Title: Mariposa

Summary: She is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Okay, maybe not quite, but close enough. She's been best friends with Kensi Blye since they were ten years old. No one understands her connection with Hetty except maybe Kensi. Will her distinct aversion to G push him away for good or will Callen find that she is a mystery worth solving after all?

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize here.

Author's Note: I've been on a major NCIS: LA kick lately.


Mariposa


Without any evidence linking Kensi directly to the murders she was let go in time to attend the funeral of Charlie's father. The young woman was heartbroken though Kensi managed to convince her to stay at her place for a little while not wanting her best friend to be alone during such a trying time. A knock at the door pulled the grieving woman out of her thoughts. It was G Callen.

Callen placed his foot on the doorstep effectively stopping her from slamming the door in his face. "Kensi is missing. We think she is trying to solve this on her own."

"Well if anyone can, it's Kensi. I haven't seen her since last night though." She admitted stepping back to reluctantly let him inside.

He shut the door behind him and sighed. "I need you to tell me everything you remember about December twentieth and twenty first of ninety seven."

"Our dads went out drinking the night of the twentieth. It was a unit thing. They drank and played poker. After our dads left, I went over to the Blye's house to get Kensi. We saw Titanic at the movies with a few friends. We weren't supposed to be out, but we went anyway." Charlie recalled moving to sit down on the couch.

He nodded his head sitting beside her. "Do you remember anything unusual or out of the ordinary?"

"No. Dad got back a few minutes after I did. He seemed like his normal self. I went over to the Blye's the next day to exchange presents with Kensi. I remember thinking it was weird that her dad's car wasn't there. Other than that, everything was the same as usual until the knock at the door. I had a really bad feeling then and I went with her to the door. My dad was there with..with the cops. They told Kensi... I'll never forget the way she screamed and then cried." Her voice shook at the memory.

Callen reached out placing his hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Charlie."

"No, it's not alright, Callen! Our fathers were murdered! Kensi stayed with us until after the funeral and then she ran off. I was worried about her, but she always found a way to let me know she was alright. Look, just go, okay? If I think of anything else, I'll let you guys know."

.

The taller brunette looked as if she lost ten pounds since the last time she had seen her. She hugged Kensi as if her life depended on it. Her heart broke seeing what had become of her best friend.

"Kensi, you can't keep this up." Charlie had sighed running a brush through her friend's long dark hair.

Kensi nodded her head knowing she was right. "Remember what we talked about? I got in, Charlie."

"I never doubted you would, Kens. I got in as well. Look, the semester starts in two months. Why don't you just stay with us until then?" She was already making a mental note to stock up on all her friend's favorite foods.

It was obvious that she was trying to come up with an excuse until finally she sighed. "Alright, I guess I can do that."

.

"Kensi Marie Blye, what the hell is wrong with you? You can't just disappear like that. What if you needed back up or something?" She snapped looking over at her as they stood in the secluded alleyway that she had agreed to meet with her in.

Kensi shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry, Charlie. You of all people know how personal this case is for me. I just want it to be over and if doing it alone keeps my team safe then so be it."

"Okay, that is ridiculous. Your team can handle themselves just fine. I..." Charlie trailed off watching in horror as her best friend was shot right in front of her.

Kensi reeled back landing hard on the ground. The sound of Charlie shrieking her name in panic caught her attention. She felt woozy and her chest burned something awful. Charlie checked her over though she couldn't see any blood thanks to the body armor that Kensi was wearing and she was grateful for that fact. The fallen agent could just make out a figure approaching behind her friend and tried to warn her though the words just wouldn't come out. Charlie struggled in her captor's arms for a few moments before falling limp. Kensi slowly got to her feet ignoring the pain as she followed Charlie's kidnapper who was more than likely also the sniper that shot at her. She lost track of them soon after, but it became quite obvious to the tall brunette that she was being followed. It didn't take her long to catch up with the person that was tailing her and knock them out. She took their car and used the GPS system in it to track her tail's movements.

.

"You and I both know that it's just not safe, Tomás" The older woman spoke calmly to the clearly upset younger man.

Tomás Lopez sighed throwing his hands in the air in frustration. "Damn it, Henrietta, she deserves to know the truth."

"Of course she does, but not yet. It's not safe." Hetty assured him only to sigh herself when the girl in question came into view.

"What's with all the yelling? Miss Hetty? What are you doing here?" Charlotte yawned rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

He sighed kissing his daughter's head softly. "I'm sorry kiddo. We were just having a grown up discussion."

"Dad, I'm eighteen now." A soft laugh fell from her lips.

Her father chuckled at that shaking his head. "You know what I mean."

"Actually, your father and I were discussing you. There is something you should know, Charlie." Hetty cleared her throat getting the younger woman's attention.

"Oh? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing of the sort. Charlie, I haven't been in your life all of these years just because I work with the government like your father. I am your biological aunt. On your father's side." Hetty revealed to her gently.

.

Charlie sat up slowly rubbing her eyes. Her vision slowly cleared and panic began to set in when memories of what happened came flooding back. She wasn't sure how long she had been out for nor did she know where she was at the moment. All she knew was that it looked like a spare bedroom. Standing up, she took a few shaky steps toward the window and tried to open it to no avail. It was painted shut. Swearing under her breath, the brunette looked around only to freeze when she heard the door open. The man that walked in looked vaguely familiar to her though she couldn't figure out why. He handed her a cold bottle of water and she hesitated before taking it.

"Relax, I don't want to hurt you, Charlotte. You've grown up to be quite a beautiful woman. Your parents must be proud." His hand stroked the side of her face gently.

"Don't. You hurt me the moment you decided to kill my father." She jerked away from his touch smacking him hard in the face with the water bottle.

She ran for the door only for him to grab her. Turning around, Charlie kneed him in the crotch and took off running. She made it down the stairs only stopping when she felt dizzy. It was then that she felt the cold hard metal barrel pressed against the back of her head firmly. Making her face him, he slapped her across the face with his gun sending her crumpling to the floor in a heap. It was the sound of Kensi yelling out his name that made her realize why he was vaguely familiar to her. He was Peter Clairmont and he had been a member of the unit that both their fathers were in. A surge of anger coursed through her, but Kensi got to him first. She could only watch helplessly as the two fought. Gunshots could be heard in the distance, but she barely noticed with her focus solely on the fighting pair in front of her. The team burst into the house just as Kensi left him laying on the ground injured.

Her grief overtook her as she caught Kensi off guard snatching her gun. Flicking the safety off, Charlie stood up pointing the gun right at the man that had killed her father. Her hands shook as she glared at him wanting so desperately to squeeze the trigger. Strong arms wrapped around her pushing the gun down and out of her hands.

Callen let out a breath speaking barely above a whisper. "He's not worth it."

In a flash, Peter pulled out his gun aiming at Kensi. A gunshot was heard startling Charlie. A sigh of relief fell from her lips at the sight of her father's killer slumped over dead. To everyone's shock, it was Assistant Director Owen Granger that had pulled the trigger saving Kensi's life.

.

"I'm happy he's dead. Does that make me a terrible person?" Her hands still shook a bit as she cradled a cup of chamomile tea.

His lips quirked upward into a slight smile. "No. It makes you human."

"I didn't tell you guys the whole truth. When my dad said he had something to tell me, he sounded scared like he was afraid of how I'd react." Charlie confessed taking a sip of her tea.

Callen stared at her for a moment before speaking softly. "And you have no idea what it could have been?"

"No, not at all. It's not the first time he's kept something from me though." Her shoulders shrugged as she sipped at her tea.

His eyebrows raised at that. "What else did he keep from you?"

"Charlotte, I think it would be a good idea if you met with Nate especially after all you've been through lately." The older woman spoke up startling both Charlie and Callen.

"But he's only supposed to talk to the NCIS agents, Hetty." She sipped at her tea looking utterly confused.

"He also speaks with the support staff which you now are. He's expecting you tomorrow morning." Hetty informed them raising her eyebrow when her niece nearly choked on her tea.

"What? And what exactly will I be doing? Hetty, I could have just gone to any therapist, you know." Charlie sighed setting the tea cup down.

"Yes, but I don't trust just anyone with your mind, sweetheart. Nate's one of the best. Don't worry about the job for now. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Now go get some rest." She pressed a kiss to the younger woman's head before heading back toward her office. "Agent Callen, be a dear and please make sure she gets home safely."

G nodded his head looking toward the woman in question. "We'll go whenever you're ready."

"You really don't have to. I'm sure I can catch a ride with Marty or Nell." The brunette waved him off as she stood up relieved that she had stopped shaking by now.

Callen smiled slightly as he grabbed his keys. "I know, but I want to. Besides, Hetty will have my head if I don't."

"Touche'. I'm still staying with Kensi so just drop me off at hers. Thanks."

.

Deeks was heading home by then though he had decided to stop at Kensi's place to check on her real quick. To his surprise, the tall brunette was walking up to her building just as he stopped his car. She smiled softly when she recognized his familiar blonde floppy hair.

"Hey, I..uh.. just wanted to see how you were holding up." He waved at her awkwardly and leaned back against his car.

Kensi nodded her head biting her lip slightly. "I'm doing okay. Better than expected actually."

"That's great." He flashed his boyish grin at her stepping forward to hug her.

To her surprise, she didn't push him away instead opting to melt into his embrace. "Thank you, Marty."

"You're welcome, Fern."

He pressed a kiss into her hair before pulling back to look at her. Their eyes locked as they brushed their noses against each other. Just as he was about to lean in, the sound of a car pulling up caused them to break apart. It was Callen and to Kensi's brief amusement, Charlie was fast asleep in the passenger seat. He shot them a curious look as he got out of the car before pulling Kensi into a comforting hug. She returned the hug whispering her thanks before turning her attention to her best friend. She was tossing and turning in her sleep. Deeks attempted to wake her only to get hit in the face by her hand. Kensi giggled softly as she tended to him. Callen moved to the sleeping woman's side gently wrapping his arms around her. He whispered into her ear that she was safe and she calmed down in his arms. To his surprise as he picked her up to bring her inside, Charlie began talking in her sleep. He couldn't understand what she was saying at first until she turned her head and her words became a bit louder.

"So she's talking in her sleep... in another language?" Marty spoke up a bit too loud causing her to stir.

Callen nodded his head setting her down in the guest room. "It's Romanian."

"She knows Romanian?"

Kensi raised her eyebrows glancing over at her sleeping friend. "No, she doesn't. Charlie was raised speaking both English and Spanish. She took French in high school and Italian in college. I don't think she's even been to Romania."

"Well what is she saying?" He piped up curiously.

Callen listened carefully while she continued to speak. "She's talking to her dad."

With that said, Kensi ushered them out of the room. "That's enough. Let her rest."

"Fluture." Charlie breathed out turning over in her bed pulling the covers over herself.

It was that word which made Callen stand up a little bit straighter while Kensi shut the door behind them. "Butterfly."