I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the reviews, alerts and favorites!

Chapter 4

'So this is it,' Kensi said while opening the door to her house and she, Deeks and Narah stepped inside. Narah dropped the backpack with all her stuff on the floor by the door and she glanced around the room.

'Try to look past the mess,' Deeks whispered at her from behind but loud enough for Kensi to hear it and she shot him a glare. Narah smiled weakly and stepped further into the room. Kensi glanced at Deeks, asking him silently what to do now. Deeks shrugged at her.

'Alright,' Kensi said. 'I need to clean out the guest room, but then it's all yours.' Narah glanced at the closed door but still said nothing.

'Okay, do you want something to eat or drink?' Deeks asked, already walking towards the kitchen. 'There is…' He looked at Kensi. 'Really? An empty fridge?' Kensi looked surprised at him.

'Even no beer?' she asked him and he shook his head. Then Kensi glanced at Narah. 'Not that we would give you any beer…'

'This means we need to do groceries,' Deeks told her. 'Are you up for that Narah?'

'Sure,' Narah answered shrugging.

'You can stay here,' Kensi told her. 'Watch some TV or use the computer…get your stuff into the room.' Narah pointed at her bag and Kensi nodded. 'Right, only the bag. Then we definitely need to get into town. You might need some clothes.'

'We can get some groceries,' Narah said. 'But I'm not charity case. I have some clothes. I will manage with them.'

'Good idea,' Deeks said. 'We really need some food and drinks in this house. Some healthy food and healthy drinks for once.' Kensi shot another glare at him.

'So what do you like to eat?' Deeks asked when they were walking through the supermarket, grabbing things every now and then and putting in the cart. Narah shrugged.

'I eat what I can eat,' she answered.

'You really don't have a favorite candy?' Deeks asked. 'For example: Kensi can't do without her Twinkies. One box last for about one day…if you're lucky.' Narah smiled a little and Kensi looked surprised when she saw them. She put the bananas in the chart.

'What are you two talking about?' she asked.

'We're talking about what Narah likes to eat,' Deeks answered innocently and he smiled at her. Kensi raised her eyebrows but then turned to Narah.

'So what do you like to get?' she asked the girl, who again shrugged. 'What do you like for breakfast?'

'I like to have breakfast,' Narah said. 'When I get it, I don't really care what it is.' Deeks nodded.

'So we just take the cornflakes, the yogurt, the fruits, the bread and the ingredients for waffles and pancakes,' he summed up, already looking around for the stuff. Kensi and Narah simply followed Deeks.

'Do you think you need a toothbrush?' Kensi asked her when they passed the isle with hygiene products. 'Or a hairbrush?' Narah nodded.

'But I can pay for them myself,' she said. 'I'm not a…'

'A charity case,' Kensi finished. 'I know. I was just asking if you needed anything since we're at the right isle…' Narah shrugged and she grabbed the first tooth- and hairbrush she saw. When they passed some pajamas, she stopped again, looking at the pajamas.

'Do you need pajamas?' Deeks asked her.

'Maybe,' she answered.

'Grab one and drop it in the cart,' Deeks said.

'I'll make us some dinner,' Deeks announced when he, Kensi and Narah came back at Kensi's place with the groceries. Narah moved into the guest bedroom with the plastic bag with her newly bought stuff. Deeks and Kensi brought the rest of the groceries in the kitchen.

'Why are you making dinner?' Kensi asked him. 'Who says you're staying for dinner?' She put the milk in the fridge.

'Am I not staying for dinner?' Deeks asked and he reached passed Kensi to put the cornflakes in the cabinet behind her. Moving his arm back, he gave her a quick kiss. Kensi laughed and patted his cheek gently.

'Not making me change my mind,' she told him. 'But since you're making dinner, you can stay for dinner. That is the least I can do for all your help today.' Deeks stepped closer to her and gave her another kiss, longer this time. Kensi returned the kiss and then pulled back.

'We need to get the stuff into the fridge,' she told him smiling.

'You know, your fridge never looked this stuffed,' Deeks joked and he wrapped his arm around Kensi's waist. He kissed her in her neck. 'I missed you, you know?' Kensi turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck.

'I guessed something like that,' she answered him. 'But we can't. You need to make us some dinner and I need a beer.' She gave him a kiss and she grabbed a beer before sitting down at the couch.

Kensi handed Deeks a steaming cup of coffee early the next morning while Deeks filled a bowl with cornflakes and milk and handed it to Narah who was sitting at the table. She slowly took her first hap and decided that she liked it.

'Do you want coffee as well?' Kensi asked and Narah shook her head. 'No, of course not…you're only fifteen!'

'Already fifteen,' Narah corrected her with her mouth full of cornflakes. Kensi smiled at her and walked into the bathroom to get a shower. Deeks sat down with Narah at the table. Narah looked curiously at him as she ate her cornflakes. He smiled at her and then he stood up to grab the newspaper. He read a few pages and then he walked to the bathroom door to knock on it.

'Come on, Kens,' he said. 'You should think of the environment. No more than five minute showers!'

'Well then you take shorter showers!' Kensi shouted back at him.

'If you don't hurry now, I'll turn the hot water off!' Deeks said. When he looked to his side, Narah was leaning against the wall.

'You two do realize I have to go to school, right?' she asked him casually. 'And that it starts at eight thirty?' Deeks took a quick glance at his watch. Only an hour left till eight thirty. He banged on the bathroom door.

'Kens, Narah has to be at school in an hour!' he shouted at her and the door was almost immediately thrown open.

'You got to be kidding me!' Kensi said and she glanced at Narah who was shaking her head. 'I don't even know what school you go to!' Narah shrugged.

'I could stay here,' she said. Kensi immediately shook her head.

'Oh no, you already missed enough school!' she said and she turned to Deeks. 'Get the car running. Pack our stuff! We need to hurry now.' Deeks hurried into the living room and Kensi into the bedroom.

'I do need a note for the two days of school that I missed,' Narah announced. 'Otherwise I won't be allowed. And I need lunch!' Deeks pressed twenty dollars in her hand.

'That should buy you some lunch,' he told her. 'Kens, where do you keep a pen and some paper for the note?' Kensi hurried out of the bedroom and almost ran to her desk, searching through all the stuff lying on it. Narah was just watching them stress.

'Got a pen!' Kensi announced and she held the object up. Deeks held up some crumbled paper.

'And I got paper,' he announced. 'So what should be in the note? "Sorry, Narah wasn't in class last two days but she was a witness of a crime, sincerely her new foster parents?"' Deeks turned to Narah and saw her smile. 'What are you smiling at? Just tell us what to put in the note?'

'Calm down,' she said. 'School isn't that important…but you can say I was changing foster homes and that was why I was absent for those two days. They get those notes all the time and they accept them.'

'Okay, Deeks, you get Narah in the car while I write the note,' Kensi said, already busy writing on the paper.

'Take a left here,' Narah instructed Deeks as she pointed at the street over her shoulder. 'My school is in that street.' Kensi glanced at her watch.

'Only ten minutes late,' she said. 'I hope they can forgive you for that.' Deeks parked the car in front of the school and the three of them got out. Narah started to walk but at the door she turned around.

'You don't have to come inside,' she told them. 'I'll be fine on my own. I have been here before.' Deeks and Kensi shook their heads.

'We need to make sure you're allowed in the classroom,' Deeks explained. Narah sighed and she opened the door. The school wasn't really colorful. It was somber. One man was walking in the hallways and he stopped Deeks, Kensi and Narah.

'So Miss Monero, decided to come to school today?' he asked her and Narah smiled forced at him. 'And who are they?' The man faced Deeks and Kensi.

'We're Marty Deeks and Kensi Blye,' Deeks introduced them. 'And we're Narah's new foster parents. We're still getting used to the situation, and we apologize that Narah is late for class. It won't happen again.' The man nodded.

'I see,' he said. 'Well my name is Peter Pumford and I'm the principle of the school.' He turned to Narah. 'You can go to class, Miss Monero. I'll have a chat with your new parents.' Narah looked angrily at the man and then walked to her class. Principle Pumford turned back to Deeks and Kensi. 'If you could join me in the office.' Deeks glanced at Kensi and both looked at the big clock at the wall.

'We actually have to go,' Kensi answered the man honestly. 'Is there any way we can reschedule? So that we can arrange it with our work?' Principle Pumford straightened his back and then he nodded.

'Of course,' he said. 'I understand. Just call the school and then we'll make a new appointment.' Deeks and Kensi thanked Principle Pumford quickly before walking back to the car, hoping that they would get in time at Ops.

'Still getting used to being a parent?' Sam laughed as Deeks and Kensi hurried into the bullpen. They both quickly sat down behind their desk, grabbing the paperwork. Callen glanced up from his paperwork.

'We forgot a slight thing this morning,' Kensi told them. 'Nothing major. We managed just fine.'

'You forgot she had to school, didn't you?' Callen laughed and Kensi glared him. Then she smiled.

'Yes we did,' she said. 'It's not easy. One day you're living alone and the next you're the parent of a fifteen year old who needs to go to school and notes for her absence last two days.'

'And try finding a pen and piece of paper in Kensi's mess,' Deeks added. 'At least we remembered to give her breakfast…though Kensi offered her some coffee.' Callen and Sam laughed.

'You will get the hang of it,' Sam said. 'Not everyone becomes a parent immediately. Especially not with teenagers. Those are the hardest, they say.' Callen put his hand on Sam's shoulder.

'Then you and Carrie better prepare,' he laughed. 'Aimee is almost a real teenager.'

'Don't remind me,' Sam said. 'But getting back to the case…'

'Yeah, did we get anything new?' Deeks asked. 'Did we locate Miguel Borges and Yosef Mills? Or someone who can help us locate them?'

'No nothing yet,' Callen answered. 'LAPD did arrest a few members of the Fratres Armis but they keep their mouth shut. They said they don't snitch on their brothers. No one talks about the crimes of the Fratres Armis.'

'And if they talk they get killed,' Deeks mumbled. 'Or their families get killed.'

Later that day the team was standing at the park near the youth center. Standing near a teenage boy, who was shot four times. Shot like the three youth center volunteers. There were many bystanders, all hoping for a glance of the dead boy's body.

'Why shoot a boy?' Kensi asked, scanning the area.

'Maybe he said 'no' in the offer to join the gang,' Sam suggested. 'Fratres Armis don't seem to be happy with refusals.'

'Let me through!' Maltino yelled as he tried to move through the bystanders. Deeks and Callen walked towards the man, helping him to get through the crowd.

'You know the boy?' Deeks asked and Maltino took a closer look at the boy. Then he adverted his gaze and took a deep breath. 'Mister Maltino, do you recognize the boy?' The man ran a hand over his face and through his hair.

'It's Dennis Bateson,' Maltino told them. 'In the youth center and the neighborhood better known as Happy Bouncer or Bouncer, because he was always so hyper. Dennis had ADHD. His mother couldn't handle him. That why he came to the youth center. He has been with us for always ten years now.' He glanced in the direction of the boy's body. 'Only sixteen years old…'

'Anyway we can contact his mother?' Kensi asked him and Maltino shook his head.

'Since a few years Dennis lives on the streets,' he answered her. 'His mother died of an overdose. Or that is what Dennis told me – very calmly – one day. It didn't seem to bother him at all…but I guess he has already seen so much violence and drugs abuse at the streets…like most kids.' Maltino took a deep breath. 'The youth center was supposed to be a peaceful place…and look what it turned into: volunteers and children get killed.'

'Mister Maltino, there is nothing you can blame yourself for,' Deeks told him. 'All you did was giving these kids a better place.'

'This is madness,' Kensi sighed. She and Deeks were back at Ops, sitting behind their desks, while Callen and Sam were on their way back from Dennis' foster home, which had given them nothing new. Deeks glanced at Kensi, whose head was resting in her hands. He got up and stepped behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders.

'Try not to let it get to you,' he told her and he kissed the top of her head. 'No matter how hard it is.' Kensi sighed. That moment Callen and Sam came walking in, both not looking happy.

'Well the foster father didn't even know Dennis' last name,' Callen told them as he sat down. 'But it seems like a good foster parent. He said Dennis just runaway one day. The day his mother died.' Sam glanced at Deeks and Kensi and his watch.

'Hey aren't you a bit late?' he asked them.

'What do you mean?' Deeks asked confused and Kensi glanced at her watch. Then she hit Deeks' chest.

'Shit, Deeks!' she cursed. 'We need to pick up Narah!' Both jumped up in action and ran to the car. Callen and Sam watched them ran off. Kensi chewed on her thumb nail nervously as they drove towards the school.

'We'll get there,' he said. 'Have you tried to call her?' She turned abruptly towards him.

'She doesn't have a phone,' she told him. 'We left her without a phone! What kind of parents are we? No way for her to call her.'

'Then you try the school,' Deeks told her calmly.

'Why are you so damn calm?' Kensi asked him stressed. 'Besides we don't have the number of the school. We didn't even know the school until this morning!'

'Because I need to drive us there,' he said. 'Okay, this left or the next left?' Kensi glanced at the street.

'Left here!' she pointed and Deeks makes the turn.

Narah was sitting on the stairs in front of the school, watching the streets. Deeks parked the car and both ran towards the girl.

'We're so sorry!' Kensi told her and Narah shrugged before getting up. She walked towards the car and got in. Kensi glanced at Deeks, who shrugged as well and they went over to the car as well. As soon as they were inside they turned to the backseat where Narah was sitting.

'We're really sorry, Narah,' Kensi told her. 'We didn't mean to…we were just working and…forgot about the time…'

'It's okay,' Narah told them. 'At least you came to pick me up…eventually. Can we go home now?' Deeks nodded and started the car. Through the rear view mirror he glanced at Narah, who looked bored out of the window.

'We need to get back at Ops for work,' Deeks said gently and all he got was a shrug and some vague mumbles. 'Do you want to come…or should we drop you off at home?'

'You can drop me off at the youth center,' Narah told her. Kensi sighed and she glanced around.

'The youth center is closed,' she told her. 'Mister Maltino decided to close it because of the recent events. The deaths of Matt, Katya and Thomas and…' Kensi gestured Deeks to stop the car. He searched for a spot to park and brought the car to a stop.

'What is wrong?' Narah asked them worried.

'Did you know Dennis…Bouncer?' Kensi asked her. A tiny smile appeared on Narah's face.

'Of course,' she answered. 'Everyone knows him. He's hard to miss with…what happened to him?' Kensi glanced at Deeks, who nodded at her.

'Narah, Dennis was killed this afternoon,' he told her gently.

'What…?' she stuttered. 'Bouncer is dead? The gang?' When Deeks nodded in conferment Narah took a deep breath and her lip started to tremble. She managed to hold the tears back for a few moments but then they all escaped. Kensi got out of the passenger's seat and got in the backseat, pulling Narah into a hug.

TBC.