For some reason this chapter has been okay until it was time to go out. I had two versions for the ending and I basically got to the point where I asked the classic "Pick a number between 1 and 10" to my friend/editor/cheerleader Anthrdumblond. Thanks for not picking 5 because I really don't know what I would do! ;b

As always I do not own any of the characters from NCIS:LA. I do own Sarah.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Chapter 11

"You can't hide forever Sarah."

"No," Sarah's eyes flew open. "No." She got up slowly as it took a couple of minutes to figure out where she was and how she got there. She started to remember; after she talked to Gibbs she went into hiding from everyone. Sam found her in the Armory shooting the hell out of paper targets.

He told her that she needed to go, that she wasn't going to be any good to anyone including herself if she didn't get some sleep. When she refused he told her that he was going to put her over his shoulder and drag her out if she didn't leave now. She finally gave in and left with Callen.

On the way back to the safe house the radio played softly and she felt her eyelids get heavy. She woke up briefly as Callen carried her into the house and into bed. She surprised him when she took his hand and asked him to stay. With his arms wrapped around her she finally fell into a deep sleep.

Now, after dreams that she thought were gone, she was up again with her pulse racing and her heart pounding hard it hurt her chest. "Just a dream," She told herself getting out of bed, going to the bathroom to splash some water on her face, and went to the kitchen.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

When she opened the door to the kitchen she found Callen sitting at the table with the toaster taken apart. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet when she saw the bottle of whiskey on the table, then went to the freezer for some ice.

"You alright?" He asked the look of concern on his face.

"I'm fine," she sat down, took the bottle and poured. "Dreams of the past," She told him before he could ask.

"You want to talk about it?"

She looked at the glass, "Not now. Still too fresh,"

"I understand," He told her.

"Something wrong with the toaster?" She asked.

"No," He said trying to put the spring back in. It slipped through his fingers flying across the room. He cursed softly.

She laughed.

He looked up and was glad he was seeing a smile on her face finally. He smiled back.

"You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine." She said.

He took a sip from his glass, "Romania."

"Hetty?"

He shook his head no, "My Mother."

"Your Mother was in Romania?"

He told her about his grandfather George Callen, about the family feud with the Comescu's, how when his grandfather was killed his Grandmother took his mother who was an infant and escaped to America. Then many years later, his Mother, joined the CIA where she met Hetty who was her handler. She was sent to Romania posing as a student for a mission. The first year went find and then suddenly disappeared only turning up five years later desperate to get out with her two children and they agreed to meet on the beach. He sat there for a long time in silence.

"What happened to your Mother Callen?"

"We were on the beach, she was reading a book and I was building a sandcastle when two men walked up to her. One man distracted me by giving me a tin soldier; the other man shot her in the chest."

"How old were you?"

"Three."

"You said that she had two children."

"I had a sister, her name was Amy. We somehow got separated. I only found out a year ago that she died when she was twelve," He told another sip from his glass, "Which reminds me I need to thank you."

"For what?"

"The song that you sang the night we met triggered a memory. It was my sister's favorite song."

"Thank Jenn and Steven it was their wedding song and they were crazy enough to get married on Halloween."

"How did they have that be their song?"

"Jenn got drunk after a party. It was on the radio and she started singing it over and over again. Then she told Steven that they should get married at the place where the party was."

"How long were they dating?"

"Two months." She sighed and drank the last of the whisky in her glass knowing that it was her turn, "It was the night where everything went to hell. I'm in the middle of the road and the Doctor who found me is trying to talk me into going with him. He assured me that he would protect me. He begs me to just take his hand. When I do he pulls me to him and I start to struggle. The more I struggle the more it feels like clamps are trying to hold me still. I try to scream and he covers my mouth. When I look up the Doctor's face changes to Dan's and he tells me that I can't hide forever." She got up and got a bottle water out of the fridge. "That's just one of the standard dreams I have about that night."

"What are the others?"

"The Doctor is part of it and I am shot, I'm shot instead of Dan and I tell him to go, Dan is so brainwashed he part of it. Then there is my favorite where Dan and I are able to get out together. We're free. We make it to the road and…" She couldn't finish.

"We always try to save the ones we love, even in our dreams."

"I was hoping this dream would be over,"

"It will be over, I promise."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

The next day Sarah was standing in the bathroom looking in the mirror, "Up or down?" She asked him as she twisted her hair, put it up and looked in the drawer for a clip.

Callen looked up from his book and knew that she was already planning for the Op that was more than twenty-four hours away. "Up," He said putting the book down and got out of the chair.

She let her hair down looking frustrated, "I was thinking down," she brushed her hair again.

He walked over to the bathroom and stood in the doorway, "I like it up," he looked at her in the mirror.

"You want to see my neck," she said.

Callen walked behind her, wrapped his arm around her and moved her hair to the side, his mouth close to her neck, "No, but I'll nibble on your neck," As he did she laughed.

"Callen, I need to figure this out," She said trying to move away.

"You have time," He said.

"I know, but little things I get done the better I will feel when Sam comes over tomorrow," she looked at his reflection in the mirror.

"You have time," He whispered.

"But I-"

He turned her around so she was looking into his eyes. "We have time," He assured her.

She smiled, "We have time," She said and closed the door.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

She felt his hand slowly went up her calf, over her knee and down her thigh. Crossing over her stomach his fingers traced the pattern by her right hip. He looked up at her being deliriously happy. Her arms bent with her hands under her head. "When did you get this tattoo?" he asked looking at the purple rose tattoo by her right hip.

"2010, after I got back from Ireland. I stayed there for about three months. Hetty and I have a contact there. Both Hetty and Gibbs told me to go away for a while that summer."

He thought about what happened that summer, "Good idea," he said. "And this one?" He asked kissing the Celtic heart knot tattoo on her left hip.

She tried to think, "D.C. Six months ago. Abby and I went out to dinner the night I was supposed to leave."

"Thank you Abby Shiuto," He kissed it again and smiled.

She reached down, cupped his chin, pulled him to her and kissed him. She looked into his eyes. Her hands traced all over his face. Her fingers then went to his chin and then over a small scar. "How did you get this scar?"

He had to think about that one because it wasn't one of the many scars he got when he grew up. "Bar fight,"

She laughed. "Really?"

"One of the first missions I had with Gibbs. We were in a bar waiting for a contact in Moscow. One thing leads to another and before we knew it a fight broke out and the man who started the fight was in front of me. The Bartender who I later found out was our contact, went to punch him and he ducked hitting me in the chin with her green jade flower ring."

"Her?"

"Natasha Petrov she was a freelance agent. Great agent except for the fact that her ass always needed saving."

"And you two didn't mind saving it because it was a cute ass," she said jokingly but her could tell by the tone of her voice that there was a little jealousy there also.

He thought about it. "Yeah, but not as cute as yours," He kissed her.

"Yeah right," She said, now sounding annoyed and tried to get up. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. "I'm not joking," wrapping his arm around her waist so she couldn't leave. He looked into her eyes and she believed him. "Besides you don't need to have that cute ass to get saved you proved that to Sam and I the other night."

"But what if it does need saving someday? Will you be there?"

"I will."

"Good," She kissed him, got up, and picked up his shirt off the chair.

"Where are you going?"

"I want to look at some music and go over the plans for tomorrow."

He sat up, "We're going of the plans with Sam tomorrow afternoon, you have time."

"I know but I need to figure out what to sing, it will only take a minute. I was also thinking that maybe we should go to the office to go over the plans. I would like to talk to Hetty tomorrow about the case."

He sat up, "About what?" He asked. She wouldn't look at him as she buttoned the shirt up. "Sarah, about what?"

She closed her eyes, "To take you off the case."

"Why?"

"I need to protect you," She said quietly.

"I can protect myself,"

"From him." She stressed.

"I have been against worst,"

She got up, "I know. It's just…I can't-"

He grabbed her arm, "Can't what Sarah?"

She pulled her arm away from him, "I'm not let that bastard hurt another person that I love!" She said and walked out of the bedroom. He sat there wondering how long it would take her to realize what she just said.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"Stubborn jackass!" She mumbled as she walked outside. "Doesn't he realize I'm just protecting him?" She started to pace. "Idiot doesn't even realize that I love the…" She stopped "oh crap," she put her hand over her eyes when realized what she said to him. Now she was wondering if he would be there when she got back in. There was a connection between them. He was the first person she had cared about in a very long time.

The door opened, "Aren't you cold?" He asked her walking outside.

"Freezing," She said.

He put her robe over her shoulders and kissed her cheek, "A couple of years before I started working for Hetty I was asked to be a handler for an agent. There was a mission that they were perfect for. After looking into it I advised my superiors that they should not be alone on that mission. I was told I was overreacting from everyone including the agent and I was told to let them go. She didn't come back."

She looked down at her feet, "I'm sorry,"

"I'm not Sullivan."

She turned to him, "I'm not her. Reardon killed April because she knew me Callen. He has seen you there. There is a pretty good chance he knows you and Sam were there the other night. If he sees you tomorrow night I-I just…"

He took her hand, "I understand why you do not want me there with what Reardon did. I'm not happy about you not wanting me there but I do understand. I would be asking the same thing of you if I was in the same situation."

"Nothing will happen. I pr-"

"Don't. Just don't."

"She did,"

He nodded. "I'll be in ops and when everything is over we'll meet at the boathouse okay?"

"Okay,"

"I'll go email Hetty and tell that I want to meet with her while you and Sam work on the plan."

"Okay. I'll be there in a minute."

"I love you too," he whispered in her ear and went back into the house.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~