AN: It's been a long time since I've written anything. I know I have other stories to update and finish, and I am working on them. But in order to get my feet wet in writing again, I needed to start off small. Hope you guys are still hanging in there with me, and I hope this doesn't suck too much.

This takes place after Season 2 - Black Widow

Deeks took a sip of his drink, admiring the redhead a few seats down. She was laughing at something her friend said, flipping her head a little and catching his eye. He gave her a lopsided smile and looked back at his drink.

The Vakar case had been an interesting one.. one that seemed to hit a little closer to home for everyone. Emma was an ex Chechnyan agent who had carried the unborn child of her husband Vakar whom she thought was dead. Emma had remarried when she had moved to the US, and had lived a lie for eight years, which had finally caught up to her. Vakar turned out to be alive and had hired a hit team to kill Emma, whom he had thought turned traitor. She hadn't told her husband anything about her past, and now she had a lot of explaining to do, as well as determining what, if anything, to keep secret.

They all lived somewhat of a lie. He had a lot to learn about his new team, especially his partner Kensi, but with his background he knew enough to understand this kind of life. Going undercover, working missions… it took its toll. If you were lucky, you had a couple friends who you worked with that you could grab a beer with after work. But most of the time you just wanted to go home.

The redhead giggled, pulling Deeks out of his thoughts. She glanced over, smiling at him. He grinned into his drink, about to head over and introduce himself. It wasn't lost on him he would be lying more.

Before he could get out of his chair, a tall brunette walked in and sat down across the bar. A very familiar brunette. Wonder what she's doing here. Without giving the redhead another look, he grabbed his drink and walked over to her.

"Can I get you a drink?" He didn't use her name, didn't act familiar. He could tell something was bothering her, but wasn't sure yet how to approach her. He wondered how the art curator act went.

"Vodka Tonic."

She hadn't looked at him, but she hadn't kicked him out of the chair either, so Deeks felt this was win.

Gesturing to the bartender, he ordered a round of drinks for both of them. He wanted to make a joke about the art she supposedly knew all about, but he wanted to sip his drink, not wear it.

"I was hoping there would be live music tonight, but apparently no such luck." He was testing the waters, unsure of the next move. All he got in return was a grunt.

Mmmkay. New tactic.

"Did you know people prefer blue toothbrushes to red ones?" He saw her lips turn up just slightly. On the right track.

"In the middle ages it was customary to kiss a donkey if you had a toothache." This time he got a snort.

"Really Deeks?"

He looked all around, feigning confusion. "Deeks? Who's Deeks? I'm Marty the dentist." She shook her head and he noted an elaborate eye roll. But the eyes held a sparkle that had been missing when she walked in.

"And I'm Kensi the curator." She took a sip, finishing her drink and signaling for another round.

"You know Kensi, it's not a big deal. Don't worry about this so much."

She shrugged one shoulder. "I do this for a living, Deeks. I make up lies that other people have to believe. And I do a damn good job. What's so hard about doing it off the job?"

He took a sip and set his cup down. He of all people didn't have the answers to life, not even close, but he had been down this road many times.

"You don't want to lie to people you care about. Whether it be old friends or family you haven't seen in a while. Our jobs, the aliases… it's usually temporary. But real life? Whew, that could be a while."

Kensi ran her finger around the rim of the glass. "It's not so much the lies as it is just wanting to call up someone after a late night to get drinks or have dinner and unwind. But it's hard to do when you get home at 3:00am and can't tell someone that you just escaped an exploding car or brought down a drug lord. Sometimes it would just be nice to be.. Normal."

"Who the hell wants to be normal? Look at those girls over there." He pointed to the redhead who was sending death rays at Kensi while her friends took turns dancing. "They are out for a night of fun. The one glaring obviously wants to be in your shoes right now talking to moi, but she's taken three shots since I walked over so her night will probably be over soon. That's normal for her."

He nodded his head over to a couple at a table near them. "He's been holding her hand all night and she hasn't looked at anyone else. I'd say.. third date. Tonight may be the night they take it to the next level. This is their new normal: drinks and dates. And it's working for them."

He paused, winking at her, earning a scowl in return.

"What's normal? Everyone has their own normal that they live with. Our normal is the late night dinner and drinks after saving the world. But it's important not to confuse wanting normal with being lonely. Which I think is more in line with your thoughts."

Before she could retort, he held a hand up. "And I know just the person to call in lonely times…"

"Deeks, that's -"

"Nope, I wasn't talking about me."

She glanced at him, confusion filling her face as he pulled out his wallet. He pulled out a business card and handed it to her.

Dr. Marty Deems, DDS

All Smiles Dentistry

555-3456

Her laugh was contagious. Once she started, Deeks joined in, liking the sound. Even her snort at the end was kind of adorable.

"Seriously Deeks? You still carry the business cards?"

He shrugged. "You never know when you might need it."

"Obviously."

"So, partner, if you wanna get a beer or grab a bite to eat, let me know."

Kensi had already blown off her dinner disaster with her friend. She should have known better than to pick a background as an art curator, but it had sounded good at the time. The stop here had been on impulse, because her TV had broken at home and what's a girl to do when she can't watch America's Next Top Model?

"Too bad I'm not a fan of dentists."

Deeks made a shocked face, grabbing his chest.

"You wound me, Kensi."

"Your ego can handle it."

He laughed, causing the redhead to look over and glared again. Kensi smiled at her and looked at Deeks.

"Well she looks like a handful."

"Yeah, reminds me of my second girlfriend in high school, Leslie. Great looking, smoking body, bat shit crazy. I broke it off after a month and she took a baseball bat to my car. It wasn't pretty."

"Damn Deeks, what did you do?"

"Why does it have to be my fault?"

She just looked at him and he shrugged.

"Her friend Lisa kissed me after school on day. When I told Leslie, she accused me of cheating on her. Which I hadn't, but I had someone still ended up being the bad guy. There was no convincing her after that."

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

"Ain't that the truth." He finished his drink and paid the tab.

"You hungry?"

Deeks was surprised at the question but didn't let it show.

"Sure."

"There's a burger joint two blocks from here that serves monster cheese fries and shakes."

"You had me at burger." She chuckled and followed Deeks out of the bar.

They had a long way to go learning to be partners, but this wasn't a bad start.

I'd love to hear what you think! The good, bad, and ugly (hopefully not too much of the bad and ugly).