A/N: Wow, thanks for all the reviews, guys! DizzyDrea, CallenHotchMcGarrettFan, leathman, lily moonlight, TwilightPony21, DS2010, and afrozenheart412 - thanks to all you awesome people for reviewing! It's just too bad that this is the second last chapter, isn't it?


Chapter Eleven

18:02, November 8; NCIS: OSP, Los Angeles

Kensi watched from a distance as Callen led Ebony Miller to the interrogation room where they were holding her father. They needed someone reliable to positively identify Ernest St. James as Adam Miller, and Ebony was the ideal person to do that.

It only took one look at the video feed.

"That's him," Ebony confirmed, her voice heavy. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry about this, Ebony," Callen said sincerely. She nodded unconvincingly.

"I…I want to go home now," she said. "If that's okay," she added reluctantly, looking at Callen.

"Of course," he agreed. "I'll take you." The two of them started to move out.

"Wait," Kensi called quietly, coming out from the shadows of the corner. Ebony jumped.

"Where did you come from?" she demanded.

"Kenz, are you sure you want to –" Callen began.

"Yes," Kensi interrupted. Callen gazed at her carefully for a minute before nodding and exiting the room, leaving Kensi and Ebony alone.

Ebony was the first to break the awkward silence. "So…you must be the woman Agent Callen was telling me about. He says we…have the same mother?" She looked self-consciously at Kensi.

The junior agent nodded. "Yeah," she said. "We do." Her eyes turned sad as she regarded her half-sister.

"You know, for what it's worth, I didn't know her either," Ebony offered. "She died when I was really young…I think I was like, five…"

"I was five, too," Kensi said quietly. "When she disappeared."

Ebony sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry that my dad…you know…" She shook her head. "You didn't deserve it, and neither did your dad. But…it's hard to hate him, you know?" She glanced forlornly at the video feed. "I've just found out that my father is probably one of the biggest bastards alive…and yet, I can't hate him. I hate what he did, but I still love him." She sighed again. "Does that make sense? I'm sorry if it doesn't – I'm not thinking very clearly right now…"

"No, it's fine," Kensi assured her. "I understand what you mean." She too cast a look at the video footage of Ernest St. James sulking in the interrogation room. She exhaled. "Look," she started, "whatever happened between our fathers, it doesn't have to affect us. After all that's said and done, we're still family…of a sort." She hesitated. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…let's let bygones be bygones, and just start over. You think we can do that?"

Ebony looked thoughtful. "Yeah," she agreed, smiling slightly. "I think I'd like that." Her gaze shifted to the door. "So…is this the part where we exchange phone numbers and agree to visit or something?"

Kensi chuckled; the sound was light and easy, brightening the uncomfortable tension. "Not quite." She sobered, contemplating. "I'll need some time. Everything just happened so fast…I need to sort this through for a while." She looked back at her half-sister. "But I'll come find you when I'm ready. I'd really like to get to know you better."

Ebony smiled. "Me too," she concurred. "I'll be waiting…when you're ready." Then she walked out the door.


Hetty sipped her tea daintily, barely glancing up when Ducky entered her office space.

"Well?" she queried.

"The lead was solid," the ME replied. "Julia Blye is living as one Abigail Bloomwood in Venice."

Hetty nodded, her countenance thoughtful. "Did you tell her?"

"About Ebony? Yes," Ducky admitted. "About Kensi, no."

Hetty nodded again as she drained the last of her tea. "I think it's time mother and daughter were reunited, don't you?" She smiled brightly at Ducky.

Ducky bobbed his head with a smile that matched hers. "Absolutely."


Kensi slowly made her way to the modest apartment on the fourth floor that Hetty had directed her to. Her heart was pounding in her ribs and her hands were shaking – literally shaking – as she knocked on the door. It was opened within a few seconds; a cautious face peeked out.

"Can I help you?" Abigail Bloomwood inquired, keeping the door as a barrier between herself and the unknown woman.

Kensi couldn't stop herself from staring; a flood of conflicting emotions, greater than she had ever experienced before, swelled in her chest. Joy, sadness, hope, despair, disbelief, anger, relief, thankfulness…

The last time she'd seen her mother, she'd been a little girl, full of happiness and belief that Mommy and Daddy were all-powerful, that they could fix everything. Now, as a grown adult, a seasoned agent who had seen more of the dark side of the world than most did, she saw a woman almost as scared as Marie Wilcox must have been. There was, however, a firm set to her jaw and a certain fire within her eyes that bespoke hidden strength of character.

Abigail frowned, tightening her hold on the door, ready to slam it shut. "I'm sorry – I don't think we've met."

Kensi was surprised to feel unbidden tears springing to her eyes. "Mom?" she whispered.

Abigail gaped at her, shock written all over her face. Her grip on the door unconsciously loosened as she struggled to find her voice.

"Kensi?" she breathed incredulously.

Mother and daughter stared at each other for a long moment, neither saying a word.

Then, as if someone had abruptly knocked all barriers flat and eradicated all walls, the two women fell into each other's arms, smiling through their tears.


It was near midnight by the time Kensi finally left Venice to go home – though not without a promise to return soon. As she drove down the familiar roads, she felt more content than she had in years – at long last, she knew the truth, the real truth, about what happened to her family.

After she'd caught his fancy one dark night in 1986, Ernest St. James had stalked Julia Blye, chased her to an alley, and raped her. Julia, a strong woman, had returned to her husband and daughter, saying nothing about her ordeal – Donald was going through a rough time in his career, and little Kensi did not need her image of a safe home shattered. Julia was determined to forget all about it and move on as if it never happened.

That plan was destroyed one month later, when Julia discovered she was pregnant with the rapist's child. However, as resolute as ever, she told Donald about her pregnancy and let him believe the baby was his. She could still make this work, she thought.

Only somehow, St. James discovered she was pregnant and tracked her back to her home. He demanded that he be allowed to claim the child, and when Julia refused, he abducted her, leaving her family to wonder where she had gone.

St. James kept Julia a prisoner in his home until she gave birth to his daughter, Ebony. Then he'd threatened to kill Kensi if Julia refused to stay to be a mother to Ebony.

Julia, however, scrounged up all the information she could on her husband and daughter. When she heard that they had moved to the Navy Yard in D.C., sometime in 1993, she made her escape, leaving a five-year-old Ebony behind with her father. St. James, ruthless smuggler though he was, nonetheless loved his little girl and would never hurt her, and Julia didn't want to expose her to a world of fear. She left the house one night and disappeared, changing her name and hiding in plain sight.

But now, with the resolution of the Main Wave case and Donald Blye's murder, and the arrest of Ernest St. James, Kensi had hope that she and her mother and Ebony could make a new beginning. First thing tomorrow, she was going to call on her half-sister and tell her that her mother – their mother – was alive and well, and longing to see her.

When Kensi reached her driveway, she was surprised to find Callen's car parked by the side, and Callen himself leaning against it.

"What are you doing here?" Kensi asked as soon as she got out of her car.

"Waiting for you," Callen responded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why?"

"I wanted to see if you were all right." Callen peered at her. "And don't lie to me, Kensi – I'll know if you do."

Kensi chewed on her lip thoughtfully for a few seconds before breaking out into a smile.

"You know what?" she said. "I'm fine. And more than fine…I've finally found all that I've been looking for."

Callen smiled, a little wistfully. "I'm glad for you, Kenz."

Kensi sighed as she sidled closer to him, propping her back against his car like he was. "You'll find your answers one day too, Callen."

"One can hope."

"No, not hope," she disagreed. "Callen, someday, I promise you, you will find what you're looking for. You'll know the truth. And I'll be right there with you, like you were with me."

Callen's face turned rueful. "Thanks, Kenz – but you can't predict the future."

"You've never heard of positive visualization? You know what your problem is, Callen?"

"I have a problem?" Callen raised an eyebrow.

"Yep. A big one. And you deserved every bit of that head-slap Gibbs gave you."

Callen cringed. "Please, don't remind me," he sighed. "I haven't been head-slapped by Gibbs in ten years. That was embarassing."

Kensi laughed. "Does he do that often?"

"Oh, yeah," said Callen. "All the time. But getting back on topic..." he redirected, "What, exactly, is my problem?"

"You're way too pessimistic. Would it kill you to look on the bright side for once?"

"That's Sam's job. I'm the glass-is-half-empty guy, remember?"

"And I'm the girl who drinks straight from the bottle." Kensi crossed her arms.

"Who told you that?" Callen wanted to know.

"I may or may not have overheard Sam referring to it once."

He chuckled. "I should have known," he muttered. "So you're good?" he asked, more seriously.

Kensi nodded. "I'm good."

"Good," he said. "Because Abby's demanded everyone's presence at a bar on Sunset tomorrow night."

Kensi cringed. "Not the Cowboy bar," she pleaded.

"No, no," he hastened to assure her. "Sam told her about Hetty and the mechanical bull. We're going to the one across the street."

"Why?"

Callen shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea," he admitted. "But you know Abby – if we don't show, she'll drag us there."

"I think I'll pass. On the being dragged part."

Callen nodded knowingly. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Kensi affirmed. "Goodnight, Callen."

"Night, Kenz." He opened his car door and stepped in.

"And…" Kensi hesitated; Callen waited, one foot still out of the car. "Thanks for stopping by."

Callen smiled fondly at her. "You're welcome."


A/N: Ah...a Callen/Kensi moment. I really do love those two together.

Only one more chapter to go, folks! Tune in tomorrow for the final chapter of the Cross-Country Case Trilogy!