Zoë watched with a worried look on her face as she saw Callen going down. They watched the marine with the camera get closer as Sam kneeled down next to his partner.
"Mr. Hanna? Is Mr. Callen okay?" Hetty asked.
"He's fine Hetty, vest took the hit."
A wave of relief went through the OPS center.
"I'm fine Hetty," Callen added.
"What about Sanchez?" Hetty asked.
One of the marines had gone to check on Sanchez.
"He's dead Ms. Lange," the marine spoke over the coms.
"And the weapons?"
"Weapons are secure," Kensi spoke. "We'll check thoroughly but it looks like everything is here."
The agents wrapped up in Mexico before going home. All the weapons were accounted for and they were transported to their original destination.
"Are you okay Callen?" Zoë asked as the agents walked into the office.
"I'm fine. Vest took the hit, no biggie," Callen answered.
"What about James? Did you find out what his connection to this was?"
"We found some emails on Sanchez' computer and pictures lying around. It looks like James was set up. They threatened to kill his family if he didn't do as they said," Sam answered.
"So he wasn't a willing participant?"
"No, looks like he wasn't."
"Perhaps this all started back when he was on mission in Mexico. They approached him then and threatened his family," Zoe stated.
"I gave the laptop to Eric and Nell but it does like that yeah."
The agents finished their reports before going home.
…..
Valentine's day was next week and Zoë wondered if she wanted to go do something with Callen then. She thought he probably wasn't big on celebrating this holiday, or any holiday for that matter. But it perhaps would be nice if they went to go something together. She pulled out her phone and text Callen.
'Hey Callen, I was just wondering. Would you like to go do something together next Thursday?' Zoë sent.
'Sure, sounds like fun. What do you wanna go do?' Callen replied.
'Well I'm not sure if you'd like it but I always loved this place as a kid. It's up north LA and on Thursday's they have Disco Bowl there. I thought perhaps that would be fun to do. We could grab a bite to eat first.'
Callen thought about it as he read the text. Perhaps it was nice to go do something together.
'Sure, sounds great. I'll come pick you up then, let's say 6pm?'
'Great! Looking forward to it. Yeah sounds fun.'
'Great, it's a date.'
'It's a date. See you Monday at work.'
'See ya.'
..
That Thursday Callen came to pick up Zoë after work. Callen knocked on Zoë's door and waited for Zoë to open. After a few seconds Zoë opened the door. Callen looked at her and was mesmerized for a second. She looked really beautiful in her clothes. She was wearing a pair of black dress pants with a slightly see-through black blouse over it with some red flowers on it with a top underneath. She finished the outfit with a pair of pumps.
"Hey Callen," Zoë greeted him.
"Hey Zoë, you look beautiful."
"Thank you. You look very handsome yourself."
Callen was dressed in a pair of dress jeans with a blue and white checkered button down shirt on it with a blue jacket over it. He finished the outfit with brown dress shoes.
"Thank you. You ready to go?"
"Yes I am."
Zoë grabbed her purse and coat and followed Callen into the car. Callen drove them up north via the San Diego Freeway. He got off, following the signs towards Ventura onto the Ventura Freeway. He followed the Freeway and got off at the exit towards Topanga Canyon Boulevard. He followed the road until they were at the Village at Topanga shopping mail. Callen parked the car in the parking lot and they walked towards the restaurant. The restaurant was decorated for Valentine's day. The table clothes were red and there were red roses on the tables. A waitress showed Callen and Zoë to their table. They had a nice table for two. They both ordered a glass of red wine and something to eat. As starter they took they crispy chicken strips to share and as main course Callen ordered a steak and Zoë took the chicken parmesan. As dessert they had some Italian donuts. They split the costs for the dinner and went back to the car. Callen got of the parking lot and back onto the Topanga Canyon boulevard. Just after the mall he took a right onto Victory Boulevard. He followed the road until they came at the crossing with Winnetka Avenue. Here he took a left onto Winnetka Boulevard. He followed the road and just after crossing the LA River Callen pulled onto the parking lot for Winnetka Bowl. Callen parked the car and they got out. They walked towards the bowling alley and got some bowling shoes.
"Have you ever bowled before?" Zoë asked.
"Not for real. But I've never lost of game of Tecmo Bowl."
Zoë smiled at Callen as he said that. "Tecmo Bowl? As in the video game?"
"Yeah, I played it sometimes. Why? Does that surprise you?"
"Yeah I didn't peg you for a gamer."
"There's still a lot you don't know about," Callen replied with a smile.
"Well let's go see if your Tecmo Bowl skills work out here as well," Zoë spoke and gave Callen a kiss as he passed by him on the way to the lane.
Callen followed her and Zoë put their names into the computer and pressed start. It was disco bowl night so the big lights were dimmed and there were disco light's on the course and disco music was playing.
"Ladies first," Callen said.
Zoë stepped up on the lane and grabbed a bowling ball. She lined up her shot and sent the ball rolling over the lane. All the pins fell right away.
"Yes strike!" Zoë said as she victoriously threw her hands up into the air.
"Nice one. Beginners luck perhaps," Callen teased
"Your turn."
Callen took a ball and threw his down the lane. He got a spare. The took turns throwing the ball. With just one more turn left Callen and Zoë were a point apart, with Zoë in the lead. Zoë went first and managed to throw a spare, meaning she had an extra turn. She managed to hit five. Next was Callen. He needed just two more pins than Zoë to win. Callen threw a spare as well. He just needed to hit seven pins now. Callen grabbed the ball from the rack.
"Don't miss," Zoë teased.
"Never."
Callen lined up his shot and threw the ball down the lane. He hit it well in the center, six pins fell immediately and a seventh pin was wobbling. Callen watched anxiously, hoping it would fall as well. After a few seconds the pin fell too. He had just enough pins to win by one point.
"No!" Zoë spoke defeated as she saw the last pin fall.
"Told you I've never lost a game of Tecmo Bowl."
"Great job. Well done."
"Thank but you were not so bad yourself."
Callen gave Zoë a soft kiss and they went to play another round. They had a lot of fun together. It was nice to just get out of the office and unwind. They played for about two hours before Callen drove them back home.
"Would you like to come inside for a drink?" Zoë asked once they pulled up at her place.
"Sure, sounds nice."
Callen parked the car and followed Zoë inside. Zoë poured them a drink and they sat down on the couch just talking. Zoë put on the TV and played a movie. As they were watching the movie Zoë crawled close to Callen and Callen wrapped his arm around her as Zoë lay her head down on Callen's shoulder. Callen had to admit, this felt nice. Sitting her with Zoë and doing fun stuff with her, it was really nice to do. Perhaps he could have somewhat of a normal life outside of his job. Perhaps he really was capable of being loved and loving someone. The more he thought about it and the more time he spent with Zoë he really felt like he was falling in love with her and that scared him. He had never really been in a relationship before, not unless you count his fake marriage to Tracy. He had never had a real relationship and it scared him. He didn't know if he was ready for it, if he was really relationship material. But he felt he should at least try with Zoë. Callen was shaken out of his thoughts when Zoë snuggled into him further and he wrapped his arm around her tighter.
About halfway through the movie Callen noticed Zoë had fallen asleep. He carefully reached for the remote and turned the TV off. He stood up with Zoë in his arms and brought he to the bedroom. Gently he lay her down on the bed but as he was letting her go Zoë tightened her grip on Callen and it was almost impossible for him to get out of her grip without waking her. Callen didn't have the heart to wake her so he lay down next to her on the bed and Zoë snuggled against him again. Callen never really had this before, only sometimes when he was undercover but not for real. But there was something about this that made it feel nice and comforting. He pulled Zoë closer and rested his eyes as he lay next to her.
Callen managed to actually get a full night's sleep. When he woke up he felt someone lying on his chest. He looked down and saw that Zoë was still asleep. He pulled her close and gave her a soft kiss on her head. A few minutes later Zoë woke up as well.
"Good morning," Callen spoke once he noticed Zoë was awake.
"Good morning," Zoë spoke as she stretched herself in his arms. Zoë noticed she was still in her clothes from last night. "Did we fell asleep last night while watching the movie?"
"Well you did. I carried you to bed but you wouldn't let go of me and I fell asleep next to you."
"Hmm. Thank you for bringing me to bed. This feels actually kind nice, to wake up like this."
"Yeah it does."
Callen turned on his side so he was face to face with Zoë.
"I had a really great time last night," Callen admitted.
"Yeah me too. It was really nice to do."
Callen moved a bit closer to Zoë and kissed her. Zoë kissed him back as she wrapped her arms around his back. Callen deepened the kiss as he rolled them over so Zoë was on her back. They were so engrossed in the kissing that they hardly noticed Callen's phone ringing. Reluctantly they stopped kissing and Callen answered his phone.
"Yeah Eric," Callen answered his phone.
"Hetty needs everyone in OPS," Eric replied.
"Alright, I'll be right there," Callen said and he hung up the phone. "We're needed up in OPS."
"Too bad. I could've stayed here for a while."
"Me too."
Callen gave her one more kiss and quickly they freshened up before going to work, both in their own car.
…
They agents were all called into work early and urgently. When Kensi and Deeks arrived Callen, Hetty, Eric, Nell and Zoë were already there. They were speaking with Granger on the big screen.
"Gamma rays and X-rays were picked up by satellite," Eric spoke. "So far, the radiation fallout has only covered uninhabited areas of the Chihuahuan desert.
"There's been communication at the highest levels between Russia, Great Britain, China, India…" Granger spoke over the video.
"And everyone denies involvement," Callen continued. "It's like the Vela incident."
"What's the Vela incident?" Kensi asked.
"Nineteen seventy-nine," Sam spoke as he and Michelle entered OPS. "Satellite detected a nuclear explosion in the South Atlantic."
"No country ever took responsibility," Callen added.
"I invited CIA operative Hanna here. On this one, she's one of us," Hetty explained.
"So from the description and the fallout reading, we believe…" Callen started.
"This is one of the three bombs Sidorov acquired," Granger finished.
"Why would he detonate it?" Nell questioned.
"Proof that the bomb was functional," Sam explained.
"It would exponentially increase the value of those two remaining weapons," Michelle said.
"A nuclear bomb is as big as the fear it creates," Callen stated.
"Then they just made their bombs bigger," Deeks spoke.
"CIA and NCIS have been monitoring this man, Michael Zhrov," Granger said.
"Zhrov runs Sidorov's arms-dealing company. While Sidorov is in the wind, Zhrov meets potential buyers for the weapons," Michelle explained.
"If they complete the sale, these bombs could disappear for years," Granger stated.
"Then we need to find Sidorov another buyer and fast," Callen said.
"It has to be a corrupt international broker," Hetty spoke.
"Someone that Sidorov already trusts."
"Any suggestions where we might find such and individual, Mr. Callen? Agent Hanna and agent Hanna?"
"We find Sidorov. We re-embed ourselves in his crew," Michelle said.
"He owes you a lot of money. Gives you motive to reconnect with him," Granger spoke.
"It's too risky. We don't know if Sidorov made Michelle," Sam said, fearing for his wife's life.
"We don't have a choice. This is an unprecedented threat to our national security."
"An agent's life is on the line. Getting somebody killed for no reason…" Sam yelled.
"Agents' welfare is secondary to the mission. Always has been and always will be. I'm getting on a plane now. I'll see you in six hours," Granger spoke and disconnected the call.
"Mr. Deeks, you'll be in overwatch," Hetty said.
"No. Not Deeks. I need Callen on this," Sam reasoned, not wanting to do this without his partner.
"Wow, that's an ego boost," Deeks retorted.
"Not possible. Mr. Callen and Ms. Blye will be out of the country," Hetty ordered.
"Where are we going?" Kensi wanted to know.
"Iran," Callen answered.
The agents left to do their jobs. Callen went down to the gadget room to pack some things and Zoë followed him.
"Be careful okay. We know what Janvier is capable off," Zoë spoke to Callen.
"I will be. Yeah I know. As much as I don't like it we need him for this job. We need him to get Sidorov and the bombs."
"I know, I know we do. We can't let these bombs get away. Just be careful he won't double cross you."
"I will, I'll watch my back. Just make sure that Sam and Michelle are safe. Kensi and I will take care of Janvier."
"Just hurry back."
"I will, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
Callen gave her a reassuring squeeze in her shoulder before he went to go get Kensi.
..
Callen and Kensi managed to get Janvier out of Iran and back to the States. Sam and Michelle were back with Sidorov's crew, waiting for the buy to happen. They managed to get Janvier in on the deal and he set up a meeting with Vaziri and Sidorov.
Zoë didn't like it that Callen was out there with Janvier. She knew all too well about their history. She just hoped Janvier wouldn't double cross Callen or sell Sam and Michelle out to Sidorov.
Callen felt something wasn't right as the meeting was going down but he couldn't put his finger on it. Zoë was in OPS with Hetty, Eric, Nell and Granger. They watched the meeting as best as they could but didn't see anything suspicious. But in the end Janvier did double cross them leading to Sam and Deeks being tortured by Janvier.
Zoë went to the boatshed were Callen was.
"Zoë what are you doing here?" Callen spoke surprised when Zoë walked in.
"I came to check on you."
"I'm fine," Callen lied.
"Callen, I can tell that you're not fine."
"No, I'm not fine okay," Callen yelled at her. "Janvier was my responsibility and I let him betray us. He gave Sam and Deeks up. And now they were tortured because of me!"
"It's not your fault Callen, you couldn't have known."
"I should've known. You warned me about it and I still let it happen! Whatever happened to Sam and Deeks is on me."
"Hey, listen to me. This is not your fault, I'm sure Sam and Deeks will not see it that way. They knew what they were getting into. This is not on you. We still can finish this. We'll get Sidorov and the bombs and then we'll make Janvier pay for what he did. We'll make sure he never sees the outside of a prison ever again."
They managed to get Deeks and Sam out but they still needed to catch Sidorov and the bombs. Zoë went back to the office to help Eric and Nell. After the meeting Janvier tried to make a run for it and he managed to get away from Callen. They managed to track the bombs and got Michelle out after Deeks shot Sidorov. Callen met up with Granger to an apartment where Vaziri and possible Janvier was.
"Callen," Zoë spoke before Callen left.
"Be careful."
"I will. I won't let him double cross me again."
Callen and Granger found Vaziri and managed to stop Janvier from escaping. They all went back to the office after the case was wrapped up. The four agents went out to get a drink together, to forget about everything that had happened today. They stayed there for a few hours before going home. Callen got into his car and instead of driving home he drove to Zoë's place.
It was a little after 11pm when Callen knocked on Zoë's door. A minute later Zoë opened the door in her pajamas. Without saying anything Callen walked into the house and kissed Zoë deeply.