Early Saturday morning Hetty Lange sat at her desk and went through the protocols for the work she needed to do on that day. As she perused the list she heard the scraping of chair wheels on the floor of the bullpen. She lowered the screen of her laptop and looked out at the floor. "As I live and breathe…." Marty Deeks sat at his desk, in his LAPD dress uniform. He'd cleaned up and even shaved.

Hetty rose from her desk and stood in the entry way to the bullpen. "Good Morning Mr. Deeks. You're looking particularly dapper this morning. Is there anything special on your agenda today?"

Deeks looked up from the paperwork he'd been working on. "Good morning Hetty, and yes, finishing up my paperwork and attending Mattie O'Reilly's funeral. It seems I've missed two others."

Hetty nodded. "Yes you have. Unfortunately we've been busy, too busy. I am sorry Mr. Deeks." She turned to walk away and remembered something. She returned and walked to stand in front of his desk. "Lieutenant Bates sends his thanks for the apprehending and subsequent arrest of Piotr Ruschev aka Jerome Cryler. LAPD brass, however, wanted to get him themselves and in a way they did, but they are complaining about our interference…again." She turned to walk away again. "Mr. Deeks, join me in my office for tea. I have a fresh pot ready for us."

Deeks was confused as to what this might be about but he gave her his megawatt smile. "Let me put this away and I'll be right in."

Hetty nodded and went to her office.

Polite requests from the Little Ninja always made him nervous. He put his file back together and ambled towards the office. He walked in questioning her with his eyes. "Am I in trouble Hetty?" He gave her another of his smiles.

Those smiles almost melted her heart…almost. She gave him one of her looks that say 'Should you be?'

Deeks smiled back at her and laughed as he tossed his mop of blond hair. "I guess not."

Hetty pushed a cup of Darjeeling tea toward him and motioned for him to drink. He nodded in acceptance, picked up his cup and took a sip. "Are you alright Mr. Deeks?" She brought her cup to her lips and sipped her tea and then continued. "Your partner is worried about you. It seems that Max Gentry has become a problem for both you and her. Your partner would like to make it a non-viable alias just because of how it makes you feel and the residual pain it causes everyone around you."

Marty took a sip of tea and thought about his alias and what had happened during this case. "I don't want to stop using him, but I will refrain from using him as often. Does that help?"

Hetty paused a moment, meeting his gaze. "Will it help you? I spoke with Mr. Getz and he said that what you're feeling comes with a cumulative effect. Eventually you will not be able to put it behind you. You need help working through this and Mr. Getz has offered to come home to help you through this. If you need him, I'll have him come."

Deeks took another sip of his tea. He thought about his past, the care the team gave him and the worry that his partner and friend had for him. "There are times, Hetty, when I feel so much like him and I can control those urges, usually. But then….there are the times that I can't and that is what sets me off. Those intense feelings of hate and self-loathing are what get me into these funks. I know that Kensi also feels those emotions and I feel bad about that." He took another sip and looked into the bullpen. He came back to the conversation and perhaps he showed a bit of anxiety. "The interaction between Max and Jackie probably didn't have to be that harsh as it was. I should have had better control than I did. I just fall into the man who did that to me so often. I've never really beaten any of my snitches but I do jack them up. I had a good teacher for that. Every time I do that I think am I like him? Would I fall into beating a wife or a child like that? I know that I'm supposed to be acting the part but …" His face showed the fear that the memories caused for him.

Hetty let her gaze float around her office and out onto the floor of the mission. She thought about the abuse the young Martin Brandel had suffered at the hands of his father and what Brandel had done to his wife. He truly was a bastard. It disgusted her that he'd never really been punished for that. He'd just gone to jail for petty theft and public intoxication. "Mr. Deeks we all understand that your life has had its difficulties but we all believe you to be a good man, someone to trust and care about. Mr. Callen asked that I make sure you're okay and to get you whatever help you need. Mr. Hanna is proud to call you 'partner' and I think that the men and women of the LAPD are coming around to that as well. Please do not feel that you cannot come to me if you need the help. Mr. Getz is only an airplane ride away and he's willing to come." She looked up and saw Kensi standing in the bullpen awaiting her partner. "Someone is here for you. LAPD expects you to be at the O'Reilly funeral. Don't let me keep you. Shoo, get out of here."

Deeks stood and for one moment remembered another woman who used the word 'shoo." He walked around the desk and hugged the little ninja. "Thanks for the tea and the talk. I'll take advantage of that help if I need it."

The hug actually surprised Hetty Lange. "You do that Mr. Deeks. Now go before you're late." She straightened the lapel of his uniform and shined his badge with her cuff."

Deeks turned and went out to his partner, friend and lover. He smiled down into her eyes and they left the building.

Hetty sat back down and opened her computer but never looked at it. She sipped her tea and smiled.