Christmas Eve

'Sigh. Merry freaking Christmas.' Hetty grumbled as she poured herself some Scotch.

Here she was, miles and miles from home, alone, and miserable during the most special time of the year, after 1 of the worst years of her life.

'Well, at least this beats being in a cage.' She thoughts, unhappily recalling the awful Christmas the year before when she was being held captive in Vietnam. 'I'm alone, miserable, but at least I'm free to do what I want instead of waiting to be fed or hoping that a day goes by where I don't get pushed or beaten around.'

After narrowly being rescued, she spent 2 intense months at home trying to recover from the horrors that she went through. And when she returned to work, she had to deal with the replacement to her former partner who had left almost 2 years ago.

She thought she was getting better, but then her new partner forced her team to do a mission in Mexico that almost got them all killed, and she had to witness all of it!

She was able to get to Mexico to get them out, but what she had saw, completely emotionally wiped her out.

After that, she wasn't sure if she wanted to return to work even after she proved to stupid politicians in DC that she had no real part in the mission other then disapproving of it and rescuing the agents.

Opportunity came around, and Hetty was offered a mission to try to help her out. It was intense, but it helped to temporally get her mind off her depression.

The mission had recently ended, but she still wasn't sure if she wanted to go home.

'Can I really put what happened this year behind me? Or am I just too damaged to go back to being the leader that they need?' She gloomily thought.

She was considering going to bed early and just sleeping through Christmas, when she heard a knock on the door. She went to the door and answered it, and almost couldn't believe who she saw.

'Owen?!'

2 years ago, he was ready to die. He even decided to spare his long time friend the pain of having to watch him slowly die by leaving her. But to his surprise, his daughter offered him a surprise clinical trial to try and cure what he had.

As much as he was ready to give up, he decided to give it a try. And it worked!

Granger considered going back to OSP, but then he heard he had been replaced. And he couldn't reach Hetty. So, he decided to go to the NCIS Red team and help them out.

They were stuck where they were at for the holidays, and they were trying to make the best of it. Then a few days ago, 1 of the team members mentioned running into a 'sad tiny lady.'

'What did she look like?' Granger asked.

'Old, looked kind of depressed. I tried asking her if she was okay, but she brushed me off.'

'Did, did she have short brown hair and glasses?'

'Yeah.'

It sounded like Hetty, but he had to make sure. That night, he stake outed the place to see for him. And sure enough, she eventually showed!

'What is she doing here?' He asked.

When he brought it up with his friend, he suggested that he go talk to her.

'I hurt her almost 2 years ago by leaving and never keeping in contact. Would she really want to talk to me?' He asked.

'I don't know. But, it looked to me like she could really use a friend.' The guy replied.

Eventually, he got up the nerve to go up to where she was staying and knocked on the door.

And she was certainly very surprised to see him!

'How, how are you even here?!' Hetty asked, shocked.

'Daughter got me into a clinical trial, and it worked. May I come in?' Granger replied.

'Yeah, yeah. Come in.'

In front of the fireplace

'After I got better, I heard that I was replaced at NCIS. I was wondering what to do, then someone from the Red team reached out, and I decided to help them out. We're staying not too far from here. A fellow team member mentioned seeing you, and suggested I come here. Are you okay?' Granger said.

'I, I'm glad to see you're still alive.' Hetty softly said. 'I, sigh. Have had a terrible year.'

Holding her hand. 'Care to elaborate?'

While trying her hardest to not erupt into an explosion of tears, Hetty unhappily explained her terrible year. And Granger felt a wave of guilt after she was done talking.

'I, am so sorry about what you've been through.' He said, softly.

'Yeah yeah whatever.'

'Are you trying to get better, or are you just choosing to be alone?'

That is when Hetty just got up from her chair and started shouting: 'You know, some people have asked me that constantly, and my answer is this: I'm not who I used to be! My emotional walls are broken and there's no use trying to fix them! I might stay here forever because I don't want my team to see me this broken. And now my long time friend that I thought had died now suddenly reappears asking me if I'm choosing to be alone?!'

Then she started to cry uncontrollably. And Granger tried to calm her down by hugging her.

'Shh shh shh. I'm so sorry for leaving and never calling.' He soothingly said.

'I thought I had lost you and I don't want to feel better!' Hetty bawled.

'Now now, you don't mean it. You're just going through a rough time.'

'I just want to die!'

'No, no you don't. You're just saying all this because you're depressed.'

Hetty kept on crying, and Granger eventually ran out of things to say.

When she eventually stopped crying, she was too weak to move, and Granger carried her off to bed and wiped her face.

He was going to leave when he decided that he better stay the night.

'I hope I can make her feel better. she's been through so much.' He unhappily thought as he laid down next to her.

The next day

Hetty woke up feeling terrible, and saw Granger sleeping next to her.

'You stayed.' She muttered.

'I couldn't leave you like that.' He replied.

'Well, thank you. How, how bad was last night?'

'You really let it all out. I've never seen you this broken before, it was kind of scary.'

Hetty blushed.

'Hey. (brushing hair from her face). I'm not going anywhere today.'

After getting herself together, they had a peaceful Christmas.

'Sniff. Thank you for today.' Hetty awkwardly said.

'You're welcome. Want to join me for New Year's Eve?' Granger asked.

'I'd love to.'

Granger came by each day up to the big day. Hetty very much appreciated it. And at 1 point, she started to wonder something.

'I, never stopped thinking of him all this year. He was my safe space while in captivity, he got me out of my worst depression funk that I've ever had, now he's back in my life. Maybe, it's time for me to, admit that I love him?'

New Year's Eve, before midnight

'The stars look beautiful tonight.' Hetty said.

'Yeah, they do.' Granger replied.

1 minute to midnight!

'Owen, this past week, has been the happiest I've been in a real long time. There have been so many nights where I wanted to talk to you, and I've been so unhappy lately, well. (blushing). It appears I'm now tongue tied. (chuckle).' Hetty said.

'I have a confession to make: I love you, and I never stopped loving you these past 2 years. I'm sorry for being a coward.' Granger replied.

Hetty was so stunned, she didn't say anything else until there was seconds until midnight.

'I, never stopped loving you either.' She softly said.

Then they kissed as the clock struck midnight and the fireworks went off.

They looked deeply into each other's eyes, realized what they had done…

'Happy New Year, thank you for coming home.' Hetty breathlessly said.

'Thank you for being in the right place at the right time.' Granger replied.

Then they went right back to kissing.

'You understood me when no one else did, you brought me out of the depths of depression, just thinking of you brought me peace when I was in my worst nightmare scenario. Owen, you are the light of my life!'

Stunned. 'When did you become such a romantic, Henrietta?' He asked

'Uh, Heat of the moment?'

Smiling. 'I love it!'

Then it was right back to kissing.

'Hey! You 2 want to get a room?' Someone asked.

'Well, should we?' Granger asked.

Hetty smiled her most sneaky smile, and said 'If you can handle it.'

'I think I can handle someone like you.'

'Oh? We'll see about that!'

That night was the most romantic night either of them had ever had.