After The Case

Post "Drive". Anyone else wonder what Deeks did for his birthday? Here is a small one-shot of what I think he may have done on his birthday day off screen. WARNING: Spoilers of "Human Traffic", "The Debt" and "Drive" and some feelings. Sequel to "Before the Case"

Character: Marty Deeks (main), G Callen (Brotherly character).

Disclaimer: I do NOT own NCIS LA or any of the amazing characters within this show. I merely own season 3 on DVD. I don't own Fast Five either, only the DVD.

After the Case

Deeks couldn't help but smile a bit sadly when Hetty brought up the sunrise they shared together. He also bristled at the fact that Sam had thought he was showing up late, but it was just the way the man was with him, it was their thing.

Now the toasts to his birthday and his health were over, the cups were put away and everyone headed out. Wishing him a happy birthday one last time. Deeks just smiled at them like normal before he picked up his bag. He just paused by the NCIS badge within the box. He set his jaw and picked it up, placing his mothers photo into it as well before he left the building.

He slid into his car and started to drive, it was his birthday and he was going to keep his tradition going. He stopped to pick up some flowers. Lilies before he turned down a long driveway and parked by a few scattered cars. He stepped out of his car and sighed sadly as he looked over all the headstones in the graveyard. He closed and locked his car, having the box that held the NCIS badge and the photo in it under his arm as he set off towards a pathway. About half way into the graveyard he veered off the path and soon came to a stop by a plain engraved headstone. He placed the Lilies by the headstone before settling down on a nearby bench. He looked up at his mother's headstone and ran a hand down his face.

"Hey Mom. Here I am again. Another year gone by and the pain of loosing you hasn't lessened as much as I hoped. I miss you. I sort of have a new mother figure, her name is Hetty Lange, and well she is my scary ninja boss at NCIS. We are her team and she is scary when we are threatened. I told you about Kens, G, Sam, Nell and Eric last year so nothing else really new to tell you. Just they forgot today was my birthday. I mean I thought Kensi remembered when I heard her making dinner plans for two, but I was wrong. She was going with someone else." Deeks let out a shaky laugh.

"Hetty gave me a gift today. Yeah a gift, I can't even remember the last time someone gave me a gift on my birthday or hell even Christmas. She gave me a photo of you, right after I was born. You looked beautiful and happy, you deserved to be like that forever." Deeks shook his head and swallowed hard. "She also gave me a NCIS badge with my name on it, yeah it's official. I'm an NCIS agent, well if I choose to become one. I'm just unsure you know. I have to think about it some more, but I feel like I belong there. Weird huh? Well, it's been a long day. I had to help out a woman I knew from when I was a DA; I helped her reunite with her daughter after saving her from being killed. It felt good to help her, now I just wish you where here to help me. Huh, the sun is setting. I better go home and get some sleep. See you next year. Goodnight Mommy, I miss you." Deeks whispered the ending to himself as he stretched from his bench seat; he grabbed the box and started back down the path towards his car.

He had turned off his radio, so he drove home in silence letting his thought of NCIS and LAPD fill his mind before he arrived in his apartment. He had just closed the door when he noticed something was wrong. Monty normally at least barked when Deeks came home, but it was silent. Deeks rolled his eyes and slowly moved his hand to grab his gun from behind his back; he entered his apartment like he would a house a suspect was hiding out in.

"No need to shoot me Deeks." A voice called out with a hint of sarcasm.

"Callen?" Deeks flipped on the main ceiling light and indeed G Callen was there. Sitting on his couch, a sleeping Monty beside him. "How the hell did you get in here man?" Deeks put his gun on his table, rubbing his forehead.

"Hetty gave me a key." Callen smirked producing a key from his hand.

"Of course she did." Deeks muttered. "Uh do you want a beer or something?"

"Sure." Callen smirked and Deeks grabbed two bottles from the fridge, popping off the tops he handed one to Callen, who thanked him before falling into a kitchen chair. A few moments of silence passed over them as they drank their beer.

"Why are you here Callen?" Deeks asked bluntly.

"Checking up on you."

"Why?"

"It's your birthday Deeks, no one should be alone."

"It wouldn't have been anything new for me."

"You shouldn't be alone, you are part of my team, part of my family and I don't like seeing anyone in my family alone or upset."

Deeks now really had no idea what to say to that.

"I'm part of your family?" He managed to get out.

"Yes, it took a little while I'll admit but you are like the little brother I never had."

"I thought I annoyed you."

"That's your charm, it makes you well you. No one else can annoy me but make me feel more at home than you." G looked down at the bottle in his hands. Deeks then understood that G had the same problem with admitting to his feelings just like he did.

"Well… As long as we are being honest. G, I look at you like an older brother I wish I had and now I do." Deeks replied and Callen looked up shocked. "I know you guys know I shot my dad when I was 11, but there was more to the story than that." Deeks looked out of his apartments window.

"If this is too private to you Marty then I understand." G said quietly.

"No I want you to hear this, so you can understand me a little better. Hell it will be good, I need to tell someone about what my father." Deeks spat the word. "Did to my mother and me."

"Take your time." G assured the taller blonde who was taking deep breaths.

"Since before I could remember my dad was a drunk. He was a violent and angry drunk." G felt like a rock settled in his stomach, he had a very bad feeling about where this was going. "Every night he would beat either my mom or me for no reason. I would try to help my mom, but more often than not that resulted in both of us unconscious on the floor. One night when I was 11 he was crazier than usual, he had a loaded shotgun pointed at both my mother and me, I had a gun Ray gave me for protection against him if needed. My mom was out already and I was the only one who could protect her. He was screaming some pretty horrible things at me, I saw his finger curl on the trigger G, and I just reacted. I shot him. Then I ran, I thought I just killed my own father and I was going to go to jail. In the end I testified against him and sent him to prison. I lived with my mom for a year before she got sick and died. After that I lived on the street before Ray took me into his home and I moved on with my life." Deeks finished his story; his grip on the beer bottle was causing fine cracks to form. G stood up and removed the bottle from the younger blonde's grip and onto the table before dragging the other chair over to so he could sit and face Deeks.

"Thank you for sharing that with me Deeks, it must have been hard to go through all that, but you made it. You made it out just fine. You will sadly carry that with you for your life but it has made you stronger and I'm proud to have someone as strong as you apart of my family." Callen told him in a softer than usual voice.

"Thank you for listening G." Deeks said his chest feeling lighter than it had felt in a while.

"What is family for?" G smirked slightly.

They just sat in silence with the often snort from Monty as the dog slumbered.

"I need some advice, can you be objective for me G?" Deeks asked out of the blue.

"I'll try to be, what else is on that crazy mind of yours?" Callen asked as Deeks opened the box.

"This." Deeks handed him the NCIS Badge.

"Marty, when did you apply to become an agent?" G asked confused.

"I didn't, Hetty did it for me and slipped it in some of my papers and I signed it without actually knowing what it was. Yeah I got to work on that." Marty chuckled. "Even Director Vance approved, LAPD gave me up pretty quickly and now I just don't know what to do."

"I can't answer that for you Marty, but let me just tell you something. When we got news that you had disappeared after a car bomb went off. I know we all felt like a part of our selves had been taken away. As the case went onwards it was easer for me to tell what each member was feeling about you. If I do recall correctly Nate even said you were our cop. That was one of the many reasons why we knew you weren't dead and if you were we were going to kill the assholes who killed you." Callen said, his voice rising slightly as he neared the end.

"I had no idea." Marty mumbled.

"You are part of my family Deeks and don't think that I take that lightly, but whatever you choose will be accepted because each of us love you in our own way. I would be honored if you choose to become a NCIS agent on my team. If even if you don't and stay our liaison, we have got your back." G said truthfully and Deeks shot him a classic smile.

"Thanks G, now since this is still my birthday I say we put on a movie and eat some leftover pizza." Deeks grinned ear to ear.

"You grab the movie, I'll nuke the pizza." Callen offered and the tense atmosphere lifted.

"Sounds like a plan!" They each moved off to do their task. Callen choose Fast Five because he knew they both like fast cars and it was a good movie, it had a battle between Vin Diesel and the Rock, how was that not a good movie? Deeks came over as it started and they after moving Monty who groggily moved over to the armchair settled down and started to drink more beer and chowed down on the pizza.

"Happy Birthday Deeks." And a happy birthday it turned out to be.

The next day, Deeks showed up late for work. Kensi called out to him but he merely walked past the bullpen and right up to Hetty's desk. He handed her a form and she smiled widely as she signed it and shook his hand. Sam and Kensi exchanged confused looks; Callen leant back in his chair and smiled to himself. Hetty made her way up onto the staircase, making Deeks stay glued to her side as she cleared her throat, it went unnoticed as Eric and Nell made their way to whistle for the others saying they had a case.

"Mr. Deeks, would please get everyone's attention?" Hetty asked glancing up.

"Sure thing Hetty." Deeks grinned cheekily. Hetty plugged her fingers in her ears as Deeks let out a very loud "HEY!" Every single person in the building stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the two on the stairs.

"Thank you Mr. Deeks. Everyone I have an announcement to make! I would like to introduce you all to the newest Agent. Special Agent Marty Deeks!" Hetty gestured to Deeks with a proud look, the blonde clipped his NCIS badge onto his belt with a happy look on his face, the whole building burst into cheering and clapping. Deeks looked around and he knew he was home.