A/N: Just a silly little post-ep for the season 13 finale.
***
Your Pain is Our Delight
“Thank you, by the way,” Deeks said, inclining his head towards Callen and Anna. He, Kensi, Rosa, Sam, and the soon-to-be-wedded couple were still sitting around the fire.
Fatima and Rountree were playing late night corn holes, while Kilbride had volunteered to take Arkady and Mr. Hanna home. Deeks could only imagine how that ride entailed. Especially since the last he’d seen, Arkady was serenading them all with a Russian version of “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”.
“You’re welcome, but you already thanked us for the party,” Callen replied. “Of course we wanted to celebrate the newest member of this insane family.”
“Yes, we do appreciate the party, but I was actually talking about you proposing to Anna.”
“Why are you thanking him for that?” Anna asked, tiling her head suspiciously. “Did you have some kind of pool going?”
“No, of course not!” Kensi said immediately, resting her hand on Deeks’ forearm. “We would never bet on something so serious.”
“Again, no, but someone would have gotten a massive payout if we did,” Deeks commented. “Now that you guys are engaged, my mom won’t have the time or energy to bombard us with helpful parenting advice and try to move in.”
“Oh yeah, you have no idea how upset Roberta was that she couldn’t make it tonight,” Kensi spoke up.
“I thought you liked your mom,” Rosa said, leaning over to look at Deeks. She now looked concerned and he quickly shook his head.
“My mother is delightful. She’s also completely and certifiably crazy when it comes to births, and barring a birth, adoption, engagements, and weddings. And the occasional funeral.”
“Oh, yeah she is,” Sam chortled, drinking some beer with a half grin. “I’ll never forget her hitting on me before your wedding.”
“Me either,” Deeks commented with his nose crinkled up with disgust. Then he turned to Rosa and smiled reassuringly. “See, crazy. But she’ll adore you and you’ll love her when she isn’t driving you absolutely insane.”
“Ok, but getting back to our engagement,” Anna interrupted. “What exactly do you mean? What did she do for yours?” Her eyes were widened slightly with concern and something that Deeks recognized as the fast approaching desire to elope.
“Nothing,” Callen assured, rolling his eyes at the rest of them. “They’re just messing with you.” Sam chuckled again, dimples showing.
“Sure we are. Anna, you’ve seen Deeks’ mom with your dad. Imagine that energy applied to wedding planning.” He gestured to Kensi and Deeks. “That woman loves to plan a party, and heaven help you if you don’t include her.”
“I hope you like dress shopping,” Deeks said with a wide grin. “Because I see lots of taffeta in your future.”
“Actually, Roberta has really good taste when it comes to dresses. Although she does tend towards mermaid or princess styles.” Kensi turned to Anna. “Do you have a preference?”
“Um…”
“Ok, that’s enough,” Callen said with closest to sharp his voice ever came. “Stop trying to scare us with your mother. She is not taking over our wedding because we will be getting married where none of you can find us.”
“Oh, you’ll never hear the end of that,” Deeks said, grinning.
“And Arkady would kill us,” Anna said with a resigned sigh. “He loves weddings.”
“And open bars,” Sam added in an undertone.
“To the happy couple!” Deeks toasted, lifting his drink high in the air. There was a chorus of renewed cheering as Callen glared at them all.
A little angst and whump for @mashmaiden, in thanks for always helping me figure things out.
***
Those Deep, Deep Scars
He’s not going to make it. All morning, Deeks has been trying to keep it together, but he’s quickly losing that battle. He’d forced through the debriefing in OPS, focusing on Kensi’s presence beside him, letting her voice and familiar scent ground him.
He’s not sure what set him off in the first place this time; maybe it was a sound, or a scent (must, motor oil, and expensive cologne are the most likely culprits). Honestly, at this point it doesn’t really matter. The majority of his attention is focused on ignoring the phantom sensation of pain radiating through his jaw and keeping any physical reactions hidden from Kensi and the witness they’re interviewing.
“Mrs. Hawthorne, do you know anyone who would have wanted to harm your husband?” he asks, voice a little more terse than normal. Inhaling deeply, Deeks stretches his neck. His collar feels too tight, constricting, his neck. He discreetly tugs top button to relieve some of the pressure. It doesn’t help though.
“—got along well with most people. I think everyone has a few enemies or someone they don’t get along with.” Mrs. Hawthorne answers. Deeks nods appropriately, even though he missed the first half of her answer.
“Were those enemies strong enough to want him dead?” Kensi asks.
“I mean, there was a colleague who—“
His skin prickles with an mixture of heat and cold. It comes in short flashes as flashes of things he never wants to remember flicker at the edge of his mind. He breathes out slowly again.
Something nudges his arm and he startles, arm jerking out defensively before his mind figures out that it’s Kensi and he’s been staring without saying anything for too long. Mrs. Hawthorne is staring at him with her head slightly tilted; he has no idea what she just said or how many questions have gone by.
“Um…” Deeks manages hoarsely. Thankfully, Kensi leans forward, covering for him. He doesn’t catch the odd look she flashes him.
“Now this may be a little difficult for you to look at, but do you recognize any of these men in these pictures?” Kensi pulls out three pictures of men with head and facial wounds.
Deeks’ eyes are drawn to the cut on one of the victim’s cheeks, blood staining his mouth and skin. His breath catches in his throat and he’s assaulted by the memory of being tied down, hands on his face, metal in his mouth, the taste of blood. Choking on blood. Endless screaming.
“‘Scuse me,” he gasps out. Somehow he manages to get out of the room and through the front door before he’s completely hyperventilating. Stumbling, Deeks’ back fetches up hard the house, fingers gripping futilely at the siding. He’s too far gone to notice the pain of impact or the heat of afternoon sun on his skin.
His dad fist connects with his chest, knocking his much smaller body off-balance. A bullet pierces Deeks’ chest. Kensi nearly dies in a fiery explosion.
Deeks desperately tries to focus on something tangible, anything, before Sidorov takes hold of him again.
“Deeks, are you alright?”
He jerks as Kensi touches his face, her hands shocking him out of the all-consuming flashback.
“Mm,” Deeks murmurs, nodding with his eyes clamped shut. He focuses on her voice as she says something else, just like he did in the garage. Even so, it’s still hard to breathe and he feels lightheaded, shaking like he’s been plunged into icy water.
“Ok, hey, just take a deep even breath. Count to five and then let it out,” Kensi instructs him. Nodding again, he does as she asks long enough that he doesn’t feel so much like he’ll pass out.
Slowly, Deeks opens his eyes, head still propped against the house as he stares directly into Kensi’s eyes. She looks completely freaked out.
“I’m alright,” he forces out, even though it’s so far from the truth.
“What happened?” Her brows furrow as she cups his cheeks, thumbs absently brushing the line of his jaw.
The, uh, it was the, um, the pictures.” Even saying the word makes another shudder through him. “Mouth wounds caught me off-guard. I’ll be fine.”
“Oh my god, Deeks. If I’d known—”
“It’s not your fault,” he interrupts quickly. “I just need another minute and then I’ll be good to finish.”
“Deeks, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Kensi says hesitantly, her concern almost undoing him. Pulling on the ragged edges of his control, he forces himself upright.
“Kensi, I appreciate you looking out for me, but if you don’t mind I’d really want to forget the last 10 minutes.” His words come out a little more harshly than he intended. Kensi’s hand falls away, hurt coloring her features for a second before she hides it away with the iron control she’s famous for.
“Ok,” she agrees. “I’ll see you inside.”
It’s only when she’s safely inside again that he lets himself go slack again.
A/N: Thanks for all your lovely responses to this story so far. Let the ridiculousness continue.
***
In Miss Blye’s Class, Part 4
“Kensi, thank you for staying so late to help out,” Principal Hanna said as they finished closing down the body paint tent. “You didn’t have to.”
“Well, I know other people had to get their kids home,” Kensi replied, looking around with a shrug. “It’s not a big deal.” Her aching feet and back told a different story, but she planned on taking a long back while she finished off the rest of whatever ice cream was in the freezer as soon as she got home. That was usually the perfect remedy to any aches and pains in her experience.
“Well, I still appreciate it. I’ll have Mr. Callen put you down for a class break next week.”
“Thanks Sam.”
There were ten or so people who has stuck around until the very end to close down the fair, including Marty Deeks and Caleb. She saw them heading in her general direction and met them in the middle of the parking lot.
“Daddy, I’m hungry,” Caleb said, head tilted back so far Kensi felt sympathetic pain in her spine.
“Sorry, kiddo, we’ll have to grab something when we get home.”
“There’s a diner just a few minutes from here. Main Street Cafe,” Kensi spoke up. “They’re open til 2 and have all day breakfast.”
“That sounds amazing,” Deeks said, glancing down at Caleb for his approval.
“Do they have chocolate chip pancakes?” he asked a little suspiciously.
“They make amazing pancakes. Chocolate chip, blueberry, banana. Any kind you want,” Kensi told him, smiling when his eyes widened at the prospect of so many choices.
“Ok, we can go,” he decided, earning a tired chuckle from Deeks. He ran a hand through his slightly ruffled hair, only making it more tousled, and reached for Caleb’s hand as they started walking towards the parking lot where vehicles were parked.
“Kensi, do you want to join us? You know, since we never got you your cotton candy.”
Kensi hadn’t expected an invitation and didn’t respond immediately. Fortunately, Caleb spoke up again before the silence could grow too awkward.
“I didn’t get any cotton candy either.”
“But now we’re going to have pancakes, with syrup which is so much better, and arguably stickier,” Deeks said quickly, subverting any potential disappointment over the forgotten treat. “So, what do you say, Ms. Blye? You want eat too much sugar, way too late with us?”
“I’d like that,” Kensi said. It was only a meal, nothing to freak out about. She was sure that Deeks would have asked Sam Hanna to come with if he’d be nearby.
Sure, Kensi, keep telling yourself that, that exceedingly annoying voice in her head muttered. “I’m pretty sure all I have left in my fridge is plain spaghetti, condiments, and maybe some very old creamer. I’m not really into cooking.”
“I could see that,” Deeks commented as they started across the parking flashing her a teasing grin.
“Hey, I am extremely busy. Don’t make me regret telling you about my favorite late night diner.” She attempted to give Deeks a severe look and he immediately held up his free hand, backtracking.
“Sorry, sorry, I’m sure you’re a wonderful cook. I would love whatever you could concoct with ketchup, creamer, and spaghetti.”
Kensi tried to hold her expression for a few more seconds, but it was difficult when his eyes twinkling under the floodlights with suppressed amusement. And damn it, he knew it too.
“Good. But you better watch yourself, because you’re in the yellow zone right now,” she informed him with as much seriousness as she could muster. Caleb made a little gasp, tugging on his dad’s hand.
“Oh, dad, you don’t want to get in the orange or red zone,” he said in a hushed tone. “That’s bad.”
“I promise I will be on my best behavior,” he said, lifting his hand in a gesture reminiscent of a boy scout salute as his upper twitched suspiciously.
***
True to his word, Caleb ordered a chocolate chip pancake with bacon and orange juice. He also attempted to order a waffle, but Deeks put his foot down. Now he was happily consuming a syrup-soaked pancake bigger than his head.
She’d Deeks had ordered some kind of skillet that contained several kinds of vegetables and meat, which Kensi stared at disapprovingly over her stack of red velvet pancakes with cream cheese frosting.
“Don’t tell me you’re some kind of health nut,” she said, waving her fork at his food. “Because food ordered at 11 at night is not supposed to be healthy at all.”
Deeks chuckled, shifting a mouthful of eggs to one cheek to speak.
“Good to no where you stand on the food debate,” he joked. “Usually I’d be all over one of those giant cinnamon rolls at the counter, but I have a meeting tomorrow and if I eat that much sugar tonight, I’ll have a massive headache in the morning.”
“Amateur.” Kensi shook her head, cutting off a particularly large bite of pancakes. Deeks just chuckled again, looking over as Caleb dropped his fork onto his plate with a sigh. He yawned hugely, swaying a little to the right. Deeks put his arm around him and kissed the top of his head, matting down a patch of unruly curls.
“You tired, Buddy?”
“Nope,” Caleb insisted stubbornly even as his eyes dropped half shut.
Their surprisingly chipper waitress stopped by to refill their drinks, clearing away Kensi’s empty plate. Deeks was still working at his, and Caleb had abandoned his completely in favor of cuddling into Deeks’ arm. No one had the right to be so adorable.
“So, you never mentioned exactly what you do for work,” Kensi prompted once the waitress was out of ear shot. “Caleb mentioned that you work in a court. He also said that you carry a gun. She folded her arms and watched Marty expectantly.
When Caleb had brought it up last week in front of the other students, it had caused quiet a stir. Personally, she found it hard to imagine him involved in anything of a violent nature, even if it was police work. Still, she’d been wrong before.
“I’m definitely a lawyer,” Marty responded, ruffling his hair again, and side-eyeing Caleb with a look that clearly said they’d be talking later. “I used to work in the legal department, for an entity that shall remain unnamed, in Iowa. They required me to have a service weapon just in case things ever got out of hand. But I don’t carry a weapon anymore and never had a reason to use it.”
“Never?” Kensi raised her eyebrows, not completely buying it. It would be just her luck that the seemingly nice, attentive dad had a checkered past.
“I pulled it a couple times, never fired it though. Now I prepare contracts for one of the media companies here.”
“Moving from Iowa to California is a big change. What made you decide to move?” she asked, resting her chin on her cupped hands.
“Well I suppose the initiating event was when, uh, my wife left us,” he said evenly.
“Oh my god, I’m sorry,” Kensi said, horrified at the result of her annoyance. “I had no idea—Caleb never—” Fortunately Deeks cut in before she could dig herself into a deeper hole.
“No, it’s ok. You had no way of knowing and honestly, Caleb doesn’t know the whole story.”
“You don’t have to tell me anymore.” Though she was dying to know the full story.
“Heh, I wish I knew myself,” he said, sparing a glance for Caleb, who was fully asleep now. His smile was a little sad as he brushed his fingers through Caleb’s hair. Facing her again, he steepled his fingers, fixing his eyes slightly above her head. “Two and a half years ago, I came home from work. Caleb was all alone, watching TV in the den and eating snacks. Monica wasn’t anywhere, her car was gone. At first, I figured that there was some kind of emergency and she just didn’t have a change to text or call.” He pursed his lips, exhaling slowly.
“I think I knew pretty quickly that I was just trying to convince myself because she always made sure to leave a note or something before that. All Caleb could tell me was that Nicole said she was going to the store and she’d be back soon.”
“Deeks…that’s awful,” Kensi murmured, reaching across the table to cover his hand with hers. She could hear the lingering distress in his voice at recounting what was likely a very painful event. “No one deserves that.”
“It is what it is.” He shrugged, forcing a smile. “Anyway, last year I decided that we needed to start over completely fresh so we packed up and moved to LA. My old position was getting too stressful.
“Because working for a media company is so low stress,” Kensi teased. She sensed he was holding back at least a portion of the story, but decided not to push any harder. He’d already told her way more than he had to.
“Touché,” he said, cracking a more authentic grin. “Besides that, it allows me a little more time to be at home and it’s a little less dangerous. If I can, I want to spend as much time with Caleb as possible. I want to make his plays, games, whatever he has going on, if I can.” The love in his eyes was obvious as he shifted Caleb closer.
An unexpected wave of affection rolled through her and Kensi had to fight to keep her expression neutral. This was so not the man to get involved with. He had baggage, a kid, a runaway ex.
“Well, whatever reason she left you for, your wife is an idiot in my opinion,” she found herself saying. “Because you seem like a pretty good guy.”
“She ran off with a yoga instructor,” Deeks shared an ironic chuckle. “And did you just give me a compliment?”
“Nope, definitely not,” Kensi said firmly. She took a quick swallow of her look warm water to hide her light blush.
Thankfully, the waitress brought over their check, preventing Kensi from saying anything else ridiculous. Deeks insisted on paying, waving off her protests by claiming it was repayment for the day he was late picking up Caleb.
He signed the receipt with a flourish and gathered Caleb in his arms. The little boy barely even budged, dead to the world.
“Thanks for suggesting this place, I had a nice time,” he said as Kensi held the door open for him. “It’s surprisingly hard to meet people here.”
Kensi wasn’t quite sure if he was joking or not, but based on his seemingly natural tendency to chat with just about anyone, he observation was likely genuine.
“I did too.”
“And thanks for listening. Most people don’t.” The appreciation in his voice caught Kensi off-guard again, and this time a frisson of desire ran through her.
“Anytime.” She pointed over her shoulder in the general direction of her car, needing to leave before she did something even more idiotic. “You know, I should get home. Night, Deeks.”
“Night, Kensi,” he called back, turning towards his truck.
Once she was safely enclosed inside her car, she let her head fall back, emitting a low sigh. This was bad. Really bad.
***
A/N: And part of Deeks’ mysterious past is revealed! Ta-da. Hope you all enjoyed this addition.
Have I watched too much crime shows but was that ending flat compared to the rest of the episode?
SPOILERS FOR NCISLA
It was intense. Back and forth and then BAM. Sam defused the bomb (like he does every other episode) and Callen was rescued. Kat was shot dead.. like they could’ve cut it to a cliffhanger when Anna was about to open the door… I would’ve been pissed but it would’ve been better and a longer ending.
Which leaves me wondering what the finale will entail ?? They had a somewhat happy enough ending last year… This time feels like it should be a shocker… But I hope Deeks comes back soon!! Wasn’t enough Kensi in this episode. I get it was meant to be Callen central but I like the equal parts of everyone.
And where’s Hetty??? I can’t even remember the last episode she was in.. the premiere? Or last season’s finale? Like… One video call would be nice ad in.
If the adoption goes ahead… How will that fit in long term because… Even though the girls are teenagers… Like that’s still a risk for Densi to be both in the field and they can’t leave. They just CAN’T.
