A/N: I wrote this before 5x12 and Hetty's wonderful gift, so the story assumes that Kensi and Deeks haven't had contact since she left.

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS:LA, as much I wish I did.

The short ding of a text message coming through brings him out of his drowsy state, halfway between sleep and waking. He starts a little and then reaches his hand out to the coffee table, sending takeout cartons and an empty beer bottle to the floor in his blind search for his phone. When he finds it, he grasps it with one hand and brings it to face him while rubbing his face with the other hand. He squints when the screen lights up and he digs the heel of his hand into his eye.

He checks the time. 4am. Wondering briefly who would be texting him at 4 in the morning, Deeks touches the blinking message icon. He sits up straight, all drowsiness gone, when he sees who it's from.

I'm coming home.

Only three words, but the onslaught of emotions nearly sends him slumping back onto the couch. Confusion, anger, bitterness, betrayal, and, yes, hope and joy, war within him. He hasn't heard a thing for seven weeks. Why should he care? But he does because it's her. And she's coming home.

He hesitates and then sends a message back, asking when. His right knee bounces up and down as he waits for her reply. The phone vibrates a few moments later.

Getting on the plane now. ETA 5pm at LAX.

Deeks exhales slowly. He should be angry. He shouldn't even have texted back, but he can't just ignore her. When has he been able to? And besides, she wouldn't be telling him if she didn't want to see him. Before he can message back, she sends another.

I'm sorry. We'll talk. I promise.

Deeks nods to himself and sets the phone on the table. He stares at it a moment longer, and then puts his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He'd almost gotten used to the idea that she wasn't there. Of course, the ache was still there. When he looked at her empty desk, or her dusty locker, or drove past her house to check that everything was still in place. It hurt, but he was coming to terms with the idea that she could be gone. "Indefinitely" as Hetty had said. He honestly didn't know what that meant. The word, yeah, but not the implication behind it. The suggestion that she could never come back. He just couldn't wrap his mind around it.

And now here she was texting him after seven weeks, after leaving without notice. He knew she hadn't left of her own volition. He hoped she would have told him before if she'd been able to. It all left Marty Deeks wondering how many blows he could take before he broke, though.

Deeks stood up, picking up a few of the empty takeout cartons on his way to the kitchen. He dumped them in the trash and pressed the button on the coffee maker. It was too close to his normal waking time to even think about going back to sleep. Not that he would be able to anyway, after that. It was also much too early for him to go into work, so he decided to do the only thing that still made sense.

After downing a cup of coffee and pouring more into a thermos, he fed Monty, grabbed his towel and wetsuit, and drove to the beach. It was still dark, but tendrils of light were beginning to come up over the mountains in the east. The water was still the deep blue of early morning; the horizon indistinguishable from the sea.

Deeks surfed for a while, catching what waves he could in the slow January ocean. He got out after 45 minutes, cold and frustrated at the lack of waves, but a little more clear-headed than he was when he got there. By that time, the sky was awash with pale blue and pink, promising to be a clear day.

Deeks checked his phone all day, knowing that she wouldn't be able to text because she was on a plane, but still hoping anyway. He was thankful it was quiet at OSP, because he knew there was no way he would be able to focus in the field. He caught up on his paperwork, played a game of pickup with Sam, Callen, and Nell, with Eric looking on, and he eyed the clock. Sam and Callen must have noticed Deeks' restlessness, but they didn't say anything. He caught Hetty looking at him from her desk, but she just caught his eyes for a moment before looking back at her paperwork.

At 4pm, Deeks slung his bag over his shoulder and said to Sam and Callen, "I'm taking off. See you guys tomorrow," before heading out the door, a small bounce in his step.

Sam and Callen looked at each other. "What's gotten into him?" Callen asked.

Sam shrugged and then a small smile appeared on his face, "Twenty bucks says Kensi's back."

Realization dawned on Callen's face and then he held out his hands in defeat. "I'm not going to bet on that. You'd win."

The men shook their heads and laughed at the younger agents before picking up their things and heading home as well.

Deeks watched the arrivals board attentively, jiggling his leg impatiently and checking his phone every few minutes. He had no idea where she was coming from, so he'd found a bench just outside baggage claim, hoping to catch her on the way out. Oh, God, he hoped he was able to find her.

The clock inched toward 5pm and at 4:57, Deeks' phone vibrated.

You better have a smoothie for me.

Deeks chuckled and looked up to check the arrivals board. The only flight to have landed in the last 5 minutes was from Minneapolis, so he headed to that end of the terminal, typing a response as he went.

You don't want a box of Twinkies instead?

He could just imagine her rolling her eyes at that, and it made him smile. Luggage started to filter in on the conveyer belt and Deeks kept his eye on the doors, straining for his first glimpse of her in almost two months.

And there she was. He could just make out the top of her head, and a duffel bag slung over her back. He tried to suppress his grin, but when she broke from the crowd he couldn't contain it and let it spread across his face.

She was looking around for him, and then their eyes connected, and Kensi stilled. The crowd moved around her, but she stood there. Deeks watched as disbelief crossed her face, as if she couldn't believe he'd actually come to pick her up, and then her eyes lit up and she began to walk toward him.

A few feet from where Deeks was standing, Kensi dropped her bag and flung herself at Deeks. He grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her, clinging to her shirt and burying his face in her neck. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her face was against his shoulder, eyes squeezed together tightly. Deeks breathed her in and then he laughed. He picked her up so her toes barely touched the floor and he held her tighter.

Kensi laughed, too, and an emotion slipped through, cracking the laugh in two. Deeks put her down to look at her face. Her eyes were misty and red and she bit her lip against a smile. He pushed her hair out of her eyes and put his hands on either side of her face, looking into her eyes. She grinned then and leaned up to kiss him.

Deeks sighed into the kiss. He'd been hoping and waiting for this for 7 weeks. He'd replayed his imagining of their reunion hundreds of times in his head, but fantasy didn't come close to the reality. Kensi melted in his arms and Deeks wound his fingers through her hair, pulling her closer.

He'd thought she would be different. Feel different, somehow. Or smell different. But time hadn't changed anything in her. She still smelled like sunshine and gunpowder, and she was still strong and capable under his hands. She felt a bit thinner underneath her baggy sweater, but that was the nature of an op.

They broke apart, still gripping each other, and grinned at each other. Deeks sighed again and leaned his forehead against Kensi's. She closed her eyes and breathed him in. Deeks watched her face, the worry and stress he hadn't noticed before smoothing out until peace took over. Still with her eyes closed, she brought her hands up to his face, running her fingers over his jaw and down his neck.

Kensi opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he answered. "It's been a while."

"I know."

"You okay?"

"I am now."

Deeks grinned at that and took her bag from where she had dropped it on the floor. He held out his hand, which Kensi took, wrapping her fingers tightly around his. "Let's go home."