"I've got a live satellite feed of the harbor. Still no sign of the sub," Eric spoke.

"They could be long out of the harbor by now," Zoë stated.

"I need you to plot possible courses using everything we know about this sub's capabilities," Granger told Eric.

"And I want you to find the guy who designed and built this submarine and bring him to the boatshed. I promise not to work Beale to death until you get back. Let's move it, Jones."

Nell left the OPS center. Zoë went to help Eric with some research on where this sub was heading and what their endgame was.

…..

Callen and Sam were trying to find a way out of the sub. They were working with the batteries to try to get a hole in the hull.

"Be careful with that stuff. It's highly corrosive," Sam told Callen.

"Matches? Lighter? Nothing?"

"Do you?" Sam put he cables in the correct position as Callen grabbed the fire extinguisher. "Try not to inhale the smoke. You ready?"

"Light it up."

A bright spark was seen as soon as Sam connected the cables. "Fire in the hole. Now G!"

Callen banged the fire extinguisher against the hull.

"Move! Watch out. it's not working." Sam grabbed something heavier and together they banged it against the hull, this time creating a nice hole.

A little later the chamber was filling up with water. Callen was banging against the hull with something metal.

"What are you doing?" Sam questioned.

"Morse code. The Navy's got to be listening. Sorry I interrupted your little game of, uh, Candy Crush there."

"I'm writing a letter to Michelle and the kids."

"We're getting out of here Sam."

"In case we don't."

"Well, tell her I died saving your life, will you?"

"You're joking about a letter my family's gonna read after I'm dead."

"Too soon?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Never heard of black humor?"

"Are you trying to make me angry? Cus if you are, it's working.

"Good, I need you angry. But not at me. At them. Cus sooner or later, they're gonna open that hatch, and when they do, we need to be ready to roll."

"Was that your plan? There's no way they're gonna open that hatch and risk flooding the bridge. That's just stupid."

"Trust me. I got a good feeling about this plan."

"You remember when I told you that the CO2 level buildup will start affecting your ability to think straight? Well, it's happening."

"Either they open that hatch, and we go out firing…."

"Or we sink."

"Or the Navy picks up on my Morse code."

"Then they torpedo us, and we sink."

"Either way, we're not letting them get to San Diego, right?"

"…. Right."

The partners knew they had to do whatever it takes to not let them get to San Diego, even if it meant going down with the ship.

'Please let us get out of here,' Callen thought to himself. 'Zoë, I hope I make it out of here but if I don't, I'm sorry. I love you."

….

"Oh this is not good," Eric remarked.

"What's up Eric?" Zoë asked worried.

"I picked up a Naval transmission. COM-Third-Fleet has launched the alert thirty ASW package with two H-60s and a P8A Poseidon sub hunter, call sign Talon Five-Five."

"They are going to destroy the ship?! With Sam and Callen on board?!"

Zoë stood up and walked downstairs to Hetty, who had returned to the office despite her orders to go to Washington.

"Hetty, Eric just picked up a Naval transmission to locate and destroy the sub. They know that Callen and Sam are on board right?!"

"I've heard Ms. Moore and yes they know that Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna are on board."

"And still they wanna destroy the sub?! Can't you do something about this?"

"I'm afraid not, Ms. Moore."

"They're just gonna kill them along with the rest of the crew? THEY CAN'T DO THAT!" Zoë shouted.

"I've argued the case with them but the lives of two federal agents don't outweigh the consequences if they let that sub get to its destination."

"There must be something we can do?"

"Pray….. loud and hard."

Zoë was so worried about Callen. She wanted him to be alright. Knowing the partners, they probably were working on something on board the sub as well, she just hoped it would be on time, before the torpedo would hit the sub.

..

"We're diving," Callen stated.

"I'm not sure," Sam remarked.

"No, I can feel it."

"As the bow takes on water it pitches forward. They'll try to compensate, but the extra drag and weight, that'd take more power."

"Power they don't have since we disconnected the batteries."

"We may be able to travel forward bow down without diving, but eventually the weight will win out. We'll drop like a rock, G"

"I love it when a plan comes together. And that's were you say, uh, 'I pitty the fool that messes with me.'"

"It's starting to think I'd have been better off with Deeks."

Suddenly they heard a loud thump and some shaking.

"The hell was that?"

"It's probably a sonobuoy. It's command activated to gauge range, bearing and Doppler information on active sonar contact."

"Meaning the next explosion's a torpedo?"

"If they pinged us."

"Let's make sure they do." They both started banging on the hull.

The water had risen up to their chests already.

"Hey, you all right?" Callen asked his partner.

"I'm fine."

"All that muscle mass….takes up a lot of oxygen. If we get out of here…. You might want to think about taking up Pilates."

"How about you stop talking to conserve air."

"They're gonna open that hatch any second now."

"They better, cus that's about all we've got left.

..

Granger sent Deeks and Kensi out there with a chopper to try an locate the sub as well.

"How close are we?" Kensi asked from the chopper.

"We have no idea what heading they're on, but based on the max speed of the sub, you should be approaching the furthest they could have gotten. But it's a wide arc," Nell said.

"Beale, can you patch us into the Navy search aircraft?" Granger asked the tech.

"I can try," Eric responded.

"Hell, I can try. I need you to actually do it."

"Yes, sir."

Zoë was getting more anxious by the second, she needed Callen to be okay. They were getting married in a few months! She needed Callen to be okay.

…

Just their heads were above the water. They were starting to feel the effects of the lack of oxygen.

"What happens now?" Callen asked.

"I think this is where you come up with a plan."

"Isn't it your turn to save us?"

…

"Kensi, you need to circle back, you've gone further than the sub could've traveled in this amount of time," Nell said.

"Copy that. Let's turn around."

"I've got a transmission from the P8A," Eric announced.

"Let's hear it," Granger said.

"COM-Third-Fleet, this if Talon Five-Five, we have acoustic contact with unidentified sub track designated Whiskey One Tango Zero," they heard the pilot say.

"Talon Five-Five copy. Set weapons posture one, weapons status tight. Kill track Whiskey One Tango Zero."

"COM-Third-Fleet, this is Talon Five-Five. Roger, out."

"Lord have mercy," Hetty said after hearing the transmission.

Kensi and Deeks were out over the ocean, hoping the spot the sub or the two senior agents while the others were waiting nervously in the OPS center.

"Yes, I understand the threat admiral, but I have two agents aboard that vessel and I'm just asking you to try to disable it as opposed to sinking it," Granger tried to reason with someone over the phone. "Yes, sir. I understand sir," Granger hung up the phone and tossed it on the table.

"Are they really just gonna let Callen and Sam die?!" Zoë almost yelled.

"I tried reasoning with him but the lives of two agents don't outweigh the countless lives that will be saved."

Deep down Zoë knew this was the right call, but it was Callen, her Callen, on board that ship. With tears starting to form in her eyes she looked at the big screen, hoping to find or hear any good news.

"All stations, we are weapons release on my mark. In three, two, one. Torpedo away," the heard over the transmission.

"Come on G, get out of there," Zoë spoke softly and she couldn't breathe properly anymore.

Kensi and Deeks watched the water anxiously when they saw the effects of the torpedo.

"COM-Third-Flet, this is Talon Five-Five. Sub track Whiskey One Tango Zero engaged and destroyed," they heard over the transmission.

"Oh, my god," Nell exclaimed.

The sub was blown up and there was no sign yet of their two senior agents.

..

Callen and Sam quickly made their way to the top and breathed deeply once they came above the surface.

"You remember to grab your car keys back there?" Callen teased his partner,

"Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch," Sam exclaimed.

Relieved that they were okay they both started laughing.

"Looks like we're swimming home and walking home," Callen joked.

Suddenly they heard a helicopter above them.

"Maybe not."

They shouted and waved to try to get the attention of the helicopter.

"We've got survivors in the water," everyone up in OPS heard the pilot.

"Sam, Callen!" Deeks shouted happily.

"You guys, we got them. I can see them," Kensi added.

Suddenly the mood in the OPS center was lifted.

"Come again Kensi?" Eric asked.

"Callen and Sam are alive. I repeat: Callen and Sam are alive!"

"They are in the water."

Everyone in the OPS center let out a breath of relieve. Callen and Sam were okay. Zoë was beyond relieved that Callen was okay. Zoë had tears in her eyes again, but these were happy tears.

They didn't have any equipment in the helicopter to bring them up but the Coast Guard was close by. The pilot radioed their coordinates to the Coast Guard and they were coming to pick up Callen and Sam. They did have floaters on board so Kensi threw two of them out so the senior agents could at least hang on to that. In about fifteen minutes the Coast Guard arrived and loaded Callen and Sam aboard and brought them back to shore.

Zoë stood, anxiously, at the dock waiting for the Coast Guard to arrive with Callen and Sam. As soon as the boat was docked and Zoë saw Callen appear she ran up to him.

"G!" Zoë shouted.

When Callen heard someone shouting his name he looked up and saw Zoë running towards him. As soon as she was within his reach she hugged him tightly. Callen wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, relieved he had made it safely out of the sub.

"I was so worried about you," Zoë said. "We heard the transmission in OPS that they were gonna blow up the sub, we tried everything we could but they wouldn't stop it. I was so afraid that I had lost you," Zoë almost cried.

"I'm alright honey. Yeah for a moment I didn't take we were gonna make it out of there but we did. I'm still here."

Zoë pulled out of the hug and kissed him deeply. "I love you."

"I love you too." Callen kissed her again. "Let's get out of here."

"Yeah, come on, I'll take you to the boatshed."

Callen and Zoë let go of each other. "I'm sorry Zoë, I made you all wet."

"It's okay, I'm just relieved you're okay." They walked back towards Zoë's car. "You're okay too Sam?"

"I'm fine."

Zoë drove them to the boatshed, where the others would meet them. After changing into some dry clothes Nell checked Sam and Callen over.

"Looks like you might have ruptured an eardrum," Nell stated as she looked into Callen's ear.

"What?!" Callen teased, although he heard her perfectly.

"You're both lucky you weren't killed by the concussion."

"Damn lucky," Eric added.

Talia was there too, since she had worked this case with them.

"I just came by you guys, to make sure you're okay. Glad you're doing well," Talia spoke to Sam and Callen.

"Oh, yeah, we do this sort of thing all the time," Sam joked.

"God, don't tell me that," Callen reacted.

"Oh, never fear, Dr. Deeks is here," Deeks called as he walked into the boatshed. "Nerd herd, you want to grab some, uh, pint glasses over there," Deeks spoke to Nell and Eric.

"All right," Nell replied as she and Eric moved over to the kitchen.

"So, uh, how are my little mermaids?" Deeks asked.

"Okay, on that note, I should get going. But, um, guys, thank you for everything. It was, uh, it was a pleasure working with you," Talia spoke and she left.

Sam looked as Deeks emptied the back he had brought. "Deeks, what are you doing?"

"We got cervezas and we have, uh, dark rum," Deeks replied.

"No," Callen said.

"Yeah."

"Yes," Kensi added.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we have….. depth charges."

"You're ridiculous. Give me one," Sam said.

They all grabbed a glass of bear and a shot glass of rum.

"To, um..," Deeks started.

"Partners," Kensi finished.

"Friends," Nell added.

"Friends," Eric said.

"Friends and partners," Sam spoke.

"Friends and partners," Callen affirmed.

"Three, two, one," Deeks counted down and they all dropped their shot glass into the beer and they started drinking the beer.

It was good for them to wind down after the day they had. After about an hour they started leaving. Zoë drove her and Callen home.

"You sure you're okay honey?" Zoë asked as they sat down on the couch.

"I'm fine honey, I've been through worse."

"I was so worried about you," Zoë said as she let herself fall against Callen and Callen wrapped his arm around her. "I really thought I was gonna lose you," Zoë started crying.

"Hey, it's okay honey. I'm right here, I'm alright," Callen tried to comfort her as he ran his hand up and down her upper arm. "You're not gonna lose me honey, I'm still here."

"But I came so close to losing you, today could've gone so very differently."

"Yeah it could've, but it didn't. It all turned okay fine and I'm fine, I'm still here. But yeah there were moments I thought we wouldn't make it out of the sub on time. But thankfully we did."

"It was so scary to hear it from OPS. When Kensi and Deeks said they had found you and that you were okay I was so relieved. I know you're an agent and that this is your job but I've never so scared before."

"I get that honey, but I promise you that I will always come home to you. I will never leave you."

"That's good, cus I can't live without you."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Zoë lifted her head up and gave Callen a kiss. "I love you G."

"I love you too Zoë."

Zoë gave Callen another kiss before she snuggled against him again.

….

It was just a week till the wedding. Everything had been taken care off and the wedding was just gonna be perfect. Zoë was at the airport waiting for her mom.

"Hey mam," Zoë spoke when she saw her mom come out of baggage claim.

"Hey Zoë," Kirsten replied as she hugged her daughter.

"Goede vlucht gehad?[How was your flight]?" Zoë asked as she helped Kirsten load the bags into the car.

"Ja het was prima. Moest in Atlanta even wachten op de overstap maar verder prima.[Yeah it was fine. Had to wait a bit in Atlanta for the connection but other than that it was fine.]"

"Goed om te horen.[Good to hear.]"

"Ik kan gewoon niet geloven dat ik hier ben voor jouw bruiloft,[I can hardly believe that I'm here for you wedding,]" Kirsten almost squealed.

"Ja echt hé! Ik kan niet wachten.[I know right! I can't wait to get married.]"

"Jij en Greg horen echt bij elkaar, ik ben zo blij voor jullie.[You and Greg belong together, I'm so happy for you two."

"Thanks mom."

They got in the car and Zoë drove them home.

"Hey Kirsten," Callen greeted his soon-to-be mother-in-law when she and Zoë walked into the house.

"Hey Greg," Kirsten greeted back and gave him a hug. "Everything ready for the big day?"

"Yes it is, just the last minutes check-ups to make sure that everything is in order."

"I'm sure it's gonna be perfect. Just promise me you'll take good care of Zoë."

"I will, I love her so much," Callen replied and Kirsten could see the love spread all over his face.

"I know, everyone can see that you two love each other. I'm so happy for you guys."

"Thank you."

"Are you sure it's no problem for me to stay here?"

"No absolutely not.

….

Tomorrow was their wedding day, everything was arranged and all the things were delivered to the venue. They had paid for as much as possible already. Luckily Friday was an easy day at work so they could go to home around 5pm. Callen grabbed his bag from the trunk when they were getting ready to leave, he was gonna go to Sam's.

"I will see you tomorrow," Callen told Zoë.

"Yes I will see you tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll be husband and wife."

"Yes we will."

Callen pulled Zoë to him and kissed her deeply.

"I wish you didn't have to go tonight," Zoë spoke in between the kisses.

"I know, me neither. But it's just for one day. And tomorrow we have all night and then three weeks with just you and me," Callen spoke slightly seductive.

"Oh I can't wait for that."

Zoë gave him one more deep kiss before they parted ways. Kensi and Nell would come to Zoë's later and Deeks and Eric were heading over to Sam's. When Zoë came home her sister Fay was already there too, she had brought over the dresses. The girls enjoyed a nice girl's night before going to sleep. Zoë looked at the garment bag hanging on her closet. She opened it and examined her dress. It was just perfect. She couldn't wait for tomorrow, her wedding day, hers and Callen's wedding day. She was so happy to get married to him.