Season of Renewal

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just borrowing my favorite characters.

Chapter 7

October 21, 2011

It was Friday afternoon. Hetty had just released the team for the day as they had no active cases and all paperwork had been caught up and turned in. Callen and Sam asked Kensi and Deeks if they wanted to join them for a drink as they packed up their bags.

"I'm game," Kensi replied cheerily. She took a glance at her partner who was busy stuffing his laptop in his bag. He apparently hadn't heard the invitation. Kensi had felt something was a bit off with her partner all week. Their bantering, while still there, had diminished greatly and Deeks seemed distracted. Normally he spent every day flirting shamelessly with her, making rude comments and more or less driving her crazy with his nonstop babbling. It freaked her out a bit, if she was being honest, the sudden shift in his demeanor. She'd never admit it to him, but she was a little worried by the way he had been acting since the case they worked earlier in the week was closed - the one with Eva, the police chief from Loreto, Mexico. Kensi had given her partner a ton of grief over her; Deeks insisted that they had made a connection while Kensi mocked him for his claim. It had turned out by the end of the case, though, that Deeks had been right. It seemed that Eva had a soft spot for their detective.

Maybe it was her competitive streak, or maybe just because Eva had gotten a couple good shots in on Kensi in front of her partner, but she had an extreme dislike for the woman. It didn't help that Deeks had pointed out Eva had tagged her and wanted to know if she was alright. Then Callen sensed the aggression in Kensi when he and Sam pulled up and he ordered her to walk it off. Later, it had given her all sorts of unfamiliar feelings to watch Deeks comfort Eva, holding her in his arms and telling her it would be okay as she cried into his chest. It was a side of her partner she hadn't seen before. She would never allow herself to break down in front of her team. To see Eva collapse against Deeks and take comfort in him - she kind of envied the woman for that, and that took her by surprise at how it had affected her. Deeks talked a big game and acted very shallow when it came to women. To see him be so gentle and caring seemed so unlike anything she expected out of him. And the little goodbye the detective and visiting woman shared at the back of the ambulance; the ribbing Callen gave her as the three of them watched that play out - Eva giving Deeks her necklace and then kissing him goodbye, even though it was just on the cheek, had been very unsettling to her. She had no idea what was said between the two of them but as Callen had pointed out, there was definitely a connection there. Though she wouldn't admit it, that feeling in the pit of her belly was jealousy - and she had no idea why it was there. He was her partner, a very annoying partner at that, and nothing more.

She looked at Sam and then to Callen. All three then focused their attention to Deeks. Once he had his bag situated, he looked up to notice three sets of eyes staring him down.

"Uh...did I miss something?" Deeks asked cautiously as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Seriously, Deeks? You didn't just hear us ask you and your partner to join us for drinks?" Sam responded sarcastically.

"Oh, uh..." he dropped his eyes to his desk, suddenly not able to look any of his team in the eyes - most of all his partner, Kensi. "No." He looked up at Callen hopefully. "Rain check?"

Callen studied Deeks for a moment before glancing next to him where Kensi stood and then across to Sam. Looking back to their liaison, he nodded his head once. "Sure, Deeks. Rain check. Big plans you have to rush off to? Got a hot date you don't want to keep waiting?"

"Hah! Yeah...um, no. See there's this...thing, and I...uh, yeah. Plans! I have plans. Okay...so I'll uh...I'll see you guys on Monday?" Deeks stammered as he hurried away from them and disappeared down the hall.

"Well that was weird, even for Deeks," Sam chuckled as he made eye contact with his partner. Callen laughed and shook his head. Sam glanced Kensi's way and noticed her looking towards the empty hall her partner had just vanished in. He studied the odd look on her face but couldn't put a finger on what it meant. Probably because it was one he had never seen on her before. "Everything okay there, Kensi?" Sam asked, his brow arched up as he waited for her reply.

Kensi didn't respond right away, then suddenly snapped out of the trance she had seemingly been in when she realized Sam was staring at her. "What? Oh! Yeah...yeah, everything's fine, Sam," she shook her head as if to clear whatever thought she was having out of it. "You uh, you guys ready to go get that drink now?"

Sam and Callen shared a curious glance. "Sure, Kens. Let's go," Callen offered as he moved past her, hiding the smirk on his face as he rolled his eyes at Sam.


Later that evening...

Deeks' flight was actually ahead of schedule. He watched out the window as the plane descended, wondering if his ride would be there waiting for him yet. It still hadn't settled in that Eva had invited him down for the weekend. After she returned home, they had exchanged texts all week long when they could. It surprised him when she had reached out to him after the case was closed. He had been quite taken with the female police chief when he first encountered her. At the time, he thought his partner Kensi was the most badass female he had ever met. Then, out of nowhere, there's this mysterious woman they are tailing that stands up to and gives Kensi a run for her money. That is until Deeks pulled a gun on her.

Right from the start he had felt a common bond with the woman, and not just because they were both cops. He found it a little humorous that Kensi seemed very jealous of her. He knew there was no way in hell Kensi would ever admit it - and really, there was no reason for her to be jealous of Eva. They were just partners after all, and nothing more. Besides, Kensi treated him pretty badly. They all did, truth be told. Sure, he brought some of it on himself, but still. It always hurt a little more coming from Kensi, though. He wondered if they'd ever reach a point in their partnership where she would realize that without him having to say it. He seriously doubted it.

Then along comes Eva. Bold, tough, beautiful; willing to stand up for what she believed in, a competitive streak that nearly rivaled his partner's - and yet she treated him as an equal, trusted him without question almost immediately. The most surprising? Her unashamedly crying in his arms when the emotions of the case got to her. This was new to Deeks. Kensi had all the same qualities about her, and yet she was stone cold. No emotion was ever shown willingly, even though he knew inside she was torn up about something. She refused to appear weak. Eva, on the other hand, allowed him to talk her out of taking revenge for her little brother and her friends' deaths, took solace in his embrace as he spoke gently to her that it would be okay. It wasn't something that he took lightly. He was touched that she thought that much of him to be that open with him.

The plane touched down and taxied to the gate. Deeks grabbed his bag from the overhead bin and waited patiently to exit along with the other passengers. Packing light for the quick weekend getaway, he bypassed the baggage claim area and headed straight for the exit.

He had almost made it to the door when he heard her familiar voice.


Thursday evening, January 15, 2015

"Martin!"

Deeks couldn't help but smile when he her heard her call out to him. Even after all this time, to hear her call him by his full first name with her sultry accent still sent a warm feeling coursing through his soul.

He turned just in time to catch the brunette in his arms as she wrapped herself around him, burrowing her face in the crook of his neck and hugging him for all she was worth. He held her as tight as he dared, not wanting to send the sharp pains through his chest he knew were just waiting for one wrong move to reappear.

"Geez, Eva, you act like you haven't seen me in-"

"Too long, Martin," she interrupted, stepping back to study the detective's face. She reached up and ghosted her fingers over the still healing scar at his temple. Her eyes met his again for the first time in years. She made no attempt to hide her concern for him as the tears came. "You are okay?" Eva questioned him worriedly.

"I will be," he assured as he flashed her his big smile, his eyes lighting up as he continued to look at her. "Definitely doing better now."

She searched his eyes for any sign he was trying to hide something from her. Satisfied he was telling the truth, her mouth curled into a grin of her own as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"Well then, happy belated birthday! Welcome back to Loreto," she declared sincerely.

Deeks looked at her, his smile fading as he thought about what she had just said.

"Martin? Are you sure you are alright?"

He dropped his gaze to their feet for a few moments, then met her now troubled eyes once more. He chuckled as he nodded, pursing his lips. "Wow. My birthday, it was...um -"

"Last Thursday. A week ago today," she finished for him.

"Yeah," he agreed sadly.

"You don't act like you had a good birthday. What happened?" Eva demanded of him.

"Nothing," he said as he shook his head slowly. "I uh...I forgot. We were working and um...yeah, forgot."

"It's settled then," she replied as she reached out and took his hand in hers, pulling him along with her as she headed for the parking lot.

"Wait, what is settled, Eva?" He inquired as he pulled abreast of her.

"The night is young, Martin. There is still plenty of time to celebrate your birthday," she smiled up at him as they made their way to her Jeep.

TBC