Don't own anything.
Emma didn't sleep in as she hoped. Her body was so used to getting up at the same time every morning. It gave her enough time to go for her run before she started her day but it was Christmas morning so running was the last thing she wanted to do. Looking over at the clock on her bedside table, she saw that it was only 6:30 so she got up and decided to start breakfast before they opened presents. She was starting the eggs when she heard Callen's door opening and him making his way towards the kitchen.
"Smells good in here." Callen said as he kissed her on the head from behind.
"Morning daddy." Emma smiled, "breakfast will be ready in 5 if you want to set the table."
"Do you want some orange juice?" Callen asked as he picked up the plates and cutlery.
"Yes, please." Emma said over her shoulder as she scooped the eggs into a bowl.
"Need help to carry everything?"
"I've got it but mind grabbing the ketchup while you're up?" Emma said as she placed all the food on the table.
"Here you go, Em." Callen said as he placed the ketchup in front of her.
"So, I told Aunt Michelle we'll be there a bit earlier to help if they need it." Emma said as she started on her breakfast.
"Sounds like a good plan. Did you wrap everything?" Callen asked.
"Everything's ready to go." Emma said as she took a bite if her bacon.
"Sounds good." Callen said as he started to eat. It didn't take them long to finish their breakfast but as soon they were done, Callen grabbed their plates and sent her into the living room to sort the gifts. She was excited and Callen just shook his head and laughed as he saw her dancing in the next room. She was so grown up but she was still a child at heart and he was happy to have her in his life. Over the last year, he could see her come out of her shell more and more. She had her moments, like most teenagers but that was okay with the team. It reminded them that she was comfortable with them and that she trusted them but they did remind her that she couldn't talk back to them, she needed to remember her manners and that they were the adults and that they just wanted what was best for her. And she respected that, she said sorry and they moved on.
"Callen, hurry up!" Emma yelled.
"Patience, my dear child. Patience." Callen said as he laughed and walked into the living room.
"Can't! I'm too excited."
"Okay, here we go." Callen said as he sat down on the floor with her.
"You go first." Emma said as he gave him the first gift.
Callen took the box and slowly opened it but all he saw was tissue paper. Moving it out of the way, he saw the back of what looked like a photo frame. Turning it around, he had to wipe a tear away. It was a picture of a little girl - no more than a year old - with uncontrollable curly hair, clutching a brown teddy bear while sitting on the lap of an older girl with a book open. The little girl was smiling at the older girl and he knew that smile… He saw it almost every day. It's the smile that lights up his day, the smile that reminds him that it's not just him anymore, the smile that can make all the bad he sees every day go away in a hard heartbeat.
"Em, how did you?" Callen asked as he ran a finger over the picture.
"Hetty helped me and Nell did some resource on the monastery I was left at. They didn't keep good records of the kids but when they upgraded the church and monastery a couple of years ago, they found all these old pictures with the kids' names and the year they came to live there on the back. Nell found this website where they uploaded all the pictures so the kids could find them and contact each other. And she found this one with my name on the back, then she went through Olga's files, found the same picture and compared the two."
"Emma, this is amazing." Callen said as he hugged her. "Now, I finally have my blackmail material."
"Oh, I knew this was a bad idea." Emma giggled.
"Now, your turn." Callen said as he took a box and handed it to her.
Emma took the box and slowly opened it, only to find a little note with what looked like a number plate number on it and a key chain with a pink butterfly on it.
"What's this?" Emma asked as she tilted her head to the side.
"Oh, forgot the last thing." Callen said as he got up and went to his jacket and took something out of the pocket. Coming back, he sat down in front of her and held out his hand to her. Emma held her hand open and he dropped a set of car keys in her hand.
"The team and I thought since you have your licence, you might want to stop spending so much time on a bus." Emma shook her head but Callen took her hands, "I know you've been saving up to buy a second-hand car but this was going to be the car you were going to get when you started at NCIS if you had your licence. Hetty just did the paperwork so it's yours and this is a gift from all of us. Deeks dropped it off last night."
"Thank you." Emma said as she hugged him close. "Thank you so much."
"I'll pay the insurance and you cover the gas. If something happens, we can work something out. But this way, you have a car when you head to Virginia."
"This is awesome. Best gift ever." Emma said, hugging him again.
The rest of the gifts were just minor stuff, the both of them didn't need much. They felt they had everything they needed in just being with family and friends.
"We have to get ready to head over and since you have a car now… you can drive ME around." Callen said with a smile.
"And so it begins." Emma laughed. "I'll get dressed and clean up, while you get ready."
"Or I can clean up while you get ready and then I can get ready. You cooked, I can clean." Callen said as he turned her towards her bedroom.
"Okay, I'll get ready." Emma shook her head as she walked down the hall.
As soon as she closed her door, she slid to the floor. Wiping a tear away, Emma held the key close to her heart. She never thought that a small thing like this, will mean so much to her. She had everything she always wanted: her dad, a family that looked out for each other, friends, and a future. What more could she ask for? She got up and placed the key on her dresser and walked into the bathroom to get ready. Because her hair was naturally curly, she didn't need to do much with it. She started to wear a little bit of make-up – everyone told her she didn't need it but they let her be her. Walking into her closet, she took the Evergreen dress off the hanger and placed it on the bed. She got herself a pair of ruby red wedge heels while they were Christmas shopping, so that completed her outfit. Nell was rubbing off on her with this whole dressing up for Christmas thing but she liked it. Once dressed, she went to her jewelry box and took out her pearl earrings and butterfly necklace that Hetty had given her. Walking out she went to the kitchen where Callen was loading the dishwasher.
"Mind zipping me up?" Emma said with her back towards him.
"Emma-Grace, you look beautiful." Callen said as he zipped her up.
"Thank you. Now, get dressed. I'll finish up here."
"No, leave it. I need something to do while you're not here." Callen said as he took the plate back from her.
"Okay, whatever old man." Emma said with a laugh, "Now go. I'll have Aunt Michelle kill you first if we're late."
"I would love to see that." Callen said as he walked towards his bedroom.
It didn't take Callen that long to get dressed and for them to get the gifts in Emma's car. Emma was ecstatic with the Jeep and it was nice to know this was hers and that her family got this for her. Callen had to laugh at Emma, she drove so slowly and carefully – more than she usually did. As soon as they parked they saw Kensi, Deeks and Deeks' mom walking toward the house. Emma had the biggest smile as she got the gifts out of the trunk and turned toward them.
"Nice wheels, Pixie." Deeks said as he grabbed the bag from her.
"It is and thank you for the gift." Emma said as she hugged Kensi and then Deeks.
"What can I say, I'm a man with a plan." Deeks said with a smile.
"Wait, didn't Sam and Nell think of the car idea first?" Kensi said as she turned towards Deeks.
"Well, maybe but I still thought of it. In my mind, I had the idea in my head." Deeks said as he pointed to his head.
"Whatever." Kensi said as she turned towards Roberta, "This is Roberta, Deeks' mom. Roberta, this is Callen and his daughter Emma-Grace."
"Nice to meet you, Ma'am" Callen said as he shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you too." Roberta said as she shook their hands.
"Let's get the show on the road." Deeks said as he walked towards the door, which opened before he could knock.
"Thought you guys would stand on my lawn the whole day." Sam said before he was pushed out the way by Kam, who ran straight for Emma.
"We thought of it but we're here now." Callen said as he walked into the house.
"Mama, this is Sam Hanna. Sam this is my mama." Deeks said with a big smile.
"It's nice to meet you ma'am." Sam said as he shook her hand.
"So, this is Sam, I've heard a lot about you." Roberta said with a smile.
"That would be him but let's not talk about that." Deeks said as he walked into the house after Kensi and Callen.
"That's just weird, Deeks." Emma said as Kam dragged her towards the living room where Michelle, Aiden and the rest of the family were waiting on them. Emma went to hug Michelle and then went to hug Aiden. Callen hugged Michelle and then shook Sam's in-law's hands. After the hello's and hugs were out of the way, the mom's headed for the kitchen to get everything set up and ready to go when Julia showed up. Kam took Emma's hand and led her towards her bedroom to show off the new laptop that Sam got her and all the new clothes for school. When the doorbell rang, Aiden and Deeks were talking about surfing and school. Sam got up and went to the door, knowing it would be Julia.
"Hey, mama Julia." Sam said as he hugged her before he took the cake carrier, "Where's?" he asked, knowing she would catch on.
"Thanks, Sam." Julia said as she walked in. "He's waiting at the back door. Can you get her to go… get something for out back?" she whispered.
"That I can do." Sam said as he closed the front door. "Hey, Emma-Grace. Can you go and help Aiden get some more wood from out back?" Sam said as he walked towards the kitchen.
"I can do that Sam." Deeks said as he got up.
"It's okay, Deeks. The fresh air will be good for her." Sam said as Emma walked towards the back door.
As Emma turned the handle for the back door, she turned around to see where Aiden was when she almost ran into someone standing outside.
"I'm sorry…" She started but took a good look at the person before she yelled and jumped into his arms, "ZACHARY!"
"Well, hello to you too Pixie." Zach said with a laugh.
"What are you doing you here?" Emma said as she stepped back.
"It's Christmas… or did I get my dates wrong?" Zach said before Emma hit him in the arm. "Had some time off over the holidays and I've been missing the sun." Zach said as he hugged Kensi.
"Yeah, that's the only reason why." Deeks said as he hugged the man.
"Okay, everyone's here. Let's eat before the food gets cold." Sam's mother-in-law said as she carried a food dish to the table.
"Sweet, I'm hungry." Aiden said as she followed his grandmother.
"You're always hungry." Kam said before Sam hugged her close to him.
"He's a growing boy. You'll see when you have kids one day, especially if they're boys. They will eat you out house and home." Julia said as she grabbed a dish and followed everyone to the dining room.
Like most family dinners, there was a lot of food and laughter around the table. After everyone ate their share, the kids volunteered to get everything cleaned up while the adults went to the living room to continue talking. Emma and Aiden put all the leftover food in containers for everyone to take home, while Kam and Zach started the washing up. It didn't take long for Zach to get his hands in the soapy water and to take the opportunity to chase Emma around to get it in her hair. Aiden and Kam were blocking Emma so she couldn't leave the kitchen and dining room. Zach had Emma around the waist when Michelle came into the kitchen to make coffee for everyone. She shook her head and laughed with the kids but continued with what she was busy doing. Emma finally got out of Zach's hold and ran straight for the back door but Aiden got a hold of her. Kam tried to help her but Zach got a hold of her.
"Hey, cut it out. We're waiting for you guys with the gifts in the living room." Sam said as he came to see what was happing in the kitchen.
"They started it." Kam said as Zach let go of her.
"I don't care who started it, I'm ending it. Let's go." Sam said a as he went back to the living room.
They all looked at each other and followed Sam into the living room. The adults just laughed as the kids came to sit with them. Callen and Deeks sorted the gifts and then everyone started to open them. The kids got most of the things – especially Emma and Kam. They were the babies in the family and the adults liked spoiling them. This was Emma's first Christmas and she's never felt so loved. The adults got her enough clothes for when she headed to Virginia for training, Kensi got her a new pair of running shoes and a new pair of boots that she used for work. Sam and Michelle got her a brand-new camera and lenses to work on her photography when she had a break from training. It was after 8 pm when everyone started saying goodbye and heading home. Since Julia had a few glasses of wine, Zach was on driving duty and Emma was going to drop Callen off at his house before heading to Julia's house. As they were driving, Emma was happy that she got to spend her first Christmas with her family and this was her wish come true. After dropping Callen off and promising to call him when she gets home, Emma made her way home. Parking her car in the driveway next to Julia's car, she grabbed the gift bag and her bag out of the trunk and made her way inside. Julia was making herself some tea when she saw Emma coming in. Greeting her with a smile, she asked if she wanted some tea too. Emma shook her head yes and Emma placed her bag on the bar stool and took something out and handed it to Julia.
"What's this?" Julia asked as she took the offered gift.
"I wanted to give it to you when we're alone." Emma said with a smile.
Julia just smiled and started to open the box. Moving the tissue paper out of the way, she gasps. It was a black phone frame with a picture of her and Emma they took at Thanksgiving. They both had the biggest smile on their faces and if you didn't know them, you would think that they were mother and daughter.
"Emma-Grace, this is amazing. Thank you so much." Julia said as she hugged the teenager.
"There's more." Emma said as she hugged her back.
Julia went to see what she was talking about. Taking the photo frame out, she found a second frame with a picture of Kensi, Deeks and herself from Thanksgiving. Running her fingers over the picture, Emma could see a tear fall.
"Before Zach heads back, we should take a family picture. Mama and her two cubs." Emma giggled.
"I have three cubs, my dear Emma-Grace." Julia smiled at her. "I can't believe you're leaving the house so soon, I'm going to miss you so much."
"I'll visit whenever I can and I'm just a phone call away, mama." Emma giggled.
"I know and you better pick up when I call."
Zach stood in the doorway looking at his mother and Emma hugging. He knew how much Emma meant to his mom and he could see that Emma loved his mom as if she were her own. He knew that when she was doing her FBI training, she would be close by so he'd keep an eye on her for his mom and Callen, while still giving her the freedom to explore.
"How long are you going to stand there?" Julia asked with one arm around Emma.
"I'm just thinking how when she's in Virginia, I can keep an eye on her for you." Zach said with a wink.
"Until you have to leave for an assignment and then I'm all by myself." Emma said with a laugh, "I'm going to take my stuff upstairs and then take a shower. You up for a movie before bed?" Emma asked as she passed Zach.
"I'm always in for a Christmas movie. I'll make popcorn while you take a shower."
"That sounds good. Mama, you joining us?" Emma asked as she walked away.
"I think I'll head to bed, I'm not use to drinking so much wine. You guys enjoy the movie and I'll see you guys in the morning." Julia said as she went to kiss Zach on the cheek and walk with Emma up the stairs.
Emma gave Julia a final hug and then headed to her bedroom. Placing her bag by her clothes basked, she put her gifts by her desk and bent down to say hi to the fish. Julia left a little note saying that she fed them this morning so she didn't need to feed them till the morning. Going into her bathroom she started the water, she pulled her hair in a messy bun and undressed. The water felt so good and luckily for her, she didn't need to wash her hair so her shower didn't take that long. Walking back into her room, she saw Zach standing in front of her jewelry box. She could see that he had the box he sent her a couple of weeks ago in his hand. Walking up to him she spoke, "Thanks for the necklace."
"You're welcome. I thought having your mom and dad close to you daily would be nice."
"It was really thoughtful." Taking the box from his hands, she took the necklace out and handed it to him, "would you mind putting it on for me?"
"Of course, turn around." Emma pulled her hair to the side and Zach placed the necklace around her neck. When he had it clasped, he bent down and kissed her neck where the clasp was. He could see the goosebumps on her arm and didn't know what had come over him. Moving her hair back, he turned around and moved to get on her bed. Emma stood there for a minute more before she opened her eyes and looked at him. Taking a deep breath, she made her way to the other side and began to move the sheets so she could get in. Wiggling around till she found the right spot, she reached over to get the remote and started to look for a movie. They finally settled on a movie they both could agree on, they settled in and began to watch it only talking a few times. Emma offered Zach one of her blankets and he placed it over his legs. It didn't take them long to fall into a comfortable silence and they were so relaxed that they didn't even make it to the end of the movie. In their sleep, they moved closer to each other and Zach ended up spooning Emma while he was still on top of the covers.
Emma woke up early and found herself staring right at a sleepy Zach. Taking him in, she thought back to the kiss the night before. She never felt anything like it but knew nothing could happen between them. Zach needs a girl who's pure, like him. Someone who can give him a life she couldn't, give him kids, make him dinner and listen to him talk about his day, make a house a home, someone who isn't broken or scared. Someone he could grow old with and see grandkids run around the backyard. Moving out from under the covers, she went to the bathroom to get ready for her day. Making her way downstairs, she started the coffee maker and filled the kettle to make herself some tea. Pouring the hot water into the teapot, she placed it on a tray, picked it up, and walked outside. The weather was still sunny but a bit chilly and she had to get the blanket out before sitting down. She couldn't remember how long she sat there but she heard someone moving around in the kitchen and then the back door opening and closing. Looking up, she saw Zach walking toward her with his cup of coffee.
"Moring Pixie." He said as he sat down next to her.
"Morning, how was your sleep?" Emma asked with a smile.
"Slept like a rock and you?"
"Slept like a baby. Yesterday took a lot out of me, we didn't finish the movie."
"I know what you mean." Zach said before he took a sip of his coffee, "So, what are your plans for the day?"
"I have to pack for my trip and spend some time with your mom. And you?" Emma said as she took a sip of her tea.
"Deeks invited Aiden and me to go surfing with him later but other than that, I'm just going to hang out with my mom."
"When are you heading back?" Emma said as she looked down.
"I'm off till the 4th but my flight is on the 2nd. Have to pack my stuff and move to my new apartment on base."
"Sounds like you're hitting the ground running." Emma said with a sad smile.
"When do you get back?" Zach asked and she could see the sadness in his eyes.
"I'm back on the 4th. School starts on the 6th so I have few days to prepare for that."
"Can't believe you're almost done. Then you get to start your life the way you want to."
"Neither can I. It's scary to think about the future but I'm ready." Emma said with a smile.
"And that's okay. Everyone's scared of the future but you can do it and we're all here to help you."
"I think you have too much faith in me and my abilities."
"Look at me," he started before taking her hands in his. "You can do this. You have to trust yourself and if you need to talk, I'm just a phone call away. And if you can't reach me by phone, write a letter." Zach said as he looked into her eyes.
"Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me to have you in my life." Emma said before she brought him in for a hug.
"I'm happy that you came into my life too." As he hugged her back, Zach said, "So what do you say we make some breakfast, I'll go surfing, and you pack for your trip. Then we can try and finish our movie from last night when I get back."
"That sounds amazing! I've missed your cooking, it tastes different than when I make it."
Zach helped Emma carry all the stuff back into the house, before he started breakfast as Emma set the table. They were busy making Julia a plate when she walked into the kitchen with a smile. As she made herself a cup of coffee, the two of them set a place for her to join them. After they finished their breakfast, Julia told the two of them to get lost while she cleaned up. Emma went to her room to start packing for her trip to visit Brian and Travis. When she was done packing, she went downstairs to spend time with Julia. Emma knew she'd miss Julia and the rest of her family in LA but was excited to start her new adventure.