In the hospital

The two agents met at the front entrance and went together at the waiting room. They saw Kensi there, waiting. Her shirt was cover with blood, with Deeks' blood. She was still shaking. Callen and Sam approached her. "Hey Kens." Callen said and knelt in front of her. He cleaned her wet eyes with his hands. "What happened?" Kensi was trying to find her words but she was still shaking. "Sam, get her some water." And Sam went to bring her some water. "Here you are." and he handed her a glass of water. Kensi took it and drank some. Callen took it from her hand so that it won't fall. "Kens, what happened?" She looked at him for a while and then said. "Deeks had forgotten his phone in the car so he went to take it. And then Brandel showed up, he put a knife in my throat. And….um…and then Deeks came. I punched Brandel, he fell down. But then he got up and then Deeks pushed me aside and…..um….Brandel stabbed him. There was so much blood. He was bleeding. Brandel took off…..Oh my God." and she started crying again. "Hey, Kensi look at me, look at me. He is going to be fine. Alright. I promise you that. Okay?" Callen told her in order to make her fall better. It kind of did.

The next day's sun rose and there was still no word on Deeks' condition. All this waiting was killing Kensi. None of the three had said a word since last night. Totally silence.

"I should be in there, not him." Kensi said.

"Don't even think to say that again." Sam told her. The silence was completely broken.

"Of course because you don't give a damn about Deeks, do you?" Kensi was angry.

"What's that suppose to mean Kensi?" Sam asked her.

"You never liked him. You always wanted him away from the team. And what I don't understand is why. What had he done to you so that you would hate him that much, um?" Callen stood up in order to calm Kensi down.

"Kens, relax. You know that this is not true." Callen said.

"Oh yeah. Then tell me one time that he said something good for him." Kensi told Callen pointed at Sam. "He risked his life to save you and Michelle last year. But you didn't appreciate that, did you?"

"Kensi, I thanked Deeks from the button of my heart for what he did for me and Michelle. And if you must know I change….I change my thoughts about him."

"So what? He needed to end up almost dead to realize his value? He needed to be tortured?" She paused for a moment. "You may not trust him at all. But I do. I trust him with my life. And I don't even care what you think."

Callen saw Granger coming their way. "Any news?" he asked.

"No, nothing yet." Callen answered him.

"I need the two of you in Ops. I need you to find Brandel. I'll stay with her."

"Yes sir." Callen said and the two boys left.

Granger didn't say anything for a while. Kensi was still standing. "Why don't you sit down? You are helping neither him nor yourself like that." Granger told Kensi.

"I'm fine." Granger gave her a look at her. He knew she was lying. She was many things right now, but definitely not fine.

A doctor walked out of the surgery and approached them. Kensi run to him. "Doctor, how is he?"

"And you are?" the doctor asked.

"His fiancé."

"He lost too much blood. The stab wound wasn't very deep but it caused internal bleeding. We were able to control it. He is critical but stable. The fact that we didn't have any complications during the surgery is always a good sign."

"Can I see him?"

"Certainly. I'll let you know that room he is in as soon as we move him."

"Thank you doctor." She was relief. Not completely but what the doctor told her made her feel better. "I'll stay with him." she told Granger.

"Okay. LAPD will be here soon. You both need protection."

At Sam's car, on the way to Ops

"Alright, thanks." Callen said and hung up. "It was Granger. Deeks is out of the surgery. He is critical but stable. Doctor is positive."

"Good."

"She was angry. She didn't know what she was saying."

"No G. She was right. I always underestimate Deeks because he is different from us, because he is cop. I never thought how good he is until he risked his life to save me when Sidorov dropped me in the pool and he risked his life to save my wife. He didn't give her up. He lied, G. I don't think I would have done the same thing."

"So you are saying that you will tell someone who had captured the two of you that Kensi is his wife and she is an agent?"

"No, that's the thing. I wouldn't give up Kensi because he's his wife or to save my ass. I wouldn't do it because she is a friend and co-worker. If it was someone else, yes I would do it. And I'm ashamed to say that."

"Don't blame yourself. She knows she is wrong. She was angry."

"Yeah, very angry."

They were interrupted by Callen's phone. "Yeah, go ahead Eric."

"We have footage of Brandel leaving Deeks' place last night around the time of the attack."

"And is this supposed to help us Eric how?" Callen asked.

"We know the car he is driving. He rent it three weeks ago and he hadn't returned till now. I am running it through kaleidoscope search but nothing so far."

"Okay keep looking."

"Will do."

"It's a waste of time. He's smart. He is going to return it and then rend another one." Sam said.

"Let's hope he won't."

In Ops

Callen and Sam rushed in the Operation Center. "What do you have guys?" Callen asked them.

"Bad news. Brandel returned the rental car about twenty minutes ago. And now we have no clue where he may be or what car he's driving." Eric briefed them.

"However, we sent his picture to every rental company. They will inform us as soon as he shows up to one of them." Nell continued.

"So we basically have nothing." Callen said.

"Yes we have nothing." Nell confirmed.

"Do we know where he was all these months?" Sam asked.

"Yes we do, but it won't help us. He was living in a motel just five blocks from Deeks' place under an alias. He moved out three days ago. We are checking to all motels but nothing so far." Eric answered.

"Great. He is smarter that we think. He is always one step in front of us." Callen said.

That's when Granger walked in and demanded for an update. "What do we have?"

"Nothing, literally. He's smart and he's moving fast." Callen told him. "How's Deeks?"

"The same as you know."

"And Kensi?" Sam asked.

"Trying not to fall in. It's hard for her too. LAPD is already there. They both are going to be okay. I think." Granger said.

Back in the hospital

Two LAPD officers were outside the room keeping an eye on both Kensi and Deeks.

Kensi was sitting in a chair next to her fiancé. She hadn't left from his side since the doctor allowed her to see him and stay with him. She was holding him hand softly. The tears were coming down in her chicks. She never forgot the first time Hetty came in the bullpen and announced them that he's been shot. It was like she lost the whole world under her feet. She couldn't imagine a day with him.

The noise the machine was making was getting on her nerves. But this sound was the one that was telling her his heart was pumping. It's been three hours since he got out of the surgery. For Kensi was like three years. She hadn't heard his voice or seen his blue eyes since he collapsed last night.

Deeks, finally, slowly opened his eyes. "Baby, are you okay?" that was the first thing he asked Kensi as soon as he opened his eyes.

"Now I am. How are you feeling? You want to call the doctor?"

"No, I'm good thanks." Kensi started crying. "Hey baby, no. Why? I'm good. Look at me, sweetheart. I'm fine."

"I thought I would lose you."

"No baby. You're never going to lose me. Never. I promise." That, kind of, made her feel better.