Nate sat in his office going over Granger's file after managing to get Director Vance to release as much personal information as he had on the man.
He wanted to know why Granger had requested to join NCIS over three years after Callen had joined, what it was that had motivated him to move closer to his son.
Looking at the picture of the two men he could see vague similarities but nothing that screamed father and son. He looked at the pictures of Granger's/Reznikov's family. There he could see the resemblance.
Callen was the spitting image of his grandfather.
He looked into the background of Anatoli Reznikov and shuddered. He had been high in the Presidium, friends with Brezhnev and a Major General in the KGB. He had been responsible for the disappearance of a few Russian Dissidents over the years.
Anatoli Reznikov was by all he could see a hard line Communist. He used the search program that Eric had written for him and looked up Nikita's file. Such as it was. A lot was redacted by the CIA, but it seemed that Nikita was a model son, he'd been slated for a top job in the KGB riding on the success of his father.
Nikita/Granger had joined the KGB in the mid 1960's and had quickly climbed the ranks, earning the rank of Major in 1968. Then in the early 1970's he was denounced as a separatist and a traitor, working with the CIA. He disappeared early 1974 about the same time Owen Granger joined the CIA.
"What are you hiding?" Nate asked himself as he reviewed Granger's files.
He had risen up the ranks of the CIA only those at the top had known his true name. None had made the connection between him and Callen. But his name popped up from time to time when Callen was sent on assignments. Looking at these Nate could see where Granger had pulled strings to get assistance sent to Callen's aide once or twice.
Then in 2009 Callen had been shot after an assignment which was a joint NCIS operation with the MCRT in D.C.
Granger had still stayed behind the scenes, assigning a CIA unit to discreetly look into the shooting, liaising with Lara Macy.
Until two months after the shooting.
Granger had had a meeting with SecNav, after which Director Vance had been called in to see him and they had insisted that the Office of Special Projects be disbanded. Nate looked up shocked at the turn of events, he'd had no idea how close the elite team had been to being disbanded.
Lara Macy had been fired and Hetty had seemingly appeared from nowhere and been assigned operations manager. That same day Granger had quit the CIA and joined NCIS as assistant director, apparently calling in a few favors.
Nate's investigations showed that even though Jerome Kirsch was already the assistant director, they had created a parallel position for Granger specifically for the Los Angeles office.
"Why did you do that?" Nate mused aloud as he decided to take a break while he mulled the thoughts over in his head.
He walked out of the office Hetty had assigned to him to go and get a coffee. Stopping on the balcony for a moment he watched as Granger, using Callen's desk while the team wasn't there was typing on his laptop but watching Hetty at the same time.
Granger slammed down the lid in frustration and Hetty looked up at him, She lifted her tea cup and motioned him to go over.
Nate had not watched them interact before with the amount of scrutiny he was directing to their attention now. He noticed a slight tightening of Granger's jaw before he softened his face and nodded going to join her.
Hetty... Nate turned and walked back to his office to pull her file as he bumped into Nell.
"You alright Nate, you look worried?" She asked, concerned for her friend.
"You got a minute?" Nate asked.
Nell nodded and followed him into his office.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I need your help." Nate replied honestly, "I am trying to find out about Granger and Hetty."
"What do you need?" she asked.
"Hetty took this job in '09 after Callen was shot." Nate started.
"That was before my time." Nell reminded him.
Nate nodded, "I know kid. But the day Hetty was given the job of Operations Manager, Granger quit the CIA and moved to NCIS. I know he pulled strings for this job, he turned down the job of Director of NCIS and went for this one, wanting to watch over OSP. Why?" Nate asked.
"To watch over his son?" Nell posed, she smiled. She and Nate did this a lot bouncing ideas off each other, they hadn't done it in a while and she missed it.
"Maybe, but if he knew where Callen was, and it seemed he did; why wait till after he was hurt to move to NCIS?"
Nell looked puzzled, "I don't know what else changed? Maybe he wanted to meet him after nearly losing him?"
Nate shook his head, "No, that's not it, he would have told Callen he was his father years ago if that had been the case."
"So If Granger didn't come to NCIS because of Callen, why did he make the move?" Nell asked.
Nate shrugged, "I'm not sure. Macy was relocated... There was no need for that. Callen wasn't shot during a mission. But Macy was reprimanded, orders from high up, who?"
"Granger?" Nell asked.
Nate shook his head, "I don't think so, at the time of Macy's reprimand, Granger was still CIA."
"Hetty maybe?" Nell asked.
"She has been watching over Callen, for a long time." Nate said.
"Would Hetty's move to NCIS make Granger want to be closer?" Nell asked.
"Maybe... Maybe Granger was watching Hetty, but why?" Nate asked.
Nell shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"What do you know Nell?" Nate asked.
Nell shook her head, "I don't know if it's real or not. I saw it when Hetty went to Romania, it's in her file, the non redacted one that the Director had. But, it can't be real, I mean... She would have acted on it... wouldn't she?"
"What?" Nate asked.
Nell looked around even though she knew they were alone.
"Hetty is a Comescu. Distantly related, but she has the tattoo."
"Really?"
"Director Vance told me not to mention it to anyone." Nell said worried that by telling Nate she could have just cost her, her job.
Nate smiled, "Consider this doctor patient confidentiality."
"You're not my doctor Nate." Nell replied.
Nate smiled, "But I am Callen's and this is for his benefit. I need to know why Granger came here. Why he didn't contact Callen as soon as he found him and why Callen is refusing to even sit down and talk with him now he knows he's his father."
Callen stretched as Sam tightened his grip around him.
"Sam...?" He yawned and looked over at the clock.
"It's nearly ten a.m." Sam said, "I wondered if you were going to wake up."
Callen turned and kissed Sam gently.
"I was enjoying sleeping. I actually don't want to get up." He admitted.
Sam sat up with a small laugh, "The man who never sleeps, doesn't want to get out of bed?"
Stretching Callen nodded, "It's comfy, you're here and it's warm... And safe." he added quietly.
Sam pulled him into a hug, "I'll always keep you safe." He promised.
Callen sighed contentedly until he realized he actually did need to get up. He swung his legs over the bed and sat up, "What are we doing today?" He asked as he got up and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack so he could hear Sam's reply.
"I took Kam to school while you were sleeping, told Michelle I'd take her in tomorrow seeing as we are both on sick leave." Sam called out as Callen entered the bathroom. "Nate called."
"NO!" Callen called back. "Just tell him no."
"You have to talk to him sometime." Sam pointed to the floor as Callen walked back in, he got down on his knees while Sam stroked his head.
"I'll talk to Nate when I'm ready. I'll talk to him about anything you want..." Callen agreed as Sam ran his hand down Callen's spine.
"Will you talk about Granger?" Sam asked softly.
"NO."
"Why not?" Sam asked him, he felt Callen tense up and turn his face away. "Talk to me Brat." he urged.
"I remembered him." Callen's voice was low and his head was turned away.
"Granger?" Sam asked.
Callen nodded. "I was a teenager, just before I went to live with the Martins. I had just been through a really tough meeting with child services. I was at my lowest ebb. I felt lost, alone and unwanted, they were planning on sticking me with a new family, even though I had not wanted to go into a family again. I was sitting on the wall and I noticed this man watching me. I had seen him a few times just after I had left... you know, them..." He looked up for a second and Sam saw the devastation in his eyes. "He was there after that, he'd been in the group homes I was in, I thought he was a social worker. Sam, he knew me as a child, he could have taken me in. He left me there!" Callen gave a sob and dropped his head in shame. "I wasn't sure it was him when I first saw him with Hetty, but I knew I couldn't trust him." Forgetting himself Callen stood up and started pacing.
Sam watched, but said nothing for a moment.
"Dammit, Sam! He's my father, if he didn't want me how could you!"
"BRAT!" Sam's voice reverberated around the room and Callen instantly dropped to his knees.
Callen's breath came in harsh pants as he fought for control over his emotions.
"G, you have questions. But not asking him, not finding out will eat you alive. You need to talk to him. I will be there for you as will Nate, you are not alone."
"You still want me?" Callen's voice broke.
Sam lifted up his face and kissed him, "Always, I already told you I couldn't live without you in my life."
He wrapped his arms around Callen and pulled him close for a moment. "Will you talk to Nate and Granger?"
Callen nodded, his body shook and Sam knew he was afraid, but he smiled proud of him.
"We will do this together ok? You are and always will be the only man for me G." Sam vowed.
Granger couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Hetty, you're sure your information is right?" He asked.
She nodded, "We knew years ago, when we made this pact that someday he would come looking for that list, what you have told me about your encounter the other morning outside Mr. Callen's home has just proved it. Anatoli Reznikov is in Los Angeles."
Granger paled, "I thought he had died years ago, we buried him."
Hetty waited as Granger mulled over what she had said.
"It took me a long time to trust you Henrietta, I'm still not sure if I fully do." He admitted.
"I will always pay for what happened in Romania to Clara. I have tried my best over the years for your son and I would give my life for him in a heartbeat to atone for what I failed to do."
"You'll never atone for that Hetty." Granger snapped the pain in his voice all too evident. "You left my children without a mother. Just like I will never forgive myself for the loss of my daughter."
"And Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked.
Granger looked away.
"He needs you, and you need him. I know you've been watching him for a long time."
"That doesn't matter now." Granger brushed her off, "If Anatoli gets his hands on Grant and gets the list from him a lot of people will be in danger."
"You told Mr. Callen about the list?" Hetty asked surprised.
Granger shook his head, "He has the list. It's under his birthmark on his left ear is a microdot, it has the list on it."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Hetty asked.
Granger looked at her in surprise, "I wasn't sure if I trusted you. I still don't know if I can, but my father is dangerous and he won't hesitate to kill anyone to get to the list."
"How did your father find out that Mr. Callen had the list?" Hetty asked.
"Janvier." Granger admitted, "He was the one who injected the list into Grant in the first place."