This was written specifically for the summer 2010 challenge issued by angelprincesslilac. I wasn't going to start writing a new genre, but this challenge inspired me to start.

This is actually a mild crossover between LA and the original NCIS. I've taken the liberty to change the ending of NCIS season 7 in a HUGE way.

Character death(s) ahead, some already known (Dom and Macy) and one unexpected. No pairings.

Spoilers for NCIS episodes 'Patriot Down' and 'Rule 51' and LA episodes 'Found', 'Burned' and 'Callen, G.'.

(The part between the xxNCISxx is a flashback. (Just to clarify.))

As usual, I own nothing remotely related to NCIS except the first six seasons on DVD. Don't sue me, you won't get much. (By the way, this is SO NOT helping me get over my Chris O'Donnell obsession…LOL)

_NCIS_NCIS_NCIS_NCIS_

Sometimes being an NCIS agent really sucked. The last four weeks had been one of those times for G Callen. Things had gone from really bad to horrible over that relatively short period of time.

Being a master of deceit had helped him hide his anguish from his teammates and side-step Nate's attempts to get in his head. He put on his mask and plowed through his days at the office acting as if everything was fine even after losing Dom and Macy in a three week span.

Getting burned and being out on his own was just another hazard of the job as far as he was concerned. While he admitted he was a bit worried, not just for himself, but for his fellow NCIS colleagues as well, he knew his team would have his back. At least that's what he made them believe.

He even acted like it hadn't bothered him to find out he had a sister that he had lost without ever really knowing her. When he returned from her grave yesterday he allowed his friends to give him a few sympathetic comments but didn't dwell on it. He didn't even acknowledge that he was so close to finding out his true identity he could almost taste it only to have it all ripped away from him in the end.

He was so good at lying to people, his own friends even, that it seemed like they were buying it. Then again, maybe not.

He knew Sam was on to him. He never could hide anything from his partner for too long. He also knew Hetty was watching him a little closer than usual. She was a smart woman; it took a lot to fool her. Nate was persistent and constantly tried to ferret out his true feelings. Kensi just gave him a sad look whenever he happened to catch her gaze. Eric was indifferent, but he could tell the young computer genius knew all was not well.

So when he got the call today, he couldn't hide in plain sight anymore. He had to get away.

xxNCISxx

G walked into the bullpen at NCIS headquarters to find Sam, Kensi and Nate already there arguing over some trivial matter as they often did. Hetty watched with a small smile on her face from her office.

Things seemed a bit lighter then they had in the last week. After the Ops Center was shut down and total chaos had taken over, it was crazy. Now that they were back where they belonged, it seemed things were slowly getting back to normal for his team.

He sat at his desk and began to shuffle through the rather large pile of papers he was supposed to turn in to Hetty. Case reports, expense reports and other assorted 'official' paperwork. He sighed as he thought of how long it was going to take him. He could hear the phone in Hetty's office ringing, but paid it no mind.

A few minutes later, just as Sam was starting to harass him about the paperwork, his own cell rang. He picked it up from the desk and looked at it funny. Why was Vance calling him on his cell? Maybe it was in connection to the whole mess of his cover being blown. He shrugged and answered.

"Callen."

"Agent Callen, how are things going with your team?"

"Fine." He wondered why Vance was calling to check up on his team. Something was wrong, that was for sure.

"Good to hear." Leon hesitated just a bit too long for Callen's comfort. "The real reason I'm calling is there's something you need to know and I wanted you to hear it from me first. It won't be easy for you, but I don't want you finding out second hand."

As Leon continued on, the rest of the world became a blur. Suddenly G forgot how to breathe and all the color drained from his face. He didn't notice the looks of alarm on everyone's faces. He hadn't noticed Hetty had walked from her office and was standing behind him with a stricken look on her face. He hadn't noticed the tears falling from the corners of his eyes either.

"Agent Callen? Are you still there?"

Leon's voice briefly brought him out of his dazed state.

"Yeah. Thanks for calling me. I appreciate it."

He hung up and sat there in silence for a few seconds.

"G?" Sam's voice barley registered.

G jumped up from his desk and grabbed the car keys off Sam's desk. He nearly ran from the office without a word leaving his team behind wondering what the hell had just happened.

Hetty had stepped into the bullpen. "Director Vance called to inform Agent Callen that Special Agent Gibbs was gunned down while he was following a lead in Mexico. He didn't make it."

Kensi gasped and put her hand over her mouth. She had only worked with Gibbs that one time but she liked his style. He seemed like a decent guy under the rugged exterior.

Nate sat silently knowing this was the final straw that was going to push Callen over the edge. He had watched his friend slowly spiral out of control even though G had thought he fooled him. He was truly concerned that G was going to do something really stupid.

Sam knew G was going to do something really stupid. He looked at Nate then Hetty. "I'll find him. Don't worry." He gently squeezed Kensi's shoulder as he left the bullpen to go after Callen.

xxNCISxx

G had managed to elude Sam all day. Leaving his cell phone on his desk was a good thing. He also knew the Challenger had GPS tracking and ditched it as soon as he was away from the building. (Sam was going to be pissed at him for that.) After that he just walked for a while. No particular destination, no one to see. He was beyond upset, he was angry. Angry at the world and angry at himself.

He ended up in some random bar in downtown LA. Normally he didn't drink because he knew 'a few' always turned into 'a few too many' when he was pissed. He remembered the last time he saw Jethro and the promise of the two of them getting a drink together. Well, that was never going to happen. So he figured, what the hell, he would just drink enough for both of them.

After having quite a few, he decided he really didn't want to be there anymore. He tossed some money on the bar to cover his tab then wandered outside. His senses were pleasantly dulled by the alcohol and he was feeling a bit light headed. The sun was going down by then and he wandered aimlessly for a bit, having no idea where he was going. The drinking binge did nothing to calm his anger; in fact he was more pissed now than he was when he left headquarters. The longer he wandered, the angrier he got.

Eventually he ended up at his newest 'temporary' apartment. He fumbled with Sam's keys for a few minutes before finding the right one and letting himself in. G turned on the light and stood in the doorway taking in the sparse furnishings. He never really owned much because he never really stayed in one place too long. He was surprised that Sam wasn't there. He thought for sure he would be waiting for him. That meant he was eventually going to show up, he knew Sam was still out looking for him.

Catching sight of one of the few personal items he had in his place, G threw the keys across the room, knocking the picture of him and Jethro off the desk. It hit the floor and the glass shattered. Suddenly, he was consumed by his anger. He saw the faces of the people he had lost recently. Dom, Macy, his sister (what little he remembered of her), Gibbs. He lashed out and punched the wall. Being unsuccessful in relieving his anger, he repeatedly smashed his hand into the plaster until he left a nice dent in the wall stained with the blood from his now bruised and cut knuckles. He was too angry to feel the pain even though he was pretty sure he had broken at least one bone in his hand.

He knew he was on his way to a full blown rage and thought about calming himself down for just a split second. Walking towards the kitchen, he pulled off his jacket and his hand brushed against his gun holster on his hip. He stopped in his tracks and pulled the gun from the holster. After staring at it for several minutes, he finally laid it on the counter that separated the living area from the kitchen. He shook his head to try and clear the rage induced thought from his mind. It wasn't the first time in his life that idea had crossed his mind. G walked over to the sink and pulled a glass from the drainer and filled it with water. He took a large drink and turned around to rest against the counter. It turned out to be a bad move, as he saw the picture of him and the team, Dom included, hanging on the refrigerator. It had been taken on one of the few nights they had all managed to get away from the office together.

The glass sailed through the kitchen into the living area and shattered loudly as it hit the hardwood floor. He slid down the cabinet and slumped onto the floor, the tears finally breaking free. He sobbed to the point that he had trouble catching his breath. Finally the weariness, alcohol and sadness overwhelmed him and he passed out on the kitchen floor.

That was where Sam found him half an hour later.