A Common Bond

by Sweet Lu

When Deeks risks his career for a young abused boy, Callen has to fight to save them both.

A Common Bond

The rain fell softly, streaking the windows and leaving droplets along the surface of the glass that reminded him of tears. He stared outside, seeing nothing but mental images from yesterday. The grey sky depressed him and his eyes returned again to the teardrops of rain on the window. They made him think of the boy, so fragile looking, with tears clinging to his cheeks, yet so full of anger and defiance. Thinking of the boy brought back memories of what it felt like to be trapped in a house with people who were supposed to protect and love you, but instead made your life a living hell. Those memories were the reason he was at home today, serving the first day of his suspension.

The knock on the door pulled him back to the present. He really wasn't interested in company, but he answered it anyway, hoping it was the only person he was willing to see.

"Hey Deeks," she said calmly as he opened the door wide, silently inviting her in. "You're not answering your phone so I decided to drop by to make sure you're all right." She smiled warmly at him and reached for his hand. He didn't resist the contact, but after briefly touching her fingers he let his hand drop away and went into the kitchen. He had yet to utter a word.

"Everybody is worried about you," she said as she followed him.

A low laugh was the only sound he made, then he shook his head and she tried to read the expression on his face.

"Don't you believe that?" Kensi pressed, trying to make him say something, anything to let her know what he was feeling. She had never seen him this quiet and it worried her.

He handed her a cup of coffee and walked back out to the living room to stare out the window.

"Callen is appealing your suspension," she offered, hoping that would get a response.

When he didn't say anything, she began to get angry, but quickly realized that was not what he needed right now, so she stopped talking, put her coffee down and went to stand behind him at the window. She put her arms around his waist and laid her head against his back and she could feel the tension ripple through his muscles. He sighed deeply as she hugged him and placed his forehead against the cool glass of the window.

"I couldn't watch that man hit him again, Kensi," he said quietly.

She made no verbal response, but instead, she began to slowly massage his shoulders and neck. After a while she could feel some of his tightness ease and his breathing became deeper and more relaxed. He turned around and faced her with a distant look in his eyes, kissing her lightly on the forehead as he brushed her hair back from her face. Then he hugged her tightly for some time, finally releasing her with a deep sigh.

"Thanks, Kens," he whispered. Then he walked around her, went into the bedroom and closed the door.

...

"He lost it, Mr. Callen." Hetty said firmly, but with resignation in her voice. "You know it and I know it."

"Hetty, the guy backhanded the boy across the room." He said with intensity flashing in his eyes.

"And Deeks put him in the hospital for it," Hetty reminded him quietly. "If he presses charges, Mr. Deeks could go to jail."

"I shouldn't have let him go back there," Callen said. "It was the third time he'd been to the house. We all knew what the boy was dealing with, but Deeks had made a connection with him during our first interview, so he was the logical choice to do the follow up."

"This is not your fault, Mr. Callen," Hetty leaned forward and locked eyes with her lead agent. "It's mine. I know more about Deeks' background then you do, yet I let you put him in a situation that was fraught with psychological land mines for him."

"Hetty, we all know Deeks was abused as a child, but he'd never responded like this in similar cases," Callen said still searching for answers.

"He came close with Commander Fielding," she reminded him. "And I remember a certain school principle that Mr. Deeks had in his gun site. If Sam hadn't stepped in, who knows what might have happened."

"That's not fair, Hetty." Callen said defensively. "The principle had just helped a madman shoot Kensi, and he was wounded himself."

"Yes, but the principle was unarmed Mr. Callen, and Sam told me Deeks couldn't remember if he had shot him or not." Hetty shook her head and Callen was starting to think she was considering more than a suspension.

"Hetty, are you thinking of firing him?" Callen asked.

"Yes, Mr. Callen, I am." Hetty leaned back in her chair and picked up her cup of tea. She looked calm, but Callen could see that her hand was trembling as she lifted her cup. He knew she had a real fondness for Deeks so he was surprised she would even consider letting him go.

"There has to be another solution," Callen argued. "He's a good agent, Hetty."

"You forget, Mr. Callen, he's not an agent, he's LAPD," she reminded him. "And they are considering his actions as well."

"So, you're just going to give up on him?" Callen asked with surprise and a bit of anger in his voice.

"I'm not sure he's given me any choice in the matter," Hetty said sadly.

"I'm disappointed in you, Hetty," Callen's anger was visible on his face as he rose and walked away, leaving Hetty stunned at his vehemence and at his strong defense of Deeks.

...

He rang the bell for the fourth time, and called his name several times, and was about to pick the lock, when the door opened. Deeks was carrying a backpack and had a duffle bag by his feet. He seemed surprised to see Callen, but motioned him inside.

"What do you want, Callen?" he asked, but didn't seem too interested in the answer. He seemed distracted and kept looking toward the door, like he was anxious to leave.

"You going somewhere, Deeks?" Callen said lightly, not wanting him to think he was interrogating him.

"Yeah, not that it's any of your business." he said brusquely.

"It is my business, since you're a member of my team," Callen said, getting exasperated.

"Not for long, Callen, and you know it," he said sadly and then turned and picked up the duffle. "You know she's going fire me, and LAPD probably will too, or at least put me on a desk, and that's not going to work for me."

"You don't know that for sure," he said, not quite believing it even as he said it.

"What I do know is that I have a month to do whatever I want," Deeks said, smiling briefly as he headed for the door. "So, I'm taking off for awhile. Find some new surfing spots and try and work out some things in my head, like what I want to do with my life if I'm not a cop."

"Deeks," Callen gripped his arm and he felt Deeks tense up. "We're all on your side, you know that, don't you?"

Deeks almost lost it, but he caught himself, not wanting to give in to the emotional turmoil going on inside him. He appreciated that Callen had come to see him, in fact he was quite surprised by it. He and Callen had barely connected since he'd been with NCIS, except on a professional level.

"Thanks, Callen, I appreciate that, but it won't matter in the long run," he told him softly. "I can't take back what I did, and I'm not sure I would if I could. The kid just lost his mother and that asshole beats him everyday." His voice becoming intense as he spoke. "I saw the bruises at the first interview and at the second there were new ones, so by the time I went to his house for the third interview, I knew what he was going through. I remember what it felt like to realize nobody gave a shit about what was happening to you. You remember what that was like, don't you Callen?" Deeks stared at the agent with a perceptive look in his eye.

Callen stared back at Deeks, his eyes growing red as he fought his emotions.

"I went into that house determined not to overreact to the situation," Deeks said, struggling to maintain his own composure. "Then the bastard hit Justin right in front of me. I could feel my control slipping, Callen, and I told him to stop. I even grabbed his arm, but he ignored me and backhanded the kid across the room, and I just lost it. To tell you the truth, if Kensi hadn't come in when she did, I might have killed the son-of-a-bitch. I don't think you really want me on your team, knowing that."

He was out the door before Callen had a chance to answer. He didn't look at Callen as he loaded his car and made sure his surfboard was secure, getting in and starting the car before he noticed that the agent was standing in front of him. They stared at each other through the windshield, both filled with memories of their childhood, connected by similar experiences that haunted them and feeling a bond that was new to them.

"Call in once in a while," Callen said quietly as he walked to the side of the car and put his hand lightly on Deeks' arm. "I might have news. I'm not giving up on you, Deeks, so don't give up on yourself."

"Tell Kensi I'll call her," Deeks said, afraid to look at Callen just then. "She doesn't know I'm leaving."

"I suggest you call her right away and pretend you haven't left yet," Callen said jokingly. "Otherwise, you better not come back at all."

"I thought of that," he said and pulled away from the curb.

As he drove off, Callen wasn't sure what he meant by his last comment. He worried that Deeks was thinking about never coming back, and that saddened him and made him angry all at the same time.

...

When Callen came into the bullpen the next morning, Kensi had her head down. When she heard him drop his stuff on his desk, she looked up and he could see tears in her eyes.

"You okay, Kens?" His comment brought fresh tears to her eyes.

"That's Deeks' line," she said as she wiped her face. "He's gone, Callen. He called me last night and told me he was leaving."

"He'll be back when his suspension is over, Kens, he just needs to clear his head." Callen tried to reassure her, but she just shook her head.

"Callen, he left his phone on my desk," she said, her voice breaking as she spoke. "And Eric said he disabled the GPS on his car so we can't track him. We have no way to find him. He's disappeared."

Callen was surprised.

"If he doesn't want to be found, then we need to let him be, Kens," Callen finally said, but he felt uneasiness in the pit of his stomach.

"But he was so quiet yesterday it scared me," she said sadly. "Why would he want no communication with us at all?"

"You mean with you, Kensi?" Callen asked, knowing that was what was on her mind.

She nodded. She had been very angry when she first saw his phone, but that had been replaced by a deep seeded fear for him. Fear that he believed he had to go through this alone and fear that he was leaving her forever, and she didn't think she could handle that. She had wanted him to reach out to her, to let her help him get through this, but he had pulled away instead. Even though it was how she usually dealt with things, she was surprised when he had withdrawn into himself almost immediately after she had stopped his attack on Paul Fallon.

Sam walked in and Callen could tell he was furious.

"What the hell is he doing going off like that?" he exploded.

"Maybe he's trying to protect all of you from the fallout he knew was coming." Hetty said as she joined them. She could feel the turmoil Deeks' disappearance had caused and it concerned her.

"What fallout, Hetty?" Kensi asked as they all turned to look at her.

"Fallon has filed assault charges," she said, "and there's a warrant out for Mr. Deeks' arrest."

"Does LAPD know he left town?" Callen was immediately alert and running scenarios through his head. He knew it made Deeks look guilty and if LAPD thought he was on the run, then Deeks might be in real trouble.

"I told them he went surfing," she said brightly. "But I didn't tell them he had disabled all our tracking devices. Which doesn't mean they won't find him and arrest him anyway since they put a BOLO out on him."

"Well, they won't find him by tracking his car and license plate," Eric said, as he cruised silently into the bullpen. "His car was just found abandoned along the Pacific Coast highway."

There was stunned silence as everyone tried to assess the new intel.

"Was his stuff with it or did he just ditch the car?" Sam asked. Either scenario worried him.

"It was clean," Eric said quietly and they all were silent as their emotions ran the gamut from anger to fear.

"He's running," Callen said and he wanted to hit something he was so angry. "And LAPD knows it."

"Why would he do that?" Kensi said as confusion and fear spread across her face.

"Do you think someone tipped him off that a warrant was coming down?" Sam wondered.

"Possibly," Callen answered.

"Something's not right, Mr. Callen," Hetty said. "I know Deeks is upset by what happened, but he's still a cop and I don't believe he would run from the consequences of his actions. He's too honest for that."

"Hetty's right," Callen responded. "We have to go on the assumption that he just wanted total privacy while he got his head straight."

"Yeah, but that's not what LAPD will assume, G," Sam said grimly.

"Then we better find him first," Callen said, looking at Eric.

Nell had silently joined them and as they all prepared to start searching, she made a remark that stopped them in their tracks.

"Why would Deeks go to the trouble of disabling the GPS on his car if he was going to abandon it?"

Callen's mind was spinning as he looked at each member of the team. "Nell's right, that doesn't make any sense."

"Do you think someone kidnapped him?" Sam asked, sounding incredulous.

"Eric start tracking his credit cards and ATMs," Hetty instructed, "And Nell, get the forensic report on Deeks' car. We need to find out if anyone else was in or around that car other than Deeks."

"We need to find him," Callen said to himself as they all began to work the case.

...

It was black outside when the team gathered to compare notes before heading home. Rain still fell outside, increasing the feeling of discouragement that hovered over the team as they realized how little they had to go on.

"Well, if we can't find him, I'm pretty sure the LAPD can't either," Callen said with exhaustion in his voice.

"Why doesn't that make me feel any better?" Sam said as he sank deeper into his chair. "And what if someone has him? Who is it, and how do we find him?"

They both had noticed how quiet Kensi was. She had spent the day at Deeks' desk, going through his computer files to see if there might be a clue to his whereabouts. She had found nothing, but she continued searching and Callen thought just being at his desk must be a comfort to her. He watched her as she moved small things around, holding them and touching them as if they were the only part of him she had left.

They all jumped when Deeks' phone rang. For a moment, no one moved. Then Kensi grabbed it as if it was a lifeline and they could see the hope in her eyes.

"Deeks?" her voice wavered as she answered.

"Can I talk to him?" a young boy's voice asked and Kensi immediately put the phone on speaker so they could all hear.

"Who are you and how do you have this number?" she asked sharply.

"I'm Justin Fallon. Marty gave me this number and said I could call if I needed him," he said softly, and they could hear the fear in his voice. Kensi's voice softened as she realized she might scare him off.

"Why do you need to speak with him, Justin?" she asked.

"I ran away, and he told me he would help me if I ever did," he said and it sounded like he was crying but also determined.

"Where are you, Justin?" Kensi quickly asked. "I'm Marty's partner, and I'll pick you up and take you somewhere safe."

As soon as he gave them an address, they were out the door, rushing to help a boy who was the reason Deeks had jeopardized his career. They found him sitting on a bus bench not too far from his home and he looked very scared. They took him to the boat shed, stopping on the way to pick up some burgers. He ate like he was starving. When he was finished he looked at Kensi strangely.

"You're the lady that stopped Marty when he was beating up Paul." he said, his eyes wide. "Why did you do that?" The question surprised them all.

"Because he shouldn't have done that to your father," She replied.

"He's not my real father," he said. "Can I talk to Marty now?"

"He's not here right now, Justin," Kensi told him softly. "He had to go out of town for a while."

His shoulders slumped and he seemed to withdraw from them and looked around like he was trying to find a way to escape.

"Why do you want to talk to him, Justin?" Callen asked him.

"To warn him," he said.

"Warn him about what?" Callen was afraid to breathe as he tried to coax the reason out of the frightened eleven-year-old.

"Paul's friends," he said and tears started falling slowly from his eyes. "I heard them talking when they came back from the hospital. Paul told them to hurt Marty, so I need to warn him."

Sam looked instantly at Callen and Kensi narrowed her eyes as anger rose in her throat.

"Who are these friends," Callen asked. "Do you know their names?"

He nodded, but they could tell he still wanted to run, and if anyone understood that need, it was Callen.

"When is he coming back?" Justin asked, starting to get up from the chair.

"You trust him, don't you Justin?" Sam said, coming to sit down next to the boy and pour him some more soda. He started to put his hand on the boy's shoulder, but he saw him flinch and stopped. He remembered Deeks mentioning how skittish the boy was.

"Yeah," he said nodding, "He's the only one who ever listened to me and told me he would help me." His voice grew more defiant as he spoke and he wiped tears roughly from his face. "Paul hits me all the time when his friends are around and they just laugh about it. But when I told Marty about it, he didn't laugh at all and said he would help me. At first I didn't believe him, but when Paul knocked me across the room and Marty punched him in the face and then beat the crap out of him, then I believed him."

Defiance radiated off the boy, and anger flashed in his eyes as he stood up and started toward the door.

"Justin," Kensi said quietly, "Marty needs your help now."

The boy stopped and turned around.

"Will you help us?" She asked and tears glimmered in her eyes.

The small boy nodded and they all sat down together and he told them all he knew about Paul Fallon's friends.

...

Deeks groaned as he tried to get to his knees. Sharp, bright flashes of pain sparked through his head, disorienting him briefly and his head began to spin. His hands and elbows were tied tightly behind his back and his head was covered by a black cloth hood tied securely around his neck, making it difficult to breathe. He was cold and realized that they had stripped his shirt off, and removed his shoes and socks. He could tell he was on a concrete floor, but that was all he knew about where he was. He couldn't hear any noises or voices. Who the hell were these guys and how had he let them take him?

When he'd pulled off the highway to watch the surf for a while and think about his conversation with Kensi, he hadn't paid too much attention to the dark van that drove in behind him. He remembered nodding at the three guys as they got out and stood gazing out at the ocean. There was nothing unusual about them that made him suspicious, but his mind was occupied with thoughts of Kensi and how upset she sounded when he told her he was going away during his suspension. When he did notice one of them approaching him, his reaction to seeing the gun was too late and the other two came up quickly behind him, also holding weapons. He thought they looked like military guys by the way they carried themselves, and their great physical shape. They had forced him over to the van and knocked him out. He had no idea who they were.

...

"Mr. Callen, a word?" Hetty headed back toward her desk with Callen close behind. "What are your plans for the boy? You know he can't stay at the boat shed. If Fallon reports him missing, we're in trouble."

"Hetty, we can't send him back to that house," Callen's eyes were wide with concern.

"Then we better get Child Protective Services involved," she replied, "because we have no authority to keep a runaway eleven-year-old, especially the son of the man Deeks put in the hospital."

Callen stared at the floor. He hated Child Protective Services, but he knew Hetty was right. It wouldn't look good if LAPD found them hiding the boy.

"He's going to think we went back on our promise to help him, Hetty." Callen was getting upset, remembering how frightening it was to be suddenly dropped off with people you didn't know.

"Does he have any other family members he could stay with?" she asked.

"I'll have Nell check," Callen said, relieved there might be another solution.

...

Deeks had discovered he was confined in a small, completely empty room. The walls were rough concrete block and it was very cold. He was crouched in a corner with his knees up against his chest, trying to keep warm, when he heard the door open. Two men jerked him to his feet.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, his voice muffled by the close fitting hood.

He sensed someone in front of him, and started to ask again when he was punched low in the stomach, dropping him to his knees. His head was spinning as he gasped for breath. No one spoke. Then blows rained down on him from all directions and he faded into unconsciousness.

...

"Callen?" Kensi called out the next morning. "I think I found something on Deeks' computer."

"What have you got, Kens?" Callen was desperate for any lead, no matter how small.

"He had a secondary file on his interviews with Justin," she said. "They're mental notes about the case and about what he thought were inconsistencies in Justin's story and in Fallon's, as well."

"He never mentioned it during the investigation," Callen said, looking puzzled.

"Maybe he wanted to make sure of his theories before telling us," Kensi said." You guy's can be a little dismissive of his ideas."

"But Fallon has an airtight alibi for the day Justin's mother was killed," Callen argued. "He was with his whole unit. What kind of inconsistencies was he looking at?"

"He had started looking more closely at the forensics," she pointed out, "especially the time of death."

"She left the base at 4:30 pm, was home with Justin by 5:45." Callen went over what they knew. "Her body was discovered the following day and the ME placed the time of death at between 8 am and 9 am."

"Look at this note Deeks typed," She said, "He wondered about the body temperature at the time the body was found. He thought it was too low, considering this is LA."

"He must have been thinking the body had been refrigerated," Callen said, his mind whirling, "That would have effected the ME's determination of the time of death. If she was killed the night before and kept on ice, and then dumped the following morning, then Fallon wouldn't have an alibi."

"And, if you look at the questions Deeks was asking Justin, you see he was trying to get him to answer some questions about Fallon and his mother." Kensi and Callen stared at each other as more questions filled their minds.

"Fallon was beating the kid to keep him quiet about something and Deeks knew it," Callen started thinking out loud. "What if the kid said something to Deeks that day, and Fallon hit him in front of Deeks to keep him from saying anything more?"

"That would explain a lot," Kensi said. "Fallon just didn't expect Deeks to lose it and beat the shit out of him."

"Yeah, and it makes me want to look more closely at Fallon and his friends," Callen said almost to himself. "If he killed his wife, and he thinks Deeks was close to breaking his alibi, then he has more reason to kidnap Deeks than just revenge for a beating." Callen felt a deep fear rise in the pit of his stomach.

"Callen, if Fallon has Deeks..." her voice faded as fear enveloped her. "He's going to kill him, isn't he?"

Kensi began to tremble as Callen wrapped his arms around her.

"We'll find him, Kens," he tried to reassure her, even as his own doubts crowded his mind.

...

When Deeks came to, he was disoriented, thinking he was standing in the rain. As he struggled, he realized he was hanging spread eagle with his feet barely touching the floor as ice-cold water showered down on him. The world he woke to was pitch black and his body ached with dull pain. He began to panic, as the cloth hood over his head became saturated with water, making it almost impossible for him to take a full breath. He knew he was fighting for his life and he cried out, only to hear laughter echoing off the walls. He was slowly suffocating and sinking toward unconsciousness, when suddenly the water stopped, and someone ripped the wet hood from his head. As he took a deep breath of welcomed air, he looked into the face of Paul Fallon.

"You're going to die here, detective, " Fallon said coldly. "But before that happens, I'm going to make you sorry you ever laid a hand on me."

"Is this where you killed your wife, Fallon?" Deeks asked weakly.

Fallon closed the space between them rapidly, slugging Deeks in the mouth before grabbing a handful of his hair and gripping his throat, pulling his face within inches of his own.

"Yeah, it is," he smiled, "But you had already figured that out, hadn't you.

"Not quite, but I was getting there," Deeks replied as Fallon continued to choke him.

"You got to Justin, you asshole," Fallon's face was an angry mask as he watched Deeks struggle to breathe. "He was telling you things about me and his mother he shouldn't have been telling you."

"Is that why you beat him?" Deeks asked him hoarsely. "Or do you just get off on hurting defenseless little boys?"

Fallen backhanded him across the cheek. "A son should show more loyalty to his father," he shouted into Deeks face as he hit him low in the abdomen.

"He's not your son." Deeks barely whispered and he could see rage darken Fallon's face.

Then the Marine picked up the black hood still saturated with water and pulled it back over Deeks' head, cinching it tightly around his neck. Deeks felt wild panic course through his body as the ice-cold water showered down on him and he labored to breathe as Fallon hit him again and again.

...

It was Nell's turn to whistle them up to ops, and everyone was surprised to see the smile on Eric's face.

"She's taking over, Eric," Sam commented, shaking his head.

"She earned that whistle, Sam," Eric said proudly." Wait till you hear what she found."

When the team was assembled, Nell began to go over her discoveries.

"I checked with LAPD and they weren't even going to check for fingerprints on Deeks' car until we requested it," she said as she put a photo up on the big screen of a Marine name Robert Wilcox.

"This guy's fingerprints were on the roof rack. He's one of the guys Justin said was a friend of Fallon's.

They served one tour together in Iraq." She smiled briefly, but quickly proceeded. "One of his friends, Brian Tasker, is also stationed at Camp Pendleton and serving in Fallon's unit."

Callen's face was intense and his eyes flashed in anger as he realized what it meant.

"We need to arrest these guys, G," Sam said with an urgency all of them felt.

"No, Sam," Callen said, staring at the screen. "We need to tail them and hope they lead us to Deeks."

He turned to look at them all and they could see fear in his eyes.

"I don't think we have much time," he said softly with a catch in his throat. "We think Deeks broke Fallon's alibi for his wife's murder and we think Fallon realized Justin was about to help Deeks prove his theory." He stopped and looked sadly at Kensi and said, "Fallon's going to kill him, if we don't find him."

"What about the boy, Callen?" Hetty asked. "He may be in danger as well."

"You're right," Callen realized. "Is he with Child Protective Services?"

"For now he is," she replied. "Nell, were you able to find any relatives who can take him?"

"Not yet," she answered. "I'm still looking. I'll alert Child Protective Services to the threat."

"Eric, I want to know where Wilcox is right now." Callen knew they needed to hurry as a feeling of dread permeated the room. They gathered around Eric as he searched his database for information on Wilcox.

"He's scheduled to come off duty at Camp Pendleton in a little over two hours," Eric said as he continued searching. "I'll send details on his car and license number to your phones."

"Sam, Kensi, let's get a tail set up on this guy," Callen said anxiously.

"Guy's, look what I found." Eric said as he brought up a map of Oceanside. "Tasker's father passed away last year and left him the family produce business. One of the warehouses has a large refrigeration unit."

"Kensi, get down to Pendleton and run a tail on Wilcox," Callen said as they all headed out. "Sam and I are going to check out that warehouse. Let's move."

...

Deeks woke up shaking violently as the ice-cold water continued to shower down on him. The hood had been removed and he was grateful for that. His body was racked with pain and he spit up blood as he fought to stay conscious. He was alone for now, and his thoughts strayed to the young boy he had tried to help. He knew the boy was now in danger because of him. Fallon would kill him too, and there was nothing he could do about it and the guilt almost overwhelmed him.

His mind swirled with regrets. If he hadn't lost his temper and beat up Fallon, he wouldn't be here waiting to die and he realized what a mistake he'd made by not sharing his theories with the others about the death of Justin's mother. He should know by now they were on his side, but he still found it hard to believe they trusted his instincts. He shouldn't have pulled away from them after his suspension, but he was used to going through hardship alone, especially those of his own making. He had wanted to disappear, to find somewhere to hide and decide what to do with the rest of his life, now that he had screwed up the best thing that had ever happened to him. He would miss them all and the camaraderie they had brought to his solitary life.

And Kensi, was the love of his life, but he had messed that up, too. God, he would miss everything about her and he felt hot tears on his face, but they were quickly drowned by the cascading icy water.

Suddenly, fear gripped his heart as he watched one of Fallon's buddies come toward him. He could barely see, but he recognized him as one of his kidnappers. He was carrying the black hood and Deeks didn't know if he could survive another minute of that dreaded torture. The man was smiling, but his eyes were cold. He carried a length of hose and Deeks tensed as he tried to prepare himself for more pain.

He felt more alone than ever.

...

Callen and Sam parked outside Tasker produce in Oceanside and quickly moved into the building. They walked through the empty warehouse, the floor littered with old pallets. It didn't appear to have been in use for a long time. As they entered an interior room they could hear the refrigeration unit running and the sound of running water.

Callen walked past a stack of pallets and stopped so suddenly Sam almost ran into him. They saw Deeks hanging spread eagle and limp with a black hood over his head as water poured over him. A man dressed in khaki was lashing his body with a thick black hose and smiling as he did it. Deeks didn't make a sound.

"Federal Agents." Callen yelled as he and Sam fired together, almost emptying their magazines into the man named Tasker.

They ran for Deeks. He wasn't moving and it scared Callen badly as he quickly shut off the flow of icy water. Sam ripped the saturated black hood off Deeks head and recoiled at the blood that covered his face.

"I've got you, Deeks," Sam's voice was deep and his face full of fury. He caught him in his arms as Callen cut him down. "His body's ice cold," he said as they carried him out from under the dripping shower. Callen wrapped him in his coat as they laid him on a workbench.

"He's not breathing, G," Sam said suddenly and began CPR as Callen called Eric for an ambulance.

"Don't you die on me, Deeks," Sam yelled at him as he frantically worked to get him to breathe. Callen's face looked stricken and his heart was pounding as he stared at the lifeless body of the young man who always made him laugh whether he wanted to or not. The annoying guy, who was the worst liaison officer he had ever known, but could surf like he was born on the water, was now close to death as his partner worked desperately to save him. Sam was filled with fear, as he got no response from the pale young man he always threatened to kill someday, if he didn't quit bugging him.

"Deeks!" Sam yelled, "You fight, you hear me!" Then he hit him hard, just above his heart and Deeks coughed. Sam laughed with relief and Callen fought back tears as Deeks gasped for breath. Then he began violently shaking and convulsing as Sam held him close to try and warm his body. The convulsion finally stopped, but he continued to shiver uncontrollably, finally opening his eyes.

"Sam?" he chattered through bloody lips, "Callen?" His eyes looked from one to the other with an amazed look on his face. "How did you find me?" His voice was so weak Callen had to lean in to hear.

"You didn't make it easy, Deeks," Callen said. He wasn't sure if Deeks heard him answer as he passed out in Sam's arms.

The two agents looked at each other and then surveyed the beaten body of the young cop.

"Fallon learned all the wrong things in Iraq," Sam said. "I saw that interrogation method used on terrorists, but to use it to torture someone out of pure viciousness, that is evil."

"I'm amazed he survived it, Sam." Callen said as anger simmered in his eyes.

"I don't think he was supposed to," Sam said.

"The ambulance is outside, Callen," Eric finally said in his ear. "How is he?"

"He's alive, Eric," Callen answered wearily. "Barely, but he's alive. Thanks for finding this place Eric, I don't think he would have lived if we hadn't gotten here when we did."

...

Sam went with Deeks in the ambulance and Callen was about to go back inside the warehouse when he heard Kensi in his ear.

"Wilcox is about two blocks from the warehouse," Kensi said. "Did you find him, Callen?" her voice wavered as she waited to hear the most important answer of her life.

"He's alive, Kens," Callen said quietly. "He's on his way to the hospital with Sam." He didn't want to tell her how serious his condition was until they had Wilcox in custody.

"Kensi, we need this guy alive, okay?" Callen told her as he took up position.

"They hurt him bad, didn't they, Callen," she asked.

"Yeah, Kens, and now we need this guy to give us Fallon," Callen said firmly. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"You don't want me to kill him," Kensi replied.

"Correct."

"But I can shoot him, can't I? You just don't want me to kill him, right?" Kensi asked.

"Kensi!" Callen said and smiled for the first time that day.

"Okay, Okay," she said as she saw Wilcox park in front of the warehouse.

She watched as he walked toward the door and smiled as she saw Callen walk out pointing a gun at him. She ran toward them, her gun drawn, when she saw Callen pistol-whip Wilcox to the ground.

"I thought we weren't supposed to hurt him," she said as she turned the guy over and cuffed him.

"I said you weren't supposed to shoot him," Callen said angrily. "I didn't say I wasn't going to hurt him."

Kensi went up to Callen and she could see the deep anger in his eyes.

"What did they do to him, Callen?" she asked, gripping his arm tightly.

"They almost tortured him to death, Kens," Callen's eyes were red as he hugged Kensi to his side. "If you had seen him when we got here, you would have killed this guy."

...

Sam closed his eyes and turned away from the ER. He couldn't bear to watch Deeks go into convulsions again. He was leaning against a wall in the waiting room when he saw Kensi go past on her way to where they were working on Deeks.

"Kensi?" Sam called out. "Don't go in there."

"Why not, Sam?" she asked with a wary look.

He could see the fear that consumed her as he hugged her and walked her back to the waiting room.

"Just let them get him stablized, Kens" Sam said as he brought her a coffee. He sat down next to her and took her hand.

"He's going to be okay, isn't he Sam?" she asked softly as she gripped his large warm hand.

"I hope so, Kens," he replied. They sat together without speaking for some time until one of the ER doctors came in looking for Sam.

"Mr. Hannah, could I speak with you?" he asked. "Your friend's name is Deeks, right? He's not responding to our questions and I need to know what happened to him."

Sam described what he knew about the torture Deeks had endured, especially the use of the cloth hood and ice-cold water.

"So it's like suffocation and drowning both at the same time," the young doctor said softly, shaking his head. "Barbaric." He didn't ask Sam how he knew about these kinds of things, and he didn't want to know. As he turned to go, Kensi came up to him and he saw the pain in her eyes.

"Tell me how he's doing, please," she pleaded.

"He's suffering from mild hypothermia, so he's disoriented right now and not responding to questions. We have him on fluids and we are using external warming to try and bring his body temp back up to normal. He was convulsing when they brought him in, but we have him on some medication to bring that under control." The doctor paused to let the information sink in, looking to see if they were ready for the additional information he had about their friend.

"From my cursory exam, most of his vital organs are swollen from the severe beating he took, so I'm having an MRI done right now, and that will tell us how much damage was done. I'm also concerned he may develop a lung infection due to the fluid in his lungs, so were watching that." The doctor stopped again as he saw tears in the young woman's eyes.

"Listen, I don't know how, but he survived," the intense young doctor told her. "And we are working hard to make sure he recovers. Okay?" He gently touched her arm and caught her eye, seeing a brief smile for his effort and then he walked quickly out.

Sam wrapped his arms around her and they turned to see Hetty standing by the door, her face severe with anger.

"Mr. Hannah, I want you to find Paul Fallon, and bring him in." she said, visibly shaking from the anger she felt. "Wilcox gave him up for what he did to Deeks and for his wife's murder."

"Where's Callen?" he asked as he prepared to leave.

"He's checking on the boy," She replied.

...

Callen stood briefly by the car as he looked at the house where Child Protective Services had sent Justin. It was a modest house with a scattering of kid's toy in the front yard. As a foster kid he had stayed in houses that looked like this, and he hated them. He had never felt safe in any of them, except for one and he wasn't there long enough to change how he felt. He had run from all of them. He would run from the people who had claimed to want to give him a better life and from the government agencies that tried to catch him after he ran.

He remembered what Deeks had said before leaving, that nobody gave a shit about what was happening to you, and it had hit close to home. No one had listened to him, just like no one had listened to Deeks. After awhile you just stopped telling anyone. He wondered if Deeks had told someone he was being abused. Whoever it was didn't do anything about it, and Deeks ended up shooting his own father to protect himself. It's why Deeks connected with Justin. He knew before anyone of them, what the boy was going through and he did something about it. He let the boy know he cared about what was happening to him and then he physically came to the kid's defense when he needed it, putting his career in jeopardy and ultimately his life.

Now it was Callen's turn to protect the boy. He needed to do it for Deeks and for himself. So he walked up to the front door and rang the bell. The woman who came to the door, was holding a bloody towel to her face and Callen was instantly on guard.

"Federal Agent, what happened," Callen quickly showed his badge.

"Justin's father came and wanted to take the boy," the woman said as she let Callen inside. "I told him I hadn't been told he was coming and that I wasn't authorized to let him take Justin. Then he hit me."

"Did he take him?" Callen asked and the woman nodded. "Did you see what kind of car he was driving?

"It was a dark truck, a Chevy I think," she said and Callen was out the door and racing for the car as he called Eric.

"You need to find Fallon, Eric, he's got Justin," Callen shouted as he roared away from the curb. His mind ran scenarios as to where he would take the boy. "Eric, call Sam and tell him to meet me at the warehouse where we found Deeks." Callen didn't want to believe what he was thinking, but after seeing what Fallon had done to Deeks, it wasn't so hard to believe that Fallon would kill the boy. And the best place to do that was at the warehouse. Luckily, Fallon didn't know it had been compromised. Callen just hoped he could get there in time.

...

The dark blue truck was outside the warehouse when Callen drove up. He moved in quickly and found them standing in front of the place where Deeks had been tortured. Fallon held the boy firmly by the collar of his jacket as he stared at the empty stall where he had left Deeks.

"We found him, Fallon," Callen called out to him as he leveled his gun at his back.

"I hope he was dead when you did," The man said, quickly turning and pulling the boy in front of him.

"He's alive, no thanks to you," Callen said moving slowly forward, giving him no room to run.

"I don't believe you," Fallon said as he tried to edge his way toward the rear entrance.

Callen could see tears in the boy's eyes as he focused on Callen. He was shaking, but there was a hint of anger there too.

"Paul said Marty told him he wished he'd never met me," Justin said softly, and his voice broke as he said it.

"That's not true, Justin," Sam said as he slowly walked into the warehouse with his weapon drawn, "he risked everything for you and he found proof that Paul murdered your mother."

The boy began to shake when he heard that and defiance flared in his eyes.

"Paul said he tortured Marty to death." Tears slowly slipped down his face as he spoke.

Callen wondered what kind of bastard would tell that to a boy he had adopted as his own. But then he knew he was looking at him and he slowly closed the gap between them.

"Marty's in the hospital, Justin," Sam told him.

"Don't come any closer or I'll shoot him," Fallon said with a hint of desperation in his voice.

He pulled the boy back as he moved farther into the darkness. "I told Justin what a coward your friend Deeks was at the end. He pleaded for his life and cried like a little girl, did you know that?"

"Justin, I wouldn't believe a thing this asshole says," Callen felt raw anger surge through him as he listened to the ramblings of the sick bastard. He knew Fallon was just trying to distract them, but what he said made him want to kill the guy. The boy was staring at him and if he could communicate what he needed him to do, this standoff would end quickly. He looked into the boy's eyes and then looked in the direction he wanted him to go, doing it several times until he saw the boy nod imperceptibly.

"Deeks survived everything you did to him, Fallon," Callen said, his voice low and cold. Then he flicked his eyes quickly to the right and the boy jumped, catching Fallon off guard and giving Callen the opening he needed. He fired, putting two bullets in his chest and then watched the surprise fade from his eyes as he died on the cold concrete floor.

Justin stood trembling, staring at the dead man who had made his life miserable. He wiped his lingering tears and got a determined look on his face as Callen and Sam came toward him.

"You okay?" Callen asked, reaching out and touching his shoulder. The boy didn't flinch, he just stood a little taller and offered a small smile.

"Can I see Marty now?"

"Absolutely."

The boy walked out between them and he never looked back.

...

Sam wouldn't let Justin go in to see Deeks until he saw him first. He remembered how bad he had looked earlier in the day and he didn't want the boy to be frightened. As tough as he tried to appear to be, he was still just eleven years old and needed protection from some of the realities of what had happened to Deeks. Sam stood in the darkened room listening to Deeks' labored breathing and was pleased to see he was no longer shaking or convulsing. His skin finally had some color to it, but his face was battered and badly bruised and Sam knew his body was probably in worse shape. When he touched his arm he could feel the warmth of his skin, so different from when they'd found him.

"Sam?" Deeks woke at the touch of his hand.

"Yeah. I just wanted to see if you were up for a visitor."

"Who?"

"Justin."

"Is he okay?"

"That's what he keeps asking about you." Sam said. "He needs to see you, Deeks. Fallon told him you were dead."

"I should be," Then he coughed deeply and violently. Sam tried to get him to take some water, but he put his hand up and refused.

"I've had enough water to last a lifetime," he said, grimacing as he settled back in the bed.

"What happened to Fallon?" Deeks asked softly and shivered as he spoke his name.

"Callen shot and killed him," Sam informed him and he could see the relief in his eyes.

"Good." Deeks slowly closed his eyes and Sam thought he was asleep until he spoke softly in the darkness.

"I've never felt that kind of fear, Sam," Fresh tears came with the memories he knew would haunt him forever. "I wanted to die." Sam saw a flash of panic in his eyes and he could see him begin to tremble.

"But you didn't, you survived, Deeks." Sam clasped his hand in his and held it until he stopped shivering. "You're stronger than you think."

"I don't know about that, Sam," he whispered.

"I do."

...

Callen put his hand on the boy's shoulder as they opened the door to Deeks' room. It was dimly lit and they heard him cough as he tried to get comfortable. Justin moved quickly to his side and helped him with his pillow and then lightly touched his arm, patting it gently.

"You're okay," Justin said with a brief smile of relief.

"Hey, buddy, it's good to see you," Deeks said softly.

Callen could see the effort it was taking for Deeks to pretend to be in better shape than he was. Even though he was a thousand times better than when they found him, Callen knew how exhausted he was and how traumatized, and the pain he was still in had to be off the chart. Yet, here he was trying to calm the fears of an eleven-year-old boy who had just watched his stepfather die in front of him.

"Paul's dead," he said solemnly. "Callen shot him."

"How do you feel about that?" Deeks asked.

"I hated him," the boy said. "I knew he probably killed my mom, but I didn't think anyone would believe me. But you did." He started to cry a little but wiped the tears roughly away.

"You're a good kid, Justin," Deeks told him, smiling at him with a crooked grin. "You'll get through this time, and be stronger."

"I'm scared, Marty," he said as he began to sniffle. "I'm all alone now."

Callen put his arm around his shoulders and looked at Deeks. They knew they shared a common bond with this boy and they knew how hard it was going to be for him, but if they had survived, they knew he could too. They knew they would do whatever it took to help him.

...

Nell found Hetty at her desk pouring a cup of tea. She seemed somewhat recovered from her earlier visit to the hospital to see Deeks. Nell had never seen her as angry as when she returned. Seeing what had been done to Deeks and how it had been done had shaken her. Nell knew that what she had to share would cheer everyone up and she knew they all needed the good news.

"Hetty, I think you're going to want to see what I found." Nell said in her irrepressible way.

"I hope it's good news, Miss Jones," she said solemnly, "We could use a bit of that today."

"I found Justin's real father," she said brightly and she watched a smile lighten Hetty's face.

...

The door to Deeks' room opened and Sam and Kensi came in and Sam had a photo in his hand.

"Justin, do you remember this man?" Sam asked showing him the picture.

The boy stared at it for the longest time, finally looking up at Sam with surprise.

"This is my dad," he said, "my real dad. Paul told me he was dead. Where did you get this picture?"

Callen and Deeks looked as surprised as Justin, waiting for Sam to explain.

"Callen told you not to believe anything that bastard said, didn't he?" Sam told him smiling. "Well, your dad is not dead, Justin. He's been looking for you since your mother took you and ran away with Paul."

The boy looked stunned.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"He's on his way to California to get you." Kensi said and smiled at him.

"Marty, my dad's coming," he shouted and took the picture over to show him, not noticing the tears streaming down the detective's face as he grinned and looked at a picture of a young man holding a five year old boy in a baseball cap.

...