Author note - I'm back, or at least trying to be. A broken wrist got in the way of my plans for much writing. Hoping to wrap this up in two weeks at the most before focusing on a new story. I actually got back into writing this before seeing Come Back, but the timing seems to fit! This is where things start to change. To be honest, I got sick of trying to match the script exactly so there will be subtle changes. With four to eight more chapters planned, each one will deviate a little bit more from the episodes. But enough from me, now I bring you part one for 5-18.
Kensi woke to the sound of men arguing loudly. She was disoriented for a moment, and then felt pain everywhere. She was still chained to the wall but tried to crawl forward to see if she could make out any of the words being said. She was rapidly beginning to lose hope that she would see Jack, or even survive this, but then a chill ran through her when she heard his familiar voice. Unable to control herself she called out for him desperately. Her hopes were dashed when instead of coming to her rescue he was hit, hard, and dropped. They kicked him several times and then began arguing again before coming in to where she was chained. They yelled at her and at each other. One of them grabbed her and hauled her upright, staring intently into her eyes. She drew herself up to her full height, and refused to cower. He backhanded her across the face in response, letting her fall to the ground unconscious.
When she awoke again, her ears were ringing but there was no confusion about where she was or the situation. Without opening her eyes or moving, she listened intently as the ringing subsided and tried to make out the sounds she was hearing. Nothing seemed close, and she didn't sense a presence so she opened her eyes and quickly took in her surroundings. She was still chained to the wall, and the fire still burned. The dish from the evening prior was gone but little else had changed. For the first time though, she was alone and awake and had a chance to observe her surroundings. She had limited range of movement, but she tried to explore what she could, and found herself in luck. There was a small pile of discarded debris in a corner, including a piece of wire. Quickly, she grabbed it and shoved it under her shirt to conceal it in case someone surprised her. She shoved a few rocks in her pockets as well, but found nothing else of use. Her stomach rolled and growled and she wondered just how long it had been since she had eaten. She suspected it had been nearly 24 hours, and with her metabolism that was too long... But there was nothing to be done at the moment. A basin of dirty water was just within her reach, so she crawled over and scooped up as much as she could to drink. It helped, for now, but she knew she still needed food. She was furious that she hadn't had the forethought to shove some MREs in her pockets before leaving, but had fully expected to be searched when she was captured. Nothing had gone how she had expected.
Settling back against the wall where she was chained, she tried to quietly poke at the lock. Her options at the moment were to try to break it with the rocks, or pick the lock with the wire she had found. The rocks were more likely to be effective, but the noise would surely catch the attention of her captors. Picking locks was her specialty, but she relied on her picks, or at least a bobby pin or a paper clip. The wire she had found was thicker, but she had nothing to lose by trying. Looking around and listening for several minutes, she quickly concluded no one was around or paying her any attention so she got to work, pausing every minute or so to watch and listen.
Her work was interrupted by the sound of footsteps, followed by voices. She quickly concealed her piece of wire and feigned sleep. She heard the men approach and drop something heavy nearby but she forced her breathing to stay slow and her heart to stay calm. She felt vibrations and heard several more small thumps, and just hoped they would ignore her. They left just as quickly as they came, but a groan nearby made her eyes fly open. Jack was lying near her, barely conscious.
Something in her broke, and she felt an overwhelming mix of emotions wash over her - but the prevailing thing on her mind was that he needed her, and she would not fail him again. She called his name as she quickly dampened a rag and rushed over to clean his wounds as best she could. Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she forced them back as she choked out his name and begged him to open his eyes for her. A sense of déjà vu washed over her, reminding her of all the times she had woken him from his nightmares in the same way. But it wasn't a nightmare - he was beaten rather badly, and she wasn't in much better shape. That thought snapped her back to the present as she continued to wipe away blood and dirt.
"What the hell are you doing here?" The question had to be asked, it was just a matter of who would ask first. Kensi tried to reply but only managed to stutter before reflecting it back to him. "I heard you were captured. I tried to talk them into releasing you," he explained. Tears again welled up in her eyes, and one managed to escape down her cheek. Despite everything, he still cared for her in some way.
"I thought you were dead," she choked out, trying to hold back the tears, as well as the long buried feelings over his abandonment of her.
"Yeah, well we may both be before tonight is over," he replied grimly.