All the way home.

Chapter 1

3 years ago:

He stumbled in the dark, he had no idea where he was and his head hurt.

"GENTRY!" A man ran over and helped pull him away from what he noticed was a dangerous drop.

Max Gentry rubbed the back of his head and looked at the body of the man floating in the water.

"Who's he?" Max asked looking at the gun in his hand.

"Some navy cop. You shot him." The man looked at him, "You ok Max?"

"I…I don't know."

Max followed the man and climbed into his car.

"What happened?" Max asked as he leaned his head back on the headrest gently rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head.

"Oh my God, it was awesome, the deal was going down, and we had the Mitchelli hoods on the run, and some stupid navy cops tried to stop us, Darius Mitchelli is a navy guy. He'd been selling our stuff to the navy and their cops got pissed."

"So what was awesome?" Gentry growled.

"You…you were, some guy hits you on the back of the head, a whole load of navy cops show up and you beat the shit out of this one guy and dumped him in the drink!" the man was practically bouncing up and down with excitement right now.

Gentry groaned and rub his head again.

"I need a drink." He groaned.

"You'll have to have it on the plane."

"Plane? What plane?" Gentry turned and pulled his gun on the man driving.

"Bosses orders the LAPD cops are looking for you, the navy cops too, it's too hot for you here, gonna send you to stay with the bosses sister in Washington D.C." the man said.

They pulled up at LAX, "The boss says you have about 5 hours before they track you down and the navy cops said something about killing you if they got there hands on you."

"I don't….I don't remember?" Max said worried.

"It's ok," The man said handing him the ticket, "Sara's meeting you at the airport, she knows what you look like and she'll be there to help you."

"Sara?" Gentry asked confused.

"Sure, Sara Giamatti, the bosses sister, but remember, even though you're going to be the other side of the country, Marc Giamatti is your boss and will remain so, this doesn't get you out of your debt to the family." The man said.

Gentry nodded and took the ticket. "OK."

He took a few steps away, "Hey Max?" the man said. "Gun?" he prompted.

Gentry took his gun out and tossed it at the man, "Keep it safe, I'll be back for it."

Gentry walked toward the gate and his new life.

Kensi looked at the footage, that Eric was pulling up on the big screen in ops and was shaking her head, "There has to be some mistake?"

Hetty looked at her, "I talked to Lieutenant Bates, there is no mistake, If Eric can get the footage, Mr. Deeks attacked a NCIS agent and threw him off the docks into the water, and he's in the ICU right now and may die." She said sadly.

"But why?" Callen asked, "I mean I know he has a rocky relationship with the LAPD, but Deeks wouldn't do this." He defended his friend.

"Look though." Sam said turning and watching the footage again, "Maybe he was drinking; he staggers out from behind those pallets and then goes for the officer."

"Sam!" Kensi snapped, hurt that he'd blame her partner. "Deeks doesn't drink. I mean I know he says he does, but have you ever seen him drink…really?" she asked.

"No, I haven't."

"It's because he doesn't he was too afraid of turning into his father."

"Who's that?" Callen asked looking at the man that Deeks shot as he stumbled again.

"That is our case, and why as of right now Mr. Deeks is on our most wanted list. That is Special Agent, Dan Dickson. He's one of us, NCIS out of San Diego. He was chasing a Darius Mitchelli who was a petty officer on the US Georgetown and he was dealing drugs to the crew."

"And Deeks just shot him?" Callen asked.

"Deeks shot him in the head? Special Agent or not, Deeks should have aimed for a non fatal area." Sam snorted.

Kensi's hands flew up to her face, "No…!" she watched stunned as a man came over to Deeks and helped him up, walking past the special agent Deeks kicked his as he held his head and climbed into the dark colored saloon car.

"Where did he take him?" Callen asked turning to Eric.

"LAX about five hours ago; Mr. Deeks has dropped off the grid." Eric told them sadly.

Max got off the plane and walked towards the exit, the lack of a bag or anything else worrying him.

He got to the main terminal when he saw a pretty dark haired Italian girl "Max!" she called as he walked out. She ran up and hugged him.

"Hello Sara." Max said.

"Jake said that Marc had asked you to pick me up?" Max said.

Sara's face fell, "Max? You don't remember me?" she looked hurt.

"Should I?" Max said.

Sara produced a picture of him and her last Christmas, "Marc's Christmas party, we, we had a thing."

"A thing." That struck something of a chord within him.

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply. He groaned into the kiss. "Sara." He said remembering the feel of the woman in his arms.

"You do remember." Sara smiled, "Max…lets go home." She took him by the hand and they walked arm in arm out of the airport.

It had been three years, the team had searched the length and breath of the country and there had been no sign of Deeks, Monty had gone to live with Sam and his family, Kensi had gotten a new partner, who after a rocky start had finally fitted in, Eddie Regan had transferred from San Diego and was a welcome addition to the team. Hetty had done away with the LAPD liaison position after Deeks but had this time stayed with the team, Callen forestalling every attempt of her's to quit. Callen himself had only in the last month or so begun to let Regan in on the team. Although he still held out hope that one day they would find Deeks and he could explain what had happened. Kensi still had a few shirts of Deeks' and had a box of stuff from his old apartment which he doggedly held onto for him.

The FBI has watched his mothers' house for nearly a year until they were sure he wasn't going to turn up there and Ray, Deeks' childhood friend had been relocated again on the witness protection program and watched for the same length of time.

Regan sat as he always did for an hour before work and an hour after work every day, working on his paperwork and looked up as Hetty walked in.

"Hey Hetty, these should be with you in an hour." Regan said with a smile.

Hetty smiled back, "Thank you Mr. Regan, however I am not here for your paperwork." She said.

"Case Hetty?" Sam asked.

"In a way, the Mitchelli case."

"Mitchelli?" Callen started. "Deeks' case!"

"New leads?" Kensi asked hopefully?

Hetty shook her head.

"No, the FBI have been advised that seeing as all trace of Mr. Deeks has disappeared, none of his bank accounts touched or family contacted, the director of the FBI has had Mr. Deeks declared legally dead." She informed them.

Callen and Sam looked mad and Kensi looked distraught, "He's not dead Hetty, I just know he's not dead." She said tears pooling in her eyes.

Hetty looked on sadly, "I'm afraid I have no other information for you either way." She admitted and walked back to her office.

Max looked over at Sara, he smiled as she stroked her belly, he reached over and felt his son kick, "Hey little man, not so impatient eh, you'll see your mom and I soon enough." He smiled as he kissed Sara.

Max looked down at his wedding ring and twirled it absentmindedly, shaking his head as the brunette beauty with mis-matched eyes flashed in his memory again. "Max?" Sara asked, "You alright?"

Max nodded, looking at his Raven haired Italian wife. He had felt safe in the year since they had married and he had changed his name to hers. Also his brother in law had finally, this week handed him control of their east coast operations.

Max Giamatti held his wife in his arms and kissed her passionately "I have to go I'm meeting Gio, he has a source for distribution in Anacostia." He told her, "I won't be long." He said.

"Be careful mi amore baby Martino is restless today, I think he feels something is wrong." She said.

"You rest and I will be back in a few hours."

Max walked out of the room as closed the door as his wife rested; she was in her third trimester and needed all the rest he could get. He walked to the hall table and took out his smith and Wesson that he kept there. Luca his second looked at him, "I thought we were talking to Gio today?" he asked.

Max smiled the feral grin that made Luca's blood run cold.

"Gio has been talking to people he shouldn't, I intend to make sure that stops." Max said quietly and menacingly.