Hey, this is my first NCIS:LA fic. Hope no one is too OOC. Please read and enjoy~ And don't forget to drop a review at the end. :)
"Why do you push me away every time?" A young woman whispered quietly. "Why won't you let me get close to you, G?"
G Callen sighed, turning to the woman behind him. He noted the tears welling in her eyes and instantly felt guilty for being the reason they were there. "Tash, it's not safe. I'm not safe to get close to. I don't want you to get hurt."
Tasha looked up, her brown eyes clashing with blue. "Fine." She turned, her long, brown hair twirling around her as she moved, and headed for the door. She looked back, her eyes filled with sadness for a moment before hardening and losing all emotion. "Goodbye, Mr. Callen." The door shut softly behind her.
Callen cursed, starting after the woman who had changed his life so much after knowing her for only a short while. "Natasha, wait! Just hear me out, okay?" He called after the brunette, running to catch up.
Tasha stopped and whirled around. "Why? Give me one good reason why I should listen and try again to make this, whatever it is, work. I'm tired, G, so tired of trying and failing! You know nearly everything about me, but I barely know anything about you but your name and that you work for law enforcement!" Tears streamed down her face. A few people had stopped to watch the young couple, ready to step in or call for help if things started to get out of hand.
G walked up to Tasha, reaching for her face. Tasha pushed his hand away, not wanting him to touch her. Callen was hurt by that, but didn't let it show. "I know, and I truly am sorry. But I can't tell you anything because-"
Tasha interrupted, "It's not safe for me to know. You've used that excuse too many times. It just isn't good enough anymore. I'm just done, okay? Now, please, leave me alone." She turned around again and walked off. Callen moved to follow her, but a bystander stepped in.
"Sorry, but the lady made it clear she doesn't want you, son, so it's best for you to move on," the kind-eyed, older man spoke sternly, staring at Callen.
Callen nodded and headed back to his apartment to get his car and go to work.
"Mr. Callen, your mind seems to be somewhere else today. Is something the matter?" Hetty asked, coming up behind the man. Callen gave no sign of having heard her, except a slight turn of his head.
"I screwed up, Hetty," G spoke after a moment. "I don't think she's coming back this time."
Hetty frowned at Callen's statement. "Are you talking about Ms. Rosing? I'm sure it's not as bad as you think, Mr. Callen."
Callen shook his head. "No, it is." He said no more and walked to his desk, immersing himself in paperwork to get his mind off of the events of that morning.
Hetty's frown deepened. It wouldn't do to have one of her 'children' upset and unfocused. A visit with Ms. Natasha Rosing was due.
"Hey Tasha, a Ms. Hetty Lang is here to speak to you," a young, male intern called to Tasha as she bowed her head over a new manuscript.
Tasha lifted her head up, shocked. "Okay. Will you tell Jesse I'm heading for an early lunch?" At the teen's nod, she smiled. "Thanks Ben." She marked where she was on the manuscript and stood, stretching, before going to the lobby to see Hetty.
"Natasha, how are you?" Hetty asked, greeting the young woman. Hetty took a seat on one of the couches and patted the seat next to her, signaling for the younger woman to sit next to her.
Tasha hesitantly sat down. She remembered G mentioning a Hetty in passing, and she wondered if this was the same. "Are you a friend of G's?" The brown-eyed woman asked.
Hetty smiled, "You could say that. To be more accurate, I am Mr. Callen's boss. Would you mind telling me why he came into work today and was more distracted than usual?"
Tasha frowned, not ready yet to talk about what had happened, especially in such a public place and to someone she had never met before. "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think that is any of your business," she answered smoothly, wiping all emotion from her face and voice.
Hetty's respect for this woman increased slightly. "Ms. Rosing, have you ever considered a career in the law enforcement? I believe you would be quite good. As for what has happened between you and Mr. Callen not being my 'business', as you put it, it is since Mr. Callen is not thinking straight and that can get him or others killed. And I'm sure neither of us want that." Hetty watched the woman's reaction to this and saw the shock and hurt.
Tasha abruptly stood. "Would you like to join me for lunch, Ms. Lang? I feel this conversation would be better held somewhere else, if you understand what I mean." At Hetty's nod, Tasha led the way outside and to a small café down the block. The two women held a polite conversation while they ordered and waited for their food. Once the waiter left after bringing their meals, Hetty glanced expectantly at Tasha, waiting to hear what happened.
Tasha took a deep breath before sharing the tale. "G and I have had problems for a while now, not that either of us want to admit it. I feel like he doesn't trust me at all. He hasn't told me anything about him except for his name and that his line of work is law enforcement and can be extremely dangerous. That's the excuse he uses all the time to avoid telling me anything, that knowing a lot about him could put me in danger. And I just couldn't take it anymore. So I broke it off today after another argument. I didn't know that G would be so hurt. He seemed so distant and detached sometimes, and I would wonder if he really felt anything for me."
Hetty sat in silence for a moment, slowly eating her meal. "Mr. Callen is right in the respect that the knowledge of his life is dangerous for you to know and can put you in grave danger. But he does trust you, my dear. The fact that he told you his name and entered a serious relationship with you speaks volumes of his trust in you. Mr. Callen has had a rough life and rarely trusts people. He's been a bit of a lone wolf most of his life. I think you should give him one more chance."
Tasha stared in disbelief. "Another chance? I've already given him innumerable chances. I don't know if I can stand to give him another one. I want to get married someday, but I can't if I don't move on. G has told me multiple times that he isn't the type to get married or be tied down for too long. He and I both knew this would happen sooner or later." She took another bite and chewed slowly, finished talking.
"I have one more question, if you don't mind. How long have you and Mr. Callen been together?" Hetty asked once both women were getting ready to leave and part ways.
Tasha paused and thought for a moment. "About a year and a half now. Why?"
Hetty studied the young woman. "You changed him. Mr. Callen is a different man now compared to how he was two years ago before you two were together. He's opened up more with those he works with, he shows more emotion, and he uses the vacation days that have been adding up since he started working under me. You make him a better person, so don't give up on him yet. Callen needs you in his life, even if he doesn't always show it." Hetty nodded once, feeling satisfied that she had done what she had planned and said what needed to be said. "Please think about what we've talked about and have a good day, Natasha. Oh, and I'm forcing Mr. Callen to take the next day or two off, if you decide to give your relationship another shot."
Tasha returned the goodbye and slowly walked back to work, absorbing and going over all that Hetty had told her. She continued to think about it while she read through and finished editing the manuscript she had been working on.
When it was time for her to head home, Natasha had made up her mind on what to do. She stopped by her house to pick up clothes and toiletries for the next two days. She had made sure to inform Jesse, her boss, that she wanted to use two of her vacation days. Jesse had just smiled knowingly and agreed, saying that she could take more if she wanted.
After picking up her things, Tasha had driven to G's apartment and let herself in with the spare key he had given her so she could let herself in if he wasn't home. She got straight to work on fixing dinner so it would be ready for when G came home from work.
Twenty minutes later, a key turned in the lock as G arrived home. He opened the door and froze. The NCIS agent could smell the spaghetti cooking and was filled with hope. Only Tasha had a key and would cook him spaghetti, knowing that he loved it when she did.
"Hey G," Tasha called from the kitchen. She was just finishing up dishing up dinner and was ready to carry the plates to the table to enjoy a dinner with her sweetheart. "How was work?"
G was surprised, to say the least. Tasha was acting as if they hadn't fought and everything was normal. "What are you doing here?" He asked, walking to the kitchen to see her and make sure he wasn't imagining things.
Tasha set the plates on the table and smiled up at him. Her brown eyes sparkled with emotion as she gazed into confused blues. "I had a visit from a nice lady today. She and I enjoyed a pleasant lunch and talked about you."
"Wait, you met Hetty?" G was thoroughly confused.
Tasha nodded, holding back a giggle at Callen's puzzled look. "Yes I did. But we can talk about that later. Let's just enjoy dinner and talk about us."
Callen nodded, glad that Tasha was back.
Through dinner, the two talked about nearly everything, except personal subjects. After dinner, they sat on the couch and relaxed. Tasha curled up next to Callen and rested her head on his shoulder. Callen wrapped his arm around Tasha, reveling in the normality of the moment.
G pressed his lips to the crown of Tasha's head, taking in her scent. "I'm glad you came back. I'll try to do better, but there isn't much I can tell you."
Tasha lifted her head to look G in the eyes. "G, you don't have to tell me about work. I just want to know about your past. What was your childhood like?" She kissed Callen sweetly. "You don't have to tell me right now, though. Let's just stay like this, just the two of us. We have two days together to talk about things."
G nodded, leaning in for another kiss. This one a bit more heated. "I think I love you, Natasha Rosing," he whispered against the woman's lips.
Tasha smiled. "I think I love you, too, G Callen."
The End
Hope you enjoyed it! Now please review and tell me what you think! ~ShadoK
