Changes

Chapter 10

Authors notes: Ok a little drama coming up. Not what I had planned on for this chapter but it's what Kate wanted to see happen so here it is. I haven't seen the first part of season 5 yet so I'm trying to catch up so I can add some episode bits in. Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a day or so.

Thanks for all the reviews. Keep them coming.

Mac woke up with the smell of coffee and bacon. She stretched and let out a yelp as the stitches pulled. It took two seconds for Callen to be in the room checking on her.

"I'm ok. Just pulled the stitched when I stretched. Got to remember not to do that again."

Callen didn't look happy.

"I made breakfast."

"Ok give me a minuet I'll be right there."

Mac slowly got out of bed making sure not to move too fast. Callen watched her and once he realized she was ok he went back to the kitchen. Mac made her way to the bathroom then into the kitchen. Callen put eggs and bacon on two plates and met her at the table. He watched her eat and was happy that she was getting her appetite back.

Once they were done Callen told her he'd change her bandage. Mac didn't even argue that she could do it herself. If he wanted to look after her she'd let him it was just easier.

Once again the found themselves in the bathroom while Callen played doctor. He checked the stitches over to make sure she hadn't pulled any of them out. He quickly made work of covering it. When he was done they made their way out to the living room. Callen got his things together for work before making sure Mac had everything she needed for the day.

"Don't worry Deeks is coming over for lunch I'll be fine today."

"Ok, just don't over do it even if you are feeling better." Callen leaned down and kissed her on the top of the head.

"I promise I'll stay on the couch all day and watch tv."

Callen finally smiled then grabbed his bag and headed out the door.

Deeks showed up around one with tacos and beer.

"Figured you may need one or more of these."

"Deeks you read my mind." They put on a movie and ate while they watched it.

"Kensi is glad I've been coming over here during the day. She worries less if I'm around you."

"Same with Callen. He thinks I'm going to go out and start jogging or something if I'm left alone."

"So how did it go last night? Kensi said Callen was staying here last night."

"Well I learned a few things." Mac took a drink of her beer. "One, apparently I am dating Callen."

Deeks laughed at this. "Told you so."

"I also learned he wants to go slow because he's afraid of messing things up."

"Hey slow is good. It took me and Kensi four years to get to this point." Mac shook her head at him. "So what else did you learn?"

"Callen is a snuggler." This had Deeks spitting beer across the room. "Hey you asked."

"Good point." Deeks couldn't wait to tell Kensi this one.

"I just wish someone would have told me he doesn't sleep."

"He keep you up all night taking your stuff apart. Because that's why he is no longer aloud to spend the night at Sam's."

"No he just held me and watched me sleep. I'm not sure if it's kind of creepy or sweet."

"He worries about you so I'd go with sweet."

"You look like you didn't sleep too much yourself last night."

Deeks yawned. "Yeah Kensi kept me awake."

"Oh you poor thing." Joked Mac. "Deeks go home and take a nap I'll be fine here."

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

After Deeks left Mac got out her lap top. She started surfing the net looking for something for Callen to do at night that wouldn't involve taking apart any of her things. Finally she found what she wanted and grabbed her credit card so she could order it.

She checked her email and saw that Nell had sent her some files she could work on while at home. She sent Nell a text telling her she'd get started on them right away as she was board out of her mind.

By seven she had most of the paper work done and a load of light laundry. She looked at the clock then checked her phone. No messages at all from Callen. Ok that was strange. She had been so busy she never even realized he hadn't sent her any messages.

"Hey Deeks is Kensi home yet?"

"Yeah she's been home for an hour why?"

"I never heard from Callen today and he isn't here yet." Mac heard Deeks ask Kensi if she knew what was up with Callen. She said she didn't know where he was and that he left before she did.

"You want us to come over?" asked Kensi taking the phone from Deeks.

"No I'm just over thinking things." Mac was now standing on the porch. "I'm still getting used to the idea that we are in a relationship. I shouldn't expect him to tell me everything he does."

"Well if you need us just call."

Mac hung up and decided to send Callen a text. She would make it simple and not let him think she was worried.

*Hey you coming over for dinner or should I go ahead and make something for myself?*

Mac sat down on the swing and tried to not get upset over this. It had been so long sense she had someone in her life like this she couldn't help but get a bit worked up about it. Callen hadn't seemed too happy that morning, she wondered if she had said or done something wrong.

Kensi hung up and looked at Deeks. "Ok now I'm pissed. What is Callen playing at? I heard him tell Sam he was picking up dinner and heading home that was at five. It doesn't take two hours to do that."

Deeks knew Kensi didn't say anything to Mac so she wouldn't upset her. "Kensi maybe something came up?"

"I'm calling him and asking him outright what the hell is going on." Kensi dialed Callen's number and only got his voice mail. "He is so dead right now." Said Kensi as she called Sam.

"Sam tell me Callen is with you somewhere getting drunk?"

"Hello to you too Kensi, and no I'm not with Callen." Sam looked at Michelle and shrugged.

"What do you mean he's not at Mac's and he's not answering his phone?" Now Sam was getting worried. "He was picking up Korean from Yang's then heading to her place."

"Sam she is trying not to freak out here but I can tell she's not far from it." Kensi noticed Deeks pulling on his shoes and already heading out the door. "Deeks is heading over to Mac's now." Sam told her he's call the restaurant and see if Callen ever showed up to pick up the order. Kensi called Eric to see if he could trace Callen's phone. Eric was working late doing computer updates.

"Sorry Kensi his phone is turned off and I can't get it to turn back on." Said Eric, "Should I tell Hetty?"

"Yeah you better. Callen better have a good excuse or he is going to be so dead." Kensi hung up and left the apartment heading down the block to Mac's. She called Sam and found out that Callen had picked up the food but he had no idea where he was now. Kensi filled him in about the phone.

Sam was really worried now. It wasn't like Callen to do something like this. When he said he was going to do something he did it. And Sam knew he wanted to get home to Mac so why would he go off the grid.

Mac was staring off into space when Deeks sat down next to her. "I'm sure he had a good reason."

"Maybe he just changed his mind." Said Mac quietly.

Deeks didn't answer he simply sat there with her giving her silent support. Kensi showed up a few minutes later and took a seat on the porch step.

Across town Callen stood against his car. He had picked up dinner and then swung by a florist to get flowers. For some reason he had stopped by the beach to watch the waves for a few minuet's and think. A few minutes had turned into an hour and he didn't even notice.

It wasn't until a black Dodge pulled up next to his that he looked away from the water.

"G you better have a very good reason for not answering your phone." Sam bellowed as he got out of the car.

"Huh?" Callen pulled his phone out and looked at it. "Batteries dead."

"That's no excuse man, Mac is freaking out right now and so is Kensi."

Callen looked a bit confused.

"Callen you should have been home over an hour ago."

"I lost track of time I guess."

"You guess. Your injured girlfriend is home in a panic and all you can say is you lost track of time." Sam couldn't get over how his partner was acting. He quickly sent Kensi a text telling her he found Callen and they would be there soon.

"Man what is with you tonight?"

"I love her Sam."

"So you go off and get yourself lost?"

"I guess I didn't expect this to happen. I never expected to fall for someone I work with." Callen looked back out at the water. "This is another reason why I don't date cops. Not only could something happen to me but now I have to worry about something happening to her."

"You don't think I understand, you do realize my wife is CIA." Sam shook his head. "Kensi and Deeks are making it work so is Eric and Nell." Sam put his hand on his friends shoulder. "G the only person who is going to be totally ok with the type of job we have is someone who does the same thing."

Callen nodded his head.

"Look let's tell her your car broke down or you ran out of gas, you can save some face."

Callen laughed. "She is going to kill me."

"I'd be more worried about Kensi." Callen groaned at that. Kensi would be scary when she was mad.

Half hour later Callen pulled up in front of the bungalow with Sam behind him.

Kensi was at the car before Callen could get out. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Car broke down and my phone died." Callen said looking past Kensi to where Mac stood on the porch. He grabbed his bag, the food and the flowers then walked past Kensi to where Mackenna stood.

"I'm sorry I scared you."

"Don't do it again ok?"

Callen nodded and handed her the flowers. Sam, Kensi and Deeks stood at the cars. "What really happened Sam?" asked Deeks softly.

"Our boy panicked." Sam watched as they went into the house. "He's in love with her an I don't think he knows what to do about it."

"Doesn't surprise me." Added Kensi. She called Eric to let him know Callen was home and Eric said he'd let Hetty know. The others left sense they didn't want to be in the way.

Callen put the food on the table and unpacked it. "Guess we will need to heat this up if you're still hungry."

"That's fine. I had a snack earlier so I'm just getting really hungry now." Mac took the containers and popped them into the microwave. She put the flowers in water and kept her back to Callen.

The quiet was more unnerving then if she was yelling at him. Callen walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I really am sorry."

Mac leaned back into his embrace. "I know you are."

"You're not mad?"

"I'm not mad I was worried. You will know when I'm mad." They ate dinner then Callen checked her stitches. They were looking less red today. She had five more days till they would come out. Hetty had told her to take the full week off so the stitches would come out on Monday the same day she was due back at work.

"They look good." Said Callen taping the gauze pad over them. This time he placed a kiss over the spot where she was shot.

"You know for scaring me today I should make you sleep on the couch." Callen looked up at her and frowned. Mac laughed. "I said I should not that I was going to."

She shook her head at him then went into the bedroom. Mac started pulling the covers back and then grabbed a tank top and clean shorts to sleep in. She could hear Callen in the living room so she stripped and stated pulling on the clean clothing.

Callen walked in just as she was pulling the tank top over her head. Her back was to him and he got a good view of skin along with a tattoo on her right shoulder. He missed a good look at it. He walked up behind her and pulled the tank top back up to get a better look.

"See something you like there G?"

"Yes." He ran his fingers over the four inch dragon tattoo. "How long have you had this?"

"About ten years I think."

"Is the only one you have?"

Mac turned around and looked at him. "Guess you'll have to find out yourself."

Callen looked her up and down and groaned. "You're going to drive me crazy now wondering what they are and where they are."

Mac laughed and turned back around. She lifted her hair to show him the angel wings she had on the back of her neck close to her hair line. A small date was under them.

"I got these after Dave was killed. The date is the day he died." Callen couldn't help but lean in and kiss that spot. "If it bothers you I can get it covered."

"I'm not going to make you do that." Said Callen as she turned around. "He was important to you."

"Yes but it was a long time ago and you are more important." Mac wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "I've been thinking about getting it covered for a while now."

"So does this mean I get to pick what goes over it?" asked Callen wrapping his arms around her.

"If you want to." Mac pulled back and looked in his eyes. "By the way there are a few more." She laughed at the look on his face.

Kensi and Deeks had collapsed on the couch as soon as they got home. "Now I know how you felt that day you couldn't find me." Said Deeks.

"Yeah it's not a good feeling." Kensi snuggled in closer to him. "Mac handled it way better than I did."

"She thought he changed his mind about being with her."

"I hope Callen figures things out and soon."

"Me too." Said Deeks.

Hetty sat at her desk in her study at home and pulled out a small box from the desk. Inside were photos. All of them of the same girl just different ages. She couldn't find one of them where she was smiling until the last few. Hetty sighed, when she had received Eric's call she had been very worried. Finding out that they had found Callen took a weight off her shoulders. That boy deserved a family, a real one. She just hoped he didn't screw this up.

Looking back at the photos Hetty knew she couldn't keep her secrete much longer. It was starting to eat at her. Soon she would do something about it. But for now she had other things to worry about.

Authors notes: what could be Hetty's secret? Who is the girl in the photo? Tune in to find out.