Season of Renewal

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just borrowing my favorite characters.

Chapter 21

Granger and Hetty continued down the stairs and made their way back to her desk. Granger took a seat and watched as Hetty settled into her chair. She freshened her cup of tea she had left earlier. She picked it up to take a sip, noticing the smug look on the assistant director's face.

"You really are proud of yourself, aren't you Owen?" Hetty implored.

He grinned at her. "I don't know what you're talking about, Henrietta," he replied facetiously.

Hetty rolled her eyes. "Oh, come now. You know exactly what I'm talking about! You need to speak with me about Blye and Deeks?" She shook her head in disgust. "Really, why must you stir the pot, Owen?"

Granger's eyes filled with a mischievous glimmer as he continued to smile. "You don't even know if they heard what I said, Henrietta."

"I'm quite sure they did. And if I know Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna, they have Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones digging for information on their absent teammates right now in hopes of figuring out why you would want to speak to me about them."

The assistant director was about to comment further when Sam and Callen came down the stairs, both of them eyeing their boss and Granger as they did. Granger hid his joy behind a scowl, hoping the two senior agents hadn't seen the smile on his face just moments before. They returned to their desks and appeared to go back to their unfinished paperwork. Hetty chuckled, a smile threatening to spread across her aged features. Assistant Director Granger seemed to be softening in his old age. He was taking great joy in tormenting the pair of agents across the room. Another benefit of having Mr. Deeks around, she thought. Granger would never admit to it, but the detective seemed to have worn off on him a bit.

Sam and Callen glanced at each other once they sat down at their desks.

"Granger didn't look very happy, G."

Callen looked over his shoulder in Hetty's direction quickly before turning back to his partner.

"Does he ever look happy, Sam?" Callen smirked.

Sam chuckled as he flipped his laptop open. "You do have a point there, partner," he paused as his thoughts turned serious again. "Still, I don't like this."

Callen studied Sam's face for a moment, pursing his lips. He nodded and turned back to his own laptop.

Back in Ops, Eric and Nell were scouring through files and reports, looking for anything that might lead them to a reason why Granger would need to speak with Hetty about Kensi and Deeks.

"Anything yet, Beale?" Nell queried as she tapped away at her keyboard.

Eric stopped typing, glancing at Nell with an irritated look on his face. "Still nothing," he sighed dejectedly.

Nell nodded, pressing her lips together. Suddenly her eyes lit up and smile appeared. "Hey, I have an idea! This won't help us figure out what Granger wants, but we could track them!" Nell proclaimed triumphantly.

Eric shook his head no. "Deeks is using a burner. He's had his work cell off and the battery must be out of it. I've tried that already, Nell."

"But I bet Kensi has her phone on. She's with Deeks now."

Eric grinned when he realized his partner was correct. He snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "You're absolutely right! Why didn't I think of that? Give me some skin, rock star!" He held his hand out, palm up. Nell giggled and smacked it with hers.

Within minutes, the pair had tracked down Kensi's location. Eric went to work searching for all the video feeds he could find, if any, that would allow them to view their friends. Nell sent Sam and Callen texts letting them know they had found Kensi and Deeks' whereabouts.

Back down in the bullpen, Callen and Sam begrudgingly continued with their paperwork. Both of their phones pinged with a message at the same time. They checked the message in unison, with Sam looking over to Callen, an amused look on his face.

"Back up to Ops, G?"

Callen chuckled, glanced in Hetty and Granger's direction, then turned back to Sam. "Why not?" He smiled as he stood from his chair.

The two of them went back up the stairs and disappeared.

Granger watched them go. With a somewhat surprised look on his face, he met Hetty's glare. "What do you suppose the Wonder Twins have found?"

Hetty shook her head slowly. "I don't know, Owen - but just remember that whatever it is, you brought this on yourself." She pointed a finger as she admonished him.

The assistant director glanced up to the balcony once more, then sighed as he squinted and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Sam and Callen reappeared in Ops to find both Eric and Nell studiously typing at their keyboards and glancing at their monitors. They walked up behind the pair and watched quietly. It wasn't often that they saw this side of the team and how they operated while they, along with Kensi and Deeks, were out facing dangerous situations in person.

Eric stopped typing and sat up straight, sighing in frustration as he pushed his glasses up. Nell stopped, too, as she turned to Eric with a concerned look on her face.

"What's wrong, Eric?" She asked worriedly.

He glanced over to meet her gaze. Sensing they had company, he spun around to find Sam and Callen standing there.

"Yeah, Eric, what's up?" Sam pressed their tech for an answer.

"Guys, I have searched everywhere. There is absolutely no video available anywhere close to the area Kensi's phone is located." Eric slumped in his chair, a look of defeat in his eyes.

Sam stared at the monitors for a moment, thinking. "There's gotta be some way we can get eyes on them."

Suddenly Nell jumped out of her seat, her eyes wide. "That's it! I need to go clear something with Hetty first!" She exclaimed excitedly as she ran for the door to Ops.

The three men watched her go, all of them with varying degrees of curiosity etched in their expressions. Eric glanced at the senior agents once the door slid shut behind her. He shrugged nonchalantly and spun around to his keyboard, leaving Sam and Callen to ponder what the little analyst had up her sleeve.

Back downstairs, Granger saw Nell come bounding down the stairs. "This should be interesting," he said to Hetty.

Nell approached Hetty's area, but pulled up short until Hetty motioned for her to come closer.

"Is something the matter, Ms. Jones?" Hetty inquired.

"No, not really. Um...I don't know. Is there?" Nell glanced back upstairs as if wondering whether this was a good idea or not. Turning back, she met the stares of the two seated at the desk. Sighing, she decided to just come clean and explain what she, they, were doing. "Okay, so the guys, um...all of us...are really curious and worried about Kensi and Deeks." She stared wide eyed at her boss and Granger, waiting for them to stop her. When neither did, she nodded slightly and continued. "Right. I was able to find Kensi's location by tracking her phone. Eric tried, but cannot find any video feeds in the area they are located."

"What are you getting at, Jones?" Granger demanded of the nervous analyst.

Nell squeezed her lips tight, took a breath and charged ahead with her thought. "I have a - contact, shall we say? A contact within the NRO. They owe me a huge favor. I was thinking-" she paused, swaying gently back and forth as she thought through what she wanted to propose, "I was thinking I could ask them if they had a satellite they could link us up with so that we could check on Deeks and the others?" Her brow raised as she stood there, glancing back and forth between Hetty and Granger.

The assistant director glanced from Nell to Hetty, the slightest of smirks showing on his face. Hetty studied him for a moment, then turned to Nell again. Knowing that her team would relentlessly pursue any leads regarding the pair currently working an op in Mexico, she came to a decision.

"Ms. Jones, seeing as how there are no current cases for you four to be working on at this moment, I'll allow you to request the assistance of your - friend." Hetty smiled.

Nell's eyes lit up in surprise at Hetty's permission. "Thank you, Hetty! Assistant Director Granger." She nodded to them, then turned to hurry back up to Ops to let the others know what her plan was.

"Jones!" Granger called out after her in his gruff voice.

Nell stopped and faced the assistant director, a look of concern on her face. "Yes?"

"Let us know when you have eyes on them."

Nell grinned when she heard that. "I will, sir." She spun around once again and headed for the stairs, excited to share her news with the guys.

Hetty smirked as she stared at the assistant director.

Granger looked at Hetty. "What's that look for, Henrietta?"

"After the disdain you seemed to harbor towards my team when you first appeared here in LA, Owen, I never thought I'd see the day where you'd actually act like you care about them."

Granger smiled genuinely at her comment, but said nothing.

Up in Ops, Nell returned to her desk, her fingers working in a flurry as she typed out an email. She hit send and then turned to catch the three guys staring at her anxiously. A mischievous smile blossomed on her face.

"What are you up to, Nell?" Callen finally broke the silence when it became evident she was enjoying keeping them all in suspense.

Sam and Eric waited with bated breath for her to answer. Nell glanced around at them all, then took a deep breath and began talking.

"So I have this person who owes me a favor. They work for the NRO. Hetty gave me the okay to ask if they can provide a satellite feed of the area where Kensi and Deeks are," she explained.

Eric was very impressed with this admission, but also had many questions rushing through his mind as to who this person was and why they owed Nell a favor. Something he decided he would try to ascertain later.

Callen and Sam glanced at each other, smirks on both their faces. "You have connections within the National Reconnaissance Office?" G asked her skeptically when he turned to face her again.

She could tell by the way they were all looking at her that they were surprised by this revelation.

"Guys, why is it so hard to believe that?" She really didn't expect an answer, and she didn't get one. "Yes, I do," she defended herself.

"So how long before we can see anything?" Sam queried.

Nell smirked, holding her hand up. "Hold on, Sam. I've just sent my request through to this person. It will really depend on whether they have a satellite near there or if they'll have to reposition one." She glanced at her monitor. "I still haven't received a reply yet."

Sam looked at his partner. "We might as well go back to our paperwork, G. It's not going to fill itself out."

Callen nodded in agreement and turned to Nell. "Let us know when you hear something?"

Nell smiled. "Of course."

Not long after the guys had returned to the bullpen, Nell's computer dinged when a new email came in. Eric watched closely as she opened it. A smile grew at the corner of her mouth as she turned to him. He smiled back, but the urge to ask who this mysterious contact was overrode his enthusiasm. Sensing Eric's curiosity, Nell explained to him who this person was.

"Relax, Beale. My contact is the boyfriend of my roommate I had in college."

Eric chuckled, trying to cover his obvious interest in who this person was to Nell. "Oh! Great! That's uh, that's good. Why did he owe you a favor, exactly?" He looked at her anxiously, his voice escalating in pitch as he asked.

"Weeeelll," she said slowly, teasing him by making it as dramatic as she could, finally answering quickly when Eric's eyes continued to widen, "I introduced him to my roommate. They recently became engaged to be married. He insisted that he owed me for getting them together."

"Awe," Eric breathed a sigh of relief, "that is so sweet!" He pushed his glasses up and smiled genuinely.

Nell nodded, a knowing smile on her face. "Uh huh. Okay, soooo...I'm gonna go let Hetty know that we'll have a satellite link soon." She jumped up from her desk and headed for the door.

Eric took a deep breath and stared at his monitor for a moment, then started typing in another search for Kensi's phone.

Nell had updated Hetty and the others. As she returned to Ops, Hetty and Granger conferred with Sam and Callen. They decided it would be nice to give Gibbs' team the option of watching, too. They walked as a group up to Ops, where Hetty had Eric patch her through to Director Vance in Washington, DC.

It had been a long day for Gibbs' team. The early morning drama that went down at Abby's place had drained everyone. Thankfully - for them anyway, not so much for the victim - they had caught a quick case soon after Abby had called Deeks. It was a welcome distraction, and all lost themselves in the case, solving it by the end of the day. Everyone still sat at their desks early into the evening. As they all prepared to call it a night, Director Vance stepped out to the balcony and called down to them.

"Gibbs, thanks to Henrietta's team in LA, we will have access to a satellite feed from Mexico. If you or your team are interested, they think Detective Deeks and Agent Fornell are about to make their move."

Gibbs nodded, then glanced around the room from McGee, DiNozzo and then Bishop, his brow raised. Each one of them stopped what they were doing as they all were now glancing at each other. In unison, they nodded and headed for the stairs. With a smirk, Gibbs turned his monitor off and followed after his team.

Halfway up the stairs, McGee stopped and waited for Gibbs to catch up. "Hey boss, shouldn't we invite Abby up, too?"

Gibbs smiled. "Yeah. We should, McGee." He cocked his head back down the stairs. "Go on, go get her."

"On it, boss," Tim nodded as he headed back down the stairs.

"Hey McGee!" Gibbs called after him.

"Yeah, boss?"

"Tell Ducky and Palmer, too."

McGee acknowledged with another nod of his head and continued on his way.

Tony, Ellie, and Jethro entered MTAC. Vance noticed there was someone missing.

"McGee not coming, Gibbs?"

"He is, Leon. He went to get Abs, Ducky, and Palmer."

Vance smiled as the big screen came to life. There stood the LA team in Ops. "Henrietta, how nice to see you."

The small operations manager smirked. "Nice to see you, too, Leon."

Vance glanced at the others on the screen, acknowledging them all, including Granger.

"What can you tell us about Detective Deeks and the others?" Director Vance posed the obvious question.

Hetty turned and nodded to Nell. "Ms. Jones?"

Nell stepped forward, tablet in hand. "So far it appears that they are still at their safe house. We researched the property. It is, um...it had actually belonged to Eva Espinoza." She paused, waiting for any questions from the DC team. When none were forthcoming, she continued. "There's a Jeep sitting in the driveway," Nell swiped at her tablet, and the screen in MTAC split so that the DC team could see the LA team in one view and an aerial view of a neighborhood in the other. "We are assuming this is the vehicle they are using to get around in."

"Have you seen any movement yet?" Director Vance inquired.

"Nothing yet, sir," Nell shook her head, "but we've only been linked up for a few moments now."

Gibbs listened intently to what the LA analyst had to say, which wasn't much unfortunately. His eyes scanned the satellite footage, taking in every detail he could of the house and vehicle sitting outside, watching for any movement.

The door to MTAC opened and in walked McGee with Abby and the other two, rounding out the full DC team. The only two missing were the second half of the LA team, which they all hoped to have eyes on soon. All eyes were now focused on the satellite feed.

"There," Gibbs pointed to the screen. "Is that Tobias?"

A figure had appeared from the front porch of the house and walked to the Jeep, opening a door and leaning inside. The image was pretty clear, but still a good distance away.

"We should get a closer view shortly." Nell explained hopefully. Almost as if her friend was listening in - and maybe he was - the image zoomed in tighter.

"That must be Agent Barrett." Sam observed a woman approach the figure leaning into the Jeep, carrying something in her arms.

Callen nodded, as well as Gibbs and his team, at the comment from Sam. "Yeah, that's Barrett," Gibbs confirmed as he watched closely. "They're gearing up."

"Marty!" Abby pointed at the detective as he stepped into view from the house.

"And there's Kensi," Callen added soon after as the brunette agent followed her partner closely, both with their hands full.

The commentary continued on like this, back and forth between the teams in DC and LA as they watched their friends eventually drive away in the Jeep. Deeks was driving, with Fornell behind Deeks, Agent Barrett riding shotgun, with Kensi in the passenger side rear seat. A few jokes were made about the seating arrangements from the LA crew, seeing as how they knew Kensi always had to drive. It seemed odd that the two had split up and that Kensi had actually agreed to ride in back with Fornell. It was something that both Callen and Sam planned to give her grief about when the two of them returned to LA.

Nell's NRO friend maneuvered the camera with great skill, following the Jeep's path several miles before it pulled to the side of the street in an older, run down neighborhood. Once it had come to a stop, the camera zoomed back in for a better view. No one got out of the Jeep, and the teams watching from Ops and MTAC quickly surmised their friends were watching a house somewhere down the street from where they were parked.

Gibbs, Callen and Sam, all in unison, noticed the house just at the edge of the camera's view where it appeared a person had gone inside. Shortly thereafter, two more men parked out front and went in.

"Whatever they have planned, it's going down in that house there," Callen said to no one in particular. The LA group all glanced at each other nervously.

Gibbs nodded in agreement as he continued to study the Jeep.

DiNozzo spoke up next. "Fornell's getting out of the Jeep." The door behind Deeks swung open and the veteran FBI agent appeared.

The rear door on the passenger side opened, but no one exited immediately. Finally, Kensi slid out. She and Fornell walked side by side down the street, straight up to the house the men had gone in. As soon as the two disappeared inside, the driver's door of the Jeep flew open and Deeks got out. Not waiting for Barrett, he took off at a quick pace. EJ jumped out and ran to catch up to the detective. From MTAC and Ops, everyone caught the slight pause between Deeks and Barrett as they quickly glanced at each other. Both took off running towards the house, weapons drawn.

Abby gasped. McGee, Bishop and DiNozzo all had worried looks on their faces.

"Something's up. Whatever is going down, it happened sooner than they expected," Sam suggested. Hetty and Granger shared a quick glance before turning back to their screen.

Just a few minutes later, a car slid to a stop in front of the home. A man got out and ran to the front of the house holding something in his hand. Everyone watched as the man tossed whatever it was through the front window, jumped back in the car and drove away at a high rate of speed.

"What the hell did he just do?" Director Vance wondered out loud.

It didn't take long for them all to realize what had just happened as smoke began drifting out of the shattered window at the front of the house.

"Oh no! Marty? Agent Barrett? Gibbs, do something!" Abby exclaimed as flames began rolling out of the window. The smoke grew thicker with each passing second.

Bishop, along with McGee, DiNozzo, Ducky and Palmer, stood in disbelief as they watched the events in Loreto unfold in front of them.

Gibbs ignored the comments and stayed focused on the screen, his confidence in his friends' abilities keeping him calm.

"Oh my God, Deeks! Kensi! Get out of there!" Nell shouted back in LA.

Eric had a panicked look on his face as he turned to each of the people in Ops with him. Granger stood stock still, his jaw clenched as he stared at the feed. Hetty's hands were clasped tightly as she, too, focused solely on the screen. Sam and Callen glanced at each other, both shaking their heads in worry as they watched helplessly.

It felt like time had almost crept to a halt; the roar of the fire quieted, fingers of bright orange, yellow, and red dancing in slow motion up the wall and across the ceiling. The four of them sat mesmerized by the flames. Suddenly, the window they had eyed as a possible escape route just moments before blew out in an impressive shower of glass shards, billowing smoke and fire from the now vacant window frame. It was enough to bring them all out of the daze they had been in. The heat was becoming unbearable and the smoke was starting to burn their eyes and throats.

"There's a window in the bathroom!" Deeks pointed to the room he had cleared when he and Fornell had rushed up the stairs earlier.

He pushed Kensi towards it, EJ and Tobias right on their heels. Deeks yanked the door open and let everyone inside, then quickly pulled the door closed behind them. There was less smoke in here and the heat wasn't as intense with the door shut. Kensi tried opening the window. It was stuck, layers of paint holding the frame in place.

"Dammit!" She hollered in frustration.

What seemed an eternity, but in reality was just seconds later, the teams from DC and LA were encouraged when a police car flew past the house, giving chase to the car that held the man who had just set the house holding their friends ablaze. A second police vehicle, this one a Jeep, jumped the curb and bounced to a stop in the yard right up next to the house. Two officers scrambled from it and began looking at the back of the house, pointing as they discussed the situation.

The teams' views were becoming obscured. Flames and smoke were now visible in several spots at the front and sides of the old two story structure. It was quickly becoming engulfed, the accelerant used to start the fire aiding in the destruction. Most of the smoke was drifting up and over the home, blocking the camera on the borrowed satellite miles above. Soon, though, the view changed slowly as it was repositioned. Now the back of the home was in full view. In the middle of the second story wall was a small window.

"Here! Wrap your hand in this and break it out," EJ pulled a small, grimy hand towel off the rack next to the sink, shoving it towards Kensi.

Her lips squeezed tight, Kensi's brow furrowed as she quickly wrapped her hand as best she could. She turned her face away from the window and swung her hand at it, shattering the old glass with ease. She switched her stance and quickly knocked all the loose pieces out of the frame. Having done that, she unfurled the towel and shook it off.

She turned to the others. "Let's go!"

EJ insisted that Kensi go first since she was closest to the window. Nodding, Kensi pulled herself out the opening. She was now standing on the small flat roof over the back of the house. She spun and helped EJ out next. Both women were relieved to see Officer Zarazua and another officer motioning for them to come towards them.

"Go! I'll make sure the guys get out!" Kensi pushed EJ towards the waiting men on the ground.

"Look! Somebody just broke out that back window!" Abby shouted anxiously. "Ooooh, please let it be Marty and the others!" She shook her hands in the air, fanning herself as she watched wide eyed at the scene unfolding before them.

"It's Kensi!" Nell pointed as her friend climbed out onto the roof.

Granger snuck a peek at the red haired analyst as she bobbed up and down on her toes. He glanced at Hetty then, both of them smiling slightly.

"Here comes EJ," Tony said, somewhat relieved as it appeared their colleagues were going to be in the clear.

They watched as Agent Barrett jumped from the rooftop to the Jeep, and then to the ground with the assistance of the officers. Fornell and Deeks were still inside. Fire was quickly spreading through the attic and out the peak of the roof at either end of the second floor now. Everyone held their breath as they watched Agent Blye lean back in the window she had just pulled EJ through. Light smoke could be seen wafting out slowly above her. The relief all had felt quickly died.

"Come on, Tobias. You and Marty need to get the hell out of there," Gibbs whispered as his confidence wavered.

"Go ahead," Deeks motioned to the window.

Tobias grinned, "Oh, no. You go. I insist, Marty."

Deeks smirked, shaking his head. "Age before beauty, Agent Fornell."

The room was slowly filling with smoke and the temperature was climbing. Neither paid much attention as they bantered back and forth.

Fornell grimaced. "That was a low blow, detecti-"

"Guys! Shut the hell up and move. In case you hadn't noticed, the house is burning down around us!" Kensi shouted at them as she leaned back inside. She couldn't believe they were arguing over who would leave next.

They both turned to her, surprised by her outburst. It had the desired effect, though, as the older agent realized how hot it was getting. Sweat rolled off his brow, and as he wiped it quickly, he couldn't resist one more jab.

"You win, Deeks. I'm outta here. I hope your hair doesn't combust!" He grinned as Kensi helped him through the window.

Deeks laughed, but ran his hands through his hair protectively as the agent disappeared out the window. It was getting rather hot now that he thought about it. Taking a breath at just the wrong time, he sucked in a huge gulp of smoke. His eyes teared up and he started to cough uncontrollably.

After an uncomfortable period of time, Kensi finally pulled Tobias out of the window. The DC group let out a collective sigh as the LA team watched for Deeks to follow him out. Kensi led Fornell to the edge of the roof and waited for him to work up the nerve to jump.

"Where the hell is Deeks?" Granger asked, his voice full of worry.

The assistant director's concern didn't go unnoticed by the rest of them in Ops as Callen glanced at Sam and back to the screen. Nell covered her mouth as she watched the window, hoping to see their shaggy haired detective pop through it any second.

Kensi sighed in relief when Fornell was back on solid ground. Assuming Deeks was right behind her, Kensi called out over her shoulder that she was going to jump down next, knowing that Deeks would insist she go first anyway. When her partner didn't reply, she turned around and was shocked when he wasn't there.

"Deeks?" She looked to the window. Smoke was now pouring out around the top of the frame and curling up over the eave. No sign of her partner. "Deeks!" She ran across the roof to the window, terrified that Deeks hadn't made it out on his own. "Deeks!" She screamed in the window, covering her mouth to avoid breathing in the smoke.

Inside, Deeks gasped for breath as he fought to stop coughing. His eyes were watering like mad and his throat felt like it, too, was on fire. Hearing his partner screaming his name, he moved in the direction of her voice. At this point it was a losing battle to keep his eyes opened against the stinging tears. He could hear the house succumbing to the fire on the other side of the door, loud pops as the dry wood was consumed by the flames. He desperately tried to keep his eyes open long enough to find the window. Kensi kept calling his name, he could hear the panic in her voice.

She was going to give him two more seconds. If he didn't show, she was going in after him. They had come too far for her to lose him now. He had to be just inside, the room wasn't that big. She was about to climb back in when he suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Deeks! I'm right here! Come on. I got you!" She grabbed him by the shirt and literally dragged him through the opening. She led him away from the window.

He collapsed on the rooftop, curling into the fetal position as he gasped and coughed. Being in the fresh air helped tremendously. It wasn't long before he was able to get his breathing under control. He rolled over on his back and wiped at his eyes. Finally, he was able to focus. Seeing his partner standing over him with a worried look on her face, he grinned up at her.

"That was a little too close for comfort, eh Fern?" He held his hand out for her to help him stand.

She grimaced, holding her hands up as if surrendering. She was happy that he was okay, but pissed that he and Fornell had wasted what precious little time they had to get out. "You're an idiot!" She stomped towards the edge of the roof.

Deeks rolled over and got to his feet, going after her. "Oh come on! Don't be like that! Princess? Kensi?"

The teams in DC and LA watched as Agent Blye stood at the window, clearly hollering for her partner. Eventually she pulled him out onto the roof. Relieved that he was out, they were still concerned as he curled up on his side. Once he rolled to his back, they all breathed a little easier. They watched as he held his hand up to Kensi, clearly wanting her assistance. When she refused to help and stalked away from him, everyone knew he must be okay.

Director Vance looked to everyone in MTAC, ending with Gibbs. He smiled and nodded at the man before turning and heading for the door. Gibbs chuckled as he turned one last time to the satellite feed on the screen.

Hetty and Granger exchanged relieved looks before turning to the rest of the team in Ops.

Hetty smiled at her team. "Drinks, anyone?"

TBC

Author's note: I'd like to thank honus47, nherbie, RhondaLara, CoastalReader, MJ2709, Hoosier65, fanficforyou, and the guests who left reviews for the previous chapter. I have one chapter left. Thanks to everyone who stuck with me through this one. I know I struggled to post regularly. I think this will be my last multi-chapter story for a while. I do have some other ideas in mind and look forward to sharing them with you.