A/N – Thanks so much for the support. Finally got this chapter sorted - Hopefully. I do hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer – Own nothing you recognise from the show. Ally, Tabby, Paige and any other OC's are mine. Just doing it for fun.

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Chapter 2:

Thursday 20th January 2011

Callen froze. Kensi's eyes went wide and Sam jumped out of his seat.

"What happened?" It was a collective demand from both Callen and Sam. As much as Sam was happy to tease Callen about Alyssa and Tabby, they both new the littlest one of the two had captured Sam's heart at Christmas.

Hetty held up her hand to stop them going further.

"Hand-over now," she ordered. "I will explain on the way. I need to pack for all of you as there is no time to let you go home. Mr Callen."

Callen stopped in the process of pulling out his phone. He looked back to Hetty as she continued.

"I know that you want to call her, but please, do not call Alyssa yet. Once you have finished the hand-over call then."

Callen frowned. "Why?" His fingers were still hovering over the send button, having already pulled up Alyssa's contact details without even having to think about it.

"Because the plane will not wait," Hetty stated simply before she turned and walked away.

Callen watched Hetty go for a moment, his finger still so close to the button. He could see the tension in her shoulders and her gait. It was noticeable, which for Hetty was very unusual. He knew how she felt about the girls and this must be hitting her hard. Reluctantly Callen put his phone away and started the hand-over, vaguely hoping that Nolan was intuitive because he really wasn't sure the hand-over was very clear.

It took Callen thirty minutes to finish up with Nolan, who assured him they'd be fine to look after things until they got back. Callen gave a tight smile of thanks and stood up quickly, his chair crashing into the barrier behind him. He pulled out his phone as he walked away to find somewhere private. He bumped into Nate who volunteered his office without Callen even asking. He was listening to Alyssa's phone ringing before he'd even closed the door.

"G?" she answered tentatively.

"Hey. You okay?" Callen asked.

"No. I can't lose her G. She's all I have left."

Callen could hear the distress in Alyssa's voice and knew that she wouldn't just admit that to anyone.

"We'll be there soon," Callen assured her. "Hetty's got us booked on a plane. Just hang in there a bit longer. We'll find her. I promise." He wasn't usually one to make promises like that, especially when he didn't know any details, but he did know that if ever there was a promise he would do everything in the world and beyond to make happen, this was it.

"How do you know that?" Alyssa asked. "He said I'd never see her again."

Callen frowned. "Who?"

Hetty had said missing. There had been a part of him that had hoped missing meant she'd gotten lost in the forest. That part diminished dramatically with this new knowledge.

"Whoever took Tabby. He sent me a text telling me that."

"Ally, listen to me. We'll find her. You have my word."

"How do you…" She choked up and couldn't continue.

"Because I do." Callen reassured her gently but firmly. "You told me once you and Tabby were a package. Couldn't have you without her. I want that package, all of it – You and her. Trust me. I'm a guy who likes to get what he wants. And this is one time I definitely intend on doing just that."

Hetty walked through the door at that point. "It is time, Mr Callen."

Callen nodded. "Ally, it's time to for us to go. I'll see you soon."

"Okay," she replied softly. He was sure he could sense a little bit more calmness in her voice and was glad that he seemed to have prompted it.

Callen hung up and turned to follow Hetty. As they walked through the corridor he asked her a question.

"Why didn't you say that Tabby had been abducted?"

Hetty sighed heavily. "One, because I am trying hold it together in front of everyone Callen and using that word was certainly not going to help. And two – I doubt anything would have stopped you from leaving then and there if I had and I do not believe that would have been useful to anyone at that point. Now that you have done the hand-over we can focus solely on getting Tabby back. Sam, Kensi and Nate will be joining us in Salt Lake City. Eric is going to stay here and do what he can via the computer."

"Who's in charge of the investigation?" Callen asked as they joined Kensi, Sam and Nate who were carrying the bags and started walking out of the office.

"FBI. Agent Fornell is in charge. He is already with Alyssa."

"Fornell?" Callen queried. "He is a fair way up the food chain isn't he?"

Another sigh escaped Hetty and Callen looked her over. She looked tired and for once actually looked her age – if not more. Not that he would ever say that out aloud. He wondered how long she'd been shouldering this herself before she had told them. They all got into the SUV; Agent Nolan was to drive them to the airport.

"Agent Fornell is in charge," Hetty answered, "because this is connected with Paige." Callen opened his mouth to ask but Hetty continued before he could say anything. "Paige was FBI for five years, working under Fornell for most of that before she transferred to NCIS."

"Paige was NCIS? An agent?" Sam asked.

Hetty nodded. "Yes. A very talented agent."

"Where did she work?" Callen asked.

"Out of the San Diego office."

Callen frowned and mentally tried to place someone with similar characteristics to Alyssa. "Hetty I was in San Diego. I don't remember meeting Paige."

Hetty turned to him. "I wasn't with NCIS at the time, but she was part of the team that was the forerunner to OSP, who had all been directly recruited from elsewhere. In Paige's case, from the FBI. They were a small team that worked out of a private office. Her boss was the only one who dealt with the main San Diego office. It gave them an extra degree of anonymity to be able to go undercover deeply. It was decided to officially open OSP here in Los Angeles when the Director realised how useful an OSP team could be not just with fully NCIS related operations. NCIS already had a base in San Diego but with the Port of Los Angeles and the slow spread of military personal having home bases further north, it spread out the coverage of the department. Paige was still living in San Diego and was on maternity leave when she was killed. She was due to move to Los Angeles when she eventually returned to work."

"Killed?"

Hetty nodded again. "Someone Paige helped take down during her FBI days found her. We never really knew how but he found her home and went there and shot her. It was lucky that her boss and his wife were there at the time. He killed the assailant and then tried to save Paige. Alyssa literally pulled up as he was killed, any sooner and she may have also been taken. Derek had to do an emerge ncy c-section to save Tabby. The only thing they could do with Paige was keep what blood was in her body pumping until they could get Tabby out safely."

Callen groaned and his head dropped back against the seat. "So it wasn't just a matter of Paige dying in childbirth."

"No," Hetty said sadly. "It was a rather rough time for Alyssa needing to deal with losing Paige, gaining Tabby and having to completely readjust her life at the same time as well as worrying whether someone else from Paige's past would come back."

"The father?" Callen asked. He knew how Alyssa was concerned with someone coming back to claim Tabby.

"Yes."

They arrived at the airport at that point and the conversation ceased whilst they checked in, went through security and boarded the plane. They had been cutting it fine but at least they made it.

"How much are we going to be able to do? FBI don't tend to take lightly to sharing." Sam asked Hetty who was now sitting between Callen and Sam. Nate and Kensi were across the aisle.

"This is a special case. I have assured Agent Fornell that we will do what we can to help and not get in their way. He is in charge but has agreed to allow us to actually work the case with him. Aside from the fact that Tabby is family, she is one of our own by virtue that Paige was NCIS when she died."

"Do we know who took her?" Callen asked.

Hetty shook her head. "No. At the moment I only know limited details in that Tabby was taken by someone impersonating a police officer from a school field trip. One of the teachers decided to check on the story as it wasn't sitting right with her and that was when they discovered it was an … abduction. Not long after Alyssa received a text on her phone saying she would never see Tabby again. It was addressed to an alias of Paige's which had been set up in her FBI days and that she had continued to keep active even after her transfer. Fornell was called in immediately given this connection and her work history, along with the fact that Agent Fornell has been there for Alyssa and Tabby through the years."

"They're identical twins," Kensi added. "I guess it's natural that someone would mistake them at some point."

"True," Hetty agreed, "at least in general. When Paige started working undercover with dangerous assignments she changed her hair colour and tended to wear contacts in an attempt to make sure she didn't look like Alyssa."

"So he shouldn't have just recognised her on the street then?" Sam asked.

"No. We have no clues yet. Fornell has copied Eric in on all the information they have so far as well and Eric is plodding away at what he does to see if he can come up with something that others have missed."

Sam took Hetty's hand in his and squeezed it. "We'll find her Hetty. You know we will."

"I hope so," Hetty said. Her tone gave away again just how concerned she is.

"We will Hetty," Callen added firmly. "Number two on your list, remember?" Hetty turned her head to look at him. "I'm not going to fail," Callen added forcefully.

Hetty nodded slightly. "Thank you."