1. Chapter 1

**Gone**

Kensi paced the living room for the hundredth time; she was surprised she hadn't worn a track in the carpet. The junior agent, who had been temporarily benched, placed her hand over her swollen stomach and glanced to the clock once again.

They should have been back by now. They should have been back hours ago. Where were they? She wanted to go out. Look for them. Look for him. She felt the panic ebbing into her mind again but shook her head not permitting it to take over, to consume her. She had to be strong. She had to keep it together. For him; for them.

But they should have been back. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought the worst and shook her head again, violently this time. No.

She pushed the chilling thoughts away, out of her mind, not letting herself go there. Not letting herself imagine. No. It wouldn't happen. It couldn't. He would come home. He had promised. He had promised he'd come home to her. To them.

When the front door swung open Kensi spun around on the spot her messy hair flying. She met his blue eyes in a second and in one more knew that something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

They met half way. One of his hands went to her cheek another around her waist pulling her flush against his chest as his lips met hers. She reached for him, needing to touch him, feel him in her arms, to convince herself that he was really home. That it was alright. The power of his kiss, the urgency scared her. He cradled her face in his hands as he pulled away and she met his eyes that were slightly glossy. Kensi allowed her eyes to flicker over his shoulder to see Sam, Deeks and ...Renko? What was Renko doing here?

But she didn't get a chance to ask as he turned her around and began to walk up the stairs. She followed him worried by the grip he had on her hand. As if he never wanted to let her go, as if something would happen if he did.

What was going on?

"G" she said as they walked through the doorway to their bedroom. But he didn't answer her and she didn't get a chance to ask again as he shut the door and backed her into it kissing her all over again. Tears leaked from her eyes and she was unable to stop them. Something was seriously, completely, undeniably, horribly wrong.

His hands traced her face, her body. Every inch in reach until finally one settled on her stomach and he dropped to his knees. Slowly Callen pulled her shirt up a little so he could see the small bump that had formed on her stomach. She could almost hear her heart thumping loudly but she smiled when he traced her stomach smiling slightly as he did whenever he saw her stomach. Their baby. Their baby that they had created. That they would meet in seven months.

When he pressed his lips to her stomach, his thumb still caressing her skin she watched a tear fall from his sparkling eyes and the sight shook her to the core. Hardly able to stand she dropped to her knees in front of him, one of her knees on each side of his.

"G...please" She asked again her tears thickening and he met her eyes again. After leaning forward and kissing every tear away he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers,

"Kens. I need you to listen to me okay, trust me" he whispered and she could feel his hot breath against her lips. She nodded,

"Kens they're after me. They're still out there and they want me-"

"Why" She interrupted but he shook his head placing a finger over her lips,

"I don't know baby but I...I have to go Kens" her jaw dropped as everything clicked and she realised what was happening. Her heart sunk into her stomach and she felt a wave of nausea wash over her body leaving it cold,

"No" was all that she could get out but she shook her head at him her tears falling again,

"No G...NO" she yelled an angry look contorting her face. As her husband leant forward and kissed her again she began to sob and they could both taste the salty tears.

"Kensi I have to go for a while, until we sort this out. I can't have you...you can't be near me, around me until I sort this out. We can't be together, I can't risk them finding out about you, coming after you. You...and the baby. I can't ...Kens I need you both safe. I have to know you're safe" he whispered on her lips but she shook her head again,

"No G, we can work this out. I can come with you and—" But he silenced her again with a kiss,

"No Kens we've gone over every option in the book. Every single one. It's the best...the only way to keep you and the baby safe...Kensi look at me" he gently pulled her chin upwards to meet her gaze and wiped her tears away with his thumb,

"You know that I would never ever leave you if I didn't have to Kens...this is the only way to ensure that you and our baby are safe okay" she stared at him for what seemed like hours,

"Breathe Kensi" he said gently,

"Breathe" she let out a shuddering breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding as she felt her airways close over and her thoughts blur. Suddenly he pulled away and she let out a strangled noise as she felt the loss, but he was back in front of her in seconds after pulling a large black bag from out beneath their bed. She eyed it shaking her head not understanding what was happening.

He pulled her off the floor and walked her to the bed sitting her on it before kneeling before her,

"Kensi listen to me, I'll be back for you. I'll be back, I'll come back I promise but until then I—"

"How long?" she interrupted her jaw clenched. When he didn't answer she felt her mouth open and heard herself repeat her question at a yell,

"HOW LONG?" tears fell from his eyes as well now and he shook his head,

I don't know Kens... I can't know that" she felt another sob wrack her body at his answer and shook her head again but he spoke before she could object,

"I'll be back before he or she is born Kens...I promise you I'll be back to meet our baby" she felt her stomach hollow out, she felt empty, cold.

"Seven months?" she breathed out,

"G ...I can't...I need you...no please I need...you G I need you I can't do this without you" she watched him shake his head furiously at her words and the emotion in his eyes intensify,

"Kensi you are the...strongest woman I know...no look at me" he said as she looked down her tears overwhelming her,

"Look at me Kens. You can do this...we can do this and we have to do this for the baby. Kens I love you ...I love you so much. I know you can do this. I know you ...and I love you and I will be back before you know it" But she knew and she knew that he knew that a day apart... a week...a month would feel like a lifetime. They were inseparable. They were together, they needed each other. This was hell. This would be...unbearable.

"Can we talk, can we...can I see you, can I...ring you" she tried but she already knew the answer. He was disappearing. He was going to disappear. No contact. No trace. And he didn't answer. She knew that it was probably because he couldn't.

There was a knock on the door and they heard Sam's voice through the wood,

"G!" it was time.

No.

They needed more time. She needed more time.

She couldn't breathe as she shook her head, her eyes wide with panic and fear. No more words. He simply stood up and pulled her with him so she was kneeling on the bed and kissed her. Hard.

He pulled back a moment later.

"You be strong for me, for the baby. For you" He lowered his head so he was face to face with her and she nodded, promising him.

"Look after yourself Kensi, you hear me" she nodded again. She would do anything, anything for him.

"I love you... I love you so, so, so, so much Kensi" He kissed her again,

"I love you" another kiss,

"I love you" another,

"I love you, I love you, I love you" and then he kissed her with everything he had and she kissed him back with everything she possessed. They felt every feeling, heard every I love you, remembered how the other tasted, felt. Savoured being there, together.

Another knock at the door only caused them to pull each other closer.

Neither cared for oxygen.

Neither cared for the increasing amount of knocks or the voices.

They didn't care for anything around them. Anything else but each other.  
>Callen's hand found her stomach again while the other caressed her cheek.<p>

"G" Sam said and Kensi closed her eyes burying her face in her husband's neck. She'd never despised a friend so much as she did Sam in that moment. He was there to take him away, away from her.

She didn't hear the words passed between the men but felt his hand tangle in her hair and his lips on her forehead.

"Kens"

Her hands fisted into the material of his shirt not letting him go. She felt Callen grip her hand that was with his on her stomach. And then there were others there and he suddenly stepped away from her.

"No" the word ripped from her throat and she followed him down the stairs as he all but ran out the room,

"G!" she screamed and she watched him stop even though her vision was blurry with tears.

"G!" she repeated and he turned,

"Promise me you'll come back!" she begged and felt strong arms around her and knew they were the only thing holding her up. She watched Callen run back up the stairs and he took her face in his hands again,

"I promise Kensi...I promise you I'll come back, I'll come back for you okay. I promise you. I'll be back. I love you" he said again and the conviction in his voice, the sincerity and certainty in his voice made her believe his promise even though a part of her knew...knew that he couldn't promise such as thing.

"I love you" she whispered,

"I love you G"

He kissed her once more before he ran his hand down her face and turned for the last time. He left the house and as the front door shut Kensi felt her legs collapse from beneath her and her body double over with pain. She couldn't hear anything else but her own loud sobs that were ripping from her body. He was gone.

He was gone.

No..No..No..NO..NO..NO..NO. He couldnt' be gone. He couldn't go. He couldn't leave. He couldn't. She felt a rush of adrenaline surge through her and she tried to get back up. Tried to throw her body forward and go after him. Before he could leave.

When she didn't move she looked down only to realise she was still being held by somebody. She turned in his arms and met Renko's concerned stare.

"LET GO" she cried pushing him away,

"LET GO MIKE LET GO!" She screamed her fists battering against his chest but he didn't budge. She felt pain slice through as he old partner pulled her closer to him,

"NO..NO I HAVE TO GO...I HAVE TO...PLEASE...NO, NO LET GO HE'S GOING TO LEAVE RENKO HE'S GOING TO LEAVE"

"I know, I know Kens. I know. It's okay, shhh, it's okay" she heard him say his mouth near her ear and she felt her body weaken,

"No he's going to leave, I have to go, before he goes, please...please Renko please.. I have to..." She sobbed, begging him to let her go, pleading with him.

"He's gone love. Kens he's gone" he said and the cold words hit her and she let herself be pulled into him. She sobbed into his chest her body weakening until she collapsed before him. She vaguely felt herself being lifted upwards and a second later she was sat on her bed and then his hands were at her hips. She looked up confused and she watched his lips move. But there was no noise. She couldn't make out what he was saying,

She gasped in air desperately needing it and reinflated her lungs,

"Kensi where's your phone" her old partner spoke slowly and loudly,

Phone...where was her phone.

Downstairs.

Where she'd been waiting. Waiting for him to come home.

Now she was waiting again.

She hated waiting.

"Kensi" Renko said again but she could hear the concern laced in his voice,

"I need your phone Kens"

"Kitchen" she managed to choke out and he nodded,

"You okay for a second" she felt herself nod and Renko turned heading quickly out of the room. It was only then that her mind caught up and realised what he had asked,

Her phone.

He wanted her phone.

He was going to destroy it.

Her last way of contacting her husband.

Her only way.

No.

She pushed herself off the bed and stumbled to the door.

"No" he heard her...somehow and looked up from the bottom of the stairs phone in hand,

"I need...please...just one" she begged and his brow creased.

"Please" she asked again and a moment later she was sitting back on her bed her phone in her hand. She managed to force her trembling fingers to work properly,

_We love you_

It was all she wanted to say. All she needed to say. The three words that she hadn't said enough in that...whatever it had been. It was all a blur. She sent the message and felt her already stinging eyes well again.

She held her phone out for Renko who took it and quickly pulled the back off removing the battery. He didn't crush it beneath his foot like she'd suspected he would. He probably would later. To stop any chance of her breaking procedure and trying to contact him, to find him.

She felt him wrap his arms around her body again as she began to cry and her body began to tremble. For a moment she wondered if she was over reacting, if it was the hormones that had made her moody, upset and cranky all week that Deeks had been complaining about when he'd worked with her in the office since she'd been benched from all field work courtesy of her darling husband.

Pain sliced through her again as she thought of him.

What was happening?

Who was after him?

What had happened today, why did he have to leave?

Where was he going?

Hundreds of questions rolled around her mind as she continued to cry into Renko's chest while his arms held her tightly refusing to let go and it felt like she would literally shatter if he did.

She didn't know how long it was, all she knew was that she was numb and cold. She wondered if that was how it felt to be in shock. She vaguely heard Renko's voice no doubt trying to calm her down but she couldn't make out the words. And finally she felt darkness consume her fatigued body and exhausted mind that was thumping with an unforgiving headache. She allowed herself to drift out of consciousness, allowed her body to rest, her body to sleep. Her baby to rest. She saw Callen in her mind promising her he'd be back for her, telling her he loved her and their child. And his voice, his promise was the last thought in her head before she sunk into the peaceful darkness.

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><p><strong>REVIEW PLEASSSSSE!<strong>

**Okay so little thought I had that just came out : )**

**Really hope you like! And there will be another chapter...maybe more...maybe lots more I haven't decided I'll think about it...let me know what you think!**

**So please review!**

**Thanks Nina**

**Xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Gone **

**Chapter 2**

G vaguely felt his shoulder twinge painfully but didn't acknowledge it or his partner who was talking from the front as he drove the new car they'd taken from the ops centre. _His _car would be destroyed; Hetty would organise it, just like she had organised everything else that was about to take place all in the last few hours. His car would never be seen again, his identity would be concealed, his life would be destroyed.

Well he was about to destroy it anyway.

The pain his body felt was nothing compared to the pain that was flowing from his chest; his heart. Every breath he sucked in felt like needles in his throat and pins in his lungs. What had he done? What was happening? What was he doing?

A hand on his shoulder caused him to flinch violently and he turned to face the concerned stare of Nate. Callen nodded quickly assuring the psychologist that he was ….. he wasn't sure.

But the senior agent turned back away to stare out the window and felt the powerful wave of nausea crash over his body as Sam turned into his street. When the car stopped nobody moved. Nobody spoke or made any move to get out of the car. Callen sat staring vacantly out of the car window now taking in his house. His home.

The house was beautiful. He and Kensi had been blissfully living it for months upon months now. It was theirs. They had made a beautiful house into a warm, loving home where family was everything and nothing else mattered. It was an old style with a wrap around veranda and a huge backyard lush with trees and blossoming flowers. It was everything a home was, a home ready for a family. They were making a family – and now he was destroying it. No.

He forced the thought from his mind he wasn't. This was good. This was the only option. This was the best, the only option to ensure everyone's safety. To ensure their safety. His wife and child's safety because in the end they were all that mattered. Not the house or the job or the fact that he was going to miss his daughter or son growing – none of it mattered. As long as they were safe.

And yet Callen couldn't make his muscles work. His legs were heavy as if they'd been cemented to the floor of the car and his eyes were fixed on the house that was his home. He didn't see Sam watching him carefully in the rear view mirror or Renko taking in the surroundings he hadn't yet seen. Deeks and Nate sat next to him, the three of them had squeezed into the back but both men were giving him time. Time...there wasn't any. At least not anymore. No time to waste, to say everything he wanted to say. He had to leave. He had to leave so that they would be safe. And the thought had his heart shattering like glass did into a thousand pieces. And it felt like the sharp shards were cutting their way through the rest of him. But they would be safe.

It was that thought that forced him to move. It was that thought that powered his limbs into motion and Callen quickly got out of the car and headed up the path after opening the small fence he'd closed that morning. When the world had been right. When the only care he had in the world was to pick up some chocolate that his wife would, no doubt, be craving that night.

The heavy white door mocked him as it shut him out of his home and the reality of everything hit him – he was leaving. Leaving here. Leaving Kensi. Leaving Kensi and their unborn child. Leaving.

Callen could feel his eyes burning and he shook his head that was thumping with pain and forced himself to push the door open.

And just like that, there she was. He watched as Kensi spun around, curls flying, and met his eyes. He could see the worry and fear in her eyes without effort and wished there was something he could do to fix it and place the normal spark back in them. The one that he loved so much.

He watched as her brain kicked into function and thoughts filled her head. He caught her eyes run over his body as if she was searching for injury. She'd always been able to tell when he was in pain. But this time she wouldn't be able to see it. Unable to stay away Callen felt his feet move and he moved towards her. By the time he made it half way across the room she'd moved to him as well and he pulled her as close to him as he could get her befor he caught her lips with his. He felt her own arms wrap around him and wished more than anything that he could just stay there forever.

He deepened the kiss even more ignoring the need for air. He needed her more and when she finally pulled back for answers he met her eyes. He hadn't heard anyone enter the house behind him but he watched her gaze move over his shoulder and he knew they were behind him. When her brow creased it was obvious she had spotted her old partner. But he couldn't tell her here, he couldn't explain to her why Renko had been ordered back to LA. He didn't know how to tell her.

Before she could ask Callen turned her around and began to walk towards the stairs praying that she wouldn't resist him and demand the answers to the many questions he was sure she wanted to ask. But she didn't instead she simply followed him and he held her hand tightly knowing it could be the last time he would be able to do so in god knows how long. He led Kensi into their bedroom and it was then that she spoke. Her voice was so unsure almost vulnerable as if she knew something was terribly wrong.

"G?" It almost broke him and he didn't trust his voice to answer instead he shut their door and pushed her gently into it kissing her again. He felt her tears on his cheeks and could taste their saltiness in their kiss but he couldn't stop. He needed her; to kiss her, to hold her, to taste her, to show her how much he loved her before...before he couldn't.

Before he couldn't tell her he loved her and their baby...their baby. He moved his hands to caress her face and then down her shoulders and arms to her stomach and Callen ignored the pain in his knees as he dropped to the ground. His hands were trembling as he manouvered the material of Kensi's shirt up until he could see the small bump that had formed. He traced the bump and then spread his hand over it, his child. Their child. He had never believed it would happen to him. Any of it, home, marriage, wife, family, children. None of it, he'd never dared to hope. But it had all happened and he had learned what it was to love. Truly, unequivocally love. Kensi had shown him that. They'd learned together. They'd learned to love and learned to trust. They'd both thrown caution to the wind and jumped head first into a relationship with the odds stacked high against them. But they'd made it and now he wasn't sure if he'd be able to live without it, without her, without them.

Before he could think anything else he felt Kensi move and she slowly kneeled down to his level until he could see every ounce of fear and pain in her eyes.

"G...please" She asked again and he knew he had to answer her. Tell her. He had no right to hold out any longer. He knew he was scaring her, hurting her and he hated himself for it. He just had to pray that she wouldn't hate him once he'd told her what he was about to do. Once he'd told her what she was about to have to do. Alone.

He'd never been able to handle seeing her tears. Perhaps it was because it very rarely happened and Kensi had always been the tough girl. But once Kensi had gotten pregnant her body, it seemed, had been flooded with hormones and her tear ducts seemed to take avenge on her for every time Kensi hadn't allowed them to release her tears. He leant forward and kissed the small drops from her flushed cheeks and finally leant his forehead on her metting her eyes.

When he spoke his throat burned as if in objection of the words he was saying,

"Kens. I need you to listen to me okay, trust me" she nodded in response and he struggled not to lean forward and kiss her again,

"Kens, they're after me. They're still out there and they want me-" he trailed off as Kensi's eyes widened and a million emotions played across her face.

"Why?" she asked and Callen shook his head brushing a finger over her lips. He took a long breath before answering her,

"I don't know baby but I...I have to go Kens" he avoided her eyes for only a moment before watching her expression intently. For a moment her face was blank as she processed his words and he watched it all come together in her eyes. His heart clenched as her jaw dropped and her face drained of all its colour.

"No" he heard her say and it was her who forcefully shook her head this time as more tears began to fall,

"No, G...no" her voice raised in volume and Callen flinched his chest aching as he watched her. He could see the anger on her face and it had been what he was expecting. But even through all the anger he could see the hurt. It was painfully obvious all over her face. Callen leant forward, rolling further onto his knees and wrapped his arms tightly around her, one of his hands running through her hair. When the first sob wracked her body Callen pulled her even closer feeling his own heart clench painfully. He kissed her again before he spoke again. He was running out of time and he knew it.

"Kensi I have to go for a while, until we sort this out. I can't have you.." he paused for a moment knowing that he was going to regret his words as soon as he spoke them,

"...you can't be near me, around me until I sort this out. We can't be together, I can't risk them finding out about you, coming after you. You...and the baby." he let his hand linger over her stomach again,

"I can't ...Kens I need you both safe. I have to know you're safe" he said finishing at a whisper his lips centimetres away from hers.

"No G, we can work this out. I can come with you and -" he had to stop her. He had to stop her words. No. He had thought about the option of running. Of packing up and taking her with him but it wouldn't work. They'd just keep looking and find him again. Kensi would be in danger. His son or his daughter would be in danger. They'd be on the run and he couldn't live with that. No.

"No Kens we've gone over every option in the book. Every single one. It's the best...the only way to keep you and the baby safe" she looked down and he could tell she was trying to think of more options, other ways to keep him from leaving, to keep them together,

"Kensi look at me" he said softly sliding his hand underneath her chin and upwards until he was once again looking into her eyes. He wiped the rest of the tears away with his thumb,

"You know that I would never ever leave you if I didn't have to Kens...this is the only way to ensure that you and our baby are safe okay" he hoped she would see his point and he kept her gaze as she just looked at him.

"Breathe Kensi" he said trying to calm her down, he raised a hand to her face caressing her cheek,

"Breathe" he said a second time and sighed with relief when she let out a shuddering breath. Her grip on him loosened and as much as he didn't want to he pulled away from her quickly heading towards the bed. The whimper that he heard from her almost made him turn back to her immediately but he quickly crouched and pulled out the bag he'd packed several days ago just incase. He'd never actually thought it would get as far as it had, and certainly not as quick as it had. He hadn't told her and he regretted it now. He'd only told her the very minimum and that they had it under control. He hadn't wanted to stress her more than necressary – not with the baby. For all the good it had done though.

He hurried back towards his wife and gripped her waist pulling her up off the floor. He watched her carefully and made sure she was steady before he began to walk her towards the bed. He gently pushed her down so she was sitting and then braced himself on the mattress either side of her as he crouched down. Calln brushed her hair away from her face,

"Kensi listen to me, I'll be back for you. I'll be back, I'll come back I promise but until then I—" he began and he had every intention of keeping his every promise he made.

"How long?" she interrupted and he watched her jaw clench. How long...he didn't know. There was no time frame, no guessing. He honestly had no idea how long it would take him and the others to track them down and find out what they wanted. He flinched when Kensi repeated her question almost yelling,

"HOW LONG?" he shook his head still unsure of how to answer but he knew he couldn't lie to her, not even to reassure her.

"I don't know Kens...I can't know that" he said truthfully and almost regretted it when another sob over took her. He leaned forward before continuing,

"I'll be back before he or she is born Kens" he promised,

"I promise you I'll be back to meet our baby" he said adamantly. There was no way in hell he was going to miss the birth of their child. Their baby.

"Seven months?" she breathed out and Callen looked at her his heart aching. God he hoped not. Seven months was too long. Too long without her. Too long without seeing the bump on her stomach. It was too long.

"G ...I can't...I need you...no please I need...you G I need you I can't do this without you" she said before he could answer her and Callen felt his head shaking before he had even took in her words. No. She could, she could do it and he had to make sure she knew that.

"Kensi you are the...strongest woman I know...no look at me" he said when she looked down

"Look at me Kens. You can do this...we can do this and we have to do this for the baby. Kens I love you ...I love you so much. I know you can do this. I know you ...and I love you and I will be back before you know it" he promised desperately trying to convince her and make sure she knew what he felt for her. He wondered how long it would be before he got to tell her again. He didn't want to think about it. Whatever it was, however long, it would be too long.

"Can we talk, can we...can I see you, can I...ring you" he knew that she already knew the answer to her question and he couldn't answer her.

He felt his entire body tense when there was a knock on the door and Callen shifted closer to the bed, his hands circling her waist as he ignored the sound.

"G!" he heard his partner's voice and he'd never hated Sam more. It wasn't time yet. It couldn't be. He hadn't told her everything, he hadn't made sure she knew that it was going to be okay. His eyes widened and his heart sped up and he could feel the strong pulse thud through his body. But everything stopped when he looked back up at Kensi. Her eyes were wide and he could see the panic and distress. He knew that he would have to be the one to go. To be the one to let go of her. To push her away. To actually do it.

He stood up, not letting go of her waist causing her to rise with him. She swayed on her feet and he just tightened his hold not letting her fall. He stared into her eyes for a second and he knew that he didn't need to say anymore. He knew she knew. Or she would at least once she'd calmed down. He leant forward and kissed her with every fibre of his body.

"You be strong for me, for the baby. For you" he said again and this time she nodded, promising him and he felt his chest constrict again.

"Look after yourself Kensi, you hear me" he commanded and she nodded again.

"I love you... I love you so, so, so, so much Kensi" he said and he could hear the emotion in his own voice. He kissed her again,

"I love you" he breathed into her mouth before resuming their kiss,

"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you" and then he kissed her with everything he had and she kissed him back. Another knock on the door made Callen want to slam it into Sam's face. Instead he just pulled Kensi closer. He felt her arms wrap tighter around him as well. In the back of his mind he could hear more than just Sam's voice outside but he didn't care. He didn't care about them, about anything. Just Kensi. Just that moment.

One last time he slipped his hand between them and found the swell of her stomach and he felt Kensi's hand cover his. It was then he heard the door opening and he shifted to turn his back to it.

"G" he heard Sam say and he could hear the torment in Sam's voice as well. No one was happy with the situation they'd found themselves in. All because of him.

When Sam spoke he felt Kensi bury her head into his neck and he kissed her head while his fingers ran through her hair.

"G we got to go" Sam said and Callen closed his eyes this time feeling the moisture in them,

"I know" Callen heard himself say in a voice that wasn't his own,

"I know" he whispered into Kensi's hair. Slowly and reluctantly Callen forced himself to push Kensi backwards slightly. He pressed another kiss to her forehead,

"Kens" he felt his shirt being drawn tight across his chest and she held onto the material. He slowly turned his hand between them and held hers stroking the back of it. He heard her breath catch in her throat as she tried to wrap her mind around what was happening. As Callen forced himself to step backwards he found that he couldn't. He took a deep breath and stepped back into Kensi's arms. She settled but Callen turned to look at his partner who had his bag in his hand. Standing beside him now was Renko and Callen met the mans eyes knowing that the old NCIS ops agent would understand. Renko crossed the room and stood behind Kensi placing a hand on her back, she didnt' flinch and Callen wondered if she was even aware that he was there.

Placing one last tender kiss on Kensi's forehead Callen looked to Renko and nodded before forcefully stepping back and letting Renko pull her away when she tried to grab for him. He couldn't stay. He couldn't wait and listen as her sobs got louder. He wanted to pull her away from her old partner and wrap his arms around her again. Try to calm her down but he couldn't. He knew he couldn't because if he did he'd never leave.

Instead he turned away from her and didn't bother to look at Sam instead leaving the room as fast as his feet could carry him. He could still hear her fighting Renko as he descended the stairs and only just saw Deeks standing on the phone and Nate look up at him with concern. He was at the bottom of the stairs when he heard her,

"G!" she yelled from behind him and her voice made him stop. He paused for a moment considering keeping on walking but he couldn't resist turning to look at his beautiful, pregnant wife once more.

"Promise me you'll come back!" she said and Callen felt an indescribable pain erupt in his chest. Before he or anyone else could stop him Callen was back up the stairs and he enveloped her in his arms again. He made sure she was looking at him before he spoke,

"I promise Kensi...I promise you I'll come back, I'll come back for you okay. I promise you. I'll be back. I love you" he vowed again and she simply kept his gaze still sobbing quietly. He doubted any of them had ever, ever seen her this upset.

"I love you" he heard her whisper,

"I love you G" he kissed her again, he couldn't help it and he placed a hand on each side of her face before he pulled away and turned going back down the stairs and out the house before he could stop for a second time. Before he called Hetty and said that he wasn't leaving or that he was taking Kensi with him. Before Kensi said anything else.

And just like that she was gone. Callen didn't stop at the car. It wasn't far enough away. He kept walking, he kept walking down the street. He couldn't stop. He had to walk away, walk away before he couldn't. This was Kensi he was walking out on, Kensi and their child. Their baby. And he was going to miss it. He was going to miss the first kick, he was going to miss the first ultrasound and the one after that, he wasn't going to be able to hold Kensi's hair up when she was sick or go and get her strange and unexplainable cravings, rub her swollen feet or hold her when she couldn't sleep or when she couldn't explain why she was crying she just was. He wasn't going to be there. He was going to miss it.

He was going to miss being a father. Being a husband. He was going to miss the start of his family.

The thought made him stop. Stop where he was and grab his chest where a shooting pain sliced through him. He crouched down and for the first time in years Callen felt tears run down his face. And he couldn't care less. The agent couldn't breathe and stopped, his chest heaving, before he slid down beneath a tree and sat.

He didn't know how long he was there for. He didn't feel the rain begin to fall on his skin or the wind blowing around him. And he barely even noticed when Sam pulled up beside the road and got out. The man walked around the car and crouched before his best friend.

"Come on G" he said and all Callen could do was stare at him for a moment before he nodded once and stood. The front seat was empty and he saw Deeks and Nate in the back of the car. He got into the car after glancing up and down the road. Whoever they were, whoever was after him, whoever it was that was breaking up his family, that was separating him from his wife and his child. That was targetting him and threatening the safety of his family. Whoever that was. He was going to find them.

He was _going_ to find them.

**I know it's been so long but I really wanted to do the second part to this – there's more coming and I hope you like this one.**

**I sincerely apologise for any spelling mistakes my spell check isn't working and while I've read through most of it I'm posting it now because I have to get back to my assignment (due tomorrow :)) and I don't want to not post it. (even though I probably shouldn't.**

**Pretty please send me a quick review and let me know what you think,**

**Thanks,**

**Nina xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Gone**

**Chapter 3**

The car was completely silent as it travelled smoothly down the highway at Sam's direction. The only sound was when Deeks' phone rang briefly but Callen only had enough energy to drag himself out of his consuming thoughts to make sure it wasn't Kensi or Renko that was on the other end before he let his head fall back against the cool, tinted pane of glass. His head ached but it was nothing compared to the pain in his throat and chest. Callen could distantly hear the others talking seriously around him but he didn't try to listen. His downcast eyes looked through the rain that continued to fall from the dark heavens and focused on the white lines that were drawn down the middle of the bitumen road. They disappeared behind him in a flash but another always followed and he could barely make out the gaps, leaving him feeling lightheaded and dizzy but he couldn't look away. A distraction from the world around him, from the fact that the fast speed of the car took them further and further away from the only place Callen wanted to be.

The moisture in his eyes still threatened to overflow and the agent blinked furiously not allowing them to mirror the actions of the droplets of rain running down the window in front of his eyes. His throat constricted and his heart seared with a pain that was different to any he had experienced before. He was losing his family. And he was still coming to terms with the fact that he actually had one to lose. And it hurt. Callen was suddenly startled out of his thoughts when the car stopped and he straightened up to quickly glance around. He hadn't even noticed Sam passing into a tunnel and even more strangely the fact that there were no other cars in the tunnel itself apart from three others along with many workmen and a council truck.

Sam gestured for him to get out and Callen followed the actions of the other three members of the team ignoring Sam and Nate's looks of concern sent his way. He didn't ask questions he barely even frowned instead he simply watched feeling like he was a million miles away as Deeks moved to one of the men who got out of the car and shook his hand. Several more badges were shown and Callen was quick to realise that the workmen were indeed agents. He almost quirked a smile knowing this was certainly one of Hetty's creations.

Several minutes later Callen was sat in the new car next to Sam. A man who matched Sam's profile was now sat in the black car he had climbed out of and another that he supposed looked similar to him sat in the passenger seat.

Sam quickly started the car and glanced towards Callen before hitting the accelerator and along with the several other average looking cars headed towards the exit of the tunnel. The black car he had been in following several cars back. The swap had gone off fine and the cars emerged from the other end of the tunnel as if they were the last to be rounded up and out of the tunnel for the workmen to fix whatever conveniently damaged part of the tunnel had broken. Sam quickly picked up his phone hitting speed dial,

"Alright Eric we're clear, camera's can go back up" he said before hanging up again. They turned to the left several blocks later and Callen allowed his eyes to flick upwards to watch the black car pass behind them in the mirror.

"We're heading straight to the safe house where you'll be staying while we figure this out" Sam said and they were the first words he'd said to his partner since everything had happened. Callen turned towards Sam,

"I need to be here" he said his face beginning to crease with a frown but Sam shook his head,

"The place is just outside of LA, quiet neighbourhood but slightly secluded so we can set up some pretty good security, in fact Eric's already been out" he explained and as Callen was about to protest Sam interrupted,

"You're a Dad now G, you've got to keep yourself safe" it was enough to silence Callen and the senior agent let himself slump back into his seat.

It was another twenty minutes before Callen spoke again thankful that Sam hadn't yet pushed him to talk, he was still reeling from the sight of Kensi Blye hysterical and the feeling of Renko pulling her away from him. Having to walk away from her. Hearing her yell his name, pleading him to come back, it may have been one of the hardest things he'd yet done.

"Do you?" Callen asked,

"What?"

"Keep yourself safe? I mean you still carry a gun, make enemies, raid houses, bust terrorists, how is that keeping yourself safe?" he asked and Sam sighed nodding. He knew what Callen was saying, why didn't he just quit? It was a question he'd battled with over and over.

"It's the job G you know that. Both you and Kensi do. We've already made our enemies, we're already in, deep, could you quit?" Sam asked earnestly and Callen didn't hesitate to answer,

"No" he said quietly and Sam nodded in understanding. Several beats passed before Sam spoke again,

"You always clean your gun, you always wait for back up, you don't take unnecessary risks and you put your safety before the importance of catching every perp" Sam said and Callen nodded after several seconds,

"You'll pick it up especially once my godson or daughter is here" Sam said and the edges of Callen's lips did turn upwards just slightly as they always did when Sam presumed he'd be godfather. Kensi and Callen had been teasing him for ages now.

"I have to be back" he said quietly and this time Sam nodded the determination in his eyes. Callen knew how much being a father meant to Sam and he knew that his partner had his back; he knew that his partner would be doing absolutely everything he could to get him home before his child was brought into this world.

**Hey guys, I'm backkkkk!**

**Just wanted to say that I'm sorry I've been away for so long, I won't go into details but just want to say thank you to everyone who has stuck with me and for some of the absolutely lovely and inspiring reviews and messages I have been sent. They have really made a world of difference lately guys.**

**Thanks xx**

**p.s. a review would be much appreciated, do you guys still want me to continue this one?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gone**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

><p>His boots clicked on the floor of the empty house. And it was just that: empty and hollow and it wasn't just because of the fact that there was barely any furniture. He supposed that it was a nice house. But as his eyes swept the large room he knew that it had nothing on his home. Absolutely nothing.<p>

"Mr Callen" the senior agent turned on his heels to see Hetty behind him and he felt anger swirl in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to get angry at her again, to yell that it wasn't fair, that she couldn't rip his family apart before it had even started. But looking at the woman he knew there was no point. There never had been. She loved them, they were family to her too and she was only protecting them. They were safer. They were safer, Kensi and baby were both safer without him there.

"This is temporary" she said gesturing around her at the house,

"You'll be moving around at least every fortnight" she continued and he nodded knowing procedure. He followed Hetty into the next room and nodded to Eric who was sat at the table.

"Mr Hanna will be with you most of the time however he will be travelling to and from ops. He will act as the main communication between us. You have a phone please use it only when absolutely necessary" Hetty implored using her hands to exaggerate the 'only when necessary' part of her sentence. He nodded knowing that if someone knew where he was or had somehow gotten track of him it would be making their jobs much to simple. Something that he wasn't planning to do.

"You'll have no network out here" Callen frowned at Eric's words turning towards him but he was interrupted as he opened his mouth ready to protest,

"You will not need it Mr Callen. I told you that I was destroying all ways your delightful new friends could find you and I was serious. Anything you need will be faxed to you" Hetty said with no room for argument and he drew a deep breath in, his jaw tightening knowing that he couldn't argue with her. Everything she was saying, everything she was doing made sense. It was what he would tell anybody else, usually it was him telling the families and people they were putting them into protective custody.

"I've uploaded everything that you need to this computer so if there's anything else just tell Sam and we'll get it done from OSP, like Hetty said we can't risk you being traced through your phone or your laptop. It would be too easy for them." Eric said and Callen thanked him quietly while Sam moved into the room behind him with more bags setting them on the ground.

"Have you got everything from LAPD?" Callen asked,

"Mr Deeks is currently there working on it" Hetty replied quickly and Callen nodded before turning towards the table where Sam was laying out copious sheets of papers and stacks of folders.

"This is all we've managed to get, the basics from LAPD, plus everything that both Mr Beale and Ms Jones have managed to dig up, go through everything, see if there's anything that jumps out at you and Mr Beale will fax over everything Mr Deeks returns with" Hetty said and Callen nodded before she and Eric headed towards the door having done their work there. As the door closed behind them Callen dropped down into one of the wooden chairs that sat around the table and looked at the twelve photographs before him. Twelve men who he hadn't seen, worked with or been in contact with for almost seven years. Twelve men who all had families, all had careers both in and outside of law enforcement, Twelve photographs marked with thick black, crosses, twelve men who were all dead. Well, nearly. He flicked to the last one in the pile and drew in a deep breath as he stared down at it. He could feel Sam's eyes on him and looked up towards his partner,

"I know I don't need to tell you G, but that was a hard day" Callen nodded at his partners words before glancing down at the photo once more. They were copies. Copies of the photo's that the LAPD had recovered from the meeting but yet it didn't matter. He still didn't know who any of the men were.

"So these guys were CIA with you" Callen nodded curtly as Sam took a seat beside him and pushed a bottle of water his way. Picking up several folders Sam handed them to Callen before taking a few himself,

"But you don't recognise any of them?" Callen shook his head,

"Didn't work with any of them?" again he shook his head as his eyes ran over the photo's again.

"Don't have any idea how your name is on the same list as theirs"

"No Sam" he said finally looking up at his partner,

"I've got no idea"

* * *

><p>"You sure you don't want me to stick around tonight, I'm sure they can handle it without me" Sam asked eyeing Callen closely. The senior agent shook his head as they walked towards the front door,<p>

"I'd rather you were there helping Sam, there's nothing we can do from here" he said and Sam turned to look at his partner once again hearing the frustration in his voice,

"We'll get them G, we'll get 'em and you'll be home before you know it" Callen nodded throwing Sam a small smile in gratitude. Sam slapped a hand on Callen's shoulder before passing him out into the street,

"Sam" Callen called and his partner turned. For a moment Callen didn't say anything but finally looked back up and Sam frowned at the emotions circling in Callen's eyes.

"Look after her" he said after a second and Sam straightened before turning around fully to face him,

"You know we will G" Sam said and Callen nodded. The senior agent watched his partner nod once more before turning and walking down the drive and around the corner. And with that the house was empty.

"Yeah I know" he said quietly, his words absorbed into the empty silence.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter four guys, I know that there's still not much going on but we'll get there promise!<strong>

**Hope you liked this one, let me know what you think!**

**Review Please!**

**Thanks,**

**Nina xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Gone**

**Chapter 5**

The room was dark as he pushed the door open and peered into the room. Not being able to see anything Renko pushed the door open further until he could venture a few steps in. It was only once he was half way to the large bed in the centre of the room that he realised he wasn't going to find what or, more accurately, who he was looking for. A surge of panic sliced through his chest and his arm reached back to flick the lights on. Surely if anything had happened he would have heard it, right? As the light flooded the shadows though Mike Renko took in the empty bed where he had left Kensi almost an hour ago. Moving back out of the room Renko checked the bathroom next door and then the study that was further down the hall, it wasn't until he crossed to the other side of the hallway and pushed a door open that he found her.

He had been ready to pull the door back closed as the panic began to overwhelm him and pull his phone from his pocket to dial for Sam but he froze in motion when his eyes found his old partner. Renko took in a deep breath, his brow deeply creasing as he took in her small form. She hadn't bothered to switch the lights on leaving the small line of sunlight that managed to peek in beneath the bottom of the curtains to allow him minimal visibility as he moved slowly into the room.

It was small and even without much light he could tell it was unfinished. The walls had been sanded back and there were several squares of paint although he couldn't make out the colour. There was no other furniture in the room but it hadn't mattered, not before and not now either, the person whose room it would become wouldn't need it for another seven or so months. His boots echoed around the room, bouncing of the walls, as they hit the wooden floor until he reached the furthest corner from the door where she sat. He didn't hesitate to turn around pressing his back to the wall before allowing himself to slowly slide down it until he came to a rest beside her. They sat together as the minutes dragged on neither sure of the time. Kensi hadn't bothered to look up as he entered the room and she was glad that he hadn't turned the light on. She didn't want to see how empty it was. They, she and Callen, had debated about when they should start what would be the baby's room. They were excited, and they were both people made for action, not for waiting. They needed to do something, but when they discovered they couldn't even agree on whether they wanted to find out the sex of the baby or not they had decided to wait a while. Now she knew that they should have started while they could. She closed her eyes as she wondered where he was. She could only hope he was safe, her chest constricted painfully, she hated waiting and now she was left waiting for Callen. It was a painful reminder of the past, waiting for her father to come home, waiting for Jack to come back to her; now she waiting again. Her nails dug into the side of her hand and she reminded herself that it would be different than those times. He was coming home. He was coming home. He would come home.

Renko raised his arm until he could wrap it around Kensi's shoulders. He had heard her breathing begin to quicken and he hoped he could pull her out of the thoughts that were quickly consuming her. She barely flinched at the touch but after several seconds she slowly began to relax, her shoulders lowered and her head lay back against the wall, leaning on his arm. He felt her lean sideways and held her even more tightly as she leant against his side letting her head fall to his shoulder.

"What happening Mike?" she asked, her voice small and slightly hoarse,

"What's going to happen?" his thumb caressed her skin as she asked him another question, one that he was expected to answer,

"I don't know Kens…I can't know that" he answered honestly even though he would have walked to the other side of the world and back if it meant that he could have told her more. He didn't have any answers, didn't have any more words for her. Didn't have anything else to tell her, assure her that he would be back. He didn't have any more information to give her, hell he didn't have any information at all. He had just received a call from Hetty who had shortly told him that Kensi would need him, a call that had sent him packing his bags and boarding the next available flight to LA. When he had arrived at OPS everyone was about to walk out the door, but he had caught the distress in Callen's normally calm eyes, he had seen the concern and worry in everyone elses'. He knew that something wasn't right and he knew that the senior agent was in trouble. At first he had been worried that it had been Kensi, that something had happened to her and his heart had dropped into his stomach. His mind had then jumped to baby, had something happened to the baby, to both of them? He'd quickly demanded an update and Nate had reeled of a brief summary of the information he knew at the time. Not that it was a lot; not much at all. And then between Hetty and the director who was on the large screen talking at a hundred miles an hour Callen angrily interjecting at every second sentence and Nell and Eric both talking loudly into headsets, with Deeks on the phone his mind struggled to determine who he wanted to listen to more. It wasn't five minutes before they were all swept out the building and into cars heading for the home of Kensi and Callen, the latter mentioned looking decidedly ill.

He had watched the exchange between Kensi and Callen, at least what they had all seen, until Callen had pulled her up the stairs and into their bedroom. Renko's eyes had found the small bump on Kensi's stomach upon walking into the house and he hadn't managed to stop the edges of his lips quirking upwards as he took in the woman he considered to be his little sister who he hadn't seen for just over a year and a half. Since her wedding.

When Sam had hung up the phone and nodded to them announcing that it was time to leave he quickly turned to Renko informing the man he was going to be staying with Kensi for the moment. They would need him to help with the case but Sam assured him that all he was to worry about was calming down Kensi while they left with Callen to get him to the safe house. Briefly, Renko's eyes had flickered to Deeks' in confusion as he wondered why her partner wouldn't be staying with her.

"My expert liasing skills are required" he'd said as a joke but the words were far from jovial and Renko had simply nodded in the understanding. And so Renko had climbed the stairs behind Sam, who paused for a moment hearing the distressed almost hysterical voice of the normally composed woman they knew so well. None of this was fair and they all knew what they were doing to Kensi and yet no one knew that more than Callen. It had been brought up at the OPS centre when Callen had harshly accused the director of wanting him to walk out on Kensi, to do to her what he had promised that he would never ever do. Until now.

When she had refused to let go, although, he wasn't so sure that it was a conscious choice of hers, Callen had turned to him and the pain written on his face was enough to make him walk forward and carefully pulled Kensi back until Callen could get free. The senior agent had briefly nodded his thanks to him before turning away from Kensi and the sound that had ripped from her throat at the sudden loss of contact would stay in his mind forever.

Renko was pulled from his thoughts by Kensi gripping his hand,

"I'll be fine, I just….in a minute" he couldn't help but smile into the darkness at her words. Because beyond everything, beyond the entire mess that her life had become in a matter of hours she was still Kensi Blye, kick ass woman who never let her emotions run free and was always fine. It was comforting to know that she was still there and it warmed him to know that she still felt that she could be 'not okay' with him. He could remember almost two years into their partnership when a case had hit her hard, that night once all the paperwork had been turned in he headed out and immediately towards her apartment. He should have been expecting the door to be slammed in his face like it was and then the punch that came when he picked the lock. But he did get to her in the end, he did drag down the walls until she finally had told him about her Dad, confessed to him that she missed him, a lot, that it was nine years on that day, since his death. He'd spent the night there, the two of them curled up on the couch watching some stupid movie that didn't matter. But it was then that they became family and friends and partners. They had shared things that they hadn't in a long time and their partnership was stronger than ever. The next morning Callen had simply smirked at the bruise that had formed on his bicep before handing Kensi a coffee who thanked him gratefully, he could only imagine what bruises he would have received had he told them that in several years they'd be married and expecting.

"I know Kens" he reassured her and he gave her hand a squeeze. It was at that moment that Renko's phone rang and Kensi violently flinched beside him this time. She sat up turning to him as he fished the phone from his pocket,

"Renko" he answered quickly his free hand still threaded together with Kensi's,

"Ok, good yeah thanks for letting me know"

"Yeah, no she's alright" he said and from in front of him Kensi gave him a small smile along with a token roll of the eyes and he squeezed her hand smiling back at her.

"Alright, no worries, thanks" quickly hanging up the phone he let it fall into his lap before he ran a hand over the back of Kensi's,

"They've just left Callen and Sam at the safe house, he got there fine, he's safe. Hetty's on her way over to tell you what's going on" Kensi nodded and sniffled briefly before nodding and Renko stood before easily pulling her up. Once she was standing he wrapped her in his arms,

"Thanks for being here Mike" she said and even though her words were muffled against his chest he smiled and dropped a kiss onto her head,

"Anytime Kens"

**Hope you liked it : )**

**Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Gone**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

><p>"Mr Beale, Ms Jones and Mr Getz are currently identifying these men. Mr Callen and Mr Hanna are going through past cases, attempting to find the connection between Mr Callen and any of the men or victims. Mr Deeks is still held up at LAPD recovering all the information from the case and each of the murders. We will find them Kensi" The conviction in Hetty's voice calmed her and truly made her believe that maybe, just maybe, this would all be over within a matter of weeks. And yet the fear lurking just behind her calm composure that threatened to shatter her 'together' exterior continued to whisper that she just wasn't that lucky.<p>

"But who are they Hetty, who are these men?" Hetty nodded at her question from across the dining table and she leaned forward to flip open several folders. Renko and Kensi who sat side by side on other side leant forward as one to inspect the photo's that were within. There were at least nine men, all in black, all surveillance shots.

"These men have been identified as being responsible for almost twelve murders in the Los Angeles over the last three years. We do not know who they are but they were all seen together two days ago here in LA. LAPD initially had no evidence nor any idea that the homicides were related and treated them as separate events. However when they discovered the meeting, while maintaining surveillance on one of the men. They went in, however did not manage to attain any of these men. They did however find a list" the last six words from the operations manager caused Kensi to swallow the lump in her throat that had suddenly formed. She didn't need to ask the next question however, instead she simply watched as Hetty opened a second folder and this time spread out twelve photos. Kensi's stomach flipped and she instinctively placed a hand over it. She cursed herself and the nausea that spread through her at the sight of the bloody, gruesome photo's. She had never had a problem with blood, ever, not until she had become pregnant. Seemed the baby wasn't a fan.

She nodded to Renko who looked up in concern but her attention was quickly claimed by one photo and her breath caught in her throat. His white shirt was stained red and the horror on Sam's face who had been photographed running towards Callen who had already hit the ground, was enough to make her head spin and the blood to run from her face. She closed her eyes for a moment, rejecting the vision. She instead turned to see a small, torn book that Renko had picked up, opening it and flicking through the pages, he stopped as he came to the page that read her husbands' name, her name.

"He was believed to have been killed on this day" Hetty explained as she tapped the photo that showed Callen bleeding out on the ground. She could remember that day, almost three years ago now. The day she thought she lost him, of course he wasn't quite who he was to her now, but he had still been one of the most important men in her life. And she had almost lost him. They had almost lost him.

"If he had been killed, he would have been the first out of these men" she explained,

"But Callen doesn't know them?" Kensi asked and Hetty simply shook her head,

"And I trust you do not either Ms Blye" Kensi shook her head,

"Yesterday Mr Callen was targeted, confirming my suspicions that it is known that he did not in fact die three years ago" Kensi frowned,

"What do you mean he was targeted, he didn't say anything? I don't…" Kensi trailed off as Hetty nodded,

"Mr Callen did not in fact know either, the director and I set up a fake meeting, let me assure you that our fake Mr Callen, even though he was plastic, did not fare well" Kensi nodded breathing deeply.

"How do you know that they don't know about this place, couldn't Kensi be in danger here?" Hetty sighed as if having her own internal battle,

"They only appeared to have been made aware of Mr Callen in the last several days. I made sure that the whereabouts of Mr Callen's faux meeting would be well known, safe to say they definitely acquired that information. The LAPD also attained the surveillance photo's of Mr Callen and it appears that a case several weeks ago, where Mr Callen and Mr Deeks both made appearances down town as less than upstanding citizens, was one which had interactions with one of these men, which one we are still to find out. There will, no less, be surveillance on this house, street and the surrounding ones Mr Beale has added his own share and I can guarantee that you are relatively safe for now, however if I ever have reason to doubt that be assured Ms Blye I will have you moved" Kensi nodded at Hetty's words and in recognition of the case the operations manager had referred to.

"So now that they know Callen's alive they're going after him?" Kensi asked even though she knew the answer,

"He is the only one in that book that remains alive today" Hetty said and Kensi nodded slowly taking in the words,

"We will continue looking for any of the men, a connection, a lead, hopefully Mr Deeks will return with some information from the LAPD which will fill in some of the rather large gaps that we currently have" Kensi nodded,

"I must head back, get started, Mr Renko will be staying with you for a while, we will need him at times in which we will call" she turned back to Kensi and Renko after collecting everything from the table,

"What can I do Hetty, I can't just sit here and do nothing while you're all out there in danger, while he's…" Hetty turned once again taking in Kensi who had stood to follow her,

"You Mrs Callen have the most important job" Kensi knew that Hetty used the name to make her point clear, and her eyes flicking down to Kensi's stomach made her point even more obvious and while it was still as strange to hear Hetty calling her that as it was her calling her Kensi she still shook her head,

"Hetty, come on, I'm fine, in fact I'll just worry more if I'm cooped up here without anything to do" she said and Hetty took a moment before nodding,

"I will find something for you to do Ms Blye, I'll send some files over or something alike" Kensi nodded quickly in thanks,

"I trust I don't need to make it clear that you're not to leave the house for anything, at least not without informing us first" Kensi nodded knowing full well that she was going to be stuck inside for as long as this thing played out, but there was no way in hell she was going to sit back and do nothing. Not while her husband was in danger, not while something or someone out there was threatening her family.

"I will speak with you both later, good to see you once again Mr Renko we are more than glad for your assistance" Renko smiled at Hetty nodding his head once, tipping his non existant hat causing both Hetty and Kensi to shake their heads and roll their eyes. He laughed at them both but thanked the operations manager before shutting and locking the door behind her.

He quickly caught the worry on Kensi's face and cocked his head sideways watching her carefully,

"Everything's going to be fine Kens, this is Callen we're talking about, if there's not someone after him then he's probably not doing his job properly" Kensi smiled fondly as she thought of her husband cursing the hormones flooding her body as she felt her eyes prickle.

"So what now?" she asked and Renko grinned and she knew that she was in good hands. She had been incredibly lucky with partners so far, well at least in the end, between Renko and Deeks, because she knew that latter would show up at some stage just to see how she was doing, they would distract her enough and keep her busy until Callen got home.

* * *

><p>"They're all former CIA agents, good track records, most were still in law enforcement, eight still with the CIA, two with the bureau, one retired and your agent with NCIS, although we've never been able to find much on him" Deeks couldn't help but smirk at the man's words who turned to him almost accusingly,<p>

"You wouldn't" Deeks said shortly before raising his arms up in surrender when the man cast a harsh glare towards him,

"Hey you can't blame that one on me too Donnelly" Deeks said and the officer who once worked alongside Deeks himself turned back to the board,

"They don't have that much in common apart from their involvement with the CIA, no missions together no nothing, the only other things they all have is that they were all killed in the last three years,

"Except for Callen" Deeks added but only got a curt nod from Donnelly,

"I'll need all your case files from each murder and the case as a whole and your CIA liason or whoever's working the case from their end" at his words Donnelly turned to him the anger not hidden,

"We didn't have much time to piece everything together we only were able to connect the murders yesterday" Deeks nodded,

"And there's no CIA, we're in charge of this case, well we were until NCIS decided to come waltzing in" Deeks let the bitterness sweep over him not letting it bother him but frowned in confusion at Donnelly's words,

"What do you mean there's no CIA, what you're going to tell me that the CIA aren't investigating the eleven consecutive murders of their own agents" Deeks asked, eyebrows raised and the officer before him just shrugged,

"No it's our case" he said simply and Deeks simply nodded while several other uniforms placed more folders atop of the stack he already had in front of him.

Twenty minutes later he was fully briefed on the eleven investigated murders and as he walked out getting back in his car that had been loaded full of case files he pulled out his phone hitting speed dial,

"Hey Deeks, how'd it go?" Eric asked once he picked up,

"Yeah alright, if you ignore the bitter jealousy of those left behind" Deeks heard Nell's small snort of laughter before he turned more serious,

"Listen is Hetty there"

"I am indeed Mr Deeks"

"Yeah Hetty, I've got a feeling, something hinky is going on here, LAPD are denying the involvement of the CIA" he explained quickly,

"But all the agents targeted have been CIA operatives" Nate said a moment later, question in his words,

"I had a quick look before and I couldn't find any trace of an investigation from the CIA, but I just figured that Deeks would bring something back" Eric said and Deeks could hear the click of computer keys,

"I'll make some calls, how far away are you Mr Deeks?"

"Thanks Hetty, I'll be there in about twenty"

"See you then"

* * *

><p><strong>Next chapter, I seem to be in the writing mood today : )<strong>

**Hope you like it and that explains things a bit more**

**Please throw me a review just quick!**

**Thanks**

**Nina**

**xx**

**p.s. sorry guys i seem to have had some trouble with my uploading don't know what's been happening, sorry for any trouble! Hope you enjoy : )**


	7. Chapter 7

**Gone**

**Chapter 7**

"You okay?" Eric lifted his head from where it was resting in his hand to turn to Nell. His eyes lit up briefly and Nell smiled as she handed him the large cardboard cup of hot coffee before dropping back down in her seat next to him leaning back,

"Anything?" she asked but he shook his head,

"Nothing, nada, nil, nought, zero, zilch, zippo. I can't find any connection between the men or the victims or Callen and any of them apart from their CIA involvement and I'm not getting anything from them" Nell could hear the frustration in his voice and she let her head fall back.

"Well Hetty's still talking to someone from the CIA" she said remembering as she had walked past Hetty's desk hearing her less than civil tone as she was speaking into the phone.

"The directors on his way" Eric said and Nell nodded before Deeks looked up from the table in the centre of the room from his position by Nate,

"There's got to be something, we've got to be missing something, there's got to be something that ties them together" they had been sitting for hours on end trying to find something, anything but had so far come up empty handed,

"All the murders were done differently, some from a sniper shot, some a clean cut to the neck, a stabbing, a drive by, a car crash, asphyxiation there's no consistency" Deeks continued,

"So these men, the perps, before this meeting they weren't associated, they were just considered as convicted killers with no ties to each other?" Nate asked and Deeks nodded,

"So what ties do we have?" he asked,

"Only that they're all involved with CIA. We've managed to pair up who killed who but that's about it" Deeks and Nate stood as they inspected the board which was now lined with photo's of which of their perps were responsible for which murders.

"But we've still got no connection between the killers?" Deeks asked,

"No, none. Not to mention no case or anything tying all the victims together. They didn't work together, some weren't even with the CIA at the same time" Eric said leaving everyone just as confused before,

"Well at least it explains why the methods of killing were so different. So we need to work out why someone's picking of CIA agents" Nate said,

"We need access to CIA files, that's what we need. And that seems like it's slow going, we must be cutting through a lot of red tape"

"Something's wrong here, I have a bad feeling about this" Deeks said and the others nodded knowing things didn't add up. At that moment the doors swished open,

"Well Callen doesn't know any of them. He can't identify any of the victims or perps. Can't think of any reason other than the norm that someone from his CIA days would want him dead, at least why they would wait until now. Can we check if anyone's that Callen put away from his days there has been released lately, or three years ago?" Sam asked as he walked into the ops room and Eric turned to him,

"We haven't got CIA access yet" Sam frowned,

"Why not?" they shrugged and the ex-seal just sighed before turning to walk out heading for Hetty. He paused however turning back,

"You heard from Renko?" he asked the room at large but they shook their heads,

"Hetty went over there after we came back from the safe house to explain what's going on to Kensi. She said she was holding up alright, wanted something to do" Eric said and Sam nodded before turning back out the room.

Henrietta Lange sighed as she resisted from slamming the phone down into the receiver,

"Hetty?" the operations manager looked up to see Sam standing metres away from her desk,

"Mr Hanna, any luck with Mr Callen?" she asked although he suspected she already knew what his answer would be. He shook his head,

"Doesn't recognise anything or anyone" he said and Hetty sighed,

"What's going on with the CIA?" Sam asked frowning,

"That Mr Hanna is a very good question. It appears as if there is some miscommunication going on. Like Mr Deeks I do not believe that they aren't investigating these murders however someone very high up is covering this investigation well. The LAPD had no idea, they were under the belief that they were in charge of the investigation" Sam nodded knowing that she was as frustrated as anyone, it was rare that Hetty's contacts failed her,

"I'm sure you've got a few more numbers you can call Hetty" Sam said smiling lightly,

"Oh that I do Mr Hanna, that I do" Sam did smile this time at her determination and knew that if they had anyone on their side they would choose their operations manager every time.

"How is Mr Callen Sam" he nodded and the use of his name only added to her sincerity,

"He's okay, I think he'll stay put for now. I've given him the lecture recently about lone wolf stunts and I know that Kens has as well" he said,

"Perhaps it would be time for a refresher the next time you head to the safe house Mr Hanna. Mr Callen has waited a long time for a family and I don't think much will stop him trying to protect it" Sam nodded at Hetty's words knowing that she was right,

"I know Hetty and I'd be happy to" she nodded before sighing picking up a book and reaching for her phone again,

"Good luck" he said,

"They will need it" Hetty replied simply and Sam chuckled as he walked away once again. On walking back into the ops centre he headed for the centre table,

"Okay Hetty's still making calls, where are we up to?" he asked and Deeks looked up,

"We're going to leave it to Hetty and the Director to get us CIA cooperation for now, I doubt we can do anything more than what they can so we figure we're going to focus on the murders. If we can find them we can find who owns that little black book and why those names are the ones written in it" Deeks explained and Sam nodded,

"How are you going to do that? I mean LAPD have been trying to hunt them down for almost three years now, we're going to have to do something remarkably different" Nate said and the men nodded,

"Alright have we got any information on these men?" Sam asked,

"Not really LAPD didn't dig up much apart from a long list of murders they've been responsible for in the past and are still wanted for" Nell said bringing up more files in front of her,

"So they're assassins?" Sam asked and Nell cocked her head to the side,

"Pretty much" she said,

"But untraceable assassins I mean they're wanted by the LAPD along with countless other state departments, the FBI along with a lot of other international criminal organisations. Most of them are on every other wanted list"

"So we can only hope that they're still in the country"

"They will be" Nate said assuredly as he turned back to the surveillance photo's on Callen along with some reports written by the perps themselves,

"They're angry, they thought they had finished the job. I would guess they're under a lot of pressure from whoever's ordering the shots. They need to get this finished and Callen's the last here" Sam nodded,

"I'm going to try and get the autopsy reports and confirm the deaths of these men. I mean Callen's supposed to be dead according to these men, well according to them a few days ago at least right? So maybe there's others who haven't been killed? I'll collect the forensics from the cases while I'm at it" Nell said and Sam nodded,

"They'll need to go into protective custody if there is anyone still alive" he said and Nell turned back to her computer hands whizzing over the keyboard,

"Alright Doc, so what's the best way to draw these men out. I mean they were nearly caught for, as far as we know, the first time in almost three years probably longer by the LAPD. Are they going to be hiding out?"

"They'll be cautious, but they'll want this finished"

"So who looks like the top dog?" Deeks asked and the three men turned to inspect the photo's once again,

"That I can't tell from some profile pictures" Nate said and they nodded,

"The only way they're going to come out from wherever they're hiding though is if they can make a shot at Callen" Nate said and Deeks and Sam exchanged an uneasy glance nodding.

"And plan B?"

**Chapter 7, I realllllllly should be doing my uni work, oh well : )**

**Hope you're liking it so far, sorry if anyone had some confusion I had to change a couple parts in chapter 4 to suit what I'm planning for future chapters.**

**Hope you're liking it and you're not too confused? If you are please let me know!**

**Other than that review please!**

**Nina**

**xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Gone**

**Chapter 8**

Deeks looked around the house as if looking for something that was out of place, something that had changed. Nothing had, yet everything had.

"She's upstairs, hopefully sleeping by now but I doubt it" Renko said his voice low and Deeks nodded,

"How's she been?" he asked and the partners shared a look that rendered any further words useless. He nodded before turning to the stairs his eyes roaming over the stack of papers that had been spread over Kensi and Callen's table that Renko had been sorting through.

"Have we got anything yet?" the agent asked stopping Deeks' in his tracks only for the liason to realise that he hadn't in fact filled Renko in, in his haste to get to his partner. To make sure that she was alright, that she was still his partner and that this whole mess hadn't pushed her a little too far over the edge. It was Kensi Blye, he knew that, well Callen now, but she was still Blye to everyone including her husband. She was tough, the strongest woman he had ever met yet he also knew of the cracks in her hardened exterior, and he could only hope that she could survive through this loss as she had all the others she'd been faced with. He shook his head, drawing his overloaded mind back to the present,

"No nothing yet, we can't connect anyone. Nothing's changed since Hetty was here. LAPD was useless" Deeks sighed,

"Aren't they always" Deeks pointedly ignored the smirk on Kensi's former partner's face along with his comment turning back to the stairs and heading up them two at a time not missing the low chuckle he left behind. When he pushed the door open to the bedroom he was met with darkness and for a moment he wondered if she was asleep. Two more steps into the room and he stopped trying to avoid making noise, he knew she was awake. He walked around the other side of the bed and didn't hesitate to lie down over the covers. For a moment he wondered if it was okay, not that he hadn't lay there before, but now that Callen was gone. Not gone, but now that he wasn't here, he wondered if it would only hurt Kensi more.

It was several minutes before her hand found his and she threaded her fingers with his. A rare gesture but Deeks squeezed her hand still staring up at the ceiling. It took several more minutes, but he was happy to wait, wait until she was ready. Wait until he could be there for her,

"I need him to come back Deeks" her voice was quiet and didn't have the fire it usually possessed as she shot a remark towards him or teased Sam or joked with Callen. Hell it didn't have the sadness in it when she spoke of her father or Dom or the fear and worry when he had cornered her and she'd admitted she had been worried he would die, or get hurt and leave her. It didn't have the gentleness he'd heard her speak to her unborn baby with or the passion, anger or protectiveness he'd heard when she'd defended Callen. It was nothing he'd heard before, almost empty, numb. He didn't like it.

"He'll walk back through that door so soon Kens" he said. He promised her once to never lie to her but he was adamant that he wasn't. She'd grilled him once for offering promises he couldn't keep but this time she remained silent.

"This baby needs a Dad" the statement was met with silence for a moment as Deeks nodded and finally turned to look at her even though it was still dark.

"He will have one Kens, he'll have a great dad and an awesome mum, and a brilliant uncle but that's beside the point" a choked laugh escaped Kensi's lips.

"Did LAPD help?" she asked quietly and was rewarded with silence,

"Do you need me to come down and roll some heads again" she said and there was a tinge of mirth that he could make out as he offered her a sarcastic laugh,

"Can you stay for a while?" she asked quietly a moment later her hand tightening,

"Course partner"

* * *

><p>"Agent Hanna what are we on the situation" the director had arrived and had wasted no time in getting stuck into the case only offering short greetings to the team scattered around the ops room.<p>

"Callen is at the safe house, Agent Renko is with Kensi for now, transition went off without a hitch. We've got surveillance on both the properties at the moment and we're still trying to identify who these people are" he said gesturing to the various photographs lined up on the screen that the LA team were by now well acquainted with.

"The victims or the perps?" Vance questioned as he studied the faces,

"Well we know the victims have all been involved with the CIA at some point in time however all at different times and they never worked together on any particular cases. The perps we still have nothing on"

"So what progress did LAPD make?"

"Well they've put the perps together at least those who attended that meeting but for all we know there could be more victims, we're waiting on confirmation from CIA" Sam explained,

"Which hopefully should occur within the next hour" the men plus Nell who sat typing furiously at her computer station turned to look at Hetty who had been on the phone since the arrival of the director,

"Leon" she nodded and he returned the greeting,

"Mr Shore, a contact of mine from the CIA should be at the boathouse within the hour he will have as much information for us on all of the victims as possible"

"What's his position with them?"

"He's a senior officer but he's been there for years, in fact he's been there while all of the victims worked with the CIA he was responsible for hiring several of these men" she nodded and the others took in her words.

"I will join you at the boathouse however I still have several phone calls to make and a visit to the downtown office, Leon if you'd like to accompany me I believe there's an old friend of ours down there who may be able to offer some assistance" at the somewhat confused yet curious expression which spread across the directors face something of a small smirk flickered over Hetty' lips for only a second before he nodded following her out,

"Update us with any changes" she requested before leaving. As they turned from the doorway to look at each other all with the same slightly bewildered expressions they simply shrugged it off wondering who it was that Hetty and the director obviously had an old tie with.

"Got your interrogation face ready doc?" Sam asked glancing towards the psychologist before he moved towards the coffee machine, Nate only nodded but Sam could see the obvious relief on the man's face similar to what he could feel sweeping through him. They had something. Somewhere to go. Someone to question. He pulled his phone to call Renko and update him as Eric began to speak,

"Henry Shore, been with CIA for twenty-five years. Started as an agent, senior agent, was hurt and suspended from duty, research officer, training support officer, intelligence officer"

"So his whole careers been based with them?" Nate asked and Eric nodded,

"So he'll be well versed in hiding anything CIA business from us then" Nate said feeling some of his apprehension seep back into him,

"We'll just have to be …encouraging then" Sam offered as he sipped the fresh, steaming cup of coffee,

"Plus if you can make Callen _and _ Kensi talk to you in a psych eval I have no doubt you can make this guy sing Nate"

* * *

><p><strong>Hi guys new chapter for you! I hope I can get to update a few other stories tonight, I miss writing so much! I've just gotten a new job, and been on hospital placement for uni which is everyday (late, early shifts the works) plus exams and normal uni work. And I've been really sick lately so haven't really got a chance to sit down.<strong>

**Although since I've pulled a sicki today and am doing this maybe that's a good thing!**

**Anyway! Please review let me know what you think and if this chapters still alright? I really don't want to go OOC!**

**Thanks so, so, so much!**

**Nina**


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