Pivotal Moments.

Chapter 13

During the three days Sam was held captive, he learned more about the man holding a gun on them.

He was different to the others in the Aryan Brotherhood, he used the rhetoric, but the hatred that Dallas and the others held did not meet the man's eyes, there was just sadness and fear in them.

From what Sam could gather, the sadness was for the loss of the man's mother and sister, but the fear was ingrained of Sam and his fellow captives.

Every time Callen came near them, Sam would thank him for the food, smile and show kindness. He was saddened how the man would look at him with suspicion.

"What happened to you?" Sam asked while the other men were sleeping and Callen was keeping watch a rifle slung over his lap.

Callen watched as the man shifted, his hand tightened on the rifle just in case.

"I'm still chained up, I'm not gonna hurt you." Sam said quietly.

Callen's eyes looked up the stairs to see if anyone was coming, it was quiet so he asked the question that was on his mind. "Why'd ya do it?"

Sam looked confused, "Why did I do what?"

Callen looked sad, if Sam had had to pick a word he would have used broken or destroyed, whatever had happened to the younger man must have been devastating.

"Why'd ya kill those people, Ma... Kaylee? They hadn't done anything to you. You guys are supposed to be military, ya supposed to protect people. Maybe Dallas' right, ya'll don't have any call to be in the military with decent white folks." Callen said sadly.

"I didn't kill anyone, dunno about these guys," Sam said, looking over at the other two men who wouldn't talk. "You should hand them over to the police, they'll investigate."

"... And let them go? I know what it's like." Callen snapped. "Ya'll are the same."

"Not really." Sam replied, "Listen G... I..."

Callen frowned, "Who told you to call me that?" he asked. He had not been called G in years, not since he had stayed with Hetty.

"A mutual friend." Sam said, keeping his voice calm, "Someone who cares about you." He listened to Hetty's voice in his ear telling him that this man was special and needed to be helped. "I know you haven't had the best start in life, but..."

"You don't know anything about me." Callen snapped, "And the name is Cal. G isn't a name, it's just a letter." He started pacing, annoyed, hoping that Dallas would send someone down to relieve him.

Sam watched as Callen got antsy. "Hey... Cal, calm down."

Callen raised his gun at Sam, "You can't be my friend so don't even try. Dallas and the boys know you had something to do with Ma and Kaylee's' death, ya gonna stay here till ya confess then the boys will make you pay."

Sam sighed as he saw the turmoil in the other man's eyes.

"Keep talking to him Sam." Hetty prompted, "Get him to trust you. If he can be turned away he would make a great asset. He has it in him to be a good agent like his mother was."

"You don't look like Dallas." Sam commented, "You two real brothers?" he asked.

"In every way that counts." Callen replied honestly, "Dallas helped me when I needed someone and he never lied to me. He is my family."

"So... not blood then?"

"Family isn't blood." Callen snapped, "It's people who are there for you when you need them. People who don't judge or lie or betray you."