AN: Welcome back! I apologize for the delay as I ended up waiting longer until I had received enough characters to get the story started. Thank you to everyone who submitted! Here is the team roster:

Operatives:

1. Henry Darth

2. Larissa Deeks

3. Makala Reynolds

4. Cassandra Callen

5. Vince Passaro

Psychologist:

1. Rosemarie Blackthorne

Analysts:

1. Jackson Deeks

2. Nicholas Beale

Leader of OSP Team:

1. Aiden Hanna

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS LA and all characters belong to their creators. Any and all mistakes are mine!

Rating: T for some strong language

Chapter 2: Wake Up Calls

24 hours ago...

Monday mornings really were the worst. Convincing yourself to get out of bed and get on with your day was typically a tough task. Henry Darth never had that issue. Then again, he wasn't like most people, being a soldier through and through. He had a routine that he regularly stuck to: up at 0500 for a run, back home by 0545 for a shower, breakfast at 0615, and off to pick his partner up for work by 0650 since she hated driving in LA traffic. Maybe it would seem a bit strict and too controlled to most, but it worked. Never had he been late to work, until today, and that wasn't even his fault. His partner, Larissa Deeks, had never been a morning person. There were times that he had thrown cold water over the small brunette in order to get her out of bed just so that they would be on time. Let's just say those days she was in quite a foul mood with him as she was known to hold a grudge. He could roll with the punches, so it never was a big deal.

Henry knocked on the door to Larissa's apartment at exactly 0650 as per usual. He shifted his weight from foot to foot impatiently as he waited for her to come to the door. No response. Typical. Rolling his ice blue eyes, he reached into the pocket of his dark wash jeans, removing his keyring. Flipping through the many different keys, he finally found the one he was looking for and unlocked the door. He was quiet as he shut it behind him, once again redoing the deadbolt out of habit. One could never be too cautious in their line of work. God only knew how many people had them on their hit list. The only sound throughout the cozy 2 bedroom apartment was soft murmurs from the TV in the living room. Some sort of gameshow was on, but he knew from experience that infomercials or some sort of documentary had been playing hours earlier as his fellow agent had tried to lull herself to sleep on the couch. She was a horrible insomniac. He himself didn't always sleep the best, kept awake by reoccurring nightmares from the past. There were nights that he found himself sitting beside Larissa as they found comfort in each other's presence, having been partners for 3 years. Turning off the TV and refolding the blanket she had tossed haphazardly on the floor, he headed down the hall to her bedroom.

"Sleeping Beauty, get your ass out of bed right now! Wake up and smell the roses." He leaned against the wall, a frown forming on his face upon not getting the usual response of something being thrown at the inside of the closed door or some sort of mumbled 'go away'. "Rissa?" He knocked before slowly opening her bedroom door. His boots squeaked on the hardwood flooring as he entered. The room would have been pitch-black if not for the small bedside lamp that was casting a glow over everything as her blackout curtains were firmly pulled shut. The queen sized bed was empty; the navy blue floral patterned comforter pulled up and neatly tucked in. The chair at the wooden desk in the corner was pulled out with a navy sweatshirt tossed over the back as she had probably been typing up some case reports she had procrastinated. His eyes turned to her dresser, finding her car keys actually missing. Where the hell was she? Hitting speed dial one, it went directly to her voicemail. Not like her at all. He considered calling her brother, Jackson, but knew he wouldn't know anything. As much as Jax loved his twin sister, he tried to stay out of her business, so he called the next best person.

"Doctor Blackthorne." Rosemarie's voice was calm and cool as it normally was when she picked up her phone. He could hear noises in the background, most likely her wife Amita helping to get the three kids ready for school. Henry really didn't know how the two of them did it, raising Rose's 9 year old twin sisters, Pandora and Anastasia, as well as their newest addition to the family, 6 year old Harley, with such busy schedules. It was admirable to say the least.

"Hey Rose, sorry to bother you, but have you heard from Larissa? I just got to her place a few minutes ago and she isn't here." Henry sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his brown hair. There was a bit of shuffling on the other end before he received a response.

"I haven't spoken to her yet today. I'm sure she's fine, Darth. Don't stress out. She can take care of herself. "Even though the team's psychologist obviously couldn't see him, he nodded. She was right as usual. Her next words all but made him smack himself in the head. "Did you try the cemetery?" November 26th. How had he possibly forgotten?

"I'm heading over there now. Thank you, Rose. See you at work." With that he hung up and headed back outside to his White Dodge Ram truck. Larissa never did make things simple.

It wasn't the offending bright sunshine or the cool breeze that awoke Larissa Deeks, but a foot nudging her side. Her sleepy ocean blue eyes shot open as she jumped to her feet, assuming a defensive position, ready to strike at the person whom had touched her. Recognition flooded over her before she could actually lash out.

"Henry. What the hell did I tell you about sneaking up on me?" She narrowed her eyes at him as she brushed grass and dirt off of her worn jeans and maroon short sleeved blouse. He reached out and plucked a leaf from her long wavy hair before she could swat his hand away. He took off his brown leather jacket and settled it around her shoulders. She gratefully slipped it on, not having even realized that she had been shivering from the cold.

"Don't you think falling asleep in a cemetery is a bit morbid?" He inquired, passing right over her question. She rolled her eyes, taking a step back to stand beside him.

"I didn't fall asleep on purpose."

Both sets of eyes were focused down on the tombstone she had been previously lying next to: Henrietta Lange February 29, 1948- November 26, 2031. Henry had never gotten to meet Hetty, having joined NCIS after her passing, but he had heard story after story of her legacy. It was beyond impressive and some of it hard to even believe, but Rissa swore it was all true. Hetty was a role model to her, someone she strived to live up to as she had grown up knowing her. He felt her hand slip into his and he gave it a gentle squeeze in comfort. Larissa wasn't sure how long they were standing there in silence before she heard her partner curse under his breath. It took her just seconds to realize why. They were going to be late. She had messed up his perfectly timed schedule.

"Loosen up, Darth Vader. Learn to walk on the wild side a bit." With one final glance at the grave, she dragged him towards his truck, which to any bystander had to look fairly amusing as he was 6"2 with a muscular build, and she was petite at 5"4.

"When Aiden asks why we're late, I'm telling him it's entirely your fault." He quipped back, earning him a dimpled grin.

"I didn't expect any different."

The Office of Special Projects was bustling with activity as it usually was by 0730. People were milling around, grabbing coffee and talking about how their weekends went as they caught up with coworkers. Vince Passaro, whom had been at work for nearly 40 minutes already, was the exception, being uncharacteristically quiet. He was casually leaning back in his chair at his desk in the bullpen to the point of nearly tipping it as his mocha brown eyes studied the younger agent sitting across from him at his own desk. Makala Reynolds, his trainee, had only been with the team for 3 weeks now, so he was still trying to get a read on him. The kid, as Vince referred to him, seemed to be a good agent in the making. He had natural skills and had a vast knowledge, but the fact that he didn't speak up much irked him as it made it much harder to get to know him. If the messy haired younger mancaught the 29 year old Latino agent watching him, he made no comment on it, as he continued to sort through paperwork on his desk, placing it into the correct bins.

"Stalker much?" Cassandra Callen's sweet sing-song voice right by his ear startled him, causing him to scramble to catch his balance before he would topple over, chair included. Cassy laughed as she set her black messenger bag down at her own desk beside Maka, catching just a quick glimpse of a smirk on his face before it was gone just as fast. Vince playfully shook his head at the blonde woman.

"You're really lucky I tolerate you." He righted himself, grabbing his mug of coffee and taking a long drink. A grimace crossed his face upon realizing it was now cold. Time for a refill. Actually paying attention this time, he could sense Cassy following him to get fresh coffee herself. She was so quiet when she walked that even with slight heels on her boots you couldn't hear her footsteps on the linoleum flooring. Perks of having one of the best undercover operatives as a father. He grabbed an extra mug, pouring freshly brewed coffee into it, curtesy of either Aiden or Nick. He added a splash of creamer and one packet of sugar before passing it to Cassy and refilling his own mug. She quietly thanked him, picking it up and holding it in front of her gray tee-shirt clad chest.

"How long has he been here?" She leaned against the counter top beside him, watching the newest team member out of the corner of her soft blue eyes.

"He got here before I did." She let out a low whistle, impressed. That was dedication: Or maybe just workaholic tendencies. She smiled in greeting as she spotted Rose walking over to join them. The slender red-head looked well-rested and very put together in her black dress pants and blue button down blouse. Vince, continuing on his nice streak, poured her a cup of coffee as well, though did not add anything to it as he hadn't known her as long as Cassy to know what she liked in it.

"It isn't polite to talk about people behind their back or stare at them for that matter. " Rose pointed out, being blunt at always. Her gray eyes looked between the two agents whom were standing beside her, eyebrow raisedas if chastising them like she would her sisters and adopted daughter. The mother within her just couldn't be turned off. Clearly it worked as Cassy quietly mumbled an apology and Vince looked as if he were a dog who just got caught chewing on the couch. From analyzing the situation, she could tell that they weren't actually trying to be rude and were in fact just studying their newest team member. There were better ways to do that than to stare at someone. "Maka is rather reserved, an introvert even, but I can assure you he would much prefer you ask him about himself instead of surveying him like one of your marks." Vince rubbed the back of his neck, humming in agreement. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as a thank you before heading back towards his desk. Cassy remained a bit longer, averting her attention completely to the other woman instead of watching Makala discretely.

"Do you think he's going to be a good fit for the team?" The blonde tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her other hand still loosely holding her coffee.

"What do your instincts tell you? You don't need me to answer that for you. I have to get back to work." The psychologist headed back to her office, feeling the agent's eyes still following her as she went.

A shrill high-pitched whistle cut through the air, causing Vince, Makala, Rose, and Cassy to all look up towards the balcony where Nicholas Beale stood with his fellow analyst, Jackson Deeks beside him. Out of everything Eric could have passed down to his son, he just had to teach him to follow in his footsteps in the way of getting the team's attention, much to the annoyance of everyone.

"That was right in my ear, man." Jax punched his ginger haired friend in the arm before looking down at the agents and psychologist who were now all impatiently waiting to hear what they wanted. "We've got a case. Briefing starts in 5 minutes." With that, the others moved into action, making their way up the stairs and into the OPS room where Aiden Hanna, their own "Hetty", was waiting. He stood in front of the oversized touch screen monitor, greeting everyone as they entered. He placed his hands on the table in front of him, ready to start the briefing until he realized that not everyone was there.

"Where are Larissa and Henry?" Rose was just about ready to answer him when the two jogged into the room. Henry looked apologetic, whereas Larissa had her usual easy going smile on her face.

"So whose ass do we get to kick today?"