Beneath the gruff exterior, lie the broken pieces of his heart

MONUMENTS

Mission Bullpen

The team were currently sitting in the bullpen, going over details for an upcoming op they were running. Eric and Nell were telling them about the layout of the building where they were making the bust.

"I will make contact with the Cartel rep. Sam and Deeks, I want you to back in case something goes down. Deeks, I also want you to cooridinate with LAPD Swat. Once the exchange is done we come in fast and loud and take them all in one swoop. Kensi, you will be in overwatch here" He pointed to one of the buildings, "That way you have a clear view of everything and can give us a heads up." Callen had instructed.

"You two will be our eyes and ears. Any camera you can get your hands on we need. We have spent too much time of this to screw up now" Callen turned to Eric and Nell. They both nodded.

"You got it." Eric said.

Hetty was about to give some additional orders when she glanced over to her desk and saw him standing there. He nodded to her and she turned and walked toward her desk.

"To be honest, Owen, I'm surprised you are here." Hetty said.

"My whereabouts are never any of your concern, Heniretta." He replied.

Hetty pulled out two glasses and poured an amount of scotch in it.

"Drinking at 10 in the morning on the first day of June, are we?" Grainger said.

"You could use it, Owen. It's no use hiding things from me. We have known each other for far too long." She said as she handed him the glass.

"Where are we on the cartel op?" He said as he drank.

"Everything is in place. Just need to lock down LAPD Swat involvement, which Mr. Deeks is currently handling right now as we speak." She said.

"Intel is solid?" He said.

"Solid as we can get it. But beggars can't be choosers, Owen." She said.

She set her glass down. "The op isn't scheduled until tomorrow. Forgive me for saying this but your presence is not needed today, Owen. "

He set his glass down.

"Doomsday can wait another day. I will need you to help me run this op and I need you with a clear head. That is why I scheduled it for tomorrow, not today." She said.

"My personal life has no bearing on how I run this department." Granger said, thinly veiled anger permeated his voice.

"I never insinuated anything of the sort. But I know what today is and how much it means to you. I can't tell you to leave, Owen, but I am asking you to, as a friend." Hetty said, folding her hands together.

"I hate it when you do that." He said, cracking a small smile.

"Tell you exactly what you need to hear?" She smiled back.

She pulled out a small card from her desk. "I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds but I put in a call on your behalf. It's ready for you to pick up. And don't worry about paying for it. This one is on me, Owen." She said as she handed the card to him.

He took it and glanced at it. He stood up, nodded a silent thanks to her, and turned and left.

"Where is Granger going?" Kensi said as he walked by.

"Assistant Directory Granger has some personal matters to attend to today. Do not ask me what they are." Hetty said as she walked back up to the group.

"Mr. Callen, is everything in place?" She turned to him.

"Still waiting on LAPD but everything is set for tomorrow." He said.

"I'm waiting on the SWAT Lieutenant to call me back. He said within the hour." Deeks said.

"Please keep on top of this, Mr. Deeks. We need SWAT backup for this." Hetty said.

"I'll be all over him like white on rice." Deeks said with a grin.

Florist Shop

The bell rang as the door opened and Owen stepped out of the sun.

"Hi! Come on in. What can I do for you today?" An elderly woman asked as she walked up to him.

"A friend of mine gave me your card and told me to come here." He said as he handed her the card. The woman looked at it. "You must be Owen, right?" The woman said.

"Yes." He said.

"Excellent. I just finished the arrangement this morning. Everything is very fresh." She said as she went to the back. She came out with a beautiful bouquet of different color tulips

"Here you go. Does that work for what you need?" She asked.

Owen nodded. "Very much so. Thank you. How much do I owe you?" He asked.

The woman scoffed. "Oh don't worry about that. Henrietta has taken care of it for you." She said.

"Thank you all the same. I'm sure she will appreciate it." Owen said as he turned to leave.

Los Angeles Cemetery

Owen put his car into park and got out. He grabbed the bouquet and walked down the path, stopping at a particular headstone.

"Hi. Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Having my own brush with death kind of changed things for me. Made me realize how much I missed out. Missed seeing you grow up. Missed our movie evenings together. Made me realize how much I missed you"

He knelt down in front of the headstone that read

Sarah Mary Grainger

Born July 16 1984

Died June 1 2003

He laid the bouquet down in front of the headstone.

"I miss you, Sarah. Even though your mother and I never got along you were always a constant in my life. I love you." He said, kissing the headstone gently and standing up.

"Never gets any easier, does it Owen?" An equally gruff voice came from behind him. Owen turned to see a black suited man with slicked back hair standing a few steps behind. Agent Cabe Gallow from Homeland Security.

"No, Cabe, it doesn't" Owen said.

"Thought you could use a fellow soldier" Cabe said as he stepped up and shook Owen's hand.

"I appreciate it, Cabe." He said. They both turned and looked at the headstone.

"How is that daughter of yours doing?" Owen said.

"Just found out Walter hacked the watering system causing her grave to be watered every other day instead of once a week." Cabe chucked a bit.

Owen couldn't help by crack a smile.

"Smart kid." Owen said.

"We have had our bumps the past few weeks but we've made it through." Cabe said.

"Good to hear. I've heard a lot about what you have done with them lately." Owen said.

"They are unique but that is what makes them special" He said.

Cabe fished some items out of his pockets. He pulled out a flask and two collapsible shot glasses. Opening the flask he poured a liquid into each shot and handed the other to Owen.

They both raised the shots in a silent salute and drank them.

"I hope you have an extra one for me." Another voice broke the silence. They looked to see Hetty standing with her arms behind her back.

Cabe poured a shot and handed it to her. "The more the merrier, Hetty"

Hetty drank the shot before returning it to Cabe.

"How did you know?" Owen asked.

"Just because you outrank me, Owen, doesn't mean I don't care for you the same way I do the rest of my team. We have all suffered losses and must be given the opportunity to process." She said as she took her place next to them.

"She always wanted to become a teacher when she graduated. She loved working with kids." Owen said.

"She would have been proud of you, Owen. She still is." Hetty said

"I would like to think so" Owen said. "I was damn sure proud of her."

After a few minutes of silence Owen spoke.

"Come on. We have work to do." He said as they turned and walked away

I think this fills my "Non Eric/Nell" quota for awhile. Hope you guys like the special guest I brought in.

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