Goldfield, Nevada

"We made it," Deeks laughed as he and Kensi stepped off of the bus in Goldfield. He stretched out his arms and let out a loud yawn. For both of them, the remaining six hours of the trip had been miserable. Besides worrying about being recognized and arrested, both had to deal with annoying passengers like two crying toddlers and a middle agent man who decided to argue with his wife over the phone for two hours straight.

"I think torture would have been better than this bus ride," Kensi muttered, swinging her bag over her shoulder. Both walked over to the bus depot sign where they could see the main road of the city. Ten stores lined each side of the road, ranging from a Mom & Pop store to a Ruth's Dining Delight restaurant. Kensi enjoyed the sight because it was different- much calmer than their lives before going on the run.

"So how do we find the Big C?" Deeks asked, interrupting Kensi's thoughts. The scruffy haired agent was facing the direction of the stores and was scanning the crowds of individuals going up and down the streets.

"Are you talking about Callen?" Kensi whispered.

"Well, we can't use our real names so for now, so the Big C is what I think I'm going to call Callen," Deeks said. He pulled out a camera and aimed at a growing crowd near a hardware store. He zoomed in on the camera, hoping to spot Callen. As he continued to scan more crowds, Kensi pulled a map from Flagstaff and pretended to search for something.

"See him yet?" Kensi asked after five minutes.

Deeks shook his head no and pocketed his camera. "Not from here. Let's go for a walk, babe, and check things out." He put an arm around Kensi's shoulders, ignoring Kensi's glare towards him. They started walking down towards the city, hand-in-hand.

Deeks kept his gaze on the streets and soon spotted an unusual sight- a plastic turkey in a store front window.

"Uh…happy thanksgiving," Deeks said shakily. An elderly woman nearby raised an eyebrow making Deeks stammer, "Happy….future…thanksgiving?"

"Huh," the woman muttered before turning away. Kensi's eyes widened and she whispered loudly, "It's Thanksgiving already?"

"We've been gone for two months. It makes sense."

"True, true. It just feels a little unreal," Kensi sighed. Deeks peered into the store window and smiled. During the past two months, he hadn't even thought about anything from his life back in Los Angeles except for his loveable mutt, Monty. Thanksgiving or even Christmas hadn't even been a thought.

"Excuse me!" a familiar voice suddenly said behind them, "Do you know where I can find the closest motel?"

Deeks and Kensi turned around quickly to find none other than Callen. The older agent was wearing a red cap while holding onto a map with one hand and his backpack in his other. He pulled on his shades and grinned at the two agents. Deeks remembered the agreement that Callen had told the team before leaving Tonga.

"When we get to Goldfield, I'll give you some indication about meeting me at a motel in town. It'll be direct, but remember to act like strangers."

Deeks looked down at his own map and chose closest motel on the map. "Sante Fe Motel and Saloon is two blocks down. I hear that you can get a great view of the city from the second floor."

"Thanks," Callen replied. "I have to meet my friend Jones in two hours. He's a pretty private guy and I don't want to be late."

"Glad we could help," Kensi replied. Callen gave her a nod before walking off towards the Sante Fe motel. Deeks took a peek at the crowd before thinking, Got it. Look for a room checked out by Mr. Jones at the Sante Fe Motel. Check for rooms with do not disturb signs first.

Two hours after crossing paths with Callen, Kensi and Deeks walked down the second floor of the motel room looking for doors with a do not disturb sign. They had found and knocked on three doors already, meeting a woman who had snuck a cat into the room, a family of four, and a drug addict. Now at the end of the hallway, Deeks stood in front of the last door that had a do not disturb sign. Reluctantly, the agent took a breath and wrapped his knuckles against the door.

"Mr. Jones?" he called out. Behind him, Kensi looked down the hallway for any signs of someone coming. A minute of silence passed before the agents heard the sound of fumbling with the locks. The door quickly opened, revealing Callen, who said with a grin, "It's about time you two showed up."

"Nice to see you too," Deeks replied. He and Kensi walked into the room, Deeks dropping his bag on the floor. He walked over to the side of the room while Kensi turned to Callen.

"You made it," Kensi laughed, pulling Callen into a warm hug. Callen gave her a tight squeeze and pulled away to look over at Deeks. The probationary agent was facing the window, quiet as a mouse.

"You ok?" Callen called out. Deeks turned around and whispered, "I'm sorry about Sam."

"Deeks, this isn't your fault," Callen stated, "How we were able to get 3 out of the 4 of us into the country let alone travel to Goldfield is an accomplishment within its self. I don't blame you at all. We all knew what coming back here meant."

"I know. It's just…how exactly are we going to do this?" Deeks exclaimed, "I know I've been pretty cool about things, but right now, I'm panicking! How are we going to get into Los Angeles- scratch that, the state of California?"

Callen pointed over to the desk where Kensi and Deeks could see a silver car key.

"You got a car?!" Kensi exclaimed. "How-"

"And when, dude?" Deeks finished for her.

Callen walked over to the window and pointed to the 2010 Toyota Camry in the parking lot. "At the edge of town, I spotted a car rental place that looked edgy enough for me to try and get a car without any issues. When I walked in, the owner tried to persuade me to into some illegal gambling. In the end, we made a deal- I wouldn't call the police if the owner would let me use cash and no ID to rent a car, a nice one I might add, for a week. So we're going to drive as close as we can to LA before going through with a plan I made on the way here. It's crazy, but I think it'll work."

Deeks narrowed his eyes at Callen. "Really? Another crazy plan….seriously, is that a theme for you?"