A/N: Thanks again for the kind reviews countrygirluk and Petunia3116. Our agent is finding out that maybe he jumped too soon.

Chapter IV

I'd called Sara earlier in the day to ask if I could come to dinner with them tonight. It was Friday and if things went well maybe we could spend Saturday at the beach or take a drive somewhere. When Sara said yes I quickly began to clear my desk and calendar and waited for Hetty to finish her phone call. She finished and I started toward her office.

As I approached her office I sensed her attention as it shifted from her phone and computer to me. She looked up, closed the laptop, and motioned for me to sit opposite her as she pushed a cup of tea towards me. She'd expected me. I hate when she knows what I'm going to do before I do and I've often wondered how she does that.

As I sat she looked me over head to toe. It makes me nervous and it always has but she knows that and doesn't care. "What's going on Mr. Callen? Ever since you went home after the bombing operation you've not been yourself. Mr. Hanna is worried as well. Didn't you tell him what's bothering you?"

I was surprised that she really didn't know. Maybe she did and needed to hear me say it but it never pays to assume anything with Hetty. "Sara and I have had a difference of opinion about my safety and who gets to decide that. I want to go to dinner with them tonight so may I leave early?" I tried to say as little as I could to my boss but she wasn't buying it.

Her face gave way to the doubt she had about the veracity of my statement. "Are you sure that is all? It seems like such a small thing. I don't understand why you're so worked up over this and I definitely don't see a reason to move into the boatshed." When my eyes came up in surprise she continued. "You didn't think I knew this?" She nodded to herself and by extension to me. "You should resolve this quickly Mr. Callen. Your mind is not on the job and I need that, not just for NCIS, but for you and your family as well. Sam needs a partner who is emotionally there as well."

I took the tea cup into my large hands and inhaled the aroma from the small vessel. The aroma told me a great deal about the woman sitting across from me. First of all she's worried and second of all and most importantly, this was out of her control. Hetty always wants to be in control of a situation but if the situation concerns me it is extremely important that she remain on top of it. She didn't like this one bit. "Hetty, I'm trying to fix this. There are a few things that Sara and I need to discuss and we will. I'd like to leave early to see if that could be arranged."

Hetty nodded her approval. "You can leave at five, will that be early enough?"

I smiled and she knew what that meant. "Of course it is Hetty. It will give me time to clean up and head out. Thank you." I put the teacup back on the table and rose to leave.

Her agenda was not complete though and she motioned for me to take my seat again. I sat back down. She wanted me to see how much my family mattered to her as well. "Mr. Callen, I don't know what's going on, and I'm sure that when you're ready you'll tell me. I enjoy the fact that you are content and have a family. I don't want that jeopardized. Fix this problem and quickly. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news because you couldn't think straight when you needed to." She reopened her laptop and I felt the non-verbal dismissal. I finished my tea and set the cup back down on its saucer, turned and began the walk back to my desk.

Sam came in from the armory and acknowledged me with a nod. "What's going on? What's up with Hetty?"

I sat at my desk and thought about how I wanted this evening to go. "I asked to leave early. I'm having dinner with Sara and Gretchen tonight so she gave me the okay to leave at five. There was a quid pro quo though. She asked that I 'fix' this as quickly as possible."

Sam looked up from his computer and across the bullpen to look at me. He took a second longer to ponder his response. "G, you can do this. Go in with flowers, be as loving as you can be and by all means listen to her. Take your time with this. You weren't the only one who was angry that day, remember that. You managed to piss her off and if you don't want to lose her, figure out a way to make it right."

I sat there incredulous to what I heard. I thought he'd at least back me up. "Sam, don't my feeling come into play here? I feel that she kept something from me that I needed to know and not only that but she kept it from me for three months. It's my responsibility to protect them, not her protecting me."

Sam crossed his arms over his chest. He was digging in for a battle and it was one I didn't want to have with him at that moment. I know that in this office he is the 'Pro from Dover' on marriage but still I needed him at my back. "Partner? What are you saying here? That I'm wrong in how I think about this? That I shouldn't be upset that she kept a pregnancy from me, something I just might want to know?"

Sam sat back in his chair and smirked.

I wanted to punch him for that.

"So you're going to be a dad again. Oh man you need to make up soon to that woman. It isn't just anger, its hormones too. You, my friend, are screwed. Man up and admit that you're wrong. You can fix it later. Do it tonight."

The clock on the wall said it was five minutes till five. I stood up, picked up my bag and hesitated. I thought about what he said but there was a part of me that argued with the simplicity of the fix. "I'll think about it on my way. Talk to you tomorrow."

Sam's reaction was simple. He yelled at my back as I walked towards the opening in the bullpen. "G, do it. Get her back. You both love each other. Fix it."

I nodded and walked out the door past all of my co-workers. I'd think about it as I drove to the boatshed and later, to my house.

One hour later:

I let myself in and walked through the door to a greeting from Gretchen that bowled me over. My nose also went into over drive; I could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen. My mouth began to water. Sara had made my favorite meal: Lasagna. My gaze wandered around the living room and memories flooded back like the tide on the beach. The memories of our first Christmas in the house, the first turkey we made together for that year's Thanksgiving and it made me homesick. The urge to come back home was made even more desperate by seeing my daughter and my lovely wife. I felt a strong need to be back here. I would have to make some amends to Sara and I'd do that this evening, if she'd let me. Maybe Sam was right after all.

Gretchen and I strolled into the kitchen and I watched Sara as she prepared the rest of dinner. She was working on a salad and each of her moves was concise and efficient. She'd made salad like this once before in Rhode Island. She used all my favorite ingredients in the salad; arugula and the little tiny grape tomatoes that I love. She added them as I watched her. She turned to me and I saw love in that look; at least that was still in my favor. As I presented her with the flowers I'd brought her, our hands touched and the initial spark we felt when we met flew between us: another good sign. Sara pulled out a vase and handed it to me. I put Gretchen down and filled the vase, cut the stems and plunked the flowers in. They looked pretty good there.

She motioned to the dining room and started towards it. I followed the delicious smell. On the table were oil and vinegar to dress the salad with and Italian bread with butter and garlic. She'd pulled out all the stops for dinner tonight.

We ate, talked small talk and finished our meal as a family. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted it to continue into tomorrow and every day after that.

After dinner Sara shooed us out the back door into the yard while she cleaned up. I wanted to help but she said no. I played with my daughter on the swing and slide that Uncle Sam, Uncle Marty and I had built for her. We were out there for over an hour just playing until Sara joined us for a few minutes more of fun. Bedtime had come and gone but it was a special night for her and it became one of my favorite nights with her. We bathed her and put her to bed. Sara spent another few minutes tucking her in for the night. My heart ached because I missed this so much.

As Sara finished with Gretchen I wandered through the house and stepped out into the yard again. I felt so much remorse for my actions but still felt my feelings were the right ones for me. I didn't know how to fix this. There wouldn't be an easy fix like everyone wanted.

I sat on "our bench." It was the one that we had met on. Hetty had bought it and presented it to us when we married. It's weird to sit here now. It felt like we needed to meet all over again. I'd like to take back the last few days but knew that I couldn't. It's not that easy to do: Too many words were spoken in anger.

I reminisced about how we'd met and chuckled about it. I can't believe that I ever thought of Sara as a gun-runner. Sam and I had been investigating a gun-running operation out of Camp Pendleton, their contact was supposed to be a woman and she'd meet me on a particular bench on Venice Beach. When I arrived Sara had just sat down. I fell in love immediately but pushed it aside after all I had a job to do. While I felt she was innocent I had to prove it which I did and it turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to me. Now, I'd come close to ruining it.

The evening was warm and according to the weathermen the temperatures would keep warming up and then stay steady. We were in for a heat wave that Los Angeles rarely sees. I gazed at the yard that I'd acquired by chance. Hetty found it and purchased it in my name. It had belonged to one of my foster families, the Rostoffs, whom I'd spent the most pleasant four months of my young life with. They were all gone and I'd needed a place to call my own. It was a little presumptuous of Hetty but I thank her for it every day.

Sara touched my arm and gave me a glass of ice water with lemon. It had been one of our favorites and now with her being pregnant it was all she'd be drinking. I'd been so deep in my reverie that she'd come up behind me so quietly that I never heard a thing. She gave me one of her beautiful smiles and gazed down into my eyes. "Here's a penny for your thoughts, sir?"

I patted the seat next to me, the one she'd sat on when we met. The look in her eyes told me the sentiment wasn't lost on her. Sara gazed out at the yard around us and I wondered where her mind had gone. "G, something's been on your mind all night, care to share?"

The tone of her voice didn't hold the warmth that I'd expected so I started to speak with trepidation. I looked into her eyes and felt my heart drop. The look of love that I'd seen earlier had disappeared and instead there was consternation, indecision and maybe a bit of anger in them, but I trudged on anyway not paying attention to the look on her face. "I want us back together." I'd said it and the reaction was anything but what I'd hoped for. I saw surprise and more anger. "Why so surprised? I miss you both so much and I want to come home."

Sara's eyes blazed. "You walked out the front door three days ago and never looked back to see what chaos it created. Why? I still don't understand it. You never once took what I said into consideration. My feelings weren't important, so are they now? Your anger at what you consider my deception had more importance than your family, why is that? Have you even thought about that yet? I'm sorry that you felt left out but I wanted you safe, period. When you leave, take the bag by the door." She left me sitting on the bench and went into the house.

I'm not sure what I felt at that moment other than extreme loss. I didn't know how to deal with this. The sledgehammer that just hit me left me reeling. I sat in my yard and knew I had to do something but what? I brought my glass into the kitchen, emptied it, put it in the dishwasher and turned to leave.

Sara stood in the doorway. "G, I want this to work out but until you can see me as an equal…" A tear rolled down her cheek. I walked to her and put my arms out. She came into my arms and I rested my head on hers. I held her for a few minutes remembering all the moments that we held each other and all the tenderness that we'd experienced. Then did the most stupid thing I'd ever done, I tried to kiss her. Her hand came up to my chest, she took two steps back, never saying a word, but her actions stopped me cold. "It's time for you to leave G." She pulled herself away from me and walked down the hall to our bedroom. She was right. It was time to leave. I picked up the bag by the door and let myself out.