AN: This was inspired by /u/LostForeverInHisEyes because they adore Callen and I couldn't decide when I wanted

Set after "Facing Their Partners" and Chapter 2 of this.

"What, no tea this time?" Callen asked with a sheepish grin as slipped into his usual seat in front of Hetty's desk.

"Tea is for discussions," she replied with a stern look.

It didn't cow him, it never did.

"This isn't a discussion?" he asked innocently.

"Most certainly not," she said indignantly.

Wearing one of his cocky grins, Callen leaned on his elbows on her desk. She frowned at him, he took no notice.

"You're being dramatic," he informed her, not seeming to realise that he was risking his life.

"Oh, really, Mr Callen?" Hetty commented, taking a pointed sip of her cup of tea. It was that chrysanthemum one again, he could smell the mould. "And what, pray tell, am I being dramatic about?"

He shifted slightly in his seat before replying, "The whole video thing."

"Ah yes," she said, setting her cup down to stare at him straight on. Hetty fixed her glasses, "The 'video thing' as you call it."

"Eric wiped it from their servers," Callen protested.

"Not before it hit ten thousand three hundred and fifty-seven views," Hetty said sternly.

"That's nothing for the internet," Callen shrugged it off.

"It's ten thousand three hundred and fifty-seven views too many," she scolded.

"Everyone always had their phones out nowadays," defended Callen. "Like Sam said, the guy didn't even catch our faces. Very poor videography."

Hetty eyed him contemplatively for a few seconds before stating, "I am aware of the urge and draw of social media conventions, Mr Callen. And I am pleased that none of you were identifiable- "

"Aren't our faces kept out of facial recognition databases anyway?" Callen interrupted.

Silencing him with a pointed look Hetty continued, "None of you were identifiable but that still doesn't mean that you should have been in that situation in the first place."

"What did you think we were going to do when I said we were combining lunch with some light-hearted training?"

"Backstopping some of your aliases, Mr Callen," retorted Hetty. "I believe I informed you that a few of each of your aliases needed backstopping."

"But that's boring," he almost whined.

"So, you aggravated Officer McHughes for some excitement?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, sort of," he said sheepishly.

"Ah, yes. And to get some proverbial 'payback' on how he has treated our Detective Deeks."

"Exactly! Wait, no. I mean yes but how did-?"

Callen gaped at the diminutive woman who was now back to sipping her tea.

"Honestly, Mr Callen. You are far better trained than this. Did you really not think I would not see through your thinly veiled excuse?"

"I thought you would believe me for at least a few hours," he grumbled.

"Hmm."

"Ok, at last until we got to their location," he corrected himself. "They had it coming."

A smile broke out across her face. That stopped Callen in his thoughts of what was going to be his next defence. Oh no.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

"That look means that something has gone our way or I've learnt a lesson about something you think is important," he said suspiciously.

"Exactly, Mr Callen."

Callen sighed heavily and folded his arms, "Ok, I'll bite. What is it this time?"

Hetty carefully set her cup down before replying, "It is good to see you hold tightly onto the bonds you have formed."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know, Mr Callen."

Callen frowned at the most important person in his life. He really didn't like it when she said things like this. It made him analyse his feelings far too much, however unwilling he may be to do it.

To be fair, any analysis of his feelings for the people he cared deeply for was far too much in his opinion. Like, yes, he was extremely fond of them. Yes, he considered them his family. Of course, he would defend them with all he could. Did he really need to go further than that? Apparently Hetty thought so.

"Well, of course I want to defend Deeks. Like you said, he's ours," Callen said defensively, he didn't like being questioned on his feelings.

"I'm just thinking of a time, not so long ago, that you would not even think of taking any action. Saying they could defend themselves perfectly fine."

"Never said he couldn't," he replied shortly.

"But you believed it required your intervention."

"It wasn't completely my idea," Callen pointed out, again. "Sam and Eric, heck, even Deeks wanted to do something to him."

"One word from you and they would have stopped."

Callen shrugged, "Didn't want to spoil their fun. Good way to blow off steam"

"More like you wanted to join in."

He just gave her a look along with that charming grin of his that he knew always worked on her, "Of course I did."

Hetty hummed in pleasure as she looked at him thoughtfully.

"You do know Eric wanted to mess with his records a bit and Sam's original idea involved what basically amounts t a form a mild psychological torture, right?" Callen decided to tattle.

"Oh, have some tea, Mr Callen," she said exasperatedly, pushing the cup towards him.

It smelled particularly pungent this time. He gave it a suspicious look.

"You haven't added laxative or something to it, have you?" he queried.

"Don't be so uncouth, Mr Callen. I would never demean myself to such actions," she scolded. "Do you really think I would do such a thing?"

"Nah," he replied picking up the cup and swirling the liquid around. "Far too obvious, you'd go for something more slow acting and possibly untraceable."

Hetty neither confirmed or denied that statement as she poured herself a second cup. There was a small smile on her face. Callen eyed the contents of his own cup again, was that grains floating on top?

"You shouldn't be so suspicious, it isn't healthy," Hetty informed him, taking a deep breath f her new cup.

"That's what I'm trained to be," Callen stated with a smirk, throwing her earlier words back at her."

"Touché."