Author's Note: Hi Guys! I am soooo sorry about the delay in updating this story. As I mentioned in a note attached to my latest update to the story 'Unconditional', I was down for several weeks with illness, and during that time did not feel very much like writing/updating. Thankfully, however, I am finally back up to full strength, and to celebrate my recovery I give you this, Chapter 8. Hope you all enjoy, and thanks so much for all of you who have stuck by me thus far. ENJOY!

In Darkness, Light

Chapter 8

Two Months Have Passed… Things Have Changed…

Two months in thus far, and there appears to be no end in sight to the Op. At OSP, every other Op and pending investigation has been sidelined indefinitely, as Hetty and her crack team find themselves caught up in a web of deception even more intricately twisted than any they'd ever dared to dream up before. Day by day, slowly and surely, each member of the team is drawn deeper and deeper into a dark and deadly abyss.

Hayes Residence/Safe House – Friday, 9:45 P.M.

The word 'safe' in its most basic utterances generally conjures up images of warmth and solitude, of being far away from the things that cause one to experience such feelings as fear and dread. Here in this place, however, it means very little in the way of comfort. To Marty Deeks it has become, in the last two months, no more than a chamber of unrelenting torment and misery. Now he spends most of his nights here awake, feverishly fighting off the dreaded sleep that hounds him so endlessly, knowing that surrender to its dark clutches will only bring him entrapment within such hellish nightmares that would leave even the best of men frantic with prayers, and begging for those precious first flickers of sunlight and the promise of salvation.

The shaggy-haired Detective is far from lucky this night, as sleep has won out and taken him into its cold grasp. The eerie silence that fills the whole of the house is now broken only by the sounds of tortured cries escaping from within the sweat-drenched figure sprawled haphazardly out on the living room sofa. The only light in the otherwise darkened room comes from the muted television set, and in its pale glow is highlighted Deeks' every jerk and twitch.

This all began, as mentioned before, nearly two months ago with the discovery of a dark secret hidden in Diego Espinoza's already sordid past. The discovery was made by Deeks himself, and quickly became one he often wishes he could forget. The encrypted flash drive that had once been stashed secretly away in Maria's home was found to contain an extensive file on the black-hearted cartel leader, and had been labeled in such a way as to indicate that it was not directly linked to the case she'd been working undercover on for the LAPD. Theirs had been directed towards bringing down the cartel's drug smuggling operation in L.A., whereas Maria seems to have entertained thoughts geared towards vengeance—a fact the shaggy-haired detective is most certain of.

This certainty comes mostly from a haunting message that Maria left behind, he is sure, for him to find. Unbeknownst to the rest of his NCIS colleagues, Deeks also found a mini-recorder stashed away inside the same lock box, in which he'd found the flash drive. The contents of said device were, for the most part, Maria's own personal thoughts and feelings about her life, her career, the assignment she was on, and the startling revelation that led her to volunteer for the undercover Op. The recording chronicles such details to which Deeks is already privy, like how Diego Espinoza and his last girlfriend, Paulina Montenegro, were at one time considered to be celebrities among L.A.'s upper class crowd. It is no secret to those within the law enforcement field that Diego's rapid escalation through the hierarchical ranks of L.A.'s criminal scene was due in great part to the connections he gained through Paulina's family. All of this he knows, however, it is the last 2 or 3 minutes of the rather long-winded recording that sticks out in his mind more than the rest.

"Marty…I know, should anything happen to me, that you will be the one to find this. You're probably wondering right now, why? The truth is I've been secretly investigating my Mother's murder ever since I joined the force. All I knew for sure, for the longest time, was that my Mother's murder was only one in a series of grisly murders, all bearing the same M.O., that seemed to cross multiple lines of jurisdiction all over the state of California. I don't believe for a second that I'm the first to make the connection, but I suspect the Espinoza family is bankrolling someone on the inside to make sure they remain untouchable in the system. That's why I knew I couldn't count on Bates to help me with this, and I couldn't involve you—I've promised myself over and over, that no matter what happens I will not drag you down with me."

He should have ended it right there, but he didn't. A part of him, he knows, will always wish that he'd just buried it away without finishing it, at least then maybe he wouldn't feel so burdened by a knowledge he can never share with anyone else—lest it ruin the reputation of someone he cared a great deal for in just the short time in which they'd known each other.

"Sorry about that. I guess I got a little emotional there for a second, but I'm okay now. Where was I, oh yeah, I remember now. Three days ago, Paulina Montenegro turned up cold on a slab in the morgue, and according to the autopsy report she was killed in the exact same manner as all the other women—including my Mother. It's him, Marty. He did it. I know he did. I just need to see one thing to be absolutely sure. We know that a trophy of some kind, usually jewelry, was taken from each crime scene. From my Mother, this trophy was a silver charm bracelet that my Grandfather gave her when she was 13. This means I need to get close to Diego Espinoza. I managed to convince Lt. Bates that with Paulina gone, Espinoza will surely be in the market for a new girlfriend—and that that's our way in. As of today, he finally signed off on the Op, and I'll be going under effective two days from now. Marty, if it turns out that I am right, about Diego Espinoza I mean, I won't hesitate. I will kill him. God, I wish there was another way, but there just isn't one. He's hurt too many people, us included, and he needs to be stopped—no matter what the cost. I love you Marty. Please forgive me."

The dream he has is so often the same each time, though he has noted subtle differences at other times—regardless, they all end in very much the same way. No matter what he does in this dream world of his it's never enough. He's either too late, or not quite smart enough, and both of the women he loves are lost to him forever.

The small sofa pillow situated near Deeks' head shifts ever so slightly from its previous position, and then proceeds to fall unhindered to the floor. The absence of the pillow is just enough to startle the shaggy-haired man from his tortured slumber. His eyes flutter open, and as if reacting to some lingering remnants of his dream the half-awake detective quickly moves upright, brandishing the sidearm he'd neglected to remove from the holster at his side.

Her name slides over his lips as he sits wide-eyed, and breathing heavily with his pistol aimed at the glowing light from the muted television set. After a moment or two he finally begins to come around, blinking several times to break up the sleep in his tired blue eyes.

"A dream?" he mutters questioningly to no one in particular. "Was it…It was. It was all a dream. I wasn't too late." He closes his eyes with relief, as the tension flows from his body with the long sigh that sails over his lips. Then the firmly gripped weapon lowers from its position in front of him.

Deeks sets the pistol down on the nearby coffee table, and then checks his wristwatch for the time. He finds that the time is now 9:56 p.m. He realizes as he shakes his head that it is past the time he was supposed to check in with his partner.

A lavish master bedroom suite sets darkened, save for the little light emanating from several candles lit around the room. The sounds of two lovers caught up in the throws of passion fill the space, the high-pitched tones echoing off the four walls indicating an erotic dance so near its inevitable finale. For one of them it is all very real, but for the other it is merely an act designed to gain her 'targets' trust. Nevertheless, it is still the very last place in the world that Kensi Blye wants to be, and yet here she is. At this point in their 'relationship', the gorgeous brunette practically lives here.

A small voice constantly echoes from somewhere in the back of her mind. It is one she knows well not to ignore, for it is the only thing keeping her from backing out of the Op altogether. It all goes back to a promise she made to herself just two months ago, after the terrible discovery her partner made concerning Maria and her Mother. Two nights afterward she spent awake comforting her restless partner and lover as he grieved anew, and it was then that she made the silent promise to her self to use whatever means necessary to bring Diego Espinoza to justice for his crimes.

The two of them lay in silence side by side for the longest time after their dance finally ends, their breathing quite heavy from said recent activities, and all the while Kensi fights back the sick feeling of nausea that sweeps over her. She silently wills her self to keep it together for the sake of her cover. She knows she'll never get used to how this part of her job feels now that she's in a committed relationship with her partner, Marty Deeks, nor does she particularly want to get used to it. Having to use sex as a means of extracting Intel from suspects has always bothered her, but back then in the day it wouldn't have affected her anywhere near as much as it does now. Now, it leaves her feeling dirty and violated both inside and out, and with Diego Kensi feels an unshakeable iciness and loneliness, whereas with Deeks she always feels her every fiber enveloped in a wonderfully, pleasant warmth that lately she so desperately misses.

"Mi Amor, you are truly a goddess." Diego says at last, through a great sigh as he turns his head to look at Kensi. She forces a tiny smile across her lips for his benefit.

Kensi musters up every ounce of strength and will power she has, and forces down all the feelings of disgust she has for this man, and puts on her best 'Alexis' face. "You sound winded." She points out playfully. "Am I too much for you, darling?" she asks, arching a brow at the tan-skinned man lying next to her on the satin sheets, which cover his luxurious king-sized bed.

Diego laughs heartily at the question posed by the gorgeous woman beside him. "Oh no, not at all mi Amor. I assure you, of this I will never tire."

Great. Kensi thinks to her self. Just…Great.

"Its too bad you have to go away for the weekend. You and your business trips." She pouts, as she snakes her hand down between their bodies to entwine her fingers with his. "I'll miss you too much. Can't I come with you?" Even as these words slide over her lips she prays he doesn't read too much into their meaning. The truth is though, she'll be glad to have some time away from the monster lying next to her.

"And I will miss you, mi Amor." He whispers softly, as he props him self up on his side. "I wish you could come, but these trips involve matters of business—no place, mind you, for a woman."

Kensi has to push down every ounce of disgust she feels at his sexist words, as the tan-skinned man leans down to kiss her on the lips, which only adds to the hatred she feels right now. It is terrible really, how even just kissing this horrible man makes her feel as though she is betraying the man she really loves.

A loud ping sound grabs the female federal agents' attention then. She indicates to Diego that she needs to get up, and he obliges her after one last kiss between them. Kensi pulls her self up, covering her upper body with the satin bed sheets, and reaches for her cell phone setting on the nearby nightstand.

It's a text message, and the Caller ID reads Isaac across the display—Deeks' cover name. Her heart leaps in her chest as a sudden, wonderful thought occurs to her. She clicks the touch screen with the pad of her thumb, unlocking the next screen, and silently reads off the message from her partner.

Hiya Princess. Long time, no see. Hope to see you soon though—kiss, kiss.

"Alexis, who is it?" Diego asks curiously.

Kensi looks back at him, not having to force the smile on her face even in the least bit. "It's Isaac, my brother." She informs him happily. "He wants me to know that he'll be back in town this weekend."

A knowing smile crosses Diego's lips. "Ah, I see. Now I don't feel so bad about leaving you here alone."

"Silly, I won't be alone." She says with a wink. Actually, I'll be right where I belong.

…TBC…

Author's Note: Again, so so sorry for the delay in updating this story, but I hope the wait was worth it. Next chapter we will get to see what Callen and Sam are up to, and how a discovery they made two months before has also affected the case in a really really big way.

Author's Note 2: I probably shouldn't say this yet, but I am so excited about it. While I was down with illness I was thinking about this story, as well as my other stories, and I had an incredible brainstorm in the process. As of right now, I have decided and started planning a sequel to this story, which I will begin posting immediately following this story's final chapter. The sequel is to be titled Sean. Oops, hope I haven't spoiled anything by mentioning this—I am soooo excited about it though.