Thanks to everyone who read, and reviewed, this story so far - you're all an inspiration and why I have updated the story earlier than I thought I could. Mild swearing in this chapter, though hardly s, and tiny spoilers for "Neighbourhood Watch". In my profile there is a link to my Youtube account, which is where you'll find the tribute video for this story. There is also a banner in my profile for an exact image of what the safe cover house they'll be staying at looks like.

~ Meeting Daniel ~

It was a tense moment.

The long corridor, with pale floors and blue walls, was quiet and almost vacant. At the middle section of the hallway were many green lockers lined along the wall. Kensi and Deeks stood with their backs to the lockers, leaning slightly against the aged green metal, as they stared ahead to the closed classroom door opposite them.

'How much longer?' Deeks asked, breaking the stillness of the moment with his impatient tone. He glanced to his left at Kensi, his face of dread and concern.

'Any minute now.' Kensi answered quietly, looking down at the watch on her wrist.

They resumed their staring, each gaze of blue and brown fixated on the door with the square, blurred-out window. Inside the classroom was the eight-year-old boy they'd been assigned to protect. The child who sat at his desk doing his school-work like any other day, not yet realising the day was far from ordinary. They dreaded meeting him because the boy had no idea he wouldn't be going home to his parents today, or any moment too soon.

Instead, everything familiar about his life would be overturned.

Kensi flinched slightly when the ball overhead rang loudly in her ears, her face shifting from anticipation to sadness. Deeks glanced upwards at the dull ceiling and released a long exhale, wishing they didn't have to be the ones to break the bad news to the kid. The door opened wide, and children rushed from the room - their faces alight with eagerness and innocence.

The teacher, Miss Reynolds, had been informed earlier that the Ellis boy had to remain behind when school concluded for the day. She expected company once the rest of the children had filed from the room, though she had not yet been told any of the specifics about what was going on and who would be speaking to her.

Kensi and Deeks shared a glance of pending regret, then each leaned away from the lockers. Kids of various ages hurried by them in the hallway, as the two law enforcers crossed the space between the lockers and the open classroom door. They entered the room, and caught their first sight of the boy at eight years old. Eric and Nell had tried to find a recent photograph of Daniel Ellis, but all they'd been able to discover was a picture of the child at the age of five. The camera footage of the last time he'd seen his parents had been capture from an angle too far away from the house to get a clear enough image of the boy.

And so, as they looked at his eight-year-old face for the first time, Kensi had to withhold a small gasp of momentary surprise.

'He looks like you.' Kensi whispered to Deeks with amusement.

The boy had the exact same hair tones and colouring as Deeks, as well as length - even though it was much straighter and organised in appearance. The pair also shared almost identical striking blue eyes, which expressed themselves in similar ways. Their skin tones were the same and, though they highly doubted it was possible, the child could have easily passed off as Deeks' son.

Deeks had paused for a moment when Kensi commented on the visual similarities he and the boy had in common, though he was confident she was just teasing him. Personally, Deeks didn't think they looked that alike, but he knew now wasn't the time to comment.

'What's this about?' Miss Reynolds, the boy's teacher, asked with an intrigued expression.

'I'm Special Agent Kensi Blye, NCIS.' Kensi told the woman and showed her ID. 'And this is Detective Marty Deeks, LAPD.'

She opened her mouth to say more, but looked at the nervously confused boy seated a desk away from where she stood. Anything she had to say felt wrong to be spoken so near a young child, even if parts of it he would have to know sooner or later. Kensi was determined to be professional, but she could not deny the fact it was a difficult situation and not at all a pleasant one.

'Is something wrong?' Reynolds asked, her curiosity forming into concern. It wasn't an unusual assumption to reach, given her company and lacking the presence of the child's parents.

Kensi looked at Deeks, each non-verbally debating over who was going to have the task neither of them wanted to do. Sighing, Deeks ducked his head and turned to the teacher to indicate they should talk outside the room. He gave Kensi a sympathetic expression, which she returned with insisting diligence.

Once Deeks and Reynolds had left the classroom, shutting the door behind themselves in the process, Kensi turned back to the boy. His posture was slightly hunched, and he hastily dropped his gaze from her when he saw she had focused her entire attention to him.

'Daniel?' Kensi crouched in front of the child. 'Did your mum or dad say anything to you this morning - anything that might seem a little strange?'

'No.' Daniel answered quietly. Despite the firmness in his voice, he quickly looked away again and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. 'Where are they?'

Kensi mutely inhaled a breath to prepare herself.

She wanted to take the time to answer, in fear she'd say it all wrong and upset him more than he was likely to be. For a fleeting moment, Kensi wondered how the man who had told her about her father's death had felt when he stood on her doorstep that early morning, anticipating the delivery of news that was both upsetting and lacking in answers. Kensi vowed to never deliver that sort of news to the boy in front of her, because his parents were still out there somewhere and she was going to make sure they were returned to him - unlike her father was to her.

'We don't know.' She spoke with truth, because there really was no other answer to give and Kensi would have resented being lied to about something so important.

She wasn't going to do it to someone else.

'NCIS are looking for them. I promise we're doing everything we can to find them.'

Daniel's eyes immediately welled with tears and he continued to avoid her gaze, gripping the material of his dark pants with his fists.

Kensi watched the emotions whirl through the small form of the boy and felt helpless, just as she had many years ago and sometimes still did. She wanted to do something, anything, to ease what the boy was feeling. She reached to place a hand on his shoulder, but he violently shrugged it off and frowned at her efforts.

'Okay.' Kensi sighed, nodding her head with understanding. 'Until we find your mum and dad, you need to come with us. We'll stop by your house first so you can pack some clothes and toys to take with you.'

'I don't want to.' Daniel stated. There was anger and blame etched into his darkened blue eyes, as he lifted his chin to glare at her.

'I know, but you can't stay in that big house all by yourself.' Kensi sympathised with the obvious hurt Daniel was feeling.

She knew it was hard enough for anyone to hear their parents were missing, and Daniel was only eight-years-old. She wished she had more to offer him, such as comfort or answers, but there was nothing. Kensi also hoped the boy wasn't going to be too difficult because while his emotions were understandable for the situation, she and Deeks still had a job to do.

'We ready to go?' Deeks re-emerged into the room, leaning casually against the frame of the door even if his facial features were set with seriousness and discomfort.

'No!' Daniel stated, and crossed his arms over his chest.

'Okay.' Deeks answered loosely and walked over to Kensi, who straightened. 'I don't mind waiting, but I was kinda hoping to get some ice cream before we check out the house we'll be staying in.' He said with a dramatic sigh. 'If we stay here too long, we won't have time. That would be a shame - I hear it's double-chocolate-Monday.'

Daniel watched him and squirmed, then grumbled and got to his feet. He walked nearby to retrieve his schoolbag, unaware of the smug grin Deeks flashed to Kensi.

She merely rolled her eyes at him.

~ LB ~

'We've got another stop to make on our little trip.' Deeks added, as they walked outside the school building a few minutes later. 'I've got to pick up Monty.'

'Deeks!' Kensi frowned at him. 'Is he house-trained?'

'That's besides the point. He lives with me, so if we're staying some-place else for a while then he needs to come to. Monty goes where I go.' Deeks told her.

'Like Mary and her lamb.' Kensi muttered.

Deeks, pretending not to have heard her, looked over at Daniel.

He thought the boy was coping well, considering what Kensi had probably told him, and yet Deeks did not lose sight of the fact the eight-year-old was now their responsibility. And in more ways than simply being under their protection. Kensi had grabbed the boy's hand to make sure he stayed close, just as an added precaution, Deeks noticed. But Daniel struggled against her grip, every step of the way, in clear determination to walk on his own and keep his distance.

'Do you like dogs, Daniel?' Deeks asked, while keeping an eye out for anything suspicious on the walk across the road to where their assigned car was parked.

There wasn't much to notice - a lot of the activity was on behalf of the kids running around and parents searching the crowd for them. There were the sounds of the buses nearby, as well as cars and people either arriving or departing. Much like the Ellis residence had been at dawn, everything seemed ordinary and unchanging.

'I dunno.' The boy answered. He was momentarily distracted from his attempts to inch away from Kensi when he curiously looked up at Deeks. 'Why?'

'I have one. Is it alright if he stayed with us too?' Deeks asked, though Monty would be coming either way. 'Like you, Monty would be left all alone otherwise.'

Daniel thought about the question, but merely shrugged, and was relieved when Kensi finally let him go. He stumbled back from her, almost colliding with Deeks, as he'd still been pulling away when she'd suddenly released him. Looking towards the black SUV they would be using, Daniel halted when Deeks reached over to open the door for him.

The boy's face paled and he looked scared to get into the back seat of the vehicle.

'We're strangers.' Kensi pointed out to Deeks. 'We can't really blame him for being so reluctant.' She rejoined Daniel's side and was about to talk to him when the blonde-haired boy revolved around to run away.

'Whoa!' Deeks jumped in front of him and seized Daniel's shoulders to prevent him from escaping. 'It's okay, buddy. We're Police Officers, okay? Look.' He used one hand to reach into the pocket of his jacket and lifted out his ID, showing the panicked boy his LAPD badge. He gave Kensi a look, and she nodded while getting out her NCIS badge to also show it to Daniel.

The anxious child lowered his blue gaze to the object offered to him, and accepted Deeks' badge. He rubbed his fingers over its surface, then looked at Kensi's badge with a more defined expression. Daniel growled and tossed her badge onto the ground, before once again attempting to flee.

'It's okay!' Kensi called out to assure some of the worried-looking parents nearby. 'We're Federal Agents.'

She knew the situation probably looked extremely suspicious - with Deeks having to hold Daniel around the middle in attempt to get the boy into the car as normally and harmlessly as he could. The last thing they needed was for people to call the police on what surely looked like an attempted child abduction.

Kensi retrieved her badge from the ground and held it up to show the onlookers, while Deeks was handed back his own badge by a very disgruntled Daniel. Not every member of their inevitable audience were entirely convinced, but they soon focused on their own children instead of frowning disapprovingly at the situation across the street.

Kensi turned in time to see Deeks shut the car door with a huff of effort. The child made no further endeavours to evade them, and merely sat in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest in annoyance. Neither Kensi nor Deeks were looking forward to the coming hours, or days, if their first meeting with Daniel had begun with such a rough start.

~ LB ~

'I'll tell them.' Eric nodded and hung up the receiver, swerving in his chair to observe the others nearby.

The rest of the team were gathered around the Ops room, each trying to make sense of the information on the main screen, which gave them neither answers nor a sense of direction to their case.

'Deeks and Kensi have picked Daniel up from school.' Eric informed them. 'They're on their way to the safe cover house now.'

'Good.' Hetty nodded. 'Make sure they check in at the house so we can begin the surveillance. I assume everything is all prepared for their arrival?'

'Yep.' Eric nodded, but double-checked anyway. 'We have all eight cameras set up outside. They cover all areas of the street and small yard out front, around the sides, and various angles of the backyard - along with one inside the garage. They're all night-vision enabled and have high-functioning adjustable lens.'

He exhaled to take a break, tapping at his hand-held keyboard to check the other features of their state-of-the-art surveillance. It had all been put into place several hours earlier by an expert team who had been very discreet, at the firm request of Hetty.

'There are numerous security alarms at every entrance, as well as superior motion sensors across the yard all around the house. All which completely outstrips the budget of every other houses in the neighbourhood.' Eric finished with a smirk.

'But nothing inside the house?' Callen questioned, looking away from a file on Petty Officer Ellis' CEO from Camp Peddleton Base.

'Miss Jones?' Hetty encouraged.

'With the cameras outside being monitored every moment they're home, and continuously recorded even if no one is home – there was no need to set up any equipment in the house itself.' Nell elaborated. 'With the alarms and sensors, as well as back-up power generators in case there is an outage...well, setting up cameras inside would just seem a bit excessive.' She said with amusement.

'Just a bit.' Sam added sarcastically.

'Even so, Ms Blye or Mr Deeks are expected to check in every night.' Hetty continued. 'If we do not hear from them by ten o'clock, we will know the security has been compromised.'

'As if that's possible.' Eric muttered confidently.

'We may be good, Mr Beal.' Hetty frowned at him. 'But no one is infallible.'

'Right.' Eric ducked his head with embarrassment and turned his chair around to return to his data searches.

They were striving to locate the other two cars involved in the morning incident, as well as try to figure out how the Ellis' car could have been shot up on the side without anyone reporting it. And as far as they could tell, the only time the blue car had bullet holes on it was when it had ended up in the bushes. Additionally, the rest of the team were still making frequent trips around Los Angeles to speak with anyone who might have something useful to tell them, which could help in finding the missing parents of Daniel Ellis.

So far, they were having very little luck.

'You don't really think they're going to try to take the boy, do you?' Callen asked Hetty.

'No, Mr Callen, I do not.' Hetty confirmed his suspicions. 'But needless to say, we must be prepared for anything that comes our way or his. There is no need to ignore an opportunity to take a necessary precautionary action to protect their son and our country's national security. In the meantime, we must pull every resource we have to find his parents and return them home safely.'

'We're trying.' Callen insisted with building frustration. 'At this point, we'll need a miracle.'

'We already have one.' Hetty said to him with a small smile, then continued when he looked at her with confusion. 'Mr and Mrs Ellis are high value targets, in which their kidnappers will likely go to any lengths to get what they want from them. And yet, in spite of those facts, whoever is responsible left their eight-year-old son alone. That's about as miraculous as things come, Mr Callen.'

'Yeah. I guess it is.' Callen sighed. 'And what if it's not a kidnapping?'

'Until solid evidence or a reliable witness says otherwise, we will investigate this only as a kidnapping.' Hetty said sternly. 'But with an open mind. It is often the case that what we're searching so hard to find may actually be right in front of us all along.'

'If that's true, I'll be pissed.' Callen stated dryly, to which Sam snorted at with amusement and agreement.

'Nevertheless, Mr Callen, what we find deep down may be as useful as what's plainly sighted on the surface.' Hetty nodded. 'Just something to think about.' She said and turned to leave the Ops room, heading downstairs with the intention of having a nice cup of tea at her desk.

'Right. Because that's exactly what we need right now – more riddles.' Callen grumbled quietly.

'I heard that, Mr Callen!'

'How does she do that?' Callen muttered, wondering why he didn't automatically assume if he said something then Hetty would hear it. She always did, it seemed.

'The riddle of Hetty.' Sam shook his head. 'That's one we'll never solve.'

~ LB ~

'In the car, Monty!' Deeks tried to command his dog, who sat on the grass outside the parked SUV. He didn't budge, regardless of Deeks' continued efforts.

'It looks like you and Monty have something in common.' Kensi joked to Daniel, turning in her seat to offer the boy a smile.

The eight-year-old looked at her with surprise, then peered at the dog and smiled. Kensi could not help thinking how adorable Daniel was when she saw the boy's smile, and it too remind her a bit of Deeks. She would never admit it, but when Deeks grinned it lit up his entire face and was often rather contagious.

It was hard to be angry or upset when Deeks beamed in a way Kensi thought only he could.

'I'm not going to say it again, Monty.' Deeks complained and did his best to sound as though he was the one in charge of the situation, not the unmoving dog. 'Get in the car.' He repeated.

Monty whined and lay down on his stomach until his chin was pressed to the grass. His eyes were fixated on the open door of the car, though he still made no attempt to move from his position.

'Hey, Daniel.' Deeks changed tactics, glancing over at the boy seated on the opposite side of the back seat. 'Do you think you could convince Monty that the car's not so bad?'

Daniel was wary as he glanced diagonally across the inside of the car to look at Kensi, then he peered at Deeks, before his blue gaze dropped to the sight of the dog. Monty stared back at him with his browned eyes and a dopey expression. The boy was unsure and shy at first, but something about Monty's gaze gave Daniel courage because he leaned forward across the seat as far as his seatbelt would allow him to.

'It's okay, Monty.' Daniel encouraged, patting the space of the seat beside him. 'Come here, boy.'

Monty barked, then got up without hesitation and jumped up onto the seat beside Daniel. He sat down and panted while Deeks reached inside the car to attach the dog harness and strap Monty in. Shutting the door, and walking around to the front passenger seat, Deeks could hardly contain his smug grin of accomplishment.

Kensi glanced at him when he got in beside her and rolled her eyes, realising Monty's reluctance to get into the SUV might have been staged. While turning the keys to start the engine, Kensi looked through the rear-view mirror to see Daniel smiling again while petting Monty with quick fondness. She shook her head with amazement, which Deeks caught sight of and only grinned wider.

The adults said nothing, just listened to the soft murmuring of Daniel as he stroked Monty's head and told him what a good boy he was. One could almost assume Monty was smiling too, thinking the same compliments about his new young human friend.

It was later in the afternoon when the black SUV drove up the short, cemented driveway to park in front of the bright white garage door. The entire house looked new, with its light colours and clean surfaces. The small green lawn was healthy and cut short, with a few golden cane palm trees outside surrounded by pale, polished rocks. It was very visually-appealing, and modern, though not too grand or over-done.

Since befriending Monty, Daniel hadn't spoken much – though neither Deeks nor Kensi had expected him to. The boy was clearly still rather nervous and confused, which was understandable given the situation of finding out his parents were missing and because of it he had to stay with two strangers until they were found. Kensi and Deeks were just glad the boy stopped trying to get away, and instead did his best to adapt regardless of how he was feeling about it all.

The group of four got out of the car, and each looked towards the house with interest.

The garage was on the right, where the black SUV remained parked outside. Back but otherwise right beside the garage was a stone alcove. Underneath was the front door as white as the house, with two vertical window panes. From first impression, the house looked to be rather decent and its new temporary residences decided it was going to be a nice enough place to stay in.

Daniel was the first to look away from the house, his attention shifting to the chocolate ice cream he was almost finished eating. The liquid had melted down the cone and onto his hand, but the boy wasn't too worried, as he stood next to the car with Monty seated at his side.

Deeks turned curiously to Kensi when she received a call from Callen, and knew there was nothing left to do other than head inside the house.

Deeks checked the kid wasn't about to escape again, before he got the house keys from his pocket and clicked his fingers at Kensi. She gave him a frown, then tossed the car keys over to him, which he caught effectively. Deeks began to get the luggage out of the trunk, which included Daniel's suitcase, Deeks' bag, and several of Kensi's. He grunted as he grabbed them all at once and lugged them towards the door - it was not an easy feat.

'Don't drop it!' Kensi warned, interrupting Callen in the process, when she saw Deeks carrying her bags inside the house.

'What have you got in here, grenades?' Deeks complained.

Despite his struggle, he'd somehow managed to unlock the door and carry the bags inside. It was just his luck that the only bag he did drop onto his foot was his own. He straightened with a drawn-out exhale and checked Daniel had followed him inside. The boy trailed behind him, with Monty running ahead to sniff around, and Deeks felt things were improving already.

Pausing, he looked around the house's interior to appreciate the open space of the kitchen and living room. He was a little surprised by how it resembled the cover house he and Kensi had been undercover in almost a year ago, when they'd played a married couple in order to find a Russian sleeper agent. Everything was set up in a similar way, though still not the same. It was fully furnished, and quite stylishly so. All wood surfaces looked polished and shiny under the overhead lights adorned with colourful shades – or in the case of the chandelier, sparkling crystal.

And even with the fresh, stunning appearance of the house it still managed to look somewhat homey and practical, despite how vacant it appeared at the moment without any signs of being lived in. Deeks had a feeling that part of its appearance and set-up was going to change rather quickly, as he watched Monty jump onto the window seat to peer through the glass from what he could see through the partially-open blinds.

Deeks looked hopefully at Daniel; while the boy clearly thought the house looked nice, he didn't utter a word and merely focused on finishing the last of his ice cream cone.

'Any news?' Deeks asked Kensi a moment later, when she walked into the house the join them.

She shook her head at him, not to say she had nothing to report in regards to the situation, but rather it was not the time or place to say it. Kensi gave the house a quick glance, her eyebrows raising with surprise and interest, before she looked over at Daniel. Noticing his hands, she began to search the kitchen cupboards for some paper towels – Hetty had told them the entire house would be fully-stocked with food, linen, and necessary supplies by the time they arrived.

'Here.' Kensi held the torn paper towels to Daniel.

She expected him to take them and wipe his own hands, as he had been so insistent to do everything himself so far. However, that was not the case this time. He turned to Kensi when she spoke, and silently raised his sticky hands towards her.

'Okay.' Kensi nodded, moving to the sink to wet the paper towels first.

She was aware of Deeks going over to stop Monty from scratching at the window, but Kensi's attention was only on Daniel. She returned to him and wiped the child's hands clean, wondering how one ice cream cone had made such a mess. She pat them dry with another sheet of paper towel, then tossed the rubbish into the bin on the floor at the end of the kitchen counter.

'Thanks.' Daniel said stiffly and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants.

'You're welcome.' Kensi replied by default, then located her bags and instructed for Daniel to do the same with his own.

Deeks rejoined them, picking up his own sole bag, and followed the pair to the nearby staircase. He called Monty, who hurried to catch up with them in interest of sniffing around upstairs as well.

'Let's see...' Kensi's gaze trailed around the hallway at the top of the stairs.

She pushed open doors to see what rooms were within, then turned to the waiting group.

'We have the bathroom, then Daniel's room.' She announced, indicating to their right. 'Our room is across from the bathroom.' Kensi added to Deeks, giving him a warning glare.

She tried to be enthusiastic for Daniel's sake, though Kensi had little experience with children, but the boy remained distracted and distant. She was correct in assuming he would stride passed them and go to his new room to look around. Kensi readjusted her grip on her own bags and headed into the bedroom she and Deeks would unfortunately be sharing, just as they had when they'd been undercover as a married couple.

However, she'd made only made it to the doorway when she halted. Daniel hadn't gone far either, and it was his voice that surprised her. Kensi turned to him, seeing his blue eyes alight with curiosity and wonder.

'What about Monty?' The eight-year-old asked. 'Where will he sleep?'

Kensi didn't have an answer, so she glanced at Deeks. It was his dog, after all, and it was his decision to bring Monty along.

'Uh, on the couch.' Deeks shrugged, taking a guess. Monty would likely just sleep wherever he felt comfortable, but the Detective hadn't missed the underlining hope in Daniel's eyes. 'Or with you, if you're okay with that.'

'Yeah.' Daniel nodded with a smile. 'He can sleep in my room.'

'Let it go.' Deeks whispered to Kensi when she looked ready to object to where the dog would be sleeping.

He waited for Daniel to disappear into the boy's new room at the far end of the hall, then nudged Kensi into the bedroom.

'Let it go.' He said again. 'Come on – ugh!' Deeks winced when she elbowed him in the chest, though he had expected it.

The pair stood within the bedroom, a few feet from the doorway, and dropped their luggage onto the large rug at their feet. They each stared at the double bed towards their right with opposite reactions. They had shared a bed before, as each recalled, but that undercover mission hadn't lasted more than two weeks. Kensi and Deeks hoped they'd find Daniel's parents soon, as the longer they took the less likely they'd be found alive. And while they had confidence in their entire team's ability to do that, they were not entirely optimistic about how long they would be staying at the safe cover house together with the eight-year-old son of the missing couple.

'Behave.' Kensi jabbed a finger at Deeks' chest and chose her specific side of the bed.

'What?' Deeks chuckled. 'Okay, fine. If that's what you really want.' He teased, then left the room to seek out Daniel. Kensi might want to get properly settled in, but Deeks had very little interest in unpacking.

He reached the open doorway in a few strides, and peered inside to see what the pair were up to – he had heard the trotting of the dog's paws heading in this direction a few minutes ago. The boy sat on the smooth wooden floor, where he pat Monty with the same fondness he had shown in the car earlier. Deeks was right in guessing Monty had sneaked in to join the boy. Although Daniel didn't look happy, he did seem to be a bit calmer in the company of his new furry friend. He hadn't noticed Deeks, who remained at the doorway, as the boy rubbed Monty's back and scratched behind his ears. Even Monty paid Deeks no attention, and he decided to let the pair bond for a while longer.

Deeks decided he would head back to the bedroom and find out if Kensi had anything useful to report from Ops regarding the case, or if Callen had just been updating her. He was distracted, however, by the way Daniel's actions froze when the sound of the downstairs doorbell rang through the house.

He was suspicious, but knew the priority had to be his concern for the potential visitor – it was surely too soon for company, wasn't it? Deeks passed Kensi in the hallway and headed downstairs. He had his gun concealed under his blue shirt at his lower back, though Deeks doubted their cover had been blown so quickly.

If it was, they'd be setting a personal record, he was sure.

The glass panes of the window blurred out any defining details of the person, though he was confident there was only one. Assuming it was just an over-friendly neighbour on the other side of the door, Deeks opened it slowly without reaching for his gun. He was greeted by a rather attractive red-haired woman with green eyes and olive skin. She was dressed casually in a pair of jeans, and wore an expensive-looking long-sleeved white shirt.

'Hi!' She smiled widely at him. 'Welcome. I'm Nancy. I live just across the street. I saw you pull up and I thought I'd come over to say hello. No one has stayed in this house for a while, so I admit I was very curious.'

'Hi. That's nice.' Deeks returned, slightly caught off-guard by how cheerful she was and the strong scent of what he could only assume was some sort of perfume. 'Uh, yeah, it belongs to an aunt.' He made up the detail as he spoke, thinking it was accurate enough, and was very aware of the sound of heels on the polished floor behind him.

Surely enough, Kensi appeared beside him a few blinks later.

'Nancy. She lives across the street.' Deeks told her without taking his eyes of the person of interest. 'She came to welcome us.'

'Oh.' Kensi switched from being curious to very, though somewhat falsely, friendly. 'That's so nice of you. I'm Kensi. And this is my boyfriend, Marty.'

'It's wonderful to meet you both.' Nancy said. 'And your son, he's adorable. How old?'

'Thanks. He's eight.' Kensi nodded. 'Actually, he's our godson. We're looking after him while his parents are away.' She lied effectively, though only partially.

Kensi glanced at Deeks and didn't like the way he eyed Nancy and her low-buttoned shirt or tight jeans – it was certainly not an expression that was going to help their cover story, and Kensi immediately began to rectify it.

'Honey?' Kensi placed a hand on his arm and smiled sweetly at him, though he would notice the clear threat in her eyes. 'Why don't you go and check on him?' Kensi suggested firmly, in a way he knew wasn't a suggestion at all if he didn't want her stepping on his foot. 'Make sure he's unpacking.'

Deeks glanced at Kensi and chuckled uncomfortably, seeing all the warning signs through her smile and endearing touch.

'Right.' He nodded, turned back to Nancy in politeness. 'It was great meeting you, Nancy.' He said, before returning to the stairs.

Deeks had no idea how Kensi could think she was in any way discreet about it because he always knew when she was jealous. Now it merely amused him.

Deeks stopped at the bottom of the stairs when he looked up and saw Daniel standing at the top step, looking down at him. The boy was wary and breathing quicker than usual from where he stood there with his hand tightly gripping the side railing.

'You okay, buddy?' Deeks asked as he climbed the stairs to reach the boy.

Daniel flinched and spun around to run back to his new room. Deeks stood where the boy had been and blinked when the bedroom door abruptly slammed. Kensi approached him a few seconds later, looking concerned and questioning about what had just happened.

'What was that about?' She wondered.

'I don't know.' Deeks frowned. 'Something had him worried.'

'Nancy?' Kensi looked over her shoulder, towards the closed front door. 'No, he lives at least seven blocks away; he couldn't know her. And we've only been here twenty minutes.'

In light of Daniel's odd reaction, Kensi tried to think of ways Nancy could be the cause, and wondered how the neighbour could say how adorable Daniel was if she'd been across the street. They hadn't been outside for more than a minute after they'd arrived, and Daniel likely had his back in her direction. Of course, Nancy could easily have just been polite. There was no real reason to be suspicious of their neighbour, but neither Deeks nor Kensi could figure out what else could have possibly made Daniel so tense.

'No.' Deeks realised. 'He freaked out when he heard the doorbell.'

'Maybe he just doesn't like visitors?' Kensi suggested. 'Should we talk to him, or give him his space? What's the appropriate response to having a kid run to his room and slam the door?'

'How should I know?' Deeks shrugged. 'You're the woman.'

'Oh, really?' Kensi glared at him. 'You're really gonna go there, Deeks?'

'No, no, just theoretically...' Deeks winced in hurried, though feeble, explanation while expecting her to hit him or stamp on his foot. 'What did Callen say?' He quickly diverted the conversation.

'Nice save.' Kensi frowned disapprovingly. 'And nothing much. They're following some leads to try and make sense of things, but we still don't know where to start.'

'Think he knows something?' Deeks looked along the hallway to the closed door at the end, unsure if the silence from the room was a good or bad thing. He suspected Monty was trapped in there as well, as he hadn't seen the dog since before they'd received their unexpected visitor.

Kensi sighed heavily, not sure how much the boy might know yet had no intention to make Daniel talk about something that could be painful for him, unless they were certain he had answers to give. And she doubted he it, if it was indeed a kidnapping.

Instead, Kensi glanced at her watch and withheld a groan.

'Can you cook?' She eyed Deeks.

'You're referring to the type of meals not done in a microwave, right?' Deeks joked, sort of. 'I took a few classes.' He shrugged. 'How hard can it be, right? I'm more experienced with pancakes, scrambled eggs, sandwiches...'

'Pizza it is.' Kensi rolled her eyes and headed back down the stairs.

'What, you don't trust me?' Deeks laughed as he trailed after her.

'We're not having pancakes for dinner.' Kensi's fading reply was barely heard by the young boy peering through the crack of his door.

He watched them leave the hallway, cautious and unsure, before he shut the door again. Daniel hurried to his bed and jumped onto it stomach-first, burying his face against the pillow. He wasn't upset, just generally moody, as Daniel rolled onto his back and frowned. He shifted onto his side, facing the wall, and remained there.

It was how Kensi found him not long after.

'Daniel?' She tapped against his door as she opened it.

She saw Monty was curled up under the window, and the boy was on his side with his back facing her.

'It's time for dinner. We ordered a pizza with extra toppings.'

'I'm not hungry!' Daniel grumbled, not turning.

'Okay.' Kensi nodded to the stubborn boy, though he couldn't see her. 'I'm sure you're hungry, and you do need to eat. But that's okay. You can come downstairs whenever you're ready.' She promised in a kind voice, understanding his avoidance towards her and how much easier it was to push everyone away.

Kensi left the room, leaving the door partially ajar. Daniel rolled over to look at her retreating form, and sat up when he heard Deeks' voice calling up the stairs.

'Monty!' Deeks said. 'Daddy's got your dinner. Come and get it!'

Daniel didn't hear all of what Kensi argued back, mostly telling Deeks he better not be feeding the dog pizza. Deeks' words had an impact on Daniel, who missed the company of parents and a normal home. He felt sad when Monty jumped up and ran from the room, pushing the door fully open in the process. Daniel felt abandoned as he sat on his new bed, alone again. He wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knees, thinking about the events of the previous hours and wishing things could go back to the way they'd been before.

Daniel delayed moving for as long as he could, in his own stubbornness to keep his distance, but his stomach continued to growl and eventually he could find no other reason to stay were he was. Finally, with every ounce of reluctance, he rose from the bed and walked to his door. Peering around the corner, Daniel exhaled and made his way to the top of the stairs. He heard Deeks talking from the living room and Kensi laughed at whatever he was saying. Daniel couldn't see them yet, but the sounds were comforting to him.

It was how a home was supposed to sound like.

Slowly, the eight-year-old descended each step and watched the pair when they turned around to look at him. Kensi smiled with relief, and Deeks got up to direct Daniel to the kitchen where the box of pizza remained open. The boy followed him, and picked a piece from the offered box, while giving Deeks a shy smile.

'Thanks.'

'Any time, buddy.' Deeks replied.

He gave Daniel's shoulder a friendly pat, and the boy didn't step away or shrug him off.

Kensi watched the exchange with a hidden smile, thinking they were making progress. When Daniel got onto one of the stools and Deeks continued to stand across from him, she decided to let her partner entertain the boy while she went upstairs to prepare a bath for Daniel. It was starting to get a bit late. Kensi wasn't sure when exactly an eight-year-old should go to bed, but seeing the boy yawn into the back of his hand was clue enough.

~ LB ~

While Daniel was in the bathroom, Kensi and Deeks returned to their own bedroom to finish unpacking. They hadn't forgotten to check in with Ops as well, and while Kensi prepared to do that she noticed an odd look Deeks was giving her.

'What?' She snipped.

'Admit it, you enjoyed it.' Deeks commented. 'Playing mother. Preparing his bath, checking the temperature, and then telling him get ready for bed.'

'No.' Kensi scoffed and avoided his gaze. 'I'm just doing our job.'

'Sure.' Deeks nodded, seeing through her denial.

'Hm.' Kensi frowned at him, and initiated the call to Ops.

'Yeah?' Eric answered.

'Just checking in.' Kensi told him. 'Things are fine. We had a bit of a rough start, but I think Daniel's just trying to adjust.'

'That is understandable.' Hetty's voice joined in, as Eric had apparently put the phone on speaker. 'We noticed you received a visitor this afternoon?'

'Nancy.' Kensi nodded. 'Hey, Eric, do you think you could do a background check on our neighbours? Daniel just had a weird reaction to company, and it can't hurt to check.'

'Sure.' Eric answered, and was heard typing at the keyboard already.

'I chose that neighbourhood myself, Ms Blye.' Hetty said, sounding offended by the request as though she could have missed something important about the neighbours.

'Right.' Kensi winced at the imagined glare she assumed Hetty had on her face. 'We just want to be sure.'

'This could take a while.' Eric said. 'I'll give you an update tomorrow morning, okay?'

'That's fine.' Kensi sighed and hung up. 'I think I offended Hetty.'

'Then I'm glad it wasn't me.' Deeks chuckled.

Kensi dropped the phone onto the bed and sighed, then paused with a serious expression crossing over her face. Her gaze trailed through the open doorway of the bedroom to stare at the closed bathroom door.

'Daniel's been in there for a while.' She realised importantly. 'Deeks, go check on him.'

Deeks walked across the hallway and knocked on the door, pressing his ear to it to listen for any sounds. It was almost silent, apart from a very faint, muffled noise. He didn't detect any distress, but Daniel didn't answer when Deeks spoke his name through the door. Turning the knob, as it wasn't locked, Deeks slowly peered around the ajar door to see if everything was okay.

'I got it.' He said to Kensi, then stepped into the bathroom.

He closed the door for privacy, and looked towards the bath where the boy sat. Daniel was sitting in the cold water, with his arms wrapped around his legs and his face partially pressed against his knees. He had tried to be quiet, but Deeks could see the tear tracks leading down the boy's cheeks from Daniel's reddened eyes.

Deeks immediately knew what had happened. The shock of being told his parents were missing and couldn't be found must have worn off, paving the way for raw sadness and the fear of losing them forever.

'Hey, buddy.' Deeks said softly, causing Daniel to turn and look at him.

Deeks wished he hadn't, because the sight of the distraught boy made him feel incredibly sad as well.

'I'm sorry.' Daniel sobbed, feeling embarrassed for crying and not getting out of the tub when he was supposed to.

'It's okay.' Deeks assured him. 'Come on.'

He tried to encourage the boy to get out, since the water was likely freezing by now. He looked around the tiled room and located a cupboard, which he searched through for a fluffy blue towel. It should have been an awkward situation at first, but Deeks merely stepped into the role of carer to do what he had to in order to get Daniel warm and comfortable again. He wrapped the towel around the boy's shoulders and let him dry himself, while Deeks went to the tub and pulled the plug.

Daniel dried and dressed, but struggled with his shirt. His pyjamas looked new – they were vividly coloured a dark red with golden crescent moons printed on them. They fitted perfectly, with the hem of his long pants folded nicely over his ankles, though the shirt hadn't been unbuttoned before the boy had tried to pull it over his head.

Deeks helped him adjust it, then stood by the doorway while Daniel brushed his teeth. Stepping down from the stool, Daniel looked over at Deeks and rubbed his eyes with his fists It was the first time he'd looked at Deeks since the boy had left the bath, yet his gratitude was evident in every ounce of his expression.

Deeks went to lead the way to the boy's bedroom to make sure he was okay, but was surprised when Daniel rushed to keep up with him and wrapped his smaller hands around Deeks' wrist. Looking down at the first contact Daniel had initiated, the Detective wasn't sure what to think of the sudden sign of forming trust and acceptance.

It only lasted a moment - once they reached the room, Daniel let him go and ran to the bed.

'Monty!' Deeks called for his dog, who soon appeared at the doorway. 'Keep Daniel company, okay?' He said firmly.

Monty whined and crossed the room, jumping onto it to curl up at the end of the bed within reach of Daniel's covered toes. Deeks reached to switch off the light and walked back along the hallway to let Kensi know what had happened. Daniel watched him depart the room, then sniffled again. He felt Monty move across the bed and lay down beside him.

Smiling sadly, Daniel wrapped his arms around the dog and cuddled him close in a way a scared child would his teddy bear.

~ LB ~

Despite having shared a bed before, it had been a weird moment for Kensi and Deeks to take turns in the bathroom then get into the same bed. Kensi had rattled off countless threats while Deeks tried extremely hard not to laugh.

Hours later, Deeks opened his eyes and blinked away sleep. He paused and listened carefully to the moonlit darkness of the room. He heard it again - there was an odd sound coming from downstairs.

Upon hearing it, and being sure he hadn't imagined it, Deeks was instantly alert.

'Kensi.' He hissed and shook her shoulder lightly.

She grumbled, but quickly opened her eyes and mirrored his action of reaching for their gun. They got out of bed, tossing back the covers as they did so, and crept to the door. Peering into the hallway, they heard the sound more clearly. Someone was moving around downstairs, and it was a worrying wonder as to why the alarms hadn't been triggered.

'Eric, we might have a problem.' Kensi whispered into her phone, having just dialled Ops in case something was going on and they would need back-up.

'None of the security has been tripped.' Was Eric's confused response. 'Are you sure?'

'Stand by.' Kensi told him.

She ended the call and slipped the phone into her pocket of the pants she had worn to bed, along with a tank top. Deeks wore pants as well, with a plain white shirt.

The pair made their way down the steps, quietly and carefully, as they gripped their guns in preparation of facing an intruder. Despite the large windows, which were mostly covered by blinds, only a very limited amount of moonlight leaked across the downstairs floor. They couldn't see through the darkness, so Deeks reached over and switched on the kitchen light.

When the brightness flooded the room, they raised their guns to aim it at the one responsible for making the noise.

'Ah!' Daniel yelped loudly and a glass of milk slipped from his hand.

He was too distracted by it hitting the floor, and the result of the contents spilling everywhere, that he hadn't noticed their guns. Kensi and Deeks quickly concealed their weapons, while Kensi sighed heavily with annoyance.

'Daniel.' She complained, wishing he hadn't been creeping around the house in the dark. It wasn't a safe thing to do while being under the protective custody of two law enforcers with guns.

'I-I'm sorry!' Daniel stuttered, still alarmed from the light being switched on, and bent to try to save his milk. He grabbed the glass, but the white liquid had already puddled across the floor.

'I've got it.' Deeks offered, looking around for the paper towels. 'No big deal, buddy.'

'Come on.' Kensi reached for the boy's hand, though he didn't take it.

Daniel stared at his empty glass and bit his lip, but was too stubborn to get upset about it. She got him a fresh glass of milk, and waited until he drank it, before she nudged him back towards the stairs.

'No more sneaking around, okay?' Kensi lectured on the way up. 'If you need something, just ask us. Or at least turn a light on.'

'I didn't want to wake you.' Daniel muttered.

'I'd rather you wake us than give us a heart attack.' Kensi sighed. 'Come on.' She nudged him towards his bed.

'Move over.' Daniel gave Monty a light shove - the dog had sprawled out on his back in the absence of the bed's only other occupant.

'You good?' Kensi checked with a reassuring smile.

'Yeah.' Daniel nodded, pulling the covers back over himself.

'Okay.' Kensi nodded with relief. 'Goodnight.' She turned and left the room, getting out her phone as she went. 'False alarm. Spilled milk.'

'Roger that.' Eric nodded from where he stood in from of the main screen in Ops.

He and Nell had been watching the footage from the surveillance cameras. They used a nearby street camera to observe the kitchen light of the house turning back off, and wondered if the poor kid had gotten a fright during what they assumed had happened. Checking the time, Eric went over to his computer to set up the necessary security functions for the night. He and Nell needed to sleep as well, so they'd prepared the security in a way that if they turned on the "night mode", the whole team would be alerted if anything notable occurred – such as a triggered alarm or activated motion sensor.

Yawning, Eric prepared to leave for the night.

He paused by the doorway while Nell added a few final data touches to the computers, until she headed over to join him. Eric left once she reached the doorway, though Nell stayed behind for a moment longer. She looked at the lit screen of the darkened house, as seen from the camera on the street, and smiled.

'Goodnight.' Nell whispered into the darkened room as she flipped the switch and left the room.

The doors closed behind her, and the building fell quiet once again.

Author's Notes: What do you think so far? Do you like Daniel? Monty was introduced as a main character from this chapter onwards, and next chapter will be the similar for Nate. Please let me know if you have any requests. It means a lot to me and the progress of the story to receive feedback, so if you've read this please take a moment to send a review as I would really appreciate it.

Above all, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!