A/N - Major shout out to aussietrueblue for her faithful reviewing. It means a lot.

Disclaimer in Chapter 1

Chapter 6

The next day Callen and Sam came back into the office, having been out on a case. Tash looked them over and jumped up, going straight over to Sam.

"You're bleeding," Tash said to him.

"I'm fine Tash," Sam replied, reassuring her as he moved over and sat down in his chair

"Yeah, he had a run in with a tree," Callen said, leaning against his desk as he held back a smile.

"What?" Tash asked, looking at Callen. He seemed too happy about this.

"Suspect ran through some trees and sent a branch back. Sam didn't quite catch it in time," Callen said, grinning.

Hetty walked over with a first aid kit. "Miss Farrow, would you please to the honours?" she asked, handing the kit over.

Tash frowned as she took it and looked back at Hetty.

"Why me?" Tash asked.

"Because it is what you used to do," Hetty replied, as she walked away.

Tash looked back at Sam. "I did?"

"Yeah. You have a gentler touch than Hetty or G," Sam said. He knew this wasn't really necessary, but if it gave them another opportunity to help Tash remember, he'd put up with anything.

Callen took his seat and watched as Tash looked over to him, still frowning.

"I take it I don't have a problem with blood?" Tash asked, as she turned back to Sam and opened up the first aid kit.

Sam chuckled and said, "Just as long as it's not your own."

X

He came out from behind the door. She wasn't quick enough and he had her pushed against the wall and her gun fell to the floor. Her heart was pounding at the cruel look in his eyes and she tried to break free. She hated that this was the weakest part of her game. He pulled a knife on her and, as she saw it, she kicked things up a notch. Remembering some moves Sam had taught her in the last couple of weeks, she managed to get him off her and a kick sent him backwards, tripping on the rug, falling and breaking the coffee table. She reached for the gun lying on the floor and stood up, just as Sam and Callen came bursting in.

"Bit late aren't you?" she said, breathing heavily. Callen walked over and checked on the suspect.

"He's out cold. You okay?" Callen asked, looking her over as he slowly walked back to her.

"I'm fine," she replied.

"No you're not. You're bleeding," Sam said, looking at her arm. She looked down and instantly felt faint. Before she had a chance to say anything, Callen pulled her around, sat her on the stairs and pushed her head between her knees.

"Breath," Callen ordered her.

"Guess we should have a warning label stuck on the front of my file," she said weakly.

"G?" Sam asked, concerned.

"Forgot to tell you. Never tell her when she's bleeding," Callen said. "See if you can find a first aid kit in here." She still had her head between her knees, but at least she hadn't fainted. She hated this, it only happened when things were over. It was like whilst she was in the middle of a fight, she saw the blood but something in her mind switched off registering it was hers until things were safe. Then, she couldn't last more than about five seconds before things would go blurry. Callen was used to it, which is why he had her sitting so quickly.

"Got your eyes closed too?" Callen asked.

"What do you think, G?" she asked sarcastically. Of course she did.

"Here," said Sam, having arrived back with the first aid kit.

Callen pulled out what he needed. He poured the antiseptic on and then started to wrap up the wound. Anything to cover the blood. He was doing it quickly and wasn't as gentle as he could have been.

"You know G, your bedside manner sucks" she said, as she took a deep breath against the pain.

"Happy to work on it anytime, just say the word," Callen replied. Sam choked back a laugh, which had her looking up at him glaring, eyes finally opened.

She looked down at Callen's handiwork and back up at him.

"At least I'm not wearing something from Hetty's wardrobe. I should live to see another day," she said. Callen held out a hand to help her stand up.

X

"But I can handle other people's blood?" Tash asked after the memory faded and she was patching up Sam.

"Yep, nothing fazes you unless it is your own," Callen replied.

"Well, there was that one time with you," Sam said as he glanced at Callen. "You didn't faint, but you were seriously mad at G."

Callen chuckled as he remembered that time.

"Are you going to let me in on it, or make me wait?" Tash asked, hoping they could give her something.

"Sorry, Nate says we can only prompt," Sam said as Tash stepped away from him, having finished fixing him up. She definitely still had the gentle touch.

"Since when do you do what Nate says," Tash said as she packed away the first aid kit.

"Tash, we want you to remember. We don't want to mess this up," Sam said as he looked at her. She looked back at Sam and he could see the desperation in her eyes. He wished there was an easier way for her to remember, to come back to them.

"So help me, tell me a little and see what happens," Tash pleaded.

"You only call me Callen when you're mad at me," Callen said to her. He knew how hard it was to resist that pleading voice of hers, especially coupled with the desperation he could hear. He hoped that he could distract her from questioning Sam. Tash turned at the sound of his voice to look at him.

"Do you make me mad often?" Tash asked him.

"Not very," Callen said. Tash mad at him wasn't something he enjoyed so he'd avoided it whenever possible.

Tash looked at him and frowned. There was something, but she couldn't quite reach it yet. As she turned around, Callen continued, "Mostly happens when you're wrong."

Tash turned back to him. "So does that mean I am usually right?" she asked, her lips twitching as she tried not to smile.

"Not as much as you would like to think," Callen said, though his voice had started to fade as she felt a memory start to play in her mind.

X

She stormed into her apartment and spun around to look at him.

"Dammit Callen, what was that all about?" she asked.

"Callen?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"I'm mad," she said, putting her purse and keys on the table.

"Mad about what?" Callen asked.

"You. What you did tonight," she said, turning back to face him.

"What? Talk to you? Bring you home?" Callen asked.

"I was on a date, Callen. What were you even doing there?" Tash asked, emphasising his name so he knew how mad she was.

"Having a drink. Didn't know you were going to be there," Callen replied. Her eyes narrowed at him.

"Yeah right. Sam was the only one I told where I was going and it was nowhere either of you had been or talked about going. What did you do to get it out of him?" she asked, arms folded across her chest.

"Nothing. He gave it up easy," Callen said, confessing.

Tash walked up to him and pulled out his phone from his pocket, dialing Sam.

"G, how's Tash doing?" Sam answered.

"One chance Hanna. Why did you tell Callen where I was tonight?" she asked Sam.

There was silence on the phone for a moment.

"Worried about you. Didn't get a good feel about the guy. G said he would keep an eye on you. You weren't supposed to know he was there," Sam admitted. Tash hung up and turned back to Callen, pushing his phone back at his chest. He reached up and held her hand, along with the phone.

"So, how did me not knowing you were there, turn into you sitting down at my table and chasing the guy off," she asked, trying to move her hand away.

"I didn't chase the guy off. He'd already gone and wasn't coming back. I was just keeping you from being lonely," Callen said, finally releasing her hand when he had finished speaking.

"How did you know he wasn't coming back? Can you read minds now?" Tash asked, fury now mixed with embarrassment if what he said was true.

"No, but since he walked out of the restaurant with a blonde on his arm, figured he wasn't coming back," Callen said.

She felt the fury leave her and sadness take it's place. She turned and started to walk away, toward her bedroom.

"Tash," Callen called out to her.

"Leave me alone G," she said.

"At least you're not mad anymore," Callen said quietly, though she heard it and it brought a small smile to her face, just before she closed her bedroom door.

X

Tash looked at Callen and asked, "So did he really leave with a blonde?"

"Yes," Callen said. He knew what she was referring to. He held her gaze and watched as her eyes narrowed. Tash believed him, but she was sure there was something else.

"Did you have anything to do with that?" Tash asked.

Callen watched her for a moment whilst he tried to decide whether to tell her the complete truth or continue with what he knew she had remembered.

"Yes," Callen said, deciding on the truth.

"Why?" Tash asked.

"He wasn't good enough for you," Callen said. None of the guys she had dated had been, though it hadn't always been because they weren't good.

"Is anyone?" Tash replied sarcastically.

Callen didn't answer. He wasn't entirely sure he could say anything that was within Nate's rules that she would believe. Sam didn't feel that way though.

"Only one," Sam said.

Tash turned around. "Who?" she asked him.

"The right one," Sam replied.

"Oh good grief, don't tell me you are a cryptic fan too," Tash said, giving up. She picked up the first aid kit and walked away.