Complex Just Got Easy... [NCIS: LA FanFic]

Callen?

At 8:30, on the dot, the next morning, NCIS Special Agent G Callen walked into the NCIS offices in Los Angeles. He wore his usual jeans and casual shirt, and had his work bag slung over his shoulder, as he walked around the old-style screen dividers, into the bullpen that he shared with his team.

"Mornin' G." his partner, Sam Hanna, smiled, glancing up from his laptop, as he sat at his assigned desk.

Callen, too, walked over to his desk, putting his bag on it, as he sat down, "Morning, Sam." As he took out his laptop, he glanced across to room, to the desk of the team's Operations Manager, Hetty Lange, to see her on the phone, talking in a very hushed voice, like it was an extraordinarily private conversation. Callen knew that Hetty took 'keeping her cards close to the vest' to a whole new level, but this was weird, even for her, "What's Hetty doing?" he asked Sam.

His partner shrugged, looking up as he leaned further back into his chair, "No idea. She's been on the phone since I got here. Unless, you fancy asking her what she's doing?" he added, knowing exactly what Callen's answer would be.

"I'll pass."

At that moment, Kensi Blye and Marty Deeks walked into the bullpen, and sat at there desks, "Hey, guys," Kensi smiled, "Sorry we're late. I was carpooling with Deeks, but he was late."

"Why is it always my fault?" Deeks asked, mock-defensively.

Sam chuckled, "Because it usually is."

Deeks had gotten used to the banter, and general abuse, and he found it quite funny. He was like the annoying little brother on the team, and everyone, even Hetty sometimes, enjoyed laughing at his expense.

But, everyone's attention was diverted towards Hetty hanging up on her seemingly never-ending phone call, and leaving for the Operations Center, on the next floor up of the building.

"What's up with Hetty?" Kensi asked.

"That," Callen started, "Is the million dollar question."

As Kensi and Deeks got comfortable at their desks, and took out their work things, the team heard a familiar high-pitched whistle, causing them to look up to the first floor, where they saw their Technical Operator, Eric Beale, outside Ops, telling them they had a case, "We got something..." But he wasn't his usual, chirpy self. On the contrary. He was subdued, and had a sad, regretful tone to his voice, like he had some bad news.

The team looked at each other, as they stood up from their desks, and shared a confused, worried glance. They left the bullpen, and walked into Ops, to see Eric and Hetty stood there, with Nell Jones, the team's Intelligence Analyst. "Yesterday afternoon," Hetty started, "There was a drive-by shooting in down town Los Angeles."

"Who was the victim?" Callen asked. He and the rest of the team had expected it to be someone they all knew, given the solemn atmosphere throughout the room.

But it wasn't. Eric out some video footage up on the screen, showing a young, purple-haired girl thrown against a wall, by the impact force of 5 or so bullets, as she began to bleed out. "The girl is currently in the ICU," Hetty explained, "She is in a critical, but stable condition."

"Who is she?" Sam asked, his eyes not leaving the screen. He, along with the rest of the team, could not understand how a girl could piss someone off so much, that putting 5 machine gun rounds in her was the only answer. It never was, but she was a kid, who'd most likely done nothing wrong.

As Eric put some identification, a school identification pass, on the screen, Nell, hesitantly, answered his question, "Her name is Lexie Callen."

At that moment, everyone's gaze shifted to Callen, who's face had paled considerably, although his eyes never left the screen. "Callen?" Deeks repeated, "As in Callen Callen? This Callen?"