35I started writing this story last November and ever since I have been waiting for the right time to post it. I'm still not sure this is it, but I do know that I need something to look forward to other than grad school and seeing the news hoping our world gets a little more normal. Truth is, writing makes me happy and right now, I need that. I also hope this story can bring some joy and light, or maybe just a distraction, to whoever reads it. Our world is very dark right now, and writing is a safe haven for me, so I can only hope that reading my words can provide some help for somebody out there while things get better. As one of my favorite Harry Potter quotes says: "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." I have a sticker with this quote on my laptop and this week it feels more real than ever.
Title of this story comes from the song "Coming Home" by Alter Bridge, one of my favorite bands ever. I don't remember having such a hard time figuring out a title for any of my previous fics but this one almost made me lose my mind lol. Anyhow, hope you all like the beginning of this new adventure for our favorite team.
Jess.
In their 10 years of partnership, almost 5 years of relationship, and less than a year of marriage, Kensi and Deeks had woken up in many ways –tangled in each other's arms, on the floor thanks to their nighttime activities, panting with pleasure, or simply with hands intertwined together– but never had they woken up with four armed men dressed in black, pointing guns at them, as they stood in their bedroom, two in front of the bed, and one at each side.
Deeks and Kensi had been woken up by the sound of a table being turned over and glass shattering on the ground, Monty's bark had them followed, making both of them open their eyes in unison. As soon as the men noticed their confused stares, the two on their sides jumped over them, pushing their hands over their mouths to silence the screams that never managed to escape their lips. Agent and detective turning panicky eyes at each other as their minds tried to catch up to what was happening on their room.
Deeks was the first to realize the gravity of the situation and decided to throw self-preservation out the window, launching himself against the man in front of him. Both detective and bad guy landed hardly on the floor in between the bed and the entrance to their bathroom, with Deeks' leg hitting the bedside table, making the lamp, picture frames, and his gun, fall to the ground. Both men continued to struggle against each other as they fought for control. Deeks managed to land a punch first, hitting the assailant on the nose, making him stumble back as blood began dampening the ski mask that he wore over his face. Taking advantage of his bit of good luck, Deeks hit him again this time more to the side and over his eye, as he stretched his arm, hoping to reach his gun. But before his hand could close over the handle, he felt the other assailant's hand close over his throat as he was pushed backwards. Vision beginning to dim as consequence of the chokehold the man had over him, Deeks mustered all of his remaining energy and pushed his body backwards as hard as he could, making the man hit his head against the wall, forcing him to release his hold on Deeks' throat. Twisting his body away from the offender, Deeks tried to get up but his eyes promptly met the barrel of a gun pointed directly at his face.
"Hello, detective." The man sneered. "We hoped it wouldn't come to this, but if you leave us no other choice, we will be forced to shoot you. We promised to deliver you alive, but we never agreed on what condition you were supposed to be in."
Listening to the man's words, Kensi finally reacted. Mind unfreezing and her deep-rooted desire to protect Deeks kicking in, she bit the man's hand, and pushed herself off the bed. But before she could reach the bedside table and her own gun, she was backhanded back onto the mattress, and she could feel the taste of blood in her now broken lip. Not being one to give up easily, she punched the man hard on the middle of his face, and managed to grab hold of her gun, shooting across the room, the bullet hitting the man that stood over her husband in the middle of the chest.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Deeks again tried to reach his gun, but only managed to lift himself off the ground when the man that had previously held him in a chokehold, procured a rifle seemingly out of nowhere and Deeks froze in place. Staring at the barrel and silently calculating the damage such a weapon could do from this short a distance.
"Drop it." The man spoke in the direction of Kensi, even as his hand continued to point the weapon at Deeks.
No one said anything for the next few minutes. Deeks continued to stand frozen in place in front of the bed, eyes locked on Kensi's, even as he knew a rifle was still being pointed at his chest. While Kensi's sight continued to switch between the two men in front of her, the other one pointing the gun at Deeks, and the assailant that now bleed to death on their floor. Her eyes then finally found Deeks' as they tried to silently communicate as they had done so many times.
Deeks shook his head, almost imperceptibly, wordlessly begging Kensi to hold on and not relinquish control of her weapon. Because if she did, they would be at the complete mercy of these men.
Mind going into overdrive, Kensi continued to run over all the possibilities. She could take out one, maybe two of the men, but by now all of them had guns out, the rifle pointed at Deeks, two Smith & Wesson pointed at her. So even if she managed to take a shot, it was very likely that one of them, and probably both, would end up dead.
"What's it gonna be, agent?" The man asked again. "I wasn't paid enough for all this trouble. Drop the gun, or I can just have you both shot."
Kensi and Deeks paid full attention to the man's choice of words, both silently reaching the same conclusions. They knew enough about them to know Kensi was an agent while Deeks was a detective. Mentions of shooting but not killing, so they definitely wanted them alive. Paid enough, so they were most likely mercenaries paid to deliver them to someone else. So, not their real enemies, just the means to an end.
"Everyone calm down." Deeks began in a shaky voice, closing his hands on a fist as he tried to strengthen his resolve. "We have money. Whatever they paid you, we can more than double it." He continued, deciding on the spot that trying to negotiate was probably their best bet and biting his lip to stop his natural reaction and the joke that would otherwise follow.
"We don't want your money. We don't want any trouble because of money that could be traced back to us." The man explained not-so-calmly.
"You're already in enough trouble, man. You just broke in and assaulted two law enforcement officers." Deeks tried to reason.
"I know who you are, detective Deeks." The man spit out. "I was also informed that you can talk your way out of most situations. But let me inform you, this is not it." His remark was punctuated by the butt of the rifle slamming hardly onto Deeks' stomach. The action coming in so sudden that the detective had no chance to protect his ribs.
Deeks doubled over in pain as the unexpected attack left him panting. Then ended up on his knees as the butt of the rifle again went into his ribs. And finally, he slumped to the floor as the man took advantage of his lowered position to ram the rifle hard down onto his head. Blood quickly flowing to the surface and beginning to run down his face.
"I don't have time for this bullshit. Tie her up. Resist and you will be the reason I shot your husband. Remember I only agreed to deliver him alive." The man said before anyone had a time to react, pointing to Kensi as he stared down his two companions.
Fighting off her protective instinct, Kensi finally dropped the gun, feeling helpless as she was pushed to the floor, her hands tied behind her back and around the leg of their bed. The motion confusing her as she thought these men were here to kidnap them, but now a cold sweat began at the nape of her neck as she wondered what these people were really here for. To her surprise, the two men turned around after tying her up and walked towards Deeks.
"Lift him up." The kidnapper directed, using the rifle to point at the crumbled figure on the floor.
Realization dawned on Kensi as they lifted her husband off the ground, the agent now finally seeing that these men were not here for them, but for him. Understanding coming to her not soon enough, the agent cursed herself at not having fought harder. Because a shot Deeks was still better than a kidnapped one.
"Take me instead, please." Kensi begged.
"That's not how this works, agent." The man took the time to explain. "We have clear instructions."
Kensi was now more confused than ever. Who could possibly want Deeks but not her. Everything he knew, she knew too. "We work together, but he's just a detective, I'm the agent here. Anything you want, I can give to you." She lied.
"Shut up, Kens." Deeks groaned, as he lifted his bloody head, even as his body continued to sag in between the men's hold. Pained and apologetic blue eyes staring back at her, silently begging her to just let them take him, so she would be safe. So natural of him, she thought, always willing to give himself up for the safety of others.
"Listen to your husband, agent. Before we change our mind. We weren't paid to hurt you, but if you continue to make things difficult for us, we might as well. Free of charge and everything." The man said simply, the lack of emotion on his voice showing that this really was just another job for him. "Let's go."
As they began steering him away, Deeks turned around and whispered an inaudible I love you. The words still reaching Kensi as silent tears streamed down both their faces. The agents' eyes promising that they would not rest until they got him back, even as her words betrayed her. Then a piece of duct tape was roughly pushed over Deeks' lips, and he was silenced too.
The leader of the team then finally directed his men out of the room, closing the door behind them. Kensi's desperate screams following the entourage as they led Deeks away from his house.
-x-x-x-
Deeks was then led out of the room and down the stairs, all the while he wondered why Monty had never continued to bark as he usually did when foreigners entered their house. The dog only comfortable around his daddy, mommy and their teammates. His answer came soon enough as he saw the living room door slightly ajar, Monty nowhere in sight.
Taking notice of the light outside, Deeks assumed it must be around three or four in the morning, and he hoped Kensi could find a way to free herself soon. If not, it wouldn't be until a few hours later that the team realized they hadn't shown up for work, and by then who knew where he would be or if he would even be alive.
Before he had a chance to take in the day any further, Deeks felt the tape removed from his mouth and he was pushed inside the trunk of a car as it slammed shut behind him. Soon after, he could feel the sound of wheels against gravel as the car began driving away.
-x-x-x-
Even as she heard the car's engine roar to life, Kensi continued to scream Deeks' name, a streak of tears matting her face, but her eyes now seemingly dry. Closing her eyes, Kensi begged for this to just be a bad nightmare, but no matter how much she pleaded or who she prayed to, nothing happened, and her present didn't magically change. She never woke up, because the nightmare was real.
When her throat had dried out too, Kensi took in the silence of the house and her heart ached for the man that had previously filled this void with his laugh, weird antics, and undevoted love for her. She then began to desperately struggle against the bonds that keep her tied to the bed. The rope however didn't yield, and Kensi wanted to begin screaming again. But taking a quick peek at the watch on her nightstand, she saw that it was only three am. The combination of the early hour and the vast yard that surrounded their house making it almost impossible for anyone to listen to her. The realization crushing her spirits as she sagged against the restraints and began to silently sob, her sadness and frustration finally overpowering her.
-x-x-x-
By his calculations it had been about half hour of driving, but he didn't really trust his calculations at this time. His mind floated in a foggy state and he wondered if he could have a concussion. He didn't think so, but maybe that was the hopeful part of him taking over. He could taste blood on his mouth, and the metal taste bothered him. Why did bad guys enjoy ramming their guns on good guys faces, he thought drily as he tried to whip the blood away against his sleeve. The movement making his ribs hurt and he remembered that bad guys didn't only like the face, buy they always went for the ribs. Continuing his mental exploration, he concluded that his ribs were probably just sore, his breathing not yet fully compromised so he wasn't worried about them being cracked just yet. But if his situation continued deteriorating at the current rate, that would soon probably change.
Just then, a bump on the road made the car jump and Deeks cried out in pain as his head hit the top of the very small trunk he was currently occupying. His sight blackened for a minute, but after taking in a few deep breaths, Deeks regained his composure. Or as much composure a man could have when he had just been kidnapped from his bedroom in the middle of the night.
His reflections then moved back to his current predicament. His hands were surprisingly untied, and the men had removed the tape that had quieted him as he exited his house. Uncommon for bad guys that kidnap LAPD detectives, the thought bringing him more anguish than serenity. His years of experience then told him that he would probably be killed soon, but then why go through the trouble of kidnapping him. They could have just shot him dead in the bedroom. So, if that wasn't the reasoning maybe it's because they were taking him to a deserted place, where screams and untied hands wouldn't be a problem for the bad guys. Being honest to himself, Deeks admitted that idea did scare him more than a little. Bad guys only take you to a remote place to be killed off or tortured, and having already discarded the killing idea, that unfortunately just left the second option. Deeks had already been tortured before, and very honestly, he was well over the experience. It was definitely overrated.
The current messy state of his consciousness made Deeks laugh. If he had someone to talk to at this time, he would have probably been babbling nervously, but seeing he was alone, his thoughts had decided to ramble instead.
Having already gone over the purpose of this little trip, Deeks then move to the who. The man chucking again as he thought back to the British band, the way his mind could jump from one place to the other in just milliseconds never failing to surprise him.
Baba O'Riley then began playing on his head and against his better judgment Deeks began humming the song. It had been one of his favorites growing up and he remembered listening to it nonstop even though it wasn't really what his friends at school had liked. At the time it had been one of the few connections to his father and even now the song managed to remind him of those good times before everything had gone wrong. As his mental jukebox moved to Pinball Wizard, he shook his head again, the action bring a jolt of pain to him. But the sensation actually helping bring his mind back to the present and to finding a solution to his very big problem.
Remembering old cases with the team brought him nowhere as most of those guys were in jail or the cemetery. He hadn't worked with LAPD for a long time so that couldn't be it either. Then he thought back to his father, and he laughed again. The man is dead, he told himself, and dead people don't just suddenly come back from the grave. The idea making him feel… sad? The prospect of reconnecting with his father in the afterlife somewhat appealing, even though he wished he could have instead seen the man again while he was still alive. But this train of thought was getting him nowhere and he couldn't focus on ghosts of the past if he wanted to survive the present. Going back to the thought of LAPD, he let his mind linger. The bad guys had clearly been after him and not Kensi, which must mean that this was somehow related to his previous home and not the Office of Special Projects.
Bates, he thought as his mind finally blacked out, what have you gotten me into now?
-x-x-x-
Kensi suddenly woke up and wanted to scream at herself for having somehow fallen asleep when her husband was currently at the mercy of three armed men. The thought making her think to the fourth assailant which was most likely lying dead on the other side of the bed.
Feeling somewhat recharged after her unwanted nap, Kensi resumed her struggle against the restraints, moving her hands painfully up and down hoping the wood would start cutting into the rope. She continued her efforts to no avail for the next few minutes, the skin around her wrists beginning to burn as the rope slashed through.
When Kensi almost was at the uncharacteristic point of giving up and just waiting to be rescued by her teammates, she felt her hands move a little lighter as the sharp edge of the wood finally started to cut through the rope. The small victory revitalized her spirits and the agent began roughly pushing her hands up and down the wooden post, a few frustrated yanks in between, as the process seemed to take forever.
By the time she was done, her wrists were a fiery red, bright blood streaming down her arms. But the pain not registering yet, as Kensi jumped up from the ground and quickly moved to gather her phone, quickly dialing a number she would always know from memory.
-x-x-x-
"Hello?" Callen bolted awake as soon as his phone rang, middle-of-the-night calls never being a good thing for the NCIS agent who very much wanted to go back to sleep instead of having to work another case. But the words spoken on the other end had him quickly jumping out of bed as he grabbed some jeans and a clean t-shirt, not even caring about a shower right now.
"I will be there in 20. Picking up Sam on the way and calling the twins." He said before hanging up and running towards his car. The words abducted, armed-men, middle of the night, still echoing on his mind as he recalled Kensi's frantic explanation of what had just happened to her and Deeks.
Driving out of his driveway, he waited for his cellphone to connect to the Bluetooth on his car, before placing a call to his partner. "Sam."
"G? What's going on? It's four am. Do we have a case?" Sam asked with practiced ease.
"Sam, I'm on my way to pick you up. Deeks was just… taken from his house." Callen had a hard time finding the right word, deep down knowing none of them would soften the blow his message would carry.
"What?" Sam shouted, now evidently more awake. "What are you talking about?" He finished softly.
"Kensi called me. Apparently four armed men broke into their home and after a brief struggle…" Callen trailed off. "They took him. She tried but couldn't do anything to stop them." The last part not needed but still added for good measure.
Sam remained silent after that. But Callen could hear shuffling and movement on the other end. "I'm ready, where are you? Drive quickly!" He eventually spoke in his authoritative tone. The time for shock and questions would come later, now it was time to get on the case.
"Five minutes away." Callen said before hanging up and placing a call to the twins. Drawing in a deep breath as soon as the call was picked, knowing the tech and analyst would be a lot less calm than Sam.
-x-x-x-
As soon as the phone rang, Eric and Nell jumped out of bed. Both knowing that usually meant a case. But neither of them expecting how personal the case would be.
"Beale." Eric said as he rubbed his eyes, trying to push away the last traces of sleep.
"Eric. I need you and Nell at the office right now. Deeks was just abducted from his house. I'm on my way to Kensi right now. Call me when you're at ops." Callen left no room for arguments or questions this time, knowing Eric and Nell needed a bigger push than Sam to get right into the action.
"Is Kensi okay?" Nell asked, yanking the phone away from her partner. Having already heard that Deeks was missing but also needing to make sure that Kensi was safe.
"Yes, she is okay, but we need to find Deeks." Callen said as calmly as possible, needing them on the case and ready to help them figure out who had taken their teammate and why.
"We will be there in half an hour." Nell said as she pushed Eric into the closet to get them both some clean clothes.
As soon as the call was over, Nell and Eric turned to look at each other, the terror each of them felt perfectly mirrored on the other's face. "Deeks needs our help. We can freak out later." Nell said, stopping Eric before he had a chance to speak.
Eric nodded before running out of the room, shorts half on-half off and shirt hanging from his bare shoulder. He then grabbed their laptops and tablets before waiting for Nell to be ready and heading out the door.
-x-x-x-
After speaking with the wonder twins, Callen picked up his partner and together they made the quick drive to Kensi's and Deeks' house, reaching it in record time.
Stepping outside the car, they could see Kensi sitting alone on the front steps, a bag of frozen peas over her face. Dried blood matting both her wrists and continuing in a faint line that ended at her elbows.
Kensi's thoughts bad been stuck on memories of the past and fears for the future and were only drawn back to the present by the roar of Sam's challenger as it speed down the street, coming to a stop on the curb in front of the house. She then stood up and stumbled forward as the memories of the last two hours replayed on her mind.
"Kensi." Sam breathed out, opening his arms to engulf Kensi in a hug. "I'm sorry this happened, but we will get him back, I promise."
Kensi stepped back, bottom lip quivering, as she fought within herself to regain control. Breaking down now would do Deeks no good and she had to get him back.
Noticing how shaken their friend was, Callen and Sam led her inside the house and sat her on the couch. Callen going to grab some water from the kitchen, as Sam moved naturally around the house until he reached the bathroom and the first aid kit.
Getting back to Kensi, Sam quietly took out his implements and poured some antiseptic into a gauze, then began cleaning out the wounds around her wrist before wrapping them up in a white bandage. During the whole process Kensi said nothing, no grunts or hisses, as she just stared blankly at the living room table.
Following her line of sight, Sam saw the picture for the first time. It showed Kensi and Deeks sharing their first kiss as a married couple, the team shouting and clapping from the audience. "We will get him back, Kensi. You know we will." Sam repeated, knowing he shouldn't promise it again, as experience told him that sometimes they could be too late.
Kensi nodded absentmindedly, eyes gracing with tears which she quickly wiped away.
When Callen came back a few minutes later, he not only had a glass of water on one hand, but his phone was pressed to his ear with the other. "Eric and Nell are listening and ready to go in ops. They already sent a bus and called the cops in case we need additional help." He said, having recalled that Kensi had mentioned a dead assailant when they had first spoken on the phone.
"Take your time, Kens." Sam said softly, regretting needing to force her to relive her terrifying experience. Then he grabbed a couple of painkillers from the first aid kit and pushed them into Kensi's hand along with the water Callen had brought. The female agent took them on auto pilot, her eyes still glued to the memory of happier times.
For the next few minutes no one spoke. Kensi just continued to stare sadly at the picture as her thumb played with the ring on her finger. The senior partners sharing a concerned look at the uncharacteristic display of affection. They had always known one Jason Wyler waltzing into her life had changed their Kensi forever, but they couldn't have foreseen marriage would change her this much. Any other time she would have been ready for battle, but today, she looked more like a sad widow they had to interview and not the agent they were accustomed to have fighting at their sides. But the junior teammates' partnership had always been especial, and this was the first time Deeks had been seriously hurt, or taken, since that partnership had evolved into a marriage.
"Kensi, we're ready to go, whenever you are." Callen encouraged softly, putting the call on speaker so everyone could listen at the same time.
"Yeah, right. Sorry." Kensi said, shaking her head and making some stray tears fall down her eyes. But she wiped at them angrily as her dark eyes grew even darker. For the next half hour, Kensi explained everything that had happened that night. From the moment they had gone to bed, noticing nothing different than usual, to the minute they had woken up with four men in their room, eventually ending in Deeks having been kidnapped as she was helplessly left behind. With every word her simmering anger only grew stronger, until no sad wife was left behind, just an enraged partner who would make everyone pay for invading their safe haven. The call was then ended with the wonder twins promising to call back as soon as they had something to report.
-x-x-x-
Lieutenant Roger Bates cursed loudly as soon as he reached his detective's house. The ambulance, challenger, and two police cruisers parked outside letting him know that things had already gone to hell.
Drawing in a deep breath, he tried to prepare himself for the storm that was coming, then stepped outside and walked towards the open front door. The worry and shock on the three faces that welcomed him on the other side, along with the absence of the one man he had come to see, telling him everything he needed to know – something bad had already happened to Deeks.
"Bates?" Kensi spoke before the man had a chance to say anything. "What are you doing here?" She asked, deep down knowing that his presence made complete sense. The agent having already suspected that whoever wanted Deeks was somehow related to the LAPD and not NCIS.
"I came to take Deeks into protective custody." Bates answered solemnly. All four law enforcement personnel standing in the room thinking the obvious, he had been too late.
Thanks everyone for reading and stay safe. I will be back next week with chapter 2.
