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AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Title: Partnership Enhancement Training

Rating: T

Story Premise: All it took was one mistake and Callen and Sam's partnership faltered on an ops. Hetty had a plan to bring their partnership back into sync.

Category: Humor/Angst.

WARNINGS:

Mild Language

DISCLAIMER: NCIS: Los Angeles and its characters are owned by CBS and the producers of it. I do not own anything, but if I did I would torture G Callen more and make him cry and suffer and have plenty of angst. I am grateful to CBS and the producers of NCIS: LA for their contribution to the world of entertainment.

My stories are a work of my imagination and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. This is a work intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by CBS and the producers of NCIS:LA. I gain no profit from the creation and publication of this story. I love to play in the sandbox with the characters and their lives. I especially love to torture G Callen. It is fun!

Partnership Enhancement Training

One damned mistake.

Callen stared across the vast space between the bullpen and where Hetty sat, unmoving for the past hour. She reminded him of a statute. He was tempted to shake her. Just once he wanted to see if she would nudge one inch one way or another.

"G?" Sam barked.

"You growling at me again?"

Sam chuckled. "That was far from sounding as if I were a vicious dog," he chortled. "She's not gonna change her mind, so let's get on with it. The faster we agree with her wishes, the faster we can get on with the ops," Sam tee-heed. "Shall we?" He offered his right hooked elbow to his partner.

"I'm no homo, man," Callen riposted, slipping his left arm into his partner's offered up arm.

"Neither am I," Sam countered, "I'm the quintessential macho man." He winked at his partner.

Callen shot him a look.

They strode arm in arm toward their supervisor's corner of NCIS Headquarters.

"We're ready, Hetty, ready as we'll ever be," Sam retorted.

"All right gentlemen, follow me," Henrietta Lange responded, rising from her desk chair and guiding her two lead agents toward the expansive gym in the center of NCIS headquarters.

All eyes in the bullpen tracked Sam and Callen as they followed Hetty toward the gym.

"Mr. Hanna, your left hand goes in the air."

"I know how to do this, Hetty," Sam expostulated.

"I'd cop the attitude, Mr. Hanna, that is if you wish to go on that ops later on this morning."

He cracked a half frown and sighed, slipping his left hand into the air.

"Mr. Callen, copy your partner's left hand with your right hand."

Callen sighed louder than he had planned to, slipping his right hand into his partner's left hand.

"Draw closer into each other," Hetty ordered. "You act as if he's going to bite you, Mr. Hanna."

Sam sighed louder. He was just about ready to walk out of the gym.

"Mr. Hanna, place your right hand shortly below Mr. Callen's left shoulder blade." She floated across the room, closer to them both, forcing them to touch each other. "There, now you have it, Mr. Hanna. Head up, shoulders relaxed. Press your right side against his left side. Excellent, Mr. Hanna. For heaven's sake, don't be shy, he's your partner," Hetty scolded her agent. She used her hands on their hips to press them closer together. "There now, perfect. Mr. Callen, you need to relax those shoulders. After all, this is not the military."

"I'm trying, Hetty," Callen riposted, sighing again, even louder this time for emphasis.

"Mr. Callen, place your left arm on your partner's right arm."

Callen hesitated for a moment. This was too weird.

Hetty grasped her agent's left arm and guided it on top of Mr. Hanna's right arm. "Perfect. Mr. Hanna, your first step is to drag your partner backward with you, stepping back with your right foot first and leaning back. You need to loosen up. You're too uptight. Mr. Callen is your partner. Follow your partner's lead, Mr. Callen, allow him to gently drag your body with him."

Sam and Callen finished the first step.

"Again gentlemen, this time closer Mr. Callen, believe me your partner won't bite," Hetty sniggered. "The movement needs to look and feel as if you're floating with him, inseparably. And Mr. Hanna, you need to appear to be drawing your partner into you to embrace him and make love."

Both men broke away from each other and crossed their arms. They each shot their supervisor dirty looks.

"This has gone too—"

"If you want to leave this building some time today, Mr. Hanna, we'll need to finish your first lesson," Hetty expostulated.

"Finish it?" His mouth dropped into a deep frown.

"You both need more lessons in being partners."

"We work well together," Sam retorted, eyeing his partner.

"Very well together, Hetty," Callen maintained.

"And I want to make sure you two continue to work well together, positions, Mr. Hanna and Mr. Callen," Hetty declared. "Positions gentlemen." She scrutinized them when they failed to move into position.

They both sighed. Afterward they positioned their arms, hands, and bodies as their supervisor had instructed.

"Ready, Mr. Hanna, and step backward, drawing your partner into you and embracing him."

He sighed deep and long and followed her instructions.

"Excellent, just relax your upper body more, act as if you're enjoying your partner's close proximity."

Sam winked at G and glared at Hetty's back as she strode toward the gramophone. "Crap," he whispered to his partner. "She's gonna play that music."

"And we're gonna do this or stay here until she's satisfied."

"Damn it." Sam drew his partner closer into his body. "Okay, it's now or never." He wrapped his right arm tighter around G's upper back, drawing him against him.

"Yes, Mr. Hanna, now you've got the right idea," she declared, lifting her hands in the air to praise their closer union. "And with the music, step backwards, straighten, step backwards, straighten. Aw, yes, up close and personal. Continue practicing this step, moving with the music," Hetty insisted. After a few circles around the room, she stopped the record playing on the gramophone. "Now let's add one more step and well be finished for the day. Your next lesson is tomorrow morning."

Callen's jaw dropped. "Hetty, you said one lesson."

"I changed my mind, Mr. Callen, I think you two need more of these quick lessons in partnership enhancement."

"Partnership enhancement?" Sam questioned.

"Would you rather I call it—"

"No!" Both partners recited at once. They stifled their glares for their supervisor.

"All right then, for the next step, Mr. Hanna, you'll twirl your partner and then end with bringing him backward against you with a hand around his waist."

Sam's jaw dropped wide open.

"Problem with that?"

He shut his mouth quickly and sighed. "No."

They practiced the move several times.

"Excellent, you gentlemen are fast learners," Hetty exclaimed. "So let's add one more move to your partnership enhancement lesson."

"Hetty, damn it, you just—"

"Mr. Callen, you do want to leave headquarters sometime today?"

"Damn it."

"I take it that means yes."

"Yes."

"Well, excellent then, this move is for you," Hetty uttered. "After Mr. Hanna has brought you back against him, you'll need to turn sideways and fall backward. Allow your partner to hold your reposed body. Place your right foot backward and let go, allowing Mr. Hanna to cradle you in his arms."

Callen's jaw dropped. "You want me to do what?"

"I want you to trust your partner and allow him to cradle your body in his arms," Hetty explained. "I assure you, Mr. Hanna is fully capable of supporting your body with his muscular arms and well-developed body."

He felt the heat rise up into his face.

"That color becomes you, G."

"Don't go there, Sam, I'm warning you." His blue eyes brightened with intensity.

"Now, now, gentlemen, this is a lesson in partnership enhancement," Hetty admonished them both. "Ready Mr. Callen?"

They practiced the three steps. When they reached Callen's step, they fumbled it badly and both men almost lost their balance. At the last minute, Sam scooped G into his arms, cradling his smaller physique in his larger, stronger one.

"Lovely, gentlemen, again, to the music."

Sam and Callen practiced the steps again, this time getting into the rhythm of the music more and allowing themselves to let go.

"I think you gentlemen have it," Hetty reiterated. "Would you like to know what this dance is called?"

"I'm not sure if I want to know," Callen complained.

"The Tango, gentlemen, and tomorrow we continue with more risqué moves."

Sam's jaw dropped open wide. "More risqué?"

"I'm not so sure we need to be—"

"After flubbing the timing on your last ops and almost getting each other killed, your partnership enhancement training is mandatory gentlemen."

They parted and faced Hetty. "Mandatory?" they questioned their supervisor together.

"It is either that or placing you both on suspension until you have completed more training and you pass rigorous testing—"

"No problem, Hetty," they agreed, simultaneously, again stifling their glares.

"I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow morning for your next lesson," Hetty announced. "You'll need to arrive at least three hours before your regularly scheduled time. And gentlemen, I expect to see you dress accordingly."

"Accordingly?" Callen questioned.

"You need to dress according to the parts you play."

"Wait one minute, this has gone—"

"Too far?" Hetty guessed. "It is either the Tango or your asses in suspension. Your choice gentlemen."

Damn it. Callen swore under his breath. "How do we dress?"

"You'll need to find a sexy and silky, red shirt, while Mr. Hanna I expect to see you in the sexiest and silkiest black clothes you own."

"Hetty!"

"Mr. Callen."

Damn.

"Mr. Callen, if you need help with your wardrobe ask your partner," Hetty suggested. "He knows what a sexy and silky red shirt looks like." She eyed both men and exited the gym.

"I don't know how we're gonna get out of this one," Callen growled.

"There you go growling as if you're a dog."

"You're asking for it, Sam."

"I hope you plan to deliver this time on our ops, so we can keep ourselves from ending up in the emergency department of our local hospital again."

Callen hoped the partnership enhancement training they just learned would be their ticket for a smoother working relationship on their new ops. "Me too, Sam," Callen recapitulated.

Thanks for reading. Your review is appreciated.