Ohana
Callen ran up the driveway, his hands full and out of breath.
Sam opened the door, "You're late." He said with a small smile.
"Hey!" Deeks said with a small smile, the bruising almost gone from his face and sipping a coke.
Kensi sat next to him on the arm of Sam's chair as the movie started. Hetty looked at him and patted a seat next to her on the sofa, which he gratefully took. Eric walked in with Michelle carrying two bowls of popcorn and took his seat next to Nell on the floor.
Sam sat in his chair as his daughter climbed up into his lap.
"Shh! It's starting Uncle G!" She said as Callen opened his mouth to say hello. He smiled at her instead and handed her a slice of the pizza he had picked up on his way over.
They all sat back and started watching Lilo and Stitch.
Callen sat back and watched as his team healed from what had been the most perilous mission they had been on in a while.
He still felt guilty for not being there for Sam and Deeks when they had been tortured even though thankfully they had come out of it practically unscathed, Sam's heart had taken a while but it had gone back to normal, Deeks after some dental surgery was over the last of his pain and just has small bruising his and Kensi's thing…whatever it was…was going from strength to strength and as he looked over Deeks had his hand in Kensi's hair as was absently twirling it with his fingers as he watched the movie.
Janvier had been taken to Guantanamo, Callen denying him the death he had longed for instead telling him he would live and everyday know that Callen was happy and safe and Janvier's plan had failed.
Callen stopped his musing as the large alien with four eyes turned to stitch and said, "But you don't have family…you are alone."
He was surprised at the flashback he had and the pain in his heart that accompanied it.
Six year old Callen was sitting on his bed in the orphanage looking at the slip he had brought back from school.
'Elm-wood Kindergarten Family Picnic.' He held the slip tightly, his friends had been talking all about it, Cameron, and his best friend was telling him how his daddy was coming back from a trip to be there for the picnic. Callen grabbed a slip from his teacher's desk and had run back to the group home as fast as he could.
The social worker walked in to find out why the strange little boy with no first name and a foreign accent was on his bed and not playing in the yard with the other kids.
"Callen…Did something happen at school today?" she asked sitting next to him.
"I got a slip….Can I go?" he asked.
The social worker looked at the slip and smiled, "I can see if we can get someone to come with you." She said kindly.
"But, it is a family picnic, Cameron's daddy is coming back from his trip to go to his, and if I go my family will be coming back from where they are and come with me." Callen said hopefully.
The social worker turned around and put her hands on Callen's little shoulders, "Oh Callen, but you don't have any family you are alone." She said.
Callen looked up as tears flowed down his face and ran off as the social worker looked sadly on.
Instantly Callen could feel the tears from years ago building up again and he quietly walked outside.
Sam watched him go and started to follow him, but Michelle stopped him as he looked down to see his daughter asleep on his lap. "I'll go." She mouthed and followed him outside.
Callen walked to the chair at the end of Sam's garden and watched as the moon poked from behind the tree's in the neighbor's garden.
"Callen?" Michelle asked.
Callen quietly sniffed and wiped his eyes before turning around.
"Hey, everything ok?" he asked concerned his exit had upset someone.
Michelle smiled, "I was just about to ask you the same thing, Sam would have come but the princess is asleep on his lap."
"Yeah, 'm fine I just needed some air." He said noncommittally.
"G, I didn't think when she picked the movie…I should have told her to pick something else." Michelle said.
"Na, I like the movie, especially that one eyed thing with two tongues." Callen grinned.
"You wanna talk about it?" Michelle asked.
"Na…it's just, well… it reminded me of something, and it's stupid really." Callen said shrugging his shoulders.
Michelle sat as Callen told her about what had happened to him as a child, not realizing that the others had come out to see if he was alright until Sam's daughter climbed into Callen's lap and laid her head on his shoulder.
"It's ok uncle G you have Ohana now." She said sleepily.
Callen looked at them all
"Ohana?" he asked confused.
"Yes, Mr. Callen, Ohana means family." Hetty said.
"Ohana means, nobody gets left behind." Kensi said.
"Or forgotten." Deeks replied putting his arm on Kensi's shoulder.
"And G, we are Ohana…all of us." Sam said giving Deeks a grin and letting him know as well that the sentiment applied to him as well.
Callen smiled as he looked at the little girl asleep in his lap. "Maybe…can we watch the film again?" he asked as he gently lifted the child up and carried her towards the house.