This is for RedneckGeek, who asked for the 'new' Kensi and 'step back' Deeks after Three Hearts. I hope you like it!

HUGE thanks to justareader07 who looked it over for me! Anything missed? Blame those on me.

Disclaimer - NCIS LA and all known characters aren't mine. Just playing with them for a while.

"Hey."

Deeks sighed inwardly before leaning back in his chair and looking at his partner.

"Hey." He gave her a small smile, wondering what was going on. It had been a long day and he was tired. Not of her – never of her – but ever since the box, knife and raccoon incident, he was finding it harder and harder to keep his distance.

"So… I happen to have an extra ticket to a monster truck rally tonight." She wiggled her eyebrows at him, making him laugh.

"Okay." Deeks put his hands together behind his head, watching her.

"Are you always this dense?"

"What am I being dense about?" His face was pure innocence, but his eyes sparkled, making the butterflies in Kensi's stomach start fluttering.

"Deeks…"

"Kens…" Deeks tilted his head at her and Kensi immediately mirrored him.

"Do you want to go with me or not?" Kensi stared at him, wishing things were back to the way they used to be. Before Angelo, before Jack, before Afghanistan, before Sidorov. Back when things were complicated, but yet so simple.

"Don't get snippy with me, Sunshine. It's not like you asked me that question earlier. You were just making a statement then. How was I to know you wanted to go with yours truly?" He winked at her, standing up and grabbing his bag.

"So… is that a yes or a no, Counselor?" She watched as he grabbed his stuff and turned to face her. She could see in his face that he was going to accept the offer, and her heart skipped a beat. They had stopped hanging out as much after Angelo, both of the trying to respect the newfound line in the sand, but lately Kensi had been inching closer to it.

"Big trucks, beer, and you buying? Count me in." He walked next to her as they headed out and nudged her shoulder with his. Both of them were catapulted back to another time and place and they stopped. Deeks cleared his throat after a minute, still staring at her.

"Just uh, one request."

"Anything."

"No tacos, okay?" Kensi gave a small smile, understanding the meaning behind his words. Tonight was about them hanging out as partners and friends, nothing more. And while she understood where he was coming from, she was getting tired of waiting for her raccoon to open his damn eyes. But, instead of saying anything, she just nodded. She had a lot to make up for right now. Not only for the physical time she was away, but also for the years he had gone above and beyond for her.

"Okay."

"Okay then." And with that, they both left the mission, the night looming in front of them.

"Wow, I haven't had that much fun in forever." Kensi was all smiles as she turned towards her partner.

"Yeah, that was pretty fantastic. Thanks, Kens." He smiled at her, glad she had asked him to come. They had watched the trucks, had some beer, and Deeks had relished in the pure enjoyment on Kensi's face. He hadn't seen her that loose and carefree in so long, and it was contagious. By the end of the night, they were both loosened up and laughing at nothing, just enjoying the other's company.

"So. Dinner?" Kensi walked up to the car and got in. As Deeks closed the door, they both heard her stomach growl.

"Yes. Food. I'm starving. What are you thinking?" She turned the ignition and started maneuvering them out of the traffic.

"Head to my surfing spot. There's an all-night food truck down there that has awesome tacos."

Kensi immediately started snickering and Deeks just shook his head.

"Actual tacos, Kensalina. And they're good. So just drive."

"Hey, I didn't say anything."

"I know what you were thinking."

"You might be many things, Deeks, but certified mind reader is not one of them."

"Well it's a good thing I am a man of many talents."

Kensi snorted before she muttered under her breath. Unintentionally, her mind flashed back to the night they had spent together. "Don't I know it."

Deeks raised his eyebrows at her.

"What are you saying over there?"

"Nothing. Uh… yeah, nothing." She blushed a little and saw Deeks smirk at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Nothing my ass. And it doesn't take a mind reader to know what you and I were both thinking about."

Kensi took her eyes off the road a minute, looking at him. "Good to know." She winked and turned her attention back to driving, Deeks just shaking his head at her but unable to keep the smile off his face.

As she drove them to the beach, she knew that even though things had changed between them, their thing was still alive and kicking. And while Deeks may have taken the step back, she could work around that. She knew she had some work to do, to show him that she was serious about this – that they could make it work – and now she understood what Deeks had gone through for years before this. But he hadn't given up, he had been patient. Now, it was her turn.

As she parked the car next to the food truck, she turned it off and turned towards him.

"Hey. Look, I know I suck at saying what I mean sometimes, so before we get out of this vehicle, I just uh… I want to say something."

Deeks had turned his head towards her when they pulled up, and he gave a small smile at her and nodded at her.

"You are my raccoon."

Deeks looked at her, expecting more but when he was met with silence, he pursed his lips together for a minute.

"So ummm… wait, is that it? Because you kind of built that up a lot for it to be one sentence." He smirked at her, his heart pounding at her words but his face was nothing but calm. She would never understand how much that one simple sentence could turn his insides to mush. He had wanted some time to evaluate everything since Angelo and the revelations he had had about himself, and more specifically, exactly how far and what he would do for the most important person in his life. And Kensi had graciously accepted the silent terms, but she hadn't fully backed off. She had surprised him more than once with his favorite coffee in the morning or buying lunch. She had loosened up a lot since the beginning of their partnership, and was now making a more determined effort to be the one who made the jokes and innuendo's, which was quite a role change considering. But she was trying, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to last much longer.

"Shut up." She laughed before turning and getting out of the car. He followed suit and they walked to the food truck. The sea breeze was hitting them, and when the tacos were ordered, Deeks started walking down the beach, Kensi following.

"Where are we going?" Kensi was going to start eating her arm if he didn't stop soon.

"It's uh… well, you'll see. It's right up here." He instinctively grabbed her hand, and both of them stopped for a minute at the action. Seeing Kensi's smile, he just held on and kept going.

A few minutes later, he led her into a secluded alcove nestled behind some rocks. You could still hear the ocean and feel the breeze, but it offered seclusion and privacy. As he sat down next to Kensi, she immediately grabbed the bag and almost inhaled her first taco.

"I know one of these days I'm going to end up saving your life because you couldn't slow down and actually taste your food. I don't want to have to tell the kids about the time I saved their mother's life." The words slipped out and Deeks blushed.

Kensi immediately stopped chewing and looked at him. When she finally got the bite down, she tilted her head.

"So. Kids?" Her heart hammered in her chest, and she was surprised he couldn't hear it.

"Well, I mean, only if you want them." For two people who sucked at communication and considering the space he had put in between them, this conversation was a lot more natural than he thought it would be. He continued eating, the silence almost endless.

As Kensi ate her food, she thought on his words. Kids. He wanted kids. With her. The man who had handed back her dad's knife, and in the same breath told her he wasn't going anywhere. They hadn't been the same since that night, the partner bonding having lessened considerably. But she knew why, and she had given him his space but also gave him reminders she wasn't going anywhere. But how was she supposed to stay away when he said things like that?

When she finished up the tacos, she put her trash in the bag and looked over at him.

"Even numbers. We don't want one of the kids to feel left out." She smiled at him and his returned it.

"Whatever you say."

They still had a long way to go, but if this wasn't confirmation of their future, she didn't know what was. It would take a while, because nothing with them was ever simple, but she was determined to show him, and herself, that this was worth it. That they could have the happily ever after.

They sat there for hours, talking about everything and nothing. When Kensi let out a yawned, Deeks took that as his cue they had probably been here long enough.

"Come on, Princess. Let's get you home." She just nodded at him, the fatigue hitting her full force. When they got to her car, she handed him the keys and he just raised his eyebrow at her.

"I'm tired." She closed the door and immediately closed her eyes. As Deeks started driving to her place, she mumbled something in her sleep.

"What was that, Kens?" He kept his voice quiet, not wanting to startle her.

"It's a love story."

Deeks almost hit the brakes at her words. But he knew she was right. Theirs was a love story. And it wouldn't be complete without some bumps in the road. He could see the light of day starting to break through, and just like them, the promise of a new beginning was enlightening.

As he pulled up to her house, Thapa's words echoed in his head. There is only one way to cross the frozen lake… do not run. Walk slowly. Stop to look at everything. Take your time. She will wait for you.

They could make this work as long as they crossed that damn frozen lake together, slowly. If she was willing to keep trying, to keep going, he was too. Where she went, so did he. That's just how they roll.

Quietly, and with as little movement as possible, he got out of the car and headed to her side, gently picking her up and carrying her inside. Two years ago, she would have woken up immediately and landed a hefty punch to his arm for even thinking about doing that, but now, she just sighed and snuggled into his chest. As soon as he made it to her room, she woke up enough to change and climbed into bed. Deeks had planned on just crashing on her couch, but she opened her eyes and patted the spot next to her.

"Kens, it's not a good idea."

"Please? Nothing is going to happen except sleep, and well… it's been a while since I've slept more than a couple hours straight."

Deeks just nodded his head at her, understanding filling his eyes. It had taken a long time after his experience to sleep any length of time, and he should have realized that she would be going through the same thing.

He grabbed the LAPD shirt on the dresser – I always knew she had it – and walked in the bathroom. When he came out, he had his boxers and shirt on and climbed into bed with her. Kensi was already out, but when he laid down, she instinctively moved closer to him. He rolled to his side and watched as she slept, taking her hand as the light started creeping through the window. They could do this, take it day by day. He wasn't stupid, he knew there would be hard times ahead, and while the monster inside of him would never leave, he was starting to realize that Kensi was the reason the monster stayed away, not the reason it showed up. She showed him the good in the world – in him - when all they saw was the worst in humanity.

He knew he would do anything for her, killing included, but he also now firmly believed that she was one of the main factors in him keeping his sanity, reminding him that he didn't always have to put up the façade. He could be himself with her – the good, the bad and the ugly, and Lord knows she had seen all of that and more – and he realized that life without her was much worse than anything else; it was his own personal hell. And he had already been through hell and back more times than he could count.

As Kensi did her snort-snore thing, he smiled, finally closing his eyes and letting his body relax. As he felt sleep start to overtake him, he squeezed her hand, knowing she would be there when he opened his eyes and being grateful for that. For having the chance to start over, start new, just like the dawn each day. It didn't matter what happened yesterday, all that mattered was how you lived today. And he wasn't going to waste any more precious time without her.

AN - Okay lovely readers, I will leave it up to you. One shot, or keep going. You tell me. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! :)