Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews/favorites/follows! :)
*** This chapter is in reference to NCIS LA Season 1 Episode 2 titled "Fame". Some dialogues are from the show.
Happy to hear from you. :)
Chapter 9
"Do you think he likes it?" Kensi whispered at the man on her side while her gaze was on the dog in her front, sniffing his newest toy.
Deeks looked at her incredulously. "Are you kidding me? Look at him, he won't be putting that ball down anytime soon. He loves it."
"Really?" She asked, turning to him. "The doctor at the vet clinic said it's soft enough for his teeth and for your walls and furnitures too."
With the ball in between his mouth, Monty's attention turned to her.
"I'm glad you like the gift Monty." She said, bending over to rub the dog's ear with her fingers. "I think he likes me, Deeks." She sensed when he leaned on her more and closed his eyes. Kensi squatted, her hand not leaving the dog.
Deeks watched the scene before him with longing in his eyes.
His partner arrived at his place 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled time. He heard the doorbell rang and strode towards the front door with Monty, who no matter how many years had passed had somehow remembered 'Belle', joining him in frenzy.
As soon as the door was wide enough, Monty let out an excited bark before throwing himself to his surprised partner. The dog made several licks on Kensi's face. Although clueless, she laughed wholeheartedly at his antics. Deeks removed the mutt on her seconds after, apologizing for ruining her appearance. She dismissed his sorry as she fixed herself. To his disappointment, Kensi thought that the toy in her pocket was what the dog got thrilled. He watched as she brought out an soft indoor ball for dogs and offered it to Monty, who took it without a blink.
He swallowed an invisible lump down his throat. "We need to go, Kensi."
It was clear that she didn't recognize her own pet but he hoped that Monty's added presence would trigger something in her. Deeks still had no idea what happened to her and how come she had forgotten the life she shared with them. He started doing his own research about amnesia but so far it wasn't very helpful and couldn't answer his series of questions.
Deeks decided that his wondering could wait, the most important thing was she was in his life again and he would do anything for it to stay that way.
"Didn't know you're tuned-in to the likes of Aubrey Darva." She casually commented with a smirk on her lips.
Winning the coin flipping of the day, Deeks glanced at her from behind the wheel. They were in her Cadillac on the way to the crime scene. The briefing in Ops informed them that a Lieutenant Brian Roth sailed a car off Mulholland Drive early that morning with two bullets in him. Eyewitness stated that he was still alive when he went over. The car that he was driving belonged to an Aubrey Darva. To the surprise of the team, Deeks identified the woman as 'the Aubrey Darva', one of LA's famous socialites.
"Yeah, it's part of my job." He replied.
Kensi nodded. "You do have an interesting job, Deeks."
"You could say that again. But I bet yours isn't boring too."
She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I have my moments."
"What made you join NCIS?"
Deeks noticed how she stiffened on her seat, hesitation flooded her face in an instant. He waited for her answer. Thinking she won't respond, he backed down. "You don't have to tell me, Kensi, if you don't want to. My reason in becoming a cop isn't as typical as you might think."
"It wasn't about the uniform?" She asked, eyes wide feigning disbelief.
He laughed. "Why am I not surprised you think of me that way?"
"Could be because you know Aubrey Darva?"
"It's my job, Kensi." He tried to explain. "When you're undercover in the street, you have to know all these facts, the who's who, stuff like that."
She rolled her eyes but didn't comment. Silence filled the vehicle while he drove.
"One day, Deeks." She uttered in a quiet voice. "I'll tell you my reason why I am here one day."
He nodded, respecting her decision. "Okay."
Deeks tried to hide his shock at the look of the woman striding towards him. She had grown up beautifully, he now noticed. Her long dark hair was in a high ponytail, her eyes were smoky from the eyeshadow, her lips were glossy. The silver dangling earrings on her were contrasted by the black mid-thigh dress that was hugging her body perfectly. He noted that she had no problem walking on a pair of black high heel boots.
"She really is a grown up now." He murmured.
"What?" Busy with putting her essentials to her black clutch bag, she was oblivious to her partner's perusal but had heard his words. She glanced at him. "What is it? Am I not dressed right for the night?"
He quickly shook his head no. "No, you look good, very beautiful. I-I mean, you'll fit in."
When he first saw Kensi again at Hernandez's party, it never occurred to him how much time had passed. Despite seeing her made up and also in a black gown that time, he immediately thought of her as his teenage friend 'Belle' and not as a federal agent. Looking at her now, realization crept in him and made him aware that the once skinny dark haired girl from 12 years ago was now the competent and trained NCIS Special Agent Kensi Blye.
"Are you ready, Kens?" Callen, who entered the bullpen with Sam, asked. Like her, he was donning an expensive suit over a signature long sleeves.
Kensi nodded. "I am."
The team was about to go to Balm, the hottest club in Hollywood. When they arrived at the crime scene that morning, they found out from the blood stains on the door handle of the vehicle, that Roth was shot before he got in the car. Examining the body, they noticed a door stamp for Balm on his wrist, giving them clue to where he had been the night before. The need to locate Aubrey was their next tasked when they saw her belongings still in her car. A torn pink fabric from the dress she was wearing last night was also found inside.
While Callen and Sam interviewed Roth's buddies from the Navy, Deeks and Kensi went to the Darva residence hoping to interview the socialite. Aubrey wasn't in her house, to the surprise of her stepfather who they talked to. A BOLO was quickly put on the now missing socialite. From Callen and Sam's interview, Roth's buddies confirmed that they were at the Balm last night and saw Roth left the place with Aubrey.
Ops Center managed to recover an audio from the SOS system in Aubrey's car. Out of Roth's dying sentence, the words 'King' and 'Club' were what they only understood. The victim's voice was weak and almost inaudible. Guesses were traded by the entire team until they came up with a conclusion that the 'Club' could be Balm and the 'King' could be a person or a kingpin. Assuming Aubrey was a kingpin's girl and out of jealousy the said kingpin shot Roth, the plan to find the missing socialite at the Balm was made.
Callen, Kensi and Deeks would visit the club while Sam would stay with Roth's buddy in the boatshed. Deeks mentioned his familiarity with the club and its trend, disclosing to the team that the only way they could get inside was money.
"So Deeks, how did you talk Hetty into handing over a card with $50,000 limit to G.?" Sam questioned.
"There's a trick somewhere." Callen guessed.
"It's gotta be a trick." Kensi was sure.
"No trick. I just asked nicely." He acted nonchalantly, hiding the truth that Hetty threatened him with a letter opener if more than $5,000 was charged to the card. He wouldn't tell them that the older woman also made him sign as the guarantor. "I think I'm becoming her favorite."
Grinning boastfully, Deeks exited the bullpen, leaving the three agents stunned from his answer.
After recognizing Deeks as 'Tim', the bouncer let them in. Inside, 'Tim' introduced his companions to his sort of girlfriend Sapphire. The curly haired woman offered them the best seat in the house after learning that Callen was the son of a Russian oil businessman.
While scanning the place, Kensi saw Aubrey standing across from her, talking to several people.
"I don't believe it." She exclaimed to herself. "Callen, my 12 o' clock." Calling her teammate through the earpiece she was wearing, she pinpointed the missing socialite.
Callen and Deeks' eyes followed her gaze.
"Aubrey Darva. Alive."
"And well enough to party."
The three subtly studied Aubrey from their position while exchanging theories to what they were seeing. When she was approached by a man known to many as the mad Armenian, they moved to finally question what she knew.
They took position when she began striding towards the comfort room.
Kensi stood with her back against the wall and waited for the socialite to pass by her. Trying to blend with the crowd, she brought out her cellphone and started browsing it.
Aubrey was only a few feet away from her when Deeks mumbled through the earpiece.
"I'm gonna call you Fern, okay?" He said as he came near her.
...I'm like a fern...
...So from now on, I'm going to call you Fern!...
...Don't you dare call me Fern!...
'What the-?' Kensi shook her head, trying to pull herself together from the influx of what seemed like memories of her and another person talking. She looked at the worried eyes of her partner, standing a few steps away from her, gazing at her intently.
"Are you okay?" He mouthed.
She nodded, opting to forget what just happened and focus back to the case. "Don't you dare call me Fern!"
Deeks smiled and glanced at the approaching socialite. Taking more steps to get closer to his partner, he said loudly. "Fern, baby girl! It's been a long time."
"Not interested."
Raising a hand and placing it beside her head, he trapped Kensi. "C'mon, I got a special."
Swatting his arm heedlessly, she freed herself. "Excuse me."
Deeks watched her walked away and followed Aubrey to the bathroom. For a moment, his mind went to the feeling of her body almost pressed against his. That hadn't been the first time they were in that position. They danced together during his senior prom. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him when he saw her again for the first time in 12 years. They danced that night too. But tonight, it felt different. She felt different against him. She felt right. It felt right. And Deeks couldn't figure out why.
"Kensi's at the Darva mansion." Deeks uttered, his eyes not leaving the picture of the man he saw yesterday at the Darva residence. The man they now knew as Hassan Al-Jahiri, one of Saddam's top generals, the King of Clubs from the Iraq War fugitive cards.
It was already the next morning when they finished questioning Aubrey Darva in the boatshed. The team found out that Roth spent the night with her in her house but when she woke up hours later, he was gone. Thinking that it was just a one night stand, she didn't bother looking for him but was saddened that he left without a word. She left her home with a friend who woke her up at 8 and they went to the spa.
The men went back to OSP while Kensi accompanied Aubrey to her house.
In Ops Center, the team was brainstorming to what could lead Roth to being shot. Sam left the room but went back minutes later with a deck of cards in his hands. Figuring out that Roth words were not saying 'club king' but 'King of Clubs', he showed them a special deck of cards issued to all the sailors and soldiers who went to Iraq.
Deeks easily recognized the King of Clubs as the man he saw yesterday in the Darva residence where he went with Kensi trying to look for Aubrey. Panic filled him thinking of his partner being alone with a dangerous man.
Callen called Kensi's cellphone and tried to warn her about Hassan but she had already caught on the fact that their victim was shot in the house. Deeks held his breath when she slyly hinted that she was in the room with their suspect. The call ended with Callen telling her they were on their way.
"Let's go. What are we waiting for?" Deeks nervously voiced out, not wanting to waste any more time.
His anxiety must had been plastered on his face because he saw Callen, Sam, Eric and Nell exchanged curious looks.
"Deeks, Kensi is an experienced agent. She knows what to do. She's trained for this. Trust your partner." Sam calmly explained.
He wanted to argue, wanted to tell them that he knew she wasn't new to this kind of danger and that he was aware she was skillful and capable to do her job. Deeks wanted to reveal that she wasn't just his partner, she was someone special to him, she was his friend. Kensi was a friend he lost but found again. And he had no plan on losing her again.
Letting out an exhale, he acquiesced. "Okay."
"Are you alright?"
He was about to put his laptop on the bag when he heard Kensi's voice. "I'm good."
"You seem off."
Deeks shook his head, not bothering to look at her. "I'm just tired."
"Okay."
He wasn't alright. He was actually far from it.
They arrived at the Darva mansion 15 minutes later after leaving OSP. Shots were fired as soon as they were seen. Seeing Kensi on her knees with a knife pressed against her neck brought out a strange feeling from him. For a moment, he was sure he was about to lose her again. It was new to him, the emotion, the feeling of being helpless while she was in danger, Deeks had never felt that sense of overprotectiveness for another person. Just the mere thought of her in pain and of someone hurting her, his heart painfully tightened in his chest. He was protective of her before when she had no idea of who she was, when she was just a teenager. But this time he could sense the difference. It was more intense, more powerful.
Kensi held herself together. She skillfully freed herself from the man gripping her. Deeks watched as she knocked the man out. Sam was right, she knew what to do. She could take care of herself but it didn't lessen his worrying.
"So, Fern?" She asked, eyes locked on his, one eyebrow raised, arms crossed on her chest.
Deeks froze in his action and finally glanced at her. She was standing in front of his desk, bag already on her shoulder, looking ready to go home. Raking his free hand through his hair, he tried to hide his discomfort. "Uhm... about that..."
"I'm like a fern."
"What?" Deeks' blue eyes turned from the television screen to the teenage girl who sat herself beside him on the couch. He noticed a hardbound book in her hands.
"I'm like a fern, Deeks." She repeated seriously.
Thinking she was about to explain her statement, he kept silent and waited.
It was late Monday night and dinner ended hours ago. His parents had already retired for the night in their room while Deeks decided to watch a movie in the family room until he was sleepy. During dinner, he heard Belle asking Roberta about borrowing some books from the house library to bring to her room. Roberta answered positively, not hiding how happy she was. She didn't even hesitate to voice out that the library was finally being put to good use before throwing a castigating glare to her son.
The Brandel residence was one of the largest in their town, with a total of 6 bedrooms, 4 1/2 toilet and baths, a wine cellar in the basement, a library, and a state of the art kitchen specifically designed according to his mother's liking because she loved to cook. The library located near the dining area were housing numerous books from his parents' collection accumulated over the years. Both loved to read, one of the traits that Deeks obviously didn't inherit.
With Belle coming into their lives, she unknowingly brought balance to the family. She had been the daughter Gordon and Roberta always wanted but unfortunately never had. And in her three weeks stay with them, she had become Deeks' confidante, a person he shared his thoughts and dreams with, no matter how senseless he deemed them to be. But she would contradict his beliefs, telling him that every dream matters, no matter how small or big it is. She would chide him for belittling himself before wisely reminding him that one person's success began with having a single dream, believing in it, and making it true. Hearing her utter those words to him with conviction, he found himself commending her wisdom and believing her.
It wasn't hard trusting the amnesiac girl, Deeks considered. Belle was genuine. She could be frank and up-front. Her outspokenness was something he admired secretly because he couldn't be as honest as she was. Living with the kind of father like his, Deeks had learned to hide his true emotions. What Gordon says, he must do. No questions, no complaints. Being real to your feelings was something he didn't figure out how to do.
"Look at this, Deeks." She handed him the book she had in her hands. It was opened to a certain page.
He quietly took it and gazed over the page. There were several paragraphs defining and describing the plant fern. He read them while she looked at him expectantly.
"Ferns are an ancient family of plants—which first show up in fossil records from a time over 100 million years before dinosaurs walked the Earth. In fact, ferns grew before flowering plants existed. Long ago, people couldn't explain how ferns reproduced since they lack flowers or seeds."
"See?" She tried to confirm after he finished.
"You think you're like a fern because..." Deeks didn't know how to finish his sentence.
Belle rolled her eyes. "Didn't you get it?"
He shook his head no.
She let out a frustrated exhale. "Nobody could explain how ferns reproduced. Like me, no one in this entire town knows how I ended up here. Like a fern, you can't explain my existence."
"But like a fern, people had their questions answered at the right time. They discovered that ferns reproduce from spores." He argued.
"It's been three weeks, Deeks, and still without a clue. No hit from the cops. We got nothing."
"I know you're getting disappointed, Belle. But I'm sure we'll have our answers eventually. And you know what? You really are a fern to me." He said with a smile.
"Why? Because of my unexplainable existence?"
Deeks ignored the blatant sarcasm in her voice. "Have you read the bottom part of the page?"
She glanced at the book and read the last sentence. "According to the symbolic meanings of plants, the fern stands for "sincerity"."
"You are the most sincere person I know. You tell what's in your mind. You are honest with your feelings without offending the others, Belle."
Her face brightened from his words.
"So from now on, I'm going to call you Fern!" He added, happy that her mood had lightened up. "Ouch!" Deeks cried when her closed fist landed on his arm.
"Don't you dare call me Fern!" With a huff, Belle stood up and went upstairs, bringing her book with her.
"Goodnight Fern!" He yelled at her while laughing uncontrollably.
"It's alright, Deeks. We'll trade secrets at the right time." Kensi acquiesced when he didn't reply. With an understanding smile on her lips, she walked away.
Putting his bag over his shoulder, he quietly followed her.
When they were almost at the door, he whispered loud enough for her to hear. "Sincerity."
She stopped in her steps and turned to him.
"Fern symbolizes sincerity." He begun explaining. "This thing between us, our partnership, I want it to be real. No matter how many roles we have to play for our job, I want to be true to us, Kensi."
She nodded. "I want that too."
He beamed. "So from now on, I'm going to call you Fern, okay?"
"I told you not to call me that!" Exasperated, she punched him on the arm.
"Ouch!"
