Two weeks later…

Kensi awoke to the most beautiful sunrise she had ever seen. Heavy clouds from an impending storm stretched as far as the eye could see, seeming to swallow the mountains whole. Thin rays of sunlight broke through clouds, illuminating the thick layer of freshly fallen snow, making the land appear to be made of a million diamonds.. It was amazing. She sighed contently and nestled herself further into Deeks arms. The warmth of his body enveloped her and for a brief moment she felt nothing but pure bliss.

That moment, however, was shattered when her laptop chimed, alerting her to a message from Callen. She eased herself out from under Deeks arm, grabbed her laptop and headed out into the living room. She took a seat on the couch and opened her chat program. It was a video message.

She clicked on the accept button, "Hey Callen. Why the early morning call?"

Callen's picture kept fading in and out and was very staticy, "K…i. …et….ut…..se."

"You are breaking up too bad," she said. "I can't hear you." She got up from the couch and headed over to the window, hoping for better reception. She knew that the storm clouds often interfered with the connection, but she had never seen it this bad. "Say that again."

Callen's picture faded in and out once more as he spoke, "…id…..s…..ere….et… ..t….he…..se….ow"

"Callen I can't understand you," she said with a frustrated sigh. "Look we have a storm coming in. Call back in a few hours and maybe we will get a better connection then."

"…si…o….id…..s…ere…..g…..ot…..n…." Callen replied.

Kensi just rolled her eyes and closed the computer. If she couldn't understand him, then he couldn't understand her, so there was no sense in wasting her breath. She headed into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. Thanks too Callen she was up for the day. What on earth was so important that he had to call her this early in the damn morning? As the coffee pot began to drip Kensi unloaded the dishwasher and wiped off the counters from the night before. If Hetty knew what they had done on those counters she would probably burn the place to the ground. Kensi smiled to herself at the fond memory.

"What are you smiling about?" Deeks asked sleepily from behind her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her gently on the neck.

"About how Hetty would react if she knew what we have been doing in her guest house," she teased.

"That is a thought that frightens me. She would probably burn the house down… with us in it."

Kensi laughed and turned around so that she could face Deeks, "did you sleep well last night?"

He gave her a quick peck on the lips, "like a rock."

Deeks hadn't had many night terrors since they moved into the guest house. The few that he did have weren't nearly as bad as the ones he was having several months ago. Kensi kissed him playfully on the lips and then danced just out of his reach before he could grab her, "I need my coffee," she teased.

Deeks grabbed two cups from the cupboard, "you are mean."

Kensi laughed, "so what are you going to do about it?"

"You'll see," he said slyly as he slid a steaming cup of coffee toward her.

"I look forward to it," she purred.

A knock at the door pulled them from their flirtatious banter. Kensi rolled her eyes and trudged unhappily to the door. What is wrong with people? Why does everyone insist on make such early morning calls? She yanked the door open, expecting to see Sam or Michelle standing there. She was not expecting to see Siderov by any means. She gasped as her heart leapt into her throat.

"Hello dear," he growled, lifting his gun and pointing it directly in her face. He pushed himself into the house and closed the door behind him, never taking his gun off of Kensi, "let's take a little walk shall we?" He hissed as he wrapped his arm around her neck and gave it a painful squeeze.

"Hey Kens," Deeks said with his head stuck in the refrigerator door. "Who is it?"

"Marty Deeks," Siderov said with a dangerous edge to his voice. "How nice to see you again."

Deeks' body tensed and he slowly turned to face the source of the voice. His wide eyes glassed over and he took a step back, dropping the gallon of milk he was holding in his hand, spilling all over the floor.

"Deeks," Kensi choked out. "Deeks run!"

"Shut up you little whore," Siderov barked, tightening his grip around Kensi neck and cutting off precious blood flow.

Deeks was frozen in fear. He couldn't take his eyes off of Siderov or the fact that Siderov had Kensi, "what do you want?" Deeks asked weakly.

Siderov tightened his grip around Kensi's neck and she struggled against his hold, but he was too strong for her. "I want to play Marty. Do you want to play? I already have Sam…he's waiting for you."

"Will you let her go?" The question was simple, but Kensi was shocked at how calmly he had asked it.

"Of course Marty," Siderov cooed. "Of course I will let her go. I just want to finish what I started."

"Deeks, no," Kensi choked. "No."

Siderov tightened his grip around Kensi's neck and spots began to dance before her eyes, "because of you and your little friend, I lost out on a deal of a lifetime. All my buyers want my head on a pike. I'm a dead man walking Mr. Deeks. I have nothing to lose. So what do you say?"

"Okay," he said sadly.

Kensi wanted to scream. She wanted to fight, but she had gone too long without oxygen and blood flow and her body refused to cooperate any longer. She went limp in Siderov's arms and he let go of her neck and she crashed to the floor with a painful thud and as the world darkened around her the only thought that went through her mind was, please God let this be a nightmare. Please.