In their relationship, there are many opportunities to play the superhero, the one who has to save the other. Whether it's from crazy terrorists or bank robbers or psycho navy wives, there's always someone trying to kill them.

Sometimes, though, they even need saved from themselves.

The worst possible thing happened. He was taken hostage after an undercover op gone wrong. He fought like hell, he didn't lose his weapon this time. He kicked some major ass in there, but that didn't mean he wasn't ultimately tied to a chair and smacked around.

Kensi didn't even ask her superiors what the plan was for getting him back. She made her own. She got her bad-ass Blye face out and went and shot some bad guys.

She didn't hesitate to cut at the ropes, freeing him. She refused to let her emotions come into play yet, she pulled him out of the chair and pushed him to walk with her. He wasn't bleeding as he was last time- he walked away from it. Kensi made him at least check in with the paramedics, who put some antiseptic on a cut by his eyebrow and prescribed ibuprofen and ice for bruising and swelling.

It scared the shit out of her that this had happened again, but she didn't let herself shut it down. He's not sure when it really sinks in that he got tortured again, but it was at OPS most definitely. All of the sudden, it hit him and well… it wasn't pretty. He sat on the couch and just stared around at everything, like he was lost.

There aren't a lot of times that Callen has directly given Blye his permission to be touchy feely in the office. Once after a really close call with an arms dealer who almost took off her head, once after he was undercover without her for a week. But still, her team leader's nod was alllll she needed.

She slowly made her way over to him. His cheek was turning a fine shade of purple and his entire face swollen. She sat down next to him, and placed her hand on his back. She rubs it around in slow, sweet circles.

"You doing okay?"

He doesn't even look up at her. She feels like she's losing him.

Except she refuses to.

She won't let him block her out this time.

He starts to say something about needing time and space, but she stops him.

"Oh no you don't. No repeats of the last two years, uh uh." She presses a really soft kiss to his eyebrow and rubs her fingers gently over the bruise rising up. "I'm not leaving you. Not again." Her fingers dance in his hair as she pushes his 'bangs' away from the mangled skin.

He doesn't know it, but that's what he really needs. Even when he can't see it in himself, there she is.

She can save him from himself every time.