Chapter 10

Kensi, Callen and Sam sat in the bullpen waiting for him to come out, "Are you sure he's coming out?" Sam asked.

Kensi nodded, "Any second now." She said and looked in the direction of the shower; the others had changed and had been waiting ten minutes. However, there was still no sign of Deeks.

"I'm going in." Kensi said and walked towards the bathroom.

"NO!" Sam said shocked, "Kenz it's the men's room."

"I'll go," Callen said as he walked past her and into the room.

Deeks was sitting on the floor his head between his knees and was hyperventilating.

Callen quietly sat next to him and waited as he got his breathing under control. "You done?" he asked.

Deeks sat focused on a solitary point on the floor. "I don't know what happened I just felt dizzy, I just need a moment and then I'll be fine." He said.

Callen smiled. "You just panicked, it's a big change, and you're going to have dinner with your daughter, her mother and the team."

"I'm responsible for her now, I mean she's had years without me, but now I know she's here I am responsible for her well being, keeping her safe, I don't want her to…." He trailed off, but Callen knew the value in waiting.

"You know about my father…I told you…I don't want to be like him, I don't want her to feel about me like I do about him."

"Then don't." Callen said

"It's not that easy…what if I muck up." Deeks said. "What if I end up like….him?"

Callen stood up, "Deeks, you had your mother growing up didn't you?" he asked, "You never talk about her."

Deeks nodded, "Yeah…she was around and she loves me, she pretty much went to pieces after my father was arrested, she couldn't look after me properly so the county sued her for neglect and I ended up in foster care." He admitted.

"But you saw her right?"

"Three hours every Friday, supervised visits." He told him.

"So you know your mother loves you, you have memories with her." Callen prompted. "And those childhood memories of your mother, they're important to you?"

"Well, yeah?" Deeks replied confused.

"I have no memory of either or my parents. If at Ellie's age I would have found my father, perfect or not, he would have been my father and I would have hung on to him with all that, I had. There is nothing he could have done to not want me to be a part of his life."

Deeks looked at Callen and could see the truth in Callen's words.

"Your father, I know you have some bad memories but did you love him?"

"Yes." Deeks answered without hesitation "he's my father."

"Exactly." Callen said holding out a hand for Deeks to get up.

"You have a little girl who right now is busy getting herself ready to hang on to you. Don't let her down Deeks."

Taking the offered hand Deeks stood up, "Thanks Callen."

Callen smiled, "Sometimes it takes watching other people have something you really want to have, to know exactly what it is you were missing."

They walked out of the bathroom and Kensi and Sam looked over concerned.

"You ok?" Kensi asked.

Deeks nodded for a second wondering what Callen was going to say, "Yeah he couldn't get his tie right, see I told ya it was no big deal." Callen said with a shrug as he grabbed his bag, "So are we going or what?" he asked heading for the door.

Ellie ran upstairs in her house and knocked on her mother's door. "Mom! I can't get my hair to go right!" she complained standing there in a skirt and top one sock on and the other, still laying on her bed. her face a picture of devastation as she held a brush and a broken scrunchie in her hand.

Jordan smiled, they had been home from the hospital for four hours and this was her daughters seventh change of outfit.

"Ellie, are you sure this is the outfit you're going to wear?"

She looked up in a panic, "Its is ok? Maybe I should wear something else!"

Jordan laughed, "It's perfect the same as every other outfit you've picked tonight." she brushed her daughters hair into pigtails and wrapped the red ribbons around them.

"But MOM!" Ellie wailed, "I wanna look perfect for him, what if he gets to spend time with me and I'm not good enough for him, or he doesn't like me!" she stopped as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Ellie Mae Hampton. Your father loves you very much, he called me earlier and he's looking forward to having dinner with you," he had called while getting changed, just to check the time at the restaurant and Jordan had had to smile as he sounded as nervous as she did.

"Mama!" Ellie looked up as she noticed a small mark on her skirt, "I can't wear this!" she peeled out of her mothers room and slammed her bedroom door.

Normally Jordan would have pulled her up for her behavior but she knew that this was just nerves. "If you are not dressed and downstairs in 5 minutes young lady you'll go in whatever you have on!" she called across the landing as she pulled her sweater on, she felt just as nervous, she knew that there was no chance of her and Marty getting together again, but she had insisted that he include his team as she had seen the looks that he and his partner had shared and if they weren't seeing each other now, she had a feeling they would be soon. More than anything she wanted to make sure the people in Marty's life were good enough to be involved with her daughter.

Five minutes later and in the outfit she had put on the first time, Ellie was standing at the foot of the stairs waiting for her mother.

Walking into the restaurant Deeks looked around, "They're not here?" he said panicking, Kensi put her hand on his back and he sighed calming down.

"We're still early Deeks, lets get seated they'll be here soon." she said as Callen talked to the server and got them seated at the table.

Deeks felt in his pocket, it was still there.

After all that had happened today, he was glad he had remembered the box he had put in his desk the other day and had grabbed it on his way out of the mission.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" The server asked.

Deeks looked worriedly at them all, "Two club soda's and a Pepsi, Deeks what do you want?" Callen asked.

He smiled, "A lemonade, thanks guys."

Callen had talked to Sam in the car on the way over and told him about Deeks' worry about him being like his dad and Sam had texted Kensi who after she had parked up had agreed that for tonight and while they were with Ellie, it would be an alcohol free night.

Kensi nudged Deeks as Ellie and Jordan entered the restaurant. Deeks gulped and stood up as they walked up to the table.

"Daddy!" Ellie said giving her father a hug.

"Hey Ellie." Deeks said his voice breaking.

"Here Ellie, you sit next to your dad." Kensi said moving over, "Jordan, do you wanna sit the other side of Ellie?"

Jordan smiled, Kensi had passed, "No you can I'll be fine here," she said sitting between Callen and Sam.

The server came over with their drinks, and took both Ellie's and Jordan's drinks orders and they ordered food.

Ellie and Deeks talked together animatedly through the whole meal with Jordan smiling as the team asked her questions about her interests.

"So you like living in California?" Sam asked.

"Yeah I can surf now." Ellie smiled "I think i need to get more lessons though."

"Deeks'll give you lessons!" Sam said.

"Daddy, you surf?"

"Like a pro," Kensi said, "He's been giving me lessons," she told her.

"Mom, can I have lessons with Daddy and Kensi please?"

Jordan looked at Deeks, "Sure if it's ok with your father and Kensi."

Ellie looked at Deeks her blue eyes huge and pleading, he knew there and then he'd probably never be able to refuse her anything.

Deeks smiled, "Sure, when we have time off, we'll go on a weekend."

Ellie yawned and they realised that it was getting late.

"We will have to go." Jordan said. "But if you call tomorrow we can set up some times that she can spend with you."

"Can...Can I have her to stay sometimes?" Deeks asked.

Jordan nodded, "That'll be ok if it's ok with Ellie."

Ellie nodded, "Kensi says you have a dog, can I play with him?" she asked.

Deeks smiled, "Monty'll love that." he said.

Ellie stood up and hugged her dad. "See you soon Daddy, I love you."

"I love you too baby girl." Deeks said and meant it, he reached in his pocket and took out the small black box. "This is for you, it was my mothers. I want you to have it now." he said taking a small silver locket out and placing it around her neck.

Ellie looked at the locket and touched it gently. "It's beautiful thank you daddy," she whispered while holding him tightly.

Jordan tapped her on the shoulder, "Come on Elle, time to go home. Marty here's Ellie's cell phone number you can call her whenever you need too."

Ellie turned to say her goodbyes, "Thank you Jordan," Deeks said. He didn't know what the future held with him and his daughter but he was certain of one thing, with his team watching his back and Jordan letting him spend time with his daughter life was going to be good.