This is my second chapter! Enjoy!
Legend. What a case! It was the case that changed everything... Saw old friends and nearly lost someone close to me. Yeah Legend is the case that changed everything for me.
Another sunny day in L A, seriously what more could a girl ask for? Well in my case I had a long list, starting that morning with something far more interesting than sitting at the end of a street watching some nervous, slightly paranoid man, rush down towards me. I sat at the table, sipping on my coffee trying to look like one of the locals. Two nearly three years I'd worked with NCIS and I still at times felt like an outsider. But then again, I think everyone in L A feels like that.
"Hey Coup, hows the coffee?" Sam Hanna's voice came through the ear piece I was wearing. I looked down at the cup and sighed.
"Cold, and they burnt the beans." I looked back up and towards the direction hopefully the guy we were meant to be watching was heading. Naval Officer Chandler who was asked to drop some money off. The guy was a good kid, who got caught up in an arms deal, they had threatened his mother. We were hoping to track the money to the arms dealer and take another piece of scum off the streets. "Remind me again why Ken's gets to walk and I'm left with... burnt coffee?" I asked picking up the cup and taking the smallest of sips. I herd Sam laugh down the ear piece. Sam was a big guy with a big laugh, and an even bigger heart. He was the glue that held the team together, there was no doubt about it.
"Because Kensi needs the practise." Sam replied with a chuckle. I screwed my face up waiting for the response I knew was coming.
"Excuse me? I do not need the practise! I passed my training at the highest level, and I have never been made in an op yet!" Kensi Blye, a newly promoted NCIS agent replied with all the attitude of a person who was so keen to prove they could play with the big boys. Kens was a great woman, strong, intelligent if at times a little stubborn and hot headed. I liked working with her.
"Hey, you've always worked with one of us, that's why you've never been made!" Sam pointed out and I bit my lip, imagining Kensi's face.
"Sam-" Kensi started to say with so much anger.
"Hey, congratulations on becoming a full agent by the way Kens, when we going out to celebrate?" I asked changing the topic before she did blow her cover. I herd Sam laugh before Eric's voice came over the ear piece.
"Black bird acquired." Eric's voice said.
"Crossing to the east side of the street Sam, you got him?" Kensi asked. I glanced up the street and sure enough, I spotted Kensi and our target – Chandler. The guy looked really nervous and I wasn't sure if he alone would blow the cover.
"I got him." Sam confirmed.
"I got a visual." I added before sipping on the nasty coffee.
"We have a visual Kensi." Macy added. Agent Macy was the head of the special ops unit and a fair woman. You gave her crap, she made sure she gave you twice as much. She was a strong woman who liked to be in the action.
"Hey welcome to the party Mace." Kensi replied. "Repositioning, back to me at the intersection."
"Ease up Kensi, you don't want to get there first." Sam warned her. I glanced up and sure enough our target was nearly level with Kensi. Before the target could get to the intersection shots fired out.
"Shots fired! Shots fired! Black bird under fire!" Kensi yelled out as I grabbed my gun and raced up the street to protect our target and see if I could find the shooters. People were running towards me to try and get away from the firing. It was like swimming against the current.
"I have no visual on the shooters, repeat no visual!" I cried out as I tried to get past the mass of people heading my way.
"All units close up! Shots fired! Shots fired!" Macy ordered as I raced up the street. I got close but more shots rang out and I had to duck behind a car. "Get me another angle!" Macy demanded. I got up and saw Sam jumping over a couple of cars, I looked around but couldn't see our target.
"Kensi behind you!" Sam yelled out and I looked to see a car racing towards Kensi. Both me and Sam took off running towards Kensi. She managed to jump over the car she was using to take cover and landed on the floor. Both me and Sam reached her at the same time.
"You ok?" I asked worried.
"Get Chandler! Go, go!" Kensi said getting back up on her feet. Both me and Sam looked around for any sign of our target.
"I need a GPS!" Sam cried out as there was no sign of the guy.
"GPS is in the suit case!" Macy explained as we all noticed the brief case shot open on the floor. "We need a visual on Chandler, Sam." Macy added.
"It's a negative Mace, black bird has flown." Sam answered Macy.
"Crap." She cursed.
I pulled up to the loft where Special Ops was based and noticed a car parked outside, it was a rental. I went up in the lift and saw a man stood in ops looking a little lost and in awe. He was taller than me, a little chubby and had a kind of baby face. He was stood talking to Kensi.
"Hey Kens, you ready?" I asked walking over to the pair.
"Hey Coup, sure." Kensi smiled then turned to the guy. "Special Agent Tim McGee, meet Alexis Cooper, MOD." Kensi said introducing us. I glared at Kensi for using my full name. No one used it for good reason.
"Pleasure to meet you Alexis." McGee said shaking my hand.
"It's Coup, or Alex and you too Tim, NCIS?" I asked slightly confused. I knew all the agents from the LA office and the San Diego branch. This guy was either new or from out of town.
"Yeah, Washington. We've just flown in to help with the case." McGee explained with a small smile. "How, how are you connected to NCIS Coup?" He asked confused.
"Oh, they arrested me for murder and ever since, I just kinda stuck around." I shrugged half joking. I saw McGee's eyes widen as he turned to Kensi. She just laughed at me, pushing me slightly.
"Coup's the MOD liaison officer. Anything that could be a threat to the UK, she jumps in and helps out." Kensi explained and McGee nodded still looking a little wary of me.
"Well, good to see my British humour going down a storm as always..." I muttered looking down at my watch. "Oh look at the time, come on Kens we gotta move." I said with a quick smile to McGee. It was clear that I had scared the guy a little, and I felt kinda bad about that.
"Yeah, sure." Kensi nodded with a wide smile.
"See you around Agent McGee from Washington." I said with a smile and nod before walking away.
"Bye." McGee said with a little wave, a bemused expression still on his baby face. We headed for the stairs when Eric pushed his chair out blocking our path.
"Hey Eric!" Kensi cried out annoyed.
"Sorry Kens, I was only trying to catch Coup." Eric smirked at me. Eric was our tech guy, he knew everything about computers and could hack into anything. He was scary good with computers and I was so glad he was a good guy. Eric had that surfer attitude you saw a lot in LA, relaxed and composed. Except with Eric it didn't seem so much of an act as most guys around here.
"Eric, we're heading to the café for the meet." I sighed, tucking my hands into my back pockets.
"You owe me." Eric said holding his hand out, palm up.
"Now?" I sighed, trying to sound slightly annoyed.
"Now." He replied with a smirk.
"Really?" I asked annoyed.
"Pay up." Eric smirked, clicking his fingers.
"Just pay him already." Kensi sighed rolling her eyes at me.
"Fine!" I cried out and pulled out twenty dollars. "But this isn't fair, you modded the game. No way I lost Modern Warfare 2 without you modding it." I sighed handing over the money.
"I'm just that good." Eric said tucking the money into his pocket.
"Rematch on Saturday?" I asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Double or quits?" He asked with a smirk.
"You're on." I said pushing him back under his desk so that me and Kensi could get past. "Now get back to work before Mace catches us." I joked as we walked past him and out of ops.
I got in the car and drove Kensi to the café to set up for the meet. I had worked with Kensi on and off for the last two years. I'd seen her train as a probational agent and get her full status. I was proud of her and she was the closet thing to a best friend I had. In the spy game it was always hard to make true close friends. It usually ended with you back stabbing them, or they back stabbing you. I hoped neither would happen with Kens.
"So drinks?" Kensi asked as I drove. She turned to me with that typical mischievous grin.
"Now, or...?" I joked with a smile. It wasn't unknown for me and Kensi to take a long lunch after a hard mission, especially with we thought we could get some shots in too.
"Friday night. You, me, Mace, Nate, Eric, Sam, Callen, Renko. All of us to celebrate." Kensi smirked as she pulled her hair into a pony tail.
"Shots?" I asked with an arched eyebrow. Kensi turned to me with a serious expression on her face.
"Always shots Coup. Always." She said before we both burst out laughing. She was like my sister, although I'd had more experience in the field, we were both close in age, I was just over a year older than Kensi. We both liked cars and shared the same attitude to most things in life, except music.
"Cool, well, I think it could be an interesting and sophisticated evening." I joked as I pulled up to a red light. In the car next to us a couple of guys started to drool. Personally I didn't think I was up there in the hot stakes, but I knew Kensi was. But she insisted I was equally as hot.
"Hey baby, nice car!" The driver shouted to us. "You like riding big things?" He asked revving his engine a little. Kensi turned to me and rolled her eyes. I just winked at her.
"We love riding big things." I said seductively, blowing the guy a kiss.
"Well why don't you pull over and you girls can ride something really big!" The guy said nearly hanging out of his car.
"Why wait? The lights still red." Kensi said winking at the guys. They both looked at each other and the smiled reached ear to ear.
"Sure!" The passenger cried out.
"Well to save time, why don't you loose your pants?" I asked winking. The guys seriously did not take two seconds to think about it before their pants were off. They rushed out of their cars just as the lights started to turn.
"Aww shame, that's tiny!" Kensi cried out laughing as we pulled away, leaving the two guys at the front of a queue of cars in just their tops, socks and underwear. Me and Kensi laughing our heads off as we drove. A few blocks down the street my phone rang.
"Coup." I said answering it.
"Hey, you herd from Callen?" Sam asked as I drove.
"Nope," I glanced at Kensi. "You herd from G?" I asked confused.
"Hmm no." She shook her head after thinking about it.
"Sorry Sam, we haven't. You tried calling him?" I asked confused.
"Oh yeah, Nate's tried too. He ain't picking up." Sam explained.
"I bet Macy is loving it that." I half laughed half sighed. If Kensi was my sister, Eric my nerdy little brother, Sam my big protective brother, Callen... G Callen was the strange kid in school you secretly liked. Callen had this whole mysterious gig going. He knew nothing about himself, or his family and it made him hard to get a read on at times. It was partly why I liked working with him, I never quiet knew what he was thinking. Something that made you want to know more. But saying that, he could still be the most annoying, biggest pain in the backside ever. Especially if he knew it would get under your skin.
"You know it. Got any idea where he could be?" Sam asked.
"One or two. Listen, I'll pulled over and give Kensi the keys. We're about twenty minutes out. I'll see if I can find him." I explained glancing at Kens.
"Ok, call when you find him." Sam said before hanging up.
I pulled over close to where Callen was staying at the moment. The man liked to move around like you wouldn't believe. He was always some where new because the last place was too loud, or too quiet. It smelt, there was too many people, not enough people. The guy just had itchy feet I thought. But Callen was a good man. He and Sam I'd met two years ago and ever since I've trusted them with my life. I walked down the beach front looking for him. I knew he liked to spend time just watching the waves. As I walked down I saw him with someone I hadn't seen in a long time. I saw Callen cancel a call that could only have been from Macy by his expression. The pair continued to walk towards me.
"You know, she's going to kill you for not picking up." I said with a smirk as I reached Callen and his friend.
"No she wont, I'll just sweet talk her again." Callen replied with a smirk of his own as I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah cos that works so well..." I scoffed shaking my head. I glanced to his friend and smiled.
"Officer Cooper, meet-" Callen started to introduce us.
"Gibbs, it's been way too long." I said walking over to Gibb and hugging him. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged back.
"Alexis, I herd you were working State side." Gibbs said as we pulled apart.
"There's only so much you can do in Europe." I shrugged with a smile.
"You two know each other?" Callen asked confused.
"Well yeah Callen, I worked with Alexis when she finished her training from the MOD." Gibb said plainly.
"You worked with Gibbs?" Callen asked confused.
"Yes Callen." I said slowly nodding.
"And how come he gets to call you Alexis?" Callen asked just as confused. I turned to Gibbs and smirked.
"He's saved my arse too many times. Plus, it's Gibbs." I shrugged. Gibbs, or Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a legend. When I was new to this game, learning the ropes like Kensi, Gibbs was there to help me out, show me the finer points of being an undercover operative. He taught me more than any school, class room or simulation. Gibbs was the most grumpy, coffee drinking grouch I'd ever met and it took me years to prove myself to him. But I knew he'd always have my back, for as long as I lived. Gibbs was one person who'd never back stab me.
"You kill me and Sam for calling you Alex!" Callen cried out. "We've save your ass loads."
"No you haven't." I said shaking my head.
"Yes we have." Callen argued with me folding his arms over his chest.
"Trust me, you haven't." I smirked glancing at Gibbs.
"When you're both finished." Gibbs said making us both turn to him. "Alexis, you working with Macy?" Gibbs asked watching me closely.
"Liaison position Gibbs, that why you and Agent McGee are here?" I asked plainly.
"You met McGee." Gibbs stated more than asked with a smile that said he expected me to know he wasn't travelling alone. "We're here working the same case, yeah."
"Fun." I said glancing at Callen. We both knew that Macy and Gibbs had a difficult relationship, though we didn't know why though. Neither of them would tell us, no matter how many times we asked.
"So how about next time we meet Gibbs, we do it in bar? No more BOLO in the park?" Callen asked shaking hands with Gibbs.
"Next time." Gibbs replied with a smile. He turned to me and pulled me into a small hug. "Keep him safe." Gibbs whispered to me as we hugged.
"Promise." I replied as we pulled apart. "Come on, Macy is going to explode if you don't show soon." I sighed looking at G.
Me and Callen walked to the café where he was meeting the broker- Taliar, the middle man in the arms deal. To anyone on the outside we looked like two old friends laughing and joking walking down the street. If I was honest we were; Callen Sam, Kensi, Eric, Nate, Renko and Macy they were close friends, probably the only close friends I had.
"So you worked with Gibbs?" Callen asked giving me a sideways glance.
"Yes Callen, I worked with Gibbs, why is that so fascinating?" I asked confused as we walked.
"Just you never mentioned it before." Callen shrugged.
"Uh huh, like you did?" I asked smirking at him.
"Fine, I guess I just didn't expect our MOD liaison officer to have worked with Gibbs." Callen explained as we reached the street.
"Well there is still a lot you don't know about me G." I smirked slipping on my sunglasses that had a small camera in them.
"I will find out about you Coup." Callen smirked.
"If your lucky." I joked walking away to sit at a bench, so that I could film what was happening outside the op. "In position Eric." I sighed watching Callen talking on his phone then slip his jacket on.
"He's in, streets clear." Eric's voice came through my ear piece. From my seat on the bench I could see Callen sit down next to the middle man we were dealing with. "Coup you are a go for bug." Eric's voice crackled down my ear piece. I got up from the bench and walked over to Taliar's car. I expected to find it locked, windows up, safe. It wasn't the guy left this phone on the passenger seat with the window down.
"If I was a professional thief..." I muttered to myself as I picked the phone up and placed the bug inside before returning it to the car and making my way back to the bench. "Bug is in place Eric." I said softly as I sat back down.
"Signal's strong. Good work Coup." Macy's voice came down my ear piece and I smirked. I watched the pair talk for a while, then a waitress walked over with a note. As soon as Taliar read the note his whole body language changed. He said something to Callen and his body language changed too, it looked like the op was going south fast. Callen got up to leave and then paused to say something to Taliar. I watched Callen walked down the street and waited about ten minutes before heading in his direction.
We headed back to Op's to chat about everything we found out. We were all stood around Macy's office as we got filled in on the situation. Me and Callen were lent against one of Macy's drawers behind her desk, Gibbs was sat opposite Macy and McGee was behind Gibbs, Sam was pacing the room as he talked.
"Chandler was coerced into smuggling the quarter million dollars from Kuwait, by this guy Liam." Sam explained to everyone.
"Wiring it to a bank would have been easier." McGee stated.
"It would have left a paper trail." Callen said looking at the floor.
"And at the same time Liam approaches Taliar, asking him to get him some serious fire power." Sam added using his hands to talk too.
"Cash..." I said looking at the guys.
"Weapons..." McGee said.
"And a dead line." Callen said looking up to us all. All the junior agents in the room looked at each other, I mean me, Sam, Callen and McGee. Gibbs was sat staring at Macy.
"You have a plan Special Agent Macy?" Gibbs asked staring at her. The tension between the couple made everything uncomfortable, even just being in the room. Everyone picked up on it and the cold hard stare the pair shared after Gibbs asked Macy.
"Taliar's the plan." Macy said coldly to Gibbs, then turned to Sam. "Sam will give Agents Gibbs and McGee a full briefing of the operation. Include Renko." She added softly.
"Sure thing." Sam smirked. Gibbs got up from his seat.
"You need a hand Sam?" I asked with a small smile.
"Yeah actually Coup, it might go quicker with two people." Sam smirked at me. Callen glanced at me with a raised eye brow and I just shrugged my shoulders as I walked out the room with the guys.
"Hey Gibbs, could I grab you for a second?" I asked as all three guys turned to me. Sam and McGee gave me a questioning look but as always Gibbs face was stone.
"Sure." Gibbs said watching me closely.
"We'll be in ops." Sam said leading McGee away. I nodded as I watched the two men disappear.
"What's wrong?" Gibbs asked as we went into a small room. I closed the door behind us and sighed, pushing some hair out of my face.
"Gibbs, I've been here nearly three years now. It's the first place I've actually felt settled, like I have a home." I sighed as I paced.
"I'm happy for you Alexis." Gibbs said with a small smile.
"Thanks," I paused and then continued. "Look, the guys here, they don't know what I did before moving to the States. They don't know the work I did, we did. I don't want them to find out." I admitted looking to the floor. The work I did with Gibbs, it wasn't my proudest work. I did things, I never wanted to do again.
"Well hell Alexis, it wasn't like I was going to tell them." Gibbs said and I looked up at him, he was still smiling at me. "You're a great agent Alexis, and that's all they need to know."
"Thank you Gibbs." I said with a wide smile of my own. "Can I ask you something?" I asked sighing a little with relief.
"Shoot." Gibbs replied.
"You and Mace, what's that all about?" I asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Why do you want to know?" Gibbs asked with a plain face.
"Come on with you here, it's like me and G are watching our parents fight." I shrugged. "I just wanna know why you two can't just get along. I mean what's so bad you need to hold onto it for 18 years?" I asked confused.
"Alexis, drop it." Gibbs stated with all the firmness of a father telling off his child. I hoped Gibbs saw me as his adopted child because I always saw him as an adopted father.
"Ok," I said holding my hands in the air. "But you know G isn't going to." I added with a smirk as we walked back to ops.
We went into ops and Sam explained to Gibbs and McGee what our actual op with Taliar was and what we were going to do. I sat on the edge of one of the tables just behind the guys and watched Sam explain it all. He brought up footage of the street where Chandler was walking down when the shots fired. Sam slowed down the frames.
"There! You see it? A flash." McGee said pointing to the screen as a flash appeared as a reflection on a side window.
"It's a reflection in a car window." Sam said studying the footage too.
"It's a reflection of a flash, can you pull up the bullet trajectory data?" McGee asked. Sam used the smart board and pulled up the data. It showed all the angles we had. I pushed myself off the edge of the table and stood next to Sam, studying the data again. "Boss I really gotta get me one of these." McGee whispered to Gibbs. I caught Sam's eye and we shared a smirk. "Obviously budgets permitting." He added and I guess Gibbs had given poor McGee his normal stone facial expression.
"Looks like a single source, shooter must have been in the street too." I said looking at the data.
"Or in a car." Gibbs added and I turned to him nodding.
"Lets pull up LMC and see if there are any other camera angles we can access." Sam said pulling up a image of the street with highlighted camera angles.
"That's a traffic cam." McGee said as the first zone was highlighted.
"We got a couple of security cameras too." I added as two more zones were highlighted.
"Got another angle. It's an ATM camera." Sam said highlighting the final zone.
"I'll input the network data." McGee said walking over to a console and typing a few keys, Gibbs shadowed him. I glanced at Sam and shook my head. McGee was taking a real shine to our toys. "There it is." McGee added as Sam brought the image onto the smart board.
"There's Chandler." Sam said as we spotted Chandler walking, then a car which fired the shots.
"It's an SUV but you can't see any plates." McGee sighed.
"Got it." Sam smirked as he froze the image and then zoomed in so that we could see the shooter. It was a man in his middle to late thirties, with scruff and dark hair. "There's our shooter." Sam added.
"Might even be Liam?" I suggested glancing to the guys.
"Send the photo to Abby." Gibbs stated. Sam shrunk the photo and brought up our e-mail client.
"Ok, Navy Yard Directory, Abby Sciuto." Sam said as he placed the photo in the e-mail and sent it. "On it's way."
"Oh I really gotta get one of these." McGee said sounding way too impressed. McGee just stood there and grinned at the board like an idiot. Gibbs looked totally unimpressed with McGee and just walked away. I laughed a little and shook my own head before walking off.
"Man you got a problem." Sam chuckled slapping McGee on the back before walking away too.
We were all in ops working on the case. Eric and Kensi were working on tracking the bug I placed in Taliar's phone and his general whereabouts. McGee and Gibbs were staying in contact with their team in DC and learning what they had found out. Me and Sam were at the smart board going through airport security photo's to see if we could find a match for our mystery shooter, we knew Gibbs team were running it, but we wanted to see if we could find him first. Mace and Callen walked into Ops and headed to Gibbs.
"What have you got?" Mace asked as she walked over to Gibbs and McGee.
"Chandlers killers." Gibbs said looking at the screen. Callen walked over to the three of them.
"Got a call from Liam telling them to grab him at the airport in DC." McGee explained.
"No last name?" Macy asked annoyed.
"Working it." Gibbs added softly.
"Mace, Taliar's on his phone." Kens yelled.
"Lights down, on screen." Eric stated as well the lights went down and Taliar appeared on screen. Everyone walked over to get a view of the desk. I ended up standing next to Sam and Callen as we walked Taliar talk.
"Bugged his car while he was in the diner." I smirked.
"Surveillance video coming in live." Kensi added.
"He's on his speaker phone, quality isn't great." Eric added.
"I need to speak to Matty Ray." Taliar said.
"Speaking." The voice replied.
"The diner this morning, how'd you know he was a cop?" Taliar asked.
"Who is this?" Matty asked as pictures of him from the diner appeared on screen.
"Names Max, Taliar." Taliar replied.
"How'd you get my number?" Matty asked confused.
"Waitress at the diner. I can see why you gave her it, she's a cutie. You saved me a lot of embarrassment this morning Matty." Taliar explained.
"Yeah well that chump just about ruined my life, so easy favour you know." Matty explained as I glanced at G and smiled.
"Five years for dealing guns huh?" Taliar asked.
"Wait a minute, how'd you know that? Who you been talking to?" Matty asked slightly spooked.
"Well I've got friends Matty. Made some inquires, herd you were back in the game." Taliar fished.
"Maybe." Matty answered.
"Look Matty, I've got a cashed up client looking for some special ordinance in a hurry. I could cut you in?" Taliar suggested.
"How specialised?" Matty asked, sounding interested.
"Assault weapons, C4, you can handle that?" Taliar asked and it was then we realised just how big this arms deal was going to be.
"Brother, I know people that could get you a tank if you had a big enough suit case. Look I've got to meet this guy first, I've got to know who I'm dealing with." Matty explained.
"There's on old parking garage down town, East temple where it hits the train line. Forty minutes, work for you?" Taliar asked glancing at his watch.
"I'll be there." Matty answered before hanging up.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a meeting." Macy said as we watched Taliar put his phone away.
Thirty minutes later and I was sat in the back of a car next to Callen. Mace and Gibbs were sat up front as we waited in the parking lot, just out of view.
"Alright, camera three's online." McGee confirmed.
"All units stand by." Sam added. "Matty Ray is here... and here comes Taliar." We saw Matty Ray pacing around a little and then the car pull into the garage.
"Taliar's made the call, Liam's on his way." Mace said hanging up the phone as we watched Ray and Taliar.
"I don't' think Liam would be the kind of guy who would show up to a meeting on short notice." Callen thought out loud.
"Something doesn't feel right." I added as we watched.
"He's under pressure. Losing Chandler screwed up his time table. He probably had to find that cash some place else and fast." Macy said reassuring us he would show.
"He desperate." Gibbs added.
"Our advantage." Macy also said.
"Vehicle entering the ally." Sam said down the ear pieces. We watched as Matty Ray and Taliar walked to meet the car. "They're on the move." Sam added as we all climbed out of the car. We pulled our guns out and took cover behind another car closer to the action.
"That's Liam." Macy confirmed as we spotted a guy who matched our photo. The guys in the car seemed to take a few seconds before climbing out.
"McGee go tight on Liam, what do you see?" Gibbs asked.
"Wearing jeans and a sports coat, he's carrying- looks like a long barrel." McGee explained.
"It's a hit!" Callen called out. We all ran as shots started to fire. Macy and Gibbs shot Liam and me and Callen shot the second shooter. Kensi showed up in a car just as the last body dropped.
"Separate them." Macy said to Kensi as she went to check on the bodies with Callen.
"On your feet Mr Taliar." Kensi said pulling the guy up and putting hand cuffs on him.
"You're the freaking waitress from the diner." Taliar cried out.
"You should have tipped me better huh?" Kensi teased as she led him away. I walked over just as Gibbs was helping up Matty Ray.
"Gibbs." Gibbs said shaking his hand.
"Special Agent Mike Renko, thanks for the spot." Mike explained.
"You ok Mike?" Macy asked as we stood around.
"Yeah I'll be fine. But that got interesting pretty fast huh Mace?" Renko asked glancing at me. "How'd you guys know it was a hit?" He asked.
"Weapons had silencers." Gibbs explained.
"Why'd they try and take us out?" Renko asked confused.
"To be honest Renko, who of us haven't thought of shooting you now and again?" I teased giving Mike a big smile. I caught Gibbs smirk a little as Macy shook her head, hiding a smile.
"So much love Coup, you know it's a good job I'm a secure man." Renko smirked back at me sarcastically. "But I mean why shoot Taliar, he had what Liam wanted." Mike asked seriously.
"Maybe he got what he wanted else where?" Mace speculated.
"You were a loose end." Gibbs added firmly. Callen walked over to us with keys in his hand.
"Motel, on the strip." He explained. Naturally we fallowed the lead. I went with Callen, Gibbs and Macy to check out the motel. We burst through the door with guns out and cleared the small, kinda nasty motel room in seconds.
"Clear!" Macy called out as we started to search the place. Callen opened a door and there was a pile of suit cases. He grabbed one and put it on the bed as I did the same with another one. We opened them and weren't really that surprised to see what was inside. One suit case was full of assault rifles and C4 the others had documents in. Macy pulled out one of the passports.
"Four blank passports." She sighed looking at it. "Four suit cases full of weapons, enough C4 to bring down a building."
"Rooms still booked." Gibbs added looking at everything.
"Means whoever Liam is supplying is probably coming back to collect this." Callen explained.
"Liam's a ghost, they probably never met him." Macy said passing Callen the passport back.
"Probably." Callen nodded in agreement.
We left Callen to get ready to become Liam, the arms deal who we hoped hadn't met his client. When we got in we found that the DC team had found a match for our Liam.
"Liam Patrick Coil, former IRA arms dealer. Raised money and smuggled arms into Northern Ireland in the nineties. After the peace treaty he went free lance. He sold weapons everywhere from Chechen to the Horn of Africa." Kensi explained as we all looked at the documents we had for Liam.
"Supplying terrorists." Gibbs stated.
"How come we've never herd of this guy?" McGee asked confused.
"He's been living in New York. Fake job, fake name and fake life." I explained.
"It's called a Legend." Nate said appearing from no where. Nate was like an older cousin, he was always there to listen when you had a problem, but never quiet fitted in with your friends. He was really tall with scruffy shortish hair and a bit of a beard. "It's a word coined by the Starzie, East German secret police back during the cold war. Now their idea was to create a cover so deep that it could stand up to any scrutiny. Passports, documents, work papers... even family histories; and none of it true. All a legend." Nate explained to us. After a full briefing on the new op, Kensi and I left to work as back up for Callen. She was driving us to the motel as I sat looking out the window. I was getting a bad feeling about the case, I was sure something was going to go wrong and someone get hurt.
"Hey, have you been listening to me?" Kensi asked pushing me slightly.
"Huh? Sorry what?" I asked turning to her.
"What's wrong?" Kensi asked with a worried expression.
"Nothing, just been a long day." I lied. "So, what were you saying?" I asked faking a smile.
"You sure your ok?" She asked as we pulled to a red light.
"Yeah, really. Just tired." I lied again.
"Ok. But if you want to talk, I'm here." Kens smirked.
"I know, I don't think I could get rid of you if I tried." I teased as the lights turned green.
"Not a chance." She joked.
We pulled into the motel and went into the room two doors down from Callen's. We had surveillance of what was happening in the room. We strapped on our vests, checked our guns and waited to see what was going to happen. Someone knocked on the door and we watched as Callen went over and opened it.
"I've been expecting you." Callen said opening it with a smile.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Liam." The other man said as he walked into the room and turned to face Callen. He was tall, with a scruff beard and tanned skin, his accent sounded middle eastern to me. "You have everything I want?" The other man asked as Callen showed him a suitcase.
"Times four." Callen replied.
"Passports?" The man asked.
"Everything." Called replied again.
"And it's all here?" The man asked again.
"It's all here." Callen confirmed.
"You know I met an man in Damascus who said you were dead." The man said checking the suitcase.
"Are we blown?" Kensi whispered to me and Sam.
"Just watch." I smirked back. Callen was good at this, probably one of the best.
"Well let me know when he passes, I'll come to his funeral." Callen sighed plainly. He was a pro at this and we all knew it.
"Too late, who are you?" The man asked pulling a gun on us.
"Abort, abort, target centre of the room, weapon drawn." Mace sounded worried. It didn't take us thirty seconds to storm the room guns pulled.
"Federal agents!" Sam yelled bursting into the room.
"Don't move!" I added entering from the other side of the room with Kensi behind me.
"Put down your weapon!" She barked, all our guns aimed on the guy who lowered his weapon. Callen didn't look happy.
"Put it down!" Sam barked.
"Come on Mace, he wasn't going to shoot me!" Callen cried out to the surveillance camera planted in the old TV. "Will you tell her you weren't going to shoot me?" Callen asked the guy.
"I wasn't going to shoot him." The man replied in a very calm voice. We stood around in the room waiting to get an id on the guy.
"Michael Rivkin." Mace relaid to us.
"His names Michael Rivkin." Sam said out loud.
"FBI?" He asked looking at Sam and Kensi, then glanced to me and Callen. "CIA?"
"NCIS." Callen confirmed. "Who are you?"
"Mossad." Rivkin replied coldly.
"And you can prove that?" Callen asked.
"No, but I know someone who can." Rivkin said before turning to face the TV. "Her name is Ziva David."
"Why don't you take a seat?" Sam said as I took his weapon. Rivkin sat on the edge of the bed while we got his story checked out. Sam and I lent on a side unit watching him while Kensi lent on the table facing him. Callen paced up and down. You didn't need to know Callen to see how pissed off he had become.
"We're hunting the same cell." Rivkin explained. "You're search started here, mine in Yemen."
"Ok, well if I'm Liam Coil arms dealer, who does that make you?" Callen asked as he stopped pacing.
"Nick Quaderi jihadist." Rivkin explained.
"The real Liam Coil is in the morgue, where exactly is the real Nick Quaderi?" Sam asked firmly.
"In bed. 21 Pacific Avenue, apartment 7 Venice Beach. No need to be quiet, you wont wake him." Rivkin stated, implying he had already killed him.
"Hey, you should have called us. It would have saved you a long ride from Yemen." Kensi said folding her arms over her chest. Rivkin smiled then lost his smile.
"Needed to be sure." He stated.
"What did Quaderi tell you?" Callen asked getting back on topic.
"Weapons pick up here, a man named Liam." Rivkin explained.
"How about a target?" I asked watching him closely, he was way too calm and collected about the mini interrogation we were giving him. I didn't like it.
"No." Rivkin simply stated.
"Rest of the cell?" Callen asked.
"Fell asleep before he told me." Rivkin answered. "I can tell you that one of the others is named Hazeek."
"Address." Sam grunted.
"It's all I have." Rivkin replied after a short pause.
"Give him your cell Sam." Mace said. Sam phone rang and he answered.
"Be polite." Sam ordered tossing it to Rivkin.
"Good morning." Rivkin said getting to his feet.
"As I'm sure you're aware foreign intelligence agencies are not authorised to work within US territorial boarders. I would hate for your actions to course an incident by staying here any longer Mr Rivkin." Mace stated firmly.
"We each have a job to do." Rivkin replied looking at the camera.
"Yours is done. Go home." Mace added before hanging up on him. "Sam let him go." Mace added. Sam nodded to the door and Rivkin bowed his head to us. Me and Sam walked him to the door, I emptied his gun of bullets before passing him it back.
"Toda." Rivkin said taking the gun.
"Al-lo-davar. Le hitra'ot." I replied as Sam closed the door.
"Since when do you speak Hebrew?" Callen asked looking at me slightly amused.
"I know enough to get by." I shrugged innocently.
"Four passports, four suitcases." Sam sighed as he walked over to Callen.
"Yeah and Rivkin's already put one of them to sleep." Kensi said sounding frustrated.
"One down, three to go." Callen added looking at all of us.
"Callen, Sam Venice Beach, Quaderi's apartment. Coup help Kensi shut it down then go help Renko with the surveillance." Mace said down our ear pieces.
We cleared everything away and I left Kensi to meet Renko at the docks. I took my bike and parked close to the docks. I walked down to find him working on a boat, sanding it.
"Really?" I laughed walking onto the boat.
"What?" Mike asked looking up at me.
"You're working... like manual labour." I laughed sitting opposite him.
"I can do manual labour Coup." Mike said watching me.
"Uh huh." I teased sounding unconvinced.
"What?" Mike asked smirking at me.
"Nothing, what's our friend been up to?" I asked glancing up and seeing Rivkin sat at the bar.
"Drinking coffee. Just drinking." Mike sighed as he went back to sanding the boat. I noticed Gibbs heading our way.
"Morning Mike, Alexis." Gibbs said as he climbed aboard.
"Help yourself." Mike said as I just sat their enjoying the sun.
"Where is he?" Gibbs asked picking up some sanding paper.
"Up top, drinking coffee." I said to Gibbs, he took his shades off and had a look for himself.
"Went inside, came back a couple of minutes later, been there ever since." Mike added.
"Ah he's waiting for somebody." Gibbs said as he went to start sanding.
"That's my guess." Mike said as he sanded.
"Who's boat is this?" Gibbs asked us. I glanced to Mike and he glanced back.
"Umm..." I said looking at Renko.
"I have no idea." He said smirking at Gibbs.
"Hey! Sand with the grain of the wood Renko." Gibbs said looking appalled by Mike's sanding technique. Mike watched Gibbs and started to copy him.
"You done this before?" Mike asked seriously and I let out a snigger, which earned me a questioning look from Renko and a down right scary stone face from Gibbs.
"Sorry, it's just... you know." I shrugged to Gibbs.
"Yeah, I've done this before." Gibbs said turning back to Mike. We sat on Rivkin for about two hours, watching him, watch the place. He was looking for someone, but we just didn't know who. Gibbs sent Mike off to get some coffee.
"You really like working here Alexis?" Gibbs asked as he continued to sand the boat down.
"It's warm, sunny, less people know me here." I shrugged. "After everything with my father, I could work only work here. New Jersey's a no go. Plus NCIS, MOD, CIA, alphabet soup... I've got a certain skill set, it fits here. Why? You're not worried about me are you?" I asked innocently.
"Not with Callen working with you. I just don't understand why you'd want to stay in America." Gibbs said looking confused.
"It's easier then going home and facing them... They blame him for her death and I look just like him. I speak Russian just like him. It's like they blame me..." I said and looked away from Gibbs, back to Rivkin. It looked like he'd spotted someone. "Gibbs?"
"Yeah, I see it." He replied as his phone rang. As Rivkin started to move, we left the boat. "Go round back!" Gibbs yelled to Mike as we took off after Rivkin. Me and Gibbs cleared our way to the hotel room trying to catch Rivkin before it was too later. We reached the hotel corridor and noticed the door was open. As we got closer, we saw it was open and on the floor was a man who had bled out. We were too late. Rivkin had killed him. We cleared the room and headed to the balcony to see if we could find where Rivkin went. But there was no sign.
"Gibbs! Coup!" Renko yelled reaching us.
"Clear!" I yelled back as we put our guns away.
We headed back to Op's because after loosing Rivkin there wasn't anything else we could do. When we got back McGee, Nate and Macy filled us in showing us pictures of everyone involved in this operation.
"So this is what we know. Nick Quaderi -dead. Almost certainly killed by Michael Rivkin." Mace explained.
"Nationality – unknown. Date of birth – unknown. Quaderi has a girlfriend – Shakira." McGee added.
"Who has a brother Rafi Zayd." Mace continued.
"No known photo. Moved back to Yemen when he was seven. No record of him returning to the US probably here illegally." McGee explained.
"Nasim Boutros, stabbed by Rivkin at his hotel."
"An American citizen born in Syria. Immigrated here when he was fourteen, has a degree in engineering, no criminal record." McGee read from his file.
"First name Juma, last name unknown." Mace said pulling up a photo of one of the guys from the garage.
"Looks like he works at the auto shop, but he's not listed as an employee with the IRS. SO probably here illegally." McGee added.
"And finally, Hazeek Qalleel" Mace said pulling up his photo.
"Born in Syria, immigrated twelve years ago, owns the auto shop, pays his taxes and has no criminal record." McGee read from his file.
"Five men, all born outside the United States. Very few personal details, no criminal activity, not on anyone's watch list." Mace said as she walked to the table and flicked through a few files.
"It's a classic sleeper cell." Nate stated. "Rivkin's making sure none of them wake up."
"And he's doing a damn good job of it so far." I sighed looking at the picture of the dead guys.
"Five people. Four passports, four suitcases, something doesn't add up." Gibbs said studying the images too.
"Then number five is the handler." Mace stated as she walked back to us.
"Maybe Hazeek?" McGee pondered.
"No. He's too... aggressive." I shook my head.
"Coup's right. Zeeks an alpha male, a physical, take charge kind of guy, aggressive angry. Handler's are more refined, methodical planners, smooth talkers, they know how to get under peoples skin. You know, make them feel things and do things..." Nate said and turned to us as we all just watched him. "You get the idea." He added clearing his throat.
"If it's not Hazeek?" Mace asked slightly amused with Nate's reaction.
"Well Shakira's brother Rafi is too young, wouldn't have the respect of the others who all seemed to be older." Nate explained.
"Yeah, well that leaves Nick Quaderi." Mace stated.
"Yeah but according to Rafi's sister, Nick Quaderi didn't know any of them until her brother introduced them to Hazeek." McGee read from the file again.
"Then we're missing something." Mace stated as we all looked at the photo's.
"Yeah, or someone." Gibbs added and we glanced to him.
Mace ordered me to meet Sam, Kensi and Renko so that they could storm the garage if they needed to. I climbed into the car next to Sam. Kensi and Renko were sat behind.
"Morning sunshine." I smirked at him closing the door.
"You seem happy." Sam said with an arched eyebrow.
"Just happy I get to play with big guns." I joked checking my weapon.
"You know sometimes, just sometimes, you're a little scary." Sam laughed as he watched me.
"Yeah, it helps keep people away." I smirked. "What's the situation like in there?" I asked nodding to the garage.
"Two armed. G and Shakira are at the back, unarmed." Sam explained.
"Sam it's your play." Mace said through the ear piece. I glanced at Sam and he nodded. He pulled up outside the garage. We all piled out and lined up behind the wall.
"Go, go go!" Sam said to Kensi. She ran from the cover of the wall and aimed.
"Federal agents! Don't move!" She yelled as we all stormed the place with our guns ready.
"NCIS!" Renko added as Juma pulled his gun and tried to shoot at us. Unfortunately we were faster and better. We shot him dead. Hazeek aimed at Callen and Shakira who ran for cover behind an old people carrier.
"Sam I want him alive." Mace's voice came through as Hazeek turned to shoot us. Sam swapped to his side arm and put on in Hazeek's shoulder. It didn't seem to slow him down, so Sam added two more to his legs, finally stopping Hazeek. The rest of us went to clear the place.
"Clear!" Kensi said kicking the gun away from Juma.
"Clear!" Renko added.
"Clear." I said walking back to Sam.
"All clear!" Sam announced. "You'll live." He said to Hazeek. After the all clear was given Callen and Shakira came out of their cover.
"Secured." Kensi said to the hidden camera.
The mission was over, and it was time to say good bye. We were all stood around in Op's saying bye to the Washington end of NCIS. I was stood with Eric and McGee talking about computer games.
"Seriously though, never play for money with Eric." I laughed as Eric shrugged his shoulders. "We should have a game sometime though." I added smiling.
"Definitely." Eric added with a smile.
"That sounds great." McGee smirked at us and I noticed Gibbs watching me.
"See you later Tim McGee from Washington." I said giving McGee a small hug.
"See you later Coup." He said hugging back. I walked over to Gibbs and nodded back to McGee.
"You got some good agent there." I smiled.
"He will be one day." Gibbs smiled back. "Let's hope it's not another six years before we see each other."
"Here's to hoping." I said pulling Gibbs into a hug. "Take care."
"You too, stay sharp and listen to that gut of yours." He said as we pulled apart.
"Always do." I nodded.
"Keep an eye on Callen for me too." Gibbs asked.
"Well someone needs to." I teased. "Be safe Gibbs." I said before he walked off up the stairs. Callen met Gibbs on the stairs and they talked, Callen glanced to me and smiled before nodding to something Gibbs had said. I watched as McGee went to fallow Gibbs and Callen passed him something.
"Always helped me." Callen said as he reached me. McGee nodded and left after Gibbs. I turned to Callen with a questioning look.
"What did Gibbs say to you?" I asked confused.
"Nothing. Why?" Callen lied.
"Yeah...right." I scoffed folding my arms over my chest.
"He just asked me to keep an eye on you." Callen shrugged, it didn't feel like the full truth, but I wasn't going to push him.
"He said the same to me. Guess he's just watching out for his kids." I joked shaking my head a little.
That night I pulled into my apartment block on my bike. The sun was just setting and I still couldn't shake that feeling. Something was wrong, I just knew it. The mission had taken down the cell, and sure Rivkin got away, but I was in no doubt Gibbs would find him. I felt my phone ringing and pulled it out of my pocket. I saw it was Sam and figured it was him and G asking if I wanted a drink. It had become a tradition for the team to go out for a drink after a mission.
"Hey Sam." I said placing my helmet on the handlebars of my bike.
"Alex...it's... it's G." Sam said and my stomach dropped. His voice was full of so much emotion, so much raw pain. Sam never used my given name, never. This had been the bad feeling, this moment.
"Where are you?" I asked seriously. My mind had gone blank, my training kicked in. I needed to know where to go. I had to act, if I let my brain win I knew I would have just broken down there and then.
"St Mary's... Alex, he's-" Sam started to say when I cut him off. The words, I could hear how hard it was for Sam to speak.
"I'll be there in five minutes." I said hanging up and tucking the phone into my pocket. I started my bike and didn't even bother to pull on my helmet. I raced down to St Mary's hospital; I ran red lights, nearly coursed three crashes, but I didn't care. Hell they could fine me, take the damn bike off me as long I got to the hospital. I needed to see what happened to G. I knew by Sam's voice it was serious, I just needed to be there. I burst into the hospital and raced up to the desk.
"I need to find G Callen, he was brought in here." I said flashing my badge. The nurse behind the desk gave me that smile. That damn sympathetic smile they do when they know you're almost too late.
"He's-" She started to say when someone called my name.
"Alex!" Sam shouted. I turned and saw him. I raced over to him and as I got closer I saw the tears in his eyes. Sam never cried. This is serious... no... please god. Sam grabbed my hands and held them in his own.
"What's happened? Where is he? Why is there blood on your hands? Are you hurt?" I asked taking it all in way too fast for my brain to process. Sam looked down at his hands in slow motion almost not taking in the blood on them. His eyes met mine and the tears in his eyes threatened to break through.
"He was shot. It was a hit Alex... a hit." Sam said shaking his head as he led me to a room. "I should have known... I saw the van. I called out to G, but, but it was too late." Sam said in shock. We went into the room and it was a family' waiting room. There were plastic chairs, an old TV, a coffee machine. It was were we had to wait. Wait and find out if our partner, our friend... our family was going to die.
"Sam, where is he now?" I asked my mind racing with thoughts of G being dead.
"They're operating on him now Alex. They don't think he'll make it." Sam admitted and that's when it hit. That's when a wave engulfed me. I couldn't breath, I just couldn't breath. Tear's silently fell down my face as I stood there in total shock. Mace, Kensi, Eric, Nate and Renko showed in the fallowing half an hour as they found out.
We all sat in silence as we waited for any news on Callen. Eric's eyes were red from crying, but he was trying to act tough. Sam just sat on the edge of one of the chairs, his fingers interlocked, resting against his head as he prayed silently. Kensi was sat next to him, her eyes just as red as Eric's and her legs bouncing with nervous energy. Renko was sat next to Kensi; they held hands but he was just zoned out, staring into nothingness. You could see him trying to work out how he'd ended here. How we all had ended up waiting to hear news on G. Nate stood by the window next to Mace, he was thinking too, he caught my eye for a second. The worry was too much for me to take. I had to look away. Mace looked out of the window, her back to us. I think she hoped that we didn't see the tears, but I knew they were falling. I stood in the corner and watched everyone. I hated waiting in hospital's. I'd done too much of it already and I couldn't just wait any longer.
"I'm going to find a nurse or something. I... I can't take this..." I said breaking the deafening silence we had formed.
"Coup wait!" Nate said pushing himself away from the window. Everyone's head's snapped up to me as I just walked out of the room. I walked down the corridor and noticed someone I recognised talking to a surgeon, who looked like he'd just got out of surgery.
"I understand. Yes." She said as I reached them.
"Hetty, what... what are you doing here?" I asked utterly confused. The surgeon took it as his queue to leave.
"Alexis, I'm here for Mr Callen." She said with a sad smile.
"Was, was that his surgeon?" I asked confused. Everything was happening too fast for me, my brain was still in shock and I couldn't understand.
"Come with me dear." Hetty said taking my hand and leading me to a private room. As we walked in my heart stopped. Callen was laid out in the bed covered in bandages, and he had a ventilate in his mouth. His eyes were closed and he had Iv's in his arms. I stopped walking, forcing Hetty to stop rather quickly too. She turned to me and her face went from puzzled to sad in a blink of an eye.
"I can't... not again..." I whispered out, my eyes locked on Callen's motionless body. Flashbacks of a memory I tried to forget rushed to my fore mind.
***Flash Back***
The room smelled. A nasty bleach smell that burnt my nose. The beeps from the machines echoed in the silence. I couldn't understand it all. She wasn't meant to be laying that still, she wasn't meant to have her eyes closed. She was my mother. She was meant to be cooking me pancakes, telling me to avoid boys... not laying there. Brain dead. The doctor had explained in some long winded way about how the damage spread. I was thirteen, I didn't understand.
"Wake up... please." I begged holding onto her hand. The tears fell onto our hands, and for a second, I hoped all the Disney crap was true and she'd wake up.
"Alexis, I'm sorry." My fathers voice in Russian came from behind me as I felt a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged his hand off and turned to him. A new rage building inside me.
"It's your fault. You made us move to New Jersey. You said it would be a fresh start. You promised us they wouldn't find us. YOU DID THIS!" I shouted at my father.
"Alexis I never... I-" My father stumbled over his words as he looked at my mother, the tears rolling down his face. My father was a tough man, apart from his family. Everyone knew it was his weak spot. Especially his enemies.
"You promised us! You killed her! You put her in hospital!" I shouted in Russian back to him.
"Alexis, please... I tried to protect you. Both of you." My father tried to reason with me, but I couldn't listen to him. I was young and angry; he was a mod boss and a fool. So I thought back then.
"You never cared about anything but yourself!" I screamed as the tears fell down my face. My mind didn't register the slap, just seconds later the pain and the total look of shock on my father's face.
"Alexis, please... I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He whispered out to me as I held my face. I was shocked my mind went blank then that noise. The string of death. I turned and saw all my mothers machines flashing. She died. The doctors told us it was a blood clot, that there was nothing anyone could do. How sorry they were. How sorry everyone was. I was just numb.
"Alexis." My father said standing next to me as I looked into her room and saw her just laid there. She looked blue, cold. All I could keep thinking was that she must have been cold. "Alexis I... I promise-" My father started to say and I turned to him.
"I don't want anything else to do with you. Ever. Stay out of my life. Stay away from me. I'm going back to England and I swear if I ever see you again. I will kill you. You did this. You." I said coldly and walked out of the hospital and away from the only family I had left.
***End Flashback***
"Mr Callen isn't your mother." Hetty's gentle voice snapped me away from the memory, but the tears were already falling.
"I wont watch him die, not like her... I can't be in here." I said and walked out of the room. I herd Hetty call my name but I just walked out of the hospital. I couldn't watch him die. Not like my mother, I just couldn't. Not him. Not Callen.
I walked around L. A until four in the morning when I found myself back at the hospital. Gibbs words Keep him safe bounced around my head too much. I hadn't been there. I didn't keep him safe. I broke the promise...I need to be here. I walked into his room and sat next to Callen, taking his hand in mine.
"You cant die yet." I whispered out. "You, you don't know enough about me yet." I tried to smile but the tears fell down my cheeks. "Don't die on me G. I... I wouldn't know what to do... I lost Harm and Jonesy. Remember when there was days I didn't know how to cope? Remember you were there for me? Who'll be there for me if you go? Come on, we need to stick together..." I whispered stroking his hand with my thumb as I sat there and watched him remain motionless. I sat there all night, through the shift changed and the ob's checks. I knew they sent everyone else home, I'd herd Sam shout about it before Nate and Kensi talked him down. I wasn't sure how I hadn't been kicked out, but I was glad to stay. To know he was alive. I couldn't sleep, I refused to. So I talked. I told Callen everything about me, every last detail anyone would ever need to know.
"Ms Cooper, have you been here the entire night?" Hetty asked walking into the room with a flash.
"Yes ma'am I have." I replied rubbing my eyes. "Last time I took my eyes off someone like this they died." I added. Hetty frowned as she passed me the flask.
"Tea, milk, no sugar, strong. The way you like it." She explained before taking the seat next to me. "Mr Hanna will be here shortly."
"Thank you for the tea." I said with a small smile as I poured myself a cup.
"You're welcome dear. Has there been any change?" Hetty asked watching G quietly.
"Nothing. He's stable, the nurse said it was because of his coma." I said before sipping on the tea.
"I need your help." Hetty said turning to me.
"Help?" I asked confused as I put the cup down on the side.
"This was an attempt on Mr Callen's life. Someone wanted him killed." Hetty explained, her eyes falling on his body again.
"They got pretty damn close." I admitted sadly watching G's chest rise and fall softly.
"He is alive Alexis, he isn't going to die." Hetty said firmly, taking my hand in hers.
"That's what they said about my mother..." I said zoning out a little.
"He's strong." Hetty said squeezing my hand a little. "He will make it out of here."
"What's... what's this help you need?" I asked breaking away from my past, as I tried to bury it deep down again. Far from anyone knowing.
"I want you to use your psychology degree to look into a family called the Comescu's." Hetty stated looking me dead in the eyes.
"You think they did this?" I asked confused. This was the first time the name had been mentioned and I had no idea where it had come from.
"I also need you to monthly evaluations on Mr Callen and his team, with respects to him actually finding out the truth about his past." Hetty added totally ignoring my question.
"What? You... you want me to spy on them?" I asked shocked and confused.
"No Ms Cooper, I want you to help me make sure Mr Callen never ends up in this situation again." Hetty said firmly. I stopped and looked into her eyes. She was scared for Callen, like a parent, after all she cared for him too. I looked into her eyes and knew she would do anything to protect him. It was in that moment that I learnt I would do anything to protect him too.
"I'm in." I said softly. Things would never be the same again.
Hope you enjoyed it! Please review! Thanks!