Jo, Beth, or is it Jane?

2017

Callen sat in his car, parked, on a very busy street in one of the posh neighborhoods of Los Angeles hoping that he would not attract attention. He'd diagonally parked across from a house with which he'd become acquainted through an old friend or so he hoped she still was. He'd been there three times before, never inside but he never needed to go inside.

The first time he'd gone at Hetty's insistence and found the woman who he'd known as Joelle Taylor living there, under the name of Beth, with a man, Nick and a young boy, Peter; the man, her husband and the boy, her six year old son. It had been a hard blow to Callen, shocked him really, but the amazing part was how it had hurt him deeply. He never acknowledged those feelings to himself or to anyone else, how much her leaving affected him.

Hetty later discovered that the meek and mild teacher, who he dated and who'd walked away from him because of his 'dangerous job,' was none other than a CIA agent and a dangerous one to boot: It made for another hard blow to Callen's ego and his heart.

The next time he'd gone to the house was to pick up her son and husband to protect them from immense harm. The moment became uncomfortable for both Callen and Jo's husband as each man eyed the other knowing that each had made love to her, but her family's safety was more important than those uncomfortable feelings and Callen dismissed them into thin air.

The third and what Callen had hoped would be the last time was to let Jo say good bye, from a distance, to her family. She'd been shot and in order to keep the Syndicate, who hunted her, away from her husband and son, she falsified her own death. There was a deal between the CIA, NCIS and herself that she'd hunt them down and put an end to it. It had been a hard decision for her but she valued her son's life too much to put him in danger. Callen understood because he knew that if someday he was lucky enough to have a family and he put them in harm's way, he'd leave them too.

He sat here today because it was the boy's birthday and if he knew anything about Jo, it would be that she'd want to see him today. He was there to head her off from blowing the deal she made and to keep her from causing her son more grief. He needed to find her.

The area around the house didn't give many places to hide in, palm trees swayed in the light breeze and potted plants had been arranged in the front portico and the side patio. He didn't see her but that meant nothing. She'd been trained to hide in plain sight but the catch here was that he'd been trained to spot someone like her and after twenty minutes he found her.

He started his car and drove down the block and around the corner. Hopefully if she'd seen him she would think he'd left. He walked across the street and slipped into the bushes across from where he'd parked. He moved slowly and pointedly to where he knew she hid. He waited, not because he couldn't have taken her but because he realized if he felt lost without his mother then she felt lost without her son. The decision he made came from his gut and his own needs. It turned out to be a good choice.

Fifteen minutes later the boy arrived home with his dad. Both he and his dad goofed around in the drive as they moved to the house. Jo made a move to rise. Callen moved to her place of concealment and grabbed her hand. "Jane…don't do this."

She sat back down in her hidey hole and met his gaze. "I just want to see him."

Callen nodded. "I know Jane, but he's had enough pain in his life. He's lost his mother and that is enough for him to process at his age. Add to that the feelings he'd have if he knew you chose to leave him." He met her eyes."Don't make it worse for him."

The entire time he spoke, but for that one moment, her eyes stayed riveted on her son and they never left him until he entered the house. Callen could see the extreme longing in her eyes, the dire urge to hold him and the potent need of a mother's love to comfort him. It seemed as soon as he understood what he watched her eyes left her boy and became cold. "I've seen him. Let's get out of here." The mother had reverted to the hardened agent he knew her to be.

Callen grabbed her arm. "Where will you go?"

She shrugged her answer as if it didn't really matter, hurriedly walked out of her hiding place and to the side wall of her former home.

Callen followed her to her car. When he finally caught up to her he took her hand. "Let's find somewhere to eat, catch up and decide how to deal with this."

She thought about it a second. "Okay but I can't stay long. I have a flight to Jakarta at seven. Let's order a pizza and go to your place. I really can't afford to be seen now, can I?"

Later That Afternoon

After dropping Jane's car back to the rental center Callen called for the pizza and drove to the pizzeria to pick it up. All the while there'd been no sound from the passenger seat. That, of itself, didn't seem unusual to Callen. Jo had always been introspective but he knew that when something needed to be said she would open up. Callen just wondered what went on inside that pretty, but dangerous head now.

Once they'd picked up their meal G drove to his house in Venice. She was still quiet but he knew better than to try to get her to talk. Jo seemed far away in thought. He'd do better by leaving her alone for now.

G opened the front door to his bungalow and ushered her in.

She walked through the door and looked around, grinning. "I see not much has changed. No table still? Are you ever going to get another?"

Callen chuckled at that. "I'm thinking about it." He gave her a sideway glance. "I did buy a new bed though."

The idea of a new bed seemed to upset her for a moment. He saw it flicker through her eyes before it was cautiously put away for safe keeping. Callen enjoyed the fact that it disturbed her. It made up for the hurt she'd given him. When he dated her he'd thought maybe he'd found someone to share his life with but in reality it had all been a sham and the situation led him back to his distrustful ways. "Let's eat. I've got beer and a little red wine or would you prefer water?"

She turned to face him. She saw his hurt and had to admit she felt it as well. While they were together she'd felt as if he would understand her life. She couldn't tell him at the time but she wished that she could have. "I'll have the wine."

Something had changed in that room between the two of them and both felt it.

Callen didn't want to go there again. He entered the kitchen not only to get the wine and beer but to clear his head.

When he came back with the beer bottle and glass of wine he found Jane in his chair with the pizza propped open on the floor. He brought the desk chair in and went back for plates and silverware. When he returned he sat opposite her, the pizza box between them like a wall.

Jane watched him as he moved. She always thought of him as a handsome man and he moved like someone from a movie. He belonged to her once maybe it could be once again, only belonged didn't seem to be the right word. He would never belong to anyone. Matched might be a better term for the two of them as they matched each other in many ways.

Callen eyed her as well. He wondered what she thought about as she ate. She'd spent much of that time watching him. "I'd give a penny for your thoughts?"

Jane, deep in thought, gave a small, almost non-visable, jump at the sound of his voice. When she regained her composure she gave him a smirk as if to say, you can try. "Oh my thoughts are worth a lot more than that. Maybe someday I'll share them with you." She stopped that line of thinking before it went too far. She instead turned her thoughts to what happened earlier in the day. "Why'd you stop me?"

Callen thought for a moment about why he really did stop her. He had his own reasons but he put the boy before that. Then he did something that he rarely did; he shared part of his life with her. "I always thought that my father had died years ago. I'd made peace with that but about two years ago I found him and it hurt deeply that he'd never come for me or my sister. After forty-four years it still hurt. I can't imagine what that would feel like to a seven year old. I couldn't let you do that to him."

Jane smiled across the pizza at him. "Thank you for not letting me make that mistake. I want him to remember me as a good mom, someone who took him to school, roller skating, biking and on trips to amusement parks and other places. I don't want him remembering me as a selfish person who just left him behind." She looked down at her pizza. "Sometimes that's what it feels I did, like I abandoned him."

Callen shook his head. "You didn't abandon him and I don't think Nick would let that him think that. While Nick wasn't happy with your job but he would never tell Peter anything awful about you. He's trying to move on with both of their lives."

They'd both had their fill of the pizza and G needed to put the rest in the refrigerator. Callen also needed another beer and there was just enough wine for a second glass. He turned to return to the living room to ask Jane but she'd followed him and now stood directly in front of him gazing up into his eyes. "No I don't want more wine…" She put her arms around his neck and her lips on his.

Callen backed up to the counter, put his beer down, and moved to disentangle himself from her. "What do you think you're doing? This didn't end so well the last time."

She nodded but still wanted him. "No, it sure didn't and I'm not pushing for a long term relationship, just today. I need to feel like I mean something to someone. I never wanted to walk away but I did have my family and there were superiors who wanted to see what NCIS was doing with the mole issue. You honestly meant something to me or else I'd never have come to you for help last year. You'd have understood what I needed to do because you do it too. I want us this afternoon, you and me, and then I'll be gone and you don't have to worry about it or me after today."

Callen understood where she came from. There were many a day where he felt alone and if people knew what he did he be even more alone. He reached for her to console her.

Jane moved into the protection of his arms.

He began to kiss the top of her head as he would a child but it soon moved to more. He felt the heat of her body rising and she felt his needs coming into play.

She began to unbutton his shirt and looked coyly up at him. "Let's go try out that new bed."

He picked her up and carried her to the master bedroom.

The afternoon was spent making sure neither of them would feel anything but needed and wanted for a very long time.

At five o'clock they packed Jane into the car and headed for LAX and her flight to Jakarta. He never asked what she'd do there but knew that it would have to do with the Syndicate.

He pulled up to the departure lane and Jane reached for the door handle. "Jane...wait."

She stopped and turned back to face him.

Callen reached for her hand. "One year from now I'll bring a picture of Peter. Where will we meet?"

Jane's face showed her doubt but it also showed a hope. Unfortunately the doubt won. "Callen, you don't have to do this. When I walk through those doors I'll be out of your life."

Callen nodded. "Maybe I don't want that. Maybe what we have is all we need. Give us that chance."

She shook her head as if she didn't believe him. "I'll let you know. You get mail at your house?"

He nodded.

Jane smiled. "Good. I'll see you around." She climbed out of the car and walked to the door only turning back to wave and then walked into the terminal.

Callen hoped he'd hear from her soon.