Author's Notes: Thanks again to everyone who is still with this story! I'm not too happy with this chapter, but it's up so here ya go! Enjoy.

~ Best Chance ~

1975

Henrietta Lange was a woman of many mysteries.

She could kill a group of men with a dozen playing cards, and still have enough left over to win a poker game with a royal flush. She was always on alert, yet gave the intimidating appearance of someone who was deviously prepared for anything that came her way. It's what made her such a reputable CIA agent. Her career wasn't very long, and her life experiences weren't as extensive as she'd like - though was still more than most, yet even in her late twenties Hetty was rarely stunned into silence for any amount of time.

Although, early Monday morning she received a message that would throw her life onto a different path – and no one would notice. She wasn't a cold woman, like many believed from her climbing reputation of always getting the job done with supreme natural skill and focus, but a part of her did compartmentalise away her emotions when it came to matters closer to home.

That was about to change.

Sitting in a darkened space in the corner of a hotel lobby, Hetty was content to sip her well-brewed tea until a man approached her with a folded piece of paper in hand. He didn't say anything, and simply handed her the message. Hetty narrowed her eyes at him, knowing he was a fellow agent, then lowered her teacup to brace herself for whatever could be written on the paper.

Unfolding it, Hetty's breath caught for a moment when she saw the undeniable handwriting of Lisa Linmore. She always knew the girl would come back to haunt her, after many years earlier when Hetty had given Lisa a chance at a new life after she'd unwittingly becoming a witness to a terrible crime.

The girl needed her help again, it seemed.

Hetty read the letter carefully, and was pleased at first to hear how Lisa had married a surfer who loved music and had such an interest in life. She heard about their two children; though Lisa neglected to mention names, she did say they were five and two years old. That's when the message took a darker turn. Lisa was clearly upset, if the dried smudges of ink were to be judged as evidence of crying. Her children had been taken from her by social services, and Lisa wanted Hetty to help her get them back.

Hetty exhaled and leaned back in her seat. The peaceful moment of her lunch break was over, replaced with a sense of wariness. Lisa hadn't explained why the two children had been taken or pleaded her case. Something about the way she ranted and stressed hit a nerve with Hetty – something wasn't right, and there were crucial details missing. Nevertheless, Hetty rose from her seat and knew she had to sort this out. She felt responsible for Lisa, and yet even more so for the children – if Hetty had been a little less forgiving and determined to help a young girl many years ago than those children would never have existed. Whatever happened to those kids, Hetty felt it would be on her.

She had to make sure either they were rightfully returned to their loving parents – or placed somewhere else if they needed a better chance at life than the one they'd been born into.

The problem was that Hetty was far too entwined in a very important mission – she simply couldn't oversee the incident herself. She couldn't dismiss the matter, however, so Hetty contacted one of her younger agents in secret.

Clara Callen had started working for the CIA several years ago – undercover, as a student. Hetty was her handler, but when Clara said she was pregnant and afraid of the murderers she'd helped put away, Hetty devised a clever plan. Clara became an agent, then soon "disappeared" during a mission. Secretly, with only Hetty and a handful of others knowing, Clara continued to work her job in the form of surveillance and research. Hetty knew she would be the perfect person to send to check on Lisa Linmore and the children to determine which outcome was best for them.

With her decision made, filled with confidence and well-structured plans, Hetty had no reason to doubt how things would turn out. She had no idea that one day she would regret not directly handling the situation herself from the very beginning when she received the message from Lisa Linmore. She never even knew the children's names, and she had underestimated Clara's abilities to disappear – skills which Hetty herself had taught her.

~ S ~

It wasn't until several days later that Clara Callen walked the corridors of the Orphanage in Los Angeles. The youngest Linmore child, Vanessa, had been placed in a foster home that morning – her five-year-old brother, Gavin, remained at the Orphanage after being taken from his parents several weeks ago.

Clara had talked to Cindy, the social worker in charge of the Linmore case, then stopped by to see Lisa. Chad had been at work, and Lisa was an emotional wreck. Clara spent two hours just consoling the woman, and yet didn't overlook the state of the house in which the children had resided in.

Hetty would have given Lisa a very stern lecture, and left with conflicted feelings about what to do – Clara was convinced of it. She'd watched Hetty's every move for years, trying to mimic her great mentor's skills, and in the end was only able to determine the sort of decisions Hetty made. Clara had no idea the reasoning, or emotion, behind the choices, yet she could work the angle of probability. She knew Hetty would have worked harder to help Lisa and Chad Linmore fix up their lives so they could try to bring their children home, but Clara could only see the mess of the situation it already was.

She knew Hetty had already given Lisa a chance to change, and Clara had one piece of experience that Hetty didn't – she was a mother.

Her eight-year-old daughter, Amy, was what drove Clara's every thought when children were involved. She believed kids should be with their parents, but only if they were safe and cared for. Her memories of being brought to America with her mother, after her father had been killed by the Comescu family in Romania, ran deep in that moment.

She couldn't allow another child to suffer for the mistakes of others.

That led her to the Orphanage.

'He's in the playroom.' Clara was told, and peered around the door to see the small five-year-old sitting by himself with some blocks.

Clara approached the blonde-haired boy dressed in a red shirt and faded jeans. She sat on the floor with him, and waited for Gavin to acknowledge her.

'Hello.' Clara smiled at the adorable child.

'Hi.' Gavin mumbled, looking over at the woman sitting across from him. 'Who're you?'

'I'm Clara.' She smiled, surprised by how much he reminded her of Amy with his facial features and blue eyes.

The boy said nothing else, and Clara felt sad to realise how miserable he looked. His little sister had been separated from him, for the first time in their life, just the day before. His shoulders were hunched and he played with the blocks as if going through the motions rather than enjoying himself.

As Clara watched Gavin for a moment longer, she thought about how strange it was to even be there.

Hetty hadn't contacted her in some time, and the request was odd at first. Although, her mentor did work in strange ways no matter what the subject or mission was. Hetty had even insisted, after Amy was born, not to know any personal details about her at all. Clara had questioned it, and Hetty explained the less she knew the better – since Clara was supposed to be "missing on assignment".

In that moment Clara was only trying to make sense of what life had handed her, but it would all come together a week later when she did something she never imagined would be so easy. Clara let Hetty know the situation was taken care of; that she didn't need to worry about Lisa Linmore any longer. Clara was thorough, saying the children were better off away from Lisa and she had made sure they were in safe hands. She had checked on Vanessa, and the foster lady was very nice. Gavin, however, had no one.

Not until one month later, when Clara introduced Amy to her new little brother.

'Where're we going?' Gavin worried, allowing Clara to lead him by the hand to a car.

He liked the nice lady, who told him he had a new big sister who loved him lots, but Gavin was really confused. She'd told him she was his new Mama now, but he wasn't sure what that meant. She gave him lots of nice toys and clothes, so Gavin didn't mind being with her and Amy. He missed Vanessa, though. He wanted his little sister back, and didn't understand why she couldn't go with him. He assumed it was because he was a bad big brother and didn't get to have a little sister anymore.

'We're going on a holiday for a while.' Clara said with a smile. 'To a far away place called Romania.'

Gavin wasn't sure he liked going "far away" from home. He was distracted, though, by a bag that was soon draped over his back. It was blue and looked really cool. He even recognised the letter "G" on it for his name, but it made him sad to see it as well - "G" is what Vanessa always called him.

'Are you ready?' Clara smiled at her new son, who looked up at her and glanced nervously to the open car door. 'Are you ready for a great adventure in Romania?'

'Yeah!' Gavin smiled. He felt anxious and confused, but he loved adventures. His Mama used to tell him all about them in stories, and how magical they were. Gavin always wanted an adventure of his own, even if it all seemed really scary and new at first. Clara and Amy were so nice, and Gavin was sure he was safe with them. Romania was going to be fun, Gavin decided, as he climbed into the back seat of the car. Clara said there were beaches there too!

His first adventure lay ahead, and Gavin was filled with excitement for what wonderful things awaited him in Romania.