Deeks was thankfully eventually convinced that there was nothing wrong with his back and he was perfectly fine, just a bit stiff.
This meant that they all managed to get along in sort of harmony for the next half an hour or so. Impressive really but there was no eating or bickering and Deeks finally managed to keep himself still. Granted, it was after the threat from Sam about duct taping him to his seat but it worked and that was what really mattered here.
It was actually pretty peaceful in Callen's opinion. None of them really felt like talking and boredom (and the resultant bickering) had yet to set in. Kensi had her earphones in and was listening to music, even allowing Deeks to share one. Not even any arguments over her taste in music which was impressive. Sam was just focusing on the road and he was just staring out of the window. Peace and quiet. Just like he liked it, though he definitely hadn't been expecting to get any on this trip.
Not that he was complaining, he definitely wasn't. It was very much welcomed.
Now he could just let his mind wander and watch the world go by. Not that there was much of it on this stretch of road. A lot of open, sandy soil and some desert plants. And dust. A lot of dust. Sam was not going to be happy about the state of his car when they reached their destination. Especially when it was just going to happen all over again when coming home. There was going to be a lot of time washing and polishing it and being paranoid about the smallest speck of dust for the next few weeks, Callen just knew it.
But whatever. Not his car. Not his problem. Until Sam started complaining too much about it and then it would be his problem. But right now, there were no problems and he could just stare out the window. There was nothing to worry about, nothing stressful, nothing-
"I swear we just passed that rest stop." Callen said, frowning and putting his head out the window to look behind them.
Yep, that was definitely the rest stop they passed not twenty minutes ago; he was sure of it. Didn't he just say something about not having anything to worry about? He should have known better; he really should have.
"All rest stops are the same rest stop." Sam said with a sigh. "Everything looks the same along this stretch of road."
"Or we're going around in circles."
"We are not going around in circles."
"If we go around in big enough circles, can you tell that you're going around in circles?" Callen wondered.
Yes, this was the sort of deep questions his mind came up with.
He noticed that Kensi and Deeks had noticed something was going on and tugged out their earphones to listen in. Great. Spectators. Just what they needed.
"G?"
"Yes, Sam?"
"Shut up."
"I think it's an important question."
Sam snorted. "No, you don't. You're just trying to be obnoxious and that position is already filled by Deeks. We don't need another one."
"I object to that," Deeks said.
"You resemble that," Kensi told them much to everyone's amusement.
"Seriously, would we know if we're going round in circles if we were going in a big enough circle? That's how you get lost, right?"
"Yes," Sam admitted. "But we aren't lost because we haven't been going around in circles."
"Are you sure we're not lost? I'm pretty sure we're lost."
Seriously. Callen wasn't even joking about this despite him taking the opportunity to wind up Sam.
"We are not lost."
"Are you sure?"
"The road only goes one way. We're not lost. Or going around in circles."
"Would we even know if we were lost?" Deeks wondered out loud, interrupting the two of them. "Callen raises a good point on the circle thing."
"Yes." "No." went Sam and Callen respectively.
Sam glared at Callen. "I would definitely know if we were lost and we are definitely not lost."
"You said definitely a lot there. A bit defensive, are we?"
Sam somehow managed to glare harder at him. Huh.
"I know exactly where we are."
"Really?"
Callen highly doubted that. They weren't using Satnav, Sam didn't like its ability to track you, and they hadn't seen any signs for at least the last thirty miles. Maybe more. Callen didn't know but it had been a long time. Also, there were a lot of side roads and crossroads that they had passed. How did they know of they had to go down one of them? They didn't, that's what.
"Yeah, we're about a mile away from me kicking all of you out and leaving you to walk there."
Ironically, at this moment the gas light decided to inform them that it was low. Sam swore.
"Seriously?"
"Hey, look, there's the rest stop," Callen pointed ahead. "And it doesn't look like the one from earlier."
"Shut up, G."
Sam finished filling up the gas with a sigh as everyone watched them silently. He had point blank banned them all form leaving the car. Something about getting distracted and wasting time. Which was a fair point.
"Seriously, how much longer to we have to be in here?" Kensi asked.
Callen shrugged. "I honestly have no idea," he said turning around. And then he spotted something and frowned. "What's that?"
"What? Kensi asked.
"That."
Callen pointed just above her. It looked very like a stain on the inside of Sam's car. Actually, it was a stain.
"You better not let Sam see that," he warned them.
It would not end well for any of them if he did.
"Not let me see what?" Sam asked returning to the driver's seat and shutting the door behind him.
"Nothing." they all chorused.
Sam frowned and turned around. Great. This was not going to end well.
And it didn't because, of course, he spotted the issue immediately.
"Is that chocolate on the ceiling? Did you get chocolate on my car?"
"Technically, you said not to get chocolate on the seats. The ceiling is definitely not the seats." Deeks tried.
Somehow, Sam didn't look like he thought that was better.
"It will come right off," Kensi tried to placate him. "I get chocolate on the inside of my car all the time."
"She does," Deeks verified. "Freaks you out before you realise what it is."
Sam didn't look too reassured by that either.
