DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from NCIS LA, NCIS, Leverage. It bums me out, too.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi everyone! Welcome back! I am so thankful and blessed to have such awesome readers. I am absolutely LOVING all the reviews and messages! Some are close with what is coming and some are giving me great ideas of future stories. Callen is going to be BUSY. Thank you to all the new Favorites... all the new Followers... and thank you, thank you, thank you, for all the reviews. Please to each and ever reader... stop by and say hi, tell me what you think... I love hearing from you. Well, let's have at another chapter!
Hetty looked around the somber group. She worried whether this was something they could ever overcome. She knew in her heart that this team she created was the best there ever was in the business. Of that, she had no doubt… She also knew that they would do whatever was required to find a resolution in saving G Callen… whether he wanted saving or not. No, the question lay in whether or not the team would remain as such, in the end… or would they be scattered to the four winds… Banishing the oppressive thoughts from her mind, she again addressed the group before her.
"Jethro… were you aware that this was not Mr. Callen's first foray with Blackguard… more importantly, the Renegades?" Hetty asked.
Gibbs looked at the expectant faces around him… "Callen worked within the CIA early on. That's no surprise to anyone."
"Yes, Jethro… but that is not what I asked. The original Blackguard. Did he work for them?" Hetty pressed.
Uncomfortably, Gibbs took in a deep breath and released it slowly as his mind went back in time to when he and Callen first met. "I don't know, Hetty." He shrugged, "It's possible. The CIA was very interested in him. Once they caught wind of his talents, they had him involved in cases way above any of our paygrades. I suspected it was far more serious than regular run of the mill cases when he finished his time with them. He would never discuss it with me. All I know, is whatever he worked on last with them was nearly his undoing. I spent months looking for him. You know how he is, Hetty. It wasn't good."
"Well, his friend, Mr. Spencer, more than implied that they both spent time with the original Blackguard." Hetty added.
Sam shared a look with the rest of the team… it explained so much where Callen was concerned.
NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA
Callen drove… just to drive… just to think. Life was spiraling. He couldn't remember the last time it hadn't been. He wanted so badly to trust the team again. Trust Hetty. Now he had doubts about everyone and everything. Either they were against him or in danger because of him.
Pulling to the side of the road, he slammed it into park and climbed out. The sky was dark now and the road was basically deserted. He needed air. The confines of the car, mixed with his darkening thoughts, was suffocating him. He walked back and forth in front of the car before stopping by the driver's side. He looked out into the dark… A blank canvas for his nightmares to play out on. Frustration took over and he brought his fists down against the roof then rested his forehead against the top of his hands. He was at a loss. He was used to doing things alone. He was okay, even with having to defend himself against the world. Still, it was hard now, knowing that at one time, he would have had an entire team at his back… the very team he was now filled with doubts over. He knew, regardless of whether he trusted them or not, he couldn't have allowed them to follow him down this road. He had no clue what was coming… or why. He had no idea of what it was even about at this point. Was it someone with a vendetta? Were the Comescus not as dead as he had thought? Did this have anything and everything to do with the message Owen Granger had left him?
Breathing slowly in an effort to calm his nerves and clear his mind he looked around at the quiet night and slowly climbed inside and turned the car back towards LA.
NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA === NCIS LA
It had taken a few days to convince Nate and Sofie that the dangers were real and they needed to come to LA. Thanks to Sofie, they were able to upgrade their living accommodations. The only one who found the change problematic was Eliot. Like Callen, Eliot's belief was that 'lay low' meant LAY LOW… blend in. Sofie thought that in LA, you would blend in better in a posh high-end suite. Eliot just rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself about how they didn't truly understand the concept of blending in.
"So, how did we end up in the middle of your friend's troubles, Eliot?" Nate asked.
"Because, it isn't just HIS trouble, Nate." Eliot scowled.
"What, exactly, is THAT supposed to mean?" he questioned with concern. Eliot had an entire life they knew nothing about. Every now and again, characters would crawl out of the woodwork to taunt him, threaten him and in doing so up-end the entire teams world until finally the past was put back where it belonged… in the past.
"Long story short… I came to help Callen but as it turns out, I'm as much a part of things as he is." Eliot offered in way of a generic explanation.
"There's a list", Parker stated as if that explained everything.
"A list?" Sofie asked curiously.
Eliot sighed as he rolled his eyes, "Yes, Hardison and Eric came across this list during a search. Turns out, they had me listed as deceased." At the questioning glances he explained.
"Years back, when I worked for the CIA… there was a mission that didn't go as planned. The end result was that I was considered MIA and presumed dead. Callen came looking and found me. He allowed them to continue thinking I had died so I could walk away."
"Wait, YOU worked for the CIA?" Sofie asked, her tone one of shock.
"So, what's the list for?" Nate asked, knowing Eliot would waste no more time on questions about his past jobs.
"We aren't entirely sure… Though, Callen believes it was a Ravens and Swans initiative." Eliot answered.
"Who authored the list?" Sofie asked, "and what, exactly, IS a 'Ravens and Swans' initiative?"
"Around the time of Hitler, the Soviets thought it a smart idea to take children in and raise them to be spies. Raised from childhood to be sleeper spies, with the permission of their parents." Hardison shook his head at the thoughts of such an enterprise.
"And the list?" Sofie asked alarmed as well.
"This list was created in 1975. The year Callen's mother was murdered and his father disappeared. The same year
Callen and his sister were brought to America. It almost appears as though they were the catalyst for the list's making. That's what we believe anyway." Eliot surmised.
"Wait, Callen has a sister?" Nate asked, confused, "and you say they were BROUGHT to America… from WHERE exactly did they come from?"
"Had. She was murdered by this Romanian crime family who apparently had a family blood feud going on with the Callen's." Eliot corrected. He hated sharing Callen's business but it was unavoidable at this point in the game and these were people he trusted to keep it where it belonged… unspoken, "Callen was born in Romania, a fact he only remembered several years ago."
"Family Blood what? I thought that only happened in the movies." Sofie stated in surprise.
"Blood Feud… Callen comes with a family history of agents… from both sides. His grandfather on his mother's side was an OSS Agent and CIA Agent, it's a long story but in the end, he killed five of the Comescu family members for being war criminals after WWII. His mother was a CIA Agent and Hetty Lange was her handler. His father was a major in the KGB."
"Wow," Nate mouthed, though nothing was heard.
"Yeah," Eliot growled.
"Okay, but you didn't say… who authored this list… and WHY were YOU on it?" Nate asked.
"When Callen told us we needed to leave, he made it clear that it was most likely Hetty Lange. As for why I am on it… I don't know."
"Hetty Lange? His boss? You say she was his mother's handler…" Sofie asked in surprise.
"Basically. She had been one of the few people in Callen's life that he truly trusted. It's not a good situation." Eliot began pacing.
"Where, exactly, is Callen now?" Nate asked.
"No clue. He dropped us at the airport and took off. I've not heard from him."
"He dropped you at the airport? Why?" Sofie asked becoming even more confused by the turn of events. It was obvious that Eliot was closer to this Callen than any of them realized. They had a shared past that Eliot had seen fit to keep from them… like so much of the rest of his past life.
Eliot sighed in frustration, "Yes, the airport. They know I'm alive now… whoever 'they' are. Callen was concerned for your safety, so he wanted me to take these two and go before something more happened."
Sofie cast a look at Nate. She knew his concerns regarding Eliot's friend and the possible dangers any connection with him could impose on their family. He also respected Eliot. They knew he'd had many trials to overcome in his life… beginning with the untimely death of his mother and the embattled relationship with his father… not to mention his military career. There was still so very much they didn't know. One of the obvious revelations of late was this connection between Eliot and Callen. How and when did they meet? What did either of them have to do with the list in question? Regardless of the connection in the past… the men shared a brotherhood of sorts.
"Eliot…" Nate started before Eliot stopped him mid-sentence.
"Don't start… I only asked you here to make the task of keeping you safe easier while I help Callen get to the bottom of this…" Eliot warned.
"I was simply going to ask if there is anything we could do to help?" Nate finished.
Eliot stopped pacing and turned to face his team. The sincerity shown on all their faces. Unsure of how to respond, he ran a hand through his hair, "I'm going out. I will grab coffee… tea… dinner. Stay put." He ordered as he closed the door behind him.
