Requiem for the boy

Chapter 24

"You have a gun? Tell me you have a gun! Shoot him…Please God…Callen just shoot him!" Deeks screamed trying to push himself into the opposite corner of the room as far away from the hallucination of Brandel as he could get.

"He can't shoot me boy." Brandel snarled. "I'm invincible…I'm in your head and I'm going to stay there."

"Nooooooo!" Deeks moaned bending over and clutching his head. "Get out…" he groaned.

"Deeks," Callen squatted down and put a hand on his shoulder.

"No… please don't…" Deeks gave a shuddering breath.

"It's me Callen, what you're seeing, it isn't real." He assured him.

The image of Brandel lent over him, "Martin, your friends are not real, you're not really a cop, your mine…always mine, don't listen to what that hallucination is saying to you, you're too useless to become a cop, you know that…I would never put you through college when you can be a arms dealer like me." Brandel snarled. "Unless you fail at that then I'll sell you as a slave…might give you away, you're worthless…useless…nobody…." He said in a sing song voice dancing around the shaking form of his son.

"No…he's real." Deeks affirmed. He knew that Callen and Kensi were real, they had to be.

"No he's not…" Callen said.

Deeks grabbed the blankets and pulled them over his head, "No…please, if it's not real I don't wanna live." He sobbed, "I can't, not alone…"

"You're not alone." Callen said trying to get Deeks to look at him.

"You're always alone." Brandel snarled.

Deeks hugged himself tighter rocking back and forth… "Mom…Fern…Don't leave me here with him." He begged half sobbing with each word.

"Deeks, please, look at me…" Callen begged.

"Not real…." Deeks moaned.

Callen shot a desperate look at the large two-way mirror, "I need help." He said.

The door opened and the others moved into the room.

"No…not safe…" Deeks gasped his voice hitching as he ran out of steam, tiredness overtaking him.

Kensi sat in the corner opposite eyes wide trying to be strong for him.

"Marty…" Carl sat on the floor pulling his grandson into his arms, "Callen and your team are real, and they want to help. Your father and I are here….Jeff's here," Carl quickly amended as Deeks flinched. "We will all keep you safe, Brandel is not real." He promised.

"Really? Grandpa…" Deeks flung his arms around the old man and gripped his shirt tightly as his sobs slowed. "I'm safe?" he asked.

"NO….I'm still here I'm a part of you, every time you look in the mirror you'll see me, you know what I did to your mother, and to you…that is and will always be inside you and one day you'll have children and you'll be just like me," Brandel snarled.

"I won't….." Deeks said, "Tell him grandpa, and tell him I won't…" Deeks begged. "Kenz you tell him I won't."

"You won't what?" Kensi asked.

"I won't be like him, I won't hurt our kids…I won't….I just won't!" he insisted.

"I know you won't." Kensi said she knelt in front of him and pulling him to her, she wrapped her arms around his head, "You won't you'll be the best father, the best partner."

"Best husband?" Deeks asked

"Best husband…No one else on the planet for me Deeks, no one else is good enough." She promised him and kissed the top of his head.