A/N: This story features a villain that I've revisited quite a few times. It's also fairly dark and a tad gruesome. Densimber Day 19.
"Ok, but I think it would look great if we put a harbor over her," Deeks said, pointing to something on his phone. Kensi leaned over his shoulder, tilting her head in consideration.
"I don't know, Babe," she disagreed. "I'm not really sure it fits."
"That's what you said about the zen garden and look how much you love it now." He had picture evidence of Kensi enjoying yoga sessions, coffee and the occasional nap in said garden.
"Eh." She made a face in lieu of actually admitting that he was right. "Fine, but let's not make any more major changes for a little while, ok?"
"So the Olympic sized pool and custom shed are out then?" he guessed.
"What would you need with a custom built shed?" Sam asked. He and Callen had been offering their unsolicited advice for backyard renovations for the last ten minutes, apparently in no rush to finish any lingering paperwork.
"Uh, to put all my surfboards in of course."
"You're ridiculous."
"You act like that's a surprise," Deeks said mildly. "No, I want to clear out some of the stuff from the extra bedroom for…the future."
"I think you should put in a pergola." Callen said, predictably eliciting an annoyed look from Sam.
"G, do you even know what a pergola is?"
"Nope. My other suggestion is gnomes, they're all the rage this year. Or at least according to this magazine I read at the dentists."
"No, no gnomes," Kensi decided, putting her hands out in a halting gesture. She shuddered. "Not in a million years."
"The pool isn't sounding so bad now is it?" Deeks murmured, winking at Kensi.
"That actually sounds fantastic," Fatima said, appearing in the doorway with her tablet in one hand. "Especially if you invite the coworkers you love so much over."
"Sorry, but we're not getting a pool, Fatima. Do we have a case?"
"Uh, yes. Lieutenant Gregory Johnson was shot and killed while leaving a bar last night. Rountree is looking into his last contacts right now."
"Right, we'll be right up," Sam told her, reacting as expected to the news of a member of the military being killed.
Kensi and Deeks walked up a narrow pathway to Gregory and Cecilia Johnston's three bedroom house. She'd been unusually silent since Fatima shared that Gregory left behind two children under ten.
"Hey, do you want me to take the lead here?" Deeks asked softly when they were on the small front porch.
"No, I'm ok," Kensi insisted, giving his hand a brief squeeze. "Thank you."
Nodding, Deeks rang the doorbell and waited, hearing the sound of shuffling feet. It almost sounded like someone was whispering a few feet away from the door. It opened suddenly and Cecilia appeared in a crack just wide enough to see part of her face and thick brown curls.
"Can I help you?" she asked, eyes shifting nervously between him and Kensi.
"I'm Investigator Deeks and this is Agent Blye with NCIS," Deeks introduced them. "We need to talk to you Ma'am." She shook her head, clutching at the color of her shirt.
"Now's not a really good time. Maybe you can come back later."
"It's about your husband," Kensi said, sticking her boot in the door before Cecilia could close it. Something shifted in her expression, not quite worry, but almost resignation, and she nodded.
"Alright, come in." She swung the door open wide enough for Kensi to slip through. Deeks followed after her, his intuition telling him something was not right with the wife. She seemed skittish, like she'd almost expected them.
Deeks made it two steps past the threshold when he sensed something behind him. He wasn't fast enough to avoid something hard and metallic slamming into the side of his face.
Kensi swiveled in time to hear Deeks shout a half-warning and crumple to the ground, revealing David Kessler behind him. She made a move towards Deeks, but Kessler raised a gun, pointing it at Cecilia.
"I wouldn't Kensi," he said, bending to jerk Deeks' gun from his waistband. He tucked it into his jacket and then used his own weapon to gesture towards Cecilia. "You, there's some rope in the bag over there. Place Agent Blye's gun over and tie her to that chair."
Kensi eyed Deeks, concerned about the blood dripping down the side of his face.
Following his directions, Cecilia grabbed a length of thick rope from the bag he indicated. Kensi spotted what looked like a hunting knife inside.
"I'm so sorry," Cecilia murmured as she tied Kensi to the chair with trembling hands. Her knots were strong and wouldn't be easily loosened. Kensi assumed she was afraid Kessler would react violently if she attempted to help her. Kensi didn't blame her.
"It's ok," Kensi assured her, adding as quietly as she could, "We'll get out of this."
Once she was done, Kessler forced Cecilia into a second chair and bound her, cheerfully humming to himself. He brushed the back of Kensi's neck as he stood. She pulled away from his touch as much as she could, a shiver of disgust rolling down her spine.
Eyes darkening, Kessler abruptly turned around, making a beeline for Deeks. Kensi's breath caught, real fear coursing through her when he grabbed Deeks by the back of his shirt and flipped him over. Straddling Deeks' legs, he grabbed his jaw, roughly twisting his head to the side.
Deeks gasped suddenly, fighting against Kessler's hold before his eyes were even fully open.
"Kensi," he slurred, searching for her with a wild gaze. Blood trailed from a jagged cut along his hairline, staining his hair red and dripping into his eye. He ignored it, looking relieved when he saw Kensi was uninjured.
"Kensi's just fine," Kessler drawled. "Or she will be if you do exactly as say."
Deeks made a bitter sound and sat up, successfully hiding any pain or dizziness he probably felt.
"Well, kidnapping two federal employees isn't going to look good on your resume," he observed. Kensi noticed him discreetly looking for some way to escape.
"Clever, Detective, but you'll be gone long before anyone realizes I was ever here."
"Right. Have you heard of our team?" Deeks gave him a disdainful smile. "You wouldn't last 10 minutes against Sam Hanna so best of luck escaping."
Kessler's jaw tightened and he stood again, pacing back towards Kensi.
"I heard you're trying to adopt," he said conversationally. "I guess Marty isn't man enough to get you pregnant after all. How's it feel to know you're only option is children no one else wants?"
"I don't know, Dave. How does it feel to know that desperate acts are the only way to get Kensi's attention?" Deeks threw back at him. "Because we all know that's what you're doing."
Baring his teeth, Kessler grabbed Deeks by the hair and threw him to the ground. Kensi tensed against the ropes binding her wrists as Kessler kicked him in the stomach.
"Deeks!"
Kessler smiled maliciously at her while Deeks curled in on himself protectively. It did nothing to protect him from Kessler's attack. He finally stopped when Deeks was gasping, lying limply on his back.
Kensi tugged uselessly against her binds, her skin face and bleeding by now, but she didn't stop, desperate to get to Deeks. She felt rather than heard some part of her chair snap. Cecilia was quietly weeping beside her.
"Agent Blye, stop unless you want your hubby to meet a slow and unpleasant end," Kessler warned, tilting his gun in the direction of Deeks' stomach. "Do you know how long it takes to bleed out from a bullet in the gut?"
"If you touch him again, I will eviscerate you," Kensi promised. Maybe she couldn't in this moment, but she fully intended to act on the threat the first second she had.
Chuckling, Kessler dropped onto one knee next to Deeks and brushed a piece of sweaty hair away from his cheek almost tenderly. It was revolting.
She made another move towards them, but Deeks shifted, catching her eye. He shook his head minutely and she reluctantly pulled back.
Hand trembling, Deeks slowly pushed himself up again and into a slouched position. He winced, his pained inhale audible as he tried to stay upright.
"You see what happens when you don't follow the rules, Marty?" he asked, watching Deeks' struggle with a delighted gleam in his eyes.
He addressed Cecilia directly then and she shied away. "The good detective has always talked too much for his own good."
"Why are you doing this?" she cried out, voice trembling. She was clearly terrified, but there was also growing anger underneath.
"Agent Blye and I have a very long history," he said suggestively. "She likes to pretend that I don't exist though."
"You're just as delusional and pathetic as always," Kensi said coldly.
"So, I suppose you could say this is all her fault," he continued like she hadn't said anything. Kensi thought she saw his jaw clench again. "If she had just done as I asked from the beginning, your husband would still be alive."
Cecilia looked stricken for a moment, then she squared her shoulders, hatred in her eyes.
"No, that's on you for being a sick freak." Unexpectedly, she stood and charged Kessler.
Several things happened almost too quickly to track. Cecilia smashed her chair into Kessler, his eyes widening with surprise as he stumbled, and Deeks took advantage, hooking his arm around the other man's neck.
Kensi started jerking at her ropes earnestly again, working at the spot she'd felt give before. Lashing out desperately, Kessler caught Cecilia in the chin and she fell back.
She could tell Deeks was using every bit of strength to keep Kessler restrained, his face strained as he hovered over him. Kessler's face was quickly turning red and he gasped something out before ramming his elbow into Deeks' abdomen.
Screaming, Deeks lost his hold and collapsed, clutching at his stomach. Kessler turned on him, rage in his eyes, and aimed his gun at Deeks' head.
"Deeks!" Kensi shouted again, ripping free of the ropes with so much force she immediately felt blood dripping down her wrists. She was across the room before Kessler even had time to react and yanked him off Deeks.
She kicked the gun from his hand and tackled him to the floor, punching him in the face. He made an attempt to strike back, but she deflected it, punching him again and again until his face was a mess of blood and bruises and he stopped moving.
Stumbling off him, Kensi dragged his limp body several feet away, wiping blood off her hands.
"You'll never touch him again," she murmured. When she turned back around, Cecilia was hovering over Deeks with a terrified expression.
"Call the first contact on her," Kensi said, handing over her cell. "Tell them we need two ambulances."
Moving past her, Kensi slid beside Deeks and pulled his bloodied head into her lap. He winced, shakily reaching for her hand.
"He won't hurt us ever again." She kissed his forehead, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. "I promise."
A/N: Once again, I may have written Kessler as more intimidating/intelligent than he appears on the show. I also have him call Deeks "Detective" despite likely knowing his real title as an attempt to demean him.