"What the hell is going on with you, Martindale?" Alex proclaimed.

We strolled into work. It was true that we'd had a semi-rushed morning. Nothing heated, or well, not too heated anyway. MJ's dark green V-neck was halfway tucked in and halfway sticking out. His hair was a little unruly, but nothing compared to mine. My ponytail was full of stray strands and lumps and bumps. I definitely needed to redo it.

"Well you know, I love a lazy morning." His smirk was totally directed at me.

At this point, I would have blushed, but MJ had been right. It was simply just a lazy morning. No heat, just a slow, "I don't want to leave this bed with you" morning. A morning of one too many peaceful sloppy kisses and a couple extra minutes of savoring the mixed heat of his body and mine beneath my sheets.

We assumed that everyone knew about us. Leah did, I knew Sal and Kevin did. It was kind of a given.

Wrong.

"Lazy morning my ass," Ralph said with a laugh. "I'm thinking based on that smile, you had a girl over."

Alex gave Ralph a "Dude, wtf?" look, but Ralph obviously didn't get the message. He continued to push until Alex said, "You're an idiot, Ralph."

"What?" he exclaimed. "It's obvious."

Alex looked at MJ, but MJ threw it over to me. At least our team leader wasn't an idiot.

"Ralph," I said, "he did have a girl over." He began to claim victory, but I stopped him. "And it was me."

That hit him pretty hard.

"You, you're?" he paused. "What?"

MJ stepped closer to me, dropping his stuff off at his desk. I knew what was coming, and I braced for it. Ralph watched as MJ pressed his hands into my hips and landed his lips on mine. I didn't flinch. I didn't even blush. I was not at all embarrassed.

"What the hell?" Ralph proclaimed.

"How did you not know about this man?" MJ declared, his hands still firmly placed against my hips. It was niiiice.

"I'm ashamed to call you my partner," Alex scoffed.

"How did you know about this?" Ralph asked Alex.

"How did you not know about this?" I asked.

About that time, Sal walked up and Ralph began to interrogate him. "Sal, did you know these two were sleeping together?"

Sal looked absolutely disgusted. "They're not sleeping together. They've never been just sleeping together. They're dating. Those are two completely different things." He allowed Ralph to get over his immature panic attack before continuing. "Anyway, case on deck."

Leah was waiting on us. Once again, that was alarming. It's still not her job. I guess MJ could sense my hesitation because he leaned up against the table and hooked me by the belt loop so that I was leaning against him too.

"Meet Naval Officer Jessica Daniel." Kevin began his usual introduction sequence. But one word caught my attention. Naval. We're CGIS. A naval officer?

Lost in my thoughts, I tuned out. Until Leah said, "We'll be cooperating with 2 members of NCIS's Office of Special Projects."

Gulp.

I bowed my head toward MJ. "Problem."

Subtly, he hummed and leaned his head into me.

"My parents. They are the Office of Special Projects."

His eyes got big. He shrugged. There was nothing he could do about it, but he tried to reason with me. "There are like 4 other members of OSP. Why would they pair us up with your parents. But, they did.

Turns out, Officer Daniel was murdered. The big catch, she was a raped by a Coast Guard Petty Officer, Tanner Bryan. He was jailed and he's doing time for what he did to her, but there's evidence to believe that some of his friends could have hurt Daniel to avenge the damage to his career. A brave girl refused to let her abuser walk free, and she was dead for it.

Its times like these where I get really proud to do my job. I hate cases like this but at the same time; it's about justice for this girl. And I need to be a part of that.

Apparently we were hosting my parents in house, which was not cool. Leah got to boss us around. Callen is no Hetty, but I'd love to work under him, even if just for one case.

It was all cool until they introduced themselves and there were three 'Agent Deeks'. Because that's totally normal.

The part that pissed me off was when Leah decided to take the lead. This was a case we could handle without her hand in the middle of it.

I'm not sure what her goal was, but she decided to be an asshole. I love my boss, I really do. But that morning, I hated her.

"Hamilton, Donaldson, take the crime scene. MJ and Callie, change of plans. Callie, I want to put you with Marty. Here's a list of Bryan's friends whom he served alongside of. Give them a visit. MJ, you and Kensi will work with the forensics teams and follow up on anything that looks suspicious. Are we all clear?" She shot a dirty glare right at me.

MJ and I work great together. We're partners. Also, why'd she decide to split us up the moment my parents show up? Yes, just show my parent I can't be trusted to be in a working relationship with my boyfriend. Just great.

If I'd wanted to work with my parents, I would have applied at NCIS.

I climbed in the car with Dad. Dad and daughter: crime fighters. I immediately felt a sense of needing to explain myself.

"I have no idea why she split us up," I said. "MJ and I are doing fine. I promise Dad, I.."

He laughed.

"Do you think this is funny? It's not what you…"

"Hush, Callie. She's just testing you. Calm down," Dad interjected.

"Testing me?"

"She's trying to figure out your limits, push you farther than you're willing to go. What better way than take your partner away, and give you me instead? Callen tried to get her to let him take the lead, but she wouldn't budge. She's testing you."

Testing me. Damn it, Leah.

And test me she did do. We knocked on doors and we got ignored. With no warrants, we were left to sitting it out in the car.

Dad popped his feet up on the steering wheel. "So kiddo, tell me how you're doing."

"I'm doing okay," I said. I was more pissed at Leah and less at my Dad, which was good.

"You ever give MJ that key?"

I laughed. "Kinda."

"You left it in some random obvious place and waited until he found it, didn't you?"

I smirked and Dad laughed. "You are so your mother."

"Speaking of my mother, what do think she and MJ are talking about?"

"I dunno," he said. "She's probably telling him all about your barefoot phase."

I stuck my finger in his ear and he wigged out, spasming wildly. I considered it payback enough and changed the subject. "You ready to be a grandpa, old man?"

"I still got a few months!" he claimed defensively. He smiled though, and I knew how excited he really was. "I bet it's a girl."

"Yeah?"

"She'll look just like Nell."

"I hope she kicks ass."

"Hey, don't talk about my granddaughter like that!"

I sighed. "Dad, she's going to be a little fighter. Genetics."

"Baby girls aren't meant for that."

I sat up. "Excuse me? Wasn't I a baby girl once?"

"No. You were my baby girl."

I smiled a little at his protectiveness in that moment, but I stopped. "No difference, Dad. Your wife is a trained agent and sniper, yourr daughter is a federal agent. Nell's an agent now too."

"You make her sound all grown up Cal. Let her be a baby."

I was getting kinda pissed off again. "Dad, we don't even know if the baby is a girl yet."

He shrugged.

Something deep inside me clicked. As if everything suddenly became clearer.

"Can I ask you something?" Dad nodded. "Did you really support my decision to join CGIS? I know you said you did, but is that how you actually felt?"

In the moment, thoughts rushed back to me. All the times I felt like the disappointment, the kid who made the wrong choices. I wasn't my brother. I didn't play instruments and run and work hard in all of my classes. I played basketball and got secret tattoos and stayed up too late. I didn't do something fancy with my life. I walked right into the world my parents fought to protect me from. Mom may have always supported me, but in the moment, I realized my father didn't.

He said nothing. He looked away from me, staring at the house in front of us.

"Dad, you didn't want me to become a fed. You didn't believe I could do it."

"I never said I didn't believe in you," he snapped. "But I didn't want to have to worry about you."

"So I can't take care of myself?"

"Quit putting words in my mouth. I never said that." He was mad, but he wouldn't yell. That's not his style.

"Then say it," I demanded.

"I wanted what was best for you. When you said this was what you wanted to do with your life, it scared me. It scared me because I've almost lost the woman I love to this job so many times, and I don't want to lose my daughter to it too."

His tone was strict. I almost felt bad, but at the same time, I couldn't. I couldn't live my life just to make his easier.

Suddenly, I saw movement in the house in front of us, and the man dashed. "We got a runner."

Dad hopped up, running ahead. I tried to keep up with him, but it was clear he wasn't giving me a chance to work with him.

So much for having a partner.