So sorry for the wait...and the shortness of this chapter. But it's the updating that counts, right? Life gets in the way...however I do plan to finish all of my stories. It's just that I have more inspiration for some over others. However, I will finish everything! Be patient with me my friends. ^^

The good news is I'm very inspired to write this one at the moment, so hopefully you will be getting a new, longer chapter soon.

Thank you to all those who have reviewed, especially those who demanded more. Without you this update would have taken longer...you guys are awesome! I'm so happy so many people like this story. It makes me want to finish it faster ^^

- Berry

Chapter 9

The apartment was empty – at least empty of the man they were searching for. It was typical, really – an expected outcome. The two agents worked in unusual silence after clearing the room. Sam glanced over at G looking through the man's mail from where he was going through some drawers. The man looked pale and on edge. In all honesty Sam was two seconds away from demanding to know exactly what was happening with his partner. Callen was a good agent – he lived for his job. There was no way G would put himself or anyone else on the team in danger if something were wrong.

And God, what if something was wrong with Callen? What if Dr. Freedman had missed something? Could it be that 'lit up' part of G's brain that was causing the new hyper awareness Callen was going through?

Sure it wasn't completely a bad thing – Kensi and Sam had been downstairs, they should have heard the same 'splash' Callen claimed had triggered his impressive water rescue. G had been upstairs talking with a hysterical hostage, there had to be something more to the whole situation. Nothing else made sense, but what Sam was left with didn't make sense either. It was making the larger agent's head spin.

It had been a bit odd, when Callen had dropped the keys just outside the apartment. The man could clean his gun while talking to two individuals in separate languages, opening a door with a pick kit while bantering with his partner was like breathing for Callen. There shouldn't have been a problem.

What had they been talking about just before G had dropped the kit? Callen had been bragging about being right and Sam had just called him, "Psychic." The word rolled off the big man's lips again and it was hard to miss – even from the corner of his eyes – the way his partner's tense shoulders tightened further.

"What was that?" G tried to play it off causally, but Sam had known his partner for a too long not to see the discomfort.

"I said Psychic, wanna tell me why that freaks you out?" Sam stood up straighter as he turned to face his friend. This had gone on long enough, he was getting to the bottom of things weather Callen liked it or not.

G froze for a second, but tossed the mail down on the counter to face his partner. "Why would the word 'psychic' bug me?" G asked in a, 'I'm humoring you' kind of way. A smug and yet uncertain smirk played on Callen's lips. It was a game, one G played well in the field, but this was Agent Sam Hanna the man was dealing with. Sam may not know everything about the man, but he knew how Callen worked.

"G, I will literally hit you." Sam growled, eyes deadly serious.

Callen shrugged, "You'd feel bad about it after." Instead of pushing his luck, G sighed. "I don't know. I guess the thing with Deeks freaked me out – " he hesitated a moment before continuing, "and I've been having these…dreams." He shrugged, "Nightmares really."

"That's nothing new though, right?" Sam offered his console lightly hoping that was really all that was going on with his partner. "They'll calm down. They always do."

"I dreamed Deeks' was drowning in the hospital." G confided in Sam, not meeting his eyes just yet. The whole idea freaked him out, it wasn't like he believed in psychics and crystals.

Sam picked up the pieces of the picture Callen was drawing. "Probably just a coincidence. I mean, you get shot all the time and I have dreams about it. That doesn't mean I can see the future – it just means you take 'occupational hazards' to a whole new level."

Callen nodded, raising his eyes up finally. "You're right, obviously." For a moment silence fell over the two, until G frowned pointedly at his partner. "You seriously dream about me getting shot that much?"

"Well, uh." Sam scratched the back of his neck.

"What would Nate say to that? Subconscious desire?" Callen joked lightly, trying to break the tension of the conversation as well as steer it well away from him and his current questionable stat of mind.

Sam glared at his partner, "More like subconscious fear."

G's face broke out in a grin, "So you do care. Should we hug? I feel like this is a hugging moment."

"G?"

"Yes Sam?"

"Shut up."