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Retribution	By : ambrosiarush Category: M through R > NCIS: Los Angeles Views: 13277 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS:LA or any of it's characters. I do NOT make any money from writing this story.

Chapter List
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Deeks was uncomfortable in his skin. His own mind was a fun house of horrors. The small body of the first dead child he’d ever encountered on scene haunted him, Madeleine Stradden’s eyes still open, forever scaring his soul. His mother, the still unidentified woman swinging from the ceiling fan, swinging, still swinging sickly in the back of his mind. Walking into find Jax bleeding out on the floor of his newly purchased condo twisted his gut. He ran his hands over his face and sat back on the couch.

It was nearly three in the morning and Hetty had sent the entire team home to rest. He’d noticed the way they’d left in twos. Sam with Eric, Callen sticking extra close to Nell- and not in a romantic fashion he’d actually come to expect from the two, but a guarded one. Kensi sticking close to him, closer than usual neither of them bothering to try and lighten the mood with jokes or levity.

He could hear the shower still running, Kensi inside. He did a double check, all the doors all the windows- locked.

His feet had a mind of their own and he walked over to the book shelf. He didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to read it. Still, his hand reached out and grabbed one of the largest law books and flipped it open to page 278. An envelope laid upon the page. He sat cross legged on the floor and took the envelope he hadn’t touched in years into his hands. The back was ripped open and from it he pulled the letter.

The water stopped and he heard Kensi moving around, drawers opening, closing, water running again in the sink, gurgling. He was still blankly staring at the letter in his hand when she came out in a plush white towel. A few seconds of nothing, no sounds and then her tentative footsteps approaching him.

“Marty?”

He caught the coconut scent of the shampoo as she knelt down next to him.

“You should be getting some sleep,” her voice little more than a whisper as she placed a hand on his back, her forehead to his shoulder. She shut her eyes. It had been a long week, and they weren’t even at the end of it yet. So much had happened. Old scars. New wounds dug deep. She was in pain for her partner.

He flipped open the letter instead.

Marty,

Be strong. I love you. I just can’t do this anymore. I can’t stand the thought of you in the system, potentially being hurt again... so I waited. You’re all grown up. You can take care of yourself now. I can’t. I just can’t. It’s like he’s still here. Waiting. I fear every corner like he’s on the other side. I can’t live like this. I can’t. My darling son, I am sorry. You’ll be fine. You never needed me. I love you. I’m sorry.

Kensi read it. She couldn’t help it. Figured he wouldn’t have opened the letter or would have sent her away had he not wanted her to see it. “Marty,” his name said in sympathy.

“I have to catch this guy.” Deeks looked over at her, studied the worry in her dark brown eyes before his eyes trailed to her lips and back up. “I can’t let him use my memories against me. I can’t let him hurt more of the people I love.” His hand went to her face, cupping it, staring at her as if trying to memorize her, trying to convince himself that she was really there, that she was okay.

Kensi swallowed hard. What would happen if this man did get his hands on someone else from Deeks’s inner circle? She wasn’t sure what he would do or how he would react. “Everyone is safe.” She pressed her forehead to his. “Delaney is with Nate. Ray is with Nassir- he’s a damn good agent.” Deeks knew Nassir in passing, but had never worked with the man, never really talked to him. “He will keep Ray safe, and there is no way he’ll be able to ditch Nassir. He’s impossible to shake. Jax has a two man detail at the hospital, he’s secure.”

Hetty had already gone over the security everyone would be having with him. Even gone so far as to tell him that Eric and Sam would be car-pooling. He’d been worried about Hetty, even told her as much- despite knowing how foolish it was. Hetty was the legend of legends- he’d always thought of her as untouchable. Hetty had smiled, said that ‘Mr Callen’ shared his worries. Renko would be tailing her home. Deeks found it hard to believe that Hetty would allow such a thing, but it gave him a little peace of mind.

He pressed his lips to Kensi’s briefly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Kensi froze under the power of his words. “Yeah, well... I’m not sure what I’d do without you either.” She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. “Come on. Lets get to bed.”

::

Delaney had finished the drawing, scanned and sent it off to Shannon. Ray was asleep on the couch, and Nassir was sitting on one of the dark leather chairs, his feet propped up on the table, arms crossed over his chest, chin against his chest and appeared to also be sleeping.

“Ever thought about following in your brother’s footsteps?” Nate asked Delaney.

“No,” she replied sitting back down next to him on one of the stools in the kitchen. “Being able to do it doesn’t mean that I want to.” She twirled a strand of her dark red hair around her fingers absentmindedly. “I enjoy modelling. It’s given me a great deal of freedom. I’ve been able to travel for work. The money is good. I also have a couple of properties in Manhattan, Jax helped me get them, he knows a few guys in real estate, good investments. Which is good... I won’t be modelling much longer.”

“Why not? You enjoy it, said as much.”

Delaney smiled sadly. “I’m getting old, Nate.”

He couldn’t help but laugh, she didn’t look a day over twenty-six. “You’re not old.”

“I’m going to be thirty one in less than a month, Nate. In this business, I’m already old. My contract ends in a couple of months, they won’t be renewing it. I’ve already been passed a bunch of times for jobs. Younger girls. Prettier girls-“

“No such thing.”

Delaney smiled, her head bowing forward in an uncharacteristic shy move, her bits of her hair falling forward and twisting and curling around her face. “Thank you,” she whispered softly.

“You should try and get some sleep.” Nate reached out and pushed back a bit of her hair. “I’ll wake you up if anyone calls.”

She nodded and stood, she paused a moment before she stepped up to him, still sitting on the stool he actually had to look up to her a little. She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Good night, Nathaniel.”

“Good night Delaney.” He watched her walk away, she took a look over at Ray and Nassir before she looked over her shoulder back at him. She managed a little smile before she entered the guest bedroom and shut the door behind her.

::

Nell woke to the sound of metal bits and she knew. She rolled on to her side, pulled up the blankets, fussed with her pillow. She closed her eyes, willed herself back to sleep but it was elusive as smoke. Kicking down the blankets she picked up her knee length white silk robe decorated with a bold flower pattern, she pulled it on and tied the little sash around her waist.

Barefoot, she walked along the hardwood floors she hadn’t had time to sweep or mop in the past week or so. The job came first, everything else got put on the back burner. It was hard, after all they’d been preparing to do a remodel for nearly six months and had yet to commit to it. Planning a wedding is hard enough, and she was constantly falling behind. The flowers outside were dying and becoming overrun by weeds, the grass was getting too long. Inside things had a thin layer of dust and as much as she’d love to clean the place, when she got home she needed to sleep. She had to be awake, alert for her job.

This case had become personal. Deeks was in danger, and by extension, so was the entire team. She stood in the doorway watching as Callen put together the last few pieces of the toaster back together. “Happy now?” he asked with a little smile.

“Depends. Does it work?”

“One time!” She smiled at his indignant tone and watched as he stood, carried he toaster to the counter and plugged it in. He threw in a couple of pieces of bread and pushed the lever down. “I guess we’ll find out.”

“I guess we will.” She walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head by his heart.

“What is it?”

“Huh?” She looked up at him, her hazel eyes confused.

“You’re worried,” he stated knowing her well enough to know. “Deeks?”

“You’re worried too.”

A moment of silence. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I’m worried about him. The team. This Trent Stadden guy... he has nothing left to live for. Family left him, right? Abandoned him after... what happened.” Callen was a man who’d been in the business a long time, crimes against children still got his blood boiling- he guessed when he became so detached that it became the norm, something to work through and past he’d need to retire. “Men with nothing left to live for... they’re the most dangerous.” He soothed a hand over her head. “Nell?”

“Mmm, yeah?”

“Deeks... he said he worked the case with another detective, right?”

Nell nodded. “Brent Harrison.”

Callen kissed the top of her head. “I wonder if Mr Harrison has been getting any letters in the mail.”

“You think he might have been targeted as well?”

“If Stadden is pissed about being put in jail... he might have gone after all officers involved.” Callen hoped it was the case. It would be harder for Stadden to manage balancing revenge on two different men.

“Or, he might just be gunning for the lead detective,” Nell bit down on her lip worriedly.

That was what Callen was afraid of.

“I’ll talk to Harrison in the morning.” The toast popped and he turned to look at it. A smile coming onto his face as he pulled out a perfectly golden brown slice. “See. I know what I’m doing.”

Nell rolled her eyes in a grand fashion. “Breakfast at three thirty?”

“No point in it going to waste.”

Nell smiled. “Where is the honey?”

He kissed her lips softly and she sighed into it before he pulled away. “Right there.”

“Smart-ass.”

::

“Would it kill you to call?” Michelle folded down the corner of the page in the magazine she’d been reading before she tossed it down on the living room table. “I’ve been worried about you, Sam.”

“Sorry,” he said, his head bowed slightly, exhaustion taking it’s toll.

“You look like hell.”

“I feel like hell.”

Her hands splayed out on his chest and their eyes met. “What’s going on Sam?”

“Deeks... someone is targeting him.” He didn’t want to worry his wife, but they’d agreed that full disclosure (at least as much as he could give) would be the only way it could work. He needed to be able to talk to her, and she needed to know what was going on in his life. “Old case, disgruntled man just got out of prison.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “ Might be a series of late nights if we start getting some leads. We’re hoping to close it as fast as possible but... this guys has remained elusive.”

Michelle’s forehead dropped to Sam’s chest. “Are you in danger?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Michelle lifted her head and stared him down. “Would this man hurt you to get to Martin?”

“We don’t know how much about Deeks that this guy might know... one of his friends though... has been hospitalized.”

“Oh my God,” Michelle’s voice was laced with worry and empathy. “Will he be okay?”

“The doctors are optimistic... but it was a brutal attack.” Sam stepped away, paced a bit before turning back to his wife. “We’re going to catch this guy.”

“I know,” she said with confidence as she walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Come on you.” She kissed him softly. “Lets get you to bed.”

::

Eric walked into the living room. Bethany had a few boxes of things she was slowly moving over into his place, they were stacked hazardously in the corner, threatening to fall. She was kneeling on a pillow in front of one of her big tables, a large sheet of paper being attacked by bold pastels. “Sorry I’m late,” he said

Bethany’s blue eyes were a little confused when she looked at him, she looked over her shoulder through the window and into the darkness. Her eyebrows drew down as she looked at her neon green watch on her wrist. “Well... where does the time go?” She looked at him and then back to the piece she was working on and then back to him. “I’m going to finish this.”

He walked closer, knelt down next to her to see it from her point of view. Bold, abstract, eye catching. “I don’t think I’ve seen you use pastels before.”

She shrugged. “Haven’t in a long time. They were on sale when I went to get another tube of red acrylic...” she rubbed her chin absentmindedly as she looked at the picture and he bit down on his lip trying not to laugh at the fact she’d left green, blue and red smudges upon her skin. She seemed to realize it a second later though when she looked down at the mess of colours on her hands.

He couldn’t hold it back any longer, he laughed.

She turned to him, her eyes narrowed. “Think that’s funny, huh?”

He caught onto the mischievous gleam in her eyes a second too late, she tackled him to the ground and planted a hand firmly on each side of his face before she kissed him squarely on the lips.

::
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