A/N: Originally suggested by anonkp over on Tumblr.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Deeks says, sliding into a rounded booth next to Kensi. Rosa is on her other side, sipping on what looks like an iced tea, perusing a menu which features a picture of a pizza surrounded by fresh tomatoes and mozzarella.

"Everything ok, Babe?" Kensi asks. At her question, Rosa glances up, eyeing him curiously.

"Yeah." He forces a flash of a grin, ignoring the headache swiftly building in his temples. "It was just a rough meeting." That was putting things mildly.

Recently, LAPD had asked him to consult on a couple difficult cases. So after a full day at work, he'd headed over of headquarters to review the latest evidence with the lead detective.

Reviewing the details was an excruciating experience and Deeks would have liked nothing more than to escape the stuffy, oppressive room. His mind flashed back to a collage of victims beaten nearly past recognition and he swallowed deeply, suddenly feeling nauseated.

"Deeks?"

He shook his head, centering himself with a quick breath. Kensi and Rosa are watching him with twin concern in their eyes

"Sorry. It was just not a great time," Deeks manages, which doesn't begin to cover it.

"What's the case about?" Rosa asks gently.

"Uh, I really don't want to talk about it. Besides, you don't need to hear this kind of stuff." He knows Rosa has seen her share of horrific things, but there's no reason to add to that trauma.

Honestly, he's not even sure why this case is hitting him so hard. It's far from the worst he's seen, but there's something about the mutilated faces that keeps running through his mind.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Kensi checks, touching his hand. It startles him, and he's sure she doesn't miss the way he jerks. He forces another smile, grabbing the menu in front of him, and snapping it open.

"I'm good. So, what kind of pizza do you ladies want?" The thought of eating anything right now is completely off-putting, but he doesn't want to ruin the night, or deal with their well-intended concern.

Kensi eyes him for another moment before glancing to Rosa.

"Uh, we were talking about mushrooms, olives, spinach, peppers, and pepperoni. But we can switch out peppers if you want."

"No, that's, uh, that's good."

After they order, Kensi and Rosa chat while Deeks just tries to keep track of the conversation. His headache has turned to a dull, constant throb that only adds to the sensation of nausea and everything being just a little too loud and close.

"Hey, I'm going to run to the bathroom before the food comes," Kensi says, dropping a kiss on Deeks' forehead as she gets up from the table.

"So did you get the grade for your test from last week?" Deeks asks, eager to distract himself from the intrusive thoughts. Rosa nods enthusiastically, grabbing a paper from her bag. She'd spent the last four weeks studying intensely for a math exam and spent the time since she took it eagerly awaiting the results."

She hands him the paper without a word, but her smirk tells Deeks enough. It's enough to make him smile back as he scans the small black type and finds a darker "A" at the bottom.

"Rosa, this is amazing. I mean, I know you're amazing already, but you worked so hard for this. Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Marty," Rosa says with that same shy look that she gets every time she receives a compliment.

"Well, then we definitely need to—" he starts to say when something loud crashes behind him, almost immediately followed by a sharp whirring sound.

In an instant, his skin prickles and suddenly hints of must and motor oil fill the room instead of freshly cooked dough and cheese. He's straining against harsh cuffs, terror infusing him as a drill descends towards his mouth. Then pain. Pain worse than anything else he's felt before, unrelenting while a voice taunts him, laughs. Fingers brush his cheeks in a would-be caress that only causes more pain. Blood fills his mouth, and he chokes—"

"Marty," a softer voice breaks through, just barely. He inhales in short little gasps, eyes clamped shut. Rosa is talking to him, though he doesn't fully register her words, still overwhelmed by flashes of pain and cold metal. His chest is so tight and heavy, he feels dizzy.

"Marty are you alright?" Rosa asks, and Deeks realizes that she sounds terrified, but he's still too disorientated to manage more than an unintelligible grunt. "Ok, it's ok, I'm getting Kensi," she continues.

Deeks nods just barely. Then some unknown amount of time later, a pair of hands grip his forearms, making him jump yet again despite their gentleness.

"Hey, Baby, you're alright," Kensi murmurs softly. "You're safe. Breathe with me." He nods again, Kensi's voice and touch doing more to bring him to the present than anything else could. Following her lead, his breathing slowly reaches a more normal rhythm, and it feels less like he might suffocate.

Inhaling shakily, Deeks opens his eyes. Belatedly, he realizes his fingers are clenched around the edge of the table, his skin clammy and sticky with a cold sweat. Kensi is kneeling in front of him, thumbs rubbing small circles into his skin, and standing over her shoulder, he sees Rosa watching, brows furrowed with concern.

Shame washes over him as he notices a few people staring and whispering to each other.

"Hey Rosa, can you go grab the truck?" Kensi asks and Rosa looks grateful for the opportunity to escape.

"I'm sorry," Deeks grates out. His voice feels hoarse and like he's swallowed something sharp.

"Deeks, you don't need to apologize." Kensi cups his cheek, her eyes full of sympathy and anger. "What happened with Sidorov—

"How did you know it was about him?" Kensi glances down briefly at his question.

"When Rosa came to get me, she said you were shouting his name," she says. Seeing his dismay, she turns his face up, her expression turning fierce. "Hey, we don't blame you."

"But Rosa—"

"She's just worried about you," Kensi assures him. "We both are." She kisses the top of his head, taking both his hands in hers. "C'mon, let's go home."

Deeks lets her pull him to his feet, still a little shaky and out of it. As Kensi guides him through the restaurant, stopping to quickly talk to their waiter, he wonders if he'll ever be completely free of Sidorov's hold.