The Lone Wolf and the Detective
Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine.
Chapter 7
Deeks pushed his farewell with Kensi and Milly to the back of his mind and focused on the details of their operation. He looked over to his partner, Callen was sitting back with his eyes closed. Deeks thought about all the times they'd flown somewhere and he realised that Callen always appeared to be asleep. But was he? Was it his way of shutting off any form of communication in a confined space? Was he formulating a plan of his own? Or was he really sleeping? The man had a reputation for sleeping in short bursts, and Deeks would normally doubt that this is what Callen was doing. However, Callen did need the sleep. He showed signs of sheer exhaustion and from the sounds of Sam's complaints, he'd hardly slept the night before either.
Deeks thought back to another black op, when he, Sam and Callen flew to Afghanistan to meet up with Granger, to save Kensi. Images of a supposed dead Kensi skittered across his synapses, making him shudder. It had pushed him over the edge and led him to torture an old blind man. He'd never spoken about his own vulnerability to anyone from this time, not even to Nate or Kensi. How could he tell her he almost killed an unarmed man because he thought she was dead? War changed a man, his companion warned him. How true to his words did he become? He shook his head, he couldn't afford to dwell on what almost became. He came up with a plan and saved the team and Kensi from death. He nodded. Yes, I did, he reminded himself. How had he forgotten that? If he hadn't come up with the plan to trade the father of one of the Taliban terrorists, they all would have been lost. His eyes widened, he pulled out his laptop and began typing an email to Nell. He needed her help to find the Comescu's vulnerability, something to trade, just in case. He shut it down once he was finished and decided to rest himself. Once they arrived, he was certain that Callen would be eager to hit the ground running. He looked over at his partner once more. He worried about him. Callen was barely stitched together. He was a man who was a mastermind in hiding his true feelings, but now, Callen bared all, his vulnerability of grief from the loss of his wife and unborn child.
Deeks stomach knotted tightly, he prayed Kensi and Milly remained safe while he was away. After Michael Coleman's admission over Andrei Comescu's next target, he remained alert. Thankfully, Michelle suggested that Kensi and Milly move in with her and Kamran while they were away. He sighed. Things had progressed a long way since his arrival at OSP. Back in the day when he knew nothing of Sam even having a family. Now Sam saw him and Kensi as part of the family. Family stuck together, through the good, bad and the ugly. Now was the ugly. This operation could get very messy.
The small jet dipped and Deeks' stomach lurched. His eyes widened with fear for a moment, but when he caught Callen's gaze, he knew they were safe.
"We're approaching Varna."
Deeks nodded, "thanks." He looked outside the window, he could see the coastline of the Black Sea below. Memories of their last trip to Constanta returned to the forefront of his mind. He smiled over the banter he'd had with Kensi. He'd tried to say that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, she said, brother and sister. There was no way they could pass as siblings, there was so much chemistry between them. The former was the safest bet. But their last visit was cut short, the Comescus knew that they were coming and spotted him eating this third gelato on the beach. It had been a good thing in the end, Hetty had been shot and she needed immediate medical attention.
He gave Callen a sideway glance, this was why Callen didn't want Hetty here. He wanted to protect her. She was the closest he had to a mother, there was no surprises there. He prayed Hetty and Nell remained at their secret location and other than asking them for details, their whereabouts were kept hidden from Callen. The last thing they needed was for Callen to have a trust issue episode and go lone wolf. He might think he's strong, but he's stronger with the team. Didn't their time in the Kill House teach them this necessary fact?
"What's the plan when we land?" Callen leaned over for the details.
"We have a vehicle waiting for us, Granger used a contact." He kept it simple, alluding the little white lie. "We take it to the border and wait a few hours."
"We don't have time to wait, Deeks," Callen stressed. He needed to get going and fast.
"Not long, just to ensure we can cross the border undetected. We wait for nightfall." His reasoning appeared to make sense to Callen, he nodded and sat back in his chair.
Their jet landed, Sam and Granger looked to Deeks for direction. "Let the party begin." He gave them his cheeky smile, but all three men glared at him. "Oh come on, we can party afterwards to celebrate the fall of the Comescus once and for good. Soon there will be no one left to continue the bloodline.
"No kids," Callen stressed.
"Of course," Deeks replied. "Do I look like Comescu?" Deeks furrowed his brow, he watched Callen like a hawk.
Parked beside the hanger was the black SUV Hetty had arranged. It was much slicker than the old blue station wagon they used the last time. He looked to Granger who understood the facade to keep going in front of Callen. Annoyance flickered in Owen's eyes over the fact that he had to get down on his injured knee to collect the key from underneath. Relief spread across his features after successfully finding and retrieving them in one swift motion.
"Right where they said they'd be," he said gruffly. Owen took the opportunity to be the driver and climbed in. Thankfully, Hetty and Nell had informed Granger and Sam the details, Callen didn't show any recognition that he was being played.
His eyes stayed on the scenery as they left Varna and headed north. The city was similar in size to Constanta, they hoped it was big enough to give them the advantage of slipping through the Comescu eyes. They drove north on the Nine, the traffic was clear and what should be a tense drive, became a quiet one. Owen kept a close watch for tails, but since they'd left Varna, no one appeared to take any notice of them. After an hour and a half of driving, Granger pulled off the main road towards a small coastal village. He continued to drive, passing all the buildings until they hit a dirt road with the Black Sea on their right.
The place felt familiar to Callen. He furrowed his brow, a memory skittered across like an old black and white movie. He'd travelled along this very road as a child. He was certain. "Stop the car."
Granger pulled over at the sudden outburst by Callen.
He stepped out of the vehicle and took the few steps down onto the sand. He turned around him, his focus went tumbling back into the past. He fell to his knees.
Sam quickly followed him. "G!"
He looked up at him with confusion.
"What's wrong?"
Callen's heart pounded heavily. "We came here as a family." He looked to the south. "I remember the road."
Sam raised his brow. "You sure? It could have been another road similar, further north?"
Callen shook his head. "No. The grass doesn't grow onto the beach in Romania like it does here, or further south. "We're close to the border, Vama Veche is just ahead."
"But you were just five when you remember coming to America." Sam looked at him astounded at his memory.
Callen looked back at him. "I remember. Mom took Amy and I to this very spot to play. The house back on the road, we…" he looked back to where they had come from. "I think we lived there for a while. We used to play on this beach every day, before we moved to Constanta."
Sam scanned the area. Farmland stretched behind them as far as they could see, the Black Sea to the east. The perfect place for Clara Callen to hide with her Russian husband for six years.
"Hetty said that my mother had gone underground for six years. This is where I was born."
"So you're not a Romanian gypsy after all, G, but Bulgarian." His dimples deepened as he smiled.
Callen stood up on his feet and nodded. "Yeah." He returned Sam's smile and gave a small laugh. "I am."
"Hetty will be pleased to hear this after we return."
Callen nodded, "it will provide her with something, I suppose." Callen walked back to the vehicle, directing his movements to the driver's side.
"What's wrong, Callen?" Owen Granger looked at him through his sunglasses.
Callen looked south again. "Can we turn back to that house?" he pointed to the one he was talking about.
"I thought you wanted to move quickly on this?"
"I do, but Deeks said we should wait until nightfall."
Deeks smiled. "I did. The tide will be at it's lowest, perfect time for some four wheel driving on the beach."
"Let's check the place out." Callen suggested.
"You sure you want to risk talking to any of the locals?" Granger was worried about anyone giving the Comescus the heads up that they were close to coming.
"It's okay, we used to live there. I remember the language."
Deeks's eyes widened. "You what? In that house?"
Callen climbed into the rear. "Yes. Before we moved to Constanta. Hetty told me that my mom went underground for six years. I remember this beach so clearly now that we're here. It makes perfect sense to hide right here."
"How long did you live here?" Deeks inquired, Sam slammed the door shut as Granger turned the vehicle around towards the house.
"Since I can remember. I think I was born here."
"Here, as in the house?"
"We didn't go anywhere when we lived here, only the local village for food. We kept to ourselves, Amy went to the local school, but other than that, this is where we lived. Everyday on the beach or playing on the grass."
They looked at the wide open spaces, there definitely was plenty of space for two children to run around.
Owen pulled in beside the house and they all climbed out. They allowed Callen to lead, he went to knock on the door. An old woman answered the door, her eyes widened with surprise and she went into a spin in a foreign language that only Callen could understand.
She pulled Callen into a hug, Deeks went for his weapon, but Granger held his arm. "No. It's safe. She remembers him."
"Hetty planned this? She never said…" Deeks looked to Sam who shrugged, his eyes remained on Callen.
"She told me," Granger admitted.
Deeks nodded, a smile crept across his features and his body relaxed.
"Bunicā?" Callen's jaw slackened in surprise.
"My beautiful Georgi?" Callen wrapped his arms around the ageing woman, tears spilled as he held his grandmother.
"Yes, Bunicā, it's me." He chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to regain his composure. How had he forgotten his grandmother?"
She choked on a sob. "You came home, my beautiful Georgi came home." She wiped back the tears and looked at his companions.
"Where is your sister, Amelia?"
Callen looked despairingly at her. "She died a long time ago."
Sofia Callen trembled at the news. Callen helped her back inside and assisted her into a chair.
He ignored the footsteps of his companions, he was in disbelief that of all places on this planet, he ended up where his life began. How appropriate, he thought, when he was about to charge into the Comescu compound on a suicide mission.
"Who are your friends?" She eyed Sam's large frame. "This one looks serious, like you're his responsibility. Is he your bodyguard?"
Callen smiled. "He's my brother, Bunicā."
"And this one, the one with the cheeky smile," she grinned back at Deeks. "He's the charming one, isn't he?"
Callen chuckled, he tried to remember a younger Sofia Callen.
"He's also my brother."
Sofia nodded. "What about this one, he your brother too?"
Callen smirked, Sofia hadn't lost her sense of humour in her old age.
"He's the boss. Like a father." He looked at Granger for a moment, he was speaking in Bolgarian to his grandmother, but he wondered if he'd picked up on what he was saying.
Sofia smiled. "So it's safe to talk in English around these men?"
Callen nodded. "Yes, Bunicā."
Sofia grabbed his hand and firmly squeezed it. "You've grown up into a handsome man, like your grandfather." She smiled at the memory of her husband.
"George Callen?"
Sofia smiled. "Yes. He was strong and handsome like you." She studied him further. "You have his eyes too. Eyes that make you get lost forever," she reminisced.
"We can't stay long, Bunicā." Callen looked worried, his grandmother had aged and she appeared to be alone.
"Does anyone take care of you here?"
She nodded and smiled. "Yes, of course. My niece comes three times a week to make sure I am taking good care of myself."
Callen furrowed his brow. "Who is your niece?"
"You don't remember Ava?"
Callen shook his head. "No, I don't."
"She lives in Vama Veche."
Callen looked up at his team, he had family at tonight's destination. "Do you have a phone to call Ava?"
Sofia smiled softly. "Of course. Her number is right next to the phone."
Callen nodded, he walked over to it and dialled, the old telephone dial spun around as he selected each number. He waited until he heard a voice on the other end.
"Hello, is this Ava?"
"Yes, who is this?" He picked up on her strong Romanian accent.
"Georgi." There was silence on the other end, he wasn't sure if he did the right thing to tell his mother's cousin that he was back, but it would help them find a place to stay the night.
"Clara's Georgi?" He detected emotion in her voice.
"Yes." He heard the woman cry.
"We thought you were dead, like Clara. Is Amelia with you?"
Callen stood there silent, he hesitated on what to say. "No, she died a long time ago in America."
The woman sniffed and quickly got her composure back. "Where are you?"
"I'm with Bunicā."
"I will come at once."
"No need. I have some friends with me, we're coming your way. I was wondering if you had room for us to stay tonight?" The sky was darkening outside, he knew they wouldn't stay much longer. His heart ached, the family reunion was too short.
"Of course." She thought for a moment. "Are you coming the usual way?"
Callen pondered for a moment, he tried to think back to his youth.
"I think so."
"Oh good. I will meet you once you come. House with the red roof, I'm sure you will remember it, Georgi. You loved the colour red."
He nodded, he did once upon a time.
"Thank you, Ava. We will be there after dark."
"I'll be here." She disconnected the call.
"Is that wise, G?" Sam voiced his concern.
Callen looked at Deeks. "You're the boss on this,"
"Sounds like a good plan." Deeks nodded his head, he hid his smile, Hetty was one bright spark. She knew that this journey would bring back the memories for Callen, and he'd want to seek this house out. He looked at Callen's grandmother with warm affection.