DISCLAIMER: Not to sound repetitive, however, I do not nor have I ever owned any of these endearing characters. I am thankful that I have been blessed to play around in their worlds if only in my imagination.
A/N: OK, this seems to be a chapter that many of you have been looking forward to. This, alone, scares me. Why? Well, I will tell you... because I really like Deeks character. He has the ability to be just about as complex as Callen at times. Though I make no bones about the fact that Callen is, and no doubt always will be, my favorite. Who am I to argue with Hetty? Still, there is such great potential in having stories centered around their working together and/or friendship. Okay, I'm babbling again. My apologies. I guess, I'm putting off the inevitable. I really do hope you like it. I know as soon as I hit "post" I will think of a dozen more things I would have liked to have put in... I will just have to make use of that in another story...as soon as I can think of something to write about. Kinda bummed that there is really just one chapter to come and I will be done. That chapter is ready and since I'm rather pleased with it...I doubt I will be able to keep from posting it by the end of the weekend. Drop me a line and let me know what you think of this chapter and would you like the other one tomorrow or shall I make you wait for it...or does it really matter? LOL (tears of fear) OK okay, I will stop. Read, read, read, and then review, review, review...promise? I'm holding you to it... P.S. As I sat with this chapter, I found myself cutting and pasting things back and forth throughout the chapter...I think I managed to get all the quotation marks and such in the right places...(they tend to get lost in the process of cutting and pasting sometimes.) Let me know if you see a mistake, be kind, won't you?
"Martin Deeks. He was an interesting find, don't you agree? With everything this team faces on a daily basis. All the insane missions, the wicked people we deal with, the sad circumstances surrounding so many of our cases…. it's hard to find a reason to smile, let alone laugh. Mr. Deeks brings that to the team. That is not the only reason I brought him in, however. I had had my eyes on him for quite some time. The Los Angeles Police Dept. did not deserve him. He is alive today only because of his own street smarts. You and I both know that Deeks is no one's dummy. Plus, it can never hurt to have legal representation on the team, now can it? To just sit back and watch, you would never guess this was someone who had passed the California Bar Exam….yet he did. He stands apart from the rest of the team with his ability to find humor in the darkest of moments. It's unfortunate that he had to come in at such a delicate time as he did." Hetty explained.
"You mean….yeah that was a tough time for the team. They struggled to find their footing after that, much like they are struggling now, Hetty…and yet they did. Sam gave him a hard time, as I recall." Nate remarked.
"A hard time? Most assuredly. I'm afraid Sam wasn't the only one. If you remember correctly, Mr. Deeks first introduction to the team was while our Mr. Vale was still considered missing. The team was suffering miserably at that point. The very last thing they wanted was a new team member….even temporarily. Sam was impossibly argumentative regarding the process. His only way of dealing with it at the time was to call him 'the temp'. He even went so far as to refuse to let him sit at Dom's desk. I was rather surprised that Martin didn't run after his first day on the job. Neither Mr. Hanna nor Mr. Callen were at all welcoming of the idea. Kensi said little but if looks could kill… but after working with him side by side for a bit she became more accepting… or perhaps it was tolerating. I was very pleased when he accepted the job of liaison, though it took a bit of convincing, poor boy."
Nate remembered how difficult it was for the team when Dom disappeared. There was plenty of guilt and self-loathing floating around the bullpen in those days. Sam had felt as if he hadn't done his job training him. Kensi felt she hadn't had his back. Callen simply did what he did best… internalized his feelings and focused his attention on finding him. Then when they found Dom only to watch him die, he turned his attention to pulling his team through. Nate wasn't quite sure when or if Callen every truly dealt with any of it. He hoped so, but he doubted they'd ever know. "Having Deeks come when he did was actually a far better thing than you may have realized, Hetty… maybe not quite so much for Deeks but for everyone else. It helped them regroup, if only to deal with the new guy. Still, I'm not surprised he was undecided about joining us here. Marty is a great guy but he has some serious self-confidence issues hidden behind those wise cracks and jokes. With his background, it probably didn't help throwing him into the deep end to start. The all made it abundantly clear that he was only going to be there short term and he wasn't especially wanted."
"The only one to see through the temporary assignment was Mr. Callen. He seemed to know exactly what my plans were all long…cheeky bastard. We talked at length about Mr. Deeks. He had his qualms but as we spoke, he was willing to give him a shot because the team needed someone to not take Dom's place but fill the empty space and as Mr. Callen reminded me, he could at least defend himself. I'm not quite convinced that he wasn't trying to tell me that if anyone was to blame for Dom's death it would be me… that he wasn't ready to be an agent yet." Hetty stopped for a brief moment and gave a sad sigh.
"Hetty, you do realize that it is NOT your fault what happened to Dom, right?" Nate asked with concern.
"Oh, Nate. It is I who sends them out into danger every day. Who else is to blame if not me? However, that is not a discussion for today." Hetty replied before diverting attention back to a more comfortable realm, "Our Mr. Callen almost pulled the plug on our acting liaison after Mr. Deeks and Mr. Hanna had been tortured. Marty took a long time coming back from that, as you well know, Mr. Getz. It wasn't that Callen held it against him. Lord knows they've all been there before, some more than others. Callen just wasn't sure he could trust him to have Kensi's back or anyone else's for that matter. He, too, knew that Deeks was a bit insecure at times… that he was unsure of himself in regards to his place on the team. In order to remain he would have to get passed that or Callen would cut him loose for certain. You can't trust someone who can't trust themselves. Mr. Callen wouldn't coddle his team. He expected them to deal with their issues and move on. I heard that he had told Mr. Deeks that he didn't want him on the team any longer…" Hetty stated grimly.
"What? Are you serious? I hadn't heard that. What did Deeks do?" Nate asked.
Hetty gave a little smile when she answered, "Exactly what was needed to be done in order to convince Mr. Callen that he should, in fact, stay. He stood up to him."
"Whoa, risky move…. guess it paid off, though. After all, he's still here. Okay, so what were your reasons for choosing Marty in the first place? I mean, besides having a lawyer on call…." Nate asked, leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on his knees.
"Oh, well, I guess the whole liaison excuse is no longer valid. I had seen and heard quite a bit about our Mr. Deeks work in the field. He is quite good. He was very much underappreciated in the police department. The fact that he managed to survive half the cases he went undercover for is a miracle. The lack of back stopping they do for their undercover agents is nothing short of appalling. I was terrified I had waited too long when we almost lost him during that deep undercover operation he went on right after starting with us. I saved his life by offering him a home here. I brought him here because he had so much more to offer than what he was doing over there at LAPD. Let's just say he brought something with him that would allow him to connect with each member of the team. The last piece to the perfect puzzle. Oh, there are the little things that he brings to the table which are icing on the cake. He loves the sand and surf as much if not more than Mr. Beale. They frequently take time before work and on the weekends to go surfing together. Mr. Beale has definitely benefited from the friendship. As for Nell, they may not have had a lot in common in the beginning but they worked well as a team when Kensi was unable to be here and when she was injured recently. He lifted Nell up and helped her past the self-doubt she had in the beginning. Marty is the team cheerleader, if you will." Hetty and Nate both laughed at that. "It's true you know. How many times have you seen him just start rambling nonsense only to distract everyone from their somber thoughts. He allows himself to be the butt of the joke if it helps defuse an intense and emotional moment. For Nell, it was allowing her to shine and show what she knew in the field. He trusted her knowledge and her intuition. He turned out to be a very good mentor for her."
"How many names did he come up with for her?" Nate chuckled, "There was Nellasaurus"
"Nellverine" Hetty joined in.
"Velma" Nate added.
"Skinny mini" Hetty rebounded with a grin.
Nate thought for a moment, "Does 'Give 'em Hell Nell!' count?" he asked laughing.
"We shall call it a draw." Hetty grinned in return.
"Agreed, but remember he was the one who came up with a nickname for Nell and Eric, 'Wonder Twins'" Nate challenged.
"True, but Owen Granger came up with one as well, as I recall. 'Meerkats', I believe it was." Hetty replied with a self-satisfied smirk of her own.
"Uncle!" Nate conceded, "I agree though, Marty has been very good for Nell and Eric. I think we can all agree he has been good for Kensi as well."
"Absolutely. After Dom died, she was feeling very alone and abandoned. Every man she had cared about had left or died. At that point she believed them all to be dead… except Callen. She had been so afraid she was going to lose him when he was shot. I think she would have left NCIS had he not made it. She has always been tough on the outside but inside she was still a little girl who needed reassurance that she mattered and she was wanted and needed. I think Mr. Deeks has well filled that role for her. First as a friend and now…. Well, I don't think I have to tell you." Hetty smiled.
"Speaking of, I'm a little surprised that you and especially Callen have allowed it to get to where it has. Callen had adopted quite a few of Agent Gibbs rules everyone talks about…. I believe it was Rule 12: never date a co-worker." Nate stated.
"We spoke about it a few times. I had already warned them both about the repercussions of such an endeavor. I asked Mr. Callen his thoughts and I was rather surprised, too, by his answer. He claimed as long as it didn't interfere with the team's ability to work in the field then he wouldn't interfere in their personal life." Hetty explained.
"I guess it really shouldn't surprise me. Callen had never had a close relationship with anyone after his mother died and he was thrown into the system. We can't really even count Joelle now, can we? If anything she has prevented the possibility of him EVER having one…" Nate rambled.
"What is your point, Mr. Getz?" Hetty asked.
"Oh, sorry. My point is, Callen cares about his team. He won't begrudge anyone he cares about having something good in their lives. He wants them to be happy and for Callen I think that especially goes for Kensi. He knows how she feels. He knows what it is to feel abandoned. To see her open up to Marty, that's huge for her and says a lot about Deeks as a person. In one fell swoop he managed to garner at least some trust from Callen and win over Kensi's heart." Nate added. "Of course, Callen did put Marty on notice that he had better never hurt Kensi."
"HAHAHA, that sounds like our Callen. Well, Mr. Deeks came very close to learning all about those repercussions not too long ago… when Kensi had been kidnapped by Ferris… He was walking the razors edge. Callen kept him on the case so he could keep an eye on him. But he warned Deeks that he nearly crossed a line that would have been disastrous for the whole team moving forward from here. They talked about how he needed to keep his emotions in check on the job." Hetty stated.
"Oh really?" Nate asked.
"Yes, but it was a good conversation they had. Callen has come a long way where Mr. Deeks is concerned." Hetty responded.
"How do you mean?" Nate encouraged.
"Callen and Marty have about as much in common as they don't. They both had rough childhoods. However, Marty managed to escape the challenges that faced Callen every single day of his life. Despite being forced to shoot his own father at the tender age of eleven, Martin had managed to move past the anger and resentment that he had every right to feel. But then he was only in the system a very brief time before finally finding some semblance of a stable home life. Mr. Deeks is open in so many ways and equally lost in others. There is opportunity there for both men to learn from one another. Callen is one of the best agents out there. Marty is an excellent agent in the making. He has a promising future. After all that has happened, I'm interested in seeing Mr. Deeks and Mr. Callen work together in the field more. They are both so incredibly talented in undercover work. When push comes to shove, they are an interesting duo. Although, I must admit, I have my concerns." Hetty frowned slightly.
"Concerns? What about, exactly?" Nate queried.
Hetty looked at Nate with a twinkle in her eye, "If those two ever get past all the barriers they put up to keep others out, I could be in trouble. I would imagine they could be a case of what one doesn't think of the other one will." Hetty and Nate both laughed at that. "Still, what a delightful problem that would be." Hetty only hoped.
"And Sam?" Nate grinned, waiting.
"Sam? Sam needed someone to lighten him up! Someone to challenge him. Marty needed someone who would push him to do more and be more than he felt capable of, himself. Sam and Kensi both had the ability to do that. I'm convinced that Deeks loves nothing more than to annoy Mr. Hanna to the point of distraction. He's the pesky little brother to Sam and Callen. He knows how to get them all riled up and he knows how to make them laugh. I still remember the time Mr. Deeks had been shot and Sam took it upon himself to ensure that it didn't happen again by teaching him how to vary his movements from day to day. He was so convinced that Marty had been so poorly trained that he failed to see how Mr. Deeks had one upped him in his efforts and the teacher got schooled. Callen was quite impressed by the whole thing. I watched as Mr. Deeks beamed with pride when Mr. Callen congratulated him on his success. He is also surprisingly good at reading people…. that's the lawyer in him. We've been very lucky and very blessed with this unique blend of individuals. They are so different and yet complement each other so well." Hetty stated.
"You did good Hetty." Nate commended.
"I most certainly did, Mr. Getz" Hetty beamed, "I most certainly did."