"To me, you are perfect."

Kensi read out loud along with the cards on her TV screen. She had watched Love Actually more times than she could count, but that didn't stop her from turning it on as soon as she got home from work. (That is, after changing her clothes and getting a beer and making a giant bowl of popcorn.) It was so nice to be able to enjoy the movie without commentary from her chatty partner/boyfriend.

She was all in with Deeks. Of this, she had no doubt. The more time went on, the more she knew that he was it for her. But the lingering fears that troubled her for years didn't leave her so easily. They've known each other for a long time so maybe in a sense they weren't moving too fast. But the way they went from being in complete denial to being bold and open and honest... that was fast. The "real" start to their relationship was only a few months ago and she couldn't help but feel freaked out. In true Kensi fashion, she didn't say anything until it bothered her so much, it just came out, seemingly out of nowhere. Deeks was so confused and clueless and kind of an insensitive jerk throughout the day, that she really didn't know why she bothered.

But at the end of the day, he surprised her. He got it, he understood, and he was okay with how she felt. Relief and affection and a little bit of guilt coursed through her. Of all days when he might need her company, this was the day he let her be by herself.

She wasn't really paying attention to the movie anymore. She brought her fingers up to her face and touched her lips, remembering what he said about her smile. Then her phone rang, startling her out of her daydream. She looked at the screen and smiled as she brought it up to her ear. "Hey there. Miss me already?"

"I missed you the second you walked out of the bullpen... but I loved watching you leave."

She chuckled and shook her head. "So what are you up to on your night off?"

"Oh nothing much..." His voice drifted off.

She told him to call if he needed her. That seemed to be the case, even though he wasn't saying it just yet. "Deeks... you alright?"

"Um... do you remember the first time we met Thapa?"

She took in a deep breath. "I do."

"The last time he was here... I was so lost. You and I, we were so messed up. We were falling apart right in front of each other and there was nothing we could do about it. But by the end of the day, we... we still had no idea what the hell we were doing, but we were at least starting to find out. He... he helped me process a lot that day. And the only thing I wanted in the whole world was to get back to you. But before I could... you were gone."

Kensi didn't like to think about her time in Afghanistan last year, the way she had been suddenly torn away from all that was familiar to be sent on an assignment that almost cost her life. But she knew this was important. He wouldn't have called if he didn't have to say this.

He cleared his throat before continuing. "Both of us have had a lot of close calls, but that... I thought you were dead and it was the worst and lowest point in my life. I guess... what I'm trying to say is... I like spending every day and every night with you because we don't know how much time we have left. And however much time I have left... I know I want to spend it all with you."

"Deeks..." Emotion had taken over her voice.

"Now, that doesn't mean that we have to spend every second together. I understand why you need this. I just... wanted you to know that's how I feel."

"Wow... this is unusual for us."

"What?" He asked. "All this communicating?"

"Yeah. Is this how normal couples do things?"

"How am I supposed to know? We're not normal, remember?"

"No, no we're not." There was silence for a few seconds and she just had to ask one more time. "Are you sure you don't want to come over?"

"Oh believe me, I want to."

"Then come over."

He chuckled. "You're really making it difficult to keep my resolve with this."

"Deeks, I mean it..."

"It's okay, Kens. I'll be fine. I... um... I know how important this is to you. I'll see you in the morning."

She felt tears stinging in the back of her eyes. She spoke quietly, hoping to collect herself. "Thank you."

"Besides," he said playfully. "This will give me plenty of time to figure out how we should celebrate surviving our first fight."

She laughed, feeling heat rise in her face. "Oh really?"

"That's right."

"And what would these plans be?"

"Sorry, Kens. That's a secret. But I will tell you that you should get some rest tonight while you can. You're gonna need it."

"I can't wait."