"Daddy?"
"Yeah, bud?" Deeks asked distractedly, eyes focused on the car in front of him on the drop-off line, though his thoughts were elsewhere.
"Are you nervous?" Caleb asked, squeezing himself up to the front seat. "You keep biting your nails."
Deeks immediately pulled the tip of his thumb from between his teeth, giving Caleb a sidelong glance.
"No, I'm not nervous, kiddo. Just thinking."
Which was the truth. He felt more cautious than nervous. Everything had been fantastic on Saturday—more than fantastic. He and Kensi had even texted some yesterday, but he knew how much things could change when reality set in.
"I bet Miss Blye will be really happy to see you again," Caleb said, staring back at him with an astounding amount of perfection.
"Oh yeah? What makes you say that?" Deeks asked, curious what he would come up with.
"Because she likes you." Caleb shrugged. Like it was just that simple. "And you like her."
"You know, you're pretty smart." He affectionately ruffled Caleb's hair, following it up with a kiss.
"I know," Caleb said confidently.
The car ahead of them pulled away, and Deeks stopped in front of the drop off spot, waving to the aide headed towards them.
"Good morning, Caleb!" she called out brightly as she opened the door.
"Morning Mrs. Harris!" Caleb hopped out immediately, offering Deeks a parting wave and kiss. "Bye dad!"
"Bye, kiddo." Before he could drive off, Mrs. Harris stuck her head through the door.
"Oh Mr. Deeks, I know you're in a hurry, but could you stop in the office for a minute?"
"Sure. Do you know what it's about?"
"I'm not sure, but it's probably nothing," Mrs. Harris assured him.
"Ok, I'll park and come in."
Deeks parked, sending a quick text to Talia to let her know that he'd be a few minutes late, and hurried into the office. Mrs. Kusbal, the secretary, was in the middle of a phone call when he came in. She held up a finger, rolling her eyes briefly as she answered a series of questions. When she hung up, Deeks gave her his most charming smile. She offered a knowing smirk in return.
"Good morning, Mr. Deeks."
"Morning. Mrs. Harris mentioned that you needed to see me. Did I forget to sign something again?" Deeks was pretty sure he hadn't, but there was no way he was getting on Miss Kusbal's bad side again.
"Ah yes, Mr. Hanna wanted to speak with you. I'll let him know you're here," she answered, getting up and walking into the office directly behind her desk.
Deeks had only met the principal a couple of times, but he'd seemed friendly enough, if ever so slightly intimidating. He was pretty sure it wasn't anything too serious, since Caleb always came home with good reports.
As he waited, he watched students gathering in hallways, laughing talking while their teachers attempted to corral them. Kensi wove a path around a group of taller students, coffee cup held aloft to avoid spilling. She paused to hug one of the students, and then, as if she sensed him watching, Kensi turned in his direction.
She smiled then, nothing over-the-top that would bring attention to them, but enough for him to know she'd seen him. He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the students.
"You can come on back," Ms. Kusbal said, directing Deeks through the office door.
Sam Hanna sat behind his desk when Deeks entered, dressed in a neutral-colored dress shirt and sports coat that somehow emphasized his broad chest and biceps.
"Good morning." He stood, and extended his hand. Deeks shook it, trying to gauge the other man's thoughts, but his face was frustratingly unreadable.
"Morning. What can I do for you, Mr. Hanna?" Deeks asked, going for disarming. Sam Hanna fixed him with a searching look before gesturing to one of the chairs across from his desk.
"Have a seat, Mr. Deeks."
"You know, this is bringing back some unpleasant memories from middle school," Deeks joked, crossing one leg over the other as he sat.
"Mm, so you were a troublemaker," Hanna observed with a knowing nod. "I've certainly dealt with a lot of those over the years."
"I had my share of poor decisions as a kid, but I turned out alright in the end." With a self-deprecating smile, he gestured to himself.
Hanna didn't break a smile at all. "So I hear. I assume you know why I asked you here?"
"Honestly, I don't. From everything I hear, Caleb's been doing well."
"He has. That's not my concern." Sam frowned, the first real emotion he'd exhibited, and folded his hands on the table. "What I am concerned about is your relationship with one of my teachers." Deeks stilled, not liking where this was going.
"I think you better be a little more specific," he said cautiously. Sam Hanna had no such qualms.
"One of my acquaintances saw you two at the gala Saturday," he explained bluntly. "From the sound of it, you were familiar with each other. Now, I've heard rumors for a while now about you and Blye meeting for coffee and all, and I let that pass." His expression shifted to a glare now.
"I don't think that's really any of your business." Deeks met Sam Hanna's glare with one of his own, not about to intimidated.
"It is when it may impact the quality of my employees' work, and more importantly, their well-being. Just because you charm the pants off everyone you meet, doesn't mean you can come into my school and expect the same results."
Deeks felt a spike of anger at what Sam Hanna was insinuating, even more so as he continued to stare back like he already judged and tried Deeks.
"Leaning forward, he lowered his voice, matching Sam's intensity. "Look, I don't know what you've heard about me, but I have no intention of playing with anyone's feelings. I happen to like Kensi very much."
"I'm sure you do," Sam interjected archly.
"And I respect her," Deeks added pointedly. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. While our relationship, and the nature of it, isn't any of your business, I promise you that I take it very seriously."
Sam had the smallest of smiles when Deeks' finished speaking. "I'm glad to hear that."
"Good. Are we finished here?" Deeks gestured between them, keeping his voice professional and in control.
"For now," Sam said. "But I'm sure we'll be in touch again."
Shaking his head, Deeks nodded his goodbye, and left. Only once he was safely in his truck, did he allow himself to expel an extended breath. He didn't love that Sam Hanna had taken it upon himself to sit him down for a talk, but he supposed it wasn't the worst thing that Kensi had people looking out for her.
A/N: Oops, the cat's out of the bag now. I know it could be argued that there's a conflict of interest since Caleb is currently one of Kensi's students, but we are going to ignore that. No one is getting special treatment.