Proving Ground

Chapter 14

Deeks fought the exhaustion that was dragging at him, fearing he might completely shut down before they ever got to where he needed to be. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering with fever and trying to stay calm as Sam drove the Challenger down La Cienega, weaving through traffic at a high rate of speed that would normally scare the shit out of him. But not tonight. Tonight it seemed too slow, a snail's pace compared to his racing mind. She might already be dead, and then this convoy of federal agents would become a funeral cortege, leaving him alone and desolate and drowning in guilt. This was what he had feared, but to lose her because of his own weakness was something he would never overcome. Callen turned to look back at him, and he flinched when he spoke.

"We'll find her in time, Deeks," he said softly as if reading his mind.

"God…I hope you're right," he choked out. "Because I won't be able to live with myself if she's killed because of me."

"This isn't on you, Deeks," Sam said firmly, his voice loud and commanding in the darkness of the car.

"She shouldn't have been there tonight and you know it," he snapped back in anger.

"Everyone here shares the blame, Deeks," Teague said. "But wallowing in it serves no purpose, so save the self pity and concentrate on getting her back."

"Deeks was right. You are a prick," Callen said.

"No…he's right," Deeks said. "Cut over to Jefferson, Sam. Then go in on Duquesne. It has the best access and cuts right through the middle of the fields."

"You've been there before?" Teague asked.

"Yeah…I'm a cop, remember?" Deeks said softly. "Bad guys dump bodies there."

"Don't you lose hope, Deeks. You hear me?" Sam said. "We'll get there this time."

Deeks reached over the seat and gripped his shoulder, the understanding palpable.

"Okay, Sam. Okay," he said, hoping all their promises weren't empty ones.

Los Angeles at night was a massive carpet of light, so much light that the night sky became secondary to its dominance. But in the middle of that carpet was a thousand acres of darkness, a scarred land pimpled with pumpjacks sucking out the earth's black blood. They had always reminded him of robotic crows relentlessly pecking at the soil. He hated them and he hated this place. Even as a rookie cop it was a place he never wanted to be called to. It was a place that smelled foul with oil and haunted by the discarded dead that had ended their lives here. The dread he felt as they entered the dark field was close to debilitating. Kensi was in here somewhere, and they were more than an hour behind the men who had brought her here. He would search this place relentlessly until he found her, and if they had killed her, every single one of them would join the others who's ghosts now haunted this place.

"Stay alive, baby," he whispered to himself. "I'm coming."

Despite the zip ties that bound her hands, Kensi managed to reach up behind her ear to touch the painful spot where she'd been hit. She hissed out a quick breath and jerked her fingers back, finding them sticky with blood. It had been agreed that she was not to carry any kind of weapon when she went to Yavuz's house, but she'd cheated. She had tucked her father's knife inside her boot, but had never gotten the chance to use it. The unexpected attack had come too quickly. The bedroom door had slammed open, and she'd screamed Deeks' name in warning just as flashbangs exploded between her and Emiri, deadening her hearing and leaving her disoriented. Four men dressed in black were on them before she could recover, but she fought to protect Emiri until she was hit from behind. It wasn't until she came to in the back of the van that she realized her earwig had been knocked out, leaving her without a way to communicate with Deeks or anyone else. Thinking about what might have happened to him was incredibly painful, but she knew he was a survivor, and so was she. So if she was going to make it out of this and get back to him, she had to concentrate on what she could control. It must have been Tilki's men who attacked and now held them, and she was surprised they hadn't blindfolded or gagged them. That alone made her anxious, and her body hummed with adrenalin. Emiri had been the target, so Kensi knew she was expendable. Why they hadn't killed her during the attack, she had no idea. The girl had been scared out of her mind, but she had fought the men too, and had the bruises to prove it. Now she simply looked despondent.

Kensi had no idea how long she'd been unconscious, so figuring out how far they'd come or where they were was impossible. There were no windows and she couldn't see out the front, but she knew they weren't on a freeway, just by their speed, the traffic sounds, and the occasional stops. When they slowed she was immediately on guard. Suddenly the van bounced as they hit uneven, rutted ground and it confused her, making her search her mind for where they might be taking them. Then she smelled it, and she knew. Oil. They were in the oil fields, and the first sharp prick of panic made her swallow hard. Deeks had told her he had once worked a crime scene here, the body lying undiscovered for almost two weeks. Adrenaline surged through her as the van bumped over the rough road, finally slowing to a stop. She heard the passenger door open up front and a voice called out something in Turkish. One of the men guarding them swore and looked at her, and even in the darkness she knew she was in trouble.

"Where are we? Why are we stopping?" Emiri demanded in a shaky voice. "My father will pay if you take me back. He won't hurt you…please."

She was crying and Kensi felt her anger rising, and she tried to think what she could say to comfort her.

"It's going to be okay, Emiri," she said as calmly as she could. "I don't think they want to hurt you. You're too valuable."

No one said anything to confirm what she'd said, but one man continued to stare at her, looking away only when the back door of the van swung open. There was a quick and angry discussion between her guard and the man outside, and she wished she understood the language. The guard finally swore in English and reached down and yanked her up and shoved her toward the rear door.

"No, please don't take her…please," Emiri screamed, and was instantly slapped into silence.

"Leave her alone," Kensi yelled, only to be shoved roughly out the back door, leaving her sprawled in the dust.

She was stunned for a few seconds, but struggled to her knees, spitting out dirt as she looked to see if Emiri had been brought out as well. When the van doors began slamming shut with Emiri still inside she knew her own time was limited. The guard standing over her had been elected to kill her, and he wasn't happy about it. He shouted at the others in Turkish as they drove off, sprinkling filthy curse words throughout in a language she had no trouble understanding. They both watched the headlights of the blue van as it wove its way through the bleak landscape, lighting up the nodding pumpjacks and storage tanks as it passed by. When it finally disappeared behind a low rise, the guard spit in the dirt in front of her.

"Get up," he said, sounding pissed.

"You don't have to do this," she pleaded in a scared, breathless voice, playing her role to the end. "Please…just let me go. I won't say anything to anybody. I promise."

"Shut up," he barked, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulling her to her feet.

He yanked her to his chest, his breath hot and smelling of spices she couldn't identify. His eyes searched hers and she saw doubt there, giving her a slight bit of hope.

"Please don't hurt me," she whispered. "I don't know anything…you can just let me go."

"I was ordered to kill you at the house," he said, tightening his hold on her hair.

"But you couldn't," she said.

He pulled her head back and gently ran his fingers along her throat, breathing heavily and licking his lips as he looked down at her. She struggled against him, pushing on his chest with her fists.

"You're a very beautiful woman," he said softly. "It is my weakness…beautiful women. They know this."

"So this is a test?" She asked, unable to keep the anger out of her voice.

"One I cannot fail," he said, shoving her backwards as he pulled a pistol from behind his back. "Now turn around and walk over to those storage tanks."

Her mind was racing as she watched for an opening to attack. He had no idea who or what she was, so she just had to find the perfect moment to distract him and gain the advantage.

"My name is Sage," she said as she slowly began walking over the dusty ground. "I'm getting married."

"Shut the fuck up," he growled, shoving her forward.

"You don't really want to kill a woman about to be married, do you?" She asked. "You didn't shoot me at the house, so you must not want to do it now. Was that what you were arguing about with the others? Not wanting to kill a woman?"

"It is my task," he said softly. "If I don't carry it out, they will kill me and my whole family. Do you understand now?"

All hope of pleading her way out of this vanished with his admission. Now, she had no choice. It was kill or be killed, and she locked down her mind, focusing on what she had to do. As she approached the looming storage tanks she stumbled on the rocky ground and fell to her knees, crying out as if she'd hurt herself. Rolling over onto her hip, she reached for her ankle as though it were sprained, feeling her father's knife beneath her hand. When the man bent over to help her up she slid it free. Her thrust was quick and powerful, the blade slicing deep into his body just below the sternum. Warm blood spilled down over her hands as he gasped in surprise and stumbled back. He tried to raise his pistol, but it fired harmlessly into the ground as he fell on his back in the weeds.

She scrambled to her feet and quickly cut the zip ties off her wrists. As she wiped the blood from her hands on the sides of her jeans, she scanned the area to see if anyone was around who might have heard the shot. The only sound was the methodical grind of the pumpjacks pulling oil from the ground. Slipping the knife back in her boot, she took a couple of deep breaths before walking over to kick the weapon away from the man. His eyes stared unseeing at the sky, and she felt a hint of regret at what she'd been forced to do.

"You should have let me go," she whispered as she felt for her phone, cursing when she found it was gone.

She searched the dead man for a phone, but came up empty. Swearing silently, she looked up at the sky and tried to calm herself. Leaving Emiri in the hands of such men wasn't an option, so she picked up the man's weapon and started walking in the direction the van had gone.

Her mine flickered between how close she'd just been to death, to her fear for Emiri and for what might have happened to Deeks. Had they taken him too? Had they killed him at the house? The thought of either one filled her with a dull fear that left her breathless and her stomach clinched into one big knot. He had talked about getting out a lot this year, but she had stalled whenever he wanted to discuss it. Since the death of Michelle and their engagement, he seemed to be waiting for the worst to happen. She thought he was fearful that his growing happiness was too good to be true, that the other shoe would drop and he would be robbed of it if he wasn't careful, as if being happy was something he wasn't entitled to. Now she wondered if this assignment had proved him right. She loved her job, even though it put her in harms way like it had tonight. Deeks had once told her that being a cop was who he was, but now she was the one clinging to the idea that being an agent was who she was. Without her job, who would she be? And then it hit her hard and she stopped, tears suddenly blurring her eyes. Who would she be if she'd lost Deeks tonight? How would she deal with that reality if the job she loved had taken him from her?

"God, Deeks…" she whispered. "Please be alive…"

She choked on her tears, but wiped them away and pushed herself forward. As desperate as she was to find a way to contact the team and find out whether she had lost the man who filled her life with laughter and pure joy, she felt a deep obligation to find out where they had taken Emiri. If her job was all she had left then she would do it with everything she had.

"We're close," Sam said, parking the Challenger beside a couple of small storage tanks.

The rest of the team pulled up behind him in the van the attackers had driven to Yavuz' house. The workshop where they were supposedly holding Emiri and hopefully Kensi was just up ahead, and the van would now become a Trojan horse. Deeks stumbled out of the car, the smell of oil nauseating him. Everyone was wearing bulletproof vests and all the tactical gear they would need to breach and free the hostages. Everyone but him and Perez. They were the ones who would be the most vulnerable, but Deeks didn't care. He just wanted the ruse to work.

"We'll all be in the back of the van," Callen said, speaking slowly to him for some reason. "Just play your part…"

"And don't do anything stupid," Sam interrupted. "I know how badly you want to get to her, Deeks. And believe me, I know how hard it is to keep your emotions in check, but right now, that's what you have to do."

"Yeah…no…of course," he replied.

"You sure you can do this?" Teague asked him. "You don't look like you can walk ten feet."

"He'll be fine," Sam said, glaring at the man.

"You sure about that?" Teague snapped back.

"We're sure," Callen said, both men stepping into the agent's space. "Besides, it's obvious he's wounded and that can work in our favor."

"So you want me to fall flat on my face?" Deeks asked, with a slight grin.

"For the good of the mission? Yeah," Callen smirked.

"It'll help draw them out," Sam added.

"I'll take Frenchie and Locker with me," McFadden said.

"Who?" Callen asked, looking confused.

"Nicknames, G," Sam laughed. "Lemme guess. Fry is Frenchie and Locker is Keyes."

"You guys have aliases. We have nicknames," McFadden said.

"If you're all done with the playground stuff, can we go?" Deeks said, irritated by the lighthearted banter. "Kensi may not have a lot of time."

"Sorry, Deeks," McFadden said.

"Don't call him that," Callen said. "He stays in character as Max Gentry until this op is over."

"Roger that," McFadden said. "We'll head out and take up overwatch position around the building. See ya, Max."

"You spot any perimeter guards you take 'em out. Quietly," Sam ordered, and no one argued, they just nodded and disappeared into the darkness.

"You ready for this, Perez?" Callen asked.

"Bizim zamanimiz şimdi," he replied.

"Should I assume that means yes?" Callen asked.

"Means…our time is now," Perez replied.

"Yeah it is, but we'll give the squad ten minutes to get in position, then we go," Sam said.

"Roger that," the linguist replied, stepping up into the driver's seat, while the others got in the back.

The wait felt interminable. Deeks' fingers were twitching as the minutes ticked off until Sam reached out from beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Lets go get our girl," he said.

The van started forward, and Deeks combed his fingers nervously through his hair, breathing hard as his mind raced ahead. They'd found a satphone on the dashboard when they'd checked out the van, and he listened as Perez began shouting into it in Turkish. As rehearsed, he was telling whoever answered that there had been a firefight at the house and that he had Max Gentry, but that he also had wounded men on board and needed help. They couldn't hear the response, but when Perez threw the phone on the passenger seat, he gave them a thumbs up. Sam held up a zip tie and Deeks turned so his hands could be loosely tied behind him.

They had no idea how many men they would be facing. Even the man Teague had interrogated didn't know, or wasn't willing or able to say. Perez had been avoiding Teague since they'd come downstairs to tell them what he'd got out of the guy. When the linguist did look at him, there was disgust on his face, but right now, Deeks was just grateful he'd gotten the information they needed to find Kensi. Feeling guilty about the man's methods would come later. Of that, he was sure.

The van bounced over the ruts in the dusty road, until finally Perez alerted them that he had the objective in sight. He described a long, low building with a metal roof, industrial lights over the door and at each corner, and five pumpjacks nodding methodically around the perimeter.

"There's an Audi snugged close to the building on this side. A truck, a small Toyota, and another van are parked out front. We've also got company. I count three."

The men walked out as the van approached, but Perez stopped well back from the building so they wouldn't be able to see inside when he opened the side door. Deeks got to his feet and crouched low on one knee as the door slid open. Perez gave him a long look before taking hold of his right arm and yanking him out. He stumbled and fell face down in the dirt, and Perez started yelling something in Turkish, motioning for the men to come closer. Deeks managed to get to his knees and saw two more men come out of the building. He slipped his hands out of the zip tie and felt for the gun that was tucked under his shirt against his back. Only one of the men carried an assault rifle, and when he got closer to the van, Deeks swung his gun up and took him out. The recoil sent shards of pain down his arm, but he managed to struggle to his feet as the others poured out of the van and began firing. The men were caught completely by surprise and the firefight was all but over when a window was smashed out of the workshop and someone with an assault weapon opened up on them. Bullets peppered the van, exploding the headlights and hitting Perez in the leg. Deeks scrambled to help him, pulling him further behind the van while Teague laid down bursts of covering fire.

"Stop firing!" Deeks shouted. "Kensi and Emiri are in there."

"You really are an ungrateful twit," Teague shouted back as he crouched over Perez while bullets slammed into the vehicle. "I've got him. Go find her…just don't get yourself killed."

In between bursts, Deeks heard a single shot from a high-powered sniper rifle and the firing finally stopped, allowing Sam and Callen to move forward. As he started to follow, a side door banged open by the Audi and a man began firing in his direction sending him to the ground once again. A man in a suit hurried out, dragging Emiri with him. She hung limply in his arms and Deeks stretched out and took aim, waiting for his shot. The man firing was hit from behind and went down, and Deeks saw the suited man hesitate. It was all he needed. He fired, hitting the man in the head. Emiri slid from his arms as the man dropped dead behind her. He was up and moving, needing to get to Emiri and praying that the others had rescued Kensi.

"Emiri? Come on…You're okay now. You're safe," he said as he gathered her into his arms.

Her eyes fluttered open and then she panicked, fighting him and screaming. He finally got her on her feet and tried to calm her down, desperate to ask about Kensi.

"It's okay, Emiri. It's Max. You're safe," he said.

"Max? Oh my God. You came," she said, tears streaming down her face as she threw her arms around his neck.

"Where's Sage? Is she okay?" He asked in a rush.

She took a step back and her face melted into anguish as she began to shake. "I'm so sorry…I couldn't stop them."

"Stop what?" He asked, gripping her arms and shouting in her face. "What did they do?"

"Max!" Sam grabbed him and pulled him away. "She's not here."

"What? Why not?" Deeks' energy deserted him in that moment, and then he turned to face the trembling teenager. "Emiri? Where is she?"

"I think they killed her," she whispered through tears, her hands clutched in front of her mouth as if afraid to voice the unthinkable.

"You think, or you know?" Sam asked as Deeks walked away, unable to deal with what she was saying.

"They stopped and…they pushed her out of the van," she said. "One of the men got out too…and I screamed at them not to hurt her, but…they wouldn't listen. One of them slapped me. Then they just drove away and left them there. I'm so sorry, Max."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked the girl softly.

"I heard the shot…it was far away, but I heard it," she said solemnly. "And…and the men in the van heard it too…they nodded and smiled. How can someone smile about something like that?"

Deeks was numb as his carefully constructed world crumbled around him. He had never felt this hollow before. There was nothing to hold on to, nothing to save him, only grief and emptiness. His entire body felt like lead and he couldn't move one foot in front of the other, so he simply stood still and looked up into the night sky as the tears came.

"Can I go home now?" Emiri asked. "I want to be with my father."

"That may be a problem," Sam said gently. "You're house is a crime scene."

"We'll have someone take her to the boat shed," Callen said as he walked out the side door and wrapped a jacket around the girl. "Mosley can deal with this."

"No," Deeks said. "Have Hetty talk to her. She deserves some kindness right now."

"I'll take her myself," Sam said, wrapping his arm around the shaking girl. "Come with us, Max."

"No," Deeks replied. "I'm staying until I find her, Sam. I can't leave her out there alone…in the dark."

Sam squeezed his shoulder and nodded his understanding and walked on, guiding Emiri away from the smell of blood and oil.

"I'm so sorry, Deeks," Teague said as he appeared beside him. "I spoke with Mosley. She sends her condolences."

"Seriously?" Deeks said, his voice low and dangerous.

"She never wanted things to turn out like this," Teague said.

"Other than recovering those missiles, I don't think she cared how this turned out, or who got hurt in the process, as long as she could carve another notch in the butt of one of those custom made pistols of hers," he said bitterly.

"That's not fair, Deeks. She was just doing her job," Teague said.

"But she wouldn't let us do ours," Callen said. "And she put Deeks in a dangerous position..."

"None of that matters now," Deeks interrupted. "Nothing does except finding Kensi's…body."

"You won't find her tonight, Deeks. This place is a maze and it's bloody dark out here. Besides that, you don't have any idea where to start looking," Teague reasoned. "Mosley is sending a tactical squad. They can do a search in the morning."

"Fuck off, Benny," Deeks said. "I don't want anybody's help finding her, especially Mosley's."

"Deeks…she wants us all back at OSP," Teague said. "There's been a development."

"She doesn't want me…never has," Deeks said. "And I'm fine with that. Tell her she'll have my formal resignation on her desk after I find Kensi. As of now…I'm out."

"Deeks. I'm not letting you do this alone," Callen said. "Wherever she is, we'll find her. Together."

"Thanks, brother," he replied.

"You've got good undercover skills, Deeks," Teague called after him as the two men walked away. "Don't throw a promising career away because of some irrational feud with Mosley."

Deeks didn't bother answering him, because he didn't give a shit about his career right now. He didn't think he would ever be a cop again, and he sure as hell didn't want to become an agent. Not with Kensi gone and Mosley in charge. The two women were at opposite ends of the spectrum for him. He loved one and hated the other. There were very few people in either category, but his reaction to both was visceral. He couldn't fathom how to live without the one person he loved more than life itself, and couldn't imagine ever seeing or speaking to the woman he hated for putting this final chapter in play.

"Deeks?" McFadden said as he trotted up beside him. "The team wanted to help, but Mosley ordered us all back in as soon as the tactical squad arrives."

"Perez okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, but whining a little. First time being shot. Ambulance is on its way," he replied, looking uncertain. "Listen…I was ordered not to tell you this, since apparently you resigned or some such shit…but fuck it. You need to watch your back, man."

"Why?" Deeks asked.

"Because Yavuz escaped custody about twenty minutes ago," McFadden said.

"How the hell did that happen?" Callen asked.

"Sadik," Deeks said, feeling calm and distant from it all. "You didn't capture him during the raid, did you?"

"No. He got past everybody somehow," he replied. "You think he did this?"

"No doubt," Deeks replied and started walking again, but then stopped and turned back. "Tell the guys thanks…for watching my back. You too. You saved my ass tonight."

"You're one tough sonofabitch, Deeks," McFadden said with a grin. "You're a survivor, dude. And I met your girl. She seemed damn tough too. Don't give up hope just yet, man. I did two tours, and you never count someone out until you find evidence that proves otherwise."

Deeks felt tears sting his eyes once again, because he was right. No one had seen her die, which meant there was always a chance she had survived. He clung to that small bit of hope and reached out to shake McFadden's hand, only to be pulled close and pounded once on the back.

"You guys watch yourself," Deeks said, touched by the man's gesture. "Sadik is a cold hearted killer, and Yavuz will be looking for his daughter. They'll both do anything it takes to find her."

"Roger that, and here…you forgot these," McFadden said, grinning as he handed them a couple of flashlights before turning and trotting back toward the others.

"Thanks, buddy," Deeks called after him.

They continued their walk in silence for a while, until he finally had to ask. "You think there's a chance she's still alive?"

"It's Kensi. I'd definitely take that bet, and so would you if you weren't running on fumes," Callen replied.

"I don't know what I'll do, G…I mean if she's really gone," Deeks said softly. "She's my whole world, brother."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Callen said, putting a comforting hand on the back of his neck as they started out. "Lets just concentrate on our search, okay?"

"Yeah, no…you're right," Deeks said, wiping at the tears he couldn't seem to control.

It was a moonless night, and once they were away from the workshop, the darkness closed in around them. There was occasional lighting around some of the storage tanks, but it was dim and not all that helpful. Deeks stopped at every pumpjack and storage tank, checking around them carefully, dreading each time he saw an odd shaped clump of weeds, or a shadow that made no sense. Finally, Callen put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Take a break, Deeks. You're exhausted," he said, and he nodded numbly and sat down on a stack of palettes. "You think they came in on the same road we did?"

"They could have come in below the college," Deeks said wearily. "Especially if they took Jefferson. It would be about the same distance from the workshop. Teague was right. It is a maze out here. She could be anywhere."

"Maybe there's another way," Callen said, quickly pulling his phone. "Eric? Need your help."

"Anything at all," the tech said, his voice a touch of warmth for Deeks as Callen put him on speaker. "Callen? Is it true? Mosley told us Kensi was dead. Nell…we're all devastated."

Deeks hung his head at the stark pronouncement and tears blurred his eyes once again.

"Deeks and I are looking for her," he said. "Are there any LAPD helicopters in the area with thermal imaging cameras?"

"I can check, but Callen…if she's…dead, there won't be a heat signature," he replied sadly.

"If there's a chance she's not, we have to try," he said.

"I'm on it…give me a second," he replied in a rush.

"Callen?" Deeks stood and stared at the senior agent with tears clouding his eyes.

"It's our best shot," he replied.

"Thank you," Deeks said. "For being here."

"We're a team, Deeks. Wouldn't be anywhere else."

"Guys? An LAPD helo will be overhead in two minutes," Eric reported. "I'll stay on the phone with you, and will patch them in when they reach your position."

"Thanks, buddy," Deeks said softly.

"Mr. Deeks? We're all waiting with you," Hetty said.

He couldn't find his voice to answer, and stood up when he heard the blades of the chopper beating overhead.

"LAPD at your service, gentlemen. Anything for a fellow officer," the pilot's voice crackled over the phone. "Got eyes on you on infrared and will do a sweep of the area, looking for a single subject."

"Keep us posted," Callen replied.

"Roger that."

The chopper banked to the right and began a systematic search pattern. As he made a second turn just south of them, his voice came through loud and clear.

"I have a single figure moving over a rise just south of your position," he reported. "Want me to light 'em up with a spot?"

"Copy that, Officer," Callen yelled as the helo's blades beat loudly above their heads.

The spotlight suddenly lit up a small ridge, thick with vegetation, and standing at the top looking up and waving was Kensi. For a few seconds, Deeks couldn't move or talk, he just looked at Callen, his face wet with tears and a wide smile on his face. He was laughing as he pulled Callen in for a hug, surprised when he stepped back and saw tears in the agent's eyes.

"You are definitely hugging the wrong person," Callen said. "Now go get her."

Deeks pounded him on the shoulder and then took off running. The helicopter suddenly lifted up and the spread of the spotlight widened, including him and illuminating a dusty track up the hill.

"Kensi!" He screamed, trying to catch her attention above the thumping beat of the chopper blades. "Kensi!"

When she finally heard him, she looked confused, but when she saw him she smiled and screamed his name, starting down to meet him. He struggled to climb the hill, the bushes tearing at his clothes as he fell to his knees. Then she was suddenly right in front of him, sliding down in the dirt, her legs encircling him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He found it hard to say anything, and realized he didn't have to. He just had to hold her…forever.