A/N~ So this is hands down the longest single chapter I have ever written. I've had this idea for a while, and just sat down and decided to put it into words. I really want to make this a multi-chapter story, and not just three or four, but I know I probably won't have too much time to dedicate to it, and it isn't fair to everyone who is following my story to have to wait a month for a short chapter update, so I'll probably do just a few chapters that are really long. Hopefully it will be easier to get a lot done in a few long periods of time than lots of short ones, but who knows. I do promise to put up chapter two soon though; I already have an outline (in my head), so it should go pretty quick. When I started writing this, I had a one sentence idea, and now its eleven pages long in my word document. Who knew? Anyways, I hope you guys like this! It's Callen-centric, but the rest of the team is definitely involved. Enjoy!
The Makings of a Family
He didn't know how long he sat there on one of the only pieces of furniture in his house, just looking at the picture. Callen wished he knew more, but this photo of his mother...it was enough for the time being. His brain, as quick as it was, was still trying to process everything. Of everyone in NCIS, he trusted Hetty the most. Well, Sam too, but the trust was somewhat different. Sam was his partner, Hetty was his guide.
A sudden knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts. The knocking was hard and urgent, instantly setting him on his guard. Drawing his gun, he made his way towards the door, staying out of sight from the windows. Carefully, opening the door, he was shocked to see a woman at his door. A beautiful one at that. Absolutely gorgeous.
"Can I help you?" he asked, still a bit hesitant.
"I can't find my son," the woman said, near tears. Callen, sensing her panic, quickly put his gun into the waistband of his belt, opening the door more to step out onto the porch. "I'm about the call the police, but I wanted to make sure no one else in the neighborhood had seen him first. He's six, blond hair, hazel eyes. His name is Seth" Now she was crying.
Callen lifted the hem of his shirt to show her his badge. "I'm a federal agent, NCIS. When did you last see him?"
The woman took a breath, then said, "Five minutes ago. We were outside playing tag, and now he's gone. My daughter is with the old woman across the street now." Callen lightly gripped her arm.
"It's going to be ok, take a deep breath. I'm going to call in my team, and we'll handle it personally," he said pulling his cell from his pocket. Deciding whether to call Hetty or Sam, he took one more look at the woman, clearly about to go into hysteria, he silently said screw it and typed in Hetty's number. "Have any unrecognizable car's come by the street around the time he went missing?" he asked waiting for the team leader to pick up.
The woman shook her head, then returned to scanning the street for the missing boy.
"Hetty, it's me. Send Sam, Kenzi, and Deeks here now. Missing six-year old boy, was outside and disappeared about five minutes ago. Put road blocks and check points around the outside of my neighborhood."
"Your neighborhood, Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked with some amazement in her voice.
"Neighbor's kid. Have Erik and Nell at the ready too."
"Of course, Mr. Callen. Sam and the rest of them are on their way now."
"Thanks, Hetty," he said before hanging up.
"I have people on their way. Let's search the rest of the neighborhood while they get here, ok?" She nodded her head, still tense and on the verge of a panic attack. They ran in to the sidewalk, turning down the next street yelling the boy's name over and over. The screech of tires pulled Callen's attention to Sam's car pulling up the curb, Kenzi's not far behind it. Sam was out within seconds, right by his side.
"Agent Sam Hanna, NCIS," he said walking up the woman.
"Evelyn Franks," she said, accepting his handshake. Sam gave her a reassuring smile.
"Deeks, I want you in the woods." Turning to Evelyn, he said, "can you go with Agent Blye back to your house in case Seth comes back home?" Seeing her hesitation to stop searching for her son, he continued. "It's going to be ok. We've been through this before. Agent Hanna and I will keep on searching out here. We'll find him." She took a few deep breaths and nodded. Callen motioned to Kenzi to come to her, and Deeks took off into the small wooded area.
"Agent Blye?" the woman said to Kenzi. She nodded.
"Lead the way."
Watching them walk away, Callen turned to Sam. "It's been close to half and hour. We need to get moving."
/
"Can I get you anything to drink, Agent Blye?" Evelyn asked. She seemed to be more put together than when Kenzi had first arrived, but understandably, was still a mess.
"If you have a water, that would great. Thank you. And please call me Kenzi."
"Kenzi," the woman said with a small smile. She handed Kenzi a water bottle and the two sat down in the living room.
"Is this him?" Kenzi asked, picking up a framed photo from the coffee table. It was a picture of Evelyn and two young children, a blond haired boy, whom she assumed to be Seth, and a baby girl, possibly only a year old. Evelyn nodded.
"Seth and Natalie. They are siblings; I'm their foster mother. They came to me a year ago just after Natalie was born when they were taken away from their mother because of neglect. Their father has never been part of their lives. I'm in the process of adopting them as my own." She wiped more tears from her eyes. Suddenly, she inhaled and covered her mouth.
"Oh my god! Has someone from his mother's past taken Seth? They came into foster care because no family members could be contacted, does someone want him now?"
"Evelyn, calm down. If you've had them with you for this long with no problem, then it's not likely. We'll check into it though. Let me just make a phone call. Don't worry - we'll find him. Unfortunately, we have situations like this often, so we know what to do." Dialing Erik, she relayed over Seth's name and mother. Erik said he'd call back with information as he got it. Next she called Callen, and gave him a quick run down of what she knew so far. To her surprise, he seemed shocked to find out that Seth wasn't Evelyn's biological son. Obviously, he had just met her that day and called them in before he even talked to her about their situation.
Coming back into the living room, she saw Evelyn on the phone and waited to ask her some more questions.
"Sorry," she said hanging up. Natalie is with our neighbor; I just asked her to bring her back over. Kenzi nodded, following the woman's gaze to the door as they heard a knock and an elderly voice call for Evelyn, who ran to the door to take her soon-to-be daughter. Kenzi couldn't help but smile at the beautiful little girl in the woman's arms.
"She's adorable," she said, trying to change the subject and distract the woman from her anxiety.
"Yes, she is. Fifteen months as of last Thursday. She adores her big brother," she said with watery eyes. Kenzi went in for another subject change.
"Have you met Agent Callen before today?"
Evelyn shook her head. "I've only seen him out a few times mowing the lawn or coming in or out. I've felt horrible not doing any 'welcome to the neighborhood' thing when he moved in a few months ago, but with two little kids, social workers coming and going, and a job, it's hard enough to keep the house somewhat presentable. Sorry about the mess, by the way. I meant to apologize about that earlier when you almost tripped over that lego set," she said sheepishly.
"It's not a problem," Kenzi said grinning.
"Anyways, I tried to make cookies one time, but he wasn't home and then Seth ate them all when I wasn't paying attention. Poor guy had a upset stomach for the next two days because of all the sugar," she chuckled at the happy memory. Natalie started to fuss, and both women made cooing sounds to sooth the baby girl. "Do you want to hold her?"
"Can I?" asked Kenzi, extending her arms. Evelyn nodded and handed her over to the agent.
"You're a natural," she said after a while when the one year stopped fussing and took great attention in playing with Kenzi's long hair.
"Thanks," she said laughing. She was making funny faces at the baby when her phone rang in her pocket. Handing Natalie back to Evelyn, she pulled it out.
"Hey Sam."
/
Meanwhile, Callen and Sam took charge in the streets searching for the boy as LAPD backup arrived. G got a call from Erik confirming that there wasn't anyone connected to his biological mother looking for him. He and Sam broke up from the group and began a search down another street.
"So I take it you just met her?" Sam asked conversationally.
"Just met who."
"Don't play dumb with me. Evelyn Franks. SETH?" he called out.
"SETH? Ok, sure. Met her for the first time today. Not officially though. I didn't even get her name before I called Hetty and you came up and introduced yourself. SETH?"
"You mean to tell me you've lived in this area for almost a year and haven't met the woman who lives catty-corner? SETH?"
"You know I'm not the most sociable person. I'm only at home to sleep and get the occasional meal. I practically live at the OPS center. SETH?"
"SETH? She's a beautiful woman. SETH?"
"A beautiful woman who's missing a son. SETH?"
"Yeah, but come on. We find him, you're the hero, you take her out to dinner, ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom...SETH?"
"Then she learns details of what I actually do for a living, that I know more about guns than my own family history, and work 100 hours a week. That just spells great role model for two young children. SETH?"
"SETH? You also know what it's like to be in foster care. And ever since Kenzi told us that little tid bit thats all you've been able to think about, just admit it."
"Okay, Sam. Yeah, I've thought about it. The fact that none of my foster parents would have cared that much to be so upset if I went missing or even wanted to adopt me has crossed my mind. But can we please focus on finding this kid? SETH? SETH!"
Sam put his hands up in defense. "If that's how you want to play it, then fine. But this conversation is far from done. SETH?" Callen suddenly stopped and put his hand up.
"Did you hear that?" Sam stayed quiet for another minute before he heard a small cry too, and immediately both agents ran off towards the whimpering.
"G," Sam said quietly, jerking his chin towards a small blond haired boy curled in a tight ball crying behind a tree. He was hugging his knees, his head buried into his chest. Callen carefully made his way to the little boy, not wanting to frighten him. He crouched down in front him, making sure his gun and badge were covered up.
"Hey little man. Are you Seth?" His voice was soft and comforting, and Sam couldn't help but smirk. That was so unlike G.
The boy nodded his head. "Mommy said I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," he said with a slight lisp. Callen smiled.
"Your mommy is right, it's very dangerous. So is running away. Can you tell me what happened?" he prompted.
"I want my mommy!" Seth wailed.
"Sam, get Evelyn on the phone," Callen said.
/
"Hey Sam."
Evelyn held her breath, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.
"You did?...Great...Ah, that is too cute...yeah, here she is." She turned to Evelyn. "It's for you," she said with a big smile.
"Seth?"
"Mommy!"
"Seth! Where are you? And what were you thinking? Why did you run away sweetie?" She was close to tears, but this time of relief.
"I sorry mommy. I saw a butterfly, and I want to get it for you for a surprise 'cause you like butterflies and I gotted lost."
"Oh, sweetie! It's ok, don't try, mommy isn't mad. I was really scared that something happened to you - you can't leave ever again, do you understand? Ever, ok? Are you with Agent Callen and Agent Hanna?"
"Yes, mommy. I am allowed to talk to them? You said not to talk to strangers."
"That's right, good boy. Yes, you can talk to them; let them take you home, okay?"
"Okay, sweetie. Mommy will see you soon, okay?"
"Okay, mommy. I love you."
"I love you too, sweet boy. Come on home now."
When Evelyn hung up the phone, she slid down the refrigerator to the ground, covering her face in her hands and began to sob. Kenzi sat down next to her with the baby and wrapped an arm around her, letting her cry. After a few minutes, Evelyn began to sort herself out.
"I'm sorry, I never cry. I was just so scared...and now I'm so relieved...but all the worst possible scenarios are still running through my mind...and I..." she began to hiccup and wiped more fiercely at her eyes and cheeks.
"Hey, hey, hey. He's ok. I can't imagine what you were going through, but just remember that he is ok. You really lucked out knocking on the right guy's door," she said with a smile, which the woman returned.
"I can't thank Agent Callen enough. I was truly in a panic when I knocked on his door. Gosh, he really saved my son. And thank you, Kenzi, for keeping me somewhat sane. I owe all of you so much."
"No, you don't. I know I speak for all of us when I say that we're all glad Seth is ok," she said squeezing the other woman's hand.
At knock at the door caused both of them to jump up. Evelyn ran to the front hallway while Kenzi hung back with Natalie, bouncing the little girl on her hip.
Nearly ripping the door off it's hinges, Evelyn threw it aside and flung herself at her son, wrapping her arms around him, not noticing for a moment that Callen was holding the boy, so really her arms went around both of them.
Sam raised his eyebrows but smirked to himself, letting himself into the house to find Kenzi and give them some 'alone time,' if he could call it that. There had to be a spark. Callen was a good guy, a great guy, but to personally take point on a case that was completely outside of their jurisdiction was saying something - something big. Oh yeah, G definitely saw something in her.
/
Evelyn stepped back from the embrace, slightly embarrassed. Reaching for her (almost) son, Callen handed the boy over, who had fallen asleep in his arms on the way back. Evelyn clutched him tightly, as if she didn't he would slip away.
"He fell asleep on the way back. I think he's really tired, understandably. A lot has happened in the last hour," Callen said.
She looked up at him with watery eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. "I thought I lost him before I really actually had him. I really can't thank you enough Agent Callen."
"No thanks necessary. I'm glad he's ok. And call me Callen," he said leaning against one of the pillars on the porch.
"Okay, Callen. Do you have a first name?"
"Thats a good question," he mused more to himself than her, staring off for a moment. Instead of pushing, Evelyn stayed silent for moment, wondering what past this man could have, and if she'd ever know.
"Come on inside, make yourself comfortable. I'll get you something to eat and drink, and I don't think you can refuse; Kenzi already agreed for everyone in advanced," she said with a warm smile, which he returned with a knowing nod of his head.
"Yeah, she can be somewhat demanding. I don't know how her partner Deeks does it all the time." He froze. "DEEKS!"
/
"Thanks guys. I really appreciate the curtsey call. 'Hey man, we found the kid. An hour ago.' I could have about half as many burrs on me right now, but no, everyone just decided to forget about all the hard work Detective Marty Deeks was doing, combing through the haunted woods-"
"-of suburban LA. Stay still, Brave Heart, there's still a few on your back," Kenzi said with a good natured eye roll as she used a pair of tweezers to pick off the burrs into the trashcan, occasionally pinching the man 'by accident'.
"How long have they been married?" Evelyn whispered jokingly to Callen. The two sat next to each other on the couch, a sleeping Seth in her lap (she basically refused to let him out of her sight), and a drowsy Natalie in Callen's lap. He was surprised when Evelyn offered her up to him to hold, and was a bit awkward holding her at first. Usually, Deeks was the one who did everything with the kids; practically being one himself gave him a knack for this kind of thing, but today it was Callen's turn. After a while, he got used to little girl who took interest in his buzzed hair, giggling every time it tickled her hand when she went to touch it. He even made a few funny faces at her when he thought no one was looking.
"Hard to tell, they completely bypassed the honeymoon stage and went more into the fifty plus years stage. It's kind of cute, if it didn't make me sick," he joked back. She quietly laughed, combing her fingers through Seth's hair.
"He's probably out for the night, and I need to accept that he won't disappear if I take my eyes off of him. I'm putting to bed, be right back," she said, moving to pick the boy up and stand at the same time. She gave him a small smile and she walked off down the hallway.
Sam came back in the house after sorting things out with the local PD just as Evelyn walked back into the living room.
"Everything is all set from our end. Is there anything else you need?" Sam asked her.
"No, thank you Agent Hanna. I can't stop saying that - thank you. Honestly," she said shaking her head. He smiled.
"Don't mention it. Comes with the job. G, I've gotta take off. See you at OPS tomorrow. I'll update Hetty, too."
"Thanks Sam," he said, quickly turning his attention back to the now sleeping baby.
Deeks and Kenzi shared a look before Deeks said, "We better take off too. Ms. Franks, thank you for the tweezers and superman bandaids. Callen, I will be stopping at your place to steal a beer before we leave to ease the pain of a thousand needles cutting into my skin, and we're off!"
"Evelyn, let's get lunch or coffee sometime and exchange shoe stores. And really, if you want Natalie off your hands for any length of time, call me. Seriously, she is too cute. Seth too, though I'm sure he's going to be attached to your hip for a while," she said with a smile.
"I left my number on the counter, Kenzi. Call me and we'll go out for sure. I'll bring Natalie when we do, too!"
Soon the only two were Callen and Evelyn, who sat in comfortable silence for a while as he continued to rock her daughter. Deciding to break the silence, he asked, "what made you decide to become a foster mother?"
She paused and took a deep breath, exhaling before she answered. "I went in foster care when I was eight. I got separated from my older sister, who was eleven, after the first home we were in. Some of the places I lived were nice; the foster parents were good people who truly did love children, but I always got sent back when I was with those kinds of families because they had too many kids. Other homes I was in weren't as good." She was somber for a moment, remembering the type of place she used to have to call home. Unbeknownst to her, Callen knew exactly what she was talking about. "I always knew that I couldn't - I wouldn't - let other kids grow up in a place like that with those kinds of people. I've had a four foster kids before I got Seth and Natalie, but only temporarily. I wasn't expecting any them to go back to their parents, but one of them did. The other three were siblings and got adopted by their aunt, moving to Wisconsin. Seth and Natalie's parents can't get them back, and no one has stepped forward for them. After a year, I couldn't imagine my life without them, and started the adoption process a few months ago to make sure they could stay with me."
Callen didn't know what to say. As strange as it was, he had never met another 'normal' adult who had grown up in foster care like him. Knowing what she meant when she said there were 'not so nice' families, he felt a stab in his gut understanding what she probably went through as a young girl.
"Do you still have your shoes?" He knew she would know what it meant. The shoes they all had, every kid who was in the system long enough did, that the addresses and family names were on. They made eye contact for a long time, and Evelyn knew he let her in on something he didn't usually share.
"There on the top shelf of my closet. Yours?"
"Same."
They stayed quiet for a while, reflecting on the years they mostly wanted to forget, never breaking eye contact. Suddenly, she dropped eye contact and her breathing became rigid. Callen could see more tears starting in her eyes, and immediately knew what was wrong.
"You're a good mother, Evelyn. You're not going to become one of them. You deserve these kids."
"How can you say that? I lost Seth today. I lost him. He was alone, and scared, and I wasn't there for him. What kind of mother is that?"
Callen shifted Natalie so he could turn his entire body to face Evelyn, grabbing her hand with his free one. "Hey, look at me," he said. It was hard to look at the pain in her eyes when she finally did, but he knew he that he was the only one who knew what she was afraid of, so he was the only one who could make her feel differently. "You said there were good families, and there are. The difference between the good families and the bad ones comes down to one thing: love. Those families, they loved us, and because of that they did what they could to protect us. You love Natalie and Seth - nothing is going to change that. The best parents loose their kids. Seth didn't run away because you neglected him, or yelled; he was chasing a butterfly to give to you because he loves you so much. You haven't done anything but teach him how to love, and that's what will always make you different from those foster parents. Okay?"
"Thank you, Callen," she whispered, lightly touching his cheek. He reached up to wipe the tears on her cheeks, not moving his hand when he was done. The moment was getting extremely personal, extremely quickly. Everything in Callen was saying bolt, get away before he got too involved, before he could get hurt or hurt her. So why didn't he?
"Mommy?"
Seth's voice pulled them apart; Callen immediately shifted away from her, focusing on Natalie in his lap and Evelyn left off the couch as if it were on fire, making her way around it to get to her son.
"Seth, sweetie, is everything ok?"
"I's thirsty mommy," he said with a small whine. She nodded and got a sippy cup from the cabinet, filling it with water and ushering the six-year old back to bed. When she came back in the room, Callen was standing by the couch with Natalie in his arms.
"I should probably get going. It's getting pretty late."
"Right, yeah. Um, I'm sorry about earlier. I hope I haven't come off as a total basket case," she said with a nervous laugh.
"Not at all," he said with a small smile. "Where should I bring her?" Callen asked, gesturing with his chin to the sleeping baby.
"Follow me, if you don't mind," she said turning down the same hallway she had just came from, turning into a light pink room with elephants, lions, and other animals everywhere on the wallpaper, stuffed animal form, and blankets. Callen placed the little girl in the crib, watching as Evelyn carefully tucked the blanket around her, stroking her growing hair once before pulling back and turning to him. "Thank you, Callen. For absolutely everything."
He smiled as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're welcome. Call me, okay?" She nodded.
"Good night, Evelyn," he said before leaving.
"Good night, Callen."
A/N~ So yes, I got a bit sappy towards the end. Hope that's ok. Chapter two will be up soon - in the meantime, please review and tell me what you think!