Season 1, Episode 12: Past Lives


Sam was taking a turn singing something from the hip-hop section of the karaoke catalogue, and, if G were honest, he was killing it. The whole room was rocking along with the beat, Kensi and Eric were dancing in their seats, and Nate was looking increasingly flustered about having to sing next.

He'd be doubly flustered when he found out Callen had paid the karaoke guy $20 to swap whatever Nate picked for something from the Beach Boys.

Callen leaned over to where Hetty was watching the proceedings with the same calm air of control she had presiding over the office.

"Did you know?" he asked quietly. "That Michael wasn't…?"

"Yes, Mister Callen. I knew."

"Were you going to tell me?"

"Only if it became necessary." She gave him a tiny shrug. "I had faith that your honesty would be sufficient. Either that or your charm, which never seems to fail you, though I can't say why."

G rocked back in mock hurt. "Hetty! Now, that's just cruel!"

"Perhaps." She saluted him with her drink. "But nonetheless, all is well again, I assume?"

He let out a breath as Sam finished, bowing to applause. "Yeah. It's all good."

The karaoke guy waved Nate forward and handed him the mic, not so much as winking at Callen as he did so.

The screen behind Nate lit up bright blue with the title "California Girls."

Kensi practically exploded laughing. Sam and Eric high-fived and both looked back at G who waved them off, watching Nate try to talk to the karaoke guy before the song got going.

"Nate!" Hetty called. "You should always expect the unexpected! Now sing!"

And Nate, red-faced and glaring a promise of murder and extra debriefings at Callen, surrendered.

Though he was mostly drowned out by Sam's guffawing and Eric yelling additional lines and inserts throughout the track and Kensi threatening them both if they kept up the commentary. On the plus side, it was getting them a lot of attention from the ladies at the next table.

Sometime in the middle of what had become an inadvertent singalong, Hetty leaned over to Callen. "The thing is, so much of what we do isn't real. But it can be real, if we choose to make it so. Someday, you might have to make a choice. I hope, when that day comes, you're ready."

Callen let out a breath. "I'm sure if that day comes, you won't let me just walk away."

"Oh, no, Mister Callen. It's always been your decision. All of it from the start. All this illusion, it's yours to maintain or fold."

"Yeah." He sighed. "But the illusion got me this far. So I'm okay with it for now."

She smiled at him. "As am I."

Nate finished and abandoned the stage as quickly as possible, going straight for his drink and trying desperately to avoid eye-contact with anyone else. Callen was moving to go slap him on the shoulder (and to pay the karaoke guy again to program Nate with Backstreet Boys for round two) when Hetty passed him, climbing up to the stage.

"I dedicate this song," she said, not into the mic, but just so they could hear, "to a person whose trust I find most precious."

Callen couldn't help but feel warm through every note of Hetty's rendition of "It's Only a Paper Moon."