"Morning all." I said, as I entered the bull pen. I pause for a moment when I saw a box on my desk. From the look on Sam's face the box has been there since before they both came in, but what is it doing here now? "There's a box on my desk." I said, pointing at said box.
"Mind like a steel trap." Callen said.
"More like a mouse trap." Sam said.
"Mm-hm." Callen said.
"One that would break both of your necks." I said. Sam and Callen both stared at me, but I didn't give them room for a rebuttal. "That looks just like the box Kensi got a few weeks ago." I said.
"Check the shipping label address, Deeks." Sam said.
It took me a few moment to realize it, but Sam and Callen are both curious about the contents of the box as well. "Wait a minute. That is the box Kensi got a few weeks ago. What is it doing on my desk?" I asked, walking over to my desk, placing my bag on a nearby stack of shelves.
Sam and Callen were just staring at me, and then I asked. "This was on my desk when you came in this morning?" I asked.
Sam and Callen just stared at me, and I just shook my head at the stupidity of the moment.
"I put it on your desk." Kensi said, entering the bull pen.
"You put it on my desk?" I asked, playing stupid. "But it's your box."
"And now it's yours." Kensi said.
"My box?" I asked.
"Yes, it's yours." Kensi said.
"Just to clarify, you're giving me your box?" I asked.
"Uh-huh." Kensi said.
I looked at Callen and Sam, and then said. "Okay. What's in it? What's in the box?"
"Open it and find out." Kensi said.
"Listen, is this some sort of, uh, devilish trick that's payback for me snooping? Because I didn't do it. I didn't Google the sender of said box in question."
"It's not a trick, Deeks." Kensi said.
I didn't say anything. I just pulled out a knife, flipped open the blade, and prepared to cut the tape. I stopped for a moment. I looked between my coworkers, and paused for a moment locking eyes with Kensi. Something about this box doesn't sit right. And then I realize the importance of said box, and what it means to the woman who I'm currently having a staring contest with. My emotional barrier breaks, and badly. Callen and Sam don't see it, but Kensi does. I cover by playing a game of my own.
"Oh, I see what you're doing." I said.
"What?" Callen and Sam asked.
"What I'm doing?" Kensi asked.
"I know what you're doing, and two can play that game. I'm not playing your reindeer games." I said, with a sly smile as I closed the knife.
"Whatever." Kensi said.
"Just a little reminder Kensi, I've already played this game before. Granted it was a few thousand years ago, but I've already play it." I said.
Kensi, Sam and Callen all gave me a baffled look, and then we heard Eric whistle.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
While Sam and Callen were out of state working the case, Kensi and I go traipsing the woods looking for a known terrorist's shoes. I find it kind of odd that a terrorist was find dead without his shoe, but we found out later that the shoes had been removed to cover the killers track. The reason I'm remembering this moment is because it pertains to the conversation from earlier.
"So do you want to tell me what that was about this morning?" Kensi asked.
"What was what about this morning?" I asked
"Don't be stupid. You know what I'm talking about." she said.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I said.
"You're not going to tell me why you paused this morning before opening the box?" she asked.
"Why should I?" I asked.
"I'm your partner. You can tell me anything." Kensi said.
"Kind of like you're not going to tell me what's in the box." I said.
Kensi rolled her eyes. "Oh, when Callen and Sam ask, and they're going to ask, you can tell them I was talking about my wife." I said.
Kensi's mouth fell open when I mentioned my dead wife. I know she doesn't feels bad about me guessing about what's in the box, which is back at OPS sitting on my desk, but it never occurred to her that she was invoking strong feelings about a woman who has long passes on from my life.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
OPS: bull pen-
I shake the box trying listen for any kind of sound that might give me a hint of what's in the box.
"You can always open it." Kensi
"Or you could just tell me what's inside of it and why you gave it to me." I said, after dropping the box on my desk.
Kensi didn't budge, which I wasn't expecting her to do, but you have to give credit for trying.
N.C.I.S. L.A.-
OPS: bull pen-
Kensi and I were in cubby hole adjacent to bull pen, with two members of Red team.
"What's in the box?" Dave asked.
"Wow, that is a fantastic question. Why don't you ask my partner? Not that she is gonna tell you." I said.
Kensi took a deep breath, and exhaled. "I forgot his birthday. I felt bad, so I decided to get him something that he's always wanted more than anything else in the world." Kensi said.
I blink for a moment, schooling my features. Kensi got me what I always wanted. To be married to my wife, or doppelganger seeing as how she's a dead ringer for her, and to have children again.
"Cool. Claire gave me socks for my birthday. They gave me a rash." Dave said.
Claire's face contorted in bewilderment, and then said. "You already had the rash, Dave."
"But it got worse. They're warm socks, though." Dave said.
I smile to school my features even more because Kensi doesn't need to know the kind of pressure that I'm under. I'm not ready to tell Kensi about wanting the life I lost when I died. I know that Kensi can't handle that kind of pressure. So until Kensi is ready, I'll hide that part of my life. Even if it means remaining silent when I should say something. "You really did that?" I asked.
"Open it, find out." Kensi said, and walking towards the desks.
I smile, and then with a straight face I ask. "What if you got it wrong? I mean, because life doesn't get any better than this moment right now because everything I ever wanted is inside this box, right?"
Kensi had a slight smile on her face, but kept silent. "There's no real reason to open it then, is there?" I asked.
"Nope. There isn't." Kensi said, and then walked away.
"It's not socks, is it?" Dave asked.
"I'm just gonna put it up here." I said, even though Kensi couldn't hear me.
I went to go find some place to be alone. I wanted to be alone, but a short, petite, red head was waiting for me when I got to the armory.
"Nell." I said.
"Deeks." Nell said.
I took a seat, and then fell silent.
"Ashono." she said
"Yeah, Jo." I said.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"No I am not." I said, and then began to cry.
Jo walked up and gave me a hug, and I hug her back. Jo let me cry myself out, as she gently rubbed my head. "Is it something Kensi did?" she asked.
"Kensi unwitting said that she got me something that I wanted more than anything else in the world." I said, breaking the hug.
"What is so bad about that?" she asked, wiping my tears.
"You know why." I said.
"To be married to Kensi again. Sorry." Jo said.
I gave Jo a watery smile, and then she hugged me again.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
OPS: bull pen-
Two weeks later, Sam and Callen were in the bull pen working on reports when they heard. "All right, Kensi just pulled in behind me blaring My Chemical Romance, which means she is not her cheery, chipper self. So I think we should play it cool."
I saw Sam look up at me mid speech, while Callen was still absorbed in whatever report he was working on.
"Deeks, I always play it cool." Sam said, as I placed my bag on my desk.
"I'm actually playing it aloof, which is the antisocial version of cool." Callen said, looking between his report, his computer, and me.
"Okay, so if I'm cool and you're aloof, what does that make you?" Sam asked.
"Enigmatic?" I asked.
"No, no. Hetty is enigmatic. You are puerile." Callen said.
"Charming. Handsome." I said.
"Otiose. It means pointless." Sam said.
"I'll remember that the next time you need saving." I said.
"The day I need saving—"
I cleared my throat when Kensi walked in, and then took a seat. Kensi just glared at us a few seconds, and then asked. "What?"
"What? Nothing. We were just—Nothing." I said.
"He thinks you're in a bad mood." Callen said.
"Pssh. And we're supposed to play it cool." Sam said.
"I'm actually playing it aloof." Callen said.
"Thanks, guys. Good looking out." I said, shaking my head.
During that whole spiel, Kensi had taken a seat at her desk. Kensi took a breath, and then said. "Well, if you must know, I've killed another house plant. That's fourteen one since July." Kensi said, the anguish was written on her face.
"Wait. That's it? That's source of your sourness?" I asked, not quite sure if I heard my partner correctly.
"It was a cactus." Kensi said.
Callen had a witty retort, but stopped mid-thought. Mystified, Callen asked as he looked at Kensi. "You killed something that thrives in Death Valley?"
"I went back to get another one, but, oh, the guy cut me off. He actually took my picture to put it behind the register." Kensi said.
"Ha, ha. You have a mug shot at the nursery?" Sam asked, chuckling. Sam looked up at me, and then I chimed in. "For crimes against cacti?"
"She is a serial plant killer." Callen said, returning his attention back on the report he was writing when I came in.
"Ignore them. It's not your fault." Sam said, with a grin on his face.
"No, I'm pretty sure it's her fault." I said.
"Well, not unless it was suicide. Did you photograph the crime scene?" Callen asked, looking up from his report at Kensi.
"Why would you guys make me feel this way?" Kensi asked.
"It's the job. If you worked behind the desk, and had normal hours all of those plants would be alive right now. Probably." Sam said.
Kensi played it off by agreeing with Sam, but I was fight back a laugh. "Yeah, it's the job. Ha." Kensi said.
"Yeah, we have to give up certain things to do what we do, you know?" Sam said.
"Right. Like my dream of a home-grown oregano garden." Kensi said.
Excuse me? I thought, but said. "You don't even cook."
"I would if I had my own oregano." Kensi corrected.
"I supposed if I worked nine to five, my evenings would open up for other things." Callen said.
Knowing that the conversation was over, I turn to Sam and asked. "What were you going to say about me saving you, Sam?"
"Yeah. I was going to say, before you so rudely interrupted me, that if the day came that I needed you to save me I would hang up my gun." Sam said.
"I have a hook right here for your gun." I said.
Sam didn't get a chance to respond because Eric whistled from the balcony.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
Kensi and I were out checking a suspect's house, when Kensi asked. "Why did Sam make that last remark hanging his gun up?" Kensi asked.
"Because Sam doesn't like me." I said
"Well if you show him that photo—" she started to say.
"Kensi, showing Sam that photo from World War II would change nothing. My hair wasn't like this until years after that photo was taken." I said. "The only way Sam will truly like me is if I was to practically sacrifice myself for him."
"Please don't." she said, looking at me.
"I'm not going to let myself get kill, but I'm just saying. I've proved myself dozens of times over, and Sam just doesn't care." I said.
"Tam's opinion of you shouldn't matter. Only mine." she said.
"Tam? Who's Tam?" I asked.
"Tam—what? I said Sam." she said.
Oh, crap. I literally just heard a conversation that I had Kenzie play out in my head. "Sorry, Freudian slip." I said.
"Uh-huh." she said.
"You don't have to believe me. That's no skin off my back." I said.
"But back to the point at hand, Sam will warm up to. At some point in the future." she said.
"#truesstory." I said.
Kensi just stared at me, but she as doing her best not to laugh at my joke. We continued to search the place, but nothing of note stood out. Well until Kensi found a note pad with a symbol I haven't seen in a long time. I don't know why that symbol looked familiar, but I took a picture and decided to investigate it later. Little did I know that that symbol would come back to haunt me later. I look at the symbol again: it was of a trident surrounded by flames.
N.C.I.S. L.A.
OPS: Ops-
Kensi and I walk into Ops, and then upload all of the pictures that we took. Kensi and I were sent to investigate a man that was interacting with sailor that is currently serving, so most of the photos were pretty standard. But it was the trident picture that stood out.
"Where did you see this?" Callen asked.
"Office on the second floor." I said.
"What was so special about it?" Sam asked.
"Not sure, but I've seen that symbol before." I said.
"Do you know what it means?" Sam asked.
"Do you think the person left it for you to find?" Callen asked.
"I don't think so." I said.
"Don't think so, but it's a possibility that it was left for you to find." Callen said.
"I'm not sure whoever sent, or left it, knew of my involvement." I said.
"Where did you find that God awful thing?" Hetty asked, entering Ops.
"It was at the suspect's residence. What is the significance of the symbol?" Callen asked.
"It was the symbol of the enclave that I ran a long time ago." Hetty said.
I think back to the walls of the place, and I remember the trident surrounded… "No it wasn't." I said.
"Excuse me." Hetty said.
"The trident surrounded by flames is a rogue group that I was hunting. You sent me after them just before they hit the enclave." I said.
"That's right. I remember now." Hetty said. "It would seem some had survived."
"I track them to western Russia, and killed one man, but didn't finish the job. I fled to Japan after that." I said.
"You went to Japan?" Sam asked.
"Why do you ask?" I answer in Japanese.
"Just wondering." Sam said.
"Mr. Beale." Hetty said.
"Track their movements, and keep you apprised." Eric said.
"You got it." Hetty said, as she exited Ops.