DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to the NCIS:LA characters, I'm only borrowing them.
Thank you all for reading and reviewing the story. I love entertaining you.
Callen hung up the phone and looked at Katy. "What did Nell say?" Katy asked sitting across from him at the island.
"She said she has no idea why Hetty was acting like that." He told her.
"I don't know there's got to be a reason why." Katy said picking at the ice cream in front of her.
"I think it may be the simple fact that she never had children of her own, you and I are the only ones that I know of that are married and who are having children. I think she's looking at her own mortality. I want Hetty to be a very big part of the baby's life." He told her.
"So do I, it's just going to be up to Hetty as to how much of a part she plays. I don't want the baby to just call her Grandma; I want the baby to believe she is his or her grandmother. She's the closest thing either of us has to a mother. Do you really think she knows what she means to us?"
"I don't know, I've never been one to be were forthcoming with my feelings. We need to find a way to tell her how much we do care about her." He suggested.
"Maybe we should have her over for dinner; we can talk to her then." Katy suggested.
"Something wrong with your ice cream?" He asked with a laugh.
"I don't feel like ice cream right now." She said, thinking about Hetty.
"What do you want?" He asked trying to get her attention. When she didn't look up at him, he walked around the island and stood behind her. He pulled her hair off her shoulder and laid it on the other side, kissing her neck.
Katy smiled and wrapped her arms around him, over her head. "Honestly, that's not one of the things I want."
"What do you want?" He asked.
"I don't know, what time is it?" She asked.
"It's just after eight." He told her. "Do you want to make a run to the store?"
"You wouldn't mind, would you?" she asked.
"Of course not." He said watching her nearly jump off the stool to get her shoes.
They walked through the local grocery store. Like they had many times in the last four months when Katy couldn't figure out what she'd been craving. Aisle after aisle, he would make suggestion after suggestion none of them being the right one. Katy had stopped to talk to one of the stockers as Callen wandered away. Seeing that Katy wanted to follow, the woman let Katy go waving that she'd talk to her later. Callen was looking at the meat.
"Gee, are you craving something?" Katy asked as she walked up to him, taking his hand.
"These steaks look good, don't they?" He asked.
"They really do. Want steaks as a midnight snack?" She laughed.
"Whatever you want, honey." He said kissing her.
"Grab a couple and we'll get some marinade or something." She said.
"Sure." Callen said grabbing a couple steaks.
They walked up to the front of the store with the steaks and marinade in hand. Katy stood behind him at the register with her head on his shoulder. They were just about to step forward to put their purchase on the belt when the front windows of the store shattered. Callen quickly turned around and covered Katy with his body protecting her from the flying shards of glass. Katy was down as low as her belly would allow when they heard male voices yelling and gunfire.
Acoustic tiles fell from the ceiling on top of them. "Do you have your pistol?" Callen whispered.
"Always." She said.
Callen nodded and looked over his shoulder. Three men walked along the front of the store all wore black, had ski masks on and carried military-style assault rifles. "Text Nell have her call it in." He told her.
Quickly, Katy pulled out her phone and texted Nell with that address and situation. Katy had deleted the message to Nell right after it sent. She passed her pistol to Callen and put her phone back in her purse. Seconds later, she was pulled out from under Callen and hauled to the front of the store. One of the masked men; hit Callen from behind with the butt-stock of the rifle knocking him out.
"If everyone in the store cooperates, this woman doesn't get hurt." The man said dragging her up and down the front aisle, parading her. He wrapped his hand in her ponytail, yanking her around. She looked around, listened trying to hear or see something that she could use to against them.
Another of the men spoke. "All monies now, watches, jewelry, phones. Put them on the registers in front of you." He turned to the night manager, "Empty the safe."
"It's on a timer; I can't get into it until closing." The manager spat and sputtered.
"Find a way." The man yelled and ran over to him, shoving him in the office.
The third man walked along the registers collecting all of the items the customers left. So far, they hadn't touched Callen or gone through his pockets. Katy wasn't sure what they'd do if they found her pistol on him.
Hetty sat at her desk looking at pictures of Callen and Katy as children when her phone rang. She sat the photos down and picked up her phone, looking at the caller ID. "What is it Ms. Jones?"
"We have a situation; I got a text from Katy saying they were at the grocery store on Sepulveda that apparently was being robbed. Eric and I are on our way into Ops, I've already called Kensi, Deeks and Sam." She said.
"I was just with Mr. and Mrs. Callen." She said looking at her watch, realizing that was an hour ago.
"I don't know, I've tried calling them both and gotten nothing. I called the police like she asked." Nell said.
"I'll see you when you get here." Hetty told her and closed her phone.
Immediately, Hetty headed up to Ops and booted up the computers. As she stood there waiting, she called Katy's phone, it just rang and went to voicemail. Just as she walked back down the stairs to get herself a cup of tea, Nell and Eric walked in. She stood aside as they rushed past her. Five minutes later, Kensi and Deeks rushed into Ops.
"What do we have so far?" Kensi asked rushing to Nell's side.
"Eric's working to get into the store security cameras. I've been on the phone with the police." She told her.
"I'm in." Eric shouted as the store's camera feed showed on the big screen. "Looks like there are three armed men."
"Check the entire store." Hetty said.
"It looks like all of the customers and employees are in the front of the store." Nell said. "There is one employee outside of the dock smoking; I doubt he even knows what's going on."
"Find Mr. and Mrs. Callen." Hetty ordered.
"One of the men has Katy at the front of the store and it looks like Callen is on the ground between registers five and six." Eric said.
"Can you rewind the footage to see what happened?" Deeks asked.
"Of course." Eric said tapping a few keys on the keyboard. "Ok, Katy texted Nell at nine twenty, so let's go back a little further."
"There they are, walking up from the meat section." Kensi said.
They watched as Katy and Callen got in line at register five. Seconds later, the glass shattered and Callen covered Katy. Katy could be seen fishing through her purse and typing furiously on her phone. She passed him something, but they couldn't see exactly what it was. A moment later, Katy was pulled from Callen and he was hit in the back of the head. They watched as everyone unloaded their pockets and tossed their belongings on the registers in front of them. One of the men shoved one of the workers towards the office.
Callen moved, much to Katy's relief. She watched him start to roll over as the man holding her hair dragged her down to one of the other registers. She stumbled and he pulled her back to her feet by her hair. Callen looked back at the kid lying on the floor behind him, surrounded by a pool and what Callen assumed was urine. He shook his head and tried not to laugh at the kid, knowing that he probably would've done the same thing at his age. He crawled to the end of the register and looked out only two of the men were accounted for.
"Is Katy okay?" Kensi asked cringing when she saw her fall.
Callen could hear sirens in the distance. "Which one of you stupid asses called the cops?" The man with Katy asked. "Whoever it was just made a serious mistake."
"Boss, this idiot of a night manager can't get the safe open." The third man yelled from the service desk.
"Then kill him." The first man yelled dragging Katy back towards the service desk.
The third man pulled the manager out of the office and out in front of everyone. With Katy by the hair in one hand, the rifle in the other, he raised the rifle and shot the manager multiple times in the chest and abdomen. Everyone screamed at the sound of the gunshots. Katy closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for the man who lay on the ground clutching his chest as he bled out and life left his once bright green eyes. She looked down at Callen who looked up at her.
"Oh Lord." Kensi said with a gasp.
"Ms. Jones call LAPD and tell them that there has been one fatality." Hetty said.
Katy caught one of the cameras moving inside the plastic mirrored domes and hoped it was Eric watching. The man tightened his grip on her hair causing her to wince in pain. He leaned closer to Katy and inhaled deeply.
"You smell good." He told her in a tone that made her sick to her stomach. She knew that tone and knew what was coming if she didn't do something. He slung the rifle over his shoulder and brought his hand up between her legs under the flowing shirt of her sundress.
Callen was on his feet rushing him, Katy tried to pull away when Callen threw the first punch, hitting him square in the jaw. Praying Callen had put her pistol in his waistband at the back of his pants, she reached for it. Katy swung around, her hair slipped through his grasp as she pulled her pistol on him. One more hit and he was on the ground, unconscious. Callen grabbed the rifle and the two headed off to the office where the other two were trying to get the safe open. Callen told Katy to stay back and get everyone out.
"Fine." She said begrudgingly through her clenched jaw. "As soon as everyone is out, I'll be back to help you."
"Just get yourself out." He told her and walked towards the office.
Katy walked the aisles, pistol at the ready getting everyone up and out of the stores. When she walked out of the store with the last of the customers, two police officers grabbed her. It wasn't until the customers and employees told them that she was in there with them and not one of the robbers did they let her go.
"My husband is still in there." She told one of them and headed back in.
"No, we have orders to keep you out here." The middle-aged brown eyed man told her. "Even if we have to cuff you."
"Catch me first." She told him and ran back in the store. Getting as low as she could, she made her way past the service counter and into the office area. Down the hall five yards ahead, she saw Callen just as he was about to kick down the door. She slowly crept up the hall behind him with three officers on her heels. Callen looked behind at the squeaking of their shoes on the tiled floor. When he saw Katy, he glared at her. She smiled and patted him on the back.
"Damn it Katy." He said before he looked back at the officers and nodded. He stood back and kicked the door hard, sending wood splinters flying everywhere. "Federal Agents." Callen yelled.
The two men inside dropped their rifles and stood there stunned. "Shit." One of them said.
Two of the officers cuffed the men while Callen, Katy and the third officer watched. Katy heard noise in the hallway and swung around with her pistol drawn, three shots. Katy felt two of the bullets whiz past her head, the third, grazing her arm. He fired again and she emptied her clip as the man who had her by the hair earlier flew back against the wall and slid down onto the ground. Katy turned to find Callen slumped over. She rushed to his side and laid him out flat, trying to apply as much pressure as she could to his side.
"I think it's a through and through." She told him, leaning on him with all her weight.
Two more officers came in guns drawn, "You alright?"
"No, get an ambulance he's been shot." She yelled.
"Ma'am, you've been shot too." One of the told her, trying to move her away from Callen so another officer could wrap her arm before the EMTs arrived.
"I'm fine." Katy shouted and shoved him away.
Within minutes, the EMTs were there tending to the wounded. Callen was loaded onto a gurney and carefully wheeled out of the office area. As soon as Hetty saw him, she had Nell call the dispatch to be put through to the scene.
"Agent Callen, you have a call." The officer told Katy as she sat on the back of an ambulance, having her wound looked at.
Katy took the phone. "Hetty?"
"Yes, are you alright? That was very stupid of you Mrs. Callen." Hetty said with Nell, Eric, Kensi and Deeks looking on.
"I'm fine, Callen's been shot, I think it's a through and through to the side." She told her.
"Where are they taking him?" she asked.
"I don't know yet, probably the nearest ER." She said.
"Cedar-Sinai, Ma'am." The EMT told her.
"I heard we will meet you there." Hetty told her and hung up.
"Thank you." Katy said handing the officer back her phone.
"You're welcome. Your husband is being loaded for transport; did you want to ride with him?"
"Yes, please." Katy said looking at the EMT who was wrapping her arm.
"You're good, they'll finish up at the ER." The EMT told her.
"Thank you." She said hopped off the ambulance and ran to Callen's side.
She took his hand when she got in. "That was really stupid Katy, I told you to stay out. What would've happened if you'd been shot? They could've hit the baby."
The EMT in the back looked at them and smiled.
"Yeah, but nothing happened. If you'd gone in there alone you could be in worse shape." She told him.
"The next time I tell you to stay out, would you please just do it?" He said.
"Yes honey, I promise I'll stay out next time." She told him and leaned down to kiss him.
"I mean it Katy; I can't have anything happening to you or the baby." He told her.
"I get it Callen." She smiled. "Hetty and the others are going to meet us at the hospital."
"No Katy, you don't understand. This is why you're not allowed in the field, what if something had happened to you or the baby?" he said angrily.
"Nothing happened. I'm fine and the baby is fine." She told him.
"You're so damn stubborn." He said wincing in pain as the EMT changed the gauze pad and applied more pressure.
"Women, can't live with them, can't live without them." The EMT laughed.
"Especially this one." Callen laughed and then regretted it.
"If you weren't hurt right now, I'd hit you for that." Katy laughed.
"I just don't want anything to happen to you or the baby. We've already lost one pregnancy; I don't think either of us could handle it if we lost this one."
Katy ran her fingers through his hair. "I knew the risk I was taking by going back in. You may be Sam's partner, but you're my husband. He wasn't there to watch your back and the only other person I trusted to do it was me. I promise never again."
Callen reached up and pulled her lips to his, kissing her. "You'd better mean that."
"I do Baby." She told him and kissed him again.
Hetty and the others were waiting in the waiting room when Granger stormed in. "What the hell happened?"
"They're fine Owen." Hetty told him.
"Okay, but what happened?" He asked again.
"Mr. and Mrs. Callen went to the grocery store and it was robbed, plain and simple." She said.
"Why are they being touted as heroes? It's all over the media." He asked.
"Owen, they were doing as they were trained to do." She said. "Just calm down Owen, they should be out soon; neither of them was seriously injured."
Granger rolled his eyes and huffed.
Katy sat in the curtained area with Callen while he was being stitched up. Her wound didn't require any stitches; the Physician's Assistant just checked it and redressed it. He was on his side as they stitched the wound in his back. She smiled at him and reached for his hand.
"You doing okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, its fine, just another scar." He smiled. "From what I hear, chicks dig scars."
Katy laughed and scooted her chair closer to him. "Yeah, your scars are pretty interesting, kind of sexy too."
"You think my scars are sexy?" he asked, loopy from the anesthetic.
"I think everything about you is sexy, Honey." She said and kissed him.
"I love you. You were incredibly lucky tonight." He said brushing a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.
"I love you too."
"Alright, Mr. Callen all done. Let me get your discharge papers and after care orders and you'll be on your way." The doctor said removing his gloves.
Callen carefully rolled onto his back and pulled Katy with him. She sat on the side of the gurney and smiled down at him. "You were lucky too."
"I know I'm sorry. I think next time we should wait until we have back-up before we do anything, especially while you're pregnant or when we have the baby with us." He said and tried to lean up to kiss her.
The doctor walked back in. "Ok, I just need you signature." He said handing the clipboard to Callen, he signed it and gave it back. "Here are the aftercare orders. Don't get the stitches wet…"
"I've had stitches before, can we go I'm pretty sure our boss is out there waiting to hand us our asses." Callen told him.
The doctor smiled. "Sure. I've stitched you up before. Be careful, go see your regular physician if something comes up."
"Yeah right, he'll take the stitches out on his own in three days tops." Katy laughed helping Callen put on his shirt.
"I hope not." The doctor laughed. "Out of work for a week."
Callen stopped and looked up at the doctor, "A week?"
"Yes a week." He said.
"Fine, thanks." He said as he and Katy walked out the door.
Callen and Katy walked into the waiting room to everyone looking at them expectantly. "We're fine," Callen told them.
"Well we can see that." Granger said gruffly. "Can't you two go anywhere without trouble following you around?"
Hetty shot him a look. "We saw the whole thing on the stores security cameras."
"Then you saw him trying to put his hands up Katy's skirt?" Callen asked.
"Yes, we saw everything." Hetty reiterated, looking at Granger.
"You still should've waited for back-up instead of taking matters into your own hands, Agent Callen."
Callen clenched his jaw. "With everything that Katy's been through you really expected me to sit back and watch him touch her, possibly even rape her? Hell no, she's my wife and that's my baby she's carrying."
"Callen its okay, calm down." Katy said touching his arm.
Granger crossed his arms and stood there waiting for Callen to say more, but he didn't. He was tired and in pain and wanted to go home. He looked over and saw Sam walk in and gave him a nod.
"How long are you off for?" Hetty asked.
"A week." Callen told her.
"Mrs. Callen, you?" she asked.
"It was just a scratch, no stitches." She told her.
"Alright, get Mr. Callen home. I expect to see you tomorrow morning." Hetty said.
"Of course." Katy said and led Callen over to the others. "Can one of you either give us a ride home or over to the store so we can get the car?"
"Sure." Sam said leading the group out to the Challenger. "So what happened?"
"I was hungry, so we went to the store and picked up some steaks. We got to the register and the glass shattered. I texted Nell and passed Callen my pistol. One of the guys grabbed me and knocked Callen out."
"Did you get your head checked?" Sam asked.
"Yes, I had the doctor look at it before they stitched him up." Katy assured him.
"At least you guys are okay." Kensi told her giving her a hug. "We'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest Callen."
"Thanks Kens." He told her before she and Deeks walked away.
"We're going to go too. Glad you three are okay." Nell smiled and walked towards Eric's car.
"Did they come together?" Sam asked watching them drive off together.
"Looks like it." Katy laughed.
"Let's get you guys home. I can pick you up in the morning if you want, Katy?" Sam said.
"Can you just take me to the store in the morning and I'll drive in."
"Alright, sounds good." He said helping her into the back seat.
It was a quick drive to the house, Sam helped Katy get Callen into the house and back to the bedroom since he fell asleep in the car. Katy slipped his shoes off and pulled the covers over him. The cats were instantly up on the bed giving him the once over. Katy walked Sam out, agreed on what time he was going to pick her up and locked up. She turned off the lights in the living room and stopped in the kitchen for a snack. Katy must've stood in front of the refrigerator for fifteen minutes before deciding there was nothing she wanted and closed the door.
Callen was trying to get out of bed when she walked back into the room. "Hey where do you think you're going?" she asked laying him back down.
"How did we get home?" He asked slurring his speech.
"Sam dropped us off. Get back in bed." She told him.
"What about the Mercedes?" He asked.
"Sam's going to pick me up in the morning and take me to pick it up before we head to work." She said taking off her dress.
Callen sat back and watched her undress. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"
Katy walked over to the dresser and got a pair of pajamas before she walked over to him. She sat on the edge of the bed and cupped her face in his hands. "Thank you, Honey. You're not so bad yourself." She smiled.
"You're having my baby." He said astonished, with tears in his eyes. "I can't believe you're my wife and we're having a baby."
Katy smiled and laughed. "I love you so much."
Callen wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on the bed. "I could never tell you enough how much I love you. Please be careful tomorrow."
"I will Callen." She said as he laid his head on her chest.
"We need to get some sleep." She told him.
"I know I just don't want to let you go." He said kissing her chest. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you tonight."
"Go back to sleep, Callen." She told him.
Katy's alarm went off at six. She promptly got up and showered. Callen wasn't in bed when she got out. Wrapped in a towel, she walked into the kitchen. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I may not be going in this morning, but I can at least make you breakfast." He said with a smile, moving a lot slower than normal.
Katy walked over to him and shook her head. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Like I got shot." He laughed. "How's your arm?"
"It's a little sore and probably bruising, but I'm fine." She said kissing him.
"Go get dressed, the bacon should be done by the time you come back out." he told her and swatted her butt as she walked away.
Little Girl was sitting on the foot of the bed meowing at Katy. She reached over and gave her some love. "You make sure Dad takes it easy today." Katy said head bunting her. Little Boy hopped up next to his sister and meowed too. Katy gave him a head bunt too. After she finished dressing, the cats followed her out to the kitchen.
"Don't you look cute?" Callen said.
"Well thank you, I figured since I'm getting bigger I should start wearing the maternity clothes." She told him.
"I like that shirt." He said trailing his finger down the v-neck to the valley between her breasts.
"Are you telling me in a not so subtle way to put another shirt on under?" She laughed.
"No, I'm just admiring what's mine." He smiled.
Katy knew the look in his eyes all too well and looked at her watch. "We have about forty-five minutes before Sam's due to pick me up; do you want a little early morning fun?"
Callen took her in his arms, "It's going to take a lot longer than forty-five minutes for everything I want to do to you right now."
"Should I call Hetty and tell her you need a babysitter?" she joked.
"Please? If you stay home, I promise I'll stay in bed all day." He smiled and kissed her neck.
"Oh stop." She moaned.
"You're the one wearing that sexy v-necked wrap shirt."He said and pulled at the strings at the side, untying them. "Ops look what I did."
"You're horrible." She told him after he placed his warm hands on her bare skin.
"No, I'm not." He laughed as he bent down to kiss her breasts. Just as Callen had reached around to undo her bra, the phone rang. "Don't answer it."
"What if it's Hetty telling me to stay home to take care of you?" she asked.
"Alright, if it's not Hetty hang up so we can finish this before Sam gets here." He told her.
Katy looked at the caller ID and stuck her tongue out at him. "Good morning Hetty."
"Good morning Katy, how's Mr. Callen this morning? Resting I hope."
"Actually, he got up while I was in the shower and made me breakfast." Katy told her.
"I figured he'd do that." Hetty laughed. "Do you think he'd going to rest if you're not there?"
"I doubt it. If we'd picked a color for the baby's room, he'd probably paint it this week."
"Alright, stay home today, if we need you, we'll call you in. Keep him down so he doesn't pull the stitches."
"Alright we'll talk again tomorrow?" Katy asked.
"Yes, tomorrow morning to see how he's doing."
"Actually, since you're letting me stay home today would you like to come over for dinner tonight?"
Hetty thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't want to intrude."
"You wouldn't be intruding; in fact, we'd like to talk to you about something."
"Is everything alright?" Hetty asked.
"Everything's fine, we just wanted to talk to you about the role we want you to play in the baby's life."
Hetty smiled. "Alright, what time?"
"I can have dinner ready by six."
"I will be there at six. Can I bring anything?" Hetty asked.
"Only if you want something harder than wine to drink." Katy laughed.
"I'll being a bottle from my personal collection over."
"Sounds good, I need to call Sam to let him know I don't need him to pick me up."
"I'll let him know."
"Okay, thank you. We'll see you tonight." She said and hung up, putting the phone on the counter.
Callen was looking at her, "So, you're staying home?"
Katy slipped her shirt off. "You did say that you'd stay in bed all day if I stayed home, right?"
Callen smirked, "Yes, I believe that is what I said."
"Is breakfast done?" she asked.
"Yes, would you like to eat breakfast in bed?" he asked.
"Sure and then you're not getting out of bed until Hetty gets here for dinner."
Callen agreed and pulled two plates from the cabinet. Katy sent him to the bedroom while she loaded up the plates, poured the coffee into a thermal carafe, grabbed the creamer and sugar and carried it all to the room. She laughed when she walked in to find Callen stark naked on the bed. Callen took the plates from her so she had one hand free to put the coffee, sugar and creamer down.
Kensi was worried when she got in and Katy wasn't there. When Sam came in without her, she was even more worried until Hetty explained that she'd given her the day off. Eric called them up to Ops in his usual manner. Hetty followed.
"Good morning." Nell told them. "These are the suspects from the attempted robbery last night, Thirty-one year old Christopher Jones, Twenty-nine year old David Ashley and Thirty-five year old Isaac Wooster. Wooster was the suspect that Katy shot and killed. When police questioned Jones and Ashley, both said that they were paid by who they assumed to be a man to abduct the pregnant blonde and her husband."
"What?" Kensi asked. "They were supposed to go in and abduct Katy and Callen?"
"Apparently so. Neither knows who hired them since Wooster was the one who made the arrangements and received the first payment. We ran his financial records and found a fifty thousand dollar payment from one of Dmitri Leshev's companies."
Hetty's eyes grew wide. "Dmitri has been tried, convicted and is sitting in jail is he not?"
"He is as is his son Yuri and his brother-in-law Yegor. All of the twins are also behind bars."
"So how did they find out Katy's pregnant or that she got married?" Kensi asked.
"All of Katy's half siblings were at the wedding." Deeks added.
"Yeah, but they were all in the hospital when she had the miscarriage." Sam said. "The only one that knows now is Ana."
"You don't think Ana's working for Dmitri?" Kensi asked.
"I ran an extensive background on Ana and found nothing, no ties what-so-ever to any of Dmitri's companies. No one in her circle of friends has ties to anyone even associated with the companies or the family."
"Ms. Jones, I want a thorough background on all of Katy's siblings. I can't believe we're reliving this. This is the last thing Katy needs."
"Do we tell them?" Sam asked.
Hetty thought about it and began nodding. "Yes, they need to know. I doubt they'd be interested in moving to a safe house. Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks would you two stay with them until this is sorted out, especially until Mr. Callen returns to work?"
"This guy is never going to leave Katy alone is he?" Sam said.
"I had hoped that once he was serving his sentence that he would leave her alone, but it doesn't look like that's going to be the case." Hetty said. "Dmitri is at the Federal Super Max. prison in Colorado, isn't he?"
"Yes why?" Nell asked.
"Mr. Hanna would you like to pay Mr. Leshev a visit, see what he has to say about this?" Hetty asked.
Sam nodded.
"Ms. Jones would you make the arrangements, please. Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks go watch over the Callen's home please. We will call you if we hear anything."
"Hetty, I can go over to Callen and Katy's too." Nell offered.
"Thank you Ms. Jones." Hetty said and walked out of Ops with her phone in her hand. She dialed as she walked back to her desk. "Leon, that situation from last night has just become more complicated. Where have you sent Special Agent Long and her team?"
"Carson Pierce has returned to the CIA and been reassigned, but Special Agent Long and her team have been traveling, providing assistance with the Red Team. Are you in need of their assistance?"
"Yes, Dmitri Leshev or someone using one of his company accounts hired the suspects from last night's attempted robbery. They were tasked with abducting the pregnant blonde and her husband; IE Mr. and Mrs. Callen."
Director Vance sighed. "Alright I'll get a hold of Agent Long and send her out to you. Keep me posted."
"Of course Leon." She said and hung up.
Nell was seconds from booking Sam's flight to Colorado when Hetty walked back into Ops. "There's been a change in plans. Special Agent Long and her team are in route; Director Vance has loaned them to us. They should be here later today. Our priority right now is to run the checks on all of Katy's half-siblings. As well as keep Mr. and Mrs. Callen safe. I'm heading to their house to explain the situation to them; if there are any developments you know what to do."
Callen and Katy were lying intertwined, her head on his chest, he was caressing her bare back. Callen's phone rang, it was Sam. "Hey Sam, what's up?"
"I don't know what you two are in the middle of and I apologize if I interrupted, but I thought I'd forewarn you that Hetty's on her way over to your house so you might want to get dressed." He laughed.
"Hetty's on her way over here now? Why?" he asked.
"There have been a few developments in the robbery case from last night. She wanted to personally brief the two of you on them." He told him.
"Alright Sam, thanks." Callen said hanging up. "We need to get dressed. Hetty's on her way over."
"Damn, I was enjoying just lying here with you." Katy whined.
Callen walked out to the kitchen to put the breakfast dishes in the sink. "Hey Katy, Kensi and Deeks are parked across the street." He called back to the bedroom.
"Seriously? Something major is going on." She said joining him at the front window. Katy walked back to the kitchen for her phone and dialed Kensi's number. She walked back to the window. Kensi reached for her phone and smiled when she saw it was Katy. "I see you."
"Hey how are you?" Kensi asked waving.
"We're good. Apparently Hetty's on her way over to talk to Callen and I about some case. Any idea what's going on?"
"I'll let Hetty explain." Kensi frowned. "Let's just say Deeks and I are moving in for a few days."
"You're moving in here for a few days?" she said looking at Callen. "Alright, thanks Kens. We'll get the guest room ready for you guys."
Callen was sitting at the island in the kitchen watching Katy get herself a snack. She's all but force-fed him a pain pill since he was in pain after their morning fun. They talked a little about why Hetty was on her way to talk to them, but really had no idea. Katy was putting the lettuce back in the refrigerator when the cats jumped up on the island and helped themselves to her salad. Callen sat there and laughed until Katy chucked a cherry tomato at him for not stopping them.
"What was that for?" he laughed.
"You could've stopped them instead of letting them eat it." Katy growled as she put the bowl on the floor so the cats could finish what they started.
"I'm sorry; that lettuce has very little nutritional value. If it was a spinach salad or if you'd used Romaine lettuce it'd be a different story." He told her. "Do you want me to make you something else?"
"So you can feed that to the cats too, no thank you." Katy said stomping off to the bedroom.
Just as the bedroom door slammed, the doorbell rang. Callen got up to answer it, like he'd expected it was Hetty. "Is everything alright Mr. Callen? I heard Katy yelling."
"She just made herself a salad and the cats ate it, she's mad at me because I didn't stop them." He laughed.
Hetty smiled and swatted his arm. "Why didn't you stop them?"
"It was all iceberg lettuce. That's stuff has no nutritional value." He said trying to defend himself.
The bedroom door opened and Katy walked through the kitchen. "Hello Hetty."
Hetty smiled and tried not to laugh seeing that Katy was still very angry about her salad. "Would you like me to send Ms. Blye and Mr. Deeks out for a salad?"
Katy shook her head and started laughing, then crying. "No it's fine."
"Katy Honey, I'm sorry." Callen said trying to hug her.
"It's the hormones. Just leave me alone, I'm still mad at you." She said pushing him away.
Hetty sat them down in the living room and explained how the three men from the attempted robbery were paid to abduct them. Katy was in disbelief when she learned that the attempt was funded by one of Dmitri's companies. Hetty told them that she was having Nell run an even more thorough background check on all of her half-siblings.
"He's forever going to be chasing me, isn't he?" Katy said on the verge of tears again. "Now he's after Callen and will be after the baby once it's born."
"We aren't going to let anything happen to you or the baby." Callen assured her.
"That's easier said than done." Katy snapped.
"I will not let anything happen to any of the three of you." Hetty told her. "You two are the closest thing to family that I have."
The comment made Katy and Callen both smile. "We're glad to hear you say that, we feel the same way. Last night when we asked if the baby could refer to you as Grandma, we also want you to play the role. You are our mother, Hetty. You were always there in one form or fashion when we were growing up. Look at everything you've done for us over the years. If it hadn't been for you telling the team to get me out of Vitality's, Callen and I never would've met and we wouldn't be having this baby." Katy told her rubbing her stomach.
"I never was able to have children of my own; I've loved each and every child I helped. There is something about the two of you that…you have my heart; both of you. I want very much to be a part of your child's life. I will be grandma and grandpa and everything else the child will ever need." Hetty told them.
"With that being said, what are we doing about this situation?" Callen asked.
"Director Vance has sent Special Agent Long and her team to us; they will be here later this afternoon or evening. I want someone here with you two at all times. Both of you will remain here at the house until Mr. Callen is cleared to return to full duty. I feel you're the safest together." Hetty said and her phone rang.
"Hetty, we've got missing person's reports coming in from New Jersey, Denver, Pennsylvania and Oregon. When I spoke to the police all of them siblings were taken under the same circumstances. We haven't heard from any of the siblings overseas, in Alaska, Boston, New York, St. Louis, Oceanside or San Francisco." Nell told her.
"Katy call Reggie, make sure Ana got to work this morning." Hetty ordered. "Ms. Jones, contact SSgt Blanter's command, make sure she is accounted for. Also contact the authorities in Alaska and have them do welfare checks on the two living there. As for the others overseas, I'll handle those."
Katy immediately picked up her phone and dialed Ana's cell. There was no answer. She tried Reggie's cell he answered on the second ring. Katy explained what was going on and that he needed to call her back as soon as he knew whether she made it to work or not. Reggie was worried, both for Ana and Katy. Katy did her best to reassure him that she, Callen and the baby were safe. Reggie could hear Hetty in the background barking orders at someone and felt better knowing she was there with them.
Katy got on the house phone and called her brothers and sisters overseas. Paul answered immediately and he in turn called Alexey, Maksim, and Alex. Katy tried calling Svetlana and Misha in Alaska, getting a hold of both of them. Between calls, Nell had called Hetty letting her know that Tanya made it in to work. The NCIS office on base would handle her protection detail. Katy called Oksana, who happened to be with several of the Patriots players. They promised not to let her out of their sight.
By four, Katy hadn't heard back from Reggie and was about to call when the phone rang. "Is this Katy Callen?" the woman asked.
"Yes this is she, who is this?" Katy asked.
"My name is Karen Tartner; I work at Reggie, Cassi and Mary's school. Ana didn't come pick the kids up from school this afternoon and I can't seem to get in touch with their father. I've called the house, the church and his cell phone. Is there any way you can pick up the kids, otherwise I have to turn them over to CPS."
"Oh no, I'm in Southern California. The soonest I can be there is tonight." Katy told her. "Callen, Reggie's missing now too. No one picked the kids up from school."
"Mrs. Callen, I'm going to have to turn the children over to CPS."
"I understand that; please call me back with the name of someone I can contact so I can get the children. I may have to bring the children to Southern California with me, is there any way you can have their teachers collect a week's worth of school work?"
"You are their Aunt?"
"Yes Ma'am, I am. I also have power of attorney over the children in the event something happens to Reggie."
"I don't so this for everyone, but since they are Father Reggie's children, I will take them home with me." She told Katy giving her, her address and home phone number.
"If by chance I cannot get out of town to get the children, I may send some associates of mine. They are Federal Agents."
"Do the children know these people?"
"Yes, they've met them several times."
"No Katy, you and Mr. Callen will go get the children. Either Ms. Blye and Mr. Deeks will accompany you or it will be Ms. Long and Mr. Lewiston. I'll have Ms. Jones make the arrangements straight away."
"Mrs. Callen, may I ask what's going on?" Mrs. Tartner asked.
"It's a very confusing situation and both Reggie and Ana may be in danger, as the children may be too." Katy told her as she quickly scratched a note to Callen. 'Have Nell check this woman- Karen Tartner.'
"You are a federal agent as well?" Mrs. Tartner asked.
"Yes, both my husband and I are." Katy told her.
They talked for a few more minutes before they ended the call. Nell was on the phone immediately with a full background on Karen Tartner as well as their flight information. "Karen Tartner is fifty-four years old and has worked for several of the school districts in San Francisco for over thirty years." She told them.
"So there's no affiliation with Dmitri or anyone from the family?" Katy asked.
"None, she's clean. Widowed twenty years ago, never remarried. Never had children of her own. She's also received several awards and acknowledgments for her work with the students. I think it's safe to say that she's on our side." Nell told her.
"Alright. What about the flight?"
"You, Callen, Kensi, Deeks, Agents Long and Lewiston will leave at six on a chartered flight." Nell told her.
"You are to get the children, go by the house, pack as much of their belongings as you can and come straight back here. Do you have food enough for the three children?" Hetty asked.
"Of course." Katy told her.
Sam arrived twenty minutes later with the Expedition to take them to the airport. Cass and Mike were meeting them at the airport. Sam would bring the rest of Cass' team back to the mission. Everything ran smoothly. Like they were told, there was a van waiting to take them to Mrs. Tartner's house. She was very gracious and sent the kids off with two week's worth of class work and bags of fresh baked cookies. Katy thanked her for her help and told her that she would be in contact with her on a regular basis.
The house was eerily silent when they walked in. It was awkward being in Reggie's house without him being there. While Cass and Mike waited outside, the other four packed as much of the kids stuff as they could and headed back downstairs. Lt. Hammond was outside talking with Cass and Mike when they came out and hauled the bags to the van. Once the kids were in the van, they talked about the missing person's report for both Reggie and Ana. Hammond promised to keep them in the loop and they in turn promised to keep him apprised of the investigation in LA.
When they finally walked into the house at ten, the kids were overly exhausted. Katy made them pancakes since she was just as hungry as they were. Callen, Kensi, Deeks and Mike got the bedrooms situated, while Cass helped Katy with dinner. By eleven, the kids were in bed asleep. Katy felt like she was going to fall over, but stayed up to hear the latest on the investigation.
Sam, Kensi, and Deeks were going to fly out to Colorado the following morning to talk with Dmirti, Yuri and Yegor. Jason and Anthony were going to stay with Katy, Callen and the kids. Cass and Mike were going to be at the office working with Nell and Eric. Director Vance had offered up several other agents who were pending assignments to help.
Over the next two weeks, Katy kept in close contact with Mrs. Tartner. When the kids finished the first week's assignments, Katy sent them back to her. Two days later, Mrs. Tartner sent another two weeks worth of school work down. There was still no word on Reggie or Ana's whereabouts and Katy didn't know what to tell the kids. Nate made regular visits to the house to talk with the kids and said over all, they were adjusting very well. Katy's biggest fear was that Reggie and Ana would never be found. She didn't mind taking the kids permanently, but it just meant a lot of things would change.
Two weeks into the investigation, Katy was now five months pregnant. She'd gotten a call from Nell that Reggie and Ana's location was discovered. She packed up the kids and took them into the office and sat them in the bullpen while she went up to Ops. She walked into a full house. Callen was standing with Sam and greeted her with a hug and kiss when she walked over to them. They watched as SFPD SWAT raided the building. They all hoped that at least one of their captures survived so they could get as much information as possible from them, but it didn't happen that way. However, Reggie and Ana were safe and truly, that's all Katy cared about.
At Hetty's insistence, they were brought to LA for their own safety. The majority of Katy's siblings were safe and checked in on a daily basis, but there was still no sign of Sergi, Daria, Makhail or Nataly. The LA team was presented with another case, so it was left to Cass and her team to finish the investigation. Katy was assisting in both investigations since she was pulled from the field because of her pregnancy.
The house was packed. Not only did they have Reggie, Ana and the kids staying with them, but Hetty still insisted on someone staying with them at all times. In the evenings, it was Cass and her team, during the day while they were all at work; the protection detail was handed off to the agents waiting for assignments. Sam and Callen made two more trips to Colorado to question Dmitri, Yuri and Yegor. Each time, they came back empty handed. Either they truly knew nothing or they were very good liars. Callen and Sam both agreed that they knew nothing.
A month and a half after the investigation began; they got word that a body had been found on the grounds of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Cass and her team headed out to have a look. Katy was prepared for the worst. The body found turned out not to be Daria, thankfully. So the case was handed over to Colorado officials and the search continued.
Reggie and Ana were in danger of losing the house, since neither had been able to work in a month and a half; they couldn't make the house payment. Hetty contacted the bank and bought them more time, but they feared it wasn't enough. In late August, they made the decision to put the house on the market after looking at a house in Katy and Callen's neighborhood. They hired a moving company to pack the old house and move everything to LA. Reggie resigned his position at Grace Cathedral, the kids were withdrawn from their school in San Francisco and Ana transferred within her company to an office in LA.
Katy felt horrible that they had to lose the beautiful house in San Francisco, but Reggie said it was for the best and it was time to move onward and upward. Katy raised the question of Kari and the twins. Reggie simply told her that they would travel back every year. He was able to get on with one of the local churches there in LA as an associate Pastor and their lives; at least; returned to some semblance of normalcy. Agents were posted outside the house and school for the duration of the investigation. The kids thrived in their new school and were happy to be in Southern California with Callen and Katy. Katy was relieved to have the house a little emptier. Reggie, Ana and the kids were over every night with dinner and were literally just down the street.
Callen and Katy decided to go out on a limb and paid Arkady a visit. He was very pleased to see them and absolutely thrilled to hear they'd gotten married and were so obviously expecting a child. He begged them to sit with him for coffee while they talked.
"Married, wonderful news and with baby too." Arkady said.
"Thank you Arkady." Katy smiled.
"You need information?" He asked.
"Yes, we need to know if you've heard anything about someone taking over my father's companies and hiring someone to kidnap several of the single-births."
"This again, I thought this was done? Dmitri is rotting in prison as is Yuri and Yegor. I've heard nothing, but I will talk around." He told them.
"Thank you we appreciate your help, Arkady." Callen told him.
"Wait, you leave so soon? When is the baby coming?" He asked.
"November." Katy told him standing.
"I want to do something for the baby, what do you need?" he asked.
"We find out next month if it's a boy or girl, we'll let you know. Right now, we need everything." Katy said.
"Very good, I will get something nice for the baby." He told them and watched them walk back into the house.
"Arkady knows nothing, but said he'd ask around." Callen said when they walked back into Ops.
"Alright." Hetty said as if she was lost in thought.
"Are you alright, Hetty?" Callen asked.
"Oh yes, yes. Just mulling over this case, I don't know how much longer Director Vance is going to keep this investigation open."
"It's not like Cass and her team was working anything else." Katy pointed out.
"I know Katy, but this case really has nothing to do with our nation's security. Yes, it deals with a threat against two of my agents, but the others are irrelevant." She said.
"I understand; who would take over the cases Local LEOs or the FBI?" Callen asked.
"At this point, I don't know. Most likely the local authorities in New Jersey, Colorado, Oregon and Pennsylvania." She said. "I know you'd rather keep on this case, but if Director Vance pulls the plug, we have to follow orders."
"What about the protection detail for Reggie, Ana and the kids?" Katy asked.
"I will have to stop it I don't even know it I will be authorized to provide the two of you protection." She said.
"Alright, we'll do as much as we can until that time comes." Callen said looked at Katy and walked back up to Ops.