Life, Lies and Video Surveillance
By Cortexikid
Chapter 4: Odam
A/N: So this is the "Oh damn!" chapter =] See what I did there? Ha, ha. *Crickets* Yeah okay, not my best, but I promise, the chapter itself is better than my sad excuse for comedy. I swear! *Shifty eyes* Hints of season 3 episodes "Blye, K" part 1 & 2.
Disclaimer: Just checked the funds and...yep...still a broke college student. So, clearly I don't own the 'second best rated-show on television.' Le sigh.
NOTE: Thoughts are in italics.
WOTD: ODAM; o·dam, noun. A son-in-law
Deeks scuffed his feet on the pavement and rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he stood outside in the familiar cul-de-sac, the beautiful mid-summer's day sun beaming down on him. Quickly, before he could talk himself out of it, he reached up and rapped on the door, standing up straight and lacing his hands behind his back.
After a moment he saw a colourful silhouette through the glass and planted a soft smile on his face as the door opened to reveal a middle-aged, brown-haired woman.
"Hello again, Mrs Feldman."
"Well, if it isn't my favourite LAPD Detective," Julia Feldman smiled as she saw her daughter's partner standing at her door, looking sheepish and every bit as awkward as the first day she met him.
"Uh, hi Mrs—"
"Julia, please..." she waved off the title, opening the door a little more and waiting patiently for the cop to continue. After another beat of silence she asked, "I take it you're here to see my daughter?"
Deeks' head snapped up at that and suddenly he seemed far less nervous, a determined gleam in his baby-blue eyes.
"She—she's definitely here then?" he asked, his voice still a little uncertain, his gaze bypassing Julia's head and into the house, as if his partner would miraculously appear out of thin air in the hallway.
"Because I checked all the other places she could possibly be. Her apartment, her favourite spot down by the beach, the gun range, the ice-cream parlour, that burger place she thinks I don't know about—" he broke off, realizing he was rambling and more than likely making a bigger fool of himself than usual. Not a good thing to do around Kensi Blye's mother of all people.
"And this was your last stop?" Julia enquired, teasing him.
"Uh, no actually but I—I didn't wanna intrude on...anything, I know how much this day uh...how much it affects Kensi and surely you too and I...I just wanted to make sure she's okay..." Deeks almost grimaced as he trailed off, realizing how pathetic that just sounded. Is this how guys feel when they pick up their dates for Prom? Shit. Why am I here again?
"That's very sweet of you Detective Deeks, come on in...she's out in the backyard," Julia motioned him in and lead him down the hall, into the kitchen where French doors were visible. Deeks gazed out those doors and could see in the distance, the outline of a slender woman with brown hair gleaming softly in the sunlight, sitting on a swing, her head tilted down. She is why I'm here.
The detective's steps faltered at the sight, a niggling bout of fear seeping into his veins – fear, not for himself, but for his partner and what she could be feeling...what she would feel if he just showed up and intruded on such an important day.
Suddenly, there was pressure on his upper arm and his eyes cast down quickly to see Julia's hand there, squeezing his arm gently.
"Go ahead Detective...she'll be happy to see you," she smiled, patting him lightly on back, gently pushing him closer to the door. Deeks grinned softly back, nodding his head as if mentally psyching himself up for a confrontation that may or may not happen.
"Thanks Mrs Feldman."
"Really Detective, please, call me Julia..."
"Only if you call me Marty...or Deeks, most people call me Deeks," he grumbled, feeling a little unsure of himself again.
"Okay...Marty," she shook her head and rolled her eyes in such a way that reminded him strikingly of his partner – which brought his attention back to the garden.
"Go on, talk to her...she won't bite," Julia murmured, before stepping away and sauntering into the kitchen.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Deeks muttered to himself before pulling the door open and making his way quietly down the garden path that led to the swings. Even with his near-silent footfalls, he knew that his partner had ears like a bat (literally, he once joked and got a punch in the shoulder for his trouble) and certainly heard his arrival. She didn't tense up any though, so he took that as a good sign and stopped a few feet from her.
"Found you..." he murmured, feeling if these were different circumstances, it could have been all an elaborate game of Hide 'n' Seek. Silently, he waited to see if she would look up. Now that he was closer, he could see why her head was down. She was reading from a little book – a handwritten journal of some sort, that was sitting on her lap, her fingers clasped tightly around it.
"I wasn't hiding..." she mumbled, her head still lowered, her eyes unmoving as she stared down blankly at one of the pages.
Deeks merely nodded, a sense of discomfort seeping into his veins for a moment before a little voice (that sounded not unlike Kensi herself) reassured him that this is Kensi, your partner of three years now, you can do this, she would for you.
"Can I...sit down?"
A beat of silence passed before there was an ever-so-slight nod of her head. Thankfully, that was all Deeks needed. Slowly, he took those last few steps and lowered himself down on the empty swing next to her. A few quiet moments went by as the two partners sat on the swings, one with her head still downwards, the other looking straight up at the bright blue sky above them, his feet scuffing the ground softly as he swayed back and forth, back and forth...
"I think my mom has a crush on you."
If that didn't spit him out of his reverie, nothing ever would.
"W-What? Really?"
Cerulean eyes met a mismatched brown, Kensi's head finally upright; her gaze meeting her partner's unabashedly, the small book now lying closed on her lap.
"Yep," she smirked, "you should hear her, Detective Deeks this, Detective Deeks that, you must have made one good first impression."
He couldn't decipher what it was exactly that was in her voice as she said this. Teasing he could definitely make out, embarrassment too, but there was just something...else there also, something he couldn't quite put his finger on...
"Well, I guess that's what happens when you meet someone who could possibly lead you to your long lost daughter..." he trailed off, not really knowing what else he should say, the overwhelming urge to apologize engulfing him for some reason.
"Yeah...that and you're, oh what did you say? Oh yeah, adorable," she deadpanned, not missing a beat.
Deeks chuckled softly at that. There was the Kensi he knew and lov—liked.
"Nice swing set," he murmured, feeling a change in topic was needed – more so for his sake than for hers. A soft smile broke out on her face as she cast a glance around herself, before finally reaching his eyes once more.
"I loved playing on swings as a kid...they always made me feel so...carefree, invincible when I soared through the sky and jumped off and came crashing back to earth..."
Deeks could picture it so clearly. A spirited, fearless, eight-year-old Kensi, donned in pig-tails and a 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle' t-shirt, so kick-ass even then, jumping off swing-sets without a second's thought and beating all the boys at leaping the furthest. That's my girl, he thought warmly before he could scold himself.
"I asked my mom about this one, when I first came out here. I—I thought that maybe she...had another kid but...she said that she got bought them when she first moved here...just in case I came back."
He didn't need to be a detective to pick up on the regret, sadness and sense of loss that began to seep into his partner's voice. He knew she was berating herself for never giving her mother a chance to explain, for wasting all those years holding on to an anger that really wasn't there anymore...he had to stop her from going down that path.
"And you did...come back," he mumbled softly, aching to reach out to her but controlling himself as she began to swing softly, catching up with his rhythm.
"Yeah," she half-whispered, resting her cheek against the chain, her stare tilted towards him. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence then; all that was audible was the slight creaking of the swings moving back and forth together.
The partners stayed there for a long time, right until the sun long disappeared behind the clouds and the sky darkened, evening setting in and the sound of near-by children disappearing indoors.
It was then that Deeks saw Kensi shiver slightly, but before he could suggest going inside (or offering her his jacket) she spoke softly.
"Thank you Deeks...for coming today...it means—" she broke off for a moment, her eyes downcast, before finishing quietly, "thank you..."
Still not looking at him, she reached out and rested her hand lightly on his, their swinging slowing down to a halt as he laced his fingers with hers.
"You're welcome partner..." he replied, finally catching her eye and holding her gaze for a minute, hour, forever.
Across the garden and looking out of the glass door, stood Julia Feldman, a soft, pleased smile gracing her face.
She knew the day she met Detective Marty Deeks that he was just what her daughter needed in a co-worker and friend and...dare she hope, one day, he would be Kensi's partner in every sense of the word.
A/N: So, it's like 03:11am (GMT) as I post this – I literally had to stop myself all day from posting this (I finished it last night) but I really am trying to stick to my rule of just one chapter a day...even though now I've finished 5, 6 & 7 (I'm sick and have no life at the moment) and am working on chapter 8 :-/ I still can't spoil you guys too much. Hope you liked it! It was fun to write a little more seriously...if that makes sense ha, ha! =]
Please Review – it would mean the world to me =]
~Cortexikid
NEXT CHAPTER TEASER:
"What?" Kensi spluttered, accidentally spitting at him as she took an impressively large mouthful of the sweet-tasting delight.
Deeks grimaced, hand reaching up to wipe off the flecks of ice-cream she just spat at him from off his forehead.