The big, black, SUV was parked across the street from the club called Ponds; inside the two occupants sat, studiously watching the door. There was a fairly steady flow of people entering, some in groups, some singles, but not the couple for whom they were waiting. Though it was night, the club's signage gave off enough ambient light to id the entrants; however both residents of the SUV felt they could have picked out their respective partners in the dark; it was a partner's thing.

"I don't like this Sam," Kensi fretted chewing at the corner of her thumb. "Them in there. Us out here." If something goes wrong..."

Sam had to agree with her; this was not how he liked to operate. However, in this case it had to be this way; he and Kensi couldn't blend in easily past those doors. Sam hated undercover operations when he was separated from his team mates because if something went wrong, someone usually got hurt.

Finally, Callen and Deeks strolled into view from the direction of the parking garage where they had left Callen's black Mercedes. As much as Sam hated to admit it, he was impressed at how well Deeks was meshing with Callen on this assignment. Deeks and Callen had worked together as part of the four person team, but the two blondes never had to work this close; posing as a couple.

"Damn their good," Kensi grudgingly admitted echoing Sam's unspoken thoughts.

The two men weren't being overtly obvious such as holding hands, yet their body language suggested 'couple' and the occasional seemingly unconscious touch, gesture, head tilt, and glance clinched the deal.

"I always knew Callen was good at becoming anyone; I'm not even sure I know the real Callen, but who knew Deeks had it in him," Kensi marveled.

Sam gave a small smile "Hetty. She always knows."

Kensi nodded in agreement. "She does, doesn't she?" The brunette went back to worrying her thumb. "Still I don't like this Op. In order for this to work, Callen has to let himself be captured and Deeks has to ensure he doesn't get himself killed."

Callen's voice came in over their ear wigs. "We're about to enter the club."

"Roger that. We have eyes on you," Kensi acknowledged.

"Where are your eyes Fern? Exactly what are they focused on because you know I'm spoken for." Deeks ran his hand down Callen's back in an intimate gesture that appeared to end in a light butt squeeze.

"Did he just do what I think he did? Callen will get even for that," Sam predicted.

"See what I have to deal with? At least for once it wasn't me." Sam and Kensi exchanged uncomfortable glances. "Yeah that sounded weird."

"Hey Callen," she said thru the comm link. "If he gets to fresh, I find a heel to the toe of his boot or a good old groin kick is a great attitude adjuster."

"Appreciate the advice," Callen thanked her sincerely with a slight smirk as Deeks groaned.

NCIS had gotten involved in this case when Lt Frank Springer, stationed in San Diego, had disappeared while on vacation in LA with his lover Tony. In talking to his friends and family, the team had discovered that he was gay. His trail had led them to this nightclub which was frequented by the said community called Ponds.

At first it was suspected that a gang operating out of this club preyed on naval personal who had access to classified data and had a weakness that could be exploited; don't ask, don't tell. Even though the act had been repealed, allowing gays, lesbians and bisexuals to openly serve in the armed forces, many long time career men and woman preferred to keep their orientation private. The people running this club used that against them to extort money and secrets.

Some more digging and inter-agency cooperation had put together a grimmer scenario. More than just naval personnel had been targeted; also wealthy business or anyone that had some sort of value, for which a third person was willing to pay; the common vector was their sexual orientation. When all the separate inter-agency data was correlated it showed a suspicious pattern of 'high value' people entering this night club and never coming out, at least not via the front door.

The team came up with a theory that at some point while in the club, the victim was isolated and taken hostage. Where the hostages were taken, what was done to them and if they were ever released was speculation on the team's part. They thought some of the hostages might have been let go, but for whatever reasons, they weren't stepping forth to seek out the authorities.

There was no way to be sure how many of the employees at the club were involved in this racket besides the owners. Common sense said some based on the success rate to date. Trying to infiltrate the staff was too risky, so, Granger dictated that Callen and Deeks go undercover as the target, posing as a gay couple of 'value'. Sam and Kensi voiced their disapproval as did Hetty. However, the Assistant Director trump card was played and no one's opinions mattered; the Navy wanted to know if they have been compromised by Lt Springer's abduction. Apparently, whatever Lt Springer had access to was worth the potential life of two men, namely Callen and Deeks, to the powers that be. The plan had been made, back-stopped and executed but not without misgivings.

Sam had become familiar with Callen's and Deeks' backstory which was impressively detailed considering the amount of time Nell and Eric had to create it. It made Sam feel better to understand every aspect of an undercover operation; SEALs were always prepared. While he waited outside the club in the car, he reviewed the details in his mind.

Callen's cover was Lieutenant Commander Thomas W Martin who was currently stationed at Naval Weapons Station China Lake managing classified R&D projects. LCDR Martin was career-Navy with an impressive service record that was almost cut short due to injuries received during a mission. While his injuries didn't end his career, they did get him transferred to a state-side desk job at China Lake. His country was now using his knowledge of naval tactics to advance the technology that was put in the field. He was a well-respected, tough but fair, single, never-married, and no kids. He was also gay and he preferred it stayed a secret.

Deeks' cover was Gary Ulrich, civilian computer programmer also stationed at China Lake; also gay; also choosing to remain under the radar. Even though there were differences between the men, civilian verses uniform, younger verses older, reserved verses out going, they had hit it off first as friends and later as lovers. While they worked at the same base, they didn't work on the same projects so it was easy to keep their relationship discreet; something both man craved for their own personal reasons. CDR Martin felt it would affect his career no matter what the Navy said and Gary had been harassed on the East coast and had moved west for a clean start.

When the two went out together, it was never anywhere near where they lived or worked. In a few years, after Tom retired, the couple, assuming they were still together, planned to relocate and start a new and openly gay life together. Going to this club was a break in how they normally operated; but it was Gary's birthday and he wanted to do something special so with some misgivings, Tom had agreed they could drive the 150 miles to LA where they would celebrate. This bar, Ponds, had been recommended by an online group that Gary frequented.

Coming back to the present, Sam checked his watch. The two men had entered the club twenty minutes ago. "I hate waiting. No telling how long it will take for them to be targeted, if it even happens."

Callen went all business the moment they entered the club, snugging Deeks up close as they made their way to the bar. Finding two empty stools, the guys perched on them and ordered beers and shots. Callen handed over his credit card to pay for the drinks and the bartender turned his back on the agents as he ran it thru the reader before returning it.

In a back room of the club, the name and number came up on screen. "He's here," the man called out as he examined the data. A few more clicks had LCDR Martin's driver license displayed on the screen. A second man walked over and confirmed the data.

"Which one?"

The man behind the laptop got up and tapped one of the clubs security monitors. "This one. The older, short-haired blond."

The second man watched the screen for a few minutes. "Are we sure the Intel is good?"

"Yes. Very sure. LCDR Martin is heading up a research project that would be of great interest to some of our clients."

"And the man with him?"

"Gary Ulrich. Computer programmer. They have been lovers for about five years."

The second man ran his hand over his beard. "Is he of any value?"

"Not really."

"Fine. There is always room in the desert for one more body. Alert the team. Wait for the opportunity, then let's take our LCDR for a little ride."

As the night wore on, Callen and Deeks did what was expected of a happy couple out on the town to celebrate a birthday. They moved from the bar to a table for two where they ordered a bottle of champagne and some upscale appetizers to munch on. They danced to a few upbeat songs as a way to move about and case the club, but by unspoken, mutual agreement, seemed to need a break when the slow songs were spun. Even though they were cleverly decreasing the volume in the champagne bottle without actually drinking it, Callen still made multiple trips to the men's room alone, figuring it would give them a good opportunity to snatch him.

After his latest trip, Callen slid into the table next to Deeks and held out his hand for inspection. "If I wash my hands one more time, I'm going to have to get a moisturizer."

Deeks gazed off into the distance, lost in a thought. "Kensi has a great moisturizer. It smells like fresh apples."

Callen cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "Are you cheating on me Gary?"

Knowing he was being chastised for dropping out of character, Deeks reached over and ran his hand down the side of Callen's face. "Never. She sits next to me at work. She lent some to me one day when my palm was dry."

Callen chose not to pursue that line of thought and instead looked over the crowd again. His right hand was under the table, resting on his thigh when he felt it start to tremble. He quickly shoved it in his pocket, no easy feat given the tightness of his jeans.

"I think it is time to cruise the floor once more." Callen stood as a new song was spun up by the DJ.

The dance area was super-crowded at this point and the agents found themselves separated. Callen immediately went on high alert because it seemed to him some of the dancers that had gotten between him and Deeks did so deliberately. He scanned over their heads trying to catch Deeks eye but he was unsuccessful.

Suddenly the club went dark and people screamed, pushed and shoved each other. In the confusion, Callen felt something stick him in the neck; whatever it was acted fast, knocking him unconscious. A man wearing night-vision goggles quickly hoisted him over his shoulder and carried him out a door into the back of the club.

A few seconds later, the soothing voice of the DJ floated thru the darkness asking people to stay calm, ensuring them the problem would be momentarily corrected and it was as the lights and music came back online.

Deeks frantically looked around for Callen but could spot him. Before he could get a word out over the comm link, a large man approached him from the side and clamped a firm hand on his bicep. "If you ever want to see your lover again, walk slowly and calmly with me."

Deeks put a terrified look on his face. "What's this about? Where's Tom? Where are you taking me?"

The intended information made it over the comm link to Sam who went into high alert. "It's happened. They snatched Callen. Eric, where is his location?"

"His button camera is down but his tracker still shows him at the club, Sam."

"Keep an eye on him while we go rescue Deeks," Sam instructed.

The large man escorted Deeks firmly across the club into the hallway that lead to the restrooms. At the end of the corridor was an emergency exit.

"You taking me outside cause I left my coat at the table," Deeks complained. "Also, I think I parked out front not in the back."

Kensi and Sam processed the latest Intel from Deeks and sprinted around the building to where the exit door was located. They were waiting in the shadows watching it open; Deeks and his captor stepped out into the dimly lit alley.

Parked outside the door was a sedan with a large capacity trunk and the man walked Deeks in that direction. He pushed a button on the remote in his hand and the trunk slowly opened.

"We're going for a little ride." Gesturing with the gun, the man indicated Deeks was to climb inside the trunk which was lined with plastic.

"Look I bruise real easily. Can't I ride shotgun. Please?" Deeks pleaded to the man holding the gun pointed at his head.

The man was not amused. "Get in. Don't make me shot you out here. It's much messier to clean up."

Sam crept up behind the thug and pressed the muzzle of his gun against the man's head. "Don't make me pull the trigger. It's messy to clean up," Sam growled.

The man lowered his gun and reaching around, Kensi secured the weapon. Once he was unarmed, Sam cuffed him and moved him quietly away from the club, handing him off to another tactical unit.

"Sam," Eric's voice came in over the comm link. "Their taking Callen away from the club. His GPS tracker is moving north on Vine."

Sam turned to the second tactical unit. "Secure him and get that car out of here. We have to make it look like he is off in the desert shooting Deeks. We need to stay undetected until we can locate the hostages. Kensi, Deeks, Callen's on the move."

The tact team went off to stealthily clean up while Deeks, Sam and Kensi hurried back to the SUV out front.

"Talk to me Eric," Sam commanded sliding behind the wheel and buckling up.

"Still on Vine. We don't have eyes on vehicles. Traffic cameras are down." There was a pause and then Eric swore something the techie rarely did. The team in the car knew this couldn't be good. "Ah Sam, Callen's signal is gone."

"What!" Kensi exclaimed.

"Get it back Eric," Sam demanded.

"Trying." Nell and Eric were working their keyboards frantically trying to get the GPS tracker back online.

Kensi looked over at Sam. "Do you think they found it? Took it off Callen?"

Sam kept staring intensely out the windshield, as if he could make Callen appear by his sheer willpower. "Possibility."

"Don't think so," Nell chimed in. "It seems there is a catastrophic hardware failure in the system, they are doing a hot switchover and should be coming online momentarily."

It was silent in the car except for Sam drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. The moments crept by with no word from the tech team back in Ops. Finally, when Sam was about ready to scream, Eric's voice filled his ear wig. "Ok, system is up and running..."

"Great! Where is he Eric?" Sam interrupted.

Back in Ops Eric grimaced as he stared at his screen. "Ah, his tracker is not coming back online."

Sam slapped the steering wheel with his palm. "You're telling me we don't know where he is!"

Nell cut in. "While the system is operational, they are reporting that it is taking time for the trackers to be reacquired." Nell knew Sam would want the whole truth so she continued. "And there is a possibility Callen's tracker won't come back online, especially if he is inside or in a dead zone."

Hetty, whom heard all this made a decision. "Mr. Hanna, return back to Ops."

Sam shook his head. "No way. I'm staying out here looking for G. I'm not leaving him out here alone."

"Sam," she said gently but firmly, "you don't have a signal. You don't know what type of vehicle he is in. Simply driving around the streets randomly is not productive."

"Fine. I'll go back to that club and force them to tell me where they have taken him," he countered.

"You could. But you don't know who all the players are and one call from a player you aren't aware of could get Callen and all the hostages instantly killed. I know you want to take action Sam, but if it is not the right action you may be signing your partner's death warrant."

Sam exhaled noisily knowing Hetty was right. He hated it, but he knew she was right so he turned the car around and headed back to Ops.