Disclaimer: I have never nor would I ever claim to own any of the characters, etc. from NCIS LA. Just having a whole lot of fun borrowing them for a bit.
A/N: Thank you so very very much to all who have taken the time to read and review. Thank you so much for all the follows and favorites. It means so much to know you are enjoying the story...especially as a new writer here. Time to jump into it and find out who came next. So grab your favorite beverage, snuggle up under a comfy blanket in a sunny window and enjoy. Just remember, I do, dearly love hearing from you. So stop by and tell me what you think. Read, Review (constructive notes of correction are welcome as well) and thanks again! Now, on with the show.
"So the next to join our little family would have been Sam. Hmmmmm. That was an important, if not THE MOST important choice I had to make. This would be the person who would stand next to and at times, up to our team leader. It had to be someone with a strong sense of self, someone who had leadership ability and understood the definition of loyalty. Fierce in battle but calm in spirit. Whomever I chose to be Mr. Callen's partner was going to have their hands full, no doubt about it. He would have to gain his trust first and foremost. You and I both know what a hard fought battle THAT would be. I searched through an incredible number of applications, unsuccessfully, when I came across the one that would lead me to a Navy SEAL. SEALS are known for their loyalty. Never leave a team member behind. Always have the backs of their teammates. That was exactly what I was looking for. When it comes to those qualities, Mr. Hanna excelled. He was well known for his loyalty to his team. He was given many an award that attests to that fact. Trust is everything to a SEAL." Hetty stopped a moment. She glanced once more towards the entrance and then to her senior agent as he stared moodily across at his missing partners desk.
Regrouping her thoughts, she started again. "Mr. Hanna had what Mr. Callen so desperately needed in a partner… integrity. I wasn't quite prepared for how difficult Mr. Callen's resistance to having a partner would be… especially one who understands the importance of partnership within a team. Oh, those first days were very interesting indeed…but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We will come back to that later. You, of course, remember Mr. Callen's unfortunate upbringing. Now compare that with Sam's. Sam had a loving though, albeit, strict family life. Sam had known nothing but structure throughout his youth. A marine colonel for a father, military school and then the Navy. Probably the most truly difficult time Sam had in his youth was dealing with his father's disappointment after he chose the Navy over the Marines. The only thing these two men had in common regarding their youth was that they had both played football." Hetty took a breath and looked away pursing her lips together as she thought…
"Sam was raised and encouraged to be a leader, to be willing and able to work with anyone, to know when to lead and when to follow. He was taught the importance of teamwork, having your partners back. Being a SEAL meant that going alone was frowned upon. It made you vulnerable, which in turn made your team vulnerable. All traits that were taught from the beginning where Sam came from. These were the characteristics that Mr. Callen so desperately needed to learn…" Hetty trailed off softly as Nate took a moment to gather his thoughts before joining them with hers.
"But then you have Callen, who was taught very early on that you can't trust anyone… that the only person to have his back was himself. He learned quickly that to be in a team or a partnership actually made you LESS safe and MORE vulnerable. He was raised with the realization that to let anyone get close to him was the most dangerous thing he could possibly do. Putting these two men together was a recipe for disaster. A sure set up for failure. What on earth made you think this could ever work? Their core beliefs could not have been more different. There wasn't room for much give either direction."
"Yes, well, sometimes you just have to trust your gut instinct and mine was telling me that these two men would make an excellent team, once they worked a few things out." Hetty grinned, "Poor Macy was the one who had to deal with the growing pains in that partnership."
"I remember that first day." Nate recalled, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, "Sam and Kensi showed up at the warehouse to meet their team leader and Sam's new partner. They both showed up bright and early, ready to go. Callen? Not so much. He was between places again and came in dragging his duffel and bedroll with dark rings under his eyes. The look on Sam's face when he first met Callen… to say he was unhappy with the decision would have been quite the understatement."
Hetty shared a laugh at the memory. "Oh my, Macy called me that day and begged me to rethink things. I gathered that Sam had pretty much imploded over meeting Callen. Callen wasn't any happier, I guess, but he figured eventually Sam would grow bored or frustrated and leave, so he resigned himself to waiting him out. According to Macy, Sam demanded she tell him where Callen lived…" Hetty stated when Nate interrupted.
"Kind of hard to do since no one EVER really knew where he was living in those days. Half the time he ended up back at the warehouse bunking out on the couch in Macy's office. It didn't thrill her but at least she knew where he was and that he was getting some sleep so she never said anything. I remember that conversation you mentioned. We tried to explain to Sam how Callen worked…it didn't seem to help."
"Indeed. That did not sit well with Sam. But then neither did Sam's insistence that they should drive into work together every morning sit well with Mr. Callen… nor did Sam's preaching to him about the benefits of a good night's sleep and eating right." Hetty chuckled.
"You have to admit, Callen showed great restraint." Nate laughed at the truth in the statement. "Callen hated partners, especially nosey ones."
"mmmhmm. That would certainly explain why Mr. Callen was frequently found missing up and until it was time to go in for the undercover ops and the take downs." Hetty surmised.
Nate nodded his agreement, "Callen was driving Macy to the edge with the way he would just disappear. Had it been anyone else, I think she would have sent him packing. Sam was getting more agitated by the day. I'll be honest, Hetty, I had more than a few concerns regarding your choice in partners. What made you think this EVER stood a chance of working?"
Hetty straightened in her seat placing her folded hands on the desk…she smiled. "Friendship isn't just about how much we have in common with one another. How boring would life be if we only ever did exactly what everyone else does? The spice comes from our differences. I don't know about you Nate, but I don't need a mime for a friend when I already have a shadow. While it is certainly important to have things in common, it's equally valuable to have differences that will challenge us. Mr. Hanna had only ever known structure and self-control. Mr. Callen had known little more than upheaval and chaos. Though their childhoods were vastly different, they both managed to grow into strong, confident, driven, upstanding men with morals and integrity. Still, they each have something they could teach the other. Time would tell the tale." Hetty finished as she looked over to Nate who smiled kindly before asking the question that she already knew was coming.
"So….after Sam….