A/N: Sorry this is late, but I only just got back home. Anyway, thanks to CallenHotchMcGarrettFan, justjunior, Momsa, Izzi76, and blackpink97 for adding this story to favorites or alerts. And extra thanks to sillymissy98, CallenHotchMcGarrettFan, Haleybug52, justjunior, Momsa, TwilightPony21, and Nina.4444 for being kind enough to leave me reviews :)

Today's chapter is a wee bit short, but then again, this whole story is rather short. We've only got three more chapters to go after this one. Sad but true.

Chapter Four: The Final Piece

"Eric, what've we got?" I ask as I enter the ops center. Surprisingly, it's not dusty. Eric, Nell, and Deeks spent the weekend cleaning it out for our use while I was in D.C. with Sam.

I would've been back sooner, but Sam had insisted I take a day off to rest. I'd never admit it, but I do feel loads better after relaxing for one day at his house.

Eric responds, "Still nothing on Jason Baxter" – so not what I wanted to hear – "but I did manage to find Hetty."

"Where is she?" Deeks asks.

"2244 Imperial Avenue," Nell replies.

I'm already heading out, leaving Sam – who's just coming in – to catch up with the others.

Hetty's involvement is something I have to take care of by myself.

The house on Imperial Avenue is just one of the many residences Hetty maintains throughout the country. I'm not even exactly sure just how many she's got, but I know it's a lot. This particular home, however, is rather low-key. It's just large enough for one or two people, with a one-car garage, a small side garden, and a tiny terrace out front for afternoon tea-drinking.

Hands shaking, I reach out to ring the doorbell, trying to predict how Hetty will react and attempting to prepare myself for it.

The door opens slowly to reveal the little woman. Hetty, I note, has changed a lot since I last saw her. She looks frailer now, more tired, less resilient. Her hair's still the same length, but it's much grayer now, and her eyes are less spirited. I know she saw Callen as her own son, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. But it's such a shock to see this once-indomitable woman reduced to this state, a shell of what she once was.

I'm glad to see that her eyes light up somewhat as she sees me. For a moment, there's a glimpse of the willful ninja lady we used to serve under. Then it's gone as she greets me with a, "It's good to see you again, Ms. Blye."

"Likewise, Hetty," I agree, bending down to hug her.

It doesn't take long for me to explain why I'm here. Hetty nods occasionally, but her stance remains weary – the past seven years can't have been easy on her. She invites me in with only a fraction of her previous enthusiasm, and although her house is spotless, it still bears subtle marks of neglect. My heart goes out to her – the thought of Hetty suffering through her grief alone is unbearable – and on the inside, I curse myself. I'd never even paused to think how my leaving would affect everyone. I was so caught up in my own sorrow that I couldn't think beyond myself, beyond my need to get out and get away from the pain. I should have stopped to consider that my absence would fragment the team even further – Callen had always insisted that even if he was the leader, and Hetty our Operations Manager, I was the heart. I never took him seriously – surely I wasn't that important to the team – so I didn't realize what he meant until now.

Clearly, without me, the others just gave up on the team. Now that I think about it, there might – might – have been a chance that we could continue functioning together despite having a large part missing – but without me there wasn't a hope. I don't want to sound egotistical, but I can't help thinking what if. What if? What if I hadn't run away? What if I hadn't joined the CIA? What if I hadn't (and this is the hardest for me to admit) abandoned my team – my family – when they needed me most? Maybe things could have been different.

But, as Hetty would say, there's no use crying over spilt milk – or lost chances. What matters is the future, and right now, the only thing that entails is finding Jason Baxter and giving him hell for what he did to Callen.

"I was afraid we wouldn't be able to find you, Hetty," I confess. "I knew you'd gone off grid, but then Vance told me you were in San Diego."

"And how do you think Leon would ever have known where I was if I hadn't left a small opening for him to find out?" she asks, and I see another glimmer of the legend that is Henrietta Lange. Seems she's not entirely out of the game.

"You knew this would happen?" I question.

"I didn't know, but I wasn't going to miss out on it if it did happen just because I didn't leave a forwarding address."

I manage a grin as I realize that the team is actually back together now. We're broken, and damaged, and dealing with a hell of a lot of emotional baggage – but we're back, and that's what matters.

So it is that after a quick cup of tea on the aforementioned terrace, Hetty simply packs a small bag of essentials, locks up the house, and leaves with me without a second glance.

A/N: There! Now the team's finally back together - except for Callen, of course.

I look forward to more of your lovely reviews! (And again, I thank those who have given me feedback thus far)