DISCLAIMER: I do not own the right to the NCIS:LA characters, I'm only borrowing them.
The two teams continued to track the suspects in spite of Katy's absence. Since her body hadn't been found, they felt safe in assuming they hadn't caught up to her yet. Callen prayed they'd find her soon and she'd decide to come back to NCIS, to him. His nights were lonely. There was nothing left that was Katy in the house; she even took all of the photos that they'd taken, leaving only the empty frames. He packed away the Patriots memorabilia she'd given him for Christmas and moved back into his room. His nightmares returned, but instead of being about the old, usual things, they were filled with Katy. Horribly blood scenes of her death.
Callen felt like he was slowly going insane without her there. The fact that he didn't know where she was or how she was getting along pained him. He'd called Reggie, but he hadn't seen or heard from her since the night she's told him about Callie. On down the list of her half-siblings, he'd call to see if any of them had spoken to her. No one had. He was worried.
Two weeks after Katy disappeared; they got a mysterious email giving the whereabouts and surveillance photos of the suspects. Immediately, both teams were out checking on the validity of the tips. When they raided the address given, they found photos of Katy in and around LA, but didn't find the suspects themselves. They tapped the phones and set up cameras in the room and waited for them to return. Two days later, they returned to the hotel and the team was able to identify the two.
Max and Diana Barsukov were born outside of St. Petersburg nearly forty years ago. By their records, Dmitri considered them his clean-up crew. Ruthless and brutal, they hunted for both the single-births and twins when the other's missions had gone awry. So far they had no idea why they had killed the Asmik twins. Nothing further had happened with Tanya, she was released from the hospital with continued protection, even though they all felt she was safe. Katy was the target.
As a few more weeks passed, more extensive digging was done into the Leshev twins. None were found. Once they wrapped this case and arrested Max and Diana, everyone hoped Katy could come out of hiding. As the time passed, they'd receive more and more information from the anonymous email sender. Nell sent an email back five weeks into Katy being gone. It took two weeks to get a response. Immediately, she ran for Hetty when she read it.
'Nell- I'm fine, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself.-Katy' was all she wrote.
Hetty had Nell and Eric trace the IP address to cyber-café just blocks from the mission. Hetty herself went to check it out and asked to see the security tapes. She smiled when Katy looked right at the camera and winked. The footage was just hours old. Nell and Eric searched endlessly through traffic cams to find where she went, but she disappeared once again. She showed the footage to the two teams. They were relieved to see her alive and well. If anything, it was the motivation they all needed to work harder so they could catch the Barsukov twins.
Callen was asleep on his side when he heard a noise. With eyes wide, he listened hard. Not hearing anything else, he quietly got up and walked out of the room, with his weapon in his hand. He walked out into the hallway and looked around, the full moon light that was filtering through the windows and saw nothing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement in the back and stepped into the kitchen, headed for the door leading to the backyard. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a figure standing over the stepping stone Callen had ordered for Callie with her name on it.
The figure lay on the ground with their head on the stone. His heart soared when he saw the curve of her hip and knew it was Katy. He reached for the door knob wanting to throw the door open and drag her in the house, but he stopped. If she heard any noise from inside the house, she'd be gone. Slowly, Callen backed out of the kitchen and went back to the room and grabbed his phone, calling Hetty.
"She's here." He whispered when Hetty answered.
"Don't let her leave, she's been gone far too long." She said as he looked out the window to make sure she was still there.
"If I make any noise, she'll leave." He told her.
"Figure out a way to get her in the house." Hetty ordered.
"I'll call you back." He told her and went back into the kitchen.
Slowly, he turned the door knob, opening the door. It creaked; Katy turned around and saw him standing in the doorway and got up to leave.
"Please don't go." He said softly.
"I shouldn't have come back here." She said and headed for the side gate.
"Katy, please I miss you." He said with a quivering voice.
She stopped and turned to face him. "Callen, it's for your safety. I couldn't bare it if something happened to you."
"I need you." He said shivering in the cold air as s breeze whipped around them.
"Go back to bed, Callen." She said and took a few more steps towards the side yard.
"Katy please, I love you." He said.
Katy walked to him and kissed him. "I love you too, which is why I'm leaving. This time, I'll never come back. I'm leaving LA in a few hours."
Tears filled his eyes and he held her close. "Please don't leave. What can I say or do to make you stay?"
"Forget me. Put me out of your mind." She said softly trying to get out of his embrace.
"Never, it will be my mission in life to find you." He told her.
She stood there stoned faced. "You'll never find me."
Callen smiled. "I will, don't doubt that. If you think your family hunting you down is bad, wait until I start looking for you."
Katy laughed and cupped his face. "There will always be someone out there looking for me, you'll be no different. Except you don't want me dead, at least not yet."
"I'll never want you dead. I love you." He said her hands warm on his face.
"I love you, never forget that." She said kissing him one last time and walked into the darkness on the side of the house. He heard the gate open and close, never trying to stop her.
As the weeks passed and the trail ran cold, the LA team resumed taking their cases and Cass' team departed. It was back into the normal grind, before Katy came into their lives. While Nell and Eric weren't chasing leads for the cases, they were searching for Katy. It was agonizing, every time they thought they'd found her, Callen would take off over a weekend and it wouldn't be her or she'd already moved on.
In Portland, Callen found a card with his name on it sitting on the counter of the apartment she'd vacated the day before. He opened it and leaned against the counter in the small galley kitchen. 'I want and need to hold you, to touch my lips to yours. To let my arms embrace you, and in my chest forever hold you.-I love you.' Was written inside the card, he was close, closer than he'd been to her in months. When he returned to LA that night, he placed the card on the nightstand in what was their room and went to bed in his room.
They'd received word in the beginning of March that Cass and her team had finally tracked down Max and Diana in Montana. Hetty sent Callen and the team to assist in their arrest. Just minutes outside of Missoula, Montana, they found the two hauled up in a small cabin. Cass and her team entered through the front, Callen and his team through the back. In the melee of gunfire, Mike was injured and Raymond was killed. The twins were arrested and turned over to the local FBI office. Callen and the team followed Cass and hers to the hospital.
Late in the evening on Mike's third night in the hospital, Callen was staying in the room while Cass was at the hotel getting a good night's sleep, a nurse he'd never seen before entered the room. There was something familiar about her, her walk, the way she stood and most of all, her scent. She obviously didn't see him sitting in the corner of the room. As she walked up to the bedside, she took Mike's hand. He opened his eyes and looked as if he'd seen a ghost.
"What are you doing here?" Mike asked, mumbling from the pain meds.
"I heard what happened and wanted to make sure you're okay before I leave again." She said.
Quietly, Callen stood and walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "They're arrested and there are no others. You can come home now."
She dropped her head, let go of Mike's hand and walked towards the door. "I should've known better than to come here."
"Katy stop." Mike said with a little more strength. "You can't keep doing this to us."
"Mike, I have to. There will always be someone looking for me." She said avoiding Callen's stare.
"Tell Cass and the other's I was here. I'll be gone before they get back." She said and walked out of the room.
By the time Callen got out of the room, the hall was empty. He checked the stairwell and called Kensi. He took the elevator down to the lobby and back up again, but Katy was gone. His hand still tingled from touching her and he could still smell her. God he missed her, why won't she just come home, he asked himself.
Once Callen was back in the room, Katy slipped out of the storage closet and into the stairwell. She went to her car and drove out of the hospital parking lot with all of her worldly possessions stuffed in the back. Katy wound her way through the deserted streets and onto interstate ninety headed east. She drove until she could no longer keep her eyes open and stopped at a rest stop, parking between two big rigs and fell asleep with her nine-millimeter on her lap. Callen left the hospital an hour later, getting on the ninety. Nell and Eric were already working on tracking her down.
She was found again just entering Billings' city limits on the traffic cams when she got off the ninety to get gas. Callen was just fifty miles behind her. He knew he could catch up to her eventually, but Hetty gave him a two to find her and convince her to come home. While on the phone with Eric, he hit the gas pushing his rental to its limits. Given that Montana had no posted daytime speed limit, he was in Billings within twenty to thirty minutes.
Eric informed him that Katy's car was parked outside a small diner and gave him the address. He pulled in and parked around the back and walked up to the window, looking for her. She was seated on the far side of the diner with her back to the him. Callen casually walked in and asked for a cup of coffee, then walked down towards Katy's booth. She'd cut her long hair, or wore a wig. At any rate, her hair was shorter, shoulder length instead of to the middle of her back. He sat down in the booth behind her, their back to one another. When the waitress brought his coffee, he thanked her and ordered eggs, bacon and pancakes.
He felt movement in the booth behind him, but didn't look. From the corner of his eye, he could see her with her back to the window sitting sideways in the booth, staring at him. He smiled at the waitress as she brought his breakfast to him. The waitress asked Katy if she needed anything else and she asked for a refill on her coffee. Katy watched him eat his breakfast, soaking up the yolk with his pancakes as she's seen him do so many times at home. Once he'd set his napkin on the table, she knelt behind, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I missed you." She whispered.
He felt her tears on his neck and grabbed her hands, pulling her closer. The locals in the diner watched them. "Are you ready to come home?"
Katy took a ragged breath, "Do you still want me?"
"I never wanted you to leave in the first place." He said, smiling at an older woman at the counter.
"I did it to protect you, Callen." She said into his neck.
"The only one who needed protection was you. You should've stayed." He told her, kissing her hand.
"I don't know," Katy laughed, "I kind of like you hunting me down."
Callen laughed. "Yeah, I figured you would."
"I love you, Callen." She said tears freely falling down her cheeks.
"I love you too, Katy. Come home, please." He said looking back at her now.
"Kiss her." Came from the kitchen. They looked up to see a couple dozen sets of eyes watching them.
Callen stood and pulled her out of the booth to her feet. With her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, Katy kissed him with everything she had. The diner erupted in cheers and applause. Katy and Callen laughed as the kiss broke and bowed to the crowd. She needed to go home; she needed to be with Callen.
"I promise, we've done the research and there are no others. It's safe, you're safe." He told her.
"That's what we thought the last time." She said, still clearly worried.
"We will never let anything happen to you. How many times do I need to make that promise to you?" He asked.
She shook her head. Callen's phone rang, it was Hetty. "Do you have her, Mr. Callen?"
"Yes Hetty, I've got her. We're discussing her return right now." Callen told her.
"Give her the phone." Hetty ordered with a smile, Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Nell and Eric were gathered around her desk. When Katy said hello, Hetty said. "Young lady, you've got three day to get your duff back to this office and take your badge, credentials and weapon from me or I'm sending the rest of the team out to get you. Is that understood?"
Katy laughed. "Yes Hetty. Three days."
"And if you ever pull something like this again, I'll hunt you down myself." She smiled at the others. Kensi and Deeks were standing side-by-side, Sam leaning on the wicker chair, all of them smiling.
"Yes, Ma'am." Katy laughed and handed the phone back to Callen.
"See you in three days?" Callen asked her.
"Yes, please bring our Katy home." Hetty said and hung up looking at the crowd gathered around her. "They will be here in three days."
They turned Callen's rental in at the airport and drove her ten year old Nissan Sentra back to LA, stopping in Missoula before heading south. Anthony's parents were in Mike's room when they walked in. Cass jumped out of her seat.
"God, are you a sight for sore eyes. Don't ever pull that shit again." She said hugging her.
"I'm sorry Cass." She said and looked over at the older couple staring at them. "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Carter. I'm so sorry for your loss. My name's Katy Levin. I led your son's team for a while."
"We know exactly who you are." His mother said with an affectionate tone. "Our Anthony spoke very highly of you. He had a lot of respect for you and we were so worried when you picked up and left."
"I can't help but feel like Anthony's death is my fault. Had I stayed in LA, this wouldn't have happened." Katy admitted.
"No, we knew Anthony was marked as soon as he took the job with the NCIS. It was what he wanted to do and no amount of convincing would change that." She said. "It was your friend, Callen who sealed the deal. When Anthony took the assignment, he was iffy about his choice, but after he met Callen in Virginia, he knew he'd made the right choice with his life. We accepted it and prayed for the best, but prepared ourselves for the worst."
"Still, I'm sorry." Katy said.
The salt and pepper haired woman walked over and hugged Katy. "All he wanted was to see you safe and happy. He wanted to find your family for you."
"From what I've been told, they've all been found now. All of the twins have been arrested and will be prosecuted." Katy told her.
"Are you going back to LA?" she asked.
"I am, but I don't know if I'll take my old job." Katy said looking at no one but her.
"It's your calling, what you were meant to do." Mrs. Carter told her.
"We'll see." Katy said.
On the way back to LA, they stopped in San Francisco for the night, staying at Reggie's. Not only did she hear it from Callen on the way back down, but she got an earful from Reggie and the kids. She sat there and took it. More calls came from the rest of the single-births once they heard from Ana that Katy was safe. She sat and took each and every tongue lashing they were willing to dish out. Katy knew it was wrong of her to leave like that, but she wanted to keep Callen safe.
Once they left Reggie's and were on the one fifty-two, they finally talked about them and the wedding. "So what's going on with us?" Callen asked.
Katy smiled and looked out the window at the rain beating the windshield. "That's up to you. I gave the ring back."
"Yeah, but you only did it to protect me, do you still want to get married?"
Katy looked at him. "Of course I do. I love you."
"Do you still want to get married in December or push the wedding back?" he asked.
"We could still shoot for December if you want to." She told him.
"The sooner the better." He looked at her smiling and pulled the ring out of his pocket. "Hetty gave this to me before we headed to Montana."
"What, I don't get another down on one knee proposal?" she laughed.
Callen shook his head. "No sorry, only one of those, but I will ask you to put it back on."
"No need for that." She said taking the ring and putting it back on.
Katy took a deep breath as they pulled up to the house. It was going to be hard without Callie there. It was silent when they walked in the house. Katy nearly cried she never realized how much she loved the annoying sound. Callen pulled her close and let her cry.
"It's been hard not having her here while you were gone. I had no one to talk to." Callen said trying to lighten the mood.
Katy laughed. "You probably talked to Callie as much as I did."
"Do you want to get another cat?" he asked.
"Not right now, let me get used to the fact that she's gone before we add another animal to the house." She said.
Katy walked through the hall and into the bedroom. Immediately, she noticed the card on the nightstand. She walked over to it and picked it up, smiling at the fact that he kept it. The bed was bare, no sheets or comforter and the walls were an almost coffee color. She'd been talking to Callen about painting in the bedroom for months and they could never agree on a color.
"I hope you like it." He said from the doorway.
She turned around and smiled. "I do, I told you it would look good in here."
"The new comforter is in the closet." He said opening the door.
"Oh, that's so pretty Callen." She said as he pulled the bag out. It was a red and tan damask pattern.
They made the bed like they had the first night she'd moved in with him. So much had happened since that night. She surely never expected to fall in love and be planning a wedding. Never thought he'd ever find out about Kari or Reggie, never thought she'd lose Callie in the manner that she did. In her wildest dreams, she never thought that she'd have fifteen half brothers and sisters wandering across the globe. When she stopped and looked at the bigger picture, she'd been truly blessed. She vowed from that point on to make the best of everything, good and bad.
Once they were done making the bed, she walked over to Callen and wrapped her arms around his neck and thanked him for Callie's memorial stone. He told her it was the least he could do since he saw her as his cat too.
"Please promise me that you will never run away like that again. I'm afraid the next time I won't get you back." He told her softly.
"I can't promise anything, but I will try. I can't leave you again. It was agonizing. I think I came back to the house once a week those first few weeks. I'd just watch you sleep." She told him.
"I know exactly the nights you were here." He smiled. "They were the nights I slept well, waked-up feeling so close to you, like I could almost smell you here."
Katy smiled and kissed Callen deeply. While he kissed her, she pulled her jacket off her shoulders and unbuttoned her shirt. Katy frantically pulled his shirt over his head, longing to feel his skin on hers. Callen unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans while she worked his. Quickly they pulled off their pants and threw the covers back, just wanting to feel one another again. God how she loved his body when it was next to hers. When Callen pushed himself into her depths, she gasped in pleasure, missing the sensations it brought. With every movement, no matter how slight, they brought one another closer and closer to the edge. Two hours after they began, they collapsed entangled in each other's limps.
The alarm went off too early; Katy was enjoying Callen's warmth and didn't relish the idea of getting out of bed and into the shower. She rolled back over after turning off the alarm to find him wide awake and smiling at her.
"There were nights while you were gone that I never thought I'd wake up to you again." He told her pulling her back into him.
"I know; I'm so sorry." She said burying her face in his chest.
"You're back now and you're never leaving again." He said against her ear. "You're mine; forever."
Katy looked up at him and smiled. "And you're mine."
"I can't wait until December." He said with a bit of whimsy in his voice.
"I know. I guess Kensi, Cass and I need to get out and pick some dresses." She said.
"Why don't you schedule it for this or next weekend?" He suggested.
"I'll talk to Kensi about it, if she's still speaking to me." She laughed.
"She is she was just as worried about you as the rest of us. I'm sure she'll punch you in the arm like she does Deeks and you guys will be good." Callen laughed.
"I deserve a whole lot more than just a punch in the arm." Katy said.
"Oh just wait until Hetty sees you. We may have to clear the office for that one." He laughed.
Katy rolled onto her back. "Yeah, she's the one I'm truly worried about."
"Come on, let's get in the shower and go face the music." He said kissing her chest.
Katy stood outside the Mission doors to collect herself before they walked in. She took a deep breath and heaved the door open. For the most part, there was no one there yet. Hetty sat at her desk sipping her tea as she did every morning and sat the cup and saucer on her desk as Katy walked up.
"Good morning Hetty." Katy said with all of the confidence she could muster.
"Well, Ms. Levin. Welcome back." She said with a slight smile and waved for her to sit.
"How bad is this tongue lashing going to be?" she asked.
"Oh posh Ms. Levin, I'm just happy to have you back." Hetty said with a wave of her hand.
"My status and assignment still the same?" she asked.
"Of course, I never called Director Vance about your transfer. However, I did let him know you'd taken off and as you would expect he wasn't happy. Seeing as how you did provide us with information regarding the Barsukov twin's whereabouts, he's willing to pay you for the time you were away. He believes it was a well orchestrated rouse, between you and me to weed out the twins." She said.
Katy laughed awkwardly. "Not exactly, I just wanted to lead them away from LA so the team would be safe."
"I understand that and all of the Leshev twins have been apprehended, so there is no need for you to run off again." Hetty told her.
"Providing none of them come out of the wood work." Katy laughed.
"True, you never know." Hetty laughed. "I'm glad you're back safe."
"Thank you." She smiled.
"Now, you're going to need these." Hetty said opening her desk drawer to retrieve Katy's badge, credentials, weapon and cell phone.
"Yes, thank you." Katy said as she accepted them. "Anything I should know before I head back to the bullpen and face the rest of the team?"
"No, Ms. Blye may be upset with you, but she understands." Hetty said. "There is one stipulation, you take off like that again and you will no longer be employed with NCIS."
"Alright, thank you." Katy said and walked over to the bullpen.
Katy walked slowly over to the bullpen and sat at her desk, thinking about Hetty's last comment. She loved her job and the people she worked with. Katy had to pull her head out of her ass and stop tucking tail to run at the first sign of trouble. She had to stay no matter what, no matter who was involved. The team was more than able to take care of themselves and one another, including her. She had to let them all in one hundred percent and trust in their abilities like she assumed they had her.
Sam was the first to arrive; he smiled at her as he sat his bag on his desk. "Welcome back."
Katy stood and walked to him, giving him a hug. "Hey Sam, sorry for all of this. Thank you for trying to stop me."
"Katy, you've got to get it through that thick head of yours that we take care of our own. You were in danger, but we would've gone above and beyond to protect you. You're Callen's girl; I can't let anything happen to you. I don't ever want to see the old Callen again. He's happy with you, talks more, smiles more. He's not so damn serious all the time. Please, for all of us, don't run off again." He said holding her at arm's length, looking her in the eyes.
"I have to and I will. Hetty told me this is my last chance, next time, I'm gone for good." She told him.
Sam gave a chuckle. "I highly doubt Hetty will fire you. She wouldn't get rid of any of us, you're job is safe."
"I'm not going to risk it. I have to pull my head out of my ass and trust you guys, start being a team player all the time." She said honestly.
"You will." He assured her. "It will just take time. You haven't been on the team for very long yet. It will come in time."
"Thank you Sam." She said hugging him again.
"If you ever leave like that again, I will kick your ass." Kensi said from the entry to the bullpen. She had a stern look on her face.
Katy walked over to her and stood a foot away. "I'm sorry Kens; I've got chicken-shit tendencies."
Kensi smiled and hugged her. "I know you do. We've all got out hang-ups. I'm just glad you're back, but like I said I will kick your ass if you leave again."
"Ok," She said shamefully. "Oh a happier note, we need to do some dress shopping. This weekend, maybe?"
"I thought you'd never ask." Kensi laughed. "What about Cass?"
"I'll call her later to see if she can get away for the weekend or if she wants us to send her pictures of the dresses we find. I also need to tell Hetty, she wanted to go with us." She said.
"Hey Katy." Deeks said walking up behind Kensi.
"Hey Marty." She said putting an arm around him.
"You two good now, no fists are going to fly, no hair pulling?" he asked hopeful.
"Really Deeks?" Kensi laughed and socked him in the arm.
"I love you too Fern." He laughed as he walked to his desk rubbing his arm.
"I see you all have made up?" Callen said with two cups of coffee in his hand, handing one to Katy.
"Thank you." She smiled.
"Yep, all's good." Kensi said.
The five sat at their desks chatting, finishing up paperwork. Since Director Vance considered Katy to be undercover, she now had a stack of reports to fill out. It was daunting, but Katy was more than happy to do it. Occasionally someone would crack a joke and the five would burst out laughing. Hetty would shoot them a look and they'd go back to their reports. A few minutes later, the paper balls would fly through the air hitting one of them in the head, face or chest. The laughter would roar again, eliciting another look from Hetty.
By lunch, they all had cabin fever and were chomping at the bit to get our into the early spring air. Instead of one going out to pick-up lunch, they all left the office and piled into the Expedition for the drive to the food trucks. Kensi and Katy were in the back looking at wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses on their phones while Sam, Callen and Deeks talked about March Madness. Once again, the team was complete. Katy looked up from her phone and at Callen in the passenger seat; he turned to her and smiled.
An hour later, when they returned to the Mission, they resumed their paperwork and high jinks. Hetty smiled from her office and shook her head when they got too far off task. By two, she walked into the bullpen. The team thankfully was thoroughly engrossed in their reports and didn't notice her standing in the entry. After a few minutes, she cleared her throat and they all looked up at her.
With her arms crossed over her chest she said. "It's nice to see you all working quietly."
They all let out a slight chuckle. "Well, you don't like it when we goof off, so." Kensi said.
"Some light hearted play breaks up the monotony. That I don't mind. It's good to see all of you back together again. Ms. Levin, I heard you mention something to Ms. Blye about dress shopping. I took the liberty of making an appointment for Saturday afternoon. I also invited Ms. Jones to join us, I hope you don't mind." Hetty said.
"No of course not, I was actually meaning to talk to Callen about adding Nell to the wedding party. It would mean he'd have to find another groomsman." Katy said. Deeks face lit up.
Callen laughed at Deeks' reaction. "It's between Deeks and Eric. Do you think you could find another bridesmaid so I don't have to choose between the two?"
"I'm sure Ana wouldn't mind being a bridesmaid. Or Michelle, even." Katy said looking at Sam.
"Michelle would, you know that." He told her.
"Do you think she'd be available to go to the dress shop with us on Saturday?" Katy asked, excitedly.
"You know Michelle and shopping. She'd go even if she wasn't part of the bridal party." He laughed.
"Alright, Kens you're maid of honor, Cass, Nell and Michelle are bridesmaids." She smiled.
"Now, what kind of plans have you made for the wedding?" Hetty asked pulling a chair over to the group.
Katy looked at Callen. "We're having the ceremony at Grace Cathedral then the reception will either be at the Fairmont or the Sir Frances Drake. Though, with the different rooms the Fairmont has, I think Katy's going to get her pick. They've got this room called the Tower Room; it offers great views of the bay and the city. Since it's a December wedding, the town will still be decorated for Christmas. I think that's what we'll wind up doing." Callen said.
"Really?" Katy asked excitedly. "You're leaning towards the Fairmont?"
"Yeah, I think it would be pretty with the city decorated for Christmas, but only if we can get the Tower Room." He smiled.
Katy wanted to run over and hug him, but since they were at work, she restrained herself. "Thank you, Callen." She smiled warmly.
"Very good, now what about the catering?" Hetty asked.
"Well, the Fairmont offers catering menus, but we still need to go over them figure out exactly what we want served." Katy told her.
Hetty nodded. "Very good, it sounds like the plans are coming together nicely."
"We're a couple months behind now, but hopefully we can still get the space for the reception." Katy said.
"I'll make a few calls. I have a friend in San Francisco. I'm sure with as much clout as he's got, you'll have everything you want. How many guests are you looking at?" She asked.
"Probably no more than one hundred, if even that." Callen said looking over at Katy, she nodded in agreement.
"Alright, very well. Back to your reports." Hetty told them and walked back to her office.
Katy wrote something on a blank piece of paper and threw it at Callen; it hit him on the head and bounced off, finally resting on Sam's desk. They all laughed. Looking at Katy, Sam opened it and read it. He in turn wrote something on it too and tossed it to Deeks. Deeks laughed and looked at Sam, wrote a message on it and tossed it to Kensi. Like the others, Kensi opened it and wrote a message, finally tossing it on Callen's desk.
With a smile, Callen opened it and read what everyone had written. 'I love you so much!' said Katy's. 'Yeah, me too, partner.' Was Sam's? 'Um ok. I like you.' Was written in Deeks handwriting and a big smiley face was from Kensi. "Thanks guys." Callen laughed and sat the paper aside.
Katy was three quarters of the way through her expense report when Hetty walked back into the bullpen and over to the crumpled piece of paper, looking at it. Pulling a pen from Kensi's holder, she wrote a little something too, then set it down and walked out of the bullpen. "Go home." She said.
All of them scrambled over to Callen's desk to read what Hetty had written, but Callen had already put it in his bag. He had a light smile on his face and shook his head at them. The five walked out of the office and stood in the parking lot for a few minutes.
"Let's go get a drink." Deeks suggested.
Sam looked at his watch. "I've got a few minutes before I have to be heading home, that doesn't sound like a bad idea."
Callen had an arm around Katy. "Where'd you have in mind?"
"Where else." Deeks laughed meaning their favorite watering hole.
They all agreed and headed to their respective vehicles. Within minutes, they were walking into the bar, seating themselves at their usual table in the corner. Callen asked what everyone wanted and walked to the bar to place the orders. When he returned, he slid into the booth next to Katy and laid his hand on her leg. They talked about random things, trailed off on tangents and laughed when someone cracked a joke. It was fun. No one rushed off and they all only had one drink. By six, Callen paid the tab and followed the others out to their cars.
Sam stood and talked for a few minutes before Michelle called and asked him to stop by the store on the way home to pick something up. When he left, Kensi, Deeks, Katy and Callen talked about their plans for dinner. They agreed on pizza, while Kensi and Deeks picked up the pizza, Callen and Katy stopped off for some more beer.
"So what did Hetty write on that paper?" Katy asked.
"I'll let you read it later." He smiled, looking at her for a moment and then back at the road.
Katy smiled. "Ok. You know, I've been thinking about setting up the extra room as a guest room. I don't like Kensi and Deeks leaving after drinking."
"That's an idea, and then one day it might become a nursery." He said giving her his full attention when they stopped at a red light.
"Maybe someday." Katy smiled, brushing her fingers through his hair. "Maybe someday."
"I'm not trying to rush things; it's just something I'd like to see it happen within the next few years. Neither of us are getting any younger." He said focusing on the road again.
"I know Honey. We'll see what happens." She said.
Katy took a deep breath as they pulled up to the house, preparing herself for Callie's absence. Callen got out and ran around the get the door for her before she could open it herself. He pulled her out of the Mercedes and gave her a hug. "I love you too." He said, referring to the note she's written him at work.
"I love you so much." She said as his lips found hers.
He house was quiet, except for the clock ticking on the wall. Katy sat her back by the door and shrugged off her jacket. Callen put the twelve pack of beer in the fridge before he took off his. They cleaned up the living room, stacking the magazines off to the side by the hearth and grabbed plates, the parmesan cheese, ranch dressing and red pepper flakes. They discussed lighting a fire in the fireplace as Kensi and Deeks knocked on the door.
Katy let them in and they immediately walked over to the living room setting the pizza on the coffee table. Callen went ahead and lit a fire, then joined Katy on the couch.
"We really need some more seating in here too." Katy laughed looking at Kensi and Deeks sitting on the floor.
"Alright, we'll look for furniture for the guest room and some wingback chairs or something for in here." Callen said with a mouthful of pizza.
"Guest room?" Kensi asked.
"Yeah, I don't like having you guys going home after you've been drinking. I'd at least like to have a place for you guys to stay. Not to mention, Reggie and the kids will be here in a few weeks for Easter and Spring Break." Katy said.
"Oh, we've got to get the girls costumes for Disneyland, don't we?" Callen asked.
Katy nodded.
"You're taking them to Disneyland?" Kensi asked. "They will love that."
"That's what we're hoping, they don't know yet." Callen said.
"How could then not?" Deeks laughed.
"It will be over a weekend, you guys should join us. Get Sam, Michelle and the kids to go with us." Katy suggested.
"I'll talk to Sam about it." Callen said taking his beer and sitting back full from his fourth slice of pizza.
"So Callen, were you serious about me being one of your groomsmen?" Deeks asked.
Callen laughed. "Yeah I am. We work together, we've spent a lot of time outside of work together since Katy and I and you and Kensi got together. You're a good guy."
"Well, it's an honor, thank you. Who knows maybe in a few years you guys will be coming to our wedding." He said pulling Kensi close, kissing her cheek.
"Whoa, slow down, Marty. One thing at a time, I'm just getting used to the idea of us spending the night at one another's places." Kensi said.
"What do you do with Monty on the nights you're at Kensi's?" Katy asked.
"We swing by on the way home to feed him and play with him before we get dinner and head to her apartment." He told her.
"And your landlord hasn't freaked out yet?" Katy laughed.
"I actually told him about Marty. He asked about you the last time I saw him." Kensi said.
"I'll have to drop by and said hi one of these days." Katy said.
Deeks got up to grab another round of drinks when Katy told him they had to stay there if they had another. Callen didn't argue, knowing it was the responsible thing to do as a friend and the team lead. Both Kensi and Deeks agreed. Katy suggested getting a bigger pack of beer the next time, enjoying the last of her beer, wishing for another.
The next morning, they all showered, dressed and headed for the office. On the way, Katy and Callen stopped for a couple dozen donuts, laughing as they recalled the scene in Reggie's kitchen when Cassi said made her reference to them being cops and that cops like donuts. When they walked in with the boxes, Kensi smiled and shot out of her chair, digging for a chocolate donut.
Callen got him and Katy a cup of coffee and brought it over to her desk. He sat on the edge of her desk while they all talked. Nell and Eric came down and helped themselves and stayed to chat for a few minutes. When Sam walked in, Callen mentioned the trip to Disneyland and he said he'd talk to Michelle, but he didn't see why not. The invitation was extended to Nell and Eric as well.
Once the donuts were gone, they settled in to work on their paper work again. At ten, Eric whistles from the landing and asked them up to Ops. Thankful for the interruption, they all followed up the stairs to Ops for the briefing. Once everyone was there, Nell began:
"A convoy traveling from Pendleton to Twenty-nine Palms was ambushed outside of Cabazon on the sixty." She said posting the pictures on the screen. "As you can see the majority of the vehicles were unharmed. However one was burned out, there were several Marines who were taken to Palm Springs and Loma Linda for treatment. Two Marines were killed and there are a handful missing."
"What were they carrying?" Katy asked.
"They were going out to Twenty-Nine Palms for a training exercise; the tenth vehicle in the convoy carried the POL's; Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants for the maintenance of the other vehicles." She said.
"What all is encompassed by the POLs?" Deeks asked.
"Typically it's oil, brake fluid, dextrin or transmission fluid, grease and coolant." Katy told him.
"The majority of the injuries and the two fatalities happened when that vehicle was hit by a shoulder-fired RPG and from the vehicle behind it that carried the spare tires." Nell told them pulling up a satellite view of the outlying area. "From the way the vehicle was hit, we're thinking the RPG was fired from one of these areas."
"What type of unit was this?" Kensi asked.
"Infantry." Katy said before Nell could get it out. "They weren't carrying ammunition; the unit would check that out from one of the armories at Twenty-Nine Palms. What rank and MOS are the missing Marines and are any of the vehicles missing?"
"One of the Com vehicles and the Radar Jammer is missing along with the drivers, a drivers and two passengers from the Com truck. A total of six, all range from Lance Corporals to Sergeants. The missing Marines have been identified as twenty year old LCpl Jeffery Meyers, Jr. of San Antonio, Texas. Twenty year old LCpl Steven Platt from Auburn, Alabama. Twenty-one year old LCpl Cooper Johnson from Wabbaseka, Arkansas. Twenty-two year old Cpl Dominic Cochelli from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Twenty-seven year old Sgt David Smith from Sisters, Oregon." She said, displaying the five on the screen.
"How valuable would the Com equipment and Radar Jammer be in the wrong hands?" Deeks asked.
"It depends on the type of radar and the distance." Sam said.
"What about the com equipment?" He asked.
"It's pretty standard issue, I'm sure other countries either use the same stuff or something similar to it." Katy said.
"Alright, let's head down to Cabazon. Is the road closed?" Callen asked Nell.
"Yes, the NCIS team from Twenty-Nine Palms is already there, they'll fill you in on their findings when you get there." She said.
With that, they grabbed their stuff and headed for the Expedition. Katy pulled out her lap top and started reading over the missing Marines SRBs and backgrounds with Kensi, while Callen looked over the information about the Jammer and the Com gear. An hour and a half later, they pulled up at the road block, showing the CHP and MPs their IDs. Five miles up the road, they came upon the convoy. Katy found it odd that the lead vehicles and the ones at the end remained untouched. Once they were briefed by the team from Twenty-Nine Palms, Callen sent Kensi and Deeks out to find tracks for another vehicle or debris from the RPG.
Katy, Sam and Callen looked at the burned out POL truck before talking to the witnesses. They clearly saw the impact point from where the RPG pierced the armored vehicle, and didn't find much more in the charred mess. Katy talked to the civilian witnesses while Callen and Sam talked to the Marines and Corpsmen. All of the stories were the same from the military members they spoke to. Some of the stories deviated, but were primarily the same with those that Katy talked to. No one saw what direction the projectile came from, just the explosion. In the chaos, no one saw the two vehicles drive off either.
"How can you miss two vehicles driving off?" Katy asked Callen when they all met back at the Expedition.
"I don't know. Did you find anything, Kensi?" He asked.
"We did find fresh tire tracks, looks like an ATV. We sent the pictures back to Nell and Eric." She told him. "As for debris from the RGP, there was nothing, not even residue from the gun powder."
"We need to let these civilians go, and get these Marines to help up search for the tire tracks from those two missing vehicles." Callen said as he walked away towards the CHP officer who's corralled the civilians. "Katy, you gave everyone you spoke to your card, right?"
"Yes I did." She said.
"I'll go talk to the Convoy commander about getting a working party together to help us search for the tire tracks." Sam said walking away.
"What's your feeling on this?" Kensi asked Katy.
"I don't know, something's missing, someone's not telling us something." She said looking at the horizon. "We'll be losing daylight in about four hours."
"Alright, let's get going then." Deeks said as they walked towards Callen, Sam and the other NCIS agents.
Within thirty minutes, two lines were formed. One on one side of the road, one on the other. Together, the lines walked out from the road looking for tire tracks or boot prints. For the first hundred yards, they only found animal tracks, fifty yards beyond that, they found a blood trail. Another fifty yards after that, they found Sgt. Smith and called for a med-evac flight to one of the local hospitals. One of the NCIS agents from Twenty-Nine Palms flew to Loma Linda University Medical center with him.
When they resumed the search, five hundred yards from the road, they found the Com vehicle, stripped of its contents and the engine disabled. The two NCIS teams stood talking to the Motor T maintenance Chief while they waited for the wrecker. The mechanic and Convoy commander explained that none of the other mechanics rode with either of the vehicles and to their knowledge none of the missing Marines had experience as a Mechanic, only as Operators.
"Yes, but don't most of the Operators have basic knowledge of how the engines and such work?" Katy asked.
"With all due respect Ma'am, I think you should leave the military talk to those who've actually been in the military. Isn't that right Agent Hanna." The lieutenant laughed.
"Just answer the question before I let her kick your boot ass." Sam said crossing his arms.
"Um, yes, typically they do have some knowledge of the mechanics of the vehicles. I don't know any of the missing Marines well as I just got here a few months ago." He stammered.
"Fresh out of OCS?" Katy asked.
"Yes Ma'am." He said with a weak smile.
"I always hated boot-lieutenants like you. You all always thought you knew everything when you didn't know shit." She hissed.
"Excuse me?" he asked indignantly.
"You heard me." She said with a smile. "Wait until you're a Captain or Lt. Colonel and then come talk to me when you know your shit."
"Ma'am, I don't know what crawled up your ass and died, but all have you know that I was enlisted before I became an officer." He snapped.
"Yes and that very act reduced your brain cells to one." Katy laughed.
Sam was laughing, while Deeks, Kensi and Callen stood back shocked, "Alright Katy, pull in the claws." Sam said.
"Oh, you want me to start on you Captain Hanna?" Katy laughed offering her hand to the Lieutenant. "No hard feelings?"
He gave her and odd look and smiled. "I've never had my ass chewed like that by a civilian; you must have known someone in the Corps."
"I did an enlistment from ninety-five to ninety-nine." She told him.
He smiled, "Gotcha."
The wrecker showed up and slowly made its way across the dusty, rocky terrain out to the humvee and pulled it onto the flatbed. Dusk was coming quickly, so the Twenty-Nine Palms team split up, one member drove out to Loma Linda to pick-up the agent flew out with Sgt. Smith while the others headed back to the base. The remaining vehicles of the convoy loaded up and continued on to the staging area on base. Callen called Hetty to inform her of the day's developments. While they waited to hear whether they were driving back to LA or staying there in Moreno Valley, there was complete silence around them. Had they been there for any other reason, they might have enjoyed the sunset more, but all of them were mulling over the information they knew, trying to piece together the missing pieces or the stuff that didn't fit.
In the distance, a coyote howled followed by another and then another. Branches breaking and crush of the desert gravel could be heard from all around them. Somewhat spooked, they all got into the Expedition. Hetty wanted them to stay in the area so they could start back with the investigation early in the morning, so they drove on to Twenty-Nine Palms and ate at the Denny's on the corner of Amboy and Twenty-Nine Palms Highway before heading to the base billeting for the night. There were only two rooms available for that evening, Katy wanted to stay with Callen, but was content to stay in the room with Kensi. Callen suggested him, Sam and Katy share one room while Kensi and Deeks shared the other. If Hetty or anyone else asked, Katy and Kensi had one room while the guys had the other.
The rooms were nice, but it definitely wasn't a five start hotel. Both rooms had two queen-sized beds and a small kitchenette. Sam gave Callen and Katy a look before he went into the bathroom to change.
"No funny business tonight." He said watching them.
"We promise. Are you can Callen sharing the bed or can I sleep with him?" Katy laughed.
Sam threw a roll of toilet paper at her, she dodged it. "Funny, I don't want to hear you two making out or anything."
"Jealous?" Katy laughed as Sam closed the bathroom door behind him. "Oh yeah, by the way Sam, I snore pretty badly."
The door flew open, "G please tell me she's joking?"
"It's not that bad." Callen smirked.
Sam rolled his eyes and walked back into the bathroom. "You didn't happen to bring your IPod, did you Katy?" he asked through the bathroom door.
Katy laughed and quickly changed into her pajamas while Sam was in the bathroom. When he came out, she was sitting on one of the beds holding the IPod out to him. "I don't guarantee you'll like much of what's on there. There's a lot of Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, girly stuff." She laughed.
"Are you serious?" He said throwing his bag in the corner. "No oldies, no classics?"
"There is some Nat King Cole, Etta James, Duke Ellington, and the Rat Pack. Even some Michael Buble." She told him.
"Now that I can handle." He smiled. "I didn't know you were in to oldies."
"Oh I like a little bit of everything. I've even got some Queen, AC/DC and Van Halen on there." She smiled.
"Eclectic girl, you never cease to amaze me, Katy." Sam said shaking his head.
Katy and Callen got comfortable in one bed while Sam got comfortable in the other. Somehow, they wound up spending the first twenty minutes after the lights were out giggling and laughing. Finally, they calmed down and fell asleep. By midnight, Sam was wide awake and laughed when Katy wasn't snoring and threw a pillow at her. She tossed it back laughing.