Hetty heard the car pull into the drive, but didn't recognize it. Assuming it was Katy, she'd already prepared a room for her after the call from Sam the night before. Not giving her the chance to ring the bell, she opened the door and found a pathetic looking waif. Katy was on the verge of tears as she walked to the door, but when she saw Hetty, she broke down. Hetty gave her a motherly hug and guided her into the sitting room.
"What happened?" she asked preparing her a cup of tea.
"It's over." She said between sobs.
"I see that, but what happened?" she asked again, walking back to her with a cup and saucer.
Katy took it and blew gently on the piping hot liquid. "He said he doesn't trust me anymore, that I abandoned him."
Hetty sighed and took a seat across from her. "Do you think this is something the two of you can work through?"
Katy shook her head, unable to speak for a few moments. Then finally, she said. "Too many hurtful things were said. There's no way to repair the damage it caused."
"What are you going to do?" Hetty asked leaning forward.
"I want to keep my job, but I can't work with him, Hetty."
"I guess I can place you in the office, but you do know you'll still see him, still have to interact with him." She said.
"No, I'll avoid him like the plague. If I'm not on the team, there's no reason for me to have to deal with him." She said.
"Hopefully with some time, you two and begin again."
"How, if he doesn't trust me now, he'll never trust me." Katy said looking her in the eyes.
"You have to understand Mr. Callen has difficulties when he gets too close to someone."
"Please don't say his name." Katy said with a pleading look.
"I apologize. He goes through phases where he's calm and cool one minute and aloof or withdrawal the next." Hetty said affectionately.
"It's like he'd got PMS." Katy laughed. "God, I don't know how I'm going to get through this. I love him Hetty, but he told me his love for me wasn't enough anymore. Why can't I just find someone and be happy. We were happy and we could've been happy again, but this happened."
The two sat for a few hours talking, Hetty truly hoped that Callen would come to his senses and ask Katy to go back to him. She did truly love him, that much was very clear and she knew he loved her too. Hetty led Katy up to one of the spare rooms, first thing in the door; Katy fell onto the bed and cried. It was like she'd just seen Katy fall into a million pieces. An hour after she left Katy, there was a knock at the door. She smiled when she looked at the monitor in her office and saw that it was Callen. Hetty had moved Katy's car into one of the vacant spots in the garage, so he only suspected she was there.
"Mr. Callen, what a surprise." She smiled when she opened the door. He looked as much of a wreck as Katy did.
"Please tell me she's here." He said, tears in his eyes.
"What would make you think she was here?" Hetty asked.
"I've been to Kensi's, Deeks', Nell's, Eric's and everywhere else I can think of to look for her. I called Sam and she's not there either." He told her, his shoulders slumped.
"Why don't you come in and tell me what happened." She offered.
Callen walked in and immediately went to the Brandy snifters on the cabinet and poured himself a glass, swallowed it down and poured another. Three times he refilled the glass before he turned back to Hetty. He shuffled across the Persian rug and sat in the very same seat Katy had been in an hour before. He saw the second cup and saucer and eyed Hetty suspiciously. Hetty sat back and smiled.
"She is here." He said his voice full of accusations.
"Yes, she is here, but I don't think she wants to see you right now. I've heard her phone going off since she went upstairs. All of the calls have gone to her voicemail." She told him.
"I screwed up and screwed up big." He said bashing his head against the back of the chair.
Hetty laughed, "Yes Mr. Callen you did. Once again, you let your trust and abandonment issues get the best of you."
"Boy did I ever. " He said walking back to the cabinet for another glass of brandy.
"I do hope you're not planning on driving home after drinking that much." Hetty said from her chair.
"I'll be fine. It might actually be best if I go head first into a wall. It might knock some sense into me." He said drinking it down and pouring another.
"I hardly think that your consumption of that much alcohol will help the situation." She told him.
"Can I see her, please? I just want one last chance to tell her I love her before she walks out of my life forever." He pleaded.
"I don't think she'll see you right now." She told him.
"Could you just go ask her, please?" he asked.
Katy heard the doorbell and Callen's voice, curious as to what he would tell Hetty, she snuck out to the stairs and sat down. When he said he wanted to see her, she appeared in the door way, and watched him. When he looked up from his drink, he broke down, reduced to a pile of skin and bones on the floor. Katy stayed put, only watched his chest heaving as he cried. Hetty walked to the entry, squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring look before she walked out and as far away from the room as she could.
"Why did you come here?" Katy asked.
"I needed to see you. I need to apologize for all of the things I said. I didn't mean any of it." He said on his knees.
Katy wiped the tears from her eyes. "Deep down I know you didn't mean them, they were just something said in the heat of the moment, but it doesn't change that fact that they were said. I never thought I'd ever hear something so hurtful fall from the lips the man I love so much."
Callen shook his head trying not to hear the words that he knew to be true and buried his face in his hands. "God Katy, I love you. Please come back to me. I can't live without you."
She looked at him and shook her head. "What you said was unforgivable. Using my past and my childhood as a weapon like that, I could've easily thrown yours back at you too. Then you called me weak."
"I didn't mean it, you have to know that." He begged.
Katy took a few slow, deliberate steps into the room. "You said you didn't trust me anymore. Relationships are based on trust, if you truly don't trust me, why are you here?"
"I do trust you, if anything, I don't trust myself." He said standing, taking two steps forward.
Katy put up her hand stopping his progress. "You said the words, Callen. You said it all of it. I thought I hurt when I lost Kari and Callie, but what you said last night and this morning cut so damn deep."
"I didn't mean any of it. Please." He begged, taking another step forward.
"I know you're forever going to be worried in the back of your mind that I'm going to take off again and I'm forever going to wonder if you truly trust me. We can't live like that, Callen. It's not a healthy relationship." She said tears streaking down her face.
"Katy, I trust you with all my heart and soul. I swear to you that I never meant a word of it." He said taking yet another step forward.
"Then why did you say it, if you didn't feel it?" she asked, readying herself to take a step back if he got any closer to her.
He took two huge steps towards her, closing the gap between then. Like a moth drawn to a flame, she stood there motionless, staring at his chest. "I don't know why I said them, but it's not how I feel. I love you Katy. More than anything else in this world, I want you back. I want you to be my wife; I want to share a life with you."
Katy started to back away, but he gently put his hands on her shoulders. "It's too late Callen. I gave everything I had to you and brought down all my walls and you threw it all away."
Callen pulled her to him and cupped her face with his hands. "Please Katy give me one more chance."
With every ounce of strength she had, she avoided looking into his eyes. "I can't, I'm sorry."
He rested his head against hers and took a deep breath. "Please Katy, I will get on my knees and beg. I will do anything you want me to, to prove I love you and want you in my life."
She giggled. With that, Callen got on his knees. "I love you Katya Levin. I always have and I always will. Please, please, please Katy come back to me."
Katy laughed. "Get up Callen; you look like an idiot down there like that."
"I am an idiot for the way I've been treating you the last few months." He said looking up at her with the most sincerity that she'd seen in months.
"While I agree with you, what if Hetty walks in and sees you on your knees like that. What will she think of her lead agent then?" she asked.
"She'll know I'm a man begging for forgiveness praying the woman I love will take me back." He smiled.
Katy backed away and sat in the chair behind her. "I don't know, Callen. You hurt me so badly. I told you I was going to come back after Kari's memorial, but you didn't believe that I would have. I left the second time to protect you; because that's the only way I could think of doing it." She said.
"I know all of that and I'm so sorry for throwing it at you. I never should've pushed you so far that you left this time. Katy I love you." He said.
She sat back in the chair and looked out over Hetty's immaculate rose garden. God she wanted to go back to him, but was afraid this would only happen again someday in the future. Callen pulled her attention back to him when he took her hand. She looked at him.
"Katy, please." He whispered.
She shook her head. "I need time, Callen." She told him.
"Just please don't take the rest of our lives." He laughed.
"I can't promise anything. So much was said, I know you didn't mean it, but it was still said."
"I know." He said watching her turn her attention back to the garden. "Do you want to go for a walk?"
Katy stood and walked to the French doors to the garden. Hetty had been watching from her office and smiled as they walked out into the garden side-by-side. If anything, maybe they could be friends if things didn't work out, but somehow, Hetty had a feeling that their separation wouldn't be lasting for very long. The wedding may not happen in December as they planned, but it would eventually happen.
They stopped and sat on the steps of the gazebo, Callen's arm brushed hers, and she fought the urge to lean into him. Callen put out his hand palm up. She just looked at it before she traced the lines, creases and scars on it. Katy placed her palm to his comparing the size of their hands. He laughed.
Katy started to cry again. "I'm so sorry, Katy. I never meant to hurt you."
"But you did." She told him. "I want to take you back, but I don't know if I can."
"Tell me why." He said.
She laughed. "You're a stubborn ass for starters. You've got horribly beautiful blue eyes that melt my heart every time I look at them."
"Ok, one good thing and one bad." He chuckled.
"Who said I was giving you your good points?" she smiled.
"Fair enough, go on." He smiled back.
"God, you're incredibly sexy and you know it too. You have a good heart. You're kind and generous."
"So far I haven't heard anything bad." He said bumping him with his shoulder.
"Aside from your hang-ups there isn't anything bad about you. I love you to death." She said.
"So are you saying you're going to come home?" He asked hopeful.
"Lord knows I want to, but I'm afraid the same thing is going to happen again." She told him.
"If it does, I'll let you kick my ass." He told her.
Katy smiled at the thought and sighed. "I love you Callen, I can't deny that, but what you said."
He stopped her. "Yes, I know what I said hurt you and yes, I deserved to hear you crying. It was the most agonizing and heart-wrenching thing I've ever had to listen to. I wanted nothing more than to climb across that bed and hold you until it all went away."
"That's what I wanted." She said smelling the Jasmine across the yard. "What are we going to do about the wedding? We already have the space rented and paid for, granted I never got the girls out to look at dresses, so we didn't waste the month on that."
"Do you still want to marry me?" he asked.
Katy turned to him and ran her fingers through his hair. Tears filled her eyes again. "I don't know. Not if it's going to be more of this crap. I just want to be happy, maybe someday have a baby or two."
"That's all I want." He told her. "I want everything with you. Why don't we push the wedding back to this time next year? That will give us a year to get back to where we were."
Katy thought about his suggestion. "This can't happen again."
"I will give one hundred percent effort that it won't." He promised.
Katy leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her right next to him. "I love you." He whispered into her ear.
"I love you too, but this back and forth has to stop." She said.
"It will." He said as Hetty appeared with a pitcher of iced tea and three glasses on a tray.
"I thought the two of you might enjoy something to drink. It's a nice warm June day." She said stepping past them to the table and chairs in the gazebo. Callen stood, helped Katy to her feet and followed her to the table. Hetty sat in one of the chairs and waved at them to join her.
"Now, what decision have the two of you made? Are you together or not?" She asked.
"We still don't know." Katy admitted.
"Might I offer you my observation and suggestions?" she asked.
"Please do." Callen said.
"I know from the moment I plucked the two of you out of your orphanages that you'd be special, that you'd be a force to be reckoned with. Both of you have been through so much and hurt so badly; things that would drive the average person to insanity; has only made the two of you stronger. I see the way you look at one another and they way you work together. You truly love one another. Everyone sees it. Please. Take next few days off; in spite of the case we're working on; and talk, laugh, spend time together. When you return, I expect an answer about whether or not you truly want a transfer." She said looking at Katy. "And I want to know if we're going to have a wedding or not. Even if you choose to postpone it, you two belong together." With that, she took her glass and walked back to the house.
Katy and Callen sat there in silence for a while. He offered her his hand and she took it and smiled as he kissed her fingers. Callen pulled her chair against his and the two sat there listening to the bird chirping. Occasionally they would talk, but for the most part, they sat in silence. Both Katy and Callen dozed off and woke up well after sundown covered up with a blanket. The majority of the lights in the house were off except in the sitting room, stairs, upstairs hall and the room she was in hours before.
"Should we go in and go to bed?" Katy asked.
"You don't think Hetty will mind?" He asked already knowing that Hetty had left the lights on for them.
Katy stood and led the way up to the room, turning off the lights as they went. When they got into the room and the door was closed, Callen pulled Katy to him and kissed her. It was magical, sending shivers and electricity from her head to her toes. If they hadn't been at Hetty's house, she would've had him in bed already. Instead, they fell asleep wrapped around one another.
When Hetty woke the next morning and was headed down stairs for her morning cup of tea, she stopped in and cracked the door open to check on them. Smiling and humming a happy tune as she walked away satisfied that they were still asleep and in each other's arms. When she headed to the office, Callen and Katy were just coming down stairs. She told them that there was a fresh pot of coffee on the stove and left.
Sam walked in and immediately headed to her desk, followed by the rest of the team. "Where are G and Katy?" He asked.
"When I left the house, they were just getting up. They won't be back in the office for a few days, unless we absolutely need them." Hetty told them.
"So they're okay?" Kensi asked.
"Yes Ms. Blye, I think they'll be just fine." She said.
"What about the wedding, are they still getting married?" Deeks asked.
"I don't know. If it doesn't happen in December, I imagine with will eventually." She told them.
They enjoyed the pot of coffee in the garden before getting dresses and heading back to their house. Once in the house, Callen pulled her to the bedroom and made love to her like it was the first time, slow and sensual and passionate. At two, as they laid there enjoying the afterglow of their lovemaking, they talked about going to the beach. With her head on his chest, Katy thought it sounded like fun and promised not to take the camera so their focus could be solely on each other. On the way to the beach, Callen in his board shorts and tee shirt and Katy in her bikini, shorts and cover walked into the mission. Hand in hand with the smack of their flip flops announcing their arrival, they walked into the bullpen.
No one expected to see them there. "Hey what are you two up to?" Kensi asked.
"We just thought we'd stop by to see if there was anything new on the Twenty-Nine Palms case." Callen told them.
"You two okay now?" Sam asked.
"Yes, we're fine." Katy smiled and wrapped her arms around Callen's.
"Good." Sam nodded.
"What are the two of you doing here?" Hetty said from the entry.
"We just wanted to see if there was anything new." Callen told her.
"You could've called, I'm sure Mr. Hanna, Mr. Deeks or Ms. Blye would've been more than happy to share any new information with you if we had any." She told them.
"Looks like you two are either going to or coming from the beach." Deeks said.
"Ah, we're headed to the beach for the afternoon." Callen told him.
"No camera?" Kensi asked.
"No, no camera. I promised Callen he'd have my full attention." Katy smiled.
"Good, have fun." Kensi told them.
"If you're going to Venice, I'll probably see you guys out there after work. I was going to try to get some surfing in if Kensi doesn't mind." Deeks said looking over to Kensi.
"We could meet you guys for dinner?" Kensi suggested.
"We'll give you a call. I don't know what we're going to do the rest of the day." Callen said and lead Katy out of the bullpen.
"Mr. Callen, Ms. Levin are we to assume everything is alright between the two of you now?" Hetty asked.
"We're working on it. We're back together, but we're still discussing the wedding plans." Callen told her.
Hetty nodded, "Enjoy the beach."
Katy was lying on her stomach sunning herself while Callen was on his back. Her eyes were closed, so Callen reached over and poked her side. She smiled at him.
"So what do you want to do tomorrow?" she asked.
"Oh, I don't know, I was thinking about getting married tomorrow." Callen said watching for her reaction.
Katy rolled over, slipped her sunglasses to the top of her head and looked at him. "What?"
"Let's get married tomorrow." He said rolling over to face her.
"What about all the friends and family we were inviting to the wedding?" She asked.
"We can still have the big wedding ceremony and reception in December." He smiled.
"Is a civil ceremony what you really want?"
"I'd marry you right now if the court house was still open and we could get a license." He told her.
Katy sat up and sat Indian-style facing him. "Do you really want to get married tomorrow?"
"Yes," he laughed. "I want to get married tomorrow. My way of showing you how serious I am about us making this work and keeping the promises we made to one another."
A broad smiled crossed Katy's face. "We're getting married tomorrow."
"Are we?" he asked.
Katy launched herself at him and kissed him long and hard. "Yes baby, we are."
"Where do you want to do it? We can get a flight out to Vegas in the morning." He suggested.
"I don't care, as long as we actually do it." She beamed.
"We need to get rings and you a dress." He said scrambling to his feet.
Katy was right behind him, pulling on her shorts and top before grabbing the towels, beach bag and her flip flops. The two literally ran up the beach to the Mercedes and headed to the nearest mall. As they stood there staring into the glass case looking at wedding bands, Katy asked Callen if this was really what he wanted to do. He grinned, kissed her and told her yes. They picked out plain, matching platinum bands. As they walked out of the store, Callen slipped the engagement ring from his pocket and slipped it back on her finger.
"Let's just get the next flight out to Vegas tonight instead of tomorrow morning. We can get my dress and everything there." She said kissing him.
"Then let's run by the house, pack some clothes and head to the airport." Callen said.
By ten o'clock that evening, they were walking down the Vegas strip and stopped into one of the twenty-four hour wedding chapels to find out about how much it was going to cost. Thirty minutes and one hundred fifty dollars later, they walked out as husband and wife. They laughed and looked at the pictures of the ceremony and debated on calling everyone. Callen had called from the house and booked at room at a hotel not too far off the strip. They checked in and spent their first night together as a married couple.
Katy lay with her head on Callen's chest playing with the ring on his finger. "Do you regret it?" he asked her.
She leaned up on her arm, smiled and kissed him. "Not for a minute, do you?"
"No, I think it was the best decision we've made." He laughed.
"Are you going to wear your ring at work?"
"I think I will when we got back to work on Thursday just to see if anyone notices." He said pulling her back down to his chest.
"Do you think they'll be mad?" She asked drawing circles with her nail on his chest.
He twitched underneath her. "I'm sure they will be, but they'll get over it."
Hetty sat at the computer in her office at home smiling like the Cheshire cat as she looked over the marriage license. She debated on whether or not to call Sam to share the newest development, but it was late and he had a family. So she planned not to tell anyone and keep their little secret for them. After she shut down the computer, she hiked up the stairs and went to bed.
They woke in one another's arms and just lay there, talking, kissing and once again made love. By ten o'clock, their stomachs were growling so they showered and headed to one of the casinos for the breakfast buffet. They opted to walk, since it wasn't quite yet the hottest part of the day and stopped into a few of the shops along the way. When they finally reached the Bellagio and stood in line waiting to get into the buffet, their phones chirped. Almost in unison, they pulled out their phones and looked at the text message. 'I know what you did last night!' it said. They looked at one another and smiled, relieved that the hardest person to tell already knew.
After breakfast, they wandered through the shops at the casino and then headed back to the hotel to prepare for their flight home. Once they packed and took the hotel's van to the airport, they played a few of the slot machines in the terminal to pass the time. They stood hand-in-hand in front of the bank of machines, Katy's head on Callen's shoulder. The last quarter they had, Callen asked Katy to kiss for luck. They won five hundred dollars and more than paid for the trip to Vegas. They spent the hour-long flight cuddled together, talking about their future.
When they arrived home at four that afternoon, Callen ran ahead and unlocked the front door, then turned back around and scooped Katy into his arms, carrying her into the house. He kissed her as soon as they walked into the door and slowly let her out of his arms. They stood in the living room kissing and were the happiest they'd ever been. They unpacked what little they'd taken with them and the few souvenirs they'd purchased and decided what to do for dinner. They debated on calling Kensi and Deeks and meeting up with them, but didn't want to run the risk of them finding out before the others. So they drove down to the beach and ate at one of the restaurants on the boardwalk.
"Are you going to change your name to Callen?" He asked.
Katy smiled. "I am in our personal lives, but I think it would be too confusing at work. So if you don't mind, I think I'll either hyphenate it or keep Levin?"
"It doesn't matter to me. You're my wife and we both know it." He said sipping his glass of wine.
"We'll see, since we got that text from Hetty, you don't think she told the others do you?" She asked.
Callen shook his head. "I doubt it. I'm sure she'll keep our secret for us."
They were thoroughly engrossed in conversation and didn't notice Kensi and Deeks standing at the railing next to their table. They were motioning to one each other about the ring on Callen's left hand. Katy sat her wine glass on the table and looked out at the sunset when she noticed them.
"Um, hey guys what are you doing here?" she asked looking at Callen panicked. He immediately put his left hand under the table.
"We were just out at the beach and were headed out to get dinner when we saw you two. So how are you guys?" Kensi asked with an odd smile.
"We're fine, just having dinner." Callen told them.
"Really, we noticed a very interesting addition to your left hand, Callen." Deeks said. "Care to explain?"
Both Katy and Callen hung their heads. He pulled his left hand from under the table and sat it on the railing. Kensi reached over the railing and grabbed Katy's left hand.
"You guys got married?!" she shouted out. The other patrons on the deck looked over at them. Kensi smiled, in a lover voice, she said it again. "You guys got married?"
Katy smiled a huge smile. "We did, last night in Vegas."
Kensi was shocked and sputtered. "Why didn't you tell anyone? What about the wedding in December?"
"We're still going to have the wedding in December or at least the reception." Callen told them.
"Why did you just run off without telling anyone and when did you decide this?" She asked, still reeling.
"Monday afternoon on the beach." Katy said.
"Well, congratulations." Kensi said with a smile and reached over the railing to give Katy a hug.
"Don't say anything to Sam; we want to see if he'll notice the ring tomorrow when we come back to work." Callen said.
"How could you miss that?" Deeks laughed. "We're happy for you guys, a little surprised at the suddenness of it, but whatever makes you two happy."
"Thank you Marty." Katy said standing to give him a hug.
"What about Hetty?" Kensi asked.
"Hetty somehow already knows, we got a text from her this morning when we were getting breakfast or I should say brunch." Katy laughed.
"I don't know how she does that." Kensi said seriously and then laughed.
"Well, we see that you guys are almost done, we'll let you enjoy the rest of your night. See you tomorrow, Mr. and Mrs. Callen." Deeks grinned.
They were nervous when they walked into the Mission, hoping Kensi and Deeks didn't rush off and call Sam. Hetty was at her desk and watched them walk in. Once they put their bags down, they went to see her. She beamed at them as they sat before her.
"Well good morning." She said looking around. "Mr. and Mrs. Callen."
Katy and Callen smiled. "How did you know?" Callen asked.
"I know everything and you know better than to ask that question. I take it Mrs. Callen that you're not going to want that transfer?" She asked.
"No definitely not." Katy said with a wonderful glow.
"Very good, might I ask what prompted the two of you to run off and get married?" She asked.
"It felt like the right thing to do at that moment." Callen said, smiling.
"And no regrets?" Hetty asked looking between the two of them.
"Absolutely not." Katy said.
"What about the wedding in December?"
"We will at least be having the reception, I'd still like to see Katy walk down the aisle in a beautiful gown, but we need to speak to Reggie about that. He may be so mad at us that he'll refuse to perform the ceremony or allow us to use the church." Callen said.
"Oh, I highly doubt that." Hetty assured them. "I wouldn't put off the call though. What about the team, how are you going to tell them?"
"We ran into Kensi and Deeks last night while we were eating dinner, so they know. We asked them not to say anything to Sam about it. Hopefully they didn't." Callen said.
"Alright," Hetty smiled. "Now Mrs. Callen, are you going to go by Callen or Levin?"
"I will legally change my name to Callen for our personal lives, but I'm not sure about work. I think it would be confusing for there to be two Callen's here."
"Well, it's easy to differentiate between Mr. and Mrs. Callen." She smiled.
"Let's see how Sam takes it before we worry too much about whether or not Katy takes my name here at work." Callen suggested.
"Yes, I see your point Mr. Callen. Get yourselves a cup of coffee and start your day. I'm sure the others will be in momentarily." Hetty said kindly dismissing them.
Once Katy and Callen had gotten themselves a cup of coffee, they sat in the bullpen and waited. Katy was in Kensi's desk with her feet in Callen's lap when Kensi and Deeks came in. They smiled ominously and whispered their greeting. "Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Callen."
"Good morning you two, how was your night?" Katy asked setting out of Kensi's chair.
"It was nice; we went to dinner and walked on the beach before we went back to his place for the night." Kensi told them.
"Good." Callen smiled.
Sam walked in and they all stared at each other awkwardly. He put his bag on his desk and looked at them. "What?" he asked.
"Oh nothing." Kensi smiled and walked away with a skip in her step to get a cup of coffee.
"What's with her?" He asked.
"So how are you this morning?" Callen asked.
"I'm fine, had a nice night with Michelle and the kids." He said. "How was your three days off, you guys good now?"
"Oh yeah, they're really good." Kensi said when she returned, gesturing boisterously.
Sam gave her another weird look. "What's going on?"
"Ask Katy and Callen." Kensi said with a cat that swallowed the canary smile, rocking back and for like a school girl.
Sam kind of smiled and looked at Callen and Katy. "What's she talking about?"
"Woman you've got the biggest damn mouth." Katy said swatting at her.
Callen lifted his coffee cup to his mouth and Sam's eyes immediately went to the ring. "You guys got married?" he said shocked and happy.
"They did." Kensi said with a splat to her desk. "In Vegas Monday night."
"What?" Sam laughed. "You two ran off to Vegas and got married?"
"Yes, we did." Callen said nodding with a huge smile.
Sam walked to Katy's desk and pulled her out of her chair, into a hug. "Congratulations, boy you two sure know how to make up." He said before walking over to Callen and offering him his hand and a manly hug.
"Thanks Sam." Callen said.
"So what about everything in December, is that still on?" He asked.
"Yeah it is. We just wanted to do it a little sooner, kind of hold each other to the promises we'd made after I begged her to take me back." Callen told them.
"You begged?" Sam asked, and then looked to Katy. "He begged?"
"Yes, on his knees and everything." Katy laughed.
"I'm happy for you guys, does Hetty know?" He asked.
"Yeah, she sent us a text yesterday morning telling us I know what you did last night." Callen laughed.
Sam shivered. "I hate it when she does that, gives me the creeps."
Kensi grabbed the phone on her desk and frantically dialed the extension for Ops. "Hey you two gotta come down here." She said and hung up. A second later, Nell and Eric came running down the stairs with a worried look on their faces. "Guess what happened Monday night in Vegas."
Katy kicked at her. "Big mouth."
"What, what happened?" Nell asked frenzied.
"Katy and Callen got married." Sam told her.
Nell with a shocked smile said, "You what?"
Eric was speechless. "But wait, I thought you guys broke up? I'm confused."
"Congratulations. You're still doing the wedding in December, aren't you?" Nell asked.
"That's the plan." Callen told them.
"Well, let me see the rings." Nell said, and then looked at the plain platinum bands adorning their fingers. "I really am happy for you two."
"Thank you Nell." Callen and Katy both said.
Hetty appeared in the bullpen with a bottle of sparkling cider. "Now that you all know, I thought a toast was in order. Being that it's too early for the champagne, I have something a little more appropriate."
"You didn't have to do that, Hetty." Katy said standing.
"Oh, don't worry; we'll pop that bottle of 1995 Krug, Clos Du Mesnil after work tonight." She said.
"Hetty, that's a seven hundred fifty dollar bottle of champagne." Katy said nearly choking over her words.
"Yes my dear, only the best for the best." She said handing her a glass of cider.
Once they all had a glass, Hetty raised her and said. "To Katy and Callen and the hope for many, many years of happiness together."
"Here, here" they all said and drank down the cider.
"Now, back to work, all of you." She laughed. "Mrs. Callen, there is a Sgt. David Smith waiting to see you at the boatshed."
"Oh, okay." Katy smiled. "I'll head right over. Kensi shall we?"
"No take Mr. Callen, I need Ms. Blye here." Hetty said.
"Okay." Katy said and looked at Sam. "Can Sam come with us?"
"Yes Mrs. Callen, you may take Mr. Hanna." She yelled from her office.
They three took off for the boatshed. Sgt. Smith sat in the outer room waiting for them. The bruises on his face had faded and his limp was unnoticeable. He stood when Katy, Callen and Sam walked in.
"Good morning Agents Levin, Callen and Hanna, right?" He asked as he extended his hand.
"Yes that's correct. Only she's not agent Levin anymore." Sam started to say until Katy shot him a look.
"What, what happened?" Sgt. Smith asked.
"I got married Monday night in Las Vegas." She said.
"Wow, congratulations. Wish I'd know I was in Vegas on leave. I would've been there had I know." He smiled.
"Oh, well it was very much unexpected. We hadn't planned on doing it until Tuesday." She said.
"So what's the new last name so I can address you properly?" Smith asked.
"Actually, it's Callen now." Callen said with a smile.
Sgt. Smith was utterly shocked. "Really so it's Callen and Callen now?" he laughed.
"Yes, I guess it is." He laughed.
"Well congratulations, I wish you the best of luck." He said offering Callen his hand again.
"So why did you want to speak to me?" Katy asked.
"I remembered more of what happened the day of the convoy ambush and I wanted to tell you what the word is going around the battalion." He said sitting down.
"I thought you were deploying on the next rotation out?" Katy asked sitting across from him, Callen and Sam took the seats at the ends of the table.
"No, they decided to take me off the roster because of my injuries. I'll be going out in Six to seven months with the next company." He told them.
"Good, at least they didn't send out off right away." Katy said. "So what else do you remember?"
"Unfortunately, it's not very much, but I remember the guys talking after the explosion, I was more awake that I thought. They were yelling go now, go now as soon as the explosion happened. I opened my eyes and we were pulling off to the left into the desert, the Radar Jammer was behind up. They saw I was coming to and hit me again from behind." He said.
Katy smiled. "It's not much, but it is something, thank you. How did you come to remember?"
"I started seeing a Psychologist and we tried hypnosis, that's what came out." He said.
"Good for you. Thank you." Callen told him.
"I know it doesn't help much. I'm putting in for a LAT move to PMO when my current enlistment is up next year. Eventually, I want to be an agent like you guys. You really made an impression on me." He told them.
Katy's thoughts went back to Anthony, she smiled and said. "Just make sure it's what you truly want to do, it's a dangerous job. We lost an agent in an altercation a few months ago. It was hard to handle."
"I'm a Marine Ma'am, I understand the dangers of my job and yours." He smiled and looked at Callen and Sam. They nodded.
"Well, when you've completed your enlistment, apply with NCIS; we'd be happy to have you." Callen told him.
"Yes sir, I definitely will." He said smiling.
"Now, you mentioned something about word that's going around the battalion. What's being said?" Katy asked.
"Word is that the four; Meyers, Platt, Johnson and Anderson were seen in Mexico. A couple of the guys went down there on leave when they approached them, the four took off running." He said.
Katy raised an eyebrow. "Really what part of Mexico and when was this?"
"This was a couple weeks ago and it was just south of Tijuana, near Ensenada." He said.
"Well, this helps us immensely." Katy smiled. "Thank you and if you hear anything or remember anything else, let us know."
The three walked into Ops to see tell the others what the Sgt. had told them. Nell and Eric started running the four's financials again and told them they'd let them know what they found. The five of them stayed up there talking about the case until Nell called them to the screen.
"It seems all of them haven't been careful at all, there are charges from all around Ensenada and Guadalajara, including the purchase of the airline tickets. This is what really caught our attention though." She said pulling the deposit records for the four up on the screen. "All four of them received a substantial deposit of almost fifty thousand dollars two days after the Radar Jammer disappeared. Then another series of deposits a few weeks apart; all of them totaling close to two hundred thousand dollars. The deposits were made via a wire transfer from a bank in the Caymans. It's going to be a couple hours before we can tell you who the owner of the account is. It looks like they were paid for the delivery of the Radar Jammer and all of the Com equipment."
"Looks like you're right." Callen agreed. "I think it's safe to say we're taking a trip to Mexico."
"Yes Mr. Callen, that's correct, undercover of course. You and Mrs. Callen will be on your honeymoon, Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks and Mr. Hanna will be tagging along as other tourists. I do not wish to make this an international incident, so please be discreet. For now, focus on getting the four Marines and find out who they passed the equipment to." Hetty said as she walked into Ops.
"Alright, when are we leaving?" Callen asked.
"Ms. Jones and Mr. Beale have yet to make your travel arrangements, but I'm sure it will be by the end of the day. Go home and pack, please." She said.
With that, they left ops and headed to the bullpen. "So does this mean we get to act like tourists and bring bathing suits and stuff?" Deeks asked.
Callen laughed. "Bring them, you never know we may have to do a stake out on the beach, we wouldn't want to look out of place. Just be sure you can wear your weapons. Katy, Kensi if the two of you are going to wear dresses, be sure you have leg holsters, if you don't have one already, get one from the armory. Wear flats, no heels or anything that would prevent you from chasing someone."
Katy and Kensi nodded.
They all left to pack their bags and all met back two hour later in Ops. "Ok," Nell said handing everyone their passports, tickets and hotel reservations. "Here are your identities and ticket for the flight. You're booked with a tour, so we can keep you all together."
"Any information on the owner of the account the funds came from?" Callen asked.
"No, not yet, there are a lot of safe guards and firewalls to break through, whoever it is has gone to great lengths to protect his identity. As soon as we have a name we'll let you know. Don't forget to pick up all of your surveillance electronics. They should be easy to conceal in your luggage." She said as they all walked out to visit the electronics locker and then the armory.
By five, an unmarked van driven by one of the other agents dropped them off at the airport. They all checked in, checked their bags and headed to their gate. Katy and Callen sat on one side of the waiting area, Sam in the middle and Kensi and Deeks on the other. For no odd reason other than habit, they scanned the gathering crowd. No one seemed suspicious. Sam nodded towards Callen and then Deeks and was missing Michelle when the two began acting like lovey-dovey happy couples. Katy and Callen apologized and laughed when he rolled his eyes at them, not understanding he was reacting to Kensi and Deeks playing suck-face on their side of the waiting area.
When the flight boarded, they were all seated in coach, but scattered throughout the cabin. Katy and Callen sat at the front of the plane just behind the bulkhead, Sam, Kensi and Deeks were seated towards the middle and rear of the plane. Sam of course grunted when he was seated by the window, over the wing at the emergency exit. All of them settled in for the two and a half hour flight. Callen and Katy sat hand-in-hand, very much the newlywed couple. Sam read magazines while Deeks tried to convince Kensi to join the mile-high club.
By the time they were ready to make their decent into Guadalajara, Callen has several emails waiting from Eric and Nell. When they landed and taxied to their gate, he opened one of them and read it. It seems that the four had moved from Guadalajara out to the coast to Colima. Once they got off the plane and made their way to baggage claim, they met inconspicuously to discuss the new developments and plan on how they will get out to Colima. It was decided that the three teams would rent separate cars and drive to the coast. Once that was decided, they headed to customs.
"What is the purpose of your visit?" The agent asked Callen and Katy as they handed over their passports, identification and travel information.
"We're here on our honeymoon." Callen said pulling Katy close, she beamed.
"Congratulations." The young woman said looking over their paperwork. "When did you get married?"
"A week ago." Katy told her.
"I'm surprised they allowed you to change your name on your passport that quickly." She said, eyeing them.
"We had all of the paperwork submitted the day we got married, the agent we worked with got it processed immediately." Katy smiled.
"Well, it's rare." She said handing the packets back to them. "Do you have anything to declare?"
"No, we don't." they said.
The woman looked through their bags, closed them and wished them a fun and safe trip. Before she slid the bags off the counter and asked for the next passenger to step forward. Katy and Callen quickly grabbed their bags and proceeded to one of the car rental desks. By the time they were at the counter being helped, Sam, Kensi and Deeks were standing behind them in line. They looked back at them as they walked away from the counter and the three nodded.
Callen and Katy took the transport out to the rental lot and loaded their bags in the trunk, then waited for the other three. Within thirty minutes, they were standing in the middle of the lots discussing their route. Once things were settled they pulled out. It took almost two and a half hours to drive, but the scenery made it worthwhile. The trip to Mexico prompted Katy and Callen to talk about where they wanted to go on their real honeymoon. Nothing was decided by the time they pulled into town and found a hotel. Being that they were supposed to be on their honeymoon, they stopped at the Whyndham Garden. Once they'd checked in and dropped the bags in the room, they changed into some cooler clothing; swim suits in fact and headed to meet the other at the pool.
They settled in one of the cabanas with their drinks and called Ops. "Hey Nell anything new?" Callen asked.
"No, not yet. They've ditched their cell phones, so we're waiting for them to make another purchase out there. The last purchases were made at a restaurant in Comala; twenty minutes from your position and a bar in Manzanillo; forty minutes away." She said.
"Alright, we'll head out to Manzanillo to see if we can't catch up with them. Granted it will take forty minutes to get out there, but it's a beach town so it should still be hopping with the young ones." He said.
"Sounds good, be safe." Nell said before she hung up.
"Looks like we're headed to the beach." Callen said.
"Heading to the bars, I take it?" Sam asked.
"You've got it. Hopefully we can make quick work of this, maybe we can enjoy a day here before we head back." He said looking at Katy.
"One can hope." She smiled and followed him out to the car.
The streets of the beach town were packed with pedestrians, even at eleven o'clock at night. They found parking on a side street and headed back out to join the hoards on the main strip. They all entered the various establishments one by one, looking for the missing Marines. By two in the morning, they'd only hit half of the bars and restaurants. Since they were closing and there was no sign of them, they headed back to Colima. Katy and Callen stopped by the pool for a quick dip before going to their room. They sat on one of the steps in the pool kissing and talking, before they headed to bed.