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!

At least some good news with this chapter: I really passed my exam and not barely, as I thought. I got a 7 ^^

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 40

'Ivan!' Narah screamed and she threw her arms about the boy, hugging him tightly. 'Oh my God! I can't believe it! How did you get here?' Ivan started to laugh and returned the hug.

'Some agent came to school to pick me up,' he said. 'Scared me shitless for a moment. I thought I was going to be arrested or something...then I thought something had happened to you and then they explained it.' Narah released him and they sat down on the bed. Narah kept smiling.

'So tell me how everything is going?' she asked him. 'How are Emily and Ming?'

'They will probably kill me because I got to see you,' he smiled. 'We miss you. Classes aren't really the same without you...how is the new school and all the fancy kids?' Narah sighed.

'Well with about every subject I'm behind so that is fun,' she told him. 'But I met some nice people...which is good. Though it's weird going to class without you. Having all different teachers...teachers who actually seem to know what they are talking about...But can we stop talking about school? I want to forget about school. Can't we do something fun?'

'Well don't forget the lovely agent who has to follow you everywhere,' Ivan noted and Narah laughed. She reached for Ivan's hand and he gave her hand a little squeeze. It was good to be sitting in the same room as Ivan. It seemed a little bit more normal than the other times. She was okay with living here but seeing Ivan every day was the thing she missed the most of her former life.

'So, Ivan,' Deeks said during dinner, looking rather serious. 'How are things at home?' He noticed the boy averting his eyes and it told Deeks enough. He remembered how Ivan had looked the night he had stayed over at their place. How Ivan had fought the idea of leaving his home.

'It's fine, sir,' Ivan answered politely. When Deeks looked over at Narah, he got an angry glance from the teenager. Home was apparently a forbidden subject to discuss at the dinner table or at any other time.

'That's good,' Deeks nodded slowly, not believe the boy for a second. Ivan bit his lip for a moment before he turned to face them again.

'The food is excellent,' he said.

'Thank you, Ivan,' Kensi answered. 'Umm did you discuss with the agent who brought you how you were getting home? Or are you staying for the night?' Narah's eyes lit up.

'Can he stay?' she asked hopefully.

'In the guest room,' Deeks answered hastily. 'That is why we have an extra bed in the guest room, for when people want to stay for the night.' Narah looked disappointed and continued eating her pasta.

'I would love to stay but...' Ivan started to answer when Narah spoke up again.

'Okay, then that's arranged. Ivan is staying for the night. In the guest room.' For the last part she glared at Deeks. Deeks and Kensi started to laugh at Narah's enthusiasm.

'Let Ivan finish his sentence, Narah,' Kensi told her.

'I would love to stay, Narah,' Ivan answered, looking at Narah. 'But my brothers and sister are still at home...I should head back for the night.'

'I will give you a drive back,' Deeks said. Then he could see this father of Ivan and maybe talk for a moment. He glanced up when he felt Kensi's hand on his arm.

'I will bring him home,' she told him forcefully and Deeks gave a simple nod.

Narah gave up on her homework after an hour of frustration and anger. Before he had to go, Ivan had tried to help her with some of the Algebra but it didn't really help. She slammed her book and walked over to her bed. She let herself fall on it and sighed. The ceiling had become familiar. She liked lying on the bed, with some music in her ears, and just staring at the ceiling. It was a very calming ceiling. Her phone vibrate and she grabbed it to check who was texting her. But when she saw the date, she froze. She looked at the numbers and couldn't believe tomorrow was already the day. As she looked at the phone, she remembered the number that was in her phone. The one she had never used and did not want to use. Her eyes went to the notebook that was lying on her nightstand. Ever since she had gotten the book from Jordana, she was remembering more from her parents. Some was good and some was bad. It was blurring her anger and she wanted to keep the anger. She had to be angry at them. She had to as long as she had that number saved in her contacts. The phone fell out of her hand and her eyes turned back up at the ceiling. The best I never had.

'What if McNoman tortured and killed Laméris to protect someone,' Kensi asked Deeks later that evening when they were sitting on the couch. She glanced up at him and he smiled at her.

'I thought we were not allowed to bring work home,' he said. 'In case Narah overhears any of it and starts to worry.'

'That is for everything concerning her case,' Kensi told him. 'For which we cannot bring anything home since there is nothing.' Deeks stroked her hair.

'It's really bothering you, isn't it?' he asked and she nodded.

'Doesn't it bother you that each time something bad happens, we don't get any further with the case? We just get a little bit more useless information. More threats against Narah. And we're not allowed to interrogate any member of the gang. They have to have a weak link who can tell us everything we need to arrest them all. But instead Hetty has us working on a case, in which the events don't make sense, and the gang goes ahead with threatening our daughter. So yeah, it's really bothering me. How do you stay so calm?'

'Because I might have decided that Hetty can stuff it and I keep working on the case with every free moment I have,' Deeks told her. 'Some of my LAPD friends have their people on the outlook in the neighborhood, just in case something happens.' Kensi pushed herself up and stared at him with an angry look.

'You could have told me that,' she said accusingly. Deeks stroked her cheek.

'I know, but I didn't,' he said. 'Because they haven't come up with anything and I didn't want to disappoint you. But what were you saying about McNoman trying to protect someone?'

'Well, if he was paranoid, he would have simply killed Laméris and he would probably have killed more people by now. Also he wasn't the one taking the drugs...so the fight with his wife could have been about trying to get her to stop using drugs.' Deeks nodded understanding. It could be.

'Sorry for calling even before you got in,' Nell started off over the phone when Deeks and Kensi were on their way to work the next morning, 'but we got a location for McNoman and it's on your route. His cellphone turned just minutes ago.' Kensi glanced over to Deeks, who gave her a little nod.

'Send us the address and we are on our way,' she replied and not soon after a text came in. Kensi sped up the car. The house they arrived at seemed abandoned.

'The house used to belong to McNoman's aunt,' Nell informed them. 'She was admitted to a nursing home a few months ago. McNoman and his wife were trying to sell the place, but it wasn't going at all. Callen and Sam are on their way as well.'

'Thank you, Nell,' Kensi said and she hung up. One glance at Deeks and they got out of the car, heading towards the house. They saw no movement. Kensi counted till three and they entered the house. Deeks had gone to the kitchen and further to clear it when he heard Kensi tell someone to turn around. He headed out of the kitchen and hurried to the living room, where Kensi was supposed to be. From the doorway he saw Kensi standing with her gun pointed at someone he could not see. He raised his gun as well and entered the room. At the opposite side of the room was standing McNoman and he was holding something that looked like a bomb. Kensi shot a glance at Deeks. Not exactly how they had planned their day.

'Please, let me put it down,' McNoman said. 'It's not armed...' Again Deeks and Kensi looked at each other, not entirely sure what to do. 'I promise. This is not my bomb...I tried to stop them...not help them in any way. They just didn't want to stop. It was the only way I could stop them...There are two more bombs and one more person who knows exactly where they are. So let me put this disarmed bomb down and I will help you.' Deeks looked at Kensi, who gave him a little unsure nod and both lowered their guns. McNoman placed the bomb on the table. Deeks walked over to him and cuffed him.

'You're under arrest for the murder of Melissa McNoman and Bram Laméris,' he told him. McNoman nodded along. 'Anything you say can be used...'

'I know, I know,' McNoman interrupted. 'Everything I can say is bad and I get a lawyer...You can stop. We need to get going...to get the other bombs!'

'Okay, but we have to tell you your rights,' Deeks told him and he continued to read McNoman his rights.

Narah had a hard time paying attention to what the teacher was saying. Lunch time had been good with Chris, Hannah and their friends. School was better when you had friends to go to. But somehow she didn't feel as happy as she should be. She knew the reason already, but it could not be the explanation. Because this day hadn't been this hard in such a long time. Each year it came and each time it just passed. This year was different. It was harder.

'Miss Monero, could you please pay attention,' the teacher asked. 'I know the French Revolution might be a long time ago and not that interesting for you but you still need to know it to graduate.' Narah sat up straight and grabbed her pen. The teacher gave her a little nod and she turned back to the board to continue writing. It didn't take long for Narah to let her mind wander off again. She was pulled out of her thoughts when a beeping sound was heard and the teacher stopped writing.

'Okay, guys, it seems to be your lucky day,' she said. 'Just stay calm. It's just an fire exercise. Leave all your stuff behind and form...' The door was opened and two people - who looked like bodyguards to Narah - walked inside. They were followed by agent Gomez and Narah tensed up. Even the teacher seemed a little nervous.

'Dave, Carla and Narah, you can leave the class room,' she said and Narah quickly went to agent Gomez.

'What's going on?' she asked her.

'First I have to get you off the premises, then I can give you an explanation,' agent Gomez told her and she gave Narah a little push towards the exit. There were two more bodyguards with their clients when they headed out. Agent Gomez put Narah in the car.

'Can you now tell me what's wrong?' Narah asked worried.

'There was a disturbance in the lab,' agent Gomez said. 'Hence the fire alarm. We were advised to get you and the others out. The school will be evacuated just as a precaution in case the fire from the lab spreads. LAPD and the fire department are on their way. Soon the situation will be contained.' Agent Gomez turned the car on.

'Chris and Hannah are still inside,' Narah protested. 'Can't you get them?'

'I'm sorry, Narah,' the agent said. 'You're my priority. I have to get you home. When you're home I will ask about your friends.' With those words agent Gomez drove off.

Deeks and Kensi walked out of the interrogation room, towards Callen and Sam. They had just received a text from agent Gomez, explaining the situation.

'Can you guys take over?' Kensi asked while heading towards the door. 'There was something at Narah's school and Narah has been taken home. McNoman is willing to talk and wants to help us...'

'Yeah, of course,' Sam answered. 'Go see your daughter.'

'We will be back when we can,' Deeks said and they walked through the door. Kensi shot a worried glance at Deeks.

'Do you think it was Fratris Armis who found Narah?' she asked worried. 'That they wanted to grab her at her school?' Deeks noticed the little shake in her hand and he held his hand up for the car keys.

'Give me the keys,' he told her, 'I'm driving. And no, I do not think it was the Fratris Armis. They would not do it like this. It might be just an accident or maybe for another kid.'

'Or someone else for our daughter,' Kensi said and Deeks glanced at her with his eyebrows raised. Kensi sighed. 'Face it, Deeks. We have enemies and we now have a daughter, which clearly is our weakness. Maybe we should stick to homeschooling...at the boatshed.' Deeks gave a little chuckle.

'You do realize that Narah has been our daughter for a week by Social Services,' he said. 'The judge did not approve it yet. So it's not official yet. No enemies of ours can know. Narah has been only at the school for a week. Also not possible to be known yet. Now give me the keys so that we can go see our daughter.' Kensi handed him the keys.

'I'm sorry,' she told him. 'I'm just a little worried.'

'Hey, someone told me that's what being a parent is like,' he said and he gave her a quick kiss.

'You didn't have to come,' Narah told Deeks and Kensi. 'It was just some experiment that went wrong. Chris and Hannah, who had to stay, said it was all contained in half an hour. In an hour all classes started again. All that I got out of this was a day off school.' Deeks stroked Narah's hair.

'Well, lucky you,' he told her and Narah smiled. 'I guess we were just a little bit too worried.'

'So you can go back to work now,' she told Deeks and Kensi. 'I will be fine, here with agent Gomez and even more homework.' Kensi smiled and from the corner of her eyes Narah saw agent Gomez gesturing Deeks and Kensi over. She pretended to be on her phone while she watched them talk to the agent. They were whispering and agent Gomez' face was concerned. It was more than just some experiment that went wrong. Narah was sure of it.

'Who was at our school?' Narah asked out loud and the three adults turned around. 'For who were they?' They glanced at each other and Narah sighed annoyed. 'I know something is wrong. You are whispering. You never whisper! So why can't you tell me?' She felt herself becoming angry, though she didn't really understand why. 'Never mind!' She grabbed her bag and headed upstairs.

'Narah!' Kensi yelled after her but the tears were too close to falling and she didn't want to cry in front of them. Not for such a thing. This day just sucked.

Narah had stayed upstairs the entire time, till Kensi had come to get her for her appointment with Jordana. Even in the ride over Narah stayed silent. There was clearly something on the girl's mind that she wasn't willing to share with them. Kensi just hoped she would tell Jordana and that Jordana would be able to help her. Kensi wanted to go back to work, but decided to stay in the waiting room until the session was over. So she was getting an update from Deeks, who had gone back to work, over the phone.

'McNoman told us that the last suspect is Mike Roofer,' he told her. 'He is not at his house and Nell and Eric couldn't trace his phone. He has gone dark...probably meaning that he is getting ready for the detonation of the bombs.'

'Did McNoman know the location of the other bombs?'

'No...he did manage to narrow it down to about ten possible locations but that is too many to check for now. He did say the bomb will detonate this evening at the Navy location. Callen and Sam went to Bram Laméris' place to see if they could narrow it down even more. How are things going with you and Narah?' Kensi sighed and she glanced at the closed door to Jordana's office

'Very silent...I just hope that doctor Beckman can help her.'

'Okay, Eric seems to have found something, so I have to go. Hopefully I will see you two at dinner. Love you.'

'Love you and be safe. Good luck.'

TBC.