"To what do I owe the pleasure of this late night visit, Mr Callen?"
"You told me if I ever left without telling you, that you'd 'introduce' your letter opening to my groin. I need to get away for a while… I need… I need an over seas assignment. I need work that I can lose myself in"
"Has something happened with you and Ms Jones?"
"Hetty, please… I just need to … I need to work. I can't do that here"
Hetty looked back at Callen, assessing him. Trying to decide how she could help him… Do as he asked, or do what was best for him. Were the two mutually exclusive though.
"Why overseas, Mr Callen. Why not a transfer to San Diego, Pearl Harbour, Portland or even Washington. I'm sure Director Vance would be more than happy to grant you a transfer… even a temporary one."
"I appreciate what you're getting at, Hetty. But I need to be out of the US for a while. I…" Callen paused mid sentence, leaned back on the couch and tilted his head back till he was staring at Hetty's ceiling. "I messed everything up, Hetty. Nell and I are only married for less than 2 months and I've already screwed it all up"
"And you think that an overseas assignment will help matters!?" Hetty paused briefly to have a sip of tea "If you honestly believe that being overseas will help, I will, of course, assist you in your goals. But you are no longer just a special agent. You're a husband and a father. You know I have no children of my own… but even I know that every day you are apart from your wife and daughter… they are days you will never get back. So you need to be absolutely certain about your intentions, before we go any further"
…
Callen sat in a booth in the corner of a bar, not his normal haunt, but somewhere he could think without having his family question why he wasn't at 'home'.
The last 2 years had been tough… the assault, blindness and the betrayal by one he thought he could forever trust. He knew he should have let Mike finish beating Eric to death
But at the same time he had found Nell… and had received the greatest gift in the form of Grace, his only daughter.
Was he truly now thinking of walking out on her… how would she remember him, would she even remember him. What would Nell tell her about her father… about how he ran away and left them to fend for themselves. It was right then that Callen knew what he had to do… If he couldn't stay with them… the least he could do was provide for them… and that began with his cache of money that was spread out across the city. After that, any pay he got would go to them…
He figured that was it, He had made up his mind. He knew that Mike, Sam, Kens and Hetty would watch out for them.
…..
"Are you quite sure about this, my boy?"
"Yeah, Hetty. I think this is what's best for them both"
"And what about you, what's best for you?"
"What's best for them, IS best for me"
…..
"Hetty, come on. YOU can't just tell us he's gone and expect us to just go about our work"
"Mr Renko. If I gave you the impression that this matter was up for debate, I have to tell you, you are very much mistaken. Effective immediately you are assigned to Mr Hanna's team. Attend to your duties"
"This is Bull shit. And you know it"
…..
6 months later:
"Looks like daddy's sent you another video… do you want to see Daddy?" Nell asked Grace, Not really looking for an answer
"Dada"
Nell had to physically shake her head to check if she had just heard things… Grace Jones had just uttered her first words.
The first time Nell saw Callen and Grace together, she could tell that Grace was going to grow up to be a daddy's girl. She looked at Callen like he was made from the stars themselves. Like he was the single most important thing in her little universe. That hadn't even hurt… for Nell to see the child that she raised on her own.. well, mostly alone, for weeks before she ever saw Callen again, to just disregard her own mother, the source of her own life… didn't hurt. Nell treasured that memory… seeing Callen look down at Grace, and seeing Grace look back up at him like she was staring into his very soul, for the very first time, was one thing she knew she would never forget… and certainly confirmed to her that returning to Los Angeles, returning to OSP had been the right decision.
Nell slid the disc into the DVD player and hit play on the remote. She bounced Grace on her knee… just like Callen had done, waiting for the video to begin.
Grace turned her focus to the TV screen as soon as she heard Callen's voice. She had been fussing all day… but all of a sudden she was silent and focused on the sight of her 'dada'
Nell wished he could have been there to hear that… to see how big she had gotten.
She wished he was there for other, selfish reasons… but especially because of everything he was missing out on in Grace's young life
Just like in the last 12 videos he had sent.. there was no sign as to where it had been recorded… no sign of whether it was on land, or at sea.. or even in the air. Hell, for all Nell knew, he could have been at the North pole.
Then he truly surprised Nell. He pulled out a harmonica and started playing a tune for Grace.
When had he learned to play the harmonica. There had been no musical instruments around the house before… she had seen ever room when she was helping him during his period of being blind.
…
"I need you ashore, Agent Callen"
"What's the situation?"
"Your profile suggests that you're familiar with Afghanistan… There has been an incident. You know the territory, you know the cultural situation. I need this sorted as quickly as possible. There's a seahawk leaving for the shore in an hour and a half. Gather your gear and head up to the flight deck"
Callen headed back to his cabin to gather his gear as Captain Freel had suggested.
Opening the door, then closing it behind himself. Callen lifted the bed and pulled out his NCIS kit bag. Grabbing his Bullet proof vest and side arm holster.
Before he left the cabin with his Sig and back up piece. He unlocked his tablet and tapped on the photo tile and then flicked though a few pictures till he found the one he wanted. The photo from Grace's christening, the one with Nell looking stunning as usual, holding Grace, who just looked like the happiest kid imaginable…
Before Callen could swipe to the next picture, he was distracted by the sounding of the ships general quarters alarm, followed swiftly after by the sound of an explosion and the accompanying unsteadiness.
Callen pulled on his vest and cocked his gun, ready to face whatever was happening. Stepping outside his cabin, he steadily headed up towards the flight deck. Holding his side arm the same as he would do if sweeping a house back in LA with his team. As he reached the end of one corridor and turned into another corridor, he was sent flying back as 3 shots hit him centre mass.
Next thing he knew he saw a grenade being thrown in his general direction
…..
"All hands on deck!" Eric called from the balcony over looking the office area where the team had been all morning, filling out paperwork
As usual the team got up from their desks and filed up the stairs and into OPS
"The San Antonio class, USS San Diego was attacked last night while in waters in the Gulf of Oman. A 5 man team boarded the ship using a helicopter, shot and killed 7 crew and abducted the ships NCIS Agent Afloat" Eric explained, briefing the team with pictures of the damage, videos of the attack and service histories of the deceased crew
"What makes this a case for OSP?" Sam asked
"That would be at my behest, Mr Hanna. The NCIS agent is one of our own, and we will do whatever we can to recover them"
"One of our own?... as in a n OSP agent… or one of your private group of covert agents like G and Hunter?" Renko asked, genuinely curious
"The Agent that was abducted was, Mr Callen. He was on a 9 month assignment aboard the USS San Diego. I believe this is the work of Iranian intelligence, seeking Mr Callen out for his involvement in the assault on Naseem Vaziri by Janvier 4 years ago"
"Does Nell Know?" Asked Kensi, as she reached her hand out to Deeks for support.
"Not yet, Ms Blye. She is my next stop. I want Ms Blye and Mr Deeks to head down to San Diego and look into the deceased crewmen's back grounds. See if they were targeted or just wrong place at the wrong time. Mr Renko and Hanna get your go bags. You're on the next flight to NAS Sigonella before hitching a ride to rendezvous with the USS San Diego"
…
"No. Not happening"
"Ms Jones, Be sensible. You need to care for your offspring. Mr Hanna and Renko will be more than adequate to deal with the situation"
"Like hell. I'm going with them. Grace will come with" Nell replied as she stood up and started pacing back and forward in the lounge
"Unacceptable, Ms Jones"
"No offence, Hetty. But I don't care what you say… I'm…. we're going" Nell replied as she started fiddling with her phone "We're booked on the same flight as Sam and Mike"
"I Can safely say I've never heard of a baby being aboard a LDP or a destroyer. Ms Jones, Good fortune and good hunting"