Title: Mariposa
Summary: She is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Okay, maybe not quite, but close enough. She's been best friends with Kensi Blye since they were ten years old. No one understands her connection with Hetty except maybe Kensi. Will her distinct aversion of G push him away for good or will Callen find that she is a mystery worth solving after all?
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize here.
Author's Note: I've been on a major NCIS: LA kick lately.
Mariposa
"Did you really think I wasn't going to find you, Hetty?" Her hands were on her hips worry clearly shown in her brown eyes.
"Oh I knew you'd find me first, dear, but we both know full well the team won't be far behind." The older woman walked around her and sighed softly.
"Hetty, what's going on? Why are you here in Romania?"
"It's just a little unfinished business. Nothing for you to worry about. I'll be fine. Go back to the States, Mariposa." She assured the younger woman giving her a hug.
The brunette gave in reluctantly agreeing to return home. Of course that didn't mean she was going right away. She knew how to stay hidden. After all, she learned from the best. True to Hetty's word, the team had arrived in Romania not too long after the young woman had. She managed to stay out of the team's sight until things took a tragic turn for the worse when Hetty was shot. It wasn't too hard slipping into the local Romanian hospital that Hetty was recovering in undetected. Getting into her actual room was trickier, but she managed to get in for a few moments anyway. The sight of the petite older woman laying in the hospital bed looking frail broke her heart. She took a seat beside her bed blinking back a few tears as she held her hand.
"Oh Hetty! I knew it wasn't a good idea to leave. Look, I can't stay long, but the doctors say you're going to make a full recovery. The arrangements are already made to get you back home safe and sound. You just rest up, okay?" The brunette squeezed her hand pressing a kiss to her head gently.
As she slipped out of Hetty's room, G Callen was walking down the hall in the same direction. She could hear him clearly yell hey at her as she hurried away. He informed the team giving a description of her as he made his way into Hetty's room to check on the older woman. A sigh of relief fell from his lips when he realized she was unharmed. It was then that Hetty spoke for the first time since she had been shot.
"Mariposa..."
.
Despite investigating, they never could figure out the significance of mariposa, the Spanish word for butterfly, or the identity of the mystery woman leaving Hetty's hospital room. The older woman made a full recovery just as the doctors had said. Of course her recovery time hadn't stopped Callen from confronting her about Romania wanting to know what she wasn't telling him about his past and family. It was mid confrontation that the young brunette walked in carrying groceries. She rolled her warm brown eyes as she walked by checking on Hetty before heading to the kitchen.
Curiosity won out and Callen found himself following her. "Who are you?"
"Charlotte. Everyone calls me Charlie though. I'm taking care of Hetty during her recuperation." The brunette moved around him as she put things away.
His vibrant blue eyes followed her every move throughout the room. "I'm..."
"G Callen, the reason she got shot. Yeah, I know." Charlie interjected scoffing slightly clearly unimpressed with him.
The older man stiffened slightly at her words. "Charlie..."
"What? It's true. If she hadn't gone to Romania to protect you, she'd be fine right now." She huffed moving to boil some water for Hetty's tea.
"Charlotte Grace, that's enough out of you."
"Hetty.." She trailed off as they turned around to see the older woman standing just outside the kitchen.
"Don't Hetty me. I appreciate all you've done for me during my recovery period, but I think I can handle it from here on out."
Callen eyed them both curiously before looking at Hetty. "How does she know about Romania?"
"She told the doctor she had been mugged in Romania. When we got back here, I asked her to tell me the truth." She sighed knowing full well it wasn't the whole truth as she said goodbye to Hetty before walking out.
"Charlie is a very dear friend of our Miss Blye. I trust her to keep what is said between us in confidence." Hetty nodded her head moving about as she poured herself a cup of tea.
Before he could question it any further, his phone rang and he was called in on a case. It was on his way out the door that one of the many framed pictures Hetty had around her home caught his eye. The photograph in question was of a young girl sitting on a swing and around her neck was a silver necklace. It was the pendant that dangled from the necklace that really caught his eye. It was a butterfly.
.
"Come on, Kens, live a little. We'll be back before they even know we're gone." Fifteen year old Charlie laughed softly as she flopped down onto her best friend's bed.
The taller of the pair shook her head before grinning softly. "Fine. We're seeing Titanic, right?"
"Of course. Like any of us would really pass up the chance to see Leo's handsome face on the big screen." She sighed dreamily with a goofy smile on her face.
Kensi shot her best friend a knowing look. "You would to go chat up Dylan at the concessions stand."
"Oh my god! I would not! Shut up." Charlie laughed blushing as she threw a pillow at Kensi's head.
She caught the pillow and laughed tossing it back at her. "Yes, you would. Is he even working tonight?"
"Nope. He's out of town visiting family for the holidays. Come on, we're meeting the rest of the girls there and I don't want to miss the previews."
.
A marine's death by car accident was tragic, yes, but it was no case for the NCIS Office of Special Projects. It only landed in their radar once other marines from the same unit also turned up dead in car accidents. Kensi appeared as if she had seen a ghost as the OSP team tech Eric Beale read off the names of the victims. It was the last name that made her gasp and choke back a sob. Her partner Marty Deeks made it to her side first consoling her the best that he could. It was only when she finally regained her composure that the team finally understood what was going on. The victims were all members of her late father's unit. Still, Callen felt there was something the younger agent was holding back. He looked over the information about the victims and that was when he saw what Kensi wasn't saying. A shriek caught their attention and he glanced up only to see a familiar brunette sobbing in Hetty's office. It was only moments later that Kensi was in the office as well consoling her friend. Her sadness soon turned into anger when Kensi was hauled away as the prime suspect in the murders.
"It wasn't her! Kensi would never...she just wouldn't. She's a good person, damn it." Charlie shook her head angrily clutching a tissue in her hand.
Callen sighed placing his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "We know. Believe me, we know. I'm sorry about your father."
"He was on a fishing trip. He loves..loved...to fish. It calms..calmed him. God, we were supposed to have lunch today. He wanted to tell me something." She sniffled fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.
"What did he want to tell you?" Deeks' tone was soft as he sat down beside her.
"I don't know, Marty. He just...he said that it was important and that he couldn't tell me over the phone. It was yesterday. That was the last time we..we spoke. I can't.. I can't do this. I need Kensi." Charlie broke down again.
.
The angry brunette kicked the chair away and sighed. It probably wasn't helping her case, but at the moment she didn't care. The door opened and she was about to yell when she saw it wasn't the assistant director of NCIS, Owen Granger. Instead it was Callen's partner, Sam Hanna, and Kensi couldn't be more relieved. She hugged him allowing herself to break down for a moment.
Once she regained her composure, Kensi sat back down ignoring the fact that they were currently in the boatshed. "How's Charlie?"
"She's tougher than she looks. She's heartbroken, but she's hanging in there. How are you?" Sam looked down at his teammate and friend.
She sighed shaking her head at his words. "I didn't do this, Sam. I would never... I'd never make her go through what I did."
"Believe me, we know. We're going to figure this out, I promise. Now when was the last time you saw the men from your father's unit?" His tone softened as he moved to sit down.
Kensi nodded her head at him. "Not since his funeral. The only one I've stayed in touch with was Charlie's dad. I couldn't tell you if he's been in touch with them. Charlie would know that better than I would."
"Alright, I'm going to check in with G. See if he found anything. Just hang tight. We'll get you out of this."