Light chapter 7 (made)
Chloe's sitting, cross legged on the couch in the bullpen when he walked in. He stands in front of her waiting for her to look up at him.
Chloe can feel Callen's eyes on her. In fact, she can feel it so clearly, that she can practically see a mental image of him looking down with a frown on his face and his arms crossed across his chest.
After a moment of him just standing there waiting, she decides to speak. "Are you going to just stand there and stare, or are you actually going to say something." She looks up to find him staring at her, a puzzled look on his face. It is nice look on him though. He looks like he's trying to solve a million piece jigsaw puzzle, but in this case the puzzle is her. "I sense there is something you want to ask?" It's more of a statement then it is a question.
He still doesn't say anything, just turns around and walks out of the bullpen. Sensing that she is supposed to get up and follow him, she does. It's a shame because she was really comfortable on her spot on that couch. He guess, Hetty picked it out. She has such good taste when it comes to things like that.
Once they enter the incinerating room, Callen pulls Chloe in and closes the door behind her.
"Are you planning to kill me and burn my body in here or something?" She asks jokingly.
Callen ignores her. "We never got to finish our conversation back at the hotel."
'Oh great. I was kind of hoping he would forget about that.' "Which one was that again?"
He steps closer to her which makes her cornered to the back wall of the room, away from the door. He is using himself as a human road block, so she has no choice but to answer his questions.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I know you know who hired the Ainsley's. Start talking, or we can't help you."
She takes a moment to think of which parts she can tell him. She know she can trust him, and it's not because he's a federal agent. There's something about him that tells her she can trust him. She doesn't know what it is about him, but she has this gut feeling she can.
She's thankful that he's being patient with her, the only problem was that she really doesn't know who hired them. "Look. I was not lying when I said that I didn't know who hired them, but... I do have a few ideas on who could have hired them."
Maybe it is possible that she really doesn't know who hired them. "Great. Names."
"A few years ago, I got involved with some not too good people."
"Okay. You're gonna have to be more specific."
She lets out a deep breath. "I married one of them. I didn't realize how bad these people were until a little bit after I married. Once I did, I wanted out, and I guess when I left they weren't too happy about it."
Callen listens to her intently, trying to figure out whether or not she's lying.
"Who might they be?"
"The Hauge."
"The Hauge." says Callen trying to understand how a friend of Hetty's could possibly get involved with one the biggest organized crime family in Australia. "How did you get involved with those kinds of people?"
"It's not like they advertise what it is that their family does. I married Mr. Hague's son and I found out about their drug and human trafficking business. I was afraid, okay. I wanted a divorce, but Daniel didn't want to sign the papers. I didn't know what to do. I left and moved to NY. I never thought that I was much of a threat to them. Now I am here visiting Hetty. I wouldn't have come if i knew they were after me." Callen was just about to interrupt, but Chloe beat him to it. "Before you ask, NO. Hetty does not know about Daniel. She doesn't even know I got married." She say with a shrug of her shoulders. How can she be so calm?
Just as he was about to speak Nell walked in. "Why does this always seem to be the meeting place for secret conversations?" Nell asked sarcastically to no one in particular.
"Sorry Nell, we were just looking for some place quiet. We''ll be out of your hair."
"Oh wait!" she says after them. "I'm glad I bumped into you guys." She hands call a manila folder. She turns to Chloe, "Do you happen to know a man by the name of Daniel Hague?" Chloe and Callen look at each other seeing as how they were just talking about him before Nell walked in.
"Um, yes. He's my husband."
Nell fails to keep her face neutral and she raises her eyebrows. "Well, when I was looking into the Ainsley brothers I found a money trail. Little bits here and there, but a trail none the less, and I managed to trace it back to him. Your husband is the one who hired the Ainsley's after you."
"We were kind of just figuring that out a couple of seconds ago," Callen says to Nell, "but now that you have confirmed it I'm gonna have to let Hetty know about this." He says looking at Chloe.
"I know. It's probably better if she hears it from you than me. I don't think I could handle her disappointment right now," Chloe says honestly.
"You really look up to her." Callen says hearing the honesty in her voice.
Nell squirms on her feet getting a little bit uncomfortable to where this conversation is getting, since she know something that neither of them know. Callen looks at Nell and sensing her discomfort leaves to give the folder to Hetty.
Chloe follows Nell into the armory. They are silent for a while as Chloe watches Nell file.
"So I sense that my mom confirmed your theory?"
Hearing Chloe call Hetty 'mom' feels weird to her and she can't help but make a face. "Yeah she did. You call her mom?"
"Yes, because that's what she is. Maybe not by blood, but in every other sense of the word she is." Nell just nods her understanding. "So, ask away."
"What?"
"I know you probably have a bunch of questions. I mean you just found out that your boss has a daughter that no one knows about. If I were you I would too. Maybe I can answer some that Hetty can't, of that you're just to afraid to ask her."
Nell thinks this over for a minute.
"Okay. Did you miss her? I mean all the times you guys were apart. Like when she sent you away to boarding school halfway across the world. I mean even now that you still live so far apart on opposite sides of the country?"
Chloe takes in a deep breath. All of the things Nell was saying is true, but all in good reason.
"Yes I missed her then, and I still miss her now sometimes. But I guess then I understood why she was doing it. Not entirely, but I tried my best to see it from her view. She was trying to protect me. The things that she does, the kind of people that she deals with, they're could never talk about the work that she did. I never got to meet the people that were closest to her, the ones that were with her for hours a day. I finally get to meet them now. Now that I am older. I mean she cares about you all so much, as much as she does for me. I mean there's you."
Nell's brows draw together in confusion. "Me?"
"Yes you. Mom trusts you. A lot. Enough to tell you about me, even if she hadn't planned on it. I'm guessing your probably her go to person for all her top secret, her eyes only work."
Nell nods and smiles at Chloe's description of Hetty's work. "You are spot on." The words slip from her mouth before she can stop them. "You really are her daughter." Both Chloe and Nell's eyes shoot up at that, but Nell recovers quickly still. "I mean she is very observant and ninja like. She may have adopted you, but you gained a lot from her."
"Of course I mean mom's worked for every possible government agency out at some point or another. She whouldn't have let me leave for boarding school, so far away from her, without teaching me a few things."
Nell laughs and so does Chloe. It feels good to finally be able to talk to someone about this.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For listening. It's nice to talk to someone about this. Hetty being my mom isn't exactly the kind of thing that I get to talk to about with anyone."
"Of course." Nell says finishing up her filing. "And you're pretty important to Hetty too. You should hear the way she talked about you to me. She loves you like her own."
Chloe smiles a sad smile and nods. Nell then turns away to leave, missing Callen, hidden in the corner out of sight, who heard the last minute of that conversation.