So, I always liked the flashback scene at the end of Rage when Hetty and Callen first met, but this weekend, when I watched it again, it made me want to continue with it in some way. I'm not expecting this to be anything too long or complicated. We'll just see how it goes and if anyone is even interested in reading it. For those of you who do, thanks so much

xxxxx

Callen sat silently, hunched against the door of Hetty's car. "Do you have anything we need to pick up?" Hetty asked, looking at the boy kindly.

Callen shook his head quickly. "No."

"Surely there's something," Hetty prodded.

"Just some crappy clothes. If you want to get them, go ahead. They kept all my belongings in Juvie. Ain't worth it to have good stuff. People just steal it anyways."

"Isn't."

"Isn't what?" Callen asked, focusing his eyes on the tiny woman driving a car that was nicer than any he'd ever ridden in…or driven.

"It isn't worth it to have good stuff. You should speak well, Mr. Callen. Appearances are important, how a person looks and speaks. They can change people's entire impressions of you."

Callen shrugged. "Whatever."

"In any case, we will go shopping tomorrow for some clothes and whatever else you may need."

"Don't you just have stuff from the other kids you can let me wear?" Callen asked. He truly had never met anyone like this odd little woman.

"There are no other kids," Hetty explained to him. "It's only you and I, and of course the staff."

There was a staff? Callen wondered what kind of an organization this place was. He was starting to grow even more wary about what this newest chapter in his life might be. Then again, it had to be better than juvenile hall and hopefully better than most of the foster homes he'd been placed in. As Hetty pulled the car onto the long driveway leading to Dovecote, Callen's blue eyes widened in astonishment. "What is this place?" he asked, unable to hide the awe in his voice.

"This is my home," Hetty replied. "And your home now too if you would like it to be."

A tiny smirk broke through Callen's seriousness but he quickly erased it from his face. "You live here all alone?"

"As I told you, I have a household staff. It would be a lot for me to take care of this place all by myself. There is also Security to watch the house and the grounds."

"You must be pretty rich," Callen commented.

Hetty smiled at the boy's bluntness. "I'm very comfortable," she told him.

Callen started to wonder about what the price would be to live in such a house. Maybe he was expected to be a servant? He supposed it wouldn't be that bad. He wasn't afraid of hard work, especially if there wasn't a beating at the end of the day.

"Come along, Mr. Callen," Hetty said after she had parked the car. "We have time for me to give you a brief tour of the house before dinner." She led him to the front door and they entered the house. Callen's mouth hung open in amazement when he got his first look at what was to be his new home.

"Why does such a little lady need such a big house?" he wondered aloud after a long silence.

Hetty chuckled. The boy certainly didn't hold back when it came to speaking what was on his mind. "I enjoy living here. I'm hopeful that you will come to feel the same way with time."

Callen looked at her doubtfully. No matter what she said about him living here, he'd heard it all before. He had no doubt that as soon as she got sick of him or he did something against the rules, he'd be out the door.

Hetty led Callen through the rooms of the first floor. He took in all the artwork and collectibles and began to think this woman was even richer than he had first thought. He'd never stayed in a house with so many things. He didn't say anything though. He just took in everything silently as he wondered about his new life. Hetty then led him to the front staircase and they started upstairs to the second floor. "This will be your bedroom," Hetty said as she opened the door to a room with hardwood floors and white walls. It was simple with a queen-sized bed, a nightstand and a dresser. There were a few framed seascapes on the walls. Callen went over to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress and bounced lightly, testing it out. The bed felt amazing, not to mention the size of it. It was huge. He couldn't believe he'd have it all to himself. A lot of the homes he'd been in, he'd just wrapped up in a blanket and slept on the floor. Either the older kids had forced him out of his bed or else the mattresses had been just too uncomfortable. "Think about what kinds of things you'd like to make it more comfortable for you."

Callen gave Hetty a blank look as he glanced at the bed. There were four fluffy pillows and a comforter. In the past he had considered himself lucky to have one flat pillow and a threadbare blanket. Finally, he spoke when it seemed like she was waiting for him to say something. "It looks like a real comfortable bed…I don't think I need anything else."

"Well, I wasn't necessarily speaking about the bed," Hetty said, "but more about the room itself. For example, maybe some posters of sports teams that you like. Do you read? We could get you a bookcase and maybe go buy some books for you. Things like that."

"I do like to read," Callen said. For the first time Hetty saw a light in the boy's eyes and it made her happy. She wanted to see if she could make that light appear more often. Maybe she could finally bring some well-deserved happiness into young Mr. Callen's life.

xxxxx

After she had shown Callen his bedroom as well as where her own room was up on the second floor, Hetty led him downstairs to a room she hadn't shown him before on her tour. Now that she realized the boy had a liking for reading though, she thought he'd like this room very much. "In here, is the library," she said as she opened one of the double doors.

"Wow…" Callen said as he stared up at the tall floor-to-ceiling bookcases which lined the walls. There were two overstuffed recliners, a desk and a small sofa. Callen walked over to one of the bookshelves and reached for a book before he stopped himself and looked at Hetty questioningly. "Is it okay?"

Hetty nodded, a pleased smile on her face. "Of course, you can feel free to read any book in here, as many as you'd like." Callen smiled as he took the book out and felt the soft leather cover then carefully put it back. He loved books. He'd discovered at a very young age that they provided a means of escape from the troubles of his daily life. He could go into other worlds and for a little while pretend that he lived in other places with people who actually cared about him.

"Why don't you stay in here for a bit and see if there's anything you'd like. It's fine to take the books to your room. I'm going to go see about dinner."

Callen nodded, not even really paying attention as Hetty left him alone. He was already focused on the wealth of books contained in the room.

xxxxx

When Hetty returned, about a half hour later, she found her young charge sitting in one of the recliners, one book open in his lap and another small stack on the side table beside him. "Did anything catch your fancy?" Hetty asked.

Callen silently held up the book he was reading. "Catcher in the Rye…interesting choice," Hetty commented with a smile. "But for now, it's dinner time. You can leave the books here for now and after dinner take them to your room or read them here, whatever you'd prefer."

Callen got up and followed Hetty out into the kitchen. He was relieved that they weren't having dinner in the large formal dining room he had seen earlier. That would have just been weird.

"Should I do something?" Callen asked awkwardly as he watched Hetty take a pan out of the oven.

"No, that's okay, dear. Just sit down," Hetty told him. She put a piece of chicken on his plate and then brought over a bowlful of mashed potatoes and green beans and set them on the table. Callen politely waited until she had seated and served herself before he took some potatoes and green beans for himself. It seemed like a lot for just two people. At many of the foster homes he'd been in, he'd never felt like he had enough to eat. Some nights he had gone to bed still hungry, with his stomach growling.

"This is good," the boy said as he ate, for lack of anything better to say. He wasn't sure what was expected of him regarding chores or things as simple as being allowed to talk at the table. He didn't really trust what was happening to him and a large part of him was tensely waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I'm glad you like it," Hetty said. "I cook sometimes, but a lot of nights I have a cook here. Her name is Molly. I'll introduce you to her on Monday and you can give her an idea of what kinds of foods you like. I won't promise you'll have your favorite things every night, but I'm not going to make you eat foods you hate either."

"You're not?" That was different. Most places he'd been in, he'd had no choice at all regarding what to eat and he'd be punished if he complained.

"No, I don't believe in forcing children to eat foods that they don't like," Hetty stated. She put her fork down and gazed at the boy until he seemed uncomfortable with the attention. "This isn't going to be like the other homes you've been in, Mr. Callen. I'd like very much for us to get along. Now of course there will be rules to follow and we'll have things we need to discuss, but I'm hoping very much that you will be happy here."

"So…" Callen began, then hesitated.

"Out with it," Hetty said to him. "Come now, don't be shy."

"I don't know what to call you," Callen finally said.

"What?" Hetty looked confused for a brief moment and then she laughed. "I can't believe I didn't introduce myself to you. My name is Henrietta Lange. You can just call me Hetty if you'd like."

"Hetty," Callen repeated with a slight nod of his head. He then went back to his meal, but now he was wondering what kind of rules Hetty was talking about and how she would go about enforcing those rules. He hoped it didn't involve those security guys she had mentioned. If they were anything like the guys at juvenile hall, he could be in trouble.

xxxxx

Callen slept well, at least for him. He woke at around 2 a.m. and considered exploring the house on his own, but then decided against that. He wondered what the following day would hold. He was pretty sure the rules and stuff conversation would be happening at some point over the weekend and wondered just how bad it was going to be. Finally, he was able to put his troublesome thoughts aside and fell back to sleep.

"Good morning, Mr. Callen," Hetty greeted him as he made his way into the kitchen. She then eyed his dirty sweatshirt with the words South Gate Juvenile Detention Center on it. "We definitely need to get you some clothes today. That shirt has to go."

Callen looked down at the shirt and privately agreed with her. He needed no reminders of the three weeks he'd spent in Juvie.

"I like to cook breakfast on weekends," Hetty said as she bustled around the kitchen. "I don't really have time for that during the week though. You'll have to let me know what kinds of things you like or better yet, we'll stop at a supermarket later on and you can pick out some things you like to eat."

"Yeah?" Callen listened to her with interest. This was definitely new. He couldn't ever recall going to a supermarket and picking out food he liked although he wondered if his choices would be somewhat limited. "I can get whatever I want?"

Hetty chuckled. "Anything within reason. I'm not going to endorse ice cream for breakfast."

Callen smiled as he watched her. "Can I do anything?" he finally asked, deciding it wouldn't hurt to make a good impression.

"You can set the table if you'd like," Hetty told him. She told him where the dishes and utensils were and he quickly and efficiently set to work on his task. She smiled to herself as she watched him out of the corner of her eye. She was impressed with how he was obviously trying to be helpful. She knew he was rough around the edges and there would be problems along the way, but she was pretty sure he wasn't the horror story everyone seemed to think he was. In any case, she was not one to back down from a challenge.

xxxxx

"You're a good cook," Callen stated, after he finished his breakfast of bacon, eggs, home fries and toast of which he had put away quite a lot for a boy his size. It made Hetty sad to think that he had been deprived of food in the past. That was one thing he was never going to have to worry about, as long as he remained with her.

"So, before we head out today, I thought we should have a little talk," Hetty began, her eyes serious as she looked at Callen.

He immediately felt himself tense. 'Here it comes,' he thought to himself. He fully anticipated that everything was about to change.

"First thing we need to talk about is school."

Callen was unable to hold back a half-hearted sigh. School wasn't his favorite topic, not by a long shot.

"Would you prefer public or a private school?"

"Private school? With uniforms and ties?" His blue eyes widened and his expression grew increasingly horrified just at the thought of it. He would never fit in at a school like that.

Hetty chuckled. "Alright, public school it is then. There's a high school not too far from here with a very good reputation, grades nine through 12. You're currently in the ninth grade?"

Callen nodded. He didn't really want to go to school, but he knew there was no real way out of that.

"Okay then, I think we should get going. We have a lot to do today."

"Should I clear the table?" he asked as he got to his feet.

"That would be very nice, Mr. Callen," Hetty said to him. "Very nice indeed."

xxxxx

"Why do I need a suit?" Callen had been trying hard not to complain as he tried on pants and shirts, seemingly by the dozens, but a suit? That was just too much.

"You never know when the occasion will arise that you need to wear one," Hetty stated practically.

Callen sighed as he glared at the salesman with the measuring tape. "No one I knows wears suits," he grumbled.

"I'm afraid this point is nonnegotiable," Hetty said. "You need to have one good suit, just in case."

"Just in case what, I die?" Callen asked. "You can bury me in a garbage bag. I'll be dead. I won't care."

The salesman chuckled and Hetty had to hold back a smile. "Well let's hope that doesn't happen, but if it does, I assure you that I would care."

Finally, after what seemed an unbearably long time to Callen, they left the store with an order placed for not one, but two new suits. He'd finally given up on complaining, realizing that Hetty wasn't going to change her mind. If he whined any further, he'd probably end up wearing suits to school so he kept his mouth shut, although it wasn't easy.

"Now…how about a new jacket?" Hetty asked as they moved onto the next store.

"Okay…sure," Callen said. He had to admit, she'd been good about letting him pick out what he liked and he'd never really had a decent jacket before. When he'd been lucky enough to have one, they were old with stains or holes in them. He looked them over carefully and finally picked out a light blue denim jacket which he really liked. Hetty insisted that he get another one and he chose a plain black one, as well. He'd never imagined having so many clothes before, all for him and all brand new.

"Thank you for buying me all these things," he said quietly when they had returned to the car. "It was really nice of you."

"Well, you do need clothes," Hetty said. "They're more of a necessity than a luxury."

"Even two suits?" he asked, a tiny smirk on his lips.

"Don't be cheeky, Mr. Callen," Hetty said. "Trust me, the time may come when you actually like wearing a suit. A suit can command respect and admiration."

"Well, at least we're done now," Callen said. He'd gone to thrift stores in the past, but had never done shopping like this before. Now he had countless clothing items, including new socks, underwear, t-shirts and enough shirts, pants and jeans to wear something different every day for close to two weeks.

"Oh we're not done yet," Hetty corrected him. "We still have more shopping to do, but now we will look for things you may like better than just buying clothes."

Callen studied Hetty, as he tried to figure her out. She sure didn't talk or act like anyone else he'd ever stayed with or even come in contact with before. One thing he knew for sure, it was definitely going to be interesting living with her.