Hello to everyone who is reading this!

This chapter reveals just really happened moments before Callen saved Annie and why Eric, Nell, and Hetty their own reactions leading up to that point. Also, Annie inadvertently eavesdrops on a certain conversation that will come to play in the future ;) So enjoy!

Thank you all for the lovely reviews and putting this story under alert and/or favorites!

Disclaimer is in Chapter 1: Who?

luvs,

crzychigurl343


Rescue and Recovery

Another handful of punches to her abdomen, one landed below her chest and Annie felt one of her ribs crack under the pressure. A couple more blows and Stryker finally stepped away from the hanging Annie to rub his knuckles. It was then that Annie realized that her rib wasn't cracked, it was worse than that, her rib fractured and punctured her lung. She could tell by how hard it was for her to breathe, although Stryker probably mistook this for her getting tired out by the way he remained unphased at her labored breathing.

Annie needed to get to a hospital and fast. She needed to go into surgery to fix her lung but she knew that Stryker wouldn't take her to a professional hospital. Instead, he probably would make one of his mercenaries operate on her and Annie was not going to let that happen. But if Annie didn't get proper treatment soon she wasn't going to last long. That was when Annie looked discreetly to Lucas behind Stryker.

Lucas thankfully understood what her look meant by the way he slightly shook his head. His response gave Annie the answer she needed about what she was going to do next. She couldn't wait any longer for 4:30 to come and she wasn't sure if her friends got her message let alone understood it. Annie would admit, it was stretch to make a message out of song titles especially when it wouldn't be obvious that she was making a message and not just being her usual snarky self. If her friends back at NCIS had figured it out then they would have been here already or at least there would have been some sign from them.

Annie was definitely not going to go with Stryker. What she said to Lucas when she first woke up about she would rather die than be Stryker's toy was true. Which is why she had to force Stryker's hand to kill her now, better to die quickly then to die slowly with a punctured lung. She still didn't want to die, especially with her friends watching but she had to. She didn't want them to continually to chase Stryker to save her and Annie didn't want them to feel as if they had failed her with the time allotted to them. This way, they would see that she had chosen to die and then they could move on.

"Annie, my sweet and persistent Annie, you are getting too tired to keep up this façade. Just admit that you love me now and this will all stop." Stryker said to her after massaging his hand and then cracking his knuckles. Annie took a deep breath and prepared for what she was going to do next.

"You're right Damien," She replied and received shocked looks from Lucas and Stryker.

"I do love you and I've been trying to deny it because I was afraid of what my family and friends would think. They never would have approved of us and would have done anything to keep us a part. I thought you would have found happiness with someone else, someone who could love you freely and devote herself entirely to you unlike me. That's why I never admitted it aloud and why I never went looking for you when everyone thought you were dead and I didn't. I wanted to leave you in peace so that you could find that lucky woman. Please forgive me Damien." Annie explained and felt the familiar stinging sensation in her eyes to show that they were watering. She then bowed her head in defeat and sighed in resignation. It created the desired effect of luring Stryker into a false sense of security.

"Oh Annie! My dear Annie! I completely understand and I forgive you!" Stryker exclaimed and grabbed her chin so that he could force her face up to look him in the eye.

"Don't you feel better, now that you have said that aloud?" He asked in this gloating tone that, in combination with his arrogant face, made Annie want to snap at him. But she needed to remain cool so that her plan will work.

"A little, but there is one thing that I know that will definitely make me happy." Annie answered and smiled seductively as Stryker stepped closer to her.

"And what would that be?" He asked in what he thought was his own seductive voice but it just gave Annie chills and not in the good way. She had to battle down the bile rising in her throat and keep the coy smile on her face.

"Come a little closer Damien and I will demonstrate." She replied in the same previous seducing tone and Stryker did just like she wanted as he placed his two hands on her hips.

"Please do," He countered and Annie's smile grew a fraction. She raised her leg and started to stroke the inside of Stryker's leg to bring him a fraction of an inch closer to be within total range and Stryker complied. Annie stopped this stroking motion and instead kneed him in the groin. Stryker doubled over in pain and Annie raised her bandaged leg to axe kick him in the back to knock him to the ground.

"Kicking your ass always makes me happy Stryker! I don't love you and I never will you twisted bastard!" She yelled at the moaning Stryker, well as much as a punctured w\lung would allow her to yell. He didn't respond though and just started to roll on the ground, cupping his now smashed parts. All the exertion from kicking Stryker and then yelling at him left Annie breathless, so she struggled to regain oxygen in her lungs as Stryker tried to recover. It was then that the metal door swung open and revealed the man that came to save her, Special Agent G Callen.

He had his gun aimed at Annie and a look of confusion on his face at the scene in front of him. Annie couldn't help but smile at him. She was so happy to see Callen of all people there in front of her. She felt her heart beat hard against her chest as she opened her mouth to say something to Callen.

"YOU BITCH! THAT'S IT!" Stryker bellowed in agony, pulled his gun out, and aimed it at Annie apparently still ignorant to the fact that Callen was there. Annie forgot all about the man who was on the ground in front of her and the fact that she had signed her death warrant. Upon seeing him take out his gun, Annie closed her eyes tight.

'BANG!'

'BANG!' Two shots were fired off as Annie felt one bullet rip through her abdomen. It was a familiar pain that Annie had experienced before but it was still a horrible white-hot pain that made Annie whimper and keep her eyes closed shut. It was in this state of pain that Annie didn't see both Callen and Sam clear the room; apprehend Lucas and a dead Stryker lying on the floor beneath her.

"Sam get her down! Annie? Come on, Annie! Stay with me!" Callen ordered frantically as he placed his hands on both sides of the open wound to staunch the bleeding. At the sound of Callen's voice, Annie opened her eyes to look at him. But it was so hard as she felt herself slip in and out of consciousness as her blood left her body.

Annie felt herself be lowered to the ground. Callen quickly moved his hands from her wound to catch her and lay her down gently on the ground. Once she was on the floor he went back to placing his hand on her still bleeding wound. Her blood continued to flow around and over his hands and Annie grew paler and paler with each second.

She saw the look of determination on his face and Annie knew that she was dying. She could see her blood creating a pool around her and Callen. It was then that she knew that she needed to give Callen her last good-bye, to tell him thank you for everything once more and make sure that he knew just how much he meant to her. Maybe if Annie could last long enough maybe she could get Callen to relay one last message to her family.

"G," She whispered to him and tried to stop from closing her eyes but she was losing the battle as Annie's eyelids drooped dangerously.

"Save it, you are going to survive this. You hear me, Annie? Fight, damn it! Keep fighting!" Callen nearly shouted at her. One of her hands slid over to cover his own as the other rose shakily to cup his face. Annie smiled at him and opened her mouth once more but didn't say anything when she finally fell into unconsciousness.

Annie was surrounded in darkness, unsure where she was and if she was alive. Out of nowhere she felt someone grab her hand. She fought towards this feeling even though she didn't know who the person holding her hand was. All she knew was that if she could feel the touch of someone then she must still be alive.

"So, what Carson said was true. You are falling in love with Annie, if not already in love with her." Dad stated in a calm tone that Annie never thought her father would have when confronting a man who he thought was in love with his daughter. This made Annie curious as to who her Dad was talking to.

"I don't know about being in love with your daughter but I do have feelings for her." Callen replied cautiously and Annie felt her heart soar at those words.

Callen likes me. Callen likes me. Callen likes me!This chanted in her subconscious and she fought even more so against the darkness.

"That may be what you think, and I appreciate your honesty, but I can see it. I can see that you are in love with my Annie. The way you look at her, the way you talk about her, even right now, just by holding her hand, I can tell that you, Agent Callen, are in love." Her father stated simply. Annie waited to see what Callen's response would be as she had finally given up on fighting and just listened to her father's and Callen's comforting voices flit through her ears.

"No offense sir, but I'm just doing what Annie did for me when I was here a few months ago." Callen responded and Annie felt upset at the fact that he was only there because of what she did for him months ago. Sure, technically Annie only stayed by his side through the night at the hospital because she was on protective duty but Annie held his hand because she cared not because her job mandated it!

"Son, you would be here even if that wasn't the case. Like I said before, it is all in the way you look at Annie, even now. Do you want to know how I know?" Director Smith asked and Annie was curious about how her father can be so sure about the fact that Callen seemed to be in love with her.

"I know this because it's the same look her mother gives to me and I to her, the same look that Travis gave Gabriel, and it was the same look my parents gave to one another. I think you got the picture." Director Smith chuckled at the end but Callen didn't respond. Annie wasn't sure how to take this silence. Did Callen agree with her father? Was he giving a look of disbelief? What was going on out there!

Annie would have given anything to open her eyes and figure this all out but her body still wasn't listening to her. So, Annie fell back into unconsciousness from exhaustion of struggling with herself.

The next time Annie was conscious she waited and moved one bandaged finger. Upon it wiggling in obedience, she felt comfortable enough to open her eyes. The scene that greeted her made Annie smile.

On either side of her bed was the two men she had heard previously in her comatose state. Both her father and Callen were seemingly asleep in their chairs as the sun peaked through the window's blinds. Callen was still holding her hand as he slouched into his chair in his sleeping stupor. His head was in profile with his chin resting on his chest and lightly snoring. It was so adorable that Annie wanted to giggle but she didn't want to wake him up so she settled for a goofy smile.

She tore her eyes away from Callen to see her Dad awake in his seat watching her with one eye open. At being caught so obviously staring at Callen, Annie blushed but the goofy smile would not be removed from her face. Oddly enough her dad just returned it with a smile of his own.

Why was Dad so cool about the fact that Annie liked Callen and that Callen liked her back? Normally Dad would have threatened Callen with his life or intimidated the NCIS agent out of a ten mile radius of Annie. Dad didn't approve of any of the men she dated, it took months for him to even stand Kevin let alone like him. What was so different with Callen?

Annie was going to say something when her dad shook his head and made the universal "ssh"-ing noise with his hand. Annie closed her mouth and instead signed with her one free hand not wanting to lose physical contact with Callen. She first asked how long she was unconscious.

The answer: 2 days

'How long have the two of you been at my bedside?'

'2 days'

'Stryker?'

'Dead along with the rest of his mercenary army except Lucas who is heading to jail.'

'Was there any other casualties on our side?'

'No'

'How long do I have to stay in the hospital?'

'2 weeks with additional physical therapy'

Upon not being able to think of any more questions, her father capitalized on this moment by lecturing Annie through sign language. He said he understood Annie's actions but if she ever did something so reckless like that and leave a farewell letter like the one she wrote again then he was going to make Annie's life a living hell. It was through this silent berating that Callen finally woke up. When his face lit up at Annie, she forgot all about "listening" to her father and shared a soft smile with Callen.

"Good morning G." She said to him and her voice croaked from inactivity. At this Callen let go of Annie's hand and got up to pour her some water on the other side of the room. On the table that the water pitcher was settled on was also flowers. There were tons of bouquets with a variety of flowers filled the table with balloons and little stuffed animals. Everything had "Get Well Soon" on it or around it.

'Thank you' Annie signed to Callen once he handed her a glass of water and sat back down. He gave her a confused smile but nodded his head either way. Which made Annie and her dad laugh at him.

"Thank you," Annie clarified for him once she was sure that her throat was no longer dry and scratchy after drinking a mouthful of water.

"You're welcome," Callen replied and they exchanged another soft smile. The two of them then turned to look at her father to see the man grinning from ear to ear at their interactions with one another. This caused both Annie and Callen to blush. Annie was going to say something to her father when in walked everyone else Annie wanted to see; Hetty, Kensi, Deeks, Sam, Eric, Nell, Travis, Aisha, Jason, Emma, her mother, and Carson.

"Welcome back to the world of the living St. Annie." Carson exclaimed when the group noticed that Annie was conscious.

"It's good to be back Lucy." Annie replied and grinned evilly when Carson flinched at her nickname.

"Don't call me Lucy." Carson furrowed her eyebrows in irritation and Annie's smile grew a fraction.

"Don't call me St. Annie." She countered.

"Lucy?" The NCIS agents asked at the same time.

"Oh, Annie is definitely back with us if she and Carson are going to start bickering again over those silly nicknames they have for one another." Mom stated as she made her way to Dad's side. Both Annie and Carson exchanged amused smiles at their parents.

"Can someone please answer our question?" Deeks whined and Annie chuckled at her friend.

"Carson's middle name is Lucille, which she obviously hates. Also, Lucy is short for Lucifer. I call her Lucy whenever she calls me 'St. Annie'." Annie explained and most of the NCIS agents nodded their heads.

"Why don't you like that nickname?" Deeks continued to ask away while Annie still had enough energy to answer them.

"Because I am no saint and I don't want to be considered one either." At this response everyone smirked with her.

"Any other questions Deeks?" Annie asked this time.

"Actually I do," He replied saucily and Annie laughed at that.

"What happened between you and Stryker before Callen and Sam came in to save the day?" Annie gave them all a confused look. They don't know?

"They haven't seen the video feed yet." Hetty told Annie and she nodded in understanding. Annie then took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself to tell them the last thing that happened a few moments before Callen and Sam saved her. Apparently she took too long in her mental preparation.

"If it will be too difficult for you Annie, I have my smart tablet with me and I can play it for them all." Nell suggested and Annie smiled brightly at the red head.

Oddly enough, it would be better for Annie if they could do that because she wasn't ready to fully express the emotional turmoil she was in at that time. The defeat and the idea of dying still affected Annie. The only reason why she hadn't broken down yet was because she hadn't been alone since she probably entered the hospital.

Nell understood and took out her tablet. As she played it and held it so that everyone could see the video feed, Annie closed her eyes and blocked out the voices. She had lived through it already and doesn't need to watch it to know what happened. But as soon as she closed her eyes and started chanting some soothing mantras, she felt someone grab her hand once more.

Annie looked stunned as she saw that it was Callen who was holding her hand. But Callen wasn't looking at her; he was watching the video feed. Annie looked forward and noticed that it was at the part where she was lying to Stryker about being in love with him. She squeezed his hand reassuredly and he glanced at her so as not to miss anything which made Annie give him a soft smile. He returned it with a small lopsided smirk that she loved and went back to giving the video his full attention. At this, Annie went back to closing her eyes and ignoring the same video that captivated everyone else's attention.

"OH!" Deeks screamed, startling Annie into opening her eyes and she saw Stryker fall to the ground in the video. Every other male just cringed while the females were smirking evilly.

"Ok, both Smith sisters are scary. What is up with you women and teeing off on men?" Deeks groaned, horrified whereas Annie gave Carson a confused look. Carson gave her a wink but didn't reply as Kensi's smile widened in her own mysterious way.

Annie opened her mouth to say something when the sound of bullets fired rang through the smart tablet and she flinched. With her bandaged hand, Annie placed it where her stitches were on her stomach and could feel the same white hot pain from before. Except for this time there was no bullet, it was all in her head. She then felt Callen squeeze her hand.

Annie looked up to see everyone staring at her with pity and sympathy. The strangled cry she thought she covered up was actually voiced and Annie blushed a deep shade of red in embarrassment. Next thing she knew her dad was leaning over and wiping away the few tears she let slip from her face. Annie didn't realize just how affected she still was from the whole ordeal as she helped dry her face as well. Everyone continued to stare at her as Nell stopped the video at the part where Callen was helping Annie down from the ceiling and put away the smart tablet. No one said a word in awkward silence, unsure of what to say.

"Excuse me, but we have another bouquet of flowers for Ms. Smith. They are from a Mr. Harrison Kane." An agent that Annie didn't recognize stated and diffused the situation if only to shift from a different form of tension.