Title: Mariposa
Summary: She is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Okay, maybe not quite, but close enough. She's been best friends with Kensi Blye since they were ten years old. No one understands her connection with Hetty except maybe Kensi. Will her distinct aversion to G push him away for good or will Callen find that she is a mystery worth solving after all?
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize here.
Author's Note:
Mariposa
"Because I love him."
Their eyes met and for a moment it felt as if time had stood still. She swallowed hard turning her attention back toward her uncle. Vasile looked poised to shoot Callen despite his niece's words. Swearing under his breath, he shook his head lowering his gun making Charlie sigh in relief. His goons still held Callen in place though.
"You and Mom were never like the rest of the family. You both faked your deaths to be free from that legacy. Mom did it to give me a better life and you did it because you were in love with Anya." Charlie spoke softly looking at her uncle.
"Sofia's alive? I didn't fake my death. Not like how everyone thinks anyway. We were making a deal with a rival crime family. The son didn't agree with his father's choice. Father sent me outside to cool my head after the son and I nearly came to blows. Father's right hand man came out to tell me that I was wanted back inside. So I followed and... boom. We got separated in the explosion. I tried getting to father, but there was no use. I was going to head home when I realized it would all fall to me now. So I went to Anya and we fled town." Vasile admitted to her with a sigh.
"Yet here you are now following in line with the family's twisted legacy. Why should we be still fighting this endless war between the families? It needs to end before more innocent people die for nothing. Callen and I shouldn't be blamed for the actions of family members that lived before us. This blood feud between his family and the Comescus is over." Her tone was rife with conviction as she stood in front of her uncle confidently.
"My goodness, you really are Sofia's daughter. I heard about Dracul and I just wanted this all to end. I'm sorry that he hurt you."
"Vasile Comescu, I think it's time that you finally returned home." Charlie grabbed her uncle's arm then looked at the goons. "Let Callen go."
"Do as she says." Vasile nodded at them.
Callen shook them off as they let him go and looked over at her in disbelief. "Charlie..."
"Granger needs help. I'm not even sure if he's alive. Get him help." She let go of her uncle long enough to help Callen tie up the goons.
He stopped her sighing softly. "You can't just leave with him."
"I know what I'm doing. Trust me." Charlie leaned up kissing his lips.
He cupped her face kissing her back then reluctantly let her go. "It's him I don't trust."
"I'll be fine." She grabbed her uncle's arm and rushed off as sirens could be heard in the distance.
.
"And you just let her run off with a murderer?" Sam gave his partner a look of disbelief while Granger was loaded into an ambulance.
Callen frowned rubbing the back of his neck. "I know where they went."
"Then why aren't we headed over there to arrest this dude?"
He shook his head. "Because as much as I'd hate to admit it, I don't think it's quite as simple as that."
"Unfortunately you're right. Viktor Antonov also known as Vasile Comescu has diplomatic immunity. He first showed up in a hospital in Ukraine not long after the initial explosion that killed his father. He was listed as John Doe until a woman frantically called the hospital asking if a man bearing his description had been checked in." Deeks spoke up approaching them.
Callen turned to look at the shaggy haired blond. "Anya. That must have been part of their plan to change his identity."
"She identified herself as his wife, Anya Antonov. Her story was that he had amnesia from an accident and that he had just wandered off. The Antonovs left the hospital and Ukraine after he got a clean bill of health. They stayed low key and pretty much out of trouble after that. Eventually they settled in Russia where they had three kids. Tatia, Viktor Jr, and Kira. Viktor senior got involved in politics and became a Russian diplomat."
"Couldn't we get the immunity waived since he's actually Vasile not Viktor?" Sam suggested with a raise of his eyebrows.
"We could try, but it's not that simple. He legally changed his name before the explosion. He and Anya kept it quiet which made it easier for him to fake his death. According to Anya, they had a whole plan set up to leave Romania, but never got to use it." Marty explained further.
.
Sofia sighed in relief seeing that her daughter was safe. Of course what she hadn't expected was for Vasile to walk into the boat house with her daughter. Hetty stood nearby disapprovingly though ready to shoot if need be. Charlie couldn't help smiling softly as she watched the two siblings tearfully reunite.
"He's unarmed. I made sure of it before we walked in here." She assured the older woman.
"Thank you, but it doesn't matter. You broke protocol, Charlotte. Add to that the fact that Dracul escaped from this very building right after you were in the room with him. Now of course I know you had nothing to do with his escape, but it doesn't exactly paint you in a favorable light either." Hetty frowned at her.
Sofia pulled back from the hug smiling at her older brother. "I just can't believe this is real. All these years... we were all so heartbroken over your loss. I understand why you left though."
"I had no interest in taking father's place in crime. I just wanted to be with Anya." He admitted.
"I did what I had to do to ensure that neither him nor Callen became another casualty in this stupid family blood feud. I'm sorry, Hetty." Charlie sighed softly.
She looked over at Hetty frowning slightly. "What happens to my brother now?"
"Your brother has diplomatic immunity. He had one man killed, very well may have killed an agent and nearly killed another. We could try to get his immunity waived, but I'm not confident it will happen. At the very most, he'll probably get sent back to Russia." The older woman explained.
"No need for a lawyer. I would like to give my official statement." Vasile nodded his head.
"That can be arranged." Hetty led him into one of the interrogation rooms.
.
"I told them to lead Agent Callen to me. I never told them to go on a crazy fast chase. They sped into the alley and the agent's car... it flipped. I surveyed the damage and he was still alive so I instructed my men to take him. Your agent Granger shot at my men so they shot back in self defense. I found Charlotte and she begged not to be killed. Told me that she was my niece." Vasile paused recalling what happened. "So I helped her up and made sure that she was alright. My men brought the old man out and... he's dead. I take full responsibility for that. I just wanted this stupid blood feud between the families to end. My niece was right though. We can't keep blaming the descendants for something that they had no part in."
Callen frowned watching the confession on the monitor. "Well he's telling the truth. I'll give him that much."
"How is Agent Granger doing?" Charlie asked biting her lip.
"They got him stabilized. He's very lucky. Docs said he should pull through alright." Sam assured her.
"Oh good." She sighed in relief.
"We've got a problem." Marty burst into the boat house with Kensi by his side. "An arrest warrant has been issued for Charlie."
"What?" Charlie looked over at him in shock.
Callen draped his arm around her waist pressing a kiss to her head. "We'll figure it out."
Sofia frowned looking very concerned. "My daughter had nothing to do with this. She was just as much a victim."
"They have nothing to hold her on. Vasile's men would never testify against her and neither would he." Hetty assured them.
His eyes widened a little. "That would leave me."
"They can't expect you to testify against her. She saved your life and not to mention, she's your girlfriend." Marty pointed out.
"Charlotte Lopez, you are under arrest." Two LAPD officers walked in and read Charlie her rights as they cuffed her.
"Don't worry, dear. I'll take care of this." Hetty assured her.
.
Charlie was officially charged with the murder of who they initially believed to be Callen's father, the attempted murder of Agent Granger, and holding Callen captive along with a few lesser charges. Luckily for her, the cops had no proof of any actual contact between her and her uncle prior to what occurred. Though it was her uncle who had actually killed the old man, it was one of the men who had held the man in place that copped to a plea deal in exchange for testifying and for some reason decided to throw her under the bus as well. Hetty provided her with a good lawyer though. Despite the severity of the charges, the judge took her spotless record into consideration at the arraignment hearing. She was allowed to go home on bail, but was to remain on house arrest with a tracking bracelet on her ankle. Charlie hated it, but at least she was able to go home.
Kensi frowned shaking her head as they sat in the bullpen of the OSP. "So what do we do? There's got to be some way to get her out of this. She's innocent."
"There is security camera footage that was pulled from the scene of the crime. It backs up both Charlie and Vasile's version of events." Marty explained.
Callen raised his eyebrows at that. "But?"
"But they're totally going to bring up her family's past. Try to make the jury believe that she's no better than the rest of her family and that she's just better at hiding it." He sighed frowning a bit.
That clearly struck a nerve in him. "She is better than them though. Charlie talked her uncle down and saved my life."
"Yes and the DA will try to turn you against her on the stand using your family's history." Hetty was stoic as she pondered this.
"Um, excuse me, Hetty? I've got that document that you've requested." Nell approached them handing a folder over to the older woman.
"Ah yes. Thank you." Hetty flipped open the folder studying the document inside. "Good work, Miss Jones."
Callen couldn't help being a bit curious. "Is that about Charlie?"
"It's your marriage license, Mr. Callen." The older woman responded with a glint in her eyes.