A/N: For all those Nate fans, this is for you.


After finding out that the apartment Yana had chosen was between Nell' and Kensi's, the two took turns picking her up. Even Deeks, who picked Kensi up often, would find himself being told to pick her up as well by his partner. Three weeks after the girls night out that turned into a weekend, Yana arrived with Nell to find everyone gathered in the bullpen.

The reason became clear as Nell called out "Nate!" She raced over to hug him as he untangled himself from Kensi.

The six of them chatted for a moment before Callen realised that they had forgotten Yana. He looked for his new partner and found that she had gone around them and was now sitting on the sofa. It took him a minute before he realised why she wasn't sitting at her desk. Nate was sitting on the edge of it, his long legs stretching out in front of him. She didn't know him, even though she could clearly see that they did. He caught Kensi's look that said that she remembered what he had told her three weeks before, about wanting to talk to Nate.

"What are you doing here Nate?" Callen asked, even though he knew. He had asked Hetty to find Nate and get him back. That both he and Kensi had a feeling that Yana needed to talk to someone soon about what she did while undercover. That he, G. Callen, the man who never talked to anyone, let alone a shrink, wanted to talk to him, if only so that he could help Yana get over whatever had happened to her while she was under. He was certain that his confession that he wanted the talk more than him saying that Yana needed to was the reason that Nate was here now. Nate was the only shrink that Hetty would allow around the team. Their annual psych evals were a little over due, but Vance hadn't chased them about it because he knew that.

"Your annual psych evaluations are overdue. And since I'm the only psychologist cleared to even see you, here I am."

"You're the only one Hetty will allow anywhere near us you mean." Kensi said.

"Well's there's that too." Nate said, tipping his head as he did and caught sight of Yana. Hetty hadn't told him that there was someone filling in for Sam, or that she wanted him to talk to Yana.

He walked over without alerting the others and had almost reached her when Callen called out "Yana, this is our operational psychologist, Nate Getz. Nate, this is Yana Talbot from Scotland Yard, she's filling for Sam while he's away." Nate noticed the slightly startled look in her face when she saw how close he had gotten to her. He felt her roughened hand as he shook it as well as the small quiver in it.

"A shrink." It was a statement as much as a question.

"Yes, in laymen's terms." Nate stepped back and noticed her relax just a little when he did. "As you may have heard, the team is overdue for their evals."

"And I'm up first." There was a collective gasp from Deeks and Nate as Callen said that. Kensi knew that he wanted to speak to him, but she didn't realise that he wanted to be first.

"You sure, Callen? I usually have to fight you every step of the way to get you to be in the same room as me." It seems Hetty had left out the part about Callen actually wanting to talk to him.

"I have no paperwork to catch up on, there are no cases at the moment that require my attention and I cleaned my weapons half an hour ago. I have nothing better to do, so let's get it over with." Callen headed to the area that they rarely used, the office that was originally set up for Nate's use. When he was there permanently and even when he would show up suddenly, Nate would usually catch them when they least expected it but in an area that they would feel safe enough to talk in. A hallway, an empty room, the lockers or gym.

"I take it Hetty didn't tell you that I wanted to talk to you?" Callen said as he sat in the chair across from Nate's desk.

"No, if she had I wouldn't have come. You don't want to talk to me ever Callen, not unless it helps someone else." He looked carefully at Callen as he said "Yana?" he got the barest traces of emotion flicker across the face before Callen got control of his feelings. Nate was surprised. If he was able to see that, either he was getting better, or Callen was slipping. The young woman must mean something then. "What do you want to know?"

"Did Hetty tell you anything about what's been happening here?"

"Other than Sam going on holiday, nothing. She hadn't mentioned that there was someone here filling in for him, or that I would have to talk to her."

"Try debriefing her."

"What?"

"She finished a long undercover mission for the Yard about eighteen months ago, at least that's what she and the records we've been able to look at say."

"But you don't think so?"

"No, Hetty, Kensi and I are pretty sure that it was very recent, and that it's not over yet."

"What makes you say that?"

"Her behaviour. Her first day here, she knocked Eric out when he tried to wake her from a bad dream and she nearly did the same to me a few minutes later. Her reactions to little things like people walking behind her or touching her, even by accident, are over the top. I remember being like that for weeks after my first long term undercover job."

"Hyper vigilant?" Nate asked, leaning forward slightly in his chair.

"Yeah. She's very tight lipped about anything that has to do with the op. And when any of us bring it up, she gives short generic answers and changes topic." Callen sighed "But it's her eyes that tell me the most. They get a haunted frightened look in them like she's terrified that she'll have to go back under again. She said that it was finished, Granger did as well, but still, I get the feeling that it isn't."

"What's Assistant Director Granger got to do with her?" Nate asked suddenly and Callen's face froze.

He sighed as he realised that he would have to tell him now and he did, everything that had happened since Yana's arrival over a month ago. "She's settled down a little now, not as jumpy as when she first arrived."

Nate was floored. As Callen talked, especially about the memory of a man laying him and Amy down, he could hear something in his voice that he was certain he had never heard before, confusion. Which meant that Callen wasn't hiding anything. "So Granger asked you to keep an eye on her."

"Yeah, somehow without telling the rest of the team. Hetty knows, but he asked me not to tell anyone, so I don't want you to either, got it?" he gave Nate a look that he meant it.

"Understood. When do you want me to talk to her?" Nate straightened and tidied his desk as he and Callen stood.

"After everyone else. Keep the routine as normal as possible. I think that she's figured out that she'll have to talk to you, but the other's may have noticed or heard something when I wasn't around."

"The other's haven't questioned her being here?"

"They have, but after that first case and a couple of others since then, I think they were happy that there was someone watching my back."

"You know Callen, this is the longest talk we've had in here." Nate said as Callen left.

"Stay out of my head Nate, I came to you to give you a heads up about her."

"Maybe, but the longer you talked, the deeper I got into your head. Why this urge to look out for her? And I can tell it has nothing to do with Granger." Nate asked straight out, his hands flat on the table as he stared at the team leader.

Callen crossed his arms for a second before dropping them. "I don't know Nate." He ran his hand over his head as he sighed "My head's telling me that I shouldn't trust her, but my gut and for some reason my heart are telling me that I can and should." He left then, with a shake of his head.


A/N: More Nate and Arkady next chapter.