And here is another chapter, guys. It looks like the muse is back, which means more updates. ;-)
Thanks for all the follows and favorites. Enjoy!
"Grisha." Hetty arched an eyebrow. "Did I forget something in the debrief?" The team had arrived from a grueling day in Santa Barbara three hours ago, and after a short debrief she had sent everybody home and went to Tom's house herself. So seeing her senior agent standing in the door opening from the hall to the dining room now, right after dinner, was a surprise.
He shook his head. "No, you covered everything."
Hetty put her napkin down and frowned. "What is it, then? Something wrong?"
Again, he shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. I just want to clearilfy something."
"And that something couldn't wait until tomorrow?"
"It could, but I'd rather not." His eyes traveled to Tom. "Again, I'm sorry for intruding."
"Don't be. Obviously, it's something important if you've come all this way. Take a seat. Have you eaten? You want something to drink?"
"I have, and no, thank you." He pulled out a chair and sat down.
Tom glanced at Hetty. "Do you two want some privacy?"
"No, you can stay." Grisha took a deep breath. "How long until your retirement, Hetty?"
Although his question threw her for a loop, she didn't show it. Instead, she smiled and bowed her head. "How long have you known?"
"Not long. It's little things; I doubt the others know. It's real this time?"
"It is. Like you, I've found that there is more to life than work." Her smile grew wider as she looked at Tom. "My resignation won't go into effect until the end of February, so you'll have time to get used to it."
"Mmm." Grisha swallowed. "How is your file on potential other agents?"
"That depends. Am I going to need it or my successor?"
"I'm thinking you are."
"For who?"
"Me." He chuckled. "But you know that. You have for a long time."
"Why now, though?"
"It's time. That standoff today was brutal, we barely had time to take cover and I know Nell got off with a graze, and this time it was her arm, Hetty, but it could've been much worse… The only thing that kept going through my head was that I wanted to make it back home. I have done this for a long time, Hetty. It's time someone else does, now."
"What made you decide today, though? You've been in more than one brutal standoff in the last year."
"We half decided on a date yesterday. I want to make it to my own wedding without having to wonder if I'm going to get shot between now and then."
She understood. "I know. And you deserve no less." She reached for her wine glass and took a sip. "Have you decided on what you want to do?"
"Not yet. I think I'll help Dee with getting Indulge on its feet and then we'll see. I'm not in a rush to find something else."
"You deserve some downtime." She paused for a moment, wondering if she needed to tell him. Then again, he was her team leader, so he needed to know. "Mr. and Mrs. Deeks have handed in their resignations as well."
Grisha nodded. "I know. They came to the house two nights ago." He leaned back
in his chair. "It will be a completely different team. And maybe that's a good thing. I know it's a good thing for them to be done with this, start a family. They'd been trying to decide for a long time."
"So they said." Hetty sighed. "Things have shifted. I get that. There is more in life than work. I get that, too. And you have half your lives still ahead of you, so I do understand that you want to make something of it. You should. But Director Vance is going to question me on why we're all deciding this at the same moment."
"Life has shifted. If it wasn't for Deja, I'd still be doing this job for the next ten years, or until it would've gotten me killed. But Dee's here, and I want to give her a peaceful, quiet life, Hetty. I don't want to look over my shoulder every time we leave the house or have Eric and Nell fine tune the alarm system every three months because it's outdated again. We're entitled to a little peace and quiet."
"Agreed. Have you written your letter of resignation yet?"
"It'll be on your desk first thing in the morning."
She eyed him. "Are you excited? To start this completely different chapter in your life?"
He countered. "Are you?"
The glimmer in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. "I am. But I worry for the new team of Special Operations as well. They have huge shoes to fill."
"And they'll do just fine. Whoever becomes their manager will have their own style and if they follow all the rules we do, most of the time, they'll be fine. They just need to find their own dynamic."
Hetty took in his calm posture. "You're not going to miss the action? The shooting and the interrogating witnesses and suspects? The going undercover?"
"I'm happy being me, Hetty. I suspect it's going to be enough. Besides, don't you think the new generation deserves a chance to prove themselves?"
As he'd told Dee that afternoon in the park, back in London, there was a time he was going to be done. And having the Deekses telling him they were going to resign and do something else, and that shooting that took more out of him than he wanted to admit, and all of it together: moving, having his father close, getting married, wanting to start a family… He didn't want the responsibility of keeping the world safe anymore. He wanted to the responsibility of raising and providing for his family.
"Perhaps. I'm going to let someone else deal with that. I've done enough, keeping all of you in line for the last eight years."
"You have." Grisha turned to Tom. "And you? You going to make an honest woman out of her?"
Tom grinned. "She won't let me. It's not that I haven't asked."
"I'm sure."
"But, to be honest, it will be nice to have more time together. Do more things that we like, without operations interfering and work demanding things. But it was her decision, and the only thing I can do is support her."
"Thanks for looking after her." He rolled his eyes at Hetty as she opened her mouth to protest. "I know you are more than capable to look after yourself. I'm still glad he's going to be around. Let's keep him, okay? I like him."
Her heart swelled at his words. "I do, too." Then she remembered something else. "I know we haven't really discussed it since you've moved… How are things with Garrison?"
"They're better. It's still strange to have him that close by, but we've bridged some gaps and we're trying to get along. It's not always easy, but we're trying to get to know each other again. And we have good days and bad days. Dee keeps reminding me it takes time."
"Deja is smart like that."
"Among other things." He paused, plucking non-existing lint of his shirt. "You're not disappointed that we're all quitting on you?"
"Why in the world would you think that?"
"Because you've put all this time and energy in us, training us, keeping us where Washington couldn't get to us, even when they wanted to. And we're repaying you by leaving."
"You've repaid me by doing your jobs all this time, and keeping each other safe." She patted his arm. "Don't for a moment think you're disappointing me for wanting a life, Grisha. Please. I'm proud of all the things you've done and accomplished. But I'm most proud of the fact that you've finally got enough guts to admit that you want a life outside of work. And you've found her all on your own."
"I did, didn't I?"
The playful swat he received made his grin even wider. "So, no, not disappointed. Go have a life. Enjoy having a life. God knows I've waited longer than I should have."
"Thanks, Hetty."
Again, Hetty took a sip of her wine. And something clicked. "She doesn't know you're here, does she?"
He had the decency to look caught. "She doesn't. It will be my Christmas present. I'll leave the moment there's another team leader."
"You said something about having set a date. How do you half set a date?"
"She wants to have a big Christmas dinner with all of us at Indulge, then open the second of January. We're not getting married until the spring, because she wants Indulge at its feet before closing it for an entire weekend."
"Which is a very smart thing to consider."
"It is."
Hetty laughed. "You really can't wait to marry her."
"I really can't."
The excited grin on his face made the tears well up in her eyes. He'd found his place in the world. He had found his place in the world all by himself, and he was making decisions to secure that place. She couldn't be prouder if she tried.
I've doubted about letting Deeks and Kensi retire basically during the same timeframe. But, as they're already married in this universe, and so ready to start a family, I figured it would make sense. Let me know if it does. As for Hetty, she needs to retire for real at some point, this somehow just fit. ;-)
