To the guest who gave me the 2 words-make it to the epilogue-you'll like it
As Kensi and Deeks entered OPS they got the 'is it ok' eye from everyone. In response Kensi simply
held up her hand which had Deeks attached and their fingers intertwined. Everyone let out a big sigh as Deeks
took front and center. "Ok, here is what Ray told me. I didn't know much about his dad past his name and he
was an even bigger bastard than my dear old ghoul. What I found out was that the 2 of them-our dads-were
best buds until Ray's dad married Judy Martz. My dad wanted her in the worst way and she wouldn't give him
the time of day. Ray was afraid this information would hurt our friendship to answer that question Eric. (Eric
gave a sheepish grin and nodded) They would hang out at the local bar 'The Dew Drop Inn' yes really you
can't make that up. It still exists on Main Street in Resida. Anyway, since my dad was older than Ray's they
called him Ray Sr. like an older brother might be called. Once we get the DNA confirmation we can go hunting.
Hetty, does it serve any purpose to exhume the body in ITS grave?" They all noticed how Deeks referred to his
dad. They, Kensi included hadn't realized the extent of Deeks feelings towards his dad. They made a mental
note to treat that area and subject with kid gloves and to keep an eye on their friend if he did have to confront
dear old asshole.
After a pause to absorb how he spoke about his father her answer was "even if it doesn't help us it will
give some family closure they may not have. I will handle that and if there is any reason to relay any findings I
will advise all of you. Now, where do we go from here? Mr. Deeks do you know of any aliases your father ever
used or names he liked to use even as a joke?"
After a minute of silence "sorry Hetty I got nothing. I honestly know very little about him except the
image of him coming at me with a shotgun and mom stepping between us every time he got drunk which
was every other night it seemed like. I never wore a short sleeved shirt or T shirt till I was 15. Phys. Ed. in
school was always embarrassing. The teasing was the worst. But it made me immune to most forms of crap.
Anyway maybe there is something in my head Nate could find that I blocked out but I got nothing sorry guys.
Ah Eric, I never followed up but have you found anything on Kaleidoscope on that Jeep that was following
me?" everyone else in OPS, Hetty and Granger included, were sickened by what he had said. It was amazing
that he was still standing and the man he was. A whole new respect was forming for the Shaggy surfer.
"Shoot, no, let me check. If I get anything I'll call on the coms. I'm sorry, been chasing anything I
could looking for your dad and digging into lots of 'you don't wanta know' data bases looking for something."
"All I can ask Eric, thank you" was Deeks honest reply.
The agents left for the bullpen and Hetty went to start the exhumation process. Once in the bullpen
Deeks leaned back letting out a deep breath. Sam noticed the worry in his eyes and the sag to his shoulders.
Reaching over and placing a hand on Deeks shoulder he said simply "Shaggy, you good?"
"Huh, oh yea, just guess I didn't realize how much that son of a bitch could still affect me. I thought I
was over those feelings." After pausing for a minute he went on "I need to blow off some steam and start
working out again. Sam you wanta give me a whipping?" Sam's head snapped up and Deeks was grinning
saying "sorry really poor choice of words. You wanta provide the opposition?" Sam grinned and nodded. He
had been looking forward to seeing how much Deeks had learned and improved basis what he had heard. G
and Kensi gave each other a more nervous glance. Both wondering if it had a been a Freudian slip that the
agent had made like a flashback to his time with his dad. They all had concerns about the man they called
friend. They were afraid he was looking to get a beating. Anxiously they made sure Eric gave them the
feed to the gym in case they, especially Kensi needed to react quickly.
15 minutes later both men were in their gym clothes when Sam asked "how do you want to play this?"
Deeks response was instant as he finished putting on gloves and headgear. Let's just go at it. Use any-
thing you want and so will I. Just like some thug on the street. That work for you?" Getting a nod the 2 men
began circling. Meanwhile not wanting to be too obvious, Kensi and G and raced up to OPS. The wonder twins
were there and Hetty and Granger wandered in like they were mind readers. What they saw had all of their
jaws hitting the floor. For almost 30 minutes the 2 men went at it with punches, kicks, grappling holds and
escapes yet neither one had gone down yet or managed to gain a solid advantage. Finally after about 40
minutes Deeks finally made a mistake and let Sam inside his perimeter. When Sam finally pinned him and
Deeks tapped out the room just gasped at what they had seen. Did Deeks really hold his own or was Sam
going easy. On screen Sam helped Deeks up, tapped gloves with him then put an arm around him as they
walked into the dressing room for a well-deserved shower. Sam was talking as they walked but they had no
sound so no clue what was said. The people in ops dispersed so they didn't get caught and were back in the
bullpen as there partners came walking in talking and laughing.
"How'd it go Sam? You turn Deeks into a pretzel? You guys must have gone several rounds" said G, a
look of serious curiosity on both he and Kensi's face.
After a pause and looking at Deeks Sam broke into a huge grin and simply said "don't mess with him
unless you want your ass kicked G. Took me the whole time to pin him and I wasn't takin' it easy. He might
even give his partner trouble on the mat" immediately looking guilty at the double meaning of those words.
After a quick second of shock Kensi started smiling. She didn't say a word as she looked directly at Deeks.
He simply nodded. Their ESP was still in working order. Then a smile crept over his face. The rest of the day
was spent looking for anything that might give them a lead or hint. Eric did confirm that the DNA was a familial
match to Deeks so now they knew for certain who was hunting Deeks and it opened up the real possibility that
he might be after Kensi also. Marty took Gordon's wife away so to speak, he might try the same thing with her.
"Kensi, we need to move out of your parent's house. I don't want to risk putting them in harm's way with
someone following me or us. Not after the way they took me in and treated me. We need to move out after
tonight. Shouldn't take much. Just a few suitcases worth. We can do it tomorrow, hopefully leave here a little
early. That way we can explain it tonite. We need to decide how/what we want to tell them. He got a smile and
a nod of agreement from his partner.
They spent the rest of the day trying to find Ray Sr. anywhere in the system. Deeks said he thought
he had an old pic of his dad he would bring in to give them something to work with. Deeks also spent time
listing names on a pad of paper of friends of his dad and different things he might use as an alias. Nothing
was jumping out at him and he was getting frustrated, tired and edgy. "I'm gonna go kill some paper guys.
Need to blow off a little steam and think. Be back in time to head out partner."
Ok, good place to stop. Let Deeks burn some ammo and let off steam. How we doin. Still likin' it?