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…

"I guess I wasn't as hungry as I thought…"

LaSalle blankly stared in disbelief as his father scooted back his chair and exited the table, slowly staggering across the restaurant as if he'd been shot.

At first, Christopher LaSalle's initial reaction was to leap to his feet, and track down his father for answers to his hasty departure. But once reality set in, he knew the only answer he would really get was a barrage of excuses. After all, he did just tell his father he had no intention of ever coming home and running the family business, responsibilities be damned. What did he expect? A pat on the back? A slice o' pie?

Suddenly, his dream-like state was interrupted by the blaring sound of a telephone ring. Realizing it was his, he pulled the device from his pants pocket and gazed at the screen. The name 'Sonja Percy' caught his attention, as it always did, and he didn't miss a beat answering.

"Hello?"

"I'm sorry, is this NCIS Special Agent Christopher LaSalle? You know, the man that died and came back to life and never called his partner?"

"Easy Sonja," he chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "I'm sorry! I thought Pride probably told ya'll I was havin' dinner with my father this evenin'."

"Oh," she breathed, her demeanor less abrasive. "No, he didn't mention anything about that. He said you were doing okay when he picked you up and he took you home to rest. I guess I thought you were avoiding me, or something."

"Nah, as I recall, it's usually you avoidin' me," he snickered, his intention playful. "I swear I was gonna call you right after this."

"Yeah, yeah," she responded. LaSalle pictured her eyes rolling. "I'm doing my best!"

"I know ya are, Percy."

"Well, just call me whenever you're done, I'll let you get back to your meal."

"Don't bother," he sighed. "The whole thing went bust a few minutes ago."

"Oh no! What happened? Pride said your dad was a little rough around the edges."

"That's an understatement," he whispered, his eyes falling onto the empty seat. "Let's just say my father won't be naggin' me about comin' home anymore. Heck, maybe ever."

"Wow." Sonja paused for a moment. "Is that something you're okay with? Was it your decision?"

"I don't know yet," he said, taking a long sip of his drink. "But I do know I made the best decision for me. New Orleans is my home now, and it's been that way for a long time. This team is my home, and it ain't my fault he can't understand that. End of story."

"Hey, I'm sure your father will come around eventually," she encouraged, her voice gentle. LaSalle knew she was only saying that for his benefit. "He has to be proud of you," Sonja continued. "Look at what you've accomplished in over ten years."

"If only my father could see through your eyes," he replied with a sad chuckle. "I wish all that was true Percy, but the fact of the matter it ain't. My father is who he is, and that's never gonna change."

The pair sat in silence as a waiter came around for the fifth time to take LaSalle's order, only to be shooed away again.

"Well, what are ya up to tonight?" he smiled, attempting to lighten the mood. "Got plans with Gregorio?"

"No," she sighed, the sounds of shuffling in the background of the receiver. "I've been on pins and needles waiting to hear from you, and I think I'm driving her crazy."

"Come on," he laughed. "What exactly could be drivin' her crazy?"

"I've just been pacing around the apartment and checking my phone every few minutes. She tried to take my mind off things by making me dinner but I wasn't hungry. It was a full course Italian meal, and everything. She forgot I was vegan. That's whenI ticked her off."

"Ouch," he said, his mouth quirked into a smile. "That must have went over well!"

"I know, I know," Sonja replied, letting out a long breath. "I'll make it up to her somehow. She knows I'm a little freaked out, so she wasn't too hard on me."

"Freaked out? Why are ya freaked out?"

"Gee, that's a dumb question!"

"Hey, I'm the one that did the dyin' ya know?" he replied, voice light. "If I'm not freaked out then you shouldn't be. I promise ya, I'm okay."

"Yeah, well, you weren't the one who saw a murderess speed off with you in her car while I stood there and did nothing," she deadpanned. "I was just standing there like an idiot, like my feet were frozen! She took you away to kill you and I stood there and watched. I let it happen. What kind of partner is that?"

"Sonja, slow down," he hushed. "There was nothin' ya coulda done at that moment. She caught everyone off guard. You were in shock."

"And when we found you, you had no pulse," she sniffled. "I couldn't even do CPR. I just stood there screaming and crying…"

LaSalle could tell Sonja wasn't really directing the conversation at him, but more so at herself. Her guilt was doing the talking, and he wasn't sure he could remedy it.

"You remember when you tried walkin' out on me that night you almost died, and I pulled ya into the biggest hug?"

"Of course I remember," she scoffed. "It's the thing that lead to…everything."

"I wish I could give ya another one right now. I know what you're goin' through. That helplessness you're feelin', yeah, I've been there!"

Silence.

"You didn't let me down, Percy," he continued. "You came through when I needed ya most. That's what partners do. Ya hear me?"

"I've been shutting you out for weeks and you still have nothing bad to say about me? How is that?"

"That's water under the bridge, as far as I'm concerned," he said. "I understand why ya did it, and I'm sorry for not recognizin' it sooner. There's two sides to every coin, Percy. I should have done better too."

"Okay, LaSalle. I hear you."

"Listen, there's nothin' to be sad about. I'm safe, the team is safe, and my father's leavin' town. Shoot, that's worth celebratin' in my book!"

"Then crack open a beer for me," she said, with a hint of laughter.

"Hm, now that you mention it…" he pondered, purposefully delaying his response.

"LaSalle? Are you still there?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm here. I was just wonderin' if you might indulge me for a second."

"Sure. Wait. What am I exactly agreeing to, here?"

"I know ya said your appetite ain't the best right now," he began, adjusting the silverware next to his napkin, "but it so happens I have a perfectly good table set for two, and I would hate to see it go to waste. How about you join me for dinner?"

"Christopher…"

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? You're seriously asking me out right now?"

"I'm askin' you to have dinner with me," he shrugged nonchalantly. "What's so crazy about that? We used to hang out all the time! It'll be good for us. Maybe we'll get back into the swing of things."

"Okay, what about the conversation we had the other day? What happened to that?"

"That's the point, ain't it?" he grinned. You said yourself, that we weren't gonna retire the mice! After that conversation, nothin' was definitive. Life is up in the air, and I think we can set that aside for now. All I know, is that it's late and I'm starvin'. How about you?"

She paused.

"Boy, I guess that near-death experience has got you firing on all cylinders, huh?" she mused, defeat in her words, yet a laugh coming through. "I don't know why I always let you have your way!"

"Probably 'cause it's the fun way," he winked, though she wasn't there to see it. "So what'dya say, City Mouse? Should I be expectin' you?"

"Uh…"

It took Sonja a minute to weigh out her options as Gregorio put the remaining food into their refrigerator and grabbed the remote to turn on a movie. Sonja glanced at the door.

"Maybe you're right," she nodded. "Maybe this will be good for us."

"Of course I'm right! All ya gotta do is say yes."

"Okay," she sighed. "I'll come. Text me the address."

"That's the spirit," he replied, a grin engulfing his face. "My night may finally be turnin' around!"

"Don't make a big deal, okay?" she whispered, quietly slipping into her shoes. "If the team finds out we're going to dinner together, they'll think it's a date and I'll have a million questions to answer."

"To be fair, I think the questions may already be there-''

"LaSalle!"

"Jokin'! It was a joke," he chuckled, eyes bright.

"Uh-huh, sure. I'm hanging up now before I change my mind."

"Well, we wouldn't want ya to do that! I'll see you soon."

The receiver clicked.

LaSalle shook his head with a smile as he sent the directions to Sonja's phone. As he looked up, the waiter stood before him with a bland expression on his face.

"Sir," he mumbled. "Can I please take your order?"

"I don't know exactly what I want yet, but I will take a couple beers."

"Will the older gentleman be rejoining you this evening?"

"No," LaSalle answered. "He won't. I have a friend who's on the way as we speak!"

"May I ask for his name and brief description so I know who to direct to your table?"

"Her name is Sonja Percy," he smiled. "She's pretty short, probably the tiniest thing you'd ever see. She has brown eyes and long brown hair that's either up in a pony-tail or down and curly. She might be wearin' a dress or a plaid shirt and jeans- it's hard to tell with her. But trust me, you'll know her when ya see her. She's hard to miss."

"Excuse me, Sir," the waiter pointed across the restaurant. "Is that her?"

Sonja was awkwardly standing next to the hostess stand, a hand tucking her long curly hair behind her ear. She tugged on the sleeves of her shirt as she scanned the crowd of people for a familiar face. When her eyes met LaSalle's, she automatically smiled, and gave a small wave.

He stood, returning the wave, as he gave the waiter a look over his shoulder.

"Told you."

Post A/N:

Oh my God! So what are you guys thinking about Persalle this season? After the writers pretty much extinguished their relationship in the finale last season, I have been pleasantly surprised at the big moves they've been making- especially in the Halloween episode! City Mouse and Country Mouse are back at it again, folks! I was totally surprised when Sonja brought up them trying to be "just friends" and LaSalle saying they could figure things out in time and not crushing the whole thing. Did you see the way they looked at each other at the end of the episode when Sonja said they weren't going to retire the mice? Sparks were flying okay, I was practically crying (was that just me or?...) Anyway, this was my version of what the writers should have done post his father leaving scene. The writers missed a HUGE opportunity to parallel the "I'm glad you didn't die" hug scene from when Sonja nearly lost her life and LaSalle was shook as we all know. Why can't things just happen the way I want them? Sigh. I have high hopes for this season so we'll see where they go! Fingers are crossed. Until then, I'll try and figure out more writing prompts to keep everyone entertained. Love you guys! xoxo