The parts of this episode that stuck out to me aren't the plot, but the character interactions. More than any other episode since Kensi went to Afghanistan, this is the one where Deeks is clearly trying REALLY HARD not to be a third wheel, and also to prove that he belongs with the boys. It's trying, and adorable. And, yes, the following episode has rather a good amount of friendly ribbing of Deeks, with even Hetty getting in on the action – right before things in Afghanistan comes to a head, of course.

If you celebrate anything at the end of this year, I wish you a beautiful, peace-filled, and joyous occasion. If you celebrate nothing at all, I hope your December is lovely all the same, and that you are able to enjoy the time when everyone else is celebrating in your own way.

It's been a genuine pleasure for me to spend this year with all of you, sharing this story as it unfolds episode by episode. Thank you for all the laughter and joy and glee and squee you brought into my 2019, especially when I sorely needed it. I appreciate you all!

See you on the flip side of the decade. Enjoy!

Season 5, Episode 17: Between the Lines

She caught him right after the debriefing, while Deeks and Sam went to go clean their weapons.

"How is Mister Deeks handling things?" she asked.

Callen glanced to where his partner had gone with their temporarily-partnerless third wheel. "Actually, better than I thought. He doesn't think the same way Sam and I do, but he's right there with us."

"To be fair, there are very few people in the world who think like you and Mister Hanna," she said, smirking. "And I, for one, am glad of it."

He smiled. "When it was just me and Sam and Kensi, she was usually the quiet, competent one. Not flashy, not out to prove herself, just getting the job done. And making commentary, of course."

"Of course." Hetty nodded.

"But Deeks...well, he's not quiet. But he is competent. And…"

"And?"

Callen shrugged. "I think he still thinks he has to prove himself to us. When we were out there today, he was...not exactly trying too hard. But making sure I knew that he had my back, and Sam's. That he was right there with us, one-hundred percent. As if we didn't know that already."

"You do rather treat him like a pair of older brothers teasing the baby of the family," Hetty said. "And without Kensi here to balance him, it is possible Mister Deeks feels that he must overachieve in loyalty what he lacks in your shared brainwaves."

G looked at her and dropped all pretense of mockery. "Do we need to let up on him? I don't want to be making things worse here."

"On the contrary," she said. "I think Mister Deeks holds onto that strain of insincerity and jovial jockeying as an anchor. If you were to remove that from him, he might be forced to face his feelings honestly."

"And what do you think his feelings are?"

"He misses Miss Blye, obviously. But I think he is also concerned about his place here. That, without her, he is somehow not needed. Not part of this team."

G's jaw went tight. "After everything, he still doesn't think he's one of us?"

"I think he's not completely sure. And doubly so with his partner absent. It would make any person uncomfortable, liable to see doubt in the slightest shadow and feel off-balance at the first tremor of the earth." Hetty let out a breath. "Keep on as you have been, Mister Callen. Perhaps I shall tease him myself, just to keep him on his toes."

"Which sounds like the opposite of comforting," he said, but he was smiling again.

"For most people, yes, I suspect it would be. But for him, as for you, I think our Mister Deeks will feel more at ease when he is at the center of a storm again. A storm of our making, of course."

She met his eyes and gave a dark smile of her own.

Callen felt reassured. If the games he played with Hetty made him feel centered and safe, he could see how playing a different sort of game with Deeks would reassure him as well.

And it would keep things loose and fun, which was good for all of them.

Especially because G knew personally that Hetty would play the game with everyone, not just Deeks, and that meant he would have to be on his own toes as well, being one of her favorite targets.

They could all take their turn in the spotlight of mockery if it kept them all grounded when the world felt shaky.