I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THE NCIS:LA CHARACTERS, ONLY MY OWN.
The days turned into weeks and still they lacked the evidence they needed to make their arrest. Everyone looked forward to Callie's graduation for the simple fact that the case could be forgotten about for the day, or at least they'd try. Hetty had planned a fantastic party for her and invited many of her friends. Even though Hetty assured her that both Callen and Marnie would be off that day, she still worried. That morning started as any other day in recent months. Marnie and Callen were up, showered and dressed with a pot of coffee going before any of the kids got up.
The two were casually sitting at the dining room table talking when Callie walked out. "What no breakfast?" She groaned at the bright lights in the room.
"I thought the school was having a brunch for the graduates and their families this morning?" Callen asked.
Callie yawned and nodded before she headed into the kitchen to get herself a cup of coffee. "You might get your wish of stunting my growth with coffee yet, Mom." She laughed.
"Nope too late, you and your Mom are the same height." Callen laughed and leaned over when Marnie swatted at him.
Within an hour, the other two were up and dressed. With an hour to go before needing to be at the school, they headed next door to see how things were going over there. Before they even crossed the property line, they could hear Tyler bellowing and crying. Marnie rolled her eyes at Callen before she knocked and unlocked the door. Tyler sat curled into a ball on the far end of the couch sobbing and started yelling at them about something Harry had said or done. Not wanting to hear it, Marnie just headed into the kitchen.
Of course upon seeing Marnie; Harry and Rosie began telling their sides of the story. She simply put her hand up and shook her head. As usual both children kept rambling and Tyler stomped into the kitchen screaming, nearly knocking Marnie over. Callen had had enough.
"Stop!" he yelled over the three before turning to Tyler. "Do you even care that you just about knocked your aunt over? What if that was your grandmother?"
Tyler stood there with a blank stare. Stomping through the living room let them know that Karen was on her way out of the bathroom. "Is there a reason why you're here and why you're yelling at my children?" She barked.
Callen took a deep breath. "We heard them carrying on before we even crossed the property line. If we could hear it, the entire neighborhood could too. They your son storms into the kitchen and damn near knocks Marnie over, what if that was your mother?"
"Well, maybe she shouldn't have been standing in the middle of everything." She growled pushing her way through the kitchen towards her bedroom.
Nick appeared at the door between the kitchen and family room. "Nothing changes, ever."
After spending thirty minutes talking with Nick and Annette; or rather trying to talk to between the interruptions and Karen stomping around the kitchen because Annette hadn't made her lunch yet; they headed back over to the house and let the dog out one more time before leaving for the school. Marnie sent off a quick text to Hetty letting her know they were leaving and the yard was picked up. Within a few minutes, she got a reply letting her know everything was going as planned.
Knowing there wouldn't be a parking place to be had in front of the school or on the street, Callen followed the long line of cars around to the back of the school and parked on the basketball court. Callie grabbed her gown and followed the family into the school. While they stopped in the quad by the cafeteria, Callie ran to the classroom and dropped off her gown. When she walked back into the quad looking for her Mom and Callen, she spied a familiar bald head and grinned. At a full run, she took off towards Sam and tackled him.
"I can't believe you guys are here!" she laughed with tears streaming down her face.
"We couldn't miss this." He told her lifting her a good three feet off the ground as he hugged her.
No sooner did he let her go and Michelle was right there with a hug too. "Everyone else should be here closer to when the ceremony starts."
"Everyone?" She asked not understanding who else would be coming. While it would be nice to have Hetty there, along with Kensi, Deeks, Eric and Nell, she didn't think they'd be able to get the time off.
"Everyone will be here, honey." Marnie told her.
"Grandma, I mean Hetty gave everyone the day off just so they could watch me graduate from Middle school?" She asked grinning madly, her head reeling at the thought of how many people she would have there to support her, cheer for her.
"Yes," Hetty grinned, standing behind her. "I gave everyone the day off, even though it's just Middle School as you put it, it's still a momentous occasion. I don't think any of them would've been pleased if they'd been forced to miss it."
Callie stood tall, and squared her shoulders. "Thank you so much." She said before Hetty opened her arms. In a heartbeat, Callie was wrapping her arms around the woman, towering over her.
"Oh the fun is just beginning, my dear." She whispered, patting her back.
Callen and Marnie stood arm in arm watching the absolute joy on Hetty's face. After a few minutes, Hetty ushered them to the cafeteria. Once they stood in line and finally got into the cafeteria itself, there wasn't much food left and what was left didn't look very appetizing. Avery started to have a melt down over being hungry, so Callen scooped some fruit into a bowl for her and grabbed a bear claw. For the moment, she was pacified.
Lately, Avery had been very cranky and Marnie suspected she was going through a growth spurt. On most nights when they got home from work, Avery was asleep and had slept through dinner. When she was awake when they picked the kids up, she was sitting at the table with a plate full of food. More often than not, her second or third helping. It baffled Callen that such a small child could eat so much and not gain a pound. Annette explained that Marnie had been the same way as a child; stick think until nine or ten years old and only one hundred pounds soaking wet by the time she hit high school.
By ten thirty, the quad began filling up with the families who hadn't made the pre-ceremony festivities. They'd found a spot in the shade off to the right of the stage and staked down three rows of seats for everyone who'd agreed to attend. Marnie was shocked to turn around and find Callie's best friend's father approaching with a huge grin on his face, expecting him to greet them first so she could introduce everyone, he made a beeline to Sam.
"You must be Sam and Michelle." He said with his hand out. "Callie's told me so much about you guys."
Sam cocked his head to the side, evaluating the man who stood two inches taller than him, yet not quite as broad across the chest and shoulders. "I'm sorry?" He asked as he shook the man's hand.
"I'm John, my daughter and Callie are best friends." He said admiring Sam's bald head and laughed. "I thought I was the only guy around to sport the bald look."
Finally, after a moment, Sam remembered hearing about Callie's friend and how nice the family had been since they'd returned to the area. "That's right, you're daughter's name is Natalia and your youngest is Courtney?"
"That's them." John said smiling widely.
A pretty woman walked over with long blonde hair. "Wow for a second, I couldn't tell who was who." She laughed looking between her husband and Sam, both men with their tall, muscular statures and dark skin.
"Sam, Michelle; this is my wife Janice." He announced placing his arm around her waist.
Michelle stepped up. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you both; Marnie, Callen and Callie have told us so much about you."
Avery and Alec ran over and joined the conversation, along with Callen and Marnie. Janice looked at Marnie and frowned, asking if she was ready for this. Marnie took a deep breath and nodded. Callen laughed and pulled her close telling them she'd been tearing up since she'd gotten up that morning. Everyone laughed. Michelle told them that it didn't get any easier the older they got either, remembering just a few years ago when Sam's son graduated from high school. The three couples stood and talked until Nick and Annette arrived with Tyler, Harry and Rosie in tow. Everyone else trickled in with just before the ceremony started.
Within minutes, the principal addressed the audience and gave the ground rules for the ceremony. Asking that the cheering didn't get so loud that the other student's names couldn't be heard when announced. He also asked that all sighs, balloons and flowers be taken to the office where they would be looked after until the ceremony concluded, when they could be retrieved and given to the recipients. With that being said, he nodded off towards the left and the ceremony started.
Marnie leaned into Callen knowing that at any moment the flood gates would open. It seemed like yesterday Callie was starting Kindergarten when she first met Natalia and her family. She was so small and innocent then, never did Marnie imagine what she'd endure a few years later. They'd been away from Jason a year, she and Callen married for just a few months. As Callie walked up the center aisle, smiling proudly, Marnie knew everything from here on out was smooth sailing. No matter what they came against as a family, they could get through it. More than anything, all three kids knew they had the full support of both Callen and herself, in addition to Sam and Michelle and everyone else.
Hetty sat proudly listening to the principal, superintendent and student speeches. After the class was presented to the school board, the reading of the student's names began. Everyone listened intently through the cheers and whistles from the crowd for Callie's name and when it was heard, everyone around them went wild. Eric gave the shrillest, most high pitched whistle any of them had ever heard. Callie walked across the stage with an ear to ear grin and her head down as if embarrassed by the noise they made. When Natalia's name was called; they whooped, hollered and whistled again.
After all the names had been read, nearly all of the mother's faces were tear streaked. Callen wrapped his arm around Marnie and smiled down at her after the ceremony and the graduates had left the quad. She gave him a teary smile and laid her head on his shoulder.
"You did it." He said kissing her temple.
Marnie shook her head. "We did it."
"No, you had the first seven years of school. I'm going to help with the next however many there are until she graduates from college and does whatever she wants with her life."
"Oh stop, I'm not ready for her to go off to college, I'm barely ready for her to go to high school." Marnie chuckled.
Callen pulled her to her feet and closer her to him. "You never know, by the time she'd off to college we might have one or two more little ones running around."
She smiled at the thought of having at least one more child, knowing Alec would insist it had to be a boy. "We'll see. Let go find her and head back to the house."
