A/N - Thanks so much for all the support, reviews and alerts Callen and Bella's story it almost at an end. Only two more chapters after this one.

Disclaimer in Chapter 1

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Chapter 25

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought them apart. Callen pulled his eyes away from Kim to glance at the door, ready to tell whoever it was to get lost.

Except he couldn't. It was Fornell and Gibbs.

"Glad to see you two seem to have gotten it together," Gibbs remarked.

Callen stood up and looked back to Kim, a grin forming on both their faces.

"Took you long enough, Callen," Fornell added as he walked over to kiss Kim on the cheek.

"Good to see you awake … and happy," Fornell said gently to her.

Kim smiled at her uncle. One that was gentle but then changed slightly. Fornell frowned, wondering what he was in trouble for.

"You told him."

Fornell stepped back slightly, looking nervous and tilted his head at Gibbs, "It was him, not me."

Gibbs stayed by the door. Callen chuckled softly in amusement, at the look on Gibbs' face. He honestly looked scared.

"Gibbs," Kim said firmly. "Come here." She held back a smile at the look of trepidation on Gibbs' face. He couldn't possibly be worried that she would hurt him, given her present condition.

"You should probably do what she says Gibbs," Callen added, trying not to smile. "She's rather determined."

Gibbs walked slowly over. "Remember Donovan, you're injured. You shouldn't be moving around."

"Well then, you'd better come closer, hadn't you?" Kim asked, laughing softly.

Callen watched as Gibbs walked closer, wondering just what it was that had the ever tough Gibbs looking so nervous.

Kim lifted her hand carefully, waving him closer. Gibbs complied and lent down to her.

"Thank you," Kim said softly as she put a hand on his neck and pulled him closer to kiss him on the cheek. She let him go and smiled.

"Not in trouble?" Gibbs asked.

Kim shook her head. "Not this time."

Gibbs stood up, obvious relief on his face. He glanced between Callen and Kim, a smile forming on his face. "So I'm guessing you wouldn't agree to going out to dinner with me?"

"Gibbs," Fornell warned.

"Dinner, yes," Kim answered. Gibbs eyes went wide and she smiled again. "Date, no."

Seriously, after everything they had been through, did he really think he had a chance, especially with Callen standing right there.

Gibbs shrugged. "Had to try. Make sure Callen knows he's got competition if he messes up."

Callen reached for Kim's hand and she turned, smiling at him.

"Not gonna mess up, Gibbs." Except it wasn't really Gibbs he was saying it. Kim smiled softly at him, understanding on her face that he was promising her that.

"Kimmy," Fornell said, "we've got to go back to Washington. I'm going to give Neil a hand with the rest of this investigation. Make sure it gets done."

Kim nodded, her smile dropping slightly.

"Do me a favour Donovan," Gibbs said.

Kim raised her eyebrows. Gibbs glanced at Callen. "Keep him out of trouble. I really don't want to have to fly across the country for a while because one of you lands in the hospital again."

One day Callen would have to ask just what it was between the two of them, because Gibbs certainly seemed to care more for Kim than her joining him on that rescue mission to get him would indicate.

"I'll see what I can do," Kim replied softly, tiredness coming into her voice.

Gibbs and Fornell left and she turned to him, her eye lids dropping slightly.

"Sorry, so sleepy."

"I'll be here when you wake up," Callen assured her.

"You don't have to. Go, get some sleep."

"Later," he said softly as her eyes closed again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

The next day Kim sent Callen home. He hadn't slept in a bed for a few of days, refusing to leave her until the sedation they had put her under had fully worn off. Just in case she woke up and couldn't remember what was real again. She said he needed a shave. Apparently she wasn't keen on the scruffy look. Plus, they were going to move her from ICU, so he might as well do something whilst he waited for them to get her settled.

After grabbing a couple of hours sleep, a shower and the requested shave, Callen was walking down the corridor back to her room, when a feeling came over him that something wasn't right. He frowned and, as he focused on the door up ahead that was hers, he saw a man step through it. That was when he knew what was wrong. There was no security outside her room. As fear wrapped around his heart, he quickened his pace, hand going to rest on his gun, but refraining from pulling it out just yet, mindful of the people milling around. Callen arrived at her door, pausing briefly as he unholstered it, and then stepped quickly through it, training his gun on the man who was standing right next to Kim.

"Get away from her!" Callen ordered.

The man looked at him and, seeing the gun he was holding, held his hands up in a sign of surrender.

"Step back," he said, glancing briefly to Kim to make sure she was okay.

"G!" Kim exclaimed. "Put it away, please."

"Bella, you okay?" Callen asked, eyes focused back on the man whose hands were still held up, noticing a small smile on his face.

"I'm fine, G. Please. This is Brendan."

Callen frowned. Brendan? The ex. The one who'd been there for her. Callen slowly lowered his gun.

"Please G, put it away. The girls are coming," Kim begged.

Callen could hear the light, childish giggles from just outside and quickly holstered his gun as he stepped over to her side.

"Thank you," she said softly, reaching for his hand, as two little girls came bouncing into the room.

"Aunty Kim, I got you flowers," said the bigger one.

"Me too," added the little one, as the both tried to get up on the bed with her.

The bigger one stopped when she noticed Callen. "Are you Aunty Kim's boyfriend?" she asked

Callen raised his eyebrows at Kim. Brendan chuckled and she threw him a glare, which Callen was pleased wasn't directed at him.

The little girl opened her mouth again, but before she could speak her dad did.

"Ash," Brendan said, "Leave Aunty Kim's boyfriend alone."

Callen couldn't help but laugh and Kim turned her glare on him and he stopped abruptly.

"For that," Kim said, her look turning playful, as she turned to the littlest one, "Kayla, this is Callen. And he's extremely ticklish behind the knees," Callen swallowed nervously as she continued, "and he really loves to be tickled there."

"Bella," Callen warned. Trust her to remember that. No one else knew about that weak spot.

"Really?" Eyes lit up at the suggestion, from both little girls, and Callen knew he that, even though they were so much smaller than he was, he was in big trouble.

"Ash, Kayla, where's your mum?" Brendan asked, distracting the two girls from the mission their aunt had sent them on.

"Right here," a woman answered as she walked into the room carrying some flowers.

She walked over, putting one bouquet of flowers on each bedside table, then giving Kim a kiss on the cheek. "The girls picked them," she said, stepping back to slip an arm around Brendan's waist.

"This one's from me," Ashleigh said, pointing to the bright colourful one.

"This one's for me," Kayla added referring to the other, which was full of pink flowers of all different types.

"From me," their mom corrected.

"Callen, this is Jennifer. Brendan's wife," Kim introduced. "The mother of these two crazy, adorable creatures, who seem to have forgotten what -" Callen put his hand over Kim's mouth gently, but quickly, to stop her.

"I'm sure it can stay forgotten." Callen removed his hand slowly.

"Hi," he added as he turned to look at the family who was surrounding Bella. He turned back to her, "I'll come back later."

"You don't have to go, Callen. We've got to get these two some lunch," Jennifer said. "We've been here a while. The girls wanted to get flowers before we left."

Brendan lifted the girls, one by one, onto the bed to say goodbye and give Kim a gentle hug, then he reached down, gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek and whispered something in her ear that Callen couldn't hear. It made him slightly nervous.

"Thanks," Kim said softly. Callen could see how much she still cared about him and his family.

Jennifer ushered the girls out the door with a final wave. Brendan paused at the door and looked back, his attention focused solely on Callen.

"Hurt her again, you'll learn there's a whole lot I haven't taught her," Brendan warned. He glanced at Kim, smiled and left.

"Guess I've been warned," Callen replied as he turned back to Kim.

"He means well," Kim assured him. She blinked back the tears. Brendan had never let her down, even after she'd called it off. He'd always been there for her, protecting her however he could. Even after Jennifer came along. He was now like the brother she always wished she'd had. A grown up version of Henry.

"Yeah, so does your uncle, Simon, Neil and Gibbs. So he's gonna be at least fifth in line if I mess up. Anyone else I should know about?" He had to wonder just how many protectors she had out there.

"You planning on messing up?" Kim asked cheekily.

"No," Callen denied, wondering what she was up to.

"Then no," she shook her head slightly, "no one else to worry about. Except me." Callen raised an eyebrow at her comment. She grinned. "You haven't kissed me yet."

Callen smiled. "I got a little distracted thinking you were in danger."

"Hetty sent the security home. No one's after us, at least not related to this," Kim assured him.

Callen lent down and kissed her gently, not expecting her to reach up and hold him there, deepening the kiss as she did.

He pulled back, cleared his throat. Kim smiled, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.

"You're going to be a difficult patient aren't you?" he asked at that look from her.

"Depends."

Callen raised his eyebrows. "On?"

"How long it takes you to get me out of the hospital," Kim said.

"When the doctor says you can go home," Callen said, his tone firm. There was no way she was leaving this hospital until it was safe for her to do so. No matter how much he wanted to take her home now.

"Then we could have a problem," Kim added.

"Why?"

She looked intently at him, a familiar look in her eyes, that he knew he would have had difficulty ignoring if she hadn't been lying on a hospital bed and injured.

"Don't like the bed," she replied.

"Why not?"

Kim grinned. "Not enough room for two."

Definitely trouble.