Is this really family life/Является ли это действительно семейной жизни?

Chapter 14

Arkady looked at Callen and sighed. Sitting on the bed he ran his hand over his face and looked into his eyes.

"I cannot tell you why you didn't come with us moy syn. The man that put us in the program told us you were not able to come with us, and that it would be better…safer if you weren't with us."

Callen took a step back and sat heavily on the chair in the corner of the room, "I put you in danger?"

Arkady could see the boy in the man standing before him. "We did not at any point want to leave you. Your mama and I fought to have you come with us, but we were not able."

"Where are mama and Alaina…?" Callen asked.

Arkady looked sad, "Svetlana isn't with me anymore. I still see Alaina on occasion. She is in college now and has grown into a beautiful woman. She still talks about you."

Callen looked at him, "Mama…is she…?"

Arkady looked at his son and realized his fear, "No. She didn't like the witness protection program; we fought a lot. She is remarried and living somewhere in New York."

"I'm sorry," Callen said. He still was none the wiser but remembering the conversation he had overheard in the hospital years ago, he knew that he had had an impact on their lives. "You would still be with her if I hadn't come to live with you."

"Vy ne vinovaty v tomchto sluchilos' mezhdu mnoy i tvoya mama. My byli gordy tem, chto vy schitali nas vashimi roditelyami. khotya my i ne , my ob vse yeshche lyublyu tebya, i ya gorzhus' tem, chelovek, kotorogo vy stala, kak tvoya mama budet, kogda ya govoryu yey." Arkady stood up and walked towards him.

Callen dropped his head, "I hated you for so long. I was angry. I thought I wasn't good enough for you. Why did you have to go?"

"Some bad men came to where I worked. They were interested in you, very interested in you. We had some people come and help. While I was in hospital they shot up the house. I did not know what their interest in you was son, all I know is I had to keep my family safe."

"So you took them away from me," Callen said sadly.

"We couldn't find you," Arkady said honestly.

Callen looked down ashamed and went red; he had run away and there was no denying it. "That's because I ran away."

He stood up. This wasn't getting the job done and he knew his partner was outside waiting. "Can you do this papa? Can you work with us?"

"Things have changed Moy syn. I am not the easy-going man I once was. I now know the value of money and the potential value of information."

Callen took a step back to the door, "And the information you have on me…my real identity…is that valuable to you?"

Arkady looked at Callen and saw immediately what he was alluding too. "You are my son, not by blood but by circumstance, and I will always protect you, however, if I happen to pick up any information on my competitors during this little escapade, then I will consider that payment. You will tell your bosses that information is only for you. I will not work for, or with, the DEA or any other agency."

Callen looked at Arkady and as he grinned, Callen was reminded of the man he had grown to care about during his brief time as a member of his family.

"Come, meet my partner and we will see what happens next," Callen said as he walked to the door.

Peters and Nigel looked up as Callen and Arkady came back into the room.

"Ok so you gonna fill us in?" Peters asked.