On the drive back to the Mission, Kensi relayed the previous evening's conversation with Sam. Other than that, the drive was silent with Kensi and Callen both lost in their own thoughts. Neither has seen Deeks being serious other than for a few hours when Ray broke his Wit-Sec cover to be able to take Jenna with him. Even then, there were glimpses of his wise cracking self but this is new to both of them. Having never dealt with a serious Deeks, neither had an idea on how to deal with the situation.
Since Sam arrived grumbling about Deeks, both Kensi and Callen dreaded their arrival in the bullpen, half expecting Deeks and Sam at each other's throats. Sam looked visibly annoyed but Deeks was still maintaining the same calm façade. Callen placed Marty's lunch on his desk. Deeks glanced at Callen and muttered a quick thanks before returning to his work. Callen glanced at Sam with a gesture to follow him and walked away from the bullpen. Knowing how much weight a decision like turning down a job offer carries, Kensi quietly opened her lunch container and ate her lunch but still kept a critical eye on her partner.
Callen led Sam into the backyard. Callen pondered over how to breach the subject as they seated themselves at the small picnic style bench in the backyard.
"What's up, G?" Sam asked, concerned about Callen's behavior.
"Do you think I am a good Team Leader, Sam?" Callen questioned.
"What makes you ask that question?" Sam was caught off guard with the question.
"Just thinking." Callen replied, keenly observing his partner.
"You're a very good Team Leader." Sam replied as he tried to understand the question. He knew that Callen wouldn't ask him such a question without any hidden agenda but failed to understand what it was. To add to that Callen had his game face on making it impossible for Sam to read Callen's thoughts.
"Somehow I doubt that assessment." Callen replied.
"Why?"
"Simple really. I am the Team Leader but my Partner doesn't trust me enough to tell me that he doesn't trust another member of my Team. When I am not trustworthy for my partner to tell me things like this, how can I be a good Team Leader?" Callen asked looking straight into Sam's eyes. Sam balked.
"Did Kensi tell you that I don't trust Deeks? I didn't mean it that way she took it, G?" Sam tried to explain
"Doesn't matter how you meant it. The only thing that matters is the message you sent across." Callen's voice took an authoritative tone. Sam was searching for words, trying to understand what had happened.
"I've noticed this before but thought you would man up and patch things up with Deeks. But you haven't. Why the hell don't you trust Deeks?" Callen questioned harshly.
"G, even you." Sam tried searching for words.
"Yes, I am questioning you, Sam. What has Deeks ever done to you to deserve such a treatment?" Callen questioned, maintaining the same authoritative tone.
"C'mon G. He's always slacking off, flirting with Kensi, flirting with everyone in a skirt for that matter, never takes the job seriously. He's always behind on the paperwork, whines over paper-cuts and hang-nails. For Christ's sake, he was shot to get to Kensi. He's got bad tradecraft, G. He's not good enough to continue with us." Sam tried to reason.
"He uses flirting as an interrogation technique. Hell we've known Kensi longer than he did but he's the one who reads her better and knows her better. He's got thrice the paperwork we've got and equal field work as we do but have you ever heard Hetty questioning any delay in his paperwork. Yes, he was shot to get to Kensi but we didn't make it to the hospital in time. The fully fit LAPD officers didn't make it to Kensi in time. The only one who did was Deeks with two bullet holes in his chest and he saved her. That tells me he's more than good enough." Callen shot back rendering Sam speechless.
"As the Senior Agent in the Team, it's your job to train the others if there are any shortfalls. If they don't seem to be improving, your job is to keep me informed of the problems. I've never seen anything to that effect other than the lecture Deeks received when he was in the hospital. You say he's got bad tradecraft but he got the drop on you, not the other way around. Isn't it? Now you tell me why I should trust you when you can't deliver on your responsibilities." Callen questioned.
"G, are you questioning by abilities. I am trained Navy SEAL and an ex-CIA operative and was recruited for OSP." Sam barked.
"Who recruited you to OSP?" Callen asked a simple question.
"Macy did…the both of us. You know it." Sam was surprised at the question.
"Do you know why were you recruited?" Callen questioned.
"Because of my superior training as a Navy SEAL and a CIA Operative." Sam replied looking at Callen oddly.
"No." Callen replied, not elaborating on his answer as he put his soda to his lips.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'NO'?" Sam growled.
"You were brought into OSP because I refused to join OSP without you." Callen replied. Sam looked at him incredulously.
"You want to know what Nate's assessment of you was." Callen questioned. Sam continued to look at Callen with the same odd expression.
"I quote, 'Sam comes across as an uptight individual who likes to see things in Black and White without any grey areas and OSP is all about working in the grey areas. He suffers from a Superiority Complex stemming from his past as a Navy SEAL and tends to forget that his Navy SEAL days are over and he is a part of a much bigger team. My opinion is that he is unfit to join NCIS OSP. He would serve better either as a Navy SEAL or a NCIS Special Agent at a Field Office.'" Callen elaborated on his earlier statements. Sam blinked and remained speechless as the façade he had of his role in NCIS OSP came crashing down.
"Kensi was assigned to NCIS just as Dom was but Hetty handpicked and recruited only one person that I know of. Do you want to guess who that is?" Callen questioned again. Sam shook his head in the negative.
"Deeks. We never needed a LAPD Liaison Officer. Hetty wanted Deeks to join us as a Special Agent and even offered him the job over two years ago." Callen answered his own question.
"So, he's slacking off for two years to make a decision." Sam spoke finally but his voice was down several octaves.
"No, he's been trying to earn your trust. When you made it clear yesterday that you wouldn't trust him, he returned his job offer." Callen replied. Sam's mouth fell open.
"I never cared about how any of us were recruited into OSP since we worked well as a Team but your outburst yesterday has already caused cracks in this team. You know I trust you but if I have to make a choice, I would always pick Hetty's judgment over yours, hell, I'll trust her judgment over anyone else's including my own. Hetty has started looking for Deeks's replacement. But knowing Hetty, she would delay it as long as she can. Fix this trust issue with Deeks because if we lose Deeks… I don't even want to think of the consequences." Callen treated Sam like a subordinate for the first time since they've known each other.
Callen left Sam to think over his actions and what his action must be and returned to the bullpen for the difficult part, convincing his most stubborn Team Member to remain on the Team. Callen sighed deeply and made his way to Hetty's desk.
"Mr Callen." Hetty greeted him with her ever present smile.
"You and I both know this is not the time for smiles, Hetty." Callen replied as he seated himself in the chair in front of her.
"Ah! I take it, the job as the Team Leader has finally caught up with you." Hetty commented as she looked at the weary expression Callen was wearing.
"You could say that. I just had the most difficult conversation I probably will ever have with Sam." Callen replied as he tried to scrub away the weariness by physically running his hands over his face.
"I sense that you have another one coming." Hetty stated. That was going to be one conversation he isn't willing to have.
"Yeah, with the most stubborn but genial and laid back looking guy I've ever met." Callen sighed.
"I did tell you that I will give you the best agent you can get but only if you know how to manage him." Hetty replied.
"Oh yeah! I thought partnering him with Kens would help our cause in hiring him." Callen commented.
"Mr Deeks may appear interested in physical pursuits but you and I both know he isn't." Hetty replied. Callen nodded in agreement.
The revelations of the day weighing heavily on him, Sam tried to come up with reasons to not trust Deeks. Callen's revelation tells him that NCIS thought Deeks was better than him. How could that be? He's not an ex-special forces member, not a trained federal agent, not a trained CIA Operative. Sam thought.
You're doing it again honey; thinking that just because you've received better training, you're better than others. Michelle's voice rang in his ears. Sam shook his head hard to clear his thoughts. In all the time he had known Deeks, there was only one instance of bad guys getting to Deeks or rather targeting him to get to Kensi. If he scraps that, there was never an instance of Deeks failing the team.
There was that instance when he went off the grid and rogue to get the human traffickers. That tells everyone that Know Deeks about how deeply he cares about human life. In the debriefing document, Hetty mentioned that the only motivation for Deeks was that underage girls were being drugged and sold as sex slaves. How could I even think that he could bring some danger to my kid? Sam questioned himself. Hoping to make things right with Deeks, Sam entered the building as Marty's phone rang.
"Deeks" Deeks voice rang through the bullpen.
"One minute" Deeks said into the phone before standing up and looking around for a private spot. Finding none, Deeks headed out of the bullpen towards the lockers. Hetty and Callen exchanged glances. When Deeks returned from the lockers, his shoulders were more tensed than before, Jaw set rigidly and his face was unreadable. Kensi stood up as her face took on an expression of concern. Deeks took his weapon off the drawer of his desk and placed it in the waistband of his jeans.
"Deeks!" Kensi called as he headed towards Hetty's desk. Deeks resolutely ignored her voice and stepped up to the Operations Manager.
"I have to go." Deeks simply stated and even before she could respond, Deeks was moving quickly towards the Mission exit. Kensi stepped into his way to demand an explanation.
"Deeks!" Kensi questioned.
"Kensi!" Deeks requested her to move.
"Where are you going?" Kensi stood her ground.
"None of your business!" Deeks replied firmly.
"The hell it isn't. I'm your Partner." Kensi yelled.
"Only for NCIS business." Deeks replied sternly and stepped around a stunned Kensi.
"Mr Deeks!" Kensi's intervention gave Hetty the time to catch up with what is happening. Deeks turned around to face the Operations Manager.
"I demand to know what's happening." Hetty stated.
"It's none of your business either." Deeks replied with a sternness that unnerved Hetty and stunned everyone into silence. No, she wasn't intimidated. She was surprised by the brazenness and the determination in Marty's attitude. No one has ever spoken to her in that manner since her early days as a spy. The only people who could do that and live to tell the tale were her superiors.
Sam was astonished to say the least. The only time he got away with something like that was when he was undercover at the funeral parlor. From what he had seen in the past, Deeks was too afraid of Hetty to even talk in a raised voice.
By the time everyone in the Team recovered from the shock of a harsh treatment meted out to Hetty by Deeks, he was gone. Callen was the first one to react. "Kensi! Go after him." He ordered as he took steps towards Ops with Sam and Hetty hot on his heels.
Kensi called from the Parking Lot. "Deeks left his car and I don't know where he is."
"Nell, triangulate his phone." Callen ordered.
"It's in the Parking lot." Reported Eric. When everyone in the Ops looked at him. "What?" Eric looked at them incredulously and continued, "Kensi, I am calling his phone." Eric informed and dialed the familiar number. "Ok, it's ringing." Eric informed Kensi.
A few rings later, Kensi found the phone. "Found it." Kensi informed the members in the Ops.
"What was the last number he received the call from?" Callen questioned.
Kensi checked the phone logs and read the number out. Eric set himself on the task of finding out to who own that number. As soon as he got the details, he displayed the details on the big screen while Kensi arrived in the Ops.
"Meredith Christian, wife of Paul Christian, mother of two children. The family resides in a small town called Bristol in Wisconsin." Nell read the details out loud.
"Hmmm….This is interesting." Eric muttered.
"What is it Mr Beale?" Hetty questioned.
"The details of this family are available only from 2008." Eric commented.
"Are you thinking what I am thinking?" Kensi questioned Callen.
"Wit-Sec identity?" Callen looked at Kensi before turning to Nell.
"On it." Nell accepted the unspoken instruction as she used her credentials as an Intelligence Analyst to find out the true identity of the caller.
"This gets even better guys. The call originated from a cell tower near LAX." Eric reported.
"Ok, here are the true identities. Meredith Christian is actually Carolyn Fisher, wife of LAPD Detective Patrick Fisher who is now known as Paul Christian." Nell reported.
"Relationship with Deeks?" Kensi questioned.
"Nothing available here." Nell replied.
"Do we know why a LAPD Detective was put into Wit-Sec?" Sam questioned.
"It will take some time to get those details, even with my security clearance." Nell replied, tapping a few keys.
"Or we could ask LAPD for details." Hetty commented, looking meaningfully at Eric. Eric nodded at her and put in a call for Lieutenant Bates.
"Bates!" An irritated voice came over the speakers.
"Mr Bates, Hetty Lange from NCIS." Hetty replied, surprised at the irritation in the Lieutenant's voice.
"I don't have time for this. Have Deeks handle whatever is bothering you guys?" The Lieutenant's voice sounded even more irritated.
"I would if I find him, Roger. He received a call and took off. I was wondering if you know anything about that." Hetty tried to keep her voice as genial as possible.
"Dammit! Fisher must've contacted him." Bates mumbled.
"How did you figure that?" Callen questioned.
"Agent Callen?" Bates questioned.
"Yes Bates. What makes you think that Fisher, whoever it might be, has contacted Deeks?" Callen asked.
"I am not stupid, Callen. Only a distress call from Fisher can make Deeks go off the grid." Bates replied with a small smile. Everyone in the room was surprised to hear the smile in his voice.
"What makes you think Fisher is in distress?" Hetty questioned.
"The reason for him being in Wit-Sec escaped from San Quentin yesterday and has already killed two US Marshals." Bates replied. Nell immediately set to work and displayed the details of the escaped inmate on the large screen.
"Are you talking about Adam Campbell?" Kensi questioned as she read the rap sheet.
"Yes, both Deeks and Fisher were undercover to bring him down." Bates replied.
"Can we get the details of the case? We would like to help you on this one." Callen requested.
"You can do nothing on this case. Deeks will bring down Adam Campbell again and the Fishers will be safe. The most you can do is try to find Deeks." Bates replied with a confidence in Deeks that surprised everyone in the Ops center.
"Can you give us access to the case files?" Hetty questioned.
"I'll send you everything I have on Adam Campbell but trust me when I say that you will not find Deeks unless he wants to be found. Good luck with whatever it is you want to do." Bates replied and hung up.