Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or the characters. I'm just borrowing them. I make no money from this.
Author's note: Depending on when you read the last chapter you might want to go back and reread the end. I was in a rush to post it before I had to be at work and didn't realize that part of Callen and Granger's conversation was missing. It has since been fixed.
I've rewritten this chapter several times and I'm still not entirely happy with it. It was meant as a transition chapter to show us the characters reactions and get us to the next chapter. But it just doesn't feel entirely right. Any feedback would really be appreciated. Oh, and does anyone know if Granger ever calls Hetty anything other than Henrietta? I know he calls her Henrietta because he's the only one that does but I don't remember if he ever calls her Hetty. I was wondering if I should change some of the Henrietta's to Hetty.
Callie had been laughing at the antics of the agents when she realized that Callen had been gone for a while. She shifted her gaze around the open building, wondering where he had disappeared to. She was shocked to see him standing in a corner, talking to Uncle Owen. Her face scrunched up in confusion as she watched them shake hands. Didn't they hate each other? What was going on?
A moment later they stepped out of the corner and approached her. Apprehension filled her as she glanced from one face to the other.
"Hey, sorry I took so long," Callen told her as he held out a bottle of water.
"That's okay," she replied as she took it, watching as he glanced at the other agents and tilted his head. They nodded and started to walk away. All except for Sam who gave her father a searching look. Callen gave him a nod and he too walked away.
Callie sat there, her hands wrapping around Monty to keep him from abandoning her as well. She wasn't sure what was going on but she didn't like it. She didn't know her father well enough to read his expression. She glanced at her 'uncle' and took in the serious look on his face. Was he about to lay into her, blame her for her mother's death like he blamed her for her injury?
She glanced back at her father. Why was he with him? He'd said he didn't blame her, had he changed his mind? Was he about to tell her he'd been wrong? Was he going to send her back to the woman from CPS? Her breath started to come in harsh pants as her thoughts grew darker and darker. Only Monty's weight on her lap kept her from bolting before they could confirm her fears.
Callen quickly sat next to her. "Hey, it's okay," he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder and frowning when she flinched slightly. He couldn't stand the fear and pain he saw in her eyes. "Shh," he pulled her to his side, turning his body as his arms wrapped around her so her head rested on his chest and rocked her slightly.
After a few minutes she managed to calm down. Releasing one last shaky breath, she started to pull away only to have his arms stop her. She glanced up at him.
"Better now?" he asked, one hand tenderly brushing the hair out of her face.
Callie nodded, not yet trusting her voice. Her eyes wandered from him, finding her 'uncle'. He had sat down on the nearby arm chair, an unreadable expression on his face as he stared at the two of them. Unconsciously she flinched back from him, pushing herself further into her father's embrace.
The two men exchanged a glance at her reaction and Granger sighed, wiping a hand down his face at the pain he had thoughtlessly caused her. "Callie, I am so sorry."
Her head came up at his words and she stared at him in surprise and confusion.
"I never meant to hurt you, never meant for you to hear what I said."
"But you meant the words. You blame me for Mom never recovering, just like you blame me for her death."
"No! Never!" He was out of his seat and kneeling in front of her. "Listen to me, you are not to blame for her death. And I was wrong to make it sound like her paralysis was your fault, I never blamed you."
"No, you were right, it was my fault. It was all my fault." She shook her head. "If I hadn't been born then Mom would have recovered, probably would have been able to fight off her attackers. She wouldn't have had to die in my place." She started to shake. "She probably blamed me, that's why she died. To get away from me."
Callen's arms tightened around her as he began rocking her once more. He'd thought that they had settled this last night. He should have known better, Granger's words had really done a number on her. He wanted nothing more than to deny her words, assure her that she was wrong, that she was loved. But it had been Granger's words that did the damage, he was the one who had to begin fixing it. So he made sure he was there for her physically while forcing himself to remain quiet.
"No! Callie don't you see how wrong you are?" Granger reached out and grabbed her hands. "Your mother never blamed you, never!"
"You don't know that."
"Yes I do. It's right there, in your name."
She stared at him in confusion.
"What's your full name?"
Callie frowned as she answered, not sure where he was going with this. "Callen Evelyn O'Rourke."
"Did you know that your mom wanted to name you Evelyn? The only reason she didn't was because she decided that since she couldn't give you your father's last name she'd give it you as your first. So she made Evelyn your middle name." He made her look into his eyes. "Now I don't really speak Gaelic but your mother made sure I understood the meaning of that name."
A look of dawning comprehension came over the girl's face. "It means 'wished for or longed for child'," she said quietly in a tone of wonder, never having considered what her mother might have been saying in her choice of names. Her mother's last words to her repeated in her mind. 'You are my miracle, my Beannacht.'
Granger nodded. "Yes. Your mother has always wanted you, always loved you. I'm sorry if my words made you doubt that. She has never blamed you and neither have I. I am so sorry for ever making you think that we had."
Her eyes searched his face, seeing only sincerity there. "Then why did you say it?"
He sighed. "Because I was lashing out. I wanted to cause as much pain as I could to the person that I blamed for hurting your mother. All I could see was the pain he had caused your mother, the pain I believed that he would cause you, and I wanted him to feel that same pain. I just never considered what my words would do to you."
Callie wanted to believe him and was nearly ready to forgive him. But there was one last thing she needed to know. "Mom never wanted to talk about my father, never wanted to answer my questions. So I stopped asking her." She felt him stiffen behind her and realized her words probably caused him pain. He had admitted to loving her mother after all. So she leaned herself further into his embrace as she continued. "I thought maybe you would tell me. But when I asked you you told me he was dead. Why?"
Callen turned to look at Granger. This was a question he wanted answered as well.
Granger sighed. He had hoped she wouldn't ask this question, at least not yet. "Because I knew how much it hurt your mother when you asked and I knew how much you were hurting by not knowing. If I had told you he was alive you wouldn't have dropped it, you would have kept looking. You come by that stubbornness honestly," he said, flicking his gaze to the agent. "So I told you he was dead so you would stop looking."
"But why? Why couldn't you just tell me the truth? Why did you and Mom keep me from him?"
"I can't speak for your mother's reasons. I know there were many times that she thought about contacting your father about you. I don't know why she didn't. I can only speculate that she still felt hurt about their relationship ending. As for my reasons, I didn't think he deserved to know the truth. In my eyes he had broken your mother's heart and didn't deserve the chance to do the same to you. All I could picture was him hurting you. But I was wrong, wrong to keep the truth from you, and wrong about the kind of man your father is. And all I can say is that I am so very sorry for hurting you."
Callie studied him carefully, seeing nothing but sincerity written on his face. But it was the pain that she saw in his eyes that really convinced her. She could see how much this was hurting him. "I forgive you Uncle Owen," she said, reaching for him and wrapping her arms around his neck as Callen reluctantly released her.
He sighed with relief as he held her as tightly as he could with the dog still lying halfway across her lap. "Thank you."
She sniffled slightly. "What's going to happen to me now?"
Granger and Callen exchanged a look over the top of her head and he pulled back from her, re-seating himself in the armchair. "What do you want to happen?" he asked her gently. He watched as she glanced at Callen before biting her lip, obviously hesitant to voice her wishes.
Callen gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "You come live with me," he told her. Doubt about whether that was what she wanted caused him to add, "if you want."
She stared at him with wide eyes. "Y-you really want me?"
He wrapped his arms around her. "More than anything, моя дочь." He became worried when she burst into tears but that worry faded when he saw the large smile on her face as she returned his embrace with all of the strength she could muster.
They stayed that way for a long moment until Monty barked and wiggled himself in between them.
Callie laughed as she pulled back, reaching down to scratch his ears. "Someone's feeling left out."
"Yeah, well I'm not hugging him," he told her with a grin that widened as she returned it.
"That's okay, I'll hug him enough for the both of us."
He shook his head at her as she proceeded to do just that, then spotted Hetty standing off to the side. "I'll be right back," he told her, giving her a reassuring smile as he got up. He headed over to the Operations Manager.
"It's good to see that you are getting along so well," she told him, "though it looks as if she is becoming rather attached. Mr. Deeks might soon find himself without a dog."
"I wouldn't go that far." He shook his head. "He's giving her something to focus on other than her own grief." He looked back at Callie as she responded to something Granger said to her. "I need some time off Hetty."
"Of course Mr. Callen. I've already filled out the paperwork. You just need to sign it. Actually the entire team has more than earned some down time."
"Thanks Hetty." He had to smile, she was always at least two steps ahead of him.
"What will you do now? I know a good lawyer if you need one to start the custody process."
"Actually Granger said that Erin left me custody in her will. In one version anyway."
Hetty nodded in understanding. "It's always good to plan ahead. I'm sure you've got a busy day ahead of you, if you intend to bring your daughter home today. But you might wish to speak to Owen again. I'm sure the young lady would appreciate being able to wear her own clothing and perhaps pick up a few personal items."
Callen blinked. He hadn't even considered that Callie might want to go home and pick up some things. "Isn't it a bit too soon to bring her back there though?" he questioned, not wanting to cause her any unnecessary pain.
"Perhaps. But then again, perhaps being able to hold something of her mother's would help her with her grief."
Callen conceded the point. A grin formed on his face as he considered something else. "Well if we're going over there then why bother going furniture shopping? After all, I'm sure she'd be more comfortable in her own bed." He could rent a truck and bring her bed to his house.
"Nice try Agent Callen but you're not getting out of furniture shopping that easily," Granger spoke up as he joined them, having caught the last comment. "Erin had been planning on replacing Callie's furniture for a while now, it just kept getting postponed."
"Something wrong with the furniture she has?" Callen asked, a bit put out that his plans had been so easily derailed.
Granger shrugged. "It's old and worn out, or at least the bed is. Erin had been discussing replacing the entire set as an early Christmas present. Letting Callie pick it out, within reason."
Callen sighed. "There goes that idea."
"Don't look so down, Mr. Callen. You might end up enjoying the experience," Hetty told him. "Perhaps even enough to buy enough items to furnish the rest of your house."
He shook his head. "Don't push it," he told her before turning to Granger. "I'm going to see if Callie wants to grab some clothes and other effects, perhaps something to remind her of Erin. Is there anything I should know?"
Granger pulled out a key and handed it to him before taking out his phone and typing on it. "I've just sent you the address. It's a crime scene, since that's where they were taken from. But there shouldn't be any reason you can't retrieve some of Callie's stuff." He glanced back at the girl who had finally gotten up from the couch and was now walking around the open space, if a bit stiffly. "Just be careful. I'm not sure how she'll react to being back there."
Callen nodded. "You want to come? Moral support for Callie?"
"No, I think you've got that covered. Think of it as a bonding experience. Though if she needs me I'm only a phone call away."
"No problem." With that he headed back to his daughter.
Hetty and Granger watched him go. "You seem to have changed your mind about Mr. Callen," Hetty commented.
"I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong. He's really making the effort to be there for her. I didn't think he would, until last night." He turned to glance down at her. "But don't think I didn't spot your fingerprints all over that incident with the social worker, Henrietta."
She made no effort to deny his words. "Sometimes, we just need a push in the right direction, to realize what's right before our eyes." Her actions had made Callen think about what would happen to the girl if he wasn't there for her. Perhaps it would have turned out to be unnecessary, but she didn't think that extra push had done any harm. She watched Callen wrap his arm around the girl's shoulders, leading her out of the building. All that mattered was that the outcome was looking good for two people who had suffered a lot of heartache.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Granger told her. "Now, do you still have any of that scotch left? I could use a drink."
"I'm sure I have something around here," Hetty said, leading him back to her office. "A toast," she said as she retrieved a bottle and two glasses. "To family."
"To family."