It's All Relative
Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with NCIS Los Angeles. I only own my original characters.
Thank you to all who have left a reviewed/favorited/followed. I really appreciate it.
A big THANK YOU to AuggieDeeksNico for your amazing editing skills and don't forget to read her story Joint Operations.
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Kensi stood up from the chair and approached Deeks and Nell. "So we can assume that Schumacher and Hummel were involved in the murder of Private Pacific. But why would Hummel's' fingerprints be on your car?
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Chapter 6 – In Conclusion.
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One Week Later
Deeks knew Kensi was watching him and for that reason he tried to act normal. If she knew he had a headache, she would go instantly into protective mode. He knew this one was not connected to the Grade III concussion he received thanks to Sidorov and his buddies. He also knew he would have a hard time convincing Kensi of that. Ironically, it was the side effects of the concussion that he seem to have the best control over, the rest he was still dealing with on some level.
However, his headache was slowly getting worse and Deeks was worried that soon it would be off the Richter scale. Along with Kensi, they made a final visit to the Vampire Lounge and Tasting Room last night. He must be getting old as he found the music to loud and was tired for staying out so late. Kensi teased him about it but he could see she was struggling too.
But he wasn't thinking about last night or the case, he just wanted out of here because the last place he wanted to be was in Sam's hospital room. He admitted it, he always hid in the waiting room while Kensi visited Sam. Now the team came for a final visit before Sam was released into Michelle's capable hands and he felt he should be in the room for a few minutes.
Not paying attention was how he ended up alone with Sam in his hospital room and he was kind of surprised Kensi had left him. He turned to leave when Sam called him back. Deeks mentally steeled himself for what was to come.
"I want to thank you for helping Michelle around the house."
Deeks looked Sam in the eye. The first time they looked at each other in months. Sam looked away first.
"No worries." Deeks started towards the door.
"After the way I treated you..." Sam started but Deeks cut him off.
"The way you treated me not Michelle. She needed help and I could do it." Deeks emphasised the 'you'.
"Still, I don't know if I would have done the same." Sam said honestly
Deeks looked him straight in the eye again. "I know" and he left the room.
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As he exited Sam's room, Kensi, Callen and Nate were lined up against wall across the hallway. He looked directly into Kensi's eyes. She didn't look away. He saw no guilt only concern. Callen held his stare for a moment then looked away. He was in on the ambush on some level. Last but not least there was Nate, who couldn't look at him. Instead his eyes were cast downward to the floor. Oh, the mastermind.
Kensi could see the anger radiating off of him as he exited the room. She stepped towards him as he passed her but he sidestepped her making a bee line for the stairs. She sighed deeply and started to follow him.
She stopped when she heard Nate say "Kensi, give him a minute. I would..."
She turned back and gave him a look that offered no argument "I think you've done enough this morning."
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The ride back to the Mission was once again in silence, something that has happened way too often in the last couple months. Kensi occasionally glanced at her partner and his eyes were closed and he rubbing his temples. Parking in her spot, she put her hand on his arm. When he didn't pull away she took that as a good sign. He gave her a weak smile back and got out of the SUV. As they entered, they were greeted with Hetty calling to them from her office.
"Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks, you had such a late night I'm surprised to see you here so early."
Deeks took a position behind one of the chairs and Kensi the other.
"We wanted to see Sam before he went home and write up the final report on the Pacific case. Then we were hoping to go home early?" Kensi spoke for both of them.
"I see. If there are no new cases, you both can leave after the report is finished." Hetty nodded her agreement.
As the pair stepped away she continued, "Mr. Deeks, a word."
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Without looking back Kensi started to her desk, she planned to finish up the report herself while she sent Deeks to the couch in the staff room along with a couple pills for his headache.
Deeks watched her leave then turned back to Hetty. His grab on the back of the chair was slowly turning his knuckles white and he couldn't meet her eyes.
"I must apologize for Mr. Getz's actions at the hospital." She started. "I was not aware of his plan and would not have approved it."
Deeks loosened his grip a little and looked up.
"He has informed me that you have made great progress in the past couple weeks. He feels when you finish this batch of medication the dosage can be lower and with each refill the dosage will be lowered until you are complete off the drug."
His grip loosened again.
"Mr. Getz has been reassigned and you do not have to have counselling with him going forward. However, if you feel you need to speak to someone I have another excellent person in mind."
"Thank you Hetty."
"Oh, Mr. Deeks don't thank me, you did all the work. I believe Ms. Blye is waiting for you to help with the report."Hetty said with a smile.
He nodded and walked away. He realized most of his anger was gone but not his headache.
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Callen liked this time of day at the Mission the best. Most of the staff had gone home only leaving a skeleton crew. The lights were lower and it gave the place a feeling of calmness and he could hear the fountain bubbling in the courtyard. Having slept on the couch many times, he felt very comfortable in this space. Nursing a tea Hetty gave him, he pulled the report on the Pacific case out of his inbox.
He had lost track of the case when Sam was shot. He knew it was now a cold case as one of the suspects had gone underground. Kensi had briefly filled him in before she and Deeks left for the day.
The case was actually a simple one, a man controlling those around him by the means of abuse and threats.
According to the report, Former Warrant Office Leo Pacific grew up poor in Virginia. Like most people he wanted more out of life. But a youth marked with violence and trouble with the law made the people in his small town weary of him. So he joined the Army, married soon after and quickly had twin boys. But most of his pay was going to his gambling and beers at the NCO Mess. Enter Major John Edmonds also having problems living at his pay grade.
The Major and Pacific senior started working together and found a middle man who worked for both of them. When the middle man retired, Leo Pacific tried to recruit his sons. That's when it got messy. Senior started threatening both his sons to work with him but neither wanted any part of it. The break in and fire at the Major's house were both a set up to frame Private Matt and Corporal Drew.
Private Matt was picked up by Karl Schumacher and Ken Hummel at the Vampire Lounge and took him with them to the Major's house. Senior wanted something to hold over his head but being bitten by the rattlesnake was an unforeseen tragedy. The bite mark and burn marks on his wrists had no connection to the case. Apparently, he liked to partake in the role playing escorts at the Vampire Lounge.
Corporal Drew tried to stay out his father's way but was so afraid of his father after his brother died that when approached by Kensi and Deeks he confessed everything.
Schumacher and Hummel were involved in the case for intimidation. With Senior out of the military he needed more than Major Edmonds on the inside to still make this work and who else but his sons. When Schumacher was making waves and wanting more money, Senior decided he was expendable and told Hummel to kill him. Apparently Hummel had no problem killing his "friend" and dumping him. But now Hummel is missing.
The most surprising element in this case was the involvement of Deeks' cousin Dr. Sophie Cooper. What seemed like a random act of violence when Deeks found his tires slashed turned out to be the beginning of what was supposed to be scare tactics towards Sophie. Major Edmonds and crew had been using the clinic to store and transfer some of the stolen good as the Director of Care was a retired Navy doctor who was being blackmailed by Major Edmonds. When the Director of Care died suddenly of a heart attack, Edmonds had another Doctor ready to take his place. However, Sophie got the job instead and they were afraid that she would find out. The slashing of the tires and the smashing out of the rear window was just the beginning of a list of actions Schumacher and Hummel had planned.
Now Hummel was missing, Senior was up on charges again, had lost one son to death and the other wasn't speaking to him and the Major was being court martialed. They may have shut this black market ring down but the items they stole were still out there. Callen had no doubts that within months another ring would be in place.
Callen didn't understand family and family dynamics. How could two families with similar backgrounds turn out so different? While Deeks and Sophie broke the cycle of abusive and poverty and moved on to be a respectable doctor and a lawyer turned cop and had a healthy relationship. Unfortunately, the Pacific family didn't escape that cycle.
Before he had time to ponder this any further, he looked up and saw Hetty coming down the stairs. She noticed him "Mr. Callen, join me."
As team leader, he signs the last page of the report, places the reports in his outbox just before he pushes back from his desk and proceeds across the room.
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"Yes, Hetty" he said as he took a seat in the chair in front of her desk.
Out of the bottom draw of the desk she took a half full bottle of Scotch and two glasses. She poured Callen and herself a generous portion in the glasses.
"Give me your assessment of what happened between Mr. Deeks and Mr. Hanna this morning." Hetty asked taking a sip from the glass.
"It seems Nate wanted to force a meeting between the two." Callen smelled the Scotch then also took a sip.
"In your opinion how did it go?"
"Deeks was furious at first but he calmed down eventually. It didn't help he was fighting a headache too."
Hetty nodded "Do you see them being able to work together?"
"They have been for years. They seem to have come to some kind of unspoken truce. Also, Deeks' actions with Sidorov demonstrate that he can work with Sam. I have never seen him once disrespect Sam in any way."
"Are you, as team leader, okay with how your team is functioning now?"
Callen took another drink before answering "Well it's not ideal for sure but there has always been a certain amount of tension between the two. What are you getting at? Are you thinking of reassigning one of them?"
His heart stopped thinking about losing Sam as a partner but he knew Kensi would be crushed losing Deeks.
"If they can't work together, Mr. Hanna is an NCIS agent but Mr. Deeks is not, I would terminate the liaison position."
There you have it, my first multi chaptered fan fiction. Actually, this is my first attempt to write a story of any kind and I learned a lot. Don't put in things like "Oh that looks like a Vampire bit" when it not originally in the story line. I still don't know where that came from. Don't lose your story outline and have to try to piece things back together. And I think I finally figured out the spacing issues.
A friend asked why I didn't put in any details on how Sam was shot. I didn't feel it was needed to advance the story. I just need Sam in the hospital, to play out the scenes with Kensi and Deeks, Sam and Deeks and Callen and Hetty.
I'm working on another story and hope to have it completed before I go back to school(part time) in September.
Thank you again.