ssl71: I went into this thinking Caroso would be the biggest threat, but Miller actually surpassed him while I was writing this story *g*. Yeah, Sam and Deeks will make sure their partners will be fine in the end. As for Callen - he will definitely protect Kensi at all costs. Thanks for commenting!

altarp2408: Hee hee, yeah, if I get the choice between escalating and deescalating I seem to lean towards escalating the situation in this fic *g*. The hostage takers have a short fuse (especially Miller) and there isn't all that much room for error anymore so I guess things are getting more difficult by the minute. Thanks for your review :)

trscrny: Glad you're still eager for more excitement. Callen will do everything in his power to make sure Kensi stays unharmed. Thanks for commenting :)

Amjm: Yeah, in my opinion, there's far too few Callen centered whump stories out there so I decided to pitch in ;) All of my stories are mostly Callen-whump-centric, so you might want to check them out.

Oh yeah, and: About the communications system and the earwig technical stuff I included? Totally made up. I have no idea what I'm talking about there, so if it's wrong… *shrugs* ;)

And now have fun with Chapter 7 everyone!

Xxxxxxx

Come Hell or High Water

Chapter 7

By the time the phone rang on the counter, Callen was able to draw breath once more without fire spreading through his lungs.

Miller's foot had caught him square in the chest and he suspected that two of his ribs were cracked. It had been worth it though. Kensi remained unharmed, even though he could see a lingering sense of confusion around her. He couldn't - wouldn't - address that though, not right now.

He also ignored Hetty's voice in his ear, chiding him.

Instead, his eyes firmed once more on Miller, who had marched over to the counter.

Targeting Kensi when Callen had deliberately made himself a target for the other man had surprised him. In retrospect, it probably shouldn't. Miller was becoming more unstable and when Callen had tried talking him down, he had inadvertently pushed the man's buttons to reassert his dominance over some part of the situation that he could control and at the same time to probably motivate Callen into working harder to get Cox to agree to the demands when he talked to him the next time. It was either a cunning or a desperate move - Callen wasn't sure which one it was.

Rolling up into a seated position, grimacing at the pain and coughing a few times, Callen watched Miller as the man he listened to what he was told on the phone. He saw the way his shoulders slowly relaxed. Callen had been distantly aware of the chatter over their comm.-system where Nell had advised them that the FBI was meeting the hostage takers' demands and that a car would be in front of the bank's entrance within the next half hour.

As the situation stood, an incursion into the bank was still too risky, so they would take their chances in bringing this show on the road. A mobile hostage situation was never a good idea but it was the only one they really had to work with given the situation.

"See? That wasn't too hard," Miller growled into the receiver, his voice half-way between angry and pleased.

Callen sighed softly, mindful of his ribs. With the tempers slowly cooling down once more, things were looking up just a tiny little bit.

"We'll take three hostages with us. Once I'm certain we're in the clear, I'll let those three go."

Callen could not hear the response, but he could guess at it from the way Miller stiffened. "You seem to forget, Agent Cox, that I have all the leverage I need with me… I have thirteen breathing hostages. If you want them to keep breathing, you will not test me on this!"

The receiver was slammed down again, ending the conversation.

Callen glanced over to Kensi and found her eyes narrowed before she felt his gaze and glanced over. Their eyes met and held, each seeking and receiving confirmation that the other was alright.

"So, Mr. FBI," Miller addressed and Callen's head snapped around to find the man's eyes on him.

He tilted his head to the side in a silent prompt but didn't speak up.

"How about you make yourself useful and earn your keep?" Miller suggested.

"What do you want to know?" Callen asked evenly, curious where this was going. So far, he hadn't been questioned as an intelligence source. He had been secured to make sure he wasn't a thread - he kind of still was, but the men didn't need to know that - but no one had asked for any insight into his knowledge of the proceedings. It was actually pretty stupid not to use an intelligence source you had available to you, but Callen wouldn't complain.

Miller leaned against the counter in his back and crossed one ankle over the other. The posture was casual - if it weren't for the gun held loosely in his hand or the dangerous vibes coming from him. "Will there be snipers when we step out there?"

Callen didn't allow himself to ponder the question or hesitate to hedge his bet. Miller was intelligent and he likely knew the answer to that question himself. He had been in the military and he would have some tactical knowledge. So if Callen went the wrong way and lied, he probably wouldn't like the consequences - not only physically but also since his possible influence would instantly plummet down to zero. "Most likely," he said and gave a calm nod.

"Where?" Miller asked.

He shrugged a little. "Can't tell you the exact position as I don't have the layout of the surrounding area, but I'd suspect two or three snipers on high ground - on top of buildings or from balconies," Callen offered.

Miller watched him intently and Callen made sure to let the man look, all the while making sure his glance didn't hold a challenge though. There was a fine line between projecting certainty and sincerity instead of defiance with the way of prolonged eye contact.

"And the car? Will that be clean or will we have a tracker on our asses?"

This time, Callen did hesitate, because it was more than just a possibility and it was viable option for the FBI to stay on top of things. He pursed his lips and eventually offered an honest answer though, "I'd suspect so," he allowed, "covertly following the car is another possibility, but it's more difficult since you will be looking for it." And hostage takers were paranoid enough to spot a tail, so with the rise of technology, it became easier to tag the car and follow at a safe distance.

Again, Miller's eyes hung on him. This time, there was some surprise in them. He had obviously expected Callen to lie and Callen had scored a major point in credibility as a result of answering truthfully.

Maybe they could do some negotiation one-on-one behind the scenes? Before he could follow that thought, Miller posed his next question: "Where would those trackers be?"

And with that question, he actually opened the door for negotiations without any further prodding by Callen needed. It was just a matter of carefully nudging the man towards it. Callen pounced on the option. He gave a slow and careful shrug of his shoulder, "I'm not sure. There are a few options…" he let the words hang in the room.

Miller's eyes narrowed, "tell me where," he demanded, his voice a low growl as he pushed himself away from the counter and took an aggressive step forward.

Callen ducked his head slightly, physically reacting as Alex Vasnev would to the threat while Callen remained firmly in the driver's seat of this conversation. "I… I… I can't. There's too many options," he stuttered slightly and then glanced up once more, "I could find them though," he offered and then waited with baited breath for the trap he had just set to spring shut.

Miller regarded him carefully, not speaking so Callen went on, adding a little push. "Take me with you," he clarified, "everyone else stays here and I'll help you get away clean."

Xxxxxxx

The thirty minutes were nearly up and due to the limited view of the outside, Callen couldn't see how things were progressing. Listening to the chatter on his earwig though, he knew that they were progressing and that soon things would be set in motion. The hostages had once more been left to their own devices, merely watched over by Caroso who did hold his distance though.

After some more careful pushing, Miller had accepted Callen's proposition: Callen would be taken along to disable to trackers while everyone else remained inside the bank to be secured by law enforcement after the three hostage takers and their one hostage left the bank.

Callen glanced over to Kensi when he felt her fingers trail down his arm. She leaned closer and pressed her face into his neck. "You sure about this?" she asked into his skin.

The same question had been asked before via their comm.-system - several times. Callen knew that his everyday partner wasn't too happy with him - he also knew he could still count on Sam to do what he always did which was having Callen's back.

So his answer to the question remained the same, regardless of who was asking. He brushed a kiss against the top of Kensi's head and murmured an affirmative. "Yes, I am. You just keep your head down," he whispered.

He tilted his head slightly down, hiding his face in Kensi's hair. "Give me an idea where you're placing some of the trackers so I can disable them," he ordered softly, knowing it wouldn't be Kensi to answer that but one of their techs. He needed a way to keep his end of the bargain, to make sure he remained valuable to these men. Once outside and the single focus of three hostage takers, his position was somewhat more precarious and he didn't plan on getting himself shot because he had outlived his usefulness.

That would be a real bummer.

"We just got the information from the FBI. There will be three trackers planted inside," Nell started, proceeding to tell Callen where to find them. It were the normal placements he would have expected, but it was good to know for certain.

"And now tell me that this is a new earwig with the tracking system you two were bragging about last week," he directed another statement to their techs.

He still remembered the scene from last week vividly, the way both Nell and Eric had preened about having managed to fit another technical addition into their state-of-the-art communication equipment. Previously, outfitting their earwigs with a GPS tracker had always failed due to the limited space - you could only make these earwigs a certain size before they either became too uncomfortable to wear or too visible from the outside - and some kind of transmitting wavelength interference with their comms… at least that was what he had suspected the technical mumbo jumbo to mean in real-person-speak.

So when those two had been bustling with energy and excitement last week, telling the team about their accomplishment, his mind had instantly taken off on a tangent, busy with compiling all the possible advantages they would have in certain situations due to these add-ons.

Somehow, being in a hostage situation hadn't made it to his list back then - but it sure did now.

"You're in luck, Callen," Eric gave back evenly, bringing his focus back to the present, "we're reading your GPS signal with the earwig. As long as you've got that on you, we'll be able to track your position."

That was good. It meant that he wouldn't have to rely on the FBI trackers planted on the car that they wouldn't let him get to - like those he suspected would be hidden on the undercarriage.

Callen straightened up a little and glanced around before returning his attention to the rest of the room. He found Miller's eyes on them and Callen barely held back the frown, instead ducking his head back down and resting his cheek once more against the crown of Kensi's head while lowering his gaze.

From the man's expression, Callen knew that something was going on, but he wasn't sure what yet. He was only certain that it wasn't good. Tension seeped back into him and Kensi drew back in reaction to that.

Miller slowly came closer.

"I'm not sure it's wise to take you with us," Miller spoke casually, letting his sentence hang in the air as he gestured towards Callen with his gun.

Callen blinked dumbly at him, the expression only half pretended. He wondered if he had given himself away after all considering Miller's words and his sudden reluctance to go ahead as planned.

Adapting a slightly intimidated posture, he tilted his head to the side in confusion, "you said it yourself: I'm an FBI agent; I'm worth a lot more than any other hostage you have," Callen pointed out slowly, trying to subtly manipulate the man back to the previous plan. What he said wasn't necessarily true, but it also wasn't wrong. While his life wouldn't be deemed more valuable than anyone else's from an institutional standpoint, an agent's involvement was both an advantage and a disadvantage to a hostage taker.

A disadvantage would be that despite lingering turf wars between law enforcement, in a situation like this, they would pull together and any law enforcement officer would be perceived as one of their own. The reaction to the perp threatening the officer would be an accordingly unified front.

At the same time though, a law enforcement officer's involvement made everyone's life more difficult because they were also compromised and not a neutral party anymore as it was one of their own who was threatened.

"You're an FBI agent and you can cause trouble for us," Miller clarified his thoughts in response to Callen's words.

The crux of the matter was that the man was right - and he didn't even know half of it. Callen could cause lots and lots of trouble for the trio - even more than they were aware of. At the same time though, his priority was to make sure no one else was harmed and that actually gave the three men leverage over him, solidifying his submission.

"My priority is to protect everyone else. That's the oath I swore when I took up my badge. Also, no one else would know where to look for the trackers," Callen pointed out carefully. Somehow, he got the feeling that it wasn't too important to Miller though, so he went on. "My deal stands. As long as no one is harmed, I will do everything I can to help you get safely away from here," he reiterated calmly - he had chosen his words carefully: he would help the trio get out of here, but everything that happened after they left the bank and the other hostages behind was fair game.

Miller continued watching him before shaking his head. "There's something about you that doesn't sit right. You're too calm, too smooth," he accused evenly before gesturing towards Kensi, "we'll take her instead. I believe you'll behave if your girlfriend remains with us."

"No," Callen denied firmly, getting his leg under him and pushing himself up despite his bindings and his weakened leg. Kensi scrambled to her feet as well, her hand on his back supportive as he kept his balance while mostly keeping his weight on one foot. "Leave her out of this and take me along," he demanded again. He made sure his voice was firm, made sure it was carrying the demand he was putting down.

"No, I think not," Miller shook his head.

Caroso closed in from his right side, his hand going to Callen's shoulder to shove him back down. Callen shrugged the man off and leaned forward, invading Miller's personal space without moving a foot. He allowed his masks to fall, allowed the fury to blaze in his eyes. "You take her and I will stop at nothing to see you rot in hell," he hissed, his voice nothing more than a low growl. It was a threat, a very valid one, and the way Miller's eyes tightened let him know the message had been received.

Miller held his ground though. He met Callen's determined stare with one of his own until his eyes flickered to Caroso who forced Callen back down on the ground with a kick to his leg.

Callen decided it was time to make sure these men understood something… he went with the kick, cushioning his fall as best as he could and instantly issuing the counter attack he had held back on so far. He lashed out with his uninjured leg, hooking it around Caroso's ankle and bringing the man down. Despite having his hands still bound behind him and one leg in less than optimal working condition, he followed up with a kick to Caroso's face, feeling immense satisfaction when blood erupted from the man's nose.

His victory was short lived when Miller himself suddenly stood over him, his gun pointed straight at Callen's forehead. "And that is exactly why I don't think I should take you," the man reiterated.

Callen knew he had shown his hand, but he couldn't say he regretted the move, nor was he certain it had been the wrong one to make.

When Miller withdrew, he rolled up into a sitting position and Kensi was instantly beside him once more. "Alex," she murmured hesitantly and he knew that she was uncertain why he was putting up such a fight. She was an agent in her own right and any other time he would have put up a token argument but would have allowed this to play out with her leaving - privately snickering to himself that the men didn't know what they were in for. Tactically, it would be a good move because she was not perceived as a threat and therefore could be very effective in being part of the solution.

But today wasn't that day. Now wasn't that time.

He had to make certain that Kensi was left out of this.

He opted for one last effort, one last resort to make sure she stayed where she was and he would be the one taken along for this joyride. He disregarded Hetty's voice in his ear telling him to back down and deescalate.

He couldn't.

So he went with his last ditch effort.

He was willing to do for her what he would never do for himself: beg.

"Please, don't," he said softly. He exhaled slowly, his eyes flickering briefly over to Kensi before settling on Miller once more, "please… she's pregnant."

From the corner of his eye he saw the widening of her eyes, the breathless surprise as evident in them as it was in the tremble of her fingertips against his back. If he'd had any doubt about her condition before, she had basically confirmed it just now with her subtle reaction.

He knew he had taken something away from her and Deeks, something that should have belonged to them - the announcement of her pregnancy should have been theirs and he hated himself for stealing that from them, from her, but at the same time, he couldn't hate himself for trying his hardest to make sure they would get to experience what they had fought so hard for.

All of those thoughts were processed in a split second with just a tiny fraction of his consciousness, while the rest of him was focused on Miller and the others. He sincerely hoped that this would secure her safety, knew he was appealing to something in these men he wasn't perfectly sure existed… right until he saw the micro expression that crossed over Miller's face.

The man had wanted to have children, had lost his wife over it. He could relate with Callen's desperate need to make sure the woman and child were safe.

Miller's eyes flittered over Kensi for a few seconds, watching her before he returned his gaze to Callen.

"As long as the other hostages stay here and are not harmed, I will do what I promised," he reiterated again.

Miller regarded him for several more moments, searching for a lie in Callen's expression but finding none. Eventually, the man gave him a slow but decisive nod.

Callen felt something unclench inside of him.

Callen had given something away that hadn't rightfully been his to give away, but he had gained what equated to a fortune to him in return. He had grown up not knowing what family was about, but the people he worked with at NCIS, that small selected group had grown into what could only be described as family to him. They had gone through hell separately and as a group over the years and he was willing to put it all on the line for them.

He solemnly returned the nod, sealing the deal that had been made. Fearlessness had its price, but sometimes, it actually won the day.

Xxxxxxx