Sooo... It's been ages since I updated. I'm sorry! Things are still a bit crazier than I would like, and me being hypersensitive doesn't help matters, because that means I get overstimulated with all sorts of things and the longer that drags on, the longer it takes for me to recover. Which is also why I didn't have space in my head to write. I hope that you like this next installment, let me know what you think!
It had been a slow day with no pending cases, so Hetty had sent the remaining part of her team home early to have a life. She had left early herself, to be in time for some pampering of her own before her appointment that night.
The man in front of her at the table reached for his wine glass. "… you never mentioned him before."
Oh, how she didn't like these conversations. The ones that became personal and crept up on you even though you fought hard to keep them at bay. But she was here. And she had been talking about Grisha. Because Tom deserved to know.
"I was not certain how to bring it up."
"That you have a son? That seems fairly normal to me."
"It is a bit more complicated than that."
Tom leaned back in his seat. "How is it complicated?"
It was complicated because even though he wasn't hers, he felt like hers. And even though she was his boss, she operated as his mother too. Hetty studied the man in front of her. She was letting her guard down. Thomas Holt was becoming a distraction that she didn't mind. Maybe that her old age was catching up with her, maybe it was that it was nice to have someone to just talk too about the things she enjoyed. Someone to connect to.
She had reconnected with Tom months earlier at an art gallery she frequented. They had worked together a long time ago, she with the CIA and Tom on loan from NIS. There had been an attraction they hadn't addressed, because Tom had been married and Hetty was always married to her job. But the quiet confidence he carried around had always piqued her interest and was what she appreciated about him most. He was down-to-earth and could counter her worries sometimes like Deeks could Kensi's. Tom was the kind of man to take things at face value. And he knew the risks of her job. Knew what her job entailed, and that was something she couldn't share with anyone in an outside circle.
So they had bumped into each other at the gallery, and this time, Tom had stuck around for more than only the polite questions about her interest in art and she had said yes to his invitation for dinner quicker than she would've liked.
And so the weeks flew by. Dinner, theatre, drinks, exhibitions… Before she knew it, it was August and here she was. Sitting in one of her homes, with him at her dinner table. "Let's say he's adopted. He came to live with me when he was fifteen and stayed for three years until he joined the Army. From there he worked with a lot of agencies in the alphabet soup, and now he works for me."
"Don't you mind it?"
"Do I mind what?"
"That he works for you? You have to send him out in dangerous situations every day."
She sighed. "I know that he is excellent at what he does and that he wouldn't take any more risks than he has too. Having said that, the boss and mother in me are at conflict sometimes."
Tom twirled the wine in his glass around. "It's a delicate balance you're trying to keep. I'm sure I'd have the same issues doing what you are."
"Maybe, yes."
The telephone in the corner started ringing. Hetty ignored it. Tonight, she was having a night off, and nothing was going to interrupt that. Unless, of course, there were bombs going off and people were dying and she could do something about it, but then it would be another phone ringing.
"Aren't you going to get that?"
She shook her head. "It's not urgent."
The telephone on her desk stopped ringing. But it was only a few moments later, her personal emergency phone started to ring. Tom lifted an eyebrow at her. "Maybe it's more important than you think."
Hetty groaned and, putting her napkin on her plate, lifted herself out of her chair. "One would assume. Excuse me."
She frowned at the number, quickly counting the time back in her head. Why would he be video calling her at two-thirty in the morning? Swiping at her screen, she accepted the call. If the smile on his face was anything to go by, she had nothing to worry about. "Grisha Alexandrovich Nicolaev, I do hope there's a threat to national security or something's happened to your other half in order for you to call me at two in the morning."
Grisha chuckled. "Good evening to you too, mother."
She didn't see Deja. Then again, the girl was better of sleeping at two in the morning. "Is everything okay with Deja?" It was her first concern, now that he didn't seem to be in trouble.
"I'm great, Hetty!" Deja stepped into the screen, her smile matching Grisha's. "Thank you for my birthday dinner, it was brilliant."
"You're welcome, my dear. Was everything in order?"
"It was more than I had expected. And you didn't have to pick up the check for us." Deja rested her arms on Grisha's shoulders. "But we're very thankful that you did."
"It's your birthday. It was the least I could do." Hetty waved it off. "Now, I'm sure that you're not calling me in the middle of the night just to thank me for your dinner."
Grisha narrowed his eyes at her and she could see that something clicked in his head. "Are you at the beach house? Do you have a date? Do I know him?"
Hetty knew that she wouldn't be able to deceive him, but she could always try. "Why do you ask that?"
"Your brooch. It's one of your favorites, but you keep it for special occasions. And I know that painting behind you. It was a gift, remember?"
Why she bothered trying… She took a deep breath. "Fine. Yes, I'm at the beach house, and yes, I do have company." She looked up at her companion and sighed. "Would you mind?"
Tom shook his head. "Why would I mind?"
Hetty tilted the screen of her phone so that they could see him. "This is Thomas Holt. Tom, this is Grisha and his girlfriend, Deja."
"Fiancée, actually."
Hetty's eyes snapped back to the screen as Deja held up her hand. "What?"
"Fiancée. Grisha proposed after dinner. We're engaged."
Hetty would say that she was not one to be overcome by emotions, and anyone who knew her could testify to that, but in that particular moment, she felt her throat tighten and something that felt an awful lot like tears welled up in her eyes. She was so overwhelmed that she lowered the screen and tried to keep her tears in check. He had taken the plunge and decided that he wanted her. A life. Marriage. Maybe kids. And he'd taken all those steps himself. She couldn't have been prouder had she tried.
Tom carefully took the phone from her. "I think your mother is a bit overwhelmed. But what she means is congratulations."
"Thank you," Deja beamed.
Grisha regarded the man on the other end of the screen carefully for a few moments, looking for a reason not to like him. And although he couldn't find a threat, he wasn't going to trust this man. Not until Nell had done a full background check and even then… On the other hand, this man liked Hetty and obviously, Hetty liked him back. He would not be at the beach house if she didn't. "Thank you," Grisha nodded. "Hetty? Are you okay?"
Hetty cleared her throat and nodded. Not that they could see. "I'm sorry, my dear. Congratulations, that is wonderful news." She stepped back into view. "Let me see the ring."
Deja held her hand up in front of the camera. "Don't you think it's perfect?"
It was. In all its simplicity it was perfect for her. He had done good. "It is. Gorgeous. Where did he ask you?"
"Kensington Gardens. Apparently, Nanna helped him plan. They're good at keeping secrets because I didn't know what was happening until he went down on a knee. It was more than I expected."
Yes, secrets was something he'd learned to be good at. But this time, it was for all the right reasons. This time, it was only so that he could surprise her instead of keep something from her. He'd grown so much as a person and things like this reminded Hetty again that he had.
"Well, I hope he made a spectacle out of it because you deserve nothing less."
The look of utter joy on Deja's face told her that he had. "He did. We started with a private opening of Kensington Gardens, then a walk, some dancing and he proposed right between the bandstand and the pond. Lots of lights, my favorite music…" She paused, smiling up at Grisha. "We're telling everyone else later today, but we wanted to call and let you know. We're flying to Barcelona this afternoon to spend our last week there, so Grisha can meet the other half of the family, and we're coming back late Friday night."
"Thank you for calling."
Grisha leaned into Deja and whispered in her ear. When he turned back to the screen, he spoke in Czech. "Měl bych ti poděkovat za všechno, co jsi pro mě udělal. A já vím, že jsem to neřekl, a by měla mít, ale vím, že jsem vděčný, , že jste v mém životě a že tě miluju."
If Hetty had been overwhelmed before, she was a wreck now. She swallowed and her voice caught as she answered. "Děkuju."
Deja blew a kiss. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, okay? Tom, it was nice to meet you, sorry that we interrupted, but it really couldn't wait."
Tom laughed. "Every happy announcement is worth being interrupted for, Deja. It was nice meeting you too, even from so far away. Grisha."
"Tom." They waved and screen turned black.
Tom put the phone down and looked at Hetty. "That the first time he told you that?"
If she was surprised he could follow along, she didn't show it. "It was."
"Was it worth waiting for?"
It was. More than Hetty would ever be to tell him. "Ooh... yes."
