A/N: Sam goes into big brother mode on Deeks' behalf. For "Survival of the Fittest". A companion to my wikiDeeks fic for the episode.
After Deeks signed off, Sam immediately grabbed his cell, and tapped Rountree's square in his contacts.
"Hey, Sam what's up?" Rountree answered after two rings.
"Devin, what's Deeks doing in OPS?" Sam demanded, crossing one arm over his chest as he glared at the now dark computer screen where Deeks had been a minute ago.
"Uh, Kilbride's orders." There was an underlying hesitancy to Rountree's answer, and Sam glared, even though the younger agent couldn't see him.
"What aren't you telling me?" He could almost hear how much Rountree didn't want to answer his question. "Look, I'm not mad at you, I just need to know what's going on."
"Deeks got in a little bit late today, cause Rosa's sick, you know," he explained with a heavy sigh. "When Kilbride saw him, he tore Deeks a new one. Mentioned something about Deeks' being a hazard to the team, or something to that affect. It was not pretty."
Sam's frown deepened. He knew Kilbride was capable of saying some nasty things when he was in a foul mood, but he usually reserved actual reprimands for more serious issues.
"Did Deeks explain the situation?" Sam asked.
"I think he tried, but Kilbride didn't really give him a chance. He ordered us off to talk to Hanson's mom. Then when we finished up processing the scene at Yost's, he told Deeks to report to OPS."
Sam shook his head, even more exasperated now than he knew the whole story.
"That makes no sense," he said, trying not to let his current feeling for Kilbride roll off onto Rountree. "I'm sure Deeks can handle himself, but he doesn't have any the specialized training that you, Fatima, or Shyla received. And no offense, but you guys still don't have anything on Nell and Eric."
"None taken," Rountree assured him. He sounded relieved, and Sam wondered how much this had been playing on his mind. "Those two are amazing." He paused, the silence expectant. "So, uh, is there anything you want me to do?"
"Nah, I got it handled. Thanks, Rountree." He hung up and called Deeks back.
"Hey, Sam. Still looking for that information," Deeks answered, sounding a little overwhelmed, but more in control than a few minutes ago.
"You're good, man. Just wanted to check in and see how you're doing."
"I am doing fantastic. Or as fantastic as a guy who is way under qualified for working in a technical analyst position and keeps getting texts from his mom who can't find the nonexistent DVD player."
"You're doing fine, Deeks," Sam assured him. "How's Rosa doing?"
"Better. Though I think my mom is driving her crazy by now."
"Sounds about right. Nothing like family to annoy the sick out of you."
"That's for sure."
"Rountree mentioned that you and Kilbride a run-in this morning," Sam said, getting to the point.
"Yeah, I think somebody accidentally swapped his bran muffin with a gluten one," Deeks joked wryly. If Sam didn't know him so well, he probably would have missed the bitterness underlying his words. "It's fine, Sam. Do you need anything else."
"No, you're good. Hang in there, brother."
Sam believed there was a time for subtlety and there was a time for bluntness. Now was definitely one of those blunt days. He'd watched Deeks and Kilbride feel each other out over the last couple years, and he thought they'd gained an understanding of one another. Especially on Kilbride's part, who was quick to dismiss and dislike anything that didn't fit into his version the world.
Clearly, Sam had been wrong about that, and now it was time to rectify it.
He caught the Admiral as he returned from OPS, of all places, a tired, harried scowl firmly in place. It was nearing the end of the day, so most of the staff had already left or were finishing elsewhere.
"Kilbride, I'm glad I ran into you," he said, and the Admiral sighed loudly.
"Hanna, whatever it is, make it fast. I'm not in the best of moods today," Kilbride responded grumpily.
"Yeah, and it sounds like Deeks bore the brunt of it."
"I swear gossip spreads faster in this office than at a high school sleepover. Deeks was late again. I merely reminded him that this unit has certain expectations of its employees."
"Did you know that he was late because Rosa is sick?" Sam asked lightly. Kilbride's lips turned down slightly before he caught himself and shook his head.
"No, I wasn't aware, but that's no excuse for his tardiness. Having children is a personal decision, and as such, Deeks should be able to plan for these types of situations. This team and this country depend on us being at our best, which Deeks was not today," Kilbride said.
"So naturally you punished him by sticking him in OPS for half the day. Lord knows he did a better job than I would, but he's not trained for it. Which I'd argue put this team at a greater risk than Deeks being a few minutes late."
"Agent Hanna, what exactly are you implying?" There was anger in Kilbride's voice now, but Sam didn't let it deter him. He'd endured a lot more intimidating than Hollace Kilbride.
"That you let your prejudice against Deeks affect your judgment. I'm the first to admit it, I used to be pretty hard on him myself. It took me way too long, and a pretty horrible case, to realize what had been in front of me the whole time. Deeks is great at what he does. He's trustworthy, competent, the best damn undercover agent I've ever seen, and somebody I have literally trusted with my life time and time again.
"You're becoming dangerously close to insubordination," Kilbride warned him, eyes tightening.
"This isn't the military, Sir, so I'll respectfully continue." Sam offered a grim smile. "Deeks is a partner, a friend. My brother. And I'll defend him against anyone, including those who can't see beyond the surface," Sam finished calmly, but pointedly.
"So, you think I should disregard his tardiness?" Kilbride offered him an unimpressed look.
"If you're going to start reinforcing that rule, then you better yell at all of us. Since we've all been pretty lax with are comings and going recently," Sam pointed out. "Either that, or you give Deeks some grace, because even though he goes by a different title, he's just as much of an agent as any of us."
He let that linger in the air between them, and a hint of discomfort in Kilbride's face. That was a good sign. Lowering his voice, he added,
"My advice is, think about why you singled Deeks out today. And if you'd do the same if it was me, or Callen, or Fatima."
"Is that all, Agent Hanna?" Kilbride asked sharply, firmly back in control. Sam sighed internally. He hadn't expected miracles.
"I think so, Sir. Just remember that apologies aren't the worst thing in the world." Sam offered him a respectful nod before he turned, leaving Kilbride standing in the middle of the mission.
He hoped Kilbride figured things out faster than Sam had. For his own sake as well as Deeks'.
A/N: I'm not sure this quite fits in with the episode timeline and events, but we'll ignore that. If the writers can have people get around LA in record time, then Sam can make it back for this little chat.
