Partners
/./ CH 11 /./
a/n: so sorry for the delays in posting to any of my stories...RL and writers block can be a real bitch at times...I also realized I never gave the name of the show I got the "dermal contact" drug reaction from...it was "The Sentinel" (the case with the drug Golden...the detective/sentinel, Jim Ellison, flicked the sample with his fingers and got it on his hands and in his eyes and had a severe (blinding) reaction; then his partner, Blair, accidently ingested it on pizza and had a severe, nightmarish reaction...)
/./././NCIS LA/./././
Callen walked into OPS still unsure of how he was going to convince Hetty to let Deeks stay on the case when he himself was torn on the subject.
"Is detective Deeks settled in at home," Hetty asked.
"Yes, Kensi has him on lockdown," Callen huffed out somewhat dejectedly.
"And you don't agree..." Hetty pressed.
"No...Yes..." Callen said in exasperation, "...it's complicated..."
"What's complicated about seeing to the well-being of one of our agents...?" Hetty asked.
"Our comms were on-line, you know what he said...how he feels..." Callen replied.
"Yes, we heard the confused ramblings of a man under the influence of a powerful narcotic..." Hetty stated.
"He may have been under the influence of that drug, but it doesn't make what he said any less real..." Callen countered, "the drug lowers the user's inhibitions, brings their fears to the surface...it doesn't pull things out of nowhere..."
"Indeed...and you think keeping him on this case is going to change those feelings?" Hetty asked.
"Maybe, he needs to know we trust him..." Callen said.
"You're right on that point, Mr. Callen; that is something we all need to be more aware of," Hetty agreed, "...however, risking his life unnecessarily by keeping him on this case is not the way to prove it."
Seeing her agent still struggling with the decision she finally asked, "Just how does Mr. Deeks feel about all of this...?"
"He agreed to step down from the case," Callen finally said.
"So, if even Mr. Deeks is cognizant of the dangers then I don't see the problem..." Hetty inquired.
"But he's not stepping down because of the danger to himself, he's stepping down because of the danger to the team..." Callen said.
Seeing Hetty's gentle smile, Callen cocked his head and asked warily, "Why are you smiling..."
"Do you know of any agent that ever thinks of their own well-being during a case..." she waited a moment as Callen shrugged his shoulders and shook his head somewhat sheepishly, "so why would detective Deeks be any different. He was willing to risk his own life to finish this case; what he wasn't willing to risk were the lives of his 'team'..."
Hetty stopped and watched as her agent worked through the logic.
"He's starting to feel like he's really part of the team...he's looking out for us now..." Callen said slowly.
Hetty nodded, "Certainly a difference from the detective's way of doing things in the beginning...when he felt he always had to go it alone...when he felt he always has something to prove: don't you think?"
"So by stepping down, he's showing us he trusts us..." Callen said.
Hetty nodded, "Now we need to show him we trust his judgment, and we need to finish what the detective started and get those bastards before they hurt anyone else."
Callen nodded.
"He may not be able to go out in the field, but he is still vital to this case. He is supposed to set up the meet with the supplier in another twenty four hours, he can help coordinate the meet from OPS, while you and Sam continue this case in the field," Hetty instructed.
... NCIS LA ...
"...tomorrow...noon at the warehouse on 7th and Houser...don't worry, Mr. Salazar was quite impressed with your product and will be negotiating the deal personally," Deeks finished up the phone call with his contact, before turning to the rest of the team in OPS, "...you're good to go..."
"Do we know yet who we're dealing with?" Sam asked.
"We've narrowed down the lot numbers of those specific chemicals to three companies who have received regular orders in the last eighteen months," Eric reported.
"Anyone stand-out at any of those companies," Sam asked.
"All employees have to go through a screening and vetting process..." Eric said.
"Maybe they missed something," Sam commented, "wouldn't be the first time..."
"Things change," Callen countered with a shrug, adding, "...they could have all vetted clean..."
Following his partners line of reasoning, Sam turned to Eric, "See if anyone in those companies have recently suffered some personal or financial crisis of some sort...or have suddenly come into substantial amounts of money."
"That's over forty people...it's gonna take a while..." Eric warned.
"Start with financials and work your way out...whatever you can find is more than we have now," Callen commented.
Eric just nodded and turned back to his computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard and screen after screen of information filtering over his monitor.
Eying Eric quickly changing screen, Deeks shook and held up his hand to shield his eyes, commenting cheekily, "that's a trip all on its own...watching Eric work...getting dizzy just watching..."
With a snort and shake of his head, Callen grabbed Deeks shoulder and began pushing him towards the door of ops, "well your 'trips' are done for the day...time to take you back home..."
"What...home...why, I'm fine..." Deeks sputtered.
Raising an eyebrow at the stubborn detective, Hetty commented, "Indeed, if Mr. Deeks is feeling so much better, he has quite the pile of after action reports in his in box..."
Raising his brow in surprise, Deeks gave an exaggerated stumble and put his hand to his chest, "now that you mention it...I'm not feeling too good—I should probably go home and rest up..."
The team just shook their heads and rolled their eyes at the detective's theatrics, while Hetty intoned knowingly, "I thought so...take him home, Mr. Callen...then we have a meet to coordinate..."
...NCIS LA...
Across the street from the apartment, the curtains in the small white bungalow were parted discretely by the long range lens of a camera...the rapid fire click of multiple shots being taken sounding through the otherwise empty house. The photographer watching the two men through the lens...
"You sure you're gonna be alright...?" Callen asked as he came around the car to offer assistance to the detective who waved him off.
"I'm fine, Callen, really...another day or two and I'll be good to go...Doc's should clear me for duty..." Deeks huffed out impatiently, catching the agent's eye he added with seriousness, "...you and Sam are the ones that need to watch your back out there tomorrow; I wish I could be there..."
"For what it's worth, I wish you could be there too," Callen replied, smirking, "but we got Kensi watching our backs..."
"Yeah, our own 'Wonder Woman' will keep you safe," Deeks joked.
Smiling, Callen threatened, "I'm gonna tell her you said that..."
Clasping his hands to his chest, Deeks said melodramatically, "What, where's the love, bro..."
Callen straightened, taking a step back from the detective and giving him a look Deeks couldn't decipher, "What...Callen, what is it...?"
When Callen continued to eye the detective, Deeks himself took a step away from the agent, "Callen, dude, you're starting to freak me out here; what's wrong...?"
"Nothing...it's just...you said...called me 'bro'..." Callen said.
"I did, must have slipped out..." Deeks said lightly, noting the strange look still on Callen's face he added sheepishly, "sorry, guess it's just, I don't know...all Marjorie's kids consider themselves brothers and sisters...and with everything that's happened...look, I didn't mean..."
Shaking out of his surprise, Callen quickly interrupted, "...no, it's all right, really...just taken me by surprise is all..."
Seeing the uncertain look still on Deeks face, Callen shook his head and gave a small smile, "not the first time I've heard it since all this came out..."
Furrowing his brow in confusion, Deeks asked, "what do you mean...someone else call you brother..."
"Hetty..."
Thoroughly confused now, Deeks reiterated, "Hetty called you her brother...?"
"No...Called 'us'..." Callen waved a hand between them, "she called us brothers...accused me of going all 'big brother' on you...of not trusting you to do your job..."
Now it was Callen's turn to note an unreadable look on Deeks face, "you know she's wrong...right...?"
Callen could have sworn he saw hurt cross Deeks face before the detective asked, "...yeah, what was she thinking...we're not brothers, not really—why would she get that idea...sorry, man, it won't happen again..."
"Stop...just stop, that's not what I meant," Callen said, grabbing Deeks shoulders.
When he got the younger man's attention he continued, "I meant, she's wrong...about not trusting you...I do, it just seems different now..."
Curious, Deeks cocked his head sideways, asking, "...different how?"
"That...in the last few months, I guess things have changed...that Hetty was right; it's not a member of my team going out there anymore, risking their life...it's more like-family...like a brother..." Callen admitted.
Callen held the younger man's gaze, gauging for a reaction, asking slowly, "was she wrong?"
The detective remained quiet, a thoughtful and surprised look still on his face as he eyed the agent and Callen began to feel a knot in his gut...'had he admitted to too much...had he pushed too hard...did he read into the slip more than was there?'
"Deeks...Marty...say something..." Callen asked.
Suddenly Callen found himself engulfed in a breath stealing bear hug, and after a moment returned the hug and patted the detective on the back forcefully, "air becoming an issue here..."
Deeks pushed Callen back so the two men could again look at each other, a large smile on his face, "I told you before...once Marjorie's kid always Marjorie's kid...welcome back-bro..."
Callen returned the smile, adding cheekily, "and that's 'big' brother to you..."
Deeks gave a melodramatic groan, "as if you don't boss me around enough already..."
Bring his hand down on Deeks shoulder, Callen just laughed as he spun the detective around and began pushing him towards his apartment, "and one of these days you might even listen..."
Across the street the curtains of the small bungalow fell closed after another round of pictures...the photographer thoughtful as he watched the two men disappear inside the apartment.
...NCIS LA...
a/n: if I'm lucky, it will be two more chapters and an epilogue to finish up this "brothers" case story...from there I have no idea if it will go anywhere else...open to suggestions...