13A/N: This came to me and had to be written. Includes talk of Hetty leaving.
Deeks came out of the kitchen, whistling to himself as he brought out a crate of shot glasses. It was 8 AM on a Thursday morning and he was doing some prep before he headed into the mission. He enjoyed these early mornings, doing the now mindless tasks that came with owning a bar.
He was supposed to be all by himself so he felt a brief moment of panic when he saw the silhouette of a figure sitting at the bar before he realized who it was.
"Hetty, what are you doing here? And how did you get in?" he asked before he realized who he was talking to. "Forget that last question." He flipped on a couple more lights while Hetty calmly watched him.
"Good morning to you too, Marty," she said eventually, looking around approvingly. "You really have done a lovely job here."
"Uh, thanks. Not that I don't appreciate the company, but is there a reason you decided to make your inaugural visit before hours?" Hetty nodded and said,
"Yes, I have something for you." She reached for the barstool next to her and lifted up two items. The first was a six pack of brown bottles which Deeks accepted with a raised brow. He lifted it into the air, frowning at the neon green label.
"Does this say snake venom?" he asked.
"Indeed," she said cheerfully. "It's a specialty beer brewed in the UK and given your proclivity for strange concoctions, I thought you might enjoy tasting it with Mr. Callen. And even give a try at recreating it, should you be able to find a willing snake." Hetty's lip twitched at the last part and Deeks couldn't help laughing.
"Ok, well, thanks. That's, that's very thoughtful of you. I'll definitely give it a try."
"Good. Just be careful. From what I understand, it's best consumed in small quantities." She clapped her small hands together in a business-like manner. "Now onto the second gift."
The second was a plain, flat brown gift box. He lifted the lid off cautiously, thoughts of spring snakes in mind. Or real ones. What he found instead was a lot less nefarious. He touched the carefully folded spandex shirt inside.
"Hetty, is this a-?" he started to ask in disbelief.
"It's the shirt Andy Irons wore to his very first competition," Hetty confirmed with a small smile, clearly enjoying his reaction. Deeks hesitated to remove it and glanced up again, shaking his head.
"Where did you even find this?"
"Mm, let's just say I have connections," Hetty answered and he decided it would be prudent, as it usually was, not to ask any more questions. "And if you turn it over, you'll see he signed it as well."
"This is incredible," he said, shaking his head. "Thank you. But why are you giving me presents like this?" Hetty let out a long breath and inclined her head.
"I may need a drink to answer that question." Despite the fact that it was the morning and they weren't technically open for business, he grabbed a glass and poured out a couple fingers of scotch. He watched her drink a healthy mouthful, her expression slightly distant.
Clearing his throat noisily, he braced his hands against the bar, debating what to say. This whole thing, Hetty coming to the bar unannounced and handing out gifts, reminded him of her many, infamous retirements. Only this time, there was a hint of melancholy, despite her obvious enjoyment at seeing his reaction.
"Hetty, this feels an awful lot like a goodbye," he said finally and Hetty nodded slowly.
"In a way, I suppose it is."
"Hetty…" She reached out and placed her hand over his, the gesture at once comforting and alarming.
"Mr. Deeks, don't worry. There's a reason why I sought you out this way. I didn't want to be lambasted by everyone at once. And, I wanted a moment or two with you to myself," she explained. Deeks sighed and shoved his hair off his forehead.
"Wow, um, is there-is there anything I can do?" She smiled.
"No. Thank you for the offer, but despite what you may be thinking, this is very much on my terms."
"You're not leaving today, right?" he asked and she shook her head.
"No, not today," she agreed, though something about the way she said it made Deeks believe that she wasn't being completely honest. "In addition to the gifts, I wanted to say thank you for all your years of service. When I offered you a position at NCIS, you didn't have to take it. I'm grateful that you did and what you have brought to this team."
"You're going to make me cry, Hetty," Deeks said, swiping under his nose. "But you know that we wouldn't be anything without you, right?" She smiled again, this time more gently, and looked down for a long moment.
"You're too kind. I have made my mistakes, but…that is in the past now isn't it?" She patted his hand and added, "You are a good man, Marty Deeks. Don't ever forget that." She lifted her hand and started to get up and Deeks felt a true moment of panic.
"Where are you going?"
"I have a few more gifts to deliver and loose ends to tie up," she answered, gathering her purse from the chair beside her. "Don't worry, this isn't goodbye forever." She lifted a small hand in farewell and slowly walked towards the door.
A/N: I have no idea what, if any, Andy Irons memorabilia is out there. My brief google search revealed mostly mass produced stuff.
I also figure that Hetty gives each of the team a more playful gift and then something that she feels has more meaning.
