Chapter 64-65 - Former CIA, Now LAPD

Chapter 64 – The Man Behind the Legend

June 8, 2018 – 10:52 AM

OSP Headquarters – Los Angeles – Hidden Hangar

The elevator rose silently to the main OSP bay. The doors opened onto the large, modern, hidden space in the middle of the city. Kensi stood at a tactical display, Deeks spread folders on a makeshift table, while Eric Beale and Nell Jones divided their attention between monitors and encrypted intercept charts.

Seeing Callen and Sam enter, their expressions half-amused, half-reflective, Deeks raised his hands.

"Okay, you two have that 'something serious happened, but let's pretend it was just another normal Tuesday' look. So... what was it?"

Sam dropped her sunglasses on the table and removed her shoulder brace.

"It wasn't a Tuesday. It was a return to the past."

Kensi looked at Callen suspiciously.

"Operation compromised? Local interference?"

Callen tossed the SUV keys on the counter and smiled.

"Nothing like that. We just passed an LAPD patrol car. Sergeant Athena Grant. And her partner... was Mike Edwards."

Silence fell over the room.

Eric, who was typing, froze.

"Mike... Edwards? Mike Edwards from the CIA? Ground Branch?"

Sam nodded.

"That's right."

Nell, who was approaching with a data folder, stopped.

"He's still alive? I thought he was... I don't know. In some safe haven in Virginia writing memoirs that would never be published."

Callen crossed his arms.

"He's more alive than ever. LAPD. A pair of boots on the ground. And still with the eyes of someone who knows exactly what's going on around him."

Deeks blinked a few times.

"Wait, wait. The same guy they say spent four months undercover with cartels in Paraguay? Who coordinated with the HRT in Afghanistan and who supposedly helped with surveillance of the compound in Abbottabad?"

Sam laughed.

"Same. But now with a badge and a patrol car."

Eric stood up from his chair, his mouth agape.

"Man… this is like watching Batman drive an Uber."

Kensi looked at Callen.

"And you guys talked to him? What did he say?"

Callen gave a slight smile.

"He said to send his regards to Hetty."

"That's it?" Deeks asked.

"Not only that," Sam added, already laughing. "He said his Turkish coffee is still better than hers."

Kensi laughed.

"Oh, that's going to be good."

11:17 AM – Hetty Lange's Office

Light filtered softly through the blinds. Hetty sat behind her mahogany desk, organizing papers with a snifter of brandy in the corner, alcohol-free but with the same class.

Callen and Sam entered with their usual respect.

"Hetty."

She looked up over her glasses.

"Gentlemen. Will you be returning with reports or riddles?"

Sam, with a half smile:

"Both."

Callen stepped forward.

"We had interaction with the LAPD today. Western Division patrol car. Athena Grant was accompanied by her partner…"

Hetty paused, eyes sharp.

"Michael."

Sam nodded.

"He sends his regards."

Hetty leaned back.

"And…?"

Callen crossed his arms.

"He said his Turkish coffee is still better than yours."

Hetty smiled. Slowly and deeply. Not surprised. But pleased.

"Ah, the insolent man still thinks he's a barista. Good to know he's alive. And functional."

Sam approached.

"Why did he leave? What happened after Brasília?"

Hetty stood up slowly, walking to the window.

"Mike saw too much. Did too much. But he didn't get lost—which, let's face it, is the rarest thing. He chose to leave while he could still carry who he was. Not many do."

Callen:

"And now he's patrolling with one of the best officers in the city. In uniform, without disguise."

Hetty looked at them.

"This is harder than any mission. Being seen… and still keeping the truth intact."

1:30 PM – OSP Main Room

The whole team assembled. Deeks was taking notes in an open notebook. Eric was pulling out old operations files that mentioned "Edwards" in footnotes. Kensi was sitting on the table, curious.

Nell, tablet in hand, commented:

"Here. Mobile surveillance station in Kandahar. Code name: 'GhostLead.' Confirmed as Mike Edwards."

Eric:

"GhostLead... he's LEGENDARY in some circles. The NSA people refer to him off the record as 'the one who crossed three borders and left no fingerprints.'"

Deeks:

"And now he... drives an LAPD cruiser and has dinner with the Grant family?"

Sam:

"And he's dating Kendall Jenner."

Everyone stopped.

"Sorry... what?" Kensi asked.

Callen smiled again.

— "Long story. But yes. He's been with her for over a year. Discreet. Like everything he does."

Eric:

— "This is like... a movie plot. Ex-CIA agent, now cop in LA, dates a supermodel, and even makes better Turkish coffee than Hetty."

Hetty, from the doorway, calmly replied:

— "I never said it was better. Just that his took longer to brew. Which... isn't always an advantage."

Everyone laughed. But then Hetty spoke seriously:

— "If you ever run into Mike Edwards again, remember: treat him as what he is. Not a former agent. But a man who saw hell... and chose to come back. Alive."

Respectful silence.

Kensi nodded.

"Understood."

Chapter 65 – Silences of Love

June 9, 2018 – 3:18 PM

Kylie Jenner's Residence – Hidden Hills

The afternoon sun streamed through the wide window of the main living room. White curtains swayed gently in the breeze from the air conditioning. On one of the large, comfortable sofas, Mike Edwards sat barefoot, wearing dark gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt. On his lap, her curious little hands reaching for the drawstring of his sweatshirt, was Stormi, now almost four months old.

Kendall, sitting next to him, watched, smiling as she sipped a strawberry and mint juice.

"She likes you. No... she trusts you. It's different."

Mike smiled, his face lit with a tenderness he didn't often show.

"She listens to my heart. Children know when they're safe."

Stormi let out a small groan and then rested her face against Mike's chest, already half asleep. Her small hands relaxed, releasing the cord.

"She'll sleep."

"Then let her. It's the best place for her to nap right now."

Kendall watched. Silently. Enchanted.

"You have the hands of a soldier... but a father's touch."

Mike didn't answer right away. He looked at the little one in his lap, now asleep with her head in the center of his chest, one of her legs crossed over his forearm.

"Maybe because I spent so much time protecting faceless people... that now, every face I love, I protect with everything I have."

Kendall leaned closer and kissed his shoulder, slowly.

4:02 PM – Stormi in the crib

Mike stood up carefully. His hands were firm but gentle. He walked slowly down the hall to Stormi's room. The lighting was low, the walls decorated in neutral tones and minimalist toys.

He gently laid her in the crib. Her head was on the orthopedic pillow, the blanket pulled up to her belly. He watched for a few seconds, then adjusted the baby monitor automatically, as if he always did.

Back in the living room, he found Kendall with her knees pulled up to her chest, a blanket draped over her legs, flipping through the movie catalog on the TV.

"Did you put her to sleep, or did she put you to sleep?"

Mike slowly sat down beside her.

"I think it was a mutual agreement. She sleeps, I breathe."

4:30 PM – On the couch, movie chosen

Kendall chose a calm film. A romantic drama, set in London. No action, no explosions. She turned to him, stretching her arms.

"Lie down. I want to be on top of you."

Mike lay down on the couch, his body adjusting easily to the space. Kendall settled against him, her face pressed against his chest, her legs stretched out, her loose hair falling over his arm.

He wrapped one arm around her waist and with the other, he began, without thinking, to caress her back, his fingers tracing invisible lines. Then he slowly moved up to the nape of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair and massaging gently.

Kendall let out a long sigh.

"This... is peace. It's like my body has turned off all its alarms."

Mike replied quietly, his eyes on the screen but focused on the moment:

"It's because you know you don't need to protect yourself. Here... no one invades you."

"And you? Can you turn it off? When do you do that?"

"Only when I'm with you. When my hand touches you and I realize I don't need to keep a weapon nearby."

She turned her face to look him in the eye.

"You'll always feel safe with me."

— "And you will always be my final line of peace."

5:15 PM – The movie continues, but they don't watch anymore.

The sound of the TV faded into the background. Kendall's eyes were half-closed, but her breathing was even. Mike still ran his fingers down her back, slowly.

Every now and then, he stopped, placed his hand on her hip, felt the warmth of her skin, the rhythm of her chest rising and falling. It wasn't desire. It was total presence.

— "You know... I never thought I'd have this. A home. A woman at my breast. A child sleeping in another room. That was a luxury my previous life didn't even allow me to dream of."

Kendall lifted her face, kissed his jaw calmly.

— "And now it's your reality. Because you deserve it. Because you built this."

He closed his eyes.

— "Thank you for reminding me every day that I can stay."

6:00 PM – Kylie Returns

The front door opened with the sound of the keychain. Mike sat up slowly, without waking Kendall, who was still resting part of her body on him. She looked up sleepily.

"Is this Ky?"

"Yes."

Kylie came in with a kraft paper bag and a bottle of cold-pressed juice. She saw the two of them on the couch and stopped.

"You guys are like... the most relaxed foster parents on the planet. Did Stormi sleep well?"

Mike nodded.

"Over an hour ago. I left the baby monitor on. I checked the room temperature. And I put the bear closer to her right hand—she turned on her side, so I let her adjust naturally."

Kylie blinked.

"You... should write a manual."

Kendall stood up laughed.

"He's already a textbook."

7:30 PM – In the car, on the way home

Kendall was driving. Mike was beside her, his left hand clasped in hers. The radio played ambient music. The city lights came on one by one.

"Thank you for today," she said.

"Thank you. For reminding me that simple days... are all I've ever been looking for."

She looked at him.

"And now... you've found it."

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Chapter 26 - Chapter 64-65