Now

"Come on G, it's your duty as team leader to participate." said Deeks. "Everyone else has." The team were sitting at a bar after work. A case involving high school students had led to swapping stories about turning eighteen and leaving school.

Callen smirked, "big deal. When Sam left school he wanted to join the navy. His first employer Navy, second employer NCIS which would be, let me guess, the Navy. So, tell me how all that information revealed anything new about Sam."

Deeks frowned, "Sam tell your partner to play nice with the adults or skull his orange juice."

"It's not going to happen, Deeks," said Sam and took a sip of his beer. "I don't think G ever went to school. He's just jealous that everyone else had a life."

Kensi flinches slightly at Sam's words. She knows the team leaders background but Callen doesn't take offence. Sam knows when to push his partner's weak points.

Callen's fingers play with his glass while he thinks. Eighteen was a long time ago and who cares what happened to some kid more than twenty years in the past. He's not the only one at the table with a hard luck story. "In my last year at school," Callen said slowly. "I wanted to be a fireman."

"Lair," said Sam. "Skull."

"What, it's true."

"How do you know it's a lie?" Deeks leaned forward but his eyes darted between the two men. "What's his tell Sam?"

"You saw his lips move didn't you. That's a sure sign" Sam pointed his bottle at Callen's glass. "Go on drink."

Callen grinned, lifted his glass and took a large swallow. "OK, in my last year of school," he said dropping his voice to a low soft tone compelling the others to lean forward. "I wanted to be a fire-fighter at Chicago O'Hare airport."

Wow," said Kensi suddenly interested, "yeah I could see you as a fireman. Especially in one of those calendars for charity. Talk about hot." She fan's her face with her fingers.

Sam laughed, "Yeah, Mr December wearing a Santa hat and not much else."

"Sexual harassment," groaned Callen. "No wonder I never tell you anything."

"Why a fireman?" pushed Deeks ignoring his giggling partner.

Callen shrugged. "My best friend's father worked in a laundry. We used to hang around the fire station next door. I don't know, at seventeen I thought it was better than working in a chop shop I guess."

"So, what stopped you?" said Kensi.

"Things didn't work out the way I expected. David my friend was in a car accident and I left town."

"And your friend wanted to be a fireman too?"

"Nah, David wanted to be a cop, wanted both of us to be cops." How had they ever been so young and stupid? "His surname was Starkey, David Starkey. He said it was fate, like Starsky and Hutch."

"A cop, you're shitting me," Deeks grinned. "This deserves a full story. Come on man, you can't leave us hanging."

"Yeah, come on G," said Sam. "One small story won't hurt. Deeks, get the man a beer."

Deeks looked around for the waitress, then pushed back his chair and headed towards the bar.

Callen looked around the table feeling the pressure. This was the reason he hated to reveal his past. People wanted details that he didn't want to expose. He glanced at his watch, it was still too early to leave. He took a deep breath as four drinks were placed on the table.

It was time to man up.