A.N.: Sometimes the people you love is the people you hurt the most. I hope you like this one ;) As always thank you!

Chapter 54

When next day at seven in the morning Sam and Eric walked in the bull pen G had been already working for two hours. He spent the first one after another nightmare woke him taking care of his wounds. The shoulder burn was killing him. It was like having one hundred needles that randomly pinched him without warning. He knew that he needed to be extra careful in order to avoid an infection and in spite of the pain and the difficulty of the posture he took his time cleaning it and putting the antibiotic ointment. The good news were that his rib allowed him to breath more deeply each time without making him bent over because of the pain. He knew it was healing, just not as quick as he needed to and that made him be mad.

- "Morning guys"

- "Good morning G"

- "Callen" – saluted Eric on his way to ops.

- "Don't you stay for a coffee, Eric?"- asked Callen.

- "I rather start working"- he said disappearing upstairs.

G sighed. He really missed Eric's nonsenses.

- "How was it?"- said Sam signaling G's new bandage over his eyebrow.

Callen killed him with his stare.

- "Painful, thank you. I didn't know what to choose if the needle of the lidocaine or the other one with the thread. You fed my nightmares for another season."

- "Don't be such a scaredy-cat. You needed the stitches and the sooner the better."

Sam seemed to be having fun at the expense of Callen's fear, but G was making a true effort to erase from his mind the awful and vivid memory of Hetty and the syringe. He had no time to deal with that now, so he picked his mug and went to the sideboard at the back to refill his coffee trying to hide his limping.

- "So, did you see it?"- asked Sam signaling the stack of papers on G's desk– "My status."

- "Yeah, Sam, I've seen it."

- "And?"

- "And what?"

- "You know, what is my mission? This is your operation and the only thing I know is that apparently you have a lot of prisoners waiting to be interrogated."

- "Hum, oh, yeah, the prisoners…"- said G distracted- "I think you can use some free time, just to get things settled and to figure out how to deal, well…, the kids at the school."

- "Say it G. Without Michelle."- now was Sam's stare which could fulminate Callen.

- "Sam…"- he couldn't go there, it was too painful.

Sam knew that if he pressed the issue G would retreat himself into his shell so he changed the subject:

- "I'm ready and you have the proof, right here"- he picked the paper from the table and handled it to his partner.

G had been thinking all night about it and he more he thought the clearest he saw it. Of course he needed Sam doing the interrogatories, of course he could use his expertise in the field with the units, and of course he would be happy to have him at his side challenging his decisions and making things better, but he was sure that precisely that is what Sam didn't need at this moment. Until Hetty didn't provide him what he had asked for he was condemned to play by ear.

- "In fact Sam, I may have something for you. I need you to go undercover."

- "Undercover? In the Molina cartel? Are you kidding right?

- "No, Sam, not in the Molina cartel, but in a special unit that I can't lead right now."

- "Why don't regroup our unit G? You know how everybody is willing to work together again."

- "I wish I could, but I need the guys right where they are, and in fact I think it's also good for them to have some distance."

- "I totally disagree. We need to stay together now more than ever!" – Sam couldn't prevent his voice from rising, upset.

- "Well, I'm sorry you don't agree Sam, but the decision is taken."

- "Stop saying that you are sorry when you're not."- said Sam.

Lately his conversations with G swung from an extreme to the other and it was exhausting for both of them.

- "You're right, I'm not sorry, the way you're not sorry for making Hetty to stitch me yesterday."

Callen's blue stare was defiant and Sam had to bit his lip to stop his response.

- "Ok. Where is my unit and what is the mission?"

- "Ready for a ride? Give me five minutes. I'll meet you in the car."

True to his word five minutes after G put a package in the Challenger's truck and gave Sam an address.

- "This mission is about information Sam. I want you to be open minded even if you disagree."

- "You know that I'm an open minded person, G, what is this about? Extraterrestrial life?"

- "Kind of."

G's phone biped with a text message:

- "U.C. what's the formula for the ammonia?"

- "NH3 Why?"

- "Making a bomb"

- "WTF?"

- "I got u. Another bad word!"

- "Another secret?"

- ;-)

Out of the corner of his eye Sam saw G smiling for the first time in ages. His eyes seemed brighter and he had that childlike expression that drove Hetty crazy. Sam smiled back and looked his partner for a moment guessing he was texting Anna.

- "What?"- G asked blushing.

- "Nothing."

- "So why are you looking at me like that?"

- "That girl, she really conquered your tin heart."

G smiled.

- "Yeah. She did."- he said putting the black phone on his pocket.

- "So, what about E.T.?"

- "He is a great guy, you can call him Sargent Ben and he had a large unit under his wing."

- "Military?"

- "Mostly"

- "And why undercover?"

- "Your mission is to provide Sargent Ben the aid and the vision he could lack. I expect you to read between the lines and to send me a report with what's important without underestimated the messengers."

- "You're not being any helpful, G."

- "Ok, you can park here. And by the way my name is Carlson."

Sam parked next to a park genuinely intrigued. G took the parcel from the truck and handled it to Sam.

- "What's that?"

- "Artie's big brother"

- "What?"

- "You know, Deeks' jacket"

- "I know who Artie is"

- "Then?"

Sam was still trying to process the information when a black man wearing rags and all smile showed up from nowhere.

- "Carlson, man, good to see you!"

- "Hey Sargent Ben! What's up?"- saluted G shaking hands.

- "I may have some information for you…" – he said waiving his hand secretively- "They are moving…"

Callen put a hand in the other's man back and lend a bit to whisper in his ear:

- "Sargent Ben, do you remember the special mission I told you about? Well, he is here. Please take a good care of him. And all the information you may have, he'll know what to do about it. He's a great guy, even if he doesn't seem one."

G addressed to Sam who was still shocked:

- "Roger, this is Sargent Ben, your new partner."

- "Sargent Ben"

- "Roger"

- "Well guys, I hope you make a good team."

Without further comments G turned and went away down the street knowing that he was hurting Sam. He only hoped one day his partner could forgive him because he was resolute to be inflexible.