One Year Later:
Callen had been looking forward to this day for as long as he had been locked up. Visits were good… but he was looking forward to spending time with Grace away from the prying eyes of dozens of criminals and prison guards.
He had had very few possessions in his cell… a few pictures of Grace from St Helena, and one of the team.
He had already gifted his remaining phone cards to his cellmate. The guy was in for repeated speeding offenses, nothing dangerous and nothing untoward. Callen wouldn't have said they were best buddies, but when you're locked up together in a cell for more than half the day, you get to talking with one another.
As the gate opened he was disappointed not to find Grace there… but it was a school day So he couldn't very well complain. They'd see one another soon enough.
Standing there waiting were Sam, Mike and Hetty… He had expected Sam or Mike to be there… not Hetty. Something didn't feel right.
….
Callen had slid into the back seat of Sam's Challenger, along with Mike…
Sam wasn't going to let anyone drive his baby… but it would have been less of an issue to squeeze Hetty in the back seat than him and/or Mike.
"So what's going on?" Asked Callen, having already noticed the way Sam was subtly looking at him in the rearview mirror. "Something's up. None of you have said one word since we left the prison"
"The situation is… complicated, Mr Callen"
"Then uncomplicate it. Why the three of you… why the silence"
"G…It's…" Mike began before Hetty interrupted
"Ms Jones and Mr Beale vanished a fortnight ago…." Hetty started, but Callen didn't hear the rest of what she had to say.
Nell had gone off to god known where… he figured that the reason they were all there to pick him up was because Nell had taken Grace with her.
"That… You're not saying what… Grace, Where's Grace?" He stuttered, desperate for answers
Once again he caught the 'trying to be subtle' looks between his family
"Stop with the looks….Tell me where Grace is!"
"We don't know, G" Sam said, breaking the awkward silence
"We've been throwing everything we have at searching for her…" Mike began
"…AND Ms Jones" Hetty calmly added
….
"You see Callen yet?. He won't be happy"
"Would you be happy if the thing, the person, you were looking forward to see most of all… if they weren't there"
"You make it sound like she just decided to pop down to the cinema with her mates, my little kensilina"
"…If it had been me. And you weren't there when I got released… I'd destroy anything and everyone that separated us"
"Yeah. I can't imagine what's going through his mind"
….
"…So you can stay in the apartment above the bar" Kensi offered, as she tossed a key to Callen
"Thanks Kens" Callen replied, trying to focus on the conversation instead of on where Grace had been taken "Did she say anything to you, before she took Grace?"
"I promise you, if she had said or done anything odd, I'd have told you immediately….I can't imagine what you're going through"
"You've been through it with your dad, kens"
"He was a good man… and I miss him everyday" Kensi replied, trying to hold back tears at the mention of her late father
….
"You have to know something…. Where she took my daughter" Callen said, accusing his former mother-in-law of withholding information "I promise you, if I find out you know something… and didn't tell us. I guarantee you that I'll see you go to prison as a co-conspirator"
….
3 Years Later
"I can see you're not in a good place, but are you sure you want to go ahead with this?"
Hetty watched from the corner of the room, remaining silent
"I owed Granger… he's not here. You're here to collect on my debts to him, and the agency… I've got nothing left here. So yeah, I'll be your test subject. Just leave me one thing…"
….
On that day, G Callen ceased to exist… and Rob Douglas was born.
He woke up and looked about the room he was in. The room had no windows, and seemed to be full of medical equipment. There was one person sat dozing in a chair placed in the corner by the door.
Rob slowly sat up, keen not to wake the other gentleman, and reached over to shut off the medical equipment that he was attached to by half a dozen leads. Having done that he slid out of the bed and started to right himself, finding his balance took longer than he thought it would. He had obviously been in that bed for some time, he guessed he must have been in a hospital… but he couldn't remember why he was there… he couldn't remember much.
Rob tried to quietly reach the door and slip out, only to be shocked when the guy that had been sleeping
"Not a good idea to walk out of here in that gown" he said not even opening his eyes "Don't think it'd keep you warm"
Rob was confused… the dozing guy sounded like he knew Rob. At least someone did.
"Who are you, and what do you want?"
"Just looking to get paid" the dozing guy said again, finally starting to open his eyes
Rob had no recollection of this guy, but then again he had no recollection about who he himself was and what had happened for him to land up in a hospital.
"Pay up, and I'm out of your hair"
….
"Ты скажешь ему отдохнуть"
Rob looked at the nurse, then over at the man that had been sleeping in his room… hoping that someone would fill him in on what was being said
"Я просто хочу свои деньги" the guy replied to the nurse
"Will one of you speak English"
"She says you should rest. She expects you to see your own doctor"
….
"Who are you then?"
"You owe me $750 for the cab ride"
"How…How long was I in that hospital?"
"Couple of days"
Rob just stood there, wondering why on earth someone would hang about in a hospital room, with a guy that they didn't know. Then he thought about the $750… that would probably be enough for most people.
"Where were you taking me?"
….
"How long do you think we can let him go on?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure, Hetty. But he doesn't seem to remember anything… Whatever the egg heads did… seems to have totally wiped out his memory. Doesn't even seem to be able to understand Russian…" Mike replied, cutting himself off as he knew the little ninja would have something to say
"It had the desired effect then"
….
12 days later
Rob was sitting in the bar in the hotel he had been staying. Wherever he had come from, he had obviously been well off… He was in the middle of nowhere in Russia, he was alone… and somehow his suitcase still had an envelope stuffed full with thousands of US Dollars
He looked around at all the other patrons… there were only a few. His eyes settled on a young lady with blonde hair, wearing a teal coloured dress.
There was something about her that kept his eyes returning to her petite form. He didn't know if it was her eyes, that were hidden behind her glasses, or was her delicate flawless snowy skin or just her whole mystique.
He waved over the barman and ordered a drink to be sent over to her. He watched as the barman approached her and placed the drink down in front of her… only to see the barman indicate over to Rob and the young woman's eyes following.
….
"You really don't know anything about yourself?, you're honestly not trying to do a 'I'm mysterious' thing to make me interested"
"I know my name. I know I'm from the states. But … beyond that, I really don't. I don't even know how I got in the country, I don't have an immigration stamp in my passport"
Kristina had analysed everything Rob had said, trying to work out if he was 'playing' her. She took off her glasses and half unconsciously, and half seductively started chewing on the arm.
Rob was affected by this action, he found himself trying to distract himself by looking elsewhere… but this just led his eyes to her flawless bare shoulders.
"Would you like to get out of here?" Rob blurted out, not thinking about how it could be received
"I'm not that sort of girl"
"I meant… I mean go to a restaurant. I know there's not much around… but the I'm sure the hotel restaurant would be more comfortable"
….
'Rob' was being observed by more than one person, and not because of his chosen company
"He's approached a young woman. I do not believe she is on the payroll of the FSB" Anna reported on her cell from the dark corner of the bar
[…]
"I'll inform you of any developments, Hetty"
….
9 Months later
Rob and Kristina had relocated to Belfast in Ireland… Kristina having taken up a job as a paralegal, and Rob doing general labouring, working on building sites, warehouses wherever would take him with a lack of qualifications.
Rob and Kristina had a rough time when they had become intimate, specifically due to Rob's bullet scars. He couldn't explain them, and she had concerns for her own safety being connected with someone who had been so seriously injured. There had been a period of several weeks where she refused to see him until she could decide whether she wanted to get closer to the man with no known, but obviously dangerous, past, but obviously dangerous, past. He had made attempts to find out more about himself. But the lack of any immigration stamps in his passport, and no access to online banking left him with few avenues to find answers.
Without his knowledge OSP had been keeping tabs on him. Anna had been heading the surveillance efforts in Russia. Sam had taken over once Rob had relocated to Ireland. Mike knew, despite his urging otherwise, he was burned… having been the first contact for Rob once he woke up in Russia.
Hetty had made it a priority to keep Rob under surveillance, not only because he could be a target for foreign agents as well as any other groups he had investigated in his 20+ years as an intelligence agent, and not only because he was a guinea pig for this new 'personality transplant' process he had volunteered for… but mostly because he was the closest thing she had to a son.
….
"What's the latest?" Mike asked as soon as he was inside the OPS centre
"Rebbeca and Lopez have caught the guy…" James, the new technical operator, started before Mike cut him off
"About Callen!"
"Agent Hanna hasn't yet reported in today… but he's due to report in to Ms Lange this afternoon"
….
Rob and Kristina were walking down the shopping precinct, enjoying their day off, when Rob caught something in the corner of his eye… a face that was familiar, yet a stranger.
"Grace?" Rob moved towards the familiar face quickly, with Kristina following close behind
Kristina immediately noticed the change in his demeanour, having become very good at working out what he was thinking, even before hearing him speak
"What's wrong?" she asked quietly "Who's Grace?"
Rob looked about trying to find that face again
"I thought I saw… I swear I saw… my daughter" he tried explaining
Kristina was floored by this
"You have a daughter?"
"I don't know where that came from" he replied, equally confused, wrapping his hands around the back of his head as he looked round in every direction trying to find Grace
Kristina was confused. Rob had told her he couldn't remember anything of his past, yet now he had a daughter that he hadn't mentioned. She was giving thought to whether she saw any future with him.
"Daddy!" they both heard a few seconds later, followed by a gun shot
Rob ran towards the voice and, more worrying for Kristina, towards the gun shot. Kristina followed behind Rob, questioning her own sanity for doing so.
Rob ran until he could see Grace… at which point he put himself between her and the continued gunfire
Kristina felt time slow to a crawl as she could see Rob fall to his knees and blood begin to pool beneath him, she could see a short brunette move towards Rob, and a well built black man run to his side and fire shots in the direction where the original gun shots had come from.
"G…!. Don't do this to me again, brother" was the last thing she heard clearly before seeing the guy pull out his phone and start barking orders into it. She didn't know what to do… where to look. In the end, she dropped to her knees at Rob's side and held onto his hand as the life faded from his eyes