'Enemy Within' in which the team uses a diversion named 'Biscuit'. What if Sam had a dog with the same name? And is this the reason why Sam doesn't like Monty?
This is set before we meet the team in the NCIS episodes Legend pt 1 & 2. Sam and Callen have been partners for just over two years, Kensi has been with the team for about a year.
Sam's Biscuit.
"You're late again Sam. Once more, and I'm going to think that you don't want to be my partner." Callen was waiting for his partner of two years outside the motel he was currently staying at. It was the third time that week his friend had been late. He was still getting use to having a partner. He had been a lone wolf his whole life, use to not having anyone watch his back. While what he said was in a jovial tone, he was a little worried that Sam really didn't want to be his partner. Callen knew that he was hot-headed and jumped into situations without thinking. He was impulsive and improvisation was his strongest trait when things went bad, which often led to Sam having to save him from getting shot, stabbed or something else when his ad-libbing made things worse.
Callen climbed in and jumped straight back out again as the smell of wet dog assaulted his nose and a large pink wet tongue licked his face. He stepped back and said "Sam, please tell me that you don't have a wet dog in the car?" even though he could see a red dog with tan circles above its eyes in the back seat.
"He followed me from home. What did you want me to do? He's done it the past three days. Marie and the kids have gone to her mother's place for the next month; she got sick over the weekend and went to hospital. I usually get them to hold him until he can't see me anymore." Sam had gotten out of the car and folded his arms on the hood as he looked at his partner.
He sensed the worry under Callen's jovial tone. Hetty had told him that the man before him had never had a partner long enough to trust them to have his back. Either it was because he kept moving around, both with jobs and living quarters, or because he grew up believing he wasn't wanted and everyone would eventually leave him.
During the early stages of their partnership, they had gone out for drinks after a bad op and Callen had had a bit too much to drink. Sam could see that he would not be able to drive and had not drunk as much. On the way to one of the many places that Callen stayed at, the blonde haired, blue eyed younger man babbled about his past and let slip that little detail. The next day, Callen never remembered the ride, let alone what he had said and Sam never mentioned it, but he made sure that from then on he was always close enough on an op that he would have his partner's back.
"He's a rescue dog. I found him at the shelter where Marie and I volunteer once a month. When I'm not there he won't eat, doesn't sleep, won't stop moving around and whines, a lot." He looked the dog as he realised that he had pretty much described Callen. "The kids named him Biscuit."
"Ok, why is he wet and what are you going to tell Macey?" Callen had come back to the car as he got used to the smell and hesitantly put his hand into the car toward Biscuit. He was rewarded with a gentle sniff and fast licking as the dog smelled his breakfast of a bacon muffin from McDonalds around the corner. "What kind of breed is he?" Callen hadn't seen dog like Biscuit before.
"He's an Australian Kelpie. The guy who owned him married a woman from LA. He died in a car accident and she didn't want him anymore. He's wet because he ran through several sprinklers. You getting in, we're already late." With that Sam slid behind the wheel and, after a moment's pause, Callen opened the door and sat beside Sam, noting that he didn't answer his question about what he would tell Macey. He looked over at the red dog behind him and patted his head.
At OSP, Sam told Biscuit to guard the car and had left him outside with a bowl of water. The dog had dried out and while he was unhappy at being left behind, he obeyed Sam's command.
"You teach him that?" Callen looked over his shoulder at the shape that was now under the car in the shade.
"Nope. His breed work stock, mostly sheep. I did a bit of research and figured it was one of the commands he was taught. They are also highly intelligent, fast learners and a lot of their behaviour when working stock is instinctive." Sam looked at his dog once more as the door to the elevator closed. He had no idea what possessed him to adopt the dog, but ever since he had, there had never been a dull moment.
A couple of hours later, Callen, followed by Sam and Kensi, the newest member to the team, left the elevator and were greeted by a burst of barking and someone yelling. The voice, a man's, the team didn't recognise, but Sam knew the barking. It was Biscuit. He ran toward where he had left the car and saw that it had been moved. All of ten yards before Biscuit, who had apparently gone to do a perimeter of the lot, jumped into the open window as the car started moving and started barking at the driver.
The man was one of the OSP personal whose job it was to make sure that the team's cars were fuelled and ready. He had gotten in to take the car to get fuelled up when the dog jumped in and wouldn't let him put his hands on the wheel. The dog also wouldn't let him out. Every time he moved the dog would growl until he stilled.
"Biscuit, down boy. Here." Sam called to his dog, slapping his thigh as he did. "Good boy, you guarded the car. But I think that I'm going to have to introduce you to the folks here." He rubbed his dog's ears and patted his head, oblivious to the looks Kensi and the driver were giving him.
Over the next few weeks, Sam introduced Biscuit to the rest of the OSP team and he was quickly regarded as a member of the team. He joined them on training camps, runs and more than once, Macey saw him with his own ear protection on in the gun range. Then a case came up that would show them just how much Biscuit had learned from them.
A marine's daughter had been kidnapped and it was all hands on deck as he was being blackmailed into giving a group of terrorists access to the marine base. Biscuit had been with Sam again for the week and was enjoying himself as one of the younger tech staff had bought him a ball to play with. He would toss it into the air and catch it again, while throwing himself into the air after it. He heard Sam call Callen and knew by his voice that there was trouble. He bounded after his master, ball in mouth and jumped into the car, taking up his customary seat in the back. His master and his friend, the smaller blonde man climbed in and Sam started the car. It was a good ten minutes before either man realised that he was there and by then, it was too late to take him back, time was short. Despite being a dog, he didn't like to stick his head out of the window. He had done it when he was a pup until he was hit by a large grasshopper and nearly lost an eye. He still had the scar. The ride took half an hour as the team headed toward where they had found the girl.
