I hope you all enjoy the beginning of this story!

As always, NONE of the characters in this chapter belong to me.

As you get in to the NCIS LA portion of this chapter, you will see where the "AU" portion of this story lies. I have another story "Breaking Down" which centers around Hetty and Admiral Chegwidden. I have continued their relationship from that story in to this :)

Please enjoy!

Washington, D.C.

NCIS Headquarters

Present Day

"Leon…"

"Gibbs, come in," the Director of NCIS stated, motioning for the lead agent to close the door behind him.

"You get through to the CIA?" Gibbs asked, coming to stand in the middle of the room.

Leon Vance nodded, sighing heavily as he perched on the edge of his desk. "It's not going to be easy, Gibbs. They'll only allow us to have the redacted report."

"Not good enough," Gibbs stated firmly.

"I know. We need to find Sharpe first…get something out of him. I need something proving information in the redacted report is suspicious...maybe even inaccurate."

"McGee and Bishop are on their way to the Bahamas now. Sharpe's last known location," Gibbs replied.

"Get him here as quick as you can. And go at him hard, Gibbs. Something was left out of that report that we need. Before these bastards try another again."

Gibbs nodded. "I'm guessing the CIA didn't give any hints on the identity of the agent who was captured by Renkov, did they?"

Vance grunted. "No…nothing."

Gibbs turned and walked to the door, one hand on the knob.

"If I find out they willingly held back information…"

"Already on it, Gibbs. Our lawyers are working on it."

"Good."

The door slammed behind Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"My sentiments exactly," Vance thought, lifting himself from the desk and picking up the phone.

He only hoped tonight's calls wouldn't result in more dead ends.

Eighteen Months Earlier

Los Angeles

Since Hetty's return from Vietnam, it had been a whirlwind of emotions for both she and the Admiral. While it had taken time for her to recover, it did not stop her from throwing herself back in to work full throttle. Cases that were difficult mixed with her uncertainty surrounding the new Executive Assistant Director, Shay Mosely, did not help make things any easier.

AJ's day of retirement were now filled with contacting old colleagues and friends in various agencies- trying to determine the true reason Shay Mosley had moved out of the Secret Service to NCIS. He was grateful for her allowing the OPS team to come and help rescue Henrietta in Vietnam…but there was something about her demeanor that had the elder Admiral questioning her motives.

And then- a mere three months later- it happened. Mosley had gone rogue and asserted every ounce of her power to find her son. The unsanctioned mission almost killed Henrietta's entire team…and had indeed cost a young Harley Hidoko her life.

When AJ had found Henrietta at the mission that awful night, she'd already had a go bag in hand.

"Where to?" was all he asked, seeing his wife's grim expression.

"Mexico. We have to pick up Keane. I need him on the ground."

And so they'd gone- Hetty overseeing the team's safe delivery to the Mexican hospital and keeping in contact with Turk. Keane took over the ground crew while AJ worked with Nell and Eric on the logistics to extract the team back to the US once they were stabilized.

It was four days later when AJ confirmed that the last of Hetty's agents, Callen, had now arrived safely at UCLA Medical Center. Keane and Turk would "tie up" any loose ends in Mexico so that AJ and Hetty could head home to see to the team's recovery.

But that plan would never come to be.

Before the Admiral and Hetty could leave Mexico, the call had come from Washington. Hetty was to report, immediately, to headquarters in D.C.

"You're not going!" AJ had commanded, while she sat silently staring at her now silent cell phone. "I'm calling Kilbride."

"It won't matter, AJ," she'd said quietly. "Someone has to answer for this."

"And it won't be you. You saved this damn mission," he'd growled. "You are not taking the hit for it…Mosely is!"

"We won't find her," she reminded him.

"Arlo and Keane can find her. So can that duo up in OPS."

He'd started calling Admiral Hollace Kilbride, an old friend of both he and Hetty's. But before the connection could be made, Hetty stood and pulled the phone out of his hand, ending the call.

"Henrietta!"

"AJ, leave it be."

The look of resignation on her face concerned him. Dropping his hands to rest on her forearms, he pulled the small woman in close, studying every feature of her body language.

"What's wrong?" he'd asked. "You're the last person to let the Feds decide…"

"I know…"she'd interrupted, shaking her head, "but…"

Leaning down so he was eye to eye with her, he'd asked, "Then what?"

She drew in a deep breath and turned her eyes away from his. "I'm tired, AJ. I'm just….I'm just so tired."

Her stance suddenly lagged under his hold. Gently, he pulled her to sit down next to him on the edge of the uncomfortable hotel bed that had become their home over the past few days. At that point, nothing else had mattered…simply holding her in his arms and granting her some mental and physical rest.

If anything was for sure, it was that they would both need it to get through the coming months.