The Lone Wolf and the Detective

THE LONE WOLF AND THE DETECTIVE Chapter 6

Marty Deeks felt a little sore after his fight with Callen, but he felt lighter inside, knowing he was getting through to his former partner and team leader. Finally! G. Callen had always been a hard man to get close to. He was much of a mystery as Henrietta Lange. The two were close and he knew Sam had managed to break down his barriers, but Deeks had a tough job ahead of him. After he and Kensi's wedding, things changed. Hetty had no choice but to split them up. He saw the annoyance in Callen's eyes over him and Sam being split up as a result, although he said nothing. Silence had been more painful than confrontation. He'd tried the best he could to make Callen snap in anyway possible. But he failed. And it frustrated him to no end. They had to spar and he had to learn to know Callen's intent, something Sam had mastered. Deeks wasn't stupid, he was a lawyer for goodness sake. But Callen erected the walls around himself higher than before. He was well aware of his relationship with Joelle Taylor, especially after Callen's admission to Sam that he could see them having kids. It was admissions like this that gave insight into the real G. Callen. Finally, he had a taste of normal.

Deeks wanted to prove his worth to Sam which he did by risking his own life to save his life and Michelle's. And he'd done that at the cost of torture. Even after he'd been rescued and admitted into hospital, he dragged himself out of self pity to make his way to the hotel roof top and killed the Russian arms dealer, Sidorov. Sam had a respect for him after that, but Callen, he felt there was a pang of jealousy from the team leader over the change in Sam towards him. What was that about? They were a team, family, like Hetty proclaimed. But, Callen made jokes about his torture, shoving shards of broken glass into his heart. Then to add to the pain, he told him he didn't want him there. Callen might as well held his gun to his temple and fired the weapon. Deeks pushed the pain aside and continued his facade to be the class joker. It had gotten him through the toughest years of his life. But once he became Callen's partner, even that didn't ease the pain and rejection. He'd put in all the effort into their partnership, Callen only did what was needed to please their bosses.

Kensi soothed his worries at the end of the day, and he revelled in the time they had together. Sam gave him advice on ways to break down Callen's walls, but nothing he suggested worked. He was about to ask Hetty to think about a new LAPD liaison, when Joelle was gunned down outside their home. The news hit him like a force he'd yet encountered. Like the atomic bomb dropping on Hiroshima. All breath had escaped his lungs, his skin peeled away from his bones and sinews. He'd failed Callen. Guilt washed over him and no matter what anyone said, he took it personally. He watched on helplessly as Callen pushed everyone away from him. Sam and Hetty looked on with desperation, he needed to do something.

Five weeks had passed, he knew that Nell and Eric were doing their damnedest to find a lead, to find justice for Callen and Joelle. But Callen had gone lone wolf. Typical Callen style, he ran from his problems instead of facing them head on, something Deeks struggled with. He'd had things tough in his earlier years too. His old man had made sure of that. Broken down every ounce of worth inside of him to make him feel like scum of the earth: a cockroach or maggot. Until Ray came to his rescue and gave him his father's gun. Finally after years of abuse, he stood up to John Brandel and shot him. Deeks was worth something, Ray gave him a gift of hope. Then the Deeks adopted him and built on that self worth, making him into the man he was today.

Deeks knew a little of Callen's past, it was hard not to, with the haunts chasing him from every corner. The Comescu's determination to end the Callen bloodline for starters. Then the news that his father was a Russian KBG officer aiding people to escape from Russia. They'd found photos and Callen's walls had fallen for but a moment. He told them about a foster father who'd abused him with a broom, until Callen snapped and gave him a piece of his own medicine. Deeks had seen the similarities between them and he hoped that he could be the one to heal the broken man inside. But Callen refused to see Deeks as anything worth the time. Then out of the blue, Callen called him and asked to meet him under the Santa Monica pier. Hope returned for the detective, Callen had come to him for help. Not Hetty, nor Sam. Him. It's what gave him his courage to fight for Callen, when he saw how broken he was. A smile edged his lips, they curved upwards and reached his eyes. Finally after a year being Callen's partner, he'd achieved his goals. Callen dropped his barriers and let him in. His heart soared, he mattered and he could see how everyone else realised that it was only he who now could help Callen.