6 weeks later...
The crew needed their night at the still unnamed bar.
"You really need to name this place, Shaggy!" Sam started taunting the detective.
"How bout Shaggy's," Callen interjected. "Or just G's since I do securely watch the place."
"Ya since he only sleeps 2 mins a day."
"I sleep more than that, Sam Dog!"
"Um NO! To both," Kensi firmly rejected.
"No more name discussion tonight, we will know when the right name for this venue strikes." Deeks was ready to relax.
"I mean you could call it Justin and Melissa's or just The Box," Callen winked.
"We're not calling it the Box," Kensi again stated her opinion.
"What's in the box?" Deeks smiled.
"Here we go again," Sam rolled his eyes. "What were you thinking G!"
"Ok, ok enough with the names tonight," Callen gave in.
"What are we drinking to tonight, fellas and my ladybird."
"How bout to normalcy?" Sam threw in.
"What's normal, Big guy?" Callen smirked.
"Having Hetty back and these two knuckleheads finally tying the knot two weeks ago, returning from their honeymoon and having our team together. That's as normal as we get G!"
"That earns a Touché," Deeks and Callen simultaneously spoke.
Hetty had returned two weeks after the box had been opened. The dust was seemingly clear from the continuous investigations and Rogers actually loved the way the team bonded and performed. He also enjoyed his fortnight nights with Beale while he was her and meeting online when he returned to DC. Deeks and Kensi decided they had waited long enough to tie the knot and weren't taking any chances with their boss, who liked to disappear for lengths on end. With Nell's help Kensi was able to get everything perfected within the two weeks after their boss's return and they married on the beach as they had planned. The wedding date the chose happened to be Deeks birthday, January 8, which Kensi joked he could never forget now.
"I do love my birthday," he teased, "and now a better reason to celebrate me and you."
The couple took a ten day Honeymoon returning a few days ago. Today was the first case with the band back together as one.
They team hoisted up their beers and toasted to "normalcy", as the boy's guzzled their beers, Kensi put hers down after pretending to take a drink, hoping no one had noticed. But someone did notice. That someone was Sam. They mulled around talking and enjoying being back together. They all desperately missed their own sense of normalcy, after the past two years of turmoil. Between Granger's passing, Mosley's attempted to shake things up and heading in the wind after her own somewhat selfishness and attempt to correct it, Hetty in and out, being kidnapped in Vietnam last year, coming back to the Mexico fiasco, and finally returning home where she belonged. The team longed for the craziness that had become their own sense of family over the years. Kensi's attempt to remind Deeks of that with the rings, reminded herself as well, whatever the future held, her team, her family would be there.
Kensi got up to use the restroom, Sam made his reasoning to go to the men's room as well. When Kensi came out, he was waiting for her.
"Not thirsty tonight, Kensi?
"Huh?" She looked up with her beautiful brown eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I don't think you've touched your beer more than once when we toasted. With a pretty lame attempted to make it look like you took a drink."
"Has anyone else noticed?" She questioned.
"I don't think so, what's up Kensi?
Kensi looked down and shrugged.
"Are you pregnant?"
She shrugged again. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just being cautious."
Kensi was surprised at Sam's deductive skills, but then remembered he did go through this twice. She wished Michelle was here for her to talk to, more she wished she was here for her brother.
"What if today's case was more tactical, you have to find out before it gets that way."
"I know. I would have made some excuse, but I actually just realized this afternoon that I was late. While we were finishing the paperwork, I glanced at my calendar. By that time, the day was done, the case was solved with no tactics needed. You know finally being back to the normalcy and all, I was able to think a little," she smiled.
"Well, there's a drug store down the street that's open all night. I'll excuse myself and run down and get you a test. I had to get Michelle six tests with Aiden." He smiled remembering his beloved wife.
"I can go, Sam."
"Your husband will ask you 10,000 questions before he lets you leave alone."
"True," she giggled.
"I got you, you got this."
She let out a little sigh, "I hope so."
Sam made an excuse that he needed some aspirin, that thankfully no one but Kensi had, and she played dumb saying she left hers at the office. She winked at her partner in crime for the evening as he headed to the store. He purchased a pack of two tests and some aspirin for the cover and headed back to the bar.
"What's in the bag?" Deeks amused himself.
"Shut up," Sam glared with a smile and pulled out his bottle of aspirin and passed the bag with the tests to Kensi under the table.
"I'll just go throw this away." Kensi got up to pretend to throw the bag away.
"Baby, you don't have to do that right now, we'll get it when we clean the bottles. Since when are you so eager to clean anyway?" Deeks questioned.
"I have to pee anyway."
"Again?"
She shrugged, "broke the seal." And headed to the bathroom.
"You haven't even finished your first one yet," he reached for the beer. "In fact you barely drank it," he pondered aloud.
"Have you not learned anything," Sam started. "Just let the woman pee."
"Maybe she has diar..." Callen started.
"Don't say it G," Sam warned.
"Oh, Diarrhea!" Deeks shouted.
"You two are ridiculous. No wonder Kensi needed an escape. You probably tortured her with your antics while I was gone."
"What is taking her so long?" Deeks let his thoughts become words out loud. "Maybe I should check on her."
"Let her be," Sam again trying to help His junior partner out. "I'm sure she's just freshening up. Ladies like to do that you know."
The boy's guzzled their beers while waiting for Kensi to return.
Kensi pulled out the box of tests Sam brought her and sighed reading the directions. "Here goes," she thought as she peed on the stick. "Ok three minutes to go." She looked around the bathroom for something she could present the test in, if it were indeed positive. She found a half empty box of toilet paper that needed stocking. "Perfect another box," She cackled. She removed the remaining rolls of paper, then checked the test. Her heart was racing, but she felt ready. She picked up the test, "What the?" She questioned. Nothing but incoherent letters were across the screen. "Ugh! Damn products." Luckily Sam had bought the two pack in case something like this occurred and she held some pee in. Although she hadn't drank much, her nerves helped along the process. She removed the second test and properly performed it. "Guess I wait longer." She washed her hands again and fiddled around nervously waiting.
"Baby?" Deeks shouted as the minutes dragged on.
"How do you survive when you two aren't together." Sam asked.
"I want to make sure she's ok. She's been gone forever." Deeks was notably antsy.
"She'll holler if she needs us." Callen assured. "Although she has been in there awhile."
On key, Kensi emerged with a box in hand.
"Oh no, not another box!" Callen started.
"Baby, what's in the box?"
"Is it a puppy this time!" Beale shouted as he and Nell walked in. "Monty isn't getting any younger. I bet he'd love a little brother or sister."
Everyone's eyes focused on Eric. "What? I want a puppy," he defended.
"No puppies, Beale." Nell reminded him.
Eric looked sadly disappointed.
"It's about time you two showed up." Deeks grabbed them some frosty beverages.
"I had to drag Mr. Beale here, away from his games with Rogers. Rogers finally agreed since it was 1am in DC, that it was time to call it a night," Nell explained.
"Haven't any of you heard about keeping your friends close, but keep your enemies closer. I'm doing you all a favor," Eric defended.
"Now that Hetty's back, I don't think we have to worry as much, but you, you keep doing what you're doing Eric," Callen teased.
Eyes turned back to Kensi as she brought the box over.
"What's in the booooxx?" Deeks asked again.
"Open it," his wife nudged.
"Please," Sam urged.
"Ok, I'll play your reindeer games," Deeks nodded. He began opening the box. He paused looking up and running his hands through his hair. "You're all staring."
"We wanna know what's in the box," Nell continued to stare.
Deeks opened the box and looked inside. He saw Sam's bag, "What's in the bag Kensi?"
"Open the bag, Deeks," she smiled.
He pulled the bag out and opened it. He removed the test from the bag and looked up. His smile lit up the room as he whispered the words pregnant, as he traced the words that were displayed across the screen. "Really?"
"Really!"
"Baby!" He jumped up and grabbed her. "A baby?"
"A baby," she replied.
The team passed around smiles and congratulations.
"I guess normal will have to wait, big guy."
"Normal is what we make of it, Mr Callen," Hetty's voice echoed in the building. "And we will figure it out, we always do," she assured him as she walked over to the crew. "Because that's what families do!"
A/N hope you enjoyed my take on the box Happy Holidays to everyone enjoy your families conventional or not!