AN: For /u/LostForeverInHisEyes who wanted to see something happen with the glitter. Set a few days after the conclusion of "Ours"

"What on earth is that?" came Sam's voice from behind him.

Hm, must have finished working out, had it been that long already?

"A better question is, do we really want to know?" Callen added his own two cents with a grin, flopping down into his chair.

"Is that one of Eric's confetti cannons?" Kensi asked, peering over his shoulder.

Deeks covered the item with his hands and pulled a face.

"Well, if you're really curious…"

"We're not," Sam said bluntly, sitting next to him.

Deeks gave the older man a grin.

"You don't fool me, Sammy-boy, you're curious about the confetti cannon," he said in a teasing tone.

"So, it is the confetti cannon," Kensi crowed.

Sam gave him an irritated look.

"One, don't ever call me 'Sammy-boy' again unless you want me to remove your head from your body," Deeks nodded vigorously at that pronouncement and made a cross over his heart, Sam rolled his eyes before continuing, "And I wanted to know what it is. Now that I do, I no longer care."

Deeks pouted at that, the man was no fun.

"I'll bite," said Callen, kicking his feet back. "Why are you messing with one of those confetti cannons. Didn't you bin them all after the other night?"

Deeks shrugged and spun the contraption between his hands.

"We did, I found it on the floor over there," he waved at the computers at the side of the room. "Wanted to see how the Meerkats tricked it out."

"They tricked it out?" asked Callen

Both Kensi and Deeks gave him a 'duh' look.

"Right."

"They're not meant to produce so much confetti," Deeks informed them, trying to prise at the seams.

Meanwhile: In Ops

"Eric, what are you doing?"

Eric poked his head up, very meerkat-like, from where he was crawling about under the desk. He was looking incredibly guilty.

"Uhm…"

Nell crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow; it was better to let him babble out the truth rather than question him too much. She got the whole story that way.

He bit his lip and heaved himself up. His knees were dusty.

"I may have been looking for our prototype confetti cannon," he said, scratching the back of his head nervously.

Nell gaped at him.

"You mean the one we were experimenting with?" she hissed, looking all around them – she did not want anyone to hear this.

"Yes?" Eric replied with a wince.

Deeks was convinced he could get this to open, he could see the seams straining. It. Just. Wouldn't. Budge.

"Oops."

He had used too much force and it shot out of his hand to clatter into the middle of their desks. He winced at the sound. The was loud.

"Are you quite finished playing with your toy, Mr Deeks?" queried Hetty, not looking very impressed. "I do hope your reports are done."

Deeks looked guiltily at his desk where the definitively unfinished reports were.

"Hmm mmm," was all Hetty said and trotted over to the confetti cannon to pick it up.

She eyed it curiously.

"It's Eric's," Kensi told her helpfully.

"I'm aware, Miss Blye," Hetty replied, running her fingers along the seams. "Nevertheless, I am confiscating it."

Deeks barely withheld a snigger, she really did sound like a teacher at times.

As if she knew what he was thinking, she gave him a stern look.

"More work, less distractions if you please, Mr Deeks," she told him, absentmindedly fiddling with the opening.

Deeks pouted and turned reluctantly to his stack of papers. Everyone else always got all the fun. Now Hetty was going to get to open it and see the cool circuity Eric was bound to have added to it. Confetti cannons didn't make the 'Boom' noise his did.

With a sigh he pulled a report to him. Might as well get started. He was trying to word 'I had to swing a man into a dumpster to distract the men chasing me' in a way that would be more acceptable for the higher ups when he heard a popping noise.

"Oh my," came Hetty's voice from her desk

That made them all turn around. What the-?

Callen immediately started sniggering. Kensi had her hands over her mouth and Sam was gaping. Deeks didn't know what to do, it probably wasn't safe to laugh but his shoulders were shaking with the effort to stop it.

Head to toe, Hetty Lange was covered in none other than glitter. Pink to be exact, because of course it couldn't be a more neutral colour.

Eric and Nell chose that moment to run down the stairs.

"Guys, have any of you seen a cannon-oh?" said Ne, coming to a halt on the third step from the bottom.

Eric nearly crashed into her a gulped loudly when he saw their boss.

"Err," was all he could say.

If people were cartoons, Hetty would definitely have fumes coming from her.

"Mr Beale, I believe you ae responsible for this?" she asked in a controlled tone, clapping her hands together to make the glitter fall.

Eric looked incredibly cowed.

"Um, yes?"

The team watched amused as she crooked her finger for their Technical Operator to follow her to the burn room. He gave them all a pleading look. Nope, he was on his own.

"You too, Miss Jones," Hetty called making Nell dart after her boyfriend's trudging figure.

"Think if we believe, she'll fly?" Deeks whispered out of the corner of his mouth, once they were safe.

"Don't count on it, Mr Deeks," Hetty answered sternly.

"She doesn't need to," added Callen.