Authors note:

Thanks to all who read, reviewed, followed and favorited!

Thanks to all the other authors out there who continue to entertain us with stories of our favorite characters and who inspired me to share mine.

With this second chapter we move into the main focus of the story.

As I read about Season 8 it is clear that my story in no way reflects what has happened on this TV series. But we've all hoped for something different, haven't we?

This chapter starts when the team returns to the US after rescuing Agent Blye in Afghanistan. It ends up… well you will see where it ends up.

"Was that a camel? I thought we left Afghanistan? " a drowsy Kensi questioned. Deeks' eyes fluttered open briefly. His eyes felt like they had been sand blasted and keeping them closed was helping.

"That", remarked Sam "was a camel." "And we are definitely not in Afghanistan," added Callen.

"I thought we landed at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne", Deeks piped up. Kensi started at his voice so close to her ear and settled back against him with a sigh. She had stopped shivering at some point during their long flight but now that the sun was going down the chill was starting to seep into her bones again. Thank goodness Deeks' body temperature always ran high. Plus leaning into him cushioned her sore body from some of the bumps in the road. Plus…

"You are all delusional," Granger said as he leaned forward towards the two men in the front seat from his perch in the middle of the vehicle, "There are no camels in Wyoming."

"That", remarked Sam "was a camel." "And we are definitely in Wyoming," added Callen, although I don't think we saw any camels in Afghanistan, he thought to himself.

I must be delusional, thought Kensi, because I was about to remind everyone that Deeks can ride a camel. Maybe I'm worse off than I thought.

Callen pulled out his phone as it rang and relayed Nell's message to the team. "We're staying at a safe house in Cheyenne tonight. Hetty wants us on the road early tomorrow though."

"You cold?" Deeks asked quietly. Kensi was glad for the relative privacy of the very back seat of the Suburban as she nodded and tucked her nose into Deeks' chest to warm it up.

Deeks carefully took his coat and draped it over her, weaving his arm around her under the coat. At this point he could care less what Granger thought of him and Kensi being wrapped around each other, as they had been since they got on the helicopter transport in Afghanistan. It was hard to believe she was finally home. Well, not home yet, but at least in the US, and with him.

He closed his eyes and wondered if his career were over. It was worth it, he thought, even though later he knew he would regret torturing the cleric. Another black mark on his soul, he thought grimly.

He looked down at Kensi. Was he strong enough to be by her side during her recovery? God, he didn't even know how she was injured. How she would recover. If she would recover. A chill ran down his spine.

And how was he supposed to help her? Kensi was not at all like his mom. She certainly was not like any of the women he'd dated. She needed to figure this out on her own and wouldn't want him to rescue her. Heaven's knows he'd gotten into trouble for trying to do that in the past. Just cleaning the dried on goo off the tops of her assortment of shampoo, conditioner and other hair products had been a big mistake.

Maybe they could take a trip down to Mexico. Do some surfing. Eat some seafood. Lie on the beach. Be a normal couple instead of just partners.

It was Nate's voice calling out a welcome that pulled Kensi from her semi-conscious state. He must have arrived at the Cheyenne safe house first. As soon as she had warmed up she had zoned out, focusing all her energy on stifling her aches and pains.

She didn't want to move. She didn't want to talk about it, at least not tonight. But she knew Nate was there for her. The sooner she convinced him she was fine, the sooner she could get back into the field. With Deeks.

So with a grunt, she climbed out of the Suburban, stumbled into Nate's embrace, threw up on his shirt and then collapsed in his arms.

"How badly is she hurt?" asked Nate as Deeks wordlessly pulled her from Nate's arms to carry her into the house.

"We're not 100% sure but let's get an IV started. She's very dehydrated and I want to push the antibiotics; we're not sure what she may have been exposed to in captivity." Sam was quick to respond.

"Hetty has an MD arriving later tonight," Nell announced as she held the front door open, "and I took the liberty of ordering from Olive Garden for dinner.

"Did you order some of that Salmon Bruschetta that Eric posted on Facebook awhile back? "
"What about Tiramasu?" Deeks asked for Kensi, who opened her eyes and looked longingly at him. Or maybe she was thinking about the tiramisu. Either way, he'd take it.

"I'd like to go to Red Lobster for steak and shrimp," Sam requested.

"That food will give you a big ole butt," Granger replied. "Let's go for the Olive Garden. And don't forget the salad."

Nell and Callen had the same thought and exchanged a look. "Did he just say….?" Nell started. Callen laughed and shrugged.

"How can I help?" Nell asked Callen as the two made the final trip to unload the team's suitcases out of the minivan Nell had somehow commandeered.

"Deeks hasn't slept since we left Afghanistan," Callen started, "And I bet neither have you," she finished, hugging him with her free arm. Callen sighed and leaned into the hug. It was good to be home with his team. Should he be worried that he was in no hurry to see Joelle? And that he couldn't help but glance down at Nell's low cut dress?

Back in the house, Nell took charge. "P- U! You all stink! First priority is to get cleaned up! Granger, you take the shower upstairs, Deeks, you take the shower downstairs. Hurry up so your dinner doesn't get cold.

Nate, I have the address for the Olive Garden keyed into the GPS for the van. Can you go pick up dinner? "
"Done," said Nate, deftly catching the car keys thrown his way.

"Uh… "Nell started. "Oh, right- let me go change my shirt first," Nate said, pulling the offending item away from his chest.

Deeks stopped by Kensi's bed in the master bedroom on his way to use the en suite shower.

"Can you help me in the shower while Granger's upstairs?" Her mismatched eyes pleaded with him. Even though she had cleaned up in Afghanistan, she couldn't get the smells out of her nose. The smoke from the fire along with the smell of her own sweat and urine were making her nauseous.

How could he say no? Deeks looked at Sam, poised to put in an IV needle. "Make it quick," was all he had to say.
"Thinking about me, you, and a quickie in the shower?" Deeks said, weakly leering at Kensi as he steered her into the bathroom. "That is NOT what he said," Kensi retorted with a snort.

"Guys," Sam whispered, pointing to the vents, "Granger's right upstairs."

Closing the bedroom door behind him, Sam joined the group in the kitchen and wrapped Nell in a big heartfelt hug.

"Ugg- you are the best hugger of the group but you smell like a GOAT!" Sam laughed, loudly pronounced that he was the Greatest Of All Time, and then quietly filled her in on the shower situation.

"Why are we whispering? Is Kensi asleep?" Callen asked in a hoarse whisper as he peeked into Kensi's bedroom. "Oh," was all he said when he saw an empty bed. He had hoped to find Deeks asleep in the bed.

"Why is Nate here?" Sam asked of Nell.
"Nate is here because there is a new protocol in development for recovered prisoners of war and the Navy wants him to incorporate it into Kensi's recovery," she filled them in.

"Will he travel with us up north to the next safe house?" Callen wondered. "Doubtful," replied Nell, "Hetty has found other things for him to do. She's pretty confident that an extended rest and time with the team is all Kensi needs to recover."

"While we've got a few minutes why don't you brief us on the next safe house?" Callen suggested to Nell. "I think you're going to like it," Nell started. Out came the tablet and Sam and Callen listened carefully as she briefed them.

The lights from the minivan shone in the front window as it swung into the driveway. "That's my cue," Nell said, grabbing the suitcase she had packed for Kensi from the foyer and heading towards Kensi's bedroom. No need for Nate to know Deeks and Kensi were showering together. "Save me some tiramisu!"

Surprisingly the door to the bathroom was open when Nell entered the master bedroom. She was afraid to look, in case she was interrupting another one of their "moments," but instead she found Kensi sitting on the vanity with her head resting against his chest while Deeks was gently blow drying her hair. Kensi was bundled up in a thick robe and Deeks was shirtless but wearing his jeans.

Neither replied to her comment that they both looked they were about to fall over, so she set the suitcase on the bed and took out some comfy clothes for Kensi and handed them to Deeks. Deeks looked at her blankly but closed the bathroom door. A few minutes later they emerged with Deeks leading a now clothed Kensi and gently setting her in the bed.

"Food's here so why don't you grab a bite while I talk to Kensi a few minutes, Deeks".
"Uh, sure, I'll just go grab a bite, "Deeks mumbled as he scratched his head. "It's okay," Kensi assured him. "But save me some tiramisu?"

Kensi settled a little deeper into the bed once Deeks had left the room.

"It's good to see you," Nell began as she leaned over to give Kensi a quick hug. "You too", was all Kensi could manage. "Let's talk girl talk before Sam and Nate come in. What do you need?" Nell implored.

The two conversed quietly for a few minutes and Nell had a pretty good idea of what she needed to do by the time Sam and Nate made their entrance. "Be quick," Nell advised them. "Get her hooked up to her IV and let her sleep."

"Why are you making coffee at this hour? " Sam asked as Deeks dumped coffee into the filter and ignored his question.

"Now that's a man after my own heart," Callen said a little later, as Deeks cut a small piece of tiramisu and put it on a plate, "eating dessert before dinner." Deeks gave him a small smile before taking another plate and helping himself to some of the Salmon Bruschetta that Nell had indeed ordered from Olive Garden.

The coffee and dessert sat undisturbed until a short time after Sam and Nate escorted the doctor in to see Kensi. When the yelling started, Deeks jumped up so quickly that his chair clattered to the floor. He leapt to the kitchen counter, poured a cup of coffee, added a fork to the dessert plate, and entered the bedroom. A short time later, the yelling stopped.

Nell and Callen exchanged a glance before getting up to stand in the doorway.

Deeks handed Kensi the cup of coffee as he sat down beside her on the bed. She looked agitated but after a reassuring look from him, took a sip anyway. A few sips later, she had calmed down considerably. Enough to finally notice just how tired Deeks looked. And yet how wired. Uh oh.

Deeks started feeding her small bites of tiramisu until her eyelids started drooping. Deeks stood up, took the cup of coffee from her, setting it and the plate on the bedside table. Kensi lay down on the bed, facing away from the doctor, Nate, and Sam, who witnessed the taming of the beast in silence. Nell and Callen retreated back to the kitchen without being noticed. Deeks pulled the covers up around her shoulders and looked up at the small group at the foot of the bed. "Too soon," was all he said before heading back into the kitchen.

"Too soon," Nate repeated to the doctor as he motioned him out of the bedroom.

Sam stayed to draw some blood for the necessary tests and to check on Kensi's IV.

"Sam…" she started weakly. "I know," he answered, rubbing her back and reassuring her, "Callen will be watching him tonight."

Callen looked at his watch through bleary eyes. 1 AM. He peered down the stairs. No surprise- Deeks was still up watching TV. Sam was going to kill him when he found out he'd been stuck sharing a room with Granger and Nate while neither Callen nor Deeks were sleeping in the room they were supposed to be sharing. Well Sam had wanted him to keep an eye on Deeks. Besides, Callen would do just about anything on a mission but driving a minivan was pretty low on his list. This would be a perfect excuse to let Sam drive. And Sam always wanted to drive. After all, he was the one used to driving a minivan. And it was only an 8 hour drive.

Deeks stared at the TV screen, not quite awake, not quite asleep. Thoughts of the Afghanistan mission swirled around in his head, interspersed with scenes from his childhood. Maybe he WAS just another thug with a gun. Was there any difference between his behavior and that of his dad's?

He rubbed his his jaw. "Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting," he thought, remembering his Sun Tzu from the book Hetty had given him, The Art of War. Guess it was one thing to read the book and another to act on it in the heat of the moment.

How was Kensi going to react when she found out what he had done? Maybe it didn't matter. She had, after all, chosen. What did he expect? She said she didn't want to choose but he persuaded her to choose him. Or he thought she had chosen him. Temporarily or not, one some level she had chosen the job over their relationship. Their partnership. Or maybe she was right, she did have to choose. Except she had to choose over and over again between him and the job. God, he needed some sleep.

Movement reflected in the window across the room caught his eye. Callen must have decided to stop spying on him. No. Wait. Was that Kensi? What was she doing up at this hour?

"Hey," was all she said before sitting down next to him on the couch.
"What are you doing up? I thought you'd be out for hours."

"Guess I'm just missing…Monty," While sharing the queen bed with the diminutive Nell was not a problem, she kept waking up with her mind racing a mile a minute, her heart in her throat. Several times she had awoken to the feeling of someone hovering over her. She'd start and sit up. Just as she'd start to fall asleep again, she'd hear the crackle of fire and men's voices in the distance. Not very restful.

Then she started thinking of Deeks, wondering where he was sleeping. Or if he was sleeping. Nell had mentioned that Deeks had not slept.

Fortunately they had the formula for getting him to sleep figured out. Damn that Sideroff.

"Move over," she said, grabbing the throw from the back of the couch. Deeks knew where she was going with this. "Are you sure? What about Granger?"

"Move over," she said, pushing his shoulder. She lay on her side with her back pressed against the couch, throw pillow under her head and one arm crooked over her ear. Deeks moved into his position, facing her, with his head tucked under her arm and breathed deeply. After they'd managed to put the throw in place over them, he pulled his head back and turned his blue eyes up to her mismatched ones. She nodded. Sighing, he settled back in and slipped his hand into the back of her pants. His fingers found the callused skin where her gun usually rested and gently rubbed it before stilling.

This is NOT what he imagined when he called them Partners with Benefits, he thought as he took another deep breath, and finally relaxed into sleep. But not before telling Kensi that they had saved her some more tiramisu. And there was ice cream in the freezer. And Oreos in the pantry. Kensi chuckled as she listened to his unintelligible noises. He couldn't stop talking even when he was asleep.

Another thing to NOT tell Nate, thought Kensi. Their "thing" was too complicated to pick apart. If her armpit "pheromones" put him to sleep, what did that mean for their love life? He couldn't keep his eyes off her breasts during the day but at night all he wanted was to touch her butt.

Should she tell Nate how much she ached for Deeks next to her (without mentioning their crazy sleep positions) while she tried to keep herself alert and alive in the caves? She'd have to tone it down and talk about how she missed her partner and how she felt no one had her back. It sounded like something a normal agent would say. Good, then, she had something to tell Nate that sounded normal.

After a quick glance to be sure that the throw was covering all the important parts of them, she brushed a kiss into Deeks' hair. As his body heat eased the cold out of her bones, she finally relaxed enough to think she might actually fall asleep. Maybe his pheromones had the same effect on her as hers did on him. Crazy. She must be crazy. She needed to sleep.

Sleeping on the airplane had been easy. She just wanted to shut her eyes and shut down her mind to everything. But now… the mission and its consequences bounced around her brain. She had grieved for Jack for how many years? Her love had never been enough for him, had never been what he needed even though at the time it was what she wanted, what she needed. Why had Hetty sent her on this mission? What if she had killed him? Would she ever have even known that it was Jack? Was this the career she thought it would be or just another of life's deceptions? Was she willing to be a pawn in Hetty's game until one day it killed her? Was there more to this life for her? Love? A Family?
Or did she even have a choice? Would Hetty keep her on as an agent after this? Maybe she'd end up as a bounty hunter after all.

Hetty was the one who had suggested that someday she would want to come home to more than a bunch of antique weapons. At the time that had seemed fine for her. After all, if it was good enough for Hetty. Deadly and feminine…. It was what they were.

Deeks stirred restlessly against her. The couch wasn't long enough for him. They never were. "Scoot up," she whispered and adjusted her position so he could put his head on the pillow next to hers. He groaned softly, threw an arm around her, and then settled back to sleep. She hadn't been gone long enough for their bodies to forget how they fit together on a couch.

She sighed. He looked so young when he slept. She thought about his childhood. About her childhood. Had anyone held him when he was hurt? Comforted him when he cried? Had his parents let him sleep in their bed when he was afraid? Probably not. At least she'd had her father to protect her, comfort her, for her first 15 years. And maybe, just maybe, she had been a little too hasty, too stubborn, to cut out her mother, to live on the streets instead.

"I've got you," she whispered before leaning in to kiss him. No nose twitching from Deeks tonight, she noticed, before giving in to the relative luxury of the soft couch, the strong arms that held her, and total exhaustion.

Callen sighed as the partners settled in on the couch. Hope Granger didn't see them. Guess it was time for him to find his own bed. Alone.

Just as lay down on the bed, fully clothed and above the covers, a ping from his phone made him open his bleary eyes. Another text from Joelle? Ugg.

"I need you in the downstairs bedroom" was all the text said and all it took for him to spring from the bed and soundlessly make his way downstairs. Maybe he wasn't going to sleep alone tonight after all.

Nell had given up on sleep. Kensi was tossing and turning and moaning before she left to find Deeks. Nell's mind was working though the upcoming mission. When should she fill in the team? She pulled out her tablet and got to work.

"Gotcha!" she said triumphantly, as Callen entered the bedroom. "Well I guess I'm all yours," was Callen's reply.

Nell scooted over to the middle of the bed. "Come on up," she said, patting the side of the bed. Callen didn't hesitate to kick off his shoes and join her.

"Look at this," she said, handing him the tablet. He may or may not have inadvertently looked down the front of her top as she leaned forward in her excitement.
"What am I looking at?" Callen said, turning his focus to the photo on the tablet. He tried to make it sound like he was sighing instead of breathing in her scent. Joelle smelled like… crayons, most of the time. Nell smelled very feminine and enticing. How had he not noticed this before?

"The mole" she replied and then clarified, "The suspected mole." Nell and Callen looked at the ambiguous mop of hair that took up the screen. "Looks more like a shaggy dog than a mole."

"Well he's the one that has been writing the blog that has been under surveillance by the CIA. Recently some of his remarks have lead us to believe that he knows the location of the Mission and that he knows some of the routines of yet to be named NCIS agents.

"This is the first time I've been able to snap a photo of him through the laptop's webcam. There are regular entries to the blog but he's only logged on to the Internet sporadically, and for very brief periods of time. "

"So he's pretty sophisticated then?"

"It appears so", she said, settling back with a sigh. If she was going to catch him in the act, she'd have to switch up her game plan.

"I know we have a lot to do tomorrow before we hit the road but quite frequently he is online between 10 and 10:30 AM on Tuesdays. Maybe I could at least get a location on him tomorrow morning before we head north."

Just then both of their phones pinged with a text message. It was Sam, with a simple, "Bed Check".

Nell's eyes went round and she started to climb over Callen as she asked, "Where are Kensi and Deeks?"

"Out like a light on the couch, and they really need their sleep," said Callen as he pulled Nell down beside him and pulled up the covers. He didn't notice the sly smile on her face as he turned to face her, wrapped an arm around her, and closed his eyes. No better time to practice an undercover op as husband and wife, she thought. And if it helps Kensi and Deeks, who was she to complain? Granger couldn't complain about those two if she and Callen were sleeping together, could he? Well, he could….

Sam waited a few minutes after sending out his text before claiming a bed in Callen and Deek's bedroom. He needed to get away from Granger's snoring. Just as he settled in, he heard a loud thump downstairs. With stealth and speed belying his size, he made his way downstairs. Deeks was sitting on the floor rubbing his head.

What did he do? Fall off the couch? "Head upstairs to your bed," Sam suggested.

With a petulant "No", Deeks looked at Kensi, who had now claimed the whole couch, and got up and leaned back in the recliner. He couldn't shake the bad dream that led him to fall off the couch. He and Monty were running on the beach when they came across a body with the throat cut…. Kensi's body. A shiver went through him.

Sam continued to clear the downstairs, smirking at his partner pretending to snore into Nell's hair, and went back upstairs to claim the unused bedroom.

Deeks went to the kitchen for a drink of water and decided ice cream was really what he needed.

He scooped up some Rocky Road for himself and reclaimed the recliner. Half awake, Kensi sat up on the couch. "Ice cream?" Deeks took another spoonful for himself and passed the dish to her.

He picked up the TV remote and started flipping through the channels.

Suddenly, and with her mouth full, Kensi pointed at the screen and said something that sounded like "Think!" Deeks moved over to the couch to claim more of his ice cream.
"Watch this with me?"

"I don't know… it's pretty late." Deeks look at his watch. "Or pretty early. Is it another one of your scary movies?"
"Yes, it's about a team of scientists in Antarctica who discover an alien buried in the ice. This must be the remake they did a few years ago. "After another spoonful of ice cream, she held the empty dish up to Deeks. "More. Please."

Deeks found Callen scooping up two bowls of ice cream in the kitchen.
"What are you guys watching?"
"It's either called Think or Thing. It's one of those scary movies Kensi likes to watch."

"Oh- The Thing! I've heard that's really good," Nell said, brushing up against Callen as she grabbed her bowl of ice cream and left the room.

"Guess we're watching a movie," Callen noted to Deeks as he left to join the ladies.
"Guess we were in Afghanistan just long enough to adjust to the time difference, "Deeks thought to himself as he loaded his dish up with more Rocky Road.

Rather than sit on the couch between Nell and Callen, Deeks sat on the floor near Kensi's feet, as she had claimed the recliner. It didn't take long before the other three were pivoting their heads between the TV and Deeks.
"What?" He asked as innocently as he could.

"You- you- you- You said you were undercover!" Nell gasped.

"You said,' Don't worry, Fern, I'll be back'," Kensi blurted out. Deeks shrugged and gave a small smile. If he weren't so exhausted this would be a huge moment for him.

Nell and Callen shared a bewildered look before turning back to the TV.