Chapter 20

Todd stood holding his bag as Summer and Eric came around the corner.

"Hey, guys, I thought Callen was coming with you to pick me up?" He asked a little disappointed, Callen had promised him when they had talked and he wanted to get through his homecoming without messing anything up.

He shifted his feet and looked at the floor waiting to get yelled at, but instead Eric pulled him into a hug. "I've missed you son, I'm sorry Callen couldn't make it, he's busy hopefully we can see him in a few days though, yeah?" Eric suggested.

Mindful of what Todd had been through, Eric was trying hard to avoid ordering his son to do anything, at least until he settled back at home with them.

"Hey, Squirt, do you remember your room?" Summer asked grabbing Todd's bag and throwing it at Eric to carry to the car.

Todd shook his head, he did remember bits and pieces but Callen had suggested until he saw everything for himself he was to not believe what was in his head. The room in his head was dark and dank and had a cold metal bunk. He really hoped that this was one of those 'wrong' memories that Callen told him he would probably have.

Summer sensing his fear, held his hand, he flinched slightly but held on tight to her as they approached the car.

His eyes lit up as he realized they were going to be getting in the car he had dreamed of, a 1967 Chevvy Impala.

"Nice car." He said quietly.

"Yes it is, it belongs to you, you know?" Eric said putting his hand on his shoulder.

"This…this is mine? I own something?" Todd was stunned, boy had not been allowed to own anything, but Todd could.

This was the way that Callen had taught him and he had used with Dr. Peterson, Boy was another person, Boy did not exist anymore, but Todd did and Todd was real and he was Todd.

'Todd exists, Todd is real, I am Todd and this is real.' He said over and over in his head.

He closed his eyes on the ride home relishing the feel of the wind and warm sunlight on his face, thinking of his mantra over and over again.

Pulling up outside a large house Todd could hear the ocean.

"You live here sir?" Todd asked distractedly.

"We live here Todd, we are a family, and I am your dad." Eric said kindly waiting for Todd to get out of the car.

Todd took the hint and climbed out looking at the large building.

"Come on….you gotta see your room!" Summer said.

Todd flinched but obeyed the order.

"Summer!" Eric admonished, they had both been told not to order but to suggest and allow him to feel able to make decisions for himself.

"Don't hurt her Sir…er…Dad, She didn't mean too!" Todd said putting himself between the two of them.

Eric crouched down to be on eye level with his son.

"Todd, I am not angry at her I am just correcting a mistake she made, while I may raise my voice at you both from time to time as your father, I will NEVER hit you, and if you make a mistake we will talk about how we both feel about it and punishments…." Eric stopped as Todd moved away, he gulped and continued.

"Punishments in this household are the restriction of visitors, removal for a small period of time of your personal items, such as your TV or Surf board and for the worst things I will ground you without internet privileges for anything other than Education." He said; he knew most of this was going over Todd's head right now but hoped that some of it got through.

"Yes Sir," Todd said his eyes looking at his feet.

"Todd?" Eric said, "Please, when you are ready I would like for you to feel able to call me dad…or Eric."

"Would you like to go and see your room and put your bag down?" Eric asked him.

Todd nodded; the last thing he wanted was to upset anyone. "Yes please…d...dad." he said.

Eric grinned and led the way, with his hand on Todd's shoulder.

Walking into his room, Todd was assailed by a shower of memories, all of them nice…suddenly he sat heavily… "Uncle G…!" he said holding his head.

In an instant Eric dropped Todd's bag and was by his side. "Todd, Son what is it?"

"I…I think I hurt someone badly?" Todd said.

"How?" Eric asked "who?"

"Callen…Uncle G?" Todd said.

Eric sat on the edge of the bed his arm around his shaking son, "Do you think you can tell me what you think you have done?" he asked and Todd nodded.

Todd had sat listening to Callen try and convince him that his Master was wrong.

"You disobeyed your mistress..?" Todd had said to Callen still confused.

"No I broke free, she was a woman who should not have treated a child the way she treated me." Callen had said honestly.

"But we deserve it….Don't we?" Todd had asked.

Callen got out of his chair and had crouched down in front of Todd. "No, no one deserves to be made to feel bad or be hurt by another person's actions; you were not to blame for Klaus's behavior any more than I was for hers. You have a family, a real family…a family that loves you…the real you because you are their family, you don't have to be anything more than you."

"I do? I mean I know I do but, how do I know they won't want me to be like Si…..Klaus?"

"You have a father and sister who love you more than anything, all they want is for you to be well, I wish I had had half of that," Callen had said.

Todd got mad, "Sir loved me more than anything and you took him away!" he snapped, "And when you betrayed your mistress what did you get, YOU have no one...no one wants you, why would anyone want me?" Todd said angrily crying as Callen sat staring at him.

"Is there an end to this?" Todd had asked afraid.

"For you...Yes, trust them, you have a family that loves you, Boy does not exist anymore, but Todd does and Todd is real and you are Todd. Remember that, because you, you are lucky, you get a happy ending. You have someone in your life who loves you enough to take you in." Callen had turned as Hetty and Dr. Peterson had entered.

"He never said anything after that he just left." Todd told Eric, "I was so mean to him, is that why he isn't here, does he hate me?" Todd asked.

Eric knew he would upset Todd, but he refused to lie to him.

"Callen's hurt, he's in the hospital, I know if he could he would be here and I know he does not hate you." He told Todd.

"I need to see him!" Todd insisted.

Callen woke up, an IV inserted in his arm was slowly giving him a blood transfusion, he knew he must have lost a lot of blood; punishment usually did that to him. But he couldn't remember how he had made it to the hospital.

Then he remembered.

He closed his eyes and groaned and he realized he had called Hetty a bitch…ok so she deserved it, but she was going to kill him…he really shouldn't bother waking up. He thought to himself trying to hold back the smirk that threatened to cross his face…but he couldn't.

"Something funny Mr. Callen?" Hetty voice came floating into his consciousness.

"Yeah I'm alive." Callen deadpanned.

"No thanks to you." Ray said.

Callen opened his eyes with a snap, "Ray?"

"Hey lil G, how you feeling?" Ray asked leaning back in his chair and looking Callen over.

"Fine." Callen snapped, his head throbbed and his back and arms ached, "Why are you here?" he asked.

Ray opened his mouth to answer and then realized that Callen wasn't talking to him. He was talking to Hetty.

"I am here because you need your family around you Mr. Callen; you need to not be alone."

"Needed that for years, didn't stop you then…" Callen snapped, suddenly realizing he had to be on pain killers, his mouth was being far too loose for its own good. "Why be here now?"

"Because you need me now." Hetty said standing up and walking to his bed. She touched his hand and he flinched away from her.

He raised himself up and looked her in the eye.

"I needed you when I was a kid. You took in those others, why not me…why have all those children, the special ones, you've taken them in helped them and then used them…why not me…what was wrong with me, was it because I disobeyed my mistress, because I was broken…why wasn't I good enough!" He found himself yelling.

He stopped as he saw a tear work its way down Hetty's face but as shocked as he was he couldn't let go…he raised himself so he was staring at her.

She turned and walked out of the room, not paying attention to the fact that the whole team were standing in the door behind her and had watched Callen's emotional outburst.

A doctor walked in and looked at all the people and at his patient breathing heavily looking stressed.

"Family only everyone else must leave."

"We are family." Sam said.

"No you're not, I don't have any." Callen turned away.

"Callen? What just happened?" Sam asked.

"GET OUT!" Callen yelled and then sighed "I don't have a family, you are not family..." He insisted.

"I was wrong…you do have a family, you do deserve a family and I'm sorry….uncle G?" Todd's voice spoke up from behind them.

The team moved and let the boy in, he walked up and sat on the bed and grabbed Callen's hand.

"Uncle G, I think we need to talk again." Todd said.