Life As We Know It Chapter 1, a ncis: los angeles fanfic

Chapter 1-The New House

Callen and Anna stood there, holding each other.

"We did it," he said. "We bought the house!"

"Yes, we did!" Anna agreed. "Let's celebrate tonight!"

"Sounds good! What do you want to do?" He opened her car door, and then buckled her in.

"I don't know. Maybe the Chinese restaurant again?"

"Sure. Let's do that!"

They both were very heady from the events of the afternoon, and were perfectly happy about having an early dinner. With a little help from the GPS, Callen found the same restaurant, and pulled in. Anna handed him his mask, and they entered the restaurant.

The decor still fascinated Anna, and she got a charge out of being seated next to a huge, carved glass New Year's Dragon.

"Don't the dragons mean good luck?" Callen asked.

"And good health," Anna put in.

After a moment, the waitress brought them menus, and the dipping noodles. She disappeared quietly.

Callen studied his menu. He was undecided, but Anna knew what she wanted this night, too.

"Sesame Chicken," she said.

He looked up at her. "What?"

"I want the Sesame Chicken tonight," she said, smiling at him. "And some egg rolls."

He put down his menu. "You're unbelievable!" Then he folded his hands and stared at her. "Okay. I'll have some egg rolls with you, but for dinner, I want the Shrimp with Lobster Sauce."

"That sounds heavenly," Anna said, clearly debating swiping some of his dish.

Callen smirked. "Don't even think about it," he cautioned good naturedly.

The waitress returned shortly, and took their orders. "Would you like something to drink, sir?"

He glanced at Anna, who shook her head. "No, thank you. The water will be fine."

The girl nodded, and took their menus with her.

Anna dragged her noodles through the dipping sauce, and ate quite a few of them.

"Have some," she invited him.

Callen nodded, and they finished the entire bowlful. Then they chatted about anything that came to mind, and had fun talking about a lot of nothing. Soon, the waitress brought their dinners, and the aroma made them more heady than they already were.

Not too long after, Anna did take a couple of spoonfuls of his Shrimp, and in return, Callen speared some of her Sesame Chicken with his fork. By the time they finished their meal, they had eaten half of each other's dinners, and left nothing to bring home except the fortune cookies.

When they got home, Anna refused to open the cookies on their bed. She insisted they sit at the table, and that's what they did. Callen was amused, but he understood. He cracked open the first cookie.

"'You are good with your hands,'" he read. "It's true, too. You are good with your hands," he added.

Anna laughed, and twisted his meaning. "You are good with your hands, too...and I wouldn't have it any other way." She took off her ankle boot, and slid her foot up his pants leg.

"Cute," he laughed. Then he handed her a cookie.

Anna cracked it open, and it shattered. She looked him in the eye. "This is why we aren't doing this on the bed!" Then she picked up the tiny paper. "'Forever and a day. That's how long I will love you,'" she read.

"That's a nice one," Callen said. He took another cookie from the bag, and opened it. Anna snickered when it burst, and he grinned at her. "'Plan for many pleasures ahead,'" he said softly, looking right at her. "This is an easy one."

Anna laughed. "Yes. So is loving you forever!" She opened the next cookie. "'If you want the rainbow, you have to tolerate the rain,'" she read.

"Okay. That works," he said. "I think we have a good portion of our rainbow now."

"We do," Anna agreed. She felt around for the next cookie, but the bag was empty. "We're good. There were only four tonight."

"That's fine," Callen said. He got up and started turning off lights. "I am very tired, baby. Let's just go to bed."

She nodded. She was as tired as he, and after she cleaned up the cookie crumbs, she joined him in bed. She couldn't wait to snuggle up against him because he was warm to the touch. She shivered slightly.

"You okay, baby?" Callen kissed the top of her head.

"I'm okay. I'm just overtired from everything," she replied. "Can we stay home tomorrow?"

He smiled and chuckled. "Maybe," he replied. "We'll see."

Anna nodded, and snaked up onto him. She kissed him soundly, and then settled down, with her face buried in his neck.

Callen held her with one arm and jerked the blankets up so that they were covering both of them up to their necks. "Good night, baby," he whispered.

Anna kissed him under his chin. "Good night, my love." The more she thawed out, the more she relaxed, and she soon fell asleep.

Callen remained excited, but he was calm. He was still trying to process all of the good things that had happened to him in the past two years, and it amazed him. He mumbled a short prayer of thanks to God, and then he, too, fell into a quiet sleep.

The following morning, Callen woke up to find that Anna had stayed on top of him. A big smirk crossed his face. He had no desire to wake her although he had to get up. He stayed in bed for as long as he could, and then gingerly slid out from underneath her. She didn't notice.

When he was finished in the bathroom, Callen walked around the funny little apartment, appreciating what it had offered him over the past few years. It really hadn't felt like home until Anna had moved in permanently, and he was grateful that she did. With her there, the apartment felt very homey, and he couldn't imagine life without her.

Very carefully, Callen climbed back into the bed, and spooned her. He held her close, and buried his face in her hair, hoping that she wouldn't wake up just yet. He fell asleep almost immediately.

It was close to ten o'clock when Anna finally woke up. She still had no desire to go to work this day, and she dared to call Hetty to let her know. The OSP manager wasn't thrilled, but she understood where Anna was coming from. Anna reassured her that both she and Callen would be in the following day.

She climbed out of her warm cocoon and made her way to the bathroom, and took care of herself. Then, without realizing that Callen had done the same thing, she walked around the entire apartment, admiring its cozy atmosphere. She was grateful to Callen for letting her stay with him, and now, she would never think to leave. She loved him too much to be without him.

Anna wandered over to the bed, and looked down at him. He was sound asleep on his stomach, so she knew he was exhausted. She was very glad she had called Hetty. She then walked around to her side of the bed, and slid in under the blankets where it was nice and warm and snuggly. She got as close to Callen as she could, and draped her leg over his. She gradually fell asleep.

It was past noon when they woke up again, ravenous.

Callen sat up, and gently touched Anna, who woke up almost immediately.

"Hey, baby," he murmured.

Anna smiled at him, and put her arm up. He lay down right away, resting his head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around his neck, not willing to let him go.

"Dobroye utro, Lyubov' moya," she said softly.

He smiled at her, and then kissed her under her chin, causing her to chuckle.

Anna felt him starting to get up, and held onto him. "Not yet, my love. I called Hetty before. We aren't going in today. I want to go to the house."

"Oh, boy," he replied. "Was she mad?"

"No, but she wasn't all that happy either," Anna replied. "Callen, we have to take care of ourselves before we do anything else."

"This is true," he agreed. He twisted around to look out the window, but the blinds were still closed. The sun looked different. "What time is it?"

Anna shrugged. "I don't know. Probably noon or later."

"Noon?!"

She smiled broadly. "Yes! You were out cold when I called Hetty. You didn't even know I got up to pee."

"Wow," he said, shocked. "I guess I needed the sleep."

She nodded. "You did, and so did I." She sat up, and he followed her. "Thank you for that wonderful dinner date last night."

He leaned over and kissed her. "You're welcome, baby."

"I still want to go to the house."

"Oh, boy," he said, pulling her to him, and hugging her. "We will, but not quite yet."

"Why?" She wasn't happy with his response.

"Anna...we need to get dressed first!"

A huge grin filled her face. "Oh." Then she lay back and laughed. "I guess I can wait for a minute, but no more."

"Cute."

Callen made sure they ate brunch before they left. He also packed a lunch for them, knowing that they wouldn't be home before dark.

He pulled the car into the driveway, and they just sat there, admiring the house.

"This is awesome."

"Yes," Anna replied. "Shall we?"

Callen nodded. "Let's."

After they got out of the car, Callen snatched the lunch tote and brought it inside.

"This is just amazing, Callen," Anna breathed. "Wow!" She danced and bounced around the living room. "I love this!"

Callen put the tote on the mantel. "Let's just walk through again before we do anything else."

She nodded, and then took him by the hand. They went room by room, remembering to take the time to go through the kitchen cabinets. Then they opened the back door, and stepped out into the yard which was bathed in sunshine.

"A pool?" she asked.

"Sure, but not right away," Callen replied. "I like that we have space for a full-size patio."

"Yes. And a barbecue?"

"For sure!"

Then they wandered into the house and made their way upstairs. Their first stop was the master bedroom. Callen investigated the closets while Anna inspected the bathroom. She was happy with it except for the color of the walls. She thought the whole room was too pristine in appearance.

"Hey, Callen, come," she called. "What would you think if we painted it?"

He poked his head in the door, and shrugged. "That's fine. What color do you have in mind?"

"Maybe a super light teal?"

"Teal? Really?"

"Sure. It's like a sea green, but without being olive-colored."

"Okay. Whatever makes you happy, baby," he answered.

Anna put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Thank you, my love. Also, we can get new curtains and a shower curtain and towels and-"

Callen laughed. "I get it, and it's fine, baby." He brought her into the bedroom. "Look at the closets!" He pulled open one door, and she opened the other. Both were cavernous.

"Whoa!" Anna exclaimed. "I don't think we have enough clothes between us to fill even half of one!"

He smirked and his eyes twinkled. "I think you're right, baby," he said. He walzed around the spacious room for a minute. "Where should we put the bed?"

"Where you're standing?"

"Okay. Sounds good."

Anna sat on the floor, and he joined her. "Do you remember what color comforter you wanted?"

A happy smile crossed his face. "Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. A blue one."

"Like your eyes?"

He laughed. "Sort of, but a shade or two paler."

She nodded. "That's fine. Blue?" she asked, panning the room with her hand.

"Yes, please," he agreed.

Then she stood up, and pulled him to his feet.

"Let's check the other bedrooms anyway."

"Of course," Callen said, following her out of their new bedroom.

They scrutinized all three rooms, and their consensus was to freshen the decor with slightly off-color whites that were of the white family, but nothing yellowish.

"We can add color later, or with the curtains and bedcovers," Anna explained.

He nodded. "Okay." He flicked the light switch, but it didn't turn on. "Uh-oh," he said.

"What's wrong?"

He scrunched up his face. "We kinda sorta forgot to call the electric company."

Anna laughed. "Oh, brother!"

"We can dine by candlelight?"

"No. No way," she objected.

"Then what?"

"Well, for starters, we can call the electric company right now, and then we can go get some huge flashlights to use as lanterns," Anna said. "While we have the opportunity, I want to start cleaning, please."

"Sounds good!"

They went outside and unpacked the car, lugging in carry-alls full of cleaning supplies. Anna divided them up, and sent Callen upstairs to work on the two bathrooms while she attacked the kitchen. Since the house was already immaculate, they didn't have a lot to do, but doing a thorough but light job made them both feel better.

When he was finished with the bathrooms upstairs, Callen cleaned the downstairs bathroom which was awkward because it was so small. But, he got done, and then washed his hands. Then he called the electric company, and found out they wouldn't be able to come until the following week.

"Anna!"

She came flying from the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

"Mostly nothing, but we can't get the electric turned on until next week."

She frowned. "Why the delay?"

"I don't know," he replied. "We should double check the water, too." He went into the kitchen and turned on the sink. The spigot worked fine, and he was visibly relieved.

"We also need to call the cable company," Anna reminded him.

He gawked at her. "We do, don't we?"

"Yep!"

Callen sat down where he was standing. He poked his phone relentlessly until he found the same company that they had at the apartment. He called them, and made arrangements for them to come the same day as the electric company. Then he poked some more, and called the heating oil company, and made arrangements for them to come the same day as well. Then he flopped backwards on the floor.

"Ow!" he complained, and Anna laughed.

"Don't flop down like that," she cautioned. She lay down on top of him, and then kissed him all over.

Instinct made him wrap her in his embrace. Then he kissed her within an inch of her life, too.

She came up for air long enough to ask, "Can we move in on the weekend?"

He looked at her funny. "Nope. No, Anna! We have no lights, which means the fridge won't be working! Besides, let's get all of the painting done first before we move in, okay, please?"

"Not a problem," she agreed before she began kissing him again.

"Do you like the color of the carpet in the living room?" he asked between kisses.

"What?!" she cried, aghast. She flipped up abruptly, and sat on his groin. "What kind of a question is that?"

He bumped her off, and then sat up. He was not to be deterred. "Well? Do you?"

"You know what, Callen?" Anna shot back. "Stop talking!"

He burst into laughter, and then hugged her closely. "Let's eat, and then get some lanterns."

"Sounds good!"

After inhaling their lunch, Callen and Anna drove over to the biggest home-fix-it store they could find. Although they had gone to buy flashlight lanterns, they spent a huge amount of time in the paint section. By the time they remembered that they had gone shopping for lanterns, they had bought paint for every single room in the house.

When they got back to the house, the sun was beginning to set, and they immediately turned on all of the lanterns.

"Spooky!" Anna observed.

"Somewhat," Callen agreed as he placed the flashlights strategically throughout the living room. "It's warm, but would you like a fire?"

"Yes, please" Anna said, slinking over to him and wrapping her arms around him. She kissed him before she released him. "Is the flue open?"

Callen lit a few pieces of kindling that he had placed within the logs. He balanced it out with rolled up pieces of newspaper that were in the box beside the fireplace. The flames caught quickly, but so did the smoke. He choked, and looked at her.

"No," he said, with a funny look on his face. "It is not."

Anna coughed. She fanned her face, and then went to open a few windows and the front door.

Callen extinguished the flames and poured a small amount of water on the logs and papers to be sure.

"How about we order in, and hang out upstairs?" he asked.

"We could do that," Anna said, flapping the front door open and closed in an attempt to fan the air. "But it's going to be dark!"

"Since when has that stopped us?"

Callen rummaged around in the trunk for his sleeping bags, and brought them upstairs to their new bedroom. He unzipped them both, and lay them on the floor. He stood in the middle, wondering what he should use for blankets.

Anna appeared a minute later with an armful of towels. "How about these?" She dropped the stack on the floor beside the sleeping bags.

"They'll do fine," he said, picking up a towel and shaking it out. He was very glad to see that it was a bath sheet. "Is there another?"

"I think so," she replied, searching the pile of towels. She shook out another, but it was a regular bath towel. "It could be a pillow?"

Callen chuckled. "Yes. Why not?" He picked up another towel and shook it out. This time, he had found the other bathsheet, and laid it on the makeshift bed.

Anna found another regular bath towel and folded it. She placed in on the sleeping bags next to the other one, and then smiled at him. "We got a bed!" She gasped, and opened the windows in their room. "The smoke stinks!"

He sighed. "It does, but we could also go back home."

Her eyes opened wide in shock. "Grisha Callen, this IS home! We can put up with a little smoke!"

"Oh, God," he said, giving her a hug. "I'm so sorry, baby. Yes. This is our home now."

Anna put her face in his neck. "Yes, it is," she said softly.

After a hasty discussion, they decided to stay at the house until late, and then pick up food from the deli.

Both fidgeted until they were comfortable on the floor. Callen covered them both with the huge towels, and then he held Anna close.

She cuddled into him, using him as her pillow instead of the bath towel.

"Think how pretty our room will be when we get it done," she said.

He nodded. "Anna, this whole house is pretty. I love it!"

She worked her way on top of him, and then kissed him. "It is," she agreed. "I love it, too."

Callen fell silent. He worked his hands under her shirt and caressed her until she became squirmy. Deftly, he pulled her shirt and bra off over her head, and stroked her silky back.

Anna smiled at him, and began to unbutton his shirt. He helped her by sitting up slightly, and she removed his shirt and undershirt. Then she started to kiss him from his neck down to his belt.

He slid his hands between them and unbuttoned her pants, and then pushed them down her legs, along with her panties. She helped him, and then worked his pants and boxers off him. Then she continued to kiss him. She pleasured him relentlessly, and he loved every minute of it.

Callen needed to flip them, and he did. She stimulated him some more, and finally felt herself burst. She guided him into her special home, and he pressed gently at first, and then with more strength. Anna locked her legs around him and held him within. He couldn't get enough of her, and he met her, passion for passion. When he was spent, he laid his head on her chest. He noticed a difference in the way he felt this time, and wondered if she did, too.

Keeping him within, Anna turned them over again, and she lay on top of him. She fussed over his scars and his entire body, kissing each mark. Then she played with his nipples, and they became erect, causing her to grin. She suckled him.

Callen shivered. "What are you doing?!" he gasped.

"Nothing except loving you," she repeated, and he smiled.

In the gloomy light, Callen noticed some white, pinhead-sized marks on her left arm. He counted them, and found thirteen pairs.

"From when you were shot?"

Anna nodded. "Yep," she said. She glanced over at her arm. "Hetty did a good job patching me up."

"She did, at that," Callen agreed. "Whoa!" he gasped as she suddenly tightened her muscles around him. "You know you are squishing me, right?"

"I do," Anna said with a smirk. She loved keeping him within, but she also knew that it wasn't always the best thing to do. She relaxed her muscles, and felt him slip away. She laid her head on his chest. "I hate letting you go."

"I know you do, baby, but it's okay."

"I know, Callen. It's kind of my thing," she said, reaching around to hold him in her hand. She used her other hand to stroke his junk. "You are so soft," she observed. Then she turned around completely and touched her tongue to his tip.

"I might explode again," he told her, with a smirk.

She was not about to be outdone. "So might I," she challenged.

Callen pushed her forward, and then stroked her preciousness. She reacted immediately, and turned around to face him; she had a foolish grin on her face.

He did not subside, and gently traced her line until he sensed that she was stimulated enough for him to let his fingers wander within to her special place. He brought her to a climax very quickly, and used himself to trace her line. Gradually, he entered her, raising his hips to meet her as she bore down on him.

Anna couldn't get enough of him. She pressed as hard as she could on him, wanting to swallow every inch of him. This night, she was particularly sensitive to his touches, and she decided that he was made of magic because she felt things this night that she had never felt with any man before, including Callen himself. Eventually, she collapsed on him, keeping him within once again, much to his amusement.

Very slightly, Anna noticed that he was slipping away from her special home. She mourned the loss, but satisfied herself by knowing that she could hold him within again and again.

Anna slid off him, and lay beside him. She was completely at ease with him. Callen raised up on one arm, and traced her line with his fingers. He did not enter her, but enjoyed stroking her. He let his hand wander up and down her body, stopping occasionally to kiss her from neck to preciousness, and back again. He sucked on her breasts for a bit, creating sensations in her that she had never felt before.

At last, she caught his head between her hands, and tried to stop him from stimulating her even more than she was. He had brought her to a head again, and she burst all over his hand while he was stroking her.

With a big happy grin on his face, Callen looked at her.

"Oh, boy," he mumbled, trying to hide a smirk. He picked up a towel and dried his hand off. "Hey, baby."

"Hey, yourself," she replied, smiling just as happily.