This came to me the other day. This is going to be how I'm going to pretend it plays out until the writers of the show prove me otherwise.
Standard disclaimer - I own nothing related to NCIS:LA
3/1/15 UPDATE - Shortly after I published this, I remembered that Deeks no longer carries the Beretta he had early on - he's used a Smith and Wesson for a little while now (still with the manual safety), and since a couple of my awesome reviewers pointed it out, I didn't want to leave it incorrect. That paragraph about his new gun from Hetty is the only update I made. It's minor in the grand scheme of this story, but it was driving me nuts.
Deeks lies in his bed, staring at the ceiling as the early morning sun starts to stream in his window. He has been awake since long before his alarm was set to go off; his mind whirling with what he's about to do today. He glances over to the other side of the bed where Kensi would normally still be snoring, her dark curls framing her face, but she's not there.
It's been a few weeks since their first official fight and though they still spend most nights together, last night Deeks had suggested they take a night for themselves. He didn't actually have any plans, but he had talked a big game about a guy's night with Kip. He needed Kensi to think he was busy because he wanted the alone time this morning. He knew it would be harder to pull off his surprise if he woke up surrounded by her scent and her body within reach of his arms and his lips.
Thinking back to the previous week when he approached Hetty one afternoon as she sat in her office, he plays the conversation over in his head one more time. It's as though he wants to remind himself that this is actually happening. Deeks had thought he would be more nervous or unsure, but since his chat with Hetty, he has felt nothing but an anxious excitement and most importantly, a surprisingly unfaltering feeling of contentment.
It was a quiet day for their team and when their paperwork was finished, Callen, Sam, and Kensi had decided to hit the firing range. Mumbling something about needing to finish some reports for LAPD, Deeks stayed back, glancing over toward Hetty's office.
When he was sure the other three were out of sight and earshot, he approached her desk and cleared his throat, "uh, Hetty, can I talk to you?"
"Certainly. Have a seat, Mr Deeks," she replied as she took one last sip of her tea.
He took a deep breath and nervously ruffled his hair a bit before beginning, "I, uh, I know it's been a few years, but I've been wondering if your offer for me to become an agent still stands? "
He watched as a brief look of shock flashed across Hetty's face.
"Ooh. Of course it does. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to take me up on that offer. Why now?"
He chuckled a bit when he realized he may have actually caught Hetty Lange in a moment of surprise.
"I've thought about it quite a bit recently and I realized that it's what I want. For a long time, I think I was holding onto LAPD like a crutch; afraid to make the switch in case it didn't work out here. But in almost five years with this team, I have felt more at home than I have anywhere else in my life. You guys are the family I never had and I can't risk losing that."
Hetty was silent for a few seconds before she offered him a sly smile, "I do believe we all feel the same about you, Mr Deeks. Do you still have the application I gave you or will you be requiring a new one?"
"No, I actually have it right here, I just need to sign it," he answered as he produced the papers from a folder he had been holding in his lap.
When he looked back at Hetty, she was already holding out a pen for him. He smiled as he took it and scribbled down his signature and with a quick exhale, handed the papers over to Hetty's waiting hands.
"We've been waiting for this day, Detective," she put an emphasis on the title that he won't hold for much longer, "Granger and Director Vance assured me long ago that your paperwork would be fast-tracked. I imagine we can expect this to be official within the week. Now, go rejoin your team, they will be thrilled with the news."
"Um, about that," he added nervously, "Can we keep this between us for a few days? I want to surprise Kensi and I don't want anyone else to know before I get the chance to tell her."
"Of course, Mr Deeks. I shall let you know when everything has been processed. No one else needs to know until that occurs."
As he stood to leave, he gave one last look to the small woman who was about to officially become his boss, "Thank you, Hetty. This means a lot to me."
With one last silent nod, he was dismissed and off to the range to challenge that beautiful, stubborn partner of his to a game of HORSE.
The ding of his phone breaks him out of his flashback and Deeks grins when he sees that it's a text from Kensi wishing him a good morning and confirming the time she will pick him up for work. He shoots off a quick reply of, "Morning Sunshine! I'll be waiting!" and finally drags himself out of bed. After a quick shower, breakfast, and walk for Monty, Deeks is out the door just as the silver Caddy pulls up to the curb.
Climbing into the passenger seat, he leans over the console and is greeted with a firm kiss to his lips.
"Morning, Kensilina," he says when she breaks the kiss to pull out onto the road.
"Hey. You have a good time with Kip?"
"Yep," he answers quickly, not offering up any more details and wanting to keep the conversation away from his non-existent plans, "How was your night?"
"It was good. Relaxing."
"What did you do?"
Kensi shrugs, "eh, not much."
Deeks grins, "You watched Titanic and ate ice cream for dinner, didn't you?" his eyes twinkling at the chance to tease her.
She scoffs, "No."
He tilts his head and raises his eyes at her, making it clear that he doesn't believe her.
"It was Love Actually," she grimaces, knowing he had her pegged "…and then Titanic."
She secretly loves how well he knows her. It's been a really long time since someone even cared enough to know her so well.
Deeks reaches across and squeezes her thigh, smirking at her when she takes her eyes off the road to steal a quick glance in his direction.
They sit in a comfortable silence the rest of the way to the Mission. Deeks' hand never leaves her leg, wanting those few minutes of contact since he missed it last night and will have to go the rest of the day without it.
They pull into the parking lot and Kensi reaches for Deeks' hand on her thigh, giving it a quick squeeze before they park and get out of the car. They grab their bags out of the back seat and walk through the heavy doors of the Mission, shoulder-to-shoulder.
As they enter the bullpen, Hetty calls over to Deeks and asks him to stop by her office. Stealing a quick look at Kensi, who looks slightly confused, he puts on what he hopes is a believable look of equal confusion and offers a shrug before walking away.
"Good morning, Hetty," he grins at the Operations Manager, unable to hide his excitement in front of the only other person who knows what is going to happen today.
Yesterday, Hetty had called him aside while Kensi was out picking up lunch for the team and informed him that his application had been processed and approved. As soon as he could submit his resignation to LAPD, he would officially be an NCIS Probationary Agent.
Deeks had let Hetty in on the part of his plan that he needed help playing out - he needed an excuse to go back to LAPD for part of the day so that he could talk with Bates.
"Good morning, indeed, Mr. Deeks. I assume Miss Blye is still unaware of your employment status?"
"She is," he nods, "Now I just have to make sure she doesn't freak out too much when I tell her I need to go talk with Bates."
"I'll play my part to calm her down, but you'd best make quick work of this plan because we both know she won't handle it quietly."
"She'll know by dinner time," Deeks states confidently.
He's anxious to get going and they can't chat too long without raising more suspicions. He gives Hetty a quick nod and walks back to the bullpen and leans over Kensi's desk where she's pretending to work on an after-action report.
"Hey," she speaks quietly and he can see the questions running through her mind, "What did Hetty want?"
Deeks lets out a small sigh, "Can I, uhh, borrow your car? Apparently Bates called and needs to see me."
"What?!" a panicked expression flashes across Kensi's face, "Why?"
"I really don't know. I figure the sooner I get downtown, the sooner I can get back here."
He's trying his hardest to keep a straight face, despite wanting to reassure Kensi that there's nothing for her to worry about.
"Yeah, of course, here," she stammers out, handing him the keys to her car, "call me when you can."
"Of course," he keeps his gaze focused on her as he can see her trying to figure out what LAPD could want with him on short notice, "Don't worry, Fern, I'll be back."
She can't help but grin at the memory and Deeks winks at her as he backs away and turns to walk outside.
Letting out a deep breath as soon as he steps outside, he climbs in her car and heads for LAPD headquarters.
The talk with Bates had gone about as Deeks had expected. The Lieutenant wasn't surprised in the least and told him that it had taken him long enough to make the switch. After filling out all of his resignation papers and turning in his badge and weapon, Deeks walked into the warm Los Angeles afternoon feeling lighter than he'd felt in years. Life was looking pretty damn good right now and he had never thought he would deserve all of it; he has a great "new" job where he does a lot of good for people and for the country, a fantastic partner whom he trusts with everything, and that same partner as his amazing girlfriend and he falls more in love with her every day.
Driving back to the Mission, Deeks calls Hetty and finds out that Callen, Sam, and Kensi are out picking up a couple of witnesses for a case they've been trying to piece together. Relief washes over him when he hears that they should be at the boatshed for the rest of the day. He needs time to set up the last part of his surprise.
After parking the car in Kensi's spot, Deeks shoots her a quick text telling her that he will meet her back in the Mission at the end of the day. He hopes she will be too busy to read it for at least a couple of hours because she will undoubtedly be annoyed with him for not divulging more details about his LAPD visit, so the less time she has to stew, the better for him.
Walking back into the Mission, he heads straight for Hetty's desk where she is waiting for him with a thick brown envelope and a weapons case.
"Welcome, Agent Deeks," she smiles warmly.
"Wow," he releases a quick breath, "that is going to take some getting used to."
Hetty chuckles and holds up the envelope that had been lying on her desk, "In here, you will find your new ID, badge, NCIS handbook, and the copy of your application that you requested," She hands it to him and then pushes the black case across her desk, "and here is your new weapon. I think you will be pleased with what I've selected for you."
Deeks takes a quick peek in the case and does a doubletake when he realizes it's the same type of Smith and Wesson that he had just turned back into LAPD. He had assumed he would be required to carry a SIG like the rest of the team does, but he should have known that Hetty would understand the significance of the manual safety he's had on his weapons-of-choice over the years.
"Thank you, Hetty, for all of this."
"You are quite welcome, Mr. Deeks. Consider this," she taps the sleek black case, "a welcome gift of sorts."
Deeks smiles and picks up his new belongings before looking back at her, "I always knew I was your favorite, Hetty," he says with a wide grin as he walks away.
It's nearing 7pm by the time Kensi calls Deeks to let him know that Callen and Sam are heading home for the night and that they are dropping her off at the Mission in a few minutes. She is very anxious to talk about his meeting with Bates. It's been a long time since Deeks has been called back outside of his regular check-ins and she has been worried all day that he is going to have to go undercover for some undetermined amount of time.
As she walks into the bullpen, she is suddenly drawn out of her worrisome thoughts when she catches sight of something on her desk that isn't supposed to be there. A box. And not just any box, but the box.
Her mind is racing again, except now she's trying to figure out what that box is doing on her desk. She had opened it for Deeks last year and he had found the smaller box inside and she just assumed that he had gotten rid of the big one.
She was so lost in thought, it took her a minute to notice that Deeks was sitting at his desk, trying to stifle his laughs.
Glaring at him, she moves to stand in front of him.
"Really, Deeks?" she lets out with a small chuckle, "What's in the box?"
Standing up from his chair, he walks around to lean against the front of his desk.
"Well, uh," he rubs the back of his head, suddenly feeling nervous, "I got you something for our 5-year partner anniversary but it showed up a few weeks early and I didn't want to wait to give it to you."
Kensi wasn't expecting the serious turn this situation has taken and as she remembers his LAPD visit earlier today, she is instantly concerned that this early gift confirms her fears of an undercover assignment.
"What did Bates want, Deeks?" her voice is laced with apprehension.
"Open the box, Kens. I'll tell you everything later."
She glares at him and debates pushing back, but the look of hope and anxiety in his cornflower blue eyes stops her. They've always been good at talking with their eyes and she sees how important it is to him that she do this.
He speaks as she turns back to her desk and takes out her knife.
"I still don't know what's in the other box," she rolls her eyes as he continues, "but I do know what's in this one and this is something I've always wanted, more than anything in the whole world. Well, almost anything," he winks at her and he's awarded with a blush creeping up her cheeks, "and I hope the same goes for you because I can't exactly take it back."
"You got me something that you want?" she asks skeptically as she opens the huge box only to find it filled with packing peanuts.
Sifting through the top half of the box, finding nothing but more and more foam pieces, she starts to wonder if this is a joke and shoots a look at him as he smirks back at her.
"Just reach for the bottom."
Doing as she's told, she pulls out a brown envelope. Confusion quickly flashes across her face and she looks to Deeks as he nods for her to open it. Lifting the flap, she pulls out a small packet of papers. She sucks in a breath when she realizes it's an NCIS application. His application. Her heart is beating wildly as her eyes fly to his.
She opens her mouth to speak, but he cuts her off.
"There's, uh, one more thing in there," he says gently.
She reaches into the envelope again and as soon as her fingers find the cold metal object inside, she knows exactly what it is and suddenly the whole day is making sense as she puts the pieces together. Slowly, she pulls out his new badge and ID, cradling them in her hands. Running her thumb over the edges and patterns in the badge that matches her own, she stares at it for what feels like an eternity before she looks at him.
Deeks has been watching her anxiously and he can't quite pinpoint the emotion he sees on her face but he thinks it's a mix of surprise, happiness, love, and pride.
Silently, she steps out from behind her desk and moves to stand directly in front of him. With the hand that isn't still holding onto his badge, she grabs one of his hands and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
"I'm so proud of you," she says softly, her voice breaking as she tries to control her emotions but her eyes bright and focused on his.
He doesn't remember the last time anyone has said that they're proud of him and it means more than he could ever put into words that this incredible woman in front of him is proud of him.
He is so lost in that thought that he isn't prepared for the bear hug that Kensi quickly pulls him into. Her arms wrap tightly around his shoulders and her head drops to the side of his neck as he feels a light kiss from her lips. Snaking his arms around her waist, he lets out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.
Standing there in each other's arms for longer than partners probably should, Deeks is about to pull away when he hears her whisper into his ear.
"The same goes for me, partner."