Deeks had always looked forward to getting married. Even when he was little, the thought would put a smile across his face. Before, he had never really cared who he was going to marry, he just liked the idea of someone placing their trust in you and loving you for the rest of their life. He had never got that feeling from his family when he was growing up, so Deeks knew that when he got married, he would give them everything he had. Today was the day that would change everything. Today, he was marrying his best friend, his partner, his world, but most importantly, his Fern. He was ecstatic.

Deeks made his way up the aisle to where his best man Eric stood at the altar, waiting for him. Deeks was nervous as hell. He knew that Kensi was the one for him, she always had been, but for some reason he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Eric must've sensed Deeks' nervousness because he started talking about surfing. Deeks couldn't get enough of it. It always calmed his nerves. Deeks looked around the church, and he couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy.

The wedding march started to play and Deeks looked up to see Callen and Sam escorting Kensi down the aisle.

"God she looks gorgeous." Deeks thought to himself. She finally made it up to the altar and Deeks was sure that she was the one. In that moment, he knew she was his soulmate and he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with her.

The ceremony had gone by fairly quickly. Kensi and Deeks had just finished exchanging their vows, and both had promised each other to be all in. Deeks knew the others wouldn't understand what it meant to them, but for them, it meant to always love each other and to never hold back. They were given eachothers rings and asked to place them on their partners ring finger. Deeks went first and placed Kensi's wedding ring on her ring finger. Kensi followed suit. The minister finally said the words they had all been waiting for.

"You may now kiss the bride". As Deeks leaned into kiss the love of his life, a voice rang out through the room.

"Guess who's back Marty-boy?" It was a voice unfamiliar to the team, but not to Deeks and his mother. The other shoe had dropped.

"You're supposed to be dead." Deeks growled as he looked up. The anger was burning in his eyes.

"Deeks, who is that?" Kensi asked. Deeks looked back over at Kensi and said the words he thought he would never, EVER, have to say again.

"My Father.

"Ah, so you haven't told them very much about me have you son?" Brandel snarled.

"They know enough and I'm not your son. That person died a long time ago when I shot you." Deeks said as he looked over at his mother. Brandel followed his gaze.

"Oh, you're still trying to protect your worthless mother. Forget about her, I'm not here for her. I'm here for you." Brandel smiled, and with that he pulled out a gun and fired a shot at Kensi.

"KENSI!" Deeks screamed as he dove for his bride, tackling her to the ground. They hit the ground with a hard thump.

"Kensi are you okay? Are you hurt?"Deeks asked with worry flooding his voice.

"No baby I'm good. Are you-OH GOD, Deeks your shoulder. He shot it." Kensi stammered as she placed her hand on Deeks shoulder, trying to slow the bleeding.

Deeks gently pushed her hand away and started to stand. "I hate to say this but we have bigger problems at the moment."

Deeks looked around and wasn't surprised to see Brandel standing. Nobody was armed. They had all decided that being armed might make some of the guests uncomfortable and they wanted to respect that. Deeks turned around to look at Callen and Sam, hoping they would have an idea. Unfortunately, they were just as helpless as Deeks felt. Deeks knew that he needed to buy time for LAPD to show up assuming someone had called in the gunshot.

"How the hell are you alive? The report said that you had died in car accident. If that wasn't you, then who died?" Deeks asked as he turned around to face his father.

"The body was burnt beyond identification, however the car was registered under my name, so the cops just assumed that I had been the one driving the car." Brandel smiled.

"So then who died?" Callen asked. He was also trying to buy time so that they could evacuate the guest should Brandel choose to turn the wedding into a massacre.

"I had loaned my car to a friend." Brandel stated, obviously not wanting to add more. He raised his gun to once again line up with Kensi.

"See Marty-boy, you took away twelve years of my life, so I am going to take away the most important thing in yours. Her." Brandel said with a smile as his finger made its way to the trigger. Deeks pushed Kensi to the ground, and even though he knew it was probably the stupidest thing he would ever do, he charged at his father.

"DEEKS!" Kensi shouted as she watched the love of her life fling himself at his father. It was quite possibly the stupidest thing he had ever done. Thankfully, Brandel wasn't expecting Deeks to tackle him because his shot went wide, right into the wall. By the time Brandel recovered from his shock, Deeks had managed to get on top of him and was fighting for possession of the gun. Callen and Sam immediately started helping people make their way out of the church. They knew Deeks would be beside himself if somebody got hurt because of his father. Nell and Eric managed to convince Kensi to take cover should there be any stray bullets. They found shelter behind one of the pews in the back row. This way, they could still see what was happening in the aisle without getting hurt. All of a sudden, two gunshots echoed through the room, shattering the tense silence that had been there before.

Eric had managed to hold onto Kensi as she tried to get to Deeks. "DEEKS" she screamed as Deeks continued to grapple for the gun. Another shot rang out through the room, and this time, the fighting stopped. Deeks had managed to shoot Brandel in the shoulder and gain complete control of the gun. The team watched as Deeks pushed himself off of Brandel and slide the gun towards them. Kensi, Nell and Eric bolted to Deeks while Callen and Sam ran to restrain Brandel. Brandel had managed to shoot Deeks on the upper right side of his abdomen and the left side of his chest. Nell and Kensi through their hands on the wounds while Eric went outside to meet the paramedics when they arrived.

"Deeks I swear to God if you die on me I'll kill you myself." Kensi stammered as the paramedics rushed into the room. They quickly loaded him onto the ambulance with Kensi riding along in the back. She was clutching Deeks hand and was determined to be there if he woke up. Meanwhile, Sam and Callen were waiting to hear if Brandel was stable enough for an interview at the boatshed. They needed to figure out how he knew about Deeks and Kensi and that they were getting married. Nell and Eric decided to drive Roberta to the hospital. She still hadn't said anything, which was highly unusual for her. The team knew Deeks took after her with how much they both liked to talk. Finally, Sam and Callen got the go ahead to bring Brandel to the boatshed. They parted ways with Eric and Nell who promised to call them as soon as they had an update on Deeks.

Kensi knew the ambulance was going fast, but that didn't stop her from wanting to drive it on her own. As she sat in the back of the ambulance while the paramedics struggled to stabilize Deeks, she realized how helpless she was. She wasn't a paramedic. She couldn't help Deeks, she didn't know how. A loud beeping noise snapped Kensi out of her thoughts. Deeks had coded. Kensi felt a sob build in her chest as she screamed at the paramedics to do something. They were already one step ahead of her. They started doing compressions as they pulled into the hospital. A group of doctors unloaded Deeks from the ambulance and rushed him into the hospital and all Kensi could do was watch. One of the nurses must've noticed Kensi standing there, because she led Kensi to the waiting room and handed her some scrubs so she could change out of her once-white now red wedding dress. Kensi gratefully accepted them, snapping out of her daze. She made her way into the bathroom and changed into the baby blue scrubs. Baby blue, the color of Deeks eyes. What if she never got to look at them again. Hell, what if she never got to hear his voice again, wake up next to him, or ever kiss him again. She hadn't got to kiss him as her husband. Kensi pushed down the sob threatening to escape. She couldn't think like this. Deeks is tough. He'll get through this.

Roberta hadn't said anything on their way to the hospital. Nell and Eric exchanged worried glances. They pulled into the parking lot and parked the car, but Roberta still hadn't moved.

"Roberta, we're here." Nell said softly, as she reached out to put her and on the older womans knee. Roberta just nodded and followed Eric inside. They made their way to the waiting room where they were greeted by Kensi, who was pacing the hallway. As Nell helped Roberta into a chair, Eric made his way over to Kensi. As soon as Eric approached, Kensi seemed to finally acknowledge their presence. Instead of pacing she walked over to Eric.

"Any news?" Eric asked as he enveloped Kensi in a hug.

"He coded in the ambulance Eric. I wasn't sure if he was going to make it. Last I heard they were taking him in for an emergency surgery, but they said not to get our hopes up since he's critical." Kensi sobbed, finally giving into the urge to cry. Eric led her over to sit next to the older woman who just simply looked at the wrecked bride and offered a soft smile.

"He'll be alright Kensi. He's done it before." Roberta said as she leaned over to hug Kensi.

"How are you so sure?" Kensi asked with tears running down her face. "I know he's strong but I can't help but wonder if this is it. That maybe Deeks isn't as invincible as i thought."

Roberta looked over at Kensi with tears in her eyes "Did he ever tell you about the first time he shot his father?"

Callen and Sam pulled into the boatshed and yanked Brandel out of the car. Sam made sure his journey into the interrogation room was as 'gentle' as possible. He definitely didn't bang him into any doors or walls on his way there. He forced Brandel into the chair and went back upstairs to strategize with Callen.

"What are we supposed to do? We don't need to interrogate him. Assaulting a Federal agent is an automatic life sentence and if Deeks doesn't make it… we can push for the death penalty. There are probably a dozen cameras that caught the attack too. All we really need to know is how he found Deeks." Callen said as his partner walked into the room.

"Deeks will make it. He's strong. Plus, if he dies, Kensi will revive him just so she can kill him herself. Come on, we've got an interrogation to run." Sam said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. They walked back into the interrogation room where they found Brandel sitting with a smug look on his face. Sam calmly walked behind him an opened the trap door while Callen went around the other side of the table to face Brandel.

"Tell us how you found Deeks, and we won't let you swim in the ocean." Callen said as Sam swung Brandel's chair to face the hole in the floor.

"You can't do this. That's assault and police brutality!" Bradel sputtered.

"Maybe, but who are the cops gonna believe? Some low life such as yourself, or two highly decorated and respected Federal Agents?" Sam asked

"I think they'll believe us Sam." Callen said, backing up his partner who abruptly tipped Brandel's chair so that he was hovering dangerously over the hole.

"Alright I'll tell you. I'LL TELL YOU!" Brandel yelled.

Sam let Brandel's chair rest on the ground, but he made sure that he was still facing the gap in the floor.

"I was talking to one of my buddies who had just got out and he told me about the cop that arrested him. Said his name was Deeks. I knew that Roberta had changed her and Marty's name to Deeks but I thought it was just a coincidence. I left it alone. I was walking downtown with that same buddy when he pointed out the cop that arrested him. I took one look at him and I knew that it was that worthless piece of shit. I paid some guy for information on him. He got the info from someone's files that had been leaked from a mole. At least, that's what he said. I followed him to where he was going this morning and when I saw her pull up in a wedding dress, I put two and two together and the rest is history." Brandel said with a disgust in his voice. Two LAPD cops entered the room and took Brandel, saying they had a special place reserved for him at the station.

Sam and Callen had just entered the waiting room when they heard Roberta ask Kensi if Deeks had ever told her about the first time he shot his father.

"No, it's something he doesn't like to talk about. I mean, we all have things that we don't talk about. For me, it's Jack, and for Deeks, it's his father." Kensi stated as she looked at the floor.

Roberta sighed as she patted Kensi on the arm. Callen, Sam, Eric, and Nell sat in the surrounding chairs to listen to Roberta's story.

"Martin was eleven years old. It was Thanksgiving and Gordon was so angry. Apparently, the turkey was too dry for him, but everybody knows that turkey is naturally dry. He was screaming and yelling and I'm pretty sure the entire neighborhood could hear him. He was also blind drunk too. He had gone to the bar earlier that day. Anyway, he stared beating me around. I think I passed out because the next thing I remember was that Martin was on the floor next to me with blood running down his face telling me that it was going to be okay. I remember telling him to go upstairs, and that it wasn't safe for him down here. Martin was a good kid, so he did what he was told, but he always knew where the loopholes were. I guess that's why he was such a good lawyer. He went and sat at the top of the staircase while I got up and started cleaning up Gordon's mess. I didn't see him so I just assumed that he had went back to the bar. Next thing I know, Gordon's waving a shotgun around saying that he's done with us and he knows people that can hide bodies. All I could do was hope Martin had enough sense to get out of the house. All of a sudden, Martin clambers down the stairs with a gun in his hand. At this point I was praying that someone had called the police because i was sure that we weren't going to make it out of this alive. Martin was yelling at Gordon to put down the shotgun. Gordon just started laughing. I remember how terrified Martin looked. I thought for sure he was going to have a heart attack or something since he looked so scared. Gordon just looked at Martin and told him how much he hated him. Then he pointed the shotgun while Martin lifted his own gun up to face Gordon. Gordon just laughed. Then, two gunshots went off. Martin had managed to hit Gordon in the shoulder. Thank god Gordon was so drunk because his shot went wide and most of the buckshot hit the wall. Some of it hit Martin but it could've been much worse. The police came shortly after that. I don't remember much after that, but i do know that if, Martin can make it through that, then he can definitely make it through this."

As soon as Roberta finished her story, Deeks' doctor walked into the waiting room. The team walked over to him.

"How is he?" Kensi blurted out.

The doctor turned to look at Kensi "He made it through the surgery but he still has a long way to go. There were three gunshot wounds; one in shoulder, the upper right side of his abdomen, and the left side of his chest. Were most concerned about his abdomen and his chest wounds. The gunshot to the abdomen perforated his liver and we had to remove a small section of the liver to get the bullet out. The shot to his chest missed his heart but managed to collapse his lung. We repaired the damage, but he is in a medically induced coma so that his body can take the time to heal. Barring any complications, he should make a full recovery. You can go see him now if you'd like."

Kensi and Roberta didn't waste any time and practically ran to Deeks room. He was on a ventilator and his torso seemed to be covered in bandages. They didn't leave his side for three days, until Nell and Sam teamed up to convince them to go home and rest.

It had been a week after the surgery and Deeks still hadn't woken up. Kensi and Roberta had been taking turns staying with Deeks at the hospital. Roberta had just went home and Kensi was all alone, with only the constant beeping of the monitor to keep her company. She drifted into though to be interrupted by someone squeezing her hand."Deeks? DEEKS! Come on baby, please wake up!" Deeks groaned as he finally opened his eyes. He looked at Kensi, who was silently crying.

"He didn't hurt you? Baby are you okay?" He asked.

What did Kensi do to deserve Deeks? He was the one who was stuck in a hospital and he was wondering if she was okay? She really did have the best husband.

"No baby I'm ok. I gotta call your mom. She'll be so happy to hear that you're awake. I should probably call the team too. Are you in pain? Should I get the nurse?" Kensi asked she leaned to kiss Deeks who just looked at her and said "No baby. You're the only drug that I need." Kensi smiled as she settled into the spot on the bed that Deeks had reserved just for her. In that moment she knew that they would be able to get through this and everything else life would throw in their way.