Hello again my lovelies. I would like to thank Clare1974 for the wonderful review.
So here is the next chapter, I hope you like it. It is set after the end of season 2 episode 8 'Bounty'.
Enjoy and all that.
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA.
Deeks had managed to be distracted at work, distracted from thoughts of where G was and what he was doing. But when he was alone his mind started to go crazy with the idea that he was hurt, or worse. But no. If anything happened to him he knew Hetty would call, she would tell him and he and Kensi would go and save their team. Because that was what they did right? They had come for him, surely they would go and protect Sam and G, yeah? So G had to be fine. He would be back with him soon, he had to come back to him soon. And if the night G was gone Deeks found himself curling up with the other man's pillow pretending it was him while he slept, that was perfectly normal right? He was going to have to get used to these separations. I mean they were undercover operators, there was bound to be a case sometime soon where one of them would have to go undercover for an extended amount of time, no matter how much that idea hurt. It was gonna happen, so he needed to get a grip on himself and learn to deal with the times G wasn't beside him. The times when he was in danger and he couldn't be there to protect him, to look out for him, to love him. He could do this.
Callen was tried. He and Sam had just returned from Afghanistan and given Hetty her tea, and now all he wanted was to see Marty and collapse into bed with him. Well maybe have some food first, but still he wanted to see his lover. With that in mind he drove straight over to Marty's place when they got back, letting himself into the apartment in his usual way.
As soon as he walked through the door he called out. Not that he got very far with his words.
"Marty-" He shouted before suddenly he found his arms filled with a blonde haired, blue-eyed detective squeezing him so tightly he wasn't sure he would be able to breathe. "I'm back." He managed to croak out before threading his hand through Marty's hair and pulling his head back so he could kiss him passionately, letting the younger man know he had missed him just as much as it seemed Marty had done.
"Hey G. Good trip?" Deeks finally asked when they both came up for air and he let go of the other man enough so that they could both make their way to the livingroom via the kitchen for beer, though he still clasped the other man's hand. He wasn't ready to let go of him just yet.
"Yeah, we got the son a bitch." Callen replied giving Marty's hand a squeeze before dropping down onto the couch pulling the other man with him. He then took one of the bottles of nice cold beer from Marty's hand. Oh man how he needed that.
"I'm glad. He was a piece of work." Deeks responded sitting down next to the man he loved rather than curling up with him. He wanted to spend a few more moments looking him over, making sure he really was okay before he did that, even if G did try and pull him closer.
"I'm fine Marty." Callen said with a soft smile on his lips as he watched his lover's eyes rake over him, looking for injuries. He could understand that desire, the need to make sure the other one was okay. He did it too, even if Marty had only been here and he really hadn't been gone that long. It was an automatic instinct, even if he did have no idea where it came from.
At G's words Deeks smiled and leaned in for another, less passion filled kiss. This one was more a, dare he say it, a kiss filled with love. Once finished he curled himself into G ready to enjoy having his man back at his side where he belonged.
"Oh I got you something." Callen said as he suddenly remembered the promise he had made the last time he had had to go away for work.
"Really? Cos I was under the impression Afghanistan didn't really have that many souvenir stores." Deeks responded with a startled look as he moved so Callen could go to his bag.
"Yeah they don't but… I promised." Callen replied with a shrug feeling a bit stupid now. But hey, he had brought Hetty some tea, he could bring Marty something too, right? With that he pulled out the checkered square of material he had worn as a neck scarf as part of his disguise in the tea house and held it out to his boyfriend.
"What's this?" Deeks asked as he took it from him and opened it up to find a square of dusty cloth.
"It was part of my cover clothes. But don't worry, it's stupid." Callen replied trying to take it back only to find it whisked out of reach as Marty held it close to him.
"No way, you gave it to me. Its mine now." Deeks responded with a massive smile on his face. Because this told him as nothing else could that even while in danger, G had been thinking about him. G cared for him enough to remember the promise he had gotten from him, and he had brought him a present. It may seem like just a bit of dirty cloth to anyone else, but to him it was priceless. Because this bit of cloth, in his mind, represented all that G couldn't say. With that in mind he folded back up carefully before taking it and placing in the lockbox under his gun where it would be safe until he decided what he was going to do with the first ever present the man he loved had given him.
Callen watched him with a shake of his head at the way he was treating the bit of fabric, but he knew deep down he was feeling something else. Something warm and peaceful, something right, at how Marty had taken his present. It was something that just made him smile softly as he returned to the couch and his beer, joined shorty by his boyfriend.
A comfortable silence settled between the two then, both of the relaxing and just enjoying being back together once more. But soon enough Callen broke it. He remembered how it had seemed that Marty had connected with the kid in the case, and he guessed he would be the one to tell him that his uncle had killed his dad. That wasn't a nice thing to have to do.
"So how's the kid?" He asked wanting to know what Marty had been up to and how he had helped the kid cope with everything that had happened.
"He'll be okay." Deeks replied though that question made him remember what he had decided before G had gone away. When he had decided that he was going to tell the man he loved about one of the most defining points of his life. He could do that, he could share this with G. It would be okay, right?
"What is it?" Callen asked hearing the slight hesitance in the other man's voice as he spoke. Had the kid kicked off or something? Had he hurt Marty? Because no one was allowed to hurt Marty in Callen's mind, not without facing him.
At G's words Deeks took a deep breath before he spoke. This was it. The point of no return, the time to tell. But still he couldn't find it in himself to come right out and say it. "Nothing, just… this case brought up some memories. That's all." He said instead giving the opening, but not sure if G would walk through it.
"What sort of memories?" Callen asked gently tightening his hold on the man lying against him. He couldn't see Marty's face as he had his back to his chest, but he had a feeling that Marty would feel better not looking into eyes as he told him whatever it was he had decided to share.
"About my dad." Deeks replied with a sigh letting his head rest against G's shoulder and closing his eyes so he couldn't see the look in them. He knew what was coming next.
"Wanna talk about it?" Callen asked softly even as his arms tightened even more around the man in them. He didn't like the way his lover had said those words. Made him want to go out and find Marty's dad and beat the crap out of him, even if he didn't know exactly why. But he could guess. He had seen enough kids in foster care to work out what that tone of voice meant. The younger man obviously did not have a good relationship with the guy, and it had hurt him, the question was how much?
"He's a bastard. He used to beat me and my mom… I shot him when I was eleven. I only got his shoulder, but… he came at us with a shotgun G, I had no choice-" Deeks explained keeping his eyes closed as he tried to find the right words to justify shooting his own father. I mean who did that sort of thing?
"Hey it's okay. I get it, I do." Callen responded with such a tone Deeks opened his eyes to look into the fiery depths of the ones looking down at him. He had never seen them so ablaze. He had seen them look cold, full of laughter and love, but never with such… anger. But as strange as it seem, seeing that look on G helped him relax, made him feel safe. G would never let anyone hurt him if he could help it, and he had a feeling that if anyone did his boyfriend would hunt them until the ends of the earth to make them pay. That thought should have scared him, that sort of protectiveness, but it didn't, and he had no idea why.
"You did what you had to do. Where is he now?" Callen asked trying to keep the demand for information out of his tone. This wasn't about him finding the bastard, this was about making sure he never came near Marty again.
"No idea. He went to prison, haven't heard from him since. What was your dad like?" Deeks asked changing the subject away from Gordon John Brandel. He felt it would be for the best if they moved away from the man.
At his question Callen took a deep breath and then breathed out hard. Trying to let go of the anger that was in him at the idea of someone harming Marty, at someone harming the child he had been. Though it did show him just how strong his lover truly was. He had come back from that kind of abuse with a smile on his face. He really was an amazing man. But now it was his turn to tell his story, Marty had shared his, Callen would return the trust.
"I don't know, I've never met him, nor my mom. I grew up in foster care."
"But you had your sister, right?" Deeks responded with a puzzled look. How was it neither he nor his elder sister knew anything about their parents? What had happened to G's family that made him grow up that way? Of course that brought a whole new dimension to what G had told him. That his sister had died. From then on G would have grown up alone. He couldn't imagine that, growing up without anyone.
"They split us up. I didn't even remember she existed until a few months ago when I found out she was dead. I don't even know my first name, just the G. One day I will find out about my past." Callen replied in a quiet voice as he laid his head back against the couch and stared up at the ceiling, remembering his tea box which contained all he knew about who he was and where he had come from.
At his words Deeks breathed deeply as he tried to think of the right words to say. Tried to get his head around the fact that G didn't even know he own name. That was… there were no words to describe it in his mind, but turning to look at the man he loved he got a new angle for why he had run when they were getting too close in his mind. A new realisation at just how much G had given him when he had agreed to be in a relationship with him. The trust he had put into his hands, and it blew his mind. This man had spent most of his life with no one, and yet he had let him in. Let his walls down enough that they lay like this. That G would look at him with love in his eyes.
Callen pulled his mind back form his own childhood woes, they were discussing Marty's and he needed to be here for him. He had gotten used to not knowing who he was. Sure he would not stop until he got some answers, but for now he had Marty, and he would be here for Marty. He was the important one right now, not himself.
"Marty, what your dad did to you wasn't right. You are amazing and I am so luckily to have you in my life." he said turning to look into the bright blue eyes that he couldn't wait to see every morning, those bright blue eyes that keep the dreams at bay. Those bright blue eyes that always shone with such warmth that he couldn't stop himself from bathing in their light. Enjoying the feel they gave him.
"You're not too bad yourself, superspy." Deeks replied with a cheeky smile before he moved to place kisses upon Callen's lips, trying to remove the conversation from both their minds, turning their thoughts to other, more pleasurable things, though there was no heat in the kisses. They were just a reminder to both men that they now had each other, and that neither of them ever wanted to let the other go.
As they lay back down into their usual position, relaxing together, one question came to Callen that he had to have the answer too. He couldn't protect his man without it. Couldn't keep his bastard father away without this one piece of knowledge.
"What's his name?" He asked quietly wondering if Marty would tell him. If he knew what he would do with the information if he shared it with him. Wondering if he would trust him with it.
Deeks lay there tensing for a second before he breathed out and relaxed. He had to trust that G wouldn't go off and try to kill his father, and he did. Really. He had trusted G with the story, he could trust him with this intel too.
"Gordon John Brandel." He finally said feeling G nod at his words but he said nothing else. Mainly because Callen was busy trying to think who it would be best to ask to look for the guy. He could try and do it himself, but he wasn't sure he would get anywhere, but maybe he could ask Eric or Nell… one of them would be able to do it right? But he didn't want either of them finding out about why he was asking, he didn't want them to find out about Marty's past unless he choose to tell them.
It would have to be Nell then, she was still new enough that she wouldn't question him, wouldn't do more than he asked if he phrased the request right. Eric would want to know too much if he asked him, he knew him too well not to wonder what he was doing. And it wasn't like he wanted to find the guy so he could go and kill him, however temping that would be. No he just wanted to make sure he stayed well away from Marty. Wanted to make sure that his lover wasn't in any danger. There was nothing wrong with that, right?
"So what we having for dinner?" He finally asked changing the subject now he had the intel he needed. He wanted to take their minds from darkness of their pasts, and think only of the light that was their present, together.
"Pizza?" Deeks suggested with a soft smile, pushing his memories away with remarkable ease as he lay in G's arms. None of that mattered any more, they had each other that really was the only thing he cared about right then.
"Sounds good. Then I'm thinking we need an early night." Callen replied moving to nuzzle Deeks neck even as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to make to call.
"Oh yeah, I'm all for that." Deeks responded turning in G's arms so they were lying chest to chest and capturing his lips once more. He wasn't that hungry for food right then. No, right then he wanted his man. Wanted to make love to G and bask in the pleasure of them together. And Callen had to agree that that was a very good idea.
So it was quite a bit later before they managed to actually order the food. But by the time they did they both had big smiles on their faces and they were happy and relaxed, back to how they always were when they were together alone. Any thoughts of the conversation before driven out of their minds by the other man.