Season of Change
Disclaimer: I own nothing, just borrowing my favorite characters.
Chapter 21
Sam was completely caught off guard by Deeks' claim. He shot a glance to Callen. His partner's face showed surprise as well.
"What the hell are you saying, Deeks?" Sam demanded, not at all happy about the turn this was taking. "Gibbs is recruiting you both?"
Callen was pulling his phone out. He was feeling very much out of the loop and the sudden urge to touch base with Hetty was overwhelming.
Sam reached out and kept Callen from dialing.
"Hold on, G. Let's hear what he has to say first," Sam said calmly.
Callen held on to his phone, but dropped his hand to his side and looked at Deeks intently.
Deeks swallowed hard, rolled his eyes and then began, "Gibbs approached me about something he wants help with," he began.
Pausing, as if not sure what to say next, he changed direction. "I worked a case with his team on Friday and Saturday. He says they wouldn't have closed it as quickly as they did without my help. Personally, I thought he was just trying to be nice, but-"
"Don't do that, Deeks," the team leader ordered the detective, "If Gibbs gives you credit, trust me when I tell you, you accept that. Gibbs wouldn't say it if he didn't mean it."
"Fair enough," Deeks nodded. "I may or may not have jokingly asked Gibbs how to get on his team - you know, meaning with Tim, Tony and Ellie. Gibbs pulled me aside and started asking me all these questions."
Sam and Callen shared a quick glance.
Deeks continued, "He told me Director Vance gave him the green light to hand pick a team to deal with a credible threat. He wants me on that team. He wants Kensi, too. If I had to guess, that's probably why he wanted to talk to her."
Callen looked shocked, maybe a little offended. "Who else is on this team?" Callen urged.
Deeks grimaced and looked away.
"Deeks?" Sam prodded.
"I've said too much already," Deeks nodded his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything else except this - I'm not leaving our team and neither is Kensi. We both work this for Gibbs and then we'll be back home."
"How can you be so sure Kensi will agree to do this?" Callen asked with a bit of skepticism, but relieved to hear it was a one time deal.
Deeks' jaw clenched tight. "Once she talks with Gibbs, she'll be on board," he finally answered.
Sam shook his head in disbelief. "Can you two even work together right now with..." Sam waved his hand, not sure what to call what was going on between Deeks and Kensi.
Deeks smiled slightly, cocking his head to one side. He spoke slowly, "We are partners. I have her back, she has mine. Regardless of what is going on with us, uh... personally..." Deeks stopped for a moment, as if what he was thinking clarified something about them in his mind, "We uh, we are better... Yes, Sam. We can work together."
Deeks looked his friend in the eyes, nodding slightly, wondering if Sam caught the double meaning of his last sentence.
Sam smiled back, a knowing look in his eyes.
Kensi pulled the door shut and looked to Special Agent Gibbs. She wasn't sure, but she thought he may look a bit unsettled. Maybe it was the pain in his arm, still hanging pretty much useless in the sling Ducky had put it in.
Gibbs smiled at her and nodded, "Agent Blye," he greeted her.
She smiled back, not sure what to expect from the former Marine. He grimaced slightly as he put the car in gear and pulled away.
"How's the arm?" She asked him, genuinely curious.
He chuckled. "Ah, still hurts like hell. Duck says to give it a few more days."
She watched him as he drove, his eyes constantly checking the street ahead and glancing in the rear view mirror. It was a little unnerving to her, but she finally decided that was just his thing. Always expecting something.
Darkness had fallen quickly on this cold December night. It took her a while, but as they continued to drive she realized he was not heading back to the office.
She glanced at the man behind the wheel again. "Where are we going, Agent Gibbs?"
Gibbs gave her a quick look, a smirk showing in the glow of the dashboard lights.
"Relax, Blye. And it's Gibbs," he paused, "Or boss," he smiled when he saw the confusion on the female agent's face.
Kensi shook her head, her lips closed tightly. "Right. Gibbs," she said, somewhat befuddled by the man.
Gibbs chuckled and tipped his head once before turning back to watch the road.
They drove a little longer in silence. Soon they pulled up in front of a house. No lights were showing through the windows. It appeared no one was home. Gibbs put the car in park and killed the engine. He reached across his body with his right arm and popped the door.
Without a word he got out, then leaned back in to look at Kensi.
"You coming, Agent Blye, or you planning on sitting out here all night?" Gibbs smirked.
Kensi rolled her eyes, opening her door and getting out quickly. It was becoming evident to her that this man could potentially be as infuriating as her partner. Almost.
She followed Gibbs up to the front door and was surprised when he just walked right in. The door had been unlocked and he didn't knock. She was very curious now. He flipped a light switch and tossed his keys to a small table to his right. He shrugged his coat off and hung it on the coat stand in the corner, being careful not to twist his injured arm much.
Kensi took a few steps inside and glanced around the room quickly, taking in as much detail as she could. It didn't take long for her to realize this was Gibbs' home. Her eyes grew wide when she noticed the pillow and comforter on his couch. She wondered if maybe he had someone sleeping over.
"Beer in the fridge. Help yourself. I'm going to go change," Gibbs called over his shoulder as he disappeared up the stairs.
Kensi stood still in the middle of Gibbs' living room, not sure what to think. She knew Gibbs was probably going to ask her about Deeks since she didn't get to tell her story earlier.
She took a few steps deeper into the house, stopping next to the table and chairs in the dining room. She turned to the right, noticing in the dim glow from the small lamp Gibbs had turned on that the kitchen appeared to be in that direction. She ran her hand over the wall where she thought a switch might be and smiled when she found it.
The kitchen was small and bare. She opened the refrigerator. There indeed was beer, and not much else. Some condiments, a half gallon of milk, an open package of lunch meat and a chunk of cheese was it. She grabbed a beer and started to close the door. She heard Gibbs moving around upstairs. Deciding she would grab him one, too, she reached back in for another and then let the door swing shut.
Returning to the dining room, she sat one beer on the table and realized when she went to open hers that it was not a screw-on cap. She started to head back to the kitchen when Gibbs appeared. He was now wearing tan colored cargo pants, work boots, and a red USMC sweatshirt. To her he looked odd. Of the few times she had seen Gibbs, he wore nice slacks and shirts and usually a nice jacket. It was weird seeing him in comfortable clothing.
"Here," he offered as he pulled a knife from his pocket.
She held the beers and he popped the tops off. He let the caps fall to the table and pocketed his knife.
Grabbing a beer, he motioned with the bottle. "Let's go," he said as he turned and moved away from her.
"Are you going to tell me what I'm doing here? What do you want from me, Gibbs?" Kensi was exasperated. He definitely was right up there with Deeks on how easily he was able to get under her skin. The vague answers, or no answer at all, a smirk here or a chuckle there. Yeah, she was about to punch him.
He kept walking. "Follow me, Blye," he called out as he disappeared through a doorway.
Kensi frowned and huffed out a breath. Shaking her head, she grabbed her beer and went after him.
She walked towards the doorway he had gone through moments before. There were a set of stairs leading down to a basement. Slowly she descended them. It smelled like a woodshop down here. It reminded her of times long ago when her dad would build things with her. It was comforting. She became more relaxed as the fond memories played in her head.
She caught sight of Gibbs standing at the far end of the basement, beyond a set of sawhorses and various pieces of lumber. In the dim light of the basement it struck her how much he reminded her of her father. The smells may have added to her reaction to him just then.
He had turned a small shop lamp on. He was looking through a drawer he had pulled out from a bench. After a few seconds of shuffling things around, he pulled what looked to be a small photo album out. He tossed it on the bench top and took a swig of beer.
Still facing away from her, he spoke, his voice less authoritative than moments ago. "How is Marty doing?"
Kensi's brow raised in surprise at the sudden change in demeanor. To hear this man, who normally spoke with so much authority, speak her partner's name in such a caring tone had a calming effect on her. The tension she had felt building from the moment she had taken Gibbs' call was fading fast. A sense of comfort and warmth washed over her and it had nothing to do with the beer still in her hand.
"He, um, he was awake again. He...he remembers why is here in DC," she said softly, not knowing for sure, but assuming Gibbs knew why he was really here. It seemed to her like everyone else did, so it only made sense to her that he would, too. "He was talking with the doctor when you called."
Gibbs turned to look at her over his right shoulder, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Good," he stated and turned back to the bench, flipping the album open.
Even though she was feeling more at ease, Kensi was still unsure why she was here in Gibbs' basement. He hadn't been very forthcoming with information and didn't seem to be in a hurry to end her curiosity any time soon.
Kensi sighed, taking a step closer to the silent figure on the other side of the room. Finally, her patience ran out.
"Gibbs, what is going on? Sam and Callen are hiding something from me. I think it has something to do with you and Deeks. So please, quit playing games with me and just talk. Please," she asked as calmly as she could, almost pleading.
Gibbs turned to face her, leaning back against the work bench, studying her.
"Do you trust Marty, Agent Blye?" Gibbs replied, still using a friendly tone.
The question caught Kensi off guard, but she met his gaze and nodded without hesitation. She had never been more sure of anything in her life.
"I trust him - with everything," she said with conviction.
The next question should have been an easy one to answer, but given their current situation it broke her heart a little when he asked it.
"Does he trust you?"
Kensi dropped her eyes to the floor, contemplating her reply. Kensi knew as far as the job went, Deeks trusted her to have his back, always. She knew it would take time to earn his trust back when it came to matters of the heart, though. She took a deep breath and raised her focus back to Gibbs.
"He trusts me to have his back just like I know he has mine," she said, barely above a whisper.
Gibbs nodded, knowing she wasn't fully answering the question. "But he doesn't trust you with everything, is that what you're saying?" He pushed her, wanting to see how much she would tell him.
She didn't speak, but he caught the very slight nod of her head.
He just stared at her, waiting for more. Kensi looked away for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She took a drink of her beer and then continued.
"He did before - trust me with everything," she started. She really did feel that she was going to continue spilling her guts - but before she could, he spoke words she hoped would come true but wasn't sure they ever would.
"He will again," Gibbs said reassuringly.
She scoffed, "How can you be so sure of that. You have no idea how-"
Gibbs cut her off, "Rule number five, Blye."
She shook her head, confused by his reason. "What is that?" Kensi demanded.
Ignoring her question, he continued, "Your father was a good shot. You take after him?" Gibbs took another swallow of his beer, staring at her over the bottle as he did.
Kensi's thoughts were sent reeling by Gibbs' comment. Forgetting all about her need to know about mysterious rule number five, her mind was spinning with this new revelation.
"You knew my father?" She was finally able to choke out.
Gibbs smiled, his eyes shining brightly. "Yeah, I knew Don. Knew your mom, too."
"What... How...how did you know them?" She asked incredulously.
Gibbs sat his bottle down and tapped the page he had opened the album to. He nodded his head for her to come take a look. Slowly she approached him, staring at him in wonder as she did. He smiled at her and took a step back from the bench, giving her room.
Kensi sat her beer down on the bench next to the photo album. She looked down at the old photos. One was of Gibbs and her father in uniform. Another included Gibbs, her father, and several other men. Kensi gasped when she came to the last picture. It was simply dated 1988. It showed two couples standing side by side smiling down at two young girls playing in a sandbox. It was Don and Julia Blye with Jethro and Shannon Gibbs. The two little girls were Kensi and Kelly.
TBC