Season of Renewal

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, or any of the characters, just borrowing them for some extracurricular fun.

Author's note: Finally, the sequel to Season of Change. You'll want to read that first, if you haven't already, for this story to make sense. Theoretically, the plan is to update once a week. Realistically, that probably won't happen. I'll do my best but make no promises. I'd like to thank my wife for being patient and understanding while I scratch this fanfic itch. Much obliged, Mrs. OhBuddy66, much obliged :)

A sudden peace flowed through her whole being. Without realizing how they ended up face to face, she fell against the man she loved more than anything in the world, losing herself in the feeling of his arms enveloping her. They had a long road ahead of them, but she was never more sure - or grateful - for one thing in her life than she was at this moment.

Marty Deeks had forgiven her.

Chapter 1

Deeks stared at the wall in the darkened room. The only light was the bluish glow coming from the big numbers on the alarm clock, shining like a beacon atop the nightstand. He was on his side of the bed facing away from her. He assumed Kensi was sleeping, although she wasn't yet doing the little snort-snore thing she usually did when...

His thoughts drifted back to the time they spent as Justin and Melissa sharing a bed while undercover, to that one night before she was taken away from him, all the nights they spent falling asleep on each others couches only to wake up in a tangle of arms and legs.

How times had changed.

In one week his life had been turned upside down and inside out, his heart torn to shreds - his body not far behind. All over an invitation to go snowboarding on their Christmas break. Who would have guessed at the unfortunate events that one little question would set in motion? A complete 180 degree flop from Kensi where she went from agreeing to go on the trip to Mammoth - instead, giving in to her fear of commitment and running away from him to another man. Deeks fleeing to the other side of the country to ease the pain of rejection by his partner, and then fighting for his life after willingly risking losing it to protect another. And now here they were together again - Kensi and Deeks, Deeks and Kensi.

Except they weren't, really. Deeks knew they were far from being that kind of together, although he had a feeling Kensi was ready to go all in like nothing had ever happened. Oh, if it were only that easy, Deeks thought as he continued to stare at the wall. Yes, he had forgiven Kensi. He knew deep down that she would never intentionally hurt him like she did. But she did. It would take some time to heal that wound. He had a feeling his chest and head injuries would be healed long before his heart ever would be. He sighed heavily, wincing from the pain that went shooting through his temple. He gasped, a small cry escaping his lips as he tried to keep quiet for fear of waking his partner.

Too late, he thought, as he felt her turn on the bed quickly. He wondered now if she had ever been asleep at all. She had probably been doing the same as him, lying there quietly as the internal dialogue and memories played on an endless loop.

"Deeks?" she questioned, concern evident in her voice. "You okay?"

He closed his eyes, thinking maybe he could fake being asleep but knowing Kensi probably wouldn't fall for it. It was worth a shot. He wasn't in the mood for more talking this night. He didn't answer her as he felt her sit up in the bed.

"Deeks? Are you awake?" Kensi asked again, her voice sounding hopeful.

Again he kept quiet. Kensi, assuming her partner really was asleep - or just not wanting to force the issue - gave up and rolled back on her side momentarily, sighing. Deeks was surprised then when he felt her scoot closer to his side of the bed just seconds later. He was even further surprised when she snuggled up against him, throwing her arm over his side and pulling herself closer.

She sighed contentedly at the contact with his body. He felt her relax against him after a few moments. Just when he thought she had actually fallen asleep he was shocked at what happened next.

"Your forgiveness is a gift I'll never forget. I know I don't deserve you, but please come back to me. I've missed you this past week. I don't think you'll ever know how truly sorry I am, Deeks. I was such a fool," she whispered softly, almost to herself. "I need my partner back. You know I mean more than partner, right? God, I love you so much." She kissed his shoulder blade lightly and let her head fall to the pillow. "Good night, Deeks."

Deeks squeezed his eyes shut to hold back the tears, eventually falling asleep with her words still playing over and over in his mind.

Fornell sat at his desk late into the evening. In front of him sat two file folders. One held information on LAPD Detective Martin Andrew Deeks, which he had already been through more than once. It was a stellar personnel file. Neither Fornell or Gibbs could understand why the man had not jumped at the chance to become an agent when it had been offered years ago by Henrietta Lange. The fact that the little woman had chosen him for her team to begin with spoke volumes about his character and capabilities. Fornell chuckled to himself.

"Screw NCIS. The FBI could use a man like Deeks," he said to his empty office as he picked up the other file belonging to Agent Blye.

Well past midnight now, Fornell stretched, groaning as he stood up from his well worn chair. He was calling it a night. His eyes burned from hours of reading the personnel files of the two very qualified individuals. After going over his own notes from his last op regarding this threat against Gibbs he was satisfied that his good friend had picked him the best team to work with. The mission? Track down the person, or persons, responsible for putting a hit on Gibbs and his entire team, and take them out once and for all.

Gibbs had warned Tobias that the two partners had some personal issues they would be working through once Detective Deeks was released from the hospital. Fornell was fine with that as long as they could keep it separate from the task at hand. Lord knows he'd had his own fair share of relationship issues. It came with the territory. That's probably why Gibbs had that rule of his about dating co-workers. Fornell smiled at the thought. Gibbs was certainly not in a position to be making rules about relationships. Okay, so maybe he'd give his friend a pass on that due to extenuating circumstances.

Fornell made his way to his car. He sat there with his eyes closed for a few moments, allowing the car to build up some heat for the drive home on this frigid early morning. He figured he'd give Deeks and his partner a day or two to figure things out. Hopefully the detective would be feeling a little more spry with a couple days' worth of relaxation away from the hospital. There were a few personal things he needed to take care of himself. Then it would be back to work.

Several days later Fornell sat in the hotel room of Agent Blye and Detective Deeks. He went over what he had gathered from his previous operation and the newest intel from the last few days. It had taken him a couple days longer than he thought, but they had more information to work with now. They had to have a plan that was rock solid. Agent Blye was a given, she was the shooter. He struggled with how exactly to utilize Deeks. It wasn't that the detective wasn't useful. On the contrary, he was a wild card. His undercover skills were quite possibly unrivaled.

Deeks' file was full of detailed accounts of his past work - both LAPD, and more recently, NCIS. Fornell wondered if his LA teammates were aware of his accomplishments. He had a sneaking suspicion that they didn't have a clue just how much of a badass Deeks was. Sure, maybe they had more training when it came to fighting. Deeks' strengths were outsmarting people, using his knowledge of the law, and his personality - which allowed him to connect with marks, gaining their trust and then taking them down when they least expected it.

"I'm hungry," Kensi stated out of the blue.

Deeks and Fornell glanced at each other and then back to Kensi, neither looked surprised at this.

"Agent Blye... Kensi," Fornell corrected himself, smiling, "you look like you could use a break. Why don't you go out and get us all something and bring it back here?"

Kensi stared back, her brow lifted in surprise at the suggestion. "But," she started, thinking of arguing that they should all go, then realizing Tobias wanted some time to speak with Deeks alone, she nodded, "Alright then. I'll be back soon," she complied as she walked towards the door. Stopping, she glanced back to the two men as they sat quietly. They both watched her closely, waiting to continue their conversation once she was gone. Feeling like she was intruding now, she gave another quick nod and slipped out of the room.

She leaned against the door once it clicked shut, sighing as she dropped her gaze to the floor. Listening intently, she hoped she would be able to pick up anything they might say. She could hear when they started talking but it was barely audible. She knew right away they were talking in hushed tones assuming she was trying to eavesdrop. Something didn't feel right. Why would they need to talk without her being present? Frustrated, she stalked off silently, the last couple of days dealing with Deeks weighing heavily on her mind, not to mention her heart.

She slipped behind the wheel of the Charger and keyed the engine. Sporting a Hemi just like Sam's Challenger, she enjoyed the powerful rumble coming from the exhaust. Releasing some of the tension that had been building, she launched the car out of the spot in the hotel parking garage. The rear tires screamed in protest as she accelerated to the exit. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she grinned at the bluish gray cloud of tire smoke. Feeling a little bit better, she pulled out in traffic.

As she drove she thought about her partner. He was still in quite a bit of pain but taking his meds like he should. It still broke her heart a little every night when Deeks would fall asleep facing away from her, refusing to let any part of his body touch hers. They had talked further about their situation. He needed to process what happened and wanted some space. It hurt, but she understood. She didn't have to like it, though.

Almost forty-five minutes later she slid the key card in the door and pushed it open. Backing into the room with an armful of carryout bags, she was surprised to see Fornell sitting there by himself when she turned to face them.

"Where's Deeks?" she asked curiously, noticing the bathroom door was open and lights off. A split second later her heart sank. His bag was gone. It had been there hanging in the open closet by the door when she left. Taking a few steps farther, she dropped the food on the bed, not caring how it landed or if it spilled. "Where is he?" Kensi demanded, her voice cold now, but tinged with worry.

Agent Fornell sat there with his hands on his knees. "I'm sorry we had to do it like this Kensi, but Marty's part of the operation has begun. Now we wait for him to make contact with us. Hopefully it won't take but a day or two."

He held Kensi's glare, her reaction obviously one of shock at this turn of events. Once again Deeks had slipped away from her. Truthfully, he was a little unnerved by her silence. He nodded towards the bags on the bed, finally looking away from the still speechless woman.

"What did you bring us to eat?" he asked, bravely attempting to change the subject.

Kensi's eyes were on fire as she shook her head vehemently, "No. No! Don't try to change the subject. Where's my partner?" Kensi ordered angrily, taking a step towards Agent Fornell.

He held his hands up in surrender and nodded to the empty chair. "Why don't you sit down. We need to talk."

TBC