NaNo #3: Things G Trusts Sam to Know, #1 (NCIS:LA)

[miss_lucy21]

Early on in their partnership, after G had started to trust Sam (but not really), and after Sam had stopped wanting to strangle G on a daily basis (but not really), they wound up on an epic undercover road trip assignment. Sam's still not sure how that made sense, but, well, sometimes the best way of doing something isn't the most expedient way of doing something. And Hetty may have had something to do with it; that's what usually happens when Sam doesn't understand why he's doing something.

They'd stop for the night around dinner time, since they'd usually been driving since dawn. Sam had insisted on chain motels, as opposed to the no-tell motels that G would have used if it were up to him. He'd pointed out that part of the point of this trip was that they were supposed to be tracked- they were playing bait- and that had made enough sense to G to score them reasonably clean rooms, bedding and showers. Plus continental breakfast. About three days in, Sam was starting to understand why G didn't care whether the beds were clean. He never seemed to sleep in them. He'd doze off for awhile in the car, but never for more than an hour at a time. Otherwise, Sam didn't think G had slept since they left LA. But G seemed just as alert and on top of things as he had back in LA, so maybe Sam was wrong. Maybe he did sleep and just woke up earlier than Sam did (although, given Sam's tendency to wake up at 4:45 am no matter what, that seemed like a questionable assumption).

On Day Four, when Sam came back to the car from getting their room for the night (the Best Western, near Twin Falls, Idaho), he found G sitting with his head against the steering wheel.

"Tired?" Sam asked, when G startled up to look at him as he got back in the car. G shrugged, but didn't answer. He drove the car around the side of the motel and parked.

Sam handed him a room key. "Why don't you go ahead on up and I'll call Macy. Room 232."

"Yeah, all right," G acquiesced, taking the key and getting out of the car. Sam watched as he got his duffle from the trunk and walked into the motel before pulling out his phone to call in.

It took twenty minutes or so to update Macy and Eric on their whereabouts and what they'd done (mostly continued driving in a big loop around the western states) and where they thought they'd head tomorrow (Sam was thinking Oregon. He was getting tired of mountains and desert), and finding out what Eric knew about the people who they were supposed to be bait for (not that much, but they probably knew that Sam and G had been in Texas the day before yesterday, so there was hope that they'd be able to end this sometime before the next decade. They may have to start being a little more conspicuous). Eric signed off of the call and Macy asked, "So, how are you guys doing? No urges to murder G in his sleep yet?"

"G sleeps?" Sam asked, before he thought about it.

Macy sighed. "He's not sleeping," and it sounded more like a statement than a question. When Sam hesitated, not sure whether he should confirm or not, she said, "It's ok, Sam. I know about it."

"He sleeps in the car a little, but I don't think he's sleeping when we stop for the night," Sam confessed.

"He said he'd try," Macy sighed. "The new psych guy doesn't really think much of how G takes care of himself, which is the only reason why I'm concerned. Ordinarily, I don't quibble about G sleeping or whatever, because I figure he knows what he needs better than anyone, but I also don't want him grounded."

"Should I do something?" Sam asked.

"Eh," Macy said. "Probably not much you can do. He'll be ok. When you guys get back, I'll give you both a couple days off and it'll work itself out."

"Ok," Sam said.

"In the meantime, just don't fall asleep at the wheel, either of you," Macy said. "Car crashes aren't in the budget here."

"Got it," Sam said. "Talk to you tomorrow."

"Yup," Macy said as she signed off.

Sam sighed, and got out of the car. He looked around, and located a McDonalds down the street. It would do for tonight, he thought, and started walking.

After securing some dinner and walking back to the motel, Sam let himself into the room. "Hey, it's me," he said, as he walked in, in the hopes of not startling G too badly. He came into the room and was surprised to see G fast asleep in one of the beds with the lamp over the desk still on. Since G didn't do more than twitch as Sam sat down to eat his Big Mac, Sam figured it wasn't worth waking him up for dinner. He ate, showered quickly, then clicked off the light over the desk.

And turned around to find G pointing his gun at him. "Whoa!" Sam exclaimed, putting his hands up.

"Sam?" G asked.

"Yeah, it's me," Sam replied.

"Oh," G said. Sam could tell he was lowering his gun.

"I'm just gonna turn the light back on, ok?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," G sighed. Sam turned back on the light, and saw G sitting up in bed, looking a little sheepish. "Sorry."

"It's ok," Sam said. "Didn't you hear me come in?"

"Not really," G said. "Sort of." He looked away, clearly not wanting to discuss it.

"Ok," Sam said, slowly. "I'm gonna turn the light out, ok?"

"Yeah," G shrugged. "It's fine."

Something in his tone didn't entirely convince Sam, but he went ahead and turned out the light and climbed into bed. Thirty minutes later, he was still aware that G was awake in the bed next to him. "G?" he asked.

"What?" G replied.

"You ok?" Sam asked, unsure if he'd get an answer.

"Why wouldn't I be?" G asked in return.

Sam sighed, sat up and turned on the light above the nightstand. "Why haven't you gone back to sleep?"

G blinked in the light. "I'm fine."

"Didn't ask that," Sam said.

"Look, I'm sorry if I'm keeping you up. I'll go take a walk," G said, pushing the covers back and starting to get up.

"You don't have to go take a walk," Sam said, getting up. "You're not keeping me up. But I woke you up, you were clearly tired, but you haven't gone back to sleep."

G made an irritated noise. "I'm fine," he reiterated.

"Ok, look," Sam said, sitting back down on the bed. "This is not working. That's the first time you've been asleep in a bed in three days. What did I do that made it so you couldn't go back to sleep?"

"Nothing," G said, defensively.

Sam thought for a minute as he watched his partner. "The light," he said, finally. "I turned out the light."

G shrugged. "So what?"

"That's what woke you up and then when I turned it back off, you didn't go back to sleep. Do you need the light on?" Sam asked.

"No," G said, but Sam wasn't convinced.

"G, it's fine. I can sleep with the light on if you'd rather have it on. I don't care," Sam sighed.

G fidgeted. "Ok," he said finally, his shoulders hunching up around his ears.

"Ok," Sam said. "You want this one on or the one by the desk?"

"Desk," G said, not looking up.

"No problem," Sam said. He got up, turned on the light by the desk, came back to the bed and turned off the light by the nightstand before climbing back into bed. G still wasn't looking at him. "Hey, it's ok," he said. "Really. I don't care one way or the other. I just wish you'd said something."

G didn't exactly relax, but he seemed a little less tense. "I don't particularly like telling people I don't like the dark," he said, finally.

"I get that," Sam said. "But I'm not people; I'm your partner. I trust you to be at your best and if something's going on that's preventing you from doing that, then I need to know about it."

"I was fine," G said. "I don't sleep that much anyway."

"But you were getting tired, and you should be able to sleep if you need to," Sam said. "So, we'll leave the light on at night, and you'll get whatever sleep you need, all right?"

"Yeah," G said. He rolled over and seemed to relax, so Sam laid back down and closed his eyes. "Sam?" G said, after a moment.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, without opening his eyes.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Go to sleep," Sam said, smiling a little.