Strange Saturday.

Chapter 1

It was one of their stranger cases and Vance sat back as he read the report Hetty had just handed him."You expect me to believe this?" he asked, the disbelief all too evident in his voice.

Hetty looked at him solemnly, "I assure you, Leon, I am not in the habit of telling falsehoods."

"So...." Leon put the file down and looked her straight in the eye, "This really happened?"

Hetty nodded, placed her hands gently on her lap and waited.

"All the team members are alright?" He asked still not sure that the report he had just read was a joke or not.

"They are all...returned to their former selves and although unhurt, they are all a bit wiser from their ordeal."

"And this is why you couldn't tell me over the phone and you requested a two-week leave of absence for them all?"

"Leon...I experienced it myself and I still l don't believe it. Would you if I hadn't come in person?" Hetty asked.

Leon sighed and shook his head. "No...no I wouldn't," he admitted.

One Month Ago....

They were investigating the case of a missing scientist and psychologist, who had worked with NCIS personnel and had gone missing.  The woman had taken confidential files when she left and a Marine assigned to protect her had been murdered. The team had spent four days combing leads and, apart from the worrying fact that she had access to their files, nothing else had come up. 

Despondent and tired, Hetty had suggested the team go out for a meal, take Eric and Nell along with them and urged them to rest and regroup before starting to look again on Monday.

Callen had agreed, knowing that the team needed to relax and de-stress, with the hope that something would jump out at them after they had rested.   He also agreed with Hetty's idea to take Eric and Nell with them. 

They had worked almost the whole four days solid. 

Well, Callen didn't know about Eric, but for the last three nights, Nell hadn't been home, that was for sure.  

He walked into the bullpen and whistled, making everyone jump and caused both Eric and Nell to look over the balcony.

"WHAT?" Deeks yelled falling off his chair, and landing on his butt on the floor, as both Kensi and Sam pulled their guns on him.Callen smirked. 

"Wow...Eric never gets that reaction." 

"G? What the hell?" Sam asked.

"We are leaving...all of us. NOW!" Callen closed his laptop and picked up his bag.

"We got a lead?" Kensi asked.#

"Nope." Callen looked up at the balcony, "Come on, you two as well," he called.

"Us?" Eric asked confused.

"You eat, don't you, Beale?" Callen called back, as Nell grabbed Eric's arm, and dragged him away before he said anything else.

"Food?" Sam looked confused.

"Yes, Sam, food. Pizza, tacos...in your case some unnamed salad type thing, food. We've all a hit dead end and we need a break.  Hetty is paying for dinner, for all of us. We take tonight off, relax, and hit the ground running on Monday."

"Hetty's paying?" Deeks grinned, "So...Steak?...Lobster?" 

Kensi laughed, as Eric and Nell entered the bullpen, "Anything with chocolate is fine by me," she grinned.