Episode 2.1 - Human Traffic. Part I.
"Where is Marty?" Kensi asks.
Bates sighs. "We don't know."
Kensi feels her heart clench as her worst nightmare comes true. She and Marty may not get the future they have been planning together for so long. The decade she has spent with him is just not enough.
Her chest heaves as she fights to keep control of her emotions. Standing in the familiar apartment they have shared for years, she's bombarded with memories. So many good memories. But not enough.
"Why don't we sit down?" Bates says gently.
She nods and leads him to the kitchen table. She practically collapses onto a chair as Bates sits across from her.
"We're doing everything we can to find him," Bates says.
She takes a deep breath and swallows down her fears. The giant, gaping hole of despair is pulling at her, but she refuses to let go and fall in. She will be strong than that for him. So, she shakes her head and stares the older man down. "Please don't handle me. I need to know what's going on."
He considers her for a moment before nodding. "I came here in the hopes that he would have reached out to you."
She shakes her head. "I haven't heard from him."
"That was evident the moment you opened the door." He sighs. "Your husband was undercover as a dirty lawyer helping a would-be human trafficker buy property to set up safe houses for, well, their products."
She nods. She hadn't known the details, but she had known he was working a human trafficking case. After his last experience with human traffickers, she knows how important this was to him.
"The subject of his assignment was Emilio Ortega and his body guard Luis Fellano." Bates pulls out his phone to show Kensi pictures of both men. "Ortega spent his youth running guns and drugs across the Mexican border. Then he landed in LA and took over a street gang. Our intel told us more recently he was approached by a Serbian names Lasik, who wanted him for his skills to traffic kidnapped women across the US-Mexican border."
Kensi takes an uneven breath as she nods along. "So, he...missed a check in?"
Bates sighs. "Ortega's car blew up around seven last night."
Kensi sucks in a sharp breath as she feels her heart begin to thump in her chest.
Bates holds up a hand and speaks before she has a chance to. "There were two occupants in the car, and we have confirmed they were Ortega and Fellano."
She releases a breath. "So, he wasn't in the car."
"No, he wasn't in the car. But he also hasn't checked in and we can't reach him."
"That would be protocol?" She surmises.
Bates nods. "Exactly." He hesitates for a moment before adding, "We have multiple options for him to make contact discreetly if his cover is still viable and he's somehow onto another player, possibly Lasik."
Kensi feels her heart clench. She doesn't want to ask, but she feels she needs to. "Do you...do you think he's alive?"
He sighs. "I sure as hell hope so."
00
Twenty minutes later, Kensi is on her way to Deeks's precinct. With little convincing, Bates had agreed to read her in on the entire operation. She's more glad than ever that he now knows what she actually does for a living. He had insisted she let him drive her though, and she relented, just not having the energy to argue right now.
It's not until she's in the car that she realizes she's expected at work within minutes. She pulls out her phone and places a call to Hetty.
"Kensi, how are you, my dear?" Hetty answers the phone, letting Kensi know immediately that she knows exactly the state of Kensi's world at current.
"I just need him home," she sort of answers Hetty's question. Because she is not okay. And she won't be okay until she knows her husband is safe and has him home with her. And if he doesn't come home... Well, then, she's never going to be okay again. She swallows hard, forcing down her emotions. "I'm on my way to his precinct with Lieutenant Bates."
"Of course. I just got off the phone with Detective Traynor and I'm about to brief the team. We'll be looking for him, too."
She's not able to keep all of her emotions down at this, knowing this case is not strictly within their jurisdiction. "Thank you, Hetty," she manages to say.
"Mr. Deeks is one of us," Hetty insists. "And he's your family. We will do all we can to bring him home. I already have Mr. Beale looking for any available video surveillance in the area. And as soon as Mr. Hanna and Mr. Callen are aware of the situation, you know they will not rest until he is found."
"Thank you," Kensi says again. "Whatever you need to tell them, tell them. I just...I don't care right now."
"I appreciate that, Kensi. I will divulge your secret if I have to, but I don't want the team distracted with new information and worrying about you. Let's get Mr. Deeks home and then you may tell the team in a happier time, hmm?"
Kensi tries to smile, but it falls flat. What had once been one of her biggest stressors now seems so damn trivial. "I hope so."
Hetty clicks her tongue. "All is not lost, Mrs. Deeks. You remember that."
"I'll try."
They end the call and Kensi puts her phone back in her pocket. Beside her, Bates is quiet, giving her time and space to process what is happening. It's a minute later that she realizes that had been the first time Hetty had ever called her Mrs. Deeks and not Ms. Blye.
Somehow, that made her feel just a little bit better.
00
When Hetty hangs up her call, she makes her way up the stairs to OPs. Callen, Sam, Eric and Nate are already waiting.
"Mr. Beale," she calls, directing the young technical operator to bring the case up onto the big screen.
"Earlier this morning I received a call from the LAPD," she starts, knowing she has the full attention of the team. Callen and Sam glance at each other and then her, clearly noticing Kensi's absence, but aren't about to mention it. "They have lost contact with Detective Deeks. He's been on an extended undercover assignment since he left us."
"How long has he been out of contact?" Callen asks.
"Yesterday afternoon."
"It's kind of soon to be hitting the panic button, isn't it?" Sam asks.
Hetty nods to Eric, who takes over and explains the major players in the assignment, their subsequent deaths in a car bomb the night before, and Deeks's radio silence since the bomb.
"Mr. Deeks's case officer phoned to see if he had been in contact with us. I offered our assistance."
"Is there a military angle to this?" Callen asks.
"No, but Detective Deeks is our liaison officer with the LAPD, which makes him about as close to one of us as it gets." She gives them a moment to let that sink in.
Nate clears his throat. "Where is Kensi?" He asks carefully.
Hetty shares a look of understanding with the psychologist, knowing he is the only other person in the room aware of just who Deeks is to their junior agent. She hears and appreciates the concern in his voice. "Ms. Blye is on her way to Mr. Deeks's precinct," she tells the truth. "She will be read into the case in full by the LAPD. And will be on hand to share information if needed. Meanwhile, Mr. Deeks's case officer, Detective Jess Traynor, will brief you all in the boatshed."
"Wouldn't it be better if Kensi were with us?" Callen asks.
"If we go out in the field, we're already down an agent, and without Kensi we're down two," Sam adds.
Hetty doesn't allow anything to show on her face; like how her junior agent will not be allowed into the field with her husband missing. "If the LAPD can liaise with us, we can liaise with them. Ms. Blye will remain where she is for now. I will get word to her to meet you at the boatshed if possible, but that is all."
They don't question her again.
Hetty follows them down the stairs as they leave for the boatshed. She returns to her desk, knowing she is being followed. "Mr. Getz, what can I do for you?" She asks before turning and seating herself.
He sighs. "Do you want me to go to Deeks's precinct to help Kensi?"
She considers his offer for a moment before shaking her head. "The only way we're going to help Ms. Blye right now is by finding her husband."
"She's alone and she could use support."
"The LAPD take care of their own," Hetty says. "And right now, as Mr. Deeks's wife, she is one of theirs. They will take care of her. She would only be more frustrated here, not allowed into the field and with less information. Not to mention a team that would not understand or be preoccupied by reacting to the news."
"You're not going to tell them?"
"Not if I don't have to. They need to think they're looking for a missing cop. After losing Mr. Vail..." Hetty sighs. "They need to be objective. And I'm afraid knowing who Mr. Deeks really is would only cause them to be distracted."
Nate nods. "I agree."
"Help Eric run his searches for now."
"Okay," he says, before turning and heading back up the stairs.
Alone at her desk, Hetty releases a sigh and shakes her head. "Bugger."
00
When Kensi arrives at the precinct, there is a team of detectives and officers already established with the sole task of finding her husband. She's both impressed and incredibly grateful for their dedication and determination. Some she has met before at LAPD functions and some she doesn't know.
A senior detective, Detective Carter, who Kensi has met a couple times, meets her and Bates as they enter the precinct.
"Any news?" Bates asks.
Carter looks uncomfortably at Kensi and then back to his boss. "Not yet, Sir," he says. "But no bad news yet, either."
Kensi knows he's only saying that for her benefit.
Bates nods her direction as they begin to walk towards the team working to find Marty. "You've met Mrs. Deeks?"
"Yes," Carter answers before addressing Kensi directly. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Deeks. But I assure you we are all doing everything in our power to bring your husband home safe. We're following every possible lead." He pauses to offer a well practiced smile that would probably be comforting if she didn't have her own well practiced smile for situations just like this. "Would you like me to show you to our lounge while you wait? It'll be more comfortable for you," he says as they step into the conference room being used for the team looking for Deeks. Sitting around the table are a dozen or so cops with open files, laptops and notepads. She recognizes at least three of the cops in the room.
Kensi shakes her head. "I'm not here to wait around and be handled, thank you. I'm here to be read in and help look for my husband."
She was aware she had the attention of the room when she stepped into it. And she's aware when her words cause silence to fall for a long moment as they catch everyone by surprise. She knows they think she's just an administrative worker who happens to be married to a cop, but in this moment she just doesn't care.
Bates meets her eyes and she nods once.
He clears his throat, addressing Carter while actually addressing the room. "Mrs. Deeks is also Agent Blye. She's an NCIS agent and is to be included in our operation. Her team have offered their assistance and are being briefed by Traynor as we speak. We will all work together on this."
Carter looks surprised, but nods his agreement to Bates. He turns to Kensi. "You are, of course, welcome to be part of the investigation, uh..." He trails off. "Do you prefer Agent Blye or Mrs. Deeks?"
For a moment, she's not sure what to say. She's always Mrs. Deeks, and is professionally Agent Blye. But even though she's here as Marty's wife she knows she's only being included like this because she's an agent. "Kensi is fine," she says.
This seems to be the right answer. Carter nods and ushers her to a seat at the conference table beside his station. He proceeds to walk her through the case and their lines of investigation so far.
00
An hour later, her phone rings. The caller ID says it's Callen. Unwilling to miss the opportunity for more information if it's available, she stands and steps away from the table. "It's my team," she tells Carter. He nods his understanding.
"Callen," she greets. "Any news?"
"Are you still at the precinct?" He asks.
"Yes, but-"
"I need you to step away from any LAPD you're near."
She feels her heart start thumping in her chest. Because she knows he's calling with bad news. After three years of working with him, she can hear it in his tone. And if she's about to learn her husband is dead, she could care less how anyone else finds out. "Did-did you find him? Is he..." She can't even say it.
"It's not Deeks," Callen says. "Now get yourself to a private location."
She swallows down the swell of emotion, trying to convince herself to believe the team leaders words, while her heart continues to beat wildly in her chest.
She waves the phone as she addresses Carter. "I'm just going to step out for a moment."
Stepping out of the conference room, she finds a quiet place by the windows. The desks around her are vacant of officers. It's as private as she's going to get. "Okay, Callen, go ahead."
"Someone blew up Deeks's handler's car," he says bluntly, not knowing of Kensi's budding friendship with the woman.
Kensi feels like she's been punched in the gut and closes her eyes. "Jess Traynor?"
"Yes."
"Was she...was she in the car?"
"Yes."
"Do you know for sure it was her?"
"We watched her get in." Callen says bluntly. And again, she cannot fault him because he has no way of knowing of her relationship with Deeks, Traynor or the LAPD in general.
Her chest heaves and she feels tears well in her eyes. She hadn't known the woman well, but she had appreciated what she had done for her and Marty, and she had looked forward to building a friendship with her. She reminded Kensi of herself. A young woman with a hell of a drive because of something that happened to her in childhood. She was one of very few people who had understood Kensi's motivations. It wasn't fair that she had lost her life this way. She had deserved to see through her plan.
"There's more," Callen says without waiting for Kensi to say anything, which is good because Kensi isn't sure she's capable of saying anything at all right now. "It happened right after she was done briefing us. And only us and the LAPD knew where she would be."
Her heart starts hammering again. "So, you're saying..."
"Someone at LAPD has to be involved; sold her out to whoever was behind the bomb in Ortega's car last night."
She runs her hand through her hair.
"There were civilians around," Callen continues. "They already called 911. Word is going to get back to the people you are working with very soon, but I want you to deliver the news. Gauge everyone's reaction."
She nods to herself, grateful at the very least for a task to focus on. "And if I think it's someone on the team here?"
"Make an excuse to leave the room and call me back in private. Don't try let them know you're on to them. Not where you have no support."
She knows he's wrong and she has lots of support here with her husband's co-workers. But she also knows he has no way of knowing that. She reminds herself of Hetty's words earlier. Callen and Sam need to not be distracted trying to save her husband. They need to think they're just looking for their liaison.
"And...Detective Deeks?" She asks hopefully.
"We're still looking." Callen ends the call.
She hadn't exactly expected good news, but her heart hurts all the same. She sniffs as she pockets her phone and makes her way back into the conference room. Half of the cops take note of her re-entry and the other half also look up when she doesn't sit back down. In a moment, she has everyone's attention.
"Unfortunately, I have some bad news," she says solemnly.
"Did your team find Marty?" Carter asks carefully, his voice full of sympathy. His expression tells her he fully believes he expects her sudden downtrodden expression to be a result of having been given bad news and he's trying to take away the responsibility for telling everyone else.
She shakes her head. "No." She takes a breath. "I just heard from my team leader. After they were briefed by Detective Traynor...someone blew up her car."
There is a collective gasp and she takes advantage of the shock to glance at each cop, gauging their reaction and expression for clues of dishonesty.
"Jess is..." One of the young cops begins to ask, but can't finish the question.
Kensi nods. "I'm afraid so. I'm so sorry for your loss."
"When did this happen?" Carter asks, having recovered from his shock.
"Just a few minutes ago."
"I'll be right back," he says, stepping out of the room.
Kensi continues to answer the team's questions as best she can, but they soon stop asking her questions when they realize she truly doesn't have much information. She continues to study each of them for guilt, but notices nothing that sets off any warning bells.
Carter returns after a few minutes. "I talked to Bates," he announces. "Scarli is on his way to the scene. He'll keep us apprised..."
The team begins to ask questions again, and Carter attempts to answer with the limited information he now has.
Kensi backs out of the room, not wanting to go through this again. While they may noticed her exit, no one calls her on it. She has tears welling in her eyes as she walks down the hall, and they're falling down her cheeks as she finds the bathroom and pushes open the door. There are three stalls to the left which are, thankfully, empty. She tucks herself against the far wall under the small window and sinks down to the floor, her knees bent up against her chest. She wraps her arms around her knees and allows herself to cry.
Her friend is dead, and her husband is missing and maybe dead. And the team searching for him is definitely dedicated, but now distracted by Jess's death. And, oh yeah, one of them may be involved.
She's isolated from her team, who wouldn't understand anyway.
And she just doesn't know what to do.
This was supposed to be his last undercover assignment. And the he was to be home for good.
Things aren't supposed to end like this. She needs him. They have a whole future coming to them. A future they deserve. A plan.
Her chest heaves and a new batch of tears spring to her eyes. Because she misses her husband. She's missed him so much these past three and a half months. And the three months before that, because they had only had those few days together between assignments.
She's basically been without him for half a year, and she's desperate for that to not turn into forever.
She misses his smile and the way he makes her laugh. And the way he holds her and makes her feel loved and cherished. And the way his eyes light up when she tells him she's proud of him.
And she is. She's so proud of him. So proud of his integrity and the choices he made that led him here. She's never regretted him becoming a cop. But to possibly lose him because of a dirty cop...
She shudders and swipes at her tears as she contemplates the unfathomable possibility. She knows there isn't a step she wouldn't take to-
Her phone rings, jarring her attention. She pulls it out of her pocket, wondering if its Callen calling with more news. The unfamiliar number makes her frown.
She clears her throat. "Hello?"
"Kens."
She jolts upright at the very familiar and very welcome voice. "Marty! You're al-" She cuts herself off as a new batch of tears - happy this time - flood her eyes. "Are you okay?"
She hears him sigh and shift. "I'll be okay. I...I think I'm in some trouble."
"You think? Where the hell have you been?"
"It's a long story," he tells her.
"Are you safe?" She asks.
"Yes. For now."
She breathes a sigh of relief. "You scared the hell out of me, Marty."
"I'm so sorry, Kens. I..." He trails off for a moment and she can hear him breathing. "I just...Oh."
"It's okay," she soothes. "Just breathe with me, Marty. I'm okay as long as you're okay."
"I'm okay," he whispers.
"Then I'm okay. And I really want you home," she adds softly, not bothering to wipe away the tears streaming down her face.
She can hear him exhale at that. "Home." He pauses and she can hear him swallow hard. "Yeah, I really want that, too."
"Good."
He's quiet for a moment. "I tried to call Jess, but..."
"I know."
"I can't believe she's...dead."
"I know," she says again. "I'm so sorry."
"She didn't deserve that."
"Something bigger is going on, Marty," Kensi tells him, trying to refocus him. "She was with Callen and Sam when it happened. And only NCIS and LAPD knew about where she would be."
"And your team didn't plant a car bomb," he says, catching on and allowing her to guide him away from his shock.
"Exactly."
"This is such a mess."
"Who do you know for sure we can trust here at the LAPD?"
"Here?" He questions. "You're at-"
"Your precinct," she confirms. "Bates came to get me this morning."
"Bates I'm pretty sure can be trusted," he answers her original question. But...I'm not there enough to know for sure about anyone, really." He sighs. "And..."
"And what?"
"LAPD will just shut down the operation."
"What operation? Marty, the subject of your assignment is dead. They're in clean up mode here. As soon as they know you're alive, they'll bring you and that's it. There is no assignment anymore." She doesn't need to add that his handler is dead along with the subject of the assignment.
"How much do you know about the assignment?"
"They've read me into everything."
"Good. Lasik's in town."
"The Serbian funding Ortega?"
"Yes. He had Ortega killed. And he's only going to find another local to take over this part of his operation. But if I can meet with him he may give up enough information to either take him down or finally allow another agency to go after him."
"I don't know if that's a good idea..."
He sighs. "Try to stop thinking as my wife for a minute. Think as the kickass agent I know you are."
She echoes his sigh and closes her eyes. "You really think you can get him to talk?"
"I think I'm the best chance anyone's had in years with this guy."
"Okay. Let's talk about it."
"But we need to leave LAPD out of it," he insists. "They're only going to shut it down."
"I won't say anything. We can run it by Callen and Sam."
"Okay."
"Can you get to the Mission?"
"Uh, not quickly. I'm really not close."
"I'll come pick you up. Where are you?" She asks as footsteps walk past the bathroom door, reminding her where she is. "Don't answer that," she says quickly, suddenly aware of the slightest possibility their conversation is being listened to. "Tell me somewhere I can meet you that only I would understand."
He's silent for a moment. "I love you," he finally says.
"I love you, too," she echoes, smiling as the feel of the words on her tongue after so long without saying them.
"I love hearing you say that," he says. "Ever since that first time."
00
~March 2001~
It was early and still more dark than light when they arrived at the beach. But the planned surfing lesson was quickly put on hold when one glance at the water told them both there would be no surfing today. The water was calm and flat and completely unfit for surfing.
Halfway down the beach, Deeks stuck his board into the sand and swore.
Kensi stopped beside him, duffle bag slung over her shoulder with their towels. "We can go swimming instead," she suggested, not off put by the required activity change.
"Yeah." He sighed. "I was just...looking forward to surfing with you again." They'd had to take a couple weeks off of lessons to let her ankle heal after she'd twisted it running. "And then I dragged you all the way down here for nothing."
"Not for nothing," she insisted.
He said nothing and stared towards the water. She watched as his cheeks puffed out and he slowly exhaled. When he was finished, she stepped closer and bumped his hip with hers. "What's going on, Marty?"
He turned to meet her eyes. "I just... I was looking forward to this morning. And I feel like I let you down."
She felt her heart clench a bit at both his words and his openness with her. In times like those, she felt like she could look back and measure their relationship in steps forward. And at each step, he let her in a little further. Their talk after she had hurt her ankle had been the last big step.
"You seriously think I'm going to let you blame yourself for there being no waves this morning? Seriously?"
He huffed a laugh. "When you put it that way, it sounds a little unreasonable."
"A little?" She echoed. "What way could you possibly put it where it doesn't sound unreasonable?"
He squinted his eyes as he stared at her. "I may need a minute to think..."
She laughed and swiped at his shoulder.
He laughed, too, causing her heart to swell at the knowledge that she turned his mood around.
She dropped the duffel bag onto the sand and stepped into his warm body, snaking her arms around his waist. "Honestly, Marty, I like surfing. But really I like surfing because of how much you like it. Mostly, I just like spending time with you."
He said nothing for a long moment, but closed his arms tightly around her and sighed happily.
"This is just as good," she told him.
He ducked his head to plant a kiss on her shoulder. "You are absolutely right."
She was smiling when he released her far enough to meet her eyes.
"I really like spending time with you, too, Kens," he told her before ducking his head to capture her lips in a soft kiss.
When he pulled away from the kiss, he smiled softly down at her. She felt a swell of emotion in her chest as she stared back up at him, feeling cherished and safe and loved in his arms. She tightened her grip on his shoulders and took a breath before whispering, "I love you, Marty."
He exhaled sharply. And then the corners of his lips curled upwards and he nodded once. "I love you, too."
00
Kensi pulls into the parking lot by the strip of beach where she spent much of her college years. Being that it's just after noon on a very hot late July day, it's not overly busy. She pulls the car into the far corner of the lot and gets out. She is halfway across the lot when she hears her name.
She turns and is pretty sure she's never been so relieved.
Because her husband is hurrying towards her.
He's skinnier than when she last saw him. And he looks haggard. And...she's pretty sure his face is scraped pretty good.
But he is alive. And in one piece. And walking towards her.
She practically runs into his arms.
He makes and over exaggerated 'oomph' noise when they collide, but is as quick as she is to wrap his arms around her.
"Marty," she whispers, burying her face into his shoulder as she wraps her arms around his neck and grips tightly at the fabric of his shirt, not wanting even the slightest chance of him leaving her arms a moment sooner than she is ready.
He hugs her back just as fiercely. "Kensi. Oh, God, Kensi." He holds her tight, one hand on the back of her head and the other arm around her waist.
"You are not allowed to scare me like that again," she demands.
He half laughs and half sobs. "I'll try my best."
She sniffs and pulls back only exactly far enough to meet his eyes and then frowns at his face. Because it looks worse close up. His skin is angry and red, welted and scratched and burned. "Are you okay? You said you were okay?"
"I'm stinging pretty good, but it's all superficial."
"And the rest of you?" She runs a hand down his chest and side, over his ribs.
He flinches slightly and she moves to step away, but he tightens his hold and stops her. "Please don't. I'm okay. Sore, but okay. And I don't..." He trails off and breathes heavily for a moment. "I need you close."
"Okay."
He nods and breathes again. His chest heaves against hers.
She lays a hand over his chest, trying to force a sense of calm. She's seen him come off of bad undercovers before. She's been there for the aftermath of every bad experience he's had behind his badge. And she knows without asking that this was a very close call. She says nothing, but cocks her head.
He shakes his head and looks away.
"Hey," she calls softly. "No secrets, remember?"
He nods slowly and then drags his eyes back to her. "It was really close," he admits. "I was in the car with Ortega and his..." He trails off and scoffs. "His remote for his security gate wasn't working. So, I jumped out to open the gate... That's when the car blew. That's why I'm alive. Because of a shitty gate remote."
Kensi ignores her own pounding heart at the news. "The thing to focus on, Marty, is that you're alive."
He nods again. "Ortega's bodyguards were trailing us in another car. After the explosion they threw me into the back of their car and took me to a doctor." He huffs like he's trying to laugh, but it falls flat. "In retrospect, I'm pretty sure he was a vet. He tried to patch me up and shot me with a horse tranquilizer." He pauses and swallows hard. "Put me out for sixteen hours. I tried to call Jess when I woke up. And then I called you."
"Then you called me," she echoes. She knows both that he was following protocol by trying to check in with his handler and breaking protocol by checking in with her.
"I knew you'd have my back," he tells her.
"Always. No matter what," she tells him fiercely. "You and me."
"You and me," he echoes with the most confidence she's heard from him since he called her an hour earlier.
She hooks her fingers into the collar of his shirt and tugs him down for a short but defining kiss.
When she pulls away, Marty is more grounded and steady.
"Let's go see what we can do to see this case through." She holds out her hand.
He takes her hand and walks with her towards the car. "Thank you," he whispers.
She squeezes his hand. "You would do the same for me."
"I would," he confirms.
When they are close to the car, he manages a half smile and bumps her hips with his. "Do I get to drive?"
"Why should I let you drive? I came to pick you up."
"It's my car."
She dangles the keys playfully. "Bates drove me the precinct. Your car was there."
"And he just gave it to you?"
"We're married. It's half mine."
He actually laughs. "You drive. I'll ride shotgun."
She gets into the car and everything is right in the world when her husband slides in next to her. She slips the key into the ignition but pauses for a moment before turning on the car to savour the moment. Because equilibrium has been restored to her life. She has her future back.
His hand reaches across the car to settle on her knee. He says nothing, but squeezes affectionately, telling her he understands. She shoots him a smile and then turns on the car.
"Let's go do this thing. Together."
"Together," he confirms.