A/N: A bit of light Callen and Deeks angst.


You ever think about having kids?" Deeks casually asked Callen one night as he closed up the bar. Callen was wiping off tables, even though he technically wasn't on the payroll, while Deeks straightened and restocked beyond the bar. If he thought Deeks' question was weird or too personal, he didn't say anything.

"Theoretically, I suppose. But it's never really been at the top of my list," he answered after a minute. Deeks just nodded, focusing on the neat row of liquor bottles he'd just lined up. "Any particular reason why you asked?"

"I guess I was just thinking about how neither of us had great childhoods, and our parental figures weren't always the best role models." Callen snorted.

"That's putting it mildly."

"So knowing all that, along with the fact that I've done some pretty despicable things in the name of the law, do you think a guy like me has any business becoming a father?" Deeks couldn't quite keep the same level of nonchalance as he asked this next question.

This particular thought had been on his mind for a while, he'd just been too afraid to ask it. Callen sighed heavily and turned to face Deeks with a completely serious expression.

"Deeks, I'm not exactly sure where this is stemming from, but I'm not really the person you should come to when it comes these types of questions," he said and Deeks nodded again.

"Yeah, no, I shouldn't have mentioned it," he said dismissively.

"You didn't let me finish. I was going to say, I do know that you are a good man. Whatever mistakes you might have made in the past, you aren't a copy of your dad. You won't make the same mistakes he did."

"So you're saying you think I should have kids?" Deeks frowned, trying to reason out what Callen was trying to tell him. He chuckled and tossed Deeks a balled up bar towel which he caught in one hand.

"I'm not telling you to do anything. I'm just saying, don't let your past determine the choices you make," he clarified and Deeks rolled his eyes.

"Well, that clears everything up."

"Hey, I never said my advice was good."

"No, no you didn't," Deeks agreed, laughing. "Why don't you get some sleep? I can finish up here."

"Alright," Callen agreed, grabbing a bottle of beer from the bar before he left. It was a brand that hadn't sold well at all, but Callen seemed pretty fond of it. "Don't stay up to late."

"Yes, dad."

"Oh and Deeks," he called over his shoulder, "You're going to be a great dad."