Lost Too Much
Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine.
Chapter 10
As Callen jumped into his car, Sam quickly jumped in beside him. "Sam!" Callen looked over at his partner. He had hoped to go alone.
"I'm coming with you, G." Sam gave him the 'do not argue with me' look.
Callen sighed and started the engine. The conversation was non existent between the two men as Callen drove madly to Kristin's house. Sam held his tongue knowing the worry that must be going through his partner's mind at that moment. As they pulled up outside, they noticed a black SUV parked across the road.
"They're being watched, G." Sam stated.
Concern crossed Callen's face as Sam rang Eric with the vehicle's detail. He climbed out of the car and walked up the path to the front door. He rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. He noticed a neighbour watching him, he walked over to speak with her.
"Hi. I'm an old friend of Kristin's. Do you know where I can find her? It's really important."
The woman studied Callen. "You're Michael's father, aren't you? He sure does look like you."
Having the neighbour say those words hit Callen hard. Kristin had told him he wasn't the boy's father so he had left them alone. He thought they were probably safer and happier without him anyway. "Please, I need to get in touch with Kristin urgently."
"She works down the road at the local Childcare Centre." She told him the address.
"Thank you. If those men in that black SUV ask for anything, tell them nothing. It's really important that you don't." She could see the worry in his eyes.
"Okay." She watched him run back to his car and sped off. She suddenly felt the eyes of the occupants from the black SUV were now on her, she walked back inside and locked her doors. She rang her husband to tell him she didn't feel safe and that she had locked herself inside their house.
"Go down into the basement." He urged her as he dialled LAPD on his office phone. "Do it now, Shelly."
"I'm going." Shelly Bishop quickly locked the basement door and hid down in one of the corners behind an old trunk. She could hear someone banging upstairs and started to tremble from fear of what those men wanted. The boy's father seemed worried about their neighbours and she wondered who he was and how he knew something was wrong. She hoped he found Kristin quickly and took her and the boy somewhere safe.
"Hello. Mrs Bishop. We want to ask you a few questions about your neighbour, Kristin Donnelly." Shelly was glad she had hidden down in the basement.
A gunshot rang out and the front door to the Bishop's home splintered and opened from a kick by one of the men from the black SUV. They scoured the home and were surprised they couldn't find her anywhere.
"Do you think she fled out back? She looked worried after talking to that guy in the jag." One of them asked the other.
"It's possible. Boss is not going to be happy if we lose her. She can help us find the woman and her son." Sirens could be heard coming closer to their location. "We've got to move. She's rung the cops."
Shelly sighed with relief when she heard the men leave and the sirens getting louder. She texted her husband to tell him the men had kicked in the door and they were in the house looking for her until they heard the sirens. She had heard their conversation from down below and she worried over her neighbour. They had become good friends over the years, and she'd helped Kristin out taking care of Michael after she had kicked her fiancé out a few years ago. Something about him having a criminal record that she knew nothing about. She didn't want anyone like him around her boy. She had also told her the boy's real father had suddenly showed up after six years of nothing. So she had told him Michael wasn't his, just to get rid of him. But Michael's father had returned when Kristin seemed to be in some kind of trouble.
She appeared from the basement once she heard LAPD arrive. She gave them a report of what had happened and that she thinks her neighbour was in trouble. They talked about sending a unit over to Kristin's work place and the boy's school to ensure they were safe.
Callen and Sam pulled up outside Kristin's work. Sam stayed in the car while he went in to find her.
"Hello, can I help you?" The woman behind the front desk asked him.
"Hi. Yes, well I hope so. I'm looking for Kristin Donnelly." Callen replied. The urgency in finding her safe laid heavily on his shoulders.
"Jason?" Kristin appeared from the office. "What are you doing here?"
He was relieved that he had found her safe. He noticed her name tag, with Director written on it. When he had been undercover as Jason Tedrow, she had worked at a school as a Kindergarten Teacher. "I need to talk with you. It's urgent."
Kristin saw the worry in his eyes. Her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was her neighbour. "Hello?"
Callen watched Kristin speak on her phone, as she showed him into her office. He saw her frown and look him in the eyes.
"He's here now. No, I have no idea what is going on. Is Shelly okay?" Relief washed over her face as she heard Harry Bishop tell her that Shelly was fine. "Thank you, Harry. I will keep you posted when I know what's going on. It's probably safest if you find somewhere else for a few days."
When Kristin disconnected the call, she stood and paced the room. "You better have a damn good reason why my neighbour is freaking out from some men who broke into their house just now."
"Kristin! I need you to listen to me. Call the school. Tell them you are coming to pick up Michael. No one else. It's not safe for anyone else to pick Michael up." He stood and walked over to her. "Please!"
Kristin nodded. She quickly dialled the school's number and told them to ensure that no one came to collect her son, but her. Her hands shook as worry consumed her.
"We need to leave now," Callen stressed.
"You need to tell me what's going on. The last time you appeared on my doorstep I lost my brother." She stood strong opposing him.
"I will, once you and Michael are safe." Callen placed his hand on her arm but she moved away from him. She collected her bag and keys before walking out the door.
"Beth, I have to go. There's been a family emergency. If anyone comes in looking for me, tell them you haven't seen me today, and that I'm away on a course." Beth, the receptionist nodded.
Callen grabbed her keys as they walked out to the car. "I'm driving." He told her. He nodded to Sam to follow in his jag.
It was only a five minute drive to the school Michael attended. Callen walked with Kristin to the office and waited as she collected her son from his class. The boy looked up at his mom, when he saw Callen in the office foyer. "It's okay, Michael. You've met him before. He's here to take us somewhere safe." Michael nodded but kept his eye on Callen, just the same.
Michael had grown so much since he'd last seen him. It had been a while, seeing him again had winded him. But he shoved the emotions that threatened to burst away, he needed to focus.
They climbed into Kristin's car and drove away. Callen drove around the streets to ensure no one was following them, before he took them to the boat shed. He scanned the area before allowing them out of the car. As Callen stepped out, he saw Sam approach from the north.
"It's clear." He told Kristin and Michael. They stood beside Callen as they watched Sam approach.
"Kristin. This is my partner, Agent Sam Hanna, NCIS. Sam, this is Kristin and Michael Donnelly."
"You're a Federal Agent?" She knew he had tried to tell her his real name, but she had stopped him.
"What is NCIS?" She gently pulled Michael closer to her.
"Navy Criminal Investigation Service." It made sense now to Kristin why Callen had come into her life when he had. Her brother had been in the Navy and ended up in jail for stealing a great sum of money. She was peeved at him for leaving her alone, pregnant with his son. Whatever it was they once had, she now realised it had been one sided. She had been his way into to her brother's group. Anger surged through her. She wanted to hit him hard. But not with Michael present. She took in a deep breath to calm herself down.
Callen and Sam led them along the path to the boat shed. Sam punched in the security code and unlocked the door. He held the door open for them as they walked inside.
"Can I get either of you two a drink?" Callen asked them. He tried to remain professional in his dealings with them.
In OPS, Eric, Nell and Bronte watched the camera feed from the boat shed. Since Eric had briefed them on the previous case involving Callen as Jason Tedrow, Bronte had worried how this case was effecting Callen. She gasped when she saw the boy. He looked so much like Callen, it floored her. Just how much had Callen gotten involved with this Kristin? Bronte wondered.
"You promised to tell me what is going on, Jason." She still hadn't wanted to ask his real name. Jason was the name she knew him as, that was the name she was going to use.
"Okay. But not in here. Best if we have a private chat. Sam can look after Michael out here." He led her through to one of the interview rooms.
Kristin sat down on the opposite side of the table to Callen. "Is this where you interrogate suspects?" She inquired.
"Yes. But we also have people like you in here. Innocent people, who we want to protect." Callen answered her truthfully.
"Oh, so like we matter to you now?" Kristin was angry with him. Even after all of these years.
"Kristin. Please. You need to calm down." Callen took in a deep breath before he continued. He needed to stay calm for all of their benefit.
"Tommy's body was found behind the restaurant he worked at, in the early hours of this morning. I'm sorry."
"What?" She stood, clearly upset the man she had been engaged to was now dead.
"Kristin, please sit down." He urged her.
"Why are you involved in this case? What's NCIS got to do with Tommy's death?" Kristin demanded from him.
"His name popped up from a previous case of ours, which is why we've taken over the investigation. We investigate crimes committed by and against members of the Navy and Marine Corp, as well as terrorist threats to this nation. When we met, I was undercover to solve what happened to a lot of stolen money. I'm sorry, Kristin, about John. I know he was your brother, but he was involved in that case so he had to do his time. But he didn't deserve to die." Callen tried to apologise to her.
"Why Tommy? How did he get involved in your case?" She asked him more gently this time. The shock of hearing about his death had subsided a little.
"We had no idea who was killing John's team once they were released from jail. We had to do some back checking on him. The man behind it all had asked Tommy to get close to you. Tommy never expected to fall in love with you. But he did." Callen saw tears form in her eyes. It hurt him that she had loved Tommy more than she had him. But then again, Jason was a ghost.
"I threw him out after I found out he had a criminal record. I've had enough of bad boys, after you, Jason. But you're not really a bad boy are you? Just good at pretending to be one." Kristin hugged herself, suddenly feeling cold. Callen exited the room and returned with a blanket.
"Thanks." She wrapped it around her body and began to feel warm again.
"We need to know who the men in the black SUV are. The ones who broke down your neighbour's front door." Callen had received all the details from Deeks, a few minutes earlier.
"I don't know. Do you think Tommy's death and these men are connected?" Kristin hadn't seen Tommy for a few years, so she couldn't see why she and Michael would be in danger.
"Yes!" Callen answered her simply. "I need to ask you about Michael's Father..."
"What? Is this a ploy to get me to spill out all the details to you?" Kristin rose to her feet again. She couldn't deal with Jason's games, not now.
"Three years ago, you told me Michael was not my son. So I have left you both alone. But we need to cover all angles as to why and who are after you, Kristin." He stood and walked over to her.
The door opened and in walked Bronte. She could feel the tension in the room.
"Not now, Bronte." Callen quietly told her.
"I need to speak with you, please." Bronte pleaded with him.
Callen sighed and exited the room, leaving Kristin all alone. "We are wasting time here. We need answers to who is after them and why. This better be important." He was in agent mode with her.
"I need to know are you too close to this case?" Bronte studied his eyes and she could see he was trying hard to hold it all together.
"Eric wouldn't tell me anything."
Callen pulled her into the other interrogation room for privacy. Callen paced the room wondering where to start. "About ten years ago, I went undercover as Jason Tedrow, to befriend some men who were suspected of stealing a lot of money. I got close to Kristin to get to her brother, John, who was one of them. I never expected to develop feelings for her. But when the case was over, I walked away, never to see her again. That was the plan. Until one of the men I had put away contacted my alias, to find out where the money had gone to. But before I even knew about the email, he was gunned down. It turned out to be one of the men's JAG Lawyer. We killed him, after he held Kensi at gun point, He had managed to kill all the men who had stolen the money to keep it all for himself. He was looking for Jason Tedrow. He had asked for Tommy Boyd to get close to Kristin, after I had left. When I showed up on her doorstep three years ago, she had a boy, Michael. He was the right age for him to be my son. But she told me he wasn't my son. So I did the right thing and walked away."
Bronte watched Callen's behaviour as he talked about Kristin. She could see it had hurt him, when she had told him that Michael was not his son. "Are of sure she told you the truth? Michael looks so much like you." Gently she placed her hand on his arm.
Callen looked up at Bronte, he looked lost. Like he did back when he was fifteen, on the beach.
"G! Ask her again. It could be someone after you, which is why you need to ask her." Callen nodded. She made perfect sense. He left Bronte and walked back out to the main area for a glass of water. He looked over at his partner playing a card game with Michael. When the boy looked over at him, his heart broke. He remembered looking just like him at that age. How could he have accepted Kristin's words three years ago? Even the neighbour thought he was his father.
He took a deep breath and walked back into the room where Kristin was. "Is Michael my son?" He asked quietly. He was unsure of himself around her. He had hurt her so deeply.
"I don't know." Tears poured down Kristin's face as she hugged herself. She stood in the corner of the room on the opposite side to the door.
"There was someone else, just before I met you. Either of you could be his father."
Callen gulped down the emotion that was pushing itself to the surface. He needed to remain cool. "Why didn't you allow me to do a paternity test to see if he was my son? Don't I have the right to know?"
"Because you had hurt me. You left me when I needed you. You didn't deserve to know that he could possibly be your son." Her body shook as she cried and slipped down to the floor.
Callen remained silent, as he processed her words. Bronte was right, she was so much like her mother. "I'm sorry!" Callen finally blurted out. "For leaving you like that. But I had a job to do - the man you thought I was, didn't exist. Hell, I don't exist."
Kristin looked up at him as he said those words. She tilted her head and frowned as she tried to understand what he meant. "What do you mean?"
"My team and I, we use aliases all the time. Our real identities are unknown for our protection, and that of our families." He explained.
"So are you telling me that you have a family somewhere else, and that is why you couldn't stay with me?" She felt betrayed by the man she had once loved.
"No. I don't. I lost my mother when I was five. She was gunned down in front of me on a beach in Romania. My sister and I were brought to America, but we were separated. She drowned when she was eleven. I have lived my life alone. Moved about between thirty-seven foster homes. I don't even know what family life is. The closest time I ever had that, was for three months, when I was fourteen. I never thought I could ever have the family life. Until I became Jason Tedrow. I don't even know my real name. All I have is a letter."
Bronte watched on the screen in the main area. She had suggested Sam take Michael into the other room, so she could watched the feed from Callen and Kristin. Hearing Callen's words, although she had always known about his life, it still broke a piece off her heart. She could tell it still haunted him, the life no one should ever experience. Yet here he was, a man in his early forties, working hard to protect the people who have become a family to him and the innocents. Yet, he still hadn't managed to heal from his own ordeal. It was like he was trying to prove his own worth. And that made it all the harder. Bronte knew at that moment, she needed to prove to Callen, that he was worth it. Worth being loved and to feel important. She wished she could find out his name at least for him. She would have to speak with her mother on that later.
"You don't even know your name?" Kristin was surprised.
Callen shook his head.
"So what do people call you?" She showed an interest in him now. His story had pulled at her heart strings.
"Those close to me, either call me G, or Callen. Callen is my family name. Well my mother's anyway. I have no idea who my father is. All I know is that my name starts with the letter G. But that's all."
"Wow. That is some story." Kristin had calmed down a little. "I'm sorry too. For lying to you. I had no idea that you were an agent. You played Jason so well. So what do we do now?"
"We need the name of the man who could possibly be Michael's father. At least allow me to do the paternity test so we know for sure! We will then organise for you both to be relocated and placed under a witness protection program while we find out who is after you." Callen advised her.
"No!" Kristin was adamant. "Use me to flush them out. You can keep Michael safe. But I will not be relocated. We have our life here. Michael can get to know you..."
"I can't authorise for you to do that, Kristin. You're not an agent. It's too risky." Callen replied. There was no way he was going to place Kristin's life in danger.
"Actually she has a point, G." Callen turned and saw Bronte standing in the doorway. "We have no idea who they are. Eric has searched on the vehicle, but it was reported stolen two days ago. He has placed the images of the men's faces from the photos Sam took, into a facial recognition programme. So far there has been no hit."
"No, Bronte, we can't. She's not equipped to protect herself." Bronte saw worry briefly cross his face. She was beginning to understand the man before her more. Always the protector. Nell's words rang in her ears from the day before.
"Miss Donnelly has volunteered." Callen glared at her and exited the room. He didn't like being opposed by her. She had the guts like her mother to go up against him. Just like Hunter did. Just like Hetty does all the time. He understood now, why Hetty had Hunter and now Bronte fill in for her. They were the only ones who could oppose him, well except for Granger, that is. He stood in front of the screen and watched Bronte speak with Kristin. Seeing them together tore at him. The woman who he had once loved and now has admitted, possibly had a child with, and the woman he now was falling deeply in love with. Hell, Bronte had already done that do to him all those years ago, when he was fifteen. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not to him. He was a loner, who had lost too much already. Could he possibly have a chance of having a family of his own? As he thought over the possibility, Deeks and Kensi entered the boat shed.
"Why is Bronte inside with Kristin?" Kensi asked Callen. She was concerned for her friend and team leader.
"Because Bronte wants Kristin to flush out these men who killed Tommy Boyd." Callen stated, clearly opposed to the idea.
"But you don't," Kensi added. She could see his frustration and worry over the whole case.
"Hell no!" Callen's body tensed. "She lied to me, Kens. She admitted there is a possibility that Michael could be my son."
Deeks eyes widened at the news. This was the first he had heard any of this, about Callen and this Donnelly woman.
"Whoa! You have a son?"
"Not sure. But I've asked for a paternity test. I need to know. You know how important having family of my own means to me."
Kensi pulled Callen into a hug. "Yes we do, Callen. And we're all here to support you."
"Thanks." Their eyes were pulled back to the screen as Bronte sat opposite Kristin Donnelly at the table.
"Miss Donnelly. We need the name of the other man, who also could be Michael's father. It's imperative to help us find out who killed Tommy Boyd, and who was watching your house earlier today." Bronte was gentle in her approach with the other woman.
"Vasile. He had a European accent, but I'm not sure. I don't have a last name." Kristin looked up at the camera. "I'm sorry." She apologised to Callen, hoping he was watching her right then.
He had. His body tensed at the name. It niggled him over who Vasile was. He had heard it before. He watched Bronte's face turn to the camera. The look on her face told him she knew who he was. Bronte returned to face Kristin.
"Thank you, Miss Donnelly. You have been very helpful. You may join your son in the other room." Bronte led the woman to where Sam and Michael were. Sam saw the worried look on Bronte's face, and wondered what had happened for Bronte to wear that look.
"Who is he?" Callen asked her, as soon as she and Sam walked back out to the main area. He could see the effect that name had on her.
Bronte opened her mouth to answer but quickly closed it again. She took deep breaths to regain control over her emotions.
"For Kristin to think that either of you could be Michael's father, he would have to look like Michael. The only Vasile I have come across that meets this criteria is a Romanian. Vasile Comescu." She looked at Callen's eyes as realisation hit him.
"I thought we ended them all?" Callen couldn't believe this was happening. The enemy of his family; someone was still alive. He thought he was safe. Shivers ran down his spine.
"He left the beach house to find you four, with Dracul. Alexa Comescu told Lauren to asked Vasile and some men who worked for them to go to that old auto workshop. When you killed Dracul in Hawaii, you left Vasile in charge of the family business. He must believe Michael is his son. I don't think he knows about you, G." Bronte admitted.
Lauren had told her all that had happened in Romania. Because she was a fellow NCIS agent, she was allowed to tell her all that had happened to save her mother and Callen from the Comescus. She had met Vasile once when on an undercover stint in Romania. He was blond with blue eyes, just like Callen. Just thinking about it made her realise that they could be related.
"How do you know all about that op?" Deeks asked surprised. As far as he was concerned, that op was done off the books.
"Lauren. She told me about it because I was so worried about Hetty and Callen. You have to realise Detective Deeks, but for as long as I can remember, my Mother has watched over G. It was very much part of my childhood as well as Lauren's. That's why she went in as Ilena Vadim. To watch them closely, to ensure there was no threat to G. When she heard they were going after the last of the Callens', she had advised Hetty of the threat."
"I need to get this paternity test done ASAP," Callen stated. He dialled Eric on his cell. "Eric. Who can we ask to come to the boat shed to do a paternity test immediately?"
"Well there's the doctor Hetty trusts," he replied. "Dr Long at the Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre."
"I know who he is. He patched Bronte up the other day. I'll call him. Thanks, Eric." Callen disconnected his call with Eric and dialled a new number.