All the way home.

Chapter 36

Hetty sat as the small boy watched her awaiting an answer.

Joelle went to say something but Callen shook his head. He wanted to see what she would say as well.

"Well Mr Callen." Hetty started.

"My name is Jake...Mr. Callen is my daddy." Jake replied.

Callen stifled a chuckle.

"Jake." Hetty amended. "A long time ago, when you were a tiny baby, you would spend a lot of time with your father at my house. However there was a problem and some people said things they didn't mean and your daddy got upset. He took you here to keep you safe and I lost touch with him. I looked for your daddy for a very long time."

"Like hidin' seek?" Jake asked.

Hetty and Callen laughed. "Just like hide 'n Seek." she agreed looking at Callen.

Callen smiled warmly remembering the few times he had been hiding, his thoughts straying back to Eugene Keelson for a second and him being alone before the team could help him knowing at that time he had still had the backup of Hetty's if he had needed it.

"You know your daddy is really good at hide 'n' seek. It took us a long time to find him and you. Unfortunately when we found him you were not there."

"Because the bad man took me?" Jake asked sadly.

Hetty looked at Callen who nodded.

"Yes, but then I made a mistake and upset your daddy while trying to do what I thought was the right thing to do."

"Like when mommy makes me eat peas?" Jake asked making a face.

Hetty nodded. "Yes and daddy was upset with me."

"Did you get a timeout too?" Jake asked. "Mommy sends me to timeout if I am bad and make her upset." He explained.

Hetty nodded. "Yes young man, I guess you can say I was in timeout and now I have to behave but I was allowed to come and see you."

Jake nodded and turned to climb on his dad's lap wrapping his arms around his neck and whispering into his ear.

"Daddy...will Grandma Hetty go away again?" he asked.

"I don't think so. Not if she can help it. She lives a long way from here in Los Angeles but I hope she will visit us as much as she can."

Jake nodded and climbed back down weighing the smaller woman up in his mind, a move reminiscent of Deeks when Hetty had first handed him the form to become LAPD Liaison.

"Ok...You will, won't you Grandma Hetty?" he asked.

Hetty smiled, "If it is ok with your mother and father I would love to."

Jake turned and looked at his parents. "Will Grandma Hetty have to share my room as well as the new baby?" he asked.

Callen smiled and shook his head, "Nope. But I think that maybe we can fix the house up and everyone including Grandma Hetty, Grandpa Bert and Grandma Wanda can all have their own room."

"Cool can I play with scrat?" Jake asked as the puppy jumped up at his leg.

Callen nodded and Jake picked up a ball and ran into the backyard the puppy following happily after him.

"G?" Joelle asked, "Remodelling the house, are you sure we can afford it, We just had enough to make the mortgage repayments on the house?" She sat down rubbing at her stomach worried.

Callen smiled, "Jo...baby it's ok, it's gonna be ok. Jake inherited some money, and we have some too."

"Well if Jake has inherited some money, it's for his education we shouldn't spend it....I mean ..." She trailed off as Callen took the first of two checks from his back pocket and placed it in front of her.