Melissa re-entered Ops minutes later after grabbing a drink and going for a short walk out to the courtyard. No-one had followed her out or disturbed her. She had needed to get some space. She was still the new girl and it was showing. Her first case with the team had been a missing USB stick which had quickly been retrieved by the team. Callen had pretty much ignored her from the start even complaining at Hetty to assign her with Kensi and Deeks instead. Hetty had shut his request down straight away. Sam had accepted the fact he was getting another partner easily. Sam actually looked forward to the dynamics changing; it made a change from Granger mixing it up. Deeks had teased her a lot and Kensi had made polite conversation to attempt to get to know her but Melissa couldn't help feeling like an outsider. She had hit it off immediately with Eric and Nell however. On her first day she and Eric had a lengthy conversation about servers and hacking and Nell had invited her out to drinks with the team which she politely declined instead completing her paperwork before heading home.

'You good Agent Createn?' Hetty asked her as she re-joined Sam at the Ops table and took a fresh look at the map in front of her. Nell and Eric immediately looked towards her and she flashed them a sympathetic smile. Callen was still stood close by. He hadn't moved.

'I'm good Hetty.' Melissa reassured the older woman.

'Very well I shall leave you and your team to figure out your next move.' Hetty nodded as she walked towards the Ops doors undoubtedly to return to her office.

'Next move?' Deeks asked as he and Kensi entered Ops once more and Hetty left without another word.

'Ah Deeks this is the move we're yet to figure out.' Callen remarked snidely.

'You're not helping G.' Sam stepped in.

'No it's fine. He's entitled to his opinion.' Melissa looked straight at the senior Agent and then to Sam. 'Agent Callen I am trying my best. I'm not the same girl and he's not the same guy so it's going to take me a little longer to work out his next move.'

Callen shuffled on his feet unamused by the steel in her voice. The steel that had brought him up short as he and the team had only known the polite side of the young Agent in front of them, barely a woman only 22.

'Sorry.' Callen apologised sarcastically. Deeks could only glance towards Kensi and Sam who both stood a little straighter. Eric's tablet bleeped seconds later interrupting the awkward silence that had followed Melissa's remark. Melissa and the others all turned to face him.

'We have a hit. Dante Davies just used his bank card at a motel downtown LA.'

'Which motel?' Melissa moved towards the door.

'Harvard house motel.' Nell stated.

'You two can finish your argument in the car let's go!' Sam ordered his partners as they all walked out. Melissa hadn't needed to be told but it was reluctantly that Callen did as he was told. As team leader he was used to giving the orders not getting them.

'Someone let Gibbs and Hetty know!' She shouted back to the four Agents still in Ops.

'That drive is going to be awkward…' Deeks noted.

'I pity Sam.' Kensi smiled.

'Nice work Eric.' Both agents praised as they walked towards the doors themselves. Eric could only shrug as he sat down at his work station and Nell quickly joined him. Both traded a glance before continuing on with their work.

In the Challenger all was quiet. Sam was driving as usual. Callen and Melissa had both got in the car without uttering another word to each other. Callen couldn't help but glance back at the younger agent. He knew he had been harsh with her earlier but he still couldn't read her and that scared him. She had just suddenly arrived and seemed to get on so well with everyone else even Hetty. She had appeared without warning and Granger had suddenly been around a lot more too. Something about her had got him worried, something about her didn't feel right and only he could see it.

'Room 102.' Melissa read the text from Ops as they pulled into the motel car park.

'102.'

'I'll double check with reception.' She nodded before diving towards the reception leaving Callen and Sam at the Challenger.

'You need to stop giving her a hard time G.' Sam rounded in on his partner as soon as she disappeared from view.

'Something isn't right with her.'

'Hetty trusts her.' Sam noted.

'Doesn't mean I have to.' Callen simply answered as Melissa Createn reappeared a key in her hand.

'Room 102.'

Sam could only follow her as she started up the stairs to room 102, her gun ready in her hand. She wasn't going to take any chances and he'd be damned if he would let her do this alone. Once they reached room 102 she dived to the right ready to breach the door, trusting her training. Callen dived after her. She put the key in the lock and turned it slowly. With her left hand she pushed it open slowly and immediately felt the door hit a trip wire.

'Bomb!' She barely had time to warn before Callen grabbed her around her waist and pulled her out of the way into him and the wall. The bomb went off a second later throwing dust, debris and smoke towards them. Sam had barely had time to cover his ears. The dust settled as Sam pulled his hands from his ears and the ringing in all their ears subsided. Callen's arm was still around Melissa's waist he noted. Both were standing in a state of shock. Melissa was covered in smoke and dust her back towards him but unhurt by the blast only hurting from the grip Callen had on her waist. The grip Sam could tell was tight. Car alarms were bleeping from the blast and the debris from what was room 102. This motel really needed better clientele. Sam couldn't help notice that Callen had reacted quickly to stop Melissa being hurt by the blast. It meant there was hope for the partnership.

'You guys good?'

'Fine.' Melissa. 'You?'

'I'm good.' Callen.

Melissa looked down at Callen's arm before prising the hold from her waist and taking a step forward towards the balcony and looking down at the debris that littered the car park.

'I'm good.' Sam answered as Callen stepped towards him. 'This motel needs to get more choosy.'

Melissa had looked over at the challenger for some reason and immediately noticed a flash of purple on the windscreen. Sam and Callen hadn't looked around but were soon aware that something had caught her eye when she darted past them back down the stairway they had come up minutes before. Callen and Sam could only watch from the balcony as she reached the Challenger seconds later. Sam saw her grab the purple envelope and quickly motioned for Callen to come with him back to the car. Melissa had grabbed the envelope and still had it in her hand when her partners joined her.

'What's that?' Sam asked.

'A message?' Callen asked at the same time. Melissa opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. She recognised the writing immediately with dread. Dante.

'That was a warning.' She read. 'Your move'

'Your move?' Sam looked at Callen concerned. Melissa put the paper back in the envelope and looked around.

'He's playing with me and I'll be damned if I let him win.'

'You're not going after him alone.' Callen stated earning surprised looks from his partners. Sam couldn't help but be surprised. G Callen and Melissa had turned a corner.