Cabo San Lucas

Arriving back home in Los Angeles felt good to Sam and Callen, they were home, but to Jane it was incredibly awkward. There were too many people who knew her as Joelle or Beth Taylor and her fears of running into one of them kept her house bound. She railed at being in a city that held so much appeal and yet so much danger for her.

Callen wanted nothing more than to make his home her home. He wanted to spend time with his daughter and the woman he'd come to love.

All of this took a toll on their relationship. Arguments flared from nothing more than minor irritation and nights were spent with Jane in his bed and Callen on the floor, back in his sleeping bag again.

After three months Callen came home to find Jane and Gina and much of their belongings gone. His world imploded.

Sam worried about the loss of Joelle and Gina and the affect it had on Callen.

The team and Hetty felt his pain. His work suffered for it. His life went back to when he first came to work at NCIS: distrusting everyone and always alone.

Hetty had known in her heart that Jane would hurt him again but this time it was ten times worse than anything she'd imagined. She'd taken his family from him and to Hetty that was a sin that would never be forgiven.

Around the time of Peter's birthday a letter came to the office for Callen. It held a picture of Gina on her first birthday. Callen dropped the picture on his desk and the envelope in the waste basket. He left the room choked up before anyone could see him, however, Sam caught the tail end of the episode. He'd never seen his partner so distraught.

When Callen left the room he went to the desk and found the picture of Gina and took the envelope from the trash. The envelope carried a postmark from Mexico. Sam took the envelope and put it in his desk. Later he'd give it to Eric and have him find the address. When he had that information he'd go hunting for Joelle and bring her back even if it meant in handcuffs.

Two months later

Eric had finally found the address where Joelle, or Beth or Jane now resided or at least she had lived there. It was a hacienda just outside of Cabo San Lucas. It seems she took the cash from the sale of the Chilean villa and bought the new place. G would be glad to have this information or would he? Sam knew he had to approach this cautiously. It could blow up in his face and be left with a very angry partner.

Sam, first, went to Hetty with the news. Her reaction was classic Hetty. You could see the dislike and the distrust in her face then she went all ninja. "Why look for her Mr. Hanna? She's hurt Mr. Callen again and this time it is unforgivable. She took his child and disappeared and took the coward's way out. Leave her be."

Sam nodded as he understood her wants but Callen's feelings were more important to him. He proceeded carefully with his boss. "If it were only Joelle I'd say screw it, but his daughter is with her and the Comescu are looking for them. I want them both safe and him happy. It will never be that way unless we find her."

Hetty gave a nod. "What do you propose to do Mr. Hanna? Will you bring her back forcibly or just talk with her? I don't think either of those things will help your partner. She has to come to him on her own and you know that. If he meant anything to her she'd have done that by now."

"Hetty, it's not that cut and dry. If it were only her she'd know how to handle it but she has a young life with her. She can't abandon this one. Gina is too small to leave and leaving her with Callen is definitely not a good idea with the Comescu knowing his every move." He paused. "She did what she had to do." He stopped and thought a moment. He never thought he'd be defending Joelle. "Now I'm watching my best friend and partner go through hell and I can't sit by and watch it anymore. He's going to get himself killed and possibly some of us as well. I can't let that happen. I'm going after Joelle and I leave tomorrow." He rose to leave Hetty's office.

Hetty slowly opened her computer. "Mr. Hanna, be very careful. Remember who and what she is, a dangerous CIA assassin."

Sam nodded and turned and walked away. He'd just sat at his desk when Callen came in.

G sat at his desk opening his coffee and the breakfast box that Sam knew was full of artery blocking bacon and cheesy scrambled eggs. He looked across the bullpen at Sam, took a sip of coffee and grinned. "How about you and I going to a Clipper game tomorrow night? I got free tickets and they're good ones, right on the center line.

Sam shook his head no. "No, Aiden and I are hanging out on the boat tomorrow doing some work on her. Want to join us?" Sam knew he'd say no because since Joelle left he hadn't been to the Michelle to help him. Deeks had come instead.

Callen shook his head no and plowed into his breakfast.

Sam sat back in his chair watching his partner. Something was off and he couldn't put his finger on what it was. In due time Callen would let whatever bothered him fade into the background or he'd tell Sam. Sam couldn't count on that.

The Next Day

The day broke with a few straggler clouds coming in off the ocean. Sam glugged down one of his power shakes and a hearty breakfast of yogurt, raspberries and wheat germ before packing his backpack with whatever clothing he might need and his kit. He'd packed the car with whatever else he thought he'd need last night.

He moved to open the hatch to the upper deck. He expected to find a glorious day and instead he found his partner reaching for the knob.

Callen stepped back with a semblance of curiosity unanswered showing on his face. He looked down at Sam's hand that carried his backpack and smiled. "Going somewhere, Partner?"

Involvement of Callen in this venture was something that Sam had wanted to avoid but yet here he stood. "Yeah, I'm going to San Diego to see Aiden."

Callen turned to look out over the marina. Irritation came through in his voice. "Yeah about that…I don't believe you."

Sam took the time to size up his partner, something didn't measure up and it disturbed him. Callen seemed off to him. "Really? I'm leaving now to drive down." He moved towards the gangway. "I'm already late if you don't mind."

Callen smirked and chuckled and didn't move from the walkway. "Then why did Aiden come to my house last night worried about you? He's there now. Shall I call him? Oh, by the way, you made a critical error."

Sam gave a small laugh and then turned to his partner. "Oh really…and what might that be?"

Callen gazed at his partner dumbfounded and then began laughing as if he didn't believe Sam. "You passed up Clipper tickets. On top of that you gave your son some cock and bull story about working. Did you really think he wouldn't check with me?" Callen checked out the area around the boat again. He waited a moment to see if Sam would talk. "So… where are you going?"

Sam knew he wouldn't win this one so he didn't even try. "I'm going to Cabo to find Joelle and Gina." Sam saw the hurt in Callen's eyes.

Callen swallowed once, choking back his tears and his anger.

Sam knew he'd crossed the line by not telling G.

The hurt Callen felt turned to icy rage. "You were going to Mexico to bring Joelle and my daughter home and you didn't think to ask me to go or even tell me? Why is that? Don't you think I'd want to bring them home?"

Sam felt ashamed but just a little. He knew how Callen reacted to people butting into his private life. It didn't matter sometimes if he held you as close as a brother, his privacy was just that, his. Sam knew he'd not asked because he wanted Callen to stay safe and not go off half-cocked and do something crazy and get someone killed. "I thought about it. I also thought about how having the Comescu involved makes you a loose cannon. I couldn't afford that on this trip. I'd hoped to convince her politely to come home and if that didn't work…."

Callen's anger hadn't receded. His eyes flashed with it. "And then what? Bring her home tied up in the trunk?"

Sam gave a snort of laughter and looked out over the water. "I thought about that."

Callen gave a weak smile and then chuckled at the idea of Jane in the trunk. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

This is just what Sam didn't want to happen. "Listen G, I'm all packed and ready to go. We'll have to stop and get your gear and explain to Aiden what we're doing. I don't have time for that so just let me go and bring them home." Sam moved past Callen and down the gangway.

Callen's face lit up because he had Sam. "No problem. I'll walk you to your car and we can go. My gear is already in the backseat of the Challenger and Aiden left for San Diego an hour ago." He gave Sam a smug little smile.

Sam stopped in mid-stride and turned to face his partner. A broad grin broke out on his face. "Then we're on our way to Cabo San Lucas. Let's go Partner."

Two Days Later

Sam and Callen drove down the Baja peninsula through the desert to Cabo San Lucas. It had been a real dry winter so there were no flowers in bloom. Arriving they found a small hotel to put up in overnight. Tomorrow they'd go to the hacienda and speak with Joelle and try to get her to see the reasons for her to return to Los Angeles.

After a nights rest and a five mile run both men took showers and dressed. Both men had removed their weapons from the trunk of the car. Neither man had plans to use them but they are federal agents and needed to be prepared.

The drive to the house would take about twenty minutes according to the man at the front desk.

Sam began seeing creases around his partner's eyes and the pursing of the lips that showed Callen's concerns about a situation. "What's up G?"

Callen's gaze never left the desert.

Sam heard a sigh from him.

G swiveled in his seat to face Sam. "What if she doesn't want to come home with me? What if we're too late and she's already gone?"

Sam knew how his partner felt. He'd been there many times worrying about Michelle and later their children. "G, let's make sure she's there and then talk to her. Maybe she's had the time to think it over and will want to come home." Sam gave his partner another questioning look. "You still want her to come home don't you?"

Callen began watching the traffic of which there was little. "It's not that Sam. After all that she did to me in the past, I thought that we had something and could talk to each other."

Sam heard the hesitation in G's voice.

Callen continued. "I fell in love with her. I waited patiently for the letter, call or email to come so that we could be together. I didn't want anyone else. When I found out about Gina I was ecstatic. Finally a life that I'd always wanted and when we brought both of them home it was like I'd been waiting for that all of my life. I had the happiness that had called to me." He let out a sigh and his voice filled with emotion. "Then she left with Gina. She left me with nothing to hang onto. Now I'm walking back into it again and I wonder what there will be in it for me. Will she come home? Will she want her life apart and just the yearly visit? I'm not sure I can do that with my daughter."

In a way Sam knew how he felt. "G, the only way to know these things is to talk with her and that's what we'll do in a few minutes. Keep positive G. Remember we have the trunk if we need it."

Callen glanced over to his partner and realized Sam meant it…or did he? Either way it brought a smile to his face but the questions never left him. He still wasn't sure what awaited him.

Ten minutes later they pulled into the yard of the house where Jane supposedly lived. There were no movements about the house as it was just before ten. Maybe Jane needed a quiet morning.

Sam climbed out of the car with Callen a half of step behind him. Both men reached the front door and Sam knocked. Jane didn't answer.

Callen thought they might be around back so he headed that way. No one there either and no answer to his knock. He noticed there were no vehicles in the drive.

Sam came around the corner and noticed the lack of a car in the drive. "So no one home. We can go back to town or sit and wait for her. What's your choice?"

Callen didn't want to waste the time. "We stay."

Sam nodded his agreement and both men moved back to the car and climbed back in to wait.

Two hours later a Cabo San Lucas police car pulled in beside them. The officer stepped out of the cruiser like he stepped out of a book about Mexico. He stood about five foot seven and weighed in at about one hundred ninety pounds. He had the dark hair and a little mustache that gave him age for without it he would still look like a very young cop with no experience.

Sam and Callen both noticed that he took everything about them in. He walked cautiously toward their car and waved them out. Both G and Sam complied. They were not there to make diplomatic problems.

When the young cop felt they weren't a problem he let his guard down a little. "Senors, I am Sergeant Manuel Cortez of the Cabo San Lucas Police Department and you would be?"

G reached to shake the Sergeant's hand. "My name is G Callen and this is my friend Sam Hanna. We're from Los Angeles and we're here to see a friend who lives here, Jane Munroe. She's not home right now, so we're waiting for her."

Sergeant Cortez looked out on the landscape and wore a quizzical expression. "Did Miss Munroe know you were coming?"

Sam felt something off. "No...We used to work together and thought that while we were here we'd pay her a visit."

The Sergeant's face showed nothing.

Sam didn't feel any better about this and he could see that Callen began to catch the vibe as well and he needed to see what the hell went on. "Why? She always told us to stop in if we were in the neighborhood."

Sergeant Cortez nodded. "It may be a very long wait Senor Hanna. We found her car at the bottom of a cliff this morning. It had been forced off the road."

Callen's adrenalin had jumped up. "Did you find Jane and her daughter?"

Sergeant Cortez's expression went from sadness to concern. "We found no one and certainly no signs of a child."

Both Sam's and G's heart rates accelerated. "Take us to the scene please. It is personal to us both. Jane is a friend and her daughter is Callen's daughter. We'll follow you."

The officer's face gave no indication of how he felt about this. "What do you think you can do that we haven't already?"

Sam pulled out his credentials. "We are NCIS agents from Los Angeles. Maybe we can help. Please let us do this."

Callen's hopes had just been dashed in the last few minutes. There may be no way to get her home now. He walked back to the car and sat in his seat.

Sergeant Cortez nodded his understanding. He knew how he'd feel if his daughter went missing. "Si, follow me. We will see if we can find her." He strode to his car with a new sense of urgency: a child needed to be found."

Forty five minutes later they pulled in behind Sergeant Cortez's car. The sound of the roaring sea left little to the imagination. The fall from here would be final. This pulled at G and Sam knew it. "Do the job. Let's find some answers…okay?"

Callen looked out the ocean and let out a breath. "Yeah, I'm alright." He never thought he'd have to do this for his own family.

Sam gave a huff. "The hell you are... but let's do this."

Both men exited the car and walked towards Sergeant Cortez. When they reached him he pointed down to a car about forty feet below them. It had landed on a jut of land and not fallen to the ocean below.

Callen gave a sigh of relief. Maybe Jane and Gina had survived after all and they'd find her at home later.

Sam gave a little grumble and turned to his partner. "There's no way to tell from up here so let's go find out." He started down the way the Mexican police had gone.

G began to follow Sam but changed his mind. "Sam, I'm going to check on the tire tracks and then be down."

Sam nodded and moved further down the trail.

G moved to the road and crouched down. He took his phone out and took pictures of the tread marks. He hit dial for the OPS center.

Eric picked up. "Yes Callen did you find Joelle yet?"

Callen smirked. "Sort of. I'm sending pictures of two sets of tire tracks. Tell me what make and model of each."

Eric was still bewildered. "Okay…it may take a while. I'm here alone. Nell is off with Hidoko."

Callen looked about at the accident scene. The sight had been well chosen. You couldn't see anyone coming around the corner the other way. "Just let me know as soon as possible."

"What did you mean 'sort of'?" Eric always was the inquisitive one.

Callen looked towards the cliff where the car had gone. "One of the cars belonged to Joelle. She's not in it and neither is my daughter. We've been allowed to help in the investigation and that's where you come in. I'll call it in to Hetty next."

Eric choked back his emotions for the moment. Callen didn't need to hear them. "I'll get back to you as soon as I know." He hung up but whispered to himself 'find them'.

Callen having finished with the accident scene followed his partner down the trail to the car.

Sam had just finished his examination of the car and stood to the side waiting for G.

As Callen strode to meet his partner he noticed a funny look on Sam's face and it wasn't a ha ha funny look. That look never meant anything good. "What's up Sam?"

Sam returned from wherever his thought process took him. "It's not good G. Turn around and look and how the car came down. There's not a dent on the car. You can see where she brought it down that hill gently. Someone drove her off the road but she controlled the landing." He motioned to his partner. "Come this way…there's blood on the driver's door. Sorry G but I'd bet money it's Jo's and she's hurt bad. I found no other blood."

Callen peered into the car trying to find signs of his daughter. There were none. The car seat, diaper bag, blanket were all gone. If he didn't know better he'd think that no child had ever been in this car. He turned to Sam with all the fear he'd ever felt in his face. "They took Gina. Did they take Jane as well? Who are they?"

Sam had never seen his partner so scared. Unfortunately they both knew the answer to G's question. "You know who took her. Now we have to find them and get her back."

Callen took out his phone and called OPS. "Eric, what do we have on those tracks?"

Eric could hear the desperation in Callen's voice. "Still working on one but the other is a Toyota Camry."

Callen shook his head. "Yeah, we got that one. It's Jane's car. Eric, when you find the other it will probably be a rental. Check airports from here to Texas. Someone will be travelling with a toddler and heading to either Romania or Argentina. Let us know ASAP."

This information shocked Eric. "You think the Comescu did this? I need to talk to Hetty and I'll push harder for the other car."

Callen let Eric go and listened to the waves below that could have taken his family. He thanked who ever for not letting that happen. A sudden thought niggled at him. "Sergeant Cortez did you organize a search party? One person got out of the car. We need to find her."

Sergeant Cortez had watched the two men work, each one doing their own part of the investigation. He noticed that they observed the most miniscule information and made it work for them. "I have men doing that right now. They said that the blood trail petered out and whoever made it disappeared into the rocks just down the coast. They are still looking but…" He shrugged at the end.

Sam's phone rang. "Yes Eric…" Sam listened to the tech for a few minutes. His expression grew grimmer as Eric spoke. When the call ended Sam turned to his partner. "The tread marks belong to a Toyota Land Rover leased out of Cabo. The car is back at the rental agency and the two occupants boarded a plane for Thailand. They didn't have a baby with them. Sorry G."

Callen's hopes rose. "Maybe they're still here and we'll find them and go home together."

Sam looked out over the Pacific and shook his head. How he wished that for his partner but knew it wouldn't be so. "Yeah…that would be nice and I suppose it's even possible." He took another moment because his next statement would hurt G. "You do understand it's not probable though, don't you? If it's the Comescu they're headed home, whether it is Romania or Argentina. We have to be thorough and finish this investigation."

Callen leaned against a nearby rock; his mind blank and his heart empty. Sam's statement had hurt and in his mind he knew it was true.

Sam began taking pictures of the scene. He'd send them to OPS and maybe Kensi or Deeks would be able to find answers that eluded them right now. He'd just put his phone back in his pocket when it rang again. "Yes Hetty." Sam walked further away from Callen. "No he's not doing well. His whole world has been stripped from him yet again and this time it might be permanent. We're not sure but it has all the earmarks of the Comescu." He listened to the little ninja for a few moments more. "Eric is checking airports and car rental agencies from California to Texas. "The petite woman spoke again. "Thank you. He'll feel a little better knowing that Gibbs is working this. We'll talk when we get back." She spoke again. "Yeah we'll start home in a day or two. I don't want to rush him." He hung up and moved back to Callen. Sam leaned against the rock and gazed out over the water. He recognized the need to support and the need to sympathize but there would be a need to give his partner the truth and that truth would not be easy for Callen to accept. If the Comescu stole Gina they would hide her, moving her at a moment's notice. It would be a long and difficult hunt for his daughter. It was time to give him a ray of hope. "Hetty called and said that all of NCIS's resourced are being utilized to fine Gina and Joelle. Gibbs is leading the hunt on the East Coast. Every airport in the country is being watched."

Callen said nothing. Gibbs on the case was good but was it too little, too late? "Time to go to Jane's and search through things. Maybe she knew something would happen. Maybe we'll catch a break there. We'll wait until we hear from Eric. Did you send the crime scene photos to OPS? Maybe Deeks and Kensi will find something we missed." When his partner nodded he nodded in return. "We'll wait for their analysis and then head home."

The two agents climbed back up the trail they'd come down earlier. Callen looked back down feeling like he'd lost everything but he still held one glimmer of hope. They'd just got back to the car when Callen's phone rang. "It's Callen. What have you got Eric?"

A Slavic voice answered. "I'm not sure what Eric has but I know what I have...your daughter. She is a pretty little girl. Her mother was a very pretty lady as well. Too bad we had to shoot her. She also was a very tough lady. You know she hurt two of my men?"

Sam watched his partner's face go from heart-broken to angry. He called Eric and had him put a trace on Callen's phone. He caught G's eye and motioned to keep whoever talking.

G nodded. "So just who am I talking to? How do I know that you have my daughter?"

The voice on the other end gave a laugh. "Oh Mr. Callen, I believe you know what family I'm from and who I work for so don't play stupid. This is serious. As for the proof that we have your daughter wait an hour and you'll have a photo texted to you. She really is a pretty little girl. Oh and I will be good to you. I will send you a photo of her every year but there will be a hitch…she will call me papa for the rest of her life. Good-bye Mr. Callen." There was a brief laugh. "Sorry about the phone trace." He hung up.

Callen looked to Sam who waited on Eric. Sam shook his head no. Eric didn't have time to get the trace.

Two Days Later

Sam finished putting the backpacks in the backseat of the Challenger. He'd also filled water bottles for the ride through the desert before going to find his partner.

Callen stood on the porch gazing out over the area where Jane had decided to live. Why here? If he understood her at all freedom would be the answer. She'd be able to move about freely without meeting people she knew. Her being cooped up back in Los Angeles grated on her. He wished that she would have told him she lived here. It would have made it easier for him to see Gina. He didn't know where he stood with Jane. Now he'd pick up the pieces and bring them all back together, if he could. He thought that if she'd made it as far as the rocks then perhaps she made it. Sergeant Cortez never came with news of a body so he held out that meager hope. His daughter, however, was a much darker subject. She could be anywhere on the face of the planet and that thought brought him great pain.

Sam turned the corner and found Callen deep in thought. "I'd say a penny for your thoughts but they are dearer to you than that. It's time to go home. You can brood in the car." He realized how callous that sounded. He put his hand on his partner's shoulder. "Sorry G, I, of all people, understand how hard this is. Losing the woman you love hurts like hell." He knew Callen and wanted to keep him from doing something crazy. He looked at his partner. "Promise me G, that when you go after whoever did this, you take me with you."

Callen hadn't heard Sam coming so it startled him a bit. While he heard the words, the meaning came through or a moment later. Sam, like himself, would give up his job and most likely his life to get Gina back. He appreciated his partner's words. He nodded to Sam as no words could ever convey his thanks. He put out his hand to Sam.

Sam took that hand and pulled G into an embrace to show the love he had for his brother. "G, I mean it; don't go without me. I will help you in whatever you need. Just do me a favor."

Callen gave a weak smile. "What Sam, what do you need?"

Sam's face lit up. "Please leave Eric alone for the ride home. If he has something he'll let us know. Leave Kensi and Deeks alone too. They are all feeling a bit badgered. Hetty is working her ninja magic as well. Don't worry, we'll find her and then we go and get her: all of us."

Callen nodded and then the two men headed for the Challenger and home.

As they drove away Callen mused aloud. "Why here. It's beautiful but Jane always had a reason for what she did. There would be a hidey hole or a means of escape." He shook his head as if to clear it. "We found a rifle and two hand guns but I would have sworn there'd be more. Why here?" He gave it another thought or two and gave up. "I'm sure a reason will come eventually. Let's go home."

As Sam drove Callen viewed the area. Nothing came to him except for the ethereal beauty of the desert and the nearby foothills.

Sam kept a close eye on his friend for the fifteen hundred mile ride to Los Angeles. He seemed alright but he was very quiet. Sam missed the bantering that usually happened between them.

When they got back to Los Angeles, Sam dropped G off in Venice before going home to his boat. His friend had remained silent most of the way home and Sam worried about it. It wasn't a good sign. Callen internalized things way too much and no one knew where it would lead except to more heartache.

Callen walked into his empty house, a home long on memories but short on hope. At the moment he didn't know how to live with those memories. He missed his girls and not knowing if Jane was alive tore at him.

Thinking about his daughter mad him angry and at the same time, helpless. Eric had run into a dead end and Gina hadn't been seen on any airport cams anywhere within the United States or in Cabo. He wondered if the Comescu had taken her out through another Central American Country. Again he felt the heavy loss.

For the next few months he went through the motions of life, waiting for information on the location of his daughter and whether they'd found any trace of Jane. The text message with Gina's picture had been sent through a burn phone from Paris or so they thought. Eric and Nell still worked on the burn phone problem.

One Saturday morning Callen mowed his lawn and washed his car. He felt grimy so he went in to take a shower. He expected Kensi and Deeks for burgers on the grill. Sam would be over later. He'd just pulled on his pants and reached for his t-shirt when the front bell rang. He made his way to the front door, struggling to get the shirt over his wet hair and damp body. He opened the door blinded by the shirt. "Come on in."

A voice he hadn't heard in a very long time spoke. "Glad to see your ready to go get our daughter."

A/N: It may take some time to write the sequel to this. I know that you all have a great many questions and I want to have answers for you. So hang tight.