Chapter 11

Beth opened her eyes to see Callen sitting in the chair beside her, an open file folder in his lap. It wasn't until he turned a page to read the back that he saw her eyes were open. Smiling, he asked, "How's your head?"

"Manageable." She sat up slowly and yawned, then asked, "What're you reading?"

"Just going through some old files. Nothin' important."

"You and Sam find anything out?"

He frowned. "Not really."

"Uh oh," she said. "What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Callen..."

"No, Beth!" He hissed, and she snapped her mouth shut. His gaze softened a little as he said, "Sorry. I just...do you wanna grab some dinner? I'm hungry and it's making me cranky."

Finally! she thought. Besides the applesauce she'd almost force-fed him at his house the day before, he hadn't eaten much. Deciding not to push him further, she merely nodded and said, "Sure. Just let me grab my things."

"You don't need it," he said, taking her hand and leading her toward the door. "Come on."

"But..."

His eyes were intense as he pulled her around to face him. "Trust me."

"You know I do," she said.

"Then just come with me."

She nodded. "Okay."

They walked down the street to a small diner and sat at a booth in the corner, where Callen could keep an eye on all the exits. The waitress brought two menus over, and after a few minutes of deliberation Callen ordered a turkey sandwich and fries, and Beth settled on a grilled chicken salad with a cup of french onion soup. As they waited for their food they sipped on their sodas and chatted about unimportant things like the weather and what had been on TV the night before.

"Are you okay?" Beth asked during a lull in their conversation.

"I'm fine," he replied. "How 'bout you?"

"Good."

"Good." He took a long sip of his drink.

"It's just..." Beth began, and he sighed.

"Here it comes," he muttered to himself.

"You've never asked me to go to dinner before."

He shrugged. "I wanted company. Is that bad?"

"No," she admitted.

"Then why are we discussing this?"

"It's just not like you to suddenly want company, that's all."

"So I can't change my mind?"

She shook her head. "No, it's fine."

"Then what's the problem?" He snapped.

She stopped and stared at him in surprise. Slowly, carefully considering her words, she said, "Nothing, I guess. I was just curious."

Their food came then, but suddenly Beth had no appetite. She watched Callen dig in for the first time in almost two weeks, her thoughts in turmoil. Something was obviously bothering him, but the wall he kept inside was firmly in place, and no amount of her gentle probing would crack it. Still, she wanted to make him feel better. It was hard to sit there and wait patiently for him to let her in.

What if, she wondered, he never did?

"Something wrong with your food?" She heard him ask, and she shook her head and picked up her fork.

"I was just thinking," she said. Taking a bite of her salad, she faked a smile to convince him she was enjoying it. It was probably very good, but on her tongue everything now tasted like sawdust and she had to force herself to keep eating, using her soda to help it go down. She only prayed it would stay there.

When they left the diner, Callen led the way across the street to the beach. Though it was mostly dark, he seemed to navigate their way down to the water's edge just fine. Slipping off his shoes and socks, he left them on the sand and walked through the shallow surf that rolled up onto the beach, and Beth copied him. Side by side, they waded along, silently enjoying the warm California night air. A few nocturnal birds skittered along ahead of them, digging for small crabs and insects, and the plume of a humpback whale sprayed into the air only a few hundred feet from shore, its mist visible in the moonlight.

Beth looked down in surprise as she felt Callen's hand join with hers.

"I know I've been bad company lately," she heard him mutter then. "Especially tonight. The past few weeks have been hard for me to deal with."

"It's okay, Callen," she began, but he pulled to a stop and turned to face her.

"It's not. I shouldn't be taking it out on you. I know you wanna help and I haven't been giving you a chance. I'm sorry, Beth."

His gaze was so sad she could barely stand it. Laying her hand against his cheek, she stared back at him with a slight smile on her lips. "I forgive you. We're okay."

"You sure?"

She nodded. "Positive."

He blew out a breath and ran a hand over his short hair. "Okay."

"I can have the patience of a saint, but Sam's a different story."

He stared at her. "You talked to him."

Beth grinned. "Yeah. He was not a happy man, either."

"I know, and I'll make it up to him."

"Better do it soon. I caught him looking at headstones," she joked.

"That's nothing," he replied. "When he starts checking out coffins, then we should worry."

They chuckled at that and then continued on their walk. Beth slipped her arm through his, her hand on his bicep, and he smiled down at her and pulled his arm close to his side, which succeeded in moving her closer as well. As she stumbled against him he wrapped his arm around her waist, and Beth stifled a grin at his obvious ploy. Still, she let him hold her, even resting her head against his shoulder until they reached the pier at the end of the beach. Callen climbed up on it and turned to face her, his hands out to help her up.

"You sure it's safe?" She asked him. Noticing the broken boards and fraying ropes, she added, "Looks rickety."

He nodded. "You trust me?"

For the second time that night, she repeated, "You know it."

He leaned forward and took her hands, then backed up so she could step up onto the pier with him. Once she was there, he led her about halfway down and sat down on the edge. She sat beside him. Their feet dangling only inches above the water, they sat staring up at the thousands of stars overhead, Callen's arm around Beth keeping her close to him.

"When I was younger," Beth said quietly, suddenly needing to break the silence, "I did something that I'm not proud of. It was stupid and it caused a lot of issues that I'm still dealing with."

"That's how life goes, usually."

"I know, but it was especially bad. If anyone knew..."

Callen tipped her face up to stare into her eyes. "Beth. Nothing you've done can change the way I feel about you."

Her eyes filled with tears. "You don't know..."

He shook his head. "Don't need to. I know you."

His thumb brushed away the tear that had escaped down the side of her nose, and that small action brought even more tears. Without thinking, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his in an effort to comfort herself, to reassure her that this was real and he was there. It was only a quick kiss, slightly more than a friendly peck, but when she realized what she'd done she pulled away and felt her face grow hot.

"Uh...I..." she stuttered. "Callen..."

"It's late," he said, changing the subject. "I should get you back."

Her shoulders slumped. "I wish we didn't have to go. It's nice here." With you, she added in her head, but she wouldn't dare speak the words aloud, especially after what had just happened. As it was, she could barely look at him.

"I know. I don't want to, either, but we have work in the morning," he said. Standing up, he held his hand out to help her up and she took it. As she brushed the sand off her jeans, he called her name and she looked up.

"Yeah?"

Taking her face in his hands, he bent down and kissed her lips. Beth's eyes slid closed and her hands slipped up to his chest, fingers splayed across his t-shirt. A tightness made its way into her own chest, and Callen seemed to sense it and let go of her face to wrap both arms around her, holding her as close as he could.

When he finally drew away to catch a breath, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling softly. "Couldn't help it," he explained, "you looked so beautiful in the moonlight."

Regaining her senses, she playfully batted her eyelashes. "I could be a siren, you know."

"Waiting for the right moment to drag me into the water and drown me?" He asked. When she nodded, he leaned down and kissed her again. "You wouldn't have to drag me. I'd dive in willingly."

"Somehow, I believe that."

"You should. It's the truth."

His phone rang then and he frowned, but he pulled it out and answered it anyway.

"Yeah, Sam?"

He listened for a while, then nodded and said, "Okay. Be there in a few minutes."

As he hung up, he explained to Beth. "Got a visitor at the Boatshed."

"Captain Henderson?" She asked.

"Nope," he said as they jogged back to where they'd dumped their shoes. "His wife, Sandie."

TBC...