Arya couldn't sleep. The mix of anticipation and anxiety formed a knot in her stomach. "I'm really going to America! What if something goes wrong? I'm going to be so free! What if I can't survive?" she thought. After hours of tossing and turning, she finally got up, put on her scarf and crept outside. Stepping outside the barracks she shared with the team, she looked up to the sky. The moon was nearly full, and bright enough to bathe the earth in its glow. She took some comfort in its presence; "At least I'll be seeing the same moon." She didn't hear the silent footfalls coming behind her; Sam, ever alert, had sensed her movements and followed her outside.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently in Dari. His sudden presence still startled her however, and she jumped hard. Sam apologized.

"No, it's alright. I'm….anxious for tomorrow. I don't know what to expect; it's all so new to me. I've never even left the province, let alone Afghanistan. My English is okay; I understand it spoken but I can't speak it well, and I can't read it at all, so I'm worried about how I'll be able to start my life there. So it's all a little overwhelming." She explained.

"Understandable. But you'll have lots of help; there are programs that teach literacy all over, and we can help you with the immigration process so you can get your citizenship. When all else fails, you can always call G; he won't let you drown." Sam said reassuringly.

"Why do you call Callen 'G'?" she asked.

"That's his first initial. 'G' is a nickname; his first name….well, I'll let him tell you that when he's ready. It's a long story, and it's his to tell." He explained. "Anyways, it's real late. We should both get some sleep." Sam held the door open for her, indicating his insistence that she go back inside. She obeyed and finally fell into a fitful sleep.

Arya was shaking slightly as she boarded the massive C-17 that would take them to the U.S. "How does this beast fly?" she thought in utter amazement. She sat down in her seat beside Callen and tried to make sense of the harness.

"Oh here, let me." Kensi said, helping her get buckled in properly. "Thank you" Arya said, speaking English for the first time in front of all of them. "SHE SPEAKS!" Deeks said jokingly, eliciting chuckles and smiles from the other 4. Callen turned to her and asked "So Arya, what are you most excited to experience in America?"

"The ocean!" She said in English with no hesitation. "I hear stories of it, but have not been there myself."

"Ohh, well you're in luck! We've got the best beaches in the U.S. right at home." Deeks said happily. "I myself am looking forward to a whole WEEKEND of nothing but sand, surf, and sushi. How about you, Kensalina?"

"My bed and a long, hot bath are all I want, and not necessarily in that order." She replied. "Callen?"

"A six-pack of ice-cold beer is calling to me pretty hard right about now. Sam?"

"I second that!" Sam said enthusiastically.

"What is 'sushi'?" Arya asked.

"Ohhhh, you have so much to learn, grasshopper." Deeks said with a laugh.

The team continued their chatter as the plane taxied down the runway and took off for home.

When they finally landed at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, after 28 hours of being confined to the plane, all 5 travelers were eager to disembark. Arya let the others step off first, then stood at the end of the ramp. "My first footstep on American soil." She thought and, taking a deep breath, stepped off the plane.

"WELCOME TO AMERICA" the team cheered, hugging and high-fiving her.

One of the pilots called out to them. "Agent Callen! You have an urgent message from a Henrietta Lange. She said to call her the moment you landed." Callen acknowledged and headed to the Headquarters to make the call.

She answered on the first ring. "Mr. Callen, you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice. Unfortunately, I have some distressing news: your friend Arya's paperwork has been denied. Ironically, because she is from Maiwand, the very same place where the stolen shipment was found, they have deemed her "too suspicious" to grant a Green Card or Visa. So, the moment she stepped off of that plane, she was here illegally, and is at risk of IMMEDIATE deportation back to Afghanistan."

This news completely deflated Callen's mood. "That's….that's not possible. She's already come this far, how….how could this have happened and nobody knew until we were already here?" He demanded angrily.

"I know. The decision was made shortly after you took off, and I'm still trying to see what strings I can pull, but I have few left these days. Granger is working on her behalf also, but in the meantime, she is not to leave that base." Hetty replied.

"She's going to be devastated." Callen said.

"All is not lost yet, Mr. Callen. We won't give up until we've exhausted every option."

"I gave her my word, Hetty. I promised to do everything in my power to get her here."

"And you have! You've gotten her here, and now it's up to the system and the powers that be. You've still kept your promise, Mr. Callen. Don't mistake others' decisions as your failure." She admonished.

"Alright. I will go tell her the news. Keep me posted." Callen hung up the phone. He sighed deeply, then went to find Arya and the others.

Upon hearing the news, Arya was beside herself with panic. "YOU SAID THE PAPERS WENT THROUGH! YOU SAID EVERYTHING WAS FINE!" She shouted at Callen in Dari as she sat on her bunk in her cell in the detention center; due to her status, she was now being detained until further notice.

"I know, but it's out of my hands right now." He tried to calm her down. "It's not over yet; both of my superiors are working to get the decision reversed, but you've got to stay calm and be patient and trust me when I say we are not going to send you back without a fight."

"Do you know what will happen to me if they send me back? Samar is dead, and even if he wasn't, marrying him would kill me. I have no family left, Callen! I have no one to arrange a marriage or offer dowry. No family will want me as a wife for their son; I have nothing to offer them but disgrace and burden. I cannot work, so I will be forced to sell WHATEVER I CAN to survive, and do you know what they do to 'those' women? I WOULD RATHER DIE HERE THAN BE SENT BACK!" Arya turned away from him and lay down, facing the wall. "Please leave." She whispered.

Callen hung his head for a moment, then left. On his way down the hall, he punched the wall with his left hand in frustration. As he left the wing, he told the M.P. officer "Keep an eye on her; I worry she may do something drastic." And he left to go get something to eat.

While the others ate, Callen picked at his food. Sam noticed his lack of appetite. "Don't make me have you admitted to the infirmary here, G. You know they can strap you down and force nutrition into you again, and we all know how much you love hospitals." He said half-jokingly.

"I just can't stop thinking about what she said." Callen responded. "She's not entirely wrong; sending her back would be tantamount to negligent homicide. Unless she marries someone there, she has no way to-"

Three sets of eyes stared back at him, waiting for him to finish. Instead, he set his jaw, got up, and walked quickly out of the mess.

After taking all night to sleep on it, Callen checked with Hetty the next morning regarding Arya's fate: the decision was unchanged, and she was to be deported that day. The next flight was at 1400; it was now 1000. Callen didn't have much time.

Someone opened the door to her cell. Arya turned and saw Callen enter. "Did they fix it?" she asked anxiously as she sat up on the edge of the bunk.

"No, but I may have." Callen knelt in front of her, and took a deep breath before explaining. "You can't become a citizen just yet, but one of the ways an immigrant can live and work here is if they have a family member who is a U.S. citizen as a sponsor." He held up a small gold band to her. "Such as a husband."

Confused, Arya looked at the ring…and suddenly understood. "You mean-"

"Yes. Arya, I made you a promise. A promise to do everything within MY power to get you here. I cannot change their decision in time to stop your deportation, but I can become your husband and sponsor to keep you here. You saved my life; now it's time for me to save yours." He stated and waited for her response.