I was determined to get a chapter of FTS done this weekend, but after literally writing one paragraph, this story came into my head, out of nowhere, and I really needed to write it. Hope you like it and I'll be back to the other two really soon. Also, please ignore any technical plot mistakes which I'm sure I made and thanks for reading, as always…
xxxxx
"Callen!" Deeks shouted as he scanned the area in search of their team leader. "Where the hell did he go?" he asked, turning to Kensi. They had just exited what had turned out to be a deserted building. Callen, who was to have gone in through the back door, was nowhere to be seen.
"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "He has to be around here somewhere. His car is right over there."
"This isn't good…I have a really bad feeling," Deeks said, looking worried. "Let's look over that way, but we stay together. I don't want you disappearing too."
Kensi and Deeks did a thorough walkthrough of both the inside and the outside of the building, but there was still no sign of Callen anywhere. "Eric," Deeks said, speaking into his com, "see if you can hack into any surveillance cameras that might be in this general area. There's still no sign of Callen."
"Deeks?" Kensi looked at him uncertainly as he shrugged.
"I don't know, Kens…I really don't know…"
xxxxx
Sam glanced at the display on his cell phone, to ensure that his children hadn't called. They hadn't. No one had called. Most of the calls he received were either nuisance calls or calls from G. He felt slightly guilty that he rarely called his partner back, but the calls lately were always so awkward. Callen obviously wanted him to return to work, but was going overboard not to say so and Sam really just didn't want to talk about it. He had taken his kids away for much of the summer. They had visited relatives and gone to see some parts of the country that they had never seen before. Then, when they had returned home, he had been busy getting Kamran ready for school. It hadn't been until both kids were gone that he had realized just how horrifically empty his house and his life were without Michelle. He had proceeded to rent a trailer and had found a place to park it at the Dockweiler RV Park at Playa Del Rey. It was right on the beach and it gave Sam the solitude he found that he was craving right now. He didn't want people trying to help him or telling him everything would be okay, no matter how well-meaning those people might be. They just didn't understand.
He left his cell phone on the table in his trailer and headed out to the beach.
xxxxx
"It was obviously a trap, Hetty," Deeks said, a hint of anger in his eyes and voice as he and Kensi stood in Hetty's office, reporting on what had taken place. "Whoever this was…they snatched Callen out from under our noses and we don't have a clue how it happened."
"Hopefully, Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones will come up with something soon," Hetty said, looking uncharacteristically worried. This was just too much and much too soon after what had transpired with Sam's wife, just a few short months ago. Which brought her to Sam… As much as this was going to hurt him, he needed to know about this. "I'm going to try to contact Mr. Hanna," Hetty said, as she picked up the phone. "We need to tell him what's happened here."
Deeks and Kensi exchanged an uncomfortable look as Hetty made the call. Both of them had tried to reach out to Sam periodically, but neither had really had much luck. He either didn't answer at all or the conversations were short and stilted with abrupt, unsatisfying endings. They knew Callen wasn't having much better luck. Nell and Eric had been alternating, partnering up with him in the field. Today, they had thought the three of them would be enough for what had appeared to be just a routine check on an anonymous tip. That had been a mistake.
"No answer?" Kensi asked as Hetty hung up the telephone receiver.
Hetty shook her head. "No." She hesitated for a few moments and then looked up at Kensi and Deeks. "I'd like the two of you to go to him and let him know what's happened."
"Do you know where he is?" Deeks asked.
Hetty nodded as she scribbled an address onto a piece of paper then handed it to Deeks. "Go as quickly as you can. I need you both back here."
"You've got it, Hetty," Deeks said as he took the piece of paper from Hetty and he and Kensi quickly left the office.
xxxxx
"I guess this is the place," Deeks said as he and Kensi stood outside the door to what appeared to be Sam's trailer. "Here goes nothing." He knocked loudly on the door. "Sam?! Hey Sam, it's Deeks. Are you in there?"
There was no answer.
"Now what?" Kensi asked, very obviously discouraged by their lack of success.
"Let's take a quick look around the beach and see if we can spot him," Deeks said. "If not, we'd better head back."
The two of them walked over to the beach, which luckily wasn't all that crowded that day. Kensi spotted Sam relatively quickly. "There he is, Deeks," she said, pointing in Sam's direction.
xxxxx
When Sam first saw Kensi and Deeks approaching him, his first thought was that this was some plan cooked up by his partner to get him back to work. But when he didn't see Callen anywhere, he could feel the butterflies beginning to kick up in his stomach. What had happened now?
"Hey Sam," Deeks said as the two met up with him.
"We've missed you," Kensi said, approaching him for an embrace, but Sam's body remained stiff and unyielding in her arms so she let him go and stepped away.
"What is it?" Sam asked. He knew something was wrong. It couldn't have been more obvious to him.
"Callen's been abducted," Deeks answered, knowing there was no real way to sugarcoat it.
Sam ran his hand over his face as he tried to compose himself. This could not be happening. Not again… Not to G… "By who?" he asked.
"We don't know," Kensi admitted.
"When?"
"Just a little while ago," Deeks replied. "We got a tip about a person of interest being at an address. One minute Callen was there and the next…gone…"
"You didn't see anything?" Sam snapped. "Neither of you?" He was about to ask why they hadn't had G's back, but the simple truth was that had been his job…he should have had his partner's back.
"Hetty wanted you to know…We all thought you should know," Kensi said. She lowered her head to stare at the ground, unable to stand to see the raw pain reflected in Sam's eyes.
Sam said nothing. He turned towards the water as he tried to keep his emotions under control. G had called him the previous night, but he hadn't answered, nor had he bothered to return his call…and now…He couldn't even bear to finish the thought.
"We need to head back," Deeks said, absently kicking at the sand underneath his feet, as uncomfortable with this situation as Kensi was. "Like Kensi said…we thought you should know." He stared at Sam for a long moment, but the other man's attention remained on the water. Deeks shrugged and looked at Kensi then the two of them turned and headed back towards where their vehicle was parked.
A few moments later, Sam jogged up to them. "I'm going to run in and change," he said to them. "I'm going with you."
xxxxx
"We just got our first break," Nell said, running down the stairs as Sam, Kensi and Deeks came into OSP. "Hetty's waiting upstairs."
The trio hurriedly followed Nell up the stairs to Ops. "Mr. Hanna," Hetty greeted as they came into the room. "It's good to see you…I just wish it was under different circumstances…" She turned towards Eric. "Mr. Beale…"
"So…it took me some time to get into this security system. We were unable to reach the owner of the building, but…I finally managed to get this…" He brought the image up on the large screen and they saw grainy video footage of Callen, about to enter the back door of the building, suddenly accosted from behind with a violent blow to the back of his head. He hit the ground hard and was dragged into the back of a waiting black van which sped away.
"Dammit to hell," Sam growled as he stared angrily at the screen. He should have been there with G. He had let his partner down. "Do you have anything else?"
"We're trying to track the van through Kaleidoscope, but nothing so far," Eric said apologetically.
Sam shook his head slowly. "We have to find him," he whispered. "I cannot lose him too."
Eric and Nell went back to work as Kensi and Deeks looked at Hetty who just turned and walked away. They had no answers for this…none at all.
xxxxx
The first thing Callen felt as he finally started regain consciousness was pain…excruciating pain in his right arm and an intense throbbing pain in his head. There was a gag jammed into his mouth and he was tightly bound to a hard steel chair. He looked around the room which was only about 8x8 with one small window, high up on the wall, not that it would do him any good, bound the way he was and unable to scream for help. He then looked down and his eyes widened in disbelief and dismay as he saw the digital display of what appeared to be an explosive device, counting down. The time was now at three hours and 33 minutes.
xxxxx
"We've got nothing at all to go on," Kensi said. She, Deeks and Sam were sitting at their desks, throwing ideas around of who might be responsible for this and where Callen might be, but unless someone gave them a clue, even just a breadcrumb, they knew they were screwed and Callen…they didn't even want to think about where that left him. "Guys? You need to come upstairs." Eric's sudden appearance and the look on his face did nothing to reassure them as they silently headed back to Ops. They knew that whatever it was he had found…it wasn't good.
Hetty and Nell were waiting for them when they entered Ops once again. "We just received this audio file," Eric explained as he clicked on it. "My name is James Foster," the recording began. "That probably means very little to you, if anything at all, but that doesn't really matter. What did matter was my daughter, Jenny Foster, who your team callously shot down and killed a little over a year ago."
Eric and Nell were furiously typing and moments later, photographs of James and Jenny Foster were up on the screen. "I remember her," Deeks said, thinking back. "She was part of that bank heist in Culver City. We gunned her down in the shootout…"
"She was part of a group of felons," Kensi stated. "It's not like she was innocent. She was trying to kill us."
"Tell that to her father," Sam said quietly.
"Should I go on?" Eric asked. Without waiting for an answer, he hit the play button once again.
"I didn't really care which member of your team we grabbed," James' voice went on. "I just knew one of you needed to die and the rest of you needed to suffer. It couldn't have gone any more smoothly though. It was almost as if you presented Agent Callen to me on a platter and said here you are, feast away. In any case, just so you know what he's facing, I've attached a photograph and at 3 p.m., the time left is one hour and 52 minutes."
"Eric…show us the picture, please," Hetty said as she and Sam shared a sorrowful look, the memory of Michelle's tragic fate looming over them .
"Oh my God," Nell said as the picture took over the screen and they saw Callen, apparently unconscious, tied to a chair, with a bomb on the floor in front of him. The digital display read three hours and 47 minutes.
"Not again…" Sam whispered, his sense of foreboding growing by the second. Another fight against the clock? He didn't know if he could take this again. Already he had a feeling of impending doom which told him that this was not going to end well. G was going to die.
xxxxx
"Can you get us a current address on Mr. Foster?" Hetty asked. Nell nodded and set to work on the task.
Sam looked at his watch. "It's almost 4 o'clock," he said. "I'm sure he didn't bring G to his house…Unless he has a suicide wish."
"We don't have anything else, Sam," Kensi said softly. "It's a lead…"
"A lead that's come to us too late," Sam said. He looked away, his eyes beginning to fill with tears. He was beginning to wonder what he'd done wrong. What had he done to be punished this way…to first lose his wife and now his partner, two of the most important people in his life?
He felt an arm around his shoulders and turned his head to see Deeks, looking at him sympathetically. "We can't give up, Sam," Deeks said quietly. "We have to search until the last possible second. It's what Callen would do if it was one of us."
Sam nodded, knowing that Deeks was right. He would never give up on G, not until it had been proven to him that there was no hope. "Come on, let's go."
xxxxx
Callen's blue eyes were focused, almost hypnotically, on the digital display of the bomb, watching as it ticked away the last minutes of his life. He couldn't help but compare his situation to what Michelle had gone through. Now, more than ever, he had even more compassion for what she had faced, what she had gone through. She had faced it with such courage and dignity. He didn't mind admitting that he was scared. This wasn't the way he would have chosen to leave this world. The time when he'd been left wearing the suicide vest, his team had found him almost immediately. He hadn't had the time with his thoughts that he'd had today. This…this was much worse, to be watching the clock and as each minute ticked down, knowing there was that much time less for him to be found. Now, at less than an hour, he was quickly losing hope of a rescue. He couldn't help but think of his partner and he knew this was going to crush him. Lately, Callen had been having his doubts whether Sam would ever return to work, now…he knew he never would. He just hoped Sam was able to find some way to get his life together again after he was gone.
xxxxx
"There's nothing here," Sam snarled, his emotions beginning to spiral out of control. "Not a damn thing to help us." James Foster's apartment only showed that he led a barebones existence. Except for the bare minimum in furniture and clothing, the man had nothing except for pictures of his daughter covering his walls. It was evident what his life's focus had been.
Kensi and Deeks looked at each other helplessly. Unfortunately, Sam was right. Time was running out and they had no clue at all how they could find and save Callen.
Just then, Sam's cell phone rang. "Please tell me you have something, Eric," Sam said as he clicked on his phone.
"We've finally got a Kaleidoscope hit," Eric said, speaking very rapidly. "We've tracked the van to an abandoned high school. It was condemned years ago. It's pretty close to where you are. Nell just sent the address to your phones. "Hetty is making calls to get some people to help you search as well as a bomb squad. Hurrry, Sam."
Sam clicked off his phone. "We've got a lead," he said as he started quickly walking towards the door of James Foster's apartment. "Come on…there's not much time left."
xxxxx
Ten minutes left…Callen's heart was beating erratically and he was trying very hard not to panic. He'd been desperately trying to escape the tight ropes around him, but had only succeeded in increasing the almost unbearable pain in his arm. He was pretty sure it was broken and then had been twisted behind him like a pretzel, making matters that much worse. He had never been particularly religious, but now he began to internally talk to whatever God or higher being might be in existence. He prayed for his team, that they would be able to find peace with what had happened to him. He prayed for Hetty and especially for Sam, hoping they would find comfort and be able to cope with this. He prayed for Kensi and Deeks, that they would marry and have continued long-lasting love and happiness and be blessed with children. He prayed for Eric and Nell. He had no idea if they would end up together, but he hoped they would both have continued personal and professional success in life. He prayed for Sam's children. He hoped that they would grow up to have bright and happy futures and be able to get past the violence and ugliness that had touched their young lives. He also prayed for his father, half sister and nephew. He'd never really gotten the chance to know them and now he never would. He wished them all the best.
Callen was so intent on his thoughts and prayers, that he never heard Sam calling him, never had a clue that he was there until he kicked the locked door open and entered the room.
xxxxx
"G!" Sam had never been so happy and relieved to see his partner as he was at that moment. He placed his hand briefly on Callen's shoulder and then got down on the floor to examine the bomb which was set to go off in a mere five minutes. Sam glanced over at Callen and could see the anxiety in his eyes. "Don't worry, buddy. I've got this." He continued to study the bomb and at 3 minutes 15 seconds, succeeded in stopping it in its tracks.
Callen closed his eyes in relief as Sam gently removed the gag from his mouth and began to work on unfastening the tight ropes around him. "I think my arm is broken," Callen informed his partner as some of the rope fell to the floor.
"Which arm?"
"My right one."
Sam continued his work, taking care not to hurt Callen and finally he was free. "Can you stand up?" he asked him. Callen nodded and was able to get to his feet, albeit, a little bit shakily.
"I…I can't believe you found me," Callen said, his voice breaking as he stared at Sam. "I never thought you would…thank you."
"I just thank God, we did find you," Sam said, drawing Callen into a careful but heartfelt embrace. "I…I really thought I was going to lose you."
At that moment, Kensi and Deeks came into the room. "Callen!" Kensi said, smiling as she approached.
"Watch his right arm, Kens," Sam cautioned as he stepped back from Callen so Kensi could embrace him.
"I'm so glad to see you," Kensi said, hugging him tightly, but carefully avoiding his injured arm. "We were so scared we wouldn't find you in time."
"I really appreciate that you did find me in time," Callen said. "Thanks." His eyes went to Deeks. "Thanks to all of you."
"No problem, man," Deeks came over to give Callen a quick hug, trying to hide the emotion in his eyes but not doing a very good job of it. "We're just glad we got to you before…well you know…" Deeks glanced down at the bomb, saw the time on it and a slight shudder ran through him. A few minutes longer and they would have been too late. It was a very sobering thought.
"Come on," Sam said. "We need to get you to the hospital."
For once, Callen was perfectly happy to agree.
xxxxx
A couple hours later, Callen's arm was casted, and in a sling. He had been diagnosed with a moderate concussion and he was comfortably situated in a private hospital room for an overnight stay. He also was being given IV fluids as it had been determined that he was slightly dehydrated.
"How are you doing, buddy?" Sam asked as he came into the room.
"I'm doing well," Callen said, smiling at his friend. "I'm going to be out of commission for field work for a while, but all things considered, I guess I'm pretty lucky."
Sam nodded as he took a seat by Callen's bedside.
"It's good to see you, Sam," Callen stated quietly. "I've missed you."
Sam nodded again and bowed his head. "I know, G…I…I'm sorry I haven't really been in touch…"
"It's okay, Sam," Callen said, trying to reassure his friend. "I understand. Really I do…I know it's been rough."
"Still…" Sam tried to keep himself together as he spoke. "I was thinking how I hadn't returned your call last night and that I would have missed out on talking to you one last time…" He shook his head then looked up and met Callen's gaze. "I'm not sure I could have ever forgiven myself for that. I'm sorry, G…I really am."
"I don't want you to be sorry…I just want you to be okay."
Just then, an aide came into the room with a dinner tray which she placed on Callen's bedside table. Callen thanked her and she left, giving him a shy smile. "I'm pretty hungry," Callen said as he lifted the plastic dome to examine what was underneath it. "But…I guess not that hungry. Is that chicken?"
Sam looked at the meal containing a breaded meat, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. There was also a tiny container of red gelatin, a piece of chocolate cake, and a small can of ginger ale. "I think its chicken, but I wouldn't bet on it."
He watched as Callen recovered the dome over the plate, but took the gelatin and cake and placed them on his night stand along with the ginger ale. "I'll eat those later," Callen said.
"I can get you something to eat," Sam said, smiling at his partner. "What would you like?"
"No need for that," Deeks said as he and Kensi walked into the room. "Your wish is our command, Callen." He placed a bag from In-N-Out and a tall cup next to Callen's dinner tray.
"Thanks, Deeks." Callen smiled and pulled the Double-Double and fries out of the bag. "I owe you." He took a big bite out of the burger and sighed appreciatively. "Anyone want some fries?" Everyone shook their heads, all just glad to see Callen happily eating, alive and well.
"So, how long do you have to stay here?" Kensi asked.
Callen put down the chocolate shake he had just taken a sip of and glanced over at her. "Just overnight if all goes well. You know the drill. You get whacked on the head and they want to keep you. I'm expecting to leave tomorrow morning."
"That's good news," Kensi replied.
"What's good news?" Nell's voice popped up as she and Eric walked into the room behind Hetty.
"Callen's probably getting out of here tomorrow morning," Kensi answered.
"That is good news," Nell said with a smile.
Hetty walked over to Callen's bed and took his left hand, then patted it gently. "Don't you ever do that to us again," she scolded gently, smiling at him. "You took at least two years off my life today and I can't afford that."
"Sorry Hetty," Callen said, returning her smile. "I'll try to be more careful."
"I'm very glad that you're okay."
"Hey you two," Callen said, beckoning Eric and Nell over to him. "I hear a lot of the reason why I'm still here today is because of the two of you. Thank you so much for tracking me down."
"Just doing our jobs," Eric said.
"We're so glad we were able to find you in time," Nell said.
"Speaking of that," Callen said, looking at his partner who had just given Hetty his seat. "Who took me anyway?"
"You don't know?" Sam asked in surprise.
Callen shook his head. "When I regained consciousness, I was alone. I never saw anyone."
"How'd you break your arm?" Deeks asked.
Callen shrugged. "I don't know. I think it happened when I fell on it. I must have hit the ground the wrong way."
"The person responsible for your abduction was James Foster," Nell answered his question. "His daughter was killed by us after she was part of a bank heist.
"Oh…Callen tried to remember, but really didn't. "Did you get the guy?"
"He and his partner were waiting outside in the van when we got to the school," Deeks said. "They didn't put up a fight so we were able to arrest them pretty easily."
"That's good at least," Callen replied, glad that he didn't have to worry about this guy coming after anyone on his team in the future.
xxxxx
At about 8:30, Hetty observed that Callen was beginning to tire and suggested that they call it a night. "Sam?" Deeks asked. "Do you want a ride back to your trailer?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, that'd be good, if you don't mind." He turned toward his partner who was now obviously fighting sleep. "I'll be here in the morning to take you home, 10 o'clock sound good?"
"Thanks Sam," Callen said with a nod. He then turned his attention to the rest of his friends in the room. "Thanks again everyone, for all you did today."
Goodbyes were then said and hugs exchanged as Callen finally fell asleep and the team left him to get some much needed rest.
xxxxx
The next morning, Sam arrived at Callen's room a little bit after eleven. Callen was wearing a pair of blue scrubs and seated on the edge of his bed. "Hey Sam," Callen said. "I was beginning to think you forgot about me…"
"Sorry, G," Sam said, giving his partner an apologetic look. "I had to take care of something first. Are you officially released from this place?"
Callen held up some papers. "All set to go," he said.
Sam glanced at the wheelchair beside the wall. "I'm assuming that's your escape vehicle?"
Callen shook his head as he got up from the bed. "I don't need that. Let's get out of here."
"I'm not taking you out of here without it," Sam stated. "Come on… It's not a big deal."
Callen stared back at Sam, trying to figure out if his partner was really serious about this. Finally, he came to the conclusion that he was and reluctantly sat down in the wheelchair.
"Thank you," Sam said as he began to wheel Callen from the room. Callen wasn't as happy-go-lucky as he had been the night before when he'd been more or less running on adrenaline. He suspected his night hadn't gone particularly well once everything that had happened had settled into his partner's brain. "How'd you sleep last night?" Sam asked once they were outside and on their way to the Challenger.
"Okay," Callen said.
Sam decided just to let that go as they reached the Challenger. "Here we are."
Callen got into the car and Sam brought the wheelchair back to the hospital, returning a few minutes later. He then reached for Callen's seatbelt and buckled his partner safely into the car. Once they had pulled out of the hospital parking lot, Sam glanced over at him. "So…you never asked me what I was doing this morning…why I got here so late…"
Callen shrugged. "I figured you'd tell me if you wanted to and if you didn't…that it was none of my business…"
"I decided to return the trailer. I'm going back to the house. I thought…maybe you would like to stay with me? I can help you out, since you won't be able to use your arm for a while, drive you around, things like that…"
"Help me cut my meat?" Callen asked with a smirk. He was about to say that he didn't need help, when he really began to process what Sam had done. He had returned the trailer to help him out, but maybe Callen would be helping his friend out as well. He knew that for Sam…going back home wouldn't be a simple or easy thing. The house would not the same for him without Michelle, especially with the kids away at school. Maybe they could both do each other some good here. "Thank you, Sam. That would be helpful," Callen said. "Can we just stop by my house first? I'd like to pick up a few things, some clothes and stuff."
"No problem, G."
xxxxx
Later that day, after Sam had helped Callen get settled, the two sat in the living room together. "It's weird for me, being here," Sam admitted, breaking the silence that had crept up and surrounded them. "Thank you for coming here, G…I know you don't need a lot of help…I appreciate it."
"That's not true, Sam," Callen protested. Sam actually had been of help to him, more than he had thought he'd be. "I wouldn't even have been able to fold my clothes on my own. I don't really think I realized how much help I'm going to need." He knew his partner needed to hear that and it was also the truth.
"I miss her, G…I miss her so much…" Sam's voice caught and his eyes brimmed over with tears as he looked at Callen. "When Kensi and Deeks came to the beach and told me what had happened to you…I thought it was happening all over again. I was sure we weren't going to get to you in time…that you were going to die too. I…I don't know what I would have done if that had happened…"
"I'm okay, Sam," Callen said. "And I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but you're going to be okay too. It just takes time."
Sam nodded. "I've also decided to go back to work. When you go back, I'm going to be with you."
"Really?" Callen asked, looking back at Sam intently. "Are you sure about that, Sam?"
"You need a partner who can look after you, G," Sam said, a faint smile on his lips. "But seriously, I'm ready to go back…I think I am anyway…
Callen smiled, glad to hear he'd have his partner back. "That's good, Sam…I've really missed you."
"I've missed you too," Sam said, putting his arm around Callen's upper back and squeezing his shoulder affectionately. Maybe with Callen's help and the help of his NCIS family, he'd be able to get through this. In any case, he was now at least willing to try.