Remember You, Remember Me, Remember Us - Full Summary
Four years ago Hetty teamed Callen up with Tash. Eighteen months later they finally got together, with a little nudge from Hetty. Two years ago she was shot and forgot everything and they'd all had to let her go. Not just Callen.
When they found her again, he wasn't going to let her go. None of them were. Now they had the challenge of helping her find a way to remember, because Tash still didn't know who she was, two years later.
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Authors Notes
This was prompted by a review from NotARedhead for my story Second Chance about taking it slower for memories coming back. This is what came out of it. Probably not quite what was meant but I've had a lot of fun, so a big Thanks to NotARedhead for giving me another story for my fingers to try and keep up with my head. Lucky I can type pretty quick.
So, there is the obvious romance to this story, which I guess you could call the main thread. If you've read some of my other stories I doubt that will surprise you ;-) but this does include a fair amount of Tash's interactions and memories with the team as well, so definitely not all romance. Flashbacks and recalled memories will be in Italics, aside from the first chapter which is regarding the shooting of Tash and the fallout from that. The flashbacks and memories will mostly be from Tash's pov, though it should be clear if they are from another character's pov.
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Approximate time line information:
Current time not set anywhere in particular, except perhaps before the episode Burned, which will become clear later.
Tash is partnered up with Callen - four years ago. Eric and Nate, already part of the team.
Sam joins their team - three years ago
Tash gets shot and loses her memory - just over two years ago
Callen and Sam partner up and Kensi joins the team after this.
Reviews appreciated and help me to fix any mistakes and make the rest of the story better.
Disclaimer - Nothing you recognise from the land of TV is mine, anything else, I'm up for claiming - especially Tash. Definitely doing it for fun, and having lots of it.
Let the story begin.
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Chapter 1
Timeline info - Just over two years ago
Callen saw Tash look at him as she slowly reached for her gun. He knew that look, knew what he had to do. At the slight nod of her head, he hit the ground, just moments before he heard gun fire ring out. Callen heard her scream of pain. His heart froze and he looked up to see her crumple to the ground at the base of the pillar. Rolling over, he pulled his gun, only to see their assailant lying on the sand, unmoving. Callen knew she wouldn't have missed, not when he was at risk. He heard Sam calling to them and knew he was close. Callen scrambled to his feet and raced over to Tash.
"Tash!" Callen called out, turning her over. He saw the blood on her shoulder from the bullet she had taken and, as he gently cradled her head, he felt more blood seep through his fingers from the back of her head.
"Eric, we need an ambulance," Callen said, trying to get pressure on both the head and the shoulder.
"On it's way," Eric replied through the earpiece.
"Tash, come on, wake up," Callen said, desperation in his voice.
"G, you okay?" Sam joined him, kneeling down beside them, taking over the pressure on the shoulder wound whilst Callen continued the pressure on the back of her head and tried to wake her.
"I'm fine. Tash, please," Callen said, gently tapping her cheeks to try and wake her up.
He breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes fluttered open.
"About time," Callen said to her. Tash smiled gently at him as her eyes started to flutter closed.
"Love you," Tash said softly, before he felt her body slump.
"Tash!" Sam called. Callen reached to check her pulse, relieved that it was still there, though it was faint.
"Come on Tash, don't leave me now," Callen pleaded. "Eric, where's the ambulance?"
"Should be arriving now," Eric replied.
"Tash, hold on," Sam said. "She's gonna be fine G, you know she's probably just fainted because of the blood," Sam said trying to reassure both of them.
Callen lent down to her ear, "Come on Tash, you know how I hate it when you get the last word in," he said, just as the ambulance officers arrived.
Reluctantly, Callen and Sam relinquished their hold on her, letting the ambulance officers take over and do what they did best.
They watched them put her on a stretcher and rush her into the ambulance. Callen jumped in the back with them and Sam followed in his car.
Hetty, Nate and Eric met them at the hospital, not long after they arrived.
"How is she Mr Callen?" Hetty asked as they walked up to them.
"In surgery," Callen replied, not taking his eyes off the door that he had watched her go through. "She took a blow to the head. That's the problem, not the bullet," Callen added.
Hetty saw Callen watch the door, she saw the blood on his clothes as well as Sam's. Tash's blood. She noticed the pain in Sam's eyes and knew that even more would be in Callen's, had she been able to see them. She knew there was pain in all of their eyes, hers included, at the thought of losing Tash. Hetty walked away to the nurses station to ask some more questions, as Nate and Eric took a seat and quietly waited.
"G? Need anything?" Sam asked, looking carefully at Callen. Sam didn't know how to help his team mate. Tash meant a lot to all of them, but he she meant so much more to Callen.
"I'm good," Callen said. He was still watching the door, willing a doctor to come through and tell them she was going to be fine.
Sam shook his head and went and sat next to Nate and Eric, giving Callen some space.
Seven hours after Tash had disappeared through the doors, the doctor finally came. None of them had left, it was late at night and they all knew they wouldn't sleep until they heard something.
"She's alive. It was close though," the doctor said. "The blow to the head caused a lot of swelling and bleeding inside the brain. We managed to stop it and repair the physical damage, but until she wakes up, we won't know what other kind of damage has been caused."
"When can we see her?" asked Hetty.
"She'll be out of recovery in about an hour. I'll have the nurse come and get you when she's in her room."
"Thank you Doctor," replied Hetty, as she watched her team return to the seats that they had been occupying for so long. Obviously none of them were going to go home until they had seen Tash with their own eyes. She wouldn't tell them to go home, aside from the fact that it would fall on deaf ears even if it was a direct order, she was planning on staying as well and wouldn't ask them to go if she wasn't prepared to do the same thing.
So they all continued to wait and watch the clock tick by, until eventually the nurse came and led the way to Tash's room. Hetty stood back and watched, with Nate and Eric by her side, as Callen and Sam went over close to Tash. Callen picked up her hand gently and held it to his cheek. He couldn't find a voice to say anything to her, she looked so pale and fragile, but at least she was warm.
"Hey Tash, time to wake up," Sam said, standing by the bedside, looking down at her.
"You know G hates it when you sleep longer than him," Sam added.
As Tash's eyes fluttered a little, Sam grinned. "Knew that would get you to wake up," he said, her eyes finally opened fully.
Tash frowned at both of them and, seeing Callen holding her hand, she looked up at him.
"Do I know you?" Tash asked. Callen froze.
"Tash, now not the time for joking," Callen said. He desperately hoped she was just joking, but a part of him knew that Tash wouldn't do that to them.
"Who?" Tash frowned. "Who are you?" she asked. She looked like she was getting distressed and she started to pull away from him.
Hetty stepped up.
"Do you know who you are my dear?" Hetty asked, as she put her hand on Callen's shoulder to gently encourage him to step back a little.
Tash frowned. "No," she said, shaking her head just a little, fear in her eyes. The monitors started to beep faster as her heart rate increased.
"It's all right my dear, you are safe," Hetty reassured her. "Mr Hanna, could you please get the doctor." Sam left to find the doctor and Callen stepped back away to stand with Eric and Nate. He watched as Hetty held Tash's hand and spoke gently to her. Jealous that it wasn't him doing that. The doctor came in and ushered them all out of the room whilst he checked her over.
When he came out, it was Callen who spoke first.
"What's wrong with her?" he asked.
"She's lost her memory. She has no idea who she is, what the date is or anything. She still has full function and speech, but no personal memories," the doctor answered. Callen felt his world start to fall apart as he heard the words.
"Nothing?" Sam asked, glancing at Callen, worried about his reaction to the news.
"Nothing. We are going to run some tests to see if we can pinpoint anything in particular which is causing it," the doctor replied.
"How long? Until you know?" asked Callen, finally finding his voice again. Maybe it was just something simple, something they could fix and Tash would be fine. Please let it be simple.
"A few hours at least. Perhaps you should all go and get some rest," the doctor suggested.
"I'm not leaving," Callen said firmly, with a shake of his head.
"Mr Callen, there is nothing you can do. She doesn't know us. You saw how scared she was when we were in there," Hetty replied, not entirely sure if she was trying to get him to go home and get some rest or trying to process what was happening with Tash for herself.
"I can be here Hetty, even if she doesn't know it," Callen said. He walked away and took a seat outside her door. He put his head in his hands and took a deep breath. She doesn't remember anything. She doesn't remember us. He felt Sam sit down beside him.
"You staying too?" Callen asked, though he didn't look up at Sam.
"Yep," Sam said. "Don't think you're the only one going to get brownie points when she remembers, do you?"
"You know you'll never catch up to me," Callen said with a small smile as he finally looked at Sam.
"Don't bet on it. Who's the one who brings her those smoothie's she likes so much each day?" Sam asked.
"You. But do you really think they're better than home made?" Callen asked back.
"Great, what else?" Sam asked.
"Enough," Callen said and settled back in his chair to wait.
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Two months later.
Callen walked back into the office with lunch, gave Sam's to him and sat down at his desk.
"You seen Tash today?" Sam asked when he looked over at Callen.
"No," Callen replied shortly. Two months of daily visits, watching her pull away from him, scared. Her not remembering anything. She'd barely been able to remember that they had visited her the day before. She couldn't seem to hold onto current memories, let alone recall old ones. He just couldn't face it today.
"I'm heading over after lunch. Want to come?" Sam asked.
"No thanks," Callen said and reached for his paperwork. Sam shook his head. He'd been watching Callen get more disheartened each day, but he didn't think he would give up. Not on Tash.
"I'll let you know how she is then," Sam said.
~o~o
"Hetty!" Sam called as he walked back into the office after his visit to Tash.
"You bellowed, Mr Hanna?" Hetty said, from right behind him. Sam spun around.
"What happened to Tash?" Sam asked, not caring about the silent reprimand on Hetty's face.
"What do you mean?" Hetty asked as she frowned and looked up at him over her glasses.
"She's not at the hospital. They said she'd checked out with her uncle," Sam said. "I thought we had authority for her."
"We should. I certainly wasn't informed of that," said Hetty. She turned and walked to her desk and picked up her phone, dialing before she had even sat down.
"Sam?" Callen asked. Sam turned around to see his partner behind him. Callen frowned at the look on Sam's face. "What's going on?"
"It's Tash. She's not in the hospital anymore," Sam said, wishing he hadn't been the one to tell Callen.
"Where is she?" Callen asked, feeling something tighten painfully around his heart.
"Gone. Checked out," Sam said. "Hetty's checking into it."
"Gentlemen," Hetty said, gaining their attention. Having finished her phone call she had returned to their side.
"Hetty?" Callen asked, "Where is she?" He should have gone with Sam, or even this morning. The first time he didn't and now she was gone.
"According to the hospital, she has returned to her uncle's home in San Diego. Because he is the only living relative, they released her to him. Unfortunately, 'Next of Kin' ranks higher than employer," Hetty said.
"We have to go get her," Callen said and started to move toward his desk for his jacket.
"No Mr Callen, we can not," Hetty said, sadly but firmly.
"Why not?" Callen asked. He turned to glare at Hetty. Tash belonged with them, not someone else.
"She doesn't remember us, none of us, Mr Callen. She is scared whenever any of us are there, including Eric. And you know the only thing scary about Eric is his attire," Hetty said.
"But Hetty..." Callen started.
"No Mr Callen. She is with family. She obviously trusts her uncle. I doubt she would have walked out of there willingly if she did not," Hetty said. "We just have to hope that when she remembers, she will come back to us," Hetty finished.
"How will she remember if we're not around to help?" asked Sam. She'd been with them for two years, everyday almost. They were familiar, were family even if not by blood. She needed them to help her remember.
"I don't know Mr Hanna," Hetty said, sadness tinging her voice as she turned away.
Sam turned and looked at Callen. He saw the pain in his partner's eyes but didn't know what to do about it. They all felt it. Tash was theirs, had been for two years, at least for Callen, Hetty, Nate and Eric. It had only been a year for Sam but it didn't matter. That was more than enough time to count her as one of his family, she had a way of slipping into your heart. And now she was gone, and they didn't know if she would ever come back to them. Sam didn't know what to say to Callen, as he watched him turn back to his desk.