Chapter 11.

Maria rested her son on her hip as the Police officer took her statement.

He looked up at the young girl, she was exhausted, that much he could tell, also she was sobbing as she told of her imprisonment and rape at the hands of a federal agent.

"I was saved when some men raided the compound, they thought the Federal Agent had been kidnapped, it's not true, he was a part of things, you find him, he will tell you... look, his son... It looks like him." She pulled the covering from Carlos' face, his bright blue eyes and blond hair startling the officer. At that moment Maria was glad her son had picked up Antonio's coloring. Everything she told the officer was true, just few name changes here and there, enough to make out that the pig, Callen was a father. After all, this man didn't know her, or her situation so she was going to use it to her advantage. She needed money and she needed to be able to provide for her son now his father was dead, this Airwolf would be the means to getting it.

The officer took her details as another officer put a blanket over her shoulders, "Don't worry Miss, you're safe now. Can you tell me the Federal Agent's name?" He asked.

Maria feigned being terrified, "He thought we were all dead, if he finds out I'm alive, he'll kill me and take our son." She pulled Carlos closer to emphasize the fear of loss she was supposed to be feeling.

The female police officer moved her chair closer to her, "Please, we will do everything in our power to keep you both safe. We have a social worker here to see you, she wants to find somewhere safe for you to stay."

Tears welled up in Maria's eyes, "No... Please do not let them take my baby!"

The officer smiled, "They will keep you together, we just want the name of the Federal Agent, so he can be brought to justice."

She dropped her head as if defeated, her long hair covering her smile as she replied. "Callen…. His name is just G. Callen... He is a federale, with NCIS."

The police woman nodded to the social worker, who came to take Maria's details and tell her about the safe house they had found for her and her son.

Callen looked at his bag, he sat on the bed in what was now, according to his brothers, his room. He didn't want to go, but he knew that work was calling and he couldn't be here forever.

He looked up as the door knocked and opened as String walked in with two coffees.

"How do you do that?" Callen asked, looking at the coffee, knowing it was just what he needed.

String smiled, "I'm your brother." He replied as he sat at the end of the bed and handed his younger brother his coffee. "So, what's wrong?" he asked.

Callen shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee to help quell the unease he was feeling. "I have to go back today." he sighed.

"You ok with that?" String asked, saddened that Callen and Hetty still hadn't fully made amends.

"I'll be ok to work with her." Callen said a frown flitting across his face, "I don't trust her, but I will follow her lead at work."

"It'll take time Cal, I know she loves you as much as she does us." He held up his hand as Callen started to object and carried on. "She made mistakes, we are all paying the price for those, but you know about us now and we are not going to lose touch with you, I promise." String said sincerely.

Callen leaned back with a sigh, "I spent so long looking for family, it hurts knowing that she knew about you and never told me. I wonder what else she's keeping from me, you know?"

"Remember brother, you are keeping stuff from her too, I mean, you haven't talked to any of us about what happened while you were with Rodriguez." Callen got off the bed and started pacing, his bare feet slapping against the polished wooden floor.

String waited, but said nothing.

"I can't talk about it, it's done." Callen said a few minutes later.

String shook his head, "It isn't done, you went through it, you need to talk about it."

Callen was annoyed that there was something about his time in incarceration that he couldn't remember, it was important and kept niggling at him. He paced again, "I can't talk about it. It's not that I don't want to... I just can't..." He snapped slightly annoyed at himself.

String shook his head with a wry grin, "You're worse than SinJin, you know that."

Callen outright laughed at that. "At least I know I'm like you guys in some way."

String nodded, "What time are you leaving?" He asked.

"Sam said we are going this afternoon, something about the cars Hetty book getting here from Los Angeles to get us home this evening."

"Good. Get your boots on, I got something to show you." String got up and grabbed his coffee mug, "Grab a jacket." he grinned and jogged down the stairs, listening to the sound of his little brother scrabbling to catch up with him.

String got downstairs just as Sam arrived, "Morning, you don't need Cal for anything do you?" He asked.

Sam shook his head, a smirk playing around his lips just as Callen yelled from upstairs.

"Wait up! I'm coming!" and he ran to the top of the stairs and jogged down them, slowing as he saw his partner.

"Sam? Do you know what's going on?" Callen asked

"I don't know anything." Sam lied. He had talked at length with String about doing this, after all Callen hadn't asked about his rescue, he hadn't talked about his time in captivity at all, for Sam it had bothered him. String had suggested taking him to Airwolf, after all he was family and deserved to know how he got out.

"You coming?" Callen asked.

Sam shook his head, "I'm getting everyone sorted, it's gonna take me, Nell and Eric to get Kensi and Deeks out of bed."

Callen grimaced and waved his hand at Sam, "I don't want to know."

Sam chuckled and watched as String and Callen left the cabin. He walked over to the radio, "He's on his way." He said to SinJin who was already in Airwolf waiting to meet them.

After driving out to the desert for an hour, Stringfellow pulled up to a halt in the middle of nowhere.

For a moment Callen panicked, but he hid it well, this was his brother on some level he knew he was safe, but instinct had kicked in and he felt for the familiar weight of the gun in his back and realized he had left it at the cabin.

String saw the move, "You're safe Cal, just needed to stop here for SinJin."

"Why are we meeting him here?" Callen asked.

"He needs space for the wolf." String said.

For the first time Callen was confused, he had heard SinJin, String and Archangel talking about a wolf, he thought it was an animal.

"I heard you talking about a wolf at the barbecue, Is it wild?" Callen asked.

"Kinda, but it's not an animal." String looked at his watch, "We have time, listen." He started, as Callen turned his attention to his brother.

"A long time ago the CIA tested a new helicopter, a super weapon, it was an attack helicopter with a state of the art computer system. The man testing it was rogue and he attacked the demonstration, that's how Archangel lost his eye."

"Damn, What happened to the guy testing it?"

"His name was Moffat, he had a grudge against Archangel and the CIA and he stole Airwolf."

"So what happened?" Callen asked.

String sighed, "Archangel had an assistant... Gabrielle, she was CIA, She was sent to Libya with me to get Airwolf back. I loved her and Moffat killed her." He stopped for a moment to let the full implication of his words sink in. "I took Airwolf back and kept her, I blackmailed Archangel to help me find out where my brother's body was and to bring him home."

"And yet you get on with him?" Callen asked amazed.

"He gets on with us, he knows that one day I may give him the Wolf back, but not while he's keeping secrets, the Firm knew about my brother, SinJin being alive, I know that someone knew about you and no one told me and until we get answers we keep her safe. However, we do work for Archangel, when it's for the greater good. So he has to keep me sweet."

There was a loud scream as Sinjin and Airwolf cleared the ridge in the distance and set down a little way from them.

Callen looked in awe at the state of the art helicopter.

"You STOLE this?" He asked.

"More like confiscated." String said with a smirk that Callen found familiar.

The helicopter rotors slowed and ground to a halt. There was a release of pressure as the door opened. A man in a helmet exited and again Callen wished he had his gun with him, he moved to shield String from this man, then relaxed as he took his helmet off.

"What do you think G?" SinJin said.

"It's awesome," Callen looked at the helicopter, small flashes of his rescue coming back to him. He gripped the side of the jeep they had been riding in as he swayed. He knew he had forgotten something…. Something important…

"Maria!" he gasped.