A/N: Thanks to everyone for the great response on the first chapter of this story!
"Well, if this was Holden's headquarters, I'm guessing they already packed up and moved out," Kensi concluded, walking around the interior of the deserted distribution center. She picked up an abandoned crocheted blanket. "Hot bed of crime right here."
"Yeah, the question is, who tipped him off?" Callen asked, glaring at the blanket like it had personally offended him. "Let's take a quick look around in case they missed anything since it looks like they were in a hurry. They might have gotten—"
Kensi held up her hand, nostrils flaring. "Shh. Do you smell smoke?" Callen sniffed a couple times as Kensi jogged over to the door that led towards the stairs. She ran down to the next landing, worry rising as the stench of smoke grew stronger.
From beneath the door that opened onto the main floor, she saw the flicker of yellow flames through the small windows and curls of smoke from underneath the door.
"Crap," she hissed. Running back upstairs, she found Callen returning from the roof exit.
"Looks like the whole main floor is on fire," she told him.
"And the rooftop door's been blocked," he said, pulling out his phone, and tapping the top icon on the screen. "Nell, we need fire and rescue at our current location. We're trapped inside and the first floor is on fire." He rattled off a few more details, then hung up, turning to face Kensi. "ETA on the fire department is 10 minutes."
"Then we need to figure out if there's another exit or a better place to hold out," Kensi decided. "With all the fabric and wood in here, once the fire reaches this room, it's going to go up like a haystack."
From there they began a methodical and increasingly frantic search. They ruled out the bathrooms, a small office—also filled with flammable materials—and a tiny kitchenette.
On their way back, the electricity suddenly went out, leaving them in pitch black. Kensi ran into Callen's back, stumbling over something unseen on the ground. She went down with a pained groan, clutching her leg as pain spiked up from her ankle.
"Kensi, you ok?" Callen asked, face appearing in the glow of his phone flashlight.
"I think I twisted my ankle."
"Fantastic. The fire must have the electrical controls. Which means its spreading faster than we anticipated."
"You should do—" Kensi paused to cough, wincing as the smoke burned down her throat. "You should do motivational speeches."
"Sam usually appreciates my snark," Callen commented while he helped her stand, supporting her under one arm. The room was now hazy with smoke and her eyes watered and burned.
"Yeah, well, Sam's a glutton for punishment."
Together, they wordlessly stumbled towards small office, coughing with increasing frequency. Callen lowered her to the floor, gracelessly falling to his knees as he hacked relentlessly. Kensi tried to pull herself upward, but her head swam from lack of oxygen.
She dragged in a smoky breath, seeing Callen slump against the wall. Her eyes drifted closed, and forced them open again. Just as they started to close again, there was a crash loud and the door splintered inward, sending shards of wood everywhere.
Kensi held her arms up defensively to ward off the projectiles and a billow of dark smoke that entered the room, followed by a yellow clad figure, the beam of his flashlight cutting through the fog of smoke. He held an ax in one hand, giving him a fierce look.
"I've got both of them!" A vaguely familiar voice shouted from within the fireman gear. Addressing them, he hooked the ax to his tool belt, and crouched down, adding, "Agents, it's Lieutenant Deeks, are either of you injured?"
"Kensi hurt her leg, but I'm fine," Callen answered, getting to his feet.
"I just twisted it," Kensi clarified.
"You can walk on your own?" Deeks checked, eyeing Callen as he swayed a little and coughed horrendously.
"Yeah, I'm good." Deeks studied him for another moment, then apparently deciding they didn't have the time to debate, nodded to Callen.
"Alright, stay with Higgins." Then to Kensi's utter surprise, Deeks unceremoniously scooped her into his arms, and carried her through the door.
Without missing a beat, he directed Higgins to watch over Callen as they made their way through the smoke-filled building.
"I'm not an invalid," Kensi protested while Deeks carried her through the building with surprising speed.
"Don't talk," he ordered. She couldn't see his face beneath all the gear, but she could imagine his perturbed expression. Since she couldn't really talk, or breathe without coughing, she followed his direction.
Around them, more of Deeks' crew battled the remaining flames to ensure the path stayed clear to their exit. It was probably only a couple minutes, but it seemed significantly longer until they made it through the battered front entrance.
Then they were in the warm, relatively clear air, Callen and Higgins rushing out behind them. Kensi felt the last of her energy drain from her, and let her body go limp in Deeks' arms. His chest was a solid and comforting support.
"Hey Kensi, you still with me?" Deeks asked, a note of worry in his voice.
"Yep," Kensi gasped out.
"Good. Don't close your eyes, ok?" He carried her over to one of several waiting ambulances, addressing a paramedic. "I've got a female, late-20s with smoke inhalation and an ankle injury," he told the woman.
He started to set her down on a waiting gurney, and she grabbed at the front of his jacket. "Wait, where are you going?"
"I gotta check the rest of the building and make sure the fire's out," he told her, gently removing her hand. He squeezed it once, his voice calming as he leaned over her. "I'll be back before you know it." He nodded to the paramedic and she placed an oxygen mask over Kensi's mouth and nose.
An hour later, Kensi sat at the end of the ambulance, loosely holding the mask to her face, an athletic bandage around her lower leg. The paramedic had diagnosed her with moderate smoke inhalation and suggested she follow up with her primary doctor. She'd hinted rather strongly that Kensi should go to the ER just to be safe, but Kensi had declined, electing to finish a round of breathing treatments on-site.
The fire seemed to be out now, and some of the activity was slowing down. She'd spotted Deeks directing his men as they roped off the scene and securing the building. Once again, he'd removed his protective jacket, which Kensi approved of.
Seeing her looking in his direction, Deeks finished up with an officer, and headed towards her, taking off his headgear and goggles on the way.
"Feeling better?" he asked when he was within calling distance.
"Well, my lungs don't feel like they're going burst anymore, so, yeah," Kensi responded. Deeks pressed his lips together and nodded.
"I'm going to take that as a positive." He propped a hip against the open ambulance door. "You're probably going to have a sore throat for a couple days and some coughing. Make sure you drink lots of water and tea and rest up," he suggested.
"Ooh, I'm getting tips from the master. I'm honored." She gestured to the mask, which wasn't all that affective at this point. "Not my first time with smoke exposure. Though certainly the worst."
"Well, I hope it's the last for a while," Deeks said. His eyes narrowed, and he glanced back at the smoking building. "I was pretty shocked when we got a call from your office and they mentioned your name."
"Well, I had to get your attention somehow," Kensi said a little coyly. "You never called me after all."
Deeks sucked a breath between his teeth, ruffling his hair so it fell over his forehead. "Yeah, sorry about that. I meant to." Kensi gave him an unimpressed look. "No, I swear I was going to call you, but then things at the station got crazy busy. We've had an unprecedented number of both commercial and residential fires. I don't get home until the middle of the night a lot of times."
"There's this thing called texting," Kensi said. "I don't know if you've heard about it. It's super convenient and you can keep a girl from thinking you forgot about her."
"Ok, touché." He chuckled, his smile unbelievably bright and once again making it impossible for Kensi to hold any kind of grudge. "Kensi, I will text you later today."
"I'm counting on it. And if you don't, I will have zero problem coming down to your station and blasting you in front of the entire crew."
"Heaven forbid," Deeks teased. "Hey, I gotta get back over there. I'll see you soon. Preferably with less smoke and fewer ambulances."
"Just one more thing," Kensi said, beckoning him back. When he was within reach, she stretched up and kissed his cheek, lingering for an extra second or two. "Thank you for saving my life."