Random Musings of an Obsessed Fangirl

***

On A Wave’s Edge, Part 12

While Kensi was changing back into her street clothes, Branston texted her about going to out to dinner. She was a little surprised how quickly he’d jumped at the opportunity. Though, she supposed he relied on his victims being on the naive side and desperate for attention. Which Kensi had been playing up to an unbelievable level.

When she came out, Deeks was once again working behind the counter. It was slightly unfair how good he looked in jeans and a t-shirt. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice her admiring the contrast of white fabric against his perfectly tan skin.

“You were in there for a while,” Deeks commented as he stapled a few papers together. “I was about to send in a lifeguard after you.”

“Funny. Branston texted me as promised,” Kensi informed him, waving her phone in the air. “So, apparently some combination of the flirting, or the allure of a possible inheritance to steal, are working.”

“Good. Though I gotta say, I thought you were gonna flip his board when he grabbed your leg.” Deeks crinkled his nose in obvious disgust.

“Yeah, that was a close thing.” Kensi shrugged and grabbed a box of what appeared to be magnets, and started arranging them on a display case.

“I’m sorry you have to deal with that kind of stuff.”

Deeks sounded legitimately bothered by it, and Kensi looked over her shoulder to see him watching her with furrowed brows. It was incredibly endearing.

“I’m fine,” she promised. “Flirting with suspects and going undercover like this is part of my job. If he got out of hand, I’d make him regret it.”

That seemed to lessen some of Deeks’ concern, and he smiled crookedly. “You know, I might pay to see that.”

“I don’t think you’re quite ready for that show.” It came out flirtier than she intended and Deeks’ lips parted slightly in response. Kensi cleared her throat loudly, clumsily gesturing to an open box at random. “Um, where should I put these?”

“You don’t have to do that.” He came out from behind the counter and attempted to take the box from her.

“You’ve already given up three mornings for this,” Kensi reminded him. “The least I can do is help shelve some inventory.

Not to mention, it gave her a good excuse to spend more times in his presence without crossing a line. She couldn’t let her attraction to Deeks get the better of her again. At least not while actively working this case. With that in mind, Kensi had decided the next best option was helping restock and clean up the shop whenever she could.

“Don’t you have somewhere more important to be?” Deeks asked softly, a note of curiosity in his voice.

“No. I can spare a little bit of time.”

Deeks started to say something, then stopped himself, dipping his chin, and Kensi swore he was smiling. “Ok, then. Those books need to go in the window display over there.”

“So, when’s your next lesson?” Kensi asked after they’d worked in silence for a couple of minutes. “I want to leave before anyone else shops up.”

“About twenty-five minutes.” He inclined his head. “You could always join that one too. It’s with a very nice retiree and she loves making new friends.”

“She sounds delightful. You know, you’re a really good teacher,” Kensi said, trailing her fingers over a row of instruction books.

“I don’t know about that. It doesn’t feel like I’ve been doing much of that lately,” Deeks disagreed. “You and Branston have been running things pretty well on your own.”

“Which makes it even more impressive. You’ve managed to improve my stance with very little time.”

That got an appreciative, almost shy grin out of Deeks. Kensi clenched her hands briefly to repress the sudden urge to kiss him.

“It also makes Meyers’ performance completely baffling,” she added, drawing a chuckle from Deeks this time. Damn him, that was appealing too.

“I told you,” Deeks said with a shake of his head. “Most of the problem is that he never listens to anything I tell him. Which now that I think about it, probably helps you since he thinks he’s smarter than everyone around him.”

“It does. Can I ask you a personal question?”

“I’ll give a cautious yes.”

“What made you choose law for a career and why did you stop?” Kensi asked.

Deeks sighed deeply and then shrugged self-deprecatingly. “I suppose the usual naive reasons. I wanted to help people. Only when I got to the actual lawyering part, I figured out that was pretty hard to do sometimes. I ended up quitting to avoid taking clients I couldn’t stomach representing.” He paused to fiddle with a surfer figurine in front of him. “After that, I started giving surfing lessons to pay the bills while I figured out my life and never looked back. It’s not the same, but I still get to help people to a degree.”

“With your volunteer groups,” Kensi supplied.

“Wow, you guys are impressively thorough.” Deeks chuckled softly again. “I probably should be more worried about that than I am.”

“I promise you’re in very safe hands.”

“I never doubted that for a second,” Deeks said, and Kensi felt the tension building between them again.

She needed to leave before she did something stupid.

“I guess I should get going,” she decided with a regretful sigh.

Deeks blinked in apparent surprise as she turned to leave. “Wait. Kensi, what will you have to do on this date? Will you be in danger?”

“Whatever it takes to convince Branston I’m attractive to him until I can gather enough evidence to book him.” She ignored her self-imposed boundary and squeezed Deeks’ shoulder reassuringly. “I promise, I’ve done this before.”

“Yeah, no, just be careful. Ok?” he requested.

(late season seven)

Deeks was about half-way through his workout when Callen walked into the gym.  "You're in early," Callen said as he put his briefcase on the weightlifting bench before sitting next to it.

Slowing down a little on the exercise bike, Deeks said, "I went to surf this morning but there was the police had everything cordoned off."

"What happened?"

"Two bodies washed up.  Young girls – teenagers probably.  Offered to help but wearing my wetsuit probably didn't give the 'I'm here to work vibe' the officer in charge as looking for."

"Did they have any ideas about the bodies?"

"Seems some social media thing is going on to go to marinas and take out some wave runners or jet skis for a joyride.  Stupid in the daytime but at night...nobody realizes how dark it is at night on the water until they are out there."

"That's terrible."

"I told LAPD if they needed anything and we could help, give me a call.  So far, no call."

"Things seem better between you and LAPD," Callen noted.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Cleaning up your old squad probably didn't hurt."

"Yeah, Steadman, Quinn and Flynn weren't poster boys for LAPD recruiting efforts."

"You think about going back?"

"Should I be thinking about going back?" Deeks answered a question with a question.

"If Hetty wants you here, you're here."

"And if you don't want me here?   I mean, we had a conversation after I came back from all of my unauthorized Russian dental work and you seemed not so on board."

"You weren't ready to be back in the field."

Deeks stopped peddling the stationary bike.  "Hetty popped up in my apartment – literally, she was hiding in the curtains – and said I was ready to return to work.  I returned to work."

"You should have been eased in."

"Probably but here we are.  So, should I be looking to return to LAPD?"

"No, but you have a record of changing careers every few years."

"I've been LAPD for over ten-years."

"A couple of years in vice, a couple of years with the undercover unit, a couple of years with us.   Before that, it was the public defenders office then the DA's office."

"You had a few stops before making it here."

"True."

"Not going anywhere voluntarily, Callen."

Callen nodded his head.  "I always thought Hetty would offer you a fulltime position."

"She did.  About a year after I got here.  She did all the paperwork, all I had to do was sign."

"When did she do this?"

"Right before our springtime visit to Romania."

"Getting her ducks in a row," Callen mumbled.  "If she filled out all the paperwork, why aren't you NCIS?"

"I said no."

Callen's eyebrows shot up.  "Brave man.  How did she react?"

"I'm still here so I guess she was fine with it.  I have the paperwork in my desk."

"Why did you say no?"

"I like being LAPD.  It's where I belong."

"As long as you're not actually there with them."

"I think of it as a long distance marriage.  We show up together for big events, hang around from time to time, talk on the phone a lot but they have their lives, I have mine and everyone is happy."

Callen chuckled as he stood.  "Well, if you plan to move back in together, or you decide to move on to something else, I'd like a head's up."

"Sure, can I ask where this all came from?"

"I'm thinking Sam may have to take a step back to be with his family.  I need to know the status of team if he's gone for any significant time.  Plus, you showed up about six-years ago, wanted to make sure you weren't getting antsy."

"Not antsy. And I'll be showing up for a while longer," Deeks said as he started pedaling again.

***

On a Wave’s Edge, Part 9

Deeks followed Kensi back to the store and waited for her to change in one of the tiny rooms at the back of the building. Jake and another manager would be coming in mid-afternoon, but in their absence, quite a few things had piled up. He shelved a few boxes of inventory and then started on a backlog of emails and voicemails. Halfway through a reply to one of his long-standing clients, Kensi reappeared.

“Give me just a minute,” he said, keeping his eyes on his screen as he typed out a few times lots for the client. “Sorry about that, I—.” He looked up and immediately forgot what he was about to say. Kensi had changed into jeans and a dark green t-shirt, her hair drying in waves around her shoulders. She was without a doubt, the most gorgeous woman he’d ever met.

“It’s ok. I’m the one who stole half your day, which I again, really appreciate,” Kensi said with a shrug. She moved forward and leaned against the counter. “You played your part well.”

“Yeah, it was super hard just sitting there and watch you do all the work,” Deeks joked.

“You followed my lead and read my cues correctly,” she disagreed. “Some agents struggle with that.”

“Thanks. Now, do you think you could call my high school math teacher and tell him that?”

Kensi laughed and drifted a little close enough he could see the slight difference in her eyes.

“So, I guess you won’t need my services anymore since you’ve established contact with Branston,” he said, trying to mask his disappointment. He wouldn’t have minded spending a few weeks, or more, with Kensi Blye.

“It depends on if Branston takes the bait and asks me out. I may need to establish a stronger connection,” Kensi explained with a sly smile. “Which means more surfing lessons.”

“Is that formal request, Kensalina?”

“Kensalina?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry. I have a thing for giving nicknames. I should have asked,” Deeks apologized.

Kensi shook her head, her smile turning a little bashful. “No, it’s ok. I like it. You just surprised me.“

Her eyes drifted down to his mouth and back up again, her lips parting slightly. There was maybe a foot between them and Deeks tilted his head in a silent question. In lieu of answering, Kensi leaned towards him to close the gap. A second before their mouths touched, her phone rang with almost comedic timing.

She swore and jerked back, grabbing the phone to glance at the screen. “Nell Jones,” she hissed out, the name turning into another epithet.

Deeks took a step back as well and dragged his hand through his hair.

“Who is it?”

“Someone with remarkably terrible timing. I need to take this.” Moving to the side, Kensi pressed the phone to her ear. “This is Kensi.”

“Well, hello to you too,” Deeks heard the voice on the other end say. She sounded cheerful and not at all bothered by Kensi’s terseness.

Rolling her eyes, Kensi wandered further down an aisle until he only heard a few words of her side of the conversation. He watched her nod a few times, her thumbnail tucked between her teeth as she listened and occasionally responded. After a few minutes, she hung up and returned, all business again.

“I have to go,” she sighed.

“That’s a shame,” Deeks murmured. He grinned teasingly. “Maybe I can text you sometime. You know, about those extra lessons.”

“You better,” Kensi said, then clarified, “For the case.”

“Uh-huh.” He grinned even wider. “Definitely for the, uh, case.”

Her expression softened and she squeezed his upper arm affectionately. “I’ll talk to you soon, Deeks.”

***

The rest of the session ran pretty normally; Kensi managed to ride her last wave without falling. Branston had crashed on all of his attempts, which gave Deeks a petty sense of satisfaction and he would happily hand over five dollars if he had the chance.

As they gathered up their belongings, Branston and Kensi continued chatting. At this rate, Kensi wouldn’t need surfing lessons as a cover to get closer to Branston. This might be the last time he saw her, Desk realized with a hint of regret.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Deeks prompted when it became clear Branston intended to leave. He held out his hand and Branston rolled his eyes, pulling a small bundle of cash from his duffel bag and handing over a couple hundred dollar bills.

“Keep the change, Deeks. You should invite her to all your lessons. Her personality makes up for dealing with you.” Turning to face Kensi, he rested his hand on her back familiarly. “I’ll see you next time, Melissa.”

“Why wait?” Kensi held up her phone with an inviting smile and after a moment of hesitation, Branston rattled off a number. Deeks noticed it didn’t match the one he had on record. “I’ll text you later,” she added.

“Is he always like that?” Kensi asked once Branston was out earshot and they started back towards the shop. “I’m used to talking to creeps, but that was something else.”

“Unfortunately,” Deeks confirmed. “Though he was especially obnoxious today. So, congratulations for bringing out his worst.”

“What did he say to you when I was surfing? When I came back, you looked like you wanted to throw him into a wave.”

“Oh, he just offered me dating advice.”

“Oh, wow. Are you gonna take him up on it?” Kensi asked playfully.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to be that desperate. In fact if I do get that desperate, you have permission to shoot me,” Deeks said.

“Hang on. I’m dying in this.” Kensi stopped and handed her board to Deeks and set her bag down. She turned her back towards him again. “Unzip me?”

Deeks didn’t linger this time and quickly averted his eyes as Kensi wriggled the wetsuit down to her waist.

“I didn’t realize I was that awful to look at,” she said when she’d finished.

“Oh yeah, you’re absolutely hideous,” Deeks drawled. “I’m trying not to be like that jackass.”

“The difference is, I mind if he watches.” Kensi met his gaze with a pleased little smirk and then took her board back, walking away with an extra sway in her step.

It took Deeks’ brain a second to process what she’d said, and then he hurried after her, grinning on delight.

***

***

On a Wave’s Edge, Part 7

This had to be one of the odder surfing lessons Deeks had given. He’d certainly had weirder clients, but the situation was certainly unique. To give Kensi—Melissa—the opportunity to draw Meyers in, Deeks had to be way more hands off than usual.

He kind of enjoyed the dramatics of it all and if Kensi and her team were able to catch Branston before anyone else got hurt, Deek was happy to help. He’d always gotten a scummy feeling off the guy, but never imagined that he’d been conning women out of their money.

Now, Deeks sat atop his board, watching Kensi and Branston from a few yards away. They sat parallel to each other, Kensi leaning forward with apparent rapt attention while Meyers gestured broadly with his hands. Whatever he was trying to explain, Deeks highly doubted the accuracy.

After about another ten minutes, Kensi looked past Meyers and widened her eyes at Deeks. He took that to mean she’d had enough of Branston’s charms for today.

“Ok, guys, let’s get a couple more waves in,” Deeks interrupted loudly. “We got about twenty minutes left and I can’t run over today.”

Kensi squeezed Branston’s arm apologetically and turned to paddle towards Deeks.

“Sorry, Marty. Branston’s just so interesting,” she said with a careless shrug. “I think I could listen to him all day.”

Damn, she was good. Branston gave a smug grin at her praise, obviously buying into every word. Watching her work was as appealing as the feel of her bare skin, which Deeks was actively trying to forget.

“It’s fine,” Deeks told them. “Just don’t expect a refund. Melissa, why don’t you go first?”

Nodding, Kensi paddled out in the direction he indicated. As she approached a decent-sized wave, he could see her mentally reviewing each step as she stood and fought for balance. She managed to stay up for a good ten seconds before crashing in the middle of the wave.

Deeks smiled to himself, proud of her progress even though it wasn’t the goal.

“That’s hot,” Branston commented from beside Deeks. He knocked Deeks’ arm with the back of his hand, the move unnecessarily aggressive, as if they shared more than a reluctant client-instructor relationships. “You ever want tips on how to score one like that, you let me know.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Deeks would sooner burn his entire store down and dance on the ashes.

Kensi returned, wiping her soaked hair back with an exhilarated smile. “That was amazing. How did it look before I fell?”

“Your form was great approaching the wave. Next time you want to keep your feet a little father apart and lean into the board as you go through it,” Deeks told her.

“I’ll work on it,” she said and he saw a hint of the ambitious agent peek through Melissa’s carefree attitude.

“Let me show you how it’s done,” Branston declared, picking up on none of it.

He paddled off towards a particularly rough wave with his usual overconfidence.

“Five bucks says he doesn’t make a single one,” Kensi muttered.

***

Kensi turned around in time to see Branston Meyers stalking towards them. He wore navy blue board shorts that looked uncomfortably tight and his hair down today; it almost reached his shoulders. Long hair didn’t suit him, Kensi thought uncharitably.

“Dude, what the hella. Did you give my time away again?” Branston demanded, with way more aggression than the situation warranted in Kensi’s opinion.

“Morning to you too, Meyers,” Deeks replied dryly. He gestured to Kensi. “This is Melissa and this was the only time that worked for her. I figured you wouldn’t mind too much,” Deeks explained easily. “Melissa this is Branston.”

Branston’s eyes flicked over Kensi as if he’d actually noticed her for the time. Unlike Deeks, he didn’t hide his obvious appraisal of her outfit. Or lack there of.

“Nice to meet you,” Kensi said, holding out her hand. Branston gave her a perfunctory handshake. “I told Marty I needed a different time and he is so accommodating.” She offered Deeks a friendly smile, then immediately turned her attention back to Branston, resting her hand on his forearm. “I hope you don’t mind too much.” She gave a slightly airy giggle.

Branston shifted slightly, seemingly thrown off by her friendliness, and made a dismissive sound. “As long as you don’t get in my way,” he decided.

“Perfect.” Kensi gave his arm a squeeze, working in another giggle.

“So we’re all friends now?” Deeks drawled. “Fantastic. Get your boards waxed and suits on.” He wandered away to presumably give them space.

Kensi set up across from Branston, purposely facing and started rubbing wax into her board, purposely using a slightly circular motion. She certainly hoped Branston was watching her because she was already sweating and somehow, her arm felt as if she’d just finished an especially intense workout.

A shadow suddenly fell over her and she paused to glance up.

“What kind of wax are you using?” Branston asked, folding his arms as he looked down on her.

Coming up on her knees, Kensi brushed some sand off her hands, and held up the container. “Deeks told me it was the best. What do you use?”

“It depends. I use different brand depending on the waves each day. Your technique could use some work. You wanna apply it at more of an angle than that. Here, let me show you.” Without asking, Branston kneeled down next to her, took the brush out her hand and began applying the wax.

Kensi looked over his head to see Deeks watching Branston with barely suppressed derision. He raises an eyebrow, which she interpreted as him asking if he should intervene. Kensi shook her head and offered a quick smile; so far, she had Branston exactly where she wanted him.

“Wow, you’re really good at that,” she praised Branston. Actually, his layers looked a lot thicker than what Deeks had shown her.

“It’s all about getting the feel for it,” Branston said arrogantly. “You’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Well, thanks for helping me. I’m still kind of new to this whole surfing thing.” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter a whole lot. “I wanted to try something new and I stumbled across this shop and now I’m here, trying to stand up on a wave for some crazy reason.”

“I guess it’s a good thing you met me.” He winked and handed her the brush. “All done.”

“I guess it’s lucky I couldn’t make my other lesson,” Kensi teased, playfully bumping his shoulder. That got a small grin out him.

Figuring she shouldn’t push too hard yet, Kensi grabbed her wetsuit and moved across the patch of sand. She wriggled into the suit and got the zipper halfway up her back, but couldn’t quite reach far enough to raise it the last few inches.

“Here, I got it,” Deeks offered.

Kensi had picked this suit in part because she’d pictured Branston helping her. But Deeks was an infinitely more appealing choice.

“Thanks.” Kensi turned her back towards him, holding her breath as Deeks lightly braced her with a hand on one of her shoulders and drew the zipper to the top in one smooth movement.

“That was very impressive,” he muttered as he tucked the zipper pull down, his fingers lingering ever so slightly on the back of her neck as he eased a few strands of hair away.

“That was nothing,” Kensi whispered back. His hand remained on her shoulder k and she let her mind wander. She imagined his warm hands sliding over more skin, helping her remove it after a long day of surfing.

“We should probably get out on the water,” he reminded her softly. Kensi detected a hint of regret in his voice and wished she could see his face.

***

On a Wave’s Edge, Part 5

Kensi had spent another three hours with Deeks, practicing various beginning techniques. Although she had agility on her side, it turned out that she was lacking some of the fundamental skills that would ensure she didn’t spend all her time crashing.

Deeks seemed to possess infinite patience even when Kensi’s frustration broke through. By the end of the session, he deemed her ready and sent her off with her new collection of surfing gear.

The next morning, she was back on the beach, this time headed for the first lesson with Branston. She paused about thirty yards from the surf shop, rolling her back to ease the ache from carting around a surfboard and duffel bag.

“You ready for this?” Callen asked. Both he and Sam seemed unusually worried about her despite this being one of the easiest cases they’d worked in a while.

“I think I can handle seducing a pompous LA con artist,” Kensi muttered, taking a moment to check her bikini top was in place. She’d gone with a deep teal shade and a tad smaller than her usual preference, with the hope that it would draw Meyers’ attention.

“I know you can. Just don’t get complacent because this guy hasn’t been violent yet. That can always change,” Sam reminded her.

“Got it. Now everybody shut up and let me get to work.”

Deeks was waiting for her when she walked up. He already wore his wetsuit, though he had it peeled down to his waist and had a light blue surfboard standing up in the sand.

If she’d thought he looked good in a t-shirt and jeans, the sight of his perfectly tan skin was even more impressive.

Keep it together, Kensi, she told herself.

“Hey.” Deeks offered her a warm smile as she reached him, and he took the duffel bag, much to Kensi’s relief. She noticed eyes dipping to her chest for a second before he caught himself and quickly looked back up. “You’re early.”

Kensi bit back a smile and definitely didn’t stand a little straighter in response. “Hi. I wanted a few minutes to debrief,” she explained. “Make sure we have our stories straight.”

“You’re Melissa Warren. You’re 31 years old, work for an art gallery, and you’re trying to find more of a work-life balance. You adore 90s movies and long walks on the beach,” Deeks rattled off, folding his arms over his chest. “Did I miss anything?”

For inexplicable reasons, Kensi found it incredibly sexy. “Not bad, but I don’t recall the part about the movies,” Kensi noted.

“I improvised.”

“Just remember we need him to like me but also think I’m stupid enough to buy into his con.”

“I think I can manage that,” Deeks assured her. He used a finger to gesture to her vaguely. “You might want to get changed now. It always takes longer than I plan on.”

“I thought Meyers should get a good look before we get started,” Kensi told him teasingly. “You don’t think it’s too much, right?”

Deeks nodded several times, ruffling his hair as he deliberately looked past her. It was kind of adorable. “Yeah, no, it’s exactly enough. Some might say perfect.”

“Oh, you think—”

***

Just Know My Heart is Breaking Too, Part 32

Deeks is waiting for Kensi in the parking garage on her last day with NCIS. It’s not the first time he’s picked her up here, since he’s technically not allowed past this point for security purposes, but it certainly feels symbolic today.

The last three months have contained a lot of highs and lows. Deeks made partner at the firm last month, Kensi’s replacement had officially started, and they were about to close on a house. Around all those events, they’ve had a few arguments and rough patches as they learned to navigate their renewed relationship and so many changes. Somehow, they’ve managed to work through those moments without shutting down or lashing out. It’s taken a lot of compromise, not to mention some much needed therapy, for both of them.

“Hey, baby, Congratulations ,” he says, offering Kensi a small bouquet of flowers as she meets him in front of his truck. She wraps her arms around him giving him a tight squeeze before she accepts the flowers and sniffs them with a smile.

“Thank you. They’re gorgeous.”

“How was your last day?” He takes the flowers while she climbs into the truck and buckles in.

“Well, nothing blew up and I only had to chase one suspect,” she answers and pulls out a couple more cards to add to the collection.

Over the last week, each NCIS department has marked her imminent departure with some form of celebration. Deeks’ favorite was IT covering Kensi’s desk in Twinkies. It had taken both of their vehicles to move them all to the apartment.

“And I bet that guy regretted running,” he comments as he starts to pull out of the garage. “Do you wanna go straight to the boat shed?”

“Mm-hmm. Nell instructed me to wear something nice and left a little early to set up. I think she’s planning something elaborate, even though I told her I don’t need anything special.”

Deeks chuckles, knowing that Nell has indeed planned to send Kensi out in style. He’d helped order the food and put up roughly a thousand balloons.

“It’s just cause they care.”

“I know. You deserve it as much as I do,” Kensi tells him, putting up a hand when he starts to object. “I would not have been able to do this without you. You talked me down when I was ready to quit early and listened to me rant after really hard days. You told me to believe in myself when I didn’t think I could do anything outside of NCIS.” She squeezes his hand tightly. “We did this together.”

“Team effort,” he settles on. “How did it feel submitting your final field report?” Deeks asks as they reach the pier, meeting Kensi’s eyes with a knowing smile.

“Amazing. I’m so glad I never have to write anything like that again,” she sighs. “Though last night I did dream that Hetty reappeared from wherever she is and told me I had a bunch of reports I needed to resubmit.” She shudders.

“That sounds horrifying.”

“It was. But then I woke up and you were there and Hetty wasn’t, so it was ok,” Kensi says with a little snort. Deeks grins and follows her out of the truck.

When they walk into the boat shed, Eric, Nell, Sam, and Callen are gathered around one of the tables. In addition to the balloons, someone has put up a retirement banner and streamers.

“Hey guys. Happy Last Day as an NCIS Special Agent, Kensi,” Nell calls out, greeting Kensi with a hug and a drink.

“Thank you, but I thought I specifically said I didn’t need a party,” Kensi says fondly.

“It’s not a party, it’s a celebration. And you can’t have a celebration without food and balloons.”

“Or libations,” Eric adds, gesturing to a generous selection of alcohol.

“And you can thank your boyfriend for ordering all the sushi, wide selection of Mexican food, and cake,” Nell adds.

Kensi raises an eyebrow at him, and he lifts both hands, quickly defending himself. “Hey, I just took orders from Nellosaurus.”

“Uh-huh.” Kensi leans up and kisses him, lingering for a few extra seconds to pour all her appreciate and love into it. No one objects for a change. In fact, when they pull apart, Sam and Callen are smiling indulgently.

“Ok, you two can make out later,” Nell says, handing Kensi a plate. “Get yourself some tacos and sushi, Lady.”

***

“How’s it feel now that you’re officially done?” Sam asks once everyone is sitting around with plates of food. “It’s gonna be a big change.”

“Good. It will be a lot different, but I’m not second guessing anything,” Kensi tells him firmly.

“Didn’t think you were. You both made it very clear you were certain about this path and I’m proud of you for following through.”

“And you guys are closing on the new house next month, right?” Callen asks.

“Yeah. As long as this buyer doesn’t back out,” Deeks confirms with a grimace. “I’m not looking forward to moving, but having more space again will be sweet.”

“At least this time I actually packed the boxes correctly and labeled them,” Kensi teases.

“See, I knew the self-help books would make a difference eventually,” Deeks teases back. She nudges him with her elbow, the gesture playful as she smiles up at him.

It strikes him how easy this is now. A couple years ago, those kinds of jokes would have struck harder and maybe even had a hint of malice behind them. Then again, they don’t have the underlying stress and unresolved issues hiding underneath.

“We’re taking a two week vacation starting next week and my orientation starts a week after,” Kensi adds. “That way we’ll start out fresh going into all the new things.”

“You know, with the new job, Kensi’s going to have a lot fewer late nights,” Callen points out. “How’s that going to work out with you being a partner now?”

“Actually, I have an excellent reason to be home these days.” Deeks squeezes Kensi’s hand. “Part of my new contract specifies shorter days and I get to have more control over the cases I accept.”

“Sounds like you guys got it all worked out,” Eric comments with a bittersweet smile.

“We tried,” Kensi agrees. “But if and when life throws us a curveball, we’ll handle it.”

“Cause no matter what, we’re partners,” Deeks finishes, then inclines his head. “Maybe raccoons.”

Kensi smiles and rests her head on his shoulder. “For life.”

***

***

It isn’t until the entire team arrive for dinner, that Kensi realizes just how small her apartment is. Although she’s had more of a social life than Deeks, she hasn’t been entertaining.

The entire team had encouraged her to take a chance with Deeks, but that was so much different than leaving. Now that the moment is here, nerves have kicked in. She’s completely certain of her decision to leave, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.

So here she is watching the team talk and laugh from the kitchen while what-ifs paralyze her.

“Thinking of making a break for it?” Deeks says unexpectedly from behind her, making her jump slightly.

“I thought you were checking the pizza.”

“It’s out. And you’re avoiding the question.” Deeks makes the observation lightly, but with obvious compassion.

“No, I haven’t changed my mind,” she promises. “I’m just realizing that making such a big announcement is easier in theory.” With a sigh, Kensi leans against Deeks’ chest, appreciating the stability and comfort. “How did you do it?” She twists her head in time to see Deeks lift an eyebrow.

“If you recall, I wasn’t exactly doing too well emotionally at that time. Resigning didn’t seem like that big a deal in the grand scheme of things,” he replies sardonically.

“Right.” Kensi winces. “Stupid question. I just don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

“Kens, they love you and they’re gonna support you no matter what.” Deeks kisses her cheek and wraps and arm around her shoulder, hugging her against his chest for a second.

“You’re right. Thank you for always knowing how to talk me down,” she says, squeezing his arm before she lets go and walks back into her small living room.

“Oh good, we were just getting ready to stage an intervention if you didn’t come out soon,” Callen jokes.

“Is everything ok?” Eric checks.

“We’re fabulous,” Deeks answers. “We were neither fighting nor engaged in any unmentionable activities.”

“Thank goodness for that,” Sam mutters as Callen chuckles.

Kensi looks around the room, at all these people who have supported her, loved her, and put up with her in her worst moments. Eric and Nell share a couch with Jared squeezed in at the end.

Jared has handled keeping her secret surprisingly well. Unlike Kensi, he seems completely calm and hasn’t given any sign that he knows anything. He’s come a long way and she feels proud at the realization. He’s going to be ok without her. They all will.

“Actually, there is another reason why we invited all of you here tonight besides celebrating us getting back together,” Kensi begins, sharing a nervous look with Deeks. He nods encouragingly and she wishes this didn’t feel so much like a high school presentation. “Even though I’ve spent hours thinking about it, I don’t really know how to say this.”

“Can I say something first?” Sam asks, standing up from his spot on the couch.

“Sure.” Kensi nods uncertainly, but lets Sam move to the center of the room.

“I remember when you were just a rookie agent who was so determined to make a difference and prove yourself. I’d say you more than met your own expectation because you are one hell of an agent, Kensi.” He gave Kensi a half-smirk as he paused. “And you’re going to be amazing at whatever you do next. Whether it’s with NCIS or somewhere else.”

“How did you—?” Kensi asks, looking first to Deeks and then Jared, but they look equally surprised.

Sam rolls his eyes. “You’ve been on edge all night. I couldn’t take you biting at your nails anymore.”

“We also kind of made bets as soon as Deeks came back on board,” Callen reveals shamelessly. “Figured it wouldn’t be too long until you started thinking about the future beyond NCIS.”

“There’s also the fact you actually took your full medical leave for a change,” Sam adds.

So, you are leaving?” Eric confirms. He’s been unusually quiet all evening and now she knows why.

“Three months,” Kensi says. “I promise I wasn’t hiding this from you guys. I just had to make sure everything was in order before I shared the news.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Nell tells her, coming over to hug Kensi tightly. “I’m gonna miss you so much, Lady. But I’m also happy for you.” Nell laughs wetly, then reaches for Deeks, hugging him just as fiercely. “And you too. You have no idea how hard I’ve worked for this.”

“Oh, we know,” Deeks assures her. “Thank you for all your meddling and pushing. I don’t know if we would have figured it out without you.”

“Definitely not,” Callen teases. “You two idiots were prepared to be miserable for the rest of her lives.”

Forty-five minutes later, Kensi had a brand new wetsuit, a waxing brush, what Deeks had cited as the best wax available, and a bag to carry all of it. Now, Kensi was out back in front a row of surfboards of varying lengths.

“Here, try this one,” Deeks said, setting a blue and green board in front of her to replace the bright pink one she’d just tested. “It’s a little bit longer but slightly firmer.”

He’d explained since she was less experienced, a longer board with a softer top might be helpful. So far, she’d tried out four different boards. The last one, which had also been the longest, Deeks had immediately rejected as soon as she’d tried out a basic stance.

“Are you sure this will really make a difference?” she asked. She could feel the slight give in the top material, but not enough that she imagined it would make or break her performance.

“Absolutely. You’ll be able to stay on your board longer, have greater stability while standing, and have a better chance of catching waves,” Deeks explained while observing her. “You know what, I think I have one inside that might be an even better fit for you. I’ll be right back.”

“Mr. Deeks, you don’t need to—”

“Deeks,” he corrected with a soft laugh. “The last person to call me Mr. Deeks was my high school chemistry teacher and he may or may not have hated me just a little bit.”

“Ok. Deeks.” Kensi nodded in acceptance that they were taking down another small barrier. “I think you’re going a little overboard. We can compensate you for some of the merchandise, but I don’t know if our supervisor will approve of all these extras. I don’t want your business to suffer because of this.

“Call it the NCIS special,” Deeks said with a shrug. “Having the right equipment will help you keep up. Besides, I told you Branston thinks he’s some kind of surfing guru. He’ll want to impress you and prove that he’s better if he sees you decked out with the best.”

“So, I should probably not show him up,” Kensi guessed.

“Eh, you can a little bit. He’s a competitive guy. Sometimes he tries to engage with random surfers who are way out of his league. You’ll just want to pull back before he pulls the adult version of ‘that’s my ball and I’m leaving’.”

“Dealt with my fair share of those before.”

Deeks disappeared for a few minutes, then returned with the promised board. Kensi walked across the surface, dropping into her knees a little, and paying attention to the way it gripped the bottom of her bare feet.

“How’s that feel?”

“Actually, a lot better,” Kensi admitted with rueful chuckle. “I guess I should have listened to the master.”

Deeks’ upper lip lifted in a satisfied smile, but he shrugged off the implied compliment. “I’m just a guy who grew up on the water and had a lot of great mentors. Now I get to do that for other people, which is a pretty amazing feeling.”

“That’s really admirable,” she murmured, smiling back without thinking.

“I don’t know about that.” Clearing his throat, he gestured to her. “Can I?”

After a second, Kensi realized he was asking permission to adjust her stance.

“Be my guest.” She held her arms in the air, not unlike of she was about to be frisked. A shiver of anticipation ran through her as she waited for Deeks touch her. He very carefully place one hand at her waist and the other on her right shoulder. The warmth of his hands permeated the thin material of her t-shirt.

“Is this ok?” he asked, his voice lower and slightly rougher than normal.

“Yes,” Kensi said, annoyed at how breathy she sounded.

With the same care, Deeks shifted her position, gently pressing on her shoulder or nudging her leg a few inches one way or the other.

“This should help you keep your balance with less effort,” he explained. One of his hands drifted down her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake.

Kensi was acutely aware of how close he was to her; if she turned her head a little—

Deeks cleared his throat and abruptly stepped back, taking the warmth with him. “I think that’s, uh, that’s enough off water practice. We should probably go down to the shore before it gets too busy.”

“Right.” Kensi nodded several times and knelt to pick up the board, hoping it would cover her annoyingly flushed skin.

“Hey, remember that you’re going to be seducing Meyers, not the surfer,” Callen reminded her in her ear.

“Shut up,” she hissed back. Deeks gave her a confused look, which she ignored in favor of stalking towards the water.

***

***

On a Wave’s Edge, Part 3

Surprisingly, Kensi endured very little teasing on the way back to the mission. They were all too busy discussing how their original plan for Meyers would need to change. From Kensi’s point of view, the surfing lesson gave her a much better excuse to meet Meyers and let him win her over than their original plan.

By the time they arrived back in OPS, they’d settled on a basic plan, but Callen and Sam wanted thoroughly vet Deeks before sending her back in.

In the past, she’d worked with less trustworthy people under significantly worse conditions, so she wasn’t all that worried Deeks would raise any flags.

“Ok, what’s this guy’s name?“ Eric asked when they made it upstairs.

“Marty Deeks.”

“Let’s see if he’s as uninvolved in Branston’s schemes as he claimed,” Callen commented.

“He seemed pretty honest to me,” Kensi said without thinking. She regretted it immediately, especially when Callen and Sam turned to her with twin knowing looks.

“Oh, is that a note of admiration I hear in your voice?” Callen asked.

Kensi groaned internally; sometimes it really sucked to work with people who knew her so well.

“No, just my professional opinion. He didn’t try to hide anything from me and even thought of things that would help. But he was also wary enough that he didn’t appear overly eager to get on my good side.

“Didn’t hurt that he was flirting the whole time,” Sam observed.

“Ok, Martin A. Deeks,” Eric said, drawing everyone’s attention to the big screen. Martin Deeks, better known as just Deeks, is the sole owner of The Perfect Wave surf shop and has been since 2008. Oh, interesting.”

“What?”

“He has a law degree, but it looks like he left the profession after a brief stint with the district attorney’s office. His record’s clean.”

“He’s cute,” Nell said, then added, “And his business has 4.8 stars on Google Reviews.”

“Any ideas why he quit law so fast?” Sam asked. “Takes a lot of commitment to get through law school and pass the bar.”

“Not really.” Nell squinted as she typed and sorted through search results. “He had a couple of verbal reprimands from judges while presenting cases, but those didn’t lead anywhere. It looks like he struggled with defending some criminal defendants who were accused of pretty awful crimes and reported a few dirty cops to LAPD. So, I’m guessing that didn’t make him super popular.” Looking up, Nell swiveled her chair around.

“Any unusual contact with Meyers? Or unexplained windfalls?”

“He sent text messages to one of Meyers cells. Both asking for confirmation of lesson times. Meyers did not reply,” Eric summed up. “Which is very rude.” He opened up a page of financial information. “Business has been steady and good. I don’t see any usually large payments or debts.”

“Oh look, he hosts monthly surfing sessions for vets and other vulnerable groups,” Nell added suddenly, her voice softening as she tilted her head. A few pictures from a public Facebook page populated on the screen.

Kensi’s squeezed with something dangerously close to affection at the images of Deeks grinning in obvious delight as he helped a child stand atop a board. She gave herself a mental shake; this was ridiculous. She’d only met Marty Deeks a few hours ago. She shouldn’t feel anything for him.

“He sounds like a real boy scout,” Sam commented dryly, drawing Kensi’s attention back to the conversation. “Alright, it sounds like you’re safe to bring him into the operation.”

“Hope you stocked up on sunscreen,” Callen added, winking at her.

***

Kensi arrived at The Perfect Wave early the day before her scheduled lesson. Eric had handled all of the phone calls with Deeks, which Kensi both appreciated and regretted.

When she walked in, the shop was completely empty other than Deeks, who sat up front with what appeared to be a month’s worth of receipts.

“Hey, Special Agent Kensi Blye,” he greeted her, his smile genuine and open despite the hour and what she had to imagine was a great inconvenience.

“Good morning. Thank you again for doing this.”

“It’s for a good cause.”

“Is your employee around?” Kensi asked, looking around as if the kid she saw yesterday might pop out of one of the few aisles.

“Jake? Yeah, I asked him to come in late today,” he explained. “I figured you wouldn’t want him to overhear anything confidential.”

“That was really thoughtful of you. Are you sure you weren’t a police officer in another life?” Kensi said jokingly.

“I’m sure you know I was a lawyer. Confidentially is kind of a big deal.” He said it with a vaguely sardonic tone and she didn’t know if it was aimed at her or himself.

“Well, that makes my job a lot easier. Just to cover all of our bases, you obviously can’t tell anyone about this. I don’t anticipate this to be a dangerous operation, but by working with NCIS you may be put into dangerous or comprising circumstances,” Kensi rattled off. “Do you have any questions?”

Deeks inclined his head and pulled a face. “As a former lawyer, I definitely shouldn’t agree to such vague terms.“ He made a show of mulling it over, then rolled his eyes. “I already said I’d help. I’m not backing out now.”

“Good. Oh, um, and my alias is Melissa Warren.”

“Sweet! I’ve always wanted to be a spy.”

“You’re not getting an alias,” Kensi reminded him, even though she figures he was joking.

“And you just killed my dreams,” he sighed, pausing a beat and made Director eye contact. It was a little disconcerting and definitely overwhelming. “I agree to all your terms and conditions, Melissa.”

“That’s going to get old fast,” she muttered. “Ok, what are doing today?”

“First, you get to pick out a surfboard, wetsuit, and accessories and then you’re gonna get a surfing crash course.” He held up a hand as if expecting an objection. “Just for my peace of mind.”

“Thinks pretty highly of himself,” Sam observed. Kensi managed not to flinch at the sudden intrusion over comms. Nell was supposed to be monitoring, but she hadn’t known anyone else jumped on too.

“I’ve had a couple lessons,” Kensi said, neglecting to mention they’d been from Eric and she’d gotten frustrated after the third time she’d fallen. Or that she’d asked Eric for a refresher on boards last night.

“Good. Then this should be simple.” He stood up, setting the receipts to the side. Once again, he was wearing a blue t-shirt, though this one was a darker shade and he paired it with an equally tight pair of jeans.

Kensi followed the broad line of his shoulders down to his waist, where the hem of his shirt had ridden up, revealing a small strip of his lower back. Her cheeks flushed at the tanned skin and she had the sudden, ridiculous urge to touch it.

Deeks turned around before she could act on her absurd impulse, his smile turning to one of mild concern. He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Are you ok? You look a little…off.”

“I’m fine,” Kensi lied. “But you could invest in better air conditioning. It’s a little warm in here.”

“Uh-huh. I’ll bring it up to management.” He gestured across the room to a wall entirely lined with different surfboards. “Let’s find something that says ‘my name is Melissa and I’m definitely not a secret agent’.”

***

On A Wave’s Edge, Part 2

“Do you have room for another client?”

“Why?” Deeks asked, now eyeing her warily, though she had a feeling he knew where this was headed.

“I need to get close to Branston Meyers, so you’re going to give me lessons too,” Kensi explained reasonably. Before she even finished speaking, he started shaking his head.

“Branston pays for one-on-one lessons and he’s not gonna like anyone else being there. He likes having all the attention on him.”

“Convince him.” Kensi gave him a playful look. “I’m sure you could be persuasive if you want to.”

“You have no idea,” Deeks said in a slightly hoarse voice that made Kensi’s stomach swoop pleasantly.

“Or I could always make it an official NCIS order,” Kensi suggested.

“You, uh, might have better luck with asking nicely. Historically, I don’t do well with being forced to do things.” He smirked, the expression slightly mocking and yet Kensi didn’t hate it.

“Then, Mr. Deeks, would you please help NCIS catch a serial con artist?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he agreed. His eyes flicked over her. “Is there a number I can reach you at? You know, to let you know when to come.”

“Someone from my office will be contacting you. We have access to your information,” Kensi said, trying to get things back to a professional tone.

“That would be concerning new if you weren’t a federal agent.” Crossing his arms, he nodded to the row of boards lined up. “Do you have your own equipment? Board, wetsuit, wax, brush.”

“No,” Kensi admitted. “I can probably borrow what I need.”

Deeks chuckled at that, shaking a couple curls out of his eyes. “Yeah, that’s not going to work. If you want this cover to work, you’re going to need your own equipment.” He studied Kensi for a few moments. “Come the day before the lesson and I’ll get you set up with everything.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“No, I don’t. But I hate to see a surfer using stuff they’re not comfortable with. Beside, it’ll give you a chance to get acquainted with the shop and make sure you’re ready for your first lesson. Because the last thing you want is to rub your wax in the wrong way.”

“I think I could figure it out,” Kensi said dryly.

“That’s what everybody thinks. It takes a, uh, a practiced touch. You put too much on and you’ll slip right off.” He winked and Kensi couldn’t stop her smile in response.

“Well, we can’t have that. I guess you’ll have to show me all your special tricks.”

“I look forward to it.” His voice dropped again and Kensi realized he was openly flirting with her now and she didn’t mind at all. He held her gaze for a few extra seconds, then cleared his throat, and looked away as if pulling himself out of the moment. “I got a group lesson with twelve year olds in about twenty minutes, so you might want to leave before this place is overrun with children.”

“Right.” Kensi nodded quickly, holding out her hand before she could stop herself. Deeks took it after a second, humor in his eyes as he shook it once more. “I appreciate your help.”

“Anytime, Kensi Blye.”

Kensi turned away before she did anything truly embarrassing and exhaled quietly.

“Kensi, what did you just do?” Sam demanded in her ear. “That was completely off script.”

“I have to pivot,” she explained quietly. “I think this actually works better than our original plan.”

“Yeah, but did you have to plan a date while you were at it?” Callen asked.

“Shut up. I’m headed back your way.”

“What does your surf instructor look like?” Sam asked. “I want to get eyes on him. Make sure he isn’t tipping Meyers off.”

“He’s about six feet tall, curly blonde hair, blue board shorts,” Kensi rattled off, omitting the exact shade of his tan skin and blue eyes from her description. She picked her way around a family’s large sand castle and moat, trying to hurry, but not catch anyone’s attention. “He was the only instructor around, so he shouldn’t be hard to find.”

“Definitely wasn’t hard for you to find.” Before Kensi could object to Callen’s comment, he moved. “I’ll meet you two back at the SUV and we can head back to the mission.”

***

On A Wave’s Edge

Kensi pushed her sunglasses higher on the bridge of her nose, pretending to enjoy the view of the ocean as she looked out onto the beach. She noted the many swimmers, surfers, and sunbathers even as she kept an eye out for their suspect. Branston Meyers.

A former Army Sergeant, Meyers was now the prime suspect for a string of confidence schemes involving young women. He’d lure them in with fancy meals and trinkets under an alias, then quickly drain their bank accounts. It wasn’t the most sophisticated operation, but turned out to be surprisingly effective.

Callen and Sam were somewhere else on the beach, trying to be discreet. Between Callen’s general loner air and Sam’s impressive frame, that was a tricky order. Especially since Sam had unequivocally refused to wear trunks. With that in mind, they’d decided Kensi should take the lead.

She’d dressed the part in a short sundress over a bikini. With any luck, it would be enough to grab Meyers’ attention. According to the profile they had, Kensi fit Meyers’ type, which was mid-twenties to early thirties.

Moving along the pier, Kensi headed towards the beach, her feet sinking into the warm sand once she was off the platform.

“Kensi, I spotted our guy. He’s headed your way,” Callen said in her ear.

“Got it,” Kensi muttered. It took a few minutes, but eventually she picked Branston out from the group of similarly dressed men. He had his shoulder length hair pulled up in a man bun, wore black trunks, and carried a bright green surfboard.

Of course he had a man bun, Kensi thought as she moved towards him. Concealing her derision, she sped up, intending to “run” into Branston and play the damsel in distress.

At the last second, a group of loud and oblivious teenagers stepped in front of her. It gave Branston just enough time to get ahead of her and

“Dammit!”

“Kensi?”

“I’m fine,” Kensi assured Sam, weaving to keep Branston in sight. “Just taking a slight detour.” She continued to follow Branston, keeping back enough that he wouldn’t realize she was trailing him. Fortunately, he didn’t look back a single time.

Meyers kept walking until he reached a small surf shop. He bypassed the shop itself, instead approaching a tall blonde man dressed in a pale blue t-shirt and board shorts. Kensi held back, pretending to examine a set of wind chimes and touristy magnets displayed on a rack near the shop’s entrance while she

The surfer guy was industriously working on a surfboard, but looked up when Branston came into his field of vision.

“Hey, Kyle.” Surfer guy brushed his hair back, setting a small tool to the side, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kensi immediately guessed he wasn’t Branston’s biggest fan.

“Hey,” Branston replied, nodding to Surfer Guy with a sharp jab of his chin. “Are we good for today?”

“I told you, man, I need to be paid upfront,” he reminded him. He said something else, but a light breeze rattled the wind chimes and Kensi missed it.

“You’ll get your money,” Branston said sharply. “I expect to see you on Wednesday.”

“I’ll be here with bells on.” Then Surfer Guy lowered his head again and resumed his work, effectively ending the conversation. Kensi quickly ducked inside the shop before Branston could see her. She’d lost her chance for to fake a run-in.

The teenaged employee inside gave her a cursory glance before looking at the phone in his hand again.

“Branston just made some kind of deal with a surfer. I’m gonna see what he knows,” Kensi informed Callen and Sam under her breath. If the teenager thought it was odd she was talking to herself, he didn’t show it. Peering around a display of board wax and brushes, Kensi saw that Branston was several yards in the distance.

Walking back outside, she found the surfer in the same spot, though now he was working on a different board.

“Hi, can I help you?” he asked pleasantly. Much more pleasantly than he’d spoken to Branston. He even smiled, his upper lifting crookedly. It was a nice smile that lit up his entire face and extended to his blue eyes.

Kensi cleared her throat. “Do you work here?”

“Kind of. I’m the owner, Marty Deeks.” He gestured to the shop and held his hand out. Kensi took it automatically, her skin heating at his firm grip. “Are you looking to sign up for classes? Maybe a new board?”

“Actually, no. I’m Special Agent Kensi Blye, NCIS,” Kensi said, pulling her wallet from inside her dress. Deeks lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t make any comments as he accepted her ID and examined it thoroughly.

Kensi was impressed he took the time since most people just accepted her at her word. Maybe it was another sign he’d been engaging in criminal behavior.

“Hello, Agent Kensi Blye. I’d didn’t realize you guys had a beach division,” he commented. “Do I need to call my lawyer?”

“Hopefully not. Why were you talking with Branston Meyers?”

Deeks repeated the name, his eyebrow arching, this time in confusion.

“Kyle,” Kensi clarified, remembering the name Deeks had used. “It’s one of his aliases.”

“Well, that’s not a good sign,” Deeks drawled. He settled a hand on one hip. “Kyle—Branston—takes surfing lessons here. What is he supposed to have done?”

“You don’t seem that surprised by any of this,” Kensi observed.

With a shrug, Deeks exhaled noisily. “He’s kind of an ass.”

Kensi snorted. “That sounds about right. Meyers is wanted in connection with a fraud case. Specifically stealing money from young women after pretending to date them.”

“Wow. And he can’t even manage to pay me a hundred bucks a week for his surfing lessons,” Deeks said. “That’s awful. Are these women ok?”

“Physically, yes. Financially and otherwise, not really,” Kensi responded. A plan was starting to form as she talked. She eyed Deeks, trying to see any signs that he was lying to her. “How often does Branston taken lessons with you?”

“Usually once a week. Sometimes twice.”

“Can you think of any information he’s told you that might be helpful to our investigation?”

“Uh…” Deeks scratched his chin. “He told me he works in finance and almost always manages to slip in comments about his fancy house or luxurious vacations. Honestly, I try to talk to him as little as possible because he’s a smug creep. I just didn’t know how much of a creep,” he said, shrugging apologetically.

“Hmm. Is he any good? At surfing,” Kensi clarified.

Deeks chuckled. “No. He’s one of my worst students, but he thinks he’s amazing. He’s tried to give me tips a few times.”

“Perfect,” Kensi, smiling when Deeks gave her a confused look. “Do you have room for another client?”

***

***

It’s a week before Kensi feels ready to return to work. Oddly enough, the medical leave is an unexpected blessing in disguise. It gives her time to move past the initial reaction of fear and examine her feelings more logically.

Nothing changes. She doesn’t miss work the way she used to. For once, Kensi enjoys spending time at home without threat of Nell calling at any moment.

Bit by bit, Kensi realizes, she’s done. She doesn’t want to be an agent anymore. And somehow, it’s as easy as that.

She wakes up that morning without the dread she expected; instead, she feels relieved and at peace. There’s an end in sight.

Deeks blinks sleepily when she shifts against him, moving onto his side to face her.

“Morning. You look weirdly happy for it being 6:30 in the morning.”

“Well, I woke up with you next to me,” she responds, brushing his hair from his eyes. Once I again, she can’t believe that this is her life. And how close they came to never getting back to this place.

“That is incredibly cheesy.” He grins softly. “But also incredibly true.”

Looping her arms around his neck, Kensi shifts closer. “If I didn’t have to go to work…” she trails off as Deeks kisses her.

Several minutes later, she’s breathless and completely awake. Before she can get distracted again, Kensi threads her fingers into Deeks’ hair.

“Hey, I need to tell you something.”

“Is it that I haven’t lost my fantastic oral abilities?” he guesses and Kensi fights back a smile.

“No. I’m trying to be serious and you’re making it very difficult,” she says and Deeks shifts back enough to see her face.

“That sounds serious.

“It’s not bad,” Kensi promises. “I decided I want to move up my resignation.”

“Wow. Ok, that’s—wow.” His eyes Woden with surprise for a few seconds before he settles into a more neutral expression. “When were you thinking?”

“Three months,” Kensi tells him. “It’s enough time to get things in order and hopefully find my replacement, but won’t prolong things unnecessarily. I thought I could tell everyone when we have our rescheduled dinner this weekend. Except for Jared. He deserves to know first.”

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Deeks checks, a hint of worry in his eyes. “Cause you know that there’s no rush to make a decision.”

“Yes,” Kensi says easily.

Deeks nods, his lips pursing slightly as he clearly hesitates over whatever he wants to say. Finally, he looks down, the fingers of his left hands idly tracing the sheet over her hip. “You’re not doing this for me, right? Cause I don’t need that from you.”

“It’s not the only reason. Your feelings definitely played a factor, but it’s one of many reasons.” Kensi cups his cheeks, lifting his head so he can see that she means it. “I need to be alive and whole to do all the things I want to do with you. What happened last week made me realize there isn’t any point in putting it off. I’m doing this for us, baby.”

Deeks eyes her for several seconds and then breaks into a stunning grin. “I’m happy for you.”

“Me too.”

He pulls her back to his mouth and Kensi lets herself be distracted for a few more minutes.

“We do not have time for this,” she sighs even as she leans in for another kiss. “Ugh, ok, I need to go.”

***

“Deeks, I’ll be ok on my own,” Kensi insists as Deeks hands her as glass of water and two ibuprofen. After a painful night of sleep, she’d woken up to Deeks making her breakfast and the news that he planned to stay home with her.

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you have to,” he replies softly.

“I don’t want to you to miss something important,” she say half-heartedly.

“Kens, I can reschedule my meetings.” He sets a plate of eggs and pancakes in front of her. “I want to be here for you. Making up for lost time.” Deeks smiles, but Kensi can tell it’s forced and he’s still scared.

She supposes she can’t fault him for wanting to stay close.

“Thank you.” Tilting her chin up, she kisses him, ignoring the sting of her sutures being tugged by the movement.

“Always,” Deeks promises. Instead of eating with her, he gets up and starts cleaning up. Kensi senses a nervous energy to his movements and she wonders if he actually slept at all last night. “I thought the eggs would be pretty soft, but if it hurts to eat, I can make something else,” he offers.

“This is perfect.” Kensi takes a bit and realizes that she’s actually starving. “Come sit and eat with me.”

***

Getting back up hurts a lot more after sitting for a while. It takes a significantly longer than Kensi would like to admit to get to Deeks’ bathroom. Fortunately, he’s too busy cleaning and calling his office to see her limp down the hall and into the small bathroom.

When she sees her face in the mirror, she flinches; the bruises look significantly worse than last night. Without warning, she flashes back to a hotel room. She sees the moment the man in front of her realizes she’s not really a maid, and blocks his attack. She doesn’t manage to stop the second man from slamming her to the ground.

Kensi shakes her head to pull out of the memory and inhales deeply, running through one of the many centering exercises she knows. When she opens her eyes again, the injuries don’t drag her back under.

They do look awful though. No wonder Deeks had freaked out last night. If Kensi had been thinking more clearly, she would have cleaned up a bit more before coming.

She hadn’t been thinking though. At least not beyond getting to Deeks and the security and comfort he could provide.

For a moment, Kensi imagines how the case might have gone differently if Deeks was still her partner. That thought makes her shudder.

She’s beyond relieved Deeks hadn’t been there. Because she knows he’d have either been going out of his mind with worry, or drawing attention to himself to keep her safe. He could have been the one beaten and fighting for his life.

Absolutely not.

That can never happen again.

***

Just Know My Heart is Breaking Too, Part 27

Deeks whistles to himself as he moves around his kitchen, dumping the contents of a pan into a serving dish. It’s relatively early on a Friday, Kensi’s on her way, and he’s cleared most of the weekend so they can spend it together uninterrupted.

A few minutes later, he hears the front door open and he calls out, “

“I hope you’re hungry, Kensalina, because dinner is going to be fabulous.”

“Hey,” Kensi says from behind him.

Something in the mumbled word has Deeks turning around; it takes his brain approximately five seconds to fully process that Kensi’s face is completely battered.

“Oh my god,” Deeks says, rushing towards her. He reaches for her cheek, but stops just shy of actually touching the swollen and purpling skin. “What happened? Here sit down.”

Wincing, Kensi lets him guide her out of the kitchen and towards the couch, most resisting when he puts a hand under her elbow to support her. She actually groans as she sits, the movement clearly painful, and his heart instantly starts pounding.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” Kensi murmurs. “I had to go undercover today and it went south. Fast.” As she speaks, a few drops of blood trickle down her chin from a split in her lip.

Deeks knows those kinds of cases. They’d both been in a situation that went bad without warning and nearly died more times than he can count. His stomach clenches and he swallows down the sudden nausea that fills him.

“Can I touch you?” he asks gently and Kensi nods. Slowly, Deeks carefully checks each bruise and cut. Her left cheek is so swollen and raised, he worries it might be fractured. Three cuts mark her right cheek, temple, eyebrow. Remarkably, her nose looks untouched. “Did you get checked out?”

Kensi nods. “Yeah. They said my cheek has deep bruising, but nothing’s broken,” she says, her lips barely moving.

“Did you cut your mouth?”

“Three stitches.”

Deeks inhales slowly to center himself again before continuing on. “Ok, what about the limp?”

“Twisted ankle and banged up knee. It’s going to hurt for a couple weeks.” She swallows and reaches for her arm. “I also dislocated my shoulder. The EMT said I won’t be able to shoot for a week or so.”

“Kens.” He closes his for a few seconds and he feels Kensi shift in front of him.

“I know I should have gone to the hospital. But I just wanted to get back to you,” she says, sounding almost guilty.

When Deeks opens his eyes again, she’s watching him with a nervous look. He opens his arms and she sinks against him immediately, letting out a sigh mixed with relief and pain.

“You could have called me,” he reminds her gently. “You know I would have been there in a second.”

“I know. I didn’t want to stay at the hospital,” she admits.

“Kensi—” He cuts himself off and shakes his head before his fear-induced anger can take hold.

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, tell me what you’re thinking.” He feels her fingers curl into the hair on his neck, and he wonders who she’s trying to comfort.

“I’m trying really hard not to freak out and make this about me. Or say something I’ll regret.” He pauses to ease back and takes one of her hands on his, rubbing a pattern into her skin.

“Deeks, we promised we would be honest with each other,” Kensi says. “Even if you think I won’t like it, I want to know.”

“I’m terrified,” he tells her on a long exhale. “The second you walked through that door, it sent me right back to that place I was in two years ago. I, uh, I forgot what it feels like to see you hurt and thinks of the what ifs. You know.”

Kensi nods, pressing her face to his neck. It has to hurt, but she doesn’t move. “Yeah,” she murmurs into his skin. “I was really scared too. The guys weren’t far behind. It was long enough though.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I’m glad you weren’t there.” Her grip tightens on him. “The last thing I want is for you to be hurt like this.”

“Next time, promise you’ll let me know right away,” Deeks requests. He’ll never stop worrying as long as Kensi’s still with NCIS, but wondering if she’s trying to protect him like today would make it so much worse.

“I will,” Kensi says. “I love you.“

“I love you too.”

***

***

“You know, I think I’ve spent every single night this week here,” Deeks observes, trailing his fingers over Kensi’s shoulder.

It’s early in the morning, and they probably should be getting as much sleep as possible, yet Kensi can’t make herself be that responsible. Not when having Deeks in her bed again is so new.

“Is that a problem?”

Deeks lifts his head briefly to make eye contact. “Mm-mm.” He dips his head again, kissing the same spot his fingers had just traveled. “I couldn’t be happier. Though yesterday I almost fell asleep writing an email.”

“You could bring over more of your stuff. Then you wouldn’t have to leave so early,” Kensi suggests.

“That sounds suspiciously like moving in.”

“Consider it a baby step.” She shrugs, ignoring the slight increase in her heart rate. It’s not a big deal. She just wants Deeks to be comfortable when he spends the night. “I’m actually surprised you haven’t commented on the mess yet.” Resting her cheek on her fist, she gives him a suspicious look, hoping he doesn’t call her on the obvious change in topic.

“I think I learned a lesson about that my first time around,” Deeks jokes. “Actually, you’re a lot cleaner than you used to be.”

“Maybe I learned some things too. It’s definitely a lot easier to find things when I actually put them away,” Kensi admits.

“I’m not saying anything.”

Turning to face him fully, Kensi runs her fingers through his hair. “What do you have going on today?”

“I have an introductory meeting with a soon-to-be divorcee,” Deeks tells her with a small twist of his lips. “And then some follow up sessions.”

“Hopefully not another Melanie,” Kensi comments, then smirks. “Though I guess we do kind of owe her for getting back together.”

“Oh god.” Deeks groans and rolls his eyes. “The last thing I need is to be beholden to Melanie Richard. No, this one should be fairly straightforward. She’s not giving off criminal vibes and fortunately isn’t in obvious distress.”

“Good. You need a break every now and then from the hard ones.” She pauses a moment, then asks, “I know we decided to wait a while before telling anyone about us, but I feel like I, we, should let the team know. They’ll figure out soon enough and I’d rather announce it ourselves.” She hopes she isn’t pushing too hard; they keep talking about going slowly. They want to avoid making the same mistakes as last time.

Deeks’ eyes light up, and the tightness in Kensi’s chest eases. “I think that’s a fantastic idea. Are you going to do it today?”

“Actually, I thought we could have everyone over for dinner this weekend,” Kensi says, cupping his cheek. “Then we can do it together.” Deeks doesn’t say anything, but leans in for a kiss, which she takes as approval. “I probably will tell Jared before then. Is there anyone you want to tell?”

“Vicky clocked it the first day. And as much as we love my mom, I don’t think either of us are ready for the level of excitement she’ll rain down on us,” Deeks muses.

“I’ll follow your lead, but I’m also happy to include her, craziness and all. I’ve missed her.”

“She’s missed you too.” Deeks purses his lips. “I’ll test the waters.”