As requested by bdn2372
White Ghost, Red mist.
Kensi had been in Afghanistan for three months, three months and all she'd had from Deeks was a phone call over Christmas, she really missed him. They had just started out on their relationship, she was known as one date Blye for a reason, not one she had ever wanted to divulge, but she hadn't wanted Deeks to be a part of the one date rule.
She lay there on her bunk looking at the photo he'd sent her in his suit. She knew that he was different, he was her partner, he knew she could let him in. but she had he secrets and wasn't sure if she was ready to share her biggest with him.
Granger knocked on the door, "Blye, we have a lead on White Ghost." He called through the door.
"On my way; 20 minutes ok?" she asked.
"Sure I'll make you coffee, I'll be at the map table." Granger said walking away.
Kensi's view of Granger had changed a lot since they had come out here.
She looked over the map of the terrain, Granger pointing out the last location of White Ghost, "How fresh is this Intel?" she asked.
"Four hours, although I checked in with our man watching him, he's been bunking with the local Taliban Cell, he hasn't left yet." Granger told her.
She looked at the photo's "who's the smaller person with him?" she asked,
"We don't know, he's never seen unmasked, but he shoots as well as the White Ghost does, I know people call him Ghost and the shorter guy goes by Casper."
Kensi smiled, "The friendly Ghost huh?" she chuckled.
"Not so friendly." Granger pulled CIA footage of Casper shooting at a bomb that took out a Military transport.
Kensi looked impressed "That's a hard target even for a sniper, a bomb that small at 500 yards."
"Yeah, White Ghost is the priority but Casper is the danger."
"I'll keep an eye out for him." Kensi said turning to her gun, she checked the sights before she packed it away in her case.
"I'm your spotter Blye." Granger said putting his bag down next to her.
She looked up at him, "Ok you ready?" she asked.
He nodded and they went outside and climbed into the humvee that was waiting for them.
Setting up on the ridge above the caves that she'd been told was the latest place that White Ghost was hiding she checked her sights.
She looked through her scope as Granger checked out the distance with his binoculars, "Who's that?" Kensi asked as a young girl of about 7 came out; she walked over to the well and filled a bucket with water.
"Dunno, maybe a native?" Granger shrugged.
Kensi looked at the child a familiar pang tugged at her heart and she fought it down, here and now was not the place to think about that.
"Sabatino is going in undercover, he's set up with a local Taliban group, and they are going to introduce him to White Ghost today, watch for him." Granger advised.
Kensi nodded and settled in, the one part of being a sniper she didn't like was the waiting, but it was needed, she watched as a man came up in a Jeep. The girl ran up to him holding a cup, the man removed his scarf and took a sip.
He threw the cup and her feet and backhanded her around the face. She fell to her knees, not crying or making a sound she picked up the cup, nodded and headed back to make another cup.
Kensi's grip tightened on her trigger.
"Wait Blye." Granger said. "I know you wanna shoot that guy, but we aren't here to stop kids getting hurt, we are here to make sure White Ghost does not get away, you tip our hand too soon and we'll lose him."
Kensi gave a curt nod, not loosening her finger at all.
Sabatino pulled up with the local Taliban leader. He got out of the car and the man from earlier with the girl in tow walked over to them.
The man pointed to the girl talking to the local tribesman, she shook her head and tried pulling away. The tribesman nodded and handed a bag over to the man Sabatino signaled as White Ghost.
She raised her rifle to shoot him between the eyes as he turned and took off his helmet to wipe his forehead.
"NO!" Kensi dropped the rifle and looked shocked at Granger.
"That's Jack!...then that's?" she said shocked, she raised the rifle, she shot Jack through the shoulder and the kneecap and then aimed at the Taliban leader who was trying to pull the girl away from Jack who was rolling around on the floor in pain.
"NO!" Kensi said her voice rough and shot the Taliban leader through the forehead and he dropped to the ground dead.
"What the HELL!" Sabatino yelled into his walkie, "Granger what the Hell happened?"
The girl pulled a gun out of her pants and aimed at Sabatino and shifted her aim as Kensi got up and ran over the dune towards the chaos.
Sabatino pulled his gun on the girl.
"I ain't gonna hurt you kid; you wanna help yourself, put the gun down and tell us who Casper is."
The girl looked him right in the eyes; her eyes looked familiar to him as she stepped towards Jack protecting him.
Kensi tripped as she ran down the dune, running towards them, "KAYLA!" she screamed.
The girl looked blankly as Jack moved and grabbed his gun, and aimed it at the girl. "You ain't getting her." Jack snarled as Kensi skidded to a halt.
"No…Jack please, is it her? Is it really?" she asked her heart thudding wildly as she got her breath back.
Sabatino and Granger covered Kensi not really sure what to do.
Jack smiled, "Say hi to mommy; Kens, say goodbye." He snarled and his finger tightened on the trigger.
His body twitched as both Sabatino and Granger shot him.
The girl screamed and flung herself on her father. "Daddy!"
"Kayla…honey…" Kensi said walking over to her.
The girl looked at her, "who are you?" she asked, "Why did you shoot my daddy?"
"Kayla…" Kensi looked stricken.
Sabatino looked over at the scene, White Ghost was dead on the ground, the local Taliban leader next to him, and the only person he could get answers from was the girl.
"We need to bring her in, we still need to find Casper." Sabatino said to Granger who nodded.
She looked up at the name, and pulled her gun on them, "I am not going with you." She snapped.
"What's your name kid, we won't hurt you."
"Kayla," Kensi said.
"Casper…My name is Casper." She said.
Kensi looked like she was going to cry, it was such a foreign look for her Granger had to look twice, Bad Ass Blye as the LA team called her was actually crying.
"No…" she sobbed, "Not you…he couldn't?"
The girl looked up at the crying woman and reached out a hand to brush the tear stained face, it struck a chord in her, something she remembered from when she was very little.
"Momma…" she whispered and then snatched her hand back.
Kensi looked at her and nodded, "Yeah Kayla…do you remember me?"
"Casper…my name is Casper…she shook her head, you can't be my momma, she's dead." She said flatly. "You're lying."
Kensi sat up and took a locket from around her neck on a very long chain. "Look."
She opened the locket to show the girl who slowly put her gun down. Granger took the gun and handed it to Sabatino.
"That's…that's me?" she said amazed.
Kensi nodded.
Kayla blinked, "But…he said…he told me…" she turned around and threw herself on his body, only this time she wasn't crying she was hitting his corpse. "You lied….Daddy you lied…I HATE YOU!" she screamed hitting him.
"Kayla." Kensi said standing up, Granger walked up to her and put a hand on her arm, but she shook him off.
"Kayla Jade Blye…" Kensi said.
Kayla stopped hitting her father's body and turned around.
"You…you really are her?!" Kayla asked amazed.
Kensi nodded and Kayla ran towards her mother and wrapped her arms around her.
"Well?" Sabatino said to Granger. "How are we going to write this one up?" he asked.
Granger looked at Kensi, who looked up suddenly scared.
"Casper and White Ghost are dead." He pointed to the local tribesman, "That is Casper; you know nothing about a girl. Kensi is going home." Granger said.
"Granger, I can't…" Kensi started.
"You and you're daughter will come with me," Granger said. "Sabatino, she is classified. No one will hear about this."
Sabatino nodded, "Your secret is safe with me kid." he said.
Kayla walked with her mother to the Jeep and got in the keys were still in the ignition, driving back to the spot where Kensi and Granger had waited, Kayla watched from the Jeep as her mother and the strange man packed up their things.
"Kayla, do you have any belongings?" Granger asked.
Kayla shook her head, everything she owned belonged to her father, nothing was hers she knew that.
Granger looked over at Kensi, "We will get her out as fast as we can, if the CIA find out she is Casper, they'll be after her."
"Why are you helping me?" Kensi asked him as Kayla watched warily from the backseat of the jeep.
"I owed your father, and he would do the same to protect you." He said simply.
Kensi nodded and climbed into the jeep.
They drove on until they reached the edge of the camp.
"Stay here, I'll get your stuff and get you both on a transport out of here. You'll go back to the US but for now do NOT make contact with your team; I'll give you my number so you can call me. But keeping her safe from the CIA is our first priority," he told her.
Kensi sat in the Jeep as Granger walked into camp, this was all too much, this was supposed to be a simple assignment, Kill White Ghost and get out. Not this.
"What's gonna happen to me?" Kayla asked from the backseat.
"I'm taking you home to America," Kensi said.
"But he…the man said that the CIA want me," Kayla asked her voice scared, "I only did as Dad told me to."
Kensi sighed, "Granger will help us, I trust him and there is always Hetty."
"Hetty?"
Kensi smiled, "Someone the same size and just as formidable as you are."
Kayla looked at her mother with awe. "Really? And they can protect me?"
"We will all protect you." Kensi promised.
They looked up as Granger walked back with two bags, "I got your stuff a few extra things for the kid I could scrounge. Get on the plane at Kandahar and it will fly you into San Diego, go to this address on arrival, I'll be there in a few days." He said handing her a key and a piece of paper.
"Stay there, I will let Hetty know you are back, but do NOT contact anyone else." Granger warned, "We have to clear her name before the CIA try and turn her into an asset." Granger said.
Kensi nodded as she started the Jeep up, "Thank you Owen." She said honestly. "I owe you one."
"Good, when I get back you can explain about all of this." Owen smiled at her and then at the girl, "Safe flight kid." He said.
She nodded and held onto her seatbelt as Kensi floored the gas pedal.