Hello my darlings. I would like to thank Beststoriesever, Scififan33, Petunia3116 and Siggyo for the wonderful reviews. I would also like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured this story since my last update.
So this chapter is set at the beginning of season 2, episode 9 'Absolution'. The storyline of this episode will again not really play much of a part in this story, just the beginning and end bits.
Anyway I hope you like this chapter, it's very long. I had planned for this conversation to come later, but it just seemed the right time now.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA nor any of the lines I have taken from the show.
The new routine which came about with having Monty in their lives wasn't so very different to the one they had had previously. Though when they settled on the couch of an evening both Deeks and Callen would find themselves stroking a certain dog behind the ears whenever Monty felt he wasn't getting enough attention from his new owners. But he did stay out of the way when they wanted some private time, and neither Callen nor Deeks could stop themselves falling in love with the scruffy mutt. Callen even went so far as making Sam stop at the pet store so he could get him some doggie treats and toys, though he refused to buy anything that squeaked, especially when Sam stood there and played with them all really loudly. He did not need that annoyance of an evening, that time in the store was enough for him thank you very much. But he did buy in a chew rope and Deeks often found him playing tug-of-war with Monty, the pair of them rolling round on the floor which usually ended with Monty pinning Callen to the floor while the man laughed.
Deeks couldn't help but smile at that sight, it was one of the best things he had ever seen. The way G let go and just played, it gave him a chance to see G in different light. Though it was reminiscent of the way he behaved around Kam, but even less reserved. As if because Monty was theirs he was less guarded when they played.
Then came the weekend where they took Monty to the park and met up with the Hanna family and Monty made a new friend in Kam. She loved him and played with him for hours while the adults watched on with benevolent smiles on their faces, even if everyone one of them was alert for any danger, it was a relaxed alertness. By the end of the afternoon even Sam, who didn't really like dogs, had to admit Monty wasn't that bad.
And so the working week came round again and the routine started once more. Callen would still leave before Deeks to go to his house and shower and change, and Deeks would stick around waiting for Steve to come and get Monty. He had given the other guy a key in case he was working late, or had to be in the office early so he could pick up or drop off the dog.
Steve for his part was glad he could find such a loving home for his canine partner. He had been to Deeks home a couple of times in the past, but when he arrived for the first time to collect Monty he noticed a few differences. For instance there were now a couple of Russian books on his shelves which made no sense in his mind. He knew Deeks didn't read or even speak the language, so why he had the books Steve had no idea. Then there was Deeks himself, he seemed more relaxed and… happier since he had gone to be liaison for NCIS. Though he guessed that was due to the fact that Deeks was working less undercover ops now, or at least if he was working them, he had a team to back him up. That would relax anyone in his mind, knowing they weren't out there alone. And as for the books? Maybe he was trying to impress some chick from NCIS by pretending he could read Russian. But in truth he really didn't think that much about any of it. He would sit and have a coffee with Deeks when he could in the mornings, having a quick chat about how things were going. And if on the one occasion he had to bring Monty back late after being out on a bust, he saw two bags sitting by Deeks door he didn't mention it, just as he didn't mention the fact that that time Monty ran straight into the bedroom after greeting Deeks, as if there was someone else he wanted to see as well. What Deeks did in the privacy of his own home was up to him, and obviously whoever she was, Monty liked her, and that was good enough for him.
It was the morning where Callen was meeting up with Sam for breakfast and Deeks had decided to have a go at the early morning exercise class he had seen advised in the park. He liked the idea of exercising outdoors, and he didn't even think about how most of the people who would be there would be women. In fact women were the last thing on his mind as he gave his boyfriend a loving kiss goodbye before they parted, Callen disappearing to wherever it was he had parked his car this time, leaving Deeks to climb into his own. Which, when he turned the key, decided it didn't want to start. He didn't want to call G and pull him away from his time with his partner, he knew how much these mornings with Sam meant to both men, so instead he phoned the only other person he could think of. He phoned his own partner and asked her to collect him from the park at the end of his class. Kensi of course agreed because that was what partners did, right?
The class was just finishing up when Kensi arrived, and with one look at the scene she realised she had been played. Deeks didn't need a lift, he needed help picking up one of the poor unsuspecting women here. She wasn't going to help him. She was his partner, not his… whatever this was.
"Morning sunshine." Deeks called as he rolled up his mat, smiling up at Kensi as he saw her approach.
"You lied to me." She stated not at all happy with this turn of events. She had thought they were getting closer as partners, but she wasn't going to be his way in with one of these women.
"Not so much as a hello? I even called you sunshine." Deeks replied wondering what was going on.
"You said you needed a ride." Kensi responded with a disgusted look at her partner. Could he not try to pick up every woman he met, just once? Why couldn't he just be serious for once?
"I do." Deeks replied with a puzzled look. What was she on about now?
"Deeks, I'm your partner not your chauffer. I thought you were having car trouble." Kensi stated with a sigh.
"I am. Mines not working." Deeks replied still confused, though all Kensi did at that was roll her eyes. Did he really expect her to believe that that was why he had called her here? To give him a lift? Please, it was obvious he wanted to use her to get one of the women who were around them, giving Deeks not so subtle interested looks.
"Please. You're using me a bait." Kensi snapped so unimpressed as she gave him a disappointed look, making Deeks eyes widen as he realised just what she thought it was he had called her for.
"Bait? No, no, not bait." He said hurriedly starting to walk away from the group of people he had been exercising with as if by doing so he could prove that what she was thinking wasn't true. Because it really wasn't, the only person he had eyes for was G.
"Oh god, do you know how unprofessional this is?" Kensi ranted at him as she followed him through the park and away from the exercise class. She couldn't believe she had fallen for this, even if it did seem that Deeks had given up his ideas when he had seen she had worked him out. She would not play a part in his games with women, not now, not ever.
"Seriously Kensi, not bait. I'm in a relationship." Deeks stated turning round and staring at her with anger, though as soon as the words left his mouth he slammed his lips shut and turned quickly back away from her, walking even quicker. He really shouldn't have told her that. Kensi wasn't supposed to know… though Sam did. G had someone to talk to about their relationship, why couldn't he have someone too? Okay, he couldn't tell her who he was in a relationship with, that would make it all kinds of awkward, but maybe he could talk about it with her. She didn't need to know the person they were discussing was their team leader, did she?
At Deeks words Kensi stopped and stared after the retreating back. Deeks was in a relationship? Deeks? Who the hell would date a serial flirter like him? I mean seriously? What woman would want to be with him? Not to mention that fact he had to be lying to whoever she was. Kensi wondered briefly what cover he was using for this one, but found herself more intrigued by who she was.
"Wait, what? You've found some girl who actually wants to be with you? Is she mentally damaged?" Kensi asked with a chuckle as she jogged to catch up with him finding this was the best news she had heard all day. She could just imagine the type of woman he would date. Some blonde dim wanna be. Oh my god, this had to be seen to be believed.
"Let's just go shall we?" Deeks replied in an even tone. He wasn't going to lie to Kensi and tell her that he had a girlfriend, but he also wasn't ready to tell her he had a boyfriend. Not after her reaction to the idea he was in a relationship with someone. Did she really think so little of him?
"Oh come on Deeks, you can't say you're in a relationship and not tell me about her. We're partners." Kensi responded in a persuasive tone and a genuine smile on her face. Still determined to tease the intel she wanted out of him. I mean it must be something new after all, so it couldn't be anything more than a few dates. She would have known otherwise. For a start Deeks wouldn't have flirted with every woman that he met, including herself. With this in mind she moved so she was walking backwards in front of him and with a cheeky smile on her face she spoke again.
"Let me guess, she's some blonde bimbo with a name like… Star. I beat she's a striper right?"
"Just leave it Kensi." Deeks growled at her, levelling a stare which Kensi had never seen before. It was one that said don't go there. The man in front of her was not the happy-go-lucky partner she knew, and he really didn't like her slagging of his girl. Well okay then.
"Whoa, okay. I sorry. I didn't realise it was serious." Kensi replied moving so she was walking beside him as they approached her car and she pulled out her keys.
"Well it is." Deeks mumbled as he climbed in the passenger side, wondering just what he was going to have to put up with on the way to the office now. He hoped she would drop it, but he doubted she would. Kensi was his partner, and she was right that she deserved to know he was in a relationship, it was just a question of whether he could trust her with truth.
"So your girlfriend have a name?" Kensi asked in a friendly tone as she started the car and pulled out of the park. But when she was greeted only with silence she looked over at her partner to see him glaring out of the window. Why wouldn't he tell her about his girlfriend? Was it someone she knew? Was it someone they worked with?
"Oh come on Deeks, you can tell me that much right? Just tell me your girlfriend's name." she finally said when the silence started to become uncomfortable.
Deeks heard her words and knew he had to tell her. He had to trust her with this. Oh not a name, but the other details. Therefore taking a deep breath and not turning around from the window, not wanting to see her reaction when he said the words he spoke.
"I don't have a girlfriend."
"What? But you said you were in a relationship and…" Kensi replied trailing off at the end as she remembered her suspicions about Deeks cover at work. That maybe he was gay, but no. This was still Deeks, right? That still didn't make sense, right?
"I am. But I don't have a girlfriend." Deeks responded turning to look Kensi in the eyes making hers go wide as she quickly turned back to watching the road.
"Oh." She breathed. Because she now knew exactly what it was that Deeks wasn't saying. He didn't have a girlfriend, he had a boyfriend. Deeks was gay. She had been right all along. Damn his cover was good, she was pretty sure no one knew he was that way inclined. But then she guessed he had been working this cover most of his life. Being a gay cop wasn't really something anyone wanted to be. Taking a deep breath and putting a gentle yet sincere smile on her face so he would know she was fine with it she spoke in a light tone.
"I didn't peg you as gay."
"I'm not." Deeks replied with a roll of his eyes. Why was it someone had to be one or the other? He was just him, and he liked who he liked. Which was G, not that he would be sharing that bit.
"But you are in a relationship with a guy right?" Kensi asked just to make sure, his reaction to her saying he was gay hadn't been what she was expecting.
"Yes." Deeks sighed but he did nod as well confirming her words, making Kensi think. He couldn't have faked all his flirting with women, so that really did only leave one option in her mind.
"So you're what? Bi?" She asked making sure her hunch was right.
"If you want to label it." Deeks replied with a shrug. He wasn't into labels himself, but whatever. If Kensi needed one then that would do.
Kensi processed this as she drove, but still the questions came into her mind. The gender may have changed, but she still wanted to know all about her partner's secret other half. Even more now she knew it was a man. What kind of guy did Deeks go for? Did they have similar tastes? Could they discuss the attractive aspects of celebrities when on stake outs like she did with her friends when they went out drinking? Oh that would be so cool. And even as she thought this she realised that Deeks had obviously come to trust her, he had to if he had told her this, right? I mean he had gone to great lengths to hide it, and yet now he was sharing this with her. They were becoming partners, and she couldn't keep the smile from her face at that idea.
"So what's he like? Your boyfriend?" she asked still smiling as she glanced over at Deeks in time to see a soft smile of his own appear on his face as his eyes seemed to become unfocused as if he was seeing something else.
"He's just… him." Deeks replied smiling as the images of G whizzed through his mind. Of how he looked first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Now he was when they lay on the couch together, and how he played with Monty. There were no words he could use to describe the man he loved, he was just G Callen. The love of his life, and the person who lit up his world.
"That's not an answer Deeks, what does he look like? Is all muscle like Sam, or more toned like Callen... or many he's skinny like Eric?" Kensi asked determined to get some information about the type of man Deeks liked.
"He's definitely more like Callen." Deeks said trying to hide the smirk as he corrected those words in his head to he's definitely Callen.
"How old is he?" Kensi keenly asked. They were getting somewhere now. She had a body type to start the image in her head on, and she had already added blonde hair to the guy. I mean Deeks had already told her he preferred blondes so that was a given in her mind.
"Past the legal age of consent." Deeks replied smirking now in truth. This was kinda fun, as long as he made sure he didn't reveal too much. Kensi was a good agent, it wouldn't take her much to work out just who his man really was.
"Well obviously." Kensi responded with a roll of her eyes at that. Trust Deeks to come back with that one. But still she wanted to know as much as she could about his romantic partner. "Is he same age as you, or older, or younger. Is he your toy boy?... or are you his?" She asked smirking as she saw that her words caused a faint blush to appear on her partners face. Oh this was sooo good.
"He's older than me. Came we drop this now?" Deeks mumbled having answered enough questions about G for now thank you very much. They were approaching the office after all, and he really didn't want to continue this conversation in the bullpen where the man in question would be waiting.
"Just tell me how long you've been together, then I promise, I won't say another word for the rest drive to work." Kensi replied smiling. She knew they were close to the office, so it would be easy to keep that promise.
"Seven months and ten days." Deeks answered without thought. Not that he had counted or anything, okay that was a lie, of course he had counted how long he had G had been together. How long he had been with the man he loved. He wasn't going to forget it, even if for the first few months they didn't see each other much and G didn't believe they were in a real relationship. They were to him, and that was all that mattered.
At his answer Kensi started counting backwards quickly. It didn't take her long to work out what date it was that Deeks had got with his boyfriend, but it did shock the hell out of her.
"Oh my god, you've been with him the whole time I've known you? What the hell Deeks? You spent that whole time flirting with every female we've met, and yet now you're telling me you've been in a relationship with some guy all that time? Why?" She asked not able to get her head around the fact that Deeks had been in a relationship this whole time. That he had had someone special in his life and yet never said anything to her or anyone else. In fact he had actively made it look like he was free and single and looking for any woman who would have him.
"You work for the Naval Criminal Investigative Services Kensi, you work it out." Deeks replied with a wince as his words. Because that wasn't the reason at all, but it would work, he hoped. And maybe one day he could tell her the truth, maybe one day he could share with her just who it was he loved with all his heart.
"Okay. But I'm your partner Deeks, you could have told me." Kensi responded with a sad smile. She could see why he hadn't shared he was dating a guy, not that he should have to, but she could see why. She just wished he could have shared that part of himself with her, his partner. Surely he knew she wouldn't care, right?
"I just did." Deeks replied simply with his usual sunny smile making Kensi shake her head at him. Okay he had a point, he had told her now. She was just going to have to accept that before he didn't know if he could trust her enough. And now that he did, she would make sure he never had a reason to doubt that trust. They were partners, and that was what partners did.
"So does this mean you're going to stop flirting with every woman we meet?" She asked as she pulled into the NCIS parking lot and turned off her engine.
"Gotta keep up my cover Fern." Deeks replied his cheeky persona back in force making her roll her eyes.
"Fine, just do me a favour, stop flirting with me, please?"
"We'll see." Was all Deeks replied as he got out of the car. At least now there was no chance she would think anything would happen between them if he did continue to flirt with her. And he couldn't stop. He couldn't let her think that G and Sam already knew, but at least he could tell G that there was no chance she would think anything would come from it. It would ease his boyfriends mind at least.
It was at that point they both got a call from Eric informing them they were needed in ops. Time to go to work then. Good.