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I don't own NCIS:LA. I own Sarah. Don't sue.

Flashback in the beginning of the chapter.

Thanks again for everyone reading, reviewing, and favorite alerts. Please keep them coming!

Special Thanks to Anthrdumblond for telling me that I was over thinking this chapter way too much and KevianaElliot for her help of "The Rules".

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Flashback: May 5, 2009

Sarah stood there in front of her student "Stan, remember you are the Phantom. You must take command of the performance and be mysterious, not look scared to death because a pregnant woman may throw up on you."

"But-"

She put her hands on his shoulders like a coach would do for a player. "You can do this. Right here, you're Stan computer geek, on stage you're the Phantom; dark, mysterious, the one who made Christine fall in love with him, with this music and his beautiful voice. You can do this. I wouldn't have given you this song if I didn't think you could do it."

He sighed. "Okay."

"Give them hell." She smiled, her phone rang and she saw the number. "I have to get this."

"Hello?"

"It's me." Hetty said.

She smiled. "Hey I got a ticket up at the box office for you for Friday's performance."

"I-I don't know if I will be able to be there." Hetty said softly.

"What's wrong?" She didn't like the sound in her voice.

There was silence. Too long of silence. "He-he was shot." Hetty said trying not to cry.

"I'll be there." Sarah grabbed her keys and started running backstage.

"No. No. Gibbs is fine. He's already left...Bugger he doesn't know..." She trailed off.

"Hetty what is going on?"

Hetty sighed and tried to pull herself together. "One of my agents was shot earlier this evening and I have to be there."

"Okay go, be there for them." She walked back and put her keys back on the hook.

"I just don't know if I will be able to be there on Friday."

"It's okay Hetty." She assured her.

"I just..."

"Meet me at 0200 in the women's center." Sarah said knowing that Hetty would be there all night.

"Sarah I can't." She couldn't be away from the team.

"Say you have to have some time to yourself." Sarah said.

"Sarah-"

"I will not take no for an answer Hetty. 0200 Women's Center coffee machine. If you are not there I will find you."

Hetty sighed. "Fine"

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Sarah sat by the coffee machine reading a book. She heard footsteps come down the hallway and stop at the machine. "I wish they had decent tea in this machine."

Sarah sat there still reading the book "You know it's sad that people use tea bags for their tea. Some people cannot taste the paper." Sarah took the thermos out and placed it on the table.

Hetty sat down next to her and saw the cup "Thank you." and started to cry.

"Hetty?" She had never seen her like this.

"They shot him five times while he was on the street. His partner saw the whole thing. They nearly lost him twice. He's in surgery now. His chances are not good." She let go of her feelings and hoped that once they started she would be able to stop.

"You shouldn't be telling me this," and not just because of their rule of not talking about what she does.

"I can't lose him. He's my responsibility. I cannot lose him," she cried harder. She needed to protect him. She needed to make up for not being able to protect her.

"Hetty. This is not your fault." Sarah assured her.

"What if they found him?" she said and immediately regretted it.

"Who?" Sarah asked.

Knowing that she said too much she pulled herself together "Never... never mind," she wiped away the tears, looked at Sarah and tried to smile.

Sarah looked at her and was going to ask her about it again but decided not to. "You know for a woman who never had children...you sure do have a lot of them."

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Chapter 6

"So how is Gibbs." Callen finally asked.

"Good. He gave me the speech on how I should have known better but he's glad that you and Sam were there. I think that actually stopped him from flying here. Oh and he told me that the next time he's in town to meet at Lou's at noon."

He smiled. "He remembered."

"When was the last time you saw him?" Sarah asked.

He thought about it. "May 2009. He was here on business."

"So that was you. I got a text from him asking me to meet him at nine at the pier and to bring coffee."

"Ten on the beach. When was the last time you saw him?" Callen asked.

"Six months ago."

"For Mike Franks."

She nodded. He could tell that she didn't want to talk about it yet. "So what was Hetty like when you were younger?"

"The cool Aunt who traveled around the world doing secret missions. Her and my Mom had known each other since they were ten. Mom became a teacher. She died of cancer when I was eight. Dad was a Marine."

"He knew Franks and Gibbs."

She smiled. "You've been reading my file."

"Well I have to know about background of the case that we're working on."

Sarah played with the stem of the wine glass. "So I'm ready."

"For?" He asked.

"My last test." Sarah said hoping it would be her last test.

He looked at his watch. "Okay where are they?"

"Blond woman three booths back with the crying child."

She turned her head slightly. "Man with red hair facing us in the far right corner with two blond women with their backs to us."

"The man wearing a baseball cap across the street sitting on the bench waiting for the bus reading a book. He acts like he's getting on the bus but goes around the building and changes caps. He's done now three times."

She then thought about it and looked around the room. "Our waitress."

"Are you sure?" He asked only because she thought about it.

"Yes." She was sure now. "When you told her you would have a beer she didn't ask what brand."

"I could be a regular."

She pointed at the banner outside of the building. "This place just opened at noon today."

"Very good." Callen stopped the timer on his watch.

"So how long are you going to have Deeks do that?" Sarah asked looking out the window.

"What?" Callen asked.

"He's the one at the bus stop."

He smiled. "A couple of more times."

"You're mean." Sarah tried not to laugh but knew he was okay with the relationship.

He smiled. "Well if him and Kensi would just be truthful and tell us that they are seeing each other then we wouldn't have to play this game anymore."

"When did you know?" Sarah asked.

"When Hetty went off grid."

"Be easy on them. It was a difficult time for all of you and some people deal with...meeting their own fate their own way." She said knowing the feeling all too well.

"I'm not mad. I just want to tell them it's about freaking time."

She got out her phone and dialed a number. "Hey it's Batgirl. You can stop doing that I got you. Oh and do me a favor give Wonder Woman this message 'They know and it's okay' yes she'll know what I'm talking about." She hung up.

"See that easy." She smiled.

"You didn't have to do that."

She shrugged her shoulders "You do what you have to for family. It's one of my rules."

"You have them too?"

"I got that one from Mike Franks it's an unspoken rule. But I think everyone eventually gets their own set of rules after working with Gibbs." She looked out the window and smiled seeing Deeks on the phone walking to his car. "Your case your lead."

"If you think someone is out to get you they probably are" Callen said.

"If someone has the upper hand break it." Sarah said.

"Never trust a lawyer." Callen said.

"Don't waste good." Sarah said.

"Always be specific when you lie." Callen said.

"Never be unreachable." Sarah said.

"Never take anything for granted." Callen said.

She paused. "Trust no one." She looked at him revealing one of her rules.

"Protect the ones you care about." Callen said.

"Never ignore the bad vibes." Sarah said.

"Don't take everything so seriously." Callen said.

"Keep business and personal lives separate." Sarah said.

"Trust is not given it's earned." Callen said.

"Never date your partner." Sarah said.

"Never date someone with handcuffs." Callen said.

She was surprised at that one and wondered how he would feel when she was back on agent status again. "You always have a choice." Sarah said.

"There's always another way." Callen said.

They stared at each other. "Always carry a knife." They both said together.

"Everything alright?" The waitress asked after watching them.

"Yes it was great."

"Nell this is Sarah. Nell works up in Ops with Eric."

"Hi" She placed the check on the table.

"So you're Nell. I've heard some things about you."

"You have?" Callen asked wondering how she would have known about her.

"We have a...mutual friend. We will have to work together on some things when the time comes." She looked at her and saw the look of surprise on Nell's face.

"So you're that Sarah." Nell said.

"Yes."

"Well it was nice to meet you. I told the others that they could go home is that okay Agent Callen?"

"That's fine Nell. Thanks." Callen waited until Nell was back in the kitchen. "Business?"

"Nell is in charge of Hetty's business life. I'm in charge of her personal life."

He looked at her strange. "Let me put it this way if we didn't meet now we would have met if something happened to Hetty."

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"This is it?" Sarah asked looking at the house.

"It's the address that she put in the GPS."

She got out of the car. "She told me she sold it."

"You've been here?"

"This was the house that she was living in the summer I stayed with her. When I was looking for a house a couple of years ago I offered to buy it but she told me that it was already sold. I can't believe she kept it."

He handed her the keys. "Well go on in."
She walked in and the memories flooded. She stood in the foyer and remembered the hours that she spent trying to figure out how to get up the stairs without making a sound. Hetty made sure that if she was alone and someone got in she would hear no matter what.
"Kensi told me that the floor plans would be here but I can't find them." Callen said looking in the usual spot for where they put the plans.
Sarah walked over to the piano bench and opened it up.
"How did you know they would be there?" He asked.
She handed him the folder. "I had a notebook about the house. I hid it in this bench."
"How long did it take you to learn every thing?"
"Three weeks. She had to stop me for a day because I started getting a little too obsessed with it. I was falling asleep at the table while studying the notes. I would also wake up at all hours of the morning to see if I could get out without her knowing."
"Anything I should know?" He looked around.
"If the electricity is out or someone cuts the line to the phones or security system. Don't worry. She has this place rigged up to make sure that you will know." She walked over the stairs and barely stepped on it. He heard it creek. She stepped in a different spot of the stair and he heard nothing.
"Interesting" He walked up and put his arm around her. "You did a good job today."

She looked up at him. "Thanks. Makes me wonder what she has in store for me tomorrow."

"Expect the unexpected with Hetty."

"I think that's one of her rules." She kissed him softly on the mouth. He felt her move closer to him. Her arm around his neck

"I've been wanting to do that all day." She whispered.

Mouth on hers he found himself up against the wall. She kicked off her shoes, got on her tip toes, and put her arms around him. He took his coat off and tossed it on the floor. She started untucking his shirt.

He began to unbutton her blouse while she took off his tie. He got half way down on the buttons when she broke off the kiss. "Wait." She said out of breath. "Wait." She took his hands in hers. "There is something you should know." She said.

"What?" He asked.

She closed her eyes. "I was shot." She said knowing that he probably already knew but she found easier letting someone know before they saw her scar on her right shoulder.

He looked at her. "I know. I read your file."

"Yes but it was because-"

"It's okay." He assured her. He pulled the fabric away from her right shoulder and saw the scar. "Did they get the bastard?" He asked.

"Yeah. I did." She said letting him go and walking over to the couch in the living room.

"Good." He wanted to ask what happened but knew that she was not allowed or wanted to talk about it. He walked over to her. "After Gibbs left the last time he was here I was shot."

She sat down. "What?"

"Five times." Callen sat down next to her.

"You nearly died twice."

"How did you know that?" He asked.

She sighed. "I saw Hetty that night. She called me to let me know that she might not be able to be at a show that was coming up. She was upset and she told me that one of her agents was shot. I met her at the women's center of the hospital early the next morning told her to make an excuse. I never saw her like that before. Even when my parents died she was so pulled together but that night she just lost it." Sarah saw his reaction and knew that his bond with Hetty was stronger than she thought. "I'm sorry I ruined the evening." She said.

He took her hand. "You didn't."

"We should get some sleep. There are three rooms upstairs that you're welcome to. There's also the couch but I'm going to warn you it's even more uncomfortable than the couch in the boat house."
"Don't tell Sam that he likes that couch."
She kissed his cheek. "I'll be in the bedroom down the hall. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight."

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