SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG BUT IT WAS A HARDER STORY TO WRITE!

I WANT TO THANK MY BETA READER *EVERSHORT* FOR READING,CORRECTING AND GIVING ME IDEAS! THANK YOU!

"Mr. Callen, please take a seat." Callen sat, sizing the man up. This was just a guy doing his job, but he would be prejudiced about anything and everything they said. So far, Sam had been too pissed to stop and talk to the team. Even with Hetty's direct orders, Sam would have at least said something, giving them hints. But he didn't, all Sam did was walk by to grab his jacket, and spared glances only to Deeks. Maybe that was the hint?

"I'm just going to cut to the chase here. Mr. Hanna didn't appreciate my attempts to make this any less uncomfortable." Callen smiled at the man's words. Of course, always cutting to the chase of things. "Do you think Mr. Deeks is qualified for this job?"

This was about the new guy? "What's with the questions about Deeks?"

"Just normal routine. You understand, new agent and all." Callen nodded, knowing something else was up by the way the man wouldn't met his eyes. But Callen wasn't comfortable with these questions. It was always bad, in his experience, when they asked about one agent. It wasn't a good sign for Deeks at all.

"To answer your question: yes I think he is qualified for the job." The interviewer nodded at Callen's answer, writing something down.

Callen had always hated when people did that, writing down what he said. It always put him off that people would listen, make the humming sound, and then write.

"As for his behavior with this unit, do you interact well with each other?"

Callen smiled, remembering how just yesterday he and Sam slipped a whoopie cushion under Deeks' chair. Juvenile, yes, but everyone got a kick out of it - including Deeks. Hetty, not so much.

"We interact just fine." He purposefully spoke the words used in the questions.

"Do you think he should stay on this job as a full time agent?" This was getting just a bit out of hand, Callen thought.

"Why exactly are you asking these questions?" Callen never was a fan of being questioned.

"I told you, because-"

"Yeah, because he's new, but this? "Should he stay on the job?" They are not normal questions. So be serious, why are you asking?" The man nodded at Callen's hard words, which annoyed the agent even more.

"There have been some complaints about his performances in the past, from previous cops he's worked with, which has caused some concern with your bosses. Now, back to the questions, when was the first time you knew that Marty Deeks was meant for this job?"

Callen paused, a memory playing out before his eyes. "It was three months after Deeks first joined us."

"No, G you can't go in alone, it's suicide!"

"I'll be fine, I'll call Deeks and Kensi. They'll be my back up, but I'm going in."

"G don't-" Callen hung up before his partner finished, but he would keep his promise to as least call the others. Callen wasn't stupid, he knew when he needed others to watch his back.

"Callen, where are you?"

"Deeks, I'm almost to the house. I'm going to go in and secure the place."

"Whoa wait, no Callen wait for back up!" Deeks' voice grew slightly louder with alarm.

"You and Kensi are the back up."

"I'm not with Kensi, I'm like five minutes away. At least wait for me before going in."

Callen could see the house but he didn't have time to wait, the kids had been missing for too long. They could be dead in five minutes. "No, I can't wait." He paused. "Deeks, when you get here I want you to wait outside, wait for the back up. There's no need for both of us to be in there: that's an order."

"No. Damn it Callen!"

But Callen hung up on Deeks as well, just as he had done to his partner. This was, without a doubt, reckless. But he was responsible for those kids, and they had been taken from under his watch. It was his job to return them home.

Pulling around back, Callen got out of the car, vest on and armed well. The back was like any ally in the world: gross and smelled horrible. But it was the safest entrance. The door was barely being held up by the hinges, the house was old and broke down, and it was a wonder that even slums lived here. Callen slowly pulled the broken door open, wincing when it creaked at the slightest pressure. But he was able to slide in.

He could hear someone in another room humming something, and heard running water. At the front door stood a box filled with drugs, they must be leaving early. See, he thought, five minutes makes a big difference.

Callen looked around the corner, taking count of what he was up against. Three guys, two holding and dumping gasoline everywhere while the other was kicking back, having a cigarette. That's how he was gonna get his wife back? Burn his children alive… sick bastard.

"Freeze!" Callen turned around the corner, startling the men. But they quickly recovered and began reaching for their guns. Callen did the best thing and started shooting. All three went down without a problem. He approached them slowly, checking for signs of life. The first gun man, who was fat and looked like Santa, which kinda freaked him out, was dead. He was the one of the two with the gasoline cans.

He crossed the room, checking the other man who also had the gasoline can, and was also dead. Callen turned to the last guy, the man that they had been looking for, the man who wasn't dead yet.

He looked like any young innocent guy, but his smile, it was a creepy killer smile. He was a creepy killer, and it disgusted Callen. The smile seemed out of place on a face that seemed so innocent. "That was your plan, to burn your kids alive."

"Still is the plan," he whispered. Callen's eyes widened when he saw the cigarette in his hand lower towards the curtain. Before his gun was even half raised, it hit the material. Flames licked and ate away the curtain within in seconds, quickly spreading. The whole room seemed to be in flames before he even blinked. Callen pulled away from the flames and ran towards the stairs.

"Sarah, Kyle Lindsey!" Screaming for the children as he ran up the stairs, the smoke rose in the rest of the house seconds later.

"Help, were up here!" Callen followed their voices, they were in the second to last room. When he made it to them, they were right above where their dear old dad had begun the fire. The gas fire had spread and was eating the rest of the house within moments. "Sarah" he called again.

"Here," she screamed to him while the others coughed.

"Don't worry guys I'm here." the two younger ones were crying and screaming while Sarah tried comforting them.

"Please, hurry Mr. Callen the floor, it's so hot." Smoke filled the room - he could barely see them, and he soon began coughing.

"It's ok. Give me your hands, ok one at a time." He kept his voice calm as he cut the binds to them, but they refused to cross the floor. It was breaking away, flames licking the sides of the door, trapping them inside, closing in around them suffocating them. Callen tried the window but it didn't budge, it was locked or jammed.

"Callen!" he spun around to the familiar voice.

"Deeks, we're up here." Callen reached for the children, he was wounded from the last job they worked, meaning he couldn't carry all three. "I can't carry all of you at once." Somehow, his voice kept it's calm tone.

"Take them first, please, I'll be ok. Take Kyle and Lindsey first." Sarah was far more mature then any seven year old should be, he thought sadly. Callen nodded to her and grabbed the coughing and crying children. He struggled through the door, but got to the staircase.

"Deeks," he called to his friend who couldn't be seen, but soon he watched as Deeks ran back inside, holding the only oxygen mask he had. Deeks made his way up the stairs, past the flames that licked at his feet, which melted his shoes and burned his legs. "Take them, there's another one in there."

Deeks held the kids close, tossing the mask to Callen. "You guys good?" they nodded, and Deeks looked back down the stairs. The flames were surrounding them, the entire room was in flames, and the stairs were its first prey. It licked up the railings, wall paper pealed away from the walls, incasing the room with heat. "Ok, I need you to hold on tight. Can you do that for me?"

Both nodded, and he held them closer. "Awesome. Hold your breath."

And then he ran back down the stairs, bending down and holding them close while twisting his back towards the highest of the flames to take the heat, the damage, for the kids.

Callen turned back and ran into the room. Sarah was coughing and laying on the ground, weakly she reached for him. He was there in a flash, placing the mask on her face. "Breath, ok breath. You good?" she nodded weakly, and he picked her up. His back protested from the weight of the child but he ignored it and pulled her close, shielding her from the flames that destroyed the ceiling. Bits of the ceiling fell around them as floor broke away, making each step a little more difficult.

But they made it out of the room, only to have Callen pulling away from the railing banister as the flames roared higher then ever.

"CALLEN!" Deeks' voice came from below the stairs, which were impossible to travel up, but amazingly he made it. Deeks reached the top step and reached for the girl, he knew about Callen's injures and the detective could see how painful it was to hold the child. Deeks' face was covered in sweat and soot, his shirt was singed and parts of his pants were burned away. Yet he stood there, calm and determined to get the job done.

Callen passed Sarah towards Deeks and immediately the man turned and went back down the stairs. Callen was a step behind him when the wood buckled in, and he was weightless for a few moments before gravity hit him and he went crashing down. He grabbed the only thing available, which was the wooden ledge that held him. Callen was dangling over what once was the dinning room.

"CALLEN!" he heard Deeks yell, and knew the cop would want to help him.

"Go, get her out, go now!" He didn't need to see Deeks to know that he did what he wanted. Deeks would save the innocent child before anything.

Callen clawed at the wood, below him only held flames a fiery death that he wasn't looking forward to. He was sweating from the heat, and while the pain was bearable, he wanted to let go, he was tired and sore. The flames were getting higher, and Callen hoped that Deeks would just leave him, he didn't want to risk his friends life for his stupidity. You should have waited, he thought to himself.

The wood dug into his chest, but he fought to get back up to fix his mistakes.

"Callen," he looked up and saw Deeks fighting his away up the stairs once again.

"Deeks, no!" the stair he was on gave out and Deeks went down, his leg went through the wood and he fell towards the wall that held only bright flames. "DEEKS!" Callen screamed to him, but Deeks caught himself before falling against the wall.

Dragging his leg back up through the floor board, Deeks saw his pant leg was covered in blood, but he continued up the steps till he collapsed where Callen was. He was breathing heavily, coughing, bleeding and blistering from his wounds but still he fought on. He reached over and grabbed Callen's arms and pulled.

"Come on fatty, lets go, I can't do this by myself." Despite the situation, Callen smiled at the words.

"It's not fat," he grunted and helped pull himself up. "It's pure muscle, which I see you lack completely." And then he was free.

Both men collapsed onto the ground, solid beautiful ground, and Callen wanted to stay on the ground and breathe, even though all he was breathing in was smoke-tainted air.

Sadly, Deeks wouldn't have that. "Up you go, fatty mic fat."

They faced the stairs, and both shrugged. Callen went down first, his sleeve catching fire but he pressed on, stumbling and slipping. Suddenly, the step gave out, making Callen go down. He heard Deeks call to him, but he was to busy getting very close to the floor. Seconds later, he felt Deeks pat him down, stopping the pain in his arm and he was pulled up again by his arms, being dragged the rest of the way. He wanted to tell Deeks he could walk, but couldn't he couldn't speak. Breathing caused enough pain, he wasn't sure if he could also form words. Sunlight filled his vision as fresh air surrounded him.

Callen was dragged down stairs till he was dropped suddenly.

"G!"

"Deeks!"

Sam? Kensi? He looked over and found Deeks instead, laying on his stomach, breathing and coughing violently. They were surrounded by EMTs in moments, checking their pulses and coaching them to breathe. Sam was next to him as they pushed him up, he fought off the gurney, refusing it, as he didn't need help, Deeks needed help. "Told you to wait G." Sam was glaring at him as he patted his back. In response Callen flipped him off, making Sam laugh.

Callen struggled to breathe into the mask he was given and looked over at Deeks. Kensi sat next to him, coaching him on breathing with the mask. She was smiling at him, but worry still lined her face. He said something and Kensi laughed, full out laughed. Kensi was always serious, but somehow, someway, Deeks had wormed his way to her heart and they were truly partners now.

Deeks defied his orders, ran in, and saved two kids. Came back and rescued the other as he fell through the floor, Callen told him to leave and he did, to save the girl. Then he came back when the house was close to coming undone, both agents barely making it out, and he was out only because Deeks dragged him out, but neither unscratched. Callen was hurt, wounds on his chest held splinters, his hands were bloody with some burn wounds on his arms and he felt like a hospital time was on the way.

Deeks was worse. His arms were red and blistering including his legs, blood ran down his ankle, he would for sure have splinters of his very own digging into his leg. The EMTs fought him to get in the ambulance, but with enough glaring and commanding from Kensi, he got up grumbling. He took two steps then collapsed back onto the ground, and struggled to sit up. Kensi was there holding him upright, trying to calm her partner while screaming at the EMTs. Callen tried calling for Deeks, but he was over taken by a series of coughing fit.

"Relax, G, Kensi's got him." He nodded at Sam's words and watched as they finally lifted Deeks to the gurney and began to load him up. Kyle and Lindsey ran up to Deeks, smiling and laughing which brought a smile to Deeks.

"High five little man," he heard Deeks asking the five year old, and the kid responded with a high five, making them all smile. Second degree burns covering him, and still he acted like a kid. He was meant to be a cop, he was meant to be one of them.

The man kept writing as if everything he said was vital information, and he kept nodding to himself. "That was reckless on your part, you know."

"Yes, and I take full responsibility for that. But we got the guys, saved the kids, so I say it was a good days work."

The man nodded and looked up at Callen, studying him. "Do you believe he should have ran back in there and saved you? It was a bit reckless on his count also, was it not?"

Callen glared at the man. "If it wasn't for Deeks, I wouldn't be here. So no, I don't have any complaints for him coming back in to save my ass."

The man nodded and looked through files that sat near him. Nodding again he looked up at him and spoke. "That was heroic saving you, but he was shot recently as well to get to Agent Blye. Am I mistaken?"

Callen kept glaring. "That's correct."

"So, he was your weakest link and still is. Doesn't that upset you in anyway? He almost cost you your friends life, a fellow agent, and you still think he is worthy of working with you?"

Callen wanted nothing more than to punch this man, to tell him off, but he was also curious about something. "We just went over how he saved three children and an agents life, but you want to focus on how he was gunned down in his own neighborhood, nearly dying himself?"

"I have to make sure he is good enough."

"No," Callen cut him off as anger coursed through him. "You're looking for any reason to get rid of a good cop, get rid of a good agent, and I'm not gonna help you." He stood up, pushing his chair away. "Before I go, I'm gonna leave you with the last piece of information you need at all. Deeks is a good cop, he's a good agent and he deserves to wear that badge. He deserves to be here. He is part of my team, and I won't let you threaten my team."

and of course TBC...

PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS I DO LOVE THEM!