Here's chapter nine.. Enjoy!

Chapter nine: Ignorance

She had expected she wouldn't, but Kensi had somehow managed to fall asleep that night. She had arrived home early after being given a free day from Hetty but had been unsure of what to do with this free time all of a sudden. She loved her job, partly because it was so unprepared and mostly improvising, and that was exactly why she loved her free time to be planned.

She plumped down on her couch, not yet in the mood to take her coat off. She sat there for a while, staring into the empty space in front of her. Her thoughts wondered back to Callen and the nasty situation she had put him in. She couldn't shake off the guilt she felt for involving him in her own problems. He sure never involved her or the rest of the team in his personal matters. But the way he had talked to her.. she knew he was right. She would've lost her job, her friends and her sanity if she would've continued the search for the mystery of her father's death alone. And at the moment she needed him the most, he had been there for her.

She shook her head, not wanting to get lost in that moment again. And for all their sakes, she needed to get that yellow piece of paper out of her head. She lazily got off her couch and decided to make herself a sandwich while watching some useless television. After a while, her mind drifted off again which was a reason to get up and do something else. She put on her jogging clothes and decided to go for a run. The run was surprisingly relaxing and before she knew it, she had been running for more than an hour with her head empty of all her problems.

But as soon she had made it home, the thoughts came back again and hit her full force this time. She knew she had to keep herself busy so she wouldn't take off to the address on the post-it herself. She had imprinted the address in her head and she knew she wouldn't forget it any time soon. She took a long hot shower before making herself some nice dinner. Just when she settled down for a long night of more stupid TV, her mobile rang. She checked the caller ID and sighed.

"Hey Nate." It took him a few seconds to react while Kensi waited patiently.

"Hey, Kensi. It's Nate." Kensi smiled.

"Yeah, I guessed."

"I was wondering how you were holding up.." Kensi rolled her eyes.

"I'm doing fine." Nate left a little pause before continuing.

"Are you sure?" Now it was Kensi's time to leave a pause to strengthen her answer.

"Yes, I am sure, Nate. I am doing just fine." Nate seemed to be content with that.

"And what are you doing actually?"

"Are you checking up on me?"

"Me? What.. No! I was just wo.." Kensi smiled again.

"Take it easy, Nate, it was a joke."

"Oh.."

"I am just watching TV. And you?"

"Still at OPS. Bumped into Sam earlier. Am about to leave now for a powernap so we're good to go tomorrow. We will get him, Kensi." Kensi's eyes grew wide when she heard Sam's name, but not Callen's. So he did go after all. All kind of thoughts went back and forth inside her head. Had he already been to the address? Was he okay? Should she call him? Should she check on him? All those questions sounded ridiculous the moment she thought them. She couldn't go to him nor call him. If he had information, he would've called. But how badly she wanted.. Her thoughts were broken off by a voice in her ear.

"Kensi? You're still there?" She shook her head to clear her mind.

"Yeah, yeah, I am. Was thinking about something, that's all."

"Hmm.. okay. Are you sure?"

"Will you stop asking that?" Kensi did get a little annoyed now.

"I am sorry. I will leave you to it then. Sleep tight, Kensi. See you tomorrow."

"You too. Oh and Nate?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For calling. For everything." Kensi heard the man on the other line stop breathing midway.

"Any time. Any time."

Long after the telephone conversation had ended, Kensi was still staring at the phone like it was going to tell her something important. Like it was going to unravel her mysteries any time now. But of course, that didn't happen. At that realization, she radically stood up and made her way to the bed before she could do anything stupid. She quickly changed into her nightwear and drowned herself into her pillow. And although she expected she wouldn't, Kensi somehow managed to fall asleep that night.

How much she didn't know about the events that were about to happen after she would wake up the following morning..

His head exploded. It felt like a time bomb, that was set to go off the second he tried to do anything. Even when trying to move his eyes without lifting his eyelids, a train of pain and anguish sped through his brain, destroying every neuron that was planning to start working. Even the thought of moving a part of his body felt like a gunshot to his head. And although he never got one in the head, he sure as hell knew how it felt to get shot. Multiple times. He never had forgotten what happened the exact moment that wave of bullets hit him, the horror in the faces surrounding him, the screams, the scared and wet eyes of his partner.. but he had been lucky enough to never feel the pain. He had gone limb after the first bullet hole. He had tried to understand why. The doctors couldn't explain it medically other than 'a state of shock' or 'self defense of the body'. One doctor even claimed that he 'would've died if you had felt the pain'. He had never believed those answers.

Until now.

The pain made him wish he was dead.

All the while trying to clear his mind, the pain never gave him a fair chance to do so. Moments with blinding pain alternated with rather clear spots that appeared within the black cloud inside his brain. Those clear spots showed him a figure, once up close, the other time far away, but never came the shadow in clear view. A cupboard appeared, after a while flowers and chairs. The figure close to his face once again, followed by the sight of a picture. Then.. a needle. Another flash of pain. That picture again. A girl. A desert. Pain. A smile. The happiest smile. Pain. And then..

More pain.

He had already experienced the feeling of an explosion in his head, but the excruciating wave of pain he suddenly felt brought him to the world of insanity. A fire started on the left side of his head, quickly making its way to his eyes which burned like a car filled with gasoline set on fire. All he wanted was to grab his head and start screaming while running around in circles. Yes, like insane people do. But those people didn't seem so insane to him anymore. At least those people could grab their heads and scream while running around in circles. He was unable to do anything but to experience the warzone in his head. And it was never ending.

Carl grabbed the man's head on the left side just next to the wound that was still oozing blood. He checked for a pulse in his neck and still found one. Slow but steady. Very slow but steady. He left the pulse for the time being and tried to open the man's right eye. The sclera was red, the pupil only slightly responding to the incoming light. Not a good sign. Carl's lips curled up. When he heard Will entering, he dropped the man's head without any subtlety. He stood up and joined Will, both now staring down at the unconscious man on the floor before them.

It was inexpressible. The pain didn't stop but continued to destroy his world as he knew it. He was, indeed, wishing for a painless world even if it would mean he'd stay there forever. But the unconsciousness didn't come. In between the flares of pain, he tried to hear the conversation that was just about the unfold.

"How is he?"

"Still alive. Not much though."

"No changes so far, then."

"Nope."

"And why the hell did you bring him here, again?" Carl was not in the mood to have this conversation again, so he turned around and started walking towards the largest table in the room.

"I already told you."

"Enlighten me again please." Carl was about to snap, but the furious undertone of Will didn't go unnoticed by him. He wasn't going to fight Will, not over this. Not after all they have been through.

"I told you. I remembered forgetting the box with the picture at the house. I went back to destroy it with Steve when I saw the backdoor open. And there he was."

"That still doesn't explain why you brought him here of all places. You could've just left him there. Or any other place for that matter."

"I couldn't leave him in the house. They would've found him. You know they can identify people by their teeth now? They could've identified him. Or he could've woken up. Or saved by the neighbors." Even though he didn't look in Will's direction, Carl knew his partner in crime was raising his eyebrow again.

"The guy has been lying her for 10 hours straight without moving a muscle. How on earth could he have woken up in that house already? And neighbors? Which neighbors? That 'hood is abandoned.

"Djeez, I don't know. Maybe some jogger who came running by. Or a dog. It's possible you know. And I didn't just wasted my best stuff to leave him there for dead." Will sighed deeply and started moving around.

"You are truly insane, I'm sure now." Carl just shrugged his shoulders.

"And now what? For all we know, it could be a cop. Or worse, a NCIS. You don't think anyone is looking for him?" Carl smiled.

"Look at him Will. That guy is not a cop. It's a tramp. Or a junk. Or both. But not a cop. And definitely not NCIS." Will looked at the man lying on the floor in the corner of the room. His hands and feet were neatly tight, a bound around his neck even tied him to a pipe on the wall behind him. Even though it looked like the guy wasn't going to wake up any time soon, Carl had ensured he wasn't going anywhere even if he did. He took a closer look and needed to admit, his partner was right. The unconscious man was wearing an old grey T-shirt, some holes already forming at random places. His pants weren't looking any better with ravels at the bottom and dirt all over it. He also hadn't shaved in a while and his hairdo was one of someone who didn't want to spend time on it. Not to mention that baby face of his.. Will smiled. That guy wouldn't survive for a week as a cop. He sighed, obviously relieved.

"Okay. Let's say you're right and he's not a cop. What could've he have been doing there? Did he look inside the box? Did you leave it open the last time you left that place?" Carl shrugged again.

"Hell if I know. I was busy 'interrogating' someone, remember.. But what if he saw? So what, he doesn't know shit about the content." Will still wasn't satisfied.

"Djeez man. Why doesn't he just wake up so he can tell us what he knows and we can get rid of him." Carl laughed.

"Yeah, that'd be my fault. I beat him up pretty badly. That sound his skull made when it hit that drawer.." Carl made a cracking sound with his mouth and laughed ruthless. Will started laughing too.

"Too bad I wasn't there. Reminds me of something.." He winked at Carl. Carl walked up to him and put an arm around his partner's shoulder.

"Yeah. Don't worry, pall. He'll wake up in a couple of days and we'll let him wish he hadn't. Afterwards we'll see how much use he can be for us. Nothing will stand in our way. In the meantime we can prepare for our next and last stop."

The two men took another look at the motionless figure of G. Callen before locking eyes with each other. They both smiled.

"Derek."

Finally, darkness came.

And it lasted.