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chicgeekgirl89 · 7 years

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We’re All Right

A/N: So, I don't have any children, but writing this story felt like giving birth. Holy cow. It took waaaay longer than I thought and every time I thought I was done I went back and changed something MAJOR which took a zillion hours to work in. It was frustrating and annoying and I am SUPER pleased with how it turned out. It kind of went to a different place than I anticipated and I think it worked out for the best. Post “Payback.”

Get to her.

The words had been burning inside him all day but now they roared in his ears so loudly he couldn’t hear anything else. Nothing, until she screamed his name.

He burst through the door and his eyes found her face, saw the blade pressed against her throat. He was barely aware of his finger hitting the trigger and then he was on his knees, ripping away her bindings and all he could focus on was if she was okay. Was she okay?

Yes. She was. She was all right. She had bitten her tongue, literally, not figuratively. Ferris, or as Deeks would refer to him from now on, ‘that asshole’, had definitely gotten an earful from her at some point during her captivity, of that he was certain.

He heard Callen come through the doorway, saw the uncertainty, the vulnerability in his partner’s eyes. She didn’t want them to see her like this, strapped to a wheelchair, at the mercy of someone else. It was not the ‘first day back’ impression she wanted to leave the team with. It wasn’t the comeback she deserved.

So he rescued her for the second time that day, in the best way he knew how, with his glib tongue. He didn’t even wait to see if Callen and Sam heeded his instructions to leave them alone, he just pulled her into his arms and it was like the world came crashing back into focus.

He breathed. She breathed. They were all right.

“You’re sure he didn’t hurt you?” Deeks finally asked when he managed to pull himself away, his eyes traveling her frame, looking for any sign of trauma.

“A few bumps and bruises. I had him on the ropes an hour ago but then his friends showed up,” she told him, rubbing at the red marks on her wrist where she’d been tied to the chair.

“Those damn spooks multiply like rabbits,” he muttered, finally looking at Ferris’ crumpled form. “What’d you get him with?”

“Box cutter.”

He shook his head. “That’s my girl.”

“It was a lot less than he deserved for threatening to cut my leg off.”

She said them casually but the words were nearly his undoing. His eyes slid shut and the breath left his lungs. After all she’d been through, to have that be Ferris’ parting shot…”I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I should have been here.”

“I’m okay,” she told him. “Deeks, look at me. I’m all right. He didn’t do it. We didn’t let him. We made it. We’re all right.”

He inhaled. She was so much braver than he was. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”

He helped her to her feet and then frowned.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Not close enough.” He lifted her off the floor, cradling her into his chest.

“Deeks!” she laughed as he maneuvered them through the house around dead bodies and debris. “I can walk! I’m fine.”

“I know. But I like having you this close.”

She continued to protest as they walked out the door, but he could tell from the way her fingers toyed with the curls at the nape of his neck that she was perfectly happy and comfortable with her position in his arms.

He settled her into the passenger seat and grabbed a handful of napkins, dousing them with water from a half filled bottle before he got behind the wheel. “Here,” he leaned over and gently wiped away the blood that covered his partner’s chin. “You want some ice for your tongue?”

“When we get home.” She frowned and reached for his hand. “Babe, what happened?”

He hadn’t noticed the bruising on his knuckles, hadn’t even felt it until now. “Oh, I uh, I may have hit Sabatino.”

“May have?”

“You were missing. What was I supposed to do? Wine and dine him until he gave it up?”

“Sounds like you all had fun while I was gone. What else happened?”

“I threw a chair,” he said guiltily. As his mind flicked through the events of the hours she’d been missing it barely felt real, almost like he’d been someone else. The rest of the world had ceased to exist in a way he’d only experienced once before, when she’d been missing halfway across the globe. He’d been completely absorbed in finding her and now that he looked back on his actions he could see they’d been erratic and uncontrolled. But he couldn’t honestly say he regretted any of them.

“Baby!”

“Actually it was two chairs. And I told Hetty if anything happened to you it would be on her.”

He watched his partner’s jaw drop. “Let’s be honest, she’s had that one coming since she sent you to Afghanistan.”

He didn’t feel bad about it. Not after all the ways Hetty had screwed them over the years. They’d all looked the other way one too many times and he was done. The cost was too high.

“I’m so sorry,” Kensi said.

“You’re sorry? I’m sorry. I’m the one who let that asshole kidnap you. If I had been there—“

“No,” Kensi told him firmly, “you are not blaming yourself for this. We have to stop doing that and put the blame where it really belongs.”

Deeks raised his eyebrows. “Kens…”

“It’ll be good for us. I’ll start,” Kensi thought for a moment, “I personally would like to blame the Syrian insurgents who dropped a helicopter on my leg. Because if they hadn’t done that I wouldn’t have met Ferris in rehab. See? Easy.”

“I can blame anyone I want?” Deeks asked.

“As long as it’s not you or me.”

“Okay, then I would like to blame Hetty for sending you to Afghanistan in the first place. Because if she hadn’t done that, then you wouldn’t have been kidnapped the first time or the second time.”

“Wow, you really do have some pent up anger about that huh?”

His eyes narrowed. “You have no idea.”

“Fine, helicopters and Hetty. That works for me.”

“Helicopters and Hetty,” he echoed quietly. It sat well with him. Finding a place to send the blame shifted some of the weight on his shoulders.

“So,” she looked up at him coyly, the mood in the car going to a lighter, happier place. “I bet you were pretty sexy throwing those chairs.”

“Maybe a little sexy. You would have to ask Callen and Sam. Ooh,” he winced. “Actually I wouldn’t ask Callen anything right now.”

“What’s wrong with Callen?”

“Joelle.”

“Joelle?”

“She’s CIA. Hetty knew.”

“Damn it!” Kensi cried. “I finally get back in the game and I still miss out on everything!”

“You didn’t miss out. You got to take a box cutter to Ferris, which I imagine was pretty therapeutic since beating up bad guys is a hobby for you. You slipped me that earwig while I was in jail, which by the way was very, very hot and slightly disgusting and which we will talk about later.”

“But I was unconscious half the time. Why did you let Ferris kidnap me?” she whined.

“I thought you said it wasn’t my fault!”

“It’s not!” she huffed. “I’m just mad I missed all the fun. God, poor Callen.”

“Yeah, worst break-up ever.”

“Comfortable?” Deeks asked.

“Mmhmmm….”

Her legs lay across his lap, her fingers entwined with his, her back pressed against him. They’d been sitting one the couch for an hour and she kept finding new ways to mold her body even closer to his. It didn’t matter that he could barely breathe or that his arm had fallen asleep ten minutes ago. After a day like today there was no such thing as being too close.

“So, I think we need some new rules,” he told her.

“Okay.”

“No more helicopters.”

“Reasonable.”

“No more new friends. We’re good with the ones we have.”

One eye cracked open. “Really?”

“No more Hetty. Just a blanket ban on anything related to tea or classic Hollywood movies or withholding information vital to the safety and sanity of everyone on the team.”

“Deeks,” she chuckled.

“You’re laughing, but I’m serious,” he persisted. “Let’s get you a bubble to live in or, better yet, let’s just go. Let’s go lie on a deserted island beach somewhere and leave all this behind.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d suggested it and every time the thought came to him he wanted it more. It didn’t even have to be a beach. A mountain or a cave would work, just as long as he had the assurance that she was safe, that they were together, and the world was okay.

“Deeks…we can’t do that.”

“Why not?” he said, some of his anxiety slipping in through the levity.

“Because you would hate it. I would hate it. We would drive each other crazy. And the team needs us. I know today sucked, that the last eight months have sucked, but we can’t just leave.”

He went silent. She turned to look at him, concern in her eyes. “Deeks?”

“I went crazy without you today. Ever since Syria, it’s like I can never really rest. I’m scared of losing you every second. I thought it would be better now that you’re home and things are better, but it’s not. And then Ferris took you because I wasn’t there. You were abducted because of my choices. If I hadn’t done what I did to Boyle, or if I’d come clean to Whiting months ago, I wouldn’t have been in that cell when you were taken.”

The words bubbled out before he could stop them. He’d kept his pain private for so long, but the day had worn down his defenses. He felt raw and exposed and guilty that he’d let his feelings escape.

“I didn’t know,” Kensi looked stunned. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d been so afraid?”

“You had enough going on. I didn’t want to add one more thing.” He took a shaky breath, trying to steady himself. He wanted to be a rock for her and tonight he was failing. Just like he’d failed to protect her from Ferris. Just liked he’d failed to protect her from a crashing helicopter.

“Baby,” her face was so full of love and worry, “tell me now.”

It came pouring out. The ache that had lived inside him for months, the terror that gripped him every day. That it was agony to be away from her even as he tried to give her the space she needed to heal. He’d been shouldering his own burden along with hers and the weight was slowly crushing him to death. “I’m so sorry,” he finally told her, his eyes wet with tears. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I’m sorry that I didn’t stop this from happening to you.”

“Deeks, this wasn’t your fault. None of it. Everything that happened was because of Hetty’s master plan. She would have found some way to take you out of the picture. Helicopters and Hetty remember?”

“Okay, fine, maybe that’s true, but it doesn’t change the fact that I wasn’t there today. The thought of you with that psychopath, alone and scared…”

“I wasn’t scared.”

He met her eyes, surprised at the strength and calm he found there. “What?”

“I wasn’t scared of Ferris. I mean, I was a little freaked out when he started trying to take a saw to my leg. But, I wasn’t scared. All this time in rehab, I’ve been afraid I wouldn’t be able to come back, that I wouldn’t be good enough anymore. But as soon as Ferris put me in that chair…I knew I was going to be strong enough. Honestly, you guys showed up too early. Another fifteen minutes and I would have had him.”

“Really?” he asked incredulously.

She smiled at him and suddenly there she was. His Kensi, looking at him for the first time in months. “Really. I’m back, Deeks.”

He kissed her, his fingers tangling in her hair, even as he felt tears stinging his eyes. He hadn’t known if he would ever see her again, the Kensi he’d fallen in love with, but here she was, as if she’d never been gone. It was as if the sun had finally emerged after months of darkness.

“Okay,” she pulled away and reached for his hands, gripping them firmly. “Enough. We’re done with this. Done with keeping things from each other so nobody gets hurt, done with struggling, done with being afraid. I can’t do it anymore and neither can you.”

She’d surprised him again. “What uh, what do you want to do?” he asked in confusion.

“Let’s just…be all right. Let’s move on and leave all the helicopters and hospitals and double agents behind us. No matter what else is happening with the team or with Hetty, let’s just decide that we’re all right.”

The relief that swept over him was staggering. He felt free, like he could truly breathe for the first time in months. She was back. He was back. They were back. As awful as today had been, it had become the final push they needed to put their lives back in motion.

“We’re all right,” he spoke the words, believed them, a grin spreading across his face as she smiled back at him.

The nightmare was finally over.

#NCIS LA #NCIS Los Angeles #Densi #Marty Deeks #Kensi Blye #Payback #We're All Right #Fanfic #Writing #Belly of the Beast #Densi Fanfic #Fanfiction #So much work #This one about did me in #Yikes #Season 8 #Helicopters and Hetty

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gokinjeespot · 6 years

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off the rack #1202

Monday, February 26, 2018

Way to go all the Canadian athletes that competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics. You made us proud. Now we get ready for some March Madness. It might seem like I'm a big sports fan but I'm not. It's just that it's less annoying than a lot of the stuff happening around the world these days. Sure I was sad when the Canadian Women's curling team skipped by Ottawa's Rachel Homan didn't make it to the medal rounds and the Canadian Women's hockey team lost the gold medal game in a shoot-out but I didn't get angry and upset. No one was killed by some idiot.

Archie #28 - Mark Waid & Ian Flynn (writers) Audrey Mok (art) Kelly Fitzpatrick (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I only keep reading this book because Betty is in it. I don't like the walking disaster area that is Archie. Nor the smug Jughead. I really hate that big fat jerk Reggie who should be someone's plaything in prison. The fact that I feel so strongly about these characters means that the creators are putting out a very good comic book but I would stop reading if there weren't any likable characters. Classic Catch 22.

Doctor Strange: Damnation #1 - Nick Spencer & Donny Cates (writers) Rod Reis (art & colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Stephen may not be Sorcerer Supreme anymore but he's still pretty powerful. Remember how Las Vegas was destroyed during a recent mega crossover? Well now the whole city plus its citizens is back on terra firma. Guess where it's been before being resurrected? Hey, they don't call it Sun City for donuts. There's a glitch in Doc Strange restoring all those lives and landmarks and that's where this 4-issue mini takes off. This is a high stakes game between the Doc and Mephisto and the players will be familiar to Marvel Zombies far and wide. Doc's team is on the cover but you'll have to read this first issue to see who's playing for Mephisto.

The Brave and the Bold #1 - Liam Sharp (writer & art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) A Larger World's Troy Peteri (letters). DC's old team-up title is back on the racks with a murder mystery featuring Batman and Wonder Woman. There's a strong fantasy element since the murder takes place in Tir Na Nog, the mystical land of faerie. Liam Sharp drew me back into reading Wonder Woman when he did the Cheetah story and here he gets to go all Irish myths for us with runes and rugged faeriescapes. I like a murder mystery as well as the next Batfan but the profuse flowery prose turned me off. It's a tough decision whether I read the rest of this 6-issue story because I really love the art.

Mata Hari #1 - Emma Beeby (writer) Ariela Kristantina (art) Pat Masioni (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). This 5-issue mini comes from Dark Horse's Berger Books imprint. I'm glad Karen is still editing comic books. I met her at a DC Retailer's conference over twenty years ago. I was lucky enough to share a group dinner table with her at a steak house in Fort Worth, Texas. I can still remember how happy I was when I asked if I could order a second steak dinner after the first one failed to fill me up and she gave me the go ahead. She thought I had a hollow leg. This book is beautifully drawn but I found the storytelling a little confusing with it's jumping back and forth in time to show us how the lady spy ended up in her current situation. Mata Hari is a very compelling historical figure so I will keep reading this to learn more about her life and death.

Infinity Countdown Prime #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Mike Deodato Jr. (art) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Flip the cover and you get an info page quickly telling you about the 6 Infinity Stones and what powers they bestow to whoever possesses them. The story starts promisingly enough with the guy who is the best at what he does fighting off some bad guys and then the new Sorcerer Supreme, for the Infinity Stone that he has. Unfortunately the story deteriorated for me when it came to introducing the other stones. It got way too convoluted what with other dimensions involved and what looks like every dang super hero and super villain to ever exist thrown in. I think I have mega event fatigue. Keeping up with the weekly Avengers: No Surrender story with all those heroes and villains to keep straight makes trying to follow this massive story harder to do. I hope nobody dies.

Batman: Sins of the Father #1 - Christos Gage (writer) Raffaele Ienco (art) Guy Major (colours) Josh Reed (letters). This 6-issue mini is based on the Batman: The Telltale Series video game with a different back-story than the Batman that we are all familiar with. This Batman's father, Thomas Wayne, was a villain who experimented on people. Bruce is trying to right that wrong and save Wayne Enterprises. You can expect lots of action and the first protagonist is easily recognised. I was super impressed with the art here. Kind of reminded me of Frank Quitely. If the rest of this story looks this good it will be a joy to read.

Hit-Girl #1 - Mark Millar (writer) Ricardo Lopez Ortiz (art) Sunny Gho (colours) Melina Mikulic (letters). Hot on the heels of the new Kick-Ass book is this 4-issue mini featuring Dave's old partner Mindy. She's looking for a new partner and who she picks is a real winner. This story goes international as the purple-haired perp pulveriser goes to Colombia to deal with the gangs there. I want to see if her new sidekick survives.

Avengers #681 - Al Ewing, Jim Zub & Mark Waid (writers) Kim Jacinto with Mike Perkins (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). No Surrender part 7. It's Kree Captain Glah-Ree's turn to narrate an issue as his Lethal Legion team fights the Falcon's Avengers team for the prize. Some surprise characters pop up right at the end that will make fans clamour for the next issue. Mike Perkins's pages were only subtly different from the rest of the art and that surprised me too.

Batman #41 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin (art) June Chung (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Everyone Loves Ivy part 1. I was naïve to think that Joelle Jones was the best artist for this book because there are lots of artists that I love out there. Mikel Janin made me gasp after I flipped open the cover and saw the first page. Page 10 made me sigh. His Poison Ivy will haunt your dreams. The Cat and the Bat face a daunting challenge in this new story. This is a great issue to start to find out why I've been raving about this title every issue.

Moonshine #7 - Brian Azzarello (writer) Eduardo Risso (art & colours) Cristian Rossi (colour assistant) Jared K. Fletcher (letters). Boy was I surprised when this issue hit the racks. I thought #6 finished the story of Lou Pirlo, mob enforcer. Plus, it's been almost a year since #6 came out. This supernatural tale continues with the location changing from the hillbilly hills to New Orleans. I'm thinking some voodoo be due.

Superman #41 - James Robinson (writer) Ed Benes (art) Dinei Ribeiro (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). The Last Days part 2. I was tolerating this story about Superman and a native scientist trying to save a planet from a Jonestown massacre until the science guy explains how he's going to save his species. He sure didn't take any genetics classes. I do not suffer foolish science gladly. The good news is that this story is over and Jon learns a lesson in tolerance.

Defenders #10 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Marquez (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Ah Jessica, Luke, Danny and Matt, we hardly got to know you. I don't know if this team book will continue after this but it won't be the same. This sure looks like Brian Michael Bendis's last issue. David Marquez made me sigh on page 11 panel 5. I'm glad Felicia is okay.

Incredible Hulk #713 - Greg Pak (writer) Greg Land (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Return to Planet Hulk part 5. Hulk faces off with the Warlord in the fifth and final gauntlet. The final page had me singing Chuck Berry's Maybellene in my head. Now that we've gone back to Sakaar it's time to revisit another old Hulk story. Get ready for World War Hulk II.

Damage #2 - Tony S. Daniel & Robert Venditti (storytellers) Danny Miki (inks) Tomeu Morey (colours) Tom Napolitano (letters). I can't say that I am enamoured of the title character since he's just a one hour Hulk but the guest stars are worth the read. Here we have the Suicide Squad and next up is a real hero that I am certainly interested in.

Amazing Spider-Man #796 - Dan Slott & Christos Gage (writers) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Terry Pallot & Cam Smith (inks) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Threat Level: Red part 3. The art and writing this issue was very wooden to me. Kind of stiff and predictable. I don't like Peter and Mary Jane getting cozy again either. If it wasn't for what's happening to Norman Osborn I would consider benching this book.

Super Sons #13 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Carlo Barberi (pencils) Art Thibert (inks) Gabriel Eltaeb (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). The Parent Trap part 1. Damian's mom, Talia al Ghul, needs his help for a hit and she's not going to take no for an answer. The boys find themselves in even more trouble when one of the targets is revealed. Robin and Superboy's friendship may not survive. As much as I love Carlo's art I wasn't happy that Talia looks more like Damian's slightly older sister than his mother.

Astonishing X-Men #8 - Charles Soule (writer) Paulo Siqueira (pencils) Walden Wong & Roberto Poggi (inks) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). A Man Called X part 2. Y'know, I don't think that the guy in Fantomex's body is Charles Xavier. He keeps saying trust me, I can fix this and then he screws things up royally. So, another comic book with amazing art. Psylocke made me sigh on page 3.

Mighty Thor #704 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). The Death of the Mighty Thor continues. Wow, I snagged a larger than usual pile of comic books off the rack to read last week and inadvertently saved the best 'til last. The writing and art was as powerful as can be. The build up to the last page made it a spine tingling experience. This story is going to be another highly recommended collection when it comes out in trade paperback.

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