A/N: We're starting the descent of the final climax of this story. Thank you a lot for your reviews and continued support of this story. I also have three weeks left of the semester, so know that if I'm late on an update it's because I'm studying and stressed out and believe me, I'd want to update just as much as you want the next chapter. Please leave a review! I really want to know what you think of this.
Callen heard a crack and felt a rush of air pass next to him, followed by the release of pressure digging into his skin. The knife clattered on the ground. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing his partner pass behind him to confirm the kill.
Sam surged past Callen once he saw Mason go down. He quickly walked around the body and reached down for a pulse. He saw the cold lifeless eyes of Callen's torturer staring above, his death confirmed with the conclusive lack of a heartbeat.
The adrenaline currently fueling Callen began to dissipate, and Callen started to feel all the raw pain radiating from his body. His vision began to grow fuzzy, his breathing more strained.
Sam stood and walked around to face his partner. He rested down on one knee next to him and pulled out his knife, beginning to saw away at the thick rope binding his partner. As he worked, he glanced up to see that Callen had his eyes tightly shut. Sam could feel the anxiety in his partner's mind increase and could hear his irregular breathing. Callen's usual mask hiding any emotion was completely gone. His partner looked so broken, so far from his normal self. Increased worry pushed Sam to cut the ropes faster.
After what felt like an eternity, which really was only a few more seconds, the last cord broke and his partner was free. Sam immediately turned back to face him and carefully placed his hands on Callen's shoulders.
"G, you're safe now, you're okay," he pleaded. "G, it's me. I need you to breathe for me. Take deep breaths. Come on." A few seconds later and the message got through to Callen's brain. He didn't open his eyes, but he slowed his breathing. His chest started to rise and fall more evenly. "There you go, G. Deep breaths. Now open your eyes, G, you can do it man."
Callen heard Sam's voice and felt his hands resting on his shoulders and began to calm down, trying to get his body under control. He slowly opened his eyes and tried to focus on the image in front of him. Once his vision cleared, he saw his wrists were free of bindings, replaced with red rope burns around them. Sam was kneeling in front of him in the dismal room, his brown eyes full of concern. Callen quickly looked away, avoiding eye contact with his partner. He felt so vulnerable, so lost; he didn't want anyone to see him like this.
Right at that moment, Kensi and Deeks rushed into the room, having heard the single shot and still being in the dark about the fate of their leader. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Callen, alive but covered with injuries and blood. Callen quickly noticed them behind Sam and looked down further, desperate to hide his obvious emotions.
Sam released his arms and turned to find their junior partners frozen as they took in the sight of the agent. Immediately, Sam knew Callen would not want them to see him like this. It could even cause him more stress.
"Tell Hetty we need a medevac fast. He needs to get to the hospital." Sam's urgency caught their attention, and Kensi instantly recognized they needed to be left alone right now. She sharply nodded and led her partner out of the room, dragging him by the hand.
The moment they left, Callen relaxed, however he still avoided his partner's gaze. Sam then noticed an object out of the corner of his eye he hadn't seen until now. Glancing in that direction and on the ground around him, his conclusion nearly made the food from earlier reappear. Mason had literally rubbed salt into Callen's wounds. He couldn't imagine what G must have felt like.
"Hey, it's just you and me, buddy, talk to me. You with me?" Callen didn't react.
"G, look at me." Once again, he placed a hand on Callen's arm. A moment passed before Callen ever so slowly raised his blue, pained eyes. Sam had a sincere, calm expression on his face. "You're okay. It's all over."
Callen slowly nodded his head, the tension finally releasing in his muscles. Facing his partner, the emotions built up inside of him suddenly came back all at once. He closed his eyes before the final thread he had desperately held broke, and inaudible tears streamed down his grimy face.
All he could do while his partner crumbled in front of him was offer his support. His heart nearly broke as his partner released everything he had held in for so long. Sam reached his arm around and pulled his friend into a strong embrace, saying nothing as silent sobs racked Callen's body. They stayed like that for several moments in the bleak room, neither of them saying anything.
Callen didn't even care anymore that his partner was seeing him this way. He couldn't handle the stress, the pain, the lack of power he had felt for months, and frankly, he was too exhausted to be frustrated with himself. He just sat there, finding relief in his friend's embrace. A few minutes later, he calmed down further. His body though was still racked with pain.
He sat halfway up, blinking away the tears. He was still painfully hunched over. "I can't take it anymore, Sam", Callen barely whispered.
"I know buddy, just a little bit longer and we can get you to the hospital." He knew he just said the "h" word, but there was no way Callen would get out of it. For once, Callen had no protest for a response. He meekly nodded instead. Sam did another once over of his friend, concerned about how much blood he had lost. He quickly made a judgment before deciding he needed to get him out of there.
"Come on, let's get you outside, we can wait for the medevac there." Callen straightened himself and attempted to stand. His stiff muscles and leg wound were unprepared for the movement and his knees started to buckle. Sam had half expected the result and quickly stopped him from falling. He put Callen's arm over his shoulder and supported his injured leg. Slowly, the two walked out of the dismal room and through the house. Exhaustion quickly came over Callen, but he was determined to complete the journey. Finally, they made it to the porch and Sam lowered G onto a bench to rest.
Sam looked out at their new surroundings, which were still pitch black in the fresh, country air. He noticed Kensi and Deeks not too far from the house, each talking into their cell phones. It almost felt surreal that the case was finally over, but in no way could they now move on. He glanced back to see Callen stretched out on his back, still trying to control his pain. In the dim light, he could still make out the dark red slashes all over his chest and the deep injuries that were sure to leave scars. Sam knew Callen would have a long recovery, both physically and mentally. After that, he'd still have to adjust to coming back to work and deal with four months of his life being taken, and that was being hopeful. Sam would make sure to be there for him the whole time.
Kensi and Deeks quickly approached them. "Hey, how is he?" Kensi asked. They both matched Sam's worried look.
"Not good, but he'll make it. We just need to get him to the hospital. ETA on the medevac?"
"Twenty minutes." Deeks offered. Sam sighed, anxious for his partner's pain to end.
"Okay," he breathed. "Who was that on the phone?"
"Eric," Deeks said.
"Hetty," Kensi replied at the same time. The junior agents then exchanged slightly perplexed looks with each other, noting the synchronized remarks. In spite of everything, Sam couldn't stop the miniscule smile from growing on his face. They really were great partners.
At that moment, Kensi's phone rang again. She looked down at the caller ID. "It's Vance, probably wants an update." She walked off again to talk to their director.
Deeks walked around to where Callen's head lie and leaned against the wall. He looked down at the now dozing agent. Sam knew that with head injuries it was dangerous to fall asleep, but from observing the wound earlier, he knew it looked worse than it was. He'd just make sure Callen didn't fall asleep too deeply.
Deeks now looked toward Sam. "You good?"
Sam looked up at the detective, unsure how to answer. He was silent until he looked back at Callen.
"Just need to get him out of here."
Deeks nodded, also concerned with the state Callen was in. "He'll make it, Sam. He's made it this far, right?"
Sam was quiet for another beat. "He wasn't himself in there, Deeks. It was as if…" A befuddled look came over Sam's face. "I don't know, he just looked so beaten, so lost."
Deeks quietly pondered the information. "Well, he's got all of us to help pull him through. Just make sure he understands that." He pushed off from the wall and cleared his throat. "I'm going to go bring the car up. We'll see if there's anything left in our gear we can use for a first aid kit while we wait."
He walked off the porch and faded until the shrouding darkness covered him. Sam stared back out when a moan escaped from Callen and he shifted his gaze. The agent stirred, his face strained as a new wave of pain hit and the cool air now caused him to shiver. Sam quickly removed his jacket and tore away the bloody remaining shreds of the shirt Callen had been wearing. The soiled strips now removed, he laid the jacket over Callen's bare chest and unconsciously rested a hand on his arm, as if he was trying to offer some sort of support. He just had to wait a little longer and help would arrive.