Thank you so much for the positive reviews on my first chapter. I will be honest... it's been extremely tempting for the past couple of weeks to wrap this story up with a re-hashed second chapter and just leave it as a quick two-parter, or even edit it into a one-shot, instead of the long multi-chapter story that is well underway... I'm a bit scared of where I'm taking it and I really hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew...!

CHAPTER TWO

Callen moved quickly, making no effort to hide his trail. Adrenaline fuelled his speed and he clumsily allowed stones and twigs to fall noisily as he made his way through the scrub in the opposite direction to that which he'd sent his team. Keeping low to the ground, he didn't give the General's men the chance to spot him but hoped nonetheless it would be clear where he had gone. Though he was getting further from the site of the burning car, he could still hear the men behind him and trusted that meant they were following in his direction and not that of the others.

When he estimated he had covered about a mile, he snapped some branches of a bush growing at the top of a steep drop and pushed a small log over the edge, pausing briefly to watch with satisfaction as it bumped its way down the steep gully. With any luck, the General's men would see the damage and assume he had slithered down to the bottom. He hoped that would buy him the time he needed. Turning, he paid careful attention to picking his way through the scrub in the opposite direction, in an arc he estimated would bring him back towards where Sam and the others had headed. He didn't have the same wilderness training that Sam had as a Seal, but he felt fairly confident only a very experienced tracker would have been able to follow his new heading, and the fading light could only help him in that regard.

After a while, he allowed himself a short rest. His leg and his arm were paining him a great deal, and though he wanted to reconvene with the others as quickly as possible he knew he would travel quicker if he took a brief pause to catch his breath. He sank wearily to the ground, appreciating the respite it gave his injured leg. As his adrenaline faded, his pain levels rose and his focus started to wander. Before he could stop himself, his thoughts turned to Sam and his team. He hoped they had made it safely away. In the still of the evening air, he could hear that the General's men had withdrawn; their occasional shouts were getting quieter as they returned to their base. It was too much to hope that they had given up the search completely, but he prayed it meant his team had the night to put some ground between them. It could mean the difference between life and death for them all.

NCIS:LA

Kensi crawled as quickly as she could in the direction Callen had sent her. She hated leaving him, but she trusted he would be true to his word and re-join them soon. And then they could plan. They would get out of this, they had to. They wouldn't all die here, not like this. She moved silently, on high alert. She heard the noise of the General's men getting further away, meaning they had fallen for Callen's ruse and were tracking him, not her. She hoped that would last and they didn't decide to fan out, at least not until she had found Sam and Deeks. Although incredibly after their frantic escape from the car she still had her gun tucked into her waistband, she only had a few bullets left and she felt vulnerable out on her own. There was safety in numbers, and she longed for the safety of her team. They would get out of this together, like they always did. She felt a desperate surge of relief run through her when at last she spotted Sam and Deeks not far ahead.

The two men hadn't got far. She worried about their state of health when she was almost on top of them before they heard her approach. She called out quietly as they spun towards her, reassuring them it was only her.

"Kens! Thank God!" Deeks couldn't hide his relief at seeing her. She felt a strange turning in her stomach as they made eye contact, but she was comforted to see him too, and Sam. Neither of them looked good, but then, she probably didn't herself.

"Where's Callen?" Sam demanded urgently, looking beyond Kensi for his partner and friend.

"He's leading them off the other way. He'll meet us," she answered, not missing how Sam's expression darkened. "We need to keep moving, he's expecting us to keep moving," she said, and reluctantly, knowing she was right, Sam continued to lead them on.

NCIS:LA

The going was tough. Kensi and Deeks were quiet, their emotional turmoil almost palpable in the air. Kensi was fighting back tears. The three of them joining together only made Callen's absence all the more noticeable. She loved Callen like an older brother, and she couldn't bear the thought of losing him. If only she'd meshed the gears, got the car into reverse quicker, got them out of this awful situation. She could have done it, if only she'd been quicker… She should have been quicker. Callen's urgent words to her to "Get us out of here!" in the car echoed repeatedly in her ears and she choked on a sob, causing Deeks to stop and stare at her worriedly but she shook her head and carried on walking.

"Stop," Sam eventually grunted, and ahead of him Kensi and Deeks anxiously turned. He motioned them to sit down. He could see they all needed a break. He needed a break. He hadn't managed to stop his leg bleeding. Kensi was limping, and Deeks was ghostly pale and favouring his right side.

"Man I wish we had a drink," Deeks sighed, coughing. They'd left the smoke behind at last but the air was hot and dry and wasn't helping their parched throats.

"Well we don't!" Kensi snapped. She didn't notice Deeks recoil from the sharpness in her tone. Her thoughts were still uneasily on Callen and the guilt she felt for the mess they were all in, as well as Deeks being with them despite his reservations. She didn't know if she'd have felt better or worse if he had stayed safely at home.

"You okay, Kens?" Sam asked, looking at her with concern.

"I'm fine," she said shortly. "Sorry Deeks." Deeks shrugged, hiding the hurt. Would things ever be the same between them again? He turned his attention to friendlier eyes.

"Can we do anything Sam? Your leg…?"

"I'm fine," Sam said gruffly, though it was obvious he wasn't. "What about you? Ribs?" Deeks nodded. He might have known Sam would notice.

"I'm good," he said shortly, and in a way he meant it. It was a miracle they'd all got out of that car alive. A few banged up ribs was nothing compared to what could have befallen them all.

"What about your arm Kens? I wish we had some way of cleaning and bandaging it," Sam turned to Kensi. "It's deep. It'll get infected."

"We'll get some antibiotics as soon as we're out of here," Deeks said, refusing to accept any possible alternative. He was going to get Kensi out of here if it killed him. "For you, too. That wound is still bleeding..."

"Can we re-bandage it?" Kensi suggested. "We have to stop it bleeding, Sam."

Sam was unwilling, but saw the sense in it if they were to carry on with their escape, and between the three of them they managed to re-use the blood-stained bandages to create better pressure over the wound. The bleeding slowed, and they all sighed with relief.

"Callen was right, man," Deeks said, without thinking. "You shouldn't have come."

"Like you should have?" Sam retorted. "Like Kensi? Like G?" They were all quiet a moment as they hoped that their leader was okay.

"We had to come," Kensi said quietly. "The kid… Derrick… We had to, Deeks. It's what we do."