Chapter 2

I am really sorry about the delay and hope people are still interested in the story. I was out of town, then school started the day after I got back, and I've been super busy. I still hope to finish it before Oct. 1. As always, comments are welcome!

When Callen returned to OPS, Sam was sitting at his desk reviewing recent operation reports. He looked up as Callen walked to his desk.

"So, are you back?"

Callen tilted his head and looked at Sam with a questioning glance and a hint of annoyance, "Don't I look like I'm back?"

"You know what I mean."

Callen dropped his bag on his desk. "According to Nate I'm back."

Sam smiled. "Glad to have you back, partner."

As Callen took his seat, he glanced at the files Sam was looking through. "I'm not going to say it's good to be back until you tell me what those files mean."

Sam closed the file he'd been reviewing and laid it on the small stack of files on his desk. Then he leaned back in his chair and smiled, "They're not related to any particular case of ours . . ."

"In that case, it's good to be back."

". . . yet," Sam finished his sentence and Callen shot him glance.

"I think," Callen said qualifying his comment.

"C'mon, G. You know you're glad to be back. If you weren't here, you'd be home, and trust me when I tell when a woman's in that condition, that's one of the last places you want to be."

"What condition?" Deeks asked as he and Kensi returned from a stakeout assignment and strolled into the bullpen. Kensi, a smile lighting up her face, crossed to Callen without a word, draped her arms around his shoulders, and gave him a warm hug while Deeks repeated his question. "What condition?"

Both Callen and Sam were quick. "Anxious," Callen stated bluntly as Kensi sat at her desk and listened.

"Worried, clingy," Sam continued and Callen nodded slightly in agreement while looking at Deeks.

"We're talking about Anna, right?" Deeks asked with just the slightest disbelief evident in his voice. "Anna Kolcheck. The woman who single-handedly killed Ivan Karposov and with Sam, rescued you," he said as he looked at Callen, "while you were being held captive in Belarus by a former KGB operative. That Anna Kolcheck?"

"We are," Callen replied with steady gaze.

"The same," Sam answered. He continued, "This last case was tough on her."

"She's been through a lot emotionally," Kensi agreed and continued. "I understand what that's like."

"I guess you're right. It's just when Sam mentioned a woman being in 'that condition,' I immediately thought of a woman being pregnant."

The gaze of both Callen and Sam shifted from Deeks to Kensi almost in unison. Callen's mouth formed a wry smile, while Sam's eyes opened wide. Kensi's expression shifted from quiet concern to adamant denial. "I am definitely not in any 'condition,'" she stated as she looked from Callen to Sam to Deeks.

"Not that we haven't been trying," Deeks admitted with a wide grin.

"Deeks!"

He looked at Kensi with upturned palms, "C'mon, Kensi, I'm not saying anything they don't already know."

"He's right, you know, Kenz," Callen said as Kensi gave Deeks a look that made him sit down and begin silently working on his laptop. She sighed, stood up, and walked away. Deeks glanced at Callen and Sam and then quickly followed her.

"Deeks still hasn't learned when to keep quiet," Sam said with a shake of his head and then went back to his files. Callen smiled to himself, and then the smile faded as Nate entered OPS and strolled over to Hetty's desk without even a glnce at the bullpen. Sam noticed Callen's expression and turned to look. He looked back at Callen, "It's nothing, G. You know Hetty always wants a report in person from Nate whenever he's seen any of us."

"I know," Callen said not taking his eyes off Nate until he sat down in the chair in front of Hetty's desk. He turned back to Sam, "You just never know with Nate what he's telling Hetty."

"Whatever it is, it doesn't really matter if he's said you're ready to return to the field."

Callen was silent a moment. "I guess you're right, Sam."

Squinting at Callen, Sam sounded suddenly serious, "My partner says I'm right? Maybe I should talk to Nate about your condition."

Callen gave Sam a slight glare as Kensi and Deeks re-entered the bullpen obviously having settled any problem caused by Deeks remarks; he didn't know when to be quiet, but he knew how to apologize—and then some. Callen got up to join Sam and take a look at some of the files when Anna entered.

"Anna," Callen's voice carried the surprise his face showed as she entered the bullpen. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Sam, Kensi, Deeks," she said with a smile as she made her way over to Callen. When she reached him as he stood in front of Sam's desk, she smiled at him. "Don't worry, I just came to explain to Hetty why I couldn't take the job she offered me the other day."

Callen hesitated for the briefest moment, but never took his eyes off her while Sam watched silently. "And you didn't take the job because . . . ."

"Because I will officially be an ATF agent beginning tomorrow."

Kensi walked over and gave her a hug, "Congratulations, Anna."

"Thanks, Kensi."

Deeks also came over and gave her a hug and smiled, "Now, the ATF will have two of the hottest female agents working for it, but of course, the hottest female agent will still be at NCIS." He gave Kensi a quick squeeze as she and Anna gave each other that "Oh, boy" look. Deeks glanced quickly at Callen whose expression was less than enthusiastic, "No offense, Callen."

Callen obviously hadn't heard anything Deeks had said. He gave him a questioning look, "What?"

"I don't want you to think I'm slighting Anna because she is a stone cold fox, but in my personal opinion, my lady love Kensi is the stone coldest fox I've ever met."

"Whatever," Callen said without even glancing at Deeks as he reached out and gently touched Anna on her arm. He spoke quietly, "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Anna said as she and Callen moved out of the bullpen area and headed outside.

Deeks looked first at Kensi and then turned to look at Sam, but said to no one in particular, "Did anyone else think Callen seemed less than enthusiastic about Anna's announcement?"