Eric, Nell and Hetty stared at the big screen watching the drama unfolding in front of them. "I still register your phone in that building and working," Eric told Sam over the comms. "Hold Sam, your phone is calling me again," Eric said excitedly.
"Answer it Mr. Beale," Hetty tersely directed.
"Hello?" the tech asked curiously.
"Eric, its Callen."
"It's Callen," Eric repeated to everyone in the Ops room.
"Yes, we can hear that on the speaker," Hetty said drily. "Mr. Callen, where are you?"
The sound of an explosion muffled the first part of Callen's sentence.
"Callen?" Eric asked his voice rising in worry.
"I'm here Eric, with Sam's daughter. We're in a warehouse that is on fire with barrels of something flammable that explode every so often."
"Sam, he is in the warehouse!" Eric repeated excitedly to Sam. To Callen he replied, "We can see you, well not you but the GPS tracker on Sam's phone. But we didn't know if you still had the phone or you dropped it or…"
"You think you could send someone in to help get us out?" Callen asked his voice a mixture of urgency, sarcasm and a hint of fear. "I mean if you are not too busy watching the place burn down around our ears."
"Callen?" Sam's frantic voice came over the speaker.
"I got them all patched in," Nell said quietly.
Realizing Sam could hear him now Callen spoke directly to his partner eliminating the middle man. "Sam! Jasmine and I are in some sort of pit in the warehouse. I can't get her out, the walls are too high and it's getting really hot in here."
"I'm on my way," Sam quickly replied as he pulled onto the scene. As he got out of his car and started towards the warehouse, a CIA SWAT commander met him and laid a restraining hand on his bicep.
"It's not safe," he said as Sam shook free of his grip and glared at him as if he was going to kill him.
"My daughter and partner are in there," Sam said menacingly. "Get out of my way." The commander stepped back with a shrug saying, "I cannot guarantee your safety. My men are still sweeping the place."
"And if they hurt my daughter or my partner, I can't guarantee their safety." Rudely turning his back on the man, Sam addressed Callen on the phone. "Callen? Can you give me any locational markers? That is a big warehouse."
Callen thought back to the moments before they had entered the pit. "It's a rectangular pit, about 12 feet long and maybe 200 yards from some high-bay doors."
Sam hastily scanned the warehouse and spotted the doors he thought Callen was describing. Two of them had already exploded outwards and the other one was severely warped. "I'm on my way."
"Sam, Kensi and Deeks are on route. Should you wait for their assistance?" his Ops manager cut in.
Another explosion rocked the warehouse. "Can't Hetty. I don't think they have that long."
"Be careful then," she admonished.
"Always am. You have me mixed up with Callen," Sam quipped with nervous tension as he sprinted towards the building.
White smoke was billowing out the door making visibility difficult and he was forced to slow down upon entering the warehouse, struggling to get his bearings. On the far end of the space he could see the roaring flames which were nearly licking the ceiling. More concerning were the number of barrels closer to him that had not yet caught on fire; when they went, well he didn't want to think of what would happen.
Scanning around him again he thought he saw the darker shadow of something rectangular on the floor to his left so he moved in that direction as fast as the terrain and visibility allowed. Halfway to his target, a small explosion made him flatten himself to the floor for a few seconds before he got up to continue his journey. The heat was fierce and the smoke choking.
The air at the bottom of the pit wasn't as smoky, but the heat was intense and he and Jasmine were both sweating profusely. Callen kept peering anxiously at the top of the pit and a fleeting smile of relief flashed across his face when he saw his partner's head peer over the edge. "What, did you stop for doughnuts?" he said releasing some of jis nervous tension. Callen held his hand out to Jasmine. "Come on Jasmine. Time to get out of here."
The little girl looked up. "Daddy!" Jasmine squealed with the same mega-watt smile as her father; it figuratively lit up the small area.
"Baby Girl!" he replied equally ecstatic and relieved. "I'm gonna get you out of there real quick."
"That's good daddy because it is awfully hot."
"Sam," Callen called up. "Lay flat and hang your arms over the edge. I'll have Jasmine stand on my shoulders. You should be able to reach her and pull her out."
Sam gave a quick nod to show he understood.
"Ok Jasmine," Callen said crouching and facing the girl. "I need you to climb on my shoulders. Like we do in the water when we have splash fights."
Jasmine looked dubious as she noted her Uncle's bloody shirt. "You won't drop me? You don't look so…"
Callen quickly cut her off. "Trust me. I would never let you fall," he said sincerely turning so she could climb on his back.
"But your back is…"
Callen turned around for a second. "Jasmine. We don't have time for this. I need you to do as I say now," Callen scolded with a bit of a harsh tone to his voice. The girl's face showed her unhappiness but she nodded reluctantly as Callen gave her a small smile before turning to face the wall. "Climb up."
Jasmine bit her lower lip but did as she was instructed and awkwardly climbed on her crouching Uncle. Callen tried to use his arms to assist her. "This is easier in the water," she noted plaintively.
Concernedly, Sam watched the scenario unfolding below wondering if his injured partner would be strong enough to stand with his daughter on his shoulders. Jasmine was right; in the water it was easier because of buoyancy.
Luckily, Jasmine took after her mom more than her Dad when it came to her build; she was quite slender for her age for which Callen was imminently thankful as he tried to move from squatting to fully upright. He lost his balance a little at one point and slammed against the warm metal. Sweating profusely and panting heavily, Callen rested for a few seconds.
"You OK Callen?" Sam called down to his partner who stood slumped against the wall with Jasmine sitting on his shoulders.
"Yeah," came a tightly controlled reply. "Good thing Jasmine takes after Michelle and not you."
"And maybe you have had one too many bacon cheeseburgers and are out of shape partner," Sam sparred back.
"Ok Jasmine, ready for the next part?" Callen asked the girl sitting on his shoulders, hands resting loosely around his neck.
"Yes. What do I have to do?"
"You need to stand on my shoulders, reach up and grab your Dad's hands. Think you can do that?" Callen asked desperately trying to catch his breath in the oppressive atmosphere while sounding positive to build the little girls' confidence.
"Uh-huh," she replied affirmatively.
"Good girl. Use my hands to help balance yourself," Callen instructed as he raised his arms over his head. The pull on the bullet wound in his side was horrendous and he widened his stance to steady his shaking body.
Jasmine bent a leg and managed to place her sneakered foot on top of Callen's right shoulder. Callen used his hands to steady her as she maneuvered the other foot into position. Once she was crouching on his shoulders, he extended his arms as she straightened her legs. His arms were not long enough to hold onto her hands as she stood so he slid them down her legs to steady her as best as he could. "Don't Lean against the wall, it's hot," he grunted even as his own skin touched the increasingly hot metal.
Meanwhile, Sam was stretching his long, strong arms into the pit as far as possible to reach his little girl. Luckily the math worked out and he was able to firmly grasp her wrists as she reached towards him. Once fully secured, he pulled her up steadily until she was back on the main floor next to him. She immediately threw her arms around him and buried her face in his muscular neck. "I love you Daddy. I was so scared but I was pretending to be brave for Uncle Callen."
"I love you too Baby Girl," Sam replied as he tightly hugged her.
As soon as Jasmine's weight was removed from his shoulders, Callen sank to the floor, heart pounding and head spinning. The pain was washing across his body in waves.
"You alright Callen?" Sam yelled down into the hole while still embracing his daughter tightly.
"Doing fine," Callen lied, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Get Jasmine out of here before more of those barrels blow. You're not protected up there and trust me the fireballs those things make are really hot."
Sam was torn. He knew he had to get his beloved daughter to safety which meant leaving his partner temporarily behind; something totally against his SEAL code. However, he realized he couldn't get Callen out of that pit without some sort of aid. It was one thing to pull Jasmine out alone, but he knew that trick would not work with Callen.
"Go. Now. I'll be alright," Callen commanded his partner in a tone that would not allow for disobedience.
"Don't go anywhere while I'm gone," Sam said scooping his daughter off the floor and running towards the exit.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Callen muttered from the floor half-conscious. "Just gonna sit here and wait for you to rescue me... again."
Sam and Jasmine were almost clear of the warehouse when another set of barrels exploded sending Sam, with his daughter tightly wrapped in his arms, spiraling out the door onto the pavement. The large man wrapped his body securely around his precious bundle ensuring he took the brunt of the fall.
They rolled a few feet before coming to a halt. Sam disentangled him and his daughter and rapidly looked her over. "You alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked seeing blood stains on her clothes. He ran his hands over her body, looking for an injury but came up with nothing major.
Helpfully, Jasmine held up one elbow and said, "I scraped my elbow and also my knees and my throat is a little scratchy," she replied with a little cough.
Sam leaned over and kissed the abraded skin lightly while thinking her knees and elbows were not the source of the stains on her clothes which meant only one thing, it was Callen's blood and his partner had lied to him again about the seriousness of his injuries.
Scooping her up in his arms, Sam strode across the parking lot to the paramedic van at the scene. "Baby Girl," he said as he gently set her on the back of the truck and squatted in front of her. "This nice EMT is going to clean up your scratches while I go help Uncle Callen. OK? Can you wait here by yourself for a few minutes?"
"Of course Daddy," she said solemnly. "I was brave for Uncle Callen and I can be brave for you too."
Sam smiled, gave her a quick peck on the cheek than stood up and addressed the medic. "Take good care of my Princess," he said unnerving the medic a bit with his forcefulness.
"Of course…Sir," the EMT added for good measure. "I'll be very gentle."
"See you are," Sam growled. "She's been through a lot." All smiles, he turned back to Jasmine and gave her another quick hug before he left. "Back in a flash."
"With Uncle Callen?"
"With Uncle Callen," he confirmed. After one final kiss, he headed over towards the Challenger where he procured some rope from his 'always boy-scout prepared' trunk. Sam glanced around for help but the CIA SWAT team had moved to the far side of the parking lot and the firemen on the scene were busy battling the blaze. Dialing the Ops Center he asked Eric where Kensi and Deeks were located.
"Still about 5 minutes out Sam."
"Too long," Sam said hanging up on Eric who was in the middle of saying Hetty wants to speak to you.
It was up to him to rescue his partner once again. A part of his mind wondered what the count was as he ran back towards the blazing warehouse. The heat had intensified in the few minutes since he and Jasmine had escaped the inferno. However, having no choice, Sam re-entered the oven-like warehouse and made his way back over to the pit. He quickly wrapped the rope around a nearby support pole, made a loop with one free end which he held on to and then made a loop on the other end which he tossed it into the hole.
The sweat poured off Callen's body as he sat in the bottom of the pit and he was very close to passing out when he heard the voice of his partner shouting followed by the sound of something smacking the floor.
"G. Get your lazy ass up and put that loop under your arms," Sam barked at his partner. Sam was concerned when his partner only groggily responded to him, making a half-hearted attempt to snag the rope.
"Don't make me come down there," he threatened trying to get G to comply.
Callen crawled on his hands and knees to where the loop lay. He painfully manipulated the loop of the rope over his head and under his armpits.
"We don't have all day," Sam cajoled when another explosion rocked the warehouse knocking Sam to his knees and Callen flat on his face. Sam crawled forward to the edge of the pit and anxiously peered over. "G!" he yelled at his unmoving partner who did not respond. "Damn."
Giving a slight tug on the rope, Sam sighed in relief when he was able to confirm Callen had managed to slip it under his armpits before passing out. Sam stood and slowly started pulling on the rope, using the pole which it was wrapped around and his body like a winch. Sam's muscles strained but inch by inch, Callen's torso rose from the floor. Sweat poured off Sam as he exerted more force to sluggishly drag Callen up the side of the pit. His partner was dead weight thought Sam as he hauled on the rope hoping his thought was a figurative statement not a literal truth.
"No more bacon for you," Sam groaned as he strained his muscles to bring Callen over the edge of the pit. Timing was everything and theirs was off as a new set of explosions shook the building just as he got Callen over the lip of the pit and onto the main floor. The blast caused Sam to stumble and lose his grip on the rope and Callen started to slide, head first, back over the edge into the hole. Only a flying tackle from Sam kept his partner from totally disappearing over the edge as Sam managed to secure Callen's legs. Reaching with one hand, he grabbed his partner by the back of the belt and hauled him safely back onto the main floor. 'That's gonna hurt in the morning,' Sam thought. However, he rationalized it was certainly better than letting him fall back into the pit head first; he hoped Callen would see it his way when he woke up.
Sliding the rope off of Callen, Sam got to his feet then slung his partner over his shoulder and headed for the exit as fast as the heat and his burden allowed. After clearing the warehouse the fresh air washed over him and Sam stopped to gulp it in. It helped revive him and he started moving again. Halfway back, his partner's voice drifted over his shoulder. "Wanna put me down?"
"Do you think you can stand?" Sam asked still moving towards the EMT truck. "Or am I going to put you down, you'll fall over and then I'll have to pick you up, again."
"Put me down," the slightly irritated voice of his partner demanded.
"If you fall, I'm not picking you up," Sam warned as he stopped and gently slid Callen down the front of his chest until his partner's feet rested on the ground. Sam kept a tight grip on the shorter man's arms as his partner struggled to find his equilibrium without success.
"You can't stand, can you?" Sam accused.
"I'm working on it."
"I should let you fall," Sam chided. "I told you."
"And you were absolutely right."
"Are you placating me?" Sam asked incredulously.
Callen gave him a weak grin. "Would if I could." Swaying dangerously again, Sam was forced to tighten his grip on Callen's biceps to steady the man.
"You're a sorry mess, you know that?"
"But I saved your daughter from the bad guy," Callen replied smugly.
"Yes you did, though she is a little banged up," Sam said in a mock-serious tone.
"And so am I. Did you accidentally drop me a few times on the way out?"
"If I dropped you it wasn't accidentally. Did you bleed all over my precious baby girl?"
"Maybe. A little."
"A lot and my daughter's beautiful hair was singed."
I'll try harder next time."
"There better never be a next time," Sam said seriously looking across the parking lot to where his daughter was waiting. "Thank you G."
Uncomfortable with the heavily emotional vibe coming from his partner, Callen changed the subject as he broke free of Sam's grip standing on his own. "I need a favor big guy. I really want to go home and shower."
"Yeah that would be a good idea," Sam said humoring his partner who could barely stand straight.
Callen didn't give up. "Suppose you help me over to the car, but not," he added, "by carrying me over your shoulder. Maybe just a little support around the shoulders. I have an image to uphold," he said looking over at Kensi and Deeks who had arrived on the scene.
"What image? Batman?"
Callen gave his partner a little shrug. "Robin works for me too."
"Let me get this straight. You can't stand or walk but you want me to help you to my car so you can drive yourself home and shower."
"You have to go in the ambulance with Jasmine and someone has to drive your car home. Besides, I won't be standing or walking while I'm driving," Callen explained earnestly.
Sam shook his head in disbelief. "I know you hit your head. Now I know how hard. The only place I am helping you too is that nice ambulance over there. I'm sure once you get to the hospital, the nurses will be happy to give you a sponge bath. After all G," Sam finished with an evil grin, "you are positively charming when you are hospitalized."
Before they could continue their debate, Kensi and Deeks arrived, followed by the medic that was attending Sam's daughter.
"Sir, I'd like to send your daughter to the hospital to get thoroughly checked out." Seeing panic rising on Sam's face he hurriedly added, "Not that I see anything obviously wrong with her, but given her ordeal I think it would be a prudent move. The ambulance is ready to leave and I'd like her to go in it. You too," he hastily added wilting under Sam's gaze, "of course since you are her father."
Sam's conflict showed in his face but Callen gave a little nod of his head to let his partner know he had to go and be with his daughter. Callen used every fiber of his being not to sway or show any sign of weakness so Sam wouldn't feel so guilty about leaving him. "Go Sam. Jasmine needs her Dad."
Knowing what he had to do, Sam addressed Kensi and Deeks. "Take him to the ER. If he gives you any problems call Hetty." The duo nodded in concurrence and Callen gave a slight shudder.
"We have a second ambulance that could take your friend to the hospital. He looks like he requires immediate medical attention," the medic observed eying Callen's bloody clothes and none to steady posture.
Sam snorted at the medics understatement then noticed his partner's eyes narrowing ever so slightly indicating he was already working the angles to figure out how to escape from the medic; Sam wasn't born yesterday when it came to his partner's medical antics. "No offense but you guys can't handle him. It will be safer," Sam emphasized the word 'safer' while glaring at his partner, "if he goes with them. At least there is a good chance he will make it to the ER because these guys know if he doesn't," Sam's glare shifted from Callen to his other team mates, "I will kill them and Hetty will sign the paperwork exonerating me of the crime." Callen sulked, Kensi looked determined and Deeks appeared a little frightened.
Sam pulled the keys to his beloved Challenger from the pocket of his pants then hesitated trying to decide who would be allowed to drive his precious car. He almost thought about calling Eric and having him send a flatbed to pick it up but he knew his Boss would rip him a new one for using the taxpayer's money in what she would perceive as a frivolous manner.
Callen made a half-hearted grab for the keys but Sam quickly moved them out of his reach and gave his partner an 'in your dreams' look while considering his other two choices. Kensi was not a good driver but if he let Deeks drive the man would gloat. Pondering for a moment, his decision suddenly became crystal clear when he recalled that when Hunter had made Kensi and Callen partners and Callen had to drive with Kensi, he had turned a lovely shade of green. No way was he going to take a chance on Callen barfing in his pristine car so he tossed the keys to Deeks who deftly caught them while sporting a huge grin.
"Not fair!" and "Oh-yeah" came the simultaneous remarks of the younger partners. Callen's response was non-verbal but unmistakably clear; he was very unhappy with Sam.
"We need to go Sir," the medic intervened.
Sam gave a curt nod. "You behave," he warned Callen. "You don't wreck my car," he instructed Deeks. "And you keep both of them out of trouble," he told Kensi before following after the departing medic.
Kensi, Deeks and Callen remained where they were watching Sam until he got in the ambulance with Jasmine and it drove away. Feeling a bit awkward, Kensi cleared her throat before gently taking Callen's arm. "Let's go. I'll help you to the car," she said wondering how her team leader was going to react. Surprisingly, he docilely allowed her to help him over to the Challenger and then into the front passenger seat. Deeks trailed behind them, wisely keeping his mouth shut for once.
Kensi carefully shut the passenger door then addressed Deeks over the roof of the car. "Be careful, don't change anything in the car, and whatever you do, don't irritate Callen."
"Me?" Deeks smiled self-righteously. "I'm not stupid you know."
Kensi snorted at her partner's remark. "Yeah right. Remember what I said Deeks. See you at the hospital."
Deeks climbed into the car, shut the door and then glanced over at Callen who had his eyes closed, head resting against the seat but didn't have his seatbelt fastened. Deeks was well aware of Sam's seatbelt rules… no seatbelt…no move; he debated what he should do. If he drove off and God forbid got into an accident and Callen got hurt because he was not wearing his seat belt, Sam and Hetty would probably draw straws to see who got to kill him. However, he wasn't sure how Callen would react if he, the lowly LAPD liaison, dared to suggest he buckle up. A third option of reaching over and buckling the seatbelt for Callen was quickly discarded as he was sure Callen would kill him on the spot saving Sam and Hetty the trouble later.
Since two of the three options involved him dying, Deeks was forced to go with the middle one. "Hey, ah, Callen. Wanna buckle that seatbelt? I mean I don't care. Well I do care because obviously I don't want you to get hurt if we have an accident. Not that we are going to have an accident because I am a good driver and I plan on being really cautious since this is Sam's car and…well…ah…it is Sam's rule, about seatbelts," he finished lamely. Deeks caught himself before he let out a sigh of relief when Callen silently buckled his seatbelt.
"OK, great. Let's get this show on the road," he said reaching to adjust the seat position.
"I wouldn't," Callen said without opening his eyes. "Sam hates his seat being moved."
"But Sam's legs are…"
"Adapt," Callen cut him off.
Sighing, Deeks left the seat position alone and started the car. Without thinking he turned on the radio and went to change the station.
"I wouldn't. Sam doesn't like people touching his stations."
With a roll of his eyes, Deeks turned the radio off. "Can I adjust the mirrors? Or would that irritate Sam too."
"The fact you are driving Sam's car irritates him and," he added under his breath, "me." Deeks started to protest but Callen cut him off saying "but adjusting the mirrors is a safety issue, so I'm sure Sam will tolerate you moving them… if you really, really have too."
Kensi planned to follow the boys to the hospital so she was waiting at the edge of the parking lot for them to move wondering what was taking so long.
Deeks decided the mirrors were good enough in their current position so he left them alone and drove off regretting Sam's decision to let him drive the Challenger. It wasn't worth the aggravation.