***Warning: This is not a happy story. This has been a sad week for me with a few hard to get through emotional dates and I'm just working through some feelings by writing this. If you don't want to read anything sad, you might want to steer clear of this one.

xxxxx

"Garrison, I'm leaving," Callen called out as he drank down the rest of his coffee and put the mug into the sink, filling it with water. "I'll see you later."

There was no answer which was weird. The man was always up with the birds. He hadn't slept in late one day since he had been staying with Callen. Garrison had been alternately staying with him and Alex, and although Callen wouldn't exactly call them close, they were coexisting amicably, which was the most he could expect at this point. They still had a long way to go regarding their relationship, but at least they were making small inroads.

Callen was about to leave, figuring he would just allow the man to sleep, but he had a funny feeling in his stomach and he stopped outside the door of Garrison's room. "Garrison? I'm leaving," he called out again, knocking on the door. Still no answer. Now he was definitely uneasy. "Is everything okay?" He stood outside the door for a few long moments before taking a deep breath then slowly exhaling. A cold feeling of dread was coming over him as he started to comprehend that everything was not okay. His hand trembling slightly, he turned the doorknob and hesitantly entered the room. The blinds were down and the room dark which only served to lend credence to Callen's feeling of foreboding.

"Garrison?" he said as he slowly approached the bed. But he knew before he reached him that he was gone. "Dad?" There was a tremor in his voice as he uttered the word which he never said and felt for a pulse which wasn't there. Garrison was cold and lifeless. He had obviously been dead for several hours. Callen's eyes filled with tears as he dropped to his knees beside the bed and buried his head into the mattress beside the body of his father.

xxxxx

Deeks looked at the time on his cell phone for what was probably the tenth time in the past 20 minutes. It was almost 9:40 and Callen had still not arrived at work. He was trying hard not to worry, but he had a gnawing feeling in his gut that something was wrong. With Sam being on vacation and Hetty and Kensi attending a women's conference in D.C., Callen had been the picture of punctuality, arriving at work early over the past few days. Deeks had expected this trend to continue. Finally, he picked up the phone and dialed Callen's number. The phone rang four times and then went to voicemail. "Hey Callen…it's me. Not meaning to be a nag or anything but I'm just checking in on you, making sure you're okay, because you know, that's what partners do and I know we're only temporary partners, but I still worry. Give me a call…"

He clicked off the phone and then decided to call Eric. "Hey Eric, can you do me a favor? Can you trace Callen's phone and find out where he is?"

"He's not in yet?" Eric asked.

Deeks sighed as he rolled his eyes. "No he's not in. I wouldn't be asking you to trace his phone if he was."

Deeks listened to the sound of Eric typing on his keyboard. "Uh, Deeks. Looks like he's at home," Eric said. "Or maybe just his phone is there."

Deeks shook his head. That wasn't good. Whether Callen was still home and not answering his phone or had left without it, both possibilities seemed ominous to him. "I'm going to his house to check on him," Deeks said as he got up and grabbed his car keys. "I'll talk to you later."

xxxxx

Deeks pulled up in front of Callen's house and saw his vehicle still parked out front. So that meant he was still there. He refused to even consider other more sinister possibilities. "He's fine. Everything's fine," Deeks told himself as he got out of the car and started heading up the walkway. Why was this happening when he and Callen were alone? Sam ought to be the one checking on his partner. He reached the door and rang the doorbell, shifting his weight from one foot to the other nervously as he waited, but Callen didn't come. "Hey Callen! You in there?!" Deeks shouted, pounding on the door. "Dammit." He shook his head and proceeded to pick the lock.

Deeks opened Callen's front door and poked his head inside. "Callen? Are you here?" he called out as he entered the house. He could feel his heart beating a mile a minute as he glanced into Callen's bedroom and saw that it was empty. "Clear," he said to himself. He could see the other bedroom door was partly ajar and he found himself reluctant to approach it, somehow sensing the answer to the puzzle would lie within the darkened room. He swallowed hard and walked towards it. When he reached the entranceway, he was immediately able to put two and two together when he saw Callen slumped by the body of his father. "Oh damn…" he whispered to himself.

"Hey Callen," Deeks said softly as he walked towards his team leader. Callen didn't respond to his voice, however. When Deeks reached him, he knelt down beside him and gently put his arm around his back, resting his hand on Callen's shoulder. "Callen?"

Deeks' touch finally registered and Callen lifted up his head and looked at the other man in confusion. "Deeks?" he said. "Wh…what are you doing here?"

"You were late for work…I was concerned about you."

Callen turned towards his father and then back towards Deeks, his eyes filled with emotion. "I…I found my dad…" he began to explain. "He…he…" Callen lowered his head, unable to continue.

"I'm sorry, Callen," Deeks said softly, patting his shoulder. "I'm really, really sorry."

"I don't know how this happened," Callen said, shaking his head. "It…it wasn't supposed to happen like this. He…we were supposed to have more time, Deeks." Callen took a deep breath, trying very hard to keep himself together. "Why did it have to happen like this? Why did I finally find my father only to lose him again? We never even…we didn't…" He stopped, unable to continue.

Deeks shook his head sadly, feeling heartbroken on behalf of the other man. "I don't know," Callen," he said quietly. "I wish I did." He hesitated for a bit and then went on. "Callen…I'm going to call 911, okay? And then I'll call Sam and Hetty."

"No!" Callen's eyes grew cold as he set his jaw. "Not Sam and not Hetty. I don't want you calling them. And before you ask, don't tell Kensi either. If you tell her, she's just going to tell Hetty."

"What? Come on, Callen. You know they would want to know this. I need to tell them."

"I said no, Deeks." Callen got to his feet and looked down at his father sadly. "Hetty is speaking at the conference today. I'm not going to spoil that for her or for Kensi. Sam and his family have been looking forward to their vacation for a long time and I'm not causing them to cut it short either."

"They won't be happy," Deeks protested. "Sam…"

"Don't tell me about my partner," Callen said. In his heart, he knew Deeks was right, that Sam would be at his side in an instant, but he refused to be an object of pity, causing Sam and his family's Hawaiian holiday to be ruined. "Please do this for me, Deeks. It's my…it's my father. Please honor my wishes on this?" He gave Deeks a pleading look.

Deeks sighed, at first shaking his head, but finally he nodded. "Fine, Callen…I'll keep quiet for now." In any case, Kensi and Hetty were due back the following afternoon. He softened his voice as he looked at his grief-stricken friend. "I'm going to call 911 now. I'll give you some privacy."

Callen nodded, not saying anything as Deeks left the room and quietly closed the door behind him. He then made the necessary phone call and then paced around Callen's home. Callen had finally found his father, after all these years, and had barely had any time with him. It really wasn't fair. He couldn't help but think whoever ran the universe had an unbelievable cruel streak.

It wasn't too long before the ambulance arrived and Garrison was officially pronounced dead. Callen now appeared to be in perfect control, his face calm and lacking emotion. "I need to tell Alex," he informed Deeks after Garrison had been transferred into the ambulance for transport to the funeral home. "Why don't I meet you back at the office in a bit?"

"What? The office?" Deeks asked as he shook his head. "Callen, you can't go into the office. Come on…you need to take some time to process this."

"I have processed it, Deeks," Callen said. "Garrison is dead. There's nothing I can do about it. It is what it is…"

"You really should call Sam." Deeks couldn't stop himself from trying again.

Callen nibbled on his lower lip as he appeared to consider Deeks' request, but he finally shook his head. "Do you know how long they've been planning this vacation for, Deeks?" he asked softly. "A long time…Sam was really excited about it and I know Michelle was too…so were the kids…" He faced Deeks, appearing totally lost. "How can you ask me to take that away from them?"

"I still say Sam would want to know."

Callen nodded. "He's my best friend…and I know you're right, but I want to be a good friend to him also. I want to do what's best for him…and for his family. I owe him that. Garrison's gone…there's nothing they can do to change that, but I can make sure their vacation isn't ruined. Now please…go back to the office. I'll be there after I talk to Alex…"

Deeks sighed heavily. He didn't like the way this was going one bit, but he also could see Callen wasn't about to change his mind, so for now, he would do what he asked. "Take care of yourself, Callen," he said, squeezing the other man's shoulder supportively.

"Oh, Deeks?" Callen called out before Deeks reached the door.

"Yeah?" Deeks said, turning around.

"Don't tell Eric or Nell either…"

"Come on, Callen," Deeks said with a shake of his head. "This isn't right. You need to tell people. You can't do this on your own."

"Please?"

Deeks contemplated his friend, not wanting to give in to him, but finding himself doing it just the same. "Fine, Callen. I won't say anything."

"Thank you, Deeks. For everything," Callen said, his eyes full of emotion once again as he nodded gratefully.