I was asked for a sequel to 'Used To Be' where Deeks starts his trek to becoming a lawyer once more. I hope you guys like the new story!

Warning: None

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Slipping into the courtroom Deeks sat in the back row hoping that no one had noticed him entire. He didn't know what the case was about, but it was just common sense not to interrupt court proceedings.

When no one turned around to glare at him he let himself relax a bit and look for the woman that he had been searching for. It had taken a little bit of work online to get him the information, but he had gotten it.

He was just glad that he hadn't had to do much more than ask Hetty what the name of the lawyer she wanted him to work with was. He had said that he wanted to look her up online and see what she was all about. It would be surprising if Hetty hadn't known what he was doing.

If she did though she hadn't said anything. Something that he was glad for. This was something that he needed to do in his own time. Considering how long it had already taken him he was surprised that he had decided to go out that day.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be a lawyer. He had loved it while he was there. Law had been his first passion. The idea of going back to it was one that made him smile just as much as it made him want to run in the opposite direction.

Truthfully, he had no idea why he was so scared of it. No, that wasn't right. He wasn't scared of being a lawyer again. He was scared of everything now. There was nothing that didn't make his heart speed up just a little bit.

It didn't matter though. He was there already. He was in the same courtroom as Alice Quinn was. All he had to do was wait until they had a recess or lunch and he'd finally be able to talk to her about everything.

That didn't sound like a bad plan to him. If he was going to join her at the firm, and he still wasn't sure he was, he wanted to get to know her a bit. Just to see what type of person she actually was in the long run.

The internet had been fairly helpful with that so far. There was quite a bit of information about Alice Quinn on her firms website. Which wasn't saying much considering how easy it was to plant information online.

At the moment he knew that she had been a part of the Marine Corps before she had retired. There was nothing that said what had happened to make her leave, but she was too young for it to have been anything good.

She was a friend of Hetty's though. That pretty much guaranteed that she was a good person with one hell of a tragic back story. Oddly enough that didn't actually make him feel better. It made him wonder just how much that story had effected her.

Now that he thought about it he knew that being there wasn't his best plan. Especially since he hadn't said that he was going to talk to the woman. In reality he hadn't woken up with the idea of going to see her.

It wasn't until Callen was dropping the kids off at school that he decided that he wanted to meet her in person. So he got the information from her website, she really shouldn't give her whereabouts out on the front page.

Deeks still wasn't sure why he hadn't told Hetty or Callen what he was doing. It wasn't as if it was a secret that he was thinking about going back to law. Still, he had walked out of the house with D.D. saying that he had something he had to do.

The more he thought about it the more he realized just how stupid it was of him. Not just because if something happened to him no one would know where he was, but because of everything that was going on between him and his husband.

He and Callen weren't in the best place at the moment. The last thing that he should be doing was adding to that by going on secret meetings with a person that he didn't even know. Yet he had lied and left without a warning.

At the moment his husband was at home alone with a list of chores that needed to be done around the house. Something that he had pretty much demanded to have as soon as he got home from dropping the kids off at school.

Apparently, Callen wanted to be super dad while he was at home. Not that Deeks was going to fight him on that. He had been doing practically everything from cleaning the house to fixing the car on his own for awhile.

It was nice having some time to do something that was just for himself. For the first time in a long time he wasn't thinking about his kids. He was thinking about what he needed. With no small amount of guilt on his part.

He knew that he had to do it though. It hurt like hell and he felt like he was abandoning his family, but he had to start his life again. He had been at a standstill for so long and now that he was aware of it he knew he couldn't go back.

Now was the best time for him to do something for himself. That started with him talking to a person that might be his future boss. Anyway, it was just one meeting. It wasn't a promise to do anything. It was him giving himself a chance.

Taking a deep breath he looked around the courtroom only to notice people leaving. He quickly stood up and scanned the room for Alice. He needed to talk to the woman before he lost the nerve to do it at all.

From all the photos he saw of her he was able to find her rather quickly standing by the desk putting things into her bag. Steeling his nerves he slowly made his way to her. For a moment he simply stood there before a pair of rick chocolate eyes turned to him.

"Alice Quinn?" he questioned out loud wishing he had asked Hetty if she knew how to sign.

He hoped the she would look his direction and give him her full attention, but her lips started to move while she was staring down at her bag. Sighing he stood there waiting for her to stop long enough to finally look at him.

"...Sorry," he just caught as she lifted her head.

"I didn't catch any of that," Deeks stated calmly though his stomach felt like bricks were in it.

"Was I talking too quickly again? I do that when I'm in a hurry."

"I honestly don't know. I'm… You're Alice Quinn, right?"

"Yes, I am she."

"Good. I'm Marty Deeks?"

"Ah. Oh! Oh, okay! You're Hetty's friend. I'm sorry I didn't… Do we have a meeting that I forgot to write down?"

"No. No, we don't have a meeting. I was… I'm just trying to decide what I'm doing."

Blinking a few times the woman stared at him before an understanding smile came to her face. With a nod of her head she finished packing up her back. For a moment he tensed thinking that she was going to start talking again, but she didn't until she was looking at him.

"I remember that feeling," she offered nodding her head," I'm done in court today. Do you want to grab some food with me so we can talk? Maybe I can help?"

"That sounds good," he agreed with a chuckle, "If you're not busy that is."

"Are you kidding me? I haven't eaten at all today. You're saving me from starvation. There's a good pizza place down the street?"

"Lead the way."

Alice gave him a smile before starting out of the courtroom. As they walked Deeks sent out a little prayer that the woman wasn't talking. He didn't know just how much Hetty had told her. Though he doubted that his deafness hadn't been brought up. It was an important fact.

It did make him wonder why she hadn't brought it up. Most people that he met usually asked a few questions about it or at least stared at him before moving on. It always felt a bit like he was in the zoo as soon as people found out.

The walk didn't take all that long luckily and soon they were in line for their food. The nervousness that he had been feeling seemed to grow as they waited. No matter how many times he did it ordering food, or talking to people in general, made him feel uncomfortable now.

Licking his lips he took a step forward and tried to push all those thoughts away. He had only ever had a few problems since he lost his hearing. As long as he stayed calm everything usually turned out fine. And if not he could always go back to hiding under a rock for the rest of his life.

It wasn't until there were only a handful of people in line before him that he looked over at the lawyer. He felt himself stop when he saw that she was already looking at him. Cocking an eyebrow he stared at her trying to figure her out.

That was when he noticed that glazed over look. It was the same one that he saw on Isabelle half the time. She wasn't staring at him at all. She had gotten lost in her mind. It would have been amusing it he didn't feel so awkward. Maybe he should have had Hetty come to prevent that.

"Sorry," Alice offered with a small smile before she reached out and smacked herself on the head, "Oh I forgot!" she continued not just speaking but signing the words as well. "Hetty told me you were deaf. Would you rather sign or talk out loud?"

"Sign," Deeks replied glad to stop talking, "If you don't mind."

"Not at all. You'll have to excuse me if I mess up a little. I'm not the best at ASL. It's actually why I'm hoping you'll join my firm."

"I have two kids that had to learn sign while they were trying to learn how to speak. I know how to translate bad sign. Wait… What do you mean you want me for my sign?"

"What did Hetty tell you about me?"

"Nothing really. Why?"

"Let's order first. Then I'll explain the job offer."

Nodding his head Deeks turned to the cashier no longer thinking about the nerves that he was feeling. Instead he was thinking about the lawyer's words. It seemed that she had a plan already in her head.

That was not what he had been expecting. In his mind he thought that Hetty was calling in a favor to get him there. It wasn't a stretch for Hetty to not tell him everything though. In fact he should have expected it.

It wasn't long before they were sitting at a booth in the back waiting for their food. The awkwardness seemed to follow them and he was really starting to hate that. He was a people person. AT least he had been.

Taking a deep breath he focused on the woman in front of him. For the first time since he met her he let himself look over her. He never would have guessed that the woman had been part of the military. She acted nothing like the other military people he met.

"Let me explain a bit about myself," Alice signed with a slight smile though her eyes were serious, "I am a retired from the Marine Corps as a Sergeant. I spent twenty years serving my country and I loved every second of it. If I had my way I would still be there. That choice was taken away from me three years back when my convoy was attacked.

"I don't fully remember what happened the day and doctors say that I may never remember. All I know is that I lost some of my men and I lost my health. It wasn't until I was transported back to the states that I realized just how badly I was injured. I was on some damn good drugs. Still, it wasn't the most pleasant time of my life. Though I think you might understand that."

"You might be right there."

"In case you weer wondering, Hetty didn't tell me how you lost your hearing. Just that you did and that you would understand what my firms mission was."

"I'm not sure I understand what the mission was, but I was curious how much you knew about me. Especially since Hetty didn't tell me anything about you."

"You have to hate Hetty sometimes."

Cocking his head to the side Deeks couldn't help but smile. It felt like he was transported back to when he was first teaching his kids how to sign. Sometimes the little mistakes they made were just too funny.

"I don't think that's what you meant to say," he signed causing her to stop and stare at her hands.

"It wasn't?" Alice questioned looking back at him, "What did I say?"

"H A T E. You said you have t Hetty sometimes."

"Oh. Yeah, that was not what I mean. I always get those two confused. I meant you have to love Hetty sometimes. Sorry about that."

"It's okay. It's kind of like auto-correct. You get some pretty good laughs out of the mistakes."

"I imagine so. I've been taking sign for almost two years now. I'm pretty good, but sometimes I get confused."

"I know that feeling. It took me a lot longer than I like to admit to learn it myself. Though I probably would have gotten it sooner if I had actually tried."

"My doctor's told me that when I first got my prosthetic. I refused to learn for longest time. I didn't want to admit I needed it."

"You have a prosthetic?"

"My left leg. In the attack I was telling you about I was injured quite badly. I lost my left leg. The bone was so crushed that they weren't able to save it. I also banged my head up pretty nicely. To this day I still have bad days where I'm in such pain I can't leave my bed. Then there are of course the seizures. Those have luckily stopped for the most part, but I can't work in the field anymore. It's too much of a danger to myself and others."

Deeks stared at Alice as she explained her situation. He never would have been able to guess that she had a prosthetic leg. He could see why Hetty had thought that they would get along considering what they shared.

"And that lead you to law?" he asked as their food was placed in front of them.

"No," she shook her head, "Surprisingly enough I already had the law degree. No, the thing that made me want to use my degree was the trouble I had getting my leg. I knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but looking at the bill that I was getting, even with my insurance, I would never have gotten out of debt. If it wasn't for Hetty getting me the papers that I needed to work out the legal jargon myself I probably wouldn't have this leg at all. I started my own firm because of how I and military personnel and police officers are treated in hospitals and insurance companies."

"I've heard some horrors stories. Even had a few before I joined NCIS. The first time I took a knife to the arm. It wasn't more than ten stitches, but it was a lot of money that I didn't have. My insurance took care of most of it. That was actually one of the first questions that Hetty asked when I started to work for her. She changed my insurance company."

"Hetty takes good care of her people. She knows how to make people afraid of hurting what's hers. I'm not surprised that she changed it. Your old policy probably didn't cover what happened to you."

"Probably not. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a Hetty."

"No, they are not. They do have me though. I understand what they're going through. So do you."

"You think I can help them?"

"I know you can."

Alice looked so sure in that moment that Deeks couldn't help but shake his head. He understood where she was coming from and he wanted to help her, but he wasn't as blind as he used to be about his abilities.

As much as he wanted to join the fight and help the victims that were still being hurt he knew that he wasn't he best person for the job. Even if he was able to connect with the people on a personal level.

"Alice," he signed shaking his head, "We both know that I can't get in front of a jury. As soon as I look at a translator or ask someone to repeat their words they'll know I can't hear. No matter what I say or do after that all they're going to be able to think about is the fact that I can't hear. It doesn't matter how good I am in that room our case will fall apart as soon as they realize I'm deaf."

"You're wrong," Alice shot back instantly, "I don't know that that's what will happen. Look, Marty, I get how difficult this is. I've been where you are. I've refused to do things that I could do because I got stuck in my own mind."

"I'm not stuck in my own mind. I'm just not naive."

"I'm not naive. I know this will be hard for you, but don't tell me you can't do something because you're scared. You can not want to do something, but you can do it. And if you don't want to do it that's fine. You can be more of a background player and we'll get someone else to do the work in the courtroom.

"Look, I get where you're coming from. I do. You're finally starting to shake off the numb feeling right? You're starting to get angry now. At yourself. At your family and friends. At everything and everyone. It doesn't matter if you know them or not. It's their fault what happened to you."

"I was doing my job. I got hurt. No one to blame but the bastards that set off a bomb."

"Does that actually make you feel better? Rationalizing it like that?"

"Of course not. That also doesn't mean I wouldn't do it again."

"So would I. I lost a lot that night, but I've never regretted it. That doesn't change the fact that I lost. I lost my leg. I lost of career. I lost myself. I had my entire life taken from me. Just like you did. Just like my clients did. They don't have someone like Hetty. They don't have the chances we do."

Seeing the fire in the woman's eyes Deeks couldn't help but want to join her. She was right. He had been given a chance not many had. If it wasn't for Hetty and Callen he know that he wouldn't have made it a month without his hearing.

"I'm sorry," Alice offered after a moment, "I'm being pushy. I don't know you all that well, Marty. I don't even know if you like being called Marty, but you haven't stopped me so I'm going with it. I'm not trying to tell you what to do or not to do. I'm telling you that you survived and that you can help others survive as well."

"You really think I can help?" he replied staring at her.

"You understand them and what they're going through. That puts you ahead of the curve. Yes, Marty, I really do believe that you can help them."

"I need some time to think about this. I'm not sure I'm ready."

"That's fine. Take your time. I know that this is a big decision to make and you shouldn't rush. You know how to find me. Even if it is only to talk to someone who tomatoes."

Deeks couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud at that. He could feel the eyes of the other people in the restaurant looking at him, but he couldn't help himself as he stood up and placed some money on the table.

"You really need to take a few more classes on ASL," he stated with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Alice questioned looking between him and her hands.

"Talk to you later, Tomato."