Thank you all again for the wonderful encouragement! To French Fan, the reason LAPD only called Deeks is because of his status as liason; the person who would actually come down would have to be a relative, hence, Callen. Hope that clears it up. :)


Callen walked into the precinct and showed his badge to the officer at the front desk.

"I'm here about my wife, her name's Arya Callen. She was arrested and brought here an hour or so ago. I'm here to clear things up and take her home." He said.

"One moment please." The woman picked up a phone and pressed an extension. While she spoke to the person on the other end, Callen fidgeted impatiently. After what seemed like an eternity, the woman hung up. "Through this door, take a right, then the last door on your left." She said and buzzed him in. He walked through the door and down the hall to the door she had specified. Entering the jail block, he showed his credentials to the officer on duty, who led him to her cell.

She was sitting on the bench, face in her hands. At the sound of their approach, she looked up. Seeing Callen with the officer, she jumped up and gripped the bars.

"What the hell did you do?" Callen asked angrily. "I told you not to leave the house!"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I wanted to surprise you and….oh, it all just fell apart!" she said through her tears.

"I-I don't get it. Surprise me…with what?" he asked.

She sniffed and wiped her sleeve across her face as the story spilled out in a mix of English and Dari. "I wanted to cook you dinner. You know, for our first meal alone together as husband and wife. I wanted to make you something and surprise you when you came home from work, but when I checked the kitchen, there wasn't much I could use. So, I thought I'd go to the bazaar and find some ingredients, but I didn't know where it was, so I called you and you didn't answer, so I left a message and then I waited, but I thought I could find it, that it couldn't be too far and so I left. I was afraid you wouldn't call me back in time for dinner to be ready when you walked in. I took some money out of your jar by the door and went out the back because I didn't have a key to lock the front door. I climbed the side fence and started walking, but everywhere I turned, it was just houses, houses, more houses. So I tried to go back, but I got turned around. Suddenly, a police car drove up and the officer got out and I tried to ignore him and just keep walking, but then he started following me and I panicked and ran. But he caught up to me and threatened to shoot me, so I stopped." She said, stopping to catch her breath.

"But why did you run, Arya?" Callen asked.

"Because…all my life, I've always been afraid of the police. Back in Afghanistan, they looked for women who were out in public without a male escort. I was afraid he would arrest me or beat me for being out without you. I thought maybe that's why you'd wanted me to stay home, but it was too late to go back. Oh god, I'm sorry I disobeyed and left. I just wanted to do something nice for you, that's all." She explained.

The officer who arrested her came in. Callen explained the situation, and the officer nodded in understanding. "I figured when she couldn't speak English very well that she probably got lost. It wasn't until she ran that I got concerned. I didn't mean to frighten her, but yelling 'Stop, Police!' didn't seem to help, so I cornered her and drew my piece, which got her attention real quick. No charges will be filed. Holmes, go ahead and cut her loose." He said to the guard officer, who opened the cell door. Arya went straight into Callen's arms and held on to him as if her life depended on it. He hugged her for a minute. "Thanks guys. It won't happen again." He said to the officers. "Come on Arya, let's get you home."


Dinner was coming along nicely; under Callen's careful guidance, Arya was preparing not only their first homecooked meal together, but her first American staple: Oven-Fried Chicken. She had thrown together a mouthwatering combination of spices with the flour and now had it frying nicely after Callen had shown her how to set it up; being accustomed to cooking over open flame, it was her first time using a modern stove/oven. While it cooked, she prepared the rest of their meal. Callen was in the living room, watching the Lakers-Kings game; the Kings were up 65-60 in the 3rd. When the timer went off, Arya removed the chicken and Callen came in to check on it.

"Looks good. Smells good. Looks like your first American meal is a success!" he said with a grin. "Here." He took down the plates and handed her one. They dished up and sat down. Arya, breath held in anticipation, watched Callen take the first bite. He closed his eyes in appreciation, then looked at her and nodded his approval. She let out her breath with a smile, then dug in herself. After a few minutes, Callen broke the silence.

"So….we've gotta figure this whole…marriage thing….out." Callen said uncomfortably.

"Yeah…I guess we do." Arya said nervously.

"I'm going to get right to the point: there's a reason I haven't been married yet. I'm not exactly 'husband' material. I work odd hours, sometimes not even coming home for days, as you've seen. I don't trust people in general, with few exceptions, so 'falling in love' is not something I do easily. I've had a few girlfriends, but obviously nothing came of them. And according to Sam, I'm a colossal pain in the ass." He smirked. "So, here's the deal: I don't have romantic feelings toward you, and I don't expect you to have them toward me. Obviously, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like; if, down the road, after you get your citizenship, you decide to leave and even get a divorce, that's fine. I won't stop you from doing what you want, but I also won't force any of the usual norms on you that are associated with marriage: you don't have to play homemaker or worry about anything physical. Tomorrow, I'll get you a cell phone so you can leave the house safely. Also, I strongly recommend that you take a literacy course; the library is a good place to find free help with that." He paused before continuing. "Your thoughts?"

Arya was a little at a loss; this wasn't entirely how she thought this conversation would go. "Um, yeah. Sounds good." She said, trying to hide the ache in her heart; she was married, but she wasn't loved. Get it together, woman! Life is not a story; sometimes, you have to sacrifice some things you want to get what you need. He gave you life; what more could you ask for? She thought.

"Ok, good. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I can't guarantee I'll always have an answer, but you're welcome to ask." Callen said as he finished his plate. "Dinner was fantastic." He said, changing the subject. "You cooked, I'll clean. Fair?"

"Sure." Arya replied distractedly. She finished her final bite, then took her plate to the sink. "I'm going to shower, then. Thank you for cleaning up." She said, leaving him in the kitchen. Once in the shower, she gave herself over to the tears she'd held back. Even though he was in the house, she felt incredibly alone. Drying her eyes, she washed up and got out. She dried off and dressed, then went to sit in her room a bit. Laying on top of the bed, her back to the open door, she stared at the wall in silence, trying to calm her thoughts. Exhausted by the day's events, she soon fell asleep.


Callen was deep in thought, too. "I am such an ass. " To be fair, this was ENTIRELY new territory to him; legally, he was a husband, but emotionally he wasn't. He was sharing his living space with this unfamiliar woman, unsure of their roles and boundaries, and it felt...uncomfortably tolerable. "At least it's not *so* lonely. I mean, we can talk, right? Shit, how *do* I handle her? Do I talk to her? Leave her alone? Treat her as a friend? A roommate?" He sighed and tipped his head back against the couch. He heard the bathroom door open, then the squeak of her body pressing on her bed. He hated having this thick tension and uncertainty between them. He rose and stretched, steeling himself for the next conversation. After a moment, he walked to her room. The door was open, and he peeked inside. She was lying on the bed, curled on her side, facing away from him.

"Arya?" Callen said softly. No answer. He walked into her room silently until he could see her face; her eyes were closed and her breathing was even. Reaching down to the foot of the bed, he grabbed the edge of the comforter and gently pulled it up over her legs. Turning off the light, he left the room as silently as he entered it.

He went to bed, but laid there staring at the ceiling for over an hour before sleep came.