A/N: Here's the second chapter ;) Thank you all for your amazing reviews!
To the guest who wrote the first review: Yes! Advent calenders really exist. I always thought everybody knows them... I got four this year :D In germany (where I live...) there are many ones with chocolate, but some also get different ones. Like me ;)
guesswhofern: Yes, I come from Germany ;)
all: I hope you enjoy this chapter. Nothing belongs to me- except for Olivia and the grammar and spelling mistakes.
2nd of December:
Kensi woke up with a smile on her face and a twinkle in the eyes. Their evening had been very nice, they enjoyed great dinner and talked about everything while sitting on the beach. Kensi would even say they bonded some more and were now even closer friends than before.
After she had her first coffee at home she opened the second door of the advent calendar, then drove to work. With a big smile on her face she sat down at her desk, rearranging a few things and waiting for Deeks to come in.
"Morning" he said once he saw her and grinned.
"Hi!" she also smiled. It was good that Sam and Callen weren't there, otherwise they would have surely said something at the 'new way' of eye contact between Kensi and Deeks. Because that eye contact? Definitely different than the ones these past years!
"So… what was in your calendar today?" he asked her while laying out all his work stuff and opening his laptop.
"Thai restaurant downtown. I've not heard of it before, it must be new opened. Maybe we could check it out someday?"
The way she said we made his heart beat a little faster and he nodded.
"Do they offer takeout?"
She shrugged. "Don't know. I'll google it." After a few seconds she nodded. "They either deliver or you can pick it up yourself. Why?"
With a secretive smiled he said, "Just asking."
Yeah, as if Kensi Blye believes me when I say that, he thought and started working, all the while feeling the confusion practically radiating from his partner.
A few minutes later Callen and Sam came in from the gym, bittering with each other.
"No Sam, I definitely won." Callen said, sitting down in his chair and leaning back, wearing a teasing smile.
The other agent shook his head. "You did not. Look, man, I beat you to it twice! And that last try didn't count!"
"It did count, Sam."
"What's this about?" Deeks asked and threw away his pen. These team conversations were miles better than boring paperwork! He remembered Hetty's warning from yesterday, but ignored it for a minute. They should have their breaks too!
"G and I bet who would reach the top of the gym on the climbing wall more than the other. Looser out of five games pays lunch today. For all of us."
"Yeah. And after four plays it was 2:2! But I definitely won the last game too, you called your wife when you were half way up!"
Sam rolled his eyes. "She called me. What was I supposed to do?"
"Ignore it! Anyways now he wants to repeat the game, but I did reach the top first!"
"And you guys wonder about my and Deeks' conversation if you're having almost the same kind of dumb ones? Seriously guys. How about you both get us lunch today and split the costs up in two?"
"That was not the point of the whole game." Callen said and folded his arms over his chest, glaring at the woman besides him.
Kensi sighed. Then Eric appeared at the top of the stairs, blowing his whistle. "Upstairs guys. This one's important!"
They all stood up and went to OPS, where Hetty, Nell and Eric were waiting on them, the techs both having their tablets ready.
After a nod from Hetty Nell tipped on the tablet and a picture of a young girl appeared on the screen. "That is Olivia Rimes. Olivia is the daughter of a famous politician and his secretary. At five this morning her father was found dead in his house, the window in the girl's room broken and Olivia missing." She explained.
With a professional voice and no emotions showing Kensi asked "Who found her?"
"The girl's babysitter, a woman from Spain. She went to the neighbor who in turn called the police."
"Why are we investigating this? Was her dad a former marine or something?" Sam asked, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes tight.
"No, Mr. Hanna. He wasn't. But Mr. Rimes was a very popular politician. This is also a matter of security at his house and the LAPD wants our help."
"They do?" Deeks asked, his eyebrows raising. "Since when are the voluntarily letting us work their cases?"
"Since now. Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks, I want you to talk to the babysitter and the neighbor. You two" she pointed at Callen and Sam, "are going to work with the LAPD at the crime scene. Find out how he was murdered, when, where, why."
"Why isn't Deeks liaising? After all, he is the Liaison officer!"
"That has personal reasons, Mr Callen. And that is anything but important right now. What is important is that we find the girl and get her back safely to her mother."
They all nodded and parted OPS. Hopefully we'll find her today, Deeks thought. The thing he had planned for the second December was nothing that big, but he did want it to take place. After all, he'd promised himself to do anything in his powers for Kensi's Christmas.
"I need sleep" Kensi murmured and placed her head down on the desk in front of her. Deeks sighed. "Why don't you lay down on the couch?" he asked with a gentle voice and rubbed his eyes. They'd been already working for more than 12 hours now, trying to find Olivia Rimes. They didn't yet. What they did found was her mother- dead and dumped in an alley in Chinatown with barely clothes on. It wasn't their first time they were working so late, but this case was just straining their nerves. When kids were abducted, their chance of surviving reduced itself with every passing hour. After missing 24 hours, there was almost no chance they'd find the kid.
"Can't" she whispered. "We need to find her." Kensi said and then raised her head. "Do you have a lead? Did you find anything?"
"No. Please, Kens. You're no use to us if you're looking like that." He waved a hand up and down and wrinkled his brow. "That came out entirely wrong."
She sighed. "I know what you wanted to say. I just don't want to stop working. She's seven, Deeks. She has a right to life and we are the ones who have to find her!"
He stood up, crossed the few steps to her desk and sat down on the edge of it. "I know. Callen and Sam are checking that one warehouse out, maybe they find something there. Until they're back you can take a nap. Or at least try resting your nerves."
"And by that you mean go to the shooting range and let out all that anger I've got bundled up in me?"
He grinned. "Wait. I got a better idea. I orginially planned something for this evening but… well I don't think this would be very good right now."
"What have you planned?" Kensi asked, curiousness showing in her voice.
"Something that can wait another two or three days." He stood up and mentioned with his head to the direction of the missions center. "You see that tree there?" She nodded. "It needs color. Lights. Anything to make it look more… Christmas-ish. Follow me."
They went down to the storage room where the decorations were. "We're decorating the tree? Seriously?" Kensi asked, disbelieve showing in her voice.
He nodded. "I know it might sound very selfish to decorate a tree when there's a seven year old missing. But we cannot do anything right now. So we might as well spread a little Christmas joy. Right?"
"Okay" she grabbed one of the boxes and they went back to the Christmas tree, pulling out a few decorations and in silence hang out the tree.
"That actually made my head rest a little bit" Kensi admitted after they finished and admired their work.
"It did, didn't it? And it already looks more beautiful, right?"
"Yeah" Then her phone vibrated in her back pocket and she took it out. "Any news?" she greeted Callen and kept her finger's crossed for a good answer.
"Yeah. We found her, she's doing good. A little bit shaken up and scared, but well."
"Oh thank god!" Kensi cried and took the first deep breath after ten hours.
"We're coming back with her right now. Can you do me a favor? Let Nell search for any family members and ask Hetty if she has a plan where she can stay. It's too late for social services right now."
"Will do. See you then." Kensi hung up, put her phone back in the pocket and then turned to Deeks. "They found her, alive. I got to go to Hetty and to Nell. You coming?"
He nodded and followed her to Nell first. They told her the news, asked her for searching the girl's family and then went back down to Hetty.
"Hetty, Callen asked me if you've got a place where Olivia can stay?"
Their boss leaned back in her chair and put down her cup of tea. "Mhm…" she contemplated. Then she looked from Kensi to Deeks and back to her best female agent. "Why don't you take her in for the night? Until Ms. Jones finds relatives or social services can take her?"
"What? Me?" Kensi asked and shook her head. "You know I'm not good with kids. They hate me."
Before Hetty could do something, Deeks interrupted her and said "We'll do it."
Kensi whipped her head around. "No, Deeks. We won't. You can take her, if you like. But I'm not doing it with you!"
"You are. I think she needs a female person. I have a guest room, you don't. My apartment is better for a kid than yours. I've got Monty and kids love him. Please." They locked eyes, Hetty watching their interaction and smiling slightly.
"Okay." Kensi then muttered.
Hetty stood up and said, "There she is." Kensi and Deeks both turned around and faced a small girl with blue eyes and curly blonde hair. Olivia could be their child, looking that much like them. Her little eyes were small; she blinked repeatedly as if she was very tired.
Something coaxed Kensi to crouch down before her, smiling slightly. "Hi Olivia. I'm Kensi. I'm with one of the good ones, like those two." She looked up at Sam and Callen and held out her hand. "How are you doing?" she asked the girl.
"Okay" Olivia whispered with a quiet voice and hesitantly took Kensi's hand.
"That is Marty, my partner. He's very nice. Is it okay if we take you somewhere you can sleep?"
Olivia nodded and held on tightly to the agent's hand.
"Mr. Deeks, take these two home. Don't come back in until ten tomorrow. Oh and take a look at wardrobe, I think I've got some clothes there that might fit her." Deeks nodded and whispered a thanks. Then he stepped down and out of Hetty's 'office' and smiled at Olivia. Kensi stood up and led the girl to wardrobe.
A few minutes later they had found something the girl could wear and even a small teddy bear that she held onto very tightly. "Let's go, Olivia." The girl nodded slowly and took both of the agent's hands in her little ones. With a last glance at the sparkling Christmas tree they left the mission.
A/N#2: I know this might be a little fast and all (tomorrow too...) but I just felt like that :D It's going to be interesting to get a kid into the whole story too! ;)