Double Take

Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine.


Chapter 7

The rest of the day was less exciting, with no more surprises or punch ups. However for Callen, it was still very emotional. He'd spent most of his life building walls around him, managing to keep his emotions guarded,unless he was alone. Yet today, finding out he had a brother and meeting his father, had those walls crashing around him. It left him in unchartered waters, allowing other people to see his soul. Nell and Kensi would look at each other with concern in their eyes, as neither of them had ever seen their team leader, friend and lover, like this before. Even Sam would have been shocked if he had been there, seeing his partner right now. Nell had asked Callen if he had contacted Sam—-Callen had told her that he'd tried.

Nell and Kensi were shocked to find out that Hetty was Callen's Aunt, which meant she was Kevin's Aunt too—-making Kensi feeling a little uneasy dating one of her nephews. She and Nell were in the same boat, and feared about their fearless Operations Manager finding out. Yet Hetty's relationship with Callen, which they had all looked on with fondness, and wonderment at the two unlikely pair, now made perfect sense. It explained her guilt over Clara's death, and burden to ensure her children were kept safe—-although she was too late to save Amy all those years ago. But she proved it when she went into the lioness' den and tried to convince Alexa Comescu that G. Callen had been killed. She did it to protect him, to save his life. But Callen couldn't let her do it, and Sam, Kensi and Deeks followed him, to rescue her. They had all been prepped by Hetty before she had left, to ensure Callen didn't go to rescue her alone. All her wise words had made sense when she disappeared, and then when Director Vance finally told them what was going on. But there was still much about Hetty that puzzled them, and now they found this was another piece to her puzzle to click in place. Kensi was curious to find out more about her, so she found herself asking John questions about his sister.

Nell listened to John, while trying to ensure Callen didn't suddenly run away from them all. He concerned her greatly, usually he was good at hiding how he felt, but seeing him so racked with emotion, she worried that he was cracking under the strain, although she understood why today had this effect on him. She analysed everything in her head, trying to put herself in his position, and found that it was amazing that Callen was emotionally healthy at all. And that he had his huge heart of gold, putting his life on the line daily, in the line of duty for his fellow countrymen and for his friends. That was one of the many traits of G. Callen that Nell had fallen in love with some time ago. His selflessness. He didn't ask for much, hell he didn't own much of anything. But the one thing he desired more than anything in all his forty-two years was his family. And today he met two of them. Of course this would rock him to the core.

Suddenly Callen found his inner strength and calmed down. Then he spoke for the first time in a few hours. "Can you please not say anything to Hetty." Callen looked at his father. He found it awkward saying dad, as he used to call him Tatar; and now after all those years of abandonment, he didn't think his father deserved it. Well not yet anyway.

"Why do you request that, son." John was trying his hardest to show George he still loved him, by calling him son.

"I would like to speak to her when the time is right."

"Okay, I won't," John agreed, seeing it was the least he could do for him.

"Thanks."

Callen turned to Nell. "We should be going, it's getting late." He and Nell stood to leave, when John interrupted their departure.

"Why don't I book a room here at the Halekulani Hotel for you and Nell, that way we can be closer and get to know each other more."

Callen shook his head. "No thanks. We've already paid for our room."

"Son." John held his hand out to hold Callen's arm. "Please stay here. I've let you go before, when I shouldn't have. I don't want to make that mistake again."

Callen looked at his arm where his father held him. He was torn on what to do. Part of him wanted to shake his head and walk out of there with Nell, the other part of him wanted to stay. Stay with his family. He's spent most of his life searching, wondering who he was, where they were. He knew he would be mad to walk away. "Okay. Thank you." He turned to Nell. "If that's okay with you, Nell?"

Nell smiled at Callen. "Yeah, it's okay. We can go and get our things now and come back in about half an hour?"

Kevin, Kensi and John smiled. "I'll make a call to reception." John walked over to the phone on the other side of the room.

"I think we should let the chef know we've got guests for dinner," Kevin added, and made a call to the Hotel's kitchen on the other phone. He knew it had been a tough day on his father and brother, and on himself as well. But he felt happier than he had in some time, except for the past week since meeting Kensi and falling head over heels in love with her. He felt complete, finding his brother, George Callen Manning. One of the names that had haunted him since just before leaving for College, all those years ago.

Kensi came up behind Kevin and wrapped her arms around him. "You okay?"

Kevin placed his arms over Kensi's arms and held her tight. "Yeah, I'm good Kenz. Thanks." He turned and faced her. "Thank you, Kenz, for coming into my life, and reuniting my family. If I hadn't come to L.A. for a holiday and gone to Club Z, I would never had met you, or George. I mean Callen."

Kensi smiled and kissed him firmly on his lips. "I'm glad we met that night, you've made my life complete."

"No Kenz, you've made my life complete, and I shall be ever grateful to you for finding out that Callen and I were brothers." He kissed Kensi with so much passion, and Kensi responded in kind.

John looked on at how much in love Kevin and Kensi were. He was happy for his younger son, after the bad dealings with Elise. He walked over to them. "I am happy for both of you. You make a gorgeous couple."

Kensi blushed at John's admission. Kevin smiled at his father. "Thanks, dad. I'm still getting used to having this beautiful woman all to myself." Kevin looked at Kensi. "Who would have thought she would reunite our family?"

John looked at Kensi. "Thank you, Kensi, for bringing my lost son back to us. I will forever be in your debt."

Kensi looked at Kevin and then to John. "So, what's going to happen now that you have found Callen? You said your wife didn't want your other children after Clara died."

John looked at Kensi. "I know you are a good friend of George's, and I understand you are concerned that I may hurt him again. But I will promise you, Kensi, I will do everything in my control, to ensure that I will be there for him from now on. I know the past does not give you much substance to this promise, but enough damage has been done. It is time for my family to be reunited. I have spoken with my wife, Beth, before flying here today. She is sorry for making me make that choice—-the one I have regretted every day of my life and will continue to, till the day I die. She wants me to bring him home."

Kensi nodded. "I believe you. Thank you."

It wasn't long before the chef turned up in the suite to cook their dinner. Callen and Nell collected their belongings and checked out of their motel. "Who would have thought we would be staying at the Halekulani Hotel." Nell said on their return in the taxi. She noticed Callen being quiet, and hoped this topic might bring him out of it.

Callen looked into Nell's eyes. He smiled and captured her lips with his. "Thank you, Nell, for being here with me. This would be too hard to deal with without you by my side. Who would have thought any of this before our holidays, Nell? I sure didn't. I had pretty much given up looking for my family, and decided to get away and have a real holiday for a change. And now you and Kensi found my brother and brought him to me. Thank you." He kissed her passionately in the back of the taxi as it pulled up at reception. The man who had opened the door for them to get out felt uncomfortable as he waited for them to break their kiss.

By the time Callen and Nell had broken from their kiss, John was standing beside the taxi driver's door, ready to pay their fare. Callen was going to refuse his kind gesture, but decided against it and nodded. "Thank you." The bell boy took their luggage out of the boot of the taxi and wheeled the trolley over to reception. John walked with them to the front desk and did all the speaking to the woman standing the other of the desk. Callen and Nell stood there in silence as they let John deal with the desk clerk. Another young man in a white suit led them through the garden to another Premier suite, not too far from where Kevin and Kensi were staying. They were almost back to where Kevin and Kensi's suite, when they entered a private lift; taking them to the first floor. It was then they realised, they were one level above them, right on the beach. Callen looked at his father and wondered why he had booked this room. It was the one bedroom Halekulani Suite, which provided spahalekulani services to their room. Callen was impressed, and Nell was, well, she was on cloud nine. Her eyes were popping out of her head, well almost, unable to keep under control her excitement of where they were staying. After they were shown all the suite's features, the young man mentioned to them that their dinner tonight in the Orchid Suite would be ready at 8pm, then he left.

It was 7:30pm, giving them a bit of time to dress up for dinner. Yet neither of them moved. The three of them stood in silence for a few minutes, before Nell broke the silence. "Thank you, Mr Manning, for your kind hospitality."

"Please, Nell, call me John. And you are most welcome."

"I think I'll go and get ready for dinner." Nell left Callen with his father for some personal time, while she showered and changed for dinner."

Callen was at a loss over his father's kindness. He had after all punched him, and his nose still looked sore from the impact. "I'm sorry for earlier."

John looked at his son. "Whatever for, son? You have nothing to apologise for."

"For that." Callen pointed to his father's nose. "There is no excuse for losing it like that." Callen looked down at his hands on his lap, not knowing what to do.

"Oh, no, son. You had every right to punch me hard. I deserved it."

Callen made eye contact with his father again. A tear had escaped from his ocean blue eyes. He shook his head, to regain control of his emotions and try, somehow, to hide it away behind the walls he had built over the years. But he couldn't find his walls. They had crashed down like he had lost the battle against an enemy. But it wasn't an enemy, was it? No. It was his family.

John moved next to his son and placed his hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Callen turned to his father. "Why are you being so kind and paying for this beautiful suite?" Callen still couldn't get his head around his father being so kind to him. He thought his father must have been someone horrible, to of deserted him and Amy when they were so young. But instead he found his father to be loving, very regretful and willing to please him.

"This is how your life should have been from the word go. George, you are my son, and I have loved you ever since I knew you were inside your mother's belly. And when you arrived into this world..." John cracked with emotion, trying to finish his words. "Your mother and I were over the moon to have two beautiful and healthy children." John crumbled over his last words and shook as he cried. "You deserve this." He pointed around them. "And so much more."

When Nell returned to the living area, she was not prepared for what she saw. Callen crying in the arms of his father, who was also rocked with tears. A lump formed in her throat, and noticed a tear had escaped down her cheek. Nell turned around and walked back into the bedroom. She looked at her watch and saw it was nearly 8pm. They were going to be late if she didn't say anything, but she definitely didn't want to interrupt Callen and John. After a few moments, Nell decided to write a note and leave it on the bed, then quietly left the suite and headed downstairs to Kevin and Kensi's suite. When she arrived, she knocked on the door and waited.

Kevin was on the other side of the door when it opened. He looked around Nell to see where his father and brother were. "Are the others coming?"

Nell shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure, Kevin. I've left a note on the bed for Callen, I didn't want to interrupt them."

Kevin got worried, wondering why Nell had left them alone. "Where's your key? I'll go and bring them back." He let Nell in, and wandered off to her's and Callen's suite.

When Kensi walked out of the bedroom, she was surprised to find Kevin wasn't there, but instead, Nell stood awkwardly alone. "Is everything okay, Nell? Where is everyone?"

Startled to hear Kensi's voice, Nell jumped and turned to her friend and colleague. "I've come alone, Kevin's gone back to our suite to bring Callen and John back."

Kensi noticed Nell seemed on edge. She moved closer to the smaller woman. "Is everything okay, Nell?" She asked again, but this time at a closer distance and reached her arm out to her.

Tears welled up in Nell's eyes. She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm worried about G. He's an emotional wreck. None of us have ever seen him like this. Yes, I know, it's to be expected. But, you should have seen him with his father when I walked out of the bedroom."

Kensi looked down at Nell. "What happened, Nell?"

Nell wondered whether she should tell Kensi or not. It was after all a very private moment she had walked in. "I don't know whether to say anything, but."

"Nell." Kensi looked at her with concern.

"Callen was crying and sitting in his father's arms, with John crying too. It was like he was that little boy again, when he was safe in his father's arms before his mother died. Not a grown man. I know this must be a huge emotional train wreck for him, but it shocked me to see him lay down his defences for his father."

"I think it's because he remembers him. It's brought back all the good memories he had with his family before Clara was killed. He finally feels safe, and home." Kensi's words made sense to Nell.

"Of course, that makes sense. We're just so used to seeing Callen as that super agent whose brave and brilliant at hiding his emotions."

"Come on, Nell, we've seen him lose it on occasions. Remember when Hetty vanished? He was so upset about it all, and you could see him seething when Lauren Hunter was around."

"Yeah, you're right."

"When we were in Romania, Callen remembered his mother on the beach, and her being shot. He was falling apart on the beach, and Sam was really worried that he was not up to rescuing Hetty. But he managed to pull it all together and get on with the task at hand. Callen will do it again, but I think we will see a more human Callen from now on. He has his family now, so there is no need for him to prove himself of any worth."

"Yeah, your right. Sam's really going to be puzzled over G when we all return to work."

"Huh! Yeah, Sam's going to wonder what's happened to his partner, especially when he sees the way Callen looks at you. He'll put two and two together and work that part out alright. But the other, well with so many of us already knowing, it won't take long, will it?"

Nell blushed. She hadn't even thought about their relationship in the equation. "Nor Hetty, until Callen tells her. I would love to be a fly on the wall that day."

"Me too." Kensi smiled.

At that moment, Kevin returned with Callen and John who looked more respectable than they had been earlier. It was just as well, because the chef was ready to serve dinner.

The five of them sat down at the table ready for their dinner. Ready to enjoy the exquisite food the chef had prepared, and celebrate their first dinner as family.