G lay face down on the bed, his mind blanking out what Nick was doing to him.
Instead it was turning down a self destructive path of self doubt. He knew that M would be able to be saved by Sam. That was a good thing, but yet again he had proved he was not good enough to be truly loved and cared for by lying with Nick. His body's responses betraying the pain that was ripping his heart out.
He had thought this was love when he had done this as a child, he had thought this was love when he had done this with Pete. It was obvious now, he had been wrong, so it can't have been love with Sam.
Sam was his partner, he had trusted him. But Sam had used him the same as the others. He had used him because that's all Callen was good for, being used.
He had been used by men, used by women, used by the system, used by agencies.
He sobbed as he realized he was nothing more than a piece of meat to be used, a thing not a person.
Nick smiled as he felt Callen sob under him, the breaking of the man helping him to completion.
He got up and cleaned himself up.
"G!" He ordered.
Callen looked at him with dead eyes.
"Clean yourself up, Shower and clean up the bed. Wait for me and don't move from this room. If you leave I will hurt not only the boy, but that little woman who took you away from me."
"Hetty?" Callen's voice broke at the word.
"Hetty, she's not as invulnerable as you might think." He took his phone and showed him pictures of Hetty through a scope.
"We can take her out, I have people watching her. You leave the house, she dies. You attack me, She dies. You allow anyone else to hurt me, she dies, it'sall on you boy. Now, do as you were ordered."
"Yes Sir." Callen replied his shoulders slumping, going to do as he was ordered.
Hetty had been the only one, never to use him in the way others had. She was, he thought, what having a mother must be like. He couldn't allow her to be hurt. Not for him.
Nick walked out of the room and went to check on M, the boy wouldn't know his touch again, not until he begged from the lack of it.
After all he had his original prize back. Older, but still pliable.
He didn't care where the others had gone.
He doubted they would come back. Sam had heard what the boys had told him. G was worthless, Sam wouldn't risk his life for him, not now he knew what he had done as a child.
Well, Nick wouldn't and didn't care if G died to save his life.
He looked down at the shivering form of the younger boy, he had gone a bit overboard on the child earlier in his excitement of having G back under his control again.
He felt a sliver of guilt and threw a blanket over the boy. Then he turned and walked out.
"What the hell is taking so long?" Granger asked the patrol officer who had initially taken charge of the scene.
"There is a child in there, we are not planning on going in all guns blazing, this is Bakerfield, not Los Angeles."
"I should hope not, I have a captured federal agent in there as well." He snapped.
Sam was sitting on the edge of the ambulance, a paramedic injecting him with penicillin to counteract the infection raging through him right now.
"I don't think Sam should go in." Granger said quietly to Hetty, "He's been injured, you can see how much pain he's in."
"I agree, however, Mr. Hanna may not be as accommodating."
Sam looked over, past Kensi and Deeks who were putting on their vests and checking their rifles to the diminutive Operations Manager and the Assistant Director who were looking at him and shaking their head sadly.
"Aww, Hell No!" Sam cursed and painfully got up moving the paramedic out of the way. He looked over at the larger man and decided to deal with another one of the boys instead.
The boys were sat together on a gurney in the ambulance, not moving or talking, while the paramedics tried and failed to get information out of them.
They had said a bit after a nod from Sam, but now he had left, they clammed up and held each other tightly for comfort.
"No!" Sam said as he barged past Kensi and Deeks. "There is no way I'm staying here while G needs me Hetty, I'm his partner."
"Mr. Callen will be in good hands, your teammates are more than capable; along with the Special Weapons and Tactics team. Those boys there need you." Hetty pointed to the frazzled paramedics trying to get vitals off the boys. "They were only co-operating because you were in the ambulance with them."
"They were only doing that because G ordered them too." Sam snapped. "They see him as one of them." Sam said meaning Nick.
"Maybe he is," Hetty replied, meaning a survivor, just like the boys.
"The hell he is!" Sam stood menacingly over the smaller woman.
"Sam, back off." Granger ordered.
"She thinks G is like...Like that man?!" Sam shook his head, "How could you Hetty?"
"Oh, no Mr. Hanna. I meant he is a victim, like those poor boys. He is going to need our help and understanding."
Sam bent down and kissed Hetty's forehead, "I'm sorry, you're right I am just looking out for my brat." He whispered in her ear.
Hetty patted his arm, "So are we Mr. Hanna."
Deeks and Kensi walked up to the group. "We're ready to breach, SWAT will be taking the basement, We will be taking the upper floors."
"Good," Hetty said.
Sam turned to her, "Please, Hetty I need to go."
She sighed, "I know. Allow Mr. Deeks and Ms Blye go with the first wave, You, Owen and myself will be bringing up the rear."
"You?" Both Owen and Sam blurted out surprised.
"Of course, Mr. Callen needs me, where else would I be?"
Nick walked back up the stairs, his attention was taken by what he thought was some movement in the bushes outside.
He walked into the bedroom, smiling at the fact that Callen was curled in the corner and everything had been done as he had ordered.
He frowned as he noticed Callen was wearing sweatpants.
"What are you doing in those?" He snapped.
Callen's eyes dropped in submission, "I'm sorry, Sir."
Nick threw a pair of thin cotton shorts at him. "Put these on."
Callen pulled off his sweatpants and pulled the shorts down.
"You disobeyed boy." He walked over to the closet. Opening the door he pulled out a whip. "Face down on the bed, one noise from you and the boy will get two for every one you mess up on."
Callen nodded in total silence he lay face down, wincing but not making a noise as he was beaten by McPherson.
Nick stopped as a large bang came from outside the house.
"Protect me." He ordered, "If you talk to them and I don't contact my friend, that little woman will die, do you understand. NOT A SINGLE WORD!"
Callen nodded, he took the gun and stood between Nick and the door, praying that the first person through the door would not be Sam.
Deeks and Kensi took point with the SWAT team, entering the house, via the door Sam had showed them on the plans. Both holding back the nausea at the smell of blood and bodily fluids in the basement.
"Take the boy." Kensi said pointing to the child in the cage.
"No!" M shook his head, "I can't leave."
"It's Ok, you can come, your friends and Sam are outside. It's ok." Deeks said, "He won't hurt you anymore."
M looked up, Marty's heart clenched, if he didn't know better he would have sworn that he had seen that look before, on his own face after he had been forced to shoot his father. "Come on kid, it'll be ok, I promise."
M, held out his hand carefully and Deeks swept him up into his arms, "Come on, I'll take you."
"Deeks?" Kensi hissed.
"Take point Kens; I'll take him to Sam and I'll be right back."
Hetty watched as Deeks came out carrying a child.
"Mr. Deeks?"
"We found him inside, the only child there. He needs medical attention."
The boy's hand clung to Deeks' vest.
Granger nodded, "Over there, I'll take point with Kensi, catch us up when you can."
Owen put a vest on and went to join Kensi in the house.
The team cleared the house, room by room until they came to a room at the end of the hallway.
Granger caught up to them as they opened the door and stopped. Coming face to face with Callen shakily holding a gun and standing protecting McPherson.
"Stand down Callen." Granger ordered, "It's ok."
Callen shot a look at Nick who shook his head and smiled knowingly at Callen.
"Nick McPherson, you are under arrest for child abuse and child trafficking." Granger said as the other officers moved a bit closer.
"Boy!"
Callen moved, He wanted to tell them to stop, if they hurt him Hetty would be hurt, if he talked Hetty would be hurt. He couldn't protect her from whoever it was Nick had watching her.
"Callen?" Kensi was confused, this wasn't the team leader she had known less than a week ago.
Callen opened his mouth, but a look from Nick and the still bleeding welts on his back still burned as a painful reminder of what would happen if he spoke, so he didn't.
A cop took a step forward, "Come on Son, give me the gun." The seasoned officer said.
Callen's hand shook and the officer took the gun from him.
"NO!" Nick growled.
Callen knew he couldn't shoot them, they were, friends? But as the officers moved to arrest Nick he launched at them fighting tooth and nail as Nick went back into the bathroom and climbed out of the window.
"Going somewhere?" Deeks asked as he pointed the gun and the furious looking man, who slowly raised his hands.
As he walked Nick around to the van to have him taken away the police dragged a cuffed and struggling Callen out of the house.
As he caught sight of Nick, he struggled, trying to get to him.
"They know what you did boy, you're done, she's dead." He growled as he walked past.
Callen dropped to his knees. He was done all fight gone he didn't even look up as the sound of someone running towards him filled his ears. He just tensed up awaiting the blows he was sure were about to come.
Instead he was surrounded in a warm blanket, and two familiar strong arms.
"Come with me G," Sam said softly as he helped his partner up.
Sam scowled at the handcuffs on his partner's wrists, not noticing Callen take a surreptitious look up at him and instantly dropping his eyes at the look of anger on Sam's face.
"You need to see a paramedic." Sam guided him in the direction of the ambulance, concern on his face as Callen refused to look at him or anyone else at the scene.
Hetty grabbed Owen involuntarily, at the state her agent was in.
"Go to him Hetty, I don't know what happened in there but I think he may need you." Owen advised.
Hetty nodded, leaving Owen to deal with Kensi, Deeks and the Bakersfield teams.
Callen walked up the steps of the second ambulance, listening to the sounds of the children in the other ambulance, laughing as Deeks entertained them. For some reason, although it was probably due to M's influence, Deeks had been accepted by the boys as a trusted adult. He didn't look up to see the worried look that Deeks shot Sam and Kensi as Callen walked dejectedly past them.
The paramedic looked up as they entered.
"I'll need privacy to treat him." He said.
Sam nodded, "I'll be outside. Let the man help you G." He said as he sat Callen on the gurney in the ambulance. Then he walked out and shut the door.
The paramedic gave him a shot and then he spoke.
"You failed in your duty to your master." The paramedic said darkly.
Callen's head shot up and he was slapped around the face.
"You think Nick was lying when he said he had friends in this town? That was an overdose of a sedative, soon you will be dead, and so will that little woman we have been watching."
Callen lurched to his feet and slammed bodily into the paramedic, launching him into the wall.
Outside, as Hetty arrived, Sam became concerned as the ambulance lurched.
Hetty opened the door expecting to find an arguing Callen trying to leave. "What she got was a man who had pulled a gun from his back waistband and aimed it at her."
"NO!" Callen screamed and launched himself between the bullet and the gun as it went off.
Hetty staggered back down the steps to be swiftly caught by Sam as another gunshot fired by Kensi dispatched the paramedic.
"G?" Sam set Hetty on her feet and went to Callen's side as he lay bleeding on the floor of the ambulance.
G's eyes fluttered open as the sedative took effect, "I'm sorry." He whispered as they closed again.
The last thing he heard was Sam's anguished cry.
"G!"