Complete summary: August 2014: Eric Beale resigns from NCIS, two days after an attempt on his life cost him his sister and her husband, leaving their two years-old daughter in his care, disappearing with her in Thailand. March 2017: While trying to rescue one of their own, the OSP team encounters an old acquaintance, in the person of Eric Beale. Can he be convinced to rejoin the job that got killed his family or will he stay away for the sake of what's left of his family? Eric/OC, Kensi/Deeks and maybe Nell/Callen.

Authors' Notes: This is once again another collaboration between my best friend, the marvelous Nina and I. English still isn't our first language (some things don't change over time, alas) so if you notice anything weird, any grammatical mistakes, do not hesitate to point it out, it would only help us. We don't bite, I swear. So, uhm, what else is there to say? Oh yeah, warnings for possible character/s death/s (we have like three different endings) because who doesn't like a good dash of angst? Enjoy your reading! (And have a great, happy satisfying life, that's important too.)

We own our creative minds, our common desire to torture our favorite character, a few original characters more or less important, and this fanfiction. That's all.

Epilogue.

Chapter 1.

Today you were far away
and I didn't ask you why
What could I say?
I was far away
You just walked away
and I just watched you
What could I say ?

- About Today, The National

August 14th, 2014.

White Memorial Hospital, Los Angeles.

In many movies, the saddest moment happens under a heavy rain but as much as Eric Beale would love his life to be a movie –or better, a musical-, it's not. It's the warmest day of the year in Los Angeles when he gets shot and that's definitely not the worst thing of the day.

He wakes up in a hospital room and everything hurts. Kensi's asleep at his right, holding his hand in her own. She looks exhausted and Eric can't really remember why he's there or why Kensi's crying when she realize he's awake.

"The LAPD called Hetty yesterday, they said you got shot. We couldn't believe it, at first but when we saw the car—You've been so lucky to survive." Kensi confided, still feeling the shudder of horror that filled her mind when she got to the scene of the shooting.

The car. He was driving Debra, Mickey and their daughter to the airport. He stopped at a red light and-

"My sister, her husband-" he gasped. "Th-They were in the car with me!"

Kensi looked down to the ground.

"I am so sorry." She whispered. "By the time the ambulance got there-"

"No." Eric interrupted her. It couldn't be happening, not to him. "No, please, tell me it's some kind of sick joke."

Kensi looked ready to cry again. Her friend was in denial and it was surely one of the most painful stages of grief. She went through this many times; more than she'd cared to admit. Her father, Jack, Dom, Renko…

"Your niece survived too." She finished. "She's in surgery right now but I could ask a doctor to check on her."

Strangely, it didn't relieve Eric. Dana's parents were still dead because of him. He wasn't sure if the shooting was random or if it was an attempt on his life, but in any cases it was his fault. He had gotten home late and he had had to speed up to insure that his family would get at the airport at time to get their plane.

If he hadn't been late or if he hadn't been working for the NCIS, they would still be alive. He didn't answer Kensi but she took his silence as a hint and left the room. She had to tell the team Eric had made it.

The sun was still shining high in the sky of Los Angeles by the time he signed himself out of the hospital, against his doctor's advices.

March 17th, 2017

Los Angeles International Airport.

"You look pale, Dad." The small girl said, looking worried.

"I know, honey, I just don't like planes." Eric lied, smiling to his niece. He had stopped correcting her when she called him her father a few years ago. It was still making him feel guilty. "Now let's go get our things before I lose you in the crowd."

"Do you think we could go to the beach?" she asked, taking her uncle's hand in her own.

"You will be disappointed, it's nothing like Nai Harn."

She looked dubious. "Then why are we here?"

"I'm here to see an old friend and then we will go back home."

"Could we go to Disneyland, at least?" she suggested. "I know you have been to Disneyland before with your friends!"

"We'll see." Eric sighed, amused in the knowledge that he couldn't refuse his little girl anything.

After getting back theirs luggage, Eric hailed a taxi and directed the driver to the hotel where he had booked a room.

March 17th, 2017.

NCIS Office of Special Projects, Los Angeles.

"I got a hit on Eric's niece's passport." Nell Jones announced, astonished by her discovery. "She has been traveling with a man named Hoban Washburn."

Oh Eric, she thought, you'd be so proud to see someone understand your references.

"He took a plane from Bangkok to LAX and if I believe his credit card, he booked a hotel room in Los Angeles for five days." She continued, seeing the team's perplexed expression.

"Maybe he's finally back." Deeks said, already rejoiced by the idea of seeing his good friend again.

"Let's not get our hopes so high. Nell, can you get me Eric's sister's birthday?"

"Sure thing. Just let me – It's in two days." She could see what Callen had meant. Eric wasn't here to reapply to the OSP, which was a real shame. Nell could have used the help especially since every tech that had tried to replace him had asked for a reassignment after a few days. And the team had missed his cheerful smile, his stupid whistle, and more than anything, they had missed the bright genius of his skills.

"We shouldn't go after him." Sam intervened. "He left for a reason and he wants us to respect it." He understood Eric's motives for leaving. After what Siderov had done to him… He had considered giving up, leaving the OSP.

"We could really use some help, you know. We need some help to find Kensi and Eric's the best." Nate pointed out. "Nell and I should go talk to him."

"I don't know if he will want to see you, Doc. He left for a good reason." Sam argued again. "We should respect his choices, even if we need him. We can't force him into helping us."

"What about a phone call? It's not intrusive into his new life and if he doesn't want to speak with us, he will just have to hang up." Nell objected. She wanted him back, Eric was her best friend and no one would ever replace him. "I can get the hotel's number in a second."

There was an hesitating silence, before Callen spoke up.

"Then get the number." He told Nell, before turning to the rest of the team. "Nate, you talk to him, you're the psychologist and you can convince him into helping us."

"Wait, you want Nate to manipulate him?" Sam asked, angry. "We're not even sure he will answer the phone and you already want to manipulate him?"

"We don't have much of a choice, Sam." Nate remarked. He agreed with Callen, it didn't matter if he had to manipulate Eric, they had to get him back or Kensi was dead. Eric had skills no one else had and they needed it, as cold and heartless it could seem. "You don't have to like it -I know I don't- but it's Kensi, we can't let her die."

Sam sighed and closed his eyes for a minute. Nate was right. "Alright. Let's get him back."

I still can't believe this started as a drabble about Eric leaving the OSP and Kensi and Nate being sad about it. Did anyone catch the Firefly/Serenity reference? Virtually cookies to you.