Chapter 13

Nate had just sat down with a medical journal to research what he thought he saw in Marty Deeks. Deek's rapid anger to abject pain and sorrow and the return to angry worried Nate. He was hoping that what he saw didn't mean what he thought it did. Having Deeks have a multiple personality would definitely make his job harder. If the journal said what he pretty much knew it was going to say he'd have to meet with the detective sooner rather than later. He might even have to stay in Los Angeles for an extended period of time. That would put the overseas operation on hold or cancelling it outright.

Complete exhaustion kept him from opening the book. He'd just put his head back on the chair and closed his eyes when someone knocked on his door. He placed the book on the desk and called out. "Come in."

Gibbs strode in and extended his hand to Nate. "Nice to see you again Nate. Sorry I didn't make it to Macy's memorial service. We were real busy catching her killers."

Nate had known that Gibbs and his team had taken down the group responsible for her death. Macy had been a good NCIS agent and operations manager. He nodded to Gibbs and motioned to the chair across from him. "What can I do for you Agent Gibbs?'

Gibbs smiled at the good doctor. "Just Gibbs will do. I want to ask about Agent Blye and Detective Deeks. Is it a good thing for them to work together as partners? It has never worked for me or for anyone that I've ever met."

"If you ask me as an operational psychologist I'd tell you it would be the worst possible way to run a team. They should be split up. Callen and Kensi and Sam and Deeks would make good partnerships, maybe. Both Kensi and Deeks are excellent operatives on their own, but here's the thing, together they are that much more. They complete each other. It is an automatic response from one to the other. I've never seen anything like it. We had an operational manager a couple of years ago who tried to rearrange the team and while it wasn't terrible…it wasn't that great either. All the strengths of the partnerships were lost." Nate met Gibbs gaze. "I have to say that since Kensi has been hospitalized Deeks has been strange. That is what I am researching now."

Gibbs just chuckled. "You were researching the inside of your eyelids. Where'd she bring you back from this time?"

Nate shook his head. "I would like to tell you but it's classified."

Gibbs laughed out loud. "Just kidding with you. I don't have a need to know. You just need some sleep. Grab a quick nap. We aren't heading out for a while. Eric is finding someone for me and then we'll go."

Callen poked his head in to say hello to Nate. There was the obligatory man-hug to go with it. "Sorry I didn't know that you had someone in here with you."

Nate pulled away from the man hug. "No need to worry. Agent Gibbs and I were just talking shop. What can I do for you Callen?"

Callen gave his standard shrug and motioned for all to sit down. "What's on your mind Nate? You avoided the bullpen and came up here, want to share?"

Nate knew that Callen knew everything about everyone on his team. He grinned across his desk at the team leader. "Can't hide anything from you can I?" Nate picked up the journal he'd almost fallen asleep over and gazed at the page. "Deeks is bothering me. One minute he's Marty Deeks and the next he's someone that I don't recognize. That someone is sinister, dark and closed to all those around him. I feel like I'm missing something and I don't know how to work it through for him. There is something more than Kensi being hurt for him. Callen do you have anything to help me here?"

Gibbs watched the two men work. While he didn't have an operational psychologist on his team he had Ducky and it kind of worked like this. Nate moves a little deeper into a person's psyche than Ducky does. Ducky works as a psychological profiler. It was helpful but more like a look into the mind of the criminal. Nate worked to keep his people safe and their minds on the job.

Callen's hand twitched. He was in a quandary. He didn't know if he should tell Nate about Max Gentry or not or if it would be a breach of his friendship with the detective. Marty needed help so he opted to share the information that he had. "If you look into Deeks life you will find Gordon John Brandel. He was an abusive bastard that Deeks shot when he was eleven. He shot him as he began beating his mother half to death."

Nate hadn't heard this before and it shocked him that Deeks had to do this so early in his life. "Who was this man?"

Callen looked around the office at all the books lining the walls. There was no way he wanted to tell this about Deeks but the man needed help and soon. "His father. He shot his father as he savagely beat his mother. It is rumored there had been a sister as well. We've never been able to locate her nor has anyone else and Marty doesn't talk about her…ever. Marty has an alter ego, Max Gentry, who does things that Marty may not be able to handle. I've seen him at work. He is brutal, efficient and has no stop button unless Marty regains control. Max had a run in with Dr. Anderson at the hospital. Marty just got control before Max erupted. Sam and I arrived just as she told him about Kensi's rape. I was ready to step in if I had to."

Nate began to worry. "That's what is worrying me. I'm afraid that it is this other persona that is going to go after Haswari. Make sure you can stand him down when the time comes."

Gibbs sat forward in his chair before he and Callen stood. "We'll keep an eye on him and help him when the time comes." Both men shook Nate's hand and left.

Nate sat back down and picked up the journal once again. The situation just got more convoluted for him and Detective Deeks. He reopened to where he'd started and began to read. There'd be no nap for him today.