I am too kind! ;-) (I'm also toooooooo impatient for the new season! HOW exciting do the sneak peaks look?!)

Updated editor's note: Sorry! I've come back to fanfic after a year, attempting to start a new story. And I realised I had spelt Mosley's name wrong throughout my stories... It was bugging me... Like an idiot I deleted this chapter instead of just editing it, so I haven't re-posted anything new, sorry!

EPILOGUE

*Two Weeks Later*

Sam whistled as he drove, enjoying the freedom of being out by himself again. He never thought he'd take driving for granted, and being grounded as he had the past two weeks had been a trial in more ways than one. But now, his leg was almost fully healed and the scrapes and bruises, along with his concussion, were just a memory. A memory he was happy to put behind him.

He was on his way to collect his partner from the specialist burns hospital, and bring him home. True to form, Callen had shunned all contact from his team once he and Kensi had arrived safely back in LA, preferring to lick his wounds in private. Sam had spent only a short time with him when they were all reunited at the hospital, but Callen had been so tired and drugged up by that point Sam wasn't sure his partner would have any recollection of their meeting, and they certainly hadn't had a chance to talk. By the following morning, Callen had been transferred, and that was that.

Only Hetty had once managed to get past the defences Callen had put in place to avoid seeing anyone. Sam had tried to glean information from her when she returned, but she had been even more reticent than usual, preoccupied with thoughts she wasn't sharing. In the end Sam had had to concede defeat. So, at last, he was pleased to finally be able to see his partner, awake and talking. It felt like it had been a long time.

Callen was in his hospital room packing his few things into a bag on his bed. He looked up when he heard Sam in the hallway and flashed a quick smile before returning to his task. His movements were cautious, and if Sam didn't know any better he'd have said Callen looked slightly embarrassed.

"Did you miss me?" Sam said lightly, walking across to the bed and taking over Callen's clumsy folding. His partner's left arm bore a cast from his elbow to his fingers.

"It's been quiet…" Callen half-joked, looking Sam up and down. "No cane… Leg all okay?"

"Good as new. Well, almost." Sam paused, but he couldn't stop himself from asking, "How are you doing?"

"Temporarily benched," Callen replied with a scowl, lifting his left arm.

"You're right-handed. You'll be back in the field soon enough," Sam said reassuringly. "Hetty said you were coming back on desk duty on Monday?" Callen heard the question in Sam's voice.

"The burns are healing, Sam." His turn to reassure. He finally met and held Sam's gaze, and if there was anything other than calm acceptance for what he had been through in his eyes, Sam couldn't see it. He nodded.

"Fair enough. You ready to get out of here?"

"You don't have to ask me twice." There was an undertone to Callen's voice that his casual words didn't quite cover, and Sam wondered again exactly what his partner had endured both at the hands of Spencer Williams and his men, and his subsequent medical treatment over the past two weeks. Kensi too had been unwilling to share what had happened in the time they were all apart, with Sam at least, though maybe she had opened up more to Deeks. Sam bit his tongue. He hated not knowing but had to trust that Callen would tell him more when he was ready, and to push now would only drive a wedge between them. He shouldered Callen's bag and the two of them walked companionably down the sterile halls.

Callen eased himself gingerly into the Challenger with a wince and left his seatbelt undone, which Sam noted but refrained from commenting on.

"Back to yours for pizza and beer?" Callen suggested, knowing Sam wouldn't be happy with just dropping him at his place. Sam's restraint in leaving him to heal from the worst of his wounds in peace at the burns hospital had been admirable, and now he owed the big man some time.

"Why not…" Sam chuckled, and appreciated Callen's perceptiveness. In his own way, Callen was nothing if not predictable.

"How are Kensi and Deeks doing?" Callen asked. He'd heard from Kensi a couple of time; vague texts, nothing much, but it had been good to know that she was okay. He hoped she and Deeks had managed to work things out.

"Yeah. Okay. Still talking. They went away together for the week. They've got a lot to sort out, but they'll be okay."

"Talking's good," Callen said vaguely.

"Yeah," Sam replied pointedly. "It is." Callen was silent for some time, and Sam wondered if his partner would ever open up about what had happened after they'd separated.

"Mosley still not been in touch?" Callen eventually asked.

"What do you think?"

"I think she's probably spending time with her son… Has Williams been found yet?"

"No," Sam sighed. "He's gone to ground somewhere."

"Damn," Callen said with unexpected feeling. Sam looked at him.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, Sam. Keep your eyes on the road. I'm not in the mood for another crash," he smirked, and Sam grinned.

"Williams will show up again."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Callen muttered and when Sam raised an eyebrow at him, he continued. "Mosley and Derrick won't be safe while he's still at large." He hated to think everything he had put his team through could still yet be in vain, if Williams was not taken care of.

"I'm pretty sure Mosley's got it covered."

"I hope so," Callen sighed.

"She went through hell all those years without her son. I don't think she'll be letting him out of her sight now."

The setting sun burned like fire on the horizon and as he watched it sink into the darkness below Callen reflected on the fiery hell they had all been through to reunite mother and son. Everything he could do… A rash promise made at the end of a long day – but he'd meant it when he said it all those months ago, and he'd meant it again when it came to the crunch. It didn't stop him wishing his team hadn't got dragged along for the ride.

They pulled up in the marina car park, and Sam was still struggling to put his finger on what was off about Callen's mood.

"Are you sure you're okay, G?"

"I put you all in an impossible situation." It was easier to talk in the dark; to hide from Sam's penetrating stare. To hide from the guilt he felt.

"No, you didn't. We all knew what we were letting ourselves in for."

"I don't think any of us knew exactly what we were letting ourselves in for," Callen mumbled, vaguely aware of Sam's hand hovering hesitantly above his shoulder as they walked towards the boat.

"Come and have a couple of beers," Sam said lightly, dropping his hand onto Callen's shoulder in the briefest gesture of support as he resisted again the urge to shake the details out of his partner.

The boat was dark as the two men entered, and Sam carefully allowed Callen to step through the doorway first.

"Flick the lights," he said, fiddling with the door behind them, and half way down the narrow stairs, Callen reached back for the switch.

"Surprise!" His whole team were standing in the cramped living quarters. Nell and Eric… Kensi and Deeks… Hetty. Callen surveyed their faces smiling up at him and turned to Sam to cover his discomfort at being caught unawares.

"A couple of beers…?"

"Yeah… sorry." Above him, Sam spread his hands apologetically. Shaking his head, Callen descended, and in the small space it was Nell first, bouncing on her toes in her effort not to reach out and hug him, who whispered, "Welcome home!" Next to her, grinning widely, Eric took Callen's right hand and pumped it elatedly. Callen felt the dull sting of the burns under the bandages switch from awareness to agony and he pulled his hand from Eric's enthusiastic grip. He turned quickly away and hoped neither of them had seen the beads of sweat start to form on his brow. Running his hand over his face he realised he was looking into the concerned brown eyes of Kensi as she gently reached for his plastered wrist and held his hand in both of hers. Sam's boat really wasn't that big. He took a deep breath.

"Callen…" Kensi swallowed.

"Kens," he smiled reassuringly, but she hurried on.

"I want to thank you, again, for what you did back there…"

"Kens, it's fine," Callen interrupted.

"No, it's not. You know what Williams kept hinting at. I… I don't think I could have dealt with that…" She swallowed again. "You kept him distracted. So thank you. And I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Callen assured her, hoping she would believe him. He noticed for the first time Deeks standing protectively beside Kensi, a tight look on his face as he listened to their exchange. "Deeks… you good?"

"Better now," Deeks said flippantly, reaching out to clap Callen's shoulder, but dropping his hand before he made contact. Callen smirked as Deeks blushed, awkwardly muttering, "Sam never touches you… right… got it..."

"It's good to see you guys again," Callen said.

"And it is good to see you back with us, Mr Callen." Callen turned again, and standing next to Nell was Hetty, looking up at him with an expression he couldn't quite place.

"Hetty..!" Callen exclaimed. "You organised all this?"

"Oh I left the organising to Ms Jones," Hetty said with a slow smile, and Nell smiled too, apologetically.

"Well, thanks, I guess. Both of you."

"It is so nice to see you all together in the same room again," Hetty said, with the tiniest crack in her voice that only Callen noticed. He looked at her searchingly, and they shared an unspoken moment of gratitude before Hetty smiled and reached behind her for a glass of champagne. "You got them all home," she said quietly, so that only he could hear. He bowed his head but before he could protest she spoke louder. "Come now, Mr Callen," she said, handing him the glass, and the rest of the team followed her lead and gathered round. "This is a party! Everybody, drink up!"