A/N: Somewhat loosely follows parts of Deliverance. We are slowly getting there, but I'm changing things up a bit more.

"I should have done something," Deeks said, running his hands through his hair. Sam and Callen had arrived shortly after Kensi was taken and they'd driven back to the mission together.

The memory of Kensi's eyes as she looked at him with so much trust-trust he didn't deserve-was on a constant loop in his mind. He kept replaying the moment, trying to think of what he could have done differently.

"There was nothing you could do," Callen said, surprisingly calm and resigned.

"That's debatable." The quiet condemnation in Sam's voice was somehow worse than if he'd yelled. Callen cleared his throat pointedly before the conversation could derail.

"Regardless, now we need to focus on getting Kensi back."

"But we don't have that freaking black book and we don't know where Kensi is. The Russians could have taken her anywhere," Deeks pointed out.

"Guys, you need to get up here right now," Nell announced, appearing at the bottom of the stairs. She continued to explain as they all raced back up to OPS. "An Anonymous caller phoned in a website to the Navy yard in D. C. They forwarded us the link and Eric just opened it."

"Kensi?" Deeks asked hopefully as they walked through the sliding doors.

"Yes, but it's not good. Eric?" He pulled up a video of Kensi standing in an empty room. She looked tense and was standing completely still.

"I'm trying to trace it, but there's a bunch of proxies," Eric explained apologetically.

"This is my fault," Deeks said quietly.

"No, my plan, my fault," Callen disagreed.

Deeks paced as Hetty, Callen, and Sam discussed the plan to exchange Kensi. Nell was currently placing midcrodots, or whatever the hell they were called, in a small book that they would try to pass off as the now infamous black book.

"What if they don't buy it?" Deeks asked, coming to stand in front of Hetty's desk. "I mean, these guys do this kind of stuff for a living. What are the chances that they don't check it out immediately? If the Russians suspect anything, they'll kill Kensi."

"Rest assured, Mr. Deeks, we will not let Kensi come to any harm," Hetty said calmly. He wanted to believe her, but the current plan depended on a lot of chance and trickery. He wanted to believe that Hetty knew what she was doing, but he couldn't help being doubtful.

He deeply regretted not making up with Kensi. His pride and feelings had been hurt when she pushed his hand away at the bar, but now his reaction felt incredibly juvenile. The reality of how easily he could lose Kensi on any given day was startling clear.

"Contact," Eric announced, rushing into the room without any of his usual flare. He was as tense as everyone else, maybe even more so maybe since he was responsible for tracing Kensi's location. "The Russians just posted a time and the place on the Web site. Exchange is in 30 minutes."

"The book isn't ready," Nell said, sounding vaguely panicked, which didn't reassure Deeks at all. He stood back, silently watching as Hetty deemed Nell's progress adequate. He wanted to object, but remained silent; he was already riding on thin ice as it was. The last thing he needed was for Hetty to send him home.

"Alright, Mr. Callen, bring her home," Hetty instructed, clapping her hands together.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked as Sam and Callen discussed how they would handle the exchange. They shared a glance and Deeks rolled his eyes as Callen hesitated.

"Uh, Deeks, you probably should sit this one out. No offense, but this is going to be dangerous and there's no one to back you up if you run into trouble."

"I promised Kensi I would get her back," Deeks reminded them.

"And we will follow through on that promise," Sam told him. "Right now the best thing you can do for Kensi is keep yourself safe and provide support from here."

Deeks turned to glance at Hetty, hoping she would override Callen's decision. She pursed her lips, sighing deeply and gave him a sympathetic look.

"While I understand your position Mr. Deeks, I agree. We don't need to lose another member of this team today."

"Hetty-"

"That is my final decision, Mr. Deeks."

Deeks clenched his jaw, holding back a response that would likely get him kicked out of the mission all together.

Shaking his head, Deeks stalked from the room, needing a few minutes to calm himself. The gym was empty so he ducked in there. A punching bagging was conveniently set up and he hit it a few times, taking out some of his anger on the inanimate object.

His hand began to ache after the first few minutes and it probably would have been a good idea to grab some gloves, but he didn't stop.

The problem was that Sam and Callen weren't wrong. He was a liability in the field, especially after today. He hadn't been able to do anything assist Kensi. Maybe if she hadn't been worried about him, she would have had a better chance.

He slammed his fist into the bag as hard as he could with an enraged roar that echoed in the empty room.

"Woah, I didn't realize you boxed too," Nell commented from behind him. Deeks spun around, slightly embarrassed at having been caught. He usually kept much better control of his anger. "Pretty impressive."

"I, uh," He gestured to the bag, then awkwardly brushed at his bangs. "I was just, you know…"

"Yeah, I saw." She stepped closer, clutching her tablet against her chest. "So, um, I thought you might want to look at the stream of Kensi again. You know, just to see if there's anything we missed." She held out the tablet until Deeks reluctantly took it.

"I've already seen it a dozen times," he said, but looked again. Kensi stood in exactly the same position. Nell peered over his shoulder, making a noise in the back of her throat.

"She looks tired," she commented quietly. His stomach clenched again as he realized she was right. When he zoomed in on the picture, he saw beads of moisture sliding down her temples and a fine tremor ran through her body.

"You heard Hetty, there's nothing I can do," he reminded her bitterly. He handed the tablet back and gave the bag a final punch, feeling the anger and drive drain from him.

"Are you really going to give up that easily?" Nell's tone was fairly derisive and she crossed her arms again, giving him a disappointed look. "I haven't known you that long, Deeks, but you don't strike me as a guy who goes down without a fight. I've seen your court record."

"This is different."

"How? You're a lawyer. You convince people to do things all the time," Nell said. "I've seen you do it here several times. Convince Hetty that you need to go with Sam and Callen."

"I don't exactly think I'm Hetty's favorite person right now," he pointed out.

"You don't have to be. You just have to convince Hetty that this is a terrible plan. You know that Sam and Callen can't do this on their own."

"You know, you can be really annoying." He allowed a hint of a smile, which Nell returned briefly before she got back to business.

"I count on it. Now go talk to Hetty before Sam and Callen leave." Deeks shook his head, in vague amusement. She might be even more stubborn than Kensi, which was a terrifying prospect to consider. "And bring Kensi back in one piece!"

A/N: Today's chapter is a bit shorter, but I thought this was a good place to stop. Especially as I haven't figured out what Deeks is going to say to convince Hetty to let him go.