The Lone Wolf and the Detective

THE LONE WOLF AND THE DETECTIVE Chapter 7

Deeks pushed his farewell with Kensi and Milly to the back of his mind and focused on the details of their operation. He looked over to his partner, Callen was sitting back with his eyes closed. Deeks thought about all the times they'd flown somewhere and he realised that Callen always appeared to be asleep. But was he? Was it his way of shutting off any form of communication in a confined space? Was he formulating a plan of his own? Or was he really sleeping? The man had a reputation for sleeping in short bursts, and Deeks would normally doubt that this is what Callen was doing. However, Callen did need the sleep. He showed signs of sheer exhaustion and from the sounds of Sam's complaints, he'd hardly slept the night before either.

Deeks thought back to another black op, when he, Sam and Callen flew to Afghanistan to meet up with Granger, to save Kensi. Images of a supposed dead Kensi skittered across his synapses, making him shudder. It had pushed him over the edge and led him to torture an old blind man. He'd never spoken about his own vulnerability to anyone from this time, not even to Nate or Kensi. How could he tell her he almost killed an unarmed man because he thought she was dead? War changed a man, his companion warned him. How true to his words did he become? He shook his head, he couldn't afford to dwell on what almost became. He came up with a plan and saved the team and Kensi from death. He nodded. Yes, I did, he reminded himself. How had he forgotten that? If he hadn't come up with the plan to trade the father of one of the Taliban terrorists, they all would have been lost. His eyes widened, he pulled out his laptop and began typing an email to Nell. He needed her help to find the Comescu's vulnerability, something to trade, just in case. He shut it down once he was finished and decided to rest himself. Once they arrived, he was certain that Callen would be eager to hit the ground running. He looked over at his partner once more. He worried about him. Callen was barely stitched together. He was a man who was a mastermind in hiding his true feelings, but now, Callen bared all, his vulnerability of grief from the loss of his wife and unborn child.

Deeks stomach knotted tightly, he prayed Kensi and Milly remained safe while he was away. After Michael Coleman's admission over Andrei Comescu's next target, he remained alert. Thankfully, Michelle suggested that Kensi and Milly move in with her and Kamran while they were away. He sighed. Things had progressed a long way since his arrival at OSP. Back in the day when he knew nothing of Sam even having a family. Now Sam saw him and Kensi as part of the family. Family stuck together, through the good, bad and the ugly. Now was the ugly. This operation could get very messy.

The small jet dipped and Deeks' stomach lurched. His eyes widened with fear for a moment, but when he caught Callen's gaze, he knew they were safe.

"We're approaching Varna."

Deeks nodded, "thanks." He looked outside the window, he could see the coastline of the Black Sea below. Memories of their last trip to Constanta returned to the forefront of his mind. He smiled over the banter he'd had with Kensi. He'd tried to say that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, she said, brother and sister. There was no way they could pass as siblings, there was so much chemistry between them. The former was the safest bet. But their last visit was cut short, the Comescus knew that they were coming and spotted him eating this third gelato on the beach. It had been a good thing in the end, Hetty had been shot and she needed immediate medical attention.

He gave Callen a sideway glance, this was why Callen didn't want Hetty here. He wanted to protect her. She was the closest he had to a mother, there was no surprises there. He prayed Hetty and Nell remained at their secret location and other than asking them for details, their whereabouts were kept hidden from Callen. The last thing they need was for Callen to have a trust issue episode and go lone wolf. He might think he's strong, but he's stronger with the team. Didn't their time in the Kill House teach them this necessary fact?