SURVEILLANCE by MioneAlterEgo
RATING: T, for a couple of cuss words and implied "adult behavior"
DISCLAIMER: Really, really disclaimed. Really.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So it's a little ridiculous, but I think it's kinda cute (and way less angsty than MEND!). :-) Thanks to xxBluey for looking this over for me! Enjoy!
If pressed, Eric Beale would probably admit to being a little socially awkward when interacting with live people. He said awkward things at inappropriate times and sometimes didn't pick up on what Nate referred to as "non-verbal cues" and body language. What he lacked in interpersonal skills, however, he more than compensated for in his superior technological kung-fu, a fact that suited him just fine given his career as one of the top hackers in the western world. He was most comfortable with a wireless control in his hands and a large LCD touch screen in front of him; his one foray into active investigation had been a memorable experience, but not necessarily in a way he wanted to reprise any time soon. Therefore, when he undertook his own impromptu surveillance operation on a sunny Saturday in July, he was unprepared on several levels for what he would see.
The O.S.P. team had been afforded the luxury of a three-day weekend, a reward for successfully closing two cold cases back-to-back and having no other pressing business to which they needed to attend. As they departed the Mission late on Friday night, the group took gleeful pride in announcing their plans to one another.
"A little sleepin' in, a good run, some quality time with a face that's a lot prettier than Callen's…" A teasing grin spread across Sam Hanna's face as he spoke.
"Don't act like you're not going to miss me," Callen shot back, smiling. "I'm getting out of town for a couple of days. Need a change of scenery."
"Oh yeah? Where are you heading?" Kensi asked.
"Haven't decided yet. Maybe out to the desert, Palm Springs, some place nice and quiet."
Deeks spoke up at that. "Not me, man! I'm hitting Vegas. Gambling, showgirls, obscene amounts of rum… It's been way too long since I participated in an act of vice instead of just busting other people for them."
Kensi snorted.
"What?"
"Rum. You're such a Nancy."
"Alright, Wonder Woman, what are your plans?"
"I don't know. I thought about heading down to Pendleton to visit some friends there. Or I may just stay home with a book and a bubble bath. What about you, Eric? Nell?"
Eric chimed in first. "I'm going to San Diego. There's—"
"A tech expo you wanted to catch." His partner interrupted, finishing his sentence as if it had been her own. "Try not to be disappointed when their toys aren't as cool as ours." It might have bothered Eric to be cut off again if she hadn't grinned at him as she said it.
When he got an insider tip from a buddy late Friday night that the tech expo was in fact going to be a waste of his time, Eric decided instead to head up the coast to Santa Barbara and spend some time in the surf. With the rest of the team supposedly heading in different directions (none of which was north), Eric was a somewhat surprised to spot Deeks' unmistakable scruffy profile through a shop window on the pier… and even more surprised to recognize Kensi's dark ponytail next to him.
If the pair's presence together in the seaside town hadn't been enough to raise Eric's eyebrows and suspicions, the next turn of events certainly was: Deeks slipped an arm around Kensi's waist, and Kensi responded by leaning against Deeks.
Suddenly his leisurely stroll turned into a voyeuristic recon mission. Eric couldn't tear his eyes away—not out of any sense of jealousy or disapproval but from sheer overwhelming curiosity. I'm just making sure that's really them before I go over and say hi, that's all, he rationalized, all the while recognizing his feeble justification for spying as exactly that. He'd had suspicions before now, sure, but seeing Deeks and Kensi's "thing" being played out before a live audience was an unexpected adventure and far too tempting to resist. Eric stayed far enough back to not be spotted but followed the two anyway, gradually edging closer while keeping himself out of sight. They'd have no reason to suspect that they were being followed, but his comparative lack of field experience left him extra cautious.
The couple in question still had their arms around one another as they exited the shop and made their way up the walk ahead of him. Then, for the second time in five minutes, Eric's eyebrows shot up into his hairline as Deeks slid his hand farther down onto Kensi's ass and she responded by playfully smacking him on the rear. Okay, maybe that's not Kensi after all, he snorted. The Kensi I know would've ripped Deeks' arm out of its socket for that move.
By the time they arrived at the beachfront parking area Eric wasn't at all surprised to spot Kensi's Cadillac with Deeks' surfboard strapped to the hood—further confirmation the two had arrived together. Deeks unhooked the board while Kensi retrieved an oversized tote from the back seat and Eric stepped behind a souvenir vendor's stall for concealment. Kensi's eyes scanned the area for threats as she waited for her partner (Typical, Eric thought to himself), but she seemed not to spot the techie spy. Eric watched as she and Deeks set out toward the beach, where Deeks stripped down to his swim trunks and took off toward the water while Kensi sprawled out a beach towel to take in the sunshine.
He studied them from his safe distance for almost an hour. Kensi would alternate between reading and watching Deeks surf, while Deeks rode wave after wave as the tide rolled in. Just as Eric was about to decide to let them go and move along to a different and far-distant location, Deeks emerged from the water, board tucked under his arm and a big, goofy grin on his face. His expression as he jogged toward his partner was such a open mixture of pride, adoration, and outright joy that Eric found himself sucked into the unfolding story once more; while the young detective was known to be easy-going and jovial, it wasn't often that he let his guard down, especially in public.
When Kensi looked up at Deeks, Eric wondered yet again if maybe Deeks had found a Kensi doppelganger instead of the real thing; the woman on the beach towel looking up at Marty Deeks seemed too relaxed to be Kensi Marie Blye. This woman looked content, affectionate. Peaceful. Peaceful was not a word Eric had ever associated with Kensi, not even on the rare occasions he'd seen her sleeping. It was a baffling concept. He took a chance and edged a few yards closer for a better look just as Deeks sat himself down next to Kensi.
Deeks jammed the end of his board down into the sand beside his partner before reaching into the bag for his towel, shaking his head like a Golden Retriever and spraying her with water as he did so.
"Ugh, Deeks! Why the hell is that so amusing to you?" She flinched away, not before flinging sand at his still-wet legs.
"It's all about getting a reaction, and yours, Princess, are the best." He finished drying off, laid his towel down in front of his surfboard to form a makeshift lounger, and settled into a comfortable sprawl before reaching across to tug at Kensi's arm. She rolled her eyes but relented, scooting over to sit between his legs with her back resting against his chest. Deeks' arms snaked around her waist as he pressed a kiss to her temple. "You do know we're being watched, right?"
"Who, Eric?"
"Yup. Your four o'clock. Not exactly subtle, is he?"
"Nope. I spotted him as we were leaving that ice cream place."
"How would he know we were here?"
"No idea. Maybe he just showed up."
"He said he was driving down to San Diego."
"And you said you were going to Las Vegas. Sounds like you both told big, fat lies."
"Whatever. Just don't make eye contact. Maybe we can all go back to work on Tuesday and pretend he didn't see us a hundred miles from home, half-naked and making out on the beach like teenagers."
"Okay, first? Eric has seen us both in swimsuits before. Second, there hasn't been any making out for him to witness. It's not a big deal, unless you and your delicate sensibilities are embarrassed to be seen with me in this state of undress," she challenged, indicating the veryflattering red bikini she'd chosen.
Deeks bristled a bit at the accusation. "If by 'embarrassed' you actually mean 'absurdly prideful and more than a little turned on,' then yes. You're the hottest girl on this beach. On any beach. Embarrassment is not the problem. I just don't want this to cause problems for us at work."
"Eric's not going to tell anyone," Kensi sighed, leaning her head back to rest against Deeks' shoulder, her breath tickling his neck as she spoke. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Hetty already knows."
"Of course Hetty already knows. Hetty knows everything. But we've been pretty careful so far. Is she still going to let us be partners if our 'thing' becomes common knowledge?"
Kensi chuckled.
"What?"
"Nothing. You just usually insist that there is no 'thing.'"
"Um, yeah. Yeah, there's definitely a 'thing' now."
"Gee, Deeks, ya think so?"
Deeks answered by prodding Kensi in the ribs, causing her to yelp in surprised laughter and squirm away from him, but Deeks' strong arms anchored her firmly against his chest. The series of warm, open-mouth kisses he planted behind her ear, down her neck, and across shoulder quickly silenced her protests until she relaxed into the embrace once more.
"Now what are you doing?" she murmured.
"You have to ask? Really? C'mon, I know I'm better at it than that…"
"No, I mean you know Eric is still watching. Thirty seconds ago you were all worried about him seeing us together. Now you're practically sending up flairs."
Deeks brought his lips close to her ear as his fingertips traced up and down her sides. "Just giving him something worth writing home about."
Kensi turned in his arms to face him. "Deeks, relax. If he hasn't approached us already, he's probably not going to. Either he doesn't care or he's decided to wait till Tuesday to say anything. Either way, I don't think there's anything to worry about."
"So, just to clarify, you don't care what Eric sees? Am I sensing an exhibitionist streak here? Kensi Blye doesn't mind putting on a show?"
Kensi rolled her eyes before closing the distance between them, her lips connecting with his in a kiss that simultaneously warned, reassured, and set his pulse racing.
"Nice try, Shaggy. You'll have to wait till we get back to the hotel for the feature presentation."
"Oh, but that doesn't mean we can't start the previews now…"
When Deeks' pulled Kensi forward to press her body fully against his and Kensi's hands started sliding south down Deeks' back, Eric turned on the spot and made a bee-line for the parking lot. He was heading back to L.A., post haste, immediately, right now. He was pretty sure he didn't need a closer look to figure out the rest of plot to that particular story.
Tuesday morning found Eric back at the Mission, wolfing down a pastry and cup of coffee before heading into Ops for the day. He was making small talk with Sam when Kensi strolled in.
"Good morning, Sam. Morning, Eric," she greeted. "You guys have a good weekend?"
"Yes I did, Kensi," Sam replied.
"So you got spend some time with your family?"
"Every minute I could. I figure I spend so much time up here, I've gotta make sure they don't forget what I look like." He grinned as he took a swig of his coffee. "And what about you? You get to do anything special?"
"Oh, nothing too exciting. Did a little reading, went for a drive. Honestly, I just spent most of the weekend in bed."
Eric nearly choked on his donut.
Kensi turned a cool, calculating gaze directly on him. "How was the tech expo, Eric?"
Oh God, she knows. This is a trick question. Settle down, man, don't freak out…
"Um, actually, I, um… I didn't end up going. Yeah, a, uh, buddy of mine went Friday and said there wasn't anything good, so, uh… Yeah. I just went up to Santa Barbara and did some sightseeing instead."
One of Kensi's eyebrows arched up, and Eric Beale watched his life flash before his eyes. Kensi set her coffee mug down on the desk without breaking eye contact. "See anything interesting?"
Dammit! Wrong answer! What were you thinking? Abort! Abort!
"Ah, well, what I mean is, I, um-"
"Hey guys," Callen called from across the bullpen, tossing his bag down next to his desk. Never in his life was Eric so happy to be interrupted as he was at that moment. He bolted toward the team leader.
"Hey! Callen! Good to see you, man! How was your weekend?"
"Uh, fine I guess." He seemed mildly confused by the enthusiastic greeting but decided not to question it. "And yours?"
"Great. Awesome. I'm just going to, um, head upstairs now. I'll, uh, see you guys later. Yeah."
As he sank into his chair in front of the giant computer screens, Eric decided right then and there that the only surveillance he ever wanted to do ever again would be from the safety and anonymity of the Mission and behind the protective shield of Hetty's direct orders. No matter how difficult a mission was technologically, interacting with computers would NEVER be as stressful as interacting with humans. He'd had enough spying and sightseeing to last him quite a while, thankyouverymuch. In the future, he decided, he'd leave all that interpersonal stuff to Nell. She was better at that kind of thing anyway.