Six blocks from the one of city's police station, Sam leads the group down 647 Avenue 12th with Callen right on his heels and the detective and younger agent no more than half a block behind him. Sam walks as fast and controlled as he can towards their location even with the high prospects of getting arrested and the even higher prospects of finding out that his fears of the police wanting to ask them about Michelle's death being true. Now that Kensi and Callen are here, he can focus 100% on his wife.

"So when we get to the station," Callen calls out after they cross another block, " I'll go in first why the rest of you hang back. I'll send someone out to give an all-clear and then you all can head in through the back."

"Please tell me that you walking in and claiming our innocence isn't the only thing in your plan," Sam snorts. He glances over his shoulder to see the younger two still keeping a close enough distance not to lose them. "What happens if they try to arrest you seeing as that the UAE is pissed with home for losing nukes?"

"Why are you doubting me?"

"Because my wife's life is on the line and I've barely done any good to help her!" Sam exclaims. He pulls Callen by the arm close to him. " I've worried more about Deeks than-"

"Michelle told you to protect Deeks and then took off to the UAE without telling anyone- you aren't responsible for that. You were also just tortured or do you not remember that?"

"I ache all the damn time and Deeks is sick from the drilling, Callen. Do you dare think I'd forget!" Sam growls, immediately stopping in his tracks after. Behind him, Deeks looks up from his conversation with Kensi wide-eyed and mutters, "What?"

I'm crashing, Sam thinks sadly, I am truly crashing. "Look," Sam states to correct himself, "I don't doubt you, G. I just don't think that Deeks and I walking in behind you is going to do us any good. If Deeks and I get arrested, Michelle is as good as dead."

"And that's why the three of you of you are going to wait in the alley until I send someone over to give an all clear- you'll know it when they say it. Geez, a week with Deeks and we're already out of sync." Callen grins and walks away from the group and calls over his shoulder, "Relax and stay out of sight."

"If ten minutes pass and I don't hear from you, we're leaving," Sam says, completely aware that Callen can't hear him. Deeks walks into the alley and plops down on the back stairwell of an brick covered store. Kensi is the second to slip into the alley and stops halfway between Deeks and Sam to lean against the wall of a building and catch her breath.

I need to talk to her, the SEAL thinks, stepping into the alley last. He hesitates, rubbing his hands multiple times as he approaches Kensi. He taps her shoulder and sees the tired agent turn around and smile weakly back at him. With Deeks out of earshot, he had expected her to at the least slap him across the face, scream at him or even an ass kicking. Instead, Kensi says, "Hey, I'm actually glad that Deeks is over there so you and I can talk."

Sam scratches the back of his neck and replies, "Thanks. About Deeks…I'm sorry about being an ass with Deeks still. I've tried everything with him and then I say something stupid and push him away. When we get back, I'll back away from Deeks."

"Don't. I wanted to thank you, Sam, for protecting Deeks," Kensi smiles over at her partner again, " From the looks and sound of it, you tried and that's all that I've ever wanted you to do. He even said that you protected him when he was resting for an hour- honestly, I think he still has a fever because that hardly makes any sense-"

Sam chuckles lightly. "I told him to take a nap and that I'd sit next to him. I'm just happy to hear that he's rambling again."

"Yes." Kensi's smile suddenly fades as she changes the topic. "How are you holding up? I went through a couple of hours with Deeks missing and I felt destroyed. I couldn't imagine a couple of days." Before Sam can answer, Kensi turns again to see Deeks shoot up off of the stairs. He takes two quick steps to the left to see two police officers appearing at the beginning of the alley. Sam and Kensi both reach for their guns just as the stockier officer of the two calls out in broken English, " Your boss inside on phone with other boss. He said to say Oreos?"

"Of course," Deeks mutters, "That's the only way to give an all clear, Callen. Oreos."

Al Salamah- Abu Dhabi Police Station

My wife is missing and I'm sitting in a comfortable conference room after eating shawrma and taking a nice shower, Sam thinks guiltily as he sits at the conference table with a picture of his wife in his hands. He closes his eyes and thinks about his little girl, Kara.

I'll bring home Mommy, my mermaid. No matter what.

He kisses the photo and pockets it in the front pocket of his jeans. He shouldn't be sitting, let alone showering and eating with the pain Michelle could be going through right now.

"Sam!" The SEAL looks over his shoulder to see Callen jogging towards him from the conference room. He holds out a call log to Sam and rushes to say, "I was about to call you. First off, Hetty should be landing about an hour from now and the police station commander is already pissed at her for her tone when covering for us over the phone. Second, The phone call came about twenty minutes after you and Deeks left the hospital. The phone call was used to draw you and Deeks out since-"

"If we get arrested, Nahili knows where we are and how to get us. Were they looking for our aliases or have we been made?"

"Neither- it was just a description." Callen can see Sam's mind ticking, "What are you thinking?"

Sam shakes his head in determination as the beginning of a plan is formulating "If they want me, they can get me. I want to smoke those sons of bitches out. I have an idea of how to do this, but it's going to be just you and me. You in or out?"