Thanks to PowerRangers1998 for commenting and every one else for reading. Due to time pressure I had to divide the cahpter so the one next sunday will be shorter. I hope you'll still have fun reading.

Not the smooth rushing of the waves wakened Callen, but the sole beam of the sun that fell through the window. Directly into his face. Callen squinted confused and skidded down a little to escape the light. Beside him a warm body moved in protest and Callen paused.

He looked down. Blonde locks tickled his chin and warm breath brushed his chest. Brian had put an arm around him and his leg was locked with Callen's.

Satisfied Callen placed an arm behind his head. His left hand stroked Brian's naked shoulder. He hadn't experienced such a night for a long while. Recently he'd only flirted with women, so it was a very different feeling with a man. And with Brian it was very different from the times with other men previously. Until now Callen had had only relationships with women and outside of work they never lasted more than four 'til five weeks – if it went well.

But he was curious to try it with Brian. The man had so much energy. And he never caved in, always a cool line on his lips. This enthusiasm he showed for cars and street races. It was almost contagious.

But during the sex Callen'd gotten sometimes the feeling that Brian wasn't that familiar with intimacy. And if he is familiar with it, his experiences didn't seem to be ideal. That let Callen frown.

Thoughtfully he looked at Brian. Sleeping the young man didn't appear as icy. And vulnerable. The dark rings during Brian's arrest hadn't slipped Callen's attention. And he doubted that they stemmed from long nights full of races. As far as he knew Brian worked at Tej's garage and he didn't estimate this man as a very strict boss. Especially not as he partied every day. So something else robbed the sleep from Brian. And if the nightmare from the night before was an indicator – then that were plenty of lost nights.

The breeze on Callen's belly changed. He looked down. Brian blinked and looked sleepily at him. He murmured, "Morning."

"Good morning. How you're feeling?"

"Some stiff muscles. But I had it worse."

Callen grinned. He leant forward and pulled Brian up to him. They kissed. It was a little strange, but not awkward. Callen's hand wandered under the blanket stroking Brian's sides, "Maybe I should do something for your stiffness?"

Brian kissed him as answer. His hand laid on Callen's, "A good idea."

Before one of them could go farther, Callen's cell rang.

"God no!" groaned Callen and let his head fall back. Brian giggled. His hand emerged from the blanket and caressed Callen's chest.

Callen accepted the call, "What's up?"

"Why didn't you report? Is everything okay?" Kensi sounded very excited. Callen darkly remembered that he should've reported to Kensi just after wakening up. Well, he did just wake up.

"Hey, nothing happened", he reassured her, "I didn't forget. I'm awake for maybe ten minutes?"

"Just now?" Callen held the cell away from his ear, "What did you do last night? Callen, you should be here in thirty minutes. I can't do anything for you if you're too late."

"Shit!" Callen jumped out of the bed and looked for his watch. He found it under his pants. Kensi was right.

"We'll be right there," he promised and hung up.

Brian looked questioningly at him, "Are there problems?"

"That was Kensi. We're late. Shit!"

Callen tugged his clothes from the duffel bag and dressed with lightning speed. Whereas Brian stepped leisurely out of the bed and looked for fresh clothes. While he brushed his teeth he stepped into his pants.

Bewildered Callen stared at the blonde, "Tell me- We have a serious time pressure! We need forty minutes to Verone."

Brian rinsed out his mouth, "Don't you want to brush your teeth? I'll just put on a shirt."

"The time-"

"A normal guy needs forty minutes. We're street racers. We need twenty. I know some short cuts."

Callen shrugged his shoulders and quickly brushed his teeth. When he was finished Brian was finally ready to drive. While they went to their cars Brian asked, "Shouldn't we use ear wigs?"

Callen shook his head, "Kensi said that Verone's constantly scanning for bugs. We won't get them until the long race. Then we'll be monitored by Eric and Sam will be ready as back-up."

Brian had an odd facial expression. It wasn't conclusive, but the blonde just nodded and got in.

Callen wondered what took place in the man's thoughts. But he couldn't be bothered with it now. He started the car and followed Brian.

The man wasn't wrong. They drove on some streets that rather resembled back alleys and they broke the speed limit more often than Callen did the past four weeks altogether. That's why they made it in nineteen and a half minutes to Verone's mansion.

They drove on the driveway until they reached five other cars. Their drivers stood in front of them.

As he stepped out of the car Callen noticed three drivers seeing Brian and cursing him. Obviously they'd already met Bullitt. The remaining two drivers looked at them arrogantly and grinned mockingly.

"These both seem to like you."

Brian grinned, "It could or couldn't be that Darden drove his car into a ditch."

Callen laughed.

The man without beard and scraggly hair shouted, "Where did you get them cars? At the bottom of a cereal box?"

Brian didn't let himself getting worked up, "I see you got out of the ditch, Korpi. Or did you need a GPS?"

Both men stopped laughing, the remaining drivers however hooted. Korpi and his friend seemed to be ready using the fists. But before it escalated, two more cars drove up. They were lemon yellow and lazing red, so Callen guessed the drivers wanted to apply to Verone, too.

Brian turned to the cars. Admiringly he lifted a brow, "Nice."

"Are that special cars?" Callen asked quietly. He was mindful, that nobody heard him. Not that it leaked how little he knew about the scene. Operations already had failed because of minor mistakes.

"Not really. But these cars could perform well, if you bother with them. The yellow one is a Toyota Spyder. With one like that – secondhand of course – I did my first crash."

Brian grinned nostalgically. Callen so did want to know the story behind that. But he couldn't inquire, because both drivers got out. The first one was rather plain. He tried to seem cool, but was obviously tense. If that wasn't an undercover cop, Callen would only take the bus from now on.

The other guy fitted better into the scene. He was a tall, black man, who apparently wasn't delighted to be here.

"Oh shit!"

Callen looked at Brian, "Something wrong?"

"That is Roman Pearce. We were friends since kindergarten. And we were together in juvie."

"You don't seem pleased about this reunion."

"Because he won't be pleased. He blames me that he had to go to jail. In the one for adults."

Callen scrutinized Roman for a moment, who discussed with his partner, then he looked back at Brian. The man seemed torn between the joy meeting his friend again and anxiety.

"He knows that you were a cop."

Brian nodded, "Three weeks after I reported for duty there was a garage raid. And he held it against me that I didn't warn him. I hadn't even known about it."

Roman and his buddy finished the talk. Now Roman glanced at everyone present. The moment he noticed and recognized Brian was obvious. His face darkened. And then he made a dash. Directly at Brian. With his fist he hit Brian's chin.

Brian caught his fall with both hands and already Roman raised the ante. But Brian reacted fast. Both men scuffled on the floor. They equally dealt blows how they pocketed them, but gradually Brian gained the upper hand. He fended Roman's blows off, which is why Callen decided only to intervene when it became dicey. He had the feeling that this quarrel only helped the men.

Callen had already seen enough fights and staged in some to know that Brian held back. It was still hard to fight an old friend.

"You still fight like shit!" shouted Brian, "You better chill!"

Brian took a stranglehold on Roman. The man struggled in vain, which didn't prevent him from reproaching, "You should've told me. I did three years, Brian!"

"I told you it wasn't my fault," Brian pressed his thumb on a pressure point. Roman slowly came back down. He let himself fall back and still looked furiously at Brian.

"Man, Rome! What was that supposed to be?"

That seemed to arouse Roman's anger again, "Only my homeboys call me Rome, pig!"

This statement resulted in gossip between all present. Frowning and with slight concern Callen ascertained that especially Korpi and his friend stared at Brian. That spelled trouble, but it was a faux pas they could smooth out. After all they used Brian's real identity as dirty cop.

Either Brian didn't realize the commotion or it particularly didn't interest him. Anyway he wore his poker-face again as he responded, "I'm not a cop anymore, bro."

Roman lifted a brow, "Is that true? Blondie here is not a cop anymore?"

Brian nodded. He stood up, brushed off his pants and stood near Callen, "Was caught racing. They don't dig it that much."

Roman rose, too, "And what are you doing here?"

His gaze slid shortly to Callen, "You and Blondie 2?"

"That's a mate, who sells some parts. We met on the way to Miami. We wanted to do a little vacation and need some bucks."

Callen was impressed how good Brian could lie. And he said it with such gravity, that Callen almost believed it himself. As undercover cop he got an awful lot of potential.

Roman nodded. He stretched his hand out to Callen, "Roman Pearce. Call me Rome, man."

"Gary Hammond."

Callen exchanged a look with Brian, who pointed at Rome's partner. He began to ask, but a whistle resounded through the air. Their heads flew around. Verone's bodyguards stood at the entrance to the mansion and waved them near.

Before they were even allowed into the garden, they were felt up and a third man really scanned for bugs. Brian and Callen were the last. They followed as a group the bodyguards to stone stairs. The bodyguards stepped aside and Verone stepped out with Kensi.

Verone gazed briefly at the men and rested on Callen. He looked coolly into his eyes. Callen didn't avoid the gaze and stubbornly stared back. Verone lifted his brows, then he looked at Brian. There the expression changed completely. The man surveyed Brian from head to toe. He licked his lips. In his eyes stood hunger.

Callen was tempted to pull Brian up to him and hide him behind his own back. Or at least give him such a deep kiss that Verone knew: Hands off!

But Callen settled with a short side glance to the blonde. Brian had crossed his arms and tilted his head. He looked coolly at Verone.

Kensi lightly bumped Verone and the man took his focus off Brian. Now he looked at them all, "Thank you for coming on such short notice. My red Ferrari was confiscated yesterday. It sits in an impound lot in Little Haiti. It's about twenty miles from here."

Callen found this story nice. It oozed lies, but drivers weren't interested in that. It was just business.

"The car isn't important. What is important is the package I left in the glove box. The first team back here with the package will have an opportunity to work for me."

Korpi's friend reported, "What are you saying? We got to audition?"

Verone looked snobbishly down at him, "Nobody has a gun to your head."

Verone's look went to Brian again, then he turned around, "That's it."

Now Kensi came forward, "Driver's licenses. Pass them up."

Callen and Brian threw their licenses at her and ran. They were the first at their cars. In the hurry Callen almost got entangled with his belt, which was why he had to race to catch up with Brian. In the rearview mirror he saw the two muscles and Rome's yellow Toyota. The other four drivers were far more behind.

Callen drove on the highway always behind Brian. It wasn't because of insufficient knowledge of the streets, but the speed Brian presented. The man wreathed through the traffic that it was hard for Callen to keep up. So he floored the pedal could keep pace with Brian.

Suddenly Rome passed Callen and caught up with Brian. He looked to Brian, lifted his right hand and showed him the middle finger. There seemed to be some outstanding conflicts between them.

Then Rome looked forward again and directly drove between two trucks. Brian was close behind. Callen speed up to follow them.

The two truckers got anxious and swerved about. Callen hardly managed to get to the other side. The driver behind him didn't have such luck.

Callen risked a fast look into the mirror. The truckers wedged the driver between them and he went to the dogs. This no one could survive.

Callen dialed Eric's number and put him on speaker. He had to concentrate on the lane and had to keep pace with Brian.

"Callen!" reported Eric's excited voice, "I see you on Kaleidoskope. Got there someone under a truck?"

"Yes. Send an ambulance. But when the police appear they should keep away."

"Alright. Hey, what- What's O'Conner doing?"

Callen disconnected the call and looked to Brian. The man speed up, passed Rome's car and-

Callen blinked repeatedly to be sure he could trust his eyes. In the middle of the highway at a speed of at least 60 mp/h Brian did a one-hundred-eighty degree turn! And drove backwards! At high speed. And he showed Rome his middle finger.

Callen smirked. This guy was crazy!

Shortly before their exit ramp Brian turned again. Then he drove at high speed ahead. Rome followed him, Callen did, too. He even passed Rome and almost caught up to Brian.

In the rearview mirror Callen saw that after all three more drivers had managed it.

Eventually they arrived at the lot. They didn't have time to stop so Callen drove straightaway through the gate. Verone was rich enough to buy a new one. But before he could go on he'd to find the red Ferrari. And here were only boats. An ideal lot for Gibbs' almost finished little boats.

A fork lift just took down a boat from one of the high lost when the drove around the curve. Because Brian and he drove side by side one of them had to crash into it. Callen drove on the right side and observed with a sinking stomach how Brian drove by a hair's breadth under the boat. If this guy didn't have his car well in hand!

They did two or three more turns and eventually saw the cursed cars. And the Ferrari stood on a silver plate – and as Kensi'd predicted – free in the middle.

Callen and Brian stopped and got out. Behind him Callen heard the next drivers coming near. They first that reached them was Rome. He looked very pissed that he hadn't got there in time.

Callen nodded at Brian and laid a hand on his weapon in his back. Should somebody cause trouble he'd be ready. Meanwhile the blonde went to the Ferrari. It did take time, but Callen didn't dare to look back. Rome before him was anxious and moody, but soon Korpi and his mate appeared. With them Callen got a bad feeling.

Brian ran up to them and triumphantly held up an envelope. Korpi and his mate talked. Callen didn't understand every word, but it was clear they wouldn't leave without the packet. And Korpi's mate drew a weapon.

Callen's clutch around his own tightened and he produced it, but before things could escalate, sirens shrilled. A plainclothes Ford approached them. Rome cursed. The drivers left.

"Are that your friends?" asked Brian. Callen shook his head. He put his weapon away, "Let's see to it that we scram."

They sprinted to their cars. Rome however didn't seem to get the memo. He reached into his car and produced a weapon.

"Rome, no!" shouted Brian, but in vain. The man shot at the officers, which took shelter behind the car doors. Callen jumped into his car. Beside him Brian did, too. Rome was the last.

Like maniacs they drove back. Along the way Korpi and the other one went off on a road. Rome send a short salute to Brian and him, then he disappeared from the highway. As soon it was just them two, Brian geared down. Callen easily caught up. They still drove faster than allowed, but not fast enough to catch the police's attention, that was committed to the pileup in the other direction.