.

It was the first time, she heard it from him. He had never told her before and after the conversation in the morning she did not expect to hear this so soon from him.

But now she had to swallow.

Slowly she caressed with her hand over his side.

"I love you too, G. I love you very much! And if this is so important for you then we will handle it well!"

G smiled.

The expression of his face was suddenly very warm, tender.

"Thank you! You`re wonderful!"

Again he bowed forward to her and kissed her, devoting.

It was Harriett, turning her head away softly.

"As much as I would love to go with you like that, I would like to make the sandwiches nearly as well! Jay looked hungry!"

"Okay!" G gave back tender.

He gave her a hand with the sandwiches and when they had finished, the eating table in the corner was ready with plates and cups, Jay came in, freshly showered, freshly shaved, dresses clean, nearly hard to recognize.

Even the wounds in his face looked – not the blood was washed away – not as bad as before, except his swollen nose.

G laughed as he looked at him.

"Come, sit down! You`re looking nearly like a human being now!" he meant and knocked on his shoulder complaisant, pushing him into the direction of the table.

Jay laughed a bit embarrassed. He looked over the table.

"This looks really good!"

"Then please help yourself and enjoy it!" Harriett meant asking to him, reached for the coffee and filled his cup.

The he filled Gs and hers.

"Thank you, Ma`…Harriett!" Jay meant and grabbed a sandwich.

"You`re welcome!"

Harriett nodded to him. She put down the coffeepot on the table. Took a sit, looked at him.

"Your nose is looking as it would hurt still?"

Jay smiled to her shy while he was chewing.

"Yeah … but doesn`t matter! At least it could still hurt!"

He grinned into G`s direction, who was sitting at the table opposite to him.

G grinned back.

Harriett felt by intuition, that there was something bonding them.

Something, she could not understand, because she had no background information.

"Do you want an aspirin?" G asked and drank from his coffee.

Jay shook his head. Carefully.

„Not that bad!"

Harriett caught G`s eyes. Over her cup she gave him a smile. She would love to touch him. His declaration of love was still in her head. But he was sitting too far away.

Jay looked shyly around. His eyes stopped at G.

"Thank you again … for making me see!"

"No reason for that!" G gave back.

„You nearly figured out alone what was happening there!"

The doorbell rang.

Harriett wanted to stand up.

But G was quicker.

"My turn!"

He did not like it, her answering the door, she knew. He preferred to control himself where wanted to come in. Harriett understood perfectly well why he wanted to be this careful. One more time she was wondering how his job affected his private life and hers too.

"Thank you, G!"

She looked at him leaving the room.

"I think it`s my mum!" Jay meant. It sounded hopefully.

„You haven`t seen her for a long time?"

Jay laughed embarrassed.

"Certainly not for more than a year … I`ve screwed up real big!"

He looked down on the table.

"But your mum … "

In this moment the door opened and G gave way for a little normal woman, may at the beginning of her fifties.

"Jay … hach …"

Her eyes rested at him at once, she just stopped in the door, clearly overwhelmed, and laid her hand on her chest.

"Mum …" Jay smile embarrassed, looked away for seconds, looked again at the woman while standing up then, with a little smile on his face, which became a happy grin very quick.

He went to the woman, "Mum!" he meant again, shy, the woman made the few steps to him and pulled him into her embrace with a sight.

"Ach, Jay!"

Harriett looked to G.

Saw him swallowing hard. The expression on his face was closed. Just for a moment she meant to see a bling in his blue eyes.

Quietly she stood up and went to him.

Such scenes, even on TV, got to him always. Obviously seem to remembering him, that there was no completely family of his, that he never knew his parents. Newly she believe to feel his shame, as if he could do anything for his upbringing, as if it was his own fault!

She stepped up next to him. Leant against him a little, laid her hand on his chest while Jays mum was crying and Jay`s voice did not seem to be far away from tears.

"You`ve done this very well!" she murmured to him.

He looked at her.

The he laid both arms around her and pulled her close.

Harriett cuddled up to him. Looked up to him.

"Should we leave them alone for a few minutes?"

"Good idea!" G agreed and pulled her softly into the kitchen.

Harriett again looked at him.

"It seemed you have done something very very right again, Mister Special Agent Callen! Once more I`m very proud of you!"

„Why?"

G`s smile was embarressed, but also a little proud.

He knew what he`d done! The problem was, she did not! Beside, bringing mother and son back together! However!

"You`ve done a pretty good thing bringing them back together! It seemed, they haven`t seen each other for a long time!"

"Looked like that to me!" G gave back. He pulled her close and kissed her. Harriett had loved to einlassen auf ihn. But the people in the dining room were distracting her.

For a long moment she enjoyed the warmth of G`s body, him near, him breathing against her.

"How do you feel?" she whispered to him, caressing with her hand over his back. Through the thin cloth of his shirt she could feel the warmth of his skin.

"What about your head?"

"I`m fine." G gave back.

Harriett felt him pulling her close.

Rocking her very tenderly.

A noise at the door made her jump.

It was Jay.

"Ehm … sorry! Maybe you have a cup of coffee for my mum?"

In his voice still was to hear that he was touched very emotional. Harriett meant to see his body slightly shaking.

"Of course." G meant.

Harriett had to smile because for a long moment he held her still close. He just let her go as she reached with her hand for the coffeepot, Jay in door frame turned a little embarrassed away.

"I`ll do!"

G took the pot and went into the next room, the eating room, Harriett followed him.

Jay`s mother was sitting at the table.

Her face was all in tears, her eyes reddened, Jay was sitting beside her and had his hand laid on her forearm.

"Agent Callen!" Jay`s mother jumped up from her chair as G stepped in, went to him quickly, stepped beside him, reached for his arm.

"Agent Callen, I`m so glad you found Jay! I don`t know how to thank you for all that you have done for him!"

G`s little smile was embarrassed.

"Please sit down a have a coffee!"

He pushed her gently into the direction of the table, Harriett caught a glimpse of her eyes as she sat down again.

"Thank you!"

"You`re very welcome!" Harriett replied even not doing very much for it.

G filled coffee in the cup.

"It was more than a year that he was away from home!" Jay`s mother told now, with a shaking in her voice good to hear.

"He disappeared over night, Agent Callen, without a word, I did not hear from him until he … " her voice broke for a moment " … called yesterday evening! I could not believe! I am so glad you made it happen!"

"You`re welcome!" G replied also and brought the pot back into the kitchen.
Harriett sat down at the table.

Jay`s mother turned with her overwhelming feelings to her.

"I don't know if you have any children, Mrs. Callen, but Jay is our only child! My husband did five years ago! Jay missed his father! Perhaps this all happened because of this! I`m making myself allegations. I have to work, we don't have much! But you`re husband said, he could give a good word for him! I am so grateful, Mrs. Callen!"

Harriett looked over to G, who just came back into the dining room and must have had heard the last words. She saw him smile a little bit.

`Mrs. Callen` sounded good to her. Tempting.

"He is happy that he could help!" she assured Jays mother quickly when G said nothing. She would have loved to add more. But she don`t knew, what! She did not know enough!

G sat down beside her at the table. Harriett felt his hand lightly, tenderly caressing over her leg before he reached for his cup.

Jay seemed to be very awed.

"But you`re not over and done with that, now!" G meant with a soft reminding.

"Certainly there will be a few talks with the police, and the ATF, and likely with the district attourney. I hope, he will held his word that you get out of this free! My report will go for that and the one of my partner, too!"

"Thank you!" Jay meant shy.

His mother nodded to him over the table.

After about half an hour they left for their way home.

Harriett and G accompanied them to the car in front of the house.

"Call when you`re in trouble!" G meant to Jay.

He nodded.

„Thank you!"

„Agent Callen, Mrs. Callen, again a big thank you for all you`ve done for my son!" Jay`s mother meant to them.

G nodded.

"You`re welcome!" Harriett replied uncomfortable once more. She nearly had done nothing.

They waved after the car as it drove away, Harriett looked up to G, as he laid both arms around her and pulled her close, placed a kiss on her hair.

Slowly she stroked with her hands over his back.

"You`ve done that very good!"

G was twinkling a bit in the bright sun.

"Do you mean?"

Harriett nodded.

"Absolutely yes. I still done know, what you`ve done, and I don`t want to know if I am not allowed to, but when two people are this grateful to you, you must have done something very right! And I am still very proud of you!"

G smiled.

He pulled her closer and kissed her again.

"You helped me very wonderful! Thank you!"

"I loved it!" Harriett replied and looked at him.

G held her so close that she could feel him breathing against her. The warmth of his body on hers.

"Come, let`s go in, hm? I think, the sun is not doing any good for your head, now!"

G pulled her softly into the direction of the house.

Thank you very much for being interested.

If you like to know more about G`s bag:

doc/142101093/Gs-bag