KC comes home

"He's right, Kens. She'll need us later." He never thought he'd pray for KC to go through something like Kensi had in Afghanistan, but it was the best scenario he could think of right now.

"We have to be awake to help her." She wasn't tired anymore. She just wanted her best friend to be safe.

"We can't help her on the plane, babe." Deeks tried again. "But you're right. When we get there, we need to be awake, alert."

"Wake me before we land?"

"I promise."

Kensi nodded and rested her head on Deeks' shoulder. He wrapped an arm protectively around her, resting his head against hers. Callen watched the couple. He couldn't wait to get KC back home and make up his stupidity to her.

"She'll be okay. She's stubborn. She would never leave her family." Deeks tried to comfort Callen, remembering the pain of a similar situation.

"I know. But what if she can't keep herself safe."

"You can't think like that. You'll go crazy if you do."

"How did you deal?" He was careful not to bring up Afghanistan while Kensi was next to him, so as not to bring up painful memories.

"I didn't. I did things I would have sworn I would never do."

"We will get her back? Right?"

Deeks nodded. "We got lucky last time, right?"

"Yeah. Kens led us to her, without realizing it."

"And KC will too."

Callen nodded. "I feel bad for Kens. They've been friends for so long, she must be so scared right now."

"I feel bad for her and for Ali." And for you, he wanted to add.

"Ali knows her mum is in pain. Kensi was right, Ali knows what's going on."

He nodded. "She's a smart little girl. Reminds me of her mom, her godmom."

"Definitely. The girls are very smart."

"I don't see how they've lived through so much that they have."

"They're tough. Very tough."

"There's your answer." He meant about KC.

"Though I suspect that if we could bring back Kensi's dad, she'd melt into a little girl again."

"I wish we could do that. I know what Julia and KC think of me, but...I would have loved to have met her dad. He still means so much to her." He would have loved to know if he could have ever met Donald Blye's approval.

"He would have loved you, simply because you look after Kensi so well. You treat her with respect, and you don't hurt her. Even when you found out about Jack, you were by her side helping her through it."

"She's amazing." He paused. "Both of them are."

"Totally."

"Kensi was...furious when she found out what happened."

"Can't say I blame her."

"At the time, I didn't either." He paused. "I don't want to get in the middle of anything."

"I want to fix it."

Deeks nodded. "Good. Because she's like my little sister."

"I was wondering when you would say that."

"What would you say if it was Kens?"

"Same thing. She is my little sister."

"You sure you're up to it?" Deeks asked Kensi gently.

Kensi nodded. "I want to save my best friend."

Deeks nodded at Callen. Being here again brought back memories for him, none good, and he knew it had to be doing the same for Kensi. They weren't there for that though, but to help KC all they could.

"Let's go. The commander is named Bond."

The events at the base were obvious, devastating. There were people coming and going from the officer's tent, from the hospital tent, but it seemed still, quiet, as if they were already mourning the three marines that were taken.

"Bond! Agent Blye. What happened here?"

He filled them in quickly, on the bombing and the subsequent kidnapping.

"I'm helping. One of those marines is my friend."

He nodded. "Who are these men?" Neither looked like Marines.

"Agent Callen and Detective Deeks. They're here to help me."

He nodded. "All right, Kensi. I trust you." He paused. "We've tightened up security a lot, especially with these jokers around here," he indicated someone who was obviously there to investigate the bombing.

"Fair enough."

"Major Landry's cot is in that tent," he pointed it out.

"Thank you."

"Thank you," Callen and Deeks both repeated, walking with Kensi to the tent.

"You don't need all three of us in there. Kens, will you be okay if I go talk to the investigators? See if they've got any good leads?"

"Yeah."

He nodded, going in search of answers, leaving them privacy to go through KC's things. Kensi sighed when they started looking through KC's things.

"You okay, Kens?" Callen looked up at her.

"I'm fine."

He nodded, smiling as he saw her find a picture of her and Alina, the baby just barely home from the hospital, Kensi just barely home from Afghanistan. It was obvious the two females were already crazy about each other, just as her mommy and godmother had always been as well.

"This was the first time I had gone out since coming home. KC had begged me to help her out with Ali cause she was exhausted."

"She told me when she came over here...if anything ever happened..." Callen paused. "She wanted Ali to stay with you and Deeks. It hurt, a lot, at the time, although I brought it on myself, but...both my girls are crazy about you." He managed a smile.

"Ali may live with us but you would be allowed over whenever you wanted."

He found another picture, one of himself and KC when they'd first gotten together, before the fight, with letters that had been carefully preserved.

"She missed you."

"She was supposed to come home, Kens. She, we, have a baby girl that needs her mommy. I need her. We were getting better...She was supposed to come home so I could make it up to her, to both of them." He was as close to crying as he ever got in front of anyone.

"She was meant to come home for my wedding too. And she will. I'll make sure of it."

"If they haven't already hurt her, then they're going to use her to negotiate something, only America doesn't negotiate with terrorists, do we?"

"We don't need to. You guys saved me from terrorists. We're gonna do the same for her."

"That was a miracle, Kens. A flat-out miracle. You know that. I know that. Hell, even Deeks knows that. That's why he freaked out so bad."

"Freaked out? What are you talking about? He was calm."

Callen was silent, neither agreeing or disagreeing with her.

"Anyway. Miracles can happen more than once."

Deeks knocked on the open doorway before entering, sitting near Kensi.

"Good news or bad news?" He asked.

"Nothing. How bout you?"

Kensi sat upright. "Where?"

"What's the bad news?" Callen asked, his arm around a shaking Kensi.

"Never. Uh-uh. Not possible." Kensi looked up at Deeks with fearful eyes. "Is it possible?"

"He kept me safe from them. Why would he hurt my best friend?"

"I don't know, baby. I don't think he would."

"I have to find her. I have to keep her safe, be there for her like she always is for me. Let's go get her, now."

Callen smiled a little. "Be careful what you wish for Kens."

"They offered to let me go with them." He'd argued so much about Jack that it had been more a 'come and see for yourself' indication. "You need to stay here."

"No. I told Bond, I'm helping."

"Help from here."

"I want to be there when they find her."

"Deeks is right. You don't need to see this. You experienced it first hand less than a year ago. Don't put yourself through it again," Callen said gently.

"Please, Kens. Trust me."

Deeks said gently.

"Fine. But you have to bring her to me straight away. Promise me."

"I promise."

Kensi thanked him and hugged him, watching him leave.

Callen started to follow Deeks out of the tent. Deeks turned to face him once outside. "Please. I'll make you the same promise I made Kensi. I'll bring her home. But please, stay with Kensi."

"You're scared she's going to be hurt again, aren't you?"

He nodded. "I'm always scared she's going to be hurt. She's coping better than I thought so far, but this mess is way too much like she just went through." He paused. "Damn Jack. She was starting to get back to normal, back to Kensi again."

"I know. I'll protect her. And she is Kensi, she's bullying you again," he grinned.

He nodded. "I'm always scared she's going to be hurt. She's coping better than I thought so far, but this mess is way too much like she just went through." He paused. "Damn Jack. She was starting to get back to normal, back to Kensi again."

"I know. I'll protect her. And she is Kensi, she's bullying you again," he grinned.

"It's not the same." He was scared they would never have a chance since every time they got close again Jack entered the picture.

"It will be. I know it will."

"Just take care of her." He left with the others.

Callen returned to Kensi.

"She'll be okay," Callen wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself.

"Deeks has to be okay too."

"He's worried about you," Callen admitted.

"I know. I try to make him think I'm okay, happy. But I'm not, and I think he sees it."

"Kensi, I don't know what happened between you and Jack and I'm the last person to give anyone advice, but I know Deeks adores you. I've seen him when you're in danger. I've seen him when you were over here for so long. He's not himself without you."

"I feel bad. He tells me to talk about what happened to me, but when I start about Jack, he doesn't like it. I try to avoid it."

"Of course he does. Who wants to..." He stopped himself midspeech. "He thinks you'll leave him because of Jack. Not to go back to him maybe but because of who Jack is and who Deeks isn't."

"I don't understand."

"It's Deeks. What do you expect?" That was said half in teasing.

"I would never leave him. He makes me happier than anyone ever could. Even Jack couldn't make this happy. Maybe he just doesn't see it because I can't seem to be happy anymore."

"It could be. I know he told me that every time it seems like you're getting back to the Kensi we all know and love, Jack happens."

Kensi nodded. "There's something he doesn't know. And I never told anyone this, not even Hetty."

He nodded, listening, willing to get his mind off of his own love fighting for her life, maybe already gone.

"I can't stop thinking about Jack. Not because I love him, but because of the pain he caused me. I can't tell Deeks cause then he'll want to fix it and he can't. Not yet."

"I think part of Deeks that knows the woman he loves is hurting and that he can't do a damned thing about it. And I think part of Deeks wonders what the hell she wanted with him in the first place." Both statements fit not only Deeks, but himself as well.

"I honestly don't know why I fell for him. I loved his messy hair from the minute I met him, I love his humour and fun side."

"I do. He's more than just your partner. You had a partner with Dom. More than even your best friend. When you have someone like that, Kens, you can't just throw them away."

"I never will. He's my soulmate. Just like you and KC belong together."

"Why did I take so long to figure this stuff out? I don't know what I'd do without her." He paused. "I hope, for your sake, that Jack wasn't involved with this because I don't care if it was the pope or Hetty herself, I'm going to find who did this and I'm going to make them pay, no matter what I have to do."

"I'm helping. She's my best friend."

He nodded. With all his heart, he wanted to go after Deeks and the Marines, find her, not waste another minute apart. Even if Deeks got her back safely, anything could happen in between.
***********
When the coast was clear, Callen snuck into the officer's tent, pulled up the laptop, and pushed play on the video. Kensi felt tears spring to her eyes, seeing the person she loved as a sister in danger. Abuse was obvious on KC's face, but mostly bruises, a bloody lip. She looked disheveled, her wrap for her head had come off in the struggle, but she was alive. The Marines next to her looked in equal or slightly worse shape. Although Callen knew the abuse is what had set Deeks off on the path after her, the fear in her eyes was what hurt him the most. She wasn't afraid of anything or anyone...until now.

"Callen, we need to go now. Right now.

He nodded, not arguing with her, turning it off, lowering the screen. "Kens...Did KC know Jack?"

"Of course. She was going to be my maid of honor."

He looked at her. "It's not Jack." He paused. "She wouldn't be afraid if she knew him, right?"

"Right. It isn't him. He wouldn't do that."

"I don't know if that's good or bad." He started pilfering the stuff he thought they would need.

Kensi hugged herself as they left. She wanted her friend to be safe when they got there. But she found her focus slipping, memories were taking over and she couldn't stop them.
************
Deeks saw the man he'd never met, had only seen once before, but the man who he held partially responsible for ruining his life. He left the Marines he was with and slipped after him, not knowing how close he was to what Kensi had done months before.

Jack stopped and turned. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"I'm getting supplies before we leave again. Did something happen to Kensi again? Is that why you're here?"

"Kensi's fine, considering."

"Good."

"I'm going to ask you this one time. I want the answer or so help me you won't live to regret it. Are you involved with the missing Marines? Did you, or your people, take them?"

"Hell no! Why would you think that?"

"I heard one of them was Kensi's friend. Even if I wanted to hurt people, I could never do that to Kensi."

"I don't think that. The Marines think that. Personally, I think if KC was near you, she'd kick your ass."

"If she's half as strong as Kensi, she'd kill me."

"And what the hell do you mean you couldn't do that to Kensi? That's about the only thing you haven't done to her."

"She must hate me. I know that. I understand that. But I couldn't do that to her."

"So there is a line with you. That's good to hear."

Jack groaned. "Hate me all you want, but I would never purposely hurt Kensi. Not after everything she did for me."

"All the things she did for you and you break her heart." Deeks wanted to kill him, but then again, he had for months. "If you want to make it up to her, you'll help me get the Marines, or at least KC, out."

"Of course. Lead the way."

"All we know is that they're somewhere in the area. The Marines think you're responsible for this."

"Let me prove them wrong then."

"Right now you've got two things working for you. You saved my partner's life and you're the only lead I've got for KC."

"Then let's go before we lose her."

He followed Jack, keeping up easily.

Deeks froze, willing to kill Callen if he knew his friend wasn't so worried about KC. "The only thing I asked you to do was keep her safe."

"Kensi? Or you." Deep down in his heart, Deeks knew that Kensi had wanted to be here for KC, but Kensi was the best thing in his life and he had entrusted Callen with her.