Chapter Two

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Chapter Two

Sam barely slept a wink as his concern for his partner distracted him all night. He had checked on the younger man twice during the night and both times found him sleeping soundly- which in itself was strangely concerning since his partner never slept- hell he didn't even have a bed. As quietly as possible Sam had a quick shower before cleaning his teeth and getting himself dressed for work. Moving stealth like around the house he filled the kettle up and set it going before heading to rouse his partner.

"G?" he whispered, knowing full well not to startle the lead agent awake- not if he wanted to survive unscathed anyway. "G you with me man?" he spoke louder reaching for his friend's shoulder and carefully shaking him. Slowly Callen came to, blinking his eyes against the light with a groan. "Hey, you good?" Sam greeted his partner with a concerned smile.

"I'm good" Callen replied rubbing his eyes and looking exhausted despite the solid sleep he had managed. Wordlessly Sam handed him two more tablets and a glass of water- waiting for him to take them before replacing them with a steaming cup of coffee. "Thanks" Callen muttered in reply sipping at the scalding fluid carefully.

"You going to be ok for work today?" Sam asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

"I told you I'm fine Sam" Callen replied, getting to his feet and heading towards the bathroom- reappearing showered and changed within ten minutes. Sam shook his head as he watched his partner's stiff movement, but refrained from commenting. He had to admit his partner did look better than he had the previous night- but still his pallor concerned the older man.

"Let's head out, if we hurry we can squeeze in a quick donut stop" Sam told his sweet toothed partner, Callen managed a weak smile in return- donuts the furthest thing from his mind. Clipping his holster on to his belt and placing his badge in his pocket he followed the larger man out of the door.

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The two wandered into the office each clutching a Styrofoam cup of coffee, the usual banter missing. They hadn't even made it to their seats when a whistle from Eric drew them both to the eagles nest for a briefing.

"Mr Callen, Mr Hanna- you have a new case gentleman" Hetty greeted them, nodding at Eric for him to set the video running. Callen looked in concentration at what he saw.

"A robbery? What does this have to do with us?" he asked in confusion.

"The shop clerk that was shot was an undercover FBI agent investigating a string of high end robberies, all aimed at properties owned by minority groups. He was working in conjunction with LAPD trying to avoid a race war. The robbers are a gang of ex marines and seals- all disillusioned with Uncle Sam and raising concerns over immigration policies. Our concern is where there weaponry is coming from. LAPD have received information that serving marines are the main suppliers which is what places it directly in our jurisdiction. You Mr Callen are about to join said gang" Hetty told him.

"Why G?" Sam asked softly, his concern carried in his voice.

"Director Vance has specifically requested it. Mr Callen you are Jamie Stewart a former marine sergeant who has been dishonourably discharged due to your conduct and involvement in schemes that are against the government. You have just found employment at a bar on Ocean Front on Venice Beach" Hetty told the young man in front of her, Sam suppressed a shudder at the location- knowing that he would never forget the last time he had been there with his partner.

"How does that link in with the group?" Callen asked, his sharp mind already focussed on the case in front of him.

"The bar is owned by one of the senior gang members a Jake Donnolly- he showed a lot of interest in your resume when you applied for the job" Eric chipped in with the hint of a proud smile at his work. Callen nodded.

"When do I start?" he asked softly.

"Your shift starts at 1pm, here is your background and here is everything you need to know" Hetty told him handing him two large files. Callen nodded before wandering away to find out all about his latest identity.

"I don't like this Hetty" Sam muttered when his partner was out of earshot.

"Mr Callen is more than capable of taking care of himself- and you Mr Hanna will be there to back him up" she reassured the concerned man. Sam shook his head once more, an uncomfortable feeling already forming in the pit of his stomach.

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"And what was the name of your CO?" Sam questioned his partner finally.

"Scott Jordan" Callen replied his cover rolling from his tongue as naturally as breathing. "Look Sam, I'll be fine" G commented softly to his partner easily sensing his concern. Sam paused looking at his partner and he had to admit that he did look a lot better, maybe he was worrying for nothing afterall.

"Take it easy G and don't forget 6pm check in" he told him lightly squeezing his shoulder. Callen nodded and without a backward glance walked out and into yet another new identity.

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"Hey I'm here for Jake Donnolly?" Callen greeted the bar tender, his voice portraying an amount of cockiness in line with his latest alias.

"Whose asking?" the tender replied, matching the attitude.

"Tell him Jamie is here, he told me to be here for one sharp" he replied, taking a seat in front of the bar. Whilst the other man walked to find the boss Callen found himself looking around his new place of employment, he sighed- he knew that his partner was unhappy about his latest mission, but somehow Callen was glad of the distraction, it had been a pretty crappy year so far and some how he felt that it wasn't about to get any better so he may as well pass the time as someone else.

"Jamie?" a voice snatched him from his reverie.

"Yeah man" Callen replied with a self assured grin.

"Hi I'm Jake, good to meet ya" the older man greeted reaching out a hand that Callen shook. "I will get David here to give you a quick run through on the bar, but I am sure with your experience you will have no problem" he continued.

"When do I get paid?" Callen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Cash in hand every Friday" Jake replied with a grin. Callen nodded in appreciation. "Less for Uncle Sam that way if you know what I mean" he continued with a wink.

"The less that goes to the government the better" Callen replied taking a slug from the beer that Jake handed him.

"Not a fan of the government huh?" Jake questioned in interest.

"Who would be?" Callen replied, finishing the beer.

"Exactly" Jake replied with a grin. "I think you and me are going on get on very well Mr Stewart" he finished tapping his newly opened bottle of beer against Callen's.

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"Callen is in" Eric confirmed to the agents around him, smiling at the text that he had received from the senior agent confirming that his cover was established.

"Now we wait" Sam muttered, his concern still tormenting him. He knew his partner was not one hundred per cent, he just hoped that he would make it through the next few days of the assignment without further damage.

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For two days Callen's routine was much the same as any other bar tender, he worked all afternoon into the night, collected tips and then went to his studio apartment and slept. He checked in every day and passed his updates directly to Eric. It was on the third day that Callen finally got the break he needed.

"Jamie, how are you fixed for some overtime tomorrow night?" Jake asked him as he closed up for the evening.

"Sure, we staying open late?" Callen asked, having a feeling that he knew where this was heading.

"Not exactly, it's more of an outing" Jake replied, "if you are up for it?" he questioned. Callen pondered the words for a moment.

"What sort of an outing?" he finally asked.

"I want to introduce you to some of my friends, people I think you may share views with" Jake told him with a smirk.

"Sure sounds like fun" Callen replied, this was shaping up nicely. "When and where?" he asked, keen to pass on as much information as possible to the team.

"Meet me here at nine pm, we'll go in my car" Jake told him, and Callen merely nodded before bidding them good night and heading out to his latest home.

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"Sam you take the bar, discreet tail. Kensi meet up with Mr Callen at his apartment and make sure he has sufficient resources so we can keep track" Hetty told the team. She handed Kensi a few supplies for their team leader, before she scurried off herself.

"Kensi, let me know how he's doing" Sam whispered to the junior agent, still concerned for his friend. Kensi nodded lightly before heading out, keen to see for herself that the senior agent was doing ok. She had seen the impact of Sam colliding with the smaller man a mere three days earlier and knew that the team leader must be suffering at least bruising as a result. Shrugging on her jacket she was out of the door in minutes and on her way to see for herself.

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"You all set?" Kensi asked her senior agent softly, noticing his pallor immediately.

"Yeah, good to go" Callen replied placing his trusty sig in the holster and securing a spare clip. He carefully adjusted his ear wig making sure that he was receiving the signal clearly. "Sam still being a mother hen?" he asked Kensi with a half-hearted smile.

"He's worried about you Callen" she replied simply, giving him a brief hug before leaving him to finish getting ready for what would hopefully be a take down.

"Tell him I'm fine" he called after her, the twinge of pain shooting through his stomach making him doubt his own words.

End Chapter Two

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