A/N: I'm sorry that it's taken so long to update this story. I've no valid excuses but real life has got in the way and I've been busy preparing for Christmas and everything that goes on at this time of year. Anyway, I promise not to leave it so long before I update again. I also promise to finish, at some stage, all my other stories that I've left hanging. I hope that you are still hanging in there and will continue to read, review and support me. I can't thank you enough for your kind words and encouragement. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and I wish you all every good wish for the New Year.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately they're not mine but thanks to CBS, the creators and writers for allowing us to play with them in our fanfic world.

Chapter 21

When alone, Callen picked up Jake's card and smiled to himself. It was a contented smile but tinged with sadness. He had searched so long for his family but, now he had found it, fate was working against him once again. However Jake had made it abundantly clear how deeply he cared for his uncle which undoubtedly annoyed the boy's mother. Callen was still puzzled and hurt by Alex's behaviour towards him but that was a problem for another day. For now he would settle for Jake's affection along with the confirmation of its existence in respect of the card and, even if he was not allowed any contact, it would not stop Callen doing all in his power to protect his blood family. As he put the card down on the bedside locker, he saw that Hetty was on the phone and that she had turned her head to look at him. Callen was curious but too tired to think about what she may be saying and to whom. As he slipped into a peaceful sleep, Callen made a mental note to ask her later.

As Hetty and Sam left Callen's room, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Taking it out she recognised the caller ID and, leaving them no time to speak, said in an accusing tone "Mr Getz, I thought you would have been here."

"Hetty I'm sorry. I'd wanted to come and had every intention of being there but Kensi called to tell me that Jake had another nightmare and he was very distressed" explained Nate. "I had no choice but to go to him."

Upon hearing that Jake had a problem, Hetty's tone changed. "Of course the boy's welfare is important. How is he?"

"Better than he was earlier but he's got a lot of issues which aren't helped by his mother. How's Callen?"

"He's regained consciousness for which I'm grateful. The doctor's pleased with his progress and is talking about exercises to help him recover. However, it means Mr Callen needs to remain in hospital for the foreseeable future and we know what problems that is likely to bring."

"I'm glad he's finally awake and it's good news if they'll arranging physio already. I'm sure that between you and Sam, you'll keep him under control. Look, Hetty I'm sorry I wasn't there as promised but I'll come and see him as soon as possible. Give him my best."

"I will and Mr Getz? Mr Callen opened Jake's card and was very touched by the boy's sentiments. He asked me to convey his thanks to Jake and hoped to see him soon. Can you pass on the message to him?" Hetty paused before adding "If you think it would be beneficial to both of them, we can arrange Jake to visit his uncle in hospital."

"I think it would be a very good idea" agreed Nate. "Jake needs to see that Callen's alright but getting his mother to agree might be a different matter. I'll see what I can do."

"You do that and if you need me to speak to Alexandra, just call" said Hetty.

(The previous evening)

At the safe house, the tension between mother and son was palpable and when Jake went to bed, Alex resisted all attempts by Kensi and Deeks to engage her in conversation. Finally she retired to her room leaving them alone, both relieved that they no longer had to try to speak with her. Whilst they understood the situation she found herself in since discovering the existence of her father and half-brother, as well as the consequences of being related to men who had many enemies, was difficult to adapt to, Alex's behaviour since Garrison had been sent away rankled with them. Their loyalty and affection lay solely with Callen so they were as civil to her as they could muster and they were there at her home only because Callen had asked them to protect her. However they felt sorry for Jake who was torn between his love for his mother and his uncle. The boy was a good kid and had suffered greatly recently. They hoped with the help of Nate, the situation would improve, not just for Jake but for all the family.

Deeks checked in with the agents watching the house from the vantage point of a car down the street, before walking the perimeter of the house. Satisfied all was well he went inside. Kensi went to bed leaving him to keep guard downstairs after which she would relieve him in four hours.

In the early hours of the morning, Kensi heard mutterings coming from Jake's room. They rose in volume and intensity until the boy let out a blood curdling scream. Kensi leapt to her feet and ran up the stairs, almost colliding with Alex and a dishevelled Deeks, gun at the ready, as they rushed from their respective rooms.

Kensi held back as Alex entered Jake's room and turned towards Deeks, who looked at her quizzically as he lowered his weapon. "Jake had a nightmare" Kensi said. They waited outside the door as Alex tried to calm her son.

"Jake, wake up. You're having a bad dream" Alex said in soothing tones as she gently shook her son awake.

Kensi could see that Jake sat up suddenly and was resisting all attempts by Alex to comfort him. As he started to push her away, through his tears he said "Go away. I don't want you here." He started pummelling his fists against her and not knowing what to do, Alex glanced over her shoulder at Kensi.

Kensi stepped into the room and gently grabbed the boy's hands placing her body between him and his mother. With a nod of her head she indicated that Alex should go and began to speak gently to Jake. "Hey, it's okay your mom's gone now." Kensi felt him relax a little and let go of his hands so she could wrap her arms round him, holding him securely and gently rocking him until his sobs subsided. "You had a bad dream that's all. It's okay." She waited until Jake had totally relaxed and his eyes were drooping. "Go back to sleep" she said as he lay down.

As Kensi rose to leave, Jake reached out for her hand. "Stay. Please. I don't want to be alone."

"Okay I'll stay 'til you fall asleep."

"No! Will you stay 'til morning?" he asked. Kensi looked at the anguish on the boy's face. "Please?" She smiled, nodding her head in confirmation and, settling her on the bed with her back against the headboard, was pleased that Jake almost immediately fell asleep. She glanced over to the door where Alex stood watching with Deeks. Deeks smiled encouraging but Alex scowled, turning sharply to return to her room. Kensi sighed and smiled at Deeks who blew her a kiss before returning to his room.

The rest of the night was uneventful and when Jake awoke in the morning, he found Kensi still in his room.

"You stayed" he said incredulously.

"I promised I would" replied Kensi. "I'll leave you to get washed and dressed. Come down for breakfast when you're ready."

Kensi left the boy alone and went downstairs where she found Alex and Deeks. Deeks came over to his partner and hugged her. "How's Jake?"

"He slept well for the rest of the night. I'm gonna call Nate" she said.

Alex, who hadn't acknowledged Kensi's presence until then, spun round and spat "Is that really necessary?"

"Yes" replied Kensi, with a little more anger than she had intended. Softening her tone, she continued "Jake experienced something terrifying and it's clearly affecting him. You saw how upset he was last night. I think Nate can help him."

Realising that she was not going win this argument, Alex shrugged and turned back to continue preparing breakfast. Kensi and Deeks exchanged a look as Kensi picked up her phone and dialled her colleague.

"Hey Kensi" said Nate. "You've just caught me. I'm about to leave for the hospital. Hetty says Callen should be waking up this morning."

"That's great news but you're needed here" responded Kensi before she recounting what had happened during the night.

"I'll come straight over" said Nate. "Jake obviously needs help. I'll let Hetty know as soon as I can."

When Nate arrived, they were all sitting at the table having breakfast in silence. Kensi rose and got Nate a coffee and he noticed immediately the tension between mother and son as Jake played with his food. "Hey Jake, let's go play a video game. We can continue our talk if you feel like it."

"I'd rather he stayed and ate his breakfast" said Alex frostily.

Jake shot his mom a look and pushed his plate away. "I'm not hungry" he said as he stomped off to his room. As he got to the foot of the stairs, he turned to Nate and said "You coming?"

The three agents exchanged a look before Nate got up. He stopped beside Alex and said in a quiet but commanding voice "Jake's had a bad night. If I'm going to help him, and you, he needs to feel comfortable enough to talk but I won't push him. I promise I'll try to get him to eat something." Alex looked into Nate's eyes and he saw a flicker of a challenge but she nodded and he followed Jake upstairs.

Leaving the bedroom door open, Nate entered and sat down on the bed and accepted the controls which Jake offered him. They played the game in silence as Nate didn't want to rush the boy into speaking and risk him shutting down totally. Finally Jake spoke in a quiet voice and, without looking at his companion, recounted his dream. His voice cracked and his shoulders started to shake as tears streamed down his face as he wailed "I dreamt that Uncle Callen was dead; that it was my fault."

Nate reached out and placed his arm around the boy, who turned and buried his face into the man's chest. Nate allowed Jake to cry before saying "I know it seemed real but you know it was just a bad dream. Callen's not dead and what happened is definitely not your fault." Nate felt a slight nod of the head. "In fact I've been told that Callen should be waking up soon."

Jake lifted his head and looked at Nate, not sure whether the man was telling the truth. Recognising the expression, Nate said "I wouldn't lie to you Jake. Callen's badly hurt but he's gonna be okay. I'll need to speak to Hetty later on and she'll tell me how he is. Do you want to continue to play for a while?"

The boy nodded and as they played Jake began to get speak, telling Nate how happy he was when his grandfather and uncle were around and how sad he was when his grandfather was sent away. He recounted rows his mother had with Callen and how she forbade him to see Jake. "I don't know why mom's so angry with Uncle Callen. It's not his fault grandpa had to leave, is it? Uncle Callen must be as sad as I am. Do you think Grandpa'll ever come back?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, Jake" said Nate "but I do know that Callen did all he could to keep your grandfather here. The decision to send him away was made by men high up in the government and Callen had no choice but to make the exchange. Yes, I think he's very sad that he no longer has his father here and that your mom has stopped him from seeing you too."

"Why's she keeping him away? Uncle Callen got hurt saving me from those men. She should be thanking him, not keeping us apart" said Jake, with maturity which belayed his young age.

Nate smiled grimly and said "When you grow up you'll understand that things aren't always as simple as they appear. You may not believe it but your mom is hurting as much as you."

"No" said Jake, "I don't believe you. I've not seen her cry at all."

"She probably doesn't want to cry in front of you as it'll make you feel bad" explained Nate. "She's your mother and her instincts are to protect you as much as possible. Jake, grief and sadness manifest, err, show themselves in different ways. Everyone is different so we don't react in the same way and I guess your mom's way of coping is with anger. I'll do whatever I can to help you both, I promise."

"Will you make her let me see Uncle Callen?" asked Jake hopefully.

"I can't force her to anything she doesn't want to but I promise you I'll do my best. Personally I think you need to see him in hospital but also have regular contact with him. Now will you go and have something to eat? You need to keep your strength up. I need to phone Hetty."

Jake pulled a face at the thought of eating but said "Okay, I'll eat something. Say 'hi' to Miss Hetty."

Nate watched the boy go downstairs and heard the clatter of cutlery. Smiling, he took out his phone and dialled Hetty's number, mentally bracing himself for the reprimand that he knew she'd deliver. Hetty didn't like people retracting their promises but he knew her well enough to know that, once she heard the reason for his failure to attend, she would understand and condone his absence. The conversation went as anticipated and, when concluded, Nate disconnected and went downstairs.

Kensi and Deeks looked up expectantly as he appeared in the lounge. "I've spoken to Hetty and Callen's gained consciousness. He's doing as well as can be expected and they're going to start physio soon" Nate explained to everyone.

Kensi and Deeks exclaimed their relief and Jake beamed at the news although Alex remained silent. Nate shook his head. He wanted to keep him promise to Jake but wasn't sure how he'd get through to Alex.

"Jake, Hetty told me that Callen's opened your card" continued Nate as he looked at the boy's expectant expression. "He wants you to know that he likes it very much and hopes that he can tell you in person."

"Can I go and see him?" asked Jake.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Jake" said Alex. "It'll bring back bad memories of what happened."

"No it won't" said Jake. "I want to see Uncle Callen and he wants me to come."

"I don't care what he wants. I'm your mother and I said no!" answered Alex forcibly.

"I hate you" shouted Jake as he pushed away from the table and ran upstairs.

Kensi and Deeks were angry at Alex's reaction to the news but decided to leave the issue to the expert. Nate took a deep breath before saying "I think you're making the wrong decision, Alex. Jake needs to see Callen's okay." He paused before adding, "Do you actually know what his nightmare was about?" asked Jake. Alex was about to say she did but hesitated before shaking shook her head. "He dreamt that Callen was dead and that it was his fault."

Alex covered her mouth with her hand as she let out a gasp at the realisation of what her son was experiencing. Tears began to well in her eyes and she slowly shook her head. "I…. I …didn't know" she stammered. "He won't talk to me."

Nate wasn't at all surprised by the admission and was about to say so but knew it wouldn't help the situation. "Going to visit Callen in hospital and seeing that he's okay, will help Jake tremendously. He's old enough to know that Callen got hurt rescuing him so he feels responsible. He also doesn't understand why you're acting as you are; that since Garrison went away you're keeping them apart." He could see Alex's demeanour was changing, that she was coming round to his suggestion. Nate paused and thought carefully before adding, "To be quite honest, I don't either. I would've thought you'd be happy to have him in your life, to help Jake try and understand what had happened. Jake's at the age when he needs a male's influence."

Alex's expression hardened and Nate berated himself for going too far too early. "You know nothing about my family. We were happy until Callen and Garrison came into our lives. Now we're not! Fine, I'll allow Jake to see Callen in hospital but that's it, no more contact!" she shouted and turned to go.

Nate sighed as he watched Alex stomp out of the room. He'd won a battle but the war was still raging on. For the time being, he'd settle for Jake visiting Callen in hospital and hoped when Alex saw them together and witnessed their affection and bond, she'd be more amenable. Nate wasn't optimistic as he believed Alex had far greater issues than her son but he'd concentrate on one problem at a time.