THE CHARIOT… Write about a victorious ride.

It had been a good day, Callen determined. They caught their bad guy, delivered a Marine back to his family, had no civilian deaths or hostages and got a fantastic lunch. Also, he had no injuries! A few bumps and bruises but that was par for the course when you tackled someone twice your size to the ground. And all before three in the afternoon! That had to be some kind of record. He took a deep breath of fresh air out of the window. Then coughed. OK, it was still LA traffic so it wasn't that fresh.

"Alright there, G?" Sam asked him.

"Everything's good. Perfect even."

Sam gave him a quick glance and smirked.

"What?" Callen demanded.

"Nothing," his large partner replied, shaking his head and smiling.

"It was something."

"Not really. Just, high praise coming from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Normally if the word 'perfect' comes from your lips it's in a sarcastic tone."

Callen frowned.

"Not always," he protested.

"Eh, I think so."

He wasn't that bad. He just didn't use the word perfect that often. It wasn't a bad thing to have standards.

"Well, it has been a perfect day," Callen said defensively.

"That it has," Sam agreed.

The mountains whizzed past the car, brown blending into green as the two partners just enjoyed the ride. It was nice to have no traffic lights to stop them and have no suspect in the back seat. It was downright unusual in fact. There weren't even any other cars on the road, they were that far from civilisation. That was definitely a welcome change from LA. Clenched had almost forgot that being on the road didn't have to mean seeing the same bumper in front of you for two hours.

"Why don't we take the long way home?" Sam suggested, breaking the silence.

He didn't really want to get back to 'real-life' any time soon either. It would be nice to sort of coast on their success for an hour or two before being shoved into something else.

Callen leaned back in his seat, resting his head on his hands.

"Hetty doesn't need us back immediately," Callen replied decisively as the sun peaked out from behind the clouds, it had been threatening to rain all day. "We've got time. Let Kensi and Deeks start the paperwork."

They'd get grumbles when they returned but they weren't home yet. You took your little pleasures when you could.

Sam just grinned.

"Sounds like a plan," and he reached across to change the radio channel.

"We are not listening to classical music."

"It's good for the brain, G."

"Good for numbing it you mean and I thought that was for babies?"

"Classical music is beneficial for everyone."

"It gives me homicidal tendencies."

"I'll tell Nate that," Sam jokingly threatened.

Callen stuck his tongue out.

"Why not something more upbeat?" Callen tried, knowing that Sam didn't like anything else while he was driving.

"No."

No room for argument there.

"Radio?"

Sam just gave him a look as even Called scrunched his nose up at that. The radio meant news and the news meant current events which would just kill the mood of 'the open road' thing they had going.

"No," they chorused.

"We could sing, " Callen suggested teasingly.

"I'm not singing."

"Aw, come on. You have a great singing voice."

"Not the point. I'm not singing in the car."

"You sing all the time when we do karaoke, " Callen said mischievously, open the glove compartment to mess around with the contents.

Sam brushed his hand away and scolded, "Don't mess with that. And that's karaoke. That's different."

Callen debated the worth of frustrating his partner more by continuing to mess around with the glove compartment. It's not like he could completely stop him from doing anything, Sam had to drive and he didn't like doing that one handed. Unnecessary risk, he always claimed. Callen just thought of it as further proof that his partner was a control freak.

"G," Sam said warningly. That was the tone he used on his kids for God's sake.

Callen huffed his annoyance but stopped.

"How is it different?" He asked instead.

"Karaoke is all about singing for a reason. There's no point in singing now. Ts perfectly fine to drive in silence."

"You mean karaoke is all about winning, " Callen corrected.

Sam shrugged dismissively at him which got him an eye roll from Callen.

"So, you're not going to sing?"

"Nope," Sam replied simply.

"Pity. Bet you know some Reay good sea shanties."

"Sea shanties. Really, G?"

"Maybe I'll provide some music instead."

"You got an instrument on you that I don't know about?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

Looking at his partner, feeling baffled, Callen replied, "What sort of instrument could I have on me right now except for a flute? And you know I hate those after the incident in Canada and that Russian."

Sam chuckled at the memory. That poor flute.

"I took more damage than that blasted flute," Callen sulked, knowing what his partner was thinking.

"Hetty would have murdered you if something happened to it."

"I know," Callen sighed then shot Sam a curious look. "So, what other instruments could I be hiding?"

"Definitely not a tuba," Sam joked as turned around a large bend.

There were actually road markings on the road now, which was nice.

"I was thinking more a whistle or a kazoo."

"A kazoo?" Callen asked blankly. "Those plastic things you use as party favours?"

"Yep, " Sam confirmed.

"Definitely don't have one of those."

"Good, because if you did, I'd have to throw it out the window."

"And litter?" teased Callen.

"Or maybe just throw you out. The kazoo never did anything."

Callen put his hand to his chest and tried to look outraged. Sam ignored his antics.

"I was thinking more that I would sing," Callen announced.

"Really?"

Callen's eyes narrowed at the perceived challenge in Sam's tone. He didn't think Callen would do it. Oh, he'd show him.

Oh, we'll be-"

"Don't do it, G," Sam warned.

"Coming round the mountain when she comes. We'll be coming round the mountain-"

"I'll throw you off the mountain," Sam muttered, glaring at the road in front of him.

"-coming round the mountain when she comes. Coming round the mountain, coming round the mountain-"

Sam groaned loudly. His partner was getting louder with every line.

The car wound round the roads, Callen's voice filtering out the window as they headed for home into the darkening sky.