Epilogue

Hospital Velmar, Ensenada, Baja Sur California, Mexico

Kensi paced the waiting room, passing the similar pacing forms of Sam, Michelle, Bates and Callen. Sam had been checked out as soon as they arrived and the doctors had determined he was fine. The FBI team paced with them, each one passing the other, giving comfort where needed as they waited for word on their friend. When the doctor finally came in, asking for the family of Marty Deeks, she was surprised by the number of people who turned and converged on her, all clamoring for information. She held up her hand for silence and slowly got it. "I'm Dr. Inez Iglesias. Mr. Deeks is resting and we're keeping an eye on him. He has a severe concussion, a nasty gash to his head that needed stitches and bruising to the torso, especially to his kidneys. We'll be keeping an eye on his kidney functions and we're concerned about secondary drowning."

"Secondary drowning?" Asked Kensi.

Spence answered. "In secondary drowning, enough water enters the lungs to cause a drop in blood oxygen levels, and death can occur between one to 48 hours later. The water may fill up some of the oxygen-rich pores of the lungs, reducing the lung's ability to oxygenate the blood as it passes through."

Doctor Iglesias looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Spence blushed. She smiled at him and said. "Exactly. Physically, he should make a full recovery."

Kensi immediately tensed up. "Physically?"

"Considering how long he went without oxygen, we're a little worried about brain damage. At this point, we need to wait and see how he does. Hopefully, the fact that he was also hypothermic will work in his favor. The cold water would've slowed his bodily functions. Right now we have him on oxygen in a private room. I can let you visit him, but no more than a couple of people at a time. He's not awake right now. He may regain consciousness in an hour or it could be days. You need to be prepared that he'll wake in his own time." She paused and looked at Spence intently. "The bruising to his torso and kidneys didn't happen out there in the water. Those bruises are slightly older. As are the ligature marks around his ankles. Can you tell me what happened to him?"

Hotch took over. "He was abducted by someone who mistook him for another man. He was missing for over twelve hours before we pulled him out of the water."

She frowned at him and asked. "Did you get him?"

Hotch nodded and said. "Yes, we got her."

Her eyebrows rose at the pronoun and shook her head, sighing at the evidence that people could do so much harm to each other. She saw it on a daily basis. "Whoever wants to be first, please follow me."

Kensi moved forward with Michelle, Callen and Sam. The others held back, knowing that his team needed to see him first and find out how he was. When they entered the room, they were shocked at how still and pale he was. The machines crooned out a familiar, but oddly calming, tone. Their songs told them that he was still there, still with them. The oxygen mask hid the lower portion of his jaw but they could see the bandage on his forehead, almost hidden by his trademark hair. The blanket was pulled up mid chest and there was just a little bruising showing. Kensi stepped up to the bed and sat in the chair next to it, picking up his hand and holding it to her lips. She looked at the man she loved more than life itself and silently promised him that she would be there for him no matter what he faced when he woke up.

Callen moved towards the bed, not sure what to say or do. Emotions were hard for him unless it had to do with Sam or Hetty. Then? He knew what to do. But this? This was new. Deeks had invaded their lives, their space and nothing would be the same without him. He leaned forward and brushed a lock of hair off the man's face. Quietly he said "You come back to us! You hear me? If you don't, Kensi will kick your ass and Sam and I will cheer her on!"

Kensi looked at her team leader and smiled, happy to hear the sentiment behind the words. Callen had always been somewhat standoffish with all but Sam or Hetty. This sentiment was welcome and made her realize just how much her lover had impacted their team. Callen moved back and Sam took his place.

The big man looked down at their friend. His atypical silence unnerved him and made him feel tongue tied. He looked at Deeks and thought about just how much this man had come to mean to him. He'd been unhappy when Deeks had first shown up to take Dom's place, back when they still didn't know where the agent was or if he was dead or alive. He hadn't treated Deeks well, through so many ops, so many times when he'd more than shown he could be trusted. The words he'd spoken to him during that chess game on the Sidorov case, haunted him to this day. He'd questioned this man's character and yet he'd still gone on to save his life and to later keep Michelle's cover, never giving her up, even when they'd put him through excruciating torture. After it was all over, he'd tried to make it up to him. He knew he'd backslid some, but Deeks let it slide off his back, as always. They'd almost lost him several times before and now again on this case and he worried about when Deeks's luck would run out. That really brought home how much this man meant, not only to him, but to the team, to NCIS. He grasped Deeks's hand and said "You can't leave us, you hear me? There's too much left undone. We need you brother."

Kensi stood up and moved to hug the big man. Sam wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, saying. "He'll be okay, I just know it!" Kensi nodded, not trusting her voice.

Michelle moved up to the bedside, placing her hand in her husbands. She looked down at the quiet man in the bed and realized how lucky they were that both he and her Sam had made it out alive. She started to tremble and Sam's hand tightened on hers. It grounded her and she leaned forward to kiss Deeks on the temple. She whispered in his ear. "You have so many people here that need you. Not just Kensi, we all do. Please Marty, you have to know that! We're all waiting for you. Kam will never forgive you if you leave her now. I think she plans on you escorting her to her first prom." She straightened up and looked at Kensi who was smirking at her a little, having overheard the part about Kam. Michelle smiled gently back.

Sam moved back, Michelle following him and they nodded at Kensi. All three of them patted Deeks's foot and left, making room for the rest who wanted to see him. In the waiting room, they let everyone know that he was doing well. Bates, Spence and J.J. were the next to go in. J.J. immediately went to Kensi and put her arms around her friend's shoulders, giving her a sideways hug. Kensi put her hand on J.J.'s arm and leaned into her. "He's going to be okay you know. I know him. He's way too stubborn to let her win. He knows I'm here waiting for him. He promised me once that he'd never get himself killed. He's never broken a promise to me yet." J.J. smiled at her and then moved to Deeks's bedside.

"Hey Marty. That was one gnarly run you had going there! Too bad we couldn't have gotten it on video, although you looked like a bit of a kook at the end. You need to get better so we can hit the beach again. You promised to teach me how to surf. I need a good teacher and you're the only one I'll accept." She leaned down and kissed him on the same temple Michelle had. Straightening up, she caught Kensi's eye. The NCIS agent had one eyebrow cocked and a quizzical look on her face. "What? I can google surfing terms with the best of them!" Kensi smiled widely at J.J. and stood up, pulling her new friend into a real hug, pleased that J.J. had taken that extra step to look up surfing terms to tease Deeks with.

"Thank you." She said.

"For what?" J.J. asked.

"For being here, for being a friend." She looked at Bates and Spence. "All of you. I know how much this will mean to Deeks when he wakes up." J.J. hugged her back.

Bates took his turn and stared down at the detective he'd so badly wanted to fit into his team. He'd always been a square peg trying to fit into a round hole at LAPD. He knew he'd found his square hole at NCIS and he'd been waiting for years now to find Deeks's resignation on his desk, something he'd dreaded. He now decided he'd be fine with it, he'd seen the NCIS team's extreme devotion to this man and he realized that he'd been somewhat selfish to not give Deeks his approval to make the move. He placed his hand on his man's arm and squeezed. "Well, kid, you've done it again. You managed to be in the right place at the wrong time. She's going down for murder, although she'll probably never see a trial. The psychologists are throwing around terms like delusional and psychotic break. She'll probably be the subject of many a doctor's publication." He took a deep breath. "You need to make the move Deeks. I once said you had a home at NCIS and you said you honestly felt that was where you belonged. There's no doubt in my mind now. I'll miss you, you stubborn bastard. You march to the beat of your own drum, others be damned. Turns out, maybe that's the better way to be. NCIS will be damned lucky to get you." He looked at Kensi who nodded quickly. He patted the arm he'd held and turned away.

Spence moved forward, not sure what to say. He looked at Kensi who smiled encouragingly at him. He took a deep breath and looked back at Marty. "You know something Marty? I don't often make a connection with someone as quickly as I did with you. I'm not really sure why it happened. There's just something about you that spoke to me from the very beginning." He looked at Kensi out of the corner of his eye. "I was hoping that I could talk you into becoming an FBI agent and joining our team. After today, I know there's no chance. Your team is your family and I would never want to come between family." He grinned at Kensi, still speaking to Deeks. "However, if the time ever comes that that changes, I want you to know you'll always have a place with us." Kensi grinned back, knowing that would never happen. They talked a bit longer and then they took their leave, knowing there were others who were waiting.

The last to come in were Hotch, Rossi, Derek and Jonas Ambrose. Kensi was a little surprised that Ambrose had bothered. He'd been in the background most of the op and she wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he had to say. Hotch smiled at Kensi and moved to Deeks's bedside. "I can't tell you how happy we all are that you made it Marty. I doubt we'd ever have gotten to this point without you. It's over. She's never going to hurt anyone else again. You did good." He patted the silent man's arm and moved away. Derek took his place.

"I'm sorry that we weren't there to protect you. This should never have happened. There was no indication that she was anything other than what she seemed. Sometimes, sometimes, they just hide in plain sight and we don't see them until it's too late." He sighed and continued on a lighter note. "Man, I heard how you surfed that wave until Marissa's instructions kicked in. I wish I'd been on the other cutter to see it. J.J. hasn't been able to stop talking about it, a little something I think I'll keep from her husband." He smiled at Kensi, pleased to see that she was smiling as well. Derek felt a little lost. He was used to being in the middle of things and this time, he felt like he'd been on the sidelines, looking in. Useless. He patted Marty's arm and made way for David.

Rossi moved to Kensi's side instead. He put a hand on her shoulder while he spoke to his newest friend. "I enjoyed our time together Marty. We had some good conversations at that little B&B. You would've made one hell of an FBI agent and I know you'll make one hell of one at NCIS." He stopped to gather his thoughts. "You told me you liked my books. I think I want to do another one, based on you. You need to wake up and help me out here." He turned to Kensi and asked something that had been bothering him from the first day of the op. "Kensi, an Agent Cheryl Leary met up with Marty at the FBI field office in L.A. that first day. She obviously has a great affection for him and mentioned something about his being stronger than she. If you don't mind me asking, do you know what they were talking about?"

A haunted look passed over Kensi's face as she remembered another time she sat by Deeks's bedside, willing him to wake up. "I do. It's his story to tell but suffice it to say this is nothing compared to what he went through then. Cheryl is a big reason why he was even here to work on this case. We've become good friends and she's dating another close friend of ours." Rossi nodded, not wanting to press harder, his curiosity still unassuaged but understanding that some things were better left unsaid.

The remaining member of the taskforce stood in the room uncertainly. Kensi looked at him, still not sure why he was here. Hotch noticed and said. "It was Agent Ambrose who finally convinced Marissa to put her gun down. I think she was ready to go down suicide by cop." Kensi was surprised. She'd heard that Chambers had pulled a gun on the FBI agents but wasn't aware of how they'd disarmed her. She looked at Ambrose, waiting for him to make the first move.

He finally stepped forward, looking at the man he'd held in disdain until just recently. Not sure where to start, he opened his mouth and the words just came. "I didn't want you or anyone from NCIS associated with this op. Our last interactions didn't end well for me and I blamed all of you. I watched your team in action today and I find I envy you. You have something I don't think I'll ever have. The respect and love of your team. Like I said, I watched them today. Each one of them would've given their life for you, even the ones not on your own NCIS team. We all heard over comms how Agent Hanna jumped out of a helicopter into dangerous waters, simply because he couldn't bear not doing everything he could to save you. We heard how upset everyone was when they thought you were gone. We heard Hanna refuse to give up on you. I doubt that would never happen for me. I think that, if our positions were reversed, there would not be even one of my team members here for me."

Deeks eyes opened and he looked at Ambrose, reaching up unsteadily to pull off the oxygen mask. His voice was raspy and he was still groggy as he said. "That's where you're wrong, Jonas. I would've been here for you. I heard what Hotch said. You talked Marissa down. It was because of you that the whole thing didn't end in bloodshed. You should be proud of yourself. You should also not take yourself so seriously." He'd woken up while Hotch had said what Ambrose had done. His face broke out in his trademark grin and Ambrose found himself grinning back. Kensi threw herself on Deeks's chest, earning a grunt when the pain kicked in.

She pulled back and punched him gently in the shoulder. "How long have you been awake? Have you been playing opossum, listening to everyone say nice things about you when they thought you wouldn't know?"

"Ow. Fern! I'm wounded here! Take it easy on the invalid, will you?"

"I would say that I should shoot you in all your bullet holes but this time, you don't have any."

"I still think that's a human resources violation and I need to tell Hetty."

Rossi headed out to tell everyone that Deeks was awake and, apparently, unaffected by his trauma. The whole group pushed into his room, doctor's orders be damned. When Dr. Iglesias showed up, she had to smile, the happiness of the people surrounding her patient contagious. However, she had a job to do and shooed everyone out while she checked on him. She replaced the oxygen mask with a nasal cannula. "Now, Mr. Deeks, how are you feeling?"

Deeks grinned at her and said. "You can call me Marty."

Inez looked into those blue eyes, dazzled by his smile and lost track of everything she was going to ask him. She was quiet for a few moments, staring into his eyes until he said. "Doc?"

"Oh, oh yes. How are you feeling Mr… Marty?"

"Mr. Marty. I think I like the sound of that. I'm good, Dr.?"

"Iglesias. I've been assigned to your case. You're a very lucky man."

"I usually am. Better lucky than good?" He joked with her.

"It's not every day that I treat someone that was brought back from the dead."

He frowned at her. "Doc? Um, what exactly do you mean by that?"

Inez looked guilty. She'd been gossiping with Chief Gonzalez. Her family and his had been close for a long time. When she'd heard from the American agent that her patient had been abducted, she'd been curious and called Alejandro, having heard from the paramedics that her friend had been involved. When she'd heard the story, she'd teased him that he would eat out on this story for a long time. It had a kidnapping, a man brought back from the dead, an exciting chase on the water and a gun standoff. Not your average day.

"Don't worry Doc; I just want to know what happened."

She cleared her throat and said. "You were out in the water, drowning and the big man from the states, Sam?" Deeks nodded. "He jumped out of a helicopter into the water to rescue you. When he was finally able to get you to the police cutter, you didn't have a pulse. He resuscitated you after several minutes. From what I hear, you were very stubborn about it." She smiled at him and he smiled back absently, trying to absorb what she was telling him. He would have to get the full story from Kensi.

He looked up at her, noting her concerned look and grinned. "So, does that make me a zombie?" He raised his arms and said in as spooky a voice as he could. "Braaaiiinnnnssss."

She grinned back and then proceeded with her examination. Pleased at the results, she stood back and asked. "Now, how are you really feeling?"

He opened his mouth to say good again when she gave him a look that told him she would see right through him. "Um, tired, sore, my lower back aches and I have a whopper of a headache."

"Now, was that so hard? I can give you something for the headache and the soreness."

"Thanks Doc. So, when can I get out of here?"

"If you continue to show no ill effects from actually dying today, I think either tomorrow or the next day."

"Really? Are you sure I can't leave today?" He whined at her, hating the idea of being stuck here. He'd had enough of hospitals to last him several lifetimes.

"Are you so unhappy with our company that you can't wait to get out of here?"

He grinned up at her. "No, Doc. It sure isn't the company!"

She smiled back at him, delighted that he felt well enough to flirt. "You're quite the charmer, aren't you? I'll go get you something for your head. Would you like everyone to come back in?"

"Yeah, yeah I'd like that." She helped him into a sitting position and left to go get his friends. He closed his eyes and drifted a little. The door opened and he could hear multiple voices talking softly. Without opening his eyes he said. "I'm awake. You don't have to whisper." He opened them and saw everyone had come back in, even Ambrose. His eyes sought out Sam. When he found him, he held out his hand and said. "Sam?"

Sam maneuvered closer, having a hard time getting through the crowd of people crammed into the room. When he finally got to the side of the bed he took the proffered hand and asked. "What Deeks?"

Deeks swallowed hard. "I've been told I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't need to thank me Deeks. You would've done the same for me, in fact you have. It's what we do, brother." Sam surprised him and leaned down to pull him into a gentle hug, mindful of his injuries. "I'm just glad you're okay." Deeks returned the hug, feeling the connection with the big man that had been there since Sidorov. Sam released him, moving back, clearing his throat. If anyone asked, he'd claim he'd just swallowed the wrong way.

Callen moved up closer to the bed and handed Deeks a tablet. "What's this?"

"Don't ask me how, but Hetty had it delivered to the hospital about ten minutes ago. She and the rest of the team in L.A. want to talk to you. It's all set up with everything. All you need to do is initiate a video chat."

Deeks grinned once more and took the tablet from Callen. He went to place it on the bedside table when Callen cleared his throat. He cocked his head at his team lead. Callen raised an eyebrow and said. "Hetty wants to talk to you."

Realizing what that meant, Deeks sighed and turned on the tablet. He listened to the conversations ebb and flow around him while it booted up. He sent the video chat request to Eric and waited for a reply. When the window opened and Eric appeared, he shushed everyone and said. "Hey Eric! What's up?"

The technical analyst stared at him in silence, clearly overcome with emotion. Nell's head appeared in front of the screen. "Deeks? Oh my God, Deeks! It's so good to see you! We were so worried!" He was somewhat surprised to see a tear run down her face.

"Hey Nellasaurous, hey, don't cry! I'm good sweetheart."

Nell sniffled a couple of times and then nudged Eric who had yet to say a word. "I'll go let Hetty and Granger know you're online."

She left Deeks's field of view, leaving Eric. "Hey man, what's happening?"

The dam burst and Eric blurted out. "We heard it all! We heard you were dead. We listened while Sam did everything he could to bring you back. I've never felt so useless in my whole life. There was nothing anyone here could do!"

"I'm sure you did plenty Eric. I know you, my friend! There's no way you just sat there and did nothing!"

"Hetty cried, Deeks! She cried!"

Once he got over the initial shock, he said. "Um, Eric? I'm not alone." Deeks looked at the people surrounding him. The ones that knew Hetty Lange were staring at him open mouthed.

"I'm dead! Kill me now, I'm dead!" Eric whispered in horror.

"I'm sure no one will say a thing! Am I right?" He looked at Michelle, Sam, Callen, Bates and Kensi. They all shut their mouths and nodded. "You're good Eric."

The man looked less then relieved. Deeks knew immediately when Hetty entered ops when the analyst tensed up. The woman's voice sounded as she requested that Eric put him on the plasma. The picture changed from just Eric to the bigger picture of ops. Hetty, Granger, Nell and Eric were staring back at him. "Hey Guys! Long time no see."

"Mr. Deeks, it's good to see you alive and almost well. You had us all very worried!"

"It wasn't my intention Hetty. I never suspected it was Marissa. She was so shy and retiring. I guess I expected whoever it was to act…more forward to get my attention. I always thought she must've seduced the others to get them alone and drug them."

Hotch nodded. "That was certainly what we expected as well and that's exactly how it would've gone down if you hadn't shown up right under her nose at the B&B. We had some time with her before she was taken away and she confirmed that seduction was the way she got to the others. She played shy and retiring but she would maneuver her way alone with them and then seduce them. She also confirmed that 4 of the other 5 suspected victims were her work. There was one man who did actually drown."

"It seems so useless. All those lives lost for no good reason at all." Deeks sighed and shook his head.

"Well, Deeks, thanks to you and the taskforce, along with the Mexican police, she won't be responsible for any more deaths. You should all be proud of yourselves." Granger found himself grinning at the detective for no good reason. Deeks grinned back, pleased that he wasn't being reamed out for getting himself abducted in the first place. They continued to talk back and forth, catching up, reassuring themselves that he really was okay before finally ending the session.

Others started to drift away, allowing the L.A. "family" some time alone, all saying they'd be back the next day to see him. Eventually Deeks yawned one time too many and Sam caught it. "Ok, it's time for us to head back to the hotel. We'll come see you tomorrow?"

"I'd like that, thanks Sam!" He noticed that Kensi made no move to join them. "Kens? You don't have to stay here, I'll be fine."

"I'm not going anywhere until you do! I'll text J.J. and ask her to bring some fresh clothes for me when she comes back. I've already seen what happens when I let you out of my sight!" The two started to laugh and Deeks grimaced when his head protested. "Do you want me to get you something more for the pain?"

"Would you mind?"

"Of course not! I'll walk the team out and see if I can find something to eat. Maybe see what they have in the cafeteria. Will you be okay for a little while?"

"Baby, I'll be fine! And if you happen to find anything good down there, can you sneak me some too?"

Kensi smiled, leaned down and kissed him quickly. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She turned and walked out with the others. Deeks closed his eyes and savored the momentary quiet. He was about to drift into sleep when the tablet chimed he had an incoming chat request. He picked up the tablet and smiled widely when he saw who it was.

Answering, he said. "Hi there my Pretty Penny!"

"You know you've used that one already, don't you?"

"Yeah, but it's my favorite and I'm injured! I have a head wound and can't really put my mind to coming up with something new."

Penelope looked at him searchingly and then the tears started to fall. "Penelope? Hey, hey, don't cry! I'm fine!" He'd just gone through the same thing with Nell. He waited for her to get her emotions under control.

"You know they didn't tell me you were missing until they were almost at Ensenada?" She griped at him.

"Well, I'm sure they just didn't want to worry you; after all, there was nothing you could really do from Quantico. How did you find out I was here and how to reach me?"

She looked at him and took a deep breath. "NCIS looped me in to the feed they were getting from the satellite and the earwigs. I heard the whole thing! I heard them tell Sam to let you go, that you were gone! It broke my heart! When Sam wouldn't give up and you finally came around, I felt like I'd aged 10 years! Eric texted me the information for the tablet about 20 minutes ago and I just couldn't wait until tomorrow to talk to you!"

Deeks shook his head, he'd heard what Sam had done for him but hadn't realized just how determined the big guy had been to not let him go. "Well, it's over now baby girl." He deliberately used Derek's term of endearment on her to get a rise from her, trying to distract her. He wasn't disappointed.

Forgetting her sorrow, she looked at him with an open mouth. "Oh no you did not!"

Kensi walked back through the door just as the words came through the speaker; two take out containers in one hand, a large bottle of water in the other. "What didn't he do Penelope?" She sat on the edge of the bed and handed one of the containers to him.

"He just called me baby girl! No one but Derek has ever called me that!"

Kensi looked at Deeks who just smirked back at her, already shoveling some of the food into his mouth. She grinned and asked. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"This isn't half bad." They both heard a snort from the tablet.

~,~,~,~

NCIS OSP, Los Angeles, California

Kensi had driven Deeks home in the beat up jeep, once he was released from the hospital. The BAU agents had left earlier and flown home on the FBI jet once they reached L.A., each of them leaving Deeks their personal phone numbers, wringing promises from him that he would keep in touch. Sam, Michelle, Callen and Bates left around the same time as Deeks and Kensi, although they got back to L.A. much sooner. The two had meandered up the coast, stopping when Deeks got tired and staying overnight in some small B&B, Deeks having become enamored of them after Gabriela's place in Pescadero. The B&B owner had contacted him to see how he was, having taken his phone number off his registration. He'd promised to come back and stay with her, bringing Kensi next time.

They'd been home about a week when Deeks was finally cleared to go back to work. He'd been bored out of his mind, home alone with only Monty for company while Kensi went into the Mission each day. He was practically bouncing in the passenger seat, begging her to go a little faster. She laughed at him and slowed down, just to see his reaction. When they finally got to the Mission, he actually held back for a moment, trying to get his emotions under control. It had been weeks since he'd been here, the place he now considered home, and he was suddenly nervous.

He took a deep breath and moved forward, Kensi's hand in his, squeezing it and giving him strength. He stopped when he got to the bullpen, stunned at the sight of his desk. It was almost hidden under the balloons, streamers and Welcome Back/Welcome Home signs. His eyes filled with tears he tried hard to hide just how much this meant to him. He moved up to it, noticing for the first time, all the cards on his desk. He started to smile, feeling an incredible lightness inside. He almost jumped out of his skin when several people yelled. "Surprise!"

He turned, his hand over his heart. His team, Hetty, Granger, Eric, Nell and most of the other people he interacted with here at the Mission were standing behind him. They were all smiles, many clapping. He looked at Kensi, who was grinning. She'd obviously known what was waiting for him. He held out his hand to her and she moved into his side, taking it. Taking a deep breath, he looked at everyone and said from his heart. "Thank you! Um..." He looked at the woman beside him and took strength from her. Looking back at his team he said. "It's good to be home."

~,~,~,~

A/N – today is my one year anniversary on fanfiction. I posted my first story one year ago and it seemed like symmetry to post the ending to my most recent exactly one year to the day.