A/N: Sorry for the delay. Didn't have to time to finish it yesterday.
"I want to buy a new house with you. With everything that had happened I'm just not comfortable with you being alone at the house," Callen said.
"Really? I had thought about it too but I was afraid to bring it up since I know how much you love living there."
"Yes I do, it's the first home I've ever owned but it doesn't matter, I just want you to feel safe in the house. I can't concentrate at work when I know you're home alone in the house. We got all the people but they found out I was living there so there could be others. I just want you to feel safe, the house is not important. I just want you and our little boy to feel safe when I'm not around. It's just a house, the memories I have of the house will always be with me no matter where I am. Just as long I have you and our little boy with me I'll be fine."
"Thank you G. I'm glad you want to move too. I was too afraid to bring it up."
"Anything for you and our little boy honey. I just want you to feel safe. I'll be home for a few weeks so you'll be safe then, hopefully by the time I go back to work we've found a house. And as long as we'll be living in this house I will protect you. You are safe with me honey, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you or our little boy."
Joelle sat down in front of Callen on the bed. "I'm sure we can find the perfect house for us."
"Oh yes, I'm sure that there will be a nice house for us, maybe even one with a playground nearby."
"That would be nice."
"We'll find the perfect house for our family Jo, I'm sure of it."
"Yeah we will," Joelle smiled at him.
….
That Sunday Callen was released from the hospital. Joelle went to pick him up. Callen did have to stay at home for two more weeks before going back to work. Joelle had spent every day with the Hanna's, she didn't want to be alone in the house.
"Hey G," Joelle spoke as she walked into the hospital room.
"Hey honey." Callen was just finished getting dressed and he sat on the edge of the bed to put his shoes on. Callen pulled Joelle closer to him, so she was standing in between his legs, and he wrapped her arms around her waist. Joelle wrapped her arms around his neck as Callen brought her closer and kissed her. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, I'm glad you're coming home again."
"Are you okay to go back to the house? We can always go to a hotel or something."
"I think I'll be alright, I've got you there to protect me."
"Yes you do. And I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."
Callen gave Joelle one more kiss and went to put his shoes on. Callen grabbed his things and walked out with Joelle. Joelle drove them back to the house. All the stuff that she had taken over to Sam's were in her car. Once home Callen helped Joelle carry her stuff in. Joelle opened the door and Callen noticed her hesitation.
"You okay honey?" Callen asked concerned.
"Yeah, I'm good, I think."
"You don't have to go in if you don't want. We can always go somewhere else."
"No, it's okay. I'll be fine."
Joelle took a deep breath and walked inside. They put their stuff away and sat down on the couch together. Callen sat down on the part where the ottoman was attached and Joelle lay in between his legs with her back resting against Callen's chest. Callen wrapped his arms around her and rested them on her stomach.
"I'm glad you're here with me again G. I've missed you, and I've missed you next to me at night."
"I've missed you too. I'm glad to have you in my arms again."
"Yeah, your safe and strong arms," Joelle said as she snuggled against Callen.
"Yeah they will keep you both safe honey."
Callen gave Joelle a soft kiss on her head and turned the TV on. A little later Callen noticed that Joelle had fallen asleep. Callen stayed there, afraid he would wake Joelle up if he moved. He snuggled against her and fell asleep a little later too. They both slept for a few hours before Joelle woke up and needed to pee. Callen woke up when Joelle wanted to get up.
"Where are you going?" Callen asked.
"I need to pee."
Joelle gave Callen a quick kiss before she got up to go pee. When she returned to the couch Callen was sitting there with his laptop.
"I was just looking for some houses."
"And? Found anything interesting?"
"Yeah I think so."
"Does it have a playground and school close by?"
"Yes it has both. I've found houses in multiple neighborhoods in LA. All have a playground and school nearby. We still have the money we got from your house and we'll get some for this house. So I think we can afford these. It's about a thirty minute drive to our jobs."
"Well let's see what you've found. We also need a house that we can move in right away and don't have too much work to do cus I want to have it ready before the baby comes."
"I know."
Together they looked at the houses. Callen had found some houses. Each houses had a playground/park nearby. In the neighborhood were multiple elementary schools. Joelle wanted it to be close to the park so they could walk their with the baby.
"Now this one I thought was nice but it's on the Balboa Boulevard so it's a little bit busy in front of the house," Callen spoke as he showed Joelle the house.
"Yeah it does look nice yeah. But yeah a busy street. Let's see what others you have, maybe there's a better house."
They looked at the other houses Callen had found and narrowed their choice down to a couple of houses. They liked all the houses so they decided to make appointments with all of them, so they could see them in person and not just in pictures.
"Those houses really look nice," Joelle spoke. "I'm really looking forward to buying our house with you."
"Yeah, it's nice. It's nice to buy our house. Technically this is still my house since you moved in with me. It's nice to buy a house together."
"Yeah it is. These houses all look really nice. I wonder what they'll look like for real. Are you sure we can afford these?"
"Yes. We still have the money we got from selling your house and I checked online, there's this tool online where you can estimate the price of your house. Of course it's not one hundred percent right but it gives you an idea. Together with the money we got from your house we can afford these, plus we both have some money saved and we can put the rest in mortgage."
"Okay then, I can't wait. Hopefully we can move into those houses pretty soon."
"Yeah, we'll ask the realtor if we really like a house."
They contacted the realtor offices and made an appointment to visit the houses. They had four houses they really liked. One was a bit pricy but they could afford it with a higher mortgage. They liked this house so they would decide once they had seen all the houses. They had a house in Cypress, a house in Calabasas, a house in La Palma and a house in Van Nuys. They would visit the house in Cypress and the house in La Palma on Wednesday and the house in Calabasas and the house in Van Nuys on Saturday. They had arranged with the realtors that if they liked the house they had till Monday to decide.
….
That Monday Joelle went back to work. Callen was at home since he was recovering from his shooting. Callen dropped Joelle off at work and went back home. He dropped her off since they had a doctor's appointment after work so Callen would go pick Joelle up before going to the appointment.
Callen just relaxed around the house, he was still a little bit weak and tired from the surgery. He was beyond relieved that everything had turned out okay in the end. He had been so scared when he found out that Joelle had been taken. He was really glad that she and their baby boy were okay. That comatose dream he had was still playing in front of his mind. He really hoped nothing from that dream would happen for real. It was because of the dream that he had suggested that they should move, so that Joelle knew he wanted this for real. And he did, he wanted this. He wanted Joelle and their baby to feel safe at home when he wasn't there. He liked the idea of buying a house with Joelle, they could buy a little bit bigger house, a nice house for their baby to grow up in. The houses they had found were just perfect. He could picture them living in all of them. They were all in nice neighborhoods with a playground and/or park close by and schools nearby. All of them were about a half an hour drive to their jobs. They all were nice houses for their baby to grow up in.
Callen had never owned a house before this one, he liked living here and he liked living here with Joelle but it was nice to buy their house. Joelle contributed to the house as well of course, but technically it was still his house. Not that either one of them felt that way though. But it was nice to buy a house together, a nice family house. Callen couldn't wait for their little boy to arrive, he would just be so cute, Callen knew that. But he was also a bit scared of what it would be like with a little baby here. He never had a real father figure in his life. He hoped he would be good at it, he didn't want to let Joelle and their baby down. He vowed to himself that he would be the best father possible and that he made sure his kid had everything that he never had as a kid. He would make sure the kid grew up in a loving family environment.
Around 5pm Callen left to pick up Joelle. He went into the school to see how far she was.
"Hey honey," Callen called as he walked into the classroom.
"Hey baby."
Callen walked over to Joelle and gave her a kiss. "How was your day?"
"It was good. The kids were happy I was back again."
"That's good. You ready to go?"
"Yeah, just need to pack my things."
Joelle grabbed her bags and together with Callen she walked out. They got in the car and Callen drove them to the doctor's office. They sat in the waiting room until they were called in. Joelle was now twenty two weeks pregnant. Joelle sat down on the bed and they waited until the doctor walked in.
"Good evening," the doctor spoke as she walked in. "How are we doing today?"
"We are doing just fine."
"That's good. I've got the test results and everything is perfectly clear. You are both very healthy." Callen and Joelle were relieved to hear that. "Why don't you lay down so we can get started."
Joelle lay down on the bed and rolled up her shirt. Callen smiled when he saw her baby bump. She looked so cute with it. The doctor fired up the machine, put some gel on the wand and put the wand on Joelle's stomach. They immediately heard the baby's heartbeat. Callen loved that sound. It was so beautiful, their little boy's heartbeat.
"Is everything okay doctor?" Joelle asked.
"Yes, the baby is growing nice and big and everything looks good. Would you like to see a 3D image?"
"Yes please," Joelle spoke with a smile.
The doctor pressed some keys and Callen and Joelle looked at the screen. It was so beautiful to see their little boy like this. You could clearly see some shapes already.
"Look at that G, that's our little boy," Joelle spoke with a smile as she looked at Callen.
"Yes it is." Joelle could see the love spread across his face. "He's so beautiful."
"Yes he is."
The doctor took Joelle's vitals and weight. The doctor handed Joelle a picture of the ultrasound and a video of the 3D ultrasound. Joelle made an appointment for in three weeks on their way out. They picked up some fries and burgers before going home.
"It was so cute to see that 3D image," Callen spoke as they were eating.
"Oh yes it's really is. I can't wait to finally meet our little boy and hold him."
"I know me neither."
On Wednesday they went to visit the first two houses. Both appointments were in the late afternoon. Callen went to pick Joelle up from school and together they drove to the house. First they went to view the house in Cypress. When they pulled up to the house the realtor was waiting for them in front.
"Good afternoon, you must be Mr. and Mrs. Walinsky?" The realtor greeted them.
"I'm Mr. Walinsky," Callen replied. "We're not married, yet."
"Oh my mistake."
They shook hands before the realtor took them inside and showed them around. It looked nice. It had a driveway with garage and a front yard. It had wooden floors and white walls downstairs. It had a nice roomy kitchen and a nice big master bedroom. The house had five bedrooms and three bathrooms in total. The master bedroom had a balcony and an adjacent bathroom. The backyard had a pool, a bar with outdoor barbeque and a sitting area. It looked nice but they weren't sold on it immediately. They would see what the other houses looked like first. The house was on a quiet street. It was a ten minute walk to the park and the nearest school. Without traffic it was about a thirty/thirty-five minute drive to work. After they were finished with his house they drove to the house in La Palma. Another realtor was waiting for them here.
"Good afternoon," the realtor greeted them.
"Good afternoon," Callen and Joelle greeted back and they shook hands.
The realtor took them inside to show them around. It had a driveway with a garage and a yard out front. They had a covered doorway. The walls were light yellow downstairs and in the living room was carpet. The kitchen was roomy, not as big in the other house, but still big enough. The house had three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Outside they had a covered patio behind the house. On the left, when standing in the backyard looking at the house, they had some grass and on the right was a pool with some room for a sitting area. Callen and Joelle both liked this house. It looked really nice. It was about a fifteen minute walk to the playground/park and to the closets school. The house was in a quiet, dead-end street. It was about a thirty-five minute drive to their jobs, without traffic. This house was less expensive as the house in Cypress and they liked this house better so they decided on not choosing the house in Cypress. They would keep this house in their options until they had seen the other two houses.
"That second house was really nice," Joelle spoke as they were driving back home.
"Yeah it was. It looked nice and we have a big enough yard. Some grass where our little boy can play, a sitting area and a pool. And there's enough room around the pool to put a fence around it so our boy can't go it in."
"Yeah we do. And it's big enough for us and school and playground nearby. It's just a farther commute to our jobs than before."
"Yeah, but sometimes it takes about an hour too with the traffic. Here we are a bit outside the city so it might be less."
"Yeah that's true and it's a nice quiet neighborhood."
….
They went to the other two houses on Saturday afternoon. They went to the house in Calabasas first. This was the most expensive house. They greeted the realtor out front before going in. It had a driveway and garage in front with a yard. Above the garage was a balcony. Through some steps they walked up to the covered front door. The floors were dark wood and the walls were light greenish and white. The house had three bedrooms and three bathrooms. One part of the house was higher and the part behind the garage was the same height as the garage. In the lower room were sliding doors leading to the backyard. The lower part of the backyard had the pool. Outside were some steps leading to the higher part of the yard. Here was a sitting area with some grass. The master bedroom had access to the balcony and had an adjacent bathroom. It wasn't really much different to the house in La Palma, maybe it was a little bit bigger but it was more expensive and it was further away from the park. They decided on not choosing this house. They had one more house left. It was the house in Van Nuys. Callen and Joelle drove there next.
After greeting the realtor they went inside. This house was a little less expensive than the house in La Palma. The house had a garage on the side, it was on the corner of the street. It had a fenced off front yard with a pathway leading to the covered front door. The house had four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The backyard had a covered patio with a fence around it. In the rest of the backyard was a swimming pool. The master bedroom had an adjacent bathroom and a walk in closet. The kitchen was nice and roomy. The floors were wooden downstairs with light colored walls. Upstairs were also wooden floors. There was a big park with a playground nearby, it was about a thirty minute walk. In this park was a big playground near the lake. There was a smaller park nearby, it was about a fifteen minute walk. The closets school was about a seven minute walk. To their work it was about a twenty-five minute drive, without traffic. They liked both houses. The one in La Palma was a little bit more expensive and a little bit bigger than the one in Van Nuys but both were nice. Callen and Joelle still had a few days to decide on which house they would take.
