Chapter 1
Callen walked into the bullpen.
Two weeks after being sick with chicken pox, all his visible spots had gone away and after a talk with Sam it had been decided to keep this information and the other bit of information he had gleaned during Callen's two-week convalescence to himself.
"Hey Callen!" Deeks said smiling as their team leader arrived back. "How was the mission?" he asked.
Callen grinned "Very hush-hush, but we got the bad guy."
Sam smirked, "Welcome back partner." He said and was bowled over by Kensi
"Hey Callen!" She hugged him until he winced.
"OK... Uncle!" he laughed she stepped back and grinned.
"So what are we working on?" He asked ready to get up to speed.
"Nothing, we had a case of a petty officer selling secrets, but it pretty much deadpanned." Deeks told him.
Callen smirked, "See can't solve a case without me."
"Really, so the five others we've solved since you've been sic…..on a mission don't count." Sam shot back.
"Yep," Callen smiled
Kensi was about to say something when Eric whistled from Ops and they all walked upstairs.
Granger stood stony faced in the center of OPS "We have a situation" he said and looked towards the screen as Director Vance's face filled it.
"Hetty has gone missing." Vance said.
Sam looked at Callen as his grip tightened on the desk but he said nothing.
"She was supposed to be at a conference in D.C. however, she never arrived. According to my sources, she never left Los Angeles. We received this letter this morning," Vance took a deep breath looked down and started to read. "We have Ms Lange, we know all about her and your NCIS, However we are not concerned with that. She has a file on our group, The Deliverers of Peace, from her CIA days and a confidential informant contact list hidden in a safe place. She says, she won't tell us. You have 24 hours to find the list. We will contact you for drop instructions if you do not comply we will leave her son... motherless."
Vance looked up as he folded the letter, letting the last word fill the room.
"I was not aware Hetty had a child?" Granger said, the others all looked shocked as well.
Callen shot a look at Sam, "What do we have on this group?" he asked still gripping the table tightly.
"Not a lot," Granger admitted,
"Then we had better get those files." Callen said and walked out.
Sam followed him, "G!" he called.
Callen stopped, "Sam….They have Hetty, if the others find out about me I'll lose my job, or worse they will kill her. I can't lose her she's all I have….Dammit Sam, This is why it was a secret!" He hissed quietly at his partner,
"G, do you know where the files are."
"No, I've never seen them, I've got to look Sam I can't let her down."
"Callen! You and your team go and search Hetty's house." Granger called down after him.
"Shit." Callen swore under his breath then nodded and walked out of the building.
They piled into the car and Kensi and Deeks kept looking at Callen on the ride over, They knew he had known Hetty the longest being on the team first but something about his demeanor was unsettling them.
As they got out of the car Sam pulled Callen aside.
"G, you need to tell them, the second they walk in that house they are going to pick it up."
Callen shrugged off his arm and walked to Kensi and Deeks who had pressed the bell.
"What are you doing?" He snapped.
"Ringing the bell." Deeks said looking at Callen as if he were nuts.
"Hetty's not here remember,"
"But maybe this mysterious son is here." Kensi said defending her partner.
Kensi bent down to pick the lock.
"Hold it," Callen said getting his key out, "I'm damn well not paying for a new lock."
"You have a key!" Deeks said surprised.
"What you see in here, unless it pertains exactly to the case, stays here…..Got it!" He growled standing between them and the door.
The two junior agents looked quizzically at each other. "Sure?"
Callen nodded at Sam, "That do ya?"
"Wasn't exactly forthright and honest…..but it'll do." Sam said secretly looking forward to seeing how freaked out his teammates would get.
The other two looked confused as Callen opened the door, "You'd better come in then," He said grimly.
They walked carefully in as Callen picked up some mail off the table and opened some.
"Kensi, Deeks start in the living room, first door on the left." He said and bolted up the stairs.
"How does he know where it is?" Deeks asked Kensi.
She shrugged her shoulders, "Dunno, but we'd better start in there."
They walked into a huge but comfortable room with a large Sofa and chairs, a bookcase and various ornaments there was also a shelf with a handful of photographs on them.
They started looking carefully not wanting to incur the 'wrath of Hetty' for messing up her house when Callen came in wearing a different shirt.
Kensi noticed immediately and gave him a look.
"Did you change your shirt?"
"Yep." Was all he said until Deeks went to move a book on the sofa. "Don't touch that!" he yelled jumping over the coffee table to reach him.
Kensi reflexively drew her gun and Deeks stepped back alarmed.
Callen picked up the book and grabbed a bookmark from behind the cushion, "Don't wanna lose my place." He said and turned to find Sam smirking and the other two looking at him incredulously.
"Have you been staying here?" Kensi asked.
"You read?" Deeks asked and got a punch from Kensi.
"Grew up here." Was all Callen said and with a grin to Sam said, "I'll check out Hetty's study, it's safer if I do it." Then he walked out of the room.
Kensi and Deeks took a closer look around the family room. There were pictures of Callen from about fifteen and older some with Buddy the dog, some of him in military uniform with and without Hetty standing by his side looking every inch the proud mother.
"Wow!" Deeks said.
"Callen is the son they were talking about?" Kensi asked Sam.
"Granger is going to flip!" Deeks said.
"Granger is not going to find out!" Callen growled walking back in. "Got it," he said showing them the file.
"Did you know?" Kensi whirled on Sam, "I thought we were a team with no secrets."
"This is bigger than that Kensi, Can't you see now they have Hetty and they know she has a son but don't know who. If anyone else finds out I'll have to leave the team and we will be compromised, it's important that it doesn't leave this room."
