I've decided to start writing short stories for NCIS Los Angeles because of all the ideas running through my head. I've only recently started watching the show and started halfway through season 5 (I know *bows head in shame*). After season 5 I started at season one so I'm slowly catching up but it does mean that I do not yet know everything there is to know about the characters and their history so I apologise in advance for any mistakes. That being said, I'm probably going to write some slightly AU stories as I like to fantasise. I expect that these will mostly be Hanna family and Callen (+ some Joelle) related stories, though this might change as I go along.
English is not my first language. I am fluent in it but I still find it hard to formulate my sentences the way I want them and I know that I make quite a few mistakes. Apologies in advance.
What happens after the last scene from Humbug. (S6 Ep11)
"How about we start with your first name?"
Callen chuckled softly. "That is a little bit complicated."
Joelle frowned and then looked up at him questioningly.
"Can I answer that over lunch?" She smiled and nodded in response.
"Oke I'll go tell the others. I'll be right back."
He looked back once and, at her encouraging nod, quickly skated to the other side of the ice to join the team. Sam and Michelle gave him knowing smiles and he couldn't help but grin back. He looked around at Deeks and Kensi who were having some sort of playful discussion about ice skating as he took of his skates. Their banter wasn't anything out of the ordinary but he could detect the very subtle change in their body language. He looked over at Sam and raised one eyebrow, Sam just shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know how he felt about this new development but he had more important things to think about right now.
"I'm going for lunch with Joelle. See you guys tomorrow."
Kamran and Michelle both gave him a big hug and he got a pat on the back from Sam.
"Good luck G!"
"I told you I was a foster child, I got into the system at a young age and was only left with the initial of my first name which is G. and my surname, which is Callen. I never found out my full name and therefore most people just call me Callen, except for Sam and Michelle, who call me G."
He looked at Joelle while he spoke and saw her expression turning serious, she frowned before answering.
"Shouldn't it be easy to find out your first name? If you figure out where you're from it should be registered." Her tone told him that she knew he must have tried but didn't understand why he hadn't found out.
"My parents were KGB and CIA agents, there is no information on them. Only several government agencies have access to my files, and even then only in certain situations. Most of our personal information isn't even in our files. There's nothing in Sam's file about being married or about Kamran or Aiden. It's not only to protect us but also those around us."
He sighed, breaking eye-contact to do a quick scan of his surroundings. Joelle's hand grabbed his on the table and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Is there anything more that you know about your biological family?"
"Only that my parents were murdered and that I had an older sister Amy who died."
"I'm sorry Callen." She told him sincerely.
"You have nothing to be sorry for."
They both looked down at their still joined hands for a while.
"Do you know where you are from? Where your parents were from?"
"My father was a KGB agent and therefore had to be Russian, my mother was American. I was born in Romania and came to America at a young age."
Joelle gave him a sad smile. "So you're a citizen of the world."
He grinned back, eager to leave the sombre mood behind. "You have no idea."
"Well, tell me then Mister G. Callen." She replied playfully.
"I've travelled to countries all over the world for cases and I speak several different languages. Sam and I were actually undercover in Mexico a couple of weeks ago."
"Who did you go undercover as?"
Callen snorted. "We went as food truck owners, that was a whole different experience. Usually we go as drug dealers or assassins, this was kind of a nice change."
"I can imagine you two driving around in a bright red food truck." Joelle told him jokingly. "So I guess you'd have to speak Spanish to go undercover in Mexico. What other languages do you speak?"
"Besides English and Spanish I'm fluent in Russian, Polish, German, Italian, Romanian and French. I can get away with the basics in Czech, Hebrew and Turkish."
Joelle's jaw dropped and Callen had to try hard not to laugh out loud at her expression.
"Oh my god! Callen that is absolutely crazy! Do you need to speak that many languages to do your job?"
"No, most agents barely speak any different languages but it helps immensely when doing undercover work. Kensi, Deeks, Sam and I are part of a special branch of NCIS, we specialise in undercover work. It helps that we all speak different languages. Sam is fluent in Korean and Arabic, he's a bit of an expert on Eastern religion, culture and languages."
He looked around the café again, taking his time before fixing his eyes on hers. "Because of our jobs we maintain a cover for our lives outside of work. It keeps the people around us safe and makes it possible for us to go undercover at work. Most of the other team members' family and friends don't even know what kind of work they really do. I'm sorry that I had to lie to you."
She looked back at him for several long moments before leaning in slowly and kissing him tentatively. When she sat back a small smile graced her lips and he knew that she'd decided to forgive him. He gave her a goofy smile and she laughed. Callen marvelled at the sound. She winked at him before changing the subject.
"I can't believe it. I'm learning so many new things today." The smile slowly disappeared as she turned serious again.
"I knew you were special the moment I met you and I have such admiration for law enforcement. I always thought it was mainly about motivation and strength of character. Just hearing you talk now I'm beginning to get an idea of the amount of skill that you need to do what you do."
Callen nodded. "It can be, those things are very important and you need them to go into law enforcement. But the best ones have something extra. Sam used to be a Navy SEAL, he's a great team player and loyal to a fault."
"A Navy SEAL? I just realised that I don't really know much about law enforcement or ranks or agencies. I know SEAL's are the real deal though."
"Yeah they are, Sam is one of the best Agents that I've ever worked with. Apparently 'Sam Hanna is who SEAL's want to be when they grow up'." He quoted Ray Turner with a grin.
"It's strange to think of Sam like that. He's a massive guy but such a teddy bear around the kids. I can't imagine him with a gun. So do you have any more special skills, besides speaking an abnormal amount of languages?"
"They call people like me a 'legend' which means I can turn into anyone I want, not just act but really become someone else. I also work well on my own, which can be a blessing and a curse."
She took this in with a serious expression. He saw her make the decision to leave that information to think about some other time. Instead she asked him about NCIS.
"What is NCIS exactly?"
"It stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service. We handle all the cases related to the US Navy and Marine Corps."
"Have you always worked for NCIS?"
"No, I've also worked for the DEA, CIA and FBI."
Joelle looked down at their hands, taking a deep breath before looking back into Callen's eyes.
"I'll need some time to get used to all of this. It scares me to know how much crime there is around here that we never even hear of and it scares me that you risk your life every day to stop it."
"I know, my life isn't safe and I can't guarantee that you will be safe but I am good at what I do and I will try and be more honest with you. But I can't promise that I can tell you where I am all the time, or that I can answer all of your questions. There are times that I have to leave on a mission all of a sudden and I usually don't know when I will be back."
"Let's agree that we'll both try our best. And try and be honest with each other."
"Deal" He could not have stopped the smile on his face, even if he'd wanted too.
I hope you guys enjoyed this, please let me know. I've already written a couple more chapters which I'll post soon.
Again, as I've done in my other stories, I promis that I'm not abandoning my other stories!