35A/N: Thank you guys so much for the reviews. This would be the last chapter, and (of course) the verdict. I thank all of you who kept messaging, reviewing, and prodding me to finish this story. I hate that it took two years to get to this point, and I hope you all find the ending as satisfying as the rest of the story. Thank you all again, including everyone who recently found this story and have been reviewing it. It all means a lot. :) See the first chapter for the disclaimer. I hope you all enjoy the end, and please review. :)
Has There Ever Been A Moment With So Much To Live For?
"Has the jury reached a verdict?" the judge asked.
"We have," the jury foreman said.
"In the matter of the People of the State of California versus Mr. G. Callen, on the charge of murder in the first degree, how do you find?"
"We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty."
It was a toss-up who was more surprised by the verdict: Deeks or Wilkins. Callen was also surprised, but he simply smiled, reaching out to high-five and hug Deeks, who returned the hug numbly.
"Mr. Callen, you are hereby released from custody," the judge stated. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, thank you for your service. This court is adjourned."
Wilkins walked over to the defense table, shaking her head at Deeks. "Congratulations," she said. "Not sure how you pulled that one out."
"Besides just being good?" Deeks replied. "You indicted higher than you could prove. You would've had me on a second-degree charge, but a federal agent wouldn't be stupid enough to plan to execute a prisoner in their custody in such a public way."
"Assuming, of course, that he or she actually wanted to kill their prisoner at all," Callen added.
Wilkins shook her head. "You should've stayed a lawyer, Deeks," she said.
"You should see me as a cop before you say that," Deeks replied, winking.
Wilkins didn't bother to respond, choosing instead to walk away.
As Callen and Deeks made their way past the bar, Deeks said to Callen, "I'm not kidding, though. If she had gone to trial with second-degree murder, I would've pled you out."
"I know," Callen replied.
"Can we also agree that this never happens again? Please?"
"Deal." Callen shook Deeks's hand. "Thanks."
Deeks nodded rather than respond.
As the two of them made their way back into Ops, they both knew that everything had changed. Not just because Callen was now free. If Callen were to continue as an undercover operator working in the field, he would either have to leave the team and move to another country, or have some major reconstructive surgery to alter his appearance.
Neither one seemed all that appealing.
Though, Hetty had a plan, as she always did, of how to rectify everything once the heat died down. And as Kensi, Sam, Eric, and Nell all celebrated Callen's victory and subsequent return in the bullpen, Hetty found Deeks in the gun locker, sitting on a stool at the table.
"You should be celebrating with the others," she told him as she walked in.
"I don't know how we won the case," he replied.
"Does it matter?"
"It does to me."
Hetty made her way over to sit down next to Deeks. "You won because the prosecution did a poor job of showing premeditation," she said. "You and I both know that if they hadn't gone for first degree, they would have won."
Deeks nodded solemnly.
"But, mostly, you showed the jury that Callen wasn't himself when he shot Janvier," she continued. "You put them in his shoes, made them feel for him. They couldn't convict him. He was upset, he was distraught, and he was doing what many others would have done in his place. That is how you won the case."
Deeks nodded again.
"You're a great lawyer, Mr. Deeks. I wouldn't have asked you to defend Mr. Callen if I didn't think you stood a decent chance of helping him."
"What if I had lost?" he asked.
"What if you had?" she reiterated.
"Would it have changed anything around here?"
"Besides Mr. Callen no longer being present? It's not likely."
Deeks snorted slightly in disbelief.
"The team was always behind you, either way," Hetty told him. "They knew it would be almost impossible to clear Callen of the charges. But you did. And you should be proud of that, Mr. Deeks. You should be celebrating the victory with your team instead of contemplating what if. You won."
Deeks nodded again.
"Come on," she said, standing and grabbing his arm.
Deeks silently obliged.
"There he is!" Sam called out as Hetty and Deeks walked into the bullpen. "The man of the hour. The magician himself."
"Does this mean we can use you to get out of things?" Kensi asked.
"I've already told you, I have no pull with LAPD," Deeks said. "Especially not the traffic division."
Hetty smiled as she passed around glasses of whiskey to the team. "A toast," she said, tipping her glass towards Deeks. "To the man who did the impossible: cleared an obviously guilty client of the murder he most definitely did commit. May you never have to do that again for one of us."
"And thank God you're on our side," Callen added.
"Cheers," they said, as they all clinked glasses and drank.
The End.
