Author's Note: Okay, so I feel the need to have a trigger warning for this chapter, but doing so would give a little bit away. I'm going to put the trigger in the end notes, so check there if you think you might need the warning before reading.


Much to his dismay, Russ wasn't in lock up like Deeks hoped he'd be after the stunt he pulled the night before. In reality, he should've been well on his way to a prison sentence, but LAPD didn't want to lose a semi-reliable informant. Russ hadn't been very reliable for a while now, but he threw in just enough useful information here and there to keep himself desirable. Or no one really wanted to put in the effort to try him in court, since he was never the type to plead guilty. He was a professional weasel.

After five ignored calls, Deeks knew this wasn't going to be as simple as he once thought. He sent a text to Ops, letting the team know that he wasn't going to be back as soon as he thought. He was going to have to check some of Russ' favorite spots and hope to find the man before it got too late to even matter.

Deeks tried Russ' house first, but didn't find the man or anything helpful. He ached to just walk in and find what he assumed would be countless illegal items, but stooping that low wasn't really his deal. Probable cause would probably be easy to find, but that wouldn't get him closer to actually finding the man for what he needed.

He moved on to the different spots Russ was known to hang out, asking around if anyone had seen him. No one was talking, but that didn't surprise Deeks. He was in no nonsense cop mode, so people tended to clam up. Deeks hoped this would at least mess up Russ' social life a bit, but that was just petty thinking.

Even though he wasn't having much success, Deeks still felt lighter than he had at work in a while. He was actually getting to drive and pick the music, which was nice. He could order whatever he wanted for lunch without being judged. There was no one making fun of how he looked or belittling his ideas. It was nice.

And Deeks knew deep down that the rest of the team weren't terrible people. He knew he was taking the spot of someone they'd lost and that was hard to deal with, but he was still a person with feelings. He rarely let them show though, choosing to present the goofball act he'd perfected ever since he was a kid. The class clown could excuse those bruises, because he was always climbing trees and being wacky.

But he was getting tired. Putting in all that effort for little to no reward was exhausting. He wanted the team to accept him, but would it even be worth it in the end if they did? How long would it take and would he even like them by that point? Sometimes, he just wanted to be in on the joke, instead of being the butt of it.

Deeks was running out of ideas when one popped into his head. It was a terrible one and he was already regretting it, but there weren't really any other options. It was either this or give up, and he couldn't do that when there was a life on the line.

One of the times Russ had called him to meet up, he'd had him go to his sister's house instead of his own or some random location. She'd answered the door in a bikini, even though she didn't have a pool, and tried to convince him to come in and have a drink. Deeks had gotten out of there as soon as possible, waiting in his car down the road until Russ could be bothered to come out. Deeks really didn't want to go back there, but it was the last place he could think of. And even if he wasn't there, maybe Russ would answer a call from his sister's number.

Deeks parked his car down the street, brushing his hair out of his face. This neighborhood wasn't too far from the mission, so he would go in, get the information he needed, then be back in Ops before he knew it. He knew how to deal with grabby women from his erotic dancing days, this was nothing.

He knocked on the rickety door, rocking back on his heels as he waited for someone to answer. If he was lucky, it would be Russ and he could avoid any awkward conversations. He was not lucky.

"Martin! What a nice surprise!" the woman said brightly, straightening out her shirt as she stood in the open doorway.

"Ms. Pollard, it's nice to see you again," Deeks said politely, cringing at hearing his full first name. Only his mother ever called him that.

"Please, call me Carly," she purred, leaning what Deeks assumed was seductively against the door.

"Carly, I was looking for your brother. Any chance you know where he is right now?" Deeks asked, crinkling his eyes into a semblance of a happy expression.

"What has that idiot done again? I swear, he is trying to ruin our family name," Carly sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. "I try to convince him to live an honest life like I do, but he just doesn't listen. It can be so frustrating."

"I bet. Actually, I'm just here to get his help with something, so if you could call him for me, that would be great," Deeks said, hoping that would be enough to convince her to help him.

"Of course! Why don't you come in while I look for my phone and give him a call?" Carly suggested, hooking her finger toward him.

"I don't mind waiting outside. I wouldn't want to impose," Deeks replied, backing up a step to further show his intent.

"I insist. You're gonna come in and try my world famous lemonade while we wait for Russ to get here. I won't take no for an answer," Carly said, crossing her arms stubbornly. Deeks bit back a groan, knowing he'd have to play along with this if he wanted anything from the woman. He gave one last look to his car parked on the street, hoping it would still be there when he came back out. This was the kind of neighborhood where people could be shooting each other in the street and no one would bat an eye.

"You win," Deeks sighed, plastering a fake smile on his face. He'd played this game before, he could do it again. This was for Petty Officer Combs. Deeks let himself be led into a small living room, sitting on the edge of the offensively floral printed couch. There was enough clutter to put Kensi's apartment to shame, but he didn't let his discomfort show on his face. Hopefully Russ was close and this would all be over soon.

"Here we are!" Carly chirped, setting a sweaty glass of lemonade on the table in front of him. She had her own glass and perched on a wicker chair across from him. "I've been making this since I was a little girl, perfecting my technique along the way. You want to know my secret? Just a touch of brown sugar sprinkled on the top of every glass. Gives it that little extra something."

"That sounds really great. Now, about that phone call-"

"Nope, not until you try it!" Carly grinned, taking a big gulp of her own. Deeks pursed his lips, trying to hold back his frustration just a bit longer. A glass of lemonade wouldn't kill him, even if undissolved brown sugar didn't sound all that pleasant. He took a sip, shuddering at the gritty texture on his tongue. Carly nodded her head at the glass again, so he took another drink, trying to pound it down like a cheap shot in a crappy bar.

"It's great," Deeks lied, setting the glass back down after drinking about half of the contents. That was enough.

"I knew you'd love it!" Carly bragged, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She typed for a few minutes, rolling her eyes every so often. "He's on his way. He might be a little bit though, so I could make you something to eat if you'd like?"

"Oh no, I'm fine. How long do you think it'll be?" Deeks asked, wishing she'd just called instead of texted. Now he'd have to hope she was telling the truth about contacting him.

"Probably not long. He's not far, but he has to walk, since he doesn't have a car," Carly laughed.

"I could go meet him instead, get out of your hair. Where is he?" Deeks offered, hoping she'd take him up on it so he could make his escape.

"Oh no, I enjoy the company. You should really stay for dinner as well. I make the best meatloaf," Carly said brightly.

"You know, I'm so swamped with work, I don't think I can. Thank you for the offer though," Deeks declined, pulling at the neck of his shirt a little. He couldn't hear an air conditioner running and it was getting to be the warmest part of the afternoon.

"You don't know what you're missing. My meatloaf is always a hit at the potlucks. The secret is seasoning the ketchup topping," Carly giggled, taking another sip of her drink.

"You've got a lot of secret ingredients," Deeks mumbled, stretching his neck. He could feel a bead of sweat rolling from his head down his back. "Would you mind turning a fan on?"

"Are you hot? You should drink some more lemonade. Always cools me right down," Carly suggested, holding her glass up for emphasis. Deeks picked up his glass, but just held it instead of drinking any. Holding something cold would help, but he didn't actually want any more. It wasn't really doing enough though.

"Could you open a window?" Deeks asked, brushing his bangs off his forehead. His hair was starting to get clumpy and uncomfortable.

"If you're hot, you can take your shirt off. I don't mind," Carly tittered, playing with the ends of her hair. She looked perfectly comfortable, while he felt completely out of sorts.

"I think I'll go outside and get some air," Deeks said, leaning forward to set his glass back on the table. His hand wouldn't obey his commands and the glass teetered on the edge of the table before falling off the side, thudding onto the carpet and spilling the rest of the contents on the floor. Deeks tried to jump up to look for a towel, but as soon as he was upright the room started to spin. He grabbed the arm of the couch, trying to steady himself. That didn't feel like a head rush he'd ever experienced.

"Are you okay?" Carly asked worriedly, moving over to stand beside him. Deeks put his hand out to keep her away, shaking his head to try to clear his thoughts. This wasn't right. He dipped his hand into his pocket to take out his phone, but it fell from his fingers as soon as it was free. Deeks bent to try to grab it, but a soft shove from Carly had him back on the couch.

"I need- I need," Deeks mumbled, pawing one hand in the direction of his cell.

"You need to relax," Carly cooed, stooping down to pick up his phone and slip it into her own pocket. This was not good, but Deeks couldn't seem to get his body to do anything about it. His vision was starting to get fuzzy and he knew he should be panicking, but his brain was slowly turning to mush.

"Carly," Deeks whispered, feeling his lips barely move around the words. His head was so heavy and it flopped to his chest. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he knew that was the wrong thing to do.

"You're okay, I've got you," Carly murmured, tipping his head back to rest against the back of the couch. She ran her fingers through his hair, letting her fingertips ghost along his face every so often.

"Please, stop," Deeks breathed out, feeling the last of his awareness fade away.


Author's Note: Trigger warning for non consensual drug use and light touching without consent.