Hey everyone!
Thank you for the two people who have put this story alert! I love you guys for it but could I get a review telling me why you liked it or why you are on the fence about it? Any feedback would be wonderful! (This also applies to anyone new who reads this) Either way, thank you for the show of interest!
Disclaimer is in Chapter 1: Who?
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Possessions
Callen was right when he said that Annie would fit in quickly at OSP. Even though she didn't go out and solve cases with them she was able to bond over their clothing. They respected her for not going after them like Hetty does about maintaining their clothes and not getting them too soiled with dirt and bad guy blood. In fact, she left that job to Hetty, finding amusement in watching them try to run from their almost five foot tall boss. When will they learn that they can't run from her of all people?
"Stop laughing Annie! It is not funny!" Deeks groaned after getting chewed out by Hetty.
"No you are right Deeks. I'm sorry," She began to say and then smiled evilly. "It was hysterical." When she said that Callen, Sam, and Kensi chuckled and Deeks gave her this look as if she wounded him. Well maybe she did with his pride a little anyways.
"So G, have you decided yet on what you are going to get?" Sam goaded and Callen let out an exasperated sigh at his partner. The two have been going back and forth for the past two weeks on whether or not Callen needed to buy his first piece of furniture and then what it should be.
"Really Sam? Just to spite you I won't get any furniture." Callen countered and tried to get back to looking like he was doing paper work. Whether or not he was is debatable to Annie.
"C'mon, you have a house with no furniture! And no, a sleeping matt, a plant, and a box does not count!" Sam added at the end when it looked like Callen was about to protest. Annie and Kensi exchanged looks and started holding up numbers with their fingers. Unfortunately for them, Deeks caught them.
"What are you two miming about?"
"We were having a silent debate on how long Sam and Callen have been married." Annie answered and the two women shared knowing grins. They received humorous glares from Sam and Callen while Deeks whined about why he wasn't in on the joke that sent the two of them off on a fit of laughter.
"Whatever. Annie, what do you suggest Callen should get as his first piece of furniture? Deeks and I agreed that he should get a TV, Kens says a bed. Eric and Nell say a computer of some sort." Sam asked and Callen gave her a mutinous stare. She thought about it for a few minutes.
"A couch."
"A couch?" Callen replied dumbstruck.
"Yup, well I take that back. If you were to get some furniture you should get a futon." She responded and got weird looks from the team.
"We are back to guessing what Callen should get for furniture?" Nell asked as she and Eric joined the group.
"I guess." Annie shrugged her shoulders. She liked Nell; the little techie was like a nerdy younger sister to Annie. Eric was sweet as well, he was teaching her how to surf during their off-hours and it was his idea in the first place when he overheard her telling Nell that she always wanted to learn how to surf but never had the time. Nell agreed with her with her own similar dilemma about surfing and so Eric offered to teach them. Annie had the feeling that there was something more going on between the two techies than met the eye through observation of how the two interacted with each other. But she was going to hold off on asking either of them for now.
"Why do you think Callen should get a futon?" Eric asked, not missing a beat as usual.
"Well, he could use it as a couch for if he invited anyone over and then a bed if he ever got tired of using a sleeping mat. Plus it's compact and easy to move just in case he wanted to put it up after Sam comes over to check to make sure he is using it." Annie replied and everyone was chuckling at the truth of her words. Callen gave her a lop-sided smile and a wink that made her heart skip a beat. The man has been doing that a lot to her lately.
Callen was attractive, she would admit that. What was not to love about his rugged and scruffy look? Sure Deeks could be categorized in the same light but to Annie, Deeks was the lovable best friend while Callen was the man you ripped his clothes off the second you are alone with him. Plus, Callen was so laid back that she felt herself unwind around him. The walls she built up are lowered and she felt safe around him. It was strange because she never felt that way about anyone before. Despite these feelings towards Callen, she knew she wouldn't make a move on him.
For one, she didn't know him that well. Annie has never seen the guy on a date or even mention any candidates. Sure, he, Deeks, and Sam would mention a woman they thought was particularly attractive but Callen never elaborated any further. Annie knew that Sam was faithful to his wife whom he has two daughters with so she didn't expect much out of him. And Deeks… well let's just say that she and Kensi avoided any sort of conversation after he mentions that he went out the previous night. Sometimes Annie wished she could hit the shut up button on Deeks but has yet to find it. But with Callen there was nothing: zilch, nada, goose egg.
Secondly, Annie wasn't sure she was ready to be in another relationship with a guy, not after O' Riley's death. The past two men she seriously loved are dead and her relationships with them were a mess. She didn't know what she did wrong. All she knew was that she tried to give each man everything she could give but in the end it was not enough and she was left heartbroken and lost. Annie wasn't sure if she could go through that again. She nearly lost it the last time it happened. No, she would not pursue a relationship with Callen.
Callen was thinking along the same lines as Annie. He thought it strange that she would occasionally seep into his thoughts. Especially when he least expected. Callen could recount a dozen different times that day when he lost all train of thought and just mentally stared at his recollection of Annie's face if she wasn't there for him to glance at. He doesn't know why he keeps going back to it. There was nothing extraordinary about her features and yet he couldn't stop looking at them. There was just something about the way the light reflected off her eyes and the way she smiled that put Callen to ease.
He was beginning to notice that he was looking forward to seeing her every day, hearing what new and surprisingly apt comment she has to whatever he and the team were talking about. Annie always seems to keep him guessing. Especially at how easily she deflects or evades any question directed at her.
Most of the time the team asks her about her previous job with the FBI, NSA/CIA, and Interpol and most of the time she told them it was classified. Which none of them put up much fuss, because who were they to complain about her being on classified missions and not being able to talk about it? But he was more intrigued at how she fended off any male advances towards her. It seemed Callen wasn't the only male in NCIS: OSP to notice that there was something different and pleasing in Annie's looks.
Every day she would be hit on or some guy would make a flirtatious comment to her. However, Annie shied away from the attention. At first he thought it was because she was too flattered and/or that she didn't want to get into anything with anyone here because she was the new girl. But after months of working together, Callen knew differently. Annie warded off any attention that was romantic in nature because she was afraid. Afraid of what, Callen wasn't so sure about. He chalked it up to bad experiences in the past and that was why she acted the way she does and he completely understood. Callen had some horrible relationships and break-ups in his past that he doesn't want to replicate anytime soon.
In fact some were so horrible that he just immersed himself in work, rarely ever going out on a date. The only reason why he would was because he had bodily urges he wanted to get rid of as quickly as possible so he could go back and focus on the job, or if he was feeling particularly lonely one night and didn't want to be left to his thoughts. None of those women he went out with never made him wonder about taking it a step further. So, Callen could connect to Annie's hesitancy towards getting romantically involved with anyone; which was why he wasn't going to push her like the other guys did.
Callen would take it slow and make sure that Annie was comfortable with him. That was what he has been doing all along really. He was confident that he could get any woman he wanted just by smiling at them and dropping a funny one liner before going in for the kill. It has worked plenty of times for him in the past. But with Annie, Callen felt as if she needed more than that, deserved more than that. She looked so small and fragile that she needed some guy to come in and sweep her off her feet. And Callen wanted to be that man, but the timing wasn't right. So he was content with just small talk and exchanging smiles with the mysterious fashion consultant.
"What are these Ms. Smith?" Hetty's voice cut through his thoughts and Callen's interest turned to his boss who was holding up an envelope with what Callen identified as Annie's beautiful handwriting on it.
"Well if you opened it then you would know what it is." She replied cheekily and the team was extremely curious and amused by the two women's interactions with each other. They all wondered just what force brought the two women together and what happened for Annie to be able to act like that with Hetty and get away with it.
"Let me rephrase the question then. Why are you giving me a receipt with a reservation to one of the leading spas here in Los Angeles?" And the team looked at the fashion consultant in expectation.
"It is to show that I appreciated how you handled my ex-husband's murder, especially with my interrogation. I know you could have just sicked Callen and Sam on me and let me fend for myself." Annie explained with a small smile to further show how grateful she was.
"Please, you know that your father would have come after me." Hetty dismissed and Annie cringed when the older woman talked about her family.
"Like that has stopped you from telling him to piss off when it comes to how jurisdiction runs." Annie countered easily. But everyone was now curious as to who she was connected to.
"Then I would love for you to join me, it would be a waste to go by myself my dear." Hetty conceded. The team once more turned to Annie waiting for what she would say next. They silently watched the conversation going back and forth between the two women, like it was a verbal tennis match.
"I'm sorry but I have to go south of the border this weekend. Miguel has finally retired and is returning what is rightfully mine." Annie's voice suddenly became giddy at the prospect and her face lit up in excitement making Callen wonder what the thing was.
"Ah yes, the Colt Bisley that was supposedly used and owned by Pancho Villa. I still don't understand why you let Miguel have it for so long but I'm glad that he is retiring. Good luck with dealing with his son, Alejandro." Hetty exclaimed as Annie hugged the little woman good bye.
"I can handle Alejandro, Hetty, and you know it. Adios amigos." Annie waved to the rest of them before walking away and out the building.
"Hetty, does she really own the revolver owned by Pancho Villa or was that an excuse to get away?"
"Who is her father?" Sam and Callen asked at the same time. Callen was more interested in her family than the fact that the woman knew her guns, even though that turned him on a little.
"Yes Mr. Hanna, she does own a Colt Bisley that was probably owned by Pancho Villa. There is no way of knowing for sure but there is damage consisting of a fight that Pancho Villa was in, including some minute traces of DNA that has a 65% match to his blood from when he bled out on the weapon. As for you Mr. Callen, are you telling me that Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones have yet to tell you four about Ms. Smith's family?" At Hetty's response the field agents turned on their favorite and normally reliable techies. The two looked sheepish and mumbled something about not noticing anything of significance about Annie's parents' names before Hetty closed her file officially.
"Her father is a Mr. David Smith, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency." Everyone's mouths dropped in surprise as Hetty explained. They all turned to look in the direction that Annie once sat at and none of them could believe that their friend was so well connected.
"That's one of the reasons why I like Ms. Smith so much. She hates being associated with her family to get a head in life and would rather work hard to prove she is the one to get the job done. She doesn't want any favoritism or anyone to go easy on her in fear of offending the higher powers. Really now, you all are elite federal agents and you couldn't tell that her parents were CIA by the fact that they named their daughter Anne Marie Smith?"
