The night that Cameron and George left together, Cameron had that horrible feeling when she knew that she was in over her head and her instincts were telling her to run in the opposite direction. But she ignored it thinking of what Hetty had told her.

Flashback:

"Hetty what if something goes wrong? How do I contact you?" Cameron asked worriedly. Callen had just told her of her new mission.

"Miss Mitchell. If something were to go wrong we will come and get you. We will have a meeting every three months to keep an eye on the situation. If you ever think your cover has been blown. You simply have to leave. That's it." Cameron looked at her sceptically.

"I just leave? That's it?"

"Yes Miss Mitchell. Believe me I will not keep you there if you are unsure or unsafe. I would not put my life on it or yours. Its not worth the risk."

"What's your back story in all of this?"

"I'm your mother." Cameron smiled and nodded and she felt better.

End flashback:

Hetty was there at her "wedding" to George and for the first couple of months George treat her like a queen. Anything she wanted she got at no expense. Whatever the price it was hers. The first time he hit her she had been a little too sarcastic to one of his associates. He had slapped her across the face and Cameron had slapped him back acting on instinct. So he hit her again twice as hard. Using every ounce of strength she had she refrained from hitting him again. At the first meeting with Hetty, they met at little café just down from the Boathouse.

"How are you coping Miss Mitchell?"

"Fine. He still won't tell me what his business is. I…uh…got a little out of hand a week ago." Hetty raised an eyebrow,

"How so Miss Mitchell?"

"I was a little too sarcastic to one of his associates and he slapped me. But of course he showered me in gifts and swore he wouldn't do it again." Cameron rolled her eyes. Hetty nodded her head,

"We knew he was volatile when we started this. I would err on the side of caution in the future Miss Mitchell. Watch what you say and how you say it." Cameron nodded.

"So how is everyone?" Cameron asked the little woman in front of her. Hetty raised an eyebrow again,

"Mr's Callen and Hanna are fine. Miss Blye is also doing well."

"What about Deeks?"

"He seems to be missing you more than the others."

"Really?" Cameron nearly choked on her drink then she narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "Why?"

"I think he misses you siding with him against Mr Hanna." Cameron smirked,

"Aw Sam's a pussy cat. He's just a wimp. How did he manage before I got there?"

"He didn't." Hetty looked at her watch, "I must be going. I'll see you in three months." Cameron nodded,

"Tell everyone I said hi." Hetty nodded and left the café. Cameron watched her go and then downed her drink and she got up and left herself. At the next meeting Cameron filled in her boss but nothing seemed to have changed since the last time they had met. Cameron had been careful about what she said and the way she said things. She was really missing everyone and she was struggling with the daily beatings George was giving her. She learned early on that if she didn't hit him back his beatings weren't as brutal. He had stopped hitting her in the face and he mainly hit her to her torso and legs. Places that could be covered up. Living with them was George's stepson William, who preferred to go by Will; he was George's from his second marriage. Will was at college most of the time but during the holidays he would come to the house. Will was pre-med and he was looking to becoming a surgeon on George's dime. One night before Christmas George was drunk and had started on Will. Cameron had stepped between them trying to diffuse the situation and the next thing she knew she woke up in the hospital covered in bruises and she had a broken arm. Looking around she saw Will reading one of his textbooks.

"What happened?" she croaked at him.

"George. You shouldn't have done that." He replied.

"I wasn't going to let him hurt you. Rather me than you. Now when am I allowed to go home?" Will's eyes widened.

"You're just like my mom. She wouldn't leave him either."

"I didn't say I wouldn't leave him. Just not yet." Will's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Why not?"

"It's a long story. So when can I leave?"

"We can go now." he stood up and walked out from behind the curtain and a nurse walked in.

"So how did this happen?" she asked Cameron.

"I fell down the stairs." The nurse looked at her sceptically.

"Do you know how many times I hear that?"

"I don't care. It's the truth. Now can I go home now?" Cameron replied. The nurse shook her head at Cameron and said,

"Yes. I suppose I'll be seeing you soon." Cameron climbed out of the bed,

"No you won't."

Three months later:

George had just beaten her up again but this time he had taken to raping her as well. As she lay there she couldn't help but remember what had happened to her when she was younger and here she was years later in the same situation. Why me? She thought miserably. George was slowly breaking her down to the point where she was struggling to remember exactly who she was and why she was there. Will was a small comfort when he was home but that wasn't very often. He would just sit and talk to her about his life and how he really wanted to become a cop but that his mother had wanted him to become a doctor. When she had died he had decided to make good on his promise to her that he would become a doctor. Back at NCIS Hetty looked at her calendar and sighed.

"Something wrong Hetty?" Callen asked her as he stepped into her office.

"No Mr Callen. What can I do for you?"

"Could you bring Cameron here? I think the team needs a morale boost." Hetty frowned,

"No Mr Callen. It would break her cover. But I will pass on the message that you all miss her." Callen stood up and left and Hetty sighed again. She's late; she's never late for her check in Hetty thought to herself. I'll give her till the end of the week and then I'll get the team to go and get her Hetty nodded her head at her plan. Later that week it all went to Hell in a hand basket and Hetty couldn't spare any of her agents and Cameron still hadn't called. The following day Deeks approached Hetty,

"Have you heard from Cameron?" Hetty raised an eyebrow, "Every three months you leave for a couple of hours. We know its Cameron you're going to see but you're late this time." Hetty smiled, he was finally learning,

"Maybe it is Miss Mitchell that is late." Deeks frowned,

"She's never late. Something's wrong."

"My thoughts exactly Mr Deeks. Now I want you to say nothing of this until I sort out a few things. Am I making myself clear?" Deeks nodded and left. Hetty walked up to the OPS centre and asked Eric to run a search for Kathryn Dawson.

"Any and all records Eric." Eric's fingers were flying across the keyboard when a medical record flew up onto the big screen. Hetty sighed and lowered her head,

"Call them." Eric left the room and whistled. Within a minute Deeks, Callen, Sam and Kensi were in the room. Deeks squinted at the screen,

"Who is that?" he asked. On the screen was a woman so badly beaten around the face that he couldn't tell who it was.

"Its Cameron. Hetty what is going on?" Callen demanded.

"Miss Mitchell has missed her check in. I'm concerned. I asked Eric to run a search and this is what appeared. Now it says a William Manchester checked her into the hospital. Mr Deeks I want you to make friends with him and find out how our girl is." Callen opened his mouth,

"No Mr Callen. I want Mr Deeks to do this." Callen glared at Hetty but didn't say anything.

"What's my cover?"

"You're a police officer looking for your friend. You were meant to meet up and now you're worried. You ran a search and saw this." Hetty replied pointing to the screen. Deeks nodded and left to find William.

"Once Deeks finds her what happens next?" Callen demanded barely able to keep the anger out of his voice. A couple of weeks ago he'd had a phone call in the middle of the night, a woman was crying down the phone but she didn't say anything, and then she hung up. Callen had a sneaking suspicion that it was Cameron but he didn't want to voice this until he had a chance to talk to her himself.

"We go in and get her."

"What about this gentleman that's done this to her?" Sam asked her.

"If he is harmed during the retrieval of our agent then so be it." Hetty replied and Sam nodded. Oh he's going to be hurt all right he thought to himself as he looked at Callen out of the corner of his eye. He looked like he was going to kill someone.

Two days later:

Deeks walked into the Boathouse with William. Waiting for them was Callen and Sam. William took one look at Sam and nearly fainted. He'd never been in a fight in all his life, someone always jumped in for him, whether it was his mother or Kathryn, then he realised that no-one would win against Sam.

"Why am I here?" he demanded his voice shaking slightly. Callen got in his face,

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"Who?"

"Kathryn." Callen growled.

"Who wants to know?" Deeks shoved him and shook his head.

"I'm her ex-husband. Now where is she?"

"You're her ex? She talks about you all the time. She said I'd probably get on with you. Although I'm not really sure I would. Why are you looking for her anyways?"

"No-one treats a woman like that." Sam said pointing at the screen with the picture of Cameron on it. "We're going to bring her home." He said with finality. For Will the penny dropped,

"She's not really a waitress is she?"

"No she's an NCIS special agent. As are all of us." Sam said and then added, "Except him. He's LAPD." Will nodded and then said,

"What's going to happen to George?"

"Why?" Callen asked him suspiciously.

"I think he killed my mother and I want justice. You have no idea how bad it is there." He pointed to the screen, "That's nothing compared to what he's doing to her."

"Tell me." Callen said pulling up a chair as he spoke. Will took a couple of deep breaths and started,

"Not only is he beating her, he's raping her as well. He's locking all the food up and giving her minimal amounts of food a day. I try and go back as much as I can, I take her food, I've even snuck her a phone but she hasn't answered in a couple of days. She's so thin, I'm worried." Sam clenched the back of Callen's chair; "He's almost killed her twice with a beating. You need to go and get her soon."

"Address." Sam said. Will gave them the address and then he said,

"What's she working on?"

"We suspect him of being an arms dealer who gives weapons to terrorists. Why?"

"I could probably get you those documents if you want to get her and I'll get the documents at the same time."

"Why? What's in it for you?" Deeks asked him.

"I told you justice. Besides I want whatever charges there are to stick. I never wanted to be a doctor. Always wanted to be a cop since I was kid. Now I figure this is my last chance." The team looked at each other and then planned out the attack on the house. Two hours later Deeks and Will were at the front door of the house and Will knocked on the door,

"You knock?" Deeks asked him and Will just nodded,

"He doesn't like uninvited guests." They heard a voice shouting,

"Get the door!" then

"All right I'm going." Cameron opened the door and her eyes widened in shock but not as much as Deeks. Cameron was pale and she her face was skeletal and her eyes had lost all of their sparkle, she looked like a backwards panda. In his ear he could hear Callen swearing and Eric gasping in horror, they had seen her through his camera. She was wearing a Stanford jumper that was miles too big for her and a pair of jogging bottoms that were far too long for her.

"Will!" she said, even her voice was different. "Who's your friend?"

"This is…" Will stuttered and Cameron raised an eyebrow,

"Greg." Cameron stepped away from the door and the pair walked in,

"Nice to meet you Greg. Are you pre-med too?" she asked as she gripped Deeks's hand as he passed her an earpiece.

"No. I'm acquisitions." Cameron smiled but it made her worse.

"That must be interesting."

"It can be. I'm hoping to buy and sell companies when I graduate."

"Oh you should talk to my husband. He has his own company and he might be able to give you some pointers." She walked through the big foyer and showed them into the living room where George was sitting. She left them too it,

"I'm going to start dinner. Can I have the key?" she asked George. He narrowed his eyes at her,

"You're still not thin enough. No meals for you for a week." Cameron nodded and flinched when he moved his hand too fast. He smirked,

"Now off you go." Cameron left the room and quickly put the earpiece in.

"Cameron are you ok?" Sam asked her.

"No! Come and get me."

"We are as soon as we get the signal."

"What's the word?"

"Poodle."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. Blame Will." Sam replied and Cameron quickly made drinks and walked back into the room,

"Drinks for you men." She handed them around and said to Deeks,

"Tell me do you like animals?"

"Yes."

"Which ones? Dogs? Cats? Horses?"

"All of those. I especially like poodles." Cameron grinned and Deeks winked at her.

"Really I've always like Alsatians."

"Why is that dear?" George asked her.

"Because they're big and scary. A bit like Sam." George narrowed his eyes at her again,

"And who is Sam?"

"Sam's my friend. A very good friend actually." George came towards her and she quickly tried to scramble out of the chair. But he was too quick for her he pinned her into the chair.

"Who is Sam?" Cameron didn't answer but she smirked and he hit her across the face. George felt a tapping on his shoulder and he stood up and turned around to face a gun and a smiling Sam,

"I'm Sam. How you doin'?" George couldn't answer as Sam smacked him in the face. Cameron was trembling in the chair and as she tried to stand up her legs gave way but a pair of strong arms stopped her from falling flat on her face. She looked up into intense blue eyes that held concern she tried to smile but she just couldn't find the energy.

"Callen." She whispered but she let the darkness engulf her.

A/N: I apologise for the dark themes. Please R & R it is much appreciated and thank you to all of you who have already reviewed.