Don't look down!

Chapter 1

It had been a year since Callen and Todd had been through their trials and come out the other side, a year since Eric had made Callen a part of his family and more importantly for Callen a year since he had asked Sally Lissaman out on a date.

Eric, Todd, Summer and Sally had become his family.

Callen had kept the information about Sally as need to know. Eric and his family knew, Hetty knew…his team, they knew about her, but that was it. He hadn't shared anything more worrying that maybe something might go wrong. After the Sidarov incident he didn't want her to be put in the spotlight.

Especially now.

Turning over in bed he rested his arm over the small bulge in Sally's stomach. She smiled in her sleep feeling his hand move over her.

"You getting up?" she asked sleepily as he moved away.

"Yeah, gotta go in early today, I have some extra paperwork to do." He admitted.

She smiled and stretched making her bump a bit more pronounced. "I…." she stopped as she shot out of bed and ran for the bathroom, Callen walked behind her and held her long brown hair out of the way slowly rubbing her back.

She looked at him as he handed her a glass of water with a smirk.

"I hate you…" she grumbled, he smiled and handed her a towel, kissing the top of her head he turned and walked out of the bathroom, "I love you too!" he shot back as he went into the kitchen.

She cleaned up and followed him as he reached for the coffee.

"You touch that stuff you die!" she moaned, her stomach protesting at just the thought of the smell of coffee.

Callen laughed again, "I was heading for the herbal tea, honest." He said he made her a drink and grabbed some crackers and handed them to her.

Grabbing his bag he headed for the door, Sam was due to pull up and meet him as Sally needed his car today.

"I love you." She said throwing herself into his arms crying.

"Hey?" Callen said gently stroking a hair back on her face, "I know that…it's just the baby…" he kissed her, the kiss turned heated and in a few moments they were both panting for breath.

"G…please, be careful," Sally looked worried, "Something feels off today."

"With the baby?" he asked worriedly.

Sally smiled "Nope all good there." Callen kissed her cheek and headed out the door.

"Don't forget to call me when you have the doctor's appointment set up…Sooner we hit 3 months the sooner we can tell everyone." He grinned.


He walked down the path and smiled at Sam who was sitting in the Challenger waiting for him.

"You know I think having a girlfriend is good for you, you're looking healthier.

Callen shrugged and climbed into the car.

"So when do we get to meet this mystery woman of yours G, I know she's real, I've heard you talk to her, you went shopping and brought furniture with her and since you started seeing her I hardly get to come to your house anymore…so what do you have to hide?" Sam pushed.

"Nothing….Come on Sam, it was three years before you even told me you were married, four before I met Michelle and your daughter." Callen protested.

Sam huffed but carried on driving to work, Callen was right, and he kinda got where he was coming from, but they were partners and he knew Callen better now.

Sam and Callen arrived at work to see Summer pulling up on Eric's bike. "Hey uncle G!" she called.

"Hey munchkin." Callen smiled and pulled Summer into a hug, "What ya doing here?"

"I'm just dropping Dad's bike off, I need the jeep, I'm taking Todd surfing after school." She said, "You both still on for Friday?" Summer asked.

"Yep wouldn't miss it." Callen laughed.

Summer threw the keys for the bike at Callen, "Drop these off with pops will you?"

Callen laughed again, "He hears you call him that and he will kill you."

Summer laughed and stopped as a text came in on her phone.

She winked at Callen and turned to the security camera on the front of the building, "Sorry daddy." She said, 'Mock bowed' and climbed into the Jeep.


Callen dropped his bag by the desk and ran up to ops.

"Your sneaky you know that?" Callen said walking into the buildings technology hub.

Eric turned in his chair, "You wait till yours gets here, you'll be watching them on camera every chance you get too."

"Shh!" Callen said looking around,

"You're good." Eric reassured his friend.

"Good, you know we're waiting... here…" Callen said giving Eric the keys to the Ducati. "We got anything coming up?" he asked.

"Nope, slow news day, Hetty has taken Nell for some 'Training' and you guys are on paperwork." Eric told him.

"Great!" Callen sighed, "In that case you're getting the lunches in. I won family game night last week you owed me lunch."

"Fine…1.30 lunch will be delivered, by me, to your fair hand oh great one."

"You should never have let Todd teach me how to play that." Callen laughed, "You might have had a chance, but really, you thought you'd beat me at Halo?"

"OUT! OUT OF MY OFFICE HEATHEN!" Eric laughed shooing the agent out the door.


Sam looked up at the commotion as Callen jogged down the stairs.

"We have a case?" He asked.

"Nope, paperwork today, but Eric is getting lunch."

Sam raised an eyebrow but that was it.

At 12.30, Eric walked down the stairs and talked to Nell, who took over for him at Ops while he went out waving to the team as he went.

Callen had his head buried in his expense report when a blood chilling scream was heard from OPS.

Within seconds the team had bounded up the stairs.

"What's wrong?"

"Nell?" Callen asked.

Nell stood transfixed, her hands over her mouth tears pouring down her face staring at the plasma.

A very familiar bike was in pieces all over the PCH and a body was laid with limbs at some odd angles in the middle of the road.

It took a few seconds to register what he was seeing. "Eric?" Callen asked, hoping against hope he was wrong.

"Oh, Mr. Beale…" Hetty looked shocked and scared.

This in itself galvanized Callen to action.

"Deeks call LAPD, get an ambulance sent there." He said, "Nell I need the footage was this an accident or was someone following him."

Nell and Deeks moved as one, both headed to their appointed tasks.

"Kensi I need you to head to Venice beach, Todd and Summer should be there soon, I'll text you what hospital they take Eric too."

"Shouldn't I get them from school?" Kensi asked.

"No not yet, I need the time to asses Eric's condition and figure out what to do." Callen replied.

Kensi nodded and left.

Sam turned to Callen, "OK so what can I do?"

"Take me home," Callen asked feeling older than his 43 years, "I have to tell Sally,"

"You can't do that over the phone?" Sam asked, "We should be going to the hospital."

"No, she's in no condition to hear this over the phone." Callen said.


Sally had spent the morning relaxing in the oversized tub Callen had in his bathroom and had put on a maternity dress that Callen had like when she had gone shopping with him last weekend.

Looking at herself in the mirror she could see her bump forming and she looked all of her two and a half months, being slim she was showing early, she liked the curves that pregnancy had given her. Putting her hair up and her sandals on she walked into the kitchen for a glass of orange juice. She stopped to look at herself one more time in the mirror. She liked the glow she had and wondered how long it would be before she didn't like the look of herself in the mirror.

Shrugging it off she poured her glass of juice as she heard a car pull up out front.

"Hey," She smiled as Callen walked in. She stopped at the look on his face. "G?" she asked worried.

Callen walked up to her and held her tight as Sam walked in.

Having not met Sam, Sally sucked in a worried breath as Callen held her. "G…baby? What's wrong?"

"Eric…he's been in an accident, we need to get to the hospital, for the kids."

"Oh my God! How bad?" she asked worry etched on her face.

"It looks bad." Callen admitted.

"I'll get my purse." Sally turned and Sam sucked in a deep breath.

Callen turned and looked at his partner, "Oh yeah, Sam meet Sally."

Sam shook her hand and looked at her pointedly.

"Sam?" Callen said and then realized what she was wearing the Maternity dress was plain with an arrow pointing to her stomach, 'daddy's little secret' was written over the top of her bump.

"Oops." Callen gave a sheepish grin, and herded Sally to the car. He opened the door and helped her in the back.

As he shut the door Sam looked at him over the top of the car.

"We…we will talk later." Sam promised, "Now let's go and see Eric." He said.

Callen climbed in the car knowing that by the end of the day, he and Sam may have a lot more to talk about.