I do believe in Ghost - part 3

Ira Weiss arrived at LAX and went to pick up his rental car. He paused to take in the warmth from the sun having left rainy NYC. From time to time, he toys with the idea of moving to the West coast, but he enjoys the change of seasons too much and he has been spending more time at Langley these days that he can either drive or take a train when he needs to go. Plus there is nothing like living in the city that never sleeps. So, no move for now.

Although he was looking forward to seeing his dear friend, he was not happy about the circumstances. Add to the mix, the email Hetty sent him warning him that Marty may have figured out what Migs had in mind and it was not going to be a happy reunion. Ira hoped that he could talk Deeks off the ledge by convincing him the plan was a good one. That sending Kensi to talk to Jack was the only way to lure him out and he hoped like hell Migs knows what he's doing. What could possibly go wrong?

Hetty was already at the boatshed, tea brewing. Ira had notified her of his arrival and she let Deeks know and asked that he and Kensi come to the boatshed in an hour. Hetty was betting on Kensi wanting to help Jack but would she be so cooperative if she knew the plan was to capture the rogue agent? As for her partner, can he put aside his love for his wife for the greater good of taking out a threat to the region?

Deeks had spent the better part of the morning in the gym venting his frustration on the heavy bag. Expect the unexpected! That was Marty Deeks motto. In his line of work, the motto fit. That this could turn out to be an international horror story about a fugitive Kensi thought was dead was causing him sleepless nights. Yes, the unexpected always happened. But this unexpected turn of events in Kensi's life was well… beyond unexpected and most definitely not welcomed. He still had not told Kensi that Ira was arriving today. Nell's research had not uncovered anything more than they already knew about Jack, so he was hoping that Ira was bringing more intel. He was trying to be a grown up about this but when it comes to his wife, his inner Neanderthal tended to come out. He's not proud of it but what's his is his and he will protect his world.

He was on his third round of working the bag when Kensi came up to him. "Hetty wants us at the boatshed. Do you know what it's about?"

Deeks stopped and looked at his partner. So beautiful, strong and such a badass. And he knows she would do anything for those she loved. But we're talking about Jack. And he was not proud of his feelings of impending doom. He turned to Kensi, leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. He knew better than to go in for a hug, one, they were at work and two, he was very sweaty and his wife only hugged during workouts if she was equally sweaty. Badass on the outside, girly-girl on the inside, he chuckled at that thought. He answered his partner. "Ira is in town and wants to meet. Hetty had him coming to the boatshed and we're going to join them."

"You knew he was coming?" Kensi was connecting her own dots and her husband's recent moodiness and sleepless nights were now making sense. "Why wouldn't you tell me?" She hated when he kept things from her. His need for protecting her, while sweet, could be a bit grating. Even if he is the only one, she allows him to do it. She remembered when he tried to get her to leave him in NYC and go to DC right before they met with Hetty during their undercover. She was furious with him yet touched by his concern

"Do you know if he had any information? What about Migs? What does he know?"

Deeks smiled at his wife. They are such a good team because their thought patterns tend to process alike. He wonders if she will figure out what may be in store for her? And he hopes she will not be so eager to help but he knows that probably won't happen. He's pretty sure that one of her questions to Jack, if she goes, will be, why did he leave her all those years ago? She deserved closure but at what cost he wondered? "I'm going to shower and then we will head over to the boatshed and then we'll know." He sneaked in one more kiss and turned toward the locker room. Deeks thought he knew Kensi, probably better than anyone. She had told him that he was the only one she trusted. She was always in control of her life, but he knew sometimes emotions swayed her decisions and he was sure that was happening right now. As Deeks walked to the bullpen after his shower, Sam told him that his wife was up in OPS finding out if Nell or Eric had found anything new about Jack. With a heavy heart, Deeks walked up the stairs to join his partner. As he entered, he saw Callen standing behind Eric and Nell, their fingers were flying across their keyboards as they searched every database they could think of, Then he noticed his wife. She was standing in front of the large screen with her hand partially reaching towards the screen with a faraway look in her eyes.

Nine years.

She hardly ever thought about him anymore and when she did, it was just a passing moment, hoping that he was alright, that he had found the help he needed, the help that she couldn't provide. And all of sudden, there he was, Jack's face displayed on the screen in the ops center. Kensi was not processing anything being said around her. She felt like she had forgotten how to breathe. Deeks watched, helpless, but determined not to let anything or anybody interfere with his marriage by whatever means necessary. Callen happened to look at the detective and saw the moment of resolve flash across his face. Now he was worried.

Ira Weiss got out of his rental car and approached the building in front of him. It was very nondescript. A passerby would have no idea of its purpose. He knew having met Callen and Granger there during the Janvier case.. He also knew of the lives that will be upset. It's tough when you care about the participants. He came to have strong feelings for Marty and Kensi and he had a long standing admiration for Henrietta. All he can hope is that Migs' plan will work and he can keep everyone safe. Ira reached for the door handle, took a deep breath and walked in.

Afghanistan

A small team gathers around a table covered by a map of the region. Quadrants have been marked and notes specific to that quadrant had filled the edges. Major Morales had hand-picked this team. The seven were seasoned veterans who he trusted implicitly and who had spent enough time in the region to move in and out without raising suspicions.

Captain Ryan Miller spoke first. "Major, we have shaken every "tree" and combed through all our contacts. Jack Simon is a ghost of the highest caliber. He had paid for his protection to the locals' silence and paid well. I speak for the team, we are at an impasse as to what to do next." The others gathered around the table shoke their heads in agreement. They had never come up against such a roadblock.

Morales thanked his team and dismissed all but Captain Miller. "Miller, I need to share with you some intel and a possible plan that is being formulated with the cooperation of the CIA and NCIS. This was a strictly need-to-know between you and me. Do you understand?" The Captain nodded in the affirmative.

"I will be having a video conference with my contacts in the States and I would like you to stay and observe." Again the Captain nods. He feels he was about to be part of something very personal to the Major. Migs then gave Miller background information about Lt. Martin Deeks, Agent Kensi Blye, Hetty Lange of NCIS and Ira Weiss, CIA. Captain Miller listened as the story unfolded and was surprised when names he heard whispered, Weiss and Lange, were living, breathing people. Urban legends were usually just that. Tall tales told among coworkers. He was looking forward to meeting all of them and was proud the Major had such trust in him and the team. He was brought out of his thoughts by the beep from the flat screen coming to life as the video call began. There, in what looked like a weathered recreation room were two men, two woman. He slipped back behind Morales and took a pad and pen out of his cargo pants pocket and started taking notes.

"Good to see you Gunny!" Ira was glad that Morales was going to run point in Kandahar. Migs took in the sight of his friends. Ira was finally looking back to his old self after his injuries from the Iran bombing. Kensi smiled when he made eye contact but it was the look in Deeks' eyes that told him everything he needed to know. They had become close during the mission to rescue Nate. Migs knew how devoted he was to his wife. He appreciated how talented an agent he was and he knew it took every bit of that talent to keep him in place and not already be on a plane to get Jack Simon personally. Migs nodded toward Deeks and was given a "we will talk privately" look in return.

"Allow me to introduce Captain Ryan Miller." Miller stepped out of the shadows and raised his hand in greeting. "He is leading the small team, handpicked by me, investigating Jack Simon. Please believe me when I tell you, trust him, like you trust me." The team in the boatshed nodded in acknowledgement. Migs could see that Kensi was anxious, which was so not like the agent he knew. But from what Ira told him, this was quite the shock to have Simon contact her and he would bet that it has been a tad tense in the Deeks' house because of it.

"Kensi, before the email, when was the last time you heard from Simon?" Migs decide to just dive in.

She took a small breath. "Honestly Migs I've had no contact with him in nine years. We were engaged, he had been deployed to the region. He was injured, came home but...he wasn't the same. I knew something was wrong. I tried to help him." Kensi then wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. Deeks moved closer to his wife and placed his hand in the small of her back for support. Miller watched and then remembered that the Major had mentioned that they were married to each other. A rarity to have couples working as partners but from what Migs told him, they were an extraordinary team.

Kensi continued. "At sometime during the early morning hours on Christmas Day, he left and I hadn't heard a word from him until the email. What I don't understand is how he knew I was NCIS?"

At that point another window opened. Nell and Eric's faces joined the call and introductions were made. "We finally were able to trace the email and it seems Simon was doing some serious digging into the Major's background and found the "Cherokee" file which led him to Kensi. So he knows about the rescue but we don't think he knows that Deeks and Kensi are married to each other." Both Migs and Ira saw the hand not at Kensi's back ball into a fist and the tight line his lips formed.

Hetty asked. "How did he get access to that file? I thought it was encrypted?"

Nell continued. "Simon seemed to have some decent hacking skills and the file classification was lowered once Nate was rescued."

Deeks started to speak but Nell knew what he was going to ask. "Deeks, your wedding license was buried, deep. Only Director Vance, Hetty and Captain Bates had access to that file. And as near as I could tell, Jack had not tried to find it. He would have no reason to look, as Kensi used her maiden name on all work related paperwork."

Deeks was now glad that he and Kensi had decided to have her keep her maiden name at work. It added another layer of cover to their identities in the field. Now it would be used to trap Simon.

Back to the task at hand. Migs relayed how his team was coming up empty trying to find the White Ghost. Jack had covered his tracks both by skill and payment to the locals. He looked at Deeks as a "warning" to what he was about to share next. Deeks tensed up. Kensi noticed and looked back at her husband. She saw the anger in his eyes. She looked around the room. Ira lowered his gaze but Hetty looked right at her agent. Kensi turned back to the screen and held her breath. After eight years as an agent, her instincts told her she probably was not going to like what was coming.

She hoped for the sake of her marriage/partnership, she's wrong.

-TBC-