One
He walked into the office, heading straight for the coffee pot. Jet lag was affecting him even more than usual. He guessed that it had something to do with various flights that brought him from Moscow back to Langley. For once, he hoped that he would be behind his desk, just long enough for him to get back into the swing of things; being undercover in Russia for the past six months had brought out his darker side, and his habit of drinking despite it being daylight.
He placed his duffel bag on the floor beside his desk. There was no mistaking the heavy thud it made, probably because that one bag held all of his personal belongings.
He took a giant gulp of his coffee and leaned against his desk, he had been sitting in planes for the better part of two days and preferred to stand.
"Well, well, well; look who it is. The lone wolf, G Callen, has finally returned" teased a voice. Callen turned to see Christopher Thompson walking towards him.
The two had surprisingly hit it off when Chris came to Langley, and Callen even considered him somewhat of a friend, which was extremely rare. G Callen didn't normally have friends. He could barely keep a partner for more than a few months at a time.
"Did you miss me?" Callen joked.
Chris rolled his eyes, "I enjoyed the peace and quiet. You weren't here stirring up partner drama. Some of the guys have been betting by the way, how many have you actually been through while here at Langley? Twenty? Thirty?"
"One can never divulge his secrets" Callen responded. His eyes shifted towards the door, watching a woman with vibrant red hair and sea green eyes walk into the bullpen.
"Fresh off the Farm?" he asked, nodding his head to the woman and she walked from the doors towards them.
"Something like that" Chris said with a smile, which he tried to hide behind his coffee cup.
Callen watched the woman walk past them and up the stairs towards the Director's office. She knocked on the door hesitantly before walking in, and she disappeared from their view.
"Everyone's been taking bets on how long she'll last. Half the office thinks she's not cut out to be an agent, and she'll go running within a few months" Chris said as he sat at his desk, which was conveniently located across from Callen's.
"Does she have an unbearable partner?" Callen asked taking another sip of his coffee. He watched as the woman walked out with the Director, the two talking quietly and making their way down the stairs.
"You could say that" Chris replied with a little chuckle, once again using his coffee cup as cover to hide his smirk. The pair began to walk this way, and then stopped in front of the pair. The small grin that Callen had while the two had been talking and joking around quickly disappeared when he realized what was happening.
"Welcome back Agent Callen, and congratulations are in order. You were extremely successful on your mission in Moscow" the Director said, holding out his hand.
"Thank you, sir" he replied shaking it. He turned his icy blue eyes to the girl standing in front of him, she was looking at him, a nervous smile on her face.
"While you were away, we started looking for you a new partner. Agent Callen meet Anna Harding, she will be your partner for now on" the Director replied, and before he walked back up to his office, he leaned in close to Callen whispering, "Try not to run this one off, will you?"
The Director turned to look at the woman known as Anna Harding. "Make yourself at home Agent Harding, and welcome to Langley" he said before going back to his office. Anna Harding nodded her head in thanks and turned her sea green eyes back to look at G Callen, her new partner.
She had heard stories about the man. He was supposedly a legend, and was especially known for working alone. No one really knew how many partners he had run off before her, and she was sure he was going to try his best to do the same to her, but she wasn't going to let him. She saw the looks all the other agents had been giving her since she had come to Langley a few days before. They were all expecting her to wash out, just like everyone had expected her to wash out of the Farm. Of course, she had proven them wrong.
Anna Harding was many things, but she was not a quitter.
She placed her things on the desk in front of Agent Callen's. He had yet to speak a word. The agent he had been talking to earlier, and several other agents were watching them, most probably expecting her to break under the man's icy blue stare. He was furious that he had come back to a partner he hadn't approved on, especially one that was fresh off the Farm.
She stood in front of him, putting her hands on her hips, and locked her sea green eyes with his. If he wanted a staring match, she would give him one.
She could feel her eyes starting to dry, and her body tingled with nerves. This man was a legend at the Farm. His icy blue eyes had been known to break many men, and here she was, her first day as his partner, and they were glaring at each other. Finally, she couldn't help it, she blinked and looked away. When she looked back at him she saw one more icy glare before he turned and stormed out of the office, pushing his way through the double glass doors. Anna gulped knowing that she had more than likely made a huge mistake.
She heard a chuckle and turned to look at the man who had been talking to Agent Callen earlier. He grinned at her.
"This is going to be good" he said taking one more sip of coffee and placing it on his desk. He pushed himself away from it and held his hand out to the newbie.
"Christopher Thompson, but you can call me Chris" he said.
"Anna Harding" she answered shaking his hand.
"Welcome to Langley Anna Harding" he replied before grabbing his coffee cup and heading towards the coffee pot.
"Try and last more than a month will you? I've got money riding on you" he called out with a laugh.