Amanda read Callen's text over and over before she fell asleep. As a result she woke up fifteen minutes late which meant she had to forego her coffee before PT. She grabbed her uniform, boots and her pack as she ran out the door. After locking the door, she put her keys in her mouth so she could move her boots to her free hand. Just as she started down the stairs her phone chirped. She was sure it was one of the Sergeants wondering where she was. When she got to the car, she set her boots on the roof so she could unlock the door and hang her uniform in the back. When she was finally situated in the car, her phone chirped again reminding her she had a message.
Quickly she dug through front pocket of her pack for her phone and was pleasantly surprised to see it wasn't one of the junior Marines, but Callen. 'Hope you slept well. Have a good day. Will call at lunch. –G'
With lightening speed, she started the car and shot a text back to him. 'Slept ok, would've been better if you'd been there. Running late for PT. Looking forward to talking to you.-Mandy'. For a second, she contemplated deleting the Mandy and just leaving it blank or put Amanda. She hadn't gone by Mandy in years. In fact, the last person to call her Mandy was her grandmother and she died junior year of high school. Something told her to leave it, so she sent the text and pulled out of the parking space.
Sam was more than a little worried about Callen, angry with him too. He'd stopped by the house a couple times over the weekend and he wasn't home either day. When he asked a neighbor Sunday afternoon if she'd seen him, she said he hadn't been home since Friday morning. Michelle had convinced him to head up to LA early so he had time to stop by the house before he went to work. Like both Saturday and Sunday the car was gone. He was encouraged when the neighbor flagged him down to let him know Callen had been home the night before. Sam thanked her and headed for the mission.
Callen sat at his desk with a cup of coffee reading through some emails when his phone went off. He'd just sent a text to Amanda and really didn't expect a response since she hadn't sent one the night before. He smiled when he saw she'd responded and repeated her name aloud. "Mandy?!"
"Who's Mandy and why do you have that goofy grin on your face?" Sam asked when he walked into the bullpen. "Where have you been all weekend?"
"Are we playing twenty questions?" Callen asked setting his phone down.
"Don't answer my question with a question." Sam growled.
"How was your weekend?" Callen asked leaning back in his chair.
"G, I stopped by your house both Saturday and Sunday. The neighbor told me you hadn't been home since Friday morning, where were you?"
"Why didn't you just call?" Callen asked gently rocking. He could tell Sam was getting irritated. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?"
"You're not going to answer my questions are you?"
"Can I plead the fifth?" He asked trying to stifle a laugh.
"Damn it G." Sam said dropping his fist on the desk.
"Whoa what's going on, do I need to play referee?" Kensi asked as she walked in and eyed the two of them.
"He won't tell me where he was all weekend and keeps answering my questions with a question." He said realizing he sounded like a five year old or jealous girlfriend.
Kensi looked at Callen and gave him a thumbs up. "You know I couldn't get a hold of Amanda either. I wanted to invite her to my Mom's this weekend, but she never answered. I even tried to call her cell, but she didn't answer that either."
Callen looked off towards the kitchenette, remembering that they'd agreed to screen their calls over the weekend. Sam noticed and called him on it. "You wouldn't happen to know why Kensi couldn't get in touch with Amanda all weekend would you?"
"Why would I know where Amanda was all weekend?" He asked unintentionally answering with a question.
"You were with her weren't you?" Kensi asked smiling and pointing her finger in his face.
He couldn't help it and a smile crossed his lips. "Alright, yes Amanda was unreachable because we were together."
"How together are we talking? Together, together or just hanging out together?" Kensi asked.
"Since I completely forgot about her promotion and Friday was payday, I knew she'd be at that Mexican restaurant. I drove down to Oceanside and she was there so I bought her dinner. Saturday we went car shopping and Sunday we watched football. Oh and Sam, she's a Pats fan." He gloated.
"Did she at least get herself a car?" Sam asked in a huff, great another Pats fan he thought.
"No she didn't but she did scare the crap out of one of the salesmen when she mentioned the bloodstains in the trunk of her old car."
As angry with Callen as Sam was, he couldn't help but laugh. "She didn't?"
"She did and kept a straight face the entire time. I think the salesman thought she'd shoved the body in the trunk. It was funny, she laughed; no cried for ten minutes after we got back in the car." Callen told them.
"So you and Amanda, huh?" Sam asked.
"I don't know. It's too soon to know what's going to happen. All I know is that I really enjoyed myself this weekend." Callen said thinking about waking up Saturday and Sunday with Amanda in his arms.
"I should've known something was up after we found you two asleep on the floor." Sam said as he dropped the contents of his bag on his desk.
"Nothing's happened. Aside from sitting together on the couch with my arm around her and a couple of kisses, there's been nothing else." Callen assured him.
"Right and where did you sleep; the floor?" Sam asked.
Callen looked at Kensi, knowing he couldn't lie. "I slept on the bed but on top of the covers the first night and in the bed with her the next night."
"You actually expect us to believe that nothing happened while the two of you were in bed together?" Sam said accusingly.
"Who was in bed with who?" Deeks asked. "Why do I always walk in, in the middle of the good conversations?"
"Callen spent the weekend with Amanda." Kensi told him.
"Really? She was pretty hot. If you like the short tanned blonde, me personally I like the tall tanned brunette." Deeks said smiling at Kensi before he leaned in to fist bump Callen.
"Deeks?!" Sam yelled. "Try not to encourage him. I think it's a bad idea. She said herself that she expects orders, what are you going to do if she does get orders to the East Coast or overseas? Are you going to beg her to stay or willingly let her go and be miserable for months, torturing us with your foul mood?"
Fortunately Eric whistled from the landing and Callen was saved. He didn't want to think about Amanda getting orders. All he wanted to think about was here and now; next weekend and the weekend after that and so on and do forth.
Amanda was walking out to the car when her phone rang. Since Callen had said he was going to call at lunch, she'd slipped her phone in the pocket at her thigh. She nearly fell as she tried to retrieve her phone while continuing to walk. Fortunately there weren't more than a couple dozen witnesses to her near head dive into the gravel parking lot. She tried not to skip like a school girl to the car when she saw it was Callen.
"Hey G, how's your day going?" she asked
"Mandy?" he laughed.
"I know I was going to erase it. I haven't been called Mandy in twenty years."
"I like it, it's cute. How was PT?"
"Same old, same old; we ran three miles. Half the non-NCOs fell out; I swear they aren't making them the way they used to. These boots are worthless; I think they let them walk the crucible in boot camp."
Callen laughed. "I have no clue what the crucible is, but I'll take your word for it."
"You never answered my question, how was your morning?"
"Aside from getting the third degree from Sam, it was okay. Got a new case this morning, it seems to be an easy one. I think we'll wrap it up in a couple days so I can spend the weekend with you."
Amanda's heart jumped. "You want to spend the weekend with me again?"
"I'd like to, I enjoyed myself. I enjoyed the time with you."
"Aw Special Agent Callen you like me, don't you?" she laughed.
He had to choke back a groan when she called him Special Agent Callen. There was something about the way she said it that undid him. "Yeah, I do. According to Sam probably more than I should."
"So they know we were spent the weekend together?"
"I'm afraid so, Kensi tried to get in touch with you over the weekend to see if you wanted to go to her Mom's with her."
"I never thought to check the phone at home. Did she try calling me on my cell? I don't remember seeing any missed calls." She asked scrolling through her missed calls, all be damned if there weren't three missed calls from Kenis.
"She said she tried to call your cell too." He told her. "What do you want to do this weekend?"
"I need to drop my uniforms off to have the chevrons changed, after that we can do whatever you want." She told him, smiling the entire time.
"Why do you need to take your uniforms in?"
"The ball is in three weeks and we have a uniform inspection the week before. Plus I need to have the chevrons changed on the rest of the blouses; I might as well do it now instead of at the last minute."
"What ball are you talking about?" he asked.
"The birthday ball, November 10th is the Marine Corps' Birthday." She said nervously, this was the opportunity she'd been waiting for. "It's in Las Vegas at the Venetian. I do still need a date, would you be interested in accompanying me?"
"I don't have to wear a frilly ball gown do I?" he asked.
She laughed. "No G, all you need is a suit. I will be wearing my dress blues."
"I'd love to go, when is the ball?"
"Thursday, November 10th. We don't have to be back at work until Tuesday because of Veterans Day."
"So we can spend three or four days in Vegas?" He asked.
"We can, I don't know what we'll do for three days in Las Vegas."
"Are you kidding, there are shows, restaurants, the other casinos, poker, blackjack, slots. Let me see if I can get that much time off and I'll let you know." He said.
"Alright, let me know soon we have to book the room before November 1st." she told him.
"I will, don't worry. I'll pick up the tab for the extra days if I can get Friday and Monday off."
"Sounds good. G, I've got to go get lunch. I'll talk to you tonight?"
"Alright, I hope you have a good afternoon." He said and hung up.
Callen walked back into the office and walked towards Hetty's desk. "Would it be possible for me to take a few personal days next month?"
"That depends on the case load, Mr. Callen. Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine." He said sitting in the chair across from her. "A friend invited me to the Marine Corps Ball. It's in Las Vegas."
"Would this be a female friend?" Hetty asked trying to hide her smile and piqued interest. It had been months, if not years since he'd mentioned seeing a woman outside of work.
"Yes." He said with a smile and a nod.
"I will see what I can do to get you the time off. Is this the start of something serious?" He would have the time off she decided even if she had to fill in for him the days he was gone.
"You're guess is as good as mine." He said and pulled himself out of the chair.
The week passed quickly and like Callen predicted the case was wrapped up before the weekend. Amanda rushed home and showered before Callen was due to arrive. She had just pulled her jeans on when he knocked on the front door. She ran to the door with a towel wrapped around her head and unlocked it. He walked in just as she ran back to the bedroom. She was bent over towel drying her hair when he walked into the bedroom.
"Hey." He said watching her with amusement, admiring her rear.
"Sorry, I had a Staff NCO meeting this afternoon and it ran over." She said smiling at him when she stood upright again.
"It's not a problem. I have nothing planned for tonight. I figured we'd drop off your uniforms and stop where ever we feel like for dinner." He told her.
"Alright, just let me dry my hair a little bit. It's too cold to go out with a wet head."
"We can't have you getting sick." He said sitting on the foot of the bed. "Do you want to fly or drive to Vegas?"
"You got the time off?" She asked excitedly.
"It depends on the case load, but it looks like I'll be able to take the time. We're supposed to have Veterans Day off anyway." He said and pulled her closer to him by a belt loop.
"Thank you for going to the ball with me." She said resting her arms on his shoulder. Amanda bent her neck and brought her lips to his. He cupped her face and returned the kiss.
When the kiss broke Callen ran his hand down her back. "You're welcome; I'm looking forward to it."
Amanda smiled and squelched the desire to lay him back on the bed and straddle him; she turned back to the mirror and grabbed the blow dryer. He sat and watched as she brushed out her hair while she dried it. When she was done, her hair had a nice natural curl to it. She wore a brown v-neck sweater, black jeans and looked amazing. Before they left the room she pulled her blouses out of her closet and followed Callen out of the room, turning the lights off as they walked towards the door.
He led the way out to the car and opened the back door so she could lay the blouses across the back seat. They got to the dry cleaners five minutes before closing, since Amanda was a loyal customer they didn't mind staying open a few more minutes. She felt better knowing that she'd have everything back within a week. Everything was falling into place. With Callen in her life, she rarely thought about the absence of Chris. When she wasn't focused on work, her mind was on Callen. She was falling fast, too fast.
The weekend seemed to fly by and before they knew if, Callen was headed back up to LA. The only highlight to her week was the text messages and phone calls. Amanda had duty on Halloween, so any plans they would've had went out the window. However, he did drive down to bring her dinner and spend a few minutes with her. Before he left, he kissed her. Several of the junior Marines saw and teased her about it. A week and a half later; the Tuesday before the ball, Amanda had duty again. She arrived at her post promptly at zero seven Tuesday morning; her replacement the following morning was over an hour late. Having only gotten a few minutes of sleep, she drank several cups of coffee, drove home and showered. Since she'd packed her bags earlier in the week, she laid on the couch until Callen got there.
He knew the door would be unlocked, so he didn't bother knocking before he went in. Amanda was asleep on the couch, her garment bag hanging over the back of a chair in the dining room and a second bag sat next to it. Quietly he grabbed the bags and took them to the car. When he walked back into the apartment, he walked over to her and kissed her temple, then brushed her still damp hair out of her face. She woke at his touch and smiled up at him, he bent to kiss her again.
"Rough night?" he asked helping her sit up.
"I think I got thirty minutes of sleep in the last twenty-four hours." She yawned.
"We'll stop off and get some coffee on the way to the airport. Once we get to Vegas you can sleep till dinner, then we're hitting the town."
Amanda laughed. "Hitting the town?"
"Alright we're going out." He laughed.
She fell asleep in the car, waking long enough to walk from long-term parking to the bus that dropped them at the terminal. They checked their bags at curbside check in, went through security and then on to their gate. Callen had to wake her again to get on the plane. She put on her seatbelt and was out again. When they landed forty-five minutes later she was a little more awake, but as soon as they got to their room she fell on the bed and didn't wake until four or five that afternoon. Callen lay next to her the entire time watching her sleep.
He thought about what Sam had said a few weeks ago about the possibility of Amanda getting orders. He still didn't know what he'd do or how he'd react if it happened. Since they'd been seeing each other he'd never really stopped to think about how he felt about her. It seemed the only time she wasn't on his mind was when he was working a case and even then she'd creep into his thoughts from time to time. They had kissed several times in the almost month, but nothing else happened. He knew she liked him but without knowing how deep those feelings were, he didn't know how to proceed or how far to let himself go.
Amanda rolled on her side and smiled at him. Deep in thought, he didn't even notice until she laid her hand on his cheek. "G are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I was just thinking." He said pulling her closer.
She wrapped her arm around one shoulder and rested her head on the other. "Nothing serious I hope, we're here to have fun, not to think about work or cases."
"It wasn't bad." He assured her.
Callen heard Amanda's stomach growl and knew it was time to get dressed for dinner. Knowing that they had a few days in town, they decided to stay in the resort and hit one of the restaurants in the mall. The food was good, better than good. Amanda savored every bite like she hadn't eaten in weeks. When they were done, they walked through the shops and took a gondola ride through the man-made canal made to look like Venice. As they sat in the gondola, his arm around her; she had to know.
"G, I need to know what this is."
"What what is?" he asked.
"This, us. Are we just friends or is there something more?"
He pulled away and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. "I've been thinking about that myself. I don't know what this is. I know what I'd like it to be, but I don't know how you feel."
Amanda reached up and put her hand on his face, gently she pulled him towards her. Without a word, she kissed him. He was stunned and couldn't find the words. He saw the panic and fear in her face and he tried to think of something to say. She took him by surprise, he never expected her to kiss him like that. When he didn't say anything, Amanda hopped out of the gondola before it docked. Callen had to take the stairs two at a time to try to catch up to her. When he finally did, she was in the lobby. He gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. She was trying her hardest not to cry. He knew the only thing to do was kiss her.
She tried to push him away, but the moment his lips touched hers, the fight left her. He grazed her lips with his tongue, begging to meet hers. Almost immediately she allowed herself to kiss him. From her head to her toes she burned and tingled and shivered all at once. When he pulled away she was stunned and speechless, barely able to stand on her own.
"Does that answer your question?" He asked holding her face ever so gently in his hands.
All she could do was nod; the only thing on her mind was kissing him again. Neither had noticed that they'd drawn quite a crowd until they composed themselves and started to walk towards the elevator. Embarrassed, Amanda buried her face in his chest as they walked away. Once they were in the elevator and headed up to their floor, she finally spoke.
"I think I need you to answer my question again."
"Can you wait until we get to our room?" he asked wanting to answer her again.
"If I must." She said eagerly watching the elevator climb, two floors, one floor. Finally the elevator stopped at the tenth floor, when the doors opened Callen whisked her down the corridor to their room. Swiftly he slid the card key into the lock and pushed the door open. By the time the door closed, Callen had Amanda against the wall, kissing her with more passion than he'd experienced in his forty years.
Her fingers found the buttons of his shirt and stated working her way down. Once the last button was free, she pushed his shirt over his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. His skin burned at her touch, he shivered. The sensation her touch evoked was erotic and raw. He wanted her, had to have her. Then he stopped and pushed himself away.
She looked so vulnerable and beautiful. He saw the lust and longing in her eyes and had to kiss her again. Amanda pushed off the wall and turned him with incredible strength. Before he knew it, his hands were pulling her shirt over her head. Her lips were all he could think about until they were on his again. Her arms tightened around his neck so he lifted her into his arms, she was light. Lighter than he'd anticipated, if he wasn't careful, he could toss her across the room. He moved closer to the king-sized bed as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He could feel the heat at her core and it only made his need for her worse.
Amanda thought she'd died and gone to heaven. His kiss was intoxicating, like an illegal drug. She knew she shouldn't want it, but she had to have it or she'd go out of her mind. His hands were warm and soft, his touch pushed her closer to the point of no return. The feel of his body pressed against hers was heavenly. His hand cupped her breast; his fingers had made their way under her bra. She felt his breath on her bare skin and shivered. His tongue flicked across her nipple, she felt his mouth on it, suckling. There was no thinking, instinct took over and she arched her back to meet him. He slipped his arm beneath her and pulled her closer. With the other, he released the clasp of her bra and slid it off her arms and tossed it somewhere.
The sheer pleasure was maddening. Callen groaned when she dug her nails into his shoulders. She pulled him back up so her lips could have his again. Flesh on flesh, his hand moved between them and her jeans were unbuttoned, unzipped and he was pushing them down her hips. She took that as an invitation to do the same to him. For a moment he stood and pulled her pants off her ankles, then stepped out of his.
He pushed Amanda to the head of the bed and began kissing her from head to toe. It had been years, almost a decade since she'd experienced anything even remotely close to this. As many times as she and Jay had sex, it was never like this. They hadn't even gotten to the sex and she was already so close. The lower he went, the more care and time he took. She pulled at the sheets and dug her nails into his back as he brought her closer and closer. Her release was explosive and body racking. She trembled as his tongue brought wave after wave of ecstasy.
Knowing she was more than ready, Callen cupper her ass and positioned her so he could delve deep into her depths. She was so hot he had all he could do not to lose control. Determined to bring her to a climax gradually, he pushed slowly into her. Amanda gasped with the pleasure as he slid in and out.
"Oh God G." she moaned.
"I can't believe we waited this long to do this. You're perfect, your body." He whispered between soft kisses down her neck.
He could feel her tightening around him and knew she was almost there. A few more thrusts and she was gone. Writhing and moaning, the look on her face was more than he could handle and he was gone too. Completely and totally spent, he let his full weight rest on her. He could feel her heart racing, it's speed matching his own. When their breathing returned to normal and their hearts slowed, he rolled to her side and pulled her to him.
She didn't speak for a long while and Callen feared she regretted her decision. "Are you alright?"
She nodded and rolled to face him. With her leg across his hip, she kissed him. "I'm fine."
Amanda jolted awake, her eyes flew open. She felt Callen on the bed next to her and slowly felt her body. She was still dressed; it was just a dream. Her heart sank. She rolled onto her back and Callen smiled at her. Apparently she had a distressed look on her face because his smile quickly faded. "Are you okay?"
"It was just a dream." She told him.
Callen leaned over her to kiss her. Instead of allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck, he pulled away. "Was it a horrible, scary nightmare?"
Deflated, she answered. "Yeah it was something like that."
She got up and brushed her hair, touched up her make-up and was meloncoly the rest of the night. Callen tried many times to get her to laugh or smile, but she wouldn't. Little did he know that she couldn't. The feelings of loneliness and sadness rushed at her with unbearable force. Waking and realizing the encounter was only a dream crushed her. She didn't know if she truly wanted to be with him or if she just wanted the companionship. When they returned to the room a few hours later, she went right back to bed. Callen stayed up to watch Sports Center before joining her in bed.
"Hey Amanda, what time do we need to be downstairs?" Callen asked as she stood at the vanity making one final inspection of her hair, make-up and uniform.
"We have to be at Happy Hour between seventeen and eighteen hundred." She said turning to face him.
"Wow, you look." He couldn't find the words and pulled her to him. "Wow, is it true that dress blues look better lying on a hotel room floor?"
"G, where did you hear that from?" She asked nudging him.
"Some girls were talking in the elevator when I came back up from getting lunch for us." He said.
"I have no experience with that, you'll have to tell me tomorrow." She smiled and adjusted his tie, he kissed her. "Now you look good."
"You think so, it was just something I had hanging in my closet." He said looking down at himself.
"You had this hanging in your closet; an Armani suit?" She laughed.
"Hetty loaned it to me. If I don't return it in one piece and dry cleaned, she's taking it out of my pay."
"Ouch. We'll send it down to be cleaned tomorrow morning and you can return it Tuesday morning." She said as he enclosed her in his arms.
"You do look very sexy in that uniform." He said kissing her deeply.
She smiled then remembering her dream and patted his chest. "So do you."
Amanda felt like all eyes were on her when they walked into the Penthouse Suite where the Staff NCO and Officer Happy hour was held. They were five minutes early, yet the suite was full. Amanda wondered how many would recognize Callen from the investigation. Almost immediately after walking in, the CO approached.
"Good evening Gunnery Sergeant Rogers, would like you to introduce me to your date?" He asked eyeing Callen and Amanda knew he had indeed recognized him.
"This is G. Callen, Sir. G, this is the Commanding Officer Colonel Thomas Jones." She said.
The CO leaned in close. "Special Agent Callen?"
"Yes sir, it's good to see you again." Callen said offering his hand.
He looked from Amanda to Callen and then smiled suspiciously. "Let me introduce you to my wife. This is Maureen. Dear this is Gunnery Sergeant Rogers and her date G. Callen."
"It's a pleasure." She said with a sweet southern drawl, Amanda recognized it as being from Louisiana. "Tommy's told me a lot about you. I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. For the record, I knew you didn't do it."
"Thank you Ma'am, you're one of the few." Amanda said; an unintentional barb at the CO.
Soon after the CO led his wife to another Marine who'd just walked in. Callen and Amanda waded through the crowd to the bar.
"Want something to drink?" He asked as they stood in line.
"After that, please. They're serving wine with dinner, so I'll take a Midori Sour." She told him.
"Don't worry about it. You're innocent. It's been proven more times than I can count."
"Yes, but I'm sure everyone's wondering if I started sleeping with you before or after the investigation was complete." She said.
"I wonder what they'd say if they found out we weren't sleeping together in the way they think?" He said, his lips inadvertently brushing her ear.
Amanda took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Yes if the only knew, I'm sure they'd never believe we aren't having sex."
As they walked from Happy Hour to the bank of elevators, Callen pulled her to the side and told her he needed to make a call.
"I thought we agreed no work this weekend." She said arms folded across her chest.
He looked at his watch as he scrolled through his contacts. It was almost eleven in Virginia. "It's not business, I just need to wish a friend of mine a happy birthday."
Her expression softened when she remembered him mentioning his friend in Virginia.
Gibbs was in the basement piddling when his cell phone rang. Praying for just one night of peace he looked at the caller ID and immediately flipped the phone open when he saw Callen's name. "Callen, how are you? Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine, Jethro." He said over the crowd.
"Where are you, it sounds like you're at a party or something."
"I'm in Las Vegas." He said.
"On a case?" Gibbs asked.
"No, I'm actually attending First Intelligence Battalion's Marine Corps Ball."
"You're at a Marine Corps ball? Hell must have frozen over. She must be quite a woman for you to let her drag you to one of those things. You'll have to call me and tell me all about her when you're back from Vegas."
"I will, Happy Birthday. Have a good night." Callen told him.
"Hey, thanks for thinking of me." Gibbs said.
"Any time." Callen said and hung up.
Amanda had warned him about the ceremony, but he thought she was exaggerating. She wasn't, he'd never been so bored in his life. It was interesting to watch the slideshow of the Marines who'd been deployed to Afghanistan. Callen reached under the table and took Amanda's hand. It was purely coincidence when just moments after, a memorial picture of Chris appeared on the screen. Amanda's chin dropped to her chest and she held tight to Callen's hand. It took her a few minutes to regain her composure and look back up again.
Towards the end of the ceremony the speaker called their attention to a lone table sitting off on the side. A single place setting, centerpiece with a candle and a framed document were all that sat on the table. Callen had seen it when they walked in and wanted to ask Amanda what it was, but she never looked in its direction. He quickly learned that it was a tribute to all of the Marines who had died that year. Again, Amanda dropped her chin and squeezed his hand. He didn't know how much more she could take before she broke. She'd mentioned before that she'd never attended a ball with anyone other than Jay and Chris. He felt truly honored that she invited him.
He leaned over after the ceremony and kissed her ear; while the servers brought dinner and asked if she was alright. She cleared her throat and answered. "I'm fine G."
"Are you sure?" he asked again, rubbing her back.
She looked at him, the sadness in her eyes so tangible. "I knew it was going to be hard. I'm sorry." She said and looked at the napkin folded in her lap.
Amanda was thankful when their dinners arrived and her mind was occupied by the mouthwatering Medium-Rare slab of prime rib on her plate. They ate in silence, sipping red wine. Every now and then, Callen would lean over to ask if she was okay. She's nod and smile at him. As the time wore on, he noticed the sadness fading and the light he loved so much returned. The light he loved? A strand of hair had made its way out of her bun, so he pushed it behind her ear. Several of the other couples at the table noticed their interaction and leaned close whispering.
When their plates were removed, the other couples began talking. Callen and Amanda sat listening. He had his arm on the back of her chair, his hand on her shoulder. She turned to him and gave him a genuine, warm smile. It nearly reduced him to a puddle on the floor. He was allowing her too far past his walls, too close to his heart. The MC for the event announced that dessert would be served within the next thirty minutes. The lights dimmed and the music began.
"Do you want to dance?" Callen asked over the noise.
She shook her head. "I don't dance. I've only danced once at the ball and that was right before Jay asked me to marry him."
He watched her chest fall as she said it and the sadness crept back into her eyes. Callen stood and took her hand, leading her to the dance floor. She dug in her heels in protest, smiling; but the look in his eyes when he turned around to face her dissolved everything. It was an older song, something she hadn't heard in years. Callen wrapped an arm around her waist and took her hand. Slowly, they began to sway to the music. It was as if everyone and everything else faded and it was just them. She searched his eyes and saw something she'd never seen before.
Cocking her head, she smiled. "What is it?" she asked. No sooner had she said the words and it was gone.
"Nothing." He said and smiled innocently.
The song ended and they returned to the table. Amanda excused herself and went to the restroom. One of the other women from the table followed her. It wasn't until they both stood at the sink washing their hands that the other woman spoke to her.
"You two look good together, you look like you're really in love with one another." She said looking at Amanda in the mirror.
Amanda smiled. "We're barely even dating."
"Could've fooled all of us; we've seen the glances at one another and the way he's been leaning over whispering in your ear."
"You're misreading it; it's not like that at all." Amanda insisted.
"Honey if you really think there's nothing there you're lying to yourself. Hell, he dragged you out on the dance floor after you told him no. All he had to do was look at you and you were gone, putty in his hands."
Amanda focused on rinsing her hands, trying not to take her words to heart. Even though she knew they were true, she refused to publicly admit her feelings to a perfect stranger. "You're really seeing more than is really there."
"No I'm not." The woman said softly with a hand on Amanda's shoulder. "Everyone sees it but you two."
Amanda waited until she was gone before she walked out of the restroom. Callen was standing across the lobby and smiled when she stepped out. Her heart fluttered. She was in love with him, totally and completely. Amanda couldn't let it go any further than it already had. While she was on duty, she'd gotten a call from the career planner. Her worst fear; orders. It was a hot-fill spot and they needed her as soon as possible. She was able to push her check in date to January, but it was really pushing it. They wanted and needed her December first. Amanda needed those last few weeks to bury everything that had happened in the last three years while stationed in California. She needed time with Callen even though she knew it would be devastating when she left.
Callen pushed off the wall and walked towards her. He could tell by the look on her face that something was wrong and looked at the woman walking back into the banquet room. "Did she say something that upset you?"
"Yes and no." she told him and took his hand. "I need to talk to you."
"Can you leave?" he asked and she nodded.
They walked to the bank of elevators and waited with the other couples. He kept looking at her, concerned but she wouldn't say a word. When they were the only ones in the elevator, he turned to her. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
She couldn't look at him, already on the verge of tears. "In the room."
They quickly walked up the hall to their room; Callen slid the card key through the lock and opened the door. "What's going on Amanda, you're worrying me."
Amanda walked to the window, trying not to cry. When it was useless, she turned to him. "I got orders. I have to report no later than January third."
"What, where?" He asked praying he hadn't heard what he knew he did.
"I'm leaving G. I told you they'd ship me out at the first possible chance. I'm headed to Quantico."
His mind went blank and his chest felt hollow. Callen sunk to the bed and just looked at her. "How long have you known about this?"
"Tuesday, they wanted me to report no later than December first, but I was able to push it to January after New Years." She said her voice wavering. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright." He told her wishing he could believe it. Sam warned him about this. He never should've opened up and let her in. All he could do was make the most of the time they had left together, but he refused to tell her he loved her. He'd do his best to bury his feeling and the pain deep, so deep that the moment she was out of his life they'd never resurface again.
"I understand if you want to call off this weekend and never see me again." She said barely able to stand praying he didn't leave her then and there.
His expression softened and he stood, walking towards her, holding her face. "Are you serious? You think I'm going to walk away because you're leaving in a month or two? Amanda…" He paused wanting to tell her so badly that he loved her, but could let the words pass his lips. He pulled her against him, holding her while she wept.
The next morning they woke in the same manner that they had every morning when Callen spent the night. Amanda was going to miss waking up to him on the weekends and thought maybe they could carry-on a long distance relationship. Her cell phone buzzed and danced across the nightstand. She leaned over and saw that it was her Mom.
"It's my Mom, do you mind?" she asked.
"No, go ahead." He smiled half asleep.
Amanda got out of bed and answered the phone as she walked to the sitting area of their suite. "Hey Mom how are you?"
"We're fine honey, how are you? Did you survive your first ball without Christopher?" she asked her voice full of concern.
"It was hard at times, but G and I had a nice time." She told her and they did until she told him about her impending departure.
"So things are going good for the two of you?" her Mom asked hopefully.
"Yes and no."
"What's that supposed to mean. You're dating aren't you?"
"Yeah Mom, but." She said and heard her mother's sigh. Moving as far away from Callen as she could, she said. "We haven't done anything other than kiss."
"Honey don't rush things. Let things happen in their own time"
Amanda looked back at Callen. "Mom I don't think we have a future together."
"You're a beautiful girl, what's he waiting for?" Her mother said critically.
"Mom, I got orders."
"Oh… where?" she asked, her voice cracking.
"East Coast, Quantico, Virginia; I report no later than January third."
"That soon?" her mother was shocked. Whenever Amanda had gotten orders in the past, they'd gotten at least six months notice.
"They're hot-fill, an immediate opening."
"Does G know about them?"
"I told him last night." Amanda sighed.
"Oh Amanda, I'm so sorry. Just when I think you've found happiness fate steps in and throw's a damn wrench into it. I wish just once that you could be happy for more than a few months or a year or two." Her Mom said sullenly.
"So do I Mom, so do I." she said looking back at Callen in the bed. "I've got to get going. I'll call you when I get back to Oceanside."
"Honey, I know you were planning on coming home for Christmas, but I think it's best if you stay there with G. We've had almost thirty years of Christmas' with you; the least we could do is let him have one. Your brother and sisters will understand. You know your brother has been chomping at the bit to get back out to Virginia for the NAS Oceana Air show. Your Dad and I might be able to come see you over the Easter break or over the summer. Enjoy the time you have left with G."
"I will Mom. Talk to you later." She said and hung up.
Callen had drifted back to sleep. Amanda wanted at so much to fall back to sleep in his arms, but there was too much on her mind. Instead, she made a pot of coffee and sat on the plush couch staring out at the city. Just past ten, when Amanda was on her third cup of coffee, Callen walked over from the bed. Without a word, he got himself a cup of coffee and sat next to her on the couch. Amanda sat there knowing everything had changed between them. Any possibility of furthering their relationship was gone. She wished Callen had never shown up at the restaurant that night and that she didn't invite him to stay. None of this would be happening. She knew her friendship with Kensi could span the distance, women were like that.
After a few sips of his coffee, he leaned over and set the mug on the side table. To Amanda's surprise, he pulled her to him and they sat staring out at the other casinos on the strip. They talked a little over the course of the day, but not like they had been and he hadn't kissed her. Amanda felt a wall going up between them; effectively he was closing her off, keeping her at arm's length. Later that evening, they dressed and went to dinner. Afterwards they walked through the shops like in her dream, but there was no gondola ride, no kiss and definitely no sex. When they packed after the third day for their trip home, she was relieved.
When he brought her home Monday night, he brought her bags up to the apartment and stayed for a while, but not as late as he would've before. She went to bed that night expecting no text when he got home. Nor did she expect his morning text and their lunchtime phone call. Much to her surprise he did text that night and again in the morning. When lunch rolled around, they talked as if nothing had changed. For the moment, Amanda was optimistic that there may be a future for them after all.