A/N – Dropping in is a crime in the surf world. A drop-in is where a surfer catches a wave without having priority, i.e. there is already a surfer on the wave.

I got this from google because I have absolutely NO idea about ANYTHING to do with surfing but I do like to watch others doing it!

Disclaimer: While I would prefer otherwise, I own none of the NCIS:LA or Criminal Minds characters.

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Chapter 1

Quantico, Virginia

Aaron Hotchner entered the conference room to find his team already there and waiting for him. He sat in his normal seat and opened the file in front of him. "What do we have Garcia?" He asked.

Penelope Garcia moved to the front of the table and picked up the remote for the plasma. She clicked a button and a picture appeared on the screen. "This is Steve Campbell. He was a semi-professional surfer who was found dead at a well-known dangerous surfing location in California just over five weeks ago. His battered and bruised body washed up on the shore. A piece of his surfboard was still attached to his leg when they found him, by something called a surf leash. It was considered to be an accidental death."

Hotch frowned and said "So why is the BAU being called in on this?"

Garcia continued "A friend of Campbell's, another surfer by the name of Jeff Harper, insisted that Campbell would never surf at this location. That he knew it was dangerous and preached to the younger surfers about staying away, insisting that it was suicide. At first, the police dismissed him as a grieving friend but he managed to talk the coroner into doing additional tests. A tox screen showed a large amount of scopolamine in his system. That led the coroner to take a closer look and she found that there were older bruises under the ones sustained during his drowning. She changed her initial findings from accidental death to homicide."

Reid interjected "Scopolamine is a drug made from the barrachero tree in South America, also known as the drunken binge tree. It's supposed to temporarily inhibit a person's free will choices, making the victim a willing subject of the person who has administered the drug, doing anything they're told, even when it goes against their basic beliefs. It's becoming a very popular date rape drug."

"Still doesn't explain why the BAU is being asked to investigate." Countered Hotch.

"I'm getting to that." said Garcia. "LAPD started an investigation but didn't find much at first. One of their analysts started doing a search for like deaths and found another case in Hawaii where the surfer was found to have scopolamine in his system. At this point, the FBI field office in L.A. took jurisdiction over the case." She threw another picture up on the plasma and it now started to make sense to the team.

"Understandable as the case now crossed state lines." Hotch commented.

"Exactly. However, the L.A. field office hasn't made any headway and last week, another surfer was found in L.A. The same coroner was assigned to the case and was suspicious. She did a tox screen and found the same scopolamine." Again she threw a third picture up on the board.

"Well, our killer definitely has a type." Said Derek.

"Yes. As the L.A. office hasn't had much success, the director has requested that we assist them in finding the killer. I did a search on like parameters and found this." She again hit the remote and five more pictures appeared on the screen. "Based on like body types and where they died, these men match the parameters. All experienced surfers who died while surfing dangerous locations in the last seven years, in locations ranging from Tahiti to Hawaii to the coast of Mexico up to California. These have been classified as accidental deaths and some might be, but the coincidences might indicate otherwise." She put the remote on the table.

"Ok people. Wheel's up in thirty. We're going to L.A." Hotch said. The group rose and headed out the door.

~,~,~,~

FBI Field Office, Los Angeles, California

Lt. Roger Bates was frustrated. He had no desire to be at the L.A. FBI headquarters at 10 AM with no idea as to why he was there. He had plenty to do at his own division of the LAPD. The feebies had given him no indication at all as to why he had been called down here. He walked up to the reception desk and said "I was told to ask for Senior Agent Jonas Ambrose. My name is Lt. Roger Bates, LAPD." He showed his badge and the man behind the desk nodded and began to tap away at his computer. While he waited, he compulsively listened in to the conversations around him. Next to him, a group of people walked up to the desk and flashed FBI badges.

The man who was obviously in charge said "BAU Unit Chief SSA Aaron Hotchner, here to see Senior Agent Ambrose." The fact that these people were here to see the same agent caught Bates's ear and he blatantly eavesdropped.

"Yes, Agent Hotchner, you're expected. You and your team should take the center elevators to the fourth floor. Someone will be waiting for you."

Bates turned back to the desk when he heard similar instructions addressed towards him. He was handed a visitor id card and followed the team of FBI agents to the elevator, trying to be inconspicuous and see what he could overhear. Unfortunately, this group was professional and circumspect, giving away nothing. They all exited the elevator on four and found another agent waiting for them.

"Agent Hotchner, Lt. Bates?" She asked.

Hotch raised his hand and looked around, seeing the lone stranger from the elevator also raise his hand. This must be the Lieutenant the woman was looking for. The group moved through the glass doors behind her and were led to another agent who was waiting for them. Bates was less than impressed. He'd read about Agent Ambrose in a couple of Deeks's NCIS case debriefs. In one, the man hadn't come off as the brightest bulb in the box and had seemed more concerned about his career rather than the actual case at hand. NCIS and his detective had not been happy with the way he ran the case. He tried to remember the specifics of it. Something to do with a bomb, a marine and a waitress. The other case had something to do with Ambrose's phone being hacked as a way into the FBI classified database, if he was not mistaken. Neither case had given Deeks a good impression of the man and he'd been vocal enough about it for the cases to stick in Bates's memory.

The group paused and Agent Ambrose puffed up and said "I'm Senior Agent Jonas Ambrose and I'm in charge of this case. Thank you for coming." Both the BAU agents and Bates heard the blatant lie in the man's words. He no more wanted the BAU here than any other law enforcement agency whose toes they'd stepped on in the past, same agency or not. Bates still had no idea why he'd been ordered to come here but couldn't suppress a feeling of satisfaction that the agent was experiencing the shoe on the other foot.

Ambrose motioned towards the conference room behind him and said "If you'll all come this way, I'll get you up to speed."

The group trooped into the conference room in question and Hotch began introductions. "I'm Unit Chief SSA Aaron Hotchner. This is SSA Dr. Spencer Reid, SSAs Derek Morgan, David Rossi and Jennifer Jareau."

Agent Ambrose acknowledged them all and turned to the lone LAPD officer in the group. "Lt. Bates I presume?"

"That's me. Can I ask exactly what I'm doing here?"

Hotch looked at the man and frowned. "Am I to assume then that you aren't LAPD homicide?"

"No, LAPD undercover division." He held out his hand and Hotch shook it.

Both men turned to Ambrose and he indicated the pictures displayed on the plasma screen behind them. Bates turned his attention to it and sighed. Now he knew why he was here and he wasn't happy about it. The BAU agents only saw the same group of people they'd seen on the plasma in Virginia. Like body types and looks but obviously they'd registered with the police Lieutenant.

Bates sighed again and said "I'm assuming I'm here as his immediate superior at LAPD?"

Ambrose smirked and said "Yes, Lt. Bates. It's pretty obvious that he would be the best option to be brought in on this case."

Bates crossed his arms over his chest to indicate his displeasure at the situation. "You know the issues with this?"

Ambrose grimaced as he remembered his last interaction with NCIS. It hadn't ended well for him. Schooling his face into a look of indifference, Ambrose said "Yes, Lieutenant. I am aware."

The agents from Virginia exchanged confused looks and waited to see if they would hear anything that would clear up the murky waters of their current case.

"I'll call him but you need to know that if he's in the middle of another case with them, he won't be available to us."

Ambrose nodded. "I'm aware of that as well. I have it on good authority that they're between cases at the moment."

"You get to answer to that Ninja Assassin he reports to over there!"

Ambrose blanched and swallowed hard. He knew he was going to have to deal with Henrietta Lange at some point but had hoped that Bates would act as a buffer between them. However, it appeared that Bates was not willing to be the sacrificial lamb. He nodded his understanding and the Lieutenant pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He dialed a number and waited for the person on the other side to answer. When they did, the others in the room heard only Bates's side of the conversation.

"I have an assignment for you."

Bates rubbed the side of his face and looked at Ambrose who shook his head no. Ambrose wasn't completely stupid. He was well aware that the man on the other end of the phone would probably balk at helping if he knew that he, Jonas Ambrose, was involved. Until he found out that his 'people' were being murdered, that is.

"Nothing, you'll be briefed as soon as you get here."

"I can't tell you any more right now."

"Because I can't! I need you to meet me at the downtown headquarters of the FBI ASAP."

"Yes! FBI! Given the circumstances of the last six years, you of all people shouldn't be so against federal involvement in our cases!

"Okay, I'll see you in thirty. You tell that tiny tea sipping Svengali that the FBI is requesting this, not me!"

"Good. See you soon."

Bates shut off his phone and nodded to Ambrose. "He's on his way." He turned and looked at the screen where pictures of men who could be brothers to his best undercover operative were displayed. He had a bad feeling about this.

~,~,~,~

NCIS OSP, Los Angeles, California

Deeks walked into the Mission and the first thing he noticed was that his girlfriend's desk was conspicuously empty. He sighed, he knew she was there; her car was in its normal parking spot. He paused when he saw Sam and Callen looking at him with identical expressions. Great, what exactly had Kensi told them? He walked to his desk and put his bag down. He looked at Sam and then at Callen.

"What?"

Sam shook his head and said "What happened? Kensi came in this morning, alone for the first time in years and when we asked where you were, she said maybe we should ask your other girlfriend and stormed off to the firing range. What gives?"

Deeks sighed heavily and sat down. "Damn it. This has gotten way out of hand." He looked up quickly, trying to read the two agent's faces. "You know I don't have any other girlfriends, right?"

Callen smirked and said "We figure you can barely handle the one we know about. We don't think you'd take on another one!"

Deeks wasn't sure if he should be pleased that they believed him or pissed that they thought he wasn't capable of juggling two women at the same time. Sam made his decision for him when he put a hand on his arm and said "Callen's just playin' with you. We know you'd never cheat on Kensi because you know you'd have to deal with us. Your well-honed sense of self-preservation would stop you from even considering it. So, what happened?"

Deeks grimaced. "We went out for dinner last night. Kensi wanted to go somewhere decent for a change and she picked the restaurant."

Callen interrupted with a sly "There's a shocker!"

Deeks raised an eyebrow, silently asking if he could continue now and Callen waved him on. "So, I was psyched to see she'd picked Toscano's over on Wilshire. I happen to know the manager there and figured we'd get great service as long as she was working, which she usually is."

"She? Is this some ex-girlfriend then?" Asked Sam, starting to feel like he knew what was coming.

"Kathy? No! Well, I mean, we went on two dates but decided that, while we liked each other, there was no attraction there. We've been good friends ever since. She has a steady boyfriend, in fact, I introduced them. Peter's an old friend from college and they've been together for a while now."

"But Kensi has never met either of them?" Asked Callen.

"No, we're all really busy. Kathy works insane hours at the restaurant and Peter's a real estate lawyer. Between their hours and the hours Kensi and I put in here, I've never had the chance to introduce them. Hell, we've barely met any of the other's friends. She only got to meet Kip because we went there on a case! Same with Ray. Last night would have been a good opportunity but it went downhill from almost the moment we stepped foot inside." He paused, remembering how things went down.

"Go on, we're all ears!" Sam prodded.

"It was busy and without a reservation there was no chance of getting a table. However, Kathy caught sight of me, came over, gave me a hug and got us seated immediately at one of the best tables. I introduced the two of them and she was nothing but nice to Kensi. However, she didn't get to stay and chat because it was so busy and when I turned to talk to Kensi about how great it was that we got seated, she was pissed. When I asked her what was wrong, she wouldn't tell me, kept saying nothing was wrong even though there obviously was something. In fact, she barely spoke to me throughout dinner even though I asked her multiple times. I suspected what it was but I wanted to hear her say it. I guess I got stubborn and refused to let her know who Kathy was to me if she was going to make assumptions." He stopped and ran his hands through his hair, his agitation ramping up as he relived last evenings' events.

He continued, "When we finished dinner and went to pay, we were told it was on the house, courtesy of the manager. I asked to see her, so we could thank her, hoping that we could clear the air at the same time. She was only able to come to the table for a few seconds. I planned on talking about Peter then but Kathy just swooped in, gave me another hug, a kiss on the cheek, said we didn't see each other often enough and that we should get together soon. I agreed, meaning her and Peter, me and Kensi, and she said 'call me' as she swooped back out, waving a goodbye to Kensi, who then wouldn't even talk to me on the ride home. I admit I got more than a little pissed off myself. I figured we'd talk about it once we got inside but, when I got out of the car, she rolled down the window, said if I was going to make dates with other women right in front of her, she was done. She said she was going to spend the night at her mom's and took off without letting me say a word! Just left me standing there with my mouth open. I've tried to call her at least a dozen times but she keeps rejecting my calls. So, there you have it!"

Sam just shook his head and Callen looked like he was having a hard time not laughing. "It's not funny you guys! Why do I feel like I need to apologize when she's the one who made assumptions without giving me the benefit of the doubt first?"

"Oh Deeks, you have so much to learn! Doesn't matter if she's in the wrong or not, you need to apologize. When she calms down and realizes that she jumped to conclusions, then it's time for her to apologize. Relationships are about give and take. Sometimes you need to take it, even when you don't think you should have to." Sam responded. Deeks frowned and looked at Sam for a couple minutes, Sam raised his eyebrows and he caved, nodding reluctantly. He stood up and was heading towards the firing range when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and frowned at the caller id. This day was just getting better and better he thought as he answered it.

"Yeah, Bates. What's up?"

"What kind of assignment?"

"Come on Bates, give me something! What can you tell me?"

"Why not?"

"FBI? What's the FBI doing in the middle of one of our cases?"

"Okay, okay, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Nice how 'as soon as I can' equals thirty in your book! And don't worry, I'll let Hetty know."

He hung up and looked at Callen. "I have to leave, now. Bates wants me down at the FBI field office ASAP. He wouldn't tell me why over the phone, just to get down there and to let Hetty know I was going."

"You know Kensi hates it when LAPD pulls you away from us. She's not going to be happy. In fact, I'm not all that happy myself." Callen said.

Sam added his two cents "When are you going to make the move, Deeks? Every time LAPD calls, you have to go running. It disrupts the team and puts you at risk."

Deeks shook his head; it was something he'd been mulling over for the last few weeks. As he and Kensi got deeper into their relationship, he hated being away from her and the knowledge that LAPD could do what they had just done, at any time, was weighing on him more and more. "I'll think about it. Right now I have to talk to Hetty, find Kensi so we can clear the air and get going." He headed towards their Operations Manager's office where he could see her reading some report or other and sipping her tea. Bates's words played back in his mind and he had to smile.

"Hetty?"

"Yes, Mr. Deeks?" She looked up at him expectantly.

"I just heard from Lt. Bates. He needs me for an assignment. One that apparently includes the FBI as I'm to meet him downtown at their field office."

Hetty frowned. "What kind of assignment?"

"He wouldn't tell me."

She sighed. "You know this would not be an issue if you'd just sign those papers I gave you."

"I'm considering it."

"Indeed?" She brightened up.

"Yes, but right now I have to go find Kensi to tell her I'm going and then head out. As soon as I know something, I'll let you know."

"Very well Mr. Deeks. Please, be careful."

"Of course."

He turned and headed to the firing range, expecting to find Kensi there. It was empty so he headed to the gym only to find she wasn't there either. He dug out his phone and called her. It went to voicemail right away, letting him know she'd rejected his call once again. He took a deep breath and started talking once her outgoing message ended. "Kensi, this is ridiculous. You have to know I wasn't making a date with Kathy! She's an old friend who's in a serious relationship with one of my college buddies. When she suggested getting together, she meant all four of us. I'm sorry I was stubborn and didn't tell you sooner but I couldn't believe you'd think that of me. I really wish you'd picked up! I just got called into LAPD for an assignment that's apparently going to require working jointly with the FBI. I have no idea what it's about or how long it's going to take." He took a breath and couldn't resist adding "When, or if, I can, I'll let you know how long I'll be gone." He paused again and knew he couldn't leave it like that. "I love you Fern." He said and hung up, heading back to the bullpen to gather up his stuff and head out.