Although this has been very Callen-centric so far I can assure you that the rest of the team will be fully involved in this story. I know some will have a problem with the subject of the story but I hope you will give it time. However, if there isn't enough interest it's unlikely that I will continue.

An Eye for an Eye

Chapter Two

Callen sat hunched forward on the brown leather sofa while a myriad of unaccustomed emotions overwhelmed him. He didn't know how to be a father. He had no memory of his own father and only hazy memories of his mother. The most vivid picture he had in his mind was of the day his mother was murdered. His time in foster care had been a mix of good and bad, mostly bad, leaving him with no male role model and a deeply ingrained reluctance to trust anyone.

Watching Sam with his children had been a revelation, showing him what he had missed while giving him a taste of what it felt like to have a family. He would be eternally grateful to his partner for that opportunity. He glanced at Kristen who had chosen a chair as far away from him as she could get. He didn't blame her. She'd been deceived, abandoned and now feared for her son's life because of him.

He needed to shake this feeling of paralysis. Michael's life depended upon how he handled the people who had decided to hurt him in the most personal way possible. "What else did they say," he asked in a voice rough with emotion. "Anything you can remember might help. Did you hear any noises in the background of the call?" He could see that she was struggling to find a level of composure.

"I've told you everything I can remember. I wasn't paying attention to anything else once they told me they had Michael. I can't turn off my emotions like you can," she added cruelly.

"I know you hate me and I deserve it but the only person who matters at the moment is Michael." There was ice crawling through his veins, numbing him to the normal instinctive human emotions that could be fatal for an agent. It was essential that he leash his feelings. He had to treat this like any other operation. "How would they have found out that Michael is my son?"

"I don't know. Your name isn't on his birth records."

"He doesn't know?"

"He thinks Tommy was his father."

That hurt, although he knew Kristen had been left with no means to contact him. Even if she had wanted to tell him the truth it would have been impossible for her to find him. "Why didn't you tell me two years ago?"

She looked away, a hint of color in her cheeks. "I'd moved on and I didn't want you in Michael's life."

"You don't have to worry about that," he said bitterly. "It isn't safe to be around me. Once I get him home you can forget we ever met." This wasn't the time to tell her that he was unlikely to survive whatever was coming for him. His only desire was to pull his son clear before the end.

"Do you…do you think they'll hurt him?" She looked at him, her eyes wide. It had taken courage to ask that question.

"No. They need him to draw me out. He's a valuable hostage. If I do exactly what they want there will be no reason to hurt him." He wasn't sure if she believed him although he hoped he had sounded convincing. In his experience those who were prepared to use a child in this way had no conscience. They were unlikely to inflict wanton violence on the boy but wouldn't hesitate to hurt or kill him if they felt it was necessary.

"You've dealt with cases like this before?"

"A few."

"Did you save the child?" She held her breath while she waited for his answer.

His gaze was direct and open, filled with a confidence he didn't feel. "Yes."

The harsh sound of the telephone startled both of them. Kristen jumped up and then hesitated. "What do I do?"

Callen stood more slowly, the calm of a seasoned operative finally settling over him. "Nothing." He picked up the handset. "Callen."

NCISLA

When Sam arrived back at the Mission he looked around for his partner. When there was no sign of Callen he walked across to Hetty's office. "Where's G?"

"Mr. Callen is operational," Hetty replied carefully.

"Alone?" Sam asked.

"For the moment. There is something you need to hear." Hetty stood. "Join me in Ops."

Sam followed her with a feeling of foreboding. "What's going on, Hetty?"

"You'll understand in a minute."

They entered the Ops Center and Sam could immediately feel the tension. Neither Eric nor Nell would look at him.

"Do you remember Kristen Donnelly?" Hetty asked.

The question was unexpected and puzzling. "Yeah. Callen took a long time to get over seeing her again. Has something happened to her?"

"Not to her. Play the recording, Mr. Beale."

Sam listened to the conversation between Callen and Kristen with mounting concern. "Why would someone take the boy?" he asked.

Hetty looked at him steadily. "Because he's Mr. Callen's son."

Sam frowned in confusion. "That's not what she told him."

"I'm afraid she lied. No doubt she had her reasons."

"How do you know?"

"That isn't important."

"Does Callen know?" Sam could imagine how his partner would take the news. Despite his upbringing Callen had a deep well of affection for those he allowed to get close. To be able to surround a child with love would have gone a long way to healing the hurt of a man who knew what it was like to be abandoned. His next thought was for the boy. He knew how he would feel if anyone took one of his children. He wouldn't rest until they were safe and the people responsible were dead.

"He may have suspected. We can't be sure what Ms. Donnelly has now told him. What concerns me most is that he has gone off the grid. As soon as she told him to keep us out of it he deactivated his comlink and his phone."

"We're not going to let him handle this alone," Sam stated. "Send me the address."

"It's too late for that. It's been more than thirty minutes since we lost contact with him. The kidnappers will already have called and it is unlikely that he will still be at the house."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked accusingly.

"You could never have reached him in time and we couldn't jeopardize the safety of that little boy."

"How do we find him?"

"We're running a kaleidoscope search, Sam," Eric said. "It's a long shot and we know Callen's good at staying away from cameras. If he doesn't want to be found it'll take a miracle to locate him."

"That's not good enough. We need to talk to the mother."

"I agree, which is why I have sent Miss Blye to her house. Detective Deeks will provide back-up. You will stay here until we know more."

"You can't ask me to do that."

"We have no choice. Whoever we are dealing with knows who Mr. Callen is and that he is a NCIS agent. It is likely they have been watching him which means they will know who you are. If they have someone watching the house and they see you things will not go well."

"If we've been under surveillance they'll recognize Kensi."

"We have significantly changed her appearance. It's the best we could do in the time available. She should arrive at her destination within the next few minutes."

"This is a personal attack, Hetty. Who would go to all this trouble?"

"If you had asked me that a year ago I would have said the Comescu family. When he killed Dracul Comescu in Hawaii that threat disappeared. We will have to watch and wait and hope that we get a lead before it is too late."

Tbc

Caroline

February, 2013