Prompt: I'm a fan of your work and I was thinking that we haven't read about Monty or heard of him in the TV show for an awful long time. He would be getting up there in years, and perhaps gone to doggy heaven. May I please suggest that you'd consider the arrival of puppy Monty Jnr as a gift on Deeks's birthday, or perhaps for Caleb. Kindest regards

A/N: I can't believe I'm on my third set of Tumblr stories (and that doesn't include all the one-shots, and multi-chaps)! Thanks for all your suggestions and support. Here's to many more!

"Mommy, are you sure he's going to be ok in there?" Caleb asked in a loud whisper as he worriedly peered into the basket on his lap. Although Kensi has tried to gently reason with him, he'd refused to put it down for more than the half minute it took for him to strap into his car seat.

"Yes, honey," Kensi assured him. "The lady at the shelter said he'll be perfectly fine."

"But he's so quiet. Maybe something happened to him." Kensi peered through her rearview mirror in time to see him dip his hand into the blanket-lined basket.

"Caleb Deeks, don't you dare wake that puppy up," she warned quietly, making him jerk, and hurriedly pull back. The last thing she needed was a rambunctious, 8-week-old puppy running around the car. Keeping his chin tucked down, Caleb shot her a sheepish smile from under his eyelashes.

A box of pastries emblazoned with the words "Happy Birthday to the best husband and dad", their excuse for this little excursion, sat on Caleb's other side.

The dog had been Caleb's idea after Deeks shared one of his favorite stories about Monty. Even at six years old, Caleb was empathetic enough to tune into Deeks' wistfulness. The next day, he'd informed Kensi that they needed to get daddy a new dog, and somehow, she just couldn't deny Caleb in all his earnestness.

Besides, he was right. There'd been a Monty sized hole in their home for several years now. It was time.

So the search had begun, starting with their local shelter. Kensi had planned on finding a dog like Monty, but Caleb had immediately bonded with a Golden lab. The fact that they would be allowed to bring him home on Deeks' birthday was proof enough to Kensi that it was meant to be.

"Do you think daddy will like him?" Caleb asked, softly a few minutes later. He tended to get introspective during longer rides. "Maybe he'll be disappointed that it's not the same as Monty. I mean, Monty was real special. I've never seen another dog like him before."

"Yes, Monty was special," Kensi agreed. "But so is this little guy and I know dad will love him just as much."

A tiny smile twitched at Caleb's lips, and he resettled the basket on his lap, ever diligent in his duties.

"Hey, did you guys fry those doughnuts yourself?" Deeks asked, when they got back half an hour later. His head was bowed over a book on the coffee table and Kensi felt a rush of affection and love run through her at the familiar sight of his hair sliding into his eyes, those strong shoulders.

"No," Caleb giggled. "But we got you a surprise! That's what took so long." He ran across the room, basket carefully held in front of him, and deposited it into Deeks' lap as he looked up.

Deeks frowned, glancing to Kensi with a question in his eyes. She just shrugged, offering a teasing smile. Caleb was practically vibrating with excitement, bouncing on his toes as Deeks slowly peeled back the blanket that covered the top of the basket.

"Oh my god," he whispered, mouth dropping open slightly. "You guys got me a puppy."

"Uh-huh. It's a Golden Lab," Caleb explained, pulling the blanket off completely. "Happy Birthday, Daddy."

Shaking his head slightly, Deeks reached inside, and gently removed the blonde puppy. He easily fit inside Deeks' palm.

"Hey there, Buddy," Deeks murmured and brought it to his chest, lightly ruffling its fur. Kensi fumbled for her phone, needing to capture the adorable moment. After a couple minutes, Caleb started fidgeting, his worried look returning.

"Do you like him, Daddy?"

Deeks chuckled softly, finally lifting his head again, lips splitting with the wide crooked grin that spoke of pure happiness.

"I love him, Caleb," he said sincerely. "It's one of the best presents I've ever gotten. Thank you." With a mirror grin, Caleb gave a whoop of joy, and threw himself at Deeks, who managed to catch him against his chest with one arm. The other arm he extended outward to keep the still sleeping puppy safe.

As he hugged Caleb, Deeks caught Kensi's eye, and gestured for her to join them. Kensi squeezed onto the couch next to him, wrapping her arms around both of them.

"Happy Birthday," she whispered against Deeks' cheek.

A/N: Since I love writing about Caleb, I decided to combine both ideas.