Then Came You

Chapter 5 -- Will You Marry Me

The next week was a mixed bag of emotions for Christopher LaSalle.  Sonja couldn't put her finger on it but she had flashbacks to when he started acting cagey when Melody showed up. Finally she couldn't take it any more. "Christopher what's wrong"? Is it your brother again?"

"No Sonja, it's us" he replied to a stunned Percy.

"Us?"

"I can't leave you. I can't lose you again. I want to stay with you forever. I know that I can't ask you to leave this job that you love. I made an appointment to go see the Director tomorrow. I found out that there is a NCIS position available at Quantico. I would stay under one condition."

"What would that be?"

"If you would agree to be my wife."

"Wife?"

"Yes, Sonja. We have declared our love for each other. You are the woman that I have always needed. What do you think?"

"I think I could live with those terms."

After a long embrace LaSalle added a condition to the marriage. "Wait Sonja there's one more thing. Eventually I would have to have a house on the water."

"Oh, that's all? I think that that can be arranged."

Chris LaSalle returned to New Orleans with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He wondered just exactly how he would explain to his decision to leave NCIS New Orleans to King. This is the man who pulled him out of the gutter. The man whom he considered to be a father. The man who had saved his life so many times that he had lost count.

He walked into the office very early Monday morning and found King exactly where he expect to – in the kitchen.

"Christopher it's good to see you" Pride exclaims.

"You too King. How's everything going?"

"Well it's been busy but fortunately I was able to augment the team with a Coast Guard agent."

"King we need to talk." Pride looks up to closely observe a grim faced Christopher LaSalle.

"What's wrong? Is it Cade?"

"No. Cade is fine. I just spoke to his therapist on Friday." After a long pause he continued to speak. "I don't know quite how to say this King, so I'll just lay it out there. I'm leaving New Orleans. I am expecting the Director to approve my transfer to the Quantico office."

"What? Are you unhappy here?"

"No King. It has nothing to do with you, them or Nola. It's me. I am moving to be with my soul mate."

"Come on Chris. You found a new love in just eight short weeks."

LaSalle chuckles out loud at the expression of exasperation on King's face.

"No King. Nothing that morbid. Her name is Sonja Percy."

With an even more shocked look Pride says "Percy? Oh I have to sit down on this one."

LaSalle had plenty of time to fill King in on what happened between the two of them while he was in D.C. Then he had to go back to selected interactions between the two of them while Sonja was in New Orleans.

"You will receive a call from the Director this afternoon. If you release me, I will report in two months."

"Look Chris I won't lie. I'm not happy and I know that your leaving will leave a big hole on the team but if you could see that gob smacked look on your face you would understand why I know that I would never want to interfere in your happiness. You know how my marriage turned out. You have found a great woman to be with. It was obvious that you care about each other. That is a great foundation to build a loving, caring relationship and you sharing a love for this job. Let's talk a little more in a few days. I know that your inbox is full.

"Oh and King. I will be needing a best man" LaSalle says with that classic smile of his.

Chris started in on his inbox stopping to greet each of the team members as they walked in. At ten o'clock he heard his e-mail ding. He opened up Sonja's e-mail which included a copy of their engagement photo. The next sound he heard was Tammy screaming. A few minutes later his phone rang. He turned on the speaker phone and tried to answer the barrage of questions from both Tammy and Miss Loretta who were talking over each other. Finally done facing that firing squad his phone rang again. It was Merrie Brody!