This story is a semi-NCIS: Los Angeles crossover with Criminal Minds, JAG, and White Collar as characters and/or bits of a storyline from those shows are discussed, while others will make an appearance. John Doyle is an original character, any other character originated in one of the four aforementioned shows.
Chapter Two
"You know, when everything went down with Hetty last year, I thought that I couldn't form a lower opinion of a Government official than I did of Vance." Deeks confessed. "But I've met criminals that I hold a higher opinion of than the one I have for Granger."
"He's a dick." Kensi retorted, remembering her interaction with him last fall.
"What do you got Eric?" Callen asked as he interjected to stall the Granger bashing session. He agreed with his team, yet he did not want to dwell on Granger more than he had to.
"We can't officially start our briefing until after the conference call." Eric answered as he cringed and scratched the back of his neck.
"Who said?" Callen demanded.
"Granger's orders." Eric stated apprehensive and more uncomfortable. He hated it when there was a power struggle between his superiors, and he very much wanted to listen to and assist Callen, but his hands were tied, completely.
"But he didn't order me." Nell retorted as she picked the Cisco Tablet from her lap and stood.
Callen smirked as he shot her an impressed look, "No, he didn't."
Sam and Kensi grinned while Deeks openly laughed as he joked, "Nell Bell, your first tardy came in handy."
Nell playfully rolled her eyes at Deeks before she smiled at and met eye contact with Callen, she stated. "Give me a moment to access the Main file."
"Good, let's go." Callen stated as he quickly grabbed a gentle hold of her elbow and directed her toward the stairs and up them. He made a shooing motion with his hand, and Eric ran up the rest of the stars as he shook his head. Following Nell and Callen up the stairs were Sam, then Kensi, and Deeks.
Nell took a seat at her computer station, logged in, and sped read what Eric had uploaded for her during her tardiness and parts of the main file. Callen stood behind her on her right side with his left hand on the back of the chair and his right hand on the desktop inches from the computer. Sam, Kensi, and Deeks stood directly behind her in the middle of the room, an appropriate amount away from her chair, glancing from Nell and Callen to the large screen.
Eric stood in the corner far away from the large touch screens and his computer station, while he placed his Cisco Tablet out of his reach, as if to prove to Granger that he did not disobey a direct order. His arms crossed against his chest and his right ankle crossed over the left, he looked relaxed, yet he was anything but. He worried what Granger would do or say to Nell. Granger hated it when there were loopholes found in his orders. Callen had become a pro at finding them, and Eric feared that Nell would soon become his apprentice, as she was now executing one of those loopholes. Eric's mouth formed a thin line as he watched Callen practically leaning over her.
Eric narrowed his eyes, as he believed that Callen had to know that she had a crush on him. Eric did not like the idea that Callen was using that admiration to his advantage, however small he may be doing, because he expected better than that from his best friends. Although, he shared the most common interests with Nell, the rest of the team were his best friends too. He and Callen, along with Sam then Kensi had been through much during their years as a team. Although, Deeks and Nell were newer, that did not mean he valued those friendships any less. He would do absolutely anything to protect his family, his friends. Even if it meant he had to face a fear that he did not know he had until he decided he had to do it. There was no perhaps, Eric knew he would be out of line during that conversation with Callen, but he felt it needed to be done.
"Okay," Nell declared as she grabbed her tablet, turned the chair to her left, and stood. She walked and paused to the right of the large touch screen. "Last night, early this morning, Captain Caitlin Pike was found dead in an alley. She was a,"
"Judge Advocate." Callen finished her sentence as he winced remembering his run in with her when she was a young Lieutenant. Sam shook his head at the role reversal. Eric rolled his eyes. Kensi and Deeks stared expectantly at either Nell or Callen to continue.
Nell pursed her lips and nodded wondered how he knew; the crime scene photo showed her dead in street clothes, not in uniform. "Yes, but not any Judge Advocate." She paused when she noticed Deeks look of confusion, "It's the military equivalent to an attorney."
Deeks shook his head in understanding before slightly dipping it. Although, there was a lot he still had to learn about NCIS and the military, he felt he should have known that, as he had been a civilian lawyer.
"Pike was essentially the right hand of the head of the Joint Legal Service Center Southwest." Nell stated as she touched the screen, and a photograph popped unto the screen.
"Rear Admiral Harmon Rabb Junior." Hetty stated as she came through the automatic double doors.
"Last I heard, he retired as a Captain and got married. That was when I was an active Seal." Sam stated as a look of confusion crossed his face.
"You are correct, Agent Hanna." Granger interjected a foot away from Hetty.
"He came out of retirement when his wife chose to retire in favor of starting a family." Hetty revealed. "Rabb replaced her in her position at the Joint Legal Service Center Southwest and eventually he was promoted from Captain to Rear Admiral."
"Major McKenzie retired?" Callen asked incredulously not believing that she had chosen anything over the Marine Corps.
"People change, G." Sam interjected as he quickly glanced at Callen then Nell back to Callen. If Callen had not had been paying attention, he would not have seen it. He glowered at Sam as Sam's lips tilted into a small smile. That smile fell when he heard a trace of panic in Hetty's voice. One did not hear that trace from Hetty often.
"Miss Jones!" Hetty exclaimed as her eyes landed on the ace bandage and minimal gauze around one palm. "My dear what happened to your hands?"
"I, uh," Nell stuttered and gingerly crossed her arms against her abdomen. She felt uncomfortable with all of the eyes on her. "Fell."
"Nell." Callen rebuked before he looked at Hetty then back to Nell. "You tell her or I will." He quirked an eyebrow as he paused to give her an opportunity to tell her. "Fine, have it your way," He looked at a visibly concerned Hetty. "Some jackass knocked her over in the parking lot.
"What? Who?" Hetty prompted as the rest of the team shared concerned looks as the answer to what had happened was finally been answered.
"Agent Callen that language is unnecessary." Granger reprimanded. He added unintentionally revealing something to Callen. "If Miss Jones had been on time and not lollygagging on her hand held computer thing, then perhaps the misfortunate accident would not have occurred."
Callen uncrossed his arms, narrowed his piercing blue eyes, and his head tilted slightly to the side. His mouth formed a stern line. "You were the one that knocked her down. I don't care who the hell you are, or who you think you are; you will apologize to her. If not, I'm sure Vance would love to hear how you injured an Intelligence Analyst, one of the best we have."
A look of hatred and superiority crossed Granger's face and as he was about to retort, he was prevented from doing so by Hetty.
"Owen," Hetty said quietly, yet her voice boomed throughout the command center, causing chills go down all of their spines. "If you were the one that unfortunately knocked Miss Jones down, then it would be in your best interests to apologize. Rest assured that although, Leon has authority over you, I can make your life, professionally and personally, so much worse. I was fighting wars before you were in your mother's womb."
Granger swallowed. "I apologize, Miss Jones."
"Apology accepted." She squeaked, highly uncomfortable with the spotlight upon her.
"Mr. Beale, correct me if I am wrong, but did you not receive an order not to give start an official briefing until after Agent Lange and myself finished our phone call?"
"I did." Eric answered as he held up his empty hands.
"Then who sanctioned this briefing?" Granger asked and as an afterthought added. "It must have been Agent Callen. It's always Agent Callen."
"I cannot control the fact that your orders are never clear or solid." Callen declared with a smirk. "Eric received the order and obeyed that order. Neither I or Nell received such an order."
"I find your ability to slip through loopholes maddening." Granger snarled.
"I find your presence maddening." Callen retorted.
"Gentlemen!" Hetty interjected as she physically got between them even though neither was close to the other. "This is not the time. We have several dead officials and only one solid lead in. Mr. Beale, as you are more acquainted with the case, as you've been working on it for the past several hours, please start the official briefing."
"As Nell said, Captain Pike was found dead last night, she was the right hand of the Rear Admiral Rabb. Both Rabb and Pike is, were, are legal consultants on a FBI task force focused on finding, capturing, interrogating, and prosecuting domestic terrorists. With that said, about a month ago when the case and hunt against John Doyle became cold, that task force requested the assistance of the FBI Behavioral Analyst Unit."
"I don't understand, why the BAU? Why us?" Kensi interjected.
"John Doyle is the brother of Ian Doyle." Granger answered. "SSA Aaron Hotchner's team along with an Interpol Agent took down Ian last May."
Hetty added. "The task force believes that John started going after US Government Officials to revenge his brother's death. His victims have been random mid-level or high-ranking officials and their significant others. The BAU believe that John is targeting couples who fit the May-December label."
"May-December?" Sam asked, as he did not understand how that had anything to do with a terrorist.
"Yes," Hetty answered. "Each couple has had a fifteen to thirty years difference in age. His youngest victim was nineteen who had recently wed a thirty-six year old Marine with access to classified documents."
"I'm sorry," Nell interjected. "But that isn't a May-December romance. That couple would more likely fit a May-October, possibly even the rarer used May-September label. May-December connotes a relationship where one party is in the spring/summer of their life, and the other in the winter, near the end. Whereas May-October-" Nell stopped as she felt every eye on her and glanced to see Callen looking at her curiously as if to figure her out. She swallowed then refused to look at anyone except for Hetty, whom had an alarming smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.
"No, Miss Jones," Hetty said intrigued as to how or why her Analyst knew such a thing. "Go ahead explain to us what a May-October romance is."
"Um, well, uh, a May-October romance connotes a, um, the May is the same obviously," She rambled. She could feel both the piercing gaze and smirk that Callen sported. She paused not sure, whether she had the courage to continue.
Eric stepped in and saved his best friend from further embarrassment, because he knew why she was stumbling over something that was so simple to explain. He feared that several others knew, too. "October would be someone in their late thirties, to forties, possibly early fifties depending on their health."
Sam grinned as he retorted in the guise of trying to understand it better. "So a May-October romance, would be a twenty-something broad, and a forty something smartass."
"Broad? Really?" Kensi retorted. Deeks gently elbowed her in the ribs and made a subtle nod to a fidgeting Nell then a calm, neutral looking Callen. Kensi shut up as she realized what Deeks was telling her, and what Sam was referring.
"Do the BAU know why John is targeting this sort of relationship?" Callen asked directing the briefing away from the elephant in the room. He stared at Hetty expectantly.
Hetty answered. "The BAU theorize that John is targeting that label, because when his brother was in his forties, he was in a relationship with a woman named Lauren who was in her twenties. Also, they think that it has something to do with the fact that his mother was forced into such a relationship with a man thirty years her senior, when she was, but sixteen."
As Callen listened to Hetty, he felt someone watching him, which made him subtly, but quickly take survey of the room, and found it was Granger. Granger narrowed his eyes on the Senior Field Agent then shot a glance to the young Intelligence Analyst. His mouth slowly formed a smile, which looked out of place on his features.
Callen suddenly felt cold.