Prompt: Could you do a fic where Rosa asks Deeks about his dad?
A/N: I have to admit, I really like this prompt. Thanks for sending it! As you can imagine, it gets just a wee bit angsty here.
Deeks wiped his face across his shirt sleeve, leaving behind a dirty smear. Cracking his neck, he stared up at the sun, directly overhead, before resuming his current task of hoeing the veggie garden.
Rosa kneeled a few feet away, methodically planting fledgling pepper plants. On her other side, was a neat row of tomatoes. Deeks watched her dig a small hole, remove the plant from its plastic container, and center it in the dirt, gently patting more dirt on top.
"How'd you get so good at this?" Deeks asked, propping his arm on the hoe. It had been Rosa's idea to expand the fairly small corner they'd allotted for gardening into a full-sized garden. "Every year, we're lucky if half our crop doesn't die in the first week. And that's after Kensi stopped having a black thumb."
Rosa looked up from under her wide-brimmed sun hat, laughing softly.
"Every year, we had a large garden on my street. It was between my parents' house and the next," she explained. "We planted vegetables and fruits. And Calla Lilies. Everyone in the…the neighborhood could come and pick what they wanted." She smiled reminiscently, hands stilling in the dirt.
"It sounds wonderful, and like you guys took care of each other."
"We did." Dipping her head again, she picked up a small handful of soil, letting it trail through the cracks of her fingers. Still looking down, she added, "My father and I worked together in the garden every day we could. I cherish those moments."
Deeks could hear the love in her voice, along with just a hint of sadness.
"Those are the best kinds of memories," he said gently. "I bet your dad looked forward to spending time with you too."
She nodded, cocking her head as she regarded him for a few moments.
"Your father must have been a very good man to have raised you," she said, pausing before eyeing him with a look of understanding far beyond her years. "But then you never talk about him. Why is that?"
Deeks stilled. He wasn't shocked by her question, but definitely hadn't expected it this soon. He and Kensi had actually discussed whether or not they should talk about his past and all its messiness. Deeks had been in favor of telling her about it early on, while Kensi thought they should let her settle in first, get to know him without her opinion being tinged by his past. In the end, she'd told him she would stand by whatever decision he made.
Sighing, Deeks let the hoe fall to the side and sank into a cross-legged position that only caused minor creaking in his joints. Hands hanging loosely between his legs, he rubbed at a slightly raw spot in the curve between his thumb and forefinger. He'd thought about how he would approach the topic so many times and now he realized there was no perfect way.
"You're right, I don't talk about my dad," Deeks admitted. "And that is because he was not a…very good person." He sucked a breath between his teeth, shaking his head slightly. "He was an alcoholic and when I was about five, he started hurting me and my mom."
He turned to Rosa and saw concern in her eyes, yet no true surprise. She didn't speak, waiting for him to finish.
"One night he completely lost control. He beat my mom to the point she couldn't get back up and then he pulled a shotgun on her. I didn't know what else to do, so I, uh, I shot him."
Rosa gasped softly, covering her mouth while horror overtook her curiosity.
"Oh my god," she whispered. "How old were you?"
"11." Guessing what her next question would be, he added, "A friend of mine who was in a similar situation gave me the gun. Believe me, I never intended to use it, but when I found mom like that, I didn't see any other choice."
Seeming unable to find the right words, Rosa settled for resting her hand on his forearm. He took it as a somewhat positive sign that she wasn't completely horrified by his actions.
"What happened after that? You didn't—?" The unfinished question hung in the air between them, heavy and carrying the power to change everything.
"No, I didn't kill him," Deeks answered evenly. "Honestly, I don't think I was trying to. I didn't have the skill to really aim for anything. I just wanted to stop him." His mind filled with the image of his dad bleeding on the floor, his mom crying and broken a few feet away. One of the worst nights of his life.
"Eventually, he was tried and sent to prison."
"Good," Rosa said, surprising him. "Is he still there?"
"No. He died several years ago." Deeks allowed a weak smile. "In a car crash. Never saw him again."
"Marty, I am so sorry all of that happened to you," Rosa murmured, and he wasn't sure if it was in relation to Gordon's death or the whole awful business. She hid it well, but he still could see a hint of shock and something else in her eyes. "You were so young. Innocent."
"I've come to terms with it by now." Or at least he had for the most part. He drew in another short breath, facing Rosa unflinchingly, waiting for her judgment. "So, now that you know the whole story, what do you think?"
"You are a good man, Marty," she responded slowly. "In spite of what your father did, you are good, and kind, and strong." She paused, deliberately looking at him directly. "And I am glad that you were strong enough to save yourself and Roberta."
"Me too," he said after a moment. "I don't mean that I enjoyed what I did, but I wouldn't change anything. Because I am fairly certain he would have killed her than night."
Rosa tensed at his comment and then suddenly rose onto her knees, embracing him. It took Deeks a second to respond, his hands slowly moving to pat her back. Rosa didn't seem to have the same reservations and squeezed him tightly.
"Thank you. For always protecting, even when it is difficult." She pulled back, compassion shining in her eyes. "My father, he would have liked you," she told him with a wistful smile.
Deeks swallowed deeply, tears instantly pricking at the back of his eyes. The whole rest of the conversation had barely affected him, but this, the love and warmth in Rosa's voice did it. He was too close to hide his reaction. Pressing his lips together, he laughed softly, a little wetly.
"Well, I would have loved to meet him, because he raised an amazing young woman," Deeks told Rosa, trying to convey his appreciation for her compassion. For not losing trust in him. Rosa just gave him a smile of understanding and squeezed his hand.
And just like that, that tiny bit of fear that always lingered within, that saw a future where he was his father, began to fade.
A/N: Hope that last line wasn't too cheesy.