Venus Rising

By Phillydi

Chapter Fourteen

I'm just a computer geek. What do I know about love? But there are days when I look over at Nell and I realize there is so much more to life than just encryption programs, character encodings and securing hard drives. When we talk shop I see the brilliance in her eyes but she's really just a girl with hopes and dreams like every other woman who wants to be loved. I wonder sometimes if her dreams include me. I try to sneak a glance whenever she's working at her station and fantasize what it would be like to be the man in her life. Sure, I'm protective of my partner, particularly when she goes out in the field….but mainly I keep my thoughts to myself. If Nell knew how I truly felt about her she would freak out. Women are amazing creatures and much more interesting than computers. I just wish they would let us in on some of their secrets…. it sure would make life a heck of a lot easier for a hack like me who doesn't have a clue!

Deeks helped Kensi to the front door and found the keys in her back pocket. He wrapped his left arm firmly around her waist and tried to balance her sagging body up against his as he pushed the key into the lock. Kensi was humming Mamas Don't Let You're Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys and then broke into the refrain at the top of her lungs.

"'Cos they'll never stay home and they're always alone. Even with someone they looooove."

"Aw, Kensi! You're going to wake up the neighborhood, for god's sake!" Deeks grumbled and quickly pushed her through the double doors.

"We had so much fun!" she sang and twirled around the living room floor knocking into the coffee table and tumbling up against Deeks again. He barely caught her in time before she took another spill.

"Guess what I did?" she asked slurring her words and clutching both of his arms firmly for support.

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Deeks mumbled to himself as he tried to guide her over to the couch.

"I danced all night long!" She started to count on her fingers, staring at each digit intensely. "There was Jerry and then there was Billy and Randy and oh, Joe…can't forget Joe!" she cried.

"God forbid," Deeks responded sarcastically.

"And you know what? None of them was named Marty!" She poked him in the chest a few times and plopped her felt cowboy hat on top of his head.

"Yeah, that's because Marty was doing his job instead of calling out sick….which is where you should have been, Fern," Deeks removed the hat and threw it on the coat rack. He proceeded to scoop her up in his arms and drop her unceremoniously onto the couch.

"My name's not Fern! Did I ever tell you how much I hate that name?" she hiccupped and landed on the pillows with a lopsided grin on her face.

"You don't say," Deeks snapped. He was in a foul mood and didn't feel like attending to his tipsy partner, especially this early in the morning. He continued to ignore her ramblings and leaned over to remove her shoes. Where the hell were Jerry, Billy, Randy and Joe when you needed them?

"Uh oh! Marty's angry at Kensi, isn't he?" Kensi wiggled her finger at Deeks. "Are you angry at me?" she asked again and giggled.

Deeks propped his hands on his hips but didn't answer her. Damn right he was angry and not only that but he was hurt. She could stay out all night and be swept off her feet by every passing guy in a cowboy bar but she couldn't even pretend to try and love him when he declared his feelings for her yesterday. So this is what jealousy felt like! He turned on his heels and decided to make himself useful before he put his fist through a wall. Deeks headed into the kitchen to find the ingredients to whip up a hangover remedy. He knew Kensi was going to have one hell of a headache when the liquor wore off and it wasn't going to be pretty. But she deserved this one. Besides, he was too pissed off at her right now to talk and she was too drunk to listen.

Deeks could hear Kensi as she sang and chatted all by herself in the other room. He couldn't help smile despite his anger. He had never seen her so carefree and abandoned. That must have been some girl's night out. And what the hell were they celebrating about, anyway? Hetty had a lot to answer for….not to mention an apology for dumping a pleasantly inebriated Kensi into his lap!

Deeks mixed a few measured ingredients into a glass that included lemon juice, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce, an egg and a quarter cup of lager. It was an old family recipe his mom use to make for his dad. Just the smell of the cocktail sent him straight back to uglier times. Deeks couldn't remember the last time he found himself drunk but on the rare occasions he tied one on, he woke up hating himself in the morning. He tried to avoid doing anything that reminded him of his father. The further he could distance himself from the old man, the better. Deeks stirred the spoon through the mixture and walked back into the living room.

"Here, drink this," he said handing the glass over to Kensi who smelled the tart sauces and wrinkled her nose.

"I'd rather have a scotch and soda, please," Kensi said as she eyed the drink suspiciously and pushed it back at him.

"Yeah, and I'd rather be surfing in Hawaii. Drink it," Deeks ordered and forced her to take the glass back.

Kensi smiled seductively up at Deeks before quickly downing the concoction.

"Eweeew! That's terrible! What's in…?" Kensi suddenly grabbed her stomach and leaned forward. "Oh God! Deeks. I think I'm going to be ….." Kensi retched once directly in front of him and groaned loudly.

Deeks closed his eyes afraid to look down at his shoes. She stumbled clumsily to her feet and fled into the bathroom. The sound of Kensi being sick echoed down the hall and through the house.

"Works every time," Deeks marveled and followed his indisposed partner into the bathroom. He knelt down and pulled Kensi's hair away from her face as she squatted next to the toilet. Her face had turned ashen and pale and her moans became louder as she continued to empty the rest of the contents of her stomach into the bowl. Deeks sat up on the edge of the tub tenderly stroking her head and holding her hair back until she was spent.

"Oh God," Kensi sobbed and tried to lift her head. "The room is spinning! I'm going to die, aren't I?" she cried as she grabbed one of Deeks' arms. "Please tell me I'm not going to die!"

Deeks' lips teetered on the edge of a grin but he managed to keep a stern look on his face. "You're not going to die, Fern, but I guarantee you're going to wish you never walked into that bar last night." He lifted Kensi to her feet and she closed her eyes to stop the dizziness. Deeks found a wash cloth and swabbed her face with cool water as Kensi sighed enjoying the refreshing feel of the towel on her face.

"Come on, let's get you into bed," Deeks said.

"If I wasn't so sick, I'd say you were using my condition to take advantage of me."

"Of course. It's a well-known fact a man can't wait to get a woman into bed after she's thrown up on him," Deeks rolled his eyes. "Very romantic, by the way."

Deeks realized Kensi wasn't going to be able to put one foot in front of the other let alone walk down the hall. He once again lifted her effortlessly into his arms and felt her head fall quickly onto his chest like a rag doll. He hastily found his way to her bedroom, sat her down gently on the bed and began to unbutton her shirt and unfastened the bolero from around her neck. He slipped them both off her torso and pushed her back onto the bed and continued to remove the rest of her clothing. It wasn't easy undressing a dead weight but Kensi gave no resistance as he pulled her jeans down over her trim hips and legs. He tucked the covers softly around the curves of her body and his heart began to beat erratically as he looked back down at his exhausted partner. He pulled a strand of hair away from Kensi's eyes and lingered a few seconds longer to let his fingers rest on the side of her face. His entire body hummed with arousal. He loved her with every fiber of his soul and would die protecting her if he had to. She just would never be his to love, his to cherish, his for the rest of all time. He gave a long sigh and straightened himself up to leave. He stood by the door and switched off the light. Deeks began to close the door behind him when he heard Kensi shift forward in the bed.

"Deeks?"

"Go to sleep, Kensi."

"I love you," she murmured quietly, almost to herself. Her eyes were half-closed as she turned to bury her head back into the pillow.

Deeks was frozen in time and couldn't move. His heart did a back flip and he gripped the doorknob so tightly that his hand began to cramp. He couldn't believe it had taken a night of drinking to finally get Kensi to open up and say the words he had always longed to hear. A slow grin spread across his face. He didn't know if it was for real or not but he'd take it. Deeks felt the shadows lift from his soul for the first time in days.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He stole a final glance at the quiet figure in the bed and shut the door behind him He answered the call as he hurried down the hall.

"Callen?"

"Deeks, what's your location?" Callen called out.

"I'm at Kensi's house, why?"

"Meet us back at the Mission, fast. We think Mac's been taken from the house. She's gone."

"What the hell do you mean she's gone, Callen?" Deeks cried out.

"Long story. You and Kensi need to get back here, now." The phone went dead.

"Shit!" Deeks groaned. He stood stationary in the middle of the living room floor and finally decided to leave Kensi a note to join them as soon as she woke up. He checked in one last time on his partner, closed up the house and raced to join the rest of the team.

Eric awoke suddenly when his palm slipped off his chin and fell onto his lap. He had stayed faithfully by his post the entire evening, positive that at any minute they would receive a response from the encrypted message he had sent to Lieutenant Nunez through his son's computer. Most of the night he waited for a hit from the coding program and in between he daydreamed about Nell. He wished he could imitate the kind of swagger that Sam always talked about. If only he had the confidence to tell her how he felt. It was one of the drawbacks of being a geek.

All brains and no brawn, he lamented and cupped his palm under his chin again.

Eric decided to head to the kitchen to get the morning brew going when his monitor began to beep. He rushed back to his station and displayed the colorful image on the large screen in the middle of the room. The computer's interactive game was pinging off the charts! A string of letters, spaces and punctuation filled the screen. Eric began to encrypt the message as it replayed over and over again.

WATKINS WAS SET UP…. BE CAREFUL

"Well, I'll be damn… we did it!" Eric cried out and rubbed his hands together in excitement. He couldn't wait for the others to get into work!

Within an hour, the Mission was buzzing with activity. Hetty and Nell came straight into the office after receiving the first alert from Callen. Eric had sent out BOLOs on everyone involved with the case. Airports and borders had been alerted along with other government and city officials. What was left of the team gathered around the table at Ops weighing their next move in the search and rescue mission to find Mac.

"There has been no communication from Mac or her kidnappers since we checked in with her at one am this morning," Callen said.

"When we tried to make contact with her again around four, there was no response," Sam added. "The place was quiet."

"Oh and…. what?" Deeks spat. "She just calmly walked out of the house and down the street in the middle of the night with her captors?" Deeks was in a rage. "She could be hurt or even dead by now!"

"Please relax, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said trying to calm the detective. "Were there any signs of a struggle in the house?" she asked her agents.

"We found her ear wig on the couch pillow," Sam replied. "Other than that the house was clean, not even a sign of a break-in."

"Eric, are you sure that's the only message you were able to encrypt? Would there be anything else hidden in that game?" Callen was grabbing at straws.

Eric looked at the team leader and shook his head sadly. "That was all of it, Callen. I think the Lieutenant either didn't have much time or didn't want to be caught."

Deeks paced the floor in front of the large screen.

"She was right and she knew they would come back," Deeks said thinking out loud making a fist in the air. "But why? Nunez is warning us that something big is at stake here. The question is…if Watkins was set up… who is it that is trying to keep this information a secret?"

"The CIA wants to know the answer to that question as well, Deeks," Granger said walking into Ops as the doors closed behind him. "If you're all finished here, meet me in the Boathouse, Hetty and I'll bring Agent Brooks from the CIA there to confer with your team."

Mac moaned and tried to lift her head but the overwhelming weakness brought on by the sweet smelling anesthetic kept her from moving. She had been drugged and carried away like a sack of potatoes. The last thing she remembered was closing her eyes for a few minutes and laying down on the sofa for a brief nap. Now she was in a bed that reeked of body odor and was covered with blankets that probably hadn't seen a washing machine in years. She looked about the room but it was dark and there was only a sliver of light shining from beneath the threshold of the door. She was initially awakened by two voices arguing in Arabic and her instinct told her she was probably the topic of that discussion. The house shook with the banging of a door and the air was quiet again except for the occasional chirping of crickets outside. Suddenly she heard footsteps approach her room and the door creaked opened slowly. She closed her eyes again and pretended to be asleep. Mac waited for the figure to approach her.

"Who are you?" the voice whispered into her ear. Mac didn't move at first and waited a few seconds before answering.

"Do you always kidnap women you don't know?" she answered in return, slowly opening her eyes.

"I know you are not my wife."

Mac relaxed, turned her head slowly and looked up into the face of Lieutenant Luis Nunez.

"Good to see you are still alive and well Lieutenant," Mac groaned as she tried to lift her body off the mattress. "I'm Agent Macaela McGlone…. NCIS."

Deeks walked out onto the deck of the Boathouse and gripped the steel railing that wrapped around the stern. The rhythmic lapping of the water against the pier soothed his battered spirit. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. The warming rays of the sun shimmered across the bay, blinding his view of the boats docked directly across from where he was standing. He wasn't out there for the scenery, so it really didn't matter. He just needed to clear his head of the confusion and turmoil he'd gone through since Mac had returned into his life. His heart was torn in two. Should he trust Mac again or should he continue to wait for Kensi's commitment? Everything changed now that Mac was missing. His only priority was getting her back safely to the team. His tattered love life and a possible future together would have to wait. Deeks was scared for Mac and he was anxious to be out on the streets searching for her. She was a good cop and a good negotiator. If she had to, he believed she could talk her way out of a dangerous situation like this. But these people would kill to keep whatever it is they needed hidden. The longer the team waited, the harder it would be to bring her back alive.

He could hear the muted voices of his colleagues as they sat inside the Boathouse waiting for Granger and Agent Brooks. This was a joint mission now and the agencies were gathering to share information. He didn't trust Granger for a lot of reasons and was afraid he would have no vested interest in saving Mac. Why should he? He didn't hire her and as far as he was concerned she was collateral damage. At least Deeks was certain that Callen and the rest of the team wouldn't let him get away with it and would do everything in their power to rescue her. With a man like Granger you never knew what angle he was playing and how it would suit his needs. Deeks heard the portal open and close.

"Deeks, are you alright?" Callen joined him on deck.

"Not really," Deeks answered truthfully and avoided looking at the senior agent.

"We'll find her. You got to believe that," Callen pleaded. "I know this happened on my watch and you have every right to blame me but you know I'll do whatever it takes to get her back."

"I don't blame you, Callen," Deeks calmly corrected him. "But I know how these hostage situations go down. She only stays alive for as long as they need her," Deeks became quiet thinking of what fate had in store for Mac. Callen didn't answer right away either, his thoughts were also focused on their missing Psych Ops.

"You know, I keep feeling that whoever took her was a pro," Callen said shaking his head. "They got in and out without me and Sam even knowing she was gone."

"Yeah, they knew what they were doing alright," Deeks stared out over the bay and became very still. His brain was processing his words intently and then it hit him.

"That's it! They knew what they were doing!" Deeks exclaimed and hit the railing with the palm of his hand. He turned to face Callen. "What kind of person has that type of special training?"

Callen's eyes widen as he began to follow Deeks' reasoning.

"Nunez!" They shouted in unison and raced back into the interior of the Boathouse to find Sam and Hetty.

I'm afraid Mr. Deeks is a bit put out with me. There is always a method to my madness and if I have to push some people in a direction they don't want to go, then so be it. A decision needs to be made in order to put an end to his torment. Owen is already breathing down my back about office decorum and the behavior of my staff. He's a fool to think he can dictate how and where individuals fall in love. Since the beginning of time people have followed their hearts with no regards to the consequences. Our drive is strong to mate and bond with a person we love…and when you find your twin flame, only death will end the desire to consummate this connection. Even then, I believe love returns over many lifetimes to start the process over and over again. This love triangle has danced the exact same pirouette throughout many centuries and once again it must come to a conclusion. I wish they could all find happiness but if Mr. Deeks chooses one over the other then this outcome won't provide a very happy ending for one of them. A very wise man once said that some of us think holding on makes us stronger but sometimes strength comes in letting go. Someone must be the stronger one here and…. let go.

Owen was right about one thing, I have always had Mr. Deeks' best interests at heart ever since I found this extraordinary young boy in the detention center of child protective services. He impressed me with his wide smile, quick wit, and big heart but I saw the drive and ambition in his eyes as well. He was a big dreamer and I swore to nourish and protect his dreams until they brought him sunshine and light or in this case… gun power. I will not step in and try to influence the outcome of this love affair. After Dr. McGlone's disappearance today my soul is heavy. It is for the fates now to decide. And sometimes the fates can be cruel.