That night it was Callen who woke with a start. Panting he rolled over and laid spread eagle on his back. After a few moments, his breathing returned to normal, but the dream still haunted him.

Stifling a groan, he rolled back onto his side and stared at the one he dreamed about. She was still sleeping, a look of peaceful bliss on her face. In his dream though, her face had no amount of peace in it. In his dream, her face had been alive and swirling with passion and desire as they made love.

Callen felt a pleasant shudder run through his body at the memory. Oh! how he longed to make the dream a reality! Looking down at her, he fought the urge to kiss her. Instead, he rolled back onto his back and thought about the dream.

It started out with their date the night before. Her breath-taking beauty as she stepped out of her room, and again later as she stepped out in the dress Hetty had set aside for her. He relived the dinner, the conversations, the way her eyes had danced in the low lighting, and her brilliant smile that made many appearances. Her rich laugh that peppered the evening and made him laugh along with her. Their moonlit walk on the beach that was just so perfect with all the stars coming out in a seeming salute to them with their twinkling lights, and the full moon seemingly blessing them with his light. All of it had seemed so real that Callen thought he was reliving their date in some kind of time warp. Everything was the same, right down to the conversation on the way back to the safe house.

Once they were back to the apartment though, things had begun to change. That's when he knew it was a dream. Instead of going directly up to the apartment as they did on their real date, they instead found a place to watch the stars some more. Well, Rachael had watched the stars. He had watched her.

It hadn't taken her long to figure it out. A few questions where his answers were a distracted "yeah" and "uhuh" were enough to tell her. So she had rolled onto her side so she could face him and asked him in a teasing manner what was so distracting. Callen had moved closer, cupped her cheek with his hand, and said, "You." All the things that he'd refrained from saying came pouring out. How beautiful she was, how much she addled his brain when she smiled, and many other things now lost to the haze of the dream. What was not lost to the haze was how she had responded. Her eyes had softened and flared with disbelief at the same time. And that's when he kissed her. It started out a gentle kiss, meant only to confirm what he said. But then it grew more passionate and she had responded. Oh! how she had responded! It wasn't long before they were taking off their clothes. As they made love under the moonlit sky and again in her bed after they went up to the apartment, Callen had felt his need of her. His want and need of her, and how right it felt to be with her.

His need surprised him so much that it shocked him right out of his dream. Before the dream, he thought that when she was better, he could walk away and be fine. Sure he would miss her, but he would be fine. Now he knew he couldn't and that disturbed him. After Tracy he had sworn that he would never get seriously involved with anyone ever again. He had broken that rule only once, and that was with Joelle. After that had gone to hell and left him with more wounds than all of his bullets, he had renewed that vow with a vengeance, never wanting to feel that pain again.

But what surprised him even more was the feeling of rightness. Even with Tracy, whom he had married, there had never been that feeling of rightness. The feeling of belonging. The feeling that he could stay here forever and be happy. That feeling that most people called love.

Rolling over to look at her again, Callen felt a surge of that same feeling wash over him mixed with a feeling of protectiveness. Not that she was small and delicate. She was in fact quite the opposite, being broad of build with muscles that showed she wasn't scared of work. She looked strong enough to take care of herself. And she had. Not many people could've gone through what she had and come out as she did. But he knew that underneath all of that, she was delicate and fragile.

She stirred in her sleep and he froze, not wanting to wake her up from her much needed sleep. The difficulty of the past few days shone in stark contrast with the peace she now had in her sleep, and he didn't want her to lose anymore sleep. He watched Rachael pat the bed between them in her sleep, almost as if she was looking for something. She extended her hand out further and it came into contact with his chest. He took in a sharp breath at the thrill it sent through his body. He watched as she sleepily moved over and snuggled up against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, he felt at home. He took a deep breath of her scent and fell asleep.

A couple hours later, Rachael woke up to the sunlight streaming through her windows. It was just the beginnings of the sunrise. She looked over at G, who was still, somehow, asleep. She felt restless, so she got up quietly and went for a walk.

As she walked, she prayed. In addition to her restlessness, she also felt confused this morning. Her feelings were a tangle about last night, and she was fighting some of them. She was about to start sorting through them when she heard running footsteps behind her. She grabbed at the knife that was at her waist and turned around to see Callen jogging up in a blue shirt and gray shorts. She relaxed and let go of her knife as he said, "Hey." He slowed to a walk and then stopped when he was caught up.

"Hey," Rachael said as she forced herself to relax even more and release her knife.

"How are you this morning?"

"Good," was her automated reply. "How are you?"

"Now I'm fine, but I was worried when I rolled over and you were gone." There was a gentle scolding in his tone. They started walking again.

"Sorry," Rachael apologized. "I was restless and confused. So I went for a walk."

"Do you often do that?"

She nodded.

"Then why haven't I seen you walk before today?"

Rachael grimaced. "Because I've been so tired lately that I've been worried about getting through the day, let alone have the energy to go for a walk." She grimaced. "I'm not exactly happy about that."They walked for a few strides in silence. Rachael started to turn back to her tangle of emotions. And they were even worse than before now that Callen was walking with her. Please don't let him ask me about them Papa, she silently prayed.

"So you said earlier that you were confused?" Callen's question broke into her thoughts.

She sighed and nodded. Or not. Whatever works for you.

"What are you confused about?" There was concern in his voice.

She hesitated. Should I tell him Papa? she silently prayed. I don't want to give him the wrong impression . . .

"Hey," Callen interjected. He stopped and turned to face her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Rachael stared into his blue eyes and saw sincerity in their depths. Still, she hesitated. So she settled for as much of the truth as she could say without giving it all away. "I'm confused about a lot of things. I just need time to work it out."

"Are you sure?" he asked gently, his eyes searching hers.

She nodded. "Yupp."

"And you'll let me know if you need to talk about anything, right?"

She felt a stab of annoyance, but nodded. "Yes."

"Good." He nodded and dropped his hands. They started walking again. They finished their walk in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. When they got back, they fed the horses together, working like a well-oiled machine. Once the horses were fed, they started talking again.

"So I have to go to work today . . ." Callen started slowly.

She nodded. "I kinda figured."

He looked at her with concern on his face. "Will you be okay? Do you want me to check on you every now and then?"

Rachael felt another stab of annoyance and shook her head. "No. I'll be fine." Her words were a little more clipped than she intended. She softened the blow by adding softly, "Thanks for the concern though."

He must have noticed her clipped tone because he just nodded. They finished the rest of feed up in silence and then she made breakfast while he showered. They chatted while they ate breakfast. Just small talk like the weather. They chatted until it was time for Callen to leave. Before he left, Rachael gave him a hug. She sighed with relief when he put his arms around her. Confused as she was, she didn't want him to be mad at her.

"Hey," she said as they broke apart. "I just wanted to let you know that I had a great time last night." She saw his dark blue eyes light up and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"I'm glad," he said. He chuckled softly as he bowed his head briefly before looking up to meet her gaze. His blue eyes snared her eyes in their intensity. "With all the silence I was beginning to think that you had a bad time and just didn't want to tell me."

She shook her head. "No. I really did have a good time. The silence is about other stuff. I promise." Like how I feel about having a good time . . .

He nodded and pulled her into another hug. "Alright. Just promise you'll call me if you need me."

Her annoyance grew, but she pushed it away and nodded. "I will."

"Good," he said as they broke apart. This time he headed out the door and didn't look back.

"Hey! Look who's back!" Callen heard Sam yell as he walked into the bull pen.

"I wasn't gone that long!" Callen playfully protested. "Only a few days!"

"A few days too many!" Sam replied as Callen sat down at his desk. "We've been slammed with cases while you've been gone."

Callen frowned. "Why didn't anyone call me?"

"Hetty's orders. She said that your 'vacation'," Sam used finger quotes. "Was more important to the team." He got up and come over to Callen's desk. "Speaking of which, how is she?" Concern laced his low voice.

Callen shrugged. "Fine as far as I know. She's been shutting me out lately."

"By lately do you mean before or after your date?" Sam asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Callen gave his partner a long look. "Can I keep no secrets from you?"

"You're avoiding the question G."

Callen sighed in resignation. "Both."

"Both?" Sam sounded confused.

Callen nodded. "It started the day that you visited. Or rather that night. She shut me out for a few days after that, and as I later found out, she had nightmares. On the third night and following day, she opened up to me again but closed up after our date that night."

"What's this about Callen having a date?" Kensi's voice rang out as she and Deeks walked in. Callen inwardly swore. He hadn't wanted Deeks to know about his date. Too late now, he thought.

"So I wasn't imagining when I heard Callen say 'our date'!" Deeks exclaimed as he walked to his desk next to Callen's. "So, who's the lucky girl? Some super hot chick with awesome ninja moves? Wait, no. Let me guess." He smiled and winked at Callen. "It was a surfer girl. No, no, no! It was -"

"None of those," Callen interjected. "And it's none of your business."

"Oh, lighten up! I'm just happy that your finally going on a date," Deeks said as he finally sat down." You haven't gone on one since . . . well, you know . . ." He suddenly sobered. Even the goofy detective knew not to mention Joelle.

Sam, who was now back at his desk, spoke up. "He's got a point, G." There was a twinkle in his eye. "Maybe you should tell them."

"Wait, Sam knows?" Kensi interjected incredulously. "Now you're going to have to tell the rest of us."

"Nope," Callen said as he reached for his stack of paperwork.

"Man, that's just not fair," Deeks complained. "How come Sam gets to know and we don't?"

"Because he's my partner." And because I didn't have much of a choice, he added silently. He saw Kensi lean over and whisper into Sam's ear. Sam whispered into her ear. Callen groaned as Kensi's eyes grew wide looking first at Sam and then at him.

Deeks noticed too. "That's even more unfair," he muttered as he started on his paperwork. They didn't work long before there was a whistle from the top of the stairs.

"We've got a case!" Eric's voice rang out over the bullpen. The other three agents groaned as they pushed away from their desks and slowly stood. Callen followed suit silently, secretly glad his first day back wouldn't be spent doing paperwork. As they climbed the stairs to OPS, Callen heard Deeks pester Kensi about his date.

"I'll tell you later," she hissed.

Callen winced. I guess it's not going to stay a secret for long.

After their debriefing, Sam and Callen got into Sam's Challenger to head to the crime scene. Once they were on the road, Sam turned to Callen.

"So. What else is going on between you and Rachael? I got the distinct feeling that there was more than what you originally told me."

Callen sighed. "It's your imagination," he said half-heartedly.

"Don't start with me G," Sam warned. "This is me trying to see if I need to reconsider my reconsideration."

Callen looked at his partner with a look of what-the-hell. "That doesn't even make sense!"

"Yes it does." Sam grinned at Callen before looking back at the road. His face turned serious. "Now. What else is going on?"

Callen sighed. Might as well just tell him. He's going to pester until he hears anyway. "She's been... weird lately."

"Define weird."

"Not normal?" Callen joked. He sobered. "But that's the best way to describe it. This whole secrecy thing. Not telling me what's going on. Trying to sleep soundly on her own when she's just had the most traumatic event of her life happen. And then this morning it almost sounded like she snapped at me."

"You would know if she snapped at you," Sam said. "Trust me."

"Still, whatever it was, it definitely had more force behind it than normal. And I don't know why."

"What did you do?"

"Ask that she call me if she needed me. If she was alright 'cause she's been awfully quiet." Callen shrugged. "The normal 'are you okay' questions."

Sam thought for a moment. "She might be feeling a little smothered G," he said slowly. "I'll ask Michelle though and see what she thinks."

"No. Don't ask Michelle," Callen said vehemently, tensing. "I understand if you tell her that Rachael and I are dating, but don't ask her to interpret Rachael." That's my job, he added silently.

Sam looked like he was going to argue, but all he said was, "Fine. I won't ask Michelle."

Callen relaxed. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, I think we're here." Sam parked the Challenger.

"Let's get to work then," Callen said as they got out of the car.