Chapter 2

Carina kept her belongings in an old black bag. It was lined with Kevlar and could survive explosions but it wasn't that that attracted her to it. The bag reminded her of her life, ironically similar to her fathers. She had moved with her mother around the world but mostly out of America. She got used to dropping friends and possessions and leaving it all behind. For the past two year she had lived in 3 houses, 3 apartments and slept on 5 door steps.

Nell Jones had died on the 27th of august but it had been two year since she died. Carina had been living on her own using the computer skills her mother had taught her to forge all manner of false documents. She had learned through survival instinct how to steal, to distract from what she was doing long enough to do something else. She had found enough money to live on but she knew that she needed a life. So she had gone to her father. She later called social services acting as a scared suddenly alone child and they arranged for her to be taken to the father.

Callen had spent his night busting punch bags and making fist sized holes in the wall. By the time Sam Hanna arrived at the office Callen had smashed up two mugs just trying to drink his coffee. Sam went out to his partner and helped him back to reality. After several caffeine shots and aspirin G foolishly believed he was ready for the day.

The whole team had been doing paperwork throughout the morning and they were all ready for a break when the day really began. Carina and two social workers arrived at the office and privately meeting with Callen and Hetty in her office left Carina with the rest of Callen's team.

Kensi, Deeks and Sam tried not to stare as a younger clone of their old friend sat down at their boss's desk as if it was hers. This was obviously Nell's daughter but they took longer to make the link to Callen. It was his height and broad shoulders that really shouted his influence. The blank emotionless look on her face though was what matched her to the man now accepting responsibility for her. She thought about striking up a conversation with some of the people around her but became nervous, they were close friends with her mother and they seemed to be judging her.

Luckily just as Carina was about to crack Eric Beale whistled for the group and wafted them inside. Then he looked back to Carina and winked leaving her so confused her head started to spin. She thought back to the last time she had slept and her mind just stalled. In an instant her head was slumped down against her chest and she was out like a light.

Callen glanced back to Carina before deciding she was safe and leaving her in his chair while he went upstairs with the rest of his team. He blanked out through most of the meeting but took in what he needed to, he sent off Kensi and Deeks to open the new case while he went back downstairs in silence. Sam stood beside him and watched him watch her.

"You do realise that if you send her away she'll end up like you?" Sam asked Callen making sure that Callen would do what he had to. "Yet if you force her to stay she will possibly be even more twisted than you" he stated pushing Callen to respond or even show he was listening.

"She just looks so much like Nell; she even twitches her nose the same way before she sneezes. I don't think I can stand near here without bursting into tears. Callen offered as a reply

"Then go now, watch her asleep and innocent, lord only knows what she could do to you when she wakes up. She's covered in bruises and winces whenever she lifts her right arm." Sam stated

"Dislocated shoulder, reset herself and a fall about 3 feet higher than she could handle" Callen said as if she was an object in a lab. Carina stirred slightly as somewhere someone slammed a drawer shut but she just curled up tighter and stayed asleep as if under a spell. Callen took this opportunity to pull a chair across from his desk and taking Sam's advice just watched her chest rise and fall and her feet flick every so often as she dreamt. Finally Deeks and Kensi returned and as the smell of the coffee they had brought with them flooded through the building Carina awoke and the trance was broken.

Carina accepted the plain black coffee offered to her by Deeks and reached down into her bag for her tablets before realising it had been moved.

"My bag what, where" Carina mumbled to herself before the telltale panic set in, like a shrinking cage around her chest her pulse sped up and her breathing followed. "Hey. My bag. I need it. Now." Carina exclaimed her speech punctuated by gasps for air that were unsatisfied. "Now. Meds. Inhaler" seconds before she said it a small blue device was thrown across the office to her. It flew past her but Callen's reflexes snatched it and placed it into her hands. She used it swiftly and began to relax as the sweet air made it threw to her and the panic faded completely.

She looked round at where her inhaler had appeared from and saw Eric saluting her before heading away. She knew that her mother had trusted her friends and co workers but that really assured her that even if she was still wary of the others Eric Beale could be trusted.

After working closely with Nell for such a long time Eric knew her habits, she needed a special type of sweetener in her coffee and also needed to keep her sugar levels high. After Nell left she told him and only him of her daughter, then before leaving for the last time she gave him the task of guardian angel. Just watching out for her and Callen until they are okay with each other. Eric swore on his life to protect Nell's loved ones and he took that seriously, since Carina had entered the building earlier he had retrieved Nell's old emergency inhaler and kept it close to him along with a pack of glucose tablets.

Callen left Carina with Sam while he went to the social workers office and retrieved Carina's bag. He tried to open it but the multiple locking mechanisms prevented him. A definite topic of conversation for later, he mentally reminded himself, before heading back to Carina as fast as he could. Her asthma attack had scared him but the real fear was the helplessness he had felt. As soon as he was back t her he gave her her bag and sat at Deeks place half goggling Asthma procedures and half watching her open the bag.

Much to Callen's despair Carina simply unzipped the bag and pulled out what she needed, putting her inhaler in her jean pocket, her spare in her jacket pocket and her sweetener in her now luke-warm coffee. She noticed Callen hold his hand apart visualising her inhaler, probably planning where he could keep them for emergencies Carina thought. Callen looked up and was about to ask her if he could take a look at her inhaler when she tossed it to him effortlessly with her right arm. She winced painfully as her sore shoulder played up and her first reaction was to get her bag and find some pain relief. She found several empty packets but reckoned that what she had mixed with the aspirin Callen had put in his pocket earlier would do the trick nicely. A simple brush pass technique as she drew close to him asking where the ladies rooms was secured the tablets in her hand but she foolishly dropped her guard to soon. She was walking towards the directions Callen had pointed her in when a support tech came rushing from nowhere and thwacked her shoulder accidently. The force yanked her shoulder out of its socket and she ran to the bathroom to fix it before it got any worse.