This is a really brief one shot of a scene I would've loved to see in the episode "Red Rover, Red Rover," so it won't make much sense unless you've already seen the episode. It would follow the "rescue" of Arkady from his panic room. Thanks to CBS and Brennan for letting us fan fiction writers use their creation for our creative endeavors. As always, like to know what readers think.
Arkady burst into the boatshed followed closely by Kensi and Deeks. Callen and Sam looked away from the screen that showed Carlson interrogating Anna, and their faces expressed their surprise and discomfort with the arrival of this unexpected guest.
"What's he doing here?" Sam asked.
"If we hadn't brought him, he would have come on his own," Kensi told them and shrugged. Although she hadn't wanted to bring Arkady, she understood his insistence on making sure that Anna was safe and unharmed.
Ignoring Sam, Arkady strode over to Callen and stood chest-to-chest with him. His expression was that of a bull barely restrained as he demanded, "I want to see my Anna." Before Callen could reply or shut off the video, Arkady caught sight of his Anna with Carlson and started for the interrogation room. Callen caught him by the arm, and Arkady turned on him and said quietly, ominously, "I want to see my Anna, Callen."
Callen let his arm go and walked with him to the interrogation room. He opened the door and with a nod of his head, told Carlson to leave the room. She left, letting Callen know that she was not pleased.
Arkady's entire body relaxed on seeing his daughter, and his voice was that of a concerned and caring father. "Anna, are you okay? Why are you here and being questioned?"
"I'm fine, poppa," Anna replied using the term of endearment as she stood up and let him wrap her in a bear hug.
When the hug ended, Arkady turned to Callen who was still in the room, and asked, his voice carrying an edge, his body tense, "Why is my Anna being questioned, Callen? She has done nothing wrong."
"I know that, Arkady, and no one thinks she has," Callen assured him, trying to calm him.
Anna interjected, "I'm telling them what I know about Katya, Arkady. That's all."
Arkady looked first at Anna and then at Callen. She seemed to be telling the truth, so his body relaxed again. "Okay. I will wait until you have told them everything you know, and then we both go to the safe house."
Anna shot a glance at Callen and then addressed Arkady as she replied, "I can't, Arkady."
"Why not?" Arkady asked, with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "You tell them what you know, and then we go." He turned to Callen, "That's all you want from my Anna, isn't it? What she knows about Katya?"
Callen hesitated the briefest of moments before answering, "At the moment, yes."
"What this 'at the moment' mean, Callen?" Arkady asked as the tension began to rise in his voice. "What more could you want from my Anna?"
"We don't know," Anna said as she moved and took hold of Arkady's arm to stop his movement toward Callen. "Probably nothing, but I should stay just in case." She smiled at him, a smile that melted his heart, and said, "Don't worry, poppa. I'll be fine."
"We'll keep her safe, Arkady," Callen said, and when Arkady looked at him, he saw that Callen still cared for Anna even after everything that had happened since Arkady and he last spoke about her.
"But you need to go to the safe house, Arkady, now" Anna told him, "because I don't want to have to worry about you."
"I will stay here."
"No," Anna told him firmly. "Please, poppa," she pleaded, "go to the safe house. I'll be fine but not if I have to worry about you."
"Why would you worry about me here?"
"Because if we have to leave," Callen said, "we don't want to divide our protection detail between you and Anna."
Anna nodded and Arkady reluctantly accepted this explanation. He hugged her again, and when he stopped, he gently brushed her hair away from her face. "I'm going only because you want me to."
"Thank you," she said and then kissed him on the cheek. Arkady turned and headed out of the room, Callen following, while Anna resumed her seat and waited for Carlson to return.
When the door closed behind Callen, Arkady turned to him and said quietly, "Remember what I told you I would do to you if you hurt my Anna, Callen." And then he turned and headed back into the main room to be taken to the safe house by Kensi and Deeks.