Here's the second part. INCREDIBLY HUGE thanks to justareader07. There aren't enough words my friend. All mistakes you may find are mine. And in no way do I own the characters (except the ones I made up).

Kensi followed Mendoza to the back. She heard Sam say that Jose Pablo had shown up and she started getting a bad feeling in her stomach. Mendoza led her to the last room and as soon as Kensi entered, she felt hands wrap around her neck and another set of hands quickly pull her arms behind her. She didn't have time to fight back and she was silently cursing herself for letting down her guard, as she felt her hands being tied together. She was just about to yell for Deeks when she felt a gag being placed over her mouth. When She looked up, she saw someone she never thought she would ever see again.

"Well well, Kensi. We meet again." Monica whispered the words, knowing the female agent had an earwig in and she wasn't quite ready to give herself away.

Kensi was pushed to the ground, and felt a kick to her ribs. Kensi groaned, and watched as Monica walked up to her, pulling her close and leaning in to talk in her ear.

"Hey there, Max. Did you miss me?"

Kensi heard the sharp intake of breath as he realized who it was.

"Kensi, I'm coming." Kensi closed her eyes for a second, his words comforting her. And then the comforting feeling left and panic set in. She started making noises, trying to tell him to stay where he was, but the more noises she made the more frantic Deeks' voice became as he tried to figure out what room she was in, telling her he was on his way and relaying to Callen and Sam what was going on.

She realized, at that moment, they had walked into a trap. Callen and Sam were both outside in the alley, currently in a shootout with Jose Pablo's guys, leaving Kensi and Deeks alone inside.

Before she could get any farther with her thoughts, the door burst open and Deeks stood there, gun drawn, the light from the hallway behind him giving him a halo. My own guardian angel.

Monica was already behind her, gun pointed to Kensi's head when Deeks walked through the door. Deeks had his gun trained on Monica, but his eyes were sweeping the room to find other targets as well. He counted two other men, both armed with their guns pointed at him.

"Well Max, it seems we meet again." Monica gave him a sinister smile, but he kept glancing at Kensi.

"What do you want, Monica?"

"First things first, Max. Put the gun down. We should have a civil chat, don't you think?" Deeks just shook his head at her.

"Not putting the gun down until you let Kensi go. It's me you want, right? Well, here I am." Kensi was shaking her head at him. She wasn't going to leave him, no matter what he said.

"Yes, it's you I really want. But I think I'll hang on to this one a little while longer. Just to make sure you cooperate."

Deeks watched her, hating the gun that was pressed against Kensi's temple. But he was outnumbered right now, and he knew he couldn't take out the other two men without Monica shooting Kensi. And right now, he wasn't willing to gamble with her life. His mind flashed to the last time Kensi had had a gun drawn on her, the night after everything had forever changed between them. He hadn't taken the shot then, not wanting to risk her safety. He gripped his gun tighter. This time, he wouldn't hesitate if the opportunity presented itself.

Kensi could see the war in his eyes over what to do. The look of regret there for an instant, quickly changing to determination. He put the gun down, locking eyes with Kensi as he did it. As soon as the gun was on the floor, he was overpowered by the two men, who quickly set him in a chair and tied him up. He didn't put up a fight, knowing he wouldn't win it if he tried. His eyes never left Kensi, and he saw the fear building inside them. Here he was, tied up in a chair - her nightmare coming to reality. He tried conveying to her with his eyes that they would get out this, both of them, and everything would be okay. She must have understood, because she took a deep breath and calmed her features.

Deeks tilted his head and looked at Monica.

"What do you want, Monica?" His eyes had taken on a hard edge, and it almost made Monica rethink her idea. Almost. But then again, this was what she had missed, the Max who loved danger and had a cockiness about him that sent a thrill through her. She smiled at him, the gun never wavering.

"Why Maxey, I want you. Don't you remember the last time I saw you, the words I whispered into your ear?" She saw the flicker of remembrance hit him and she licked her lips.

"What did I whisper to you, Max? I know your little girlfriend here is dying to know." Rather than look at Kensi, Deeks kept his eyes on Monica, not answering her question. Monica could see the rebellion in his eyes, and nodded to one of the men standing near him. The bigger guy walked in front of him, punching him in the gut. Because Deeks was tied up, there wasn't a lot of recoil and protection he could do for himself, so he fell back on his humor.

"Wow that's it? You know, Kensi hits me harder than that on a daily basis." He was hoping to keep their anger directed at him so they would leave Kensi alone. This time, the man's punch landed on his jaw and he heard Kensi try to cry out, the gag in her mouth muffling the sound.

"Okay, you know what? I'll give you that. That one stung a little. But why do you people always go for the face, huh? I know you're jealous because I'm prettier than you, but come on." He opened and closed his mouth, working his jaw and looked over at Kensi. Her eyes were telling him she was scared, she didn't want him to get hurt, but there was something else, too. A murderous rage. And at that moment, Deeks knew they would be okay. Angry Kensi was on his side, and they would figure this out. They always did.

Monica could see the silent conversation happening between the two, and she felt cold fury flow through her veins. She moved positions, putting herself in front of Kensi, trying to make Deeks look at her instead of his partner. Instead, Deeks just turned his head, staring at the wall. He could still hear gunfire in his ear, Sam and Callen trying to take care of the bad guys outside so they could come help them. He was fairly surprised Monica and her goons hadn't taken the ear pieces out yet, knowing they still had communication with the other two members of the team. But he wasn't going to question it, or remind her if she had forgotten about that.

"Max, look at me." Monica's voice was hard, and Deeks slowly lifted his eyes to hers, letting the anger show.

"My name is not Max."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong." Monica took the few steps toward him, kneeling down to look him in the eyes. "You and I both know you are a lot more like Max Gentry than Marty Deeks. You enjoy the thrill of being the bad guy, doing whatever you want and getting away with it. The respect that your name brings, the power it holds. You can let out all of the pent up anger inside you without feeling guilty about it." She could see her words cutting through to him, the anger in his eyes slowly fading. She put her hand on his leg, making sure his focus stayed on her.

"You know, I think every one of your super secret agent friends underestimated me. Even you did, Max. But that's what I wanted." She turned around, facing Kensi this time.

"You want to know what I whispered in his ear that day?" Kensi just stared at her, not answering her. Monica walked up to her, backhanding her across the face. "I told him you would never understand him the way I do."

"Well, Monica, that's where you're wrong. She understands me in a way you never will. And if you touch her again, you will pay." Deeks looked at Kensi, seeing the mark on her face. She had a defiant look about her, and he smiled. Even tied up and bruised, she was beautiful.

"Protective of her, huh? You know, I've witnessed first hand her moves and I'm sure she can take care of herself. Although, this time, I bested her instead of the other way around."

Deeks furrowed his eyebrows, the pieces suddenly starting to click together. He could see Kensi giving him a look, one that he was very familiar with. Buy me some time. She had a plan, and even though she was gagged, they had never had problems talking with their eyes. If she needed time, time he would get for her.

"So tell me, Monica, this was all a set up, wasn't it? You knew if you could somehow get the Navy involved, we wouldn't be far behind. But if you are smart enough to get this far, which I have to say your plan is working out beautifully, you have to know backup is on it's way and you are just wasting what little precious time you have left." Monica's eyes lit up at his statement, glad that he was starting to get the picture.

"Well Max, in about two minutes, phase two of the plan will go into effect." Deeks raised his eyebrows at her, wondering if he could get more info out of her.

"Please, do tell. I'm sure it involves killing her and taking me with you. And seeing as we are both tied up, we don't really have a say in it, do we?" As he said it, he heard a little chirp and Monica walked over to the table, checking her phone and her smile grew a little.

"Jose has already taken care of your two friends outside, and is currently getting our getaway car." Deeks pursed his lips together, nodding his head at her.

"Sounds like a well thought out plan. But I'm a little confused here, how did you hook up with Jose? And why would he be so willing to go along with your plan?"

He could see Kensi give the slightest of nods out of the corner of his eye, but he kept his gaze on Monica, not wanting to draw attention to Kensi. He cleared his throat, giving her their sign that he got the message.

"Come on now, Max. You didn't really think I would let all of those diamonds go, did you?" Deeks licked his lips and tilted his head at her.

"A smart girl like you just couldn't do the right thing, would she?" This earned him another punch the stomach, and he heard Kensi almost growl at the man who hit him. He discretely winked at her, letting her know he was okay.

"A smart girl would do exactly what I did. Stash a few away for a rainy day. So that's what I did. Came to the club one night, looking for a good time, met Jose. Who knew he would have an affinity for diamonds?" She smiled at Deeks, walking over to him now and sat in his lap, putting her arms around his neck. Kensi narrowed her eyes at the scene unfolding in front of her. Monica would get what was coming to her, if for no other reason than getting too friendly with her partner.

"And it turns out, he and I make excellent business associates. There's nothing romantic there, you don't have to worry about that, Max, but we both had grievances to settle with NCIS. Did you know you guys killed his cousin about a year ago? Well, he's been looking for retribution ever since. And, we know what I was looking for. So, here we are!" She almost squealed at the end, and leaned over, kissing his cheek. He could see Kensi giving him the signal that she was almost ready to carry out her plan, and judging by her gaze Monica was the first person she was going after.

Monica pulled back and looked at Deeks, turning his face so he was looking at her instead of Kensi.

"She can't help you, Max. I can. You and I can walk out of here and leave all of this behind. Where was it that you wanted to go? Montenegro? We can do that, baby. We can run away and just be together." She was stroking his cheek, and Deeks just stared at her, shaking his head.

"No, Monica, we can't do that. I am not Max. I am Marty Deeks, Detective with the LAPD, partner to one Bad-Ass Kensi Blye with NCIS. Max Gentry... that's not who I am. That's an alias I made up. And I'm sorry I hurt you like I did, but I'm not leaving with you."

Monica was fuming, but didn't let it show. Instead, she climbed off of Deeks' lap and walked over to Kensi, punching her in the face.

"It's a little different when you can't fight back, huh?" Monica snarled at Kensi before hitting her again. Deeks was seeing red now, the sight of blood on his partner's face as it poured down, dripping off of her chin. Just as he was about to start yelling, he could hear Callen in his ear. He knew Kensi heard the same thing, because her body posture changed minutely, not enough for anyone else to notice, only him.

"Jose's dead, Deeks. We're coming in."

Kensi gave Deeks the nod, letting him know it was time. As Monica raised her fist again to punch Kensi, Kensi raised her arm to block it, much to the shock of Monica.

"What the hell?" Monica screamed at her while Kensi stood, suddenly being the attacker instead of the attackee.

"Maybe you should teach your boys how to tie a girl up." Kensi advanced on her and Monica did her best to block the well aimed kicks and punches, but Kensi had the element of surprise on her side and was using it to her advantage.

When Kensi had raised her arm, Deeks had stood up in the chair as much as he could, angling to the side towards the big man who had kept hitting him and propelled himself towards him, knocking him to the ground, the chair breaking. Deeks' hands were still tied behind his back, but he could now stand tall and move around better. He saw the big man roll and draw his gun, and Deeks slammed into him again, headbutting him this time before rolling and kicking the gun out of his hand. The gun slid over next to Kensi, and Deeks saw Monica starting to get the upper hand in their fight. Before he could lend a hand to his partner, there was still Mendoza to take care of.

Deeks whipped his head around, trying to find him when he felt the barrel of a gun against his side. Deeks stopped moving and looked over just in time to see Monica land a punch to Kensi's face, knocking her out. Kensi fell to the floor, her head making a loud whacking sound as it hit.

"KENSI!" Deeks yelled her name, needing her to wake up. As soon as he yelled her name, he heard Sam in his ear talking.

"Hold on, Deeks. Almost there. These people have more locks on the doors and bad guys waiting for us. If you can, tell us what happened." He could hear a few more shots followed by silence and then Callen's voice. "They are persistent, I'll give 'em that."

"Alright Monica. Now that you've knocked Kensi out cold and I've got a guy holding a gun to me, what's your plan now? Because I'm pretty sure Jose would have been here by now to give you the sign that it's time to leave, and that hasn't happened." He had said enough to let Callen and Sam know their status and he heard their acknowledgement.

"Always have a back up plan, Max. You taught me that." Feeling confident that Kensi was still out, Monica walked up to her and pulled her leg back, landing a kick to her ribs. Deeks yelled, hearing the crack of ribs.

"Monica, stop it!" His voice cut through, and Monica turned.

"You care about her?" Her eyes were hard and she leaned down, picking up the discarded gun, pointing it at him.

"She's my partner, of course I care about her." He tried keeping his voice neutral, but his eyes kept flicking towards the groaning woman on the floor.

"Ah, but I think there's much more to this story, isn't there? She's your weakness. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you two were in love." She narrowed her eyes at him, watching him.

"Well?" She tilted her head at him, waiting for his answer. When he continued to look at Kensi, she punched him. "TELL ME!"

Deeks groaned, hearing Callen and Sam say they were about to enter the room. As he straightened up, Monica had made her way back to Kensi, pulling her leg back again to kick her. This time, right before her foot made contact, Kensi rolled over, knocking Monica onto the floor. Monica twisted around just as Callen and Sam entered the room, all of them now facing Monica who was holding Kensi, again, at gunpoint.

It was quite the stand off. Sam had his gun trained on Monica, Callen's pointed at Mendoza. Mendoza was starting to sweat, knowing this wasn't going to end well. His eyes darted between Monica and Callen, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, in a rare show of defeat, he put the gun down, letting Deeks go. Callen moved forward quickly, untying Deeks' hands and moving towards Mendoza. Deeks picked up his Beretta, pointing it at Monica.

"Let her go, Monica." His voice was hard and Monica moved behind Kensi a little more, trying to get out of the line of sight. "It's over, Monica. Let her go."

"You won't shoot me, Max." She smiled at him as she raised her eyebrows, daring him.

"I'm not telling you again, Monica. My name is Marty Deeks. Now, put the gun down." He quickly calculated the distance between Kensi and Monica, knowing if he pulled the trigger it was going to be close. Based on their location, he could tell Sam and Callen didn't have a shot, and if this went down, Deeks was going to have to be deadly accurate. He took a breath, looking at Kensi.

"Do it." Her voice was steady, her eyes telling him she trusted him.

"Monica, last chance. Put it down and we walk out of here. Continue, and you won't be." He put his finger on the trigger, seeing the change in her stance.

"Oh, Max." She moved her finger to shoot Kensi and Deeks took the shot, hitting her in the forehead inches from Kensi's body. Monica stood there, disbelief registering on her face, before falling to the ground, taking Kensi with her.

Deeks rushed over, putting the gun down, knowing Sam and Callen would take care of everything else right now. He fell to his knees, pulling Kensi close to him, rocking her gently while she held onto him. He pulled back for a minute, looking her over.

"Are you okay? I mean, I know you aren't okay, but…"

"Deeks, I'm okay. As okay as I can be right now, anyway." She sat up a little more, taking some pressure off her surely broken ribs, but Deeks wasn't ready to let go of her yet. He stood up, helping her to her feet before bringing her back into his arms. She didn't complain, leaning against him and loosely wrapping her arms around his middle.

Callen was in the process of securing Mendoza and Sam was kneeling down next to Monica checking for a pulse. Kensi glanced over at the big man Deeks had taken out first. In the blink of an eye, she saw his eyes open and pull a gun, aiming it at Deeks.

Kensi reacted, pushing Deeks to the floor just as he fired, missing them. Callen and Sam were both pulling their guns to fire back but Kensi beat them to it. In an instant, she had grabbed Deeks' Berretta and pulled the trigger before anyone else, him included, could get a shot off.

Deeks looked around, making sure no one else was going to pull any surprises on them. When he saw the LAPD coming through the door, he laid his head back down on the floor, his heart hammering in his chest. Kensi laid there next to him, rolling her head to the side and looking at him. He had a cut over his eye and a bruise on his cheek, but his eyes were sparkling at her.

"You look like crap, Kensalina." She snorted, grabbing her ribs and sucking in air.

"You don't look so good yourself there, Deeks." His hand found hers, linking their fingers together. He took in her injuries, multiple cuts and bruises on her face, the finger marks starting to show on her neck.

"I'm okay, Deeks." Instead of answering her, he brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing it before laying it over his chest.

"You're not, neither one of us are right now, but we will be." He repeated the words he had said earlier to her, never imagining their night would have ended up like this.

After a minute of laying there looking at each other, they both turned at the same time, helping each other up off the floor. Their hands stayed together as they made their way outside. EMS was there waiting, and both of them signed a refusal to treat paper. Deeks had put up a fight when Kensi was signing hers, her ribs needing medical attention. Kensi had scoffed at him, telling him she had had worse than this.

Callen and Sam walked out and straight for them.

"So, Monica huh?" Deeks shuddered at Sam's words.

"Yeah, Monica."

"Any other crazies we need to know about that might be coming out of the woodwork?" Callen had a smirk on his face as Deeks shook his head, smiling a little.

"Well, with my amazing track record, there's always the chance someone else is desperate to be with me and coming up with elaborate plans to do just that, because really guys, this-"he pointed to his body, 'this is irresistable."

"Think again, Casanova." Kensi was shaking her head at him while Sam and Callen groaned.

"What?" He lifted his shoulders up, looking at the group, the people he considered family.

"I don't think irresistible is the word I'd use there. Anyway, you two, take the next few days off. Heal up. Reports can wait a few days." Callen glanced between the two partners, noticing how close they were sitting to each other. He hoped whatever limbo they were in right now, personally, would work itself out soon. They needed each other, and everyone in OSP could see how much stronger they were together. They had had a rough start, and just as they had started figuring out their infamous thing Kensi had been reassigned to Afghanistan. Since she had been back, he could see the change in them, and frankly, he was getting tired of the back and forth. 'I should just lock them in a closet.'

Sam could see his partner's mind working as he looked at Kensi and Deeks. He knew what he was thinking - that they should hurry up and figure it out. His mind flashed to Michelle, remember the trials and tribulations they had gone through before making their relationship work. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't something that happened overnight, but the roller coaster they had taken to get to where they were now - happily married, a family - well, it was worth it.

Sam walked over, putting his hand on Deeks' shoulder.

"You guys take care of each other. You two did good in there." Deeks and Kensi both nodded their heads at him and watched as the senior agents walked away, talking to LAPD about what had happened. Deeks turned to Kensi, waiting for her to look at him.

"So, you ready to blow this popsicle stand?" Kenso smiled at him, nodding her head. "In that case, how about my place, burgers and ice packs?"

"Sounds good to me. Really good."

The both knew that after tonight, the nights ahead of them would be long and filled with new nightmares. But they had each overcome some personal demons they had been fighting, only this time, instead of alone they had slain them together. The light of the new days ahead were starting to shine a little brighter, the hope of good times finally overtaking the bad.

AN - okay, this chapter makes me nervous. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it, good or bad...but hopefully good?