#LA lawyer

[amslaw]

A good personal injury lawyer in Long Beach, CA does it best, amirite?

[lainjuryblogs]

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[doydoune]

it's the year of our lord 2023 and I'm only now learning about Phoenix's and Maya's baker era

pov: you're living your best life making bread and a Lego figurine bursts into your bakery and now you have to prevent a girl from being burned alive as a witch

[tomicscomics]

05/17/2024

Hey, wait a minute...

___

JOKE-OGRAPHY: 1. The Source: This cartoon doesn't have any direct quotes from the trial, like the previous comics, but it's based on this passage here (translated by W. S. Scott): "Asked if she knew Catherine de la Rochelle, or had seen her, [Jeanne] said yes, at Jargeau; and at Montfaucon-en-Berry. Asked whether [Catherine] had shown her a woman dressed in white, who [Catherine] said sometimes appeared to her, [Jeanne] answered no. [...] And in order to be certain of the truth, [Jeanne] had spoken to [her Voices,] Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret, who told her that this Catherine was mad and a liar." 2. Summary: Catherine was another woman who claimed to have revelations from God. St. Joan eventually consulted her Voices about her, and they concluded that Catherine was bonkers. 3. Irony: In this cartoon, the lawyer asks Joan about Catherine, and Joan answers bluntly that Catherine claimed to have visions from God but was a fraud. The lawyer snickers and pretends to empathize with Joan's frustration. He says he understands what it's like to deal with a fake mystic, implying that Joan is a fraud like Catherine. It takes Joan a second to register this insult, but when she does, she gives him the look. 4. Up Next: This isn't the whole passage about Catherine de la Rochelle, just the introduction. I'm saving the rest for the story arc I'm about to do. Stay tuned!

[ejzah]

A/N: I’m finally back with this story again! I’m hoping that I can get it wrapped up before July, but no promises.

***

In Miss Blye’s Class, Part 32

Despite the specter of Monica hanging over them, they had a good night. Caleb contributed significantly to keeping the mood light. He was delighted to have uninterrupted time with Kensi and made use of the opportunity. After dinner, he showed Kensi all his new books, as promised, even reading two all by himself.

Kensi seemed just as excited by his reading as Deeks, even though she got to seem him practice his skills every day. He’d come to love these moments of quiet simplicity. There wasn’t any pressure on any of them to be anything but themselves.

He watched Kensi help Caleb decode a difficult word, and he glanced up, seeking Deeks’ gaze, his approval with a wide grin. Deeks grinned back, reaching over to smooth an unruly curl down. It instantly sprung back up. Just like it always did.

“That’s one of the biggest, hardest words I’ve ever read!” Caleb exclaimed.

“I know, kiddo. I’m so proud of how hard you’ve worked on your reading,” Deeks said wholeheartedly.

“Me too,” Kensi agreed. “You’ve made so much progress these last few months.”

This alone was enough to convince that he needed to have a serious conversation with Monica. Up to this point, he’d held back for Caleb’s sake, and maybe because despite it all, he still felt some tiny bit of compassion for her. All that had gotten him was Monica pushing as many boundaries as she could.

He was done. He wouldn’t put his relationship with Kensi in jeopardy. Not anymore.

They spent another half an hour playing and talking before it was Caleb’s bedtime. Kensi decided to leave then, and he briefly imagined a time when she’d stay for a bedtime story and the good nights. He didn’t let his imagination drift too far with that daydream, but it was on his mind as he kissed Kensi goodbye at the door, lingering for a few extra seconds even though they’d both said their goodbyes already.

Once Kensi left, he ran the normal nighttime routine with Caleb: bath, teeth brushing, talking over the day, before a final book—this time read by Deeks. He made sure Caleb was fully asleep before he crept out and headed for the patio, pulling up Monica’s number on his phone.

“Hello, Marty. I did not expect to hear from you so soon,” she answered after a couple rings. “Did you miss me?”

“No. Monica, we need to talk,” he said, not taking the bait. She chucked, her voice fading for a second as though she’d turned away from the phone.

“I’m sorry, but I’m a little…occupied tonight.”

“I don’t care. After the last week, you can deal with some inconvenience. Now, we can either talk now or meet here.”

He could almost feel her debating the consequences of blowing him off for whatever plans she may or may not have. After several seconds, she sighed dramatically, the sound loud in his ear.

“Alright. I’ll be over in half an hour.”

***

Deeks was waiting in the driveway, leaning against his truck, when Monica pulled up to the curb in a black car. He didn’t want to chance Caleb hearing the conversation they were about to have if he happened to wake up.

Monica raised an eyebrow at his position as she approached, but didn’t comment. Uncrossing his legs, Deeks straightened, meeting her at the halfway point.

“This is cozy,” she joked, mimicking his posture. “So, what is so important that you pulled me away from what promises to be a very nice date?”

“Did you question Kensi about our relationship?” he asked bluntly. Monica didn’t show any sign of guilt or embarrassment, her expression blanking for a second before she laughed throatily.

“Oh, so the teacher went and tattled. I was 50/50 on which way she’d go. You know, she’s spunky. I like that—”

“On my god, Monica, stop. This isn’t a game. What were you thinking asking Kensi’s those questions?”

She shrugged flippantly. “Like I told her, I’m just looking out for you. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

“That is not your job or your business. How many times do I have to tell you that you no longer have a say in my personal life before you get it? That ended when you divorced me,” Deeks reminded her.

“That may be true, but she’s also in Caleb’s life. And I’m still his mother,” she shot back, taunting him. “I still have a say in his life. Especially when it comes to such big changes.”

“No, you don’t. Not anymore. You’re the one who terminated your parental rights. If you want visitations we can get lawyers to work out an agreement, but this cannot go on. You don’t get to walk back in whenever you want and make demands. I won’t let you do this to us anymore.”

“I thought we didn’t need a contract,” Monica said, reminding him of his own words from a time when he was younger and far more naive.

“I thought so too, until you started interfering in our lives. It’s not fair to either Caleb or me to have you just showing up without warning and expect us to drop everything.”

“A mother should be allowed to see her son.”

That pushed him over the edge. He’d tried to remain polite and in control, but everything that he’s kept back since she left came pouring out.

“Oh don’t give me that crap, Monica. You abandoned him. That’s what it’s called when you leave a child without any warning or way of contacting you,” he snapped, inhaling deeply to regain even a tiny bit of control. He didn’t need the neighbors hearing the entire conversation. “Look, I have tried so hard to move on and not be bitter about any of this.”

He drew his hand through the air to encompass the last five years. “I know people change, sometimes what they thought they wanted doesn’t make them happy anymore, and-and I accept that, but the way you left destroyed both of us when you left. Monica, you didn’t even give me any warning. It took me so long to begin trusting another person, for Caleb to stop asking when you were coming home, and now that we’ve finally found peace and happiness, you come in like some kind of wrecking ball.”

Monica shifted from one foot to the other, and opened her mouth like she was about to defend herself, but he cut her off with a shake of his head.

“I don’t want to hear whatever excuse you’re going to come up with. You’ve manipulated our son, questioned my girlfriend, and violated my privacy.” He shook his head, licking his bottom lip. “There’s, uh, there’s no excuse for any of that. I wouldn’t believe it anyway at this point.”

Her face fell slightly at the last part, but he refuses to feel any guilt. She shifted from one foot to the other, looking down with her lips pursed, then lifted her chin.

“So, what exactly do you want if it’s not an apology?” she asked.

“We agree to put parameters on your visitation and parental rights,” he responded. “I’m going to get a lawyer. I suggest you do to.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll do whatever is necessary to protect my family.” He let that hang in the night air for a few seconds, then nodded. “Have a good rest of your night, Monica.” He didn’t wait for a reply, heading for the front door again.

***

A/N: I know this is a little heavier and dramatic than most of this story. I hope that’s ok. Monica’s just one of those people who doesn’t know when to stop.

[ladysophiebeckett]

'he said\she said no pickles' ass pose

[neutrallyobsessed]

and here's a narumayo before i go full clone high for the better part of february 💙💜💙💜

[absolutebl]

Hi there! I've just returned from a two-week holiday (as I'm writing this I'm actually still driving back home, but I want to get on top of it lmao), so I would like to defer to your knowledge:

could you pretty please provide me with an update on what series ended/started while I was away? I have a vague idea, but I don't want to miss out on the things that didn't get as much promo and are therefore not on my mdl.

if you can, my watchlist will be forever thankful!!

July Report: BL that Stopped & Started & Is worth Your time

Ended July 2023

Step By Step

This was Thailand’s answer to The New Employee, and everything I loved about that show I loved about this one.

This was an office romance between stern boss and sweet subordinate that felt more authentic to an office environment than previous Thai BLs of this ilk. And that authenticity added tension to the narrative and character development (how novel). Now that might be because it has western source material, or it might be because it is actually kind of old-fashioned (it’s been years since I worked as an office grunt). I also really enjoyed the brothers’ relationship, and kinda wished they hadn’t attempted (and failed) to give said brother his own side BL. That one flaw made it a 9/10 for me.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

La Pluie

This BL takes to task the fated mates trope and what it means to have love chained intimately to predestination. It’s about how faith in destiny before choice diminishes the authenticity of emotion, relationships, and connection. This is a high concept to examine through the lens of a BL.

By activating + examining the soulmates trope this show is challenging a foundation of romance: the idea that there is one person meant to be your one romantic partner all your life. This means that we, as viewers, spend much of the show worried about it having a happy ending, and that’s the source of both its brilliance and tension: would the narrative have the strength to truly challenge its own romantic core? But, ultimately, all this elevated complexity was executed in a somewhat shaky manner with the narrative derailing into some serious pacing issues and characters manipulated by miscommunication.

However, with good chemistry and decent acting all around, plus some excellent high heat and representation of consent and a few other rare tropes, this one has to (like it’s sibling show My Ride) earn a 9/10. I enjoyed it even as it made me think, so despite its flaws:

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Started July 2023 & Looking GOOD

Jun & Jun

Korea Thurs Viki 8 eps

THANK YOU BL GODS. It is so good. Like everything I want in the world. I’m incandescently happy with this show.

It’s office set,

it’s an ex idol,

everyone is pretty as peaches,

and it’s all about remembering somebody’s smell!

I could not be more delighted.

Laws of Attraction

Thai Sat iQIYI 8 eps

(Icky picked it up but they are serving it in a complicated way that may require a VPN.)

Stars the pair from To Sir With Love with the same production team. IT’S SO GOOD. A morally corrupted trickster lawyer with a tragic past, sad eyes, and a beautiful smile that he uses like a weapon. Meets paladin martial arts instructor from other side of the tracks (who is out, at least to his baby sister).

Corrupt police.

Spoiled rich kid evil.

Ambitious politician.

Tragic death.

Terrible subs.*

This show is very like Manner of Death but so far it is a much better/tighter story (there's a Devil Judge aura happening). It’s NOT BL but it is fucking phenomenal. And you should watch it. Not wait to binge it. WATCH IT.

On a global scale this might be the best thing currently airing featuring gay romantic leads. Its really fucking good. It’s Lawless Lawyer but more complex character motivation and gay af. Fuck yes please and thank you. FINALLY.

Triggers for violence, beatings, death & torture depicted on screen. Like MoD they are not holding back. 

(* A lot of the familial names they are using are not gendered in Thai but translated as such, like “nephew”. This one is gonna go down a lot easier if you know some Thai.)

ALSO:

Stay By My Side - Taiwan Fri Gaga 10 eps

Hidden Agenda that isn’t hidden - Thailand Sun GMMTV YouTube 12 eps

Low Frequency - Thailand Sat iQIYI 8 eps

Started But You Can Probably Wait IMHO

Dinosaur Love (Sun iQIYI)

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki)

Wedding Plan (Weds YT & iQIYI) it's mame so A trash watch is happening! 

Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga)

Hope this is what you wanted.

[redcarpet-streetstyle]

[thealogie]

I don’t know if this is a question for an entertainment lawyer like yourself or a PR person, but sometimes you hear people saying that various celebrities have had certain stories “suppressed” and done an “internet cleanse” etc (I don’t remember the real terms) like of something gets out, can and do they make them disappear?

Yes! People have hardcore contacts in the media and they kill stories. Eliminating search results is super hard and I’ve never dealt with it first hand (though I’ve heard of it happening…it is Taylor swift level shit). But killing stories happens all the time! I see my clients do it all the time. I’m not the person who makes it happen thought. That would be PR or the agent (at the request and with the explicit permission of the client)

[flordeamatista]

Que voy hacer con mi amor

Song

Emotions lustful longing/ Passion de Lejos

Muse is : Family Lawyer Bucky

A Touch of Desire

pairing: lawyer!bucky barnes x fem!reader

concept: He promises you a million adventures with him

word count: 500 

warnings: angst, desire, kisses, love, nickname ─ Dove

a/n: if you know all the novelas have a scene like this

Masterlist

You're sitting in his office, laughing because the world is full of brightness and calm, and wiping away your happy tears as you tell him about your travels. 

He wants you to look at the world as if it were made just for you, and to realize that you are the most beautiful thing about it. The one responsible for the sun's rays. The moment he is selected to lead your family's legal representation. What Bucky really wants wasn't fame or fortune, but you.

If he isn't horny, you'll have a much better time communicating with him. Bucky is ecstatic just thinking about you. It's not just your beauty that makes him want you; it's everything about you. He only wants your mouth to wrap around his cock, and he wants your tears to speak to him in water elements.

You're sitting in the same room with this man you've want every minute of every second of your life. Yet here you are, telling him all about the exciting things that young women get up to, while simultaneously hoping that he will transform you into one. His woman. 

Despite your desperate love, the two of you were not lovers. This man has never been touch in the way that you wish to touch him. You recall the sensation of his wet lips moving slowly across your cheek, and his blue eyes smiling into yours. It was just a friendly kiss, but it was enough to keep your hand between your thighs and keep you up all night.

Friend who's also a great lover

You are about to leave his office to leave him alone since he had work to do and his work was not to entertain you. But you hope he will entertain you.

You took a step back and stood up. You were still very close. 

"My dear Dove," 

“James—” 

He brushes his finger across your lips, and they stay feathery light. His finger is replaced by his own soft, gentle lips. When he first starts pressing on you, you barely budge from beneath him. You respond appropriately, leaning towards him. 

"Let me be your man who brings you flowers every morning," he breaths into your mouth. He leant into the kiss, pushing you back against his desk as his hands moves from your shoulders to the sides of your neck, over your jawline, and finally gripping the back of your neck tightly.

I promise you a million adventures.

[mallowkey]

Kill la Kill redraw but with Lawyer Kara (and whichever Kara of your choosing)

[thebetterluthor]

Lincoln Lawyer season 2: Absolutely killing it, so far.

I don't think anyone was happier than me when they started watching the show and realised the writers had twisted Lisa's story around a bit. I love the "community hero" twist versus the "disgruntled wife" of the original novel, it makes for a much stronger case of is she guilty or not.

Also, 0 surprises to Lana playing this up absolutely perfectly and nailing the line between making us want to believe she is innocent (I mean, I personally wouln't care, I'd help her hide the body, just talking about normal viewers here) and getting flustered when caught in a lie to make us wonder if she actually did kill the dude.

Great work for Mickey as well, who is so absolutely enthralled (fantasising about making out with Lisa while eating her flan? Honestly dude, same) he is 100% incapable of being objective, or seeing anything outside of how to keep her out of jail. I even felt for a moment, when he was refusing to answer whether he thought she was innocent or not, that it actually didn't matter to him as long as he won the case and kept her out of jail, and I swear to God, I've never empathised with a male character more in my entire life. I'm there with you mate.

I also like the fact that he starts to care more about her innocence the more emotionally attached he gets (I love that this attachment grows with every meal she makes for him, they've made that food association, they're sticking with it, it works perfectly, I love it). It does make me sad that, that emotional attachment, the clear connection between them is the actual proof of guilt for Lisa. Because Mickey can't really walk off into the sunset with an innocent and gorgeous chef at the end of the season. That's not really the show, is it? And since I can't see a way where they'd realistically break it off if Lisa was found innocent, I guess I'm just waiting for part 2 at the edge of my seat to enjoy a few more episodes of Lana finally gracing us with her presence on sceen, and watching poor Mickey's heartbreak as the events will unfold.

Lastly, I'd like to make a final observation on how elegantly they've used the fact that Lana is an absolutely gorgeous woman. They've not turned her into a stereotypical femme fatale. There's depth to her character, and there's depth to her appearance and her relationship with Mickey, too. I found the fact that we got the scene where he was fantasising about them making out, while Lisa was in the kitchen, hair in a messy bun, just going about her day, apron in place, just really sweet. He just likes her, it's so sincere. Hot too, but also sincere. I'm as enthralled by the whole situation as he is, so, good job Linkoln Lawyer writers!

[justworthlessreblogs]

scattered thoughts on kirapika 2

part 2 of my great kirapika rant. this one is shorter but i'm still putting it under a read more

the series tries to argue that rio's sole motivation for going evil was jealously but i disagree (to an extent) because that is a 12 or 13 year old alone in an unfamiliar city without any support system (i mean. it's just straight up canon that he and ciel started to drift apart during this time, he doesn't really seem to have had as much of a bond with jean-pierre as ciel does, he probably didn't interact with anyone else, and i think it's pretty telling that at some point he started exclusively working on his stuff in their attic instead of jean-pierre's workshop). jealously was absolutely a factor, yes, but he was also incredibly isolated and emotionally vulnerable (something we know noir specifically preys on). mentioned this to my beta once and he said that noir sounds like a textbook cult leader

in the end, rio and ciel just feel very... incomplete, as characters. like they get setup for arcs that never happen, but the show insists that they did.

ciel: i've said this before, but to me ciel is the sort of character who needs a broken pedestal. because when we meet her, she's already got everything. she's perfect in every way. and then you start seeing the cracks, tiny little flaws that sneak through. because ciel *is* flawed. she's selfish, she's shortsighted, she's got a tendency to only think about herself. she can't comprehend why ichika's "simple" sweets have so much kirakiraru even though they're not as fancy as her sweets. and i love it. i was so hyped for seeing how her intro was going to turn out while watching her introductory arc, because they had so much to work with.

the problem with ciel as a character is that she needs a moment of reckoning, but she never gets it. she comes very, very close in 23, but it's immediately undercut by the fact that she isn't the one who gets herself out of her slump (it's rio and ichika who do) and she gets rewarded despite doing nothing to really earn the reward. ciel just wallows around, then rio makes the waffles and makes her feel better, but it's ciel who gets to become a cure? it's just... disappointing. things just fall into her lap, and others do the work for her, but she gets to reap the reward. when watching 23 for the first time i thought that it really felt like set up for *rio's* debut as a cure, and i still stand by that. it's the apex of his redemption arc, the episode where he gets his big emotional realization and resolves to become a better person. and while as previously mentioned they try to give ciel something like that, it falls flat because she never does any of the emotional work.

and then after 23 ciel is just... there. it feels like the writers don't really know what to do with her character arc since its primary focus is her relationship with her brother, but they just put him in a coma for 16 episodes. and so ciel just kinda Exists. none of her episodes during this stretch are all that interesting except for 26 and that's because she's got really good chemistry with bibury - but they don't even really take advantage of that, either, because bibury disappears from the plot again until 32 and remains in the background after that! the implication in 26 that ciel has developed a bit of a savior complex based on her interactions with bibury is really interesting too, but once again they don't really do anything with it after that. ciel offers bibury a home and that's about it.

"but justie, you said that ciel gets to define herself as a character! why are you complaining about how aimless she is?" and yeah that's fair, i did. but when i say that ciel gets define herself i mean that more in accomplishments. because ciel has a *lot* of accomplishments, to the point where it gets a little ridiculous. she's perfect at literally everything except sometimes she mixes up her idioms in japanese, and that's a character trait that shows up so little that i usually forget it even exists. and they don't do anything with this perfection, either, unlike yukari. ciel's perfect because she just is.

anyways. ciel kinda floats along for a while, and then 41 happens, and they try to tell me that ciel's grown and changed and become a really great person, except i don't buy it because she's still saying thoughtless stuff at the literal emotional climax. and it frustrates me, because i can see her potential character arc - but the writers refuse to commit to it. at the end of the show, ciel is the same exact person she was at the start, except now she's got fancy precure powers too.

rio: rio gets an incomplete arc more in the sense that he literally isn't around to complete it. i'll die on the hill that the coma was the worst thing the show could've done. because all of rio's development that he'd been getting vanishes after 23, and while 41 tries to develop him more it falls flat for me because in my opinion it's too little, too late. they waste his last chance for development on a generic "redeemed villain feels bad about what they did" plot, and they don't even have fun with it! as i've already mentioned in the other post after the coma rio just becomes kind of a shell of himself. a lot of interesting things set up during the first half of the series vanish because we only get to have one episode with him and they waste it on "oh i feel bad about my crimes" and they don't even do it well because just like ciel in 23 rio doesn't get to sort out his own shit. he's the one being framed, he's the one being targeted, he's the one who wanted to run away - but it's ciel who confronts elisio, because ciel is the precure and the precure has to be the one to confront the villain, and rio just stands there uselessly in the background even though his arc is supposed to be about how he's not useless and can measure up to his sister. the underlying message of the arc we do get is just. depressing. rio struggles, and struggles, and tries so fucking hard, but no matter what he does he's still second best to ciel. and for a show like precure, "you'll never be good enough so you should just give up and accept your place in the background" is really, really bleak. he needs a confidence arc the way ciel needs a broken pedestal arc, and he never gets it, and his really interesting dynamics with characters - ichika and yukari specifically - vanish into the wind, because the writers decided the coma was a better option instead of exploring them. in my opinion, 41 should have been episode 24, or 25, or somewhere in that range. because it feels like the behavior of both ciel and rio would fit a lot better there. patching up their relationship is the beginning, not the ending. there's still a lot of development to be done. you can't just tell me that everything's fine now.

i think cure parfait could've worked, but the way it happens in canon just is Not It

this one is tangentially related but i'm putting it in here anyways: i also think cure pekorin could've worked if we'd actually gotten some setup for it. like yeah 38 was an episode that happened and she gets focus in 7 as well but i feel like pekorin as a character just mostly exists in the background. and then suddenly bam she's a precure despite never really showing any drive to be one or do that sort of thing. even removing all my biases i still think that for the sake of the narrative alone rio would've been a much better fit because he already had that motivation and it would've been a nice cap on his redemption arc imo, but if pekorin was given actual setup and foreshadowing aside from getting a human form in 38 i think it would've gone a lot better

[ejzah]

A/N: I swear I was working on this chapter before I got that anon ask today, but it just encouraged me to finish it more quickly.

***

In Miss Blye’s Class, Part 30

Kensi spent the night fuming after she left Deeks’ house. After meeting Monica, she perfectly understood why he’d been so out of sorts. She’d only spent a few minutes with his ex and had to resist the urge to throw something. She could only imagine how difficult it was to deal with her snide comments and manipulation for hours at a time.

She didn’t know what Monica would tell Deeks, if anything, though he’d like wonder where the coffee mysteriously appeared from. Over the course of the evening, she picked up her phone half a dozen times to call or text Deeks, but ultimately decided not to. Deeks had enough on his plate without her adding more drama. She’d just have to hope that Monica didn’t try to paint her in a bad light, and if she did, that Deeks could see through the lies.

When she got to work the next morning, Nell took one look at her face, and immediately got out her stash of chocolate, offering Kensi the meerkat decorated jar. Kensi took three Reese’s and started setting up for the day. She’d been too distracted last night to prep as much as she should have so now she’d have to rush to get things ready before the first bell.

“Ok, spill. You walked in here looking ready for murder,” Nell said, making herself at home in Kensi’s desk chair.

“I went to surprise Deeks with some coffee, but when I got there he wasn’t home. But Monica was,” Kensi explained tightly.

“Oh crap, what happened?”

“Let me see. She said she’d been wanting to meet me, accused me of being jealous, and told me all the things she knows about me and Deeks.” She dropped a wipe off writing page at each spot at one of the round table, then tore the wrapper off a chocolate and shoved it in her mouth. “And then she had the audacity to say she’s just looking out for him,” she ranted, slamming a basket of markers in the middle of the table. “Looking out for him would have been, I don’t know, coming to see her son more than one every year or so. Or maybe not just up and leaving her family.”

Kensi turned around, hands on her hips to face Nell. She was slightly gratified to see Nell’s stunned expression.

“Oh my god, that’s insane. What did Deeks say?” Nell asked.

“I didn’t tell him.”

“Why the hell not?!” Nell shouted, then seemed to remember where they were, and lowered her voice. “He needs to know how crazy this woman is.”

“I’m pretty sure he knows,” Kensi hedged. Nell gave her an unimpressed look. “Fine. I didn’t want to bug him with it. Monica was infuriating and has zero sense of boundaries, but she didn’t actually do anything truly terrible. He’s dealing with enough as it is.”

“He’d still want to know,” Nell insisted.

“You’re probably right. I need to cool down a little more before I make any decision though. Deeks does not need to hear the rant you just did.”

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best.” Reaching into the candy jar, Nell tossed Kensi another piece. “And in the mean time, I could have Eric delete all her online information and presence. He wouldn’t leave a trace,” Nell offered, with a focused, slightly unnerving stare that scared Kensi a little bit. “It’s not obvious and hard to track. ‘Oh, none of your credit cards are working and no one knows who you are? That’s odd.’”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Kensi said quickly, and Nell shrugged, checking her watch.

“Well, the offer is always open if you change your mind. I have to go set up watercolor stations. The first graders are making coffee filter fishies today.”

“Cute. Thanks for listening to me rant.”

Nell gave Kensi a hug, adding in an extra squeeze. “Anytime.” When she pulled back, she fixed Kensi with a serious look. “Talk to Deeks.”

“I will.”

Smiling in approval, Nell headed for the door in her usual swirl of skirts.

“Oh, and just to reiterate, that is a complete no on the digital erasing!”

“You’re no fun!” Nell called back from down the hall.

***

“No, that is not a satisfactory offer,” Deeks muttered to himself, setting the proposed contract for a new client aside, and grabbing a pen.

“Deeks, just who I was looking for.”

He didn’t need to look to know that Talia would be leaning halfway through his door.

“Not in the mood today, Talia,” he said shortly.

“Aw, are things not all sunshine and rainbows in Marty and Kensi land?” she asked. Deeks odd look up now, and smiled tightly.

“Our relationship is just fine, thanks for asking. Now, I have like ten contracts to review today, so I could spare your usual charming presence.”

He knew he was being unnecessarily rude, even to Talia, who thrived on getting him to react. His patience was at an all time low after spending increasingly more time in Monica’s company over the week though.

Instead of taking the hint, Talia grabbed a spare chair, dragging it right next to his. She spun it around to sit backwards, resting her forearms on the back.

“Wow, you really are out of sorts. You haven’t been this cranky since you first started, and definitely not since you met the teacher,” she noted, tiling her head to observe him. “Hm, bloodshot eyes, bad mood, doesn’t want to talk…did you have a bad surf?”

Deeks huffed out an irritated laugh. “No.”

“They ran all out of fish tacos at your favorite truck.”

“No. Are you done?”

“Definitely not. I’ll keep going until you either tell me or I guess right.”

Sighing, Deeks pressed his palms over his eyes. He did not have the energy for this. “My ex-wife is back in town after no contact for over a year, and now she seem to be trying to rebuild her relationship with Caleb. So naturally he’s a mess, I’m a mess, and she seems to be having the time of her life.” He finished by blowing out a noisy breath. “Sorry. That was a lot.”

Talia shook her head, looking angry. “Don’t apologize. I’d be mad too. Who does your ex think she is waltzing in and trying to insert herself back into your life?” she demanded.

Deeks turned his head to squint at her, vaguely surprised the intensity of her response. “Wow, I had no idea you felt so strongly about my dysfunctional personal life.”

Talia jabbed a finger at him. “Hey, the only one who gets to torture you, is me. Plus, I find your relationship with the teacher adorable.”

“Wonderful.”

“So where’s she staying? Not with you I hope.”

“Thank god, no,” Deeks said with a shudder. “I honestly don’t know and don’t care. I learned the first time she came back that it’s best to keep as much as a separation as possible. But, she’s been coming over for dinner or visits every couple days.”

“Do you have visitation rights set up?”

“Nah, I have full, uncontested custody. I’m letting the visits happen for as long as Caleb wants them.”

“I hate flighty parents,” Talia said darkly, adding to Deeks’ raised eyebrow. “I had an uncle like that. Give me just five minutes alone with your ex. I’m trained in jiujitsu, karate, taekwondo, and good old knock-down-drag-out fights,” she informed Deeks with a significant nod.

“Good to know. You worry me sometimes,” Deeks commented lightly. “Also, how have you not been arrested before?”

“Hey, there’s a reason I became a lawyer.”

“Lovely. I think I’ll pass on that for now.”

“Suit yourself,” Talia said, slapping her thighs with her palms.

“You know, it actually helped talking to you,” Deeks said, surprising himself by admitting it. “Thanks.”

“Of course. It’s no fun messing with you when you’re already in a bad mood,” she told him. Because of course she couldn’t just take a compliment. “As repayment though, you will be buying me lunch today.”

“I think I can handle that,” Deeks sighed. Talia nodded in approval.

“Oh, and just in case you need an outside perspective, I’m always happy to talk over the legal side of all this,” she added. “Totally on the down low though. I can’t have people thinking I’m friendly.”

“I won’t tell a soul,” Deeks promised, smiling for the first time all morning.

***

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the parallel of Kensi and Deeks each getting advice and a listening ear from a friend. This version of Talia is certainly a lot more helpful and less handsy than in canon or my previous interpretations.

[direwombat]

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