All the way home.

Chapter 11

Callen looked over the transformation that had come over his home while he'd been away.

"Eric, do I have you and Nell to thank for this?" he asked over the phone as he looked around the room holding a sleeping Jake in his arms.

"Yep." Eric said with a laugh popping the p in the word, "Nell figured you'd need some stuff for the baby when you got back."

Callen smiled and lay Jake in his crib. "Thanks guys, we'll be in tomorrow, tell Hetty I just need to get some sleep and some formula and things for Jake and I'll be in."

"Formula and everything else is in your kitchen, Hetty organized everything." Eric said.

"Ok Eric, I'm gonna get some rest I'll see you tomorrow." Callen said.

He put the phone down and grabbed the box that said baby monitor, looked through the instructions and set it up. Taking the part that roamed with him into the living room he opened the fridge, reached in for a beer and changed his mind as he grabbed a bottle of water and went and sat in the chair.

There was no way he was going to drink now he had Jake to consider, he wouldn't be like his foster parents growing up, he would be better than them, Jake deserved so much better. The poor kid had already lost both his parents and Callen was determined not to let the boy…no his son, he had to think of him as his son now, not have the same childhood he did.

He sat in the chair and took a deep breath; he had to rethink his whole life now. Now he was home it seemed more real. Jake needed a daycare placement, or someone who could be a live-in nanny, someone he could trust. Hopefully Hetty would help him with that. He looked around at his home. Jake's room had furniture in it, but the rest of the house was still bare, he needed to get things, Jake couldn't grow up like this, he needed toys and rugs for the floor in case he fell, ok maybe not right now but in the future.

He imagined a small blond haired boy learning to walk in the lounge and Callen helping him take his first steps, his first day at school, his first girlfriend. "Wow!" Callen said aloud.

"Overwhelming isn't it." Hetty said stepping out from the kitchen alcove.

Callen smiled, "That's the second time you've managed to get into my home without me hearing you."

"I have a key Mr. Callen, you never picked it up from the realtor." She told him, he nodded remembering he had only ever used the hide-a-key that Mama Rostoff had left in the plant pot by the front door.

"Good you should keep that." Callen decided.

"Where is young…?"

"Jake…Jake Callen." Callen supplied for her.

"So you did adopt him." She said.

Callen nodded, "It was filed…Just before Deeks died." He told her, "I won't let Jake forget his dad, but I won't let him be raised in the system either."

Hetty nodded, Callen stood up so she could sit down and she graciously took the chair. "You are determined to do this aren't you?" she asked.

Callen nodded, "I know he's not my biological son, but Hetty, I…I love him, I just want to do the right thing,"

"Even if that means giving him up?" she asked.

Callen looked stricken, "No…No I can't I promised Deeks, Hetty you can't ask me that I know what it's like growing up out there in the cold, I'd rather quit my job and look after him full time, than do that."

Hetty smiled, "I hoped you would say something like that."

Callen looked at her, "You won't take him?" he said.