Speaking With The Angel

An NCIS: Los Angeles Fanfiction

by

MADDIVAS

The last 24 hours were a blur. Deeks would give his left nut just to be asleep and snuggled in a fetal position, drooling, snoring and dead to the world. Instead he was sitting in a canvas seat of a military C-130 transport plane, holding on for dear life and riding out the turbulence which seems to be a fitting end to this strictly unofficial mission.

The Saving of Hetty. That's what the team had jokingly christened the operation. If you had told him a week ago that he would be hunting down a notorious European crime family on the coast of Romania's Black Sea, he would have asked what type of crack you were smoking. But this wasn't a drug induced fairytale. The team had been through hell and back, and they would do it all again to save their mentor and friend if they had to. Deeks knew he wouldn't think twice – but, if possible, he'd prefer to wait until he had some sleep, a couple of gallons of coffee and maybe a hot shower. Not necessarily in that order, but in some combination of the above. And a hot shower with Kensi would be better yet. God, he must be exhausted if he was fantasising about her when she was only inches away, but then it had been one hell of a rough ride so far and it wasn't over yet.

Deeks relived in his mind the frantic ride to the nearby US Army base in Constanta with Hetty lying severely injured in the back seat. They'd put a field dressing over her wound and kept steady pressure on it the whole time, but she'd lost a lot of blood. They had left Hunter behind to maintain her undercover persona as the Comescu niece. They would need her continued surveillance to keep them apprised of the family's next move. And nobody was exactly sorry she wouldn't be with them. Hunter hadn't exactly managed to ingratiate herself with anyone. Deeks refused to allow himself to feel even the slightest particle of guilt that they'd left her behind without any support. Hunter had got herself into this drama, for her own reasons, and she could damn well get herself out again.

Fleeing the surviving members of the family, the team contacted Vance to give him a status report on their situation and the Director had immediately started trawling his web of contacts and pulling some strings to ease their passage. With Hetty finally unconscious, Callen carried the seemingly indestructible woman gently in his arms and into the triage area of the army base's small hospital. They rushed her immediately into surgery where she underwent an emergency operation to remove the bullet and repair the internal damages. Throughout the procedure her team stood gathered in the corridor, pacing up and down, unable to sit still until they knew she was out of danger.

Once stable, Vance arranged with the US Army to have Hetty and her agents flown to the US military hospital in Wiesbaden. It was the one place in Europe where the team could be relatively safe since there was probably a bounty on the head of each and every one of them by now. It was finally where they would leave her to recover before returning home to Los Angeles.

Hetty was grateful her team followed her to what she thought would be her final mission. She should have known they would have, even though she wasn't happy about it. Although she tried to cover her tracks and disappear quietly into the night, the ops team had tracked her down in their indomitable fashion. She had trained her team well and would have to be more vigilant the next time.

Deeks was brought back to the present when he felt Kensi stir in the seat next to him. She had been sleeping soundly despite the drone of the engines and the rattle that seemed to pervade every bone in his body. Deeks envied her. The woman could sleep through the running of the bulls in Pamplona if she had to. Her head was tilted towards him and he was sorely tempted to reach out and push a rogue strand of hair out of the way which had fallen into her face. It would be so easy, and she would never know…probably. But this was Kensi, who warded off his every advance, and whose guard was never fully down. So his hands continued to clutch the straps of the plane's seat and only his mind was free to explore the glorious possibilities.

Across on the other side of the aircraft, Sam was keeping a watchful eye on Callen. His partner and best friend was sleeping fitfully, occasionally muttering, although the words were too indistinct to make out and several of them in a language that was definitely not English. It could have been Romanian, but then again, it could have been Czech. It was difficult to tell. Not that it mattered. The only thing that mattered was that Hetty and the team were safe now.

But Sam did little to hide his concern. Callen was able to bring to light some answers regarding his family, but his memory was spotty at best and Hetty was not ready to speak to the history of his ancestry or the Comescu vendetta. Callen was still a haunted man and Sam worried he might break under the pressure of revenge, so he continued to watch for signs that would take Callen to the edge. How do you cope after finally remembering that you witnessed your mother's assassination as a child? That was one hell of a memory to suppress and Freud would have had a field day with this one. Watching the senior agent sleep on this return trip was the first time Sam could take a breath and relax but he wasn't ready to give into slumber just yet.

Deeks had a lot on his mind too but he was still keeping it close to his chest. His thoughts had been weighing heavily none-the-less. Deeks had willing followed Callen and the rest of the team to Prague after hearing of Hetty's disappearance. He didn't even think twice about it. It was a tight, extremely functional working unit. They seemed to communicate almost telepathically as a team and he enjoyed the feeling that someone always made sure they had his back. It wasn't like that in his old job. He was the lone wolf as an LAPD detective and his undercover missions found him scrapping by on his own resourcefulness and imagination. Yes, he would always be a cop deep down, but it no longer defined who he was any longer. He was part of a team and Deeks didn't know if he wanted to go back to working his old beat alone any longer. It was time to think long and hard about signing the papers to become an NCIS agent.

Before the team left to return home, they gathered around Hetty's hospital bed in Wiesbaden. Although the woman was weak and pale, they would never consider her fragile, just indisposed at the moment. Deeks had come to respect and love the NCIS matriarch. Was he ready to become part of this family in name as well as in spirit? The LAPD probably wouldn't like it but did he really care? Was this where he truly belonged? Or was there another reason he was so drawn to become an agent?

The team hated to leave Hetty behind but they knew she was in good hands at the Army hospital. Deeks watched as his friends slowly left the room one by one. When he was the last one in the room, he hesitated before turning to face Hetty again.

"I've been thinking a lot about your invitation to become an NCIS agent," Deeks said and stopped to asses Hetty's reaction.

"But you're still not sure…." Hetty nodded.

Deeks lowered his head because he found it hard to look her directly in the eyes.

"You need some time away to think, Mr. Deeks," Hetty advised him. "I know you are not making this decision lightly, but it has to be the right decision and the right reason. You know we will always welcome you with open arms when you are ready. After this week, I'm sure there is no doubt in anyone's mind where your allegiance lies."

"I appreciate that Hetty," said Deeks and finally looked at her and smiled ruefully. "I guess I do have a lot of serious thinking to do."

"I have a small cottage at Big Sur overlooking the ocean that I use sometimes to get away. It's quiet and isolated. I will instruct Nell to give you the key," Hetty continued. "Why don't you take some time to be with your thoughts and enjoy a few days alone to think?"

"Are you coming Deeks? We have a plane to catch," Callen called from the hall way.

Deeks nodded at Hetty and left the room, unaware of the knowing smile that eased its way across her features. Deeks was a man in search of a future. And Hetty had always rather fancied herself as a soothsayer.


No matter how hard he tried, Deeks couldn't ignore the keys lying on his kitchen counter. He'd been back in LA for a few days now, but he couldn't stop thinking about that farewell in the hospital and how Hetty had been so insistent that he use her cottage…

"You need some time to think," she had said, and her voice was a thin parody of its normal force and vigour.

Hell, he was hardly back from Romania. He didn't need to go on a road trip when his body clock was still completely messed up and he wasn't quite sure if he was meant to be awake or asleep. Deeks had kept his head down during that conversation, unwilling to look at her, knowing she would see through all the pretence in a second. Hetty was one of the few people he'd never been able to fool. Apart from Ray, she was the only person who could push aside all the protective veneer to expose the real man underneath – the person he kept carefully hidden from public view.

She'd told him to take some time, to think about things. Think about things – well, wasn't that ironic? Hadn't he done enough thinking already? He seemed to have done nothing except think for the past few weeks. There he was, thinking about everything that had happened, thinking about everything that still might happen, but mainly thinking about everything that had not happened and which was probably never going to happen. Right now, Deeks wasn't sure he wanted to think about anything at ever again. He just wanted to crawl into bed and forget about everything. Right now, he would practically sell his soul for eight hours of solid, uninterrupted sleep. If it weren't for the dreams. But there were always dreams, whether he was awake or asleep. And the dreams all had one constant in them...

"What have you got lose, Deeks?" he asked himself. "It's only a weekend. You're not committing yourself to anything." And the prospect of Big Sur was awful tempting. The surf was always awesome there. So maybe Hetty was right? She usually was, after all.

Half an hour later and there was a bag lying on the back seat of the car, his boards were strapped to the roof and Marty Deeks was hitting the Pacific Coast Highway, with the music blaring, the windows rolled down and the wind blowing through his hair. For some reason, one that he hadn't quite fathomed out yet, just before he'd left his apartment, he'd picked up the set of NCIS application papers Hetty had given him before Prague and put them in the box of groceries he'd packed.

Now that he was back he was having second thoughts. Maybe it was just the heat of the moment in Romania? And things had been heated, no doubt about it. But Deeks had a feeling he was being forced into a corner, and that just aroused the rebel in him, made him dig his heels in that little bit harder. The fact he was taking the papers with him didn't mean anything – of course it didn't. It wasn't as if he'd gone ahead and signed them, or even that he'd given the whole thing serious consideration. It was probably just that he didn't want anyone else to see them. And you didn't leave that sort of thing lying around, did you? So it wasn't as if it meant anything, because it didn't. Clearly it didn't. Anyone who knew him would instantly know that there was no way Deeks would leave LAPD. What possible reason could he have to do something like that?

Well, there was an answer to that and the answer was pretty damn simple. So simple that it could be summed up in one word: Kensi. One word that summed up exactly why he couldn't think straight, why he lay awake at nights longing for her with such fierce intensity that his body ached. Kensi, who was starting to dominate his thoughts, whether awake or asleep. What was the point in driving all the way up to Big Sur when nothing was going to change? So he could be miserable in a different place? Only he was on the road now, and it was kind of a great drive. Plus, he could spend the whole weekend in the ocean, concentrating on the waves. The same waves that were as unpredictable as Kensi. One minute she pushed him away, the next she was pulling him back in. No wonder he was in such a mess. Deeks had the very definite idea that the answer was Kensi. Now, if he could just work out what the hell the question was, then he'd be laughing.


"Big Sur?" Kensi wondered if she had heard correctly. "Why would I want to go to Big Sur?" It was a long way from California to Germany, after all and some interference on the line was only to be expected. She'd gotten into the habit of calling Hetty a couple of times a day, just to hear her voice and know that she was alright. So far, she was making a remarkable recovery. Any other woman would have been knocked for six after going through that sort of ordeal, but then Hetty was no ordinary woman. It was funny how the absence of someone so small could leave such a big hole, could rip apart the very fabric of their existence. Kensi refused to think about what might have happened if that bullet had been just an inch or so to the left.

"Because it is very beautiful? And you might find what you are looking for there?"

"What exactly am I looking for?" Well, that was the question, wasn't it? It would good to have some guidance on that one. "You're planning something, aren't you?"

"Not guilty. I just thought you might benefit from some peace and solitude. A time to reflect upon things? Perhaps the break could act as balm to your soul?"

"Do I look that stressed?" Pulling out her mirror, Kensi took an appraising look at herself and then grimaced. "I do, don't I?" All those sleepless nights were starting to take their toll. "Okay, maybe a weekend doing nothing but staring at the ocean would be good."

"I'm sure you'll enjoy the view." Hetty permitted herself the luxury of a small smile and ended the call.

Which was why Kensi found herself driving up Route 1 that afternoon instead of sitting watching a reality show marathon. One of the main attractions of getting away from LA was the opportunity to think about things – really think about things, which was something Kensi knew she had been putting off for far too long. She needed to work out where she was going – and who she wanted to go there with. For too long she'd been pretending, pushing down her feelings and pushing Deeks away – literally and figuratively. So a weekend sitting in a hot tub, sipping wine and staring at the ocean sounded like just the manna her troubled soul craved. Damn Hetty! How did the woman seem to know everything – even before she knew it herself? Kensi thumped the steering wheel in frustration and then shot an apologetic look at the car driver sitting next to her at the intersection. The sooner she got out of LA the better.

She found the cottage without any difficulty, due to Hetty's meticulous directions, which was no less than she had expected. Clutching the heavy keyring, Kensi ran lightly up the steps and found the large bronze key that Hetty had said would open the front door. Only it wasn't unlocked. Instantly on the alert, Kensi drew her gun and went cautiously into the house. The interior was open-plan, giving her a clear view, right across the room to the picture windows that comprised the entire width of the back wall. She saw instantly that the room was empty and also that the windows gave an incredible view westwards, where the sun was starting to set in a brilliant blaze of glory, but that was not what caught her attention. No, her eyes were drawn across the room not towards the sunset and all its attendant gold and crimson hues, but to the deck that stretched outwards, seeming to hang out from the cliff, poised above the ocean. The windows were open and she could hear the faint sound of the waves crashing on the shore below and smell the fresh tang of sea air. And she could see the hot tub, sitting temptingly on the deck, just begging for her to slip off her clothes and glide into the inviting waters which would sooth away her troubles.

Moving softly across the room, almost in a trance, Kensi's whole attention was seized by the hot tub, or more precisely by the man sitting in it; sitting there in the warm, bubbling waters with his head bowed slightly and his eyes closed. It was Deeks – Deeks was sitting there, with his arms outstretched, hands lying lightly on the edges of the tub and giving every indication of being sound asleep. The rays from the setting sun seemed to bath his skin with gold and amber. All of a sudden, Kensi found it was getting very hard to breath as she simply drank in the sight. The force of her instant physical reaction almost stopped her dead.

'Oh dear God in heaven. I've died, haven't I? I've died and gone to heaven,' she thought. If this was a dream, then she didn't want to wake up, not ever.

Moving as if in a trance, she took a few steps closer, so that she could see each individual bead of water on his body and then watched in silence as a droplet ran slowly down a curl of dark gold hair to land on Deeks' chest, where it lingered tantalisingly for a moment before slowly proceeding downwards, with Kensi's eyes following ever inch of its progress. This was too much. How could she be expected to stand there and look at him looking like that, looking good enough to eat - and not do anything? Her mouth was dry and it would be so very, very easy just to reach out and take hold of him and kiss him like he'd never been kissed in his whole life and…

And what was she thinking? This was Deeks – her partner. The guy who made stupid jokes and merely flirted with her because that was what he did. Deeks flirted with every breathing woman, with the possible exception of Hetty, but that was probably because he was frightened of her, and with good reason. This was Deeks – who was like a brother to her, only Kensi had read Flowers in the Attic and she knew what could happen when people were pushed together. Above all, this was Deeks – who she'd had a huge 'thing' for since the first moment she clapped eyes on him in that gym. She'd been fighting her feelings for over a year now and right now, Kensi was in the mood to surrender, completely and utterly. Because this was Deeks, who had the body of a Grecian god, and the best hair this side of Hollywood and who would do anything for her – up to and including putting his own life on the line.

And this wasn't a 'thing'. This was real. And Kensi knew how very short life could be. So she took that final, fatal step forward, knelt down beside the hot tub and kissed him lightly, like Sleeping Beauty in reverse. Sitting back on her heels, Kensi watched as Deeks' eyes stayed resolutely shut, even as his mouth curved in a smile.

He knew it was her, knew it from the subtle scent of her perfume. He'd know her anywhere. And he'd dreamt of kissing her a thousand times in his dreams, so he knew exactly how it would feel. Except this wasn't a dream. And that kiss had just about knocked him for six, nearly had him sliding under the water in shock. Every scenario he'd ever run through his mind had always had him doing the advancing. Never in a million years had Deeks imagined Kensi would be the one to make the first move. God, he loved that about her – the sheer unpredictability of her. He had to act cool and not let her see how turned on he was by this whole scenario. It was a good thing the hot tub was still bubbling away merrily or the game would have been given away in an instant.

"Kensi?" He ran his tongue over his lips questioningly, savouring the faint trace of her and then smiled again. "Definitely Kensi. I knew you'd come." And then, Deeks finally opened his eyes and the brilliant blue seemed to shimmer into her soul. "What took you so long?"

"Traffic was a nightmare," she answered automatically. "What the hell do you mean 'I knew you'd come'? I didn't even know I was coming till a few hours ago."

"Come on – give me a break. That's a good line. Possibly even a great line. Admit it." He grinned up at her, seemingly unconcerned that she was fully clothed and he was definitely not.

"You never admit anything, Deeks – don't you know that by now. You've got so much to learn."

"So how about you teach me?" he invited.

Sometimes, actions spoke louder than words, so Kensi simply reached out so that her hands were cupping his face, turning it towards her so that her lips met his. Just for an instant he hesitated, and then her tongue was in his mouth and he was kissing her back, hard and fierce. And then his arms were around her shoulders and tangling in her hair, and as the kiss intensified, Kensi knew everything was going to be alright. Because this was Deeks and this was meant to be. It was always going to end like this. Hetty had been right – she had found exactly what she was looking for. It was six foot two, with big blue eyes and fair hair and a body from God and it answered to the name of Marty Deeks.


"Good weekend?" Callen asked, looking at his desk in dismay. How come so much paperwork had accumulated in the short time they'd been away? Couldn't someone have at least sifted through some of it – or maybe this was one of Hunter's ploys to try to weaken their resistance? If so, it wasn't going to work.

"It was fine. Didn't do a whole lot." Deeks sipped his coffee casually. "Went up to Big Sur. I'd planned to get some surfing in, but things didn't quite work out that way."

"Let me guess – you got sidetracked?" Sam cocked one eyebrow suggestively.

"Kind of. There was this really great hot tub, and the view was amazing and… and you know how it is."

Callen digested this information. "So you weren't just camping then?" A weekend in a hot tub at Big Sur sounded pretty damned amazing, and knowing Deeks, he hadn't spent the weekend alone

Deeks shook his head. "No. A friend of mine lent me this cottage – it was incredible. Everything you could possibly want and then some."

"Sounds like a good friend. A very good friend."

"She is. Maybe the best friend I've got." He looked at the piles of folders on his desk and felt like turning right around and going back down to Big Sur. "Did someone clear out a cupboard when we were gone?"

"I think this is Hunter's way of saying 'welcome back'."

"I think she should learn to keep her mouth shut." Nell staggered in with another armful of folders and a harried expression on her face.

"I don't want those. I've got more than enough already." Deeks spread his arms protectively across his desk.

"Stop boasting. And these are for Kensi anyway." Nell dumped her bundle down unceremoniously and looked around. "Where is Kensi?"


Our first story - we do hope you like it and want to read more! Why not let us know what you think?