Disclaimer: I do not own either NCIS: LA or The Avengers.

Author's Notes: This is part of my series The Road Taken. If you want to read the first two one-shots, go here. Also, I am playing with the part at the end of "Sans Voir" that she officially turned in her resignation. Like I said before, totally AU.

A/N2: This takes place during the during that I am currently writing for NaNo. That story will be posted sometime in December/January (depends on how it goes).

Summary: Hetty doesn't do retirement. Nick Fury knows that.

As she sat in the study, Hetty Lange wondered if retirement was a good thing or not. A long history of constantly moving did that to a person. The body may want to rest but the mind does not. But she was more worried about Callen. Ever since the Chameleon incident and her subsequent resignation, the only thing she ever thought of was Callen. She knew that SHIELD recruited him into their new investigation division and gave him a partner…though how he was getting along with her was a different question. But she knew that Nadia would take care of him – after the awkward stage. "You know that you don't have to stay retired," came a sudden yet familiar voice.

Hetty smiled a bit. "And yet, Nicholas," she said, "what else can I do?" She got up out of the chair she was sitting in to face her visitor.

Nick Fury gave her a small smile. "You know as well as I do, Henrietta, that you never like to stay still," he replied. "It's good to see you again."

"You also. How is my wayward agent?"

"On assignment with his partner. They're investigating some disappearances up in Vermont."

"Mere disappearances? Considering that you sent them to investigate, it must be more than that," she said with a chuckle. Her past association with the agency taught her that they do not do ordinary.

"You know," he said with a smile.

Her small smile faded a bit when she asked, "How is he doing?"

"He's adjusting well. Changing agencies isn't new to him. But after what happened to him recently…"

"He lost his trust in everyone and anything," ended Hetty. She knew that would happen. Callen had always had a hard time trusting people, though she had made some headway into that. Now Granger had ruined all that hard work.

"But, I will say that Nadia has been making some headway. Beating the crap out of him seems to work a bit," Fury said. "And she introduced him to Coulson, Romanoff, and Barton. It's been a tag-team effort."

"I bet. But he's warming up to Nadia?"

"He was wary of her out first. But as of a month ago they are doing just fine."

"Good," said Hetty. She still felt guilty that she did not do enough to help the young woman. She knew Nadia did not blame her; but the guilt is still there. "I'm glad to hear that they are helping each other. But I don't think that is the real reason you're here."

"Partially," said Fury. "The other part is to offer you a job."

"And here I thought I was done working."

He smiled. "I am working to build-up the undercover investigation unit in SHIELD. Callen and Nadia are the trial run. If it does work out, it will continue to grow. I want you to be the handler of the unit."

"You want me to babysit."

"You know how it is."

Hetty thought about it for a moment. She did admit that she was slightly bored; and the spy game was the sort of thing one never retired from. And working with Callen and Nadia again…it gave her a chance to make it up to them. "When do I start?" she asked. Fury responded with a wide smile.