Here's another one. Two to go. Thank's to all those who have stuck with me.


"Ok, I've got to meet this Gibbs guy." Were the first words that Callen heard the next morning as he entered the bullpen. Deeks continued as he got closer and smirked at what he heard. "Seriously, how many people do you know that can get a terrorist to talk just by looking at them?!" Callen had received a call from Gibbs the night before informing him about what had happened. They had most of the people in custody and the rest were going to get rounded up later that day in a sting operation.

"Morning Kensi, Deeks." He said as he rounded the wall and noticed the empty desk next to Deeks. "Any sign of Yana yet?" He didn't expect her to be in but then, he was still getting to know her.

"I think she's in the … what happened to your face?!" Kensi suddenly gasped as Yana walked into the area.

"Walked into a door." She said automatically.

"Difficult things doors." Deeks spoke up, starting the joking the two often engaged in.

"Ones made of oak have a tendency to be rather obstinate." She joined in as she sat in the chair. She didn't move as Kensi came over and touched a rather tender spot.

"I thought you and Callen went to Arkady's yesterday?" Kensi said as she went to the kitchen and got some ice.

"We did." She shuffled paper on her desk and began typing up a report to send to Scotland Yard, but didn't miss the look that passed between the Kensi and Deeks.

Callen simply shrugged and didn't say anything as he placed his bags next to his desk. He winced as the bruises and cuts on his hands from his pounding on the door scrapped on his things.

"Seems Callen hit the same door." Deeks continued as he noticed the grazes.

"No, his was mahogany." Yana said as she shifted the ice Kensi handed her to the other cheek.

As the morning progressed, they got word that the Washington team had managed to get all the people involved in the plot. Deeks and Kensi noticed that Yana was more relaxed and joking around more often than they had ever seen her. They looked over at Callen who nodded and they realised that she had spoken to Nate, who was still talking to the rest of the staff at ops. Another day and he would disappear again.

"Dinner and drinks tonight." Deeks suddenly said at lunch.

"What, where?" Kensi asked.

"Why?" Callen wanted to know.

"Because when was the last time we all went out while Nate was here?" Deeks asked

They all knew the answer to that. The last time had been the time Dom was taken. It had been several years ago now and they had better plans if someone didn't show up when and where they said they would.

"My place." She and Deeks had been talking over lunch and she had a really nice pool area that had a B-B-Q and several tables. She had gained permission from her landlord to bring alcohol onto the premises once he had been told that they were all cops and that it would only be a few of them.

"I think that is a wonderful idea." Hetty said suddenly from behind Yana, who for some reason didn't jump at the other woman's sudden appearance.

The night went off without a hitch and everyone had a wonderful time. However, no one could explain how they ended up playing twister at the end of the night, let alone how Hetty won.

A couple of days later, Callen's desk phone rang "Mr Callen, can I have a word please?" Hetty's voice came over the phone. Callen looked over at Hetty and nodded before heading over.

"Everything ok Cal?" Yana asked as he passed her.

"I don't know. Hetty never uses the phone." Callen sounded a little worried and the others noticed.

"Hetty? What's going on?" Callen asked as he sat in his customary chair.

"Mr Hanna just called me."

"Is he ok, Michelle, Sally?" He sat forward, fear that something had happened to them.

"His mother took ill yesterday, heart attack. He has requested additional time off."

"How is she?" Callen liked Sam's mother, she was always asking if he had found a good girl to settle down with.

"Touch and go, she's still in the hospital."

"How much time has he asked for?" While Callen was comfortable with Yana having his back for another few weeks, there was still something about her he couldn't place, and it was still bugging him. He wanted his partner and best friend back.

"Another two or three months, just until she has stabilised." Hetty could see that her lead agent was shocked that Sam would be away for several more months. In all the time they had been together, she could count the number of months they had been separated with using just a couple of fingers. This was hard on Callen as it was, Yana coming in and clearly hiding something from them. So far it had yet to impact on the work, unless you count the other day with Arkady.

"I take it they're in Connecticut still?" Callen asked after a couple of minutes.

"Yes."

Callen simply nodded and headed off. Hetty watched as Yana went to follow him but was stopped when Callen asked that he be left alone. She headed over to the bull pen to inform the rest of the team of what had happened.

"Miss Talbot, would Scotland Yard mind if we held onto you for a while longer?" She asked after everyone had settled down.

"I think I can convince them. That family I was under with are still floating around there, so a little more time away from there would be a good idea I can float them." She pulled out her phone and headed out so she could talk to her superiors.

The rest of the day consisted of paperwork, which was a good thing, because Callen looked a little shell shocked and snapped at anyone who spoke to him. After the third assistant fled the bullpen, this time in tears after trying to get him to sign a report, Yana grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the gym.

"What?" he snapped. The response he got was a decent fist to his jaw that came from nowhere. It wasn't as powerful as the first one she had nearly KO'ed him with, but still a good thump. He threw one back at her, only to hit air. The next little while was spent with her taunting him and him lashing out, missing every time.

After nearly an hour, Yana called out "Enough." She stretched out her hand to pull him up after he had fallen to the floor exhausted. "Finished?"

"Yeah."

"What was all that about?" She asked him as she handed him a bottle of water.

"Sam's my best friend, and the only partner I've ever had that's lasted more than a few weeks. He couldn't call me and tell me himself? I don't understand. He knows how much I like his mother; she has always been kind to me."

"Maybe he knew that and knew that if he did speak to you, he might lose whatever composure he had left. I figure he has to be strong for his family." She took another mouthful of water.

"How do you know about them?" Callen was certain that no one at Ops had mentioned that Sam had a family.

"He has a picture of them next to that bobble head alien thing." As Callen nodded, she asked "Is that the only reason for your atrocious behaviour?"

"Not that I don't mind you being here, but I was looking forward to having him back." He sat on the bench and rubbed is hand over his head.

"Call him and let him know that you support him. And if his mother is up to talking, have a word with her."

"You are very different, Yana. You throw me a different ball every time I think I've got you figured out."

"I try. Now go. That pile of paperwork won't get any smaller the longer you linger."

"I know I snapped at Tim, but I don't know the other t…" he stopped as Yana held out a slip of paper that had the names of all the people he had snapped at. He nodded his thanks and went to take a shower.

Yana waited until he the door to the showers had closed to let out the sigh and pulled out her phone. She headed to the other showers as she dialled.

The next day Callen had apologised to all the people he had snapped at, which Deeks and Kensi thought was very unlike him and mentioned that he had spoken to Sam, but his mother was too sick to talk.

The next several months followed a pattern where every six weeks or so, they would have a night out. Girl's night's out happened every month and Callen and Yana fell into a routine that came close to what he and Sam had.

Then five months after Yana had first arrived, Eric called out from the ops room and everything changed.


And just because I can't stand suspense, I'm going to post the rest of the chapters.