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Chapter 4

It felt so good to be where he was, so calm so serene. Why bother waking up? Having to face the pain and the uncertainty? Having to face more questions and bear more guilt? G didn't feel like he had the strength to go on. He had lived so much, faced death too many times to remember and he was tired; tired of continuously running and continuously chasing his eluding past. He wanted rest and peace. It was time for G. Callen to rest.

They saw him fall. Eric, Renko, Kensi, Vance, Nate and Sam saw G fall to the ground. Sam bolted from his position, Kensi followed suit as did Nate. The others too shocked to act. Vance was confused. Something was going on and he hadn't been informed about it. His face clouded over.

Was this it? They knew he wasn't well but if G died so would Hetty and Dom. They all loved G. None of them wanted to see him suffer but he was crucial to this deal. Hetty and Dom's lives were riding on G. He couldn't, he just couldn't let them down.

Sam got to him first, "G," he grabbed his shoulders and started shaking them shouting, "G wake up man...G...not again, not again".

Kensi placed her fingers on his carotid artery, "Sam his pulse is strong. He's still with us. I'll get the medic." She stood to ring for the medic when there was an explosion of voices, "Get the hell off of me...get off ...get your bloody hands off of me," yelled a disoriented G whilst trying to prise Sam's hands off his shoulders.

"G it's OK...it's me Sam," Sam said as he slowly and firmly pulled G to a sitting position. G was still struggling with Sam but fading fast. The fatigue was too overwhelming. His eyes were darting everywhere, his eyes trying aimlessly to focus until Sam grabbed his face. He felt it warm. It was the onset of a fever, of an infection. But he held it still and focused on G's baby blues, normally brimming with life, today devoid of all that was G.

"G look at me," Sam's face mere inches from G's, "It's Sam, you're at OSP headquarters...look at me damn you!"

G finally took the bait. He stopped struggling, stopped yelling, focused and saw his friend and saw his eyes, brimming with tears. Shit, what was he doing? He had to get it together. Why was he doing this to his friends, his family? No matter how sick he was. He was their rock. If he faltered, they all did. They needed him now more than ever. They needed to know that he'd fix it, like he fixed everything. Then he looked over and saw Kensi, "Hey," she said with concern written all over her face.

G's eyes made contact with Sam's, he took Sam's hands and pulled them away from his face, "Sorry...sorry, I'm OK," he said getting up refusing Sam or Kensi's help. No one said a word but pity and concern was written all over their faces, because they all knew except for Vance.

"Callen?" asked Vance looking over at G, concern masking his face.

"Sir I'm OK...I just haven't eaten in over 12 hours. I just need to get something into my system," he said not making eye contact, "I'll go and get something to eat and I'll be right up." He said and walked out of the OPS room. Vance didn't buy it one bit but let him go. He'd find out soon enough what the issue was.

Sam motioned with his head and followed G downstairs. He noticed his partner measuring his steps until he caught up with him in the recreation area, "G what was that? You don't eat and you don't sleep and you definitely don't collapse." Sam was really pushing for G to admit the state he was in and stop this pretence.

G ignored Sam, grabbed a banana and started eating it although the nausea was making him gag. "G that's it man...stop with the bullshit...just stop it," Sam said as he grabbed G by the shoulders and spun him around.

G gave him a look that would've stopped demons in their tracks, "Don't Sam...I'm doing my best!"

"Your best...what collapsing on the floor in the middle of one of our most important investigations in front of Director Vance! G let me take you to the hospital," pleaded Sam. The sincerity and love for his partner echoing in his voice. Sam just didn't get it. Man, he was a great partner, skilled, strong and smart but at times as thick as a brick.

"Sam lay off...I can't go to the hospital. Don't you think I know that this whole case revolves around me. If you don't exchange me for Hetty and Dom, they'll be killed. I need to be here. I need to finish this case and I need to get Hetty and Dom back safe and sound, then I'll deal with ...," he blurted out.

"But you might not get a chance to," said Sam honestly and quietly searching for a reaction from G.

G nodded, "Yeah I know..I know. Can't think of a better way to go," he smiled and patted Sam on the shoulder. He had to keep it light. Sam's intensity could be stifling but he just had to keep it light. "You go up I'll be there in a second," said G. Sam shook his head. G had won again. He had to get this done his way. So be it.

Whilst Sam headed up, G walked briskly to the medic's office. He knocked, slowly turned the handle and called out. Nothing. The room was empty. He headed to the cabinet with all the good stuff. He had become familiar with the miracle pain killers when he had been shot. He carefully used his universal lock picker, opened the cabinet and stocked himself with enough to last him a month or so. He didn't know what was going to happen. Would the OP go according to Vance's plan? Would they save Hetty and Dom and lose him to the Russians? He wanted to be prepared. He took some straight away. He needed his wits about him. He closed the cabinet and stealthily exited the room. Walking back up to the OPS centre, he kept repeating him mantra...keep it together, keep it together. As he was just about to step in, G closed his eyes. He became G. Callen strong, healthy and in control whilst he buried weak, dying and scared G away, deep inside the recesses of his soul.

As he walked in Eric yelled, "Callen we got a match with the guy on the video. He is a Kirill Tarasov. Again ex-FSB...this one is smart...chemical engineer, Cambridge University, MENSA member...well you guys can read the rest. I'm thinking if this guy has planned it, we need to be on our game." G nodded busy reading the on-screen information. Sam and Kensi were looking at him. He seemed normal...he seemed like G. How could he do that?

"Callen...do you know him?" asked Vance.

"Yeah, he was one of the members of the inner-sanctum...he'll recognise me. There was also Ivan Sidorov and Sasha Andreev but I'm not sure if they have been captured by the CIA or any other secret service," informed G, firing on all cylinders as if nothing was wrong. Sam found himself doubting himself, maybe G was just suffering from low blood sugar.

"Renko, ring our liaison officer at Langley and ask them for any info on Sidorov and Andreev," Vance said then turning to Nate, "Nate I want a profile on Tarasov...we want some info on how he might react in certain situations and any possible triggers." Then he called out to Kensi, "Kensi, get onto Captain Myers, explain the situation and that we'll need to make it seem that we will be extraditing a prisoner from Camp Delta...and Kensi get them to put out the word who the high profile prisoner is. We need to stage it well."

"Yes Sir, on it," replied Kensi.

"Callen and Sam, we need to nut out this operation.." said Vance. Sam and G moved closer and started discussing ways of resolving the issue when...

"Got them...yeah! Can't run from me little children! Big Brother knows everything," exclaimed Eric, "I've got the van at this abandoned warehouse at Marina de Re dock 32...I'm running heat sensors now...2 bodies together in a small back room and 2 in the main area and 2 patrolling, I guess, around the perimeter."

"Great work Eric!" said Sam enthusiastically.

The Vance quietly and sternly said to G and Sam, "We have all the intel possible. We'll assemble a team as near as we can get without arousing suspicion, Callen get suited up then we have 1 hour and half to go before they call...people this is looking good."

Sam exited the OPS room to help G with the garbs. "How you doing?" Sam asked G.

"I'm OK...took some painkillers and there doing a great job," G said smiling, "Now help me with this red monkey suit."

"And the handcuffs," laughed Sam following G's lead. G was keeping it together and trying to be positive, Sam was going to help G through it.

"We'll keep them till later, huh?" said G.

The partners gave each other a knowing look. "You ready for this G? Ready for all the possibilities?" Sam asked earnestly.

"Some days you get a month to plan them and some days you get a day*. I'm ready Sam. I want to get Hetty and Dom back. I want to finish it...and I know you'll be there to save me. You have my back, don't you?" asked G. His question being more rhetorical than anything else.

"I'll always have your back, G, always!" responded Sam admiring G's new outfit and acting a bit glam, "Mm mmm, red is so your colour boy.."

G scrunched his face with a smile and started his way up to the OPS centre where they'd wait.

a/n * a paraphrased line from legend part 2