Hello there! It's been a long time again. I've been working on a few Callen/Kensi ideas, and this story is sort of the result of putting them all together. It's just a short little story – only a few chapters long and not too involved, but if you like Callen/Kensi, I hope you like it. Thanks for reading!

-I-

"And it's another beautiful morning in the City of Angels as we get your day started with some good old classic rock 'n' roll..."

The silver convertible shook from the heavy drumbeat on the radio as it cruised through Los Angeles rush hour traffic. The early morning sun was already high in the sky, and the driver took a moment to adjust his sunglasses before he roared onto the freeway.

Tapping his fingers to the rhythm of the song, he glanced in his rearview mirror and then floored the gas pedal, kicking the car into another gear.

Just off the first exit, he made a sharp turn and skidded into the parking lot of a small breakfast diner. He opened the car door and neatly folded his sunglasses, slipping them into his pocket as he adjusted the lapels on his jacket and pulled his collar up slightly.

The bell on the door jangled as he entered the restaurant.

"Hi, Tom," the pretty young brunette behind the counter greeted him. "The usual?"

"The usual, Casey," he confirmed.

Casey smiled sweetly and disappeared into the kitchen to fill his order.

Tom took a seat close to the register, surveying the room as he waited. There were only a few customers in the restaurant at this hour, most of them leisurely sipping coffee and reading the morning paper.

But in a small booth in the back corner, Tom noticed a man sitting alone, talking on a cell phone in a low voice. He wore a neatly pressed business suit, and there was a briefcase on the table next to him. When he caught Tom watching him, he quickly ended the conversation and snapped his phone shut.

Tom took this as an invitation. He calmly strode over to the booth and sat down. "Beautiful morning, isn't it?"

"Can I help you?" the man snapped.

"No, but I might be able to help you," Tom replied coolly.

The man raised an eyebrow. "You Tom?"

"I am."

"Well, then, please accept my apologies." The man smiled a crooked smile and extended a hand. "Call me Charlie."

"Apology accepted, Charlie. Shall we get down to business?"

"We shall," Charlie agreed. "What are you offering?"

"Two million."

"Too low."

"Too low?" Tom repeated in disbelief. "This is an untested weapon."

Charlie shrugged. "This is business."

"Here you go, Tom," Casey's cheery voice interrupted. She placed a steaming plate of food in front of him. "Extra bacon, just the way you like it." She winked at him.

"You know what, Casey?" Tom said, shooting an obvious glare at Charlie. "I'm done here. I think I'll take this to go." He handed her back the plate and flashed a charming smile. "Do me a favor and wrap this up?"

Casey looked surprised. "Um, sure, okay. Can I get you anything, sir?" she asked Charlie.

"No," Charlie replied gruffly. "And we're not done here yet."

"Oh, I think we are," Tom argued. "Casey, my breakfast, please."

As Casey disappeared back into the kitchen, Charlie slammed his fist down on the table. "Four million, no lower."

Tom shook his head. "Three million if you prove what it can do...take it or leave it."

Charlie grinned. "You're in luck, my friend. There will be a demonstration tonight."

"A demonstration? Where?"

"The USS Inferno."

"A Navy ship?" Tom snorted. "Are you serious?"

"It's docked at port right now, and there's a black tie celebration at the harbor tonight." Charlie's eyes gleamed, and he clapped his hands excitedly. "It's a welcome home party! Bring a date. Bring that waitress." He nodded towards the kitchen door. "She seems to be pretty sweet on you."

"Maybe I will."

"Then I'll see you tonight."

"I'll see you tonight," Tom confirmed. But he remained seated, meeting Charlie's cold stare with his own icy blue eyes.

"We're done now," Charlie finally said in an annoyed tone, as if Tom should have known.

"Okay then."

"Okay."

With a polite nod, Tom returned to the counter just as the kitchen door swung open again. A small smirk touched his lips as Casey emerged with his food and bent down to grab some napkins from a lower shelf.

"All set to go," she said, pushing the hot container over the counter and interrupting his admiration of her backside.

Tom gave her a warm smile. "So what time do you get off work tonight, pretty lady?"

"Early because I took the morning shift. Why?"

"Well, my colleague over there is having a little party this evening."

"Tom, are you asking me out?"

"What if I am?"

She blushed. "I wouldn't say no."

"Then I'll see you tonight." Tom pulled several bills out of his wallet and handed them to her. "Keep the change, sweet thing."

And then Tom picked up his food and exited the diner, seemingly unaware of Charlie's eyes following him.

"Bacon? Third time this week?"

As G Callen entered the OSP hacienda that morning, carrying his plastic take-out breakfast container, he heard the critical voice of Sam Hanna behind him.

"You're pushing it, G. You're just asking for a cholesterol level off the charts."

"And who doesn't love off-the-chart cholesterol levels?" Deeks asked, overhearing the conversation as he entered the room. "Whose cholesterol level are we talking about?"

"Mr. 'Genetically Gifted' over there," Sam grumbled. "Bacon and eggs for breakfast...again."

"You know what that means?" Deeks asked.

"I'm interviewing new partners starting tomorrow?"

"It means he's got the hots for the girl behind the counter at the take-out place."

Both Callen and Sam looked at him.

"Okay, maybe that was me at the coffee shop this week."

Sam raised an eyebrow while Callen bit into a piece of bacon and chewed thoughtfully.

Suddenly, there was an angry quacking noise from the balcony above.

"Mating season again, Eric?" Sam muttered.

"The call of the African Red-Throated Loon, my ornithologically-challenged friends," the computer tech explained.

Sighing almost in unison, Sam and Callen rose from their seats and headed for the stairs, but Deeks paused. "Where's Kensi?"

"Here!" came the voice behind him. "I'm here."

"Late again, are we? What happened to my oh-so-punctual-sets-her-clock-fifteen-minutes-ahead-of-everybody-else partner?"

"I was getting breakfast," Kensi said defensively, setting a plastic container down on her desk.

"And how come I wasn't invited to bring-your-breakfast-to-work day?" Deeks asked.

"I didn't have time to eat this morning," she explained, heading for the stairs. "Did I hear Eric whistle?"

"Yeah, with that loony tune—" Deeks stopped short as something suddenly caught his eye. He looked down at Callen and Kensi's desks. Two identical plastic containers. Two identical meals.

Somehow he didn't think that was a coincidence.