AN: I am so sorry it has taken me this long to update. Also sorry that this is a week late. I know Halloween is over, but October was a horrible month for me. I am allergic to something and now I feel like a case on House except House would have figured out what is wrong with me by now. Okay, pity party is over. A big shout out goes to Nadie96. Thanks for keeping me going. You are awesome!

Disclaimer: If I owned NCIS: LA, I would start my mornings by celebrating a two year old going pee in the potty.

Chapter 4: The Case of the Haunted House

"So, where exactly are we going again?" Kensi asked her partner as they drove through a secluded forest north of town.

Deeks shrugged and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. They had been driving for hours and the monotonous scenery was better at lulling him to sleep then Kensi singing a lullaby; although, so was fingernails on a chalkboard. "I don't know. Eric just said the victim had a house out here somewhere. I'm just following the GPS."

He tried to focus on the road, but when all you see is dying leaves covering a million trees, focusing becomes very difficult. His mind quickly wandered to his favorite daydream-Kensi. Today was Halloween and he couldn't help but imagine all the sexy costumes she could surprise him with. Sexy Sleeping Beauty? He would be happy to wake her up from any slumber. Sluty Referee? She could foul him anytime. Or maybe she would fulfill the cliché dream of an officer's uniform. He could picture her dark hair slipping out of a tight knot on her head. Her snug pants showing everything and hiding just enough.

"The only thing you're seeing me in tonight if you don't get your eyes on the road," Kensi interrupted, "is my baggy sweats and the ugly sweater my mom gave me for Christmas. Got it?"

The thought of the poop green sweater currently hidden in Kensi's closet quickly sobered Deeks up. She was such a killjoy sometimes.

"Your destination is on the left." the GPS chirped in a cheery voice. The NCIS agent and LAPD detective squinted to their left, trying to see what the all knowing GPS could see when the forest suddenly opened up, revealing a stunning sight.

Surrounded by deep woods on either side was a wrought iron gate. Vines clung to the rusted filigree, strangling the bars and tearing the gate apart, leaving the pieces clinging together by the threads of the weak tendrils. Through the ominous gate wound a worn gravel road, leading up to a thing that seemed an unspeakable sight.

A huge house loomed over the property, casting a dark shadow over everything it touched. The old Victorian mansion still radiated the power it contained for hundreds of years. The paint was peeling and the broken shutters were tapping against the side of the house with the slightest wind, creating an eerie song that echoed through the wind. The house was clearly in need of repair, but didn't show signs of neglect-but rather avoidance-as if everyone was too afraid to enter the property. It emitted something, whether fear or power they couldn't say, but even from the safety of the car, they knew one thing for sure…they didn't want to enter that house.

"Please tell me this is some kind of joke." Kensi asked with a quivering voice.

Deeks couldn't believe that the woman he could only describe as bad-ass was afraid of an old house that could possibly be hiding a dead body. No biggie. "Bad-Ass Blye afraid of a little house?" he asked, expecting her gaze to harden and her to vehemently disagree with his accusation. But, instead, was met with something he didn't expect, Kensi agreed with him.

"Hell yes I am!" she cried wide-eyed. "That house looks freaky. Plus, I told you, I love horror movies when I am with someone, but that doesn't mean I want to live in one."

A chuckle escaped Deek's mouth, but was quickly shut down after an icy death glare from Kensi. They finished the short drive to the front of the house in silence, the tension mounting until it was thick enough to feel. With gear in tow, they made their way to the front door, taking a deep breath before entering the house.

Dust covered every inch of the home, as if no one had been in the house for year.

"Look's like we're just as in the dark here as on our case."

Kensi just responded with an eye-roll. "Clever." She panned her flashlight across the space, showing more rooms to explore. "Doesn't look like this place has been used much. Not sure how it's gonna give us much information."

A mischievous glint grew in Deeks' eye. "Yeah, I guess you could say it's a dead end." The laughter was just bubbling out of his voice, much to the annoyance of Kensi.

She quickly turned around, closing the distance between the pair with a sultry look on her face. Deeks' breath caught for a moment as she bit her lip coyly, bringing her hand to his front pocket as slowly as she could. He closed his eyes for a moment, desperately trying to control his ragged breathing when he felt a slight pressure on his face. He opened his eyes, barely able to see an inch in front of him due to his now sunglassed eyes.

"You forgot your glasses, Horatio." Kensi smiled, swinging her gear bag around whipping her dark hair in his face. "Come on Miami, let's get some actual police work done."

"On it." Deeks responded slowly, peeling away his glasses with a saunter.

The rest of the house looked much the same. Stairs and floorboards creaked with every step, wind whispered through every crack, just adding to the inherent creepiness that already inhabited the mansion. Finally, after many missteps leading to near death experiences for Deeks, they came across a room, vastly different from the others.

The room was small, tiny in comparison to the rest of the labyrinth they had already explored. A cluttered desk sat against the wall, covered in old newspapers and photos from the past and present. A broken-in swivel chair was positioned in the middle of the room, as if someone had launched out of it in a hurry. One large window brought light into the room, giving a perfect view of the dark woods surrounding them. It seemed to be the only room in the home that had been used in years.

Kensi and Deeks shone their flashlights across the room with precision, clearing every possible crevasse for safety. The only thing that greeted their light was a stray spider hanging from the ceiling.

"I'm calling Eric." Kensi said with a sigh as she lowered her flashlight. "We'll work faster if we could actually see."

She quickly dialed the familiar number to OPS, greeted by the ever chipper voice of the tech operator on the other end. "Eric Beale. Technology genius at your service."

"Eric, can you get the lights on here? Or at least let us know where the breaker is? We can't see anything useful here."

Instead of hearing the clicking of a keyboard and the instant response she had come to expect with Eric, however, the phone was filled with static.

"Eric? Eric are you there?" Kensi asked. But the sound that greeted her ears had her throwing her phone nearly across the room.

"Jeez Kens!" Deeks yelled as the frame he was holding fell to the ground, shattering the glass inside. "What the heck was that!"

Kensi stood in the corner, stock still and wide-eyed. "Please tell me that was you." She said in a whisper.

"What? The high pitched scream when you chucked your phone through the air? No way was that me." Deeks finished sarcastically.

Kensi made her way across the room, gently dipping down to pick her phone up from the floor. "It's not funny Deeks. I heard something."

Deeks could see that she was obviously shaken. "It's an old house Kens. Probably just the wind going through the cracks. It's nothing." He met her across the room, gently rubbing her arms which were covered in goosebumps.

She smiled as best she could at his efforts. Although most of the time he was a sarcastic and annoying pain in her butt, sometimes his caring side won out. She loved that side of him, especially when it came with his warm smile. "You dropped something." She carefully picked up the frame, avoiding the glass that had fallen from it.

Inside was a picture, one, maybe two years old judging by the clothes of the people in it. A group of thirteen people were crowded together, all sporting a smile and a t-shirt plastered with the logo reading, "L.A.P.S - Los Angeles Paranormal Society."

Deeks stood over her shoulder, gazing at the picture with interest, a smile threatening to crack the cool composer on his face. "Well I guess that explains the house. He was a ghost hunter, so he bought a haunted house. Looking for ghosts in all the right places, huh Kens."

With a look of calculated annoyance, Kensi carefully set the picture back on the desk. She turned around to face the door, just in time to see the light shadow dart into the next room.

Drawing her gun slowly, she made her way over to the room, leaving Deeks alone to come up with more puns.

The door was slightly cracked, leaving a small sliver of moonlight to shine through the hallway. With a steady hand, Kensi raised her gun and flashlight in perfect unison. Standing to the left of the door, she gently tapped the door with her boot, widening the crack to reveal a room that made her groan.

The room was light and open, a small bed placed against the wall, the once white crocheted bedding had now turned yellow. The sheer curtains were billowing slightly through the drafty window, pushing the dark rocking chair to create another instrument in the eerie song the house was playing. Each creak, thump, played the beat for the winds whistling and the tree branches scratching. A group of Victorian-era china dolls were placed in the corner, their eyes staring out in the nothingness. One doll was separate from the others. It was laid in a handcrafted cradle next to the bed. Its chocolate brown hair was still in tight curls around its pale face. A pair of striking blue eyes look up at the ceiling. its rose pink dress was still pressed and clean, as if someone had just picked it up from the store. Unlike the rest of the room, the doll had no signs of dust or wear.

Without warning, the curtains blew up to the ceiling, disturbed by a strong, cold wind that caused the goosebumps on Kensi's arms to exploded across her whole body. Suddenly, the lights flicked on, flooding the room in light.

"Way to go Kensalina!" Deeks yelled from the room over. He found her standing in the doorway, composing a mask of bravery. "Why do I have to be the man in the relationship when I have you?" The moment the words left his mouth, he wished he could take them back. "I mean, not that you're manly. I wasn't suggesting that at all, you're very feminine and beautiful. Not that I wouldn't find you beautiful even if you were manly. Not that I like manly women, I just mean you're very resourceful in manly enterprises. Not that you're not in womanly enterprises, although you're not great."

"Shut up before you dig your grave."

"Right, Shutting up." he said with a pained smile.

Kensi sighed as turned back to the room, trying to find clues about their victim while fighting the urge to run from the room. She was "Bad-ass Blye" and she wasn't' going to let anyone, especially Deeks, see any weakness. "Eric must have figured out a way to get the lights back on."

Deeks dropped his smile he at her words. "The lights weren't you?"

"Yes Deeks. The lights were me. I am not only successful in 'Manly Enterprises,' like checking breaker boxes, but I can also run back up the stairs, down the hall, and into a room in a house I haven't ever been in in just a matter of seconds. Usain Bolt's got nothing on me."

"But I heard footsteps."

Kensi whirled around faster than a tornado with an angry look on her face. "It's not funny Deeks so stop."

Realization dawned on him as he put the clues together. She paled just looking at the house, threw her phone when she thought she heard a voice, and now was angry when he told her of phantom footsteps. Kensi Blye was afraid of ghosts. "Oh my gosh. Seriously Kens. If I had to choose anyone who would believe in ghosts, you would be my last choice."

"You know what Deeks," she began with a huff, "now, you ain't getting any from me tonight. Now excuse me, I have police work to get to."

"Oh come on! That's just cruel Kens!" he yelled as Kensi stormed past him back to the study. "I think you made the ghosts angry Kensi. Agree to a beautiful night with me and they won't haunt you!"

Deeks crossed the hall to find Kensi furiously going through papers on the desk. In her hurry, a few yellowed pages fell to the ground.

Knowing he was treading in dangerous territory, and loving every second of it, he gently picked up the pages. God must have been looking down on him because the pages were newspaper clippings. They were easily a hundred years old and some of the type had faded.

Yet, through these challenges, Deeks was still able to make out the headline. "Mother and Daughter Found Dead in McClaren Mansion." This was just too good.

"Hey, how was the victim killed?" Deeks asked Kensi as she carefully looked through papers.

"Multiple stab wounds to the upper body. Why?"

After a quick clearing of his throat, Deeks began. "Rose McClaren and her daughter Lucy were found dead in the McClaren Mansion yesterday. Both suffered from multiple stab wounds to the upper body. The murderer is unknown at this time."

Kensi's lips tightened into a thin line. Deeks knew that he was pushing her a little too far, but it was just too much fun. "We should just stop the investigation now. We found the killer. It's a ghost!"

"You don't shut up, and there will be one more death to add to the house."

Suddenly, a deafening bang resonated through the empty home.

Deeks let out a high-pitched girl scream and grabbed Kensi's arm in a death grip. "What was that?!"

Although Kensi was quaking on the inside, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to get revenge on Deeks. "Must have been the ghosts." she whispered in his ear.

"Touché." Deeks quipped, trying to compose himself. "We have to go figure out what that was don't we?"

Kensi unholstered her gun, brought the flashlight out with it and squared her shoulders. "Yep."

"Okay," he said with a sniff, mirroring her position. "I ain't 'fraid of no ghosts."

With a nod of their heads, the pair began making their way through the house, clearing each room with speed and accuracy. After clearing the entire first floor, Deeks couldn't stand the silence for another second. "So, care to share the story of how "Kick-Ass Kensi" became afraid of bumps in the night?"

Kensi slowed her pace slightly, trying to decide whether or not to share her story. But, with one look at Deeks' puppy dog eyes, she couldn't help but want to share. "Fine, but share this with anyone, and I will kill you."

Deeks quickly straightened, bringing his hand up to cross his heart, just like a five-year-old making a promise.

"It was when I was living with my dad." Kensi began, falling back and walking side-by-side with Deeks. "We moved a lot, for his job. Normally I loved living in new places. It was an adventure every time. Kinda became a game with my dad and I when we first moved. We tried to find every thing we could about our new house or town. Whoever had the best information won ice cream. Of course, my dad would always let me win." Her face was lit up, the look she always got anytime she talked about her father. It was a look Deeks loved. Kensi never showed the softer side of her if she could help it. But, at these moments she let her guard down. Let him into her heart for just a moment. To trust him to know he wouldn't break it.

"Anyway, we moved to this house in Texas. Ridiculously hot, but the house was amazing-easily about 100 years old and just beautiful. I started exploring the house and found this dumbwaiter in the kitchen. It was perfect for me. 8 years old, I could fit into it easily but I knew that only I could. It was my little secret place." Her face began to darken, the memory causing her face to fall from the happiness she previously had. "One day I was sitting in it. My dad had gone out and left me alone. He was just going to be gone for a few hours, so it wasn't a big deal. So as I was sitting there, I guess the ropes must have been frayed and when I hopped in, the dumbwaiter fell. It crashed on the basement floor and threw me out. She shook her head. I wasn't bad, just a few bumps and scratches, but the fall must have shaken our bookcase and it fell on my leg. I was stuck there, didn't know how long it would be before my dad would come home and I just started crying."

Deeks sat there dumbfounded. Even at the age of 8, Kensi could handle anything. She really was Wonder Woman.

After a short pause, Kensi continued, trepidation coloring every word. "I calmed myself down and tied to move, but anytime I did, the pain stopped me. The next time I tried, I heard something. I heard footsteps coming toward me. The basement was dark, and unfinished, I thought it was just the house settling or something, but they only got louder and closer. Finally, they stopped right next to me. I was so freaked out I just slammed my eyes shut and refused to open them. Then, I felt something touch my face. It was like something was trying to get me to look at them, but I couldn't. I felt their breath on my face, I could even hear their breathing. I don't know how long I sat there, it seemed like forever. I heard my dad come home and I screamed for him, never opening my eyes. I had a broken leg and we moved right after. But I know there was someone there. I always wonder what would have happened if I had opened my eyes. I guess I'll never know."

She finished her story, and the house was silent. It was as if everything was holding its breath, waiting for the next turn. Deeks stood there with a shocked look on his face. The house seemed creepier then before and every corner loomed with darkness.

Another bang, louder then the first, broke the silence. This one seemed closer, and was followed by soft boot falls. Thu-thump, thu-thump, thu-thump. They seemed to be coming from the room above them when they stopped. Faint voices were trickling down from the room, almost as if a conversation was occurring.

Kensi made her way up the stairs, Deeks following closely behind. He had his body behind hers, his hands grasping her arm, using her body as a human shield. "You know what Deeks," Kensi began, an audible quiver in her voice. "I thought you of all people would love this. You get to be the hot guy in the horror movie that protects the girl. This should be a dream for you."

"Yeah, well it turns out it's not nearly as hot to have a beautiful girl clinging to you when you are about to pee yourself." He said as he peaked over her shoulder.

Kensi looked back at Deeks who increased the tightness of his grip. "Yeah, I can see that."

"Are you calling me the girl in this situation?"

"Aren't you usually?"

A blood curdling scream echoed through the home, almost sending Kensi and Deeks down the stairs the hard and fast way. They ran the rest of the way to the room, honestly worried about safety of whomever had produced that scream.

When they reached the room, the lights flashed, then extinguished, leaving the room in total darkness. Even their flashlights were out, an unexpected roadblock in their already harrowing journey.

The voices returned, so loud it was as if they were screaming, but not a word they were saying made sense. Their words were choppy, like a conversation coming through a broken radio. The open door behind them slammed shut, closing with such intensity that the floor shook.

That was the final straw for the pair. No work could be done in a haunted house, and they were out of there. "Deeks, I think it's time to run!" Kensi yelled over the voices, making her way to the door in what little light she had.

The door opened with ease and they made their way down the hallway toward the stairs, toward freedom. The lights in the house turned back on, the voices stopped, and a new sound could be heard. It was the soft laugh of a child, not scary, but kind. Against their better judgment, Kensi and Deeks stopped and turned around. In front of them were two figures, one child, her dark locks falling lightly on her shoulders and her piercing blue eyes smiling. She was holding hands with a woman, dressed in Victorian style clothing who gave them a smile.

The little girl turned and ran up a second flight of stairs, laughing as she climbed. The woman took one more look at them, and followed after her, laughing as she chased the girl.

Nothing else was going to keep the pair there. They raced down the stairs, grabbing their gear that was pilled by the door and ran to the car, never looking back at the house.

By the time they had arrived at OPS, they still hadn't said a word. Neither one wanted to believe what had just happened, but neither one could deny it. Sam and Callen noticed their discomfort as soon as they entered the bullpen, but didn't say a word. Both were trying to keep a straight face, and for two highly trained federal agents, they were awful at keeping secrets when the outcome was this entertaining.

"So guys, find anything interesting at the house?" Callen asked, trying, and failing at being nonchalant.

Kensi caught on immediately. She had worked with them for long enough to know when they were hiding something. "What did you do?!"

Sam couldn't hold his laughter anymore. With one look at the surprised and confused Deeks, he was laughing so hard, tears were starting to form. "Hey, don't look at us," he said once he caught his breath, "Go yell at Eric, this was his idea."

"I'm gonna kill him." Kensi hissed through gritted teeth. "Deeks, come on."

They found Eric up in OPS sitting casually in his chair, but with one look at Kensi, he immediately ran to the opposite end of the room. "Kensi, I'm sorry. It was just a joke I swear!"

"It was you! All of that was you?! We were terrified and you think sorry will just cover it?"

"It was just a Halloween prank, I couldn't resist!" Eric said as he ran from Kensi's grasp.

For a guy who sat in a chair all day, he was fast.

After a few seconds, Deeks understood why Kensi was furious. Eric had planned the entire thing. He had called them on the case, given them the information and led them to the house. He was genius. "You did that?" Deeks replied with respect. He grabbed Kensi and held her back, preserving Eric's life for a little longer. "Come on Kens. That was good. The voices, the lights, everything. That must have taken forever to plan."

"Yeah, but it was worth it," Eric said breathless. "Look, I figured out of anybody, Deeks would be the easiest target. Sorry Kensi, you two are kinda a packaged deal."

Kensi's breathing began to return to normal, but the fire was still in her eyes. "Fine, I will give you this one. But you can tell Hetty why we get the rest of the day off." She started to make her way to the door, but turned back and stood dangerously close to Eric. "If you do that again, I will cause you so much pain, you will beg for death. Got it?"

A gulp and vigorous head nod answered her question and she left OPS, Deeks trailing close behind. As he was going through the door, he turned around. "I gotta say Eric. The best part was the woman and little girl at the end. I think that's what sent Kensi over the edge. You have done well." And, with that he left.

Nell entered right after to find a wide-eyed Eric sitting in his chair. "Kensi put the fear of god in you?"

Eric sat there trying to compose a complete sentence without his voice cracking.

"Earth to Eric. Everything okay?"

"I never made a woman and little girl."

Deeks and Kensi made their way to their car, blissfully unaware and ready for The Shining and some hot buttered popcorn.

AN: I am so grateful for all the reviews and follows. It really makes my day when I see those. Also, I am listening to your suggestions. It just takes me a while to write, especially when I break out in hives. Keep the suggestions coming and feel free to review or PM. I love those too.