"So, we're really doing this?" asked Callen, sounding quite shocked
"I guess so"
….
"Callen?" Called Eric, as he spotted the senior agent exiting Nell's room early the following morning
"How're you doing Eric" Callen asked nonchalantly
"She's mine. Grace, I mean"
"I heard. Congrats"
"Why were you in with, Nell?"
Callen took a moment to think about how to respond… not wanting to lie, but not wanting to cause any problems for Nell "Just saying good bye"
"So long as you're not upsetting her"
….
"Do you think she looks like Beale's"
"Not really. She does look like Nell though"
"You think maybe he tampered with the results?"
"Come on, whatever your problem with Eric is, you should know he wouldn't do that"
"No?. Think about it, Kens. Out of the blue He finds out that he's the kid's father, giving him a lasting connection with, Nell. Then he pops the question… tries to cement his position in her life"
When Kensi didn't react to the news that Eric had popped the question, Mike smelled a rat
"Kens, is there something I should know?"
"He asked me a couple of days ago, whether I thought Nell would like a ring he had. I told him it was too soon. How did you find out?"
"G, overheard him pressuring Nell for an answer. So I checked the recording"
"How angry was, Callen?. I mean, we've been spying on her, and him for days"
"That's just it, Kens. He wasn't bothered. Bit shell shocked 'bout Beale popping the big question. Guess he understood why we did it…"
"Poor Callen"
"Yeah, Poor Callen" Mike muttered under his breath
….
"Why was Callen in with you?"
"He just wanted to give me his congratulations about, Grace"
"Is that all? He wasn't trying to get you back?!"
"Listen to me right now, Eric Beale. I am not your personal property. You may be Grace's dad, but that doesn't mean you have any right to tell me who I can and can not talk to. Understand?"
"Yeah. Totally. I just thought… maybe… he was trying to 'get you back'. I just want what's best for our little family"
"Let me be quite clear, Eric. You're my friend, and I love you…. But if I want to be with Callen, any, or all of the male population of Los Angeles. That is my choice"
….
"You sure you want to do this, Mike?"
"I want to do this more than I want to sleep with Kat Dennings"
"I just don't want you to do something you'll regret"
"Come on, Sam. What's the worst that'll happen…. Huh, That it confirms that Beale is the kid's father!" Mike replied, quite enthusiastically "Look. You've spent as much time with the kid, as me and Kens have… and I never wanted to slap that kid, like I want to slap Beale"
"He's not that bad, Mike. Maybe you're just pissed 'cause you saw things actually working out for, G. Only for things to not work out"
"It's nothing to do with that. I mean sure, I want the best for my friend, just like you do. But even Kens agrees that kid looks nothing like Beale"
"So how do we do this then?"
….
"…so what did you say? I mean, your decision…Are you gonna marry him or what?"
"I'll tell you what I told him. He's 'my friend, and I love' him… NOT like that. Having Grace does mean we have a connection beyond friends, but I'm not going to marry him, despite what his mother probably force fed him into believing. Despite what my mother would prefer"
"So she's quite traditional then" Kensi replied, trying not to laugh
"My mom was very supportive throughout my pregnancy, but when I told her I was coming back to LA, she thought that meant I was coming back to marry Grace's dad."
"But if it had been Callen, you would have wanted that"
"When I came back… look, I owed him an apology Did I hope maybe I hadn't burnt that bridge, sure. Did I expect to reconnect, I don't know. What I do know, is that I still love him, and if I'm supposed to believe, Renko, G is in love with me"
"So he's your lobster!"
Nell stared back at Kensi, not knowing what that meant, eventually resorting to shrugging in confussion
"Friends! You know… the tv show…" When Nell still didn't get the reference, Kensi gave up
….
[…]
"Yes, Mom. I'm fine… they're letting me go home later today"
[…]
"Honestly, you don't have to…."
[…]
"Okay. I promise….Really"
[…]
"Love you too, give my love to Lou"
Nell cut the call off, and dropped her phone on the bed, Regretting telling her mom about her treatment, especially since she was now insisting Nell let her come visit and help take care of her and Grace.
….
"Right, so you know you have to come back in to see me in a fortnight. Take your pain killers, and no attempts at heavy lifting, okay"
"I promise"
"Okay. So who's collecting you, your friend or one of the several men that have been visiting you?"
"Well…" Nell began, before trying to decide how to explain her situation without having her doctor's head spinning in confusion "… my friend Sam is watching my daughter, but em…" She continued, getting more tongue tied everytime she began to realise how she could explain without breaching national security "My husband will be taking me home" Nell finished, as she played with the ring on her left hand and tried not to blush
….
"Just because my mom is coming into town, doesn't mean that you get to act like my husband. She knows you're Grace's dad… that's as far as it goes" "okay. But if she asks, I'm not going to lie to her"
"Listen to me closely, Eric. No expressions of love, no proposals, no acting love sick. Just be Grace's dad, okay"
"Okay" Eric, agreed. Feeling less pleased about the situation than he had expected.
When Nell had said her mom and sister were coming to help take care of her, he had thought maybe this would help convince her to give his marriage proposal another thought. Obviously Nell had other ideas
"So, can you maybe take care of Grace tonight? I feel like I've already taken advantage of Kensi, Sam and Mike, by asking them to watch her while I was in hospital."
"I could have watched her. I did try and tell you it was my job"
"Don't over analyse the situation. Sam has kids, so he knows what to expect from a new-born. You don't. I know you have to do it eventually. Which is why we are where we are… You have any problems call me"
Nell rushed about the apartment and gathered everything Eric should need to take care of Grace. Eventually having to admit defeat, and follow Doctor McGhee's instructions, she asked Eric if he could carry Grace and her Car seat down the stairs.
"Mommy loves you" Nell said following placing a tender kiss on her forehead, directed at Grace, who already looked like she wasn't happy being away from her mom (Which surprised Nell, since Kensi, Sam and Mike hadn't had any problems with the new-born), and sent the child off in the arms of her father. Why was it so tough for her to see Grace carried away from her this time, when over the last few weeks she had seen her carried away a dozen or so times. Maybe the fact that it was by Eric… why though escaped her.
….
"You okay?"
"I guess I'm just worried about Grace. First night away from home… I mean, I know you guys had her the last week or so, but first night away from me, when I'm home"
"It'll be okay, Nell. Anyway, you'll have to get used to it sometime, especially if you're set on not marrying Eric"
"I'm certain I'm not marrying him. I'm still his friend, and colleague, and that's all we'll ever be… and I don't see that ever changing"
"Okay. Just saying"
….
"I was hoping you could let me come back to work sooner than we spoke about"
"I'm sure you have good reason. But I think you know I can't permit you to return to work without your doctors say so. I'm sure your mother would like to see you while she's visiting"
"I have to ask, Hetty. But how do you always know every little thing that's going on with any of us, even we we've not told anyone?"
"My job is to manage you all. I couldn't possibly do my job well, if I didn't know what was going on in your lives. One day I'll tell you how I find out what I know"
"I'd like that, Hetty"
"However, I'm sure I can find something for you to do. If you are quite sure you need of the distraction"
"I owe you, Hetty"
"I'll consider the debt fully paid, if you promise to take care of him"
"Why is everyone so worried about me hurting Eric?"
"Not Mr Beale, my dear"
"Oh!"
….
"You sure you can cope with this?"
"I don't see why I shouldn't. It's not like this is my first relationship"
Nell stared back at him, letting him know she didn't believe him
"Okay. So it's my first real relationship… that doesn't mean I can't handle dealing with a girl's parents"
"You may regret saying that when you meet my mom. She's a bit full on. Plus, she only thought I was coming back to Los Angeles to marry Grace's dad" Nell explained, as she looked deep in thought, imagining the life she could have had
"Your mother won't change anything for me, Nell Jones. I love you" Callen said, before placing a kiss on Nell's cheek
"You're a good man, G Callen"
….
"So, is this Eric. Is this my grand-babies daddy?"
"No, Mom. This is my husband, G" "Pleasure to meet you Mrs Jones"
"Hang on a moment, Nell. I thought it was this… Eric that was the father!, Who is this guy?"
"My name is, G. But you can call me Callen. My family do"
"Ah… so you're a family man. NO offense, but you're a little… how can I put this… more mature than my Nell"
"Here we go!" Nell muttered under her breath
….
"I owe you, Mike. I can honestly say I understand why guys get so worked up about meeting a girls parents"
"Yeah, well I've got some news for you, brother. Whether it's good, is down to interpretation"
"What've you done, mike?"
"Well… you see…" Mike began before being interrupted by his phone ringing
Thankful for the interruption, Mike answered his cell without checking who it was
[…]
"It's for you" Mike said to Callen, handing the phone over to Callen
"Yeah?" Callen said to whoever wanted to talk to him on the phone
[…]
"You sure?"
Mike looked on as Callen spoke away at some length with Hetty on his cell. Never had he been so glad to hear from the little ninja.
As much as he wanted to tell, Callen what he had found out, he definitely didn't want to interrupt his call from Hetty. Last thing he needed was to have Hetty and Callen mad at him.
….
Callen sat in his car downstairs from Nell's apartment… he didn't know how to go up there and break the news to Nell. It may have been easier if it was just him and Nell. But since her mom and sister were in town, there was very little about their lives that were private… But as it was, he had to work out how to explain things to Nell, about both personal and work related matters
Deciding to face up to the music, He jumped out of the car, locked the doors and rushed into the lift just before the door slid shut
'Okay, G. One foot in front of the other. You can do this'
….
"Hetty said I had to give you this" Callen said, as he thrust a sealed envelope into Nell's hand "I've not read it"
"What is it?"
Callen took a deep breath and then exhaled, readying himself for what came next
"You just need to read it"
….
"I thought you had a test done… I thought it said that sweet boy of yours was the daddy"
"For the last time, mom. I'm not marrying Eric. We're just friends"
"But you said you got a test done. How can this test be legit, if you've already had one done"
"Look, Mom. G works for… that doesn't matter. All I can say is that this test was done at a specialist lab… G is her father"
"But how can…"
Nell snapped
"Eric's not her father. G is. Why can't you just accept that?"
"Okay, okay. Calm down, Nell"
"Mom. Please. Just trust that this is right"
"Okay, Nell. I just want what's best for my baby and her baby"
….
Nell sat down on the toilet, glad of a bit of privacy, even if only for a moment
She whipped out her cell phone and started a text message
{I don't know how you did it, but thank you}
The phone chirped, indicating a reply 'That was quick' Nell thought
{Ain't nothing. It's what family does}
{No. You went above and beyond. Thank you}
Nell silently thanked, Mike, Kensi and Hetty for going behind her back and getting a second test done. She would have to thank them all in person, and would definitely have to send a personal thank you email to Abigale Scuito in DC
….
"How do I tell Eric that he's not her father?"
"I can do it if you want, or Mike has offered"
Nell had a little laugh at the thought of Mike Renko telling Eric that Grace wasn't his. She got the impression that Mike would like nothing more than to shoot the technical operator.
"No, I think I owe Eric a face to face notification"
….
"…I'm so sorry for letting you think she's yours. I just… You saw the test results…"
"Yeah" Eric replied glumly, thinking things through. "Does this mean that you're back together with Callen?"
Nell couldn't find the right words, so resorted to a simple nod
….
Eric spent the next few hours remunerating over everything from the last few weeks. Thinking what he had done wrong, thinking what he could have done better… however he thought about things, he felt like he had been wronged…. By Nell, By Callen… The things was, that while Eric felt wronged by Nell, he couldn't blame her for doing what she thought was right for Grace. But why Callen… he was older, less intelligent than Nell, Rough around the edges (to say the least)… but he had somehow won Nell's heart. And that was what really hurt. Eric had worked side by side with Nell for 7 years, had spent most of his free time going to museums, the movies. Thought of her as his truest friend… and felt that she had just tossed him aside when someone better came along.
Grabbing his car keys, he rushed outside to his car, making sure to throw the framed picture of Grace in the trash on his way, and sped off to 'the mission' to re-balance things.
Reaching work, he slipped inside and rushed to his work terminal, where he pulled up a pair of case files, and then sent 2x emails.
….
A week later
Callen had just finished his fitness assessment with a HR rep. Satisfying every physical requirement to retain his position as Senior agent for the LA office. He grabbed his towel and slipped inside the locker room to get changed before heading home to his family… His family, Why did that sound so strange. But once changed he did do just that, go home to Nell and Grace. Although to be fair, he was heading back to Nell's place, at least until they had fully packed up her apartment, after which they would complete the move to Callen's house. Nell was so excited at the prospect of Grace growing up in a safe neighbour hood, with two loving parents, in a home with a garden where she could safely explore and play in the secure back yard.
He had just stopped off at the supermarket to grab Nell some of her favourite ice cream, as a treat, when his phone started chirping
Pulling it out of his pocket he glanced at the screen, only to drop his basket a few seconds later… rushing out to his car and speeding down the road. Blindly sending text messages to the rest of the team. 'Agent Needs Assistance' alarms were the things that they all dreaded.
….
Callen ran up the stairs and pushed the already ajar door open fully, seeing the carnage… boxes thrown about the floor, furniture on it's side and a bloody message on the wall
~sânge pentru sângele meu. familia ta pentru familia mea~
Callen stepped back, determined not to contaminate the crime scene. He glance back at the message written in blood on the wall… recognising the language.
'your blood for my blood. your family for my family.'
Callen knew what this meant… it meant that the remaining Comescu's knew about grace, knew about Nell… knew that they were his strength
Over the next 5 minutes LAPD started to arrive, along with forensics, and the rest of the team… even Eric, Granger and Hetty had shown up
"We'll get them back, Brother" Mike said, glancing around at the disturbed apartment, hoping like hell that the writing was in paint and not Nell's blood
"I never wanted this to happen, I swear" Eric could be heard muttering
"What are you talking about Eric. What've you done!?"
"I didn't think they would… I didn't mean to…" was all the technical operator got out before Mike jumped at him, knocking the younger man to the ground, before he started to throw punch after punch at Eric.
"You piece of shit. If we don't get them back, I'll make sure that wall's painted in your blood"
"Stop it, Mike. We need him alive… we need to know what he's done, who he told… Who has Nell and Grace" Callen could be heard saying as he dragged Mike off of Eric