AN: Hey guys, I didn't send this to Fern, so all mistakes are mine and mine alone. Also, I kinda wrote it really fast and really REALLY distracted. I'm home for break, and we raked a whole yard full of leaves today! Crazy but I still wanted to post this today! Hope you enjoy it, and please leave a review :)

Blessings,

bookdiva

"How long are these Department of Justice Jokers gonna be digging through our files?" Kensi asked rhetorically as she walked into the mission with Deeks. They both glanced back over their shoulders disdainfully. "Sheesh, we should be charging them rent."

"Or call the exterminator," he replied lightly. "Hey, what do you think of the name Shepherd?" he asked, completely changing the subject.

"For what?" Kensi asked, her mind now on her partner's strange question instead of the DOJ, just as he'd intended.

"What do you mean for what? For a kid," he replied, as if it should've been obvious.

Kensi couldn't help the surprise that showed briefly on her face.

"Fine… if he's raising goats?" she phrased it more as a question and Deeks couldn't help but laugh.

"Though technically that would be a goat-herd," he said, still chuckling slightly.

"That's not a bad name. Goat-herd Deeks."

"Hmm…" he shook his head, still smiling. "I'm sorry. That I asked."

"Why?" she demanded playfully, turning toward him. "D'you get some bimbo pregnant?"

"Hey!" he protested, half-playful and half-serious. He looked down at her, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "Not yet."

She slowed her walking for a moment, caught completely off-guard.

"You better be talking about one of your stripper friends," she finally said, regaining her balance.

Deeks almost snorted at that.

You didn't even like the fact that I'd only worked with Talia, and now you expect me to believe you'd be okay with a stripper? Two words for you. Yeah. Right.

"I don't have stripper friends," he protested instead. Then he pretended to think for a half-second. "Oh, no I do have acquaintances who, on occasion, dance—"

"Not unlike yourself," she interjected.

"—to make ends meet," he finished as if she hadn't said anything.

"Oh I bet they make their ends meet. A lot."

He laughed, reveling in the advancement of her humor in the past few months. She really was quite the protege.

"By the way, you never told me about your stage name. Um, let me guess… It's, um… Magic Marty?"

"Yeah?" he turned to her and cocked his head to the side, deciding to enjoy the smile on her face.

"Dirty Deeks?" she babbled, laughing. "No, no, no, uh, Scabby Spikes."

And she doubled over in laughter and snorted at her own joke.

"I need to talk to you two." Granger's voice caused both Kensi and Deeks to startle slightly

"We carpooled."

Deeks closed his eyes and held back a groan. Seriously, for an undercover operator, she sucked at lying.

"Yeah," he jumped in to help her, playing the nonchalant, clueless character he knew Granger thought of him as. "Goin' green."

"Yeah," Kensi shot him a grateful look, "save the planet."

Granger just kept staring at them. Kensi looked over to Deeks, clearly uncertain of what to do next.

"You know, it's like Superman," Deeks said. "Except, of course, I wear my underwear on the inside of my pantaloons."

"When he remembers to wear underwear."

That might be a little too far, Deeks looked over and read it in his eyes.

"I'm kidding," she said quickly, attempting to lessen the damage. "I'm just kidding. He wears underwear." Deeks looked up at the sky and held back another groan. She was just making this worse. "I think. I'm assuming. I don't know. We're just… just… partners…"

Deeks nodded, too distracted to be fully amused by her Deeks-like babbling. "P-artners."

Granger just kept looking at Deeks in a way that let the Detective know that he wouldn't get away with his laid-back, careless, jokester cover anymore—like he knew something. Deeks swallowed thickly.

How much does he really know about what went down in Afghanistan? Deeks wondered to himself. Deeks hadn't included much in his report, and as far as he knew, Makar hadn't mentioned it.

"OPS," Granger ground out in his deep, gravely voice. "Now."

Then Granger turned on his heel and headed up the stairs.

"Well alright then," Kensi said, still babbling and joking. "Someone's wearing his grumpy underpants."

Again, she snort-laughed at her joke, but Deeks could barely manage a smile.

"Yeah," he said, ignoring Kensi's concerned look when she realized he wasn't as amused as he would normally be. "We should…" he gestured towards OPS and started to climb the stairs. "Coming?" he asked when she didn't immediately follow.

"Yeah," she said, still looking at him and seeming deep in thought. Then she shook her head and followed him and Granger—who was waiting on them at the top of the stairs—silently up to OPS.

"Care to tell me what's going on?" Granger demanded as he barged into the operations center.

"A reward's being offered for information on Matias," Sam said, raising his eyebrows. Deeks could tell by Sam's posture that the big man wasn't comfortable with the situation, but he'd go along with it.

"I'm not authorizing that," Granger said. Deeks couldn't help but smirk slightly, wishing Callen would leave it at that but also knowing that he wouldn't.

"Well you don't have to. Cause I already did. With my own money."

"All support personnel, out." Granger commanded. Immediately, random workers stood and exited the room. "You can work from auxiliary stations."

Lucky bastards, Deeks thought to himself, allowing himself a brief, longing glance towards the door as Eric headed out.

"Not you, Beale" Granger called at the tech operator. "Secure the room."

Eric sat at the computer, and immediately the room was shut down. Deeks couldn't help but suddenly feel a little claustrophobic, and he felt Kensi tense beside him.

"From here on in we're at the Principalities level," Granger said. Deeks couldn't stand the sudden tension, so he took a deep breath and played clueless.

"Principality?" he said, blinking rapidly as if he were confused. "So, uh, like a state ruled by a prince?"

"No," Kensi said, snapping out of her surprise and letting him in on what was going on. "Principalities is one of the nine orders of angels that make up the third and highest choir."

"Oooohh…" Deeks said like he understood. He didn't.

"Hetty's version of Code Red," Sam explained, still standing on the far side of the room with tense shoulders and crossed arms.

Of course, Deeks thought. Because 'Code Red' would be too damn straightforward for Hetty.

"Until further notice, we don't operate with any personnel outside this room. Same with our system, Beale. I want us isolated from everything and everyone. No more leaks."

"Yes sir."

Deeks looked around and noticed someone was ostentatiously absent.

"Where's Nell?" Deeks asked aloud, receiving an immediate glare from Granger that clearly said to drop it. Kensi, however, didn't care to take the warning.

"Yeah, where is Nell?" she echoed Deeks's question.

"Ms. Jones is currently meeting with Dr. Getz for her mandatory psychological evaluation," Granger said. "She'll be in later, and we'll brief her then."

The briefing continued, but Deeks tuned out for a moment.

Great, he thought to himself. He tuned back in, but the feeling of dread didn't leave him. With Nate here, it would be harder to keep everything under wraps. Especially if Granger knew what Deeks suspected he knew.