Author's Note: I think I may have been a little unfair to Percy in this one, but hopefully it makes sense in the context, from Brody's perspective. (see author's note at end for further thoughts on this.)

Four Calling Birds

"LaSalle!"

Merri glared at her so-called friend who was sitting, laughing and grinning like an idiot as he reclined in his chair, his hands clasped behind his head, his disgustingly defined biceps bulging (not that she paid close attention to the details of Chris LaSalle's body for any reason besides the fact that she was a trained observer).

How was it fair? His desk was somehow sacrosanct, but hers he could violate whenever the mood struck him, stealing her pens, and granola bars when hunger crept up on him.

Or apparently, placing what appeared to be a flock of chittering little plastic wind-up birds that were going manic all over her desk, trapped between her keyboard and the monitor. There was only four of them, just seemed like much more for the racket they were making.

LaSalle was still laughing from where he remained a safe distance from her at his own desk. And of all the rather complimentary things you could say about the man, his easy smile, his charming manners, his gorgeous blue eyes... Infectious laughter had to be high up on the list of appealing qualities he possessed. And infectious it was. Merri began to laugh as she watched dizzy little plastic birds bumping into one another and off her cup of pens, the pink one tripping over a stack of paper, falling onto its side, its plastic feet still going, the gears buzzing as its chirps somehow seemed to transform into desperate pleas of 'I've fallen and I can't get up!'

Merri plopped down into her own chair, laughing uncontrollably. Somehow, it had gotten to her, the ridiculous little birds, four of them, chirping and wandering about dizzily. In short time they were all knocked over on their sides, legs working in a manic attempt as they continued to call out to the world.

They had to wind down soon, right?

"What the hell is goin' on, B?" Percy had finally shown up, and paused by Merri's desk to give her a judgmental look. They'd been interviewing witnesses all morning, and on their way back, Percy mentioned running down to the vegan cafe a few blocks over to grab something for lunch. Merri had declined. Because to be perfectly honest, the younger woman's attitude had begun to grate on her after having to listen to her 'quips' all morning long. Sonja Percy wasn't nearly as witty as she thought she was.

"LaSalle," Merri said, still breathless from laughing. Her sides hurt with it.

The short agent, peered over the top of Merri's computer monitor, rolling her eyes as she caught sight of the four little plastic birds, now winding down, the chirping and buzzing dying off. And then she turned to face the culprit.

"Some days, I think you ain't got the mentality of a five year old, LaSalle," she said, the sarcasm as thick as ever in her tone before she turned back to Merri. "But you, I always figured as possessin' a li'l more class, B."

Class? The borderline arrogant former-ATF agent was one to fricken talk. The perhaps silly, but completely innocent amusement gone, Merri focused on straightening up the massacre of now silent birds (which specific species the cartoonish creatures belonged to, it was hard to say). She was careful not to let the frown show on her face.

"Ya eat yet?"

She looked up to see LaSalle's sapphire eyes studying her intently. Not feeling much like talking (she'd had enough damn words spending all morning with Queen Mouthy), she simply shook her head.

"C'mon." He flashed her a smile. "My treat."

"If I knew you was treatin, Lassie, I woulda waited," Percy chimed in, reappearing in front of Merri's desk. God, she was sick of the woman. Normally, Percy didn't irritate her so much. She just... She had a lot on her mind lately, and the oblivious meanness of the younger agent was... it was difficult to stomach.

"Well, good thing ya didn't," LaSalle said, all playfulness, and yet... Merri knew him better than to let the small hint of irritation in the way his hand tensed around the fabric of his jacket go unnoted. "'Cause ya'll wa'n't invited."

Percy gave him her usual 'tough girl' look that was all attitude, obviously thinking the man was doing nothing but teasing. For spending so much time undercover, the agent wasn't very observant. Or maybe she just didn't care to know her coworkers beyond the initial assumptions she'd made. Because Sonja Percy was always right. And god forbid you tried to correct her on anything.

Ugh. Stop it, Merri.

LaSalle's instincts had been spot on. She needed a breather, before she allowed herself to stew in what was mostly just a bad mood. Merri tried to remind herself that she in fact liked the new addition to their team as she gathered up her jacket and purse, trying to think of a reason why.

...

Merri hastily gulped down some of her water before she choked on her chicken salad. LaSalle looked somewhat alarmed despite the glee in his face. And yes, she supposed he earned sporting that idiotic smug grin, because he'd told the story perfectly. It was one she hadn't heard before and it was such a ridiculous happenstance, that she thought even Pride must be able to laugh at it now, five years later.

But then again, Merri supposed she would've never gotten over falling into a pit of horse shit. So maybe that's why she'd never heard Chris tell what he would dub a 'whopper' before.

"How long did it take for him to forgive you?" she asked, after she was secure in her ability to breathe once more without inhaling her lunch into her lungs.

He blinked his blues eyes, shaking his head a little, as if he hadn't understood.

"It was clearly your fault, Chris," she said, wondering for a moment when she'd started calling him primarily by his first name and not his surname. "You're telling me he wasn't pissed at you?"

Chris shrugged, his smile subdued but genuine.

"Ya know King," he said. "Not the type ta cry over spilt milk."

"Or spilt horse manure, apparently," Merri said, making her friend laugh again.

"We's friends, family," he said, locking eyes with her, his true meaning undeniably clear. "Sometimes we misstep, accidentally trip up one another, get on each other's nerves. But we get over it, learn ta forgive an' get along."

Merri closed her eyes. She hadn't wanted a lecture from Chris, but apparently her behavior had warranted one. She hadn't thought she'd been openly hostile towards their probationary agent. At least, Percy hadn't seemed to notice anything had been off. But that woman was so absorbed in how the world pertained to herself, she didn't seem to notice the nuances in others. But Chris had noticed. Even with his own often overactive mouth and his goofing around, he was a rather observant man. Clever, too.

"Percy's a great undercover agent. And she's going to make a pretty good NCIS agent, too," Merri said. "But she needs to adjust her attitude. She's working with a team now. Disrespecting her teammates, even in a superficial way, it's undermining the cohesiveness of the team."

"She jus' ain't used ta being a member of a family like ours," Chris said. "Like someone else I know who took awhile ta let her guard down."

Merri sighed, but he had a point, and so she nodded. But even so, she just couldn't stand their newest recruit's snide remarks sometimes.

"I don't like how she belittles you, Chris," she said, blushing for some reason at the vehemence of her protective side where he was concerned.

He smiled at her, but it was a more timid, almost coy expression compared to his usual incorrigible little boy grin.

"Because yer a good friend, Mere," he said. "But I ken take it. What I ain't sure 'bout is whether Percy's gonna be able ta adjust. She could use a friend like yerself ta guide her."

Now it was her turn to smile in that coy, blushing manner. She may not have appreciated their snarky new teammate's style. But apparently, she didn't take compliments all that well, either.

Or maybe it was just compliments from Chris LaSalle.

When had that happened? That he could make her blush so?

A/N: Sorry, guys. Didn't mean for this to be an outlet for my dislike of Percy's insulting (and not witty at all) attitude. I want her to work in the show, but she's just making it awkward, and I feel like Brody would feel alienated a little bit by it, and if she were actually friends with LaSalle, perhaps insulted on his behalf for how their most junior agent constantly disrespects him. Anyway, it was another factor to add to Merri's 'Holiday Blues' and general quasi-depressed mood in this fic.