How They Met (AKA: The Halloween They Will Never Forget….)

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I'm the type of person who will take inspiration wherever I can get it. A couple of days before Halloween 2011 I was thinking of how they would meet. A song from "Gnomeo and Juliet" came on my Ipod and it struck.

Chapter 8 is coming along and should be out soon.

Thanks for reading. I have opened up the reviews to anonymous reviews.

Again I don't own any of the characters of NCIS:LA. Sarah is mine. Don't sue.
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Just when you think
You're a chain with just one link
Something comes to tip you off your stool
Hello, Hello
My, my, my, what have we here?
What a surprise what a surprise

"Hello, Hello" by Elton John

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October 29, 2011

The op ended hours ago but G Callen didn't want to go home. There was something about the op that made him just want to drive. Sam asked him if he wanted to come over to the house to watch the game but he turned him down. He was thankful that Sam didn't bug him about what was going on. He just wanted to be alone.

He found himself at the door of Lonigan's bar, where they had team building night nearly two and a half years ago. It was also the night that Dom had been taken, and the guilt hit him again. As he walked into the bar area he saw a woman on the makeshift stage. She was dressed as some type of princess and trying to sing 'I will survive' while very drunk and completely tone deaf. He sat down at the bar and ordered a beer.

The bartender looked at him. "What are you dressed up as?" he asked.

"What?"

The bartender pointed at the sign against the wall that said 'Halloween Karaoke Night'

"Oh. I haven't decided yet." He said.

When the woman was finally done with her song, she got off the stage, surprisingly without breaking her neck, and passed the next person to go up.

"Okay, next we have Sarah." The DJ said and got the music ready for her.

She walked up the stairs and smiled. She was dressed up as a belly dancer, but the outfit was not the traditional type. She wore a black choli top with dark purple and green skirts. Her red hair was up and she had hair sticks holding the mass of curls in. She wore dark makeup that showed off her green eyes. What made Callen notice her, was not her red hair that made him think of Gibbs, or her green eyes that G seemed to be a sucker for. It was the song that she sang that got his attention. A song that triggered a memory of his past "Love, love will keep us together. Think of me babe whenever. Some sweet talking girl comes along…."

He was sitting in the back of a dark green VW wagon. His mother was driving and his sister Amy was sitting next to him singing along to the song.

"Mom! Sister is doing it again!" He complained.

"It's okay G." His mother said looking at them in the rear view mirror. She had seemed very calm that morning.

"But they just played this song."

"That was on the other station baby brother," Amy smiled at him between lyrics, and kept on singing, "just stop cause I really love you, stop I've been thinking of you of you."

Callen rolled his eyes and made a face at his sister which made her laugh.

"We'll be at the beach in about five minutes, G." His Mother said, changing the channel again on the radio.

"Good!" He mumbled.

The applause brought him back to where he was. The woman smiled and walked off the stage.

He watched her sit down next to a couple, dressed up as a Doctor and Cleopatra, as a group of women dressed up as superheroes got on stage and began singing 'When I grow up' by the Pussycat Dolls.

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Sarah Burgess watched the room as the night went on. It became a habit for her to be aware of her surroundings, even after she wasn't an agent anymore. She knew where all the exits were, how to get out, who would be harmless and who would give her trouble. With her dressed as a belly dancer she needed to know that one. The cowboy over in the far corner looked like he would be a problem.

But there was a man there that also made her wonder. He sat there drinking his beer not talking to anyone. She noticed him when he walked in. He looked uneasy, like he would rather be anywhere but there, but forced himself to be there.

"Earth to Sarah!" Jenn said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"What?"
"You went into that zone again." Jenn said teasing her.
"I didn't go into a zone." She denied.
"Yes you did." Steven said. "You were scanning the room, and making sure you could get out if you needed to." Which he wondered why, since she had been going there for years. "Who is the one that is on your radar?" He asked.
"There are two." She whispered. "Cowboy over there has been giving me a look since we walked in. Been hitting on some of the women and getting pretty rejected."

Steven had noticed him when they sat down. "He's been drinking a lot too. Who else?"

She sighed. "Man wearing a white shirt, jeans and black coat at the end of the bar."

Steven looked over at the man "Looks harmless."
"He does. But I think I met him before."
"Where would you have met him?" He asked.
"I don't know. But I know I have seen him before." It was going to drive her nuts until she knew who he was. "I'll be back in a minute." She told him getting up and seeing if she could get a closer look.

As Sarah walked over by the bar she noticed him glance up at her then back to the singer on stage. She kept on walking and saw the cowboy walking over blocking the entrance down the hall.

"Hey little lady." He said reeking of beer and cigarettes.

She tried to move around him. "Excuse me."

He shifted over and blocked her way. "I said Hey little lady."

"Fine" she mumbled. "Hey. Now excuse me."

He blocked her way again. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"A belly dancer" she said. 'Here it comes the smart ass remark about being a stripper' she thought.

"So you're a stripper? Cool! Dance for me."

Callen looked over to see her trying to leave the room and the knuckle driver blocking her way.

"Belly dancers are not strippers." She tried to be calm.

"Sure they are. Why don't you dance for me." He got closer to her "Or are you too shy?"

She looked over at the table she was at and gave Steven a signal that the goon didn't notice. "I'm not shy. I want to use the ladies room." She said.

"Oh, well you can go to the ladies room right after you give me a private dance."

Callen saw out of the corner of his eye a signal that he thought they used in NCIS. He looked over to see what was going on. Seemed the drunken cowboy was not taking 'no' for an answer from her. He was going to wait and see until he saw the knuckle driver put his hand on her waist.

"Enough." He mumbled and walked over there.

"Look buddy, I'm being nice." which was the truth, because what she really wanted to do was punch him in the face but she decided that she didn't need the aggravation and Steven didn't need the paperwork and explaining to the Chief of Police why his friend who looked like she wouldn't hurt a fly would beat the crap out of the man.

"No you're not. Come on dance for me"

She batted his hand away from her and backed away from him.

"Are you okay Sweetie?" A voice said behind her.

She looked up to see the man who had been at the bar behind her glaring at the goon. "Yes Dear. I'm fine. I'm just...trying to go to the ladies room." She didn't flinch when his warm hand touched her arm.

"Go ahead." The man said looking defeated.

She looked at the man behind her "Thanks." and went down the hall to the Ladies room.

Callen stared at him until the door closed. "Leave her alone." He said quietly and turned to walk back to his seat.

"Or what?" The knuckle driver asked. Callen stopped in his tracks about to turn around but saw the man from her table was up and walking towards them. He reached into the Doctor's coat and showed his badge. Callen nodded and went back to his seat. "Hey buddy. Let's go out and have a chat." The Doctor said taking him by the arm and walking him outside.

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Minutes later Sarah walked out of the bathroom and saw the man who was behind her back sitting at the bar. She looked out the window and saw Steven talking to the drunk cowboy with a squad car there.

"What the hell happened Sarah?" Jenn asked as she sat down.

"Someone thought that belly dancers were strippers."

"I knew I should have gone with you." Jenn said getting into Mom mode.

"I'm okay." She assured Jenn and looked over at the man at the bar.

Jenn looked at Sarah. "Seriously what did that guy say?"

She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. "He just asked me if I was okay."

"Your signal and him helping out got Steven's attention."

"Well it's a good thing I know someone on the LAPD." The waitress came and picked up the bottle of beer in front of her. "Sue, I'll have one more and could you give the guy over at the end of the bar another round of whatever he is drinking."

"He just paid his tab."

"Then put it on mine and give him back his money."

"Sure." She smiled and walked away.

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Callen went to leave and saw the waitress put his money back on the bar. "Already been paid for." she said smiling.

"Who paid for it?" He asked.

"She did." She pointed over to a table.

He looked to see that it was from the belly dancer. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Her name is Sarah. She's usually here on Monday's and Thursday's" The waitress said seeing them interact.

"You know her?"

"She's a Music teacher at the college. Her friends husband is a cop. She's single. She won't be here on Monday but will be here on Thursday."

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked.

"Because you are the only guy she has bought a drink for in all the years she has been coming here."

He handed her the money back "Thank you for that information. Please thank her for the drink and I guess I'll see you on Thursday." He said getting up and walking out of the bar.

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