The rating for this story may change later on, so be warned. Though many other characters will also be featured, it is a Densi (Deeks/Kensi) story overall so beware if you're not a fan of that pairing. I am Australian, so the spelling will be in accordance to that. I will do my best to keep everyone in character throughout the entire story. Any feedback is highly appreciated and all suggestions/theories are very welcome. I hope you enjoy this story, and look forward to more because I will be updating rather regularly. There is also a banner for the story in my profile, if you're interested.

~ Prologue ~

'Look, man, that's not gonna cut it.' The driver of a semi-truck said to the phone he had propped up on the dashboard in front of him, using the speaker function so he could drive without having to hold the phone to his ear.

'Well, there's nothing I can do about that.' Came the slightly irritated reply. 'I was told it was a two hour trip, there and back. Where are you?'

'I've just come into Los Angeles.' The driver, John – a bulky man with a scruffy beard - answered. 'I've been on the road for three hours now. This is ridiculous. Get Rick on the phone!' He growled, and gripped the steering wheel tighter. The man tried to focus on the road, despite his frustration, and was only successful when a silver 4WD sped around the side of his truck to bypass the red car in front of him. It was gone in seconds, breaking at least a dozen traffic laws along the way.

Shaking his head, John sighed and glanced at his phone for a brief moment, wondering if his buddy was in the process of putting Rick on the phone to sort out the delivery route he was meant to be taking. Looking to the road, John swore loudly and slammed his foot onto the break. A car had swerved from the opposite lane and crossed in front of him. The car missed him, but John still had to fight to keep the truck stable and safely bring it to a halt. It swayed a little and stopped outside the traffic lines on the road.

He, and those around him, had been lucky.

Gasping with shock towards what had happened, and relief he'd kept the truck under control without hitting anyone, John took a moment to come into terms with the cause of his near-mishap. Gulping, though filled with curiosity, the driver angrily got down from the truck and walked around in front of it to see what had become of the silver car.

It was gone.

'Is everyone driving like a maniac today?' He grumbled.

He pulled his baseball cap back onto his head and moved to return to his truck. Ignoring the sounds around him, from complaining drivers and ongoing traffic, John decided to change direction as he headed for the bushes nearby. He'd been on the road for three hours so a bathroom break was needed, especially when he still had no idea how much further he had to go to make his delivery.

John made it about eight feet from the road when he spotted the rear end of a car, which he'd almost overlooked from where it was mostly inside some nearby bushes. It wasn't a vehicle he recognised, but the doors were wide open and skid marks led from the wheels back to the road it had driven off. It stopped him in his tracks, though his first impression was the dark blue car had been abandoned. John swallowed as his gaze drifted over what he could see of the car, then turned around and quickly ran back to his truck.

He climbed up and reached for his phone, snatching it with a sense of urgency.

'John?' His buddy's voice broke the short silence. 'John, you there?'

'I gotta call you back.' John said hurriedly and ended the call.

He frantically dialled for the police, looking over at the car with worry. He hadn't got a very good look at it , but he'd run for his phone the moment he realised the police needed to be informed. John had seen something that made him pray he was over-reacting. There had been blood on the windshield, which was likely related to the driver's door being marred with bullet holes, and on the grass next to the passenger seat was a teddy bear. John didn't know what happened, but he hoped whoever had been in that car had gotten away or would soon be found safe once the police arrived on the scene.

He had no idea that what he'd just stumbled upon was something that stretched further than his imagination could expand, and was about to change so many lives.

~ Chapter One: More Questions Than Answers ~

Every week they were someone else.

A new name, with a different past, and an alternative life extensively unlike their real one.

Sometimes they were lawyers cheating their way into a lot of stolen Military money, and other days they were part of a gang planning on smuggling weapons across the border. Very rarely did they play good guys, because otherwise they may as well just go in as themselves. The NCIS OSP team had dangerous jobs, and yet to most of them that was part of the appeal.

Though often similar in some ways, each case was always different from the last. Each suspect and every witness – nothing stayed the same. They liked the challenge, the thrill, and the motivation of delivering justice upon the bad guys, all while getting paid to kick butt and drive fast cars. They'd been doing it for years, and yet with everything that frequently changed in their lives and jobs, in a single day it was all about to taken in a drastic new direction.

As the sun shone over the city of Los Angeles on a Monday morning, something was happening on the roads just outside of town that would throw the NCIS OSP team into a situation they hadn't been trained or prepared for. It was going to change everything, and the cause was not a gang leader thirsting for revenge, or a greedy businessman willing to do anything for money.

No, it was a young child whose very existence was being threatened.

When they each left their own residences and headed in to work, not one member of the OSP team could have predicted it was their last morning where everything was familiar and routine. They arrived at work one by one, starting with Sam and ending with Kensi.

The office was quiet at first, as they all had a lot of paperwork to catch up on from a recent case. Sam and Callen flipped through pages with opposite interest - with Callen looking bored and Sam focusing on the details. Deeks was tapping his pencil against his desk and frowned at his pile of papers, trying to work out why it was significantly higher than the others, until he looked across the gap between desks to see what Kensi was doing. Amused, Deeks sat higher in his seat and his movement caught Callen's attention, despite being across from Deeks rather than beside him. Callen followed his gaze to Kensi, and also smirked.

'Late night?' Callen asked casually, causing Sam to look up as well.

The question was answered with a grunt from Kensi, whose face was obscured from view by her hair, as she rested her forehead on the desk.

'Long night.' Kensi lifted her head and looked tiredly across at Deeks and Sam, then eyed Callan with a frown. 'And it's not what you think.'

'Hey, I didn't say anything.' Callen chuckled and held held his hands up in surrender while glancing at the others. 'So, who was the guy?' He added in teasing.

Kensi shook her head and sighed, rising from the seat to walk over to a nearby counter where the coffee was. She poured herself a cup of the steaming liquid, and almost spilled it when a piercing whistle filled the air from above. It was Eric's signal, which they each knew all too well, and was an alert that they had a case.

'Come on.' Kensi grumbled. 'Really?'

She contemplated taking the coffee upstairs, but knew Hetty wouldn't allow it. With a drawn-out exhale of defeat and annoyance, Kensi left her coffee cup behind and turned to follow the others in the direction of the stairs. They were waiting for her inside, and Kensi wasn't the only one to notice the grim expressions on both Eric and Nell's faces.

'What have we got, Eric?' Callen asked.

'A mystery.' Eric answered.

He looked to the wide screen in front of them where a picture of a dark blue car was seen amongst the edge of some bushes. All the doors were wide open and it showed signs of being shot at. The smear of blood was seen on the windshield, along with the teddy bear sitting on the ground a short distance from the front passenger side of the car.

'What happened?' Callen prompted.

'Was there a kid in the car?' Kensi worried from the moment she'd seen the bear.

'No.' Eric answered her first, then began to explain the situation. 'The vehicle is registered to Navy Lieutenant Michael Ellis.'

He brought up the service photo of a man in uniform, with light brown hair and dark green eyes.

'A semi-truck almost hit another car just after sunrise this morning. The driver, John Malcolm, swerved to a stop and no one was injured. He got out, and found this car.'

The image of the empty blue car was shown again.

'He alerted the police, and they contacted us as soon as they saw Petty Officer Jasmine Ellis's Military ID on the floor of the passenger side.'

'So they're missing?' Sam guessed. 'Kidnapped?'

'It looks like it.' Nell nodded, taking over. 'They were supposedly on their way to work when this happened. Lieutenant Ellis is no longer on active duty, however he does manage a position in the pentagon. It's his job to handle a lot of highly classified documents relating to everything from terrorist groups, to weapon shipments, and Navy technology secrets.'

'Sounds like a valuable target.' Callen commented. 'And the bear? They have kids?'

'A son. He's eight-years-old.' Nell said. 'We weren't able to find a recent picture of the boy, but he's safe for now. Someone else dropped him off at school this morning at Petty Officer Ellis' request, saying they had to head to work early.'

'Where does she work?' Deeks wondered.

'Camp Peddleton.' Eric said. 'Security, mostly. It's still important, but not as much of a threat to national security as if Lieutenant Ellis gives away any classified Intel. And he has access to a lot of it.'

'It's probably why they kidnapped him.' Sam added. 'To convinced him to talk, or force him to give them information.'

'But they left their son alone?' Kensi joined in. 'I mean, they kidnapped his wife as well, but usually if the target has a family they go after them first.'

'The kid got lucky.' Callen said. 'This could have been a lot worse. At least he's out of harm's way.'

'Let's keep it that way, Mr Callen.' Hetty said as she walked into the room. 'Daniel Ellis is at school right now. He is being watched by one of our own agents, who is undercover as a janitor. When school is finished for the day, Mr Deeks and Ms Blye will pick him up and take the boy to a safe location.'

'You think they might come back for the kid?' Deeks wondered.

'And you just happened to have someone undercover as a janitor in that particular school?' Callen raised an eyebrow.

'Unlikely.' Hetty said to Deeks, ignoring Callen's question. 'But let's not take that chance.'

'Are there any traffic cams in the area?' Sam inquired, still looking at the screen with determination to find out more.

'No.' Eric said importantly. 'We tried, but they're not operational.'

'Not operational?' Kensi repeated. 'Why not?'

'They're down.' Eric explained. 'Since yesterday. A crew is out there now, fixing them, but they aren't expected to be finished until late this afternoon.'

'Convenient.' Sam frowned, thinking it wasn't a co-incidence.

'Someone had to have known that.' Callen agreed. 'This was not random, or a crime of opportunity. They planned it. They knew the Ellis' were heading to work early and...they had to be tailing them – how else would they know which car was theirs? Are there any other traffic cameras from their house to where the car was abandoned?'

'Let's see...' Eric tapped at his hand-held keyboard and brought up three small images on the screen, which Nell walked towards to enlarge the first one.

'This was taken a block from their house, just before dawn.' Nell said, watching the distant footage of Michael and Jasmine Ellis leaving the house for work. Their blonde-haired son watched them from the doorway, with a dark-skinned woman waving goodbye to the pair.

They got into their car and drove out of the driveway without any signs of distress or being out of routine. The vehicle turned down the street heading to the road that would lead them into the mass of early-morning traffic. Everyone observed the next footage of the blue car making a stop for coffee, which was quick and lacking indications of anything being out of place. The final video was along the same road they would be stopped on, but the car drove off-camera before they could reach the scene.

'No tails.' Sam shook his head.

'Unless they changed cars.' Kensi said. 'And we're sure this is a kidnapping?'

'They left their son behind.' Sam frowned at her.

'He seems familiar.' Callen frowned, looking closer at the service picture of the Lieutenant.

'He should.' Eric nodded. 'He's been involved in three NCIS cases in the last year. Never a suspect, but each time he had something to do with the investigation. One was a drug deal involving a buddy he served with – Lieutenant Ellis provided some background on the suspect, then had nothing more to do with the case.' He summarised, bringing up pictures and documents as he spoke, each which Nell enlarged for the others to see.

'The second was over three months later, when there was a potential breech at a base his wife was guarding, but it was a false alarm. Later it was revealed to be a diversion so a shipment of weapons could be stolen nearby. Ellis helped NCIS with information regarding those weapons as it involved something he had files on at the Pentagon, and a past task force he kept tabs on.' Eric said.

'And the third case was five months ago, where one of the men he'd served with called him in for moral support when the guy's brother was accused of human trafficking. Ellis played a bigger role in helping us solve the case.'

'So this guy handles sensitive information for the Pentagon and is familiar with NCIS investigations.' Callen recapped.

'He knows how it works.' Kensi realised. 'He had to have known that if he or his wife disappeared then NCIS would be called in. The wife's ID was just left there for the police to find? The cameras are down so no one can confirm it's a kidnapping. This could have been staged.'

'And the gunshots on the car?' Deeks questioned. 'The blood?'

'All we've got is a bunch of theories.' Callen said. 'We need facts. Deeks, Kensi – talk to the woman who dropped their son off at school. See if she noticed anything that might help. Then have a look around; maybe something there will tell us if this is real or staged.' He instructed. 'Sam and I will talk to the truck driver, and check out the crime scene. Me might get lucky.'

'Right.' Kensi nodded.

She headed for the doorway with Deeks beside her, but the pair were halted from going any further when Hetty stepped across their path to block the exit.

'School finishes at 2:30pm.' She reminded them. 'You will be briefed on the additional details when you get back from the Ellis household. Don't be late.'

'Got it.' Deeks nodded, though he was a bit confused about what extra details they would be needing just to drop a kid off somewhere safe.

Callen watched the pair leave, then glanced at Hetty as he knew something else was going on. He trusted he'd be told if it was important, so he turned to Sam and then led the way out of the room. With the agents heading to their assigned destinations, Hetty looked at Eric and Nell, who each appeared to be waiting for her signal of approval.

She nodded once, and the pair headed to their computers to continue their work.

'Let me know if James calls in.' Hetty added as she turned to leave.

'Sure.' Nell nodded. She glanced over at the main screen to watch the security footage from the school where they had an agent undercover, to keep an eye on Daniel Ellis – just in case.

~ LB ~

'Hm.' Callen made a noise, as he looked out the car window, while Sam drove them to the area of the reported crime scene.

'What?' Sam grumbled.

'What?' Callen glanced at him. 'Nothing.' He shrugged. Callen sighed and looked back through the window with a contemplative expression.

Sam glanced at his partner with annoyance, as Callen had been making random sounds for most of the drive, yet Sam didn't want to be the first one to break. He stared back at the road, until barely a minute later when Callen grunted and he couldn't take it any more.

'Are you gonna tell me or would you walk the rest of the way?' Sam asked.

'Tell you what?' Callen redirected just to irritate his partner, then sighed again. 'It just doesn't make sense. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the kid's okay, but...'

'I agree.' Sam nodded. 'In most cases like this they go after the kids first, not the parents. Kidnapping their son first would force them to co-operate.'

'And it doesn't look like they made any move on the kid at all.' Callen continued. 'Daniel's at school where he's supposed to be. Even if it's not a kidnapping, why would they leave their son behind?'

'They knew NCIS would pick him up.' Sam theorised. 'And if he disappeared too then it looks less like a kidnapping.'

'Maybe.' Callen frowned. 'Or maybe something else is going on.'

'Let's find out.' Sam parked the car on the side of the road and got out, looking over towards the semi-truck and then the bushes where the LAPD had taped off the supposed crime scene.

'Eric said no one reported the car being driven off the road.' Callen shared, joining Sam on the walk to the driver's side of the truck.

'You really don't think this was a kidnapping, do you?'Sam glanced at his partner.

'No.' Callen admitted. 'I don't. We don't know what it is, not for sure, but I've seen a of kidnapping cases and this just doesn't add up to one.'

'Something's off.' Sam nodded, looking around the area for any additional tyre tracks or skid marks, while Callen headed towards the nearest police car where the driver of the truck stood near the side with an officer.

'Agent Callen, NCIS.' He flashed his badge to them both, and waited for the officer to walk away before he turned to the driver. 'John Malcolm?'

'That's me.' He grunted. 'What's NCIS?'

'Naval Criminal Investigative Service.' Callen sighed. 'You're the one who found the car?' He peered towards the distance where the dark blue car was barely seen amongst the bushes it had stopped amongst.

'That's right.' John confirmed.

'Tell me about it.' Callen encouraged.

'A car, looked like a 4WD, cut across into my lane and damn near hit my truck.' John frowned at the memory. 'I slammed down the breaks, and stopped here.' He indicated to his truck not far away, while lookingwarily to the car he'd discovered. 'I needed to take a leak, so I headed to the bushes...' He trailed off, swallowing anxiously – what he'd found clearly had a worrying effect on him.

'Was this the car?' Callen asked.

'No.' John shook his head. 'The one that cut me off was bigger, and not so dark. Silver, I think. I dunno what model it was – it happened so fast.'

'Did you notice anything strange before that?' Callen wondered, thinking they still didn't have a lot to go on. He and the team were used to relying on traffic cameras for these sorts of road-related situations, whereas this time they didn't have that asset.

'Not really.' John narrowed his eyes in thought, looking downwards as he tried to remember anything that might be counted as "strange". 'It was just a busy road. Everyone was driving like a maniac today.'

'Everyone?' Callen repeated.

'Well, one crazy car before the 4WD.' John shrugged. 'Other than those two, and the one I found, nothing else seemed off.'

'Right.' Callen exhaled with disappointment. 'Thanks.'

'Can I go now?' John wondered. 'I've got deliveries to make.'

'What sort of deliveries?'

'Computers.' John answered. 'I'm already behind schedule.'

'Sure.' Callen allowed. 'Give me your number so we can call you if we have any more questions, then you're free to go.'

And while John offered his number to Callen, Sam was busy wandering around the car and looking for clues other than what they'd already found. There were no seconds tracks, though it was on grass so the abandoned car had barely left any either. The grass was reasonably short and didn't give many details about how many sets of footprints there had been either.

'What have we got?' Callen asked.

'A little more than nothing.' Sam frowned. 'And a lot less than something.'

'Doesn't sound too promising.' Callen replied.

He focused on the car itself, as there was only so much they could see from the photos they'd seen on the main screen at Ops. He crouched to the ground where the teddy bear was, since the police hadn't moved anything yet, and wondered what could have happened.

'There were two reckless drivers.' Callen told Sam. 'One cut in front of the truck and overtook a red car. The second was coming from the opposite way and sped across the front of the truck, forcing it to stop. He was lucky it didn't end up a lot worse.' He looked towards the road, then back at the partially-concealed car. 'I doubt the driver of the truck would have found the car so easily if he hadn't nearly wet his pants.' He said and straightened.

'It is inconspicuous.' Sam pointed out, and went through what they saw and assumed. 'So this car drives off the road early this morning, either by force or not, and ends up in the bushes?'

'It didn't crash.' Callen revealed, walking around the branches to get a better look at the front of the car.

'Why here?' Sam added, gazing around again as though something had changed. 'The faulty cameras?'

'They needed the blind spot.' Callen agreed, rejoining Sam by the open front passenger side door. 'There's blood on the windshield, but nowhere else. It's probably not fatal. The driver's side door is covered in bullet holes, yet no one reported a shooting either.'

'That would have been noticed.' Sam stated. 'Maybe it didn't happen here?'

'The Military ID of the wife was on the floor.' Callen continued, looking into the car. 'And the stuffed bear on the ground.'

'If she was forced out of the vehicle, she could have dropped it.' Sam was irritated by having to guess rather than finding solid answers. 'This is getting us nowhere, G. We don't know any more than we did an hour ago.'

'We do know one thing.' Callen turned towards the road still filled with traffic despite one lane being closed off by the police. 'Whatever this is about, it's something big. No one goes to all this trouble, without kidnapping the kid for insurance, unless they knew exactly what they wanted and how to get it.'

'If this was a kidnapping.' Sam reminded him.

'Right. And if it's staged?' Callan regarded his partner. 'Where does that leave Lieutenant Ellis and his wife?'

'Not here.' Sam answered with a shrug. His gaze trailed into the distance with uncertainty about what was going on and why the car had been abandoned without its passengers.

~ LB ~

'We're here, Eric.' Kensi spoke on her phone as she got out of her car and focused on the plain, white house across the road. 'Tell us about her.'

'Ayira Yeboah immigrated from Africa when she was five years old. She has no criminal record or anything suspicious in her past.' Eric answered, discussing the woman who had dropped Daniel Ellis at school that morning. She'd waved goodbye to Michael and Jasmine Ellis on the camera's they'd viewed earlier, and could possibly be one of the last people to have seen them before their car was left abandoned.

'She currently works as a nanny.' Nell added. 'Ayira Yeboah is also a member of dozens of charities relating to helping orphaned children and the homeless. She even volunteers long hours at a youth centre every Sunday. She hasn't missed a single day for over five years.'

'Sounds like someone who cares about kids.' Kensi commented, watching the house for any signs of activity. 'Alright, thanks.' She hung up and signalled to Deeks.

The pair approached the house, keeping an eye out just in case, and quickly reached the front door. They shared a glance, then Deeks raised his hand to knock.

'Ayira Yeboah?' Kensi spoke loudly through the dark wood of the door. 'NCIS! We need to ask you a few questions.'

Kensi and Deeks listened carefully to the movement inside the house. Nothing struck them as alarming or a cause for concern, as the door opened and the surprised woman stood there to greet them.

'NCIS?' She repeated before they could introduce themselves. 'What is this about?'

'Michael and Jasmine Ellis.' Deeks answered, relaxing his posture. 'You dropped their son off at school this morning?'

'Yes.' Ayira's expression creased with worry. 'Is Daniel okay?'

'He's fine for now.' Kensi nodded seriously. 'But his parents are missing.'

'I don't believe it.' Ayira gasped and covered her mouth with her hand in shock. 'How did this happen? When?'

'Not long after they left for work.' Deeks replied. 'Are you Daniel's nanny?'

'No.' Ayira paused to gather herself before she continued. 'Michael called me last night to ask for a favor. Mrs Ellis had an early shift at work, and Michael said there was paperwork he needed to do. They asked if I could drop Daniel off at school this morning.'

'You're on first-name basis with the Lieutenant, but not his wife?' Kensi raised an eyebrow. 'And if you're not Daniel's nanny, how do you know them?'

'I have watched Daniel in the past.' Ayira answered. 'I met Michael when he donated money to a local orphanage only weeks after they moved to Los Angeles four years ago. We are friends, but his wife does not trust me. Michael never told me why.' She said with disappointment. 'The family has secrets, but I did not pry.'

'Have they asked you to drop Daniel off at school before?' Kensi wondered.

'Never.' Ayira shook her head, indicating it was an odd request. 'This is only the third time I have even seen the boy. They are very protective of Daniel, and won't even let him play in the streets or take the bus to or from school.'

'Did they say anything else before they left this morning?' Kensi pressed for more details. 'Anything at all?'

'No. Nothing.' Ayira replied. 'I wish I could be of more help, but everything was fine. What happened to them? Who would kidnap them?'

'That's what we're trying to find out.' Deeks sighed.

'And what will happen to Daniel now?' Ayira asked sadly.

'NCIS will be proving protective custody until we find his parents.' Kensi told her and handed the woman a card with her number on it. 'If you remember anything else that might help, please give me a call.'

'Looks like it was a kidnapping.' Deeks commented as they walked back to Kensi's car. 'Everything seemed fine, and she got no instructions to pick the kid up after school.'

'That means this case is officially a matter of national security.' Kensi said anxiously. 'And we still have no idea who could have taken them, or where they are now.'

~ LB ~

Many hours later, the team still hadn't found any solid leads on the urgent case.

It was a lovely afternoon in Los Angeles, and they were all inside the Ops room going over facts and researching anyone who might have seen Jasmine or Michael Ellis in the last week or so. Sam and Callen had talked to anyone who worked with the Lieutenant, while Kensi and Deeks checked out the home for any clues and then stopped by the bases Jasmine worked on. They had more information than that morning, yet nothing which could be used to track down the missing lieutenant and his wife.

'Mr Deeks. Ms Blye.' Hetty's voice reached them as she emerged into the room and fixed them both with a firm stare. 'Do you know what time it is?'

'Oh, shoot.' Kensi winced as she glanced at her watch. 'We have to pick up Daniel.' She nudged Deeks.

'Right.' He nodded, pretending he hadn't forgotten. 'And take him where, exactly?'

'That's what you're both about to be briefed on.' Hetty said and led the way down the stairs and across to her office.

'Okay.' Kensi wondered if they would be doing more than transporting the boy from school to a safe house if the situation involved a briefing session.

Hetty sat down in her chair and sipped from a stylish white teacup before she looked over at the pair standing in front of her, and nodded.

'Until we know more about what's going on, or in the event of locating Lieutenant and Petty Officer Ellis, Daniel must be carefully watched by NCIS. His continued safety is one of our many priorities. We cannot allow anyone to make a move on taking the boy too.'

'Of course.' Kensi understood.

'For the moment, the school is secure and is under surveillance all hours of the day. Daniel Ellis only needs to be watched when he isn't at school, so I am assigning the pair of you to look after the boy.'

'Wait, us?' Deeks chuckled nervously. 'You want us to babysit the kid after school, and at night?'

'Not babysit, Mr Deeks. Protect.' Hetty insisted firmly. 'I have arranged a cover house for the three of you to stay in. It's not far from here, and is only a fifteen minute drive to the school. You will need a cover story, but not an alias. We want to keep things simple - we have no idea how long or short this case may be.'

'So we're going undercover as ourselves?' Kensi was a bit confused, and not entirely pleased by the arrangement.

'Almost.' Hetty smiled. 'To avoid suspicion or confusion amongst your new neighbours, it would be a strategic move on both your parts to imply you're both dating. From this moment forward, neither of you are an official investigator in this case, and are merely stepping up to your roles as Daniel's godparents while the boy's parents are away.'

'But...I...' Deeks fidgeted and wasn't sure what to think of their mission. 'Okay.'

'For how long?' Kensi wanted to know.

'As long as necessary.'

Author's Notes: The focus of this chapter was to set up the case, so there will be more Kensi and Deeks stuff in the next chapter, as well as officially bringing Daniel into the story (along with Nate and Monty). Thank you for reading, and I would really appreciate any feedback you have to offer. This is my first ever NCIS: LA story and I am very fond of it so anything you could share with me would be a great help, plus I'd love to hear your thoughts on the first chapter of the story so far.