A/N: I know this hasn't been updated in a very long time and I'm sorry. I was focusing on school work and, to be honest, writer's block is a bitch. Thank you to everyone who's review/alerted/favourited! You guys are the reason this chapter was written.
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS: LA or the characters because if I did, the last episode wouldn't have had such an evil cliff hanger.
6: The Morning After
The sun's bright light forced him to open his eyes. Sam sat up and looked around, his head pounding out a beat loud enough to be heard in South America. "What the," He groaned, holding his head and closing his eyes again. The relentless sunlight made his headache worse.
He opened his eyes again, blinking until they focused properly. "How the hell did I get up here?" He was sitting in the large oak tree in the backyard of the safe house. Sam jumped down from the branch he was half sitting, half lying on, landing with unsteady feet. He paused, letting the world stop spinning around him.
"G!" He called, wincing at the too loud voice he'd used. If he ended up in a tree, he didn't know where his partner could've ended up. "I swear this is the last time Deeks talks us into drinking games," He muttered darkly as he walked up to the back door. "G!"
"Stop yelling," Eric's voice came out of the lounge room. "It hurts."
"Where are you?" Sam lowered his voice as he walked toward the tech.
"Here," The blonde man replied, wobbling as he tried to stand up.
"What the hell are you doing in there?" Sam's brown eyes widened as he saw Eric.
He looked down the see himself sitting in the fireplace, "How?" Eric breathed, trying to clear the alcohol fuelled cobwebs from his head. "What am I doing in the fireplace?"
Sam shook his head, "I have no idea."
"How much did we drink last night?" Eric asked as he scrambled out of the fireplace.
"I don't remember," The SEAL said honestly. "The last thing I remember is truth and dare."
"And Callen had to be a chicken," Eric nodded, vaguely remembering the team leader clucking around the room.
"Don't remember that part," Sam said but shrugged. "Sounds like something Kensi would make him do."
"Where is Kensi? And Callen?"
"No idea. Where did you last see them?"
Eric pursed his lips, trying to remember. "Kensi and Deeks wanted to play murder in the dark. Nell and I hid here and that's where it goes blank."
"Murder in the dark?" Sam scoffed. "How old are you guys?"
"Hey, we were drunk!" Eric said indignantly.
"And that excuses everything," He drawled sarcastically. "Get a drink of water and then we'll look for them."
"Tell me there are some painkillers here somewhere?" Eric moved slowly to the kitchenette and rummaged through the drawers. "Dammit."
"Here," Sam shoved a glass of water into his face. "Drink. It will help."
Eric guzzled the water in a few gulps. "So where were you?"
"What do you mean?" He evaded answering the question.
"Where did you wake up?"
Sam sighed; Eric was going to pester him like an annoying puppy until he gave in. "Up a tree?"
"A tree?" Eric laughed, looking at the burly man incredulously.
"Yes. Now shut up."
"Shutting up." He snapped his jaw shut so quickly his teeth rattled. He'd seen what the angry SEAL could do.
"Come on, we've got to search the house. Who knows where they could be." Sam started walking down the corridor and Eric hurried after him.
"Where do you think Callen is?" Eric asked anxiously, almost treading on Sam's heels.
"How am I supposed to know? Do I look like I'm a psychic?"
"You're his partner," Eric said dryly as they checked the girl's room. "You two are always together."
"Apparently," Sam replied tightly, trying to rein in his irritation. "Not always."
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah, I know," The SEAL sighed.
"I wish the drummer in my head would shut up," Eric said randomly. "It's playing Smoke on the Water and I never liked that song."
"Really?" Sam asked.
"I know everyone loves it and it's a classic-"
"No," Sam cut him off, "I mean, really, you can hear it too?"
The blonde's jaw dropped. "You can hear it?"
"Yes," Sam gave him a pointed look. "I wouldn't have made that up."
"Wow. Well, ok. The probability of both of us sharing a hallucination, possibly grand delusion is like 1 in a million so…"
"It's not a hallucination."
"How do you know?" Eric frowned.
"Because it's coming from there," Sam pointed to the small closet at the other end of the room.
"You sure?"
"Yes," Sam answered curtly. He never liked it when people doubted him. "I have extremely good hearing. Now stay here." His voice dropped to a whisper. Maybe he was being pedantic but considering their situation, he believed that caution was prudent.
Walking carefully over to the closet, Sam was silent. He glanced back at Eric, who was watching anxiously, and nodded once. Then he turned the lock and swung the closet door open. "What the hell?"
Inside the closet, Deeks and Kensi were standing, facing each other, with no space between them. Kensi's head rested on Deeks' toned chest, rising and falling with his breath. She was fast asleep. Deeks, on the other hand, was wide awake. He blinked at Sam and blinked again. "Is this real?"
"I don't know," Sam answered, "Is it?"
His blue eyes widened and Deeks jumped out the closet, "Halleluiah!" He cried, waving his arms. "We're free!"
"Ow," His partner picked herself up off the floor where she'd fallen and jerked awake. "About time, Sam."
"I'm sorry," Sam smiled faux-sweetly and continued on in the sardonic manner. "Next time you and Deeks play 7 minutes in heaven, you should check that the door doesn't lock on the outside."
"It was not 7 minutes in heaven," Deeks frowned as he stretched his aching muscles.
"More like 6 hours in hell," Kensi said darkly, rubbing her sore head. "You didn't have to drop me, you know," She glared at her partner.
"I'm sorry, Princess," Deeks told her. "I was a little overwhelmed by the overwhelming sense of freedom caused by the lock that you locked opening. I almost hugged Sam," He added quickly.
"Lucky for you, you didn't," Sam said.
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
"So," Eric spoke up, asking a question that was also running through Sam's mind. "What were you two doing in the closet?"
"Making out," Deeks said immediately. "What?" He shrugged when three raised eyebrows were directed his way. "It's not that unlikely."
"Yeah it is," Kensi nodded then shook her head as if clearing it of the outrageous suggestion. "We were playing sardines. Deeks hid in the closet, I found him and the lock got stuck."
"We being?" Sam asked, looking between them.
"Me, Deeks and Callen. He never found us," Kensi answered, running a hand through her head, catching on a tangle in her curly brown hair. "Do we have any aspirin? My head is killing me."
"Join the club," Eric said, not entirely unsympathetically. "There is no aspirin."
"You should drink some water," Sam said helpfully. "Rehydrate yourself."
"Wait," Eric held up a hand, realising something. "You said that you, Deeks and Callen were playing Sardines, where was Nell?"
"She went to bed," Kensi looked at the empty bed and adjusted her words. "She said she was going to bed."
"When was this?" Sam asked, trying to organise a timeline in his head.
"After Harry Potter here tried to access the Floo Network," Deeks answered, gesturing to Eric.
"What?" Sam looked at him, totally confused. "Speak English."
"He is," Eric explained quickly. "The Floo Network is from Harry Potter. It's how wizards travel- they use the fireplaces."
"That would explain where I found you then," Sam nodded. It made slightly more sense now. Not a lot – but some. He didn't want to completely understand it.
"But I did not use the Floo Network. I was not that drunk," Eric argued, looking imploringly at Kensi for support.
"Dude," Deeks drawled. "You went outside, came back in with a handful of dirt, went to the fireplace, chucked in it and yelled 'Diagon Alley.' You were drunk."
"Oh my god," What little colour that was left in Eric's face drained. "That is so embarrassing."
"No, embarrassing was Callen's chicken impersonation," Kensi said. "I wish I had a camera for that. That would get me out of paperwork for a month."
"Two," Deeks corrected. "He would never live it down."
"What are you two talking about?" Sam looked between the two partners.
"You don't remember?" Kensi asked, shocked.
"He doesn't remember," Deeks answered for the SEAL.
"Oh, it was good," Kensi grinned. "Think Fourth of July good."
"I don't remember," He racked his brain but everything was still blank.
"Cheer up, Buddy," Deeks clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll remember for you."
"That's helpful, Deeks. Thank you," Sam said sarcastically.
"Anytime," The detective nodded.
"Now that you guys are done, can we find Nell now?" Eric asked, concern evident in his tone. "And Callen," He added quickly.
"Yes," Sam decided for the group and followed Eric out of the room. "Deeks, Kensi, you guys check out the front. Eric and I will keep checking the rooms in here. Meet back in 10."
"Gotcha," Deeks gave him a mock salute as Kensi pushed him towards the front door. "Ow, my eyes. My eyes. The sun is burning," He held up his hands, trying to save his hungover vision from the sunlight beaming through the screen door.
"Shut up Deeks," Kensi sighed and opened the door. "The sooner we find them, the sooner we can go to bed."
"Together?"
The only sound Sam and Eric heard was a hard slap and the corresponding (girly) cry of pain.
#NCIS:LA#NCIS:LA#NCIS:LA
Deeks squinted in the glare, "Where do you think Callen is?"
"Knowing him, probably the last place we'd think of," Kensi answered, also squinting against the light as she scanned the tree line they were approaching.
"How long do you think it will take to find him?"
"I don't know Deeks. It will probably take longer if you keep whining about it."
"I don't whine."
"You whine," Kensi nodded, glancing back and savouring his indignant expression.
"Do not."
There was a rustle in the trees and the agent and detective froze.
"Come out with your hands up, I'm armed and dangerous."
"It's just me," Nell emerged from the path hidden by a large tree, carrying a bag full of oranges from the tree they'd found on their first day. "I thought you guys might want breakfast."
"Nell? We've been looking for you for ages," Kensi said, relieved. "Where were you?"
"On the porch," She said nonchalantly. "You guys trying to sing the Macarena was a too bit loud."
"I forgot about that," Deeks soured at the memory. He wasn't known for his beautiful voice – dogs howled at him when he sung.
"Come on," Kensi waved them back to the house. "Let's go back inside."
"You wouldn't happen to know where Callen is, would you?" Deeks asked.
Nell shook her head, "No. Sorry. I saw Sam before though. He was up a tree."
"A tree?" Deeks echoed, chortling. "That's almost as bad as us."
"Where were you?"
"We got stuck in our closet. For six hours," Kensi explained in an exasperated tone. "It was horrible."
"You got stuck in the closet. Together?"
"Don't look at me like that. It wasn't like that," The agent bristled at the analysts pointed look.
"Really?" Nell raised an eyebrow. The blush she spotted growing up Kensi's neck disagreed with her.
"Oh shut up," Kensi grumbled and sped up.
#NCIS:LA#NCIS:LA#NCIS:LA
"Do you think she's ok?" Eric teetered at the doorway as Sam searched the room, checking in closets and under the bed.
"Nell?" Sam asked, his muffled voice coming out from under the bed.
"No," The tech drawled sarcastically, "Kensi."
"I'm sure she's fine, Eric," Sam pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the pounding in his head as he stood.
"But we're not like you guys," Eric said, fidgeting. "You guys are like the Avengers or Justice League and we just sit behind a computer and tell you not to run into walls. Not that you run into walls often," He added quickly.
"Eric, you're not making any sense," Sam said with an internal sigh. He was too hungover to play the surrogate older brother. His head hurt too much.
"We're not trained. If something happens here, I'd be useless."
"Eric, you aren't useless," Sam told the younger man. "And both of you will be fine. There isn't any danger here. We're safe."
"Yeah, safe," Eric rolled his eyes. "Hiding out in a shack that's falling apart in the middle of nowhere and on the run from some crazy super villain that knows all of our identities. Totally safe"
"Sarcasm isn't attractive, Eric."
Eric opened his mouth to reply but thought better of it.
"Come on; let's check the bathroom then we'll meet up with the others."
"Famous last words," Eric muttered. "What?" He demanded when Sam gave him a weird look. "Whenever someone says that in a horror movie, they all die."
"This is not a horror movie," Sam informed him in a teacher like tone.
"Yeah, well the dripping tap and creaking floorboards would seem to disagree with you."
Sam whirled around the face Eric, "Would you calm down? Freaking out is not going to help anyone."
"Sorry," The blonde looked at the floor, embarrassed at the dressing down.
"Just take a breath," Sam said as he opened the bathroom door.
"I told you this was a horror film," Eric's eyes widened as he took in the sight. The old, chipped bathtub was overflowing, water dripping onto the black and white chequered tiles. There was a shallow pool of water around the bathtub. A hand limply hung over the edge. "Is he dead?"
"Eric!" Sam hissed as he cautiously approached the tub. "G?" He ventured, seeing his partner's head resting against the edge of the tub. "You ok?"
The senior agent groaned and rolled over, splashing water everywhere. "Go away, Grandma."
Sam ignored the insult with the ease of practice. "G, how long have you been in there?"
"I was trying to sleep," Callen sat up, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"We've been looking for you for ages. Didn't you hear us?" Eric asked.
"I was ignoring you," Callen shrugged as if it were obvious.
"I was getting worried," Sam told his partner. "We've found everyone but you and Nell."
"She's on the porch swing," Callen stood up, ringing water out of his jeans.
Eric looked at him quizzically, "Why'd you have a bath in your jeans?"
"I don't know Eric. Why did you get into the fireplace?"
"Touché. I'll shut up now."
"Always a smart move," Callen nodded and stepped out of the bath. "Where are Kensi and Deeks?"
"Right here," Deeks declared then stopped short as he saw Callen. "Jeez Louise, you look like a drowned rat."
"And you look like a golden retriever," Callen retorted.
"So? Ladies love those dogs," Deeks grinned. "We're charming and good looking and oh so popular."
"Oh my God," Kensi sighed. "I can't deal with him anymore. I'm going to bed. Wake me if the world's ending." She turned on her heel and walked away, locking her bedroom door.
"I was about to make breakfast," Nell announced, filling in the awkward silence.
"I knew I liked you for a reason," Eric grinned at his partner. "Tell me it's bacon and eggs."
"Fruit salad and muesli," Nell corrected with a gentle smile. "You have to eat something healthy after last night."
"Can I make an announcement," Callen said loudly.
"Why do I get the feeling he will even if we say no?" Deeks mumbled to himself.
Callen glared at him but continued. "I think that there should be no mention at all of last night. None of us should ever bring it up again."
"That's actually a good idea," Sam nodded in agreement.
"You know, you don't have to sound so surprised," Callen said to his partner. "I do have good ideas from time to time."
"Here's one: be quiet," Sam said, rubbing his head.
"Awww, did Sammy overdo the tequila last night?" Callen asked with mock-sympathy.
"Shut up," Sam glared at him and walked into their room, closing the door behind him.
"It's best to leave him alone," Callen told the remaining three.
"Like a grumpy bear," Deeks said seriously.
Through all the bickering, Eric watched Nell quietly disappear down the hall to the kitchen. He followed, ducking behind Deeks as the detective argued with their boss. "Hey rock-star," Eric leant on the counter. "How's your head?"
"A little sore," She glanced up from cutting up the oranges. "But I wasn't the one who thought it would be a good idea to mix the scotch and vodka with lemonade."
"Yeah, that was not my finest hour," He laughed a little and snuck a piece of orange. "My head regrets it now."
She rapped him on the hand with the flat side of the knife. "Manners."
"I know, I have none. Hetty delights in telling me so."
"I know," She grinned at him.
"So, you want to tell me why you looked so disappointed when Deeks and Callen decided last night was the night that never happened?" He lowered his voice in case anyone else overheard something they shouldn't.
"Did you know that you I-Pod Touch had a camera?" She gave him the most innocent expression possible.
"What does that…? Oh," He realised what she meant. "You are evil. Truly truly evil."
"I know," She shrugged. "Wanna see the photos?"
"Hell yes!"
A/N: I made this a bit on the long side to make up for the lack of updates. I hope you liked it. Tell me what you think. And also, the names of really really obscure vegetables (Callen and Sam are going shopping soon).