Hello my lovelies. I would like to thank Thevampiresrulez and French Fan (Guest) for the wonderful reviews. I would also like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured since my last update.
So here is the next chapter, its set at the end of season 2, episode 1 'human traffic'. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA nor any of the lines I have taken from the show.
Deeks say in his car, waiting for Frank Scarli to come and join him. Waiting for the man he knew had betrayed them all. The man who was responsible for Jess Traynor's death. He ordered his thoughts in his mind as he worked out how he was going to get a confession from him, finding a sort of peace settle over him as he heard G's voice in his ear telling him Scarli was just pulling into the parking lot they had arranged the met in. G was there watching over him, he wouldn't let anything bad happen, and he would make sure that detective Scarli got what he deserved.
The conversation didn't take long before Deeks goaded Frank into pulling a gun on him and confessing that if Lazik hadn't killed them, he would have. It was at that point him team arrived, Sam one side of the car with his gun drawn and pointed at Scarli, and Callen the other, having Deeks' back.
Deeks climbed out of the car, having taken the detective's gun. He knew Jess would be pleased that he had got the guy, that with her help they had removed so many bad guys from the streets, making their town that little bit safer. He just wished she had been here to see it. Been there to take down this one herself. A dirty cop was the worst of the worst in his mind.
"Did you get all of that?" he asked G as he stood there and watched as Sam handcuffed Scarli abstractedly. It was finally over, and his mind was now at the point of stopping working. He just wanted to go home and go to bed, hopefully with G at his side.
"Every word of it." Callen replied with a small smile for Marty. That he was able to do what he had just done, after everything he had been through. He couldn't respect the guy more.
"So tell me, Deeks. How was she in bed, hu?" Scarli called out to the man who had taken him down. If it was the only way he would get to him, then he would do it.
Deeks didn't think, didn't even begin to wonder how his actions would look to those with him, would look to G. No instead he just pulled the gun from belt and pushed it against Scarli's chest while asking "what did you say?" before shouting at him to "ask me again." He was not going to let this scumbag malign Jess in this way, or any way. She was worth a hundred of him and more. She had been a great cop, and a great friend, and this bastard didn't even deserve to think about her, let alone talk.
Callen watched Marty's reaction to the question, and from it he knew with certainty that Traynor and Marty had been closer than he had wanted to believe. They had been sleeping together, it was obvious, no one reacted the way he was if they hadn't. The knowledge caused a burning feeling to sear through him and lodge in his gut. He knew it was jealously, just as he knew he had no right to feel it. But nothing could stop it. Nothing could stop the rage from burning inside him at what he was seeing, at what he was feeling. At the thought of Marty with someone else through choice and nothing to do with work. But he couldn't deal with that now. Not now, he needed to stop Marty from shooting the man in there custody.
"Deeks, he's not worth it. Put it down." he said not being able to stop the edge of his emotions from colouring his tone, however much he tried.
At the sound of G's voice Deeks came out of wherever his mind had been and realised just what he was doing, and just what it would look like to the man watching him, the man he loved who now no doubt thought he had slept with another. Well done Marty, stellar job. He thought as he slowly lowered the gun and handed it to Sam who was behind him. He had just messed up big time and looking into G's eyes he could see he wasn't the only one who knew it. That one look told him all he needed to know. It was so filled with disgust that he knew he and G wouldn't be getting back together, or be anything more than team mates, if even that. He had just ruined the best thing he had ever had with one thoughtless action in an attempt to defend the honour of his friend. It crushed him inside. He could feel the knowledge locking on to his lungs trying to stop him from breathing, and all he wanted to do was hit out at something… or someone. With that last thought he turned back to Scarli and smashed his fist into his face as hard as he could. He then proceeded to keep hitting him until he was pulled off by arms he knew so well around his body. Arms he wouldn't feel there ever again, not now. At that he sagged, the fight leaving him. He was done.
Callen had watched Marty hit Scarli and he had felt nothing but pleasure for it. The guy deserved it and so much more, but he knew he had to pull Marty off before he did any major damage to him. Wrapping his arms around the younger man he could feel his heart speed up at the closeness of him, at how much he wanted to wrap his arms around him for a very different reason. But no he couldn't. Marty had gone and found someone else, and even if she was dead, it wouldn't change his feelings for her. As he had come to learn over the last very long few months, feelings like this did not come with an off switch, no matter how much he wished they did. When he felt Marty sag he let him go. And he couldn't stop himself from watching Marty as he walked away with a pain in his heart, if only things were different… If only Marty felt some of what he was feeling for him. But no. He couldn't intrude on his grief, he needed to give him time to deal with everything that had happened. Maybe one day they could try again. But they couldn't, he couldn't, be together when Marty had feelings for another. He couldn't take that.
Callen sat at his desk. The case was closed and everyone else had gone home, leaving him alone with his tea tin, which held everything that was the most important to him. He was looking at a picture of Marty that he might have downloaded from the server and printed off when Eric wasn't looking. He was smiling, and he looked so care free, so very different to the man he had let walk away today.
"How is Mr Deeks, Mr Callen?" Hetty asked as she approached smiling sadly as he quickly shut the tin so she couldn't see what was inside.
"How do you expect? The person he loved is dead." Callen responded bitterly. He couldn't pretend he wasn't hurting when confronted with Hetty. She knew him far too well.
"I don't think so." Hetty replied simply. From what she could see Mr Callen was very much alive and well.
"What?" Callen asked. What did she mean by that? Traynor was definitely dead, he had seen her car blow up himself, hell he had seen her body.
"Detective Deeks and detective Traynor were good friends, Mr Callen. That is all." Hetty explained hoping her boy would stop mopping around the office and go and get his man. Though she knew he would need a push. A few well-chosen words to make him start thinking properly.
"Yeah, I'm not so sure about that." Callen responded with a humourless chuckle, though even as he did so the idea pushed a small amount of hope into his mind. After all, Hetty did know everything, she wouldn't say something like that to him unless she was very sure about it, right?
"Have you asked him?" Hetty asked already knowing the answer was no, but wanting Mr Callen to realise that he probably should do just that.
"What is it you're really here for Hetty?" Callen responded instead of answering her. Damn her, she had a way of getting into his mind and making him question things he knew to be truth, and now she was doing it with Marty. He didn't want to wonder if he was wrong, have some hope that maybe he and Marty could be together, only to have to come crashing down again.
"You are buying a house, this is the contract. I negotiated a very good price on your behalf. No loan required. You really do live very frugally, Mr Callen. I had a friend look over the contract. It cost me a bottle of grange. Consider it my housewarming gift. All you have to do is sign it." Hetty replied putting the piece of paper in front of him and holding out her pen to him.
"Hetty-" Callen started to say, but before he could get any further Hetty continued to explain.
"It's a deceased estate. Vacant position, you can move in tomorrow."
"Hetty. I don't need a house." Callen replied more forcefully this time. He didn't want to be having this conversation.
"I think you'll like the neighbourhood, Mr Callen." Hetty responded kindly drawing Callen's attention to the address of the house she had brought him. It was the one of the few places he had ever really called home. It was the house he had lived in with the Rostoff's for those three months where he had been happy. Looking at it he knew, he couldn't say no. He would be buying this house, and maybe, just maybe he could have a home.
Callen entered his new house, seeing it without any furniture, and yet, he didn't mind. It was still the same, still had his name carved into the door of the room that had once been his. He placed his tea tin on the mantel piece, and deciding he had unpacked, lay down in the weak sunlight coming through the window to think over the rest of what Hetty had said. She was sure Marty and Traynor hadn't been more than friends, but she hadn't seen him standing there with a gun against Scarli's chest, she hadn't seen the emotion in his eyes, or his actions. But… could it be that he had got it wrong? Was there a chance that right now he was hurting for no reason? Hetty had suggested he asked, but Callen was sure he could do that. What he did know was that he and Marty still needed to have a little chat about going off on his own. And what better time to do it than now? And maybe, just maybe he could get answers to the other questions in his mind. With that he pulled himself up and made his way back out of his new house to his car. He had somewhere to be, and someone he needed to see.