"I'll call you I promise" Deeks had said to the beautiful blonde lady at the bar. The beautiful blonde potential witness. Kensi gritted her teeth and jumped in her car. As she sat watching him flirt back and forth with the very pretty girl, his smile so wide it almost made her smile just looking at it, and despite that, she could feel the rage rising inside of her. Why did he always have to be like this? The girl shouted something Kensi didn't hear and Deeks started to walk across the street towards the bar once again. Something snapped and she punched down hard on the car horn, not breaking contact. Deeks hearing this waved goodbye to his new friend, motioning that he would call her and jumped in the car.

"What the hell Kens?" he laughed " You trying to deafen the whole street." He had to laugh didn't he she thought, he could never be serious when she needed him to be. "Kens..." he said nervously. They were moving along the road now, going faster than she probably should have, and she was doing her best job of ignoring him. Deeks decided he couldn't be bothered fighting anyway and turned on the radio.

They finally arrived at the boat shed after one of the longest, and tense 20 minute rides either of them had ever been on. Slamming on the breaks and shutting off the radio she turned to him and finally spoke.

"Why must you be so unprofessional all the damn time?" she spoke. She wasn't yelling, which some how hurt Deeks more. She wasn't just in a bad mood, she genuinely felt that way. Before he could think of a retort she continued "Sure it's chatting up a witness now, what, next week you sleep with a suspect?" She could feel herself being a little too dramatic and yet, was unable to stop herself. It seemed the only time her chest didn't hurt was when she was pushing him away.

"Dammit Kensi." He finally yelled. "If you really feel that way, maybe we shouldn't be partners anymore?" They sat in silence for a few moments before she replied, in such a quiet whisper had it not been the two of them alone in the quiet of the car, he wouldn't have heard;

"Maybe we shouldn't."

Entering the boat shed, the rest of their team moved towards them.

"We got a confession guys, Hetty says we can head home and come in early to do our After Action Reports if we want" Sam shared. Without saying a word, Deeks nodded at the men and left the boat shed, eager to get out of there, and eager to get drunk.

Sam and Callen shared a look,

"Is there a problem Kensi?" Sam asked, already knowing the answer. Kensi moved towards the door, she opened her mouth to speak, planning to lie and make a joke at her and her partners expense. The words didn't come out. The hurt she was feeling was too much, instead she just shook her head, tried to smile and headed towards her car. As she climbed into her car she could she her partners figure in the distance, heading in the wrong direction of his house. After a short debate, she decided to let him be. They would discuss it in the morning.

"Miss. Blye?" The quiet voice of her boss made the brunette jump, she hadn't realised Hetty was still in the office. "Why are you still here at 10pm?" Hettys voice was inquisitive, Kensi was the most likely of her team to put off filling in an after action report until the very last minute. She could see something was wrong with her agent, but she also needed sleep so Hetty demanded she go home and rest and they would chat in the morning if she wanted. The report had been finished half an hour before, so she had no reason or excuse to hang around, she just didn't want to go home.

The alarm on the chest of drawers obnoxiously flashed 3:37am. The alarm was taunting her. Maybe had I not been a complete bitch to my partner I wouldn't be wide awake the brunette thought to herself. Her mind began to drift to the fight she had earlier in the day, her thoughts interrupted by the sound of something smashing in her living room. Reaching for her gun she threw the covers off herself and moved to her bedroom door, listening for a moment trying to work out who was in her house.

"Fern?" she heard the voice call. 'Fern'? She thought. The only person who called her Fern was her partner, and that certainly wasn't her partners voice. Now secure in the knowledge there was only one intruder, she burst open her bedroom door and pointed her gun at the man now standing in her living room.

"Wooh, Calm down Sweetheart" The skinhead man, standing at over 6 and half feet yelled, hands raised. His arms were covered in tattoos, Kensi checked them out quickly, looking, but not finding any gang affiliations. "I'm a friend of Max. He asked me to bring you something." At the name Max, Kensi realised this man was trusted by Deeks enough that he gave him her address. Taking the sealed envelope off the man she walked towards to kitchen, placing her gun in the small of her back. Grabbing a beer from the fridge she handed it to the man, pointed at the chair and commanded that he sit. The man sat, smiling to himself. "Fern, you are as scary as Max said you would be." Ignoring him Kensi sat in her arm chair and opened the envelope. Inside was a folded napkin from the bar, Hut, it was a wreck of a place that even Kensi as trained as she was, wouldn't feel safe inside.

"in trouble. paul wells, alias 'hart'. A.I.D. Sorry."

Kensi was in a panic, agent in distress? Why wouldn't he send out the signal. It was then that she realised that he had left his cell in her car. Feeling terror set in she chastised herself. Deeks needs you right now she said in her head, repeating it like mantra. Get it together. Pulling out her phone she punched in her agent in distress signal, knowing her team would be at her house in under ten minutes. In the meantime, she tried to get the the bottom of this.

"What's your name?" she asked the man, slapping his feet off her coffee table. "Bill, um, Bill O'Neill" He spoke, without further prompting he explained what had happened at the bar. "It's my bar, Max, well he was a regular at one point. Scary guy." He said, shivering, almost as if he was afraid Max was going to turn up and beat him for saying his name. "He comes by now and then, always in a bad mood but he's always been good to me. Tonight, this guy came in and saw Max, whispered something in his ear. He nodded and said he'd finish his beer and be right out. Then he grabs a napkin and tells me to get an envelope and deliver this to you and gives me your address. You don't say no to Max."

"What else did he say?" she yelled, practically screaming in the man's face.

"I don't ask when Max is involved, I just do what he says." He is interrupted by the sound of cars screeching into her street. Getting in close to the man's face she says, calmly this time.

"Max listens to me so maybe that alone will make you do what I say. You stay here. And don't move." He nodded, realising this was the girl Max was clearly in love with. The only time Max seemed to soften a little was when he spoke of a certain mysterious girl. Kensi got up and moved to her front door, ready to intercept her team and insure they knew about the Max/Fern situation before they breached her house.