A/N ~ Thank you for the reviews and encouragement! I know that this story is a little different and off the beaten path, but I'm glad that it's working for people so far. Enjoy chapter 2!

It was ten 'til 7, but Joelle had been ready for the last 20 minutes, walking around her house fixing already-perfectly placed things around the living room to kill nervous energy. Though their pub was casual and she didn't feel the need to dress up for their dinner, she had spent all afternoon once she was back from school making sure her hair and makeup was flawless in the way that looked like it took no effort. Throwing the hairbrush down on the counter with a huff, she cursed herself for caring this much. Never had she spent this much time getting ready for a date with Callen…Grisha. It had always been so natural to be with him and aside from worrying about work, carefree.

A firm knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts and she turned off the lights on her way to the door. Grabbing her purse and putting her shoes on before answering, she thought it would be best if he didn't come in the house. There'd be no guarantee they'd leave for dinner.

Swinging the door open, she noticed that Callen looked much more relaxed and controlled than the night before. His ability to center himself amazed her. "You look beautiful," he greeted her, causing Joelle to blush. "Ready?" he asked. The question carried more weight than just leaving for dinner, and they both knew it. She nodded. "Let's do this."

The ride to the restaurant was filled with small talk about their days and random, insignificant facts about their lives since they'd been apart. Joelle learned that Callen had finally bought a kitchen table (with Sam's extreme prodding, likely) and she shared her spring break trip to visit her sister and nieces with him. When they pulled up to the restaurant and walked in, they were immediately greeted by the hostess who always recognized them.

"Greg and Joelle! Well it's been a while since I've seen you two! And here we were all thinking you two had broken it off," the overzealous and nosy, but well-meaning woman called out to them. Laughing awkwardly, they both let the comment slide. The two were seated but didn't bother to look at the menu. Even though it had been months, Callen still knew exactly what she would order, and he'd bet that she knew the same of him. After more small talk as they ordered their drinks and got their food order placed, they decided to start the hard talk.

"I don't know what to do, Grisha," Joelle started. Callen swallowed when she called him that. "Is it ok if I call you that? Do you want me to, or is Callen…" Was his real name too intimate? She didn't know. He took a sip of his beer.

"You can use it," he said, trying to control his voice. "I like it when you say it," he confessed. Joelle smiled. That answered that. "But you're right, I don't know what to do either. All I can say is that I can't leave this job. It's all I know, it's my family-" She cut him off.

"And I don't want you to leave your job. I know it's who you are and I would never ask you to leave it." Callen let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He loved Joelle still, but that wasn't a choice he wanted to make. "I just…I'm scared. I was a mess for weeks when we broke up," she confided quietly. That had been news to him. He hadn't taken it well either, going to the gym more to hit the bags a little more angrily, having an extra beer after work with Deeks, sulking until Sam snapped him out of it, but he had never interrogated her on how she was doing.

"My friends tried to take me out to get my mind off of it, I tried going on a few dates, I talked to Michelle more than usual in hopes that she'd just mention your name, and I was a mess," she said again. "I don't know want to know what it would feel like if I lost you for good." He knew what she was implying by that. A break up was tough enough, but if he died in the line of duty, that would have consequences for her that he couldn't imagine.

Callen reached across the table and grabbed her hands. "What do you want, Jo?" He knew what he wanted – who he wanted – but ultimately it had to be up to her. It would never work if she didn't know exactly what she was getting into and would stand by that decision.

"I want you, I want to be with you more than anything, but I…I need to know if you and I want the same things." She could tell by his face that he was confused. He obviously wanted to be with her again too, so what could she mean?

"We never talked about this before, or at least not much but I think we should now before we decide what to do. I want a family. I want us to live together, to get married one day. I want kids – I love kids – and I want you to want and love them, too. I want to take vacations in Seattle to see my sister and you to be there." She paused a moment to collect herself as the waitress brought their food. "I know your job will get in the way of some of that from time to time, and that's ok with me as long as you want to try. I can't do this halfway. I'll always worry about you when you have a case, but I can cope with it if that means that when you're with me, you're all in. Can you do that? Is that what you want, too?"

Callen was at a loss of words for a moment, and he felt like an idiot. Of course she wanted more, of course she didn't want a relationship that was anything less than his full dedication when they were together. He had always known that, why had he never tried to take that extra step? Before answering, Callen shifted a bit and reached into his pocket.

"When we broke up, Sam kept trying to get me to open up about it. He tried for weeks to make me talk to trick something out of me, and finally I gave into him. I facetiously told him I had never been in love before I met you, that I had bought a ring," he put a small box on the table between them without opening it. Joelle sat there stunned. "He didn't know I was being serious."

Suddenly he changed the tone to lighten things up. "Don't worry, this isn't a marriage proposal," he said with a smile and she let out a huge breath and laugh. "Not yet anyway, because I want the same things you do," he said, catching her tearing eyes. "I can't promise what will happen, but I promise that I'll try with everything in me to make this work."

A happy tear slid down Joelle's cheek and she smiled. "I'd like that," she said, nodding. "If that's what you want, too, then I'm all in." Callen smiled his first genuine smile in a long time. "And for my part, I promise to not freak out about your job and trust you," she said whole-heartedly. Callen laughed.

"Let's not let our food get cold," he said and she laughed, leaning in for a quick kiss before turning to her food. Though short and simple – and neither were fans of public displays of affection in the middle of the diner – the kiss held a sweet promise of their future together.

Later that evening, wrapped up in each other's arms in bed, Callen tucked his nose into her hair to smell the sweet rose scent as they drifted off to sleep. "I love you," he whispered, feeling her squeeze his hand and pull herself closer to him. "I love you, too," she whispered back, turning her head slighting to press a kiss to his bare shoulder.

A/N ~ Finished! Short fic but it's a busy summer so I don't anticipate posting much more anytime soon. Hope you enjoyed, and as always, please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Xoxo fanatic218