Katy was exhausted and barely made it out to the Mercedes when class was over. When they got back to Kensi's the landlord was walking away from her apartment after posting a notice on her door. Katy knew exactly what it was about. Kensi ripped it off the door and read it. Katy apologized as she read over her shoulder. The letter was informing her that she was in violation of her lease by having the extra occupant and cat staying with her. It stated that if they weren't gone within three days, they'd begin the eviction process.
Katy told Kensi that she'd go stay with Callen and went to find the landlord to tell him she was leaving. He was nice and told Katy that if Kensi had told him why she was there, they would've been flexible, but since she didn't, Katy and the cat had to go. She completely understood and apologized for the problem, and left to pack her things. Kensi helped her carry her stuff out to the Mercedes and what wouldn't fit in the trunk; they put in the back seat.
Callen wasn't answering his phone, nor was he home when she got there, so she waited. He was running back up the street when he saw the Mercedes parked behind the Jag and ran to the driver's side window. She jumped when he tapped on the glass.
"You okay?" he asked when she opened the car door.
"Yeah, Kensi got a nasty gram from her landlord. I was hoping the offer for me to stay with you was still on the table. It's just until I can find another place." She assured him.
"Of course, let me help you with your stuff." He said as he opened the door to the back seat. "Sorry I wasn't home, did you try calling?"
"I did. I figured you didn't have your phone with you." She said.
Callen took the lockbox to the door while Katy had the cat and a couple other bags. "Come on in." He said after he unlocked the door.
"It's cute." She said looking at the adobe-style house. "Not really something I saw you living in."
"This house has a lot of history." He smiled looking around. "Come on, you can stay in this room."
He led her to one of the rooms that had a bare queen-sized mattress with a mission-style head and foot board, matching dresser and nightstands with lamps on them. Callen sat the lockbox on the floor in the corner and took the cat carrier from her, putting it on the floor before he opened it. Callie cautiously stepped out of the carrier and sniffed around before jumping up on the bed.
"They just delivered the furniture an hour ago." Callen told her.
Katy smiled. "You got this for me?"
He smiled. "I did. I had a feeling you'd wind up over here and wanted to have a place for you to sleep."
"Thank you that was thoughtful." She smiled.
"I just don't have sheets for the bed yet, I was going to go out tonight and pick some up, along with a comforter and one of those dust ruffle things. Let me shower and we can go pick something out and grab something for dinner." He said thankful she was there.
"Alright, so you mind if I shower after you?" she asked.
"Oh, that's right; you went to WOD's with Kensi. How was it?" he laughed.
"I doubt I'll be able to move tomorrow morning." Katy said feeling the pain.
"A nice hot shower will do wonders. Why don't you shower first?" He suggested.
Callen sat on the couch while Katy showered. He was excited she was there. Callie jumped up on the arm of the couch and meowed at him. He gave her some love and received some in return. He was in his room getting his clothes when Katy walked out of the bathroom.
"Feel better?" he asked leaning out the door.
"Yes, but I still think I'm going to wake up stiff and sore tomorrow." She smiled, looking around his room. He had a dresser and nothing else in the room. "Where do you sleep?"
"The bed roll." He said pointing to the corner of the room.
"You're joking, aren't you?" she said. "You put me in your room?"
"No, this is my room." He told her.
Katy walked back to her room shaking her head, not believing him. She heard the bathroom door close and she shower come on. Casually, she walked back to Callen's room and opened the door. The closet door was open, so she walked over and peeked in. His clothes were hung up, shoes lines up on the floor; there was dust on several pairs and outlines where the ones he'd worn that day had been. His dresser had dust and miscellaneous papers behind it and she realized he wasn't lying, this was his room. As she walked out of the room, she noticed his name was carved into the door and crouched to look at it. She ran her fingers down the carved wood and noticed the date. It was an old carving.
"This house was originally owned by one of my foster families." Callen said standing in the doorway.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to invade your privacy like that. I didn't believe that you stayed in this room." She told him. "You really need to vacuum behind your dresser; it's pretty dusty back there."
Callen smiled as he watched her walk to her room. He grabbed a pair of socks from the dresser drawer, a pair of shoes from the closet and walked to her room. She was unpacking her clothes and hanging them in the closet. He walked in and sat on the bed to tie his shoes.
"What do you feel like for dinner?" he asked watching her slide form the bed to the closet across the hard wood floor in her socks.
"I don't know what do you want?" she asked stopping to look at him. He smelled so good. This was definitely going to be more difficult than she thought. They'd been given a warning about their relationship evolving into something other than professional and at this point, the way he watched her and the way she felt, she didn't know if it was possible.
"You're no help, why don't we hit the department store and pick your bed set then we'll wander around the mall and see what we can find to eat." He suggested.
Katy smiled. "Sounds good."
Katy grabbed her purse and followed Callen out the door. "We can get another key made too." He said as he locked the door.
"Which car do you want to take?" She asked.
"I'll drive, we'll take the Jag." He said opening the door for her.
The mall was a short drive from the house. It was a higher end mall with a Macy's and several boutique stores. They parked outside Macys and went in. Katy couldn't get over the prices of the bedding.
"Don't worry about the prices, I'll pay for it." He told her.
"No, I can't let you do that." She told him.
She walked down the long wall of comforters until she found the 'bed-in-a-bag' section. They were less expensive and came with a set of sheets, dust ruffle, pillow cases, shams, the comforter, drapes and several throw and neck roll pillows. Callen watched her as she looked at the selection available. He saw that she was leaning towards one in particular. It was nice, a very non-descript red and black pattern. Something he actually would have chosen for himself. Finally after staring at it for ten minutes, she grabbed it and walked to the register. They stood there another five minutes arguing over who was going to pay for it. Callen had his card out ready to hand it to the sales associate and Katy had her cash.
"Fine, you buy the comforter and I'll buy groceries for the house. You're wasting money by eating out every night." She snapped at him.
"I wouldn't be eating out if I knew how to cook more." He told her.
"Fine, I'll do the cooking. You can clean up." She said and he agreed.
The sales associate laughed at the two and asked how long they'd been seeing each other. Both Callen and Katy looked at her straight-faced and told her they weren't together. After that, they didn't speak again until they were walking out of the store. They laughed as they talked about the look on the woman's face when they told her they weren't together. Katy looked at the displays in some of the front windows as they walked through the mall. She stopped and looked at some of the clothes. Callen told her to go in, but she refused.
They walked past Victoria's Secret and Katy realized she needed more bras and panties. He let her go in alone while he waited on a bench for her. In his mind, he tried to imagine what she looked like in just her bra and panties. He was pulled back to reality when she appeared in front of him and hit him with the bag. She laughed when he asked if she'd model her purchases for him when they got home.
A little further into the mall and they came to the food court. There was everything imaginable; Indian, Italian, Mexican, Mongolian, Chinese, Japanese, German, hamburgers, sandwiches and hot dogs. It took them a while to figure out what they each wanted to eat. Katy opted for a Philly Cheese steak sandwich with extra provolone cheese. Callen ordered the same thing so they could stand and talk while they waited for their food. They were having fun, talking and people watching. When their orders were up, they found a table and sat down to eat.
After they finished, they walked down to the electronics store so Katy could look at the lap tops. She found one she like and a bag as well and carried them to the register. They talked a little as they waited in line to pay and walked back to Macys when they were done.
Callie was sitting on the island when they walked back into the house. She howled at them, reminding them that they hadn't fed her before they left. Katy fed her and took her purchases to her room. As she sat the Victoria's Secret bag on the dresser, she wondered if Callen was serious about her modeling the bras and panties or if he was joking. She dumped the bag on the dresser and turned around to find Callen standing in the doorway.
"Do you want help making the bed?" he asked.
"Sure," she said opening the dresser drawer and sliding the unmentionables into it and closing it again.
Callen smirked at the satiny, lacey, sexy undergarments. Together they slid the mattress off the box spring and laid the dust ruffle over it, putting the mattress back on top again. Callen stood on one side of the bed while Katy was on the other as they stretched the fitted sheet over the mattress. Then they followed with the flat sheet and the comforter. Katy opened the pillows and tossed one at Callen so he could put a pillow case on it. Once she put a pillow case on the other pillow, she set the shams, drapes and throw pillows aside and collapsed onto the bed.
It was so soft and comfortable. Callen wanted so badly to lie next to her, but he just watched her with a smile. She looked at him and patted the bed next to her, telling him to lie down. When he finally did, he sunk into the mattress and felt the stress of the day melt away.
"This is a bed, damn." He laughed. "I'm jealous."
"Well, you can hope I have a nightmare so you can sleep in here with me." She laughed.
Callen looked at her and rolled onto his side to face her. He brushed her hair off her neck. Her chest steadily rose and fell as she watched his face. Katy rolled on her side and smiled at him. He could tell she was tired and rolled off the bed. Callen stood looking down at her. She truly was such a beautiful woman. Katy smiled up at him and rolled onto her back.
"I'll let you get some sleep." He said softly.
"Alright, thank you." She smiled.
Katy watched as he walked out the door. She got off the bed, changed into her pajamas, turned off the lights and got into bed. Katy could hear Callen down the hall in his room and smiled. She listened to the silence of the house as she dozed off to Callie's purring.
Callen pulled her to him and held her tight, kissing her neck softly. She felt the good bumps his stubble was causing. Slowly, she rolled to face him and smiled. The way he looked at her, like he was looking straight to her soul, her very being. He brushed her hair from her face and kissed her ever-so-softly. Her breathing hitched as his tongue caressed hers. She knew she'd lose control is he kept kissing her like this. His hand trailed down her back and stopped at her back side, pawing and kneading. She felt him growing harder against her, she wanted him so badly. He slid his hand up her back and under her tank top. Callen's hand was warm when he cupped her breast in his hand. With his thumb, he swiped across her nipple, making it just that much harder.
They heard a loud bang and the door flew open, the light in the hall back lit the figure, making it impossible to see his face, but she knew it was a man. She knew it was him. He slowly raised a pistol and fired. She heard Callen cry out in pain and felt his warm blood trickling from his body and onto the sheets. He fired again, hitting Callen square in the head. Katy looked on in horror as Callen laid there his blue eyes vacant, lifeless. He pointed the gun at her and fired. She could feel the bullet rip through her flesh, cracking her ribs as it traveled to its final destination. All she could do was lay there listening to her heart pound in her ears, slow and finally stop. She looked down on herself and Callen, their bodies entangled, the sheets bloody. Puddles were forming under the bed as every pint their bodies contained spilled over onto the floor.
Katy shot out of bed and ran for the light, looking back at the bed. She was bent over relieved that none of it had actually happened, trying to catch her breath. Down the hall, she could hear Callen scrambling to get to his feet and then his footsteps as he ran through the hall to her room. As soon as she saw him, she felt his chest and his forehead just to be completely sure he was alright. He put his arms around her and held her tight and she breathed heavily.
"He killed you." She whispered as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
"What?" he asked cupping her face, making her look at him. "How did he kill me?"
"He shot you in the chest and then in the head." She said.
"God, Katy. I hate seeing you like this." He said hugging her again.
"It was so real. He shot me and I felt my heart stop then I was looking down on us in bed together, dead." She cried.
Callen smiled. "We were in bed together in your dream?"
She looked up at his smile and punched him in the arm. "Is that the only thing you heard? Yes, I had a dream that we were in bed together."
"No, that wasn't all I heard, since when do you dream about us being in bed together?" he asked.
She pushed him away, "Seriously Callen, I just had a dream that we both died and you're worried about when I started having dreams about you?"
"I just found it interesting, what were we doing in your dream?" he smiled.
"Get out, just get out if you're going to be like that." She yelled.
Callen started laughing. "I'm sorry."
"Just get out. I'd rather sleep by myself and have another dream than deal with you and your ego." She said pushing him out the door.
Callen crossed the threshold and turned around; Katy slammed the door in his face so he walked back to his room and lay back down. He could hear her walking around in her room. Katy grabbed the lap top and unpacked it. She vowed not to fall asleep again and downloaded the camera's memory card to the lap top. Katy scrolled through the pictures and found the one of Callen on the beach. She really liked the picture and opened one of the programs to start playing with the photos. Katy changed it from a color image to sepia tone and saved a copy. Then she changed it from sepia tone to black and white, saving that as well.
Katy pulled out her phone and went to her list of photos Sam and Michelle had chosen, saving a copy of each in both sepia and black and white. When she had finished with the twelve pictures, she looked at the time on her phone. It was only four in the morning. She turned on the Wi-Fi on her phone and logged into her email. Katy went through them slowly and found several emails from David McCormick. He was begging her to contact him; she remembered seeing him lying in the hospital bed after they pronounced him dead and started crying.
When they'd met, she was sure he wasn't involved with Vitaliy. He asked her for advice on how to repair his marriage. David even asked Katy to go talk to his wife Janice when she first started working for the paper. They weren't close, but Katy did consider her a friend. She had no idea how Janice was going to fare through this. She didn't work for health reasons. One of the reasons she'd left David was because she was diagnosed with Cancer. Hoping to save David from the pain of watching her die a very slow and painful death, she left.
Katy wiped her tears and continued going through her emails. When she finished deleting all of her emails, she heard the distinctive tone signaling that she had a new email. It was from an address she didn't recognize and hesitantly opened it. It was from Vitaliy.
"You whore; David is dead because of you. If you hadn't left me he'd still be alive. I will find you and bring you back to me. When I do, I will make you suffer. It will be unlike anything I've ever done to you. You will die a very slow and painful death and I'll be sure no one will ever find your body. I hope when you read this you realize what you've done, come back and take the punishment you deserve. I will hunt you down like the trash you are. You will forever be watching over your shoulder."
She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold. Katy saved the email and closed the lap top, setting it on the nightstand. The house was silent, except for Callie's purring. Katy reached over and scooped the cat up and held her close. Callie settled in her arms and fell back to sleep for a while. After she laid the cat back on the bed, she opened the bedroom door and tip toed down the hall to Callen's room. He had a small lamp on, that offered a little light. Katy smiled as she stood there watching sleep. Slowly, she stepped into the room and sat against the wall. He looked so peaceful when he slept, worry free. At five, she stood and walked out of the room.
When Callen woke at six, he walked down the hall to Katy's room. The bed was made and her lap top bag was gone. "Katy?" he called as he walked back down the hall.
"In the living room." She called back.
She was walking into the kitchen to refill her coffee cup and make him one. "How long have you been up?" he asked.
"I never went back to sleep." She told him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you last night." He told her coming into the kitchen.
"It's fine Callen. Don't worry about it." She smiled as she handed him a cup of coffee.
"What did you do all morning?" he asked.
"I fooled around on the lap top, downloaded the memory card from the camera and went through my emails." She told him.
"Was there anything interesting in your emails?" He asked after taking a sip of his coffee.
"There were several emails from David and one from Vitaliy." She said walking back to the couch.
"What did the email from Vitaliy say?" he asked following her.
"I'll let you read it later. Why don't you shower after your finish your coffee." She told him.
Callen nodded and went to his room to gather his clothes. Fifteen minutes later, he was showered, shaved and dressed. He walked back into the kitchen and refilled his coffee. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.
"I'm tired Callen. I didn't go back to sleep because you were being an ass and I was afraid I'd have another nightmare." She snapped. "I'll find an apartment this weekend; I can't stay here with you. I'll just deal with the nightmares and lack of sleep."
"Katy, I'm sorry. I found it interesting that you dreamt about me. Why won't you tell me what we were doing in bed together?" he said.
"Callen, just drop it. It's not like it's ever going to happen anyway." She told him.
"Katy, don't be like this. Just tell me." He smiled.
"Why do you have to know? I can't tell you. It would make things awkward between us." She said.
Callen wanted to kick himself. He'd worked so hard to bring her walls down and now she was building them right back up. Where they'd taken four steps forward, they now took five huge steps back. "Katy," he said walking around the couch and sat next to her. "If we're going to live together, we can't be like this."
"That's why I'm looking for an apartment this weekend." She said.
"Both Nate and Hetty both think it's a good idea for you to stay here with me." He tried to reason with her.
"Yeah well, maybe they're wrong." She said.
"What the hell Katy, were we having sex or something in your dream?" he asked throwing his hand in the air.
Katy gave him a look. "Close enough."
"You and me, we were together, together in bed?" he asked.
"God Callen, yes we were." She threw her head back.
"Katy?" was all he could manage to say.
"Just never mind." She said, looking at anything but him.
He stood there dumbfounded. He knew how he felt, but had no idea until that moment how she felt. He smiled. "Katy, we need to talk about this."
"There's nothing to talk about, Callen. Like I said it's never going to happen, because you couldn't ever feel for me like that." She said. "Are you ready for work yet?"
"We don't have to be there for an hour." He told her.
"Fine, I'll get there early and wait for everyone else to show up." She said standing and walking to her stuff on the table.
"Can we at least talk about this?" he asked as she was about to reach for the door.
"What's there to talk about? We work together Callen, Hetty has rules and you don't feel anything for me." She said.
"How do you know what I feel and what I don't?" He asked him on one side of the couch, her on the other. "You have no idea, Katy."
"Then tell me I'm right and you don't give a rat's ass about me." She snapped.
"You're wrong, completely wrong." He yelled. "From the moment I talked to you that first night, I've been interested in you. I see so much of myself and my insecurities in you. Why do you think I stayed with you at Kensi's, comforted you when you had your nightmares? Why do you think I drove over to her house to comfort you Monday night? Or went with you when you talked to Nate? I have refused to talk to Nate for years about my issues, but for you, I've agreed to talk to him. Do you think I'd invite you to live here with me and buy you a bed if I didn't care about you?"
"I, I don't know." She said with tears in her eyes.
"Katy, wake up. You're a beautiful woman and all you do is sell yourself short. You're a damn good agent. You're a fantastic writer. Yes, I've read your articles, every article you've ever written." He told her.
Katy stood there shaking her head. "I don't know what to say."
"Stay here with me. Talk to me, tell me how you feel. Stop running away." He said.
She leaned against the door and slid down, burying her face in her hands. "How could you be interested in me, I'm."
"STOP." He yelled. "That's the crap I'm talking about. I'm not every other man you've been with or known so stop comparing me to them. I'm me, G Callen. I've been through the exact same thing you have. The molestation, the abuse, the drugs; the only difference is that my experience ended years ago. Yours just ended. You have to let me in so I can help you, stop shutting me out. I want to be there to help you. I want you in my life. I want you on my team. What more do I need to tell you? I may not be in love with you right this moment, but damn it, I see it coming."
Katy just looked at him. It didn't faze her that he was yelling, she heard every solitary word he spoke and saw the look on his face.
"I'm sorry about last night. I wanted to stay with you last night and comfort you. I'm sorry I got excited that you had a dream about me. I've been looking for signs that you feel the same way about me as I do about you, but you're so damn confusing. If you're going to leave, I won't stop you. Just remember this conversation and what I've told you." He said and walked out of the room, slamming his door behind him.
Katy just sat there for a few minutes before she got up and walked to his room. She saw his shadow on the other side of the door and laid her head on it, debating on whether or not to knock. "Callen, I'm sorry." She said.
Callen cleared his throat before he spoke. "What are you apologizing for? You're just being you."
"I'm sorry for everything." She said, feeling the weight on the other side of the door change.
Callen opened the door slowly. Katy stood there and looked at him, he'd been crying. They stood there for five minutes before either moved or spoke. "Look Katy, I meant everything I said."
Katy smiled. "I know you did."
Callen offered her his hand and she took it. He pulled her to him and put his arms around her, resting his head on hers. "I know you've got a lot you need to work out, but I'm here for you to help you through it. I need to know, do you want me in your life? Not just as a co-worker, or the team leader. "
Katy was crying again and Callen wiped her tears. "Yes Callen I do, you're going to have to be patient with me. I haven't had the time to heal like you have."
"I know you haven't, but you've got to remember I know what you're going through." He told her and kissed her forehead. "I've been right where you are now and the only person I had to help me through it was Hetty. Look at how many people you have that are willing to help you. Me, Hetty, Nate, Kensi. We want to help you, Katy."
"I know." She nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with you." He laughed.
Katy smiled and looked him in the eye. "Thank you." She told him.
"You're welcome." He said and kissed her.
It was like fireworks; Katy tingled from head to toe. Her heart raced and her breathing hitched. It was everything she dreamt of and then some. When the kiss ended, he smiled at her. "Go put some cold water on you face so it's not so obvious you've been crying."
"You too," she smiled and kissed him softly before she walked away. Callen took a deep breath before he followed her into the bathroom.
When it was time to leave, they grabbed their stuff and walked out the door. Callen suggested they drive the Mercedes in case they needed to go out with Sam again and handed her the keys. As they walked into the office, no one was there yet. Katy noticed a fifth desk had been brought in and their desks were in the shape of a 'U'. She smiled and set her back on her desk. Callen was at the kitchenette getting them coffee when Kensi and Deeks came in.
"Oh, you've got a desk. I guess you're going to be a permanent member of the team. Is it too late to change partners?" Kensi said excitedly, putting her bag down.
"Hey, that's not fair." Deeks frowned.
"I'm joking, Deeks." Kensi said rolling her eyes. "So how was your night, did you have another nightmare?"
Katy sighed and looked at Callen. "Yeah, I did. He actually killed me in this dream."
"Katy, what did Nate say yesterday when you talked to him?" Kensi asked.
"He wants to see me once a week, hopefully he can help me. I didn't go back to sleep after this one, so I've been awake since three, three thirty in the morning." Katy told them.
"Wait, didn't Callen lay down with you like he did Monday night?" she asked.
"No, I got mad at him and kicked him out of the room." She said.
"Oh," she said looking from Katy to Callen and back again. "Later?"
Katy nodded as Nate walked up. "Hey Katy, how did it go last night?"
"I had another nightmare." She told him.
"Do you want to tell me about it really quick?" he asked.
"Sure," she said as they walked up to his office. "Last night's dream was completely different than any other dream I've ever had. In last night's dream, I actually died. He came in the room, shot Callen twice and me once. Then I died and looked at our dead bodies lying in the bed."
"You had a dream that Callen was in bed with you?" he kind of smiled.
Katy blushed and smiled briefly. "I know how it sounds. Yes, in my dream, Callen and I were getting a little hot and heavy when the man barged in and shot him in the chest, then in the head, before he shot me."
"Are you and Callen, um?" he asked.
"No, we aren't." she said looking around. "I know you need to report stuff like that back to Hetty, but please, please do not tell her this. I like working in this office and with this team. I don't want to be transferred out."
"Is there the chance that you and Callen will you know?" he asked nervously. The smile Katy had on her face said everything he needed to know. "So what happens after these dreams?"
"Well, typically Callen will lay with me and we fall asleep." She said.
"What happened last night?" He asked.
"I told Callen that he and I were together in the dream and he got goofy, the only thing he was asking about was how 'together' we were in the dream. I kicked him out of the room and stayed awake the rest of the morning. We talked about everything this morning, so I think we're good now." She told him.
"Do you go to bed in the same bed or does he sleep somewhere else and come to you when you have a nightmare?"
"He's never started the night off with me." She told him.
"I know this may be asking too much and is definitely pushing the relationship envelope, but tonight try it with him starting the night off with you." He said.
Katy's face went slack. "Are you serious? You want Callen and me to sleep in the same bed all night?"
Nate laughed nervously. "I just want to see if having him there stops the nightmares. The night you didn't have one, Sunday over to Monday, where was he?"
"I'd gotten upset at him and shut the door, when I woke up, the doors were open and there was a chair sitting outside the room. I assume he watched me sleep." She said.
"Alright. Try it tonight, see if it helps and let me know in the morning." He said and she walked away.
Sam and Callen were talking when she came back downstairs. He looked at her and smiled. Eric came down the stairs, "You guys need to see this." He said.
When they got up to Ops, Hetty was already waiting for them. Katy assumed it was regarding the email she'd received that morning from Vitaliy, but it wasn't.
"LAPD had a call come into their emergency line his morning from Janice McCormick's address. The caller dialed nine-one-one and immediately hung up. The dispatcher called the number back as they usually do, when Mrs. McCormick didn't answer, they sent a unit out to do a welfare check. When they arrived, they found Janice McCormick beaten to death. LAPD contacted us because her husband was part of our investigation. They swept the house for prints and came up with this man." She said turning to the screen.
"His name is Yuri Larionov. He is the third man that showed up at the park with Vitaliy and Igor. He has a very lengthy criminal record. He's also on the FBI's watch list. Red flags popped up with him for every intelligence agency across the board. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. He's wanted in at least fifteen countries for everything from Petty theft and forgery to murder and trafficking; human, weapons and drugs."
"Do we have any idea why he's working with Vitaliy?" Katy asked.
"They only things we can come up with are that he's here to assist Vitaliy in purchasing one of Sidorov's nuclear weapons. Or he's here to help get you back." She told her.
"Have Sidorov's and Larionov's paths ever crossed in the past?" Sam asked.
"To our knowledge they haven't, but we're still looking into it. There's a lot of red tape to go through in trying to obtain everything that all of the other agencies have on him. I've been on the phone with Director Vance all morning." Hetty told them.
"I received an email from Vitaliy this morning." Katy told them.
"Really, I didn't see anything to you when I checked the account this morning." Nell said checking it again.
"It was sent from an email address I've never seen before. Let me pull it up for you." She said walking to Nell, taking the tablet. She logged into the email account and handed the tablet to Nell so she could put it up on the screen.
Callen looked at the email and then Katy. "Why didn't you tell me this was the kind of email he sent you?"
"I was more than a little pissed off at you this morning." She told him. The other stared at the two wondering what had happened.
Kensi leaned over to Sam and told him what Katy has said that morning. He nodded.
"You should've shown it to me." He said.
"Well, Callen I'm sorry." She snapped.
The others were smiling at the woman who could go toe to toe with their fearless leader. She was the only one of them who could get under his skin like that and tell him how it was. They knew Katy would forever give him a run for his money.
"Are the two of you finished?" Hetty smirked.
"Yes, Sorry." Katy laughed and shook her head. "You really piss me off sometimes."
"I love you too." He said, jokingly.
Once again, all eyes shifted from Hetty to them, waiting for her response. Hetty cleared her throat drawing their attention back to her. "Now," she couldn't help but smile. "As soon as I hear back from Director Vance, I will have Ms. Jones call you all back up for another briefing. Go find something constructive to do that doesn't make you look like you're sitting around talking. Granger is in town and may be stopping into the office."
As they walked back to the bullpen, Callen suggested they check out Katy's hand-to-hand combat skills. They guys all agreed, wanting to see Kensi and Katy duke it out. The girls agreed and headed into the locker room to change. When they walked back out, Kensi and Katy were dressed similarly in tight, calf-length workout pants, and sports bras. Katy however, was wearing a tank top over. The guys enjoyed the view.
"Oh, Kens I'm sorry, but you've lost the best butt award to Katy." Deeks said watching the two walk past him, he bit his knuckle. "Damn."
Kensi looked around at her rear and then at Katy's "Well, if I had to lose it to someone, at least it's you." She laughed.
"Alright, let's see what you've got." Callen said smiling with his arms crossed.
Katy sauntered over to him, poking her finger in his chest. "I bet I could get you on the floor in two seconds."
"Really, what makes you think that." He smirked.
"You forget I've got that Semper Fu training." She laughed.
"Semper Fu?" Sam asked. "What the hell is that?"
"MCMAT. Marine Corps Martial Arts?" she reminded him.
"I forgot you're a Marine." He said scoffing at her.
"What are you upset about? At least I joined the Men's department of the Navy." She hissed.
Callen, Kensi and Deeks laughed. "Katy, I wouldn't piss Sam off. He'd rip you in two." Callen told her.
"Alright fearless leader, show me what you've got then." She told him taking her stance.
Callen laughed and said. "I'd rather see you and Kensi go at it."
"In some hot oil or mud preferably." Deeks said.
With that, Kensi had him on the ground begging for her to stop. "Really Deeks? I think between Katy and I we could jack you up pretty good."
Katy watched Callen out of the corner of her eye and waited for her chance. As soon as he looked at her again, she laid him out. "What the hell, Katy I wasn't ready."
Once he was on his feet again, he wrapped her pony tail around his hand and pulled her to him. She reached behind her, grabbed his neck and pulled him over her shoulder. When he hit the ground, she still had a hold of her hair and she landed on top of him, her knee landing in a very sensitive spot.
"Oh G, she messed you up." Sam laughed.
"Come on honey, swallow'em back down." Katy laughed.
He was bent over in pain when Hetty walked into the gym. "What happened, Mr. Callen." She looked from Sam to Deeks expecting that one of them had done this to him.
"I got a little carried away and landed on him." Katy told her.
Hetty tried to stifle a laugh. "Mr. Callen are you alright?"
Callen cleared his throat and stood up straight with his face red and tears in his eyes. "Remind me never to grab her by the hair again." He said wincing in pain and bending over again.
Katy was on her knees looking up at him. "Callen, I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you."
He grabbed her and threw her on her back. "Don't ever leave yourself open like that." He smiled.
"Oh you ass." She said getting up.
Hetty cleared her throat. "Language Ms. Levin."
"Sorry, I forgot. Butthead." She smiled.
Hetty turned and walked out of the gym grinning wildly. "Try not to hurt one another, please."
As soon as the door closed, Callen and Katy were grappling again. No sooner would one of them get the other on their back, the other would do it. Eventually, they others were yelling and cheering them on. Callen kicked Kensi's legs out from under her. He tried to fight off both of them at the same time.
"Man why can't that be me?" Deeks said to Sam.
"The only woman I wrestle with is Michelle. You single guys can have at it." He laughed.
Within minutes Kensi, Katy and Callen were lying on the mats laughing. Katy rolled over to Callen and apologized for where she got him with her knee. He said it was okay and pulled her arm out from under her. Both laughed. They all sat on the floor in the gym talking and joking. Katy and Callen were next to each other and kept trying to push one another over.
"Do we need to leave you two alone for a while?" Sam asked.
"No, I'll get him when we get home tonight." She laughed.
"Wait, I thought you were staying with Kensi." He said.
"No, when we got home last night, there was a nasty gram threatening me with an eviction, so Katy went to Callen's. Where are you sleeping? Callen has no furniture?" Kensi asked.
"I got her a bed, it was delivered an hour before she got there last night." Callen told her.
"Oh, so are you still sleeping on the floor?" Sam asked with a knowing smile on his face.
"Well, Nate did suggest you go to bed with me tonight instead of joining me after I have a nightmare." Katy told Callen.
He looked around at the curious faced staring at them. "Um. Ok. Could you have mentioned that later, maybe when we're alone?"
"Please G. We all know. We see the way you look at each other. The way she gets under your skin and how protective you are of her." Sam told him.
"Not to mention how you were cuddled on my couch Monday morning. Stop denying it." Kensi said.
"Well, there's nothing going on right now." Katy told them.
"Right now." Sam laughed.
"Alright, let's go get showered and get lunch." Callen said, and then looked at Katy. "What do you want for lunch?"
"See, you don't ask any of us what we want for lunch." Sam pointed out.
"I do too, when we're out of the office. Besides, we're doing that thing where everyone gets a day to pick what we want and the rest of you have to deal with it." Callen told him throwing a towel at him.
"I'll eat what everyone else wants." Katy told them.
"No, what do you want?" Kensi asked.
"I'd love some Chinese." Katy told her as they walked through the locker room.
By the end of the afternoon, Katy was emotionally and physically exhausted. Callen drove her home and had to wake her up to get her in the house. She lay on the couch and fell back to sleep until she heard the water running in the bathroom.
Katy stumbled through the living room into the bathroom. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm drawing you a bath. Go get undressed." He smiled.
Instead of walking to her room, she stripped down in the hallway. Callen watched her and tried to restrain himself. Her body was riddled with scars; burns, stab wounds, gunshot wounds. She looked at herself and up at him.
"Pretty horrific, isn't it." She smiled faintly.
"Katy, you're beautiful. The scars add character; each one is a conversation piece, a story." He told her.
She walked to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, Callen cleared his throat. "Do you want to join me? You've already seen me naked."
Callen quickly thought about it and stepped away from her. She laughed at him and took the hand he offered and stepped into the tub. He pulled the shower curtain across to give her privacy and sat on the toilet talking to her.
"Did Nate really tell you that he wanted me to sleep with you tonight?" He asked as she soaked in the hot water.
She pulled the curtain back to look at him, "Yes he did. I'm not just telling you that because I want to get you into my bed; or rather your bed."
"Are you okay with that?" he asked.
She smiled, "I'm okay with it if you are."
"We'll try it." He smiled. "What do you think you want for dinner?"
"Mm, I was thinking Chinese, maybe?" she told him.
"Didn't you get on my case yesterday for eating out too much?" he laughed.
"We didn't make it to the store to get groceries, so we kind of have to order out." She reminded him.
He got up and went into the kitchen, returning with a take-out menu for a restaurant around the corner. "What do you like? We can order and share."
"Do they have Chow Fun and General's chicken?" she asked.
Callen scanned the menu and smiled when he found both items. "Yeah, they've got both, so an order of each? What else do you like?"
"Combination fried rice and Wor Wonton soup?" she suggested.
He looked at her and laughed. "Eat Chinese much?"
"I love food, Callen. It may not look like it, but I do." She laughed and leaned over to let the water out of the tub.
He stood up and got her a towel, stepping out to give her some privacy. She laughed and shook her head.
"Callen, I just undressed in front of you and you're still trying to give me privacy." She said peeking around the door frame at him.
"I know I just don't want you to think I'm leering at you. Believe me, it takes strength not to, um." He said as she walked up to him wrapped in a towel.
"I know I'm sorry, we agreed to take this slow and my little strip session didn't help." She smiled.
He smiled and pulled her to him. "I liked your little strip tease."
Katy smiled and kissed him. There was a knock at the door. Katy dropped her head on his chest. "I'll go get dressed, you see who it is." She said walking down the hall clenching the towel.
Callen watched her disappear and watched as she dropped the towel in the hallway. He groaned and walked to the door. "Hey Katy, its Kensi." He yelled as he opened the door. "Hey Kens, we were just about to order dinner, want to join us?"
"Actually, I picked dinner up on the way over. Katy mentioned wanting Chinese food this afternoon, so here it is." She said handing it to Callen.
"Katy just got out of the bath; she's in her room getting dressed." He told her as he closed the door and walked into the kitchen setting the food on the counter.
"Hey Kensi, what are you doing here?" she asked, walking into the kitchen.
"You mentioned Chinese food and I brought some." She smiled giving her friend a hug.
"Thank you, Callen and I were just about to order some." She said.
The three sat around the table eating and drinking a beer. When they finished, cleared the table and put the leftovers in the refrigerator, Kensi asked to see the pictures Katy had taken of Sam and his family. She walked over and grabbed her lap top and hooked it up to the TV. Katy explained that she fooled around with the photos that morning and saved what she'd done. The three agreed that the black and white versions of the photos were the best. Katy said she'd show them to Sam and Michelle and let them pick which they wanted.
Katy got up to do something and Kensi pulled up the photos of Callen. Katy walked back into the room to find the black and white photo of Callen on the beach up on the TV.
"Wow, Sam said it was a good photo, but, wow. Katy, this is really good." Kensi said.
"That's not the original." She said walking to the lap top and bringing the original color photo up.
Callen sat back looking at the picture. "That really is a good picture, Katy." He said reaching for her hand, pulling her down to the couch next to him.
"Callen." She said pointing to Kensi.
He shrugged and put his arm around her. Kensi looked back at them and smiled. "I knew it was a matter of time."
"Would you take some pictures like that of me? I'd like to give one to my Mom." Kensi asked.
"Sure. Do you still want to drive up the coast this weekend or do it another time?" Katy asked.
"Whatever you want to do. Or you and Callen can go and we'll go another time." She said.
"No, you two go and we'll take off another weekend." Callen said.
Katy and Kensi grinned and high-fived one another. "Road trip!"
An hour later, Kensi said goodnight and headed home. Callen and Katy sat on the couch talking before they locked up and walked to her bedroom. They anxiously stood staring at each other on opposite sides of the bed. Why was this so hard? Katy thought to herself. She took a deep breath and threw back the covers getting in the bed. Callen followed suit and lay down next to her. It was awkward, he didn't know if he should hold her or not. Once they got comfortable, Katy reached for his hand and wrapped it around her. Callen kissed her cheek and her neck before he said goodnight.
They woke with the alarm at six; Katy was ecstatic that she didn't have a nightmare; she rolled over and kissed Callen, thanking him. She made a pot of coffee before she got in the shower and Callen handed her a cup when she walked out of the bathroom. When he walked out of the bathroom after showering, she had a fresh cup for him. He kissed her and thanked her.
"Do you think this is what it's like being married?" she asked him.
"I don't know, we can ask Sam." He laughed.
"No let's not, we don't need anyone jumping to anymore conclusions than they already have." She smiled, kissing him again.
He took her coffee cup from her and pulled her to him, kissing her passionately. "Can you do me a favor today?"
Tongue tied and weak in the knees she replied, "What?"
"Don't knee me in the nuts again, that really hurt." He told her.
Katy burst out laughing. "Oh that's such a romantic thing to say at a moment like this."
"Sorry, it was bad timing." He laughed. "You ready to head for work?"
"Sure." She smiled and kissed him.
Everyone looked at them, smiling when they walked into the bullpen. "What?" Callen asked.
"How was your night?" Sam asked.
"Fine." Callen told him.
"Did you have a nightmare last night, Katy?" Sam asked.
Katy smiled, "Nope, not one."
Sam and Kensi smiled. "Nate was looking for you, Katy."
"Ok, is he in his office?" she asked as she walked away.
"I think so." Sam yelled back.
When Katy walked into Nate's office, Hetty was with him. She immediately apologized for interrupting and backed out of the room.
"No, no come on in Ms. Levin." Hetty said waving her into the room. "How was your night, did you have a nightmare?"
"No, I didn't" she beamed.
"Mr. Callen slept with you?" Hetty asked.
Katy stood there like a deer in the head lights. "It's alright; Hetty was the one who suggested it." Nate told her.
She sighed and answered. "Yes, we slept in the same bed together. Nothing happened, we just slept."
"It's alright Katy." Hetty told her.
"What about your rules?" She asked.
"For the time being, screw the rules. I need you well rested, whatever you have to do to get a good night's sleep, so be it." Hetty told her.
"You guys are so confusing." She said as she smiled and walked out of the room.
She stopped into Ops to see if there was anything new, Callen was already in there doing the exact same thing.
"Hey," he smiled and said when she walked in.
"Hey yourself." She said.
Nell and Eric looked at each other. "We've got nothing new. Hetty's still waiting on Director Vance for the information on Larionov. It might be a couple days."
"I hate standing around not doing anything." Katy said as they walked out of Ops and down to the bullpen.
"I know, but there isn't much more we can do." Callen told her.
An hour later, the team was called back up to Ops, hopeful that the information on Larionov had come back. Katy was giddy when Nell told them the news.
"Igor Demidov's body was found about thirty minutes ago, floating just outside of the Santa Monica Pier. Santa Monica PD and the Coast Guard feel he was shot in the head and most likely dumped overboard somewhere out off the coast. Does Vitaliy have a boat?" Nell asked Katy.
"No and he's deathly afraid of the open water. So the chances of him having anything to do with this are slim to none. I place my bets on Larionov." Katy told them.
"Is there any information on Yuri having a nautical background?" Callen asked.
Nell smiled. "Yes in fact. He travels exclusively by boat. He never flies. Where Vitaliy's afraid of the water, Yuri's afraid of flying. He's yacht is docked in a slip in Santa Monica."
"I call Katy as my stakeout buddy." Kensi yelled as Hetty walked in.
"Slow down Ms. Blye, you already have a partner." Hetty told her.
"Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna would you be willing to take Ms. Levin with you and sit at one end of the marina while Ms. Blye and Mr. Deeks take the other?" she asked.
"Of course." Callen told her.
"You are not to be seen, Katy."
"Then why don't I just stay here in Ops with Nell and Eric?" Katy asked.
"No, you need the time in the field. Just watch for now to see who comes and goes Ms. Jones and Mr. Biel will be watching from here as well." Hetty told them.
"Alright," Callen said as they walked out of Ops.
"You're taking the pictures." Sam said to Katy as they walked down the stairs.
She smiled, grabbed her laptop and camera and followed them out to the Mercedes. It was a warm day, and she knew it was going to be a very long hot afternoon. After they topped off the gas tank and stopped for drinks and snacks, they headed towards Santa Monica. Fortunately, there was an available parking spot under a tree where they had a good view of the entrance for the marina. Whenever, anyone would come or go, Katy would snap a couple shots and send them to Nell for Identification. Once the IDs were available, Nell sent them back to Katy. A copy of the files was sent to Kensi and Deeks and vise versa. By five that evening, Hetty was ordering them back to the office.