Why I Am Thankful For: Hetty

She-in her silent creepy ninja way-is always looking out for each and every one of us. She always seems to know what I am thinking, which, while eerie sometimes, helps when she knows something I don't want to say, or don't know how to say. She knows it anyway. She knows when not to press and when to push me. Plus she lets me play with all those cool gadgets that can do anything…she is like Mary Poppins…if Mary Poppins knew thirty seven ways to kill you with a poker chip and had access to military grade firearms. Kinda a scary thought, huh? But that is kind of her personality, I think. If one of us got sick, she would be over there with a sure-fire cure all from the mountains of Tibet, and if you don't take it she will force it down your throat with a smile. No spoonful of sugar there. And I am totally rambling. But you didn't say how long or short this had to be, Hetty! I'm sorry! Please put the letter opener down!

Callen through back his head and started laughing harder than anyone ever heard him laugh before. Hetty put down the letter and stared at him. "Something amuses you, Mr. Callen?"

The rest of the team were trying to hide their own smiles as Callen and Deeks both looked chagrined. Then Callen started laughing again. "I'm sorry…but Deeks has a point about the spoonful of sugar. And the letter opener."

Deeks looked white as Hetty glanced at him. "I am sorry I did not clarify the assignment for you, Mr. Deeks, but you did just fine. Once Mr. Callen calms down we can continue."

Callen finally managed to stop laughing, as long as he didn't look at Sam. Hetty continued.

Why I Am Thankful For: Eric

Eric can always find a clear thread tied to a white needle in a haystack in a blizzard. I can't imagine how we would function without him typing away at his little keyboard up there. And he totally fixed whatever was wrong with my laptop; that is no easy task. For a geek, he can run smack with me any day. Also not an easy task. He's a goofy dude sometimes, but hey. Can't hate on a fellow surfer. It's nice to have someone to talk about the surf with. Although that one time we went surfing he knocked me off my board. I think it was an accident, though. I hope, because if he did it on purpose that means he was trying to kill me, and I would hate that. Maybe I should bring him some coffee or something...

Kensi looked at Deeks in curiosity. "When did you two go surfing?"

Eric answered. "A month ago. And it was an accident, I swear. I would have no use for killing you."

"That I know of." Deeks muttered as Hetty tapped her foot impatiently.

Why I am Thankful For: Nell

She is like a little bundle of energy all the time. She is like a squirrel with a double shot of espresso. She brightens the mood, but she is also professional. She can get the job done…she just does it extremely…perkily. Is that a word? Perkily? Sounds weird. Well, I decree it is a word. After all, all words came from someone deciding they were words. Anyway, Nell is a fun person to be around. And she was my test subject for those cookies I had to bake that one time…brave soul. Very plucky of her. Plucky…another weird word. Huh.

"Who is the squirrel on coffee?" Sam whispered to Callen loudly. "He's rambling like crazy."

"Hey!" Deeks snapped defensively. "I just write what I think. When I think it. That's why I had to repeat writing class."

"I can see why." Kensi commented teasingly.

Why I am Thankful for: Sam

He hasn't killed me yet. I am very, very thankful for that. I know I can push him sometimes, and I am grateful he allows me as much slack as he does. Although…he could be waiting for me to hang myself on that slack…naw. But he always has my back and I think he might take a bullet for me. Well…that is stretching it a bit. He would at least push me out of the way of a bullet. I think. I hope. Maybe I should bring him coffee too. And caviar. And beer. A lot of beer. One beer for every insult or joke I have pulled on him. Oh, man, they don't make enough…I am doomed. But I can't help joking with him. He is one of my heroes…and my heroes always seem to be disappointed in me, mad at me, or die. And I would rather have him mad at me then disappointed or have him die. I don't know if I could handle that. I don't know if he would take a bullet for me, but I would take a full clip for him.

Deeks was a brilliant shade of red, alternating to white, then back to red as Sam looked at him.

"I'm a hero to you?" Sam sounded flattered.

Deeks ducked his head. "Yeah." He was quiet.

"May we continue?" Hetty asked quickly. She plowed ahead without waiting for a response.

Why I Am Thankful For: Callen

Callen is my hero. His dedication to the team and everyone in it means a lot to me. I know that he would do anything and everything in his power to protect a member of his team. His complete trust in Sam is an inspiration, and his easygoing attitude is very calming. That isn't to say the man doesn't scare the bejesus out of me. Because he does. He is the kind that if you make him mad, he would smile at you, say something awesome and hilarious-probably in Russian-then put a knife through your left eye. And then while you are screaming and bleeding, he will kick you over and shoot you a couple times. On the upside, I think the only things that really make him mad is threatening someone he cares about or touching him when he is sleeping. Okay, that came out wrong. I meant trying to wake him up. I only made that mistake once. But even though he scares me, I wouldn't hesitate to jump if he said jump. I wouldn't even ask how high.

Deeks didn't even bother looking at Callen; he hid his head behind his hands and prayed that it was possible to die from embarrassment. He had had things like this happen before. He thought he had cured his nervous rambling when he became a cop, but apparently…he was wrong.

He peeked out over his finger and looked at Callen briefly. Callen looked thoughtful, and slightly…proud? Flattered? Deeks couldn't tell. But he knew that there was only one left…and that one would be the worst.

Why I Am Thankful For: Kensi

Why wouldn't I be thankful for Kensi? She is smart, funny, pretty…very, very pretty. She doesn't take anything off of me, and I wouldn't ask her to. I am not the kind of guy that trusts people easily, but I trust Kensi. If I would take a clip for Sam, I would face an entire firing squad for her. I would do anything to make sure that she stays safe…although that can be hard when she insists on being all independent and charges into something. But she isn't stupid with it; even if she does think with her heart a lot, she keeps calm. And who said thinking with your heart was a bad thing? Maybe I should try it a little more. All I know is any time she is in danger; it makes me think faster, smarter, and harder than I ever would with anyone else. Sometimes I think she is the reason I come to work in the morning.

"Aw!" Nell said, cover her mouth with her hand. Eric and Callen's shoulders were shaking, and Sam was shaking his head and grinning. Kensi just looked very quiet and calm. Hetty smiled as she put the paper down. While Eric's and Nell's were effective, Deeks's paper was the first that truly accomplished the goal of the assignment; to find out how her team stood with each other. This was as amusing to her as it was to the agents. She took a sip of tea to relax her throat, then picked up another paper.

"I will spare you a few minutes and share my own answers now."