Author's Note: This is a dream sequence that connects with canaussie's chapter 8d from Alternative to Afghanistan. This is my first ever attempt at writing fanfiction (I'm a decent writer but have more experience writing objectively rather than creatively). Thanks to canaussie for their help and input with this. Let me know what y'all think by either posting reviews or sending me a PM. Thank you! Hope you enjoy.
Kensi glanced around and wondered how she had gotten back to her bed in base camp. She tried repeatedly to remember how, but she was unable to recall much beyond her awareness of her present surroundings. Come to think of it, something seemed off about her being here, but she was not able to put her finger on how or why she felt this way. Getting up from her bed, Kensi walked out into the trailer, expecting to find Granger and several intelligence analysts at work, but all she saw were several blinking computer monitors. Not a single soul was present in the room. The agent slowly walked outside the trailer; she surveyed the area but neither saw nor heard any Marine or civilian contractors normally swarming the base.
The agent stood in the middle of base camp in silent bewilderment, wondering where the heck everyone was. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps broke Kensi out of her deep contemplation. She jerked her head up and around, trying to discern which direction the sound was coming from. A quick analyzation indicated the sound was coming from the left side of the camp, past her trailer and the mess hall. As she dashed around the corner of the mess hall, Kensi was suddenly knocked to the ground by a moving figure. Glancing upwards, the breath that had been knocked out of her by the impact of her fall was taken away once more at the sight before her. It was Deeks, his blond hair windswept, an assault rifle slung over his shoulder, his Beretta in his hand, with several other side arms and extra ammo strapped to his body. It took her several moments following the initial shock of his presence for her to form any words.
"Deeks? What the hell are you doing here?" Deeks finally peered down, and what Kensi saw frightened her. His normally-calm, deep ocean blue eyes were now a dark, steely blue, anger radiating in their expression, his jaw squared, and his facial expression hardened. Her partner responded as though he weren't surprised to see her. "Kensi, what are you doing? I said for you to search the left corner of the perimeter for the bastard. I know he's hiding out somewhere on this base. And where is your weapon? I know you can be messy, but even losing your weapon is something I wouldn't have expected from you." What the hell is he talking about? Kensi thought. But before she could form a response, the sound of footsteps, of someone on the run, drew her attention to her right. What she saw shocked her to her core.
It was Jack; he was dressed in a dusty blue perahon tunban and light brown vest, with a dark grey pato draped over his shoulder. His dark blue cap was falling off of his head, and his shoes were torn, his feet bloody; this gave Kensi the impression that Jack had been running for some time. But what made the sight even worse was Jack raising his arms above his head, as if he was finally surrendering; he sank to his knees, his eyes closed as he murmured what sounded like a prayer to Allah. Kensi understood none of this until she glanced back up at Deeks; what she saw made her blood run cold. Deeks had his Beretta trained and ready, his body language suggesting he would shoot at any moment. All of this confounded Kensi until she recalled Deeks' earlier words: "Search the left corner of the perimeter for the bastard. I know he's hiding out somewhere on this base." In that moment, Kensi realized that Deeks' target was Jack. The agent didn't hesitate. She jumped up and struggled to grab the gun from her partner. Though Kensi was strong, Deeks was stronger; he yanked the gun from her grasp and knocked her back to the ground. But what followed was something Kensi did not expect.
The gun – in the struggle between Kensi and her partner – had been fired, the bullet having hit the intended target. Jack had been shot square in the chest. He fell forward, dark red blood covering his chest, staining his light blue perahon a dark purple, with the blood pooling on the ground around him. Kensi let out a blood-curdling scream. She tried to crawl over to Jack, intent on stemming the blood flow from his chest. But, something was holding her back. Deeks had put his arms around her waist and was pulling her back from the scene, where a now-lifeless Jack had fallen on his side; his eyes had rolled into the back of his head, the blood from his chest wound creating a large, dark red pool underneath his body. Kensi screamed for Deeks to let her go, to let her go help Jack, but her partner only tightened his grip on her in response. This can't be happening. This isn't real, the female agent tried to tell herself. The image of Jack's lifeless body seemed too horrible for it to be real, but Kensi could not figure out how to prove this was otherwise a dream. The agent continued her attempts to get out of Deeks' grasp, but as she did, she began to feel light-headed. Her ears were ringing, whether it be from the gun firing or something else, she couldn't tell. Then, without warning, Deeks let go of Kensi. She stumbled and fell to the ground; her head bounced hard against the rocky Afghani earth. The impact of the fall caused her to fade in and out of consciousness. The last Kensi was aware of was blood pouring from a head wound, her blood mixing with the Afghani dust and Jack's now-dried blood. She could sense Deeks' presence, but was unsure where he was. Soon, the metallic smell of blood overwhelmed her, and the darkness overtook her…