Breakfast for three.
It's the one day of the year that the three of them get together.
For years it was just Callen and Kensi, then, after Deeks got shot he joined the party.
They joked it was a pity party of three. Although it wasn't. It was the three of them coming to terms with a holiday that hit them all hard.
Sam was a father, he enjoyed this day, he would talk in the bullpen for a week before the day about all the things Michelle and his kids had been 'secretly planning' and the others would smile and nod listening to him being happy. No one begrudged him the happiness this day brought him, after all if they were lucky two of them would be fathers in the future.
Sam and the others for their part always tiptoed around Callen when it came to Mother's day and Father's day. He shrugged it off, but he himself had found out Kensi's first year how hard father's day hit her after finding her passed out in a bar and being mauled over by a drunken Mexican. Needless to say he had sorted her out, taken her to his motel room, sobered his junior agent up and listened as she had talked about the father she adored who had died when she was fifteen, and thus breakfast for two on father's day morning was born.
A few years later, Marty Deeks joined the team.
After he had been shot the story of his father had come out and the next father's day she had insisted he join them.
"So what is this then?" Deeks asked sitting in the back booth in Callen's favorite Diner.
"This Deeks is father's day breakfast, for those we miss, those we didn't know….."
"And those we wish we hadn't known?" Deeks added.
Kensi and Callen grinned "Exactly!" They said in unison.
They sat and each ordered the Father's day special and waited until their food was delivered.
Kensi started as she usually did, talking about her father and how they had done things together such as rock climbing and scuba diving and how much his death had devastated her.
Deeks went second talking about his father, how he hated being near him and how he would hate shopping for a father's day present as a child, he would hunt for weeks find the perfect card and gift and give it to his father, who would then beat him for spending money on trash rather that beer.
Deeks looked at Callen who smiled sadly.
He told tales of different foster fathers over the years one good, the rest not so good.
"Do you keep in touch with the good one?" Both Kensi and Deeks asked.
Callen nodded, "He lives the other side of the country and he wasn't really a foster father, but he was the best thing to a father I ever had. He taught me a lot."
"So you don't see him a lot then?" Deeks asked.
Callen shrugged, "Na…Talk once a week more sometimes." He said.
Kensi and Deeks were intrigued; Callen had someone in his life that he considered a father figure?
"It's not the same as the real thing though….maybe someday…" He said and trailed off.
Breakfast over, Kensi and Deeks went off with the promise of Deeks teaching her to surf. Callen smiled and walked away. Getting nearer to the beach he pulled out his cell phone and made the same call he made every year.
"Hey!" he said smiling listening to the laughter on the other end. "You got your kids over?" he asked.
"Yeah, got 'em all here for father's day except you." The man said.
He listened as he heard some shouting and a dog barking.
"I miss you son." The man said genuine regret in his voice.
Laughing he took a deep breath, "I just wanted to wish you a happy father's day dad." He said smiling.
The man at the other end laughed. "You should get on a plane and come over next year, tell Hetty I said to give you time off."
Callen winced; no way was he having that conversation.
"I have to go…Dad, have a good day won't you." He smiled.
"Stay low Callen." The man said.
"You too Gibbs." Callen smiled and hung up.