Gibbs motioned for Anna to move.
He watched as Callen noticed her move away and his shoulders slumped in acceptance of her leaving him and he rolled his eyes suppressing the sigh that wanted to leave him at his friends predictable reaction.
He smiled at Anna as she went to see Hetty and Gibbs moved into her spot behind Callen.
The next thing Callen knew was a sharp pain to the back of the head.
"Gibbs?!" He gasped as he blinked the stars from his eyes.
"You done with the pity party of one?" Gibbs asked.
Callen crossed his arms and turned away, shifting a few inches to keep himself just out of his friends reach.
"It's not a pity party." He groused.
Gibbs resisted the urge to smirk, "Sure as heck looks like it." He replied.
Callen clenched his fists, trying to sort out what he was feeling.
"It's an acceptance of what's true." Callen growled softly.
"In your opinion." Gibbs argued.
"Only one that counts." Callen shifted slightly turning his back on his friend.
"Thought family had an opinion too, you're worth more than you think you are."
Callen laughed sourly. "That would be funny, but you've met my family right? Alexei…"
"Is NOT your father, they are NOT your family. Your team is your family, Hetty, Sam, Kensi, Deeks, Eric, Nell, me. Not one of us think you are worthless. Not one of us think you are anything like The Calling told you you were. Not one of us thinks you should quit and leave."
A small flame of hope blossomed in Callen's chest, before the little demon of doubt that had been his ever present companion tried to stomp it out again.
"Stop it G." Gibbs snapped watching the emotions play across his face, "You need to work on this just as much as Marco does. You can deny it all you like." He watched as Callen shifted this time turning an inch towards him.
"Hetty's guy will be here soon, you gonna talk to him?" Gibbs asked.
Callen shrugged, "He'll be busy with Marco."
"He's part of a team, if you will talk he'll call someone else in."
"I could call Nate." Callen offered weakly.
Gibbs laughed. "Yeah and I could dig up Diane and talk to her." He replied sarcastically.
Callen cocked his head to one side wondering what Gibbs was talking about.
"You don't think I don't read reports kid? When you were kidnapped and tortured by Nate I knew about it."
"That wasn't torture." Callen countered. "He was undercover, he wouldn't have hurt me."
Gibbs moved and finally sat beside him, "Maybe not in your opinion, but he was your friend and he broke your trust."
"Your point being." Callen held back from laughing, although that little demon in his chest was doing a happy dance, of course he had broken his trust, everyone did. That wasn't on them it was him.
"My point being that he was your friend and you haven't talked to him at all since that operation."
"Not had the need to talk to him."
Gibbs looked at the pain that flashed briefly in Callen's eyes, "You angry with him?" He asked.
Callen shook his head, "Nope." He couldn't put into words what he was feeling, resignation perhaps, acceptance? A feeling that this had always been coming the second he had started to open up and allow Nate behind the walls he had so carefully constructed.
"Fine." Gibbs knew he wasn't getting anywhere. "But for me, for your team; think about talking to this guy?"
Callen nodded and reluctantly Gibbs stood up and headed for the house.
"Oh!" He added turning back to the slightly hunched figure on the bench, "Hetty says to tell you not to even consider leaving the house or she will have you microchipped."
Callen couldn't help the smile or the laugh that followed. "Tell her I know she's had me microchipped since I was a teenager, she'll be upgrading me to Lojack next."
Even Gibbs couldn't help the smile as he left going to deliver his news to Hetty.
Hetty was standing at the island in her kitchen talking in low tones with two men showing them files that she had on both Marco and Callen.
"It isn't much I know. You have to understand that my file on Mr. Callen is larger as I know more about his time with The Calling, at least as much as he was willing to share." She stopped as Gibbs entered the room.
The two men opened the files and began to read the first page of both, then shut the files.
"That's it?" Gibbs asked.
"Just need basics. The rest we will learn from them." The older of the two men said. He smiled offering his hand, "Robert Carter, this is my partner, Paul Harris."
Gibbs took his hand and shook it. "Gibbs."
Carter stifled a smirk, "Like Prince right?"
Gibbs rolled his eyes, "Shrinks and lawyers," He sighed to himself as he reached for the coffee machine to pour himself a cup.
"Not a fan?" Harris asked.
Gibbs smirked as he took a sip, "Not particularly." He admitted. "So you're the deprogrammers?" He asked.
"We prefer the term Exit Counselors." Carter replied, "We do not kidnap people nor do we brainwash them. However we will help both Mr. Marsino and Mr. Callen overcome what they have suffered at the hands of The Calling."
"Good luck with that." Gibbs said slightly sarcastically. He really hoped they could help Marco, but with Callen's experience with counselors and therapists alike he doubted they could help, but for his friend he was willing to let them try.
Carter looked at the two files, "We'll take Marco first. He has been a member of this group since he was four right?"
Hetty nodded, "He was, it is all he knows."
"Right, where is he?" Harris asked.
"Locked in the pantry." Gibbs replied and held in a smile at the shock on both men's faces.
"Locked….?"
"He's under arrest right now, you help him and it will make things better for him. But he will be charged, there is no two ways about it. Espionage and attempted murder. But if he cooperates with you and you can get him to see where he was wrong we can appeal to the judge for a lesser sentence."
They opened the door to the pantry to find Marco sat on the flagstone floor with his knees pulled up to his chest.
"Boss?" Marco looked up at Gibbs.
"Got some people who want to talk to you Marco." Gibbs offered his hand to help him up.
Marco glared at him but offered an elbow reminding Gibbs that he was still handcuffed.
Helping him up Gibbs turned to him. "I know right now you believe you're right, but you are facing charges of espionage and attempted murder. There are people out there that care about you. Work with these guys and please let us all help you."
For a second Marco looked at Gibbs in shock, then a slow smile spread across his face. "The big Leroy Jethro Gibbs… Begging?"
Gibbs sighed, "Move it Marco. I will be taking the cuffs off but you will not be able to escape from this house." He warned as he maneuvered Marco into a large sunlit room.
"What no dungeon?" Marco quipped as he was taken into the room and the handcuffs removed. Gibbs sat him down in a chair.
"Behave and work with these guys Marsino, they are here to help you."
"I don't need help. It's you who are wrong." He shook his head.
Hetty had been cunning in her choice of room. Marco was trying not to listen to these men. He was struck by the calming colors and the dappled sunlight that filtered through the light blinds in the sun-room. Despite himself, he felt himself relaxing as Carter and Harris talked to him in their own calming tones.
Carter shot a sidelong glance of approval at his partner as they both saw Marco relaxing.
"So… Marco, tell us about you." Carter asked as he leaned back on the couch.
"What's to tell, you have a file." He said not trusting them.
"Na; That tells us about the you, you portray, the Marco Marsino the establishment know about. I wanna know about you. What are your likes, your interests. What do you like to do to relax. I know your alter ego, Tony DiNozzo liked movies, what about you do you like movies?"
Marco smiled a little, the smile just nudging the corner of his mouth. "Some." He admitted. "I like musicals." He admitted. "Tony was a James Bond man. Not really my thing, but you know…"
Carter nodded, "You played your part well." He praised him earning a bit more of a smile.
"I like the sound of Music, Ziva… she worked with us for a while used to make me play it as she thought it annoyed me."
"And she never caught on that you like it?" Harris asked surprised.
Marco's smile turned into a smirk, "Not a clue and she was Mossad."
Both men looked impressed and Marco relaxed just a tiny bit more.
Inside both men knew they would be able to help him and started working on the slow task of counselling The Calling out of Marco.