Walking into the room the young agent realized one thing. This day was going to get worse. Walking in late Hetty shot the younger woman a look that hinted, no 100% decided, there would be a discussion about this. While the younger woman had a deep respect, even love, for the older woman, Kenz still harbored a fear for the woman small in stature but large in presence. Hetty would want an explanation, and she would have none to give. Then Hetty would give her a look that would suggest both worry and disapproval. Then she'd find herself having some one-on-one time with her favorite psychologist. Like Hetty, Kensi respected Nate and viewed him as a great friend; however, she preferred him as a friend to her psychologist.
Suddenly realizing that Eric's voice was rising, probably because he noticed she had zoned out, she decided to tune back in before she really found herself permanently in the doghouse.
"Sgt. Christopher Mason, age 31. A career military man has gone missing."
"Marines going AWOL isn't entirely something out of the ordinary," chimed in Nate.
"Yeah, and it's not exactly a matter of national security" agreed Sam.
"It is when that marine was supposed to ship out to Afghanistan to deliver military orders for a new campaign over there. We're talking about very detailed plans. Dates, times, locations, passwords. The who, what, where, when, and why.
"If this falls into the wrong hands our troops wouldn't stand a chance. They'd be at the mercy of whoever bought the plans" Kensi added finally contributing to the conversation. "Where was he last seen?"
"He was last seen at Bardot," Hetty replied.
"That swanky new dance club on N. Vine?"
"Exactly. That means Miss Blye, Mr. Hanna, and Mr. Callen will be going undercover at the nightclub to see what they can find out."
"What's our story?" asked Sam.
"You, Mr. Hanna, will put those djing skills to use. Bardot is hosting new dj talent and I scored you a gig."
Sam could only look at Hetty confusedly before spitting out, "Hetty, I don't know how to dj."
"Indeed. That is why Mr. Beal will be giving you lessons this afternoon."
Now everyone looked confused and turned to Eric who looked both embarrassed and proud. No one expected their resident geek was a dj.
He merely shrugged and said, "Hey, I gotta have something to win the ladies over."
"What about me and Kenz? I'm almost afraid to ask."
You Mr. Callen will be playing the part of Miss Blye's paramour."
"Paramour?" came out simultaneously from both mentioned parties.
"Yes, Bardot has a rather seedy reputation. You will be playing the part of the very newly rich and very much married Mr. Samson, who thankfully is not due to arrive into town for another week. Ms. Blye will be playing your girlfriend. This is important. I expect you all to do your best. We need to find out what happened to Sgt. Mason and those plans, otherwise we leave many American soldiers in danger. Now go on," Hetty said dismissing them with the knowledge and responsibility of their mission fresh in their minds.
Kensi turned and watched her team file out. Eric was enthusiastically throwing out terms to a still stunned Sam, excited that he had the opportunity to show off to the agent he admired. Hetty strode out with a determined walk, probably to pick out their wardrobes for the evening, a task that was a favorite for the wardrobe maven. Callen and Nate both started talking before realizing that one agent was still in the room. They both looked back at the younger woman with something that resembled more concern that Kensi appreciated.
"Kensi, you good?" asked Nate.
Both men waited for her response. She was too busy thinking about the concern and whether they thought she was somehow off since Dom's death that she did not realize they were still staring and still waiting for an answer. The duo's concerned looks deepened.
She gave them a smile that did not quite reach her mismatched eyes before responding.
"Yeah. I was just imagining Eric and Sam's study sessions and how long it'll be before Sam kills him."
Neither of the men bought it but they let her have the moment.
"I don't know. Twenty bucks says he doesn't last a half hour," Callen said tactfully ignoring the room's pink elephant. Considering each of them had these pink elephants, who was he to push?
"Nah, Sam has a very slow fuse. He's calm and in control. He'll last 45 minutes easy," Nate replied.
As she sat in the dressing room Kensi Blye considered how she did not suffer from the same Peter Pan complex that the resident techie/surfer seemed to suffer from. She grew up as a very realistic and no-nonsense little girl, having her mother check out early and being raised by a marine guaranteed that. While the other girls on the base were having tea parties, wearing their mothers' high heels, and pretending to be good little wives and mothers, she preferred to stay grounded. By grounded she played in the mud and wrestled the boys to the ground. She played in the dirt, was the first girl on the boys softball team, but she never knew the joys of Barbie. Not having a mother to show her how to be a woman, Kenz lacked a lot of the couth and discretion associated with the fair sex. She was abrupt, often insensitive, boisterous, and opinionated, the same characteristics that made men, or rather quality men, keep their distance, also were the same characteristics that her team and her father found endearing. Her father appreciated the more ballsy characteristics of his daughter as they kept the boys from crossing the line from friends to someone whose ass he'd have to kick. Her dysfunctional teammates appreciated it because they could relate, they knew they had someone who would always have their back, and with Kensi you knew what you were dealing with. She had never been a child who indulged in pretend.
As an adult, the young agent made her living pretending. As a child she hated to pretend to be something she was not. As an adult she no longer minded. Being someone else allowed her to forget her own problems. However, she usually preferred to pretend to be someone in more comfortable clothing.
"Kens, what's taking so long?" Nate shouted from outside the wardrobe room.
She heard some scuffling and the resident psychologist make an uncharacteristically feminine sounding "ouch" followed by Callen's voice.
"No cheating. If you make her come out now you win. What happened to a vow of ethics, Doc?"
"What exactly does Nate win, G?" she asked as she walked out in a barely there green mini dress.
"WOW!" was his only response followed by a wolf whistle from Eric, who then promptly received a slap to the back of the head from Sam. Despite feeling completely uncomfortable in her latest costume, she did smile at Sam's violently overprotective streak. Normally she would protest, but with Sam he wasn't protecting her because she was "the girl." Once after teasing Callen about a couple of extra pounds he had gained she had found herself on the wrong end of a death glare. He was equally protective of all of them. Nate once jokingly called him a mother hen, but a mother bear was more accurate.
In attempt to take the pressure off of himself, Eric took the noble route and narked out both G and Nate.
"Actually, they were betting on how long it would take to get ready," he smiled apologetically up at her. She returned the smile letting him know it was ok. That was another amazing part about being a member of OSP, words were often unnecessary. This was further proven by the second slap he received in as many minutes, this time by Callen.
"You were betting on how long it would take me to get ready?" she said while transforming her smile into something much more predatory in nature.
"Yeah, well, he said it would take you 45 minutes, I thought it would take you much less time," the psychologist answered throwing the normally GQ G Callen back under the bus.
She would have responded but Hetty walked in and the respect of silence was immediate. "Alright agents, good luck. Find Sgt. Mason."
As they headed out and Nate and Eric linked into the comm systems Kensi could only think about how much she did not care about Sgt. Mason. She cared about Dom and what had happened. She cared about how mortal and vulnerable her team was. Joining NCIS she had found a new family, but she had never thought of these strong individuals as mortal. Since Dom, she realized that they were no different than her father, her partner, or her ex-boyfriend. Her entire world seemed to be spinning and she was supposed to be protecting the troops. Her only consolation was that at least she got to play a part for the next few hours, be someone else other than the intensely emotional Kensi Meredith Blye. As the night deepened Kensi could not shake the feeling that her day was only going to get worse.
