Deeks paused in the doorway and watched Kensi pretending to be busy in the kitchen. The new found domesticity Kensi displayed since Rosa had come to live with them never failed to melt his heart. He took a deep breath. 'Fourth time lucky, you can do this, you've got to do this' he thought to himself. Previous attempts to talk to Kensi about Kessler earlier in the day had ended badly.

"Kensi, Baby, we have to talk about this" Deeks spoke quietly, but earnestly.

Kensi turned sharply "No Deeks, we don't! I finally got that...that...monster out of my head."

"We have Rosa to consider now" Deeks tried to sound as reasoned as possible.

"Exactly! Rosa is our only concern now. We don't even know where Kessler is." Kensi's anger was growing "Don't you dare tell me you have some crazy idea to go out and hunt him down. You are such an idiot sometimes"

"No, I don't" Deeks' feeling of exasperation was growing. Why was it so hard to talk to his wife sometimes?

"Kessler has never physically hurt me" Kensi continued barely containing her anger. Why couldn't her husband just leave things alone? "Threats and taunts that's all"

"That's not enough? Baby, he's still out there"

"Just leave it!" Kensi's anger rose to the surface and she pushed Deeks on the shoulder so hard it felt like a punch. He stumbled backwards but stopped himself from falling.

Kensi could see the hurt in his eyes, but his face was expressionless, his manner was calm but firm. "Okay. I'm going out for a walk. When I get back we have to talk." The front door shut quietly behind him.

The instant the door closed Kensi's anger evaporated. For a moment she considered running after him, but pride made her think again. Kensi stood still, shaken by the violence of her actions she put her hand over her mouth. She knew she was wrong. She hadn't got Kessler totally out of her head. The truth was that Deeks had touched a nerve, one that she was trying to ignore. A nerve she didn't want touched. She also knew she was wrong to lash out at Deeks, he didn't deserve it. Kensi knew she would have to make it up to him and they would have to talk. As soon as he got back. She dreaded his return and looked forward to it in equal measure.

Deeks shut the front door and leaned against it. He couldn't be angry with Kensi, but he wished she wasn't so stubborn. More than most people Deeks knew denial was a dangerous place and he tried as hard as he could to keep Kensi from going there. He was optimistic Kensi would be calmer and more inclined to listen to him when he got back. Maybe he really was an idiot. Perhaps he should have told her straight out about the phone call he had received earlier that day. For a moment he considered going straight back in to try again with Kensi, but he decided it was better to leave her to calm down just a little while longer, but not too long. Deeks thought a stroll to the nearest street corner and back would take just long enough for both of them to compose themselves. He took two paces on the side-walk, felt a whoosh and a pinprick. Then there was blackness.

Kensi worked her way through a kaleidoscope of emotions. She was angry Deeks persisted in trying to talk about something when she didn't want to. Fear of Kessler, anger at the fear of Kessler. Guilt at lashing out at Deeks. Wanting Deeks to come back so she could clear the air and talk. Eventually Kensi felt disquiet that Deeks hadn't returned, perhaps he was outside afraid to come back. She laughed at that notion but opened the front door to see if he was outside. There was nobody in sight, she walked to the end of the garden path and a chill ran through her. Placed neatly at the side of the path was Deeks phone and his watch. A tranquillizer dart was lying on the side-walk.

Deeks wasn't sure how long he had been awake. Apart from a sore spot on his shoulder where he guessed a he had been hit by a dart, he wasn't hurt. He wasn't tied up, that was a bonus he thought. There was total blackness, but his eyes were open. He felt for a blindfold or some sort of hood but there was nothing. For a moment he thought he had been blinded, but chose to believe he was in total darkness. Carefully he felt his immediate surroundings. He seemed to be on a thin mattress on the floor in a corner. Needing some sort of light he felt in his pocket for his phone, it wasn't there. He couldn't feel it anywhere. "Dammit!" he hissed. Deeks got to his feet and tentatively felt around. The floor and walls seemed to be tiled. Slowly he worked his way along the wall until he came to, what felt like, a washbasin. He found a faucet, turned it but there was no water. There didn't seem to be a window but eventually he touched a door and felt a surge of hope. He couldn't get the door open and with a wave of anger hammered on it. There was no answer, he hadn't really expected one, but somebody had to know he was there. He searched for a light switch and was thrilled when his fingers touched one. Ever optimistic he flicked the switch but felt crushing disappointment when nothing happened. Despite moving round painstakingly slowly he almost fell over a toilet. It seemed he had been left in a bathroom, in some sort of abandoned building with the power and water cut off. Alone in the blackness Deeks sat calmly, considering his options. Waiting for somebody to come and get him. He just hoped it was one of the team.

Callen and Sam arrived in Ops almost together. Kensi was looking at the footage of Deeks being abducted, not that there was much to see.

"You brought Rosa here? You know you can't do that" Sam glared at Kensi

"I wasn't going to leave her alone if Deeks has been taken, anyway Kilbride is okay with it."

"So what happened? Why do you think Deeks has been abducted? Callen sat down beside Kensi.

"We had an argument and I lost my temper with him" Kensi said ruefully."He went out for a walk, we were going to talk when he came back but he didn't come back"

"Was it the same argument you were having all day?" Callen asked with the hint of a smirk

"Perhaps Deeks is just sulking somewhere" Sam offered.

"No he didn't go off in a huff, and he doesn't sulk….much" Kensi gave a weak smile and continued "Then there's this" she pointed at the screen. They watched Deeks stand outside the front door, then walk down the garden path. Almost as soon as he stepped onto the side walk he disappeared from sight. A shadowy figure passing by appeared to take Deeks with them. Kensi couldn't make the pictures any clearer, they couldn't see exactly what happened.

"I think Kessler took Deeks. We argued over Kessler now he's gone, bit of a co-incidence" Kensi took a deep breath and continued. "And there's these" Kensi handed Sam an evidence bag containing Deeks phone and watch, and another bag with the tranquillizer dart.

"Where did you find these?" Sam asked, examining the dart.

"They were at the end of the garden path, very neatly arranged, the dart was on the side-walk" Kensi looked at Sam and Callen "It's like some sort of message. I'm sure it was Kessler"

"Kessler is in custody" said a familiar voice behind them. Special Prosecutor John Rogers stood beside Admiral Kilbride.