Halloween 2019: A Squid and Dagger Story
Characters: Marty Deeks, Kensi Blye, Nell Jones, Sam Hanna, G Callen, Roberta Deeks, Eric Beale
A/N: So my Squid and Dagger story was just supposed to be a one shot but then @raccoonsmate4life and I got to chatting and now it’s an ongoing thing. Please enjoy!
“Ghostbusters” was blasting at full volume over the speakers at The Squid and the Dagger and Deeks had never been more pleased that he’d gone with the really good sound system. The place was packed for their Halloween event. Deeks hadn’t seen the receipts for the night yet, but he was pretty sure they were about to exceed all their previous weeks since opening. They had finally made it.
“Babe! Your mom wants to know if there’s more vodka in the back,” Kensi called from the kitchen door.
He grinned as he looked at her. He was going to remember her Wonder Woman costume for a long time. Definitely going down in history as one of his favorites. He was pretty sure she was into his Superman costume too. She’d told him as much with a saucy little hip wiggle before they left the house and it had almost made him call the whole thing off so they could have their own private party at home.
But there was money to be made and fun to be had so off they’d gone to the bar. His mom was mixing drinks tonight, dressed as a witch along with three other bartenders they’d managed to rustle up. It turned out his mother was surprisingly good at hiring new people and immediately engendering their loyalty. Apparently they thought she was funny and nice. Who knew?
“Yeah top shelf,” he told Kensi and she disappeared to find it.
He watched her go with a pang of longing and almost started to follow her when he heard someone calling his name. “Nell! Hey, you made it.” He frowned as he tried to figure out her costume. “You’re a…you?” he guessed.
She sighed. “No I’m Penny. From Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog. Eric was supposed to be Dr. Horrible but he ended up having to stay at work. He wanted me to tell you he’s sorry.”
Deeks had gotten lost somewhere around the word “Sing-a-long” but he nodded like he understood. “Bummer. Halloween without the Beale is barely a party at all.”
“Tell me about it.” She looked so sad Deeks almost hugged her on the spot. He knew things had been rough lately. She’d spent more than one night in their guest room during the last few weeks. He didn’t quite know all the details like Kensi did, but he’d gotten the gist of it. She was hurting, but tonight they were going to make sure she had some fun.
“Let’s get you a drink,” he said. “Mama! Get this lady some Halloween punch!”
“Coming right up!” Roberta declared.
“Hey Nell!” Kensi handed a couple bottles of vodka to one of the bartenders and then joined them. “You’re…modern Snow White?”
“Penny from…” Nell shook her head. “You know what. Never mind. How’s that punch coming Mrs. Deeks?”
She slipped past them to the bar. “She misses Eric,” Kensi said.
“Yeah, we all do,” Deeks said.
The door opened and Sam entered the room, nodding when he spotted them. “Sam, my man!” Deeks said, giving him a handshake. “Glad you came.”
“You said free booze so here I am,” Sam said. “Kens, you look great.”
“And you look…like a rapper?” Kensi guessed.
Sam held up the gold chain around his neck and grinned. “You got it.”
“So you basically put your own clothes on and added a chain and a beanie? That’s not very creative,” Deeks said skeptically.
“I didn’t come here to win the costume contest. I came for drinks. Can you make that happen or not?” Sam asked.
“Coming right up,” Deeks said, grabbing him a beer.
“Where’s Callen?” Sam asked.
“Not down here yet,” Kensi said. “Maybe we should go up and knock on his door.”
“No need.” Callen appeared beside them.
Deeks frowned. “Do none of you care that this is a Halloween party? Why did nobody wear a real costume?”
“I am wearing a costume,” Callen said in that slightly lofty tone he sometimes got when he thought he was going to be funny.
“Really?” Kensi said, taking in his checkered shirt and jeans. “Because you just look like you.”
“I’m a plumber.” He pulled a wrench from his belt. “See? I’ve got a prop and everything.”
“That’s my wrench,” Deeks said. “It has a ‘Property of the S and D’ label on it.”
“Huh,” Callen said. “Well maybe if my landlord fixed the toilet like I asked I wouldn’t have needed it.”
“I told you someone’s coming out tomorrow!” Deeks said.
“Well there’s no point in sending somebody now,” Callen said. “I already fixed it.”
“Hey Callen,” Nell said rejoining them, drink in hand. “Nice…wrench?”
“I’m a plumber,” Callen said.
“We need new friends,” Deeks said to Kensi.
“Or just more drinks,” Kensi told him, reaching for a bottle of scotch.
“You’d think with all the time we spend around Hetty you all would have gotten a little more creative,” Deeks said pointedly.
“There’s a reason we have Hetty for that part of the job,” Sam said with a shrug. “Besides, we’re always dressing up in costumes at work anyway. Takes away some of the joy of doing it off the clock.”
“I don’t know, I still think it’s fun,” said a voice from behind them.
“Eric!” Nell launched herself at her boyfriend who was wearing a lab coat and goggles. “You came!”
“I caught a last minute flight,” he said. “I just…needed to be home for a bit.”
Nell grinned up and him and Deeks found himself seeking Kensi’s hand. She smiled at him and leaned a little closer.
“Now that is a costume,” Deeks said. “I don’t know what it is, but at least it’s not your own clothes. Glad you’re here Beale.”
“Me too,” he said with a grin. “Did I hear something about free drinks?”
“Yes, yes you did,” Deeks said, pouring him a glass of the scotch Kensi had found. He raised his own glass. “Happy Halloween everybody!”
“Happy Halloween!” they echoed.
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