Two speeding black SUV's served around traffic; horns honking, people yelling "Hey watch it!"
As the first vehicle struggled to find a place to disappear, a dark clothed man emerged out of the passenger window of the second car, gun in hand. Shots were fired; the first car served harder as the bullets broke through the back window.
Three more shots rang out, they hit their target; the car lost control, slammed into a median then flipped, tumbled and skidded down the street.
It finally stopped, landing upside down. As the second vehicle came to a stop, two men, clothed in black, masks hiding their faces, approached the twisted metal that had once been a car.
Glass crunched under their feet as they checked inside.
"He's not here!" one yelled.
They looked around, but then police sirens wailed, not far from them.
"Let's get outta here." the other replied. The two hurried back to their van and sped away.
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A young lady stepped out into the alley, dragging a large trash bag behind her. She looked back at the sound of sirens speeding down the street, she then just shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention back to the task at hand.
She quickly opened the garbage bin, tossed in the bag, then began to close the lid when a crashing sound startled her. She looked up to see that a man had knocked over a neighbors cans; his clothes were torn and covered with dirt and blood, his head hung low.
"You alright mister?" she asked.
He slowly raised his head, his pain filled blue eyes glared at her, then Callen collapsed in the alleyway.
"Whoa, hey!" the lady hurried over to his side. "Mister? Mister!"
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Deeks stared at the empty desk across from him. "This is weird." he mumbled.
"What's weird?" Kensi asked as she walked into the bullpen.
"Me, beating Sam and Callen to work."
"That's impossible." she implied.
"I know! Right?! It's freaky!"
"Not sure if 'freaky' is the correct term, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said as she walked in.
"Then what would you call it Hetty?"
"I would call it 'a mission' and 'a vacation'."
"Well which is which Hetty?" Kensi asked.
"Hetty!" a voice called out.
Everyone turned to see Eric at the top of the stairs, panic and fear filled his face.
"How bad?" their leader asked.
"Very." Eric's voice shuttered.
Everyone hurried upstairs to the OP's center.
"I've got Sam online." Nell quickly said.
"Patch him through."
A video popped up showing a concerned Sam.
"Mr. Hanna." Hetty greeted.
"What's happenin' Hetty?" Sam never wasted time.
"Eric."
At Hetty's command, Eric quickly tapped his tablet and produced a video. "This was taken at 7 this morning by a series of traffic cams in Dallas."
Everyone watched.
"So," Deeks sounded confused. "a couple of idiots are in some serious need of more time in Driving School, what's this gotta do..."
"Wait." Eric interrupted.
They continued to watch as the front vehicle was attacked and crashed.
"Now, there's a lot of cross traffic, and some smoke, but we were able to catch a glimpse of someone crawling out of the wreckage and taking off before the second SUV shows up." Nell spoke up again.
"Any I.D on the attackers?" Kensi asked.
"Nothing yet, the SUV's didn't have a license plate."
"Why were we called in, Eric?" Sam spoke up.
"Because... of what was found in the wreckage."
A picture appeared on the screen; everyone's mouths dropped, and for a moment they held their breath.
"It's one of Callen's false I.D's."
"You.. you said that someone made it out of the crash." Kensi choked on her words. "Could've it been Callen?"
"We haven't been able to find out;" Eric hated his answer. "the quality isn't all that great, and we haven't been able to find any other camera angles."
Hetty quickly glared up at him.
"But we will keep looking."
"Hetty, I'm comin' home." Sam snapped.
"Negative Sam, you are heading to Dallas, Kensi and Deeks will meet you there."
Sam just nodded then disconnected the feed.
"Hetty, wha..." Kensi started, then slightly choked again."What was Callen doing in Dallas?"
"I will fill you all in once you've met up with Sam. Now go, your teammates needs you."
As the others left, Nell let out a nervous breath. "Sure hope Callen's okay."
"He's fine," Eric said proudly. "He's gotten in plenty of scrapes before, but always..." he then noticed the worried look on his partners face. "I'm sure he's fine." he finished.
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A fierce pounding in his head slowly woke him. He slowly opened his eyes, then slammed them shut to keep out the burning sunlight. A small moan escaped his throat.
"You awake?" a voice spoke up, it sounded distorted in his ears.
He tried turning away from the bright sunlight, but nothing worked.
"Hold on." the voice spoke again, it sounded soft and sweet. Suddenly, the pain-filled light was gone. "I shut the curtains, that should help."
Called slowly opened his eyes again, it took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimness, but he finally spotted the young lady sitting next to him. "Th-thanks." he said as he struggled to sit up.
"Ah, not yet." She stopped him, and gently pushed him back down. "You've got, at least, a concussion, some serious cuts and bruises, I dug a piece of glass out of your shoulder; looks like you've taken some kind of beating."
"I feel like it too." he moaned. "Thanks for closing the curtains Miss... Miss?"
"Brandi, just Brandi."
Callen slightly nodded his head. "Where am I?" he asked.
"In my home, which also doubles as a small daycare center. But it's kinda out of business since the kids are back in school." she chuckled. "You have me at small disadvantage." she said.
"Hmm?" he asked.
"What's you're name?" she corrected herself.
Callen caught his breath, his eyes looked like they were searching for something. "I don't know." he whispered.
"What? What'd you say?" Brandi asked, worry filled her eyes.
"I don't... I don't know who I am."
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"I don't know who I am." Callen said again, his voice began quivering.
"Now, take it easy, I'm sure it's nothing to get worked up on right now."
"That's easy for you to say, you know who you are." Callen once again tried sitting up, but his body betrayed him; he slammed back down on the soft mattress, trying to hold his head, his eyes squeezed shut, hoping to block out the pain.
"Take it easy, take it easy. You've just come out of... some sort of a traumatic experience, you need to rest."
"I-I-I can't, I gotta find out who I am. I gotta..." as he attempted sitting up a third time, the pounding in his head overwhelmed him and he started losing consciousness.
"Easy, just breath. Let your body rest."
As Callen slowly lost the battle to stay awake, Brandi gently laid her hand on his face, feeling the rough incoming beard and the dried blood. She could also feel a small fever starting to rise. A small smile crossed her face, but was replaced by thousands of questions running through her mind.
Her gentle touch slowly calmed the frightened man, and he fell into a deep sleep.
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Sam opened the door to his hotel room and saw Kensi and Deeks standing outside.
"Any news yet?" Kensi asked impatiently.
"Nothin' yet. Hetty fill you in?"
"She said that'd she brief us as soon as we..." Deeks was suddenly cut off at the sound of his phone ringing. "Speak of the devil." he said.
"I wouldn't exactly call myself a devil, Mr. Deeks." Hetty said.
"How...?" Kensi whispered, Deeks shrugged his shoulders in confusion and fear.
"Hetty, it's Sam, what's goin' on?"
"Mr. Callen's contact should be there right now."
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Deeks opened it and a young man walked in, his jet black hair was mussed like he hadn't slept in days, his brown eyes scanned the three people in front of him.
"Mr. Hanna, Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks, I want you to meet Agent Cade of the D.E.A."
"Sam." Sam greeted.
"Kensi." Kensi spoke up.
"Uhh, you can call me 'Marty', or just 'Deeks'." Deeks stuttered.
"Pleasure to meet you all, just wish it was under better circumstances."
"Please fill us in, Mr. Cade." Hetty requested.
Cade opened a small envelope and laid out some pictures. "4 years ago a family named 'Rodriguez' moved from Mexico here to Dallas; Andres, his wife Cristina, and their four sons; Desi, Felipe, Manuel, and Rafael. At first, they were just like any normal family; owned a small laundry business, the boys did odd jobs around town to earn a little extra money."
"Why does it sound like they made more than just a little extra?" Deeks asked.
Cade laid down another photo. "Tito Rodriguez, a distant cousin that had moved here over 10 years ago, brought the family in on the 'new' family business."
"Which is?" Kensi questioned.
"Drugs, artillery, illegal immigrating more family members from across the boarder, even bringing in poor girls to be used as... well, you get the picture."
"What I'm not gettin' is why we're here, and why G was here." Sam snapped.
Cade swallowed nervously. "7 months ago, we sent an agent in, under cover; they were able to get into the Rodriguez's inner circle of drugs and artillery dealing."
"How so?" Kensi spoke up again.
"We sent him in as a secondary, saying that he was the front man for his boss, Dillon Mason."
"Who's Dillon Mason?" Deeks wondered.
"Nobody at the time, he was just a name we invented; we put together a file on him and everything, in case they checked him out. For the past 7 months it worked, we had been able to get more than enough information to put away the whole Rodriguez cartel... Until recently." Cade then produced one final photo. "Vincenzo Rodriguez; Andres' uncle, and the family patriarch. He suddenly showed up and that's when the rules changed."
Cade could tell that this was really bothering Callen's friends. "Vincenzo stopped all new deals, he wanted to meet 'Dillon Mason'. That's where Callen came in."
"But why Callen?" Kensi asked.
"We couldn't use anyone else from our department, and we uncovered that the Rodriguez's already knew just about everyone in the Ranger task force and the local police. We needed someone who was a pro in the art of undercover work, and had a thorough knowledge of these kinds of dealings, that's when my boss called Hetty."
"Dalton called me just as Mr. Callen was getting ready to leave for the night." Hetty spoke up. "He explained to me that situation and requested my help."
"Callen must've overheard." Sam suggested.
"Exactly, Mr. Hanna. I suggested that he take someone with him, but he wouldn't hear of it."
"Classic Callen." Kensi spoke the truth.
"So what happened after he landed?" Sam was getting frustrated.
"He was debriefed, clothed, given an I.D and went straight in. We wanted him to take someone else with him, but he said that he didn't want to risk anyone else's lives."
"Why would he say that?" Deeks asked.
"Along with being like the biggest drug and crime family in Dallas right now, they also have racked up a long list of murders... One of the names on that list was Ben Tarpin, a friend of Callen's from the D.E.A. He was found in a dumpster with a knife in his back."
Everyone looked concerned, worrying what if Callen had let his personal feelings get in the way.
"He went in, and was about to make the deal when it went south."
"How would you know that if no one else went with him?" Kensi asked.
"He wore a bug, much like the earwigs you all wear. This is what we got." Cade took out his phone and pressed play.
"Ah, Senor Mason, finally we meet." an elderly voice spoke over the recording.
"Vincenzo, right?" Sam asked.
Cade nodded his head.
"Well I couldn't let you just cut off our supplies. I have people waiting for this order." Callen's voice sounded confident and yet full of arrogance, like a true dealer.
"I must ask though, Senor, why did you send someone else in your place?"
"Protection. Couriers can be replaced, but bosses... well, you know."
The elder's voice chuckled. "Si Senor, that I do. Let's get down to business."
Everyone listened as the quality and quantities of the drugs and artillery were listed, and the agreed price.
"Very good Senor, it's been a pleasure doing business with you."
Suddenly, they heard what sounded like a door slamming shut.
"Ah, Senor Addams, please join us."
"I don't want to interrupt anything." Another voice spoke up from a distance.
"Wait!" Kensi said, "that voice sounds American."
Everyone quickly cringed in fear.
"No interruption, just about to finish some business with Senor Mason. Senor Mason, meet my 2nd in Command in distribution; Jake Addams."
But there was just silence, no official greeting was made.
"Have you already sealed the deal Vincenzo?" Addams spoke, his voice crossed with strength but yet worry.
"We have not shaken on it yet, why do you ask?"
"Because this isn't Mr. Mason." Everyone's eyes popped open in fear. "His name is Callen; he's with the D.E.A."
Suddenly, the audio was covered with yelling of commands, shots being fired, and then it went dead.
"Next thing we know, there's a live video feed off a news cam of two black SUV's speeding down the street not far from the meeting place, and then one was shot up and crashed."
"And Callen?" Sam questioned.
"We haven't been able to find him; the feed shows two guys checking the vehicle, no shots were fired; they just checked it, got back in their car and took off. When police arrived, the car was empty."
"He got away somehow." Kensi said.
"So, why hasn't he contacted anyone?" Deeks asked. "I mean, he's been in car accidents before and came out barely bruised."
"We're not sure," Cade said. "yet."
"Mr. Hanna," Hetty spoke up. "I know you want to get out there and find Mr. Callen, but remember..."
"Start from the beginning." he sighed.
"Exactly, you must find out who exposed his true identity."
"You got it Hetty, we'll call you when we find something."
"I pray, by then, you'll have found Mr. Callen."
"So do I." Sam then hung up the phone.
"So, where do we start?" Deeks asked.
"Crime scene, then background checks." Sam told him. "Anything we find, let's send it to Eric for cross-reverence."
"Well, the crime scene has already been cleaned up for traffic use, but the SUV is in a garage not far from here, waiting for you."
"Let's go." Kensi said. Then the four left.
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The group walked into the garage, Kensi stopped for a slight moment when she saw the crunched up metal, having a hard time believing that it once been drivable.
"We made sure that everyone handling this wore gloves, so no chance of extra finger prints." Cade said. "There's blood in a lot of different places; both front seat and back."
"Where he crawled out." Deeks guessed.
Sam pried open the driver-side door and looked in; his breath caught as he saw blood all over the seat, pieces of torn cloth caught in the metal bends. "He was shot." he said softly.
"How can you tell?" Cade questioned.
"This blood isn't splattered, it was smeared on here."
"Like when someone sits back." Kensi pointed out.
"There's a lot of broken glass embedded in the back seats." Deeks announced. "Probably from the bullets busting through the back window."
"But are we still positive it's Callen's blood?" Kensi asked. "Maybe it was the other agent trying to get away."
"It was him." Sam spoke up, he then stepped away from the vehicle, gently holding a broken watch in his hand, like it was the life of his partner. "It's G's, I gave this to him last Christmas."
Kensi could see the worry in Sam's eyes, she carefully walked over and gently laid her hand on his. "So, if the Rodriguez's couldn't find him, and the police didn't find him, then..."
"Where is he?" Sam whispered.
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Brandi stood in her kitchen, sipping on some hot tea, when she heard a slight moan coming from the nearby room. She hurried to find find Callen trying to stand up. "Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you're doing?"
"I... I gotta get out here... they-they're coming after me." he struggled.
"No one's coming after you, now sit down before you break open your wounds again."
Callen was still too weak to put up a fight, he slumped, wearyingly, back down on the bed. "Wh-where am I?"
"You're at my house, remember? You collapsed in the alley out back."
"What happened to me?"
"I was hoping you could tell me."
Callen thought for a moment. "I can't remember."
"Do you at least remember your name?" Brandi was trying to stay positive.
Again, Callen thought for a moment. "No." he whispered, his breathing became fast and shallow as he started to panic.
"Hey, calm down." she said as she knelt down in front of him. "We'll figure this out."
"How? How can you help?"
"Right now, by helping you get better. Your memory'll come back in time."
"And what if it doesn't?"
Brandi gently took ahold of his hand. "Then we'll go look for it."
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Sam continued to check over the vehicle.
"That's like the 5th time he's done that." Deeks said.
"7th." Kensi corrected.
"What's he hoping to find that we already haven't?"
"Just one more answer, I guess. Sam has always been very thorough, he won't give up until he's satisfied."
Cade walked back into the garage carrying a bag and a tray of drinks. "Come and get it guys."
"Ah, you're a life saver." Deeks cheered as he took his drink.
Kensi smiled, then took two of the drinks and headed for the car.
"So, Cade," Deeks said. "is that your first name, or your last name?"
"Last."
"Oh, so what, you like Callen? Don't know you're first name?"
Cade laughed. "No, I know my first name, but due to an odd coincidence, I go by my last name."
"What coincidence is that?"
"My first name is Sam."
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"Here Sam." Kensi said as she handed him a cup. "Find anything?"
"Just a lot of broken glass. Eric find anything yet?"
Kensi shook her head, she could tell something wasn't right with her friend. "Sam, you've known Callen longer than any of us, and... I know you're worried about him..."
"Not worried, Kensi, scared."
Kensi's mouth dropped, she never thought she'd hear that word come from Sam's mouth.
"Ever since he got shot, whenever he puts himself on the line like this, it scares me. I'm worried that I'll never see him again."
"Sam..." she whispered.
"I promised that I'd always look out for him. Even when he'd go lone wolf, I was right there for him."
"And you will be, Sam." Kensi then gently laid her hand on his. "If you weren't there at the beginning, you were always there at the end to pull him from whatever he had gotten himself into. You're here for him now, even though he's not right at your side, you're still here for him. We're gonna find him, Sam."
Sam looked into Kensi's eyes and saw determination, and fear. A small smile crossed his face. "Thanks Kensi."
"Hey, I just thought of something," she realized. "whoever exposed him said that he was with the D.E.A."
"He didn't know Callen was working for us."
"Which means..."
"He'll be on the lookout for someone else from the department, not us." Sam put the pieces together, "which gives us an advantage."
Suddenly Sam's phone rang. "Yeah Eric."
"Sam, I did some more digging into the Rodriguez's and found that last month, Rafael had a falling out with his older brother Desi. Witnesses reported that Rafael wanted out of the business, next thing they knew, he was walking the streets with a suitcase looking for a job."
"Anyone know where he went?"
Kensi, Deeks and Cade became more alert.
"I.. was able to download some phone records from one Rafael Rodriguez, and trace it... Sam, he's at a small cafe 4 south blocks from where you are."
"Got a hit, let's move."
As the four walked fast down the street Deeks was taking in the sights.
"So, where are we going?" he asked.
"Eric said that Rafael Rodriguez was kicked out of the family business about a month ago. He's at the cafe just down the street."
They approached the front window and looked in.
"That one," Cade spoke up. "the one gathering dishes. That's Rafael."
"How can you sure?" Kensi asked.
"I've studied this family's pictures and background so many time, I could write a book about 'em."
"I'm goin' in." Sam said bluntly.
"No, Sam, wait." Kensi stopped him.
"Out of my way Kensi." he demanded.
"Sam, listen to me; if you go in like this he's more than likely to run. Let me try... please?"
Sam didn't say anything, he just looked at his friend and lightly nodded his head.
Kensi took a deep breath, gently rubbed Sam's elbow, then walked in. "Discúlpeme," she said in Spanish, catching the young Mexican's attention. "Habla usted Inglés?"
"Yes, I speak English." Rafael said with a smile.
"I'm sorry, a lot of times when I see someone like you, I assume they can't." Kensi lightly teased.
"Well I couldn't when I was younger, but I've learned. Can I help you?"
"Uh, yes actually; I'm lookin' for Desi Rodriguez."
At the mention of his brother's name, Rafael stiffened in concern.
"You see, I met him at a bar the other night, and he told me that he has friends around if I ever wanted to contact him." Kensi tried keeping a sweet smile on her face, but she could tell that something she said was bothering the young Rodriguez.
"You're a pretty girl," he said. "but not a very good liar."
Kensi's eyes shifted from smiling to trying to hide the truth. "Wh-what do you mean?
"I may not be a part of my family anymore, but I do know what kind of girls my brothers prefer. What are you really after?"
Kensi took a deep, shaky breath. "I'm looking for the one who might know where my friend is."
"And your friend is...?"
"Dillon Mason."
Rafael slightly jerked at the name. "He has business with my uncle."
"He did, this morning, but something went wrong and now he's missing." Kensi could tell that the young Mexican didn't like this. "Rafael, I know you wanted to get away from your family, but is there any way you can help me?"
Rafael looked around for a moment, making sure no one was watching. "Mañana. Me mí en la estación de servicio, a dos millas al oeste. Voy a tener una respuesta para usted."
Kensi just nodded, then left.
"What'd he say?" Sam asked.
"He said to meet him tomorrow."
"Where?" Cade asked.
"Gas station, two miles from here. He'll have an answer for us then."
"What do we do in the mean time?" Deeks spoke up.
"We find G." Sam said sternly.
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As the sun set, Brandi stepped inside from her backyard. She smiled as she felt the soft, warm sunlight on her face. Her smile quickly vanished as she heard a noise coming from the bedroom.
She hurried in to see Callen tossing in his sleep, he kept mumbling something. As she leaned in closer, she realized that it was a name.
"Sam? Sam, where are you? Sam!" Called jerked awake.
"Hey, easy, easy. It was just a nightmare, you're alright now."
Called looked around the room, trying to calm himself. "It... it seemed so real."
"Dreams can do that," she said as she sat next to him and check the bandage around his shoulder. "Our minds takes the stuff that is real and make it seem like a dream, and can turn dreams into something that feels like reality."
Callen chuckled as he slowly sat up. "You sound like a friend of mine; psychologist."
"Who's that?"
Suddenly, his mind was blank. "I don't know." he whispered.
"And... 'Sam'?"
Again, his mind was blank. "I don't know, I- I just don't know."
"It's alright; in time, you will."
"But what if I don't have the time?"
Brandi could tell this was frightening him. "Then we'll make the time."
Callen shook his head in frustration.
"In the meantime," she spoke up. "how does some clean clothes, and a hot supper sound?"
"Sounds good."
"Well, if you think you can manage, I'll go fix us something. Bathroom's right there, clothes are in the closet."
Callen waited for a moment, then slowly got up.
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"Well now, that looks much better." Brandi said cheerfully.
"I feel better, thank you." he said, he then noticed the baby bottles on the counter and a baby-walker in the corner. "Thanks for loan of the clothes, sure your boyfriend won't mind?"
"Oh, I don't have a boyfriend." she said as she placed a pan in the oven. "Those belonged to my older brother."
"Where is he now?"
Brandi tried to hold back the sorrow on her face. "He died, last year. He was, uh, out with some friends and a drunk driver ran a stop light and hit the driver side. My brother was the driver."
"I'm sorry."
Brandi tried smiling through her tears. "He left this place to me, it's a lot bigger than my old home so I'm able to watch even more kids."
"You like kids?"
"Yeah, but it's gonna be harder to keep the business going, what with kids back in school and many moms becoming stay-at-homers."
"Sorry about that."
Brandi shrugged her shoulder, "It happens. I'm not too worried about it though, I've got enough saved up so I won't have to work for at least 3 more years."
"Pretty good."
"Thanks." Brandi smiled as she was able to get the stranger to open up.
"So, does your brother have a name?" Callen asked.
"Jason, his name was Jason."
At the sound of that name, Callen started seeing images, a small boy, a young lady calling someone 'Jason'."
"You alright?" Brandi asked, but there was no answer. "You remembered something, didn't ya?"
"It was a... a girl, talking to someone named 'Jason'."
"A friend maybe?"
"Maybe... I just don't know."
"It's alright, it'll come to you. But for right now, eat." And she took the pan out of the oven and started dishing out the food.
She watched as the stranger ate his food; he was slow, still hurting from his wounds, but she could tell that he was getting stronger very quickly.
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The next morning, the rising sun peeked through the curtain, waking Kensi. She looked up to see Sam staring out the window of their hotel room.
"Sam?" she said as she got up. "How long you been up?" but Sam didn't answer. "You haven't been to bed, have you?" she realized.
"You ever try sharin' a bed with Deeks?" he tried teasing.
Kensi looked at her sleeping partner. "That isn't it," she said as she looked back. "you haven't slept because you're still worried about him."
"How would you feel if Deeks had gone missing?"
"You know how I feel!" she snapped. "I lost Dom, remember? Don't go trying to put the guilt on me."
Sam looked over and could see tears starting to fill Kensi's eyes. "I'm sorry." he said.
"Just don't do it again." she demanded softly.
"Hey," a tired voice caught their attention, they both looked over to see Deeks sitting up. "What time is it?"
"Time to meet Rodriguez." Sam said.
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Brandi smiled as she carefully poured a hot beverage into two teacups, she then gently picked them up and walked into the living-room, where she found her guest sound asleep on the couch.
The hot aroma filled the room, it stirred Callen, and he slowly woke up. "Good morning?" he said.
"Morning, sorry if I woke you."
"No, it's all good."
Brandi smiled a little more. "Hope you like tea?"
"Is it a special blend?" he asked as he took the cup.
"Um, no. But if you'd like a special blend, I could go get some."
"No, I hate that stuff, always trying to keep away from it, but she's... she's persistent." he quickly wondered why he said that.
Brandi was about to ask 'who's she?' but decided to hold off. "You didn't sleep well last night, did you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I heard you early this morning; walking around, fixing my toaster, speaking in some other language."
"Russian." he said.
"You speak Russian?" Brandi seemed interested.
Callen realized what he had said. "I- I can't remember."
"Do you know what you were saying?"
"No... How- how could I know that?"
"Maybe you learned it when you visited there; you sounded very fluent."
But Callen just shook his head. He was getting frustrated at the lack of information his mind had; as he took a sip he noticed some alphabet blocks across the room. "Kids play with those?" he asked.
Brandi nodded her head. "I kinda help teach the smaller one's the alphabet, shapes and colors, helps them get into school sooner."
She watched as Callen laid his cup down, walked over and picked up a block with the letter 'G' on it. She could see a form of recognition cross his face. "What do you see?" she asked.
Flashes of people went through his mind, he couldn't see any faces, but he could hear one voice saying 'G', in different tones. "Someone saying 'G', like it's a name." he said in confusion.
"You?"
"I can't tell." he squeezed the block in his hand then threw it down. "Why can't I remember?!"
She hurried over to him, and gently took ahold of his hand. "You will, we just gotta find things to help you."
"How?" Callen's voice shook.
Brandi thought for a moment, "Well, yesterday you said I sounded like a friend, a physiologist, which means that someone you knew is one. Someone you know is called 'Jason'. A lady friend, someone close to you, has tried getting you to taste exotic flavored tea. And just now... just now, you remembered someone being called 'G'."
"Your point?"
"My point is that, you remembered those things just from being around here. Why don't we go for a walk and see if anything out there will help you to remember more?"
He thought for a moment, "Ok." he sighed.
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"Where's your friend?" Cade asked, over a radio, as he sat in a car across the street.
"He'll be here." Kensi answered.
Deeks stood towards the back of the gas station, pretending like he was looking for a particular snack.
Sam stood out by the air tanks, emptying and re-filling his tires.
Kensi stood near the front door, coffee in hand, waiting. "Sam?"
"I got the side and rear, no activity. Deeks?"
"No one but the cashier in here. Don't know how much longer I can stay without making him suspicious."
"Well, go to the bathroom or something." Kensi snapped at him.
"Yes ma'am." he tried to lighten the mood. Then he headed for the restroom.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Brandi and Callen slowly walked down a small market style street.
"How you holdin' up?" she asked.
"I'm okay."
She lightly smiled. "Anything seem familiar?"
Callen took a long look. "All I can say is, this doesn't feel right."
"What doesn't?"
"Me, being here. It feels like I should be somewhere else. This isn't home"
"Can you tell where?"
"A beach, maybe?"
"Well that's a start. Maybe you live near the gulf."
"So why would I be here?"
Brandi thought for a moment, "Maybe you were here on vacation, visiting some friends or..."
"Or getting shot at."
Brandi looked back to see that Callen had stopped and was looking in a store full of TV's, the news report of the shooting playing. "Oh my..." she whispered. "That's you!" she pointed to the man running away from the car.
Callen watched in horror as the footage repeated of the car crashing and him pulling himself from the wreckage and running away. "I'm a criminal." he said in shock.
xxxxxxxxxx
"I'm a criminal."
"Now, y-you don't know that." But Brandi wasn't sure what to believe.
"I'm being chased, shot at, I run away! What else would you call it?!"
But Brandi was speechless, she gently wrapped her arm around his. "Maybe you were trying to get away from someone that meant you harm. Let's just keep walking."
"Why? Even if I'm innocent, I should turn myself in."
"There's gotta more to the story." is all she said.
Callen looked at her in fear, but he saw the trust glowing in her eyes, and they kept walking.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Anything yet?" Sam asked over the coms.
Cade looked around, then spotted the young man walking down the sidewalk. "Here he comes. He's alone."
Everyone waited in anticipation.
"Hola Senorita." Rafael greeted. "How are you this lovely day?"
"I'll be better once you tell me what happened to Dillon."
"Ah yes, I did promise you answers."
xxxxx
Suddenly Sam's phone rang. "Not a good time, Eric."
"It will be when you hear this; I traced Rafael's calls after Kensi met with him. Sam, he called his Uncle."
Sam's eyes widened. "Kensi..."
xxxxx
"The last information I have of your Mr. Mason," Rafael continued. "he made the trade and then he went on his way, I'm not sure where he's gone now."
"Kensi," Sam's voice arose. "Rafael didn't separate from his family, they know we're lookin' for G."
"Are you sure about that?" Kensi asked both men.
"Yes!" Sam replied.
"But of course," Rafael said. "Why would I lie to you?"
"Oh, I don't know." Kensi started. "Maybe because he was in a car accident yesterday."
"But you said that he was missing." Rafael nervously chuckled.
"I did, but..." Kensi started.
xxxx
Cade was keeping his eyes open, when he spotted something down the street; a man and a woman walking. He quickly dug out his binoculars and focused them. "Holy... Sam! Sam!"
Sam slightly turned his head to hear what Cade had to say. "Look to your left, Callen's alive!"
Sam looked over and saw Callen walking with a girl. "Kensi, G's alive!" he quickly said.
Kensi looked sharp as she received the message. "Oh look, here he comes now." she quickly finished her sentence.
Rafael turned around and saw Callen. "MASON!" he yelled.
Kensi quickly grabbed him from going for his gun, but it was too late; a car pulled out from the gas station and started heading for Callen and Brandi.
"Cade, move!" Sam demanded. He then jumped out to take aim at the car. "G!"
xxxx
Callen heard someone scream, he looked up to see a car speeding towards them, a gun aimed out the window. "Get down!"
He and Brandi ducked behind a nearby car, he covered her head as bullets banged into the car, and glass shattered over them.
Suddenly, more shots rung out, Callen got a glimpse to see two men aiming along with the speeding vehicle, shooting. A lady pining another guy to the ground, and one more man hurrying out of the gas station, gun in hand.
"We gotta get outta here." he then quickly pulled Brandi to her feet and they started running.
xxxxx
The car sped away.
"I got the plates." Cade said.
Sam hurried over to the car he saw his friend hide behind, but they were gone. He quickly dug out his phone and dialed. "Eric, how quickly can you get access to any cameras from where I'm at."
"Just one moment."
"I need you to track a gold Mercedes, busted back window, Cade'll give you the license."
He then handed the phone over. "You alright?" he asked Kensi and Deeks.
"We're fine." Deeks said.
"Where's Callen?" Kensi asked.
"Gone."
"Sam!" Cade called out.
Sam turned just in time to catch his cellphone. "Eric, tell Hetty we found Callen. He's alive."
"Is he alright Mr. Hanna?" Hetty's voice spoke up.
"I don't know, this was a setup, somehow they figured we could lead them to G. They targeted him."
"But he got away. Do you know where he's gone?"
"I need Eric to try and locate him; he's with a girl: late 20's, long dark hair."
"Tracking."
"Any clue as to why he didn't stick around, Mr. Hanna?"
"I don't know, Hetty. I think he's in more trouble than we realize."
"Sam, I found them; the car and Callen. The car turned a corner and is now following Callen at a distance."
"Where is he?"
"Residential, ummm it's 2 blocks to the East and 6 blocks south, 1241. And Sam, hurry."
"We gotta move!" Sam yelled.
They quickly set Rafael in the backseat of one car then drove off towards their friend... they hoped.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Callen and Brandi hurried into the house, he quickly locked the door and pushed a chair in front of it.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Yeah," her voice shook. "Who were those men?"
"I don't know, but they knew me somehow... they all did."
"Maybe they know who you are?"
Callen continued to lock the windows and close the curtains. "If they know me, why were they shooting at me?"
"I-I don't know."
"Do you have a gun?" but Brandi was still so shaken up, she didn't answer. Callen hurried over and grabbed her arms. "Do you have a gun?!"
"No!" she yelled in fear.
Callen saw the fear in her eyes. "I-I'm sorry." he said as he gently let go. "We need to get out of here."
"M-my car's out back, we can try and get lost in the traffic."
But as they headed for the back, the front door was kicked in, and three men rushed in, guns in hand. "Hold it!"
Suddenly, the back door opened and 2 more thugs walked in. They grabbed Callen, twisted his arms behind him and forced him to a kneeling position, then one grabbed Brandi and put her in a choke-hold.
"Leave her alone!" Callen pleaded.
"Why should I do that?" One of the main men asked as he tightened his grip.
Brandi gasped for air.
"PLEASE!" he yelled.
The man smirked, then walked over to Brandi and gently ran his hand across her cheek. "Tell me, how did you survive that crash?" he asked as he looked back at Callen.
Called looked confused. "Wh-what crash?"
The man nodded to one of his men, the man proceeded to punch Callen.
"No!" Brandi screamed. "Please, stop! He doesn't know anything! He doesn't remember anything!"
"Hold it!" the man ordered.
Callen's head sagged in pain, his arms still pinned behind him.
The man then glared back at Brandi. "What did you say?"
"I said he doesn't remember anything. He doesn't know who he is, or what happened to him."
The man chuckled. "Uncle will be most interested to hear this." he said to the other two behind him. "Bring him." he then ordered.
As the men started to leave, one of the leaders stopped the head man. "Desi, we can't just leave her."
"Do what you wish Felipe."
Brandi was released, she slumped to the floor and watched in horror as the men dragged her new friend out. Then looked up in time to see a fist coming straight at her.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Eric, have you been able to find who burned Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked as she waited for a call back.
"Almost, I was able to find more camera's and backtrack Callen's movement when he stole one of Rodriguez's SUV's. I managed to pinpoint that he came from this abandoned store."
"Do you have the footage from before he was exposed?"
"Almost." then with one final click. "There."
They both watched as Callen and the Rodriguez's all showed up, then.
"Right there." Eric pointed to one final car. "That's the person that gave up Callen."
"Zoom in and enhance." Hetty watched as the picture cleared up. "Oh, bugger." she sighed in fear.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cade and Kensi parked their vehicles, then they hurried out, weapons in hand.
"Deeks, Kensi..." Sam started.
"We got the back." she finished.
Cade and Sam carefully approached the front door, they noticed that it had already been kicked in.
Sam held up 3 fingers then started counting down, as soon as he hit 1 they stormed in.
"Federal Agents!" Sam yelled.
Kensi and Deeks came in through the back.
"Clear." they all said as they slowly went from room to room.
"Sam!" Kensi called from a bedroom.
They all hurried in to see Kensi trying to wake a young lady who's face was cut and bruised.
"Miss? Miss, can you hear me?"
Slowly, Brandi woke up. The moment she saw Sam and Kensi, she jerked and fear and tried getting away.
"Easy, easy. We won't hurt you." Kensi tried assuring her.
"You were the ones shooting at us."
"No, we were trying to protect you and our friend."
"Where's G?" Sam asked roughly.
"G?" She then remembered. "Then... it was you. You're the one he remembered."
"What do you mean 'remembered'?" Cade asked.
"What, like he didn't know who Sam was?" Deeks piped in.
"He doesn't know who he is." Brandi pointed out.
Everyone looked at her in fear.
"He what?" Kensi gasped.
Brandi took a deep breath. "I found him in the alley and brought him inside. When he woke up he couldn't remember his name, or where he's from."
Sam turned in frustration and leaned against the wall.
"He couldn't remember anything?" Deeks piped in again.
"Just small things, but no names or faces."
"Like what?" Cade asked.
"Ummm, a psychologist, and a lady that like exotic flavored tea."
Kensi slightly smiled. "Nate and Hetty. He couldn't remember anything else?"
"Just someone being called 'Jason' and 'G'."
"Jason was one of Callen's aliases," Sam spoke up, Brandi looked up at him. "'G' is all he knows of his real first name."
Brandi looked down in sadness, "So, he really doesn't know who he is."
"Miss," Kensi interrupted her thoughts. "do you where they've taken him?"
She lightly shook her head.
Sam could tell that she was really worried for their friend. He walked over to her, knelt down and gently took ahold of her hands. "Please? You must've heard something?"
"Umm, one was called 'Desi' and there was another one named 'Phillip' or something like that."
"Do you know where they went?"
"They just said that 'Uncle' would be interested."
"Thank you." Sam then got up and hurried outside.
Deeks and Cade wanted to follow.
"Go," Kensi told them. "I'll stay with her."
The guys quickly left.
xxxxxx
Sam opened the back door of his car and pulled Rafael out. "Okay Rafe, spill; where's your family meeting?"
"Why should I tell you?" the young Mexican smirked.
Sam slammed Rafael against the car then pulled out his gun.
"Sam!" Deeks yelled.
"Tell me or I'll make you wish that you never pretended to walk out of your family business."
The tension slowly grew between the men as they waited.
"I don't know where they've taking him, my guess would be the warehouse on 17th, my Uncle liked to deal with his 'business partners' there."
Sam let Rafael go, then looked at Cade. "Can you get us some back up?"
"You got it."
Suddenly, Deek's phone went off. "Yeah? Hold on. Sam?"
Sam turned and joined Deeks. "Eric?"
"Sam, we've got some bad news." Eric said in a panic over speakerphone.
"Yeah, so do we; the Rodriguez's have G."
"Do you know where?" Hetty asked.
"We're just about to head out.
"Then you got to get moving faster Mr. Hanna."
"What's goin' on?"
"Sam," Eric spoke up. "the one who exposed Callen was, D.E.A Agent, Ben Tarpin."
"That's impossible," Deeks pointed out. "Cade said that Tarpin was found dead."
"That wasn't Tarpin; records show he had an identical twin brother. That must've been who Police found in the dumpster."
"Tarpin cut a deal with Rodriguez, didn't expect to see G, and to prove his allegiance he exposed him." Sam put the puzzle together.
"Exactly Mr. Hanna, you must find Mr. Callen before it's too late."
"Backup's on it's way!" Cade said as he hurried over.
"We're on our way Hetty."
"Good luck."
The three hurried into Cade's car and drove off, hoping and praying that they wouldn't be too late.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Callen struggled against his captors as they pushed him down a long dark hallway.
Suddenly, they stopped him, and a bright light blinded him from seeing around him.
"So, Agent Callen. You thought you could break up my little organization?" a Mexican voice echoed.
"Who-who's Callen?" he asked.
"Oh yes, my nephew said that you couldn't remember who you were, how unfortunate that you're going to die without ever knowing the truth."
"Truth? What truth?"
"Why, who truly exposed you, Callen." An American's voice spoke up.
"Well, if I'm gonna die, could I at least see who my killer is?" Callen's mind was still racing with questions "Who am I? Who are these people? Why am I here?" when a man walked into the light.
"Feel better? the man said. His light colored hair flopped a little, his dark green eyes pierced into Callen's.
"A little, just wish I knew..."
"Who I am?" the man interrupted. "Yes, I must agree, I'd feel the same way if I were in your position. But I like it like this; this way, I can say that you didn't know who I was, and you were unimportant to the world."
"But not to us!" a voice called out.
Suddenly more lights turned on, guns fired, bullets flew. Callen punched one of his captors then hurried to a nearby hiding place, and hid his face.
Sam, Deeks and Cade led the police force in, firing full force on the enemy.
"D'you see Callen?" Deeks asked.
"G?" Sam called out. "G, where are you?!"
xxxx
A henchman was hit, as he fell his gun dropped and slid over to where Callen was hiding.
Callen tried to hide, his heart raced as he tried so hard to figure out, who these people were, who was a friend and who was the enemy. "G!" he heard a voice call out. He uncovered his eyes, "G!" the voice called out again.
He looked down and saw the gun in front of him; suddenly, more images filled his mind, the man who called him 'G', the lady who liked tea, the psychologist, and the rest of the team. The missions they went on, the close friendship bond they all shared; Eric, Nell, Deeks, Kensi, Hetty, Nate and...
"Sam." he whispered. Recognition filled his eyes, he quickly grabbed the gun, peered out, took aim and killed a henchman. "Sam!" he yelled.
But before he could find his friend, he saw the American running away, he quickly followed.
He chased the man out into the alley to a dead end. "Ben!" he yelled.
The man stopped and turned, a smirk-style smile on his face. "I shouldn't have waited."
"Why Ben?" Callen asked. His gun slightly lowered. "Why'd you let me think you were dead?"
"You know how it is Callen, D.E.A pays well, just not what I need. I had hoped that, if you thought I was dead, I could get away with my business deals with Vincenzo." he then lightly chuckled. "I just never figured they'd send you in as Dillon Mason. Why did you do it Callen?"
"Some people would call it avenging your death."
"Avenge. Revenge. A fruitless task I'm afraid. I am sorry how this turned out Callen, and I'm sorry for what has to happen now.."
"Don't do it Ben." Callen pleaded, his grip tightened on his gun.
Tarpin slowly shifted the pistol in his hand. "You know I can't let you take me in, that's not how it works with me."
"Don't do it!" Called yelled.
"I'm sorry."
Both men aimed, but just as Tarpin was about to fire, three shots fired and hit him. He smiled then slumped and died.
Callen lowered his gun again, stunned. He turned around to find that it was Sam who had fired the final shots, keeping him from having to kill an old friend.
There was a small silence as Sam put his gun away and slowly approached his partner.
"You good?" Sam asked finally.
"Yeah," Callen answered softly. "I am now." He then dropped his gun and looked up at his friend. "Thanks Sam."
Sam slightly smiled at his friend using his name. He then grabbed Callen, pulled him into a brotherly embrace and just held him close trying to calm the fear that arose inside him.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Back at Brandi's house, Sam, Cade, Kensi, Deeks and Callen enjoyed a warm meal made by Brandi.
"Mmmm mmm." Deeks sighed. "Brandi, this has got to be the best chili in the world."
"That's still debatable, due to the fact that chili is a Texas specialty." she giggled.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I would like the recipe." Kensi requested.
"When do you cook?" Deeks asked her.
Kensi looked up at him in slight disgust. "I cook." she smirked.
"Yeah, if it's breakfast burritos."
Everyone lightly chuckled.
"It's no problem Kensi, I'll get you the recipe." Brandi then got up and headed for the counter.
As Kensi and Deeks continued to argue, Callen watched as Brandi pulled out a small box from the cupboard. Small memories flooded his mind; his small box on the mantel in his house. A small book, tin soldier and pictures.
He watched Brandi pulled out a red book, a china doll and then pull out some card and copied one down.
"Here ya go Kensi." she said as she returned to the table.
"Thank you Brandi."
Cade quickly looked at his watch. "Hey guys, we'd best get movin' if you're gonna catch your flight home."
Everyone hated to leave, but they all said their goodbyes and heading outside.
"Thank you for taking care of him." Sam said sweetly.
Brandi just smiled and nodded, then watched as he left.
Callen held back for a moment.
"I saw you watching me," Brandi said, then turned to him. "they're the only things I have left from my childhood. Just wanted to try and hold onto what memories I have." she then lightly giggled. "You must think that's crazy."
"No," he said softly. "I know what it's like to have so little from your past. You wish there was more you could remember."
Brandi then chose her next words carefully. "Well... I-I know this trip wasn't exactly somthin' worth remembering, but umm..."
Callen gently grabbed her arm. "I won't forget you Brandi."
A small tear slowly fell down her face, Callen then pulled her in for a hug, she accepted.
"Thank you." he whispered.
Brandi lightly smiled as she pulled back. "Like I said; there's always more to a story."
Callen lightly chuckled.
"Hey G!" Sam called out. "Let's go!"
Brandi wanted to say more, but instead she kept her mouth shut, followed Callen out and watched as he walked over to his friends.
xxxxxx
"You alright?" Kensi asked.
"Never better." he responded.
"Hey guys, why don't we take our next vacation out here?" Deeks suggested. "Think it'd be fun to be a cowboy."
"You? A cowboy?" Sam mocked.
"Hey, I can be a cowboy, all I gotta do is ride a horse."
"Do you even know how to ride a horse?" Cade asked.
"Well, no, but it can't be that hard." Deeks tried defending. "All you do is just hop on and make 'em go where you want."
"I don't know Deeks," Kensi piped in. "some of those horses can be pretty stubborn."
Deeks mocked her laugh as they started climbing into the car, then he stopped. "I thought that was mules." he said.
"Well, I know one thing," Kensi said in a more serious tone. "this is one place that I don't want to remember."
"I don't know about that Kensi;" Callen spoke up. "I think there's some things here worth remembering."
He looked up to see Brandi leaned against a porch pole, a sad smile on her face as she waved goodbye.
"You're right G," Sam said. "Some things are worth remembering."
As they started to drive away, Callen grabbed out his phone and took a picture of his new friend.
The End.