AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello! Happy Sunday to you. Well, I hope you are still enjoying this story. Would love to hear from more of you! Thank you so much for all those reading and a special thanks for all the reviews. They mean bunches to me. Here's your next chapter. Let me know what you think.

"Not now, Whiting. Can't you see, I'm busy?" Deeks grated out.

"I'm afraid this will have to wait until we are done here, Detective." Whiting persisted.

Deeks stare darkened, "You know what? I don't think so. Hey, here's an idea? You can chit chat with Callen over there. We were just discussing how he doesn't have a life… and I'm sure by the time you are done you will be head over heal for him like all the other women."

"I highly doubt that," Whiting responded, "Besides, it is you I need to speak with, Deeks."

"That's too bad. I am very busy or at least I will be just as soon as I get the little woman home. Now, if you will excuse us." Deeks forcefully urged Kensi towards the entrance.

"Mr. Deeks," Hetty called out in a sing song voice.

"Not now Hetty! It's after hours. What I do now is my business and you need to keep your nose out of it." Deeks growled angrily.

"Martin Deeks! What has gotten into you?! That is NOT how you were raised to speak to others." Roberta responded in surprise.

"Mom, let's not pretend my childhood was picture perfect. You weren't exactly Carol Brady, now were you?"

Roberta stepped back in surprise. She had thought they had moved past all that.

Callen watched the hurt look cross her face and his blood boiled. He was waiting for Kensi to have enough and knock the man on his butt. Neither Max nor Deeks were equipped to take her in battle and Callen wasn't the only one who realized that, but Kensi remained silent and immobile almost in shock at her husband's behavior.

"Come on, Fern… home," Deeks ordered, taking her arm with a none too gentle tug.

That was it. Callen knew it wasn't Deeks they were dealing with… it was Max and there was only one way to deal with him. Letting the cold icy anger of the Ghost fill his veins and creep into every crevice of his visage, he rose from his stool and moved so quickly it took them all by surprise.

"Let her go." He commanded, leaving no room for error as to who they were dealing with… there was no mistaking the voice of his deadliest alias.

Sam moved to intervene when Hetty raised her hand to stop him.

"Who are you to tell me what to do? Last I checked, this here is my wife and none of your business!" Deeks returned, his grip growing tighter, standing toe to toe… Max Gentry and the Renegades Ghost, a deadly mix all told.

"Callen, it's okay. I've got this… he won't hurt me."

"That's right… so long as she's a good little girl and does as she's told." He stated tauntingly.

At that, Callen had had all he could take of Max Gentry. Launching himself at Deeks he pinned him to the wall, effectively separating him from Kensi, who quickly moved into Roberta's arms. This was a side of Callen Roberta had never seen and it took her back.

Sam remained ready to step in if needed. He was more than a little alarmed at the quick resurgence of this deadly alias. But he also knew it may be the only one that could get past Max Gentry to reach their Deeks.

"I have had about all of Max Gentry as I am going to take!" Callen's voice was low and menacing. 'Max' attempted to fight back. "I've watched as you've disrespected woman after woman this week and I'm done. You don't get to come back here and disrespect THESE women, you get ME?! They are under my protection. You so much as raise a hand to your wife… mistreat your mother or disrespect Hetty and I will make you regret it!"

But Deeks wasn't having it. Max had been wanting a shot at the "Ghost" and now was finally his chance. He was looking forward to showing the "Ghost" a few moves of his own… What should have been a quick wake-up call quickly transformed into an all-out brawl. Deeks pushed back and gained enough footing to take a swing at Callen, hitting him on the side of the head effectively knocking him off balance. That was all Max needed to feed his desire for a fight… he left no chance for a quick comeback but launched himself at his opponent. He got in two more strikes before the "Ghost" turned on him and came back with a vengeance. As Max began to throw another punch, Ghost grabbed hold and threw a series of punches before throwing the man down onto a table smashing it to the floor. Max wasn't finished he was only getting started…

Sam was a bit confused as to why Hetty was preventing him from intervening. These two could easily cause quite a bit of damage, not only to the bar but to each other. However, Hetty knew who the stronger fighter was in this case. On an average day in the gym. Callen would still, undoubtedly, take Deeks but only because Callen was trained in many more forms of battle than Deeks. Deeks was younger and that might be the thing that kept him in the game. She was willing to let it play out for the time being… in the end, though, she knew who would ultimately win. It was what needed to happen in order for Deeks to finally return to the fold.

The back and forth had created quite a mess and Callen once more had Deeks pinned to the wall. He nearly growled when next he spoke, "Kensi isn't your woman, she is your WIFE, Roberta isn't your old lady, she is your MOTHER, and Hetty is your BOSS, pull it together before you have nothing left but regrets," the energy flowing through him was more than Callen knew what to do with in that moment and the only thing he could do to save harming his friend was to expel some of it. The tension in the room was stifling as they watched the two men stare each other down as finally Callen let loose and slammed his fist into the wall next to Deeks head in an effort to tamp down on the anger flowing through him. He simply needed to force Deeks to regain control over his alias.

With one last attempt to push Callen back, Deeks stopped dead in his tracks as he registered the fist flying at him. He blinked several times before looking at the faces of his team mates and friends… the look of fear and concern on the faces of his wife and mother. It was then he realized the damage they had done to his bar.

Callen felt the shift but didn't immediately let go. The rest of the team had done stints undercover but not to the degree of Deeks and Callen. They had taken on characters who had to be rough and do things that went against their core belief for the greater good… things that stayed with you long after the mission ended and after a while those aliases became like a second skin… hard to push back and as time went on even they could get confused as to which one they truly were anymore. "You back now?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm back… I just…"

"I get it." Callen assured him as he too reigned in 'The Ghost'… which was the nickname given his alias during the course of his time with Blackguard. He left it stand rather than give it a proper name. It had more than enough control on him as it was. "Now, do you see why I didn't think we should come back just yet?"

Deeks ran a hand through his unruly mop as he registered what had taken place.

Pulling back from Callen as he looked around at the others. He put his hands up in surrender when Kensi tried to step closer, only to have Deeks back away.

"No, I… I need some time… to think," he stated as he shot out the door.

Sam and Kensi both began to follow when Hetty called them back. "Leave him go. He'll come back when he's settled things a bit."

Callen turned his agitation on Ellen Whiting who stood near the door she had come in, almost in a state of shock at what she had just witnessed. "THIS… this is on you! You play with him like he is a chess piece… You use him to do your dirty work with little care to what it is doing to him. WELL, I'm here to tell you, it stops now!" Callen reached into his pocket and pulled out a thumb drive and handed it to the woman, "This right here… is enough to end your career. Now, all you have to do is lose any and all information you THINK you have on Detective Martin Deeks and this all goes away… but I so much as sniff that you are meddling with him or any other member of MY team and I will take you down till you won't even be allowed to give parking tickets, do I make myself clear?" Callen's voice was deep and threatening, his stance… intimidating.

The woman's face paled… she knew exactly what he had found and while she couldn't figure out how he had found it, she knew he was telling the truth, her career would be over. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to stand firm against him as she took the drive from his hand, she knew her voice shook as she spoke, only proving that he had truly won. "Fine, but just let me remind you that he is NOT a member of your team, Agent Callen, he is a member of the LAPD… and as such, you don't get to decide what he does or does not do. So, I would watch my step if I were you."

Callen stepped toward the woman only to have her back away, wary of the glint she saw in his eyes. "Your time with Deeks is running short, if I have anything to say about it. Now, you may have first call on his time but let me make myself very clear here… he will NEVER go undercover for you again without another member of this team going in with him and MAX GENTRY is retired. I so much as hear rumors that you are asking him to reprise that alias and I will come for you… Do not test me on this… you know what is on there and I will not hesitate to use it."

The woman just stared at Callen with a mixture of hate and fear, neither of which phased him in the least. Without another word she skirted past him and left them all standing there uncertain of what to do next.

"Mr. Callen, are you injured?" Hetty asked as Callen looked over at her, his eyes dark, his body tense.

"I'm fine." He answered gruffly before walking to his stool and picking up his beer before heading toward the stairs to his room. "I will clean the mess up tomorrow, night," was all he said as he disappeared, never looking anyone in the eye.

"Hetty!" We need to find Marty." Kensi urged, frantic over the mental state of her husband.

"Trust me when I say, now is not the time. Let him have some time to sort himself out." Hetty responded, taking stock of the team assembled around the bar before letting her eyes, momentarily, travel toward the staircase… her concern obvious.

"She's right, honny. Martin will come back once he figures out whatever is going on in that head of his. I am assuming that whatever is going on with my son is also what is happening with Callen?" Roberta asked, surprising everyone by her sudden calmness.

"Indeed", Hetty replied, "I find your easy acceptance of this situation admirable."

"Oh, don't go giving me too much credit, now. I don't think any of this is healthy for either of these boys, nor those that care about either of them… but I understand what drives them," Roberta explained, turning to Kensi, "Do you want to stay with me tonight?"

Kensi gave the woman a hug and smiled sweetly as she answered predictably, "Thanks, but I think I need to be at home when he comes back. I'll be okay."

"Well, alright, but you call if you need me and let me know when he comes home." Roberta replied.

"I will. Now, what needs done yet?" Kensi asked, looking around, suddenly feeling exhausted by the events of the day.

"Oh, you go on, I'll finish up." Roberta urged while casting a glance at Hetty.

"You sure? I can stay. This isn't easy for you either." Kensi offered.

"You know me… I'm better off keeping busy." Roberta encouraged.

"If you're sure, I think I'm going to head home." Kensi gave her a hug before saying her goodbyes to the rest of the team.

As the door closed, Hetty urged the others to head home.

"What was on that thumb drive?" Sam asked, assuming it was Hetty or the tech duo who had given it to him.

Eric and Nell both shook their head to confirm they had no part in it and Hetty shrugged, "I have no idea, Sam… This is all on Callen… taking care of HIS team." She allowed a small smile to grace her face as she remembered how he had referenced 'his' team when speaking with the woman.

"Mr. Hanna?" Hetty asked as Sam headed for the stairs to Callen's apartment, "Not tonight, I think."

"Hetty…"

"Sam…"

With a heavy sigh, Sam complied and bade the remaining two occupants goodnight.

"Well, I guess it's my turn to say goodnight," Hetty looked to Roberta.

"Hetty, not yet." Roberta stated as she set a glass of scotch on the bar in way of invitation.