Chapter 1
(read AN on the bottom, please)

When Callen and Sam enter the bullpen that morning, Kensi is already siting there, typing something on her computer. As soon as she hears them, she lifts her head and offers them a smile as she greets them, ignoring the confused looks on their faces. "Good morning, guys."

Sam sits down and Callen is the one who asks what's on both their minds. "Good morning, Kenz. Hey, where's your faithful sidekick?"

Kensi shrugs and answers, with as much innocence as possible. "Oh, Monty couldn't come today. He has a date with a bitch."

Both male agents start laughing, only to be interrupted when Deeks walks in and drops his bag on his desk with a fake frown on his face. "That was uncalled for. My dog's sex life doesn't have to be discussed at work."

Sam frowns for real, though. "You two didn't drive together, this morning?"

Some would say that was none of his business but the truth is that it is. It is his business. Everything that goes on with them is everyone's business. They need to know everything because, if two partners aren't getting along or are in the middle of a fight, chances are they'll have to keep an eye on them, to make sure everyone's safe.

Kensi shrugs and gets back to her work, probably filling out some late reports. "He takes too long to get ready."

Deeks sits down, the usual grin already on his face by then. "For your information, this hair takes some time."

Callen shakes his head, laughing, but is Sam who ends up mocking Deeks for that comment. "Yeah? What do you do with it? Stare at the mirror and try to comb it using the Force?"

Deeks frowns, confused. "Was that a Star Trek reference?"

Kensi, who was trying to stay away from that conversation, looks up, shocked. "You did not just say that!"

He shrugs. "What? Am I wrong?"

Kensi gets up and goes to stand in front of his desk with a serious look on her face, while Callen and Sam just sit and enjoy the show. "The Force was not and never will be a Star Trek reference. The Force is a power used in Star Wars. Do you even know Star Wars?"

He nods but no one really believes him. And his next words confirm he has no idea of what he's talking about. "Isn't that the movie with the 'live long and prosper' thingy?"

Kensi throws her hands up in the air in desperation. "I can't believe you're my partner. That's it…we're doing a Star Trek and Star Wars marathon. Have you ever seen any of the movies?"

As she sits down back on her desk, Deeks turns to Sam and Callen for help. "Can anyone give me a brief summary, please? I'm starting to feel like an idiot, here!"

Callen chooses that moment to say something, while laughing. "I'm sorry…starting to?"

Sam shakes his head and, seeing as Kensi as clearly given up on this conversation, he takes it upon himself to lecture him. "Star Wars is epic, legendary, amazing, breathtaking and simply wonderful. You can't understand it with a brief summary. I can't believe you've never seen it. What did you do during your childhood and teenage years?"

Deeks grins and answers him. "Believe it or not, I was not the biggest fan of having my ass kicked on the streets so my geeky side had to be tamed at a young age. I spent my childhood and teenage years doing something much more acceptable than staring at a TV and watching some guys moving things with the power of their minds. I went to the beach, surfed and picked up some girls. Meanwhile, you guys were all going through hell on your school's playground because you wore a shirt that said something along the lines of 'I am your father'."

Callen opens his mouth to answer him but Hetty comes out of nowhere, as usual, and interrupts him. "I'll have you know, Mr. Deeks, that a childhood spent absorbing different sides of only one culture is a very well spent childhood. Now, I need to have a word with you in my office. Please, follow me."

Knowing this won't be the end of this conversation and already accepting that a marathon watching all those movies with Kensi is in his future, Deeks gets up and follows Hetty to her office.

There, she pours herself a cup of tea and offers him some but tea is not really his drink so he declines politely. And Hetty starts talking.

"Mr. Deeks, have you told them yet?"

He sighs and sits down in front of Hetty. "No…I don't know how to."

She takes a sip of her tea and continues. "What are you so afraid of, anyway?"

The answer is simple. He's afraid of rejection, afraid that they won't think he's good enough for this. But he can't tell Hetty that. He can't tell anyone that.

He sighs once again. "Hetty, I…do we really need to have this conversation? My head is a mess and the last thing I want to think about is that. I'm sorry."

Hetty shakes her head with a gentle smile on her face. "There's no need to apologize. I understand, believe it or not. But I can assure you there's nothing to fear. You should know that by now."

He nods but they both know her words aren't enough to convince him, not this time. "Well, I'm leaving tonight for an undercover operation, anyway. I'll tell them when I get back."

Hetty nods. "How long will you be gone for this time?"

Deeks shrugs, not sure of what to tell her. "It can be one week or more than a month. I don't know. I'm well prepared but I can't know how long it will take me to crack this one and gather all the information I need to get these guys behind bars."

"Well, as you know, even though this is an LAPD operation, you'll have our full cooperation and help."

Deeks nods and gets up to go to the bullpen. But, just as he's about to leave, Hetty offers him one last piece of advice. "You are planning to tell your partner about said operation, right?"

But Deeks continues walking without saying a word.

Hetty simply shakes her head and sips her tea, before muttering to herself. "And so it begins…"

AN: Here's the first chapter of my new story. This one will only have four chapters and they're all ready to post because I'm working on a few new ideas that are giving me a lot of work, seeing as they're all in Alternative Universes. Anyway, let me know what you think about this story.

Also, I'm a Star Wars and Star Trek fan. I'm sorry if anyone out there didn't understand the references I used on this chapter but I couldn't resist. Luke was my first crush (yes, I'm that weird).

Love,
Sarah