It had been exactly one year since Emily and Callen had adopted Amaya. She had assimilated into their family within a matter of days. She and Aiden were inseparable and he had become fiercely protective of his new sister.
It was these thoughts that brought a smile to Callen's face as he sat at his desk on a beautiful Los Angeles morning. It had been a slow week and the agents were starting to go stir crazy. Kensi and Emily had taken up yoga and had been spending their days in the NCIS gym. Sam was being his usual brooding self and was currently glowering at Deeks who was trying (and failing) to make the perfect paper airplane. Callen was grateful for this inactivity. No one had shot at his team in a while and there were no creeps threatening his family. Yes, Callen was definitely taking advantage of this break. It was no more than a minute after this thought passed through the agent's head that Eric's signature whistle could be heard from Ops.
"We have a case." Eric said with his usual cheerfulness. Callen mentally scolded himself for jinxing the good week.
"Yes! Finally. I was about to go insane." Deeks exclaimed, jumping up from his chair and letting his paper airplane fall to the ground. Sam responded with a pointed look at his partner. Callen understood this to mean that one more day of getting hit in the forehead with paper planes and Deeks would have a new bullet hole.
Kensi and Emily made their way into Ops, each sighing with relief that they were back in action.
"One more day of yoga and I was going to shove a mat down someone's throat." Kensi mumbled and Emily gave her a knowing look.
"Obviously yoga did you a lot of good." Deeks joked. He was rewarded with an elbow to the ribs from Kensi.
As Deeks struggled to say in an upright position, Eric filled the team in on their latest case.
"Petty officer first class Maureen Walsh, found dead in her cell at the women's correctional facility in California." Eric gestured to the screen where there were side by side images of Walsh. One in her Navy uniform and one bloody on a prison floor.
"How does a Navy officer end up at a correctional facility?" Emily asked, her eyes not moving from the gruesome picture.
"She was charged with murdering her best friend on board a US Naval carrier. There was no hard evidence and Walsh maintained that she was innocent. But here's where it gets interesting. After Walsh was found guilty, she began writing a tell-all book about the Navy. She wanted to expose the discrimination and who she actually believed murdered her friend. Although it was determined a suicide, we believe that she was killed before she could publish any incriminating information against her superiors." Eric explained.
"Okay, well Kensi and Deeks can go talk to her family and Emily can go..." Callen began but was cut off by a familiar voice.
"Actually Agent Callen, we were thinking of something more inconspicuous." Director Vance stood with Hetty at the entrance to Ops. "Agent Valle, or I suppose I should say Agent Callen, you will go undercover as an inmate at the correctional facility. Find out what you can about Walsh's enemies there."
Emily nodded and Callen couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. What he wouldn't give for some more peaceful days where she wasn't in danger. Although he knew she was more than capable, something about this assignment put him on edge.
I'm really sorry that I took so long to update but I've been insanely busy. I thought I'd post a short chapter to see if there was still anyone who wanted this story to continue. Let me know and review. Thanks!