Callen and Katy were sitting on the couch eating the leftover Chinese food while going back through the pictures she Kensi had taken that afternoon. Callen was trying to get her to put it away and relax for a little while. She refused, knowing there was someone one there that they needed to know about. He was getting mad.
"Just turn it off, Katy." Callen said taking the lap top from her.
"I hate it when you do that." She told him folding her arms across her chest.
"You're too wound up right now." He told her.
"I know, I'm sorry. I have a one-track mind." She laughed.
"Yes you do." He said pulling her against him.
"What do you say we clear off this stuff and go for a run? You need to work off some of that excess energy." He told her.
Katy went and put on her running clothes and started stretching while Callen changed. He watched her stretching in the living room and was impressed by how limber she was. Standing with her legs straight, she was bent over with her palms flat on the floor. He stretched out and followed her out the door. Callen ran her pace, which wasn't much slower than his. On the way back, she stepped it up and ran harder. By the time they got back to the house, he plopped onto the grass. He had started making a mental list of things not to do with her. Number one on the list was pulling her around by her hair. Number two was run with her. He laughed to himself.
He was astonished that she was barely winded and still wanted to run more. She lay on the grass next to him and stared up at the cloud striped sky. The sun was about a half-hour from setting, but there were already shades of pink streaking the sky. Birds were chirping and the sweet scent of Jasmine and Narcissus filled the air. Callen was looking at her wondering why she was smiling. He rolled on his side. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sounds and smells. When she opened her eyes, Callen was leaning over her smiling.
"What?" she asked.
"What are doing, you're smiling and your eyes are closed." He laughed.
"Can you smell the Jasmine and Narcissus?" she asked him.
He looked around and took a deep breath. "Mm, that smells good."
"Listen for the birds." She told him.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on the chirping birds. "Wow, I've never stopped to smell the roses so to speak." He told her.
"You have to every now and again." She smiled.
One of Callen's neighbors walked past and asked if they were alright. They told him they were and just laid there watching the sky go from bright blue to orange and pink and finally dark blue. She had her head resting on his chest, listening to his heart. His arm was around her. They didn't speak, just laid there enjoying the evening and each other. He ran his fingers through her pony tail. She looked up at him smiling.
"What's wrong?" she asked him.
He smiled back at her, "Absolutely nothing. I love this."
"We should probably head in and shower." She told him.
"Naw, we've got a while yet. It's only eight thirty." He told her. "Lay back down."
She looked at him oddly before she put her head back on his chest. A few minutes later, they heard Callie howling at the door, begging to be fed. They got up and went into the house. Katy fed Callie while Callen showered. Katy was in her room when he walked in. He smelled so good. She grabbed her stuff, kissed him and showered. Since it was so later, she dried her hair and joined him in bed.
Again, she woke the next morning having slept through the night, nightmare free. She was wired, definitely didn't need the three or four cups of coffee she usually had every morning. Since they'd showered the night before they laid in bed talking for a while before getting up and getting dressed.
They decided not to make coffee and just pick some up on the way into the office. When they got there, Nate was waiting for them. He was please to see how refreshed Katy appeared to be and knew she'd had another good night's sleep. He was also happy with the interaction between them. With coffee in hand, they followed him up to his office and took a seat on the couch. Like the previous visit, Nate pulled a chair over from his desk.
"So, how are things going for you two?" He asked with a smile.
Katy and Callen smiled at one another before either answered. "It's going very well. Three days in and we've settled into a nice routine." Katy told him.
"You're both sleeping through the night, no nightmares for either of you?" he asked.
"No, Katy sleeps like a rock." Callen laughed. "She just has so much energy. It's hard to keep up with her. We went for a run last night. I think she's going to have to expend the extra energy like that every night."
"Very good, at least she's keeping you on your toes." Nate laughed.
Callen looked over at Katy and smiled. "Yeah, she definitely is. You should've seen her the other day with her; what did you call it; Semper Fu? She kicked my ass."
"It was fun tossing you around the mats." Katy beamed.
"I figured it would've been you and Kensi going toe-to-toe." Nate commented.
"We were going to, but Deeks made a comment and Kensi pinned him." She laughed.
"Sam said he made a comment about you two mud or oil wrestling." Callen told her.
"Somehow I'm not surprised. Kensi and I actually wound up teaming up against Callen."
Nate gave them an odd look. "It didn't help that I kicked Kensi's legs out from under her. We were having fun." Callen said.
"Good, I'd like to come over tonight to talk with you two, see you a little more relaxed. Would that be alright with you guys?" he asked.
"No, that's fine. I can make dinner; we'll stop by the store on the way home. What do you think; steaks?" Katy said.
Nate smiled, "Sure. Katy, can I talk to Callen alone for a few minutes?"
"Sure, I'll be at my desk." She said and without thinking, she gave him a quick kiss before she walked out.
"I see things are going very well." Nate laughed when she closed the door behind her.
"Yeah," Callen smiled. "We usually don't do that at work."
"It's alright; I won't say anything to Hetty. I'm pretty sure we all saw it coming. An occasional slip is alright, I think Hetty's just worried about finding the two of you in the file room or something." He laughed.
"No, that won't happen." Callen laughed, assuring him.
"So how are you doing?" Nate asked.
"Good. I'm actually doing really well. It feels good to fall asleep and wake up next to someone." Callen told him.
"What kind of feelings are you having about this relationship?" Nate asked.
Callen stood up and walked to the window, he noticed Sam pulling in. "I don't know. I've never been in love before, but damn. I'm completely head over heels, wrapped up with her." He turned back to see Nate grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Are you okay with it?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine with it. I love living with her and having her here at work." He shook his head and smiled.
Nate smiled. "It's good to see you like this. If the relationship progresses, are you still going to be able to work with her and detach yourself enough to let her do her job."
"I think so, but I honestly couldn't tell you. I was so worried about her the day she and Kensi met with David McCormick. I promised her over the weekend that I'd never let anything happen to her." He said sitting again.
"Are you in love with her?" Nate asked.
Callen smiled. "I don't know, it's huge, what I feel. It's taken a great deal of restraint not to tell her I love her."
"How do you think she'd react if you did tell her?" Nate asked.
"I don't know?" He said. "She'd probably take it well, but on the other hand she's been so hurt by men who've told her that. It's confusing with her sometimes."
"I'm pretty sure she feels the same." Nate told him.
"I'll talk to her about it tonight." He said.
"No, don't talk about it, just tell her." Nate told him. "You should probably head to work before Hetty sends someone up for you. I'll stop by say six, six thirty?"
"Sounds good." Callen said as he walked out of the office. He thought about what they'd talked about and smiled.
Katy saw him smiling as he skipped down the steps. She loved when he was happy, she realized something. Kensi gave her a tap on the arm and asked if she was okay. Katy told her she was fine and went back to her thoughts. When Callen walked into the bullpen he winked at her and she blushed. He walked around the corner to the kitchenette for a cup of coffee, and then walked over to her desk.
"Nate said he'd be over between six and six thirty." He told her.
Katy smiled up at him. "Ok. You have a grill, don't you?"
"Yeah, that's about one of the only things I do have." He laughed.
It was an agonizingly slow day, with no new developments or information coming down the wire. Hetty sat at her desk watching the team talk as they tried to look busy. Katy was a good addition to the team. She knew that Katy and Kensi would get along, but did fear Sam would resent her and the time she'd spend with Callen. Fortunately, her fears were wrong. The three actually seemed to get along fine. Katy had even managed to spend some time talking with Deeks and had a good working relationship with him. Hetty felt good in knowing Katy could be used as a substitute for any one of the team members if the need arose.
Nate walked up and sat at her desk. "I'm going to Callen and Katy's for dinner tonight just to see how they are at home." He told her.
"Very good, did you speak to them this morning?" She asked sipping her tea.
"I did. They're adjusting very well. Too well." He said.
"Too well?" She asked.
"There is no way they will have just a professional relationship, Hetty. He's all but in love with her and from what I can surmise from her, she's pretty much there too. I know you said you wouldn't split them up." He said.
"I think if I removed her from the office it would do more harm than good." She said watching over his shoulder. "It wouldn't affect only Callen; it could hurt the morale of the entire team."
Nate looked over his shoulder and heard the waves of laughter. "I have to agree. She's definitely won them over."
"That she has. I was concerned about her and Mr. Hanna, but they seem to get along rather well." Hetty said as she watched the two tossing paper balls back and forth at each other.
"They're just a bunch of little kids when you let them. Did you hear about the grappling session?" Nate laughed.
Hetty smiled. "Yes, I listened from the door and went in after Katy kneed Callen in the groin. It was quite funny listening to them all going back and forth."
"I can imagine." He said.
"I can't let them goof off like that, with nothing else to do, I might as well let them go home." She said looking at her watch, it was almost lunch. Hetty stood and walked over to the bullpen, catching one of the paper wads in mid air. The team, embarrassed went back to the paperwork on their desks. "Oh stop you bunch of fakers. Go, get out of here there's nothing else to do. Go enjoy the rest of the day before I change my mind or something happens."
They team looked at her and smiled. Quickly, they packed their bags and ran for the door. She called Katy and Callen back for a quick talk. Looks of worry on their faces, they sat at her desk with their bags at their feet. Katy felt like she was back in school, sitting in front to the principal awaiting a lengthy lecture.
"I hear you're getting along well." She said.
Katy sighed, "I'm being transferred out, aren't I?"
"No, actually, you're being permanently assigned to the team. I just want to make it clear that you are not to bring your personal relationship to work with you. Whatever issues and squabbles you have at home are no to be brought into the office. There will be no open displays of affections and please do not let me find you making out in the file room or janitors closet." She smiled the entire time.
"What about a partner?" Callen asked.
"Until a suitable partner is found, she will float between you and Mr. Hanna and Ms. Blye and Det. Deeks." Hetty told him.
"Thank you Hetty." Katy smiled.
"You're very welcome. Remember. You are co-workers when you hit that threshold." She said as they stood with their bags over their shoulders. "Go; enjoy the rest of your afternoon."
They stopped and at the store on the way home, picking up the steaks, marinade and sides. As they walked the aisle they tossed other miscellaneous items in the cart. Callen stopped her and kissed her. A little girl standing at the end of the aisle giggled at them.
When they'd loaded the groceries in the car, Katy noticed the FedEx/Kinkos store in the shopping center and decided to print some of the pictures she'd taken. She fished the memory card from her camera bag and walked over holding Callen's hand. He stood next to her as she chose the pictures and printed them. He noticed she'd printed the one of him on the beach and smiled to himself. He asked for a copy of one of the pictures he'd taken of her. Once the pictures were printed, they walked through the shop picking frames.
On the way home, they picked up lunch. After the perishables were put away, they sat down and ate. Callen wanted to tell her about the conversation he'd had with Nate, but decided to save it for later. Until she brought it up.
"How did it go with you and Nate?" she asked.
"Good, he just asked how we were doing and how I was adjusting to you being here." He said popping a fry in his mouth.
"What did you tell him, we're ok, aren't we?" she asked worried.
Callen sat his hand on hers and leaned over kissing her. "Of course we're doing fine."
"He asked about feelings." He said watching her out of the corner of his eye.
"Feelings, what type of feelings?" she smiled hopeful.
"Katy, remember Monday morning when I said I wasn't in love with you but I could see it coming?" he said looking directly at her.
She smiled, "Yes."
"I was wrong, I do love you." He told her. He expected her facial expression to change, but it didn't.
"I love you too." She said softly.
Callen pushed back his chair and pulled her over to his lap. "You love me?"
"Yes I do and it scares the hell out of me, but it doesn't at the same time. If that makes any sense?" she said.
"It makes perfect sense." He smiled up at her and kissed her.
When they finished lunch, they put away the rest of the groceries. Katy pulled out the pictures and frames, spreading them across the table. Once by one, she put each in a frame. Callen would place them throughout the house. The last two photos left were the ones of them. Katy took the photo of Callen and place on her night stand, he took the picture of her and put it on his dresser.
Kensi called complaining that she was bored, so Callen invited her over. When she got there, Deeks was with her. The four sat around laughing and joking the afternoon away. Since Nate was coming over, they left at five. Katy started dinner with Callen watching over her shoulder. At five forty-five, he started the grill. Nate showed up right at six, as Katy was walking out to the back to put the steaks on. Callen offered him a beer and the three sat in the back talking while the meat cooked.
Nate truly enjoyed himself. The conversation was good and both Callen and Katy were smiling. Callen showed him around the house since he'd never been there. Katy worked in the kitchen to get the rest of dinner ready. Nate saw the picture of Callen on Katy's night stand and smiled. Callen explained that she'd taken that over the weekend when they were on their way down to Sam's and showed him the picture he'd taken of Katy. They walked back into the dining room as Katy was setting the table. Callen rushed over and took the armful from her so she could go back to the pot that was boiling over on the stove. She gave him a quick kiss before she ran to the kitchen.
As Katy brought the food to the table, she asked Callen to open the wine and let it breathe for a few minutes before they poured it. He had to ask if they even had a bottle opener and she went back into the kitchen to get it for him. Nate thought they were cute together, made a good couple. It they ever chose to have kids, they'd be good looking. Katy brought the three wine glasses into the dining room and place one at each of their plates on the table.
They talked about work and their pasts as they ate. Nate made sure the dinner conversation was light-hearted. He asked Katy about her happiest childhood memory and it took her a few minutes, but she told them about it. She was ten; it was Christmas time and had just been placed with a new family. Even though she'd only been with them for three days prior to Christmas, they made sure she had gifts under the tree. The family had a habit of giving each child they fostered a photo of them with the rest of the family. Katy smiled and her eyes teared up when she told them she still had the photo. Callen reached across the table and gave her hand a squeeze, smiling at her.
Nate saw everything he needed to see to determine that it was a healthy, thriving relationship. Neither was a danger to themselves or the other. He would happily report back to Hetty that Katy was well on her way to recovering from the events of the past. They had an arm around each other as they walked Nate to the door and said goodnight. He told them he'd see them the following morning and left. Callen and Katy cleared the plates and glasses from the dining room and carried them into the kitchen and loaded them into the dishwasher.
There was still enough evening left for them to sit down and watch some TV before they went to bed. Callen sat in his normal spot on the couch with Katy nestled at his side and Callie sprawled across them. It was perfect, he thought to himself. Katy was the best women he'd ever met. The way she made him feel was phenomenal. He wondered what the future held for them and resigned himself to patiently wait for life to happen.
It was just after ten when they locked up, turned out the lights and went to bed. Katy was changing when he walked in; he'd changed in the other room. She laughed that he was still changing in the other room and suggested he move his dresser and clothes. He told her he would while she was on her road trip with Kensi that weekend. They crawled into bed and cuddled against one another until they fell asleep.
The rest of the week was slow, they still had no information on Yuri and while they monitored Vitaliy, there was nothing new from him. By Friday afternoon, they were dragging from the lack of activity. Katy was in the process of making the fifth pot of coffee that morning when Kensi approached her.
"Hey Katy, my Mom wanted me to come back out this weekend to spend some more time with her, would you be okay with postponing our road trip?" she asked hesitantly.
"Of course, it's your Mom. It'd be a different story if you were blowing me off for Deeks or some random guy. Family is more important." She told her.
"You can come with me; my Mom's dying to meet you. She's met everyone else. Besides, I told her we were really good friends." She smiled.
"I'll go with you another time. Enjoy your weekend with your Mom." She smiled.
Kensi gave her a hug. "Thank you, you're the best."
"You're welcome Kensi." Katy said.
"Are you trying to steal my partner from me?" Deeks said smiling at the two.
"I might be." Katy teased.
"I'm watching you." He said pointing his finger at them as he walked away.
Katy grabbed his finger and hyper-extended it. He cried out in pain as the others watched and laughed.
"Damn, that hurt." He said cradling his hand.
"Well, don't point it at me." Katy laughed.
They two started swatting back and forth at each other. Callen told them to take it to the gym. Before they could all change over to goof off in the gym, Hetty sent them home for the weekend. Deeks made faces at Katy from behind Hetty, until she turned around with her hands on her hips.
"Mr. Deeks, go home." She ordered and smiled when she went back to her desk.
Callen planned on taking Katy out on their first official date. When they got home, he disappeared and came out with a bag packed and told her to go change. She tried to look in the bag as she passed but he pulled it away.
"So what am I supposed to wear?" she asked.
"Something comfortable." Was all he told her.
She smacked him in the rear as she walked back into the hallway. When she walked back into the living room, she was wearing a delicate yellow and white sundress and a pair of white sandals. Callen thought she looked beautiful. Her blonde hair was hanging in lose spiraling curls.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" she asked.
"No, you'll see when we get there." He told her.
Katy had a good feeling of where they were going. When she, Callen and Sam were on stake out, they talked about the amusement park on the pier there in Santa Monica. Katy told them that she hadn't ever been there. Her guess was right. They walked along the pier riding whatever rides they wanted, had hot dogs from one of the concession stands for dinner and split an ice cream cone as they walked the beach. They walked back up to the car where Callen pulled a blanket from the bag, walked back down the beach and laid the it out.
Cuddled together, they sat there for hours talking and people watching. After the sunset and the breeze blowing off the ocean grew cooler, they folded up the blanket and walked back up to the car. Katy was leaning against Callen, kissing him when his phone rang. He ignored it and let it go to his voicemail. It rang three more times before he finally looked to see who it was and answered.
Sam was more than a little mad that Callen hadn't answered the first time he called. He was prepared to give him a ration when Callen finally picked up until he heard the noise in the background. "You took her to the pier?" he asked instead.
"Hello Sam." He said with Katy leaning into him.
"Sorry, I didn't even think you were out and about. I'll just talk to you tomorrow." He said.
"No, you've got me on the phone now, what did you need?" Callen asked.
"The kids wanted to spend some time with Uncle Callen again, so we were wondering if we could come up tomorrow?" he said with the kids chanting Callen's name in the background.
Callen laughed and shook his head. "Sure, I'd love to spend some time with the kids tomorrow. You are going to be there, right? You're not going to pull what you did last time and leave me alone with them?"
"No, we're not going to make you babysit." Michelle yelled in the background.
"Alright, I'm going to hold you to that. What time do you think you'll be over tomorrow?" He asked.
"Probably around lunch." Sam said.
"Okay, I'll see you guys then." He said and hung up.
"I take it Sam, Michelle and the kids are coming over tomorrow?" she asked.
"Yeah, around noon. You'll be off with Kensi."
Katy shook her head. "No, her Mom wanted to spend another weekend with her, so I told her we'd do it another weekend."
"Ah." He said smiling, kissing her. "So we get to spend our first weekend in the house together?"
"Yes we do." She said pulling him closer.
"Hmm, what should we do, lay around naked all weekend?" he laughed.
"Well, until Sam, Michelle and the kids get there." She told him.
They made another pass through the pier and headed home. Callen had put a bottle of wine in the refrigerator while she was changing and intended on opening it when they got home. Callie was waiting at the door for them when they walked in, so Katy fed her while Callen opened the wine and invited her out back for a while. He'd gotten a hammock and set it up. With a few citronella torches burning around them, they laid in the hammock drinking wine and talking.
They were kissing, pulling at each other's clothing. Callen pulled Katy on top of him and watched as she pulled her dress over her head. With one of his hands on her breast and the other pulling her to him, he kissed her. By the time they made it into the house and the bed they were more than ready. It had been so long since Katy had been with a man who wasn't overly rough; she was loving every minute of it and met every thrust. Callen had to restrain himself from pounding into her with every frenzied movement. He loved the noises she made and the sheer pleasure on her face. An hour later and multiple positions later, their bodies entangled, they fell asleep.
Katy woke the next morning and rolled into Callen, pressing herself against his naked body. It was better than she imagined their first time being. He held her tighter and kissed the top of her head. Since Sam and his family wouldn't be there for a few more hours, nor did they have to get ready for work, they just laid in bed. Callen asked if he was too rough with her the night before and she assured him it was perfect.
By eleven, they had showered and dressed. It was a warm day, so Katy had the doors and windows open. A nice breeze kept the house cool. She could hear the kids before she saw them walking up to the door and got up to greet them. Katy felt a little jilted when they ran past her without so much as a word. The greeting she got from Sam and Michelle more than made up for it. They hadn't expected her to be there since Callen had mentioned she was going up the coast with Kensi to take pictures.
They followed the kids out to the back yard and scrambled to pick up the clothes they'd left out there the night before. Katy was mortified. She and Michelle sat and talked while Callen and Sam talked. It was a nice, stress-free, worry-free day. They wanted to do something fun for dinner, so they decided to drive to Buena Park and go to Medieval Times for the tournament dinner show. Coincidently another southern California treasure Katy had never been privy to.
It was so much fun, Katy and the kids loved it. Katy was so used to being proper and using utensils, she awkwardly looked around for the flatware while Callen and Sam laughed at her. Michelle liked the relationship between the three. Initially when she learned that Katy was going to be working with them, she worried. But after hearing about her and her antics or abilities over the past week, Michelle knew Katy would take care of Sam.
By the end of the show, the kids were falling asleep, so they carried the kids out to the car and said goodnight. Callen and Katy headed home, knowing Callie would be howling by the time they got there. They lay out in the hammock talking, with an arm wrapped around each other and the fingers of their free hands laced.
"Tell me something I don't know about you." Callen said kissing her neck.
"Other than I love it when you do that?" she laughed.
"Oh you like that." He said between kisses.
"Mm, are you trying to start the same thing that happened last night?" she asked, with her eyes closed and head back.
"As tempting as it is no; I want to know everything there is to know about you. When's your birthday?" he asked.
"Too bad." She smiled. "My birthday is in October."
"What day?" he asked kissing her collar bones.
"The seventh." She told him, loving the feel of his lips on her skin.
"And you'll be thirty six?" he asked.
"Yes." She said breathlessly. "You really need to stop since you aren't interested in starting something."
"I wasn't then, but who's to say I'm not now." He smiled. "Tell me something else."
"Like what?" she asked.
He laughed and buried his face in her chest. "Lord, Katy I don't know. The first thing that comes to mind."
"I love you." She said.
"I already know that, something else. How did you get Callie?" he asked.
"I was nineteen, living in the barracks. It was storming really badly and I had a room on the bottom deck. I heard this horrible sound and went out to the dumpster in the pouring rain and found this little tiny cat. She was no more than a few hours old. I nursed her back to health and hid her in my room." She told him.
"No wonder she loves you so much." He smiled. "Tell me what you got for Christmas when you were ten."
"I got some clothes, the picture, a little computer-looking toy and a strawberry short cake game with a spinning wheel and little cards with the characters on them. Their biological son and I would take the computer and the game and play Wheel of Fortune." She said smiling.
"Seriously, that's creativity at its best." Callen told her. "Do you like playing games?"
Katy gave him an evil grin, "It depends on the game."
"I'm talking about Monopoly type games." He laughed, smacking her butt.
"No, I don't. I'll play a few card games, but I don't have the patience for many of the board games." She told him.
Callie jumped up on the hammock with them and walked up to Callen's chest. They gave her some love and watched as she curled up between them. The warm evening air, the soft glow of the citronella torches and the cats purr lulled them to sleep.
They woke as the sun started to creep over the top of the house, and the sky grew brighter. Callie hopped down and walked back into the house. Katy went in and made a pot of coffee, returning with two cups. They spent the majority of the day in the back yard just talking. Since they never got around to taking anything out for dinner, they went out.
By chance, they ran into Kensi and her Mom. She was very happy to have finally met Katy after hearing so much about her for the last couple weeks. They got a table for four and talked through dinner. It was a very nice way to end a very nice weekend. Kensi's Mom invited Katy over the next time Kensi joined her for the weekend. Katy agreed.
The next morning, Katy had a doctor's appointment to recheck her foot. Callen headed to work, but asked what time she thought she'd be in, she told him no later than ten. She left an hour later and drove to the clinic. She was given a clean bill of health and told that it wasn't broken at all. Happy, with her medical release in hand, she headed into work. Katy saw everyone's cars in the parking, but Sam's and was worried when she walked in to set her bag down to find no one in the bullpen. Hetty wasn't at her desk, so she headed up to Ops.
Hetty was walking out as she hit the landing. "Good morning, Ms. Levin." She said.
"Good morning, Hetty." She smiled and handed her release papers to her.
"You've been released?" She asked before looking at them.
"Yes, fully released back to regular duty and field work." She said. "Where is everyone?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Hanna are preparing for an undercover mission, Ms. Blye and Mr. Callen are preparing to leave for a mission as well." She said.
"Oh, what am I going to be doing?" Katy asked, mildly dejected.
"You'll be remaining behind to provide support." Hetty said.
"Oh okay." Katy said.
"If you hurry, you might be able to catch Mr. Callen and Ms. Blye before they leave. Try the armory." Hetty told her.
With that, Katy was down the stairs and in the hallway leading to the armory. She heard Callen's voice up ahead.
"Wheels up in thirty, let's go." He said and nearly ran into her as he turned around. "Katy, hey I've got to go."
"Out of the country, Hetty already told me." She gave him a worried smile.
"Are you going to be okay?" He asked quickly.
"I'll be fine, just be careful." She told him.
"I will, don't worry. I'll be back in a few days. I love you." He said looking around before he gave her a soft kiss.
"I love you too." She said before he walked away. Katy leaned against the wall feeling as if her insides were being ripped out. Kensi came around the corner. "Hey Kensi, be careful out there."
"I will don't worry." Kensi smiled and hugged her.
"Keep an eye on him, bring him home." She said quietly.
Kensi pulled away. "I will it's an easy in, easy out mission." She said and hugged her again before she walked away.
Katy walked into the armory and found Deeks lost in thought. "I guess it's just you and me, Marty."
"Naw, not really, I'm being partnered up with Sam." He said sourly.
"He's not that bad, is he? I mean he's ok with me." She said.
"He's always had some problem with me, I don't know what the hell his deal is." He said.
"Well, Kensi and Callen are going to be gone for a few days, if you get bored, you've got my number." She said as he walked out without a word.
Katy walked back up to Ops and sat with Nell and Eric until Hetty, Sam and Michelle came in. Katy groaned when Granger came strolling in. She sat back listening to Nell explain how Sidorov got the nuke over the border into Mexico. They had surmised that Sidorov was staying at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Within minutes Sam, Michelle and Deeks were out the door headed to the Biltmore for a stakeout.
Katy sat down to listen to them once they'd arrived at the hotel. Michelle stayed in the Porsche while Sam and Deeks were at the park. Katy recalled that Marty wasn't looking forward to being paired up with Sam, but couldn't understand why until Sam let him have it. She sat there shocked; mouth agape as she listened to Sam's scathing remarks. Wondering what Michelle was thinking since she sat there silent until she noticed a woman who would be to Sidorov's liking cross the street wearing a Russian designer's dress.
Michelle had made a comment about a beautiful black woman, causing Sam to state that he'd seen many women fitting that description in Los Angeles. When she heard Michelle's comment and Sam's back tracking she openly laughed, drawing everyone's attention. Embarrassed, she went back to listening as Hetty told her to. Eric and Nell smiled as they'd heard the exchange between Sam and his wife, too. Eric was able to follow the woman through the hotel and up to the ninth floor.
The three came back to Ops and discussed with Hetty and Granger how they were going to get Sidorov. Sam and Michelle were going to wait for Sidorov and his men in the parking garage while Deeks and Granger were going to set up with the assistance of the LAPD at the bank. Katy felt utterly useless and invisible. Hetty looked at her before she walked out of Ops and told her to be patient. Katy was livid. Nell walked over to talk to her.
"Katy, you'll get your chance." She told her.
"I know I just hate sitting around doing nothing." Katy told her. "I did more in the field when I was on light duty with my foot."
"You were just released for field work this morning." Nell told her. "We've been working this case for a while. You'll get your chance, I promise."
"I know." She said standing and stretching. "I'm going to go get a cup of coffee, do you guys want anything?"
"Nope, we're good. No food or drinks in Ops. We'll call you when something starts." Nell told her as she walked out.
When she returned to Ops, she wasn't in a better mood and Nell knew at that point that the best thing to do was walk away and leave Katy alone.
For the rest of the afternoon, Katy sat listening to mindless chatter. Occasionally Nell and Eric would include her in the conversation, but for the most part they left her alone. By the end of the day, Katy couldn't wait to go home, even if it was to an empty house. Hetty offered to have someone stay with her, but Katy refused. Instead of going right home, she drove straight to the beach, knowing the surfers would be on the water at least until sundown. Taking pictures would occupy her time and mind for a few hours.
She'd been sitting in the sand in her swim suit for over an hour when she heard a familiar voice. "What's a pretty girl like you doing here on the beach all alone?" He said.
Katy turned around and sure enough it was Deeks. "Hey Marty. I guess you could say I'm avoiding going home since Callen isn't here."
"Yeah, I know the feeling." He said shoving the end of his board in the sand. "Do you mind if I sit?"
"No, come on." She said.
"Taking pictures?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's what I do when I'm bored." She said handing him the camera.
He scrolled through the pictures, "Wow, these are really good." He said looking at pictures of the surfers on action.
"Thanks." She said as he handed it back to her. "So I overheard the conversation you and Sam had while on the stakeout this afternoon."
"Yeah, wasn't that wonderful?" he said.
"I thought it was a little harsh and judgmental." She told him. "Kind of makes me wonder what he really thinks of me."
"Come on now, everyone loves you Katy." He said patting her back. "So how are things going with you and Callen?"
Katy smiled. "They're good."
"I'm happy for you." He said looking out at the water sadly.
"I heard a little bit of the conversation you and Kensi had in the armory when I was talking to Callen. Everything alright between you two?" She asked.
Deeks dug through the sand and pulled out a dried piece of seaweed, throwing it a few feet ahead of them. "I don't know what's going on with that. She keeps telling me I have crappy communication skills. That I can't tell her what I'm feeling. Yeah, sometimes I have a problem telling people how I feel and I can admit that."
Katy bumped his shoulder with hers. "So how do you feel about Kensi?"
"It's complicated." He told her. "Are you hungry, because I'm hungry?"
"Ah, ok. I'll drop it." She said.
He took a deep breath and said. "I've got the sunshine; all I'm missing is the gun powder."
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"Never mind, do you want to go grab something to eat?" he asked standing and offering her a hand up.
"Sure, who else are we going to eat with and it's depressing to eat alone." She smiled picking up her stuff. "Did you drive?"
"No, I walked." He said grabbing his board, walking with her up the beach.
"We can put the board in the back of the car." She told him.
"Callen's a lucky man." He smiled.
"Thank you." She said.
They went to the nearest burger joint and sat in a corner booth talking. Katy finally got Deeks to admit how he felt about Kensi, but made her swear not to say anything to her. She agreed, and said she'd talk to Kensi to see how she felt. He said he appreciated her help. Katy offered to drive him home, but he asked that she drop him off at the beach so he could get some nighttime surfing in. By the time she got home, Callie was ravenous. She fed the cat, showered and went to bed.
Katy anticipated a sleepless night, but managed to fall asleep after Callen called to let her know they'd landed. They talked for just about twenty minutes; he said they'd be carrying out their mission tomorrow and then they'd be home. Katy truly hoped it would be Wednesday like he said. He told her how much he missed and loved her before he said he had to go. She told him she loved and missed him and hung up smiling.
Surprisingly, Katy slept through the night without so much as a dream, pleasant or not. She dressed and prepared herself for another boring day of doing nothing useful. Deeks called her on the way to work to ask if she wanted him to bring coffee. She'd just pulled away from the drive through coffee shop with coffee for the two of them and Nell and Eric. They were all waiting in the bullpen when she walked in. Quickly, Sam, Michelle, Deeks and Granger headed out to get Sidorov; which meant; Katy, Nell and Eric needed to get up to Ops.
Hetty sent Katy home early on Tuesday with a migraine, telling her to rest. She hoped with a good night's rest that Katy would be back at work the following morning. When she called Katy at seven Wednesday morning, she could tell that she was no better. Katy mentioned that she'd had nightmare after nightmare that night and if anything the headache was worse than the previous day. Hetty sent Nate over to check on her and take her to the doctor's if he felt she needed to go.
When Nate arrived at the house, the shades were drawn. He knocked on the door and listened as she stumbled to the door. She asked who it was before she unlocked the door. Instead of greeting him, she walked back to the couch to lie down. There wasn't a light on in the house. He sat on the coffee table and talked to her. Katy told him about her nightmares and that she'd been throwing up since she'd gotten home Tuesday afternoon. With that, he gathered her things and took her to see the doctor.
Katy was given an injection and prescription for the symptoms. She sat in the car while Nate filled the prescription for her. When he got her home he made sure she was comfortable before he headed back to the office. Hetty was waiting for him when he came back to the office. He sat at her desk and told her that Katy was resting. Hetty smiled when she told him that Kensi and Callen's flight had just landed so Callen would be going home to take care of her.
Callen was surprised to see the Mercedes parked in its usual spot and even more surprised, if not worried when he walked in and the entire house was dark. Callie was rubbing against his legs meowing at him. "Hey pretty girl, I missed you too. Where's Mom?" he asked the cat. Callen walked through the house looking for Katy.
Callen stood in the doorway and watched her sleeping before he put the cat down and joined her in the bed. She looked pale and washed out. He felt her forehead for a fever and was relieved that she was cool. Her right leg was bent and her foot was tucked under her left knee. One arm was over her head while the other on her stomach. He leaned over and kissed her collarbone. She stirred and rolled on her side.
"Hey, you okay?" he asked softly.
"I'm so much better now." She said smiling.
"What's wrong?" he asked lying next to her.
"Migraine, Hetty sent me home early yesterday because of it and called this morning to ask how I was feeling. Then she sent Nate over and he took me into the doctors." She told him.
Callen wrapped her in his arms and held her. "I'm sorry. What did they do for you at the doctors?"
"I got an injection; they gave me something for the nausea and more pain medication for the migraine. The doctor says I should be ok to go back to work tomorrow." She said.
"You're not doing anything but lying right here the rest of the day. Have you been able to keep anything down?" He asked kissing her forehead.
She shook her head. Callen laid there with her for a while before he got up and heated some chicken broth. Katy was still sleeping when he brought it to her, so he set it on the nightstand while he woke her up.
"Katy, sit up, I made you something to eat." He told her.
Groggily, she sat up and took the mug of broth from him. "Thank you." She said weakly.
He pulled a few stray strands of hair from her face. Her color was returning. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." She said between sips. "I'm so glad you came home when you did."
"Me too, I missed you." He said kissing her.
She smiled. "I missed you too."
By four, Katy was up and around, feeling pretty good. She even allowed Callen to start turning the lights on as the sun began falling behind the two story houses across the street. Nate stopped by after work to check on her and was encouraged to see her sitting on the couch in the living room, bright eyed. They sat and talked for a while before he headed home. He was still trying to reconcile his relationship with Rose and was supposed to take her out to dinner.
Shortly after Nate left, Hetty arrived with dinner. "I brought you some Wor Won Ton Soup. I remember how you used to drink broth when you got your migraines in the past." She smiled as she handed her the foam bowl.
"Thank you so much Hetty." She said.
"You're very welcome. I'm very happy to see you looking so well. Mr. Getz had me very worried this morning when we talked after he took you to the doctor's." she said sitting in a small an arm chair.
"Callen made me some broth earlier." Katy smiled.
"Very good Mr. Callen." Hetty said smiling up at him.
"It was one of the only things that wouldn't take a while to cook." He said.
Hetty ate with them and sat for a while longer talking with Callen about the mission in Iran and whether Jeanvier agreed to broker the deal. Katy could see the tension in Callen's face and grew worried about him. She remembered reading the case file and Hetty asking her to write the article about Callen's arrest for the LA Times. Since there were no records of his arrest, Hetty had them fabricated. Using only as little information as possible, Katy wrote a fantastic article.
When Hetty departed, Katy talked to Callen about Jeanvier. He was worried, that much was clear. Callen's biggest fear was that something would go wrong with the operation and someone would inevitably get hurt. He knew it in his gut that something bad was going to happen. Katy felt it too.
He gave her an odd smile and left the room. She knew exactly what he was doing when she heard the water running in the bath tub. When he returned, he hauled her off the couch and walked her to the bathroom. He helped her undress and got her into the tub, and then he undressed, stepped in and sat across from her. He took one of her feel and began massaging it.
Katy closed her eyes and moaned. "Oh God Callen, I'll give you an hour to stop."
After working with that foot for thirty minutes, he worked on her other foot. He had a seductive look on his face. "So, we're in the tub and I've given you a foot massage, what are you going to do for me?"
Katy laughed and evil laugh and moved herself closer to him. "Oh I could think of a million things to do for you."
Callen pulled her to him and kissed her. Katy seated herself on his lap facing him. She threw her head back in pleasure as he pushed into her. He felt her tighten around him and her body quiver. Callen cupped her rear and moved her up and down on his lap. He loved the noises she made when they had sex. Love the feel of her, loved to watch her breast bounce. He just loved her. Quickly, he let the water out of the tub and stood with her legs wrapped around him and walked her to the bedroom. She was wildly pulling at the sheets as he thrust into her. He leaned over and suckled on her nipple, she gasped in pleasure. Katy was there, he loved it and before he knew it, he was there too. They collapsed on the bed trying to catch their breath. Katy was at his side the minute he laid down.
Callen put his arm around her and kissed her forehead and laughed. "So how's your headache now?"
Katy chuckled and kissed his chest, "What headache?"
Callie howled in the living room and walked through the house to the bedroom. She stood in the doorway meowing at them. Callen called her up on the bed; she hopped up meowed at them again and jumped right back down again.
"I guess she's hungry." Callen said standing to get dressed. He turned around to help Katy up and kissed her when she was standing. "I love you."
"I love you too." She smiled before walking to her dresser for a pair of panties, shorts and tank top.
Callen pulled a pair of shorts from his dresser and put them on before he headed into the kitchen to feed the cat. They sat on the couch discussing the plan for tomorrow. It was hard for Callen be stressed after their bath time fun. By eleven, they were off to bed. Mentally ready to tackle whatever the day might throw at them.