The drive back to ops was quiet. Deeks was staring out the window. The other 3 wanted to ask him questions but they knew they would not get any answers out of him; so they didn't bother. Callen was looking forward to the dinner with Kelly Severide, a firefighter. As a child one of the possibilities that he wanted to grow up to be was a firefighter. That obviously didn't happen, but it is still a secret dream of his. Sam and Kensi just wanted to keep the peace between their partners.

Back at ops, they were working on the paperwork that coincide with the Marine's death.

"So are we thinking martyr or an idiot?" Kensi asked.

"Eric and Nell said that there was nothing they can find that would link him to terrorism, so I am going to go with idiot. That is if what Chief Severide says is accurate." Callen responds.

Deeks looks up from his paperwork. "It is accurate. Kelly knows what he is talking about, he has been a firefighter for a long time.

"So you finally decided to join the conversation. You hadn't said a word since we left the base. Honestly, I didn't know you could stay quiet that long." Callen teased.

"I still don't know why you had to worm your way into my family dinner." Deeks responded.

"Why are you so against it?"

Deeks got up from his desk and started to walk away.

"Deeks! Tell me why you are against it?" Callen called after him.

Deeks stopped and without turning around said, "Because I don't want you to resent me, or even hate me."

Whatever Callen, Sam and Kensi were expecting to hear; that wasn't it. Sam and Kensi knew that they needed to hash this out without an audience and made up an excuse to leave.

"Deeks, look at me." Callen called out.

Deeks did not respond, and continued to stand there.

"Detective Martin Deeks, look at me." Callen said in his most authoritative voice.

Deeks turned to look at him.

"Why do you think I would hate you?"

"Because I got a second chance at a family and you didn't."

Callen doesn't understand his logic. He will never give up looking for who he is, so he doesn't fault others for having a family. Yes, sometimes it is hard.

"Why would that make me resent you or hate you? I don't, nor could I ever." Callen explains although he can tell from the look on Deeks face; that he doesn't get it.

"Because I would hate me if I was in your shoes. Before I was in foster care, Ray and I would walk home by a park. I would stare at the kids in the park playing with their fathers. I hated them. It wasn't fair, why do they get a father that loves them and I have to go home to someone like Gordon, a violent alcoholic. Ray used to tell me not torture myself with what I can't have."

Callen listened carefully as Deeks spoke. He knew that Deeks had a rough childhood and was forced to shoot his father. That had come out when he was shot at that convenience store.

"You shot him in self-defense and then what happened? How did you end up with Kelly Severide?"

"Honestly, I really don't know. I had just been released from the hospital. My mom was in a coma; so I was going to be in foster care until she recovers, if she recovers. She didn't. She stayed in a coma for 6 months and then she died. Sunday night, I was released and in my new foster home. Monday, I was back and school and my class had been studying fire safety while I was in the hospital. To finish the chapter on fire safety, my teacher took us to the firehouse. I could really care less about it all. That is where I met Kelly, he came over to talk to me. We had a 30 second conversation if that. One question asked and answered. I didn't give it a second thought until he showed up at my school 2 days later in full fire gear. My social worker had said that he was going to be my new foster parent. He adopted me after my mom died. End of story."

Callen was amazed by the story. One question was burning in his mind. That question that led to all this. "What was the question he asked you?"

"What I wanted to be when I grew up?"

Callen smirks, kids hear that question all their lives. He can't even count how many times he has heard it. So how does that question lead to this firefighter becoming Deeks foster parent? "What was your response?"

"Kids like me, we don't have dreams. We don't have a future. Kelly couldn't stop thinking about what I said and it led him to fight for me. First time in my life, someone fought for me. With Kelly, and the people at the firehouse as well as the people in LAPD Intelligence. I had what I always wanted; A family."

"Why was Lieutenant Diego Dawson and Kelly so concerned about your weight and looking too thin?" Callen asks now that he has the whole story. He is still looking forward to the dinner, but can see why Deeks was so reluctant to have them come.

"That is the nature of the beast, I'm afraid. When I was admitted after the shooting. I was severely underweight. I would have had to gain at least 15 pounds to be underweight but considered healthy. There was no easy fix to the issue with my weight. Like all my injuries, I needed time. With time I will heal. Kelly and everyone else remembers back to when I was so underweight. They all get protective of me if it appears that I have lost weight."

Callen knows the whole story now, or at least a part of it. He can be protective of his teammate too. He will never give up looking for his family, but he can enjoy meeting these firefighter and maybe becoming a part of their family too.

"Thank you for talking to me. I don't hate you and I never will. After what you went through, you deserved to be happy with people who love you. I don't want you to hide that to spare my feeling, but maybe you can share with me. There were times in my life when I thought about being a firefighter."

Deeks smiles, a true smile since the base. "Of course I can share them with you. Kelly and Matt are Co-Chiefs of the fire house. They each are the Chief of what they do best. Kelly is the Squad Chief and Matt is the Truck Chief. I'm sure when we are off, they will let you hang around the firehouse with them."

I can just see Severide and Casey sharing the Chief position if Boden ever retires.