Katy and Callen were sound asleep at seven when the bedroom door creaked open. Mary and Cassi tiptoed in and climbed up on the bed. They looked down at Katy and Callen and squeezed their way between the two of them, careful not to hit Katy in the stomach. Callen tapped Katy lightly; suddenly they grabbed the two girls and tickled them. Loud shrieks and giggles filled the room. Another set of feet pounded up the stairs and ran into the room and onto the bed. Katy bolted to the bathroom and hovered over the toilet, waiting to throw up. The kids looked scared as Callen got out of bed with the crackers.
"We're sorry Auntie Katy; we didn't mean to make you sick." Mary cried.
Callen stood in the door way and looked back at the kids. "It's alright, it's the morning sickness. You guys didn't do it. If Katy doesn't eat the crackers first thing in the morning, she throws up."
"Can we do anything to help?" Little Reggie asked.
"A glass of water would be great." Katy said walking up behind Callen.
"Are you okay, Honey?" He asked putting his arm around her.
"Yeah I'm fine. It's okay guys." She said.
Slowly, the girls got off the bed and walked over to them. Katy stepped out of the bathroom, gave them a hug and kissed the tops of their heads. Little Reggie ran back in the room with a glass of water and handed to the Katy. She took a sip and nibbled on the cracker Callen gave her. Reggie and Ana ran into the room wondering why Little Reggie had run up the stairs. They were relieved that it was nothing serious, but told the kids not to jump on the bed until Katy's had her crackers.
After Katy brushed her teeth, they all went downstairs to start some coffee. The kids were at the tree counting the presents and checking to see who got the biggest one. Once Reggie, Ana, Katy and Callen were in the living room, the kids tore through the presents. There were Lego sets and hot wheels and dolls and dress-up clothes and transformers and anything else one could imagine. No sooner did the kids open one present and they grabbed another. Ana and Katy couldn't keep up with the growing pile of wrapping paper. Reggie told them to just wait until all the gifts were opened.
Reggie nodded to Cassi and the little girl ran around to the back of the tree and returned with a small package, handing it to Ana. Katy and Callen looked at one another. Ana held the two inch square box in her hand and looked nervously at Reggie, then over at Callen and Katy. She took a deep breath and started to take off the wrapping paper. Ana stopped when she saw the Jewelers logo on the top of the box and looked over at Reggie.
"You didn't?" she asked him with tears in her eyes.
"Open it." He smiled.
Ana took the lid off the box and turned it over, allowing the blue velvet box to fall into her hand. Before she could look up, Reggie was on one knee in front of her. He took the box from her and opened it. Ana looked at the contents of the box and up at Reggie. Before he could even ask, Ana was nodding and saying yes over and over again. Reggie took the diamond ring out of the box and slipped it on Ana's finger. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. The girls giggled, Little Reggie smiled. Reggie waved for the kids to join them in a group hug.
Callen pulled Katy closer and kissed her temple. She smiled up at him and then back over at Reggie, Ana and the kids. "Congratulations you guys." She said.
Ana wiped the tears from her eyes. "I can't believe it. I love you guys so much."
"We love you too Ana." The kids told her.
"Reggie, I love you." She said kissing him.
"I love you too Ana. How was that for a surprise?" He asked her.
"Mary is this the surprise you were telling me about on the phone?" Katy asked.
"Yes it is." Mary said proudly with her hands on her hips.
"Mary, come here for a second, there should be a present there for Auntie Katy." Callen told her.
Mary smiled and walked back over to the tree. They little girl returned to the couch with the present and handed it to Callen.
"I thought we agreed not to get each other anything." Katy said.
"I got this months ago." He told her handing her the gift.
"I have nothing for you." She whined.
"Like I told you yesterday," he said with his hand on her belly. "You've given me the best gifts right here."
"Callen, I hate you sometimes." She said wiping the tears away.
"Open it please?" He asked. "I didn't really know what to get, I hope you like it."
Katy tore the wrapping paper open and looked at the picture on the box. "Callen?"
"I know you really liked the crystal serving pieces Michelle had, so I got you some of your own. There are eight more pieces just like it at home. You've got everything from a turkey platter to a salad bowl and everything in between." He told her.
Katy laughed. "Thank you honey, I love it."
"There's even a crystal picture frame for our wedding picture." He told her.
As soon as the rest of the gifts were opened, Katy and Ana picked up all of the wrapping paper while the guys started breakfast. Three pounds of bacon, a dozen and a half of eggs and three rolls of refrigerator cinnamon rolls later, they all sat around the table eating. The kids ate as fast as they could so they could go back to their toys. Katy helped clean up after breakfast and then went to lie down on the couch. Within minutes, she was sound asleep, so the kids took their toys to the other room so they didn't wake her up.
"Daddy, can I wake up Katy for lunch?" Mary asked.
"Sure, just remember not to bounce around; we don't want a repeat of this morning." Reggie told her as she skipped out of the kitchen.
"Auntie, lunch is ready." She said leaning over the arm of the couch with a saltine cracker in her hand.
Katy smiled at the little girl. "Oh thank you." She said taking the cracker. Katy bit from the corner of the cracker as she sat up.
"Slow down, Daddy said we don't need a repeat of this morning." The little girl said panicked.
"It's alright Mary that only happens first thing in the morning. What's for lunch?" Katy asked as she took Mary's hand and walked with her into the kitchen.
Callen was bringing a plate of sandwiches to the table and leaned over to kiss Katy. "Did you sleep okay?"
"I did." She smiled and smacked his rear as he walked past them. Mary giggled.
"Have a seat Katy." Ana told her. "Little R, Cassi lunch is ready."
The three kids immediately went to the half-bath downstairs and washed their hands before coming to the table. Katy followed suit and washed hers, splashing the kids. Callen and Reggie shook their heads when the four ran into the kitchen laughing.
"You've nothing but a big kid." Reggie laughed when Katy sat down.
"Yeah, well at least the babies will have one fun parent." Katy said sticking her tongue at Callen.
"Really, one fun parent?" He said tossing a napkin at her. "I take that as a challenge."
"Calm down, I'm just playing with you." Katy said leaning over Mary to kiss him.
"So Katy, some friends of mine from work are going to a Holiday High Tea at the Fairmont on Saturday, would you like to join us?" Ana asked.
"Well, I don't think we have anything planned. You'd be the only one I know there." Katy said before taking a bite of her BLT sandwich.
"You'll like everyone. They're some really nice women." Reggie told her.
Katy looked to Callen. "Go ahead, have fun."
"Alright, tea at the Fairmont on Saturday it is. Are you guys going to be okay with the kids?" Katy joked.
"Oh, we're taking the girls with us." Ana added.
"I thought Callen, Little R and I could go to the Fairmont too. They're having a lunch for the husbands." Reggie said.
"Alright, we'll all spend at least a few hours at the Fairmont. Would you guys mind if I took Katy to dinner afterwards since we were supposed to get married that day?" Callen asked.
"No, of course not." Reggie smiled.
After lunch, the kids went back to their toys while the adults cleaned up and talked. Callen asked when Reggie and Ana thought they might get married. Since the proposal came as a complete surprise and they hadn't had a chance to talk about it yet, they really didn't know. Reggie did say that they would be the first ones to know when they'd decided. Mary came running in to the kitchen with one of her new dolls asking Katy to change the clothes. Katy took the doll and made the change for Mary and handed her back the doll. Mary was gone again.
A while later, the doorbell rang. Since they weren't expecting anyone, Callen and Katy followed Reggie to the door. When he opened the door, they were shocked to find Sam, Michelle and the kids.
"Sam what are you doing here?" Reggie asked. Katy and Callen peeked around the door.
"Aw, we got bored at home, so we decided to come up here. Christmas isn't the same without Callen passed out on my couch." He laughed.
"So that was you at the mall yesterday?" Callen said as Sam walked past them into the house.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sam laughed. "You remember my wife Michelle, and these are our kids."
"Hey, Little R, Cassi and Mary you've got some playmates." Reggie called. "If you guys want, you can go right into the room on the left; the kids took all of their toys in there so they didn't wake up Katy."
"Hey Michelle." Katy said, giving her a hug. "This is my sister and Reggie's fiancé; Ana."
"Fiancé?" Sam asked with a smile.
"Yes, just this morning." Ana smiled giving Michelle a hug.
"It's so nice to finally meet one of Katy's siblings." Michelle said.
"Have you guys eaten?" Reggie asked as he led them to the kitchen.
"We have actually. I like the new house, Reggie." Sam said looking around.
"Where are you guys staying?" Katy asked.
"We got a room at the Fairmont." Michelle said. "Did you two hear about the ladies tea on Saturday?"
"Actually, I just mentioned it to Katy at lunch. Are you going?" Ana asked.
"If Sam doesn't mind, I think I'll take out daughter. Have a little mommy-daughter time." Michelle asked looking at Sam.
"I don't mind if you don't mind if I go to the guy's lunch." He said.
"Callen and I were going to take Little R over for that. We'll see you there." Reggie said.
"Sounds like a plan." Sam agreed.
"What are you guys doing for dinner? We'd love for you to join us." Reggie asked.
"Oh, we were just going to get something at the hotel, they're having a holiday dinner." Michelle said.
"Well, we're picking dinner up in about an hour. Prime Rib, Au Gus, mashed potatoes, vegetables, dessert." Reggie said.
"Will you have enough?" Sam asked, his mouth watering.
"Yes, we got enough to feed an army. Or the Navy and Marine Corps." Reggie laughed.
"Well, we'd be happy to since you put it that way." Sam laughed. "Can we help with anything; get a couple extra pies a couple bottles of wine?"
"No, we've got everything covered. Thank you though." Reggie told him.
An hour later Reggie, Callen and Sam left to pick up dinner. The ladies, while playing referee with the kids also set the table in the formal dining room. Katy and Michelle were telling Ana about the renovations that Callen and Katy had done to the house. Katy invited them down to Southern California for Easter that spring. Michelle joked, asking Katy if she was actually going to be there this year. Katy threw a napkin at her.
Katy stopped and dropped into the chair next to her. It hit her that they were at the church the night before and she didn't even think about Kari or going to see her. She felt horrible, so consumed by the twins, she'd forgotten about her. Ana and Michelle watched her. Katy leaned over and buried her face in her hands.
"Katy, what's wrong?" Ana asked.
"I was so wrapped up in the pregnancy and last night being Christmas Eve that I didn't even think to stop and see Karolina." She said trying to fight the tears.
"Oh Katy." Michelle said dropping the flatware on the table and walking to her side.
"I can't believe I forgot her." She said with tears streaming down her face.
"You didn't forget her; you're never going to forget her. You're going to have to start worrying about the here and now. Kari knows you love her and she knows she's got siblings on the way." Michelle said brushing her hair out of her face.
"No Michelle, I forgot her. I didn't even think about her. I was selfish and thinking about getting home and taking off the heels I wore and I was tired. I forgot my child on Christmas Eve." She cried.
"Katy we can go after dinner. Christmas day is more of a reason to go anyway." Ana said kneeling down on the other side of her.
"I'm going to go up stairs for a few minutes." Katy said and headed out of the kitchen.
Callen, Sam and Reggie got home with dinner a few minutes later. Callen looked around between the kitchen and dining room looking for Katy. Michelle pointed up. Callen immediately ran up the stairs.
"What happened?" Reggie asked.
"Katy realized we forgot to go see Kari last night after mass." Ana told him.
Michelle walked to Sam and leaned into him, he put his arm around her. When Callen reached the bedroom, Katy was lying on the bed in tears. He walked to the bed and sat down beside her. He brushed her hair with his hand. She rolled over into him and held on tight as she cried.
"I'm sorry, I didn't even think about going by the cemetery last night." He told her.
"Neither did I." she said. "I can't believe I forgot about her."
"You didn't forget it just slipped your mind. You've got a lot going on right now." He told her.
"It's no excuse, I should've remembered."
"If it's any consolation, I forgot too." Reggie said from the door. "The grief counselor said it would happen when we started to move on and accept the fact that they're gone."
"How could we forget?" She asked, still trying to figure it out.
"Your brain is the first thing to go when you're pregnant." Michelle said from the door. "You think I'm joking, ask Sam. I couldn't remember anything when I was pregnant. If my name wasn't on my ID at work, I couldn't tell you what it was."
"Lord, I hope I don't get that bad." Katy laughed.
"We'll all go see Karolina after dinner." Sam told her. "The kids have probably gotten into the pies already, let's go have dinner."
Dinner was so good. Katy had two slices of prime rib and drowned it and her mashed potatoes in the au jus. She also had huge helpings of the sweet potatoes and the green bean casserole. Sam even sat back and watched Katy eat wondering where on earth she was putting it all.
Katy looked around at everyone staring at her. "You all forget I'm eating for three."
"It's good to see you eat, at least the babies will be fat and healthy." Sam told her.
"Not too fat, most twins are born prematurely. Hopefully I can carry to thirty-five to thirty-six weeks. They may be home in time for Father's Day at that rate." Katy said looking over at Callen.
"That would be a good Father's Day present." He said.
"If you kids are finished, could you carry your plates to the kitchen, then you can go play. As soon as the adults are finished, we'll be heading out for a few minutes." Reggie told them.
"Where are we going Daddy?" Mary asked.
"We're going to go see Kari." He told her.
"Who's Kari?" Sam's daughter asked.
"Kari is Auntie Katy's first daughter. She was living with my grandma and grandpa and died in a car accident." Mary told her.
The little girl turned to Katy. "I didn't know you had another baby."
"Honey, come here. It's not really something Auntie Katy likes to talk about because it makes her sad." Michelle told her daughter pulling her onto her lap.
"I'm sorry. Was Uncle Callen the Daddy of that baby too?" she asked.
"No, Mr. Reggie was her Daddy." Katy told her.
The little girl looked from Katy to Reggie, confused. "Were you married?"
"No but we were really good friends." Reggie told her. "I asked Katy to marry me, but she said she was waiting for Uncle Callen."
"Oh ok." She said with a smile. "So are you Uncle Reggie or Mr. Reggie?"
"Whatever you'd like to call me, honey." He told her.
She looked back at Michelle and Sam, both nodded. "Can I call him Uncle Reggie; you can never have enough uncles."
"Of course you can." Sam told her.
"And can I call you Auntie Ana?" She said towards Ana.
"I would be honored if you'd call me that." She beamed. "I already kind of am your Auntie since Katy's your Auntie because we're sisters."
"Oh wow, you guys are too confusing for me." She said.
"Tell me about it, when you get older, I'll tell you about my real Mom and Aunt. They used to trade places. They were identical twins." Cassi told her.
"Wow and I thought my family was screwed up." She said as they walked out of the dining room. Sam and Michelle's mouths agape, the rest of the adults were laughing.
By the time the plates were cleared from the table and the leftovers were put in the refrigerator it was six thirty. They got the kids in their jackets, into the two cars and headed for the cemetery. When they all met in the parking lot, Sam's daughter was full of more questions, so Katy and Reggie walked with her and told her everything she wanted to know. Of course Michelle and Sam were with them so they could monitor what was being said and could stop it at any time if they didn't want the conversation to continue. By the time they got to Kari's and Reggie's parent's plots the little girl had a very good understanding of what happened. She held Katy's hand while she walked over to Kari's headstone and kissed it.
Callen stood behind her, Reggie at her side. She wasn't as emotional as she thought she would be. She felt at peace standing there looking down at the headstone. Forty-five minutes later, they were headed back to the house. Sam and the kids followed since it was still fairly early and they hadn't cut into the pies yet. Michelle, Ana and Katy had planned on going shopping the next day for maternity clothes. Sam, Callen, Reggie and all of the kids were going to hang around the house until they got back then they'd all go out for dinner.
Sam, Michelle and the kids got to the house around nine the following morning and joined them for breakfast. Of all things to have, Reggie and Ana ran out early that morning and picked up a few dozen donuts. Cassi laughed and made more cop jokes as they ate. Sam was highly amused by the little girl's sense of humor. An hour later the ladies left, leaving the guys with children on a sugar high. The three ladies laughed all the way to the mall.
An hour into the trip and Katy had found several outfits to add to her wardrobe for the trip to the Bahamas. Granted most of what she found was more winter attire, but she was able to find a couple dresses she could wear. Including one the girls begged her to wear for the tea at the Fairmont the next day. By three Katy was more than ready to go back to the house. She stumbled several times on the way out to the car and threw the bags in the truck before getting in and nearly falling asleep on the way.
Callen was coming down the stairs from lying Mary down when Ana and Michelle stepped onto the porch. Katy was trudging behind up the walk, looking utterly exhausted. All three women had handfuls of bags; silently he prayed they weren't all Katy's purchases. He had no idea how they'd get everything back to LA let a lone there was no room in their suitcases for anything they decided to buy while on their honeymoon.
He pulled the door open as Ana was fishing through her purse for her keys. "Hey guys. Looks like you had fun. Did you leave anything for any of the other shoppers?"
"Hey Callen." Ana smiled. "Don't worry these aren't all Katy's."
"Good." He laughed. "How'd you know that's what I was thinking?"
"I've seen that look on Reggie's face a couple times since I've been here." She laughed.
Katy walked up the steps of the porch, into the house and walked right over to Callen, leaning into him. "Please remind me never to go shopping with these two again, at least not while pregnant."
"I think we wore her out." Michelle said sympathetically.
"Hey Ana." Reggie said walking into the entry and gave her a kiss.
"Hi Reggie." She said with a sweet smile.
Sam walked in just after Reggie and went to Michelle. "Did you guys have fun spending our money?" He laughed.
"Your wife and your fiancé," Katy said looking at Sam and Reggie. "Are evil, they drug me through the entire shopping center, into every store."
"It wasn't every store." Michelle told Sam. "She's exaggerating. We did find a really pretty dress for tomorrow's tea at the Fairmont."
Callen smiled. "How about a fashion show?" he asked.
"You can put it on if you want to see it so bad." Katy laughed dropping the bags at their feet.
"This I want to see. I hope it's a nice shade of blue, it will really bring out his eyes." Sam joked.
Callen looked at Sam and shook his head. "Funny. Michelle, did you pick up anything Sam and try on?"
"Well, unless you want to see him try on the stuff I got at the lingerie store, I've got nothing." She laughed.
Callen cringed. "As funny as that might be, no I really don't want to see that."
"Ooh, ooh I do. Sam's all muscles." Katy laughed.
"Really?" Callen said with a laugh, looking down at her.
Katy put her hands on his chest. "You know I'm joking."
Callen kissed her softly. "I know. I haven't seen you that excited in a while."
Katy gave him a shove. "Can we take this to the sitting room? My feet are killing me."
They wandered into the sitting room where Katy showed Callen her finds and even stood to hold the dress for the tea to her so he could get the general idea of what it would look like. He had a warm, genuine smile across his face. Callen loved the glow she had even though she looked like she was dragging. It was truly going to be fun watching Katy grow bigger. She sat back in the big chair and melted. With a couple hours before they had to head to the Fairmont for dinner, Callen took her upstairs for a nap.
"You're going to lay down with me?" Katy asked excitedly.
"As much as I enjoyed the time with Reggie and Sam this afternoon, I missed you." He said kissing her when they stepped into their room.
Katy sighed. "I missed you too. I can't wait to lie down."
She sat on the edge of the bed and took off her shoes and sweater before climbing into bed next to Callen. Within minutes, she was asleep. He rubbed her belly hoping to feel the babies move again and fell asleep about a half-hour later.
"Do you think we pushed her too far this afternoon?" Ana asked Michelle.
"No, I don't think so. It was good exercise for her. I don't know when she's going to have the energy to really get out and do much running over the next week or two." She told her.
"Katy and I were running every day before the break. With as tired as she's been the last few weeks, I'm surprised she was able to keep up." Sam told them.
"It's good that she's still able to run, did she keep her activity up when she was pregnant with Kari?" Ana asked Reggie.
"When the Corps would let her, yes. Although, she and I would go running every night until I left for Japan." Reggie told her.
"Do you regret you and Katy never getting together?" Ana asked him. Sam and Michelle were a bit shocked by her question and sat back, interested to hear his answer.
"Honestly yes, but I see how she is with Callen and I realize I could never give her what she needed. Then I met you, where Callen is perfect for Katy, you're perfect for me." He told her.
Ana looked at Reggie. "I love you, Reggie."
"I love you too, Ana. You're the only one I want to be with."He said.
Mary walked out of her room and saw the door open upstairs, so she wandered up there. She smiled when she walked in and found Katy and Callen asleep, her head on his shoulder, his hand on her stomach. Quietly, she climbed up the foot of the bed and crawled up to them. Katy opened her eyes, saw the little girl and waved her up to join them. Callen woke and scooted over so she could lie between them.
"Are we going to be able to do this after you have the babies?" She asked.
Katy kissed the top of her head, "Of course. We might have to make some room for them too at some point when they get big enough."
"Ok, good." She smiled.
"Why were you wondering?" Callen asked craning his neck to look at her face.
"I love you guys so much and I know you having the babies are going to change a lot of things. I just want to be sure that you're still going to be my aunt and uncle after they get here." She said rubbing Katy's belly.
"Oh Mary you do know that there's going to come a day when you're not going to want to do this with us anymore, right?" Katy asked.
"I know, but I'm not planning on giving this up for a long time. I like sleeping between the two of you. I feel safe and warm. Like I did when Mommy and Daddy were still together." She said.
"You miss your Mommy?" Callen asked.
Tears filled the little girl's eyes. "Why did she have to be such a bad person, why couldn't she just be Mommy?"
"I'm so sorry Mary." Katy said tears rolling down her cheeks too. "We were only trying to do what would keep you safe, I never stopped to think about how it would affect you."
"It's alright Katy; I don't hold it against either of you. It just shows me that you love me more than Mommy. You were trying to protect us and Mommy and Auntie Alina were trying to hurt us."
"No Baby, they were trying to hurt Katy. She's the reason they did everything they did." Callen told her.
"Did Mommy and Alina kill Kari?" she asked.
"In an indirect way yes they did. They told my Daddy or rather our Daddy about Kari and he had her killed." Katy told her.
"That's right; you really are my aunt, or my half-aunt." She said
"Yes, that is right. Just like Ana is my half-sister too. We all have the same Daddy." Katy told her.
"Wow, your Daddy has a lot of kids." Mary laughed.
"Yes baby he does." Katy laughed.
"Why didn't you have a wedding?" She asked.
"Good grief, you're full of questions today, aren't you?" Katy asked.
"Sorry." Mary smiled sheepishly.
"No, it's fine. Uncle Callen and I got into a huge fight and when we made up, we wanted to keep our promises to one another so we got married right away. I know it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it felt like the right thing to do." She told her.
"But none of us were there to see you get married. It wasn't fair to us, to me." Mary said.
"I know it wasn't fair to anyone, we were being selfish and only thinking about ourselves." Katy told her.
"We promise we will make it up to everyone someday. Maybe not now, but someday we'll have a big wedding and invite all of your aunts and uncles and all of our friends." Callen told her.
"I'm going to hold you to that promise." Mary said to the both of them.
The following morning, Reggie and Ana made pancakes for breakfast. They had ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauce, cherries and whipped cream to put on them. Katy thought she'd died and gone to heaven. Once they'd eaten their fill, the kitchen cleaned and everyone dressed, they headed over to the Fairmont for tea and lunch. Katy and Callen both found it odd the night before that there were no advertisements for the tea or the luncheon in the hotel lobby the previous evening for the event and even stranger now that there weren't any.
They guys were headed upstairs and the ladies to one of the smaller banquet rooms. Katy and Callen kissed one another before they parted ways and reminded one another of their date later that evening. Katy and Mary stood and watched Callen get on the elevator before joining Ana, Michelle and the other little girls. They walked down a long hallway to the large double doors. Ana quickly went in ahead of them to make sure everything was set up. Patiently, they waited for her to return.
Katy was floored when she walked in the room. Everyone was there. Hetty, Kensi, Nell. Even Cass, Ziva and Abby were there. All of them rushed her. "What are you all doing here?" she asked.
"Well, it's your wedding day." Hetty smiled.
Katy shook her head. "No it was supposed to be our wedding day."
Hetty looked back at Abby and Ziva who pulled a mannequin out of the corner, adorned in a simple but beautiful white gown. "No my dear this is your wedding day."
Katy was on the verge of tears, "I can't believe you did this. What about the brides maid and maid of honor dresses?"
"Everything's been taken care of." Kensi said.
"So I did see you in church Christmas Eve?" She asked.
"Yes, we all arrived the same day you did and have been finalizing all of the arrangements since then." Hetty told her. "Of course, the team from DC and Cass got here yesterday afternoon."
"I'm floored, absolutely floored." Katy said as the tears flowed.
"Did we get you Auntie?" Mary asked.
Katy knelt down in front of Mary. "You knew about this the whole time?"
"I did. I'm really good at keeping secrets." She smiled.
"Yes you are." Katy said hugging her.
Callen had a feeling something was up when Reggie and Sam had huge smiles on their faces the entire ride up to the top floor. When they stepped off the elevator and across to the suite, he knew for sure by the billows of cigar smoke wafting through the air. Sam opened the door and allowed Callen to enter first. Deeks, Eric, Gibbs, Tony, Duckie, Jimmie, Tim, Mike and Director Vance were all standing in the room.
"What the hell is this?" He asked with a laugh.
"From what I hear, this is your wedding day?" Gibbs asked.
"No, it was supposed to be our wedding day, but we got married in June, you know that." He said.
Sam slapped him on the back. "No G, this is your wedding day. This whole thing, even little Mary was an elaborate rouse to get you here today."
Gibbs handed Callen a beer and a cigar. "I hear Katy's pregnant."
Callen beamed. "Yes, she is with twins."
"Twins?" Mike asked. "Cass didn't even know that. When did you guys find out?"
"The pregnancy was confirmed on the twenty-third." He said pulling out his wallet to show them the ultrasound pictures. "Here they are. They're due June thirtieth."
"Katy's almost three months pregnant and you're just now getting the pregnancy confirmed?" Gibbs asked.
"We'd been so busy with the renovations to the house and the cases at work that we lost track. Katy didn't put it together until she had problems sleeping and had morning sickness." Callen told them.
Like they had been told, it was high tea for the women and lunch for the men. Afterwards the tuxedos were delivered to the guys and the seamstress arrived to make the final alterations for the dresses. Hetty had hired a hair stylist and make-up designer. By four thirty, they were headed out to the waiting limousine to take them to Grace Cathedral. The entire process was carefully orchestrated so that Katy and Callen didn't see one another again until she walked down the aisle. Five minutes after the car with the ladies left; Callen was allowed to leave the room to meet their car.
Katy was an emotional mess as they pulled up to the church. "I still can't believe this is happening. That you guys did all of this for us."
"What are you so nervous about, you and Callen are already married." Kensi told her.
"What if I fall on my face? Who all is here for this?" She asked.
"Everyone." Hetty told her. "Ana and Paul got in contact with all of your brothers and sisters. Those who couldn't afford the trip, Paul helped them."
Callen paced the room behind the altar, wringing his hands. Sam walked up behind him. "G you okay?"
Callen dropped his hands and turned to him, beads of sweat crossed his brow. "I'm nervous. Why the hell am I so nervous?"
"Calm down, she's already you're wife." Sam laughed with his hand on Callen's shoulder.
"I know that's why I don't know why I'm nervous. Maybe I'm just eager to see her walk down that aisle. Have you seen the dress?" He asked.
"No, the girls have kept that tightly under wraps." Sam told him. "They kept everything at Hetty's."
"How did they know what size dress to get?" He asked and then realized. "Kensi."
"Yep, Kensi was the model since she and Katy are the same size." Sam laughed. "I'm sure she's going to look good. How could she not, it's Katy."
"You're right." Callen agreed with a grin.
Katy hadn't been able to look at herself in a mirror until they got to the Bride's room at the church. She stood there looking at herself in awe of the transformation. She looked amazing, the dress was better than anything she'd ever pick on her own. Her hair, make-up and everything else was perfect. Kensi walked up behind her and put her chin on her shoulder.
"You look fabulous. Callen's going to faint when he sees you." She told her.
"I can't believe this." Katy said still shocked. There was a knock at the door, Michelle opened it and in walked Reggie in his robes.
He stopped when Katy turned to look at him. "You're beautiful. Callen's a very lucky man. Are you ladies about ready?"
Suddenly Kensi, Michelle, Nell and Cass were fixing the train on Katy's dress before they lined up. "Wait, who's walking me down the aisle?" Katy asked.
They all looked at one another. "We couldn't think of anyone." Kensi told her.
Katy nodded and choked back the tears, another painful reminder of her past. Resigned to leave it all behind her, she straightened her dress, held her head high and got in line behind Cassi and Mary. Reggie gave Katy a quick hug before he left the room. Five minutes later, the traditional processional music started and Kensi stepped into the church and headed up the aisle. One by one, Katy watched as her friends, no family walked up the aisle towards the altar. Mary ran back and gave Katy a hug before she and Cassi walked down the aisle.
"I know I'm not your father, I was a father at one time, but I never had the opportunity to walk my daughter down the aisle I'd be honored to walk you down the aisle." A familiar voice said from behind her.
Katy turned to find Gibbs smiling at her, wearing a very dapper tuxedo. "It would be an honor to have you walk me down the aisle, Gibbs. Thank you." She said kissing his cheek.
"Are you ready?" He asked as the coordinator from the church signaled that they were ready for them.
Katy took a deep breath and stepped into the church. Since there weren't enough guests to fill the church, they walked from the mid-point of the church from an outside aisle. When Katy and Gibbs were standing behind the last pew in the front half of the church, she looked ahead of her. Standing next to Reggie was Callen. Her heart stopped. She'd never seen him look so good. Whereas on a normal day by this time of day, he had five o'clock shadow, he was clean shaven. His blue eyes sparkled as their eyes met.
"Oh man." He said when he caught his first glimpse of Katy. "She looks beautiful."
"Wow." Sam said from behind him.
Callen looked nowhere but at Katy as one of his oldest and dearest friends walked her down the aisle. His smile grew wider the close they got to the altar. When they were five feet away, Katy saw a tear roll down Callen's cheek and smiled. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Katy was there and Callen was stepping down off the altar to take her hand.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to unite this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Even though they're married in the eyes of the state, they have yet to be married in the eyes of the church. With that being said, I ask who gives this woman to be married?"
"We all do." Gibbs said and shook Callen's hand before kissing Katy's cheek and stepping back. His eyes were watering and Katy brought her hand to his cheek and gave him a warm smile.
"Thank you." She said before Gibbs stepped back. Katy looked at Callen's waiting hand and took it, taking a step closer to the altar. "Hello handsome."
"Hello beautiful." He said leaning in to give her a kiss.
"None of that now." Reggie told them and the church filled with laughter.
Katy and Callen looked behind them and gave everyone a nervous smile, so many faces.
"As you all know, Katy is one of my oldest and dearest friends. We have a bond that will never be broken. I cannot think of another man who is more perfect for her. In the last year, I've come to know Callen very well. He is a very gracious and upstanding man, someone who I'd want for my own daughters. Both Katy and Callen have been through so much in their lives, something that has drawn them together. Their path here hasn't been the easiest as with any relationship, but still here they stand before us, stronger than ever and expecting twins in June. Truly their lives together were meant to be."
Katy listened as Reggie spoke and squeezed Callen's hand. He looked over at her and smiled, she smiled back. The remainder of the ceremony was short but sweet. Reggie spoke with as much gusto as he had Christmas Eve. When they'd exchanged their vows and officially been declared husband and wife, Reggie gave his permission for Callen to kiss his wife.
"Callen, please put your wife out of her misery and kiss her." He said the church once again filled with laughter.
Callen turned to Katy and asked. "You ready for this?"
"Oh yes." Katy smiled as she wrapped her arms around Callen's neck. He wrapped his around her back and kissed her long and hard, leaning her backwards. When he stood her straight again, Katy saw stars and kissed him again. "I love you."
"I love you too." He smiled.
As the organ began playing, Katy reached over and took her bouquet from Kensi and walked with Callen back down the aisle to the outer section of the cathedral. As soon as they stopped, they embraced and kissed again.
"Did I tell you how beautiful you look?" he asked.
"Even with the baby bump?" She asked.
"Especially with the baby bump." He smiled. "I love you Katy."
"God, I love you too Callen." She said kissing him.
They and the rest of the bridal party were led to another room while the guests cleared the church and headed to the Fairmont for the reception. As soon as the last guest left, they went back up to the altar to take the photos. Thirty minutes later they were ushered to their own car, headed to their reception.
"I can't believe they did this for us." Katy said as she swung a leg over Callen's and kissed him.
He pulled her closer and returned the kiss with every ounce of passion she was giving. Not another word was said the entire drive over to the hotel. By the time the driver opened the car door at the hotel, their lips were swollen, and they were looking lustfully at one another. Callen even wore a little bit of her lipstick, which she wiped off with her thumb before kissing him again. A staff member from the hotel asked them to wait for the rest of the party before taking the elevator up to the crown room. So they stood in the lobby making a spectacle of them, lip-locked the entire time.
Reggie, Ana, Hetty, Gibbs and Sam and Michelle's children took the elevator up first, finding their seats before the rest of the bridal party were introduced. With the entire party packed into the elevator, they took the trip to the Crown Room. As they stepped off the elevator, they waited a few minutes before they were introduced.
The DJ said. "Ladies and Gentleman, Mr. and Mrs. G and Katy Callen."
When they walked in, the room erupted in applause. As instructed, they stopped on the dance floor and their first dance as husband and wife commenced. Neither recognized the song, but listened to the lyrics as they swayed back and forth. They didn't know who picked the song, but it was absolutely perfect. When the song ended, there was more applause and they walked to the head table.
After dinner was served, they walked around the room greeting their guests. Katy introduced Callen to her half-brothers and sisters. Occasionally, they'd walk to the windows and admire the views of the city. It was like the entire city was decorated for them, everywhere they looked, they saw brightly colored Christmas lights strung on nearly every structure. Callen pulled her close and placed his hand on her stomach. They stood there uninterrupted for a few minutes.
They walked around more and talked with more of their family and friends before they were collected to cut the cake and hear the toasts. Katy cried through the toast. Both Sam and Kensi's kind words about both of them touched their hearts. By the end of the night, Katy was dragging and leaning into Callen for support.
Once of the hotel employees led them to the honeymoon suite for the night. Once the door was closed, Callen took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. She melted into his arms and allowed him to unzip the back of her dress. She pulled his tuxedo jacket off his shoulders, kissing him the entire time. He led her to the king sized bed with rose pedals covering the comforter. After they brushed most off onto the floor, she let her dress fall to the floor. The remainder of Callen's clothes dropped to the floor at about the same time. Gently, he laid Katy back in the bed and kissed her from head to toe, paying special attention to her breasts, her belly.
Hours later, they fell asleep. Katy woke at three with a sharp stabbing pain in her abdomen. Quickly she ran to the bathroom, doubled over in pain. Callen saw her running with blood trickling down her legs and bolted after her, scooping her up in the process. He laid her in the tub and ran for his phone calling Sam.
"G, what's wrong." Sam said sleepily when he answered.
"I've got to get Katy to the hospital." He said as he rummaged through the overnight bag Michelle had packed for them.
"Why what happened?" He asked. Callen could hear the covers rustling.
"God Sam, I think she's having a miscarriage." Callen said with a sharp pain to his chest and the realization hit him.
"No." Sam said. "What suite are you in, Michelle and I will be right there."
"I don't even know what room it is. I'll leave the door cracked open." He said and hung up. With his arms full of clothes, he dressed himself before running back to the bathroom to get Katy dressed.
"Oh God Callen." She said as panic and fear set in when she saw his face.
"Sam and Michelle are on their way up; they're going to take us to the hospital. We've got to get you dressed." He said helping her to a sitting position.
Katy was able to put her shirt on and tried to stand so she could put on a pair of underwear. Callen pulled nearly the entire roll of toilet paper, wadded it up and stuffed it in the crotch of the underpants. He seated her on the edge of the tub and started the water, trying to wash as much of the blood off her legs as he could. Sam and Michelle burst into the room yelling for them. Callen yelled over his shoulder that they were in the bathroom.
Katy was pale and weak. Sam grabbed a blanket off the bed and handed it to Callen. He wrapped it around her and picked her up, carrying her out of the room and into the hall towards the elevator. She was sobbing quietly with her head on his shoulder repeating over and over that she was sorry. By the time they got to the lobby the blood had already soaked through the blanket and was leaving drops behind them. Sam ran ahead and pulled the car around to the entry so all Callen had to do was get Katy and him in and they were off to the hospital.
Cradling Katy like a baby, Callen held her and rocked back and forth countering her 'I'm sorry' with 'I love you' and 'it's going to be alright'. His heart raced, yes it hurt losing the babies, but his worst fear was losing Katy. He would die if he lost Katy. Michelle was on the phone as Sam sped through the streets. One wouldn't think that the San Francisco police department wouldn't be out in force at three thirty or four on a Sunday morning, but Sam already had a cruiser following behind him; sirens blaring and lights flashing. He didn't care, this was Katy. He silently prayed that the doctors at the ER could save one or both of the babies. Knowing this was going to devastate both of them, he looked in the rearview mirror at them, Callen had his face buried in the blankets, the top of Katy's head barely visible.
He pulled into the ambulance bay of the ER and stopped, several nurses ran out yelling that he couldn't stop there. The police car stopped behind and watched the scene as Sam threw open his door, got out and ran around to the passenger side. Michelle was already out of the front seat, pulling the door open, helping Callen and Katy from the car. Once the nurses say the blood covering the blanket and now Callen's legs, they rushed to help. Seeing the blood soaked through the blanket, the officer was immediately in the middle of everything trying to figure out what happened. Sam pushed him off of Callen when Callen tried to follow the gurney through the automatic doors. The officer pulled his gun on Sam. Michelle yelled for Callen to just go when he saw the gun.
"She's having a miscarriage. No crimes aside from my speeding were committed." Sam told the officer. "I'm going to reach into my back pocket for my badge, I'm an NCIS agent, and we're in town for that couple's wedding. You can contact Lt. Hammond; he will vouch for all of us. We were here last year working the dinner cruise investigation."
With that, the gun was lowered. "I remember you. I went out to Russian Hill with you and Hammond."
"Can I go in and make sure my partner's wife is alright?" Sam asked.
"Yes please, give me the keys to your car and I'll move it, and then drop the keys at the front desk for you." He said catching the keys as Sam tossed them to him. "Don't worry about the speeding ticket. Hammond would have my ass if I gave you a violation. Want me to let him know about them being here, I think he was at the wedding tonight."
"You don't have to." Sam said as he ran into the ER.
"I'm sorry; the two of you are going to have to wait in the waiting room. The doctors are with Mr. and Mrs. Callen right now. As soon as we know anything, we'll let you know." One of the nurses told them, walking them through the ER to the waiting room.
Fifteen minutes later, Kensi and Deeks along with Sam and Michelle's kids arrived, followed by Hetty, Nell and Eric. Reggie, Ana and the kids ten minutes after that and the team from DC five minutes after that. An hour after they got to the hospital, the waiting room was full of their family and friends. Conversations that started at the reception were continued, though they took on a much more morose tone.
Several of the men moved the heavy rows of seats out of the way of the TV. The nurses gave them sheets to spread across the floor so the kids could lie down and watch TV. They also provided them with a blanket for each child from the warmer. Ana, Michelle, Ziva and Abby sat on the floor with the kids while they watched TV.
Katy laid on her side on the gurney, curled into a ball. Callen say in a chair next to the bed, watching her sleep. Occasionally, her face would tighten as another wave of contractions came and went. He hated seeing her like this unable to do anything more than make her comfortable and tell her he loves her. She reached her arm out and took his hand with tears in her eyes; she looked up at him and shook her head. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, smoothing down her hair and brushing a few of the wayward strands from her face. The IV bag attached to her arm swung gently with the movement. It was completely silent in the room.