"Range, Kensalina? I have a feeling you need to shoot something, and I'd prefer it not be me." Kensi looked up from her stack of paperwork to smile at her partner.

Kensi had been sitting at her desk, silently hoping something would happen to get her out of this world of boredom. If that something happened to involve her favorite scruffy surfer, she didn't mind.

"You're on." She replies as she grabs her gun out of her desk drawer and walks past Deeks toward the NCIS Firing Range.

Sam and Callen laugh as they walk by and quickly turn their attention back to the pile of papers in front of them.

The team had finished up a rather long case the day before and were currently drowning in paperwork. Deeks was really starting to get bored and he could see from across the bullpen Kensi that had had enough. He knew just how to remedy that situation. The combination of firearms and Marty Deeks always made Kensi happy, that's why she loves her job.

"Ok. Horse rules. Kill shots win." Kensi says as she puts on her safety gear.

"You're on." Deeks says with a crooked smile that makes Kensi's heart jump into her throat. All he has to do is smile and she melts.

"You go first." Kensi challenged, backing away to watch him.

"Ok. Stand on one foot, and shoot with your opposite hand." Deeks nearly loses his balance, causing his shot to go low. "Dammit." He exclaims loudly.

"Ha. My turn." Kensi tries a shot from several steps back, with her head turned toward the wall. The shot hits the paper target right in the heart. Kensi steps away, looking at Deeks as he attempts the difficult shot.

"Easy." Deeks says, his confidence faltering slightly. Deeks steps back, and turns his head to look right at Kensi. His shot once again misses wildly. He begins to realize what a bad idea it was to get into a shooting match with Kensi Blye. Most people who do that outside the firing range don't live to tell about it.

Kensi steps back up. "Deeks with an H, Blye still in control." She says in her best commentary voice. Kensi shoots another perfect shot with her left hand covering her left eye.

Deeks steps up, his shot closer this time. The shot would have gotten someone's attention, but not killed them. "Geez. I suck today." He says as he lets Kensi slide past him to take her next shot.

"Today? And I believe that makes you a HO." Kensi teases with a grin. Deeks rolls his eyes, not even bothering to respond.

The way he wanted to respond would be wildly inappropriate, and possibly dangerous considering Kensi had a gun. What he really wanted to do was kiss her. He's wanted to do it so many times before, but today, watching her annihilate him in a shooting match made him realize that there is no one in the world like Kensi Marie Blye. It sounds strange to say that watching someone stand on one foot to shoot a paper target would make it hard for you to control your emotions, but that's the way their "thing" worked.

Their game was interrupted by Eric. "Got a case."

"Want to save this for another time or just admit defeat now?" Kensi challenged as she got ready to head up to the Operations Center.

Deeks laughed. "No way. I say we just start over." Deeks opens the door for Kensi.

"Not a chance, HO." Kensi walks out of the range and up the stairs to Ops.

Deeks stands in the doorway of the range as he watches his favorite person in the world walk away, realizing just how tired he is of hiding his feelings.

All through the briefing he couldn't stop thinking about Kensi. He relived every moment from that morning in his mind. He barely heard a word Eric or Nell said, and the team started to notice Deeks was being unusually quiet.

The new case sent them to the home of a now dead Marine, William Jacobs. By the time they were entering the front door Kensi knew something was off. Deeks didn't say a word on the ride to the house, he just stared out the window. Deeks doesn't just not talk. It's not in his nature. He seemed fine in the range this morning. It was like something snapped and he was in a different world.

"Are you ok Deeks?" She asked hesitantly.

"Sure. Fine. Why?" He replied, Kensi's voice pulling him out of a trance. Kensi stopped what she was doing to look straight at him.

"Well, A. you said fine, and B. you hardly said a word on the ride over."

Deeks smiled, she knew him all too well. "I'm good. Really Kens."

"Besides, I thought you'd be happy I finally shut up, not complaining about it. Who are you and what have you done with my Kensalina?" And there it is. Deeks and Kensi back to their usual witty banter.

Kensi laughs and punches his shoulder. "Get back to work."

Deeks did as he was told, grinning at the fact that she didn't protest being called his.

Deeks and Kensi have been partners for years. They know each other better than anyone. Although Kensi would never say it to his face, Marty Deeks is her best friend. And to Deeks, Kensi is much more.

A fact that he is having trouble keeping to himself at this very moment.

As the case goes on, Deeks returns to his normal self. He still wants to tell Kensi how he feels, but the doubt that she doesn't feel the same and fear that being together would ruin their partnership win this round. But the war isn't over yet. Deeks wants to be with Kensi. The only thing holding them back is the assumption that Hetty and the rest of the team wouldn't approve, and would split them up as partners. They were partners first, and friends second. He had to decide was if Kensi being his girlfriend was worth Kensi not being his partner anymore.

Judging by how he felt in the range that morning, and how he feels now, that decision is becoming easier and easier. The slightest thing could set him off at this point.

And a few hours into the case, something a lot bigger than the slightest thing happened.