Prompt: Can you do a fanfic where Fatima speaks up for Deeks to Kilbride from the last episode, explaining why he was late and Rosa's sick?
A/N: This is yet another fic for "Survival of the Fittest".
"Hey, is Rosa ok?" Fatima checked, touching Deeks' arm as he and Devin passed by. Deeks looked completely overwhelmed and frustrated. And underneath that, a touch of humiliation. He brushed his bangs off his forehead, casting a glance in the direction of Kilbride's office.
"Yes, I think it's just a cold or the flu. It's been going around the school," he said. He still sounded worried despite his reassurance.
"Still not fun. Let me know if there's anything I can do."
"Thanks, but uh, my mom's hanging out with her so…yeah, maybe check in on them every so often."
Fatima smiled, and squeezed his shoulder. "You bet."
She watched him and Rountree leave before heading back upstairs. Her disquiet returned as she reached the top landing, and instead of turning right, turned towards Kilbride's office.
Fatima squared her shoulders, talking herself down from turning right back around and marching herself downstairs. Or rather, over to OPS. Before she could act on that cowardly thought, she knocked three times on his office door.
"Come in!" he barked, glancing up at Fatima dismissively. "This better be important Agent Namazi. I am not in the mood for idle chitchat."
"It is," Fatima said, taking a reassuring breath. Hopefully Kilbride's relative fondness for her would save her from getting a similar dressing down to Deeks. "Um, so, I heard what you said to Deeks earlier. Obviously. Kind of hard not to."
"Is there a point to this rambling?"
"Yes, sir." Lifting her chin, Fatima the Admiral seriously. "I just thought that you might want to know that Rosa, Kensi and Deeks' daughter is sick today." She kept her voice neutral, as if she was delivering a fairly standard report.
"And that would be of interest to me why?" he asked, though Fatima noticed his expression change minutely at the mention of Rosa.
"Because that's the reason Deeks was late today. He had to call her off school and get his mom to stay home with Rosa and everything before he came in," Fatima answered. Kilbride snorted, once again thoroughly unimpressed.
"Just like millions of other parents have dealt with today. Yet they somehow manage to make it to their jobs on time."
The derision in his tone annoyed Fatima more than she expected. Usually, she could put herself in the Admiral's shoes enough to understand his perspective. Today thought it just seemed cruel. "With all due respect, Sir, Deeks was 7 minutes late. He could have just called off altogether."
"Are you suggesting I baby him because he's decided to take on a 16-year-old and now is facing the expected consequences?" Kilbride said and she could tell he was gearing up for another rant on certain employees' work ethic.
"No, but I'd hope for some empathy. And maybe a little bit more respect. You've been understanding with me, and the other before," she told him, knowing she was venturing onto extremely shaky ground now.
"Well, thank you for the that advice, Agent Namazi. Now, if you're finished, I believe you have work to do," he said sarcastically, holding his hand towards the door.
"Yes, Sir." Sighing, she made her exit, hoping she hadn't made things worse.
