Chapter 13

Callen was nervous…more than that he was downright terrified.

The team, along with Eric, Nate and Granger had joined Callen Nell and Hetty at the beach house.

It was the Fourth of July and they were relaxing Nell was drinking a soda, lying on a lounger resting her head on Callen's chest as they along with the team watched the fireworks bursting in the sky overhead.

"It's beautiful." Nell said as Callen absentmindedly rubbed her belly feeling their son move under his hand.

"It is…" he smiled looking at her and not the fireworks.

Sam standing at the door nudged Michelle and nodded in their direction. Callen reached into his pocket and took out the box he had shown Hetty a month before.

"Nell?" he started.

"Umm…" Nell said not paying much attention.

He opened the box and stuck it on her stomach, "Nicky and I would like to give you something." He said.

She looked down at a beautiful fire opal in a necklace, "Oh my God…it's beautiful!" she exclaimed looking at it as the flecks sparkled in the moonlight.

Callen smiled as he put the necklace around her neck and spied the slightly disappointed look on Sam's face, as she admired it, he smirked and reached back into his pocket and put his lips close to her ear.

"It's to go with this…." He held a smaller box out and opened it.

Nell looked inside at the antique ring held within, "I hope you like it, it was my grandmothers." He said shooting Hetty a smile.

Hetty sniffed quietly watching the others as they slowly quieted down realizing what was happening in their midst.

Nell sat staring at the box.

"Nell, I know it was a strange beginning, and a stranger few months, but I know that I love you with everything that is in me. I want to spend the rest of my days with you, if you will have me. Nell Jones…will you marry me?" He whispered in her ear.

Nell's eyes filled with tears and she bit her lip as she nodded her head, "Uh...huh…" she said, "Yes G."

She let the tears spill over as Callen slipped the ring onto her finger.

Nell turned to look him in the eye and pulled him to her for a kiss, "I love you too G. Callen." She sniffed.

Callen kissed her back, "Hey Nicky, Mommy and Daddy are getting married." He said to her stomach.

"Not until he's born to be here with us." Nell said, she was not waddling up the aisle.

The others started clapping and came over to congratulate the couple.

October 31st.

Nell sat up in bed, cradling 3 month old Nicky on her lap. His deep blue eyes so much like his fathers, as the door knocked.

"Nell…Happy Halloween!" Kensi grinned as she came into the room. "I brought you breakfast, Michelle is just doing the dishes, are you ready for today?" she asked.

Nell kissed Nicky's head and lay him gently beside her, "Yeah…I can't believe it's time already." She grinned, "Have you heard from G?" she asked.

Kensi laughed, "Sam called, Callen was up before any of them, and he's been to the beach twice, to make sure the area is secure. Oh and he said to look in your nightstand drawer?"

Nell reached into her nightstand and pulled out a white box with an aqua blue bow on it.

"Oh!" she said as she opened it and a silver charm bracelet with small silver coins on it came out, "It's beautiful."

Kensi sat on the bed looking at the bracelet, "that is lovely, are you going to wear it for the wedding?" she asked.

Nell Nodded, "That along with the fire opal necklace, G and Nicky gave me."

"No pearls?" Kensi asked surprised, she had been talking to her mother about a pearl necklace that she wanted to wear to her own wedding…one day.

"No….No pearls…G says they are bad luck, Hetty told him." She said quickly.

Kensi nodded, in the few months since Callen's discovery he had learned as much as he could about his family and the Romani traditions on his mother's side, Nell was as supportive as she could learning a little along the way as well.

Nell had her bath while Hetty came and dressed Nicky in his little white suit with and aqua blue shirt, an exact miniature of what his father was wearing.

She sat as a hairdresser Hetty hired piled her red hair up, leaving small ringlets hanging down framing her face and working on her makeup, highlighting her eyes and making her feel like a princess.

She smiled as she took a moment to stop and breastfeed Nicky who dutifully burped and settled back down to sleep blissfully unaware of the huge step his parents were about to take.

Nell stood up as Hetty walked in smoothing down the flowing white dress she was wearing, "Are you ready my dear?" Hetty asked.

Nell smiled, "I can't believe this is actually happening the last year has been a whirlwind Hetty, First falling for Callen, that night in the restaurant…becoming pregnant, losing him…getting him back…getting engaged having Nicky…now I am finally marrying him…I just wish…he had more family here, although I am so so pleased he found you." Nell said giving the smaller woman a hug.

Hetty smiled, wiping away a small tear, "I am so pleased to be here for this and I agree, I wish we could have found his father, but all of Mr. Beale's searches came up negative."

Nicky burped and Hetty laughed, "At least there is one Nikita here." She said looking lovingly at her great-great Nephew.

Nell put her shoes on, "We shouldn't keep him waiting, and he'll worry." She said as she tightened the charm bracelet around her wrist.

Callen stood on the beach, with Sam at the end of a small makeshift aisle, white ribbon along with aqua blue bows decorated the ends of the rows of chairs where the guest were sitting.

"You ready for this?" Sam asked his partner.

Callen grinned, "Yeah, I love her Sam, I need this."

Sam smiled at the look of peace in his partners eyes. "Well I have the rings, not sure what else you have planned." Sam said and chuckled as Callen grinned.

Callen looked past all of Nell's' family and his friends to the white limo that pulled up onto the beach, Nell got out and the sight of her took Callen's breath away.

"Sam…" he breathed suddenly shaking.

Sam put a hand on Callen's shoulder. "You're ok." He said.

Callen relaxed a little, "She's beautiful Sam…" he sighed, watching as Nell and her father walked up the aisle with Kensi, Michelle and Sam's daughter as bridesmaids following behind.

Hetty brought up the rear carrying Nicky in a miniature copy of his father's suit.

Hetty took her seat as Kensi and Michelle, arranged Nell's dress and took her bouquet and sat down.

Nell turned and looked at Callen, who was immediately blown away by the look of love on her face.

He smiled and they turned to the woman that Hetty had arranged to conduct the ceremony.

They went through the vows, there was not a dry eye in the house, well on the beach anyway as the sun started to set silhouetting the couple as the celebrant stopped.

"This is a part of the Ceremony the couple asked to be included in honor of Mr. Callen's Romani ancestors," she said producing two small cubes of bread and a needle, explaining as she did so that it was an old custom in Romani weddings to put a drop of the bride's blood on one cube and a drop of the grooms blood on another. Then the bride and groom would each eat the other person's piece of bread, so symbolize the joining of two bloods.

Callen handed Nell her piece of bread and she his piece, she smiled as at the same time they both put the bread in their mouths and swallowed.

"I now pronounce you..." the celebrant started.

"Finally…" A woman's voice said.

Callen looked around, apart from Nell who was looking confused everyone else there had stopped moving.

Callen turned and 3 women stood there all dressed in flowing robes.

"What?" He asked and stopped he recognized the middle of the three women, "Mom?"

Clara looked at her son, "Gregori…I am so proud of you." She said as the younger blonde woman moved to stand nearer to them.

"M…Mom…" Callen's voice cracked and he grabbed Nell's hand.

"She's a good choice baby brother." Amy said as she smiled at him.

"Amy…" Callen took a step toward them, "I'm so sorry, I tried to stop them…" he said.

"That wasn't me, what you saw were shades, it wasn't real…" Amy said, gently touching Callen's cheek.

He jumped in shock her hand was cool, but not cold. Amy smiled and stepped aside for her mother to stand there.

"We only have this moment son, the part of the second before the sun sets…you exchanged your blood with your bride at the right moment so she can share this with you." Clara said.

"What's going on?" Nell asked.

"Myself and Amy and my mother Nadia all had the same wish when we died, Nadia's that I would be happy, I wished my children would be happy and Amy wished that Gregori would have peace and happiness, there is magic in our blood…not much, diluted over the years but the wish was amplified and granted, Gregori met you and we have been watching over him his whole life, we could see how much you two loved each other…" Clara started.

Amy laughed, "So we gave you a push."

Callen looked at Nell and smiled at his sister, "Thank you."

"He is beautiful," Clara said, "He looks like your father."

Callen sighed, "I wanted him here today, and I tried to find him."

Clara smiled, "He is nearby, he is never far away from you."

Nadia looked at her grandson, "You are loved my boy, we will always be watching, but our time with you is now over, just know that we did what we did to you because we love you." She said, "And tell my sister I love her." She added.

Clara turned and the three women hugged both Nell and Callen.

"I love you mama." Callen said as the light flared…

"…Man and wife…" the celebrant finished.

There was a gasp from the guests as a cloud of black feathers burst forth from nowhere and showered the couple, Nell moved forward and pulled Callen into a hug.

"It's ok…it's all ok." She said to him and they kissed as Callen cried.

Stepping apart Sam moved over to Callen "How did you do that thing with the feathers?" he asked as the crowd applauded.

Callen smiled but said nothing…he walked over to Hetty, "Nadia said she loves you." He told her as suddenly Hetty understood.

"You saw them?" she asked.

Callen smiled, "We both did."

Nell came over to join her husband and took their son from Kensi.

"Well Mrs. Callen…are you ready?" Callen asked.

Nell smiled, "Yes Gregori…I am."

Callen grinned and nodded, "We have a register to sign with our full names,"

Hetty for a moment was confused and realized of course his mother would call him by his name.

On the cliff top Arkady smiled as he watched the happy couple below.

"Congratulations Moy Syn." He said and turned to walk back to his car, he saw the feather on the ground stopped and picked it up. "Ah….Clara…you continue to watch over him and I will keep him safe." He said to the sky.

He smiled, climbed into the car and drove away.