No Ordinary Love - G.Callen NCIS L.A

Chapter 11

Saturday had finally arrived, and Callen was excitedly pacing down the arrival hall. After an excruciatingly long week without her, he wanted her home, with him. He hadn't known you could miss anyone like that. There was the New Years Eve party they were going to tonight, but until then he had her to himself.

A glance at his phone revealed that her plane should've landed by now. People were starting to get in, but he wasn't seeing her familiar form yet. It wasn't until he heard his name, that he finally saw her. "Grisha!"

She was running, and he smoothly caught her. She smelled like sunshine and coconut; courtesy of the sunscreen she used. Her laugh and excitement just made his entire week right again. Every miserable, lonely minute he had to endure, was worth it because she was back. Because she still fit under his chin, because he could hold her.

Her grip on him tightened and her breathing slowed down. And for minutes, they stood there, locked in a seemingly endless embrace. Ultimately, Deja pulled back and kissed him. "Hi."

"Hey, you." God, it was good to hear her voice. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

She smiled and rested her forehead against his. "Believe me, I have a pretty good idea." Deja swallowed. "Who would've thought, huh?"

"Yeah." He searched her eyes. "Welcome home."

And what a wonderful welcome it was. He seemed in one piece, but his eyes still reflected sadness, and if she could, she'd love it all away. For now, she'd settle with an afternoon for the both of them, somewhere quiet and alone. Time for catching up. "Thank you." For another moment, she basked in the pleasure of simply holding him, before letting go in search of her luggage.

"Do you need to take a nap before the party tonight?" He was steering the car in the direction of a park.

"Only if you take one with me." She was being bold, she knew that. But the only thing she wanted was to be with him, to love all his pieces back together. So she had to push sometimes.

Callen couldn't hold back a grin. "Deal."

Half an hour later they were sitting under a tree on a blanket with a picnic. Deja shook her head at him. "Have you been practicing?"

Shrugging, he refused. "Unfortunately for you, not as much as you would like. I had some other things to take care of this week. But I got everything from that place Derek has been talking about. Just of the farmers market?"

Deja nodded, knowing what he was referring to. "It looks delicious." She took a bit out of a sandwich and closed her eyes. Callen observed her, being completely at ease just having her close.

"How was your trip?"

Deja looked up and smiled at him. "Great. It was nice to see everyone again. Uncle Diego is getting married again, sometime next year, and his fiancée is a sweetheart. Mom and Dad are great, Nanna and Abuela say hello..." She dived into a description of her family and her trip. Callen laughed at her little cousins' antics and tried to make a picture in his head. It wasn't until she actually produced photos that he could put names with faces.

"... and lastly, Enrique and Carmen with baby. Carmen is Arturo's daughter." She grinned up at him. "And no, you're not missing baby. Baby won't be here until the summer."

"Ah." He shook his head, staring at the photo. It was a large family; grandmothers, mothers, fathers, nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren. "That's all your extended family?"

Deja nodded, swallowing a sip of iced tea. "Yeah. Diego, Arturo and Pepe are Mama's brothers, and Tia Beatriz is her sister. They all have kids, plural. And those kids, my cousins, are all starting to have kids, too. We're getting bigger by the year."