callen son

"I don't know. I'm going to ask Hetty in a bit, see if she'll tell me anything, but we may just have to wait until Callen comes back. He always does."

"He just always does. He always comes back and he's trying to do better about letting us, and you, help him. But you can't change lifetime habits in just a few short months. All he can do is try. You and Kens have had each other to lean on for so long and Sam's got teamwork engrained in him so far that sometimes it's hard to understand. I used to be like that, but Kens finally trained me to lean on her more. But my first instinct is still to run. I just don't get as far."

"It might help, but I'd wait to go out there until she calms Sam down if I were you."

"He's not. I promise he isn't."

"You can't promise that, Kens, because no one knows he's safe right now and no one knows what's going on in that stubborn head of his. There's nothng that will make me feel better until he gets back." She paused. "But will you wait with me?"

"Of course I will." She sat with her friend, holding her hand.

*****

They settled down to attempt to work on paperwork, Hetty trying to find excuses to keep Sam apart from Deeks and KC.

Callen came in a moment later, holding a little boy's hand.

"G?" KC ran to him as Deeks paged Sam.

"I'm okay, KC. But you need to meet someone."

She hugged him all the same, reassuring herself before letting him go. "Hi," she said tentatively to the little boy, thinkng maybe he was a witness to a crime, which of course he was.

"You are pretty," said the child.

"You're very handsome yourself. What's your name?"

"Zac! What's your name?"

"KC. These are our friends, Marty and Kensi, and, in a minute, you'll meet another...friend, Sam."

"She's pretty too," Zac said, pointing to Kensi.

"She is. Very nice too. She's got a little boy, but he's younger than you are."

"He is two?"

"Almost." She thought it was unusual for him to know this, but thought maybe Callen had mentioned it. "You know, Marty, he knows where all the good cookies are hidden. Are you hungry?"

Zac nodded. "Cookies!"

Deeks got the hint and offered his hand to the little boy with a smile. "I like my cookies with milk. Do you want some milk too?" Deeks asked as they walked off.

"KC, we need to talk," said Callen.

"You have no idea how badly we need to talk," she said, going to the room where she'd talked to Kensi hours earlier.

Callen sighed. "Sorry about running out before. Hetty told me something and I had to go get that little guy."

"You scared the hell out of me, Callen. I didn't know what to think. I wish..."

"He's my son."

All the color drained from her face.

"I only just found out now."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, what?"

"Three years ago, I was undercover and I didn't know that she was pregnant until Hetty told me this morning."

She thought back, glad that at least math seemed to rule out Joelle, as well as the undercover. "Where's his mom?"

"Dead," he said after a moment.

"I am sorry," she said sincerely.

"Me too. It doesn't bother me. But he needs a mother. I don't want to put him in care, but I don't know what to do either."

"I'm sorry. My head...my head's spinning. Can you just...stand there and be quiet? Just until I get my bearings again?"

Callen frowned. "Are you sick?"

"G!" Her voice was louder than she'd intended. "This morning we were having a baby, trying to figure out how things are going to work with us. Then you ran out and I had no freaking clue where you were, if you were okay, and now you tell me that we're going to have a three year old son so excuse me for being a little dizzy. Just...give me a second, okay? Because I'm trying not to panic, but you're not doing this alone. If we're together, we're together, and that kid is NOT going in the system like we did, but you've gotta give me a minute..." She sat down before she passed out.

Callen sat with her. "KC, I need you to calm down before you end up in hospital."

"I don't know where to start."

"Start what?"

"I know...I know when Kens adopted Wyatt, they had to buy him a nursery and clothes, but he has all that. I guess we need to get it to the house, right?"

"I'll have Deeks help me with that."

"What do I need to do?"

"Relax."

They heard Sam and Kens in the other room before Sam came barging in.

"Get out!" yelled Kensi.

"He's my partner!"

"She's his girlfriend. Now get out!"

"Can you please stop yelling?" KC whispered.

Kensi looked at her friend. "Sorry," she said.

"It's okay. You can talk to Sam for a few minutes," KC told Callen.

"Are you sure?"

"I need Kens." Kensi took her friend's hand. Callen walked out with Sam so that KC didn't have to move. She waited until Callen left. "I'm going to be a mom."

"I know you are."

"No, not in a few months. Like now."

"How?"

"Zac is Callen's son. His mom is dead." Kensi opened her mouth but closed it again. "Now you know how I feel. Evidently that's why he went running out. The kid doesn't have anyone and we don't want him growing up like we did."

"That makes sense."

"That's what the logic part of me says but the other is screaming and no one can hear."

"Do you want to be a mom?"

"Obviously." Kensi knew the pregnancy had been planned. "But there's a big, huge difference in getting them when they're a baby, either by pregnancy or adoption, and having something like this happen."

"Wyatt may have been a baby, but he's almost two now. I can help out."

"Wyatt doesn't remember his birth mom, Kens. You're the only mom he ever had. I don't even know what to do first. I don't have a battle plan and I always," she put a selfconscious hand on the small bulge of her stomach, "almost always have a plan. I don't know what to do next and the room is spinning."

"Deeks and Callen can get all of Zac's things. I'll go get you some shoppng. You can rest at home."

"I'm not sick. I'm just in shock. I need to be helping Callen."

"You need to rest."

"I can't. I'm not good at it."

"You have to."

"Why don't I go shopping and you rest?"

"Cause I'm not pregnant."

"Why not? You're running behind on kids. I've given you two godchildren and all I've gotten so far is Wyatt," she gave Kensi a half-smile to let her know she was teasing.

"We aren't ready yet."

"I didn't know we were." This time it was not a joke. She put her hand on the table to brace herself as she stood.

"You are."

"We should rescue Deeks."

"He's fine."

Callen looked angry when he came back in, but his anger faded as he saw the girls again.

"You all right?" Kensi asked.

"Sam's having one of his ass days."

"Again. Do you want to be alone?"

"No. I think we need to get Zac and KC settled and then Deeks and I can start moving."

"All right. I'm going to pick Wyatt up from my mom and then I'm going shopping to get some groceries you guys are going to need. If you need me, call."

"Actually, can you pick Wyatt up and bring him to the house? We'll worry about shopping later, but..." He didn't want KC to be alone and he would be in and out. He wouldn't put it past her to move furniture or somethng if he wasn't there, so anxious to have something to do.

"Yeah, of course I can. I'll tell you what...I'll stop and get dinner for the two kids on my way."

"Thanks, Kens. C'mon, babe. Let's go round up the others." He slipped his hand into KC's as Kensi disappeared.

ok

Deeks had stopped by the house to get some things to keep Wyatt occupied and was going to grab some movies for the boys to watch, so it was just Callen, KC, and, of course, Zac. KC put the food they'd picked up for everyone on the counter, the smell of Deeks' ham and pineapple pizza almost knocking her over.