A/N – this is an updated, somewhat darker version of the story I previously published. Many people thought he let her off the hook too easily. I found I agreed and started revising it. The further in I got, the darker it got, not by all that much, but enough. Not wanting anyone to be offended, I've posted this again as a different version. The changes start appearing in chapter 5, so if you read the original story, I would recommend skipping to there. FYI - other than how she sometimes treats Deeks, Kensi is one of my favorite characters. She is smart, strong, resourceful and daring. I'd want her on my side in a fight AND she seems like she'd be fun just to hang out with.

SPOILER ALERT - It does end on an upbeat note.

6/26.15 - updated to fix grammatical errors and a couple misspellings of names. Story didn't change. I think I might actually be learning some grammar!

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Chapter 1

Deeks opened his eyes at the sound of knocking. He rolled over to look at the clock and groaned. It was just after 7:30 and he didn't need to be to work until 9:30. Then a smile crossed his face. It was probably Kensi. Last night had been one of the "off" nights from their relationship. Sometimes she would show up the next morning to car pool into work, and, if early enough, join him in bed for a while. He hoped she had brought coffee.

The knock came again and he got out of bed, threw on some board shorts and padded to the front door. Convinced that it was her, he didn't bother to look through the peep hole, just flung the door open saying "Good morning, sugar…" and stopped. The woman in front of him wasn't Kensi. "Caroline? What are you doing here? " he looked beyond her. "Where's David?" He looked carefully at her and saw she was near tears. "Are you ok? Did something happen to David?"

Her chin quivered but she quickly replied "No, no. We're both fine. David's in London on business. Can I talk to you Marty? I have a problem and I need help! I'm sorry to be here so early but I was hoping to catch you before you went into work."

He stepped back from the door and waved her in. He had met Caroline and David McRae on an LAPD op several years ago. They had just clicked and remained friends ever since. Caroline was a sweet woman but very passive. David made all the decisions in their lives, something she was more than happy for him to do. He'd seen firsthand, the tailspin she went into just trying to just decide where to go for dinner. He shut the door behind her. "What's the matter sweetie?" he asked.

She turned to look at him. "You know David got that big promotion six months ago?" He nodded, remembering that the three of them had gone out to celebrate. The promotion meant more money and they had been excitedly talking about finally being able to start a family.

"Is something wrong at the new job?" She shook her head no.

"We moved shortly after the promotion. We make enough money now to afford a bigger place where having a baby would be easier. David researched the areas around L.A. and found out which had the best schools. We found a great two bedroom in our price range. We were careful to make sure it was okay to have kids in the apartment. There was nothing in the lease to indicate otherwise and we never thought to ask directly."

He looked at her and asked "Does that mean...?"

The worry left her eyes for a minute and she positively glowed. She smoothed her hands down over her slightly rounded belly and said "Yup! I'm three months pregnant. David and I are finally going to be parents!"

"Congratulations! That's fantastic news! What's the problem though?" he responded.

The smile left her face and the worry returned. "David ran into the landlord the day he was leaving and told him our good news. He thought everything was fine. A week later the landlord told me we had to move out! That he doesn't want kids in the apartment. Marty, he wants us out by the end of the month! That's only three weeks and David isn't due back for another month or more. He can't leave London, it could get him fired. I didn't know where to turn so David suggested I talk to you. He remembered you were a lawyer before you became a cop. He thought maybe you could give us some advice, somewhere to turn. I can't do this by myself!" she started crying.

"Sweetie, I'll do anything I can. Did you bring a copy of the lease with you?" he asked. He hated seeing her so upset.

She dug into her bag and handed him the lease agreement. "Yes, I made a copy for you. Thanks so much Marty. I have been so stressed out and it's not good for the baby. If we need to move in three weeks, I have so much to do, I can't even think straight." He put his arm around her and assured he would do everything he could to make sure they didn't need to move, at least not until after David was back.

He looked at his watch and figured Eric would probably be in Ops by now. He picked up his cell phone and called him. The technical analyst answered on the first ring "Yo, Deeks. What's up dude?"

Deeks smiled at the sound of his friend's voice and asked him "Can you look up a Carl Stanton for me? I want to know if there are any complaints/lawsuits against him. He's the landlord for this address." He read the address off the lease agreement.

"Sure, give me a minute." Eric said. While he was waiting, Deeks scrounged around and found a pad of paper and pen while listening to the techie typing away. He was ready when Eric came back and said "I think I got what you need, man. This guy has some serious people skill issues. I've got multiple complaints filed at LAPD from former tenants as well as lawsuits filed against him for unfair practices."

"Give me the details on a couple of them, please." Deeks asked. He scribbled away and then said "I think that's enough for me to work with Eric, thanks!"

Eric, ever curious, asked "What's this all about?" Deeks filled him in on Caroline's predicament and Eric told him to wish her good luck.

Hanging up he said to her "I have a feeling you won't be moving any time soon. Oh, and my buddy at work says good luck." She smiled back at him, feeling more hopeful now that Marty was taking care of things. Next he called the number on the lease. Caroline listened to his side of the conversation and was amazed to hear him easily switch from being a cold and precise lawyer, to a somewhat more heated LAPD cop, then becoming even more heated when he started making allusions to the fact that he worked closely with a Federal Law Enforcement agency.

When he finally hung up, she asked "What did he say?"

He smiled at her and said "You and David are fine to stay right where you are for as long as you want."

"Oh God, thank you so much! You have no idea how relieved this makes me. I'll let David know right away. We'll take you out to dinner as a thank you when he gets back to L.A., plus, we haven't gotten together in far too long as it is."

He laughed and said, "No need to take me out but I'd love to get together as I'd like to introduce you to someone."

She tilted her head at him and replied "Don't tell me you've finally found someone?" He nodded and she clapped her hands. "Tell me all about her!" After doing some catching up, he looked down at his watch and realized he now had to get a move on if he wanted to get to work on time. He walked Caroline to her car, where she put her arms around him and gave him a big hug. She whispered thank you again into his chest. Returning her hug, he dropped a kiss onto the top of her head and told her that he had been happy he was able to help and hoped both she and David knew he would always do whatever he could for them. She squeezed him again and let go. They agreed to email to set up a time for dinner. She told him she was dying to meet the woman he was so obviously head over heels in love with. Watching her pull away, he didn't notice the silver SRX parked just up the street. He went back upstairs to get ready for his day, happy he had been able to help out a friend and eager to see his Kensi.