A/N - Thanks so much for the support on this new story. So now we head back to the very beginning and start from there. Never fear, we'll catch up later and find out how Callen is doing, but for now, sit back and enjoy Callen and Jessie's first meeting.

Chapter 1: The First Meeting

Callen stood by Sam's desk discussing their current case with him when Callen glanced across the office and his words halted in his throat. He stared at their boss as Hetty walked through the office … Totally drenched.

"Sam. Tell me it's not just me."

"Not you what?" Sam asked. Callen glanced back at his partner and tilted his head toward Hetty, who had her back to them as she headed toward her desk, leaving a shimmering trail in her wake.

Callen lowered his voice. "She looks like the proverbial drowned rat." Callen saw Hetty pause but when she pulled out her phone he breathed an almost silent sigh of relief. Surely with the sound of the rain hammering on the roof, something that might explain Hetty's current predicament, she couldn't possibly have heard him. He hoped.

Sam pushed his chair back from his desk, the sound of the wheels on the hard floor pulled Callen's attention from Hetty. Sam held up his hands and shook his head. "Not touching that and as far as she's concerned, right now you're not my partner."

"Come on Sam. She didn't hear." Callen glanced back to check on Hetty but she was still on her phone, the puddle under her feet slowly expanding. He turned back. "And even if she did, what's she going to do?"

Sam shook his head again, a look in Sam's eye had Callen's stomach start to sink.

"Mr Callen."

Callen turned. Hetty was now at the entrance to the bullpen. So much closer than when he last checked on her. He didn't know how she'd moved so fast.

"I have a job for you." Hetty crooked her finger at him. "Come with me please." She started to walk toward the entrance to the building. "Now," Hetty added without even looking back at him.

Callen turned to Sam. "If I'm not back in five, check the Jag for my body."

Sam shook his head, a grin on his face. "Oh no. She wouldn't put you in the Jag … Too messy."

Callen glared at Sam before he, rather reluctantly, followed. By the time he caught up with Hetty she was already at the entrance and holding the door open. Callen saw that the sound on the roof was deceptive; as heavy as it sounded the reality was much more. The water was cascading down off the roof in sheets and landing on the ground just a few steps from the door. The rain beyond was heavy enough that it clearly bounced off the concrete. The sound of an engine drew his attention and Callen watched an unknown small blue car come closer and parked near the door. Not close enough though. Whoever the occupant was would be as drenched as Hetty before they got inside. He noted Hetty's car was parked outside too, which added further explanation for Hetty's state.

"Mr Callen." Hetty's tone was one that didn't bode well for him. "Please escort our guest inside. Keep her dry."

Callen stared at Hetty and raised an eyebrow. "You want me," he said slowly, "to go out there?" He pointed outside. "In this?"

"Why of course," Hetty replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We can't have our new doctor looking like a…" There was a very definite pause and the twinkle in Hetty's eye was one Callen didn't trust at all. "Drowned rat now can we?"

She had heard.

"Hetty -"

Hetty cut off his explanation, not that he had any idea what he was planning on saying, with a firm shake of her head.

"Please." Hetty lifted her hand and pointed to the car. "Don't keep her waiting."

Callen glanced to the side of the door. There was a container for wet umbrellas and, thankfully, it held two. He had no idea whose they were but figured they wouldn't mind him using them. As he reached out Hetty's voice stopped him.

"No."

Callen turned his head, his hand still held out toward the umbrellas and stared at her. "Hetty it's pouring."

Hetty smiled. That definitely wasn't a good thing. It was one of those smiles that you really didn't want to be on the receiving end of and Callen usually wasn't.

"Indeed it is," Hetty confirmed. "However, your jacket will be just fine to hold overhead. Think chivalrous thoughts, Mr Callen."

His jacket? She couldn't possibly be serious. He'd be lucky if it kept his head dry let alone anything, or anyone, else.

"There are perfectly good -" His plea was cut off with just the one word.

"Jacket."

The look on Hetty's face told him she was absolutely serious about this. He wouldn't win the argument and Callen also knew that it wouldn't be worth attempting to grab the umbrellas and making a run for it. Hetty would either stop him or come up with something even worse. He slowly dropped his hand and slipped his leather jacket off. With another glance out the door he knew he had to try at least one more time. If not for him then for the occupant of the car.

"Hetty -"

"Go. She's waiting."

Callen sighed and stepped out into the rain. The force of it landing on his jacket from the roof was stronger than he expected and the cold water fell straight off it down his back soaking his shirt. His legs didn't fare any better and before he'd even reached the car he could feel the water seeping right through his jeans to his skin. As predicted, the only thing dry was his head.

When Callen arrived at the car the door opened and out stepped a woman with deep auburn hair, just a fraction shorter than he was. He shifted the jacket to ensure her head, at least was protected - the unfortunate drawback for him being the back of his neck was well and truly unprotected. She closed the door quickly and looked at him with brown eyes that held the same amusement he heard in her voice as she said, "Should I ask?"

"Apparently chivalry isn't dead," Callen replied. "Shall we?"

She was wearing an overcoat that fell below her knees, obviously prepared for the weather to some degree.

"Probably a good idea," she said. The laughter in her eyes brought an unexpected smile to his lips. Together they moved inside, though Callen wasn't particularly fussed when another stream of cold rain ended up down his neck as he tried to keep the woman's head dry, because he certainly didn't want to risk Hetty's wrath anymore today by not doing what she asked. Once inside, he brought the jacket down and gave it a small flick to shake the water off. Unfortunately he didn't think too much about the direction and it went straight at Hetty.

"Mr Callen!"

"Sorry Hetty." Though to be be perfectly honest Callen wasn't sure he was. He was soaked to the skin, his jeans sticking most uncomfortably to his legs and his shirt plastered to his back and most of his front. He could feel the water seeping down into his socks. Plus it wasn't like it was going to make her any wetter.

"Is anyone going to explain?"

The woman looked between the two of them. Callen noted that the look in her eyes, and the twitch to the muscles in her cheeks, told him she was finding this whole thing amusing. He probably would too if he wasn't quite so wet. He glanced at Hetty, who was looking at him, with an expectant look on her face. She was obviously waiting for him to respond first.

Callen turned his attention back at the woman. "Your new boss has unusual forms of punishment," he told her.

"For?" The innocent tone did not fit with the twinkle in her eye and Callen found himself smiling again.

He shook his head. "Not game to say it again."

"Mr Callen does usually," Hetty emphasised the word, "learn from his mistakes."

"Good to know," the woman answered.

Callen watched as she took off her own coat and hung it on the hooks on the other side of the doorway from the umbrellas. It was still dripping but she was definitely dry. Almost knee high brown boots, a deep green skirt that just brushed the top of her knees and a long sleeve white blouse with her hair pulled back into a bun at the base of her neck. Professional yet, relaxed. Just as Hetty liked.

"Mr Callen," Hetty's voice pulled him from his study of the new arrival. "You are dripping all over my floor."

Callen looked down and saw the puddle forming under his feet. He then glanced at Hetty's feet where a much larger puddle had already formed.

"Not as much as you." Callen knew the moment the words were out of his mouth they were the wrong ones to say. So much for learning from his mistakes.

Hetty's eyebrows rose and she looked up at him over the frame of her glasses as she spoke.

"Well, Doctor Blake," Hetty said, finally giving Callen a name to attach to the woman. "It appears that you arrived just in time. Agent Callen here seems to have a serious case of Foot-In-Mouth today that you may, with some luck, be able to help him with."

Doctor Blake looked between the two of them. "Right now," the doctor said. "You two need to get out of those wet clothes before I have to take care of the body instead of the mind." She put a hand on each of their shoulders, turned them around and gave them a gentle push down the corridor to get them started. Callen turned his head to look at her as he walked.

"After my body already Doc? Why we've only just met." What was putting his foot in it again given he was already in trouble. He watched a blush rise to her cheeks quickly.

"Oh Hetty." Callen glanced at his boss. "She blushes." His eyes flicked back to the doctor, the blush still there and he caught the smile she tried to hide, before he looked back to Hetty. "Interesting choice you've made."

"Yes Mr Callen." Hetty nodded, a satisfied expression on her face. "She's perfect."

Callen felt Doctor Blake's hand on his shoulder once again as she gave both him and Hetty another gentle nudge along.

"Go. Changed. Now." Her voice may have been soft but the tone was firm and demanding, not one that encouraged argument.

"But you need to be introduced," Hetty protested. Callen narrowly held back a comment about whether she still felt Doctor Blake was perfect considering she was already ordering Hetty around.

"Hetty," Doctor Blake said firmly, "I know where your desk is. I'll wait there."

"Very well," Hetty replied after a brief pause, surprising Callen when she gave in so easily. Though perhaps she was feeling the chill of being soaked just as much as he was.

Callen watched Doctor Blake head towards Hetty's desk as he walked with his still dripping boss toward the corridor. "A new psychologist?" he asked.

"Psychiatrist actually," Hetty answered.

"Why?"

"Because the mental health of my team is important and Nate has found an aptitude and appreciation for more field orientated work. His occasional visits, while enlightening, are not conducive to keeping you all in tip top shape."

"We're doing fine Hetty," Callen protested. He had to admit that a part of him liked not having Nate around so much. He missed the man himself and the feedback he would give on missions but it was a relief from the point of view of having Nate want to talk things through. They stopped at the bathroom doors and Hetty looked up at him.

"Fine is not good enough," she said in that tone of hers that you weren't supposed to argue with. "Not for my elite team or any of my teams for that matter." Hetty turned and went into the ladies bathroom.

Callen looked down at the small puddle forming at his feet. His shoes were also soaked and, not being a duck, he wasn't particularly fussed on wet feet outside of the usual showers, swimming or beach. His gaze followed the two slight trails of water back up the corridor. No doubt they would be cleaned up by the time he was finished. He pulled out his phone from one of the pockets in his jeans, with difficulty, mentally thanking Eric for making sure it was waterproofed to some degree, and called Sam to bring him his change of clothes from his locker. After all, he was already pushing his luck with Hetty and probably shouldn't get into any more trouble with her today.

Callen was back at his desk, clean and dry though still a touch cool, within five minutes yet Hetty had already returned to her desk and was talking with Doctor Blake. He sat in his chair, turned and watched the two of them through the wrought iron partition.

Nate had been out of the office for awhile and as much as Callen didn't like talking, there had been times where he felt someone on his team could've done with Nate's words of wisdom a little sooner than they'd been able to get in contact with him. Lately there had been times where Nate hadn't been contactable for a week or more. He could see Hetty's point but bringing someone in to replace Nate was not going to be easy. As much as the team had talked to Nate, none of them were particularly good at sharing their secrets, personal struggles or the emotional side of their jobs. Nate had been with them a while and had gotten quite good at figuring them out, to a degree. At least enough to help them even when they didn't talk, especially about more than just the mission facts. Mostly they had their own way of dealing with things, even if it wasn't necessarily the best. Nate had been their back up plan more than their first port of call when they had issues.

Hetty and Doctor Blake rose from their seats and headed toward the bullpen. Callen quickly spun his chair around and opened his computer. Callen heard Sam chuckle quietly and looked up. Before he could say anything to respond to the look on Sam's face, the one that suggested Sam was finding Hetty's form of punishment still as amusing as he had when he'd delivered the change of clothes, the two women were already there.

"Gentlemen and Lady," Hetty said, gathering the team's attention. "I would like to introduce you to Doctor Jesinta Blake. She will be taking over from Nate."

Out of the corner of his eye Callen saw Kensi straighten in her chair and turned enough so he could see her reaction but also keep Hetty and Jesinta in his sights.

"Nate's leaving?" Kensi asked.

Hetty shook her head. "No Miss Blye. Nate is, and always will be, a part of us. His availability is an issue now he is in the field and we felt that it was necessary for you all to have access to someone on a permanent basis."

Callen saw the tension in Kensi increase, and the wariness in her eyes, as she studied Jesinta. He could almost see the walls going up. This wasn't going to be an easy sell. Kensi had a bond with Nate that had taken a long time to build.

Hetty continued with the introductions. "You've already met the team leader, Special Agent G Callen."

Jesinta nodded. "Yes we have."

Callen could see the lingering amusement in her eyes and in the hint of a smile from their meeting.

"Special Agents Sam Hanna and Kensi Blye." Hetty indicated both of them. "And our LAPD Liaison Detective Marty Deeks." Deeks was the most welcoming of the three of them.

"Nice to meet you all," Jesinta said with smile though Callen detected it wasn't quite as open as the ones he'd shared with her during their unconventional meeting. There was a touch of hesitancy to it.

"The other two," Hetty continued, "connected with this motley crew are upstairs and I will introduce you later. Now," Hetty's look turned serious, "while Doctor Blake is primarily here as a psychiatrist for your mental health, she is also a qualified and practising ER doctor."

Callen noted that information brought a slight rise of the eyebrows all around, including himself.

"And," Hetty continued, "she will be handling the less serious injuries that you encounter in the new medical room that has been set up for that purpose. Please," Hetty implored, her gaze settling on all of them in turn, "even though it means you will not need to go to the hospital quite so much," Hetty's gaze lingered on Callen more than the rest, "do not take this to mean you can be even more reckless."

"We're never reckless, Hetty," Deeks piped up with. Callen bit back a smile when Hetty turned her gaze to Deeks and he stepped back quickly behind Kensi even though she was still seated at her desk before Deeks added meekly. "Maybe a little."

"Now that introductions have been made," Hetty said, "Upstairs please. You have a case. I will join you shortly after I have ensured Doctor Blake is settled."

Jesinta stepped back out of the way as the team filed past her. Callen was the last. He saw the nervousness in her eyes and the telltale sign that she was biting her lip on the inside. She was obviously perceptive enough to see this wasn't going to be easy. He'd be worried if she hadn't sensed that considering her role here.

"Welcome aboard," he said quietly as he walked slowly by.

"Thank you." Her reply was quiet yet had an appreciative tone to it.

At the top of the stairs Callen glanced back down. He saw Hetty and Jesinta heading toward the corridor to Nate's, now Jesinta's, office. Hetty looked up at him and gave him a small nod with a very particular look. Oh Callen knew exactly what Hetty was saying with that look. Hetty expected him to lead the way and help ease the new doctor into the team. He wasn't quite sure how to do that since he was probably the most reluctant talker of them all, though that wasn't really saying much considering who else was in his team. He hoped the doctor was up for the challenge she had in front of her.

"G, you coming?" Sam's voice pulled his attention from the retreating back of one Doctor Jesinta Blake to what he was supposed to be doing. They had a case.

The sound of quietly tapping boots had Callen lifting his head from his paperwork later that day. He looked down the corridor and saw Jesinta. He rose from his chair and waited for her near the start of the corridor that lead from the building.

"Good first day" he asked casually when she reached him.

Jesinta smiled. "Definitely an interesting start," she said.

Callen had to agree it was one of the more interesting, though much less dangerous, meetings he'd had with a new team member.

"All settled?"

Jesinta shrugged. "It's a little dark for my liking but Hetty's given me permission to change a few things around."

"Dark?"

Jesinta nodded. "Nate had a preference for dark browns. Not my kind of thing. Hetty has some furniture in storage she said I can look at and see if I find something that works better." She smiled. "See you tomorrow Agent Callen."

Jesinta started to walk down the corridor. Callen could still hear the rain on the roof. His jacket was finally dry but he figured the least he could do was make sure she got to her car without getting drenched and he wasn't quite sure if there were still umbrellas at the door. No doubt if Hetty heard he'd still been in the office and let her get wet, there would be another punishment on its way.

"Wait," Callen called out as he started to follow her. Jesinta stopped and turned to him. Callen saw her pull a small umbrella from her handbag. He raised an eyebrow as he got closer and saw the flicker of confusion on her face.

"Yes?"

"You have an umbrella," Callen stated.

Jesinta glanced down at the object in her hand, almost like she hadn't realised it as there, and then back to him. She nodded. "I spent a year in the UK. It's habit that I always carry one."

Callen stopped a few steps from her. "Always?"

"Always," she confirmed.

"Like this morning?"

Callen saw the flash of understanding and the flush that rose to her cheeks. Jesinta took a small step backwards.

"Um … Yes. I had it this morning," she admitted with more than a touch of reluctance.

"And yet you didn't use it." Callen took a step closer. Jesinta started to walk backwards away from him as she spoke.

"What can I say." She shrugged and there was not only a touch of guilt to the look on her face but also in her voice. "Hetty's reputation precedes her and I wasn't about to disobey the first direct order she gave me on my first day."

Callen kept following and closed the distance easily. Jesinta stopped and her eyes went wide when Callen stopped only slightly more than a step away. Her head tilted back slightly to look up at him.

"And when exactly," Callen asked, "did she tell you not to use it?"

"She sent me a text just before I arrived," Jesinta admitted.

"A text?" Callen thought back and remembered when Hetty had stopped and pulled out her phone. At the time he'd thought she was answering someone. Jesinta reached into her handbag and pulled out hers. After a few quick flicks with her finger she held it out to him.

"See."

Callen took the phone from her hands.

Stay in the car. DO NOT use your umbrella. I'll send someone to get you.

"What's a girl supposed to do?" Jesinta asked him tentatively.

Callen handed back her phone and his fingers briefly brushed against hers. Soft and warm. Not something he'd ever noticed about Nate. He shook off the thought.

"What other reputations have preceded us?" he asked her curiously.

Jesinta smiled. "I prefer to get to know someone without letting their reputations influence things."

"Yet Hetty?"

"Hetty is an exception to just about every rule that is out there."

Callen chuckled at the rather interesting, yet accurate, description of Hetty.

"We all are," he added.

Jesinta smiled again. "And I look forward to getting to know you … all." Jesinta started walking backwards again. "Good night Agent Callen."

"Good night Doctor Blake."

Callen watched as she turned, walked to the front door and slipped on her coat. She glanced back at him briefly with another smile, before she opened up her umbrella and stepped out the door.

She was not what he would've expected. He wasn't sure if that was going to be a good thing or a bad thing. Whichever way it went though, change was definitely in the air. Whether they liked it or not.