A/N: Thanks for everyone who has followed and reviewed. And thanks so much Cat4444 the red marks just make me work harder.
Animal I have become 5
It felt good to feel the sun once again as it beat down on his chilled skin. Stretching his tired body, he settled deeper into the warm sand. Tucking his hands behind his head, he took a deep, relaxing breath and let the ocean sounds and smells relax him even more. Ever since he was little, there had always been something about the ocean that made him feel better. He could lie there forever and just let the world slip away.
"Marty," Kensi's soft voice called to him, her warm breath tickling his neck. Wrinkling his nose, he smiled. A hand traced across his chest, slowly moving upward to caress his chin, slender fingers brushing through the stubble.
"Hey," his voice croaked. Rolling his head to his [left/right], he slowly opened his eyes, "What took you so long?"
Kensi lay next to him, a small black bikini covering her body, which was wrapped around his. Reaching for her, his fingers played with the strap around her neck. She smiled and laughed softly. Running her fingers over his, she slowly picked up his hand and gently kissed his palm. He shivered but never broke his gaze. She laughed, letting his hand drop back to the sand. Sitting up slightly, she propped her head on one hand and with her free hand traced patterns over his chest.
"I've been busy, Marty." Licking her lips, she sucked in the lower left corner. "We have been looking; you're a hard man to find, you know."
"I know." Running his fingers through her hair, he tried not to smile when she nuzzled his hand with her cheek. "I'm just getting tired, Kens."
"I know, baby, I know." Breaking the tender moment, her brown eyes shimmered with tears. "You need to hold on, we'll find you."
He tried to smile, he hated seeing her cry. His eyes began to well up with tears. Her hand caressed his cheek; her thumb carefully wiped away the tears. Kensi looked away from him briefly; looking back she appeared worried. Pulling him up into a sitting position, she held his arms tightly, her fingers digging into his bare flesh. "Marty, I need you to fight. Don't let her in. Don't lose yourself. Please wait for me; I can't let you face the dark alone."
Deeks began to shiver, the sun no longer warmed his skin, and the ocean was silent. Kensi shook her head, her face fading before him. Her lips moved as she tried to talk to him; he wanted to hear her voice; he needed to hear it. Reaching out, he tried to cup her face, feel her flesh on his, but before he could touch her, she faded completely away. "Kensi!" he yelled. "Kensi!" The sun shattered at his cries, golden pieces falling into the ocean where they were swallowed, the light dying, leaving him in darkness. His body began to shake uncontrollably. His chest stung as he tried to gulp down the icy air.
"Wake up!" A deep voice broke through the darkness; a heavy hand catching his cheek.
His eyes fluttered open. His tongue had swollen and stuck to the roof of his mouth. He couldn't remember the last time he drank water or ate food. His lips cracked, splitting open at the edges when he opened his mouth to let out a moan. He could vaguely recall waking up earlier in the so-called 'hole' disorientated, unable to move, and in complete darkness. It took all his abilities to determine he was strapped to a thin metal board that had been placed somewhere warm. Steam rose up throughout his prison, drenching his body in sweat. Wherever he was, he was laid at a slight angle, his sweat ran down his back soaking his hair and draining away. His perceptions quickly ran together, reality slipping from his consciousness until, finally, he was left on his beach with Kensi.
He let his eyes slide closed again; he liked the beach better. He'd rather spend time with Kensi there than deal with the reality of his situation. A hand grabbed his jaw, and cold water filled his mouth. He gagged and choked, trying to swallow every drop. He wasn't sure if it would be the last water he would have for a long time.
His restraints were removed as he was hauled upright and a voice said, "Come on, son, the Madame would like to see you."
"No!" Deeks groaned as a wave of coughing overtook him.
As his inflamed feet scraped against the floor, he cried out in pain. The bright lights of the hall burned his eyes. Tightly closing his eyes, he wished they had been considerate enough to take him out in the dark. The hands let go of him, dropping him to the floor. He lay on his stomach trying to control his breathing and his emotions until he could regain his vision. After several slow blinks, he found himself staring at a set of black high heels. He didn't need to look up at their owner to know who they belonged to.
"Martin, how do you feel?" the Madame asked, her voice making him sick to the stomach. "Ready to see things my way?"
"They will come for me," he moaned, finally raising his head but not without some difficulty. He needed to show her he was still in control.
The black heel pressed under his shoulder and with no effort she rolled him over onto his back. The Madame leaned over, her eyes staring at him, and he swore for a moment he saw the devil looking back at him.
"They will never come for you, Martin. Why are you still hanging onto that hope? You're pathetic." She laughed the last words. "Look at yourself; it's been three days and you're still here. A little birdie told me your replacement has already taken your empty space and is fitting in even better than you could ever imagine." Deeks shook his head; she was toying with him, trying to break him. She ran her finger across his brow, moving his sweaty hair out of his face. "You were born unwanted, lived unwanted, and you will die unwanted. Your friends, your so-called teammates, have moved on without you, and they're doing just fine."
"You're wrong," he said, pulling away from her touch.
"I could be," she conceded, clicking her tongue and leaning in closer. "But, if you did one small thing for me and won, then I could take you to them and let you see with your own eyes."
Deeks froze. The woman was out of her mind. He stared at her, the thought running through his mind: 'If I fight and win, I could get out of here. I could escape and be with my teammates; take her down. But she could be playing me. I know they're impossible to track, so she's lying to me.'
"Go to hell!" he growled.
She scowled, pushing his face away from her. "Fine. Howard have Simon give him another dose. And Martin, you're a fool." She stood up, and he listened as her heals clicked and faded away.
He had relaxed slightly before a pudgy face came into his vision. He recognized the face from the first time he woke up here, he had been with The Rat. Howard smiled softly, his features mimicking sadness, and concern for him. Raising Deeks' head slightly, he pressed a bottle of water to Deeks' dried and cracked lips. Deeks gulped down the water, letting it soothe his dry throat.
"Slow down, son, you'll make yourself sick." Howard spoke softly pulling away the bottle. "I don't know why you fight the Madame."
Deeks looked at him. He wanted to yell at him that he was just as crazy and possibly blind. "You're kidding, right?"
The man bowed his head, offering the water again. "She helped all of us here; we all have a dark past. She offers us shelter, food, clothing, and money for honest work." Deeks choked on the water, and Howard pulled the bottle back. He cleaned off Deeks' face with the sleeve of his shirt.
"You kidnapped me, you're holding me against my will." Deeks forced out between coughs.
Howard shook his head, "We're just trying to help you. Once you let go of everything, you'll see."
Deeks stared at him; the man actually looked humble as he spoke. He believed what he was saying; he actually thought he was helping him. A nauseous feeling washed over him. Howard looked up as the sounds of a squeaky wheel filled the silence. "Simon, Madame wants him to have another dose. And can you give him something for the fever and infection? His feet are pretty bad."
"No, he hurt me, and he's a very bad man," Simon said in a quavering voice
"He was scared, Simon, just like you were, and just like I was." Harold spoke soothingly to the mad scientist as he moved closer. Simon's fingers felt ice cold as he touched Deeks' feet. The pain was instant and caused Deeks to Jerk. Simon jumped back terrified, holding the syringe like a knife, ready to stab him. Howard reached out taking hold of Simon's arm. "He's hurt, he won't hurt you Simon. You won't hurt Simon, will you?"
Deeks shook his head, still baffled by Howard. The guy's elevator didn't go to the top floor. Simon shook his head wildly. "Lies, they always lie."
It took a few more calm words and reassurance that Deeks would not try to hurt him before Simon finally relaxed enough to give Deeks a small white pill that he washed down with water Howard provided. Before Deeks could thank Simon, a Syringe was plunged into his arm. The euphoria was instant; his eyes rolled back into his head, letting him drift off back to his beach.
The water was much calmer now; the sun beat down on him as he walked along the beach, the sand sifting through his toes. He sighed, looking out at the calm waters. He took a slow step forward, letting his feet get wet. A couple more steps, he thought to himself, and the undertow would get him and drag him out to the dark depths below.
"Do you really think that's smart?" Callen asked as he stood next to him, staring out at the ocean and squinting against the bright sun as it beat down on them. His white shirt ruffled in the soft breeze, the cuffs of his pants rolled up so they wouldn't get wet as the water lapped at his feet. "Are you really going to give up that easily?"
"Well, not really," Deeks turned to look at the senior agent, then back out over the water, "but it's better than what's waiting for me."
Callen shook his head, "I always thought you to be smarter than that. Come on, we're out there, and here you are trying to give up and let go." He dropped his hand onto his shoulder. "You're a good man, Deeks; you just had a hard life, which is nothing to worry about."
Deeks shook his head as he spoke to Callen, "She wants me to fight, and she said she would let me out to see you guys if I won."
Callen rubbed his chin, listening carefully. "She could. She might. But you could also lose. I mean, it's been a few days, you're a wreak, you're sick, and I don't think you'd be up to it. Hell, you're talking to an imaginary friend. You know that, right?"
Chuckling, he said, "Yeah, I'm not that crazy." He reached over and playfully pushed Callen away, water splashing up, wetting his shorts. He groaned, shaking his head, "Still, I don't know why it's you and not Kens. I liked her a whole lot more than you. No offence."
"Hey, this is your hallucination not mine," he smirked, talking a step forward into the water, a surfboard in his arms, "Come on, let's catch a few. If you want, I can even wear a bikini."
"Oh, Hell no!" Deeks hefted the surfboard in his arms. He stepped forward, lying down on the board and paddling out into the water. They stopped after a while, and Callen sat up on his board. Kicking his legs in the water, he glanced around, leaning his head back and basking in the sun. Deeks stared at his friend, shaking his head and asked "What's up?"
"Just wondering. If you agreed to fight and you won by the grace of the gods, do you think you'd be able to break away long enough for us to find you?"
"I could try, that's if she's not lying to me." Deeks flicked water onto Callen's white shirt. The senior agent didn't move, he simply closed his eyes. "Do you think I should try?"
"I don't know, man. There is a risk, but you could die in that hole you're in, and we'd never find you." He turned, looking behind him, "Come on, the waves are coming. I think we can catch a few good ones before you wake up."
Deeks watched Callen paddle into the waves. For a guy that swore he'd never surfed a day in his life, he surfed like a pro. Deeks shook his head, of course he was a pro, and this was his hallucination. Deeks laughed out loud and decided that, even if it wasn't real, at least he'd have a good time with it all.
A/N please feel free to leave a review.