"Mama, why does daddy always look so sad when he talks about his dad?" Kensi stilled at five year old Caleb's question. He had a habit of springing questions on them when they least expected it and this time was no different.

"What do you mean?" she asked, circumventing the issue, at least momentarily. Gordon Brandel was an extremely infrequent topic in the Deeks-Blye household for obvious reasons. In fact, Kensi could probably count on one hand the number of times Deeks had voluntarily mentioned him. Usually it was in a passing reference and he made sure that he never went into specifics.

"Yesterday daddy showed me a picture when from he was little and he said I look just like him. And then I asked if Grandpa Deeks looked like us too," he explained, his small face pinched with worry. The amount of love and empathy he had never ceased to amaze Kensi. She held out an arm and Caleb leaned his head against her shoulder.

"What did dad say?"

"He said he didn't have any pictures of his daddy and then his eyes got real sad and he didn't talk for a real long time." Caleb's voice had grown softer as he spoke. He tilted his head to look and Kensi and then whispered, "I don't like it when he's sad."

"Oh sweetie, I don't either," Kensi murmured, pressing a kiss to his soft cheek. She wished Deeks wasn't at the bar right now; this was something that they really needed to discuss as a whole family.

"Why does his daddy make him so sad again," Caleb asked and Kensi sighed, trying to figure out the best way to explain it without revealing too much. Deeks was adamant that Caleb didn't need to know anything about the violent his father was and Kensi wholeheartedly agreed.

"Caleb," she started, "You know how your daddy takes you to the beach to surf, and he's always you things and playing and laughing with you?" Caleb nodded solemnly.

"Uh-huh, and he doesn't make me eat geeen beans either." Kensi grinned at the random, but apparently, in Caleb's mind, important bit of information.

"That's right. Those are all ways that dad is showing that he loves you." She took another deep breath. "Grandpa Deeks wasn't like that very much. He didn't make your daddy laugh or go to the beach with him. So when he thinks about it, it makes him sad."

"That's awful," Caleb whispered. He looked distressed for a minute before he suddenly perked up. "Can we do something to make daddy happy again? So he knows that we love him?"

"Of course," Kensi said, blinking back the sudden tears in her eyes. "What should we do." Caleb thought for a minute.

"Cake makes daddy happy."

"It does." Kensi stood, hefting Caleb onto her hip even though his legs dangled past her knees. "Let's go make a cake."

"With chocolate frosting," he added, his little smirk remarkably like Deeks'.