Surfing Savior

Disclaimer: NCIS:LA does not belong to me in any way, just borrowing my favorite characters.

Author's note: I'm not a pilot nor am I a diver so any details in my story that don't make sense or are incorrect are my mistake. This is just a little scenario that popped into my head so I went with it.

Deeks opened his eyes, the sun coming through the blinds warming him. He turned his head and looked to the sleeping body next to him. He smiled as he watched Kensi. God, she is so beautiful, he thought to himself. Monty whined on the floor next to Deeks' side of the bed. Deeks rolled out slowly, not wanting to wake his sleeping beauty.

"Shh," he said to his four legged companion. He motioned for the dog to follow him. Once out in the living room, Deeks asked Monty, "You wanna go out, boy? How 'bout we hit the beach this morning, yeah?"

Monty whined and ran to the door. Deeks scribbled a quick note and walked back to their bedroom. He left the note on his pillow, and leaned down to give Kensi a soft peck on the cheek. He grabbed his wetsuit and Monty's leash, leaving Kensi to rest.

The waves were glorious. After throwing a ball for Monty several times, Deeks left him resting on the beach. He straddled his board and paddled out, waiting for the first ride of the day. As he was catching his third wave he heard a plane. He looked up and was surprised to see it so low. As he watched he heard the engine sputter several times and then die. The pilot was flying parallel to and out a good bit from the beach. Deeks realized the pilot was not going to make it any closer to land; he was too low and slow to maneuver it closer. He watched as the small plane settled over the water. Just before it hit the surface a swell caught the front landing gear and pulled the plane down in a thunderous splash. Deeks reached down and unstrapped his legrope, pushing his board towards shore and swimming as fast as he could towards the bent plane as it bobbed in the water.

Kensi awoke with a start. Nearby, sirens interrupted the early morning peacefulness. She instinctively reached out for the other side of the bed. It was cold. This was the first morning since she had agreed to move in with him that Deeks was not there when she woke up.

"Deeks?" She called out. When there was no answer, she called out again, louder this time, "Deeks!" Still there was no answer. She sat up, panic setting in. Then she saw the note on his pillow. Morning Sunshine, Woke up early, took Monty to the beach to catch a few waves. Join us? -Deeks

Relieved, a smile broke out on her face. She threw off the covers and hurried to ready herself for a trip to the beach.

As Kensi began the short walk to the beach her phone buzzed. She checked it and saw that it was Nell. She answered it quickly, knowing that Nell would not be calling this early on the team's day off if it wasn't an emergency. "Hey, Nell, is everything okay?"

"Kens, are you with Deeks?" Nell asked nervously. "I mean, I know you're with him with him, but uh…are you where you can see him?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Nell – slow down. What is going on?" Kensi asked, knowing something had Nells's dander up, and quite frankly it was freaking her out.

"Um…a small plane just crashed into the water off the beach. There weren't a lot of people around, a couple witnesses said that a blonde haired surfer swam out to the plane but then disappeared with it when it sank."

Kensi stopped in her tracks. The sirens, Deeks' note, the cold sheets all swirling in her mind. "Nell, Deeks is at the beach and I'm on my way there now. I'll call you back."

Kensi took off on a dead run. The first thing she noticed was the small crowd gathered at the water's edge. The second was Monty, who stood all by himself next to Deeks' surfboard that had washed up on shore. He was whining as he looked out to a spot where a few boats had gathered in a circle. Kensi's stomach knotted, fear boiling like a fireball in the pit of her belly.

"Deeks!" She cried out to no one in particular.

She approached Monty, who immediately ran to her side when he saw her. He circled her several times and then ran to the water, barking furiously at the waves rolling in.

Kensi scanned the crowd. Finally she saw an LAPD officer who looked familiar, Roberts if she remembered correctly, and walked towards him. He was one of the few officers Deeks actually got along with.

The man noticed her and smiled, "Agent Blye. You're Deeks' partner from NCIS, right?"

She nodded. She had to find out what he knew. Without giving anything away just yet that she feared it was Deeks who swam to the plane, she asked, "So what happened?"

Roberts replied, "All I know from what witnesses are saying is that the plane came in belly first, trying to make a water landing, but hit hard. There were a few surfers down here, one in particular abandoned his board and swam out to the crash. By the time he got there a boat arrived on site. They were able to get the pilot out, but a passenger was trapped. The surfer was still in the plane trying to free her when the plane sank. The passenger was a little girl. I don't know who the surfer was. Somebody said he was a regular down here, though," he explained. "Where's Deeks? I bet he knows who it was."

Kensi tried to school her emotions, but the moment that Officer Roberts looked her in the eyes, he knew.

"It's Deeks out there, isn't it?" He asked, more a statement than a question.

"Yes," she whispered, looking away from him and out to the boats.

"Dammit!" Officer Roberts exclaimed as he turned and ran off in the other direction.

Just then a familiar orange chopper from the Coast Guard swooped in and began hovering near where the boats had gathered.

Deeks had just reached the plane when he heard another motor and looked to see a small boat approaching. He turned back to the plane, surprised at how intact it seemed to be after the hit it took. The front of the plane took the brunt of the force, the windows were blown out. The fuselage was bent in a slight U shape. Deeks could see that there were two people on board. The pilot was leaning up over the controls, moving slowly.

Deeks tried the door but it was jammed. He swam around to the front and pulled himself through the window opening. The plane was filling with water quickly. Deeks helped the pilot lean back and got his safety belt unstrapped. The man had a wicked gash on his forehead and what appeared to be a badly broken arm. The passenger was sitting in the seat to the right of the pilot. Deeks couldn't help but notice how young the girl was. If he had to guess, he would say she was 8 years old, maybe younger. She was staring in disbelief at where her feet disappeared under her seat. Deeks couldn't see what shape her lower extremities were in but he could tell it was not good by the look on her face. She looked up at him, a shocked gaze in her eyes, before her head rolled to the side. Deeks caught that the little girl had a birth mark in her right eye just like Kensi and it startled him. She also had long brunette hair pulled back in a pony tail. The resemblance to Kensi was remarkable, he thought.

Deeks spoke first, asking the pilot if he could move his legs. The pilot shook his head slowly that he could. "Sir, my name is Marty Deeks, I'm an LAPD detective. We'll get you out of here, okay?" The pilot nodded again. "What's your name?" Deeks asked him.

"Jason. That's my daughter, April," the pilot stated. As soon as he pointed at her and said the girl's name, he realized she hadn't moved. "April! April, are you okay?" He asked worriedly. Deeks could see she was still passed out.

"Everyone alright in there?" Somebody shouted from outside the plane. Deeks looked through the cabin window and saw the small boat. There was one man on board the craft.

Deeks replied, "I have a pilot and a young passenger. I'll help get the pilot out if you can help him aboard."

The man agreed with a nod and floated up to the wing, waiting as Deeks helped the pilot. "Jason, we need to get you out of the plane, okay?"

"I'm not leaving my daughter!" Jason said, anger taking over.

"Jason, you are bleeding badly, your arm is broken and you are going into shock. We need to get you out and back to shore. I'll stay with April. I think her legs are stuck under the seat here. I'll work on freeing her while you get in the boat, alright? I won't leave her," Deeks explained calmly.

Jason nodded and let Deeks help him out the window. The man maneuvered the boat as close to the plane as he could get. Jason stepped off the wing and climbed into the boat with the man's help. Deeks asked the guy if he had anything on board he could use for a tool to pry on the seat. Steve, the man introduced himself as, said no as he reached and brought out some scuba gear.

"Here, take these...if you are staying with her you're gonna need them." Steve had two vests and air tanks with masks and regulators. Deeks looked surprised, but understood what Steve was getting at. The plane was sinking and they would be completely under water soon.

He climbed back out of the plane to grab the gear. "Hey, Steve, um...I'm a surfer, not a diver."

Steve, realizing Deeks was clueless, explained quickly what everything was and how to use them.

"Take breaths from the mouthpiece, obviously," Steve pointed.

Deeks watched as Steve hooked the regulators to the valves. He turned the air on each tank on, checked the gauges, and then took a breath from each mouthpiece. Satisfied that everything was in working order, Steve handed the gear to Deeks. Deeks was not sure if this was going to turn out the way he hoped. He thought about Kensi in bed back at the apartment. Just then a scream from the plane brought him back to reality.

"Daddy! Daddy, where are you? Get me out of here, please! I'm stuck!" April cried.

Jason hollered from the boat to his daughter, "Honey, Marty here is a policeman, he's going to help you. I love you, baby!" Jason's voice broke.

"Okay, Daddy," the girl said nervously.

Steve pulled Jason back into his seat and turned for shore, racing off with his injured passenger. Deeks pushed the tanks through the window and climbed back in.

Deeks focused on April. "Hi April, my name is Marty Deeks. I need you to stay calm, okay?" She nodded in understanding, immediately relaxing as Deeks talked to her.

"Your last name is funny. I'm gonna call you Deeks!" April giggled as she looked at him, her mismatched eyes full of glee. Deeks was glad she had seemed to forget her predicament almost immediately.

He smiled back at her. "Okay, little princess, whatever you want. I need you to take this. The plane is sinking and in case we go under before I can get you loose I want you to be able to breathe," Deeks said as he stuck the tank in between her and the cabin wall, not messing with the vest due to lack of space at the moment.

"I know how these work, Deeks. Daddy takes me when he dives," she stated proudly. Deeks felt some relief at that since he was pretty clueless even after Steve's quick tutorial. He also couldn't help but laugh at the little girl. Not only did she look like Kensi, she talked like her, too.

"Awesome. Okay, do you think anything is broken?" Deeks asked as he tried to pull the seat loose from its mountings. It moved some, but not enough to free her legs, which were wedged between the bent floor and the seat frame.

April thought for a second and replied, "I can't feel my feet. Below my knees it hurts really bad." Deeks wasn't able to see clearly with the water filling the cabin. He took a breath and went under, surveying the area where April's feet were caught. The seat frame was biting into her calves about halfway between her knees and ankles. It looked very painful, but there was no blood. It also looked damn near impossible to be able to bend the seat frame by hand. He pulled himself back up so he was kneeling next to April. He looked out the window and saw several more boats and a couple jet skis coming their way. He wondered how long it would take emergency personnel with equipment who could dive to get to them. The water was up to his chest now and rising faster. He braced himself against the pilot's seat and pushed against April's seat, but it wouldn't give.

He took a practice breath from his air tank. He hoped the water out here wasn't too deep. He didn't care much for the thought of sinking in a plane to the bottom of the ocean even if it was just a short distance to the beach. He looked at April. He could sense her fear.

"I'm not going anywhere, April. I'm gonna stay right here with you until they come get us both out. We have to get you back to your dad, right?" He smiled at her.

She smiled back. "You promise, Deeks?" April asked worriedly.

"I promise," Deeks nodded.

She adjusted the mouthpiece and shook her head that everything was working. April held her hand out to Deeks, he took it in his and gave her a reassuring squeeze. With a nod back to her he gripped the mouthpiece of his own air supply in his teeth. Just before the plane slipped beneath the surface the last thing he saw were the looks of helplessness on the boaters' faces that were arriving to assist.

Kensi watched the chopper as it gained altitude and circled slowly before descending again a short distance away from the boats. Two divers jumped from the chopper and disappeared in the rotor wash. Monty whined and sat next to her. She leaned down and patted the dog on the head. Her phone began vibrating in her pocket and she rushed to answer it, realizing she had forgotten to call Nell back. Looking at the screen before she answered, she was shocked to see that it was Hetty calling.

"Yes, Hetty?" She asked anxiously.

"Ms. Blye, how are you doing, my dear?" The concern evident in her voice.

"Um...I'm...I'm scared, Hetty. I'm scared that Deeks died trying to help a little girl on the plane. I found Monty and Deeks' surfboard, but no Deeks. I know it's him," Kensi admitted, her voice breaking slightly as she fought to control her emotions.

"Yes, well...you should know that I have it on good authority that the man that took the pilot to the medics reported that he gave Mr. Deeks sufficient scuba gear for two people before he left. Mr. Deeks may have gone down with the plane, but I'm willing to bet he is just fine, Ms. Blye," Hetty proclaimed.

Kensi collapsed into the sand, the sudden relief flooding through her. "Oh, oh my gosh," Kensi gasped, "thank you, Hetty."

"Of course, Ms. Blye," Hetty ended the call.

Kensi watched as the chopper continued to hover above the water. The boats that had gathered were dispersing now that the Coast Guard were on site. Suddenly somebody plopped down in the sand next to her. Kensi was surprised to see Nell.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you back, Nell. What are you doing here?" Kensi asked.

"I was worried when you didn't call back right away, so I grabbed these and came looking for you." She held out a pair of binoculars to Kensi.

"Thanks. Hetty just called. Did you know Deeks has scuba gear from the guy that brought the pilot back to land? She thinks he is just sitting out there in the plane waiting for somebody to come help the little girl," Kensi explained.

"A little girl?" Nell asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah. One of Deeks' cop buddies told me a little girl was...is trapped in the plane and a surfer was trying to get her out when it sank. He didn't know it was Deeks or that he had scuba gear with him. He was talking like the girl and the rescuer drowned. When I talked to him he figured it out that it was Deeks and he took off." A single tear threatened to fall and Kensi wiped it away quickly as she told Nell what had happened.

"Awe, Kens...it's okay. You know Deeks loves the water. He's probably having a blast out there!" Nell joked.

Kensi smiled and nodded.

Deeks held April's hand as the plane slowly sank. Now that they were fully submerged and the water wasn't rushing to fill the empty space, it was actually pretty clear. They could see the bottom getting closer as the plane glided down, almost as if it were coming in for a real landing. Deeks estimated the depth was no more than 40 feet in this area, it was still somewhat bright. He squeezed April's hand and pointed, warning her that they were about to hit bottom. He hoped that the landing would be soft and not do anymore damage to the already bent floor, fearing it could further injure the girl's legs. The plane bumped once before settling back down and coming to a stop.

April had a tight grip on Deeks' hand and he looked to make sure she was okay. Her eyes were wide and she pointed at her legs. Deeks was pleased to see that her left leg had been freed by the jolt. He gave her a thumbs up and then motioned that he was going to get down on the floor to look. She nodded okay and he let go of her hand. April's left leg didn't appear to be broken, although she had a deep impression of the frame where it had been pinching her. If he had to guess, he thought the girl must have been sitting with her feet tucked under the seat. When they hit the water, the floor buckled enough it forced her feet further back under the seat, pinning her between the bottom of the seat and the floor. Her right leg was still pinned and no matter how hard Deeks tried, he could not get her free. Now that they were floating he had no leverage at all. He decided they were just going to have to wait it out. To pass time he slipped the vest his tank was belted to on to allow him to move easier. He then helped April with her vest. He strapped her in as best he could.

As the chopper hovered over the boats, the rescue divers looked to see if they could spot the plane. Not having any luck, they called for the pilot to climb higher and circle back over the site. Sure enough, just south of the group of boats they could make out the white shape of the plane on the bottom. It had settled away from where it had disappeared under the water. The pilot brought the chopper down over the plane, hovering about 15 feet above the surface. The divers jumped, readied their gear and dove for the bottom.

April grabbed Deeks' hand to get his attention. He looked at her and she pointed to her gauge and then to his. He noticed both were about out of air. He didn't know how much longer they would be able to breathe. He guessed they had been on the bottom not more than 10 or 15 minutes, but he really had no idea. He started to think about Kensi again. He still couldn't believe she had moved in with him and that they were officially a couple. Meeting April, the fact she had Kensi's eyes, hair and personality, made Deeks want to get married right now and start on their own little mutant ninja assassins. Leave it to him to make a promise to Kensi he knew he couldn't keep due to the line of work they were in, and now he had made a promise to a little girl that he saw as a mini Kensi. He didn't know if he should leave her with both tanks and swim for the surface, assuring her of more air - or if he should stay calm and keep waiting, hoping help arrived before they both ran out. He didn't have to wait long. No sooner than he had that conversation in his head with himself that two Coast Guard divers in full gear appeared outside the plane.

Using hand signals, Deeks was able to convey that he and April were both okay but that she was pinned. The divers gave a thumbs up and started working on the door. It wasn't long before they had it pried open. One of them approached and assessed the situation with April's leg. The other pulled on Deeks' arm and motioned for him to ascend. Deeks shook his head no, pointing to April and their joined hands. Nodding in understanding, the diver let go of his arm and waited calmly while his partner worked to free April's leg. The small pry bar the diver had proved to be just the ticket; soon April was able to float up and away from her seat. The girl wrapped her arms around Deeks and refused to let go. The divers helped her with the air tank and guided them back outside the plane. One of them went ahead and the other brought up the rear as they ascended towards the bright sun.

Nell and Kensi sat anxiously waiting for the divers to reappear. The chopper had once again gained altitude and hovered nearby. Several of the boats that had gathered were still in the area, but had backed away from where the divers had entered the water. A loud cheer rang out from the growing crowd. Kensi looked through the binoculars, focusing on the area she thought the divers had jumped. Just then she saw four heads pop up.

"There they are!" She cried, pointing. The chopper moved into position over the bobbing foursome.

"Let me see!" Nell demanded. Kensi passed the binoculars to her and she watched as the rescue divers helped Deeks and the little girl out of the scuba vests. Knowing Kensi would want to see Deeks and know he was safe, she gave the binoculars back to her.

"Here ya go, Kens," she said with a smile on her face.

Kensi smiled back, "Thanks, Nell," she said softly.

Kensi watched as the chopper hovered above, a harness dropped down to the group in the water. She looked closely, trying to focus on the four as they bobbed in the swell. There was Deeks! Her heart fluttered at the sight of him. She noticed there were arms wrapped around him and a small brunette head lay against his shoulder. It looked like he and one of the divers were having a discussion. He then turned to the little girl and said something to her. She lifted her head and looked up at the harness as one of the divers reached out for it, shook her head no and then buried her head against Deeks again. He turned back to the diver, a smile on his face. Whatever the little girl said had made the three men smile. Deeks shook his head in the affirmative and let the divers place the harness around him, all the while the little girl refusing to let go of Deeks. Once he was strapped in one of the divers gave a thumbs up sign to the chopper. Kensi watched as Deeks was slowly hoisted upwards out of the ocean, the young girl hanging on to him tightly. Deeks had one arm around her and the other grasped the cable that was lifting them skyward. Their bodies and the water dripping off them shimmered in the bright morning sun. The sight struck Kensi in a way she hadn't expected and she realized she was crying. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Once Deeks and the girl disappeared safely in the chopper she furiously wiped at her face, handing the binoculars back to Nell. She had no idea what had come over her. It seemed that Deeks had that effect on her more and more. She shook her head, chuckling at the thought. The vision of him comforting the little girl, with the girl's complete trust in him obvious, set something loose inside her. The fear of a future with Deeks and starting a family faded as she watched the rescue unfold.

"Come on, Kens. Let's get you home so you can go meet up with Deeks. It appears he is going to accompany the girl to the hospital," Nell prompted her friend.

Kensi nodded in agreement. Nell hooked Monty's leash to his collar while Kensi grabbed Deeks' board. They started walking to Nell's car.

April would not leave Deeks' side in the chopper. He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him. "You're okay now. We're going to the hospital to check on your dad and let them look at your legs," he told her reassuringly. She looked up at him and grinned slightly.

"Thank you, Deeks. I was really scared. You didn't leave me, though, just like you promised!" She said gratefully.

He smiled softly at the girl's statement, imagining that it could just as easily be Kensi saying those words to him. "I did promise, didn't I?"

Kensi, he thought. He really needed to talk to Kensi. Surely by now she was awake and aware of what was going on down at the beach. In fact, he knew she was probably there searching for him frantically. He got one of the diver's attention. "You have a cell I can borrow?"

The diver nodded and reached into his bag on the seat next to him. He handed his phone over. Deeks took it and dialed Kensi's number quickly.

"Come on, come on, come on...pick up, Kens..." Deeks said to himself. On the fourth ring she did. "Kensi! This is Deeks. I'm on a Coast Guard chopper with... Oh...you saw that, huh? Yes, she is fine. She's good, I mean... Yes, yes Fern...I'm good, too. Okay. We are going to Pacific Beach Medical. I'll see you there, Princess." Deeks chuckled as he handed the phone back.

April had a confused look on her face. "Who is Kensi, Fern, and Princess?" She asked curiously.

"You caught all those names, huh? Kensi is my partner," Deeks explained. "I also call her Fern and Princess. You know what else I call her?" April shook her head no. "Wonder Woman, because she is very tough and brave, just like you were today."

The girl beamed with pride at Deeks' description of her.

"You really think so?"

He nodded, "I really do."

April squeezed her arms around Deeks and gave him a big hug. Deeks hugged back and watched out the window as the chopper approached the landing pad at the hospital.

Nell helped Kensi get Monty and Deeks' board back in the apartment before heading on home. Kensi grabbed her keys, gun and badge. She headed for the door, then paused, thinking. She went back to their bedroom and grabbed some dry clothes for Deeks to change into and a pair of his shoes. Deciding that was all she needed, she ran to her SRX and sped off to the hospital.

Kensi pulled into a parking spot at the ER and walked towards the entrance, anxious to find Deeks. She knew he was okay but she still had to be able to put eyes and hands on him just to make sure. She walked towards the waiting room. He was sitting with his back to her, still wearing his wetsuit, watching the TV. The local news channel was showing footage of the rescue.

"Hey, Kens," he said without turning as she walked up behind him. She grinned, wondering how he did that. He always seemed to know when she was near him even if he was not looking at her.

"Hey, Deeks," she replied. He stood and came around the chair so he was standing in front of her. He had his goofy grin on his face and his eyes were bright. She closed the distance between them, and sighing, she pulled him into a hug. "Don't ever do that to me again, Deeks."

He pulled back from her, "Do what, Kens?" He asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Scare me like that. I thought you were dead! I woke up alone, found your note and came to the beach. Nell called me on the way and told me about the crash. I found Monty sitting by your surfboard. He was whining and barking, looking at the water for his daddy. I thought you were really gone this time, Deeks," Kensi stared into his eyes, her mismatched eyes misting.

"I'm still here, Princess," he smiled.

"Yeah, well, just make sure it stays that way, mister!" Kensi replied.

"Hey, Kens?" Deeks asked softly.

"What?" She snapped back at him, a slight grin appearing at the corners of her mouth.

"Did you bring those clothes for me, Princess, 'cause I'd really like to get out of this cold suit," he gestured towards himself.

"Yes, Deeks," she huffed, pushing the clothes and his shoes into his hands.

"I'll be right back...um, I'm gonna go change...unless...you'd like to help me," he wiggled his eyebrows at her as he slowly started walking away, looking back over his shoulder at her. "Walking slow so you can catch me... Fern?"

"Shut up, Deeks," she chuckled, shaking her head.

"No? Okay, you're missing out, though. You sure?" He smiled as he continued towards the restroom down the hall.

She watched him go, enjoying the view as he made a show of unzipping his suit. She felt her face getting warm. "Deeks! Stop it!"

He opened the door and with a mischievous grin stepped inside, letting the door close behind him. She shook her head and sat down to wait for him.

Several minutes later he reappeared. She stood up to greet him, but before she could say anything she heard a girl's voice call out to him.

"Deeks!" April shouted from down the hall.

He turned in her direction to see her limping hurriedly towards him. Behind her Deeks saw Jason following. His arm was in a cast and he had a big bandage over the cut on his forehead. He grinned as he watched his daughter launch herself into the detective's arms. Deeks caught her and held her up.

"Hey there, April. How are you doing?" Deeks asked. "What did Doc say about your legs?"

"He says I'm gonna be just fine. No broken bones, just sore muscles," April said proudly.

"Good to know," Deeks smiled at her. He cradled her in his left arm and stuck his hand out to shake Jason's, who had caught up to his daughter. "Jason, how you doing?"

Jason nodded gently, "A little sore all over, but could be worse. The doctor said my arm will take some time to heal due to the break. I have 12 stitches up here that can come out in a week or so. All in all, not too bad," he explained. "Thank you so much, Detective Deeks, for what you did this morning. Words could never express what it means to me. April is all I have left." Jason choked up a little at that admission.

Deeks nodded, "Hey, I'm glad I could help, ya know? You have quite the daughter here." He tickled April's belly, making the girl giggle.

"Stop it, Deeks! That tickles!" She squealed.

"April, you should show the detective some respect, don't talk to him like that," Jason scolded his daughter.

"It's perfectly fine. Even my closest friends refer to me as Deeks," he offered.

All the while this exchange had been going on Kensi stayed back, watching and listening. She couldn't help but notice the resemblance of the little girl to herself, right down to the eyes. It wasn't a stretch at all to imagine it was their daughter Deeks was holding. It gave her a warm feeling inside and she smiled. Just then she caught April looking at her over Deeks' shoulder.

"Are you Fern?" The little girl asked her.

Kensi's smile grew. "Yes I am, April. It is so nice to meet you." Kensi stepped around Deeks and held out her hand. April leaned out, grabbing Kensi's hand in hers.

Deeks laughed. "Jason, this is my partner, Kensi."

Jason looked confused, but stuck his hand out to Kensi.

"Nice to meet you, Kensi? Uh...why did April call you Fern?" Jason asked curiously.

Before she could answer Deeks cleared his throat, holding his hand up. "That would be my fault. I called her Fern on the phone when we were on the chopper."

April interrupted, "Deeks called her princess, too, Daddy! And you know what else? He called her Wonder Woman 'cause Deeks says she is tough and brave just like me!" She proclaimed with a huge smile on her face.

That made them all laugh. Kensi looked lovingly at Deeks, smiling softly. He returned the look, his blue eyes sparkling. Jason caught the look between the two and realized they were much more than just partners. He cleared his throat and looked away before focusing on his daughter.

"Um, okay, well April, let's let Detective Deeks and Kensi go. We need to get you home, sweetie." He reached with his good arm and helped her down from Deeks grasp.

She turned to Kensi, a serious look on her face. "Fern, do you love Deeks?"

"April!" Jason called out, embarrassed by his daughter's question. "Sorry," he said to them.

The question caught Kensi off guard and she could feel her cheeks go red. "Um...yeah, I kinda do," she admitted, glancing at Deeks quickly.

Deeks had a huge grin on his face. Leave it to a smaller version of her to make Kensi Marie Blye blush and leave her speechless all at the same time. He reached and took Kensi's hand in his.

April smiled, her eyes shining brightly, "You love Fern," she said to Deeks. It wasn't a question.

He squeezed Kensi's hand. "I don't know... I think she might have cooties, April," Deeks teased.

April giggled. "Nuh uh, Deeks. You love your princess!"

Deeks laughed and nodded.

Jason grabbed his daughter's hand, "Come on, April, that's enough," he chuckled.

"Bye, Deeks! Bye, Fern!" The little girl waved. Jason said his goodbye and they walked away hand in hand. Deeks and Kensi watched them go.

"Deeks?" Kensi asked.

"Yes, Princess?"

"You didn't really answer her question." Kensi looked up at him.

"She didn't really ask me a question - it was more a statement," Deeks pointed out, a smirk on his face.

She rolled her eyes and then looked at the floor for several seconds. "So do you, Deeks? Love me?" She looked him in the eye then. He could tell it took a lot for her to ask and that she really seemed as if she didn't know the answer.

Not wanting to prolong her misery, he grinned "Um...yeah, I kinda do. A lot."

Her face lit up and she pulled him in for a gentle kiss. "Come on, beach boy. Let's go home," she whispered.

Deeks wrapped an arm around her and they started walking. "Yes, ma'am."

The End