This is a loose sequel to "Always in My Thoughts" where Janvier's reach proves to be long. By the end of the story Callen has suffered a dislocated shoulder and has found out that Janvier has discovered his CIA/KGB roots. This story picks up a few weeks after the last story ended. You should be able to follow and enjoy this story without having to read "Always in My Thoughts", but if you feel inclined I would certainly not dissuade you from reading it and of course commenting...

This story has been bubbling around since around July, only six chapters are complete so if updates fail to be regular after that time, it's because I am still writing.

Traitor – Part 1

Callen rested his chin in his left hand. He had been sitting at his desk staring at the laptop screen for the past twenty minutes without absorbing any of the information displayed before him. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate his mind had constantly wandered from the task at hand – namely to support his team from The Mission. Callen had been granted two weeks sick leave with his dislocated right shoulder, and then confined to desk work for several weeks before undertaking rigorous physical tests in order to return to the field. He had been in two minds whether to return to work after the first few days of sick leave, but the thought of being forced to spend even longer at his desk, observing his team in the field without him, filled him with dread. Instead Callen had forced himself to remain at home – well, away from the Mission at least – for the first two weeks. He had now been back for almost a week in his temporary desk bound role and the frustration was becoming evident to all.

"Mr Callen!" Hetty's voice broke through his empty thoughts and Callen quickly glanced up to find his diminutive boss peering over the screen of his laptop.

"Hetty," Callen blinked heavily, bringing himself back to reality.

"Mr Callen," Hetty stood back from Callen's desk and pushed her thick rimmed spectacles up her nose. "If you can tear yourself away from your work, perhaps you could grace us with your presence in ops?"

Callen shook his head imperceptibly as he detected a hint of sarcasm in his boss's overly polite request and he opened his mouth to reply.

"Now, Mr Callen," Hetty interjected before Callen could utter a single word. "If it's not too much trouble?"

"On my way Hetty," Callen replied. Reading the warning signs clearly, he gently closed his laptop screen and followed Hetty into the ops centre. As he surveyed the room he instinctively rubbed his right arm that was cradled in a sling.

"Is your shoulder still causing you pain," Hetty asked without turning round. "Perhaps you should have taken an extra week or two off sick?"

"No I'm fine," Callen reassured Hetty, wondering whether she really did have eyes in the back of her head. "Just aches a little every now and again."

Callen leaned against the interactive table and watched as Hetty continued walking to the back of the room where Nell and Eric were furiously tapping keys and focusing intently on reams of data. Neither turned to acknowledge his presence which he found unusual, and the main screen on which case data was displayed remained blank. Callen surmised that a new case was not imminent and he wondered what inane task was about to be requested of him.

Breaking the silence, Hetty placed her hand on the back of Eric's chair and spoke calmly to Callen. "While I don't expect you to be as enthusiastic in your temporary desk role as Nell and Eric, I have received feedback that you are proving more of a hindrance than of assistance."

"Hetty," Callen raised his left hand in a gesture of defence. "I've only been back five days and you know this isn't my strongest point. But you gotta agree my guidance on the tactical op on Tuesday was invaluable."

"Hmm," Hetty pursed her lips and maintained eye contact with her senior field agent. Callen returned her stare, forcing himself not to be the first to break away.

Silence endured for almost a minute before Nell stopped typing and turned in her chair to face both Hetty and Callen. "That was one hour out of the last week! I'm sorry Callen but you're making our job more difficult and your team more anxious – meaning you're putting their lives at risk."

Callen stared at Nell. It wasn't his choice to be holed up with the geek side of the team and he had already admitted this area was not his forte. He knew his talent lay out in the field, thinking on his feet and improvising. He was however, more than capable of thinking through cases logically and making intelligent leaps to connect previously loose ends. And he took personal offensive at the accusation that he was placing the lives of his team in danger.

"With respect Nell, Deeks just wasn't listening and I only chewed Kensi out because she failed to anticipate that a gun man could be hiding in the bushes, with a clear shot of her through the window. And I was right." Callen was now defending his professionalism and even managed to throw in the 'I told you so' type comment without a hint of superiority.

"And what about your partner?" Hetty spoke slowly and seriously, supporting Nell. "I had to send him to the boat shed to calm down yesterday. Mr Hanna was ready to knock you into next week...which is why you Mr Callen, will not be here next week."

The barrage of rhetoric Callen was already rehearsing in his head fell away as the impact of those words registered. He knew he had upset Kensi and Deeks the previous day but all had been fine in the bull pen earlier. Sam however was another matter. Callen shifted his gaze uneasily between Hetty and Nell. Eric had quite rightly remained silent, facing his monitor.

"What?" Callen questioned with an edge to his voice, raising it slightly as he spoke. "You're suspending me because I've upset my team? I told it like it was – and I was right! I did not and never would place their lives in danger."

"Although you have warranted suspension on more than one occasion Mr Callen, I am not about to take any such action. At no time did you deliberately place your team in danger and you were acting in their best interests. However it is the manner in which you conduct yourself which is sometimes questionable."

"The manner in which I conduct myself?" Callen repeated Hetty's words. "What is that supposed to mean?" He looked at the two women and then at the back of Eric's head. He had to have an ally somewhere he thought, realising that Eric always had his back. "Eric?" Callen asked a little too forcefully. "Have you ever felt that I've conducted myself in such a way that was questionable?"

Eric stopped typing and slowly spun his chair around to face Callen, glancing first at the two fearsome women that guarded him at either side. "Um," Eric nervously fiddled with his glasses. "No, I don't think so, that is I mean you sometimes leave us in awkward situations but that's mainly when you go off on your own, but I don't think you normally conduct yourself questionably…." Eric's ramblings trailed off as his eyes widened in an unspoken apology to Callen.

Callen grinned slightly to reassure Eric that he understood his efforts and instead turned to Nell. "And how have I made yours and Eric's jobs more difficult?"

"Yesterday Callen, remember?" Nell answered. "Not only were you guiding your team when they were perfectly capable of running the undercover operation themselves, but you seemed intent on undermining us too."

"Hetty," Callen now turned to his boss for support and raised his left hand in a gesture of defence. "I was merely offering advice and pointing out a recurring pattern in the-"

"But I had already found the pattern and was searching for names of suspects that could be connected," Nell interrupted.

"You see Mr Callen, the operations centre is a well oiled machine and surplus oil only makes a mess!"

Hetty's metaphor hung in the air and Callen's face visibly fell as he realised he was being exiled from the one place that felt like home and his family.

"Mr Callen, I am not suspending you as I mentioned earlier, however I am forcing you to take two weeks leave, all of which is time owed. Upon its expiry, you will undertake a physical to determine if you are ready for an early return to field work."

Callen shook his head in defeat. Hetty might be trying to sell his forced time off as a holiday but it certainly felt like a punishment to him. He turned back to Hetty and looked coolly at his boss, his eyes a hard icy blue. "And what am I supposed to do with two weeks leave?"

"Well, you could maybe go away on holiday?" Nell suggested lightly. "Do you surf? What about a trip to Hawaii to catch up with the 5-0 boys?"

"We met for one case, Nell, I barely know them." Callen was becoming increasingly close to walking out of the ops centre in frustration. Maybe he could find solace at the firing range. He could shoot left handed – just – so he could use the practice. As he contemplated his next move, Callen caught sight of a gleam in Nell's eyes and he suddenly realised he was being played.

"You better not have booked a vacation for me," Callen warned, wondering what devious plans the two women had already concocted for him.

Hetty arched one eyebrow. "Even I would not be so presumptuous. However I think you might approve of your destination."

"What? So you have been presumptuous and booked me a vacation." This was not making Callen feel any better. His private life was his alone to control and he rarely welcomed any inference. "What destination?" Callen asked with a heavy sigh. Hetty was playing the long game, dragging out the why's and the wherefore's.

"Russia," Nell answered.

"Russia?" Callen questioned. "Why Russia? Do we have a new case? Don't you think I'll be rather conspicuous with this?" Callen raised his right arm as far as the sling would allow.

"Is it really so long since you've taken leave that you have forgotten what a holiday is? Mr Callen, a holiday does not involve new cases – or old ones for that matter. Nell?"

Nell swivelled round and grabbed her tablet from the desk. Tapping the touch screen as she stood and moved in front of the interactive monitor, a multitude of files suddenly cascaded in front of them.

Callen skimmed the documents. Realising most were in Russian and related to Siberian labour camps, he asked sharply, "What is this?"

"Hetty asked us to look further in to Nikita Alexander Reznikov," Eric said. "The only hard evidence we managed to find was a few forms relating to his court-martial and prosecution in 1974. There is no data on which camp he was sent to, if he survived..."

Eric's voice tailed off as Callen continued to gaze at the KGB stamped documents. "So about 90% of these records are...?"

"Pure speculation and conjecture Mr Callen," Hetty said. "They are starting points for conversations you will conduct whilst in Moscow. Nell has backstopped a new alias, UCLA Professor Greg Williams who specialises in modern Russian History. He is researching a paper on the decline of the Russian Labour Camps, circa 1970-1991, and he will have a student in tow."

"Who?" Callen looked suspiciously at Hetty. Sam was out of the question, and so was Deeks. Kensi or Nell were the best bets for a student cover. Callen hoped for the former, knowing how well they worked together in the past.

"Mr Beale," Hetty replied with a cunning smile.

"What!?" Eric exclaimed. "No, I've never been to Russia and, you know Callen won't let me have a gun – not that I want one."

"Mr Beale you will accompany Callen to provide technical support, and I trust that you," Hetty paused and looked pointedly at her stunned Team Leader. "I trust that you will take very good care of him on this research mission. No weapons are required. Do I make myself clear?"

Callen starred between Hetty, Nell and Eric. This had to be the worst idea in history, he thought. Even if Hetty had chosen Nell - well at least she had some field experience. Eric was not even an agent and had no fire arms experience outside of gaming. Callen shook his head, realising the exact reasons why Hetty was allowing Eric not only out of Ops, but out of the country; to make sure he did not fall foul of the Russian officials or even the FSB.

"Ok I get it. Personal time to find out what I can from official channels and then return home." Callen was already thinking that he could go back to Russia at a later date, if necessary.

"Indeed. And if I find you have caused an international incident, you will be on your own. And if you manage to get even one hair on Eric's head hurt, you will wish to God that I had suspended you instead of allowing you to traipse around Russia to find out about your father."

"I have your passports, visas and official educational letters - in Russian of course - downstairs with your electronic equipment." Nell stood and walked towards the exit, inviting the men to follow her. "Now not all the Russian Archive Offices allow laptops or even cell phones so you'll have to rely on the good old pen and paper."

"Really?" Eric's face dropped in disbelief. "But our hotel has wifi right?"

"Yes Eric," Nell reassured him. "Hotel rooms are booked and your laptop has all the software to enable you to...err...peruse the internet with ease." Nell raised her eyebrows as she smiled at Eric.

"Nell you do know that once I find the files I want to request from the archives, it will take days for the hard copies to actually arrive?" Callen already had a sinking feeling about this personal mission. For a second it hand sounded too good to be true; an opportunity to find out about his father. But the more he thought about it, the more he realised that Hetty was sending him – and Eric – on a fool's errand.

"That is why Eric will be there to assist you," the smile on Hetty's face sent a shiver down Callen's spine. Eric was there to keep him out of trouble and to use his 'technical skills' as support.

"Hetty, I can do just as good a job from Ops," Eric said. "I mean I'll only slow Callen down and I'm not sure that I'm really the best-"

"Nonsense Mr Beale, this is a holiday remember? A student research holiday in Russia, with your college lecturer."

Callen sighed and walked back towards Eric, placing his hands on Eric's shoulders. "You'll be fine. We'll be fine. We'll be in and out of the country in week. No trouble."

Eric dropped his shoulders in a gesture of defeat and look directly at Callen, feeling a little reassured by the sincerity he saw reflected in Callen's eyes.

"OK," Nell spun round and continued down the stairs. "Hotel rooms are booked in Moscow. Flight is tomorrow mid afternoon from LAX, landing in Moscow twelve hours later."

"Same time that we take off then, with the time difference," Eric now had a slight grin on his face.

"Yes. You good with this?" Callen asked Eric directly.

"Well, yes. I am if you're happy with me going."

"We'll be fine," Callen said with a nod. "Let's get this sorted."