Till Death Do Us Part

Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine.


Chapter 28

Prague — 2011

Getting there was so much easier than she had anticipated. She'd killed two employees of the family's, at least that was all they were. Expendable and collateral. There was much more at stake than a few lives. Her agenda was to ensure that her true identity remained hidden from her people in America. She brewed a pot of tea and waited until they arrived.

She heard footsteps and held her weapon out in front of her as the men arrived. They looked at the carnage of bodies before looking at her. The tall blond, he was definitely familia, but he was too young to have been around when she was last welcomed back home.

"Take me to the head of Comescu," She spoke to them in Romanian.

"You deserve to die after what you have done here. Why should I spare you?" The blond growled.

"I have news for the head of Comescu." She kept her face dead panned and continued her request.

The man thought for a moment. For her age, this woman was nothing but trouble. The headache from this mess she'd caused wouldn't go down well in Constanta. "Give me your gun, if you want to see them."

Hetty nodded and did as the man requested. She stood up and followed him out the door. She'd expected his companions to follow, but they remained behind. Trouble left behind for Callen, she thought. If Callen followed her. No, not if, when. There was no doubt the younger man had inherited his talents from both of his parents. Oh yes, she knew very well who both of his parents were, but after such a long time lying to the boy, it was as if it was the truth. A letter for a name. A chuckle escaped deep down in her throat. His lack of memory had kept him alive. With no memory of his life prior to living in an orphanage at age seven, she was safe. Safe from him and from those who sought him. His family.

Constanta, Romania

He pulled up outside the familiar beach house and a guard opened the door. The house was surrounded by employees to keep the family safe, but for how long? She followed them inside where the family were eating lunch. All eyes looked up at her as if she was a stranger. This is not what she had expected. She'd expected to see hatred in their eyes and fear. But instead, they looked at her expectantly as if she was just an old lady.

"I have news for the head of Comescu." Hetty stated clearly.

A woman not much younger than herself, walked out carrying a pot in her hands. "I am the head of Comescu. I am Alexa Comescu. What news could you possibly have for me? Your passport says you are a Gloria Woods, but you also go by the name Henrietta Lange, and even that is not your real name."

So she remembers me, Hetty smiled on the inside. This will be interesting. She stepped forward and handed over a thumb drive and an envelope.

Alexa handed the thumb drive over to a man of similar age and Hetty concluded for him to be her husband. She opened the envelope and watched the video of a man in a white shirt being shot down in the streets.

"What is this?"

"Proof. Proof that the last of the Callens has died. He was killed six months ago."

"Why should I believe you?" Alexa narrowed her eyes, curious to what game this intruder was playing.

Hetty pulled up her sleeve. "Because I am familia."

Alexa stared at the Romani wheel tattoo and remained quiet as she looked at the woman. She knew who she was, but she was still in shock that this traitor had the gall to return to the family's home, after all that she had done. She was playing a game, she noted, and so would she.

She nodded over to a guard and whispered into his ear. The guard led Hetty into another room. When Hetty arrived inside the room, she looked over at the pickles, jams and jarred fruits. Nothing inside this room had changed, in all the years since she'd left. The family's traditions continued as if time had stood still.

Alexa entered and stood close to the door.

"Who made these?" Hetty inquired, holding off her real intentions for being there.

"I did. My mother taught me and her mother taught her before that and so on." Alexa played the game that Hetty had started, as if the petite woman before her had no idea about their family. "Sit. Please."

Alexa directed Hetty to the other side of the room to sit at the table, while she prepared vegetables to make soup.

"Why did you come?"

"I've told you why I came. To show you proof that the last of the Callens was dead." She remained calm as she dealt with her.

"You lie."

"I surely do not lie."

Alexa raised her brow, anger surged through her. She pulled photographs out of the apron pocket and threw each of them down. "You lie, you lie, you lie. What is it about this one that you would risk your own life to come here?" She dug her knife blade into the photo of the one whom was the topic of conversation, G. Callen. Photographs of her whole team appeared in front of her and she realised that Callen hadn't come alone. A plan of how she was going to get out of this one began to form in her mind.

The door opened and a familiar face appeared in the doorway, speaking quietly with Alexa. Inwardly she smiled, pleased that her adopted daughter, Lauren, had achieved her objective to infiltrate her own family as Elena Vadim. Outwardly, she appeared nonchalant, as if she'd never seen the woman before. After Alexa returned to the table to cut vegetables, Hetty took her opportunity to inquire after the young woman.

"Who is the girl?"

"My niece. Her father took her away, but she came back to us." Alexa smiled as she busied her hands. Her hands were better doing something, else she would strangle the woman before her. They chattered as if she didn't know who she really was, nor the fact that she knew who the fake Elena really was. She allowed Hetty to tell her some fake story on how she was born in a concentration camp and when her parents died. But they both knew the truth and she wondered why her cousin had returned. She expelled her anger as she chopped away at the carrots.

Gunfire could be heard from outside the beach house and they both knew who had arrived. Callen and his team, the team he left her name sake niece for, all because of the woman before her. She sat down across from Hetty. "Why are they here? To kill you?"

"No, to rescue me."

Alexa couldn't take it any longer. Her patience had run out. "Now tell me why they would come in here to rescue you? You of all people who had his mother killed, kept him hidden from his family and killed my sister who tried protect him from you?

Gunfire rang out, a shocked look crossed Hetty's face as the bullet hit her side. She shouldn't have come, she realised.

"You deserve nothing but to die by my own hands. You killed my little sister. You deserted your familia for America, for what? You've done nothing but make that boy's life miserable. Placed him in homes that destroyed the goodness in him. Took all that he loved from him and kept him hidden from his family. And I've not mentioned how you've allowed him to grow up without knowing his name. What is your agenda, cousin, Erika?"

Gunfire came louder, they were now inside the beach house. Alexa stood up, just as the door burst open and before her very eyes, stood the man whom she'd tried to protect. She'd hidden him with her sister and her family. Sent them to America to hide him from Hetty. She'd found him crying on the beach after his mother had been shot and she did all that she could to console him.

"I know who you are. I know all about you." She still held the gun in her hand, but she saw the shock in his eyes as he looked at her. She knew in that instant that he had worked out who his wife really was. Familia to Comescu. There was no doubt in that, as he hesitated to raise his weapon to shoot her.

Movement from behind the door caused Callen to swing around with his weapon drawn. Shock over seeing this Hunter woman standing there caught him off guard. Hunter raised her gun and before Alexa could act, she felt the impact of the bullet hit her chest. She fell as Callen turned, confusion over what was happening was written all over his face.

Callen stared down at the lifeless body of an older version of his wife, Alexandra. A shiver ran down his spine, but he had more pressing issues to deal with. Hunter. That woman boiled his blood unlike any other. He watched Hunter pull a key from the dead body and unlocked a door and pulled out a laptop. He wanted answers, but Hunter refused to play nice.

Sam entered, relieved to have found Hetty, who continued to sit at the table in silence. Blood continued to ooze out from her bullet wound and she began to lose consciousness. As she fell from her chair, the last thing she heard, was Sam.

"Hetty!"

Medoza, Argentina — current day, 2015

Sam looked over to the real Elena Vadim with shock in his eyes. His hands flexed as anger over his best friend's fate was revealed. Finally he had the truth in his hands and fear for Callen, Alex and their children hit him. He turned to Nell, who sat silently throughout Elena's explanation to Sam.

"G needs to know the truth. They're not safe."

"No they're not." Nell pulled out a burn phone. "I'll call Granger and update him."

"I'll call G."

"No." Elena said in a firm voice. "Call Oscar. He knows what to do."

"But G…"

Elena walked over to Sam and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know that you are loyal to Gavrill, Sam. The fact that he is still alive today, is thanks to you. But trust me, please, call Oscar. He'll know what to do. He's currently visiting them, he can act quickly."

Sam looked over to Nell with questioning eyes. She was already onto Granger and she noticed his hesitation. She nodded to him that it was okay to do as Elena requested. He pulled out his cell and exited the room. He waited for Oscar to pick up and was relieved when he did. Although he'd never met Alex's father, he'd heard a great deal about him from Alex and Callen. He knew Oscar could be trusted with protecting them.

"Oscar Holden? This is NCIS Agent, Sam Hanna."

"Agent Hanna. What can I do for you?"

"Not me, Sir, but for Alex and G."

Oscar looked over at his daughter who was sleeping. His talk with her a few days earlier had helped her and she was now taking the medication for her latest depression. They had a close bond like any father and daughter, but for some reason, their bond was closer than most. He wasn't sure if it was due to him finding her crying by her mother's dead body as a toddler and it was he who had managed to soothe her. He turned away and looked out the window, watching the people below go about their daily lives.

"You've found Elena?" He kept his voice low, the last thing he wanted was to disturb Alex.

"We have. Apparently you know more than you've let on about Alex's family?" Sam didn't mean to sound cynical, but the man had kept a great deal of secrets from Alex over the years.

"I made a promise to her father, to keep her true identity hidden and to protect her. The effects of the news hasn't helped her post natal depression. She suffered after having Katie, but it was hampered due to G leaving like he did. The timing couldn't have come at a worse time for her."

"Do you know how dangerous Hetty is to G, Alex and their children?"

"I do."

"Are you aware that Callen's told Hetty about Alex and the kids?"

Oscar furrowed his brow. "No, I did not."

"She was suppose to come up with Director Vance to see them. G wanted her to meet his children."

"He's what?" Callen entered the room as Oscar's voice rose in surprise from what Sam was telling him.

"He doesn't know what danger they're in from Hetty. You need to move them to a safe location."

Callen looked over at Oscar with concern, his cerulean eyes stayed on his father-in-law, trying to work out what was going on.

"Yes. I'm on it. Gibbs is here too, I'll talk to him. No one's come up from Los Angeles due to Alex's health, we've got a little time. I'm not sure if Samuel is ready to be moved, but I will talk with his doctor about the situation."

"Elena has stressed the urgency, Oscar. She said you knew where to take them?"

"Yes, I do. Thanks, Agent Hanna." He disconnected the call and met Callen's stare.

"Sam rang you?" Callen's brows raised in surprise. "He was suppose to ring me."

"He wanted to, G. He's loyal to you, like family. But he's just found out something that confirms what I've always known. I'm sorry, but we need to move your family. Today."

Callen looked over at his wife, she was peaceful and her facial expression, relaxed. She was beautiful and she took his breath away every time he saw her. How had he deserved her? Even after all he'd done, yet she was his, "till death to us part". Her words rung in his head, her admittance that although he'd left her, she still was faithful to him. It was time he proved his worthiness of her faith in him. He needed to protect his family.

"Where?"

"I can't tell you, it's for your own safety. It will require new identities, new cell, watch, wardrobe of clothes, just incase anyone has bugged your things. And you cannot contact anyone from your old life outside of Gibbs, myself, Owen, Sam and Nell. Do you hear me?"

"But Hetty, she was coming up here to meet our children and to help Alex…"

"G." Oscar held his shoulders and faced him squarely. "You're all in danger from Hetty. She's not on your side. She's the enemy."

Callen shook his head. "No. You've got it wrong. She's protected me for all of these years from the rest of the Comescus."

Oscar squeezed his shoulder a little more firm than he'd like, but it was important for Callen to understand the truth. "I haven't got it wrong, G. Alex's mother, Calin, was protecting you from Hetty. It was Hetty who had your mother killed on the beach. She killed Calin to get to you and manipulate you. All she's ever done is keep you from your family. Both families. Ten years lost from being with Alex and Katie. A lifetime from your father and sister. You need to accept this, G, and we've got to move. Now that you've told Hetty about your location, it's no longer safe for you and your family."

Callen's chest hurt. His heart beat heavily under his rib cage, fear and confusion rushed through his veins. Fear for his family, confusion over all that he'd known for all these years. Then he remembered the woman in Romania. The woman who greeted him as he entered the inner room to the beach house. A store room and a work room for cooking. Jars lined up on shelves along the wall and a large table that sat in the middle of the room. Vegetables had been chopped and were sitting inside a large copper pot, waiting to make soup. The soup that would never be made thanks to Lauren Hunter.

"I know who you are. I know everything about you."

The sound of a gun firing off made him swing back around to the woman. She fell to the ground from the bullet that hit her chest. He remembered the shiver that had run down his spine. So much like Alex, only an older version of her. His wife. What what she doing there? But he remembered, he was distracted by Hunter. She unlocked a door with a key that she'd found around the woman's neck. She collected one item out of that storeroom, a laptop and she had refused to let him have it. Even months after the event, she refused to tell him what was on it. Well, anything that pertained to him.

Callen looked back at Oscar. "Alexa Comescu. I noticed her when I entered the room where she was holding Hetty. She told me she knew everything about me and she looked so much like…" He looked over at his wife and then back to Oscar. "I knew back then that Alex looked like Alexa Comescu, but I still did nothing about it. I was focused on trying to find out more about the family feud and what Hunter was up to."

"Lauren Hunter was Hetty's orchestrated distraction for you, G. But you never trusted her, did you?"

Callen shook his head. "No. From the moment I met her, she made my blood boil."

"Trust your instincts, G. Your partner and Nell are with Elena in Argentina. They are safe, but worried about you and your family. We need to move now."

Callen nodded. "Let's go."