Hello people! Firstly, I don't own NCIS: LA or any of its beautiful and handsome characters. Secondly, the first chapter is a replica of the one shot i posted over in Max and Fern; i had a couple of reviews suggesting that i make it into a multi-chapter and i listened so thanks to Guest and Hoosier65 as well as anyone else who suggests it before this is uploaded. Thirdly, i'm not the best with updating and i get bored and distracted really easily which then results in a lack of updates for one thing but new stories for another - have no fear, this story as well as all my others will be updated and finished eventually. As always, love to hear your response for everything and the second chapter for this should be up by the end of the day. Loving you all ~ wannabewyler xox

"Okay, are we ready to move in?" The leader's voice rang out through comms, hitting multiple pairs of ears. He listened to their responses, all of them confirmations that they were in position, armed and ready with eyes on the target. "We move in on my count and goodness, let's make sure that she doesn't get hurt this time, okay?" He ordered, chuckling when he thought about how often she got hurt on cases like this. Her natural good looks were both a blessing and a curse.

"Targets are moving the merchandise now sir." A voice informed him through his ear and he took a deep breath, looking at the string of girls that were bound and being shoved out of a truck for a line-up where they would be sold to whomever and used for whatever. Sickening. His eyes narrowed in on his own and he noticed the large bruise on her forehead.

"Move in." He ordered, his voice cold. Nobody hurt any of his friends.

"Out." Kensi looked up from her cramped position on the floor of the truck and grimaced when she realised that she wasn't going to get a hand up from this. None of the girls were willing to do anything that would anger the traffickers and were even more reluctant once seeing Kensi's punishment and protecting a smaller, weaker woman. The concussion that she was suffering from had left her dizzy and nauseous, weak enough for her to not be able to get out of the truck. She hated feeling weak.

Slender hands under her arms helped her to a standing position before retracting and leaving her on her own. "Thank you." She whispered, turning her head slightly to see the girl that she had protected from a beating hours ago. The small girl smiled, lighting her face up and causing lines around her green eyes to crinkle. She used to be a girl that smiled and laughed and lived before all of this.

"For fuck sake girls, get out." The voice ordered, clicking the safety off of his gun and causing the girls to scurry leaving Kensi on her own to stumble her way to the ramp where he stood, tall and menacing. His blue eyes sparkled with excitement and adrenaline, a look she recognised from herself whenever she was about to go on a raid whilst his blonde hair, scruffy and untamed clearly matched his beard. It was no wonder how they managed to get so many girls to sell if he was the one picking them up. Though she'd never admit that to anybody. "Taking your time lovely." He cooed to her when she reached the ramp. She stopped so that she was level with him and stared at him defiantly in the eye.

"You can sell me, beat me and do whatever you want but I am me and I will always do things how I want. Selling me to a man who thinks he has the power to own women for his own cruel amusement will not make me submissive." She warned him and she watched a look pass over his face before the steely mask covered it and he dragged her to the ground before shoving her to join the rest of the girls who were scurrying into a line. She looked over her shoulder at him and she tried to remember what she knew about him.

Max was his name although she couldn't tell you anything else. He was the nicest out of the lot of them which said something because he hadn't even been that nice but he hadn't struck anybody or used drugs on them or raped them. He'd just been there.

With the girls in position, the leader of the traffickers, a Lowell Valdez walked out of his own car and started at one end of the line, checking over the condition of his girls before he sold them. "Owen Potter is going to love you." He said to a small brunette, a girl who couldn't be older than sixteen with freckles and wide blue eyes, and laughed as she whimpered and tried not to cry. He walked in front of all the girls, occasionally voicing his displeasures about certain girls and commenting on who would love which girl. If Kensi could remember each name then she could pass it on and catch a hell of a lot more bastards. At the moment, their target was Valdez.

He stopped before her and stroked the bruise on her forehead from where she got hit to the ground. She didn't whimper or wince, didn't try to get away from him or cry, and instead stared at him defiantly with a look of boredom and distaste on her face. He grinned with pleasure. "This one comes with me." He announced and she felt her heart drop. Cheers and laughter were heard from all of his men and he leaned close to whisper in her ear. "I'm going to enjoy making you beg." Her stomach rolled and she was suddenly thankful that they had been starving her since 'kidnapping' her.

"Boss, I thought that Roderick Phelps had ordered her." Kensi turned her head to watch Max as he halted his boss in whatever he was going to do next. "He was there when the first batch was delivered and Bowman dragged her in over his shoulder. He seemed quite stuck with her."

Valdez waved a hand. "Stuck, smitten, whatever." Max's eyes flashed with an unknown emotion but Kensi knew that nobody had noticed. Nobody but her. "This one is defiant. I love to break the defiant ones." He spoke in a tone that left no room for argument and dished out a warning. Max backed down immediately. "Bowman, Cote. You two are in charge of getting them to the arranged pick up points. Max, you can escort me and this beauty," as he spoke, his hand was travelling over the curves of her body. "Into my home and be our guard for the evening." Max nodded, stretching his arms as he followed his boss and the girl that was being dragged beside him.

The house was nice and would have been nicer if he had at least waited till they were in a private room before copping a feel. Not that Kensi would've let him but it made her angry and she wasn't sure how much she could handle before snapping. She just had to wait until her team came. His hand came down on her ass, causing the sound to echo around the room and she ignored the sound but fuelled the pain which only added fire to the rage that was already inside her.

Her hands were bound with rope and she'd been loosening them since the moment they'd been put on, waiting for her moment to attack.

Her elbow quickly and without warning jabbed into Valdez's face causing his nose to crunch beneath the force. She whirled suddenly, giving a slight tug on the ropes and watching with relief as they fell to the floor before wrapping her arms around his neck from behind. He was still reacting from the broken nose and was so disorientated that he didn't put up much of a fight until unconsciousness took him over. As she dropped him to the floor, she grabbed his gun from the holster on his hip and levelled it at Max who had his own raised at her.

They both stood there for a moment, assessing the situation before he smirked. "What's your name princess?" She didn't respond, just gripped the gun tighter. "I'm going to call you Fern."

"Don't you dare call me Fern." She snarled before she could help herself and his smirk deepened.

"Look Fern, what you said by the truck, about not becoming submissive? I can help you be free from all of this." He reasoned with her and she raised an eyebrow but didn't believe a word that he was saying. "If you're not going to listen to me then I guess we're at a stand-off."

"Where's Kensi?" The team leader shouted, worry blossoming through his chest. He'd seen her get taken out of the truck and lined up but then when they'd be on the stealth, getting closer ready to pounce, he lost sight of her and now she was missing whilst Valdez and one of his henchmen were gone too.

"Is Kensi the nice lady who protected me?" A young woman asked, walking away from the rest of girls. He nodded, his throat constricting with worry. "She was taken by Valdez. Into the house." She pointed to the house that was slightly down the hill, tucked into a small alcove of trees. He mumbled a thanks before nodding to his partner who proceeded to follow him down the path towards the house.

The woman before him was an angel, a goddess, someone out of his dreams. Her brown hair fell down around her face and over her shoulders, like a halo, and it would have looked elegant if it hadn't been for the dirt, blood and sweat which was matted in it. The black around her eye was unusual and he knew that he would never forget it. "Come on Fern, maybe it's time that we sat and discussed some things."

He had been speaking to her for the past few minutes, trying to get a rise or response out of her but other than her growl to prevent him from calling her Fern, he hadn't gotten a thing. Until now. "Aw, legs starting to ache for you?" He blinked at her in shock before a grin broke out on his face.

"I like you."

"I don't care."

They settled back in to silence.

Deeks opened his mouth, ready to grace her with more of his stupid and annoying remarks when he heard the muffled sounds of someone breaking a window. He watched her shoulders stiffen and her back straighten up and he assumed that she heard it too. Maybe he could use this to his advantage, scare her a bit and make her back down so that he could get her away from the danger.

"Looks like my cavalry have arrived." He remarked, his lips curling into a sneer of amusement which slowly faded when she didn't even bat an eyelid.

"I say bring it on." She remarked as the door behind him burst open and the window next to her was shattered. Four figures burst in, surrounding them, two on each side. Deeks found himself facing three guns whilst Fern was the same.

"NCIS." "LAPD." Were called out at the same time by the two in the middle stood silent.

"You're a fed?" "You're a cop?" was asked at the same time, the silence breaking. Guns were being lowered and everyone was relaxing although Kensi was still on edge. She always was right after a mission.

"Well played." The person she knew as Max said, chuckling whilst he holstered his weapon. "Well played." She let the gun drop from her tired fingers to the floor, confident that she'd be safe with everyone around. She held her hand out in front of her and watched as he took it confidently.

"Special Agent Marty Deeks." He greeted.

"Detective Kensi Blye."