a/n: Yes, I have lost my mind. This proves it. But hey, finals are over!

I apologize for this right now. It is so all over the place. The original inspiration for this got so lost in the whole thing that I just can't recover from it. Spoilers from the mothership's 13x24 if you haven't seen that bombshell yet. If you even watch the mothership. They have a chat about that. I don't know, I feel like that's something they'd have a talk about?

Whatever this is, I'm sorry.

2. Traffic and Your Favorite Song

The 405 at rush hour.

The 405 at anytime, really.

Only God knows why so many people were on the freeway that night. Certainly not all of them were headed to a retirement banquet for one of the other OPS employees that the Special Agent and LAPD Liason were to attend.

Deeks tapped his fingers against the steering wheel of her Audi. "Yeah, no… we're definitely not going to make it. We got all dressed up for nothing."

Kensi shook her head. "We're not even going to be close to making it."

"We should probably call Hetty and let her know," Deeks said. Kensi nodded in agreement, pulling her phone out of her pocket. As she pressed it to her ear, he spoke again.

" Speaking of phone calls, who was it you were talking to the other night?"

"Hmm?" she asked, looking toward him.

"I got out of the shower and you were on the phone. It definitely wasn't your mother and I don't think you'd say 'Semper Fi' to my mother."

Kensi paused for a moment just looking at him, confusion lighting up her face. Suddenly, she remembered the instance he was speaking of. "Oh, yeah…" Hetty picked up the line, so she switched gears. Explaining their traffic situation, Kensi filled her boss in before hanging up the phone.

"Okay, we're okay to miss the banquet."

"We better be," Deeks laughed. "We'll be old and gray by the time we get out of this traffic."

Kensi laughed, even though it wasn't funny. "At least we'll die looking this good." He shot her a smirk, and she grinned.

"Anyway," she continued. "Do you remember Special Agent Gibbs?"

"The guy that fancy suit and tie Agent DiNozzo works for?"

Kensi frowned. "Yeah. Him."

"Why were you talking to him?"

"We keep in touch. I escorted him and one of his agents around LA several years ago. He was a Marine Gunnery Sergeant. We got close. I trust him."

"Oh, makes sense."

"He called me to let me know of vacancy on his team in DC." Kensi exhaled.

"Vacancy?"

She sighed. "DiNozzo."

"He was killed?" Deeks couldn't contain the shock. "I hadn't heard…"

"No, he resigned."

"Why? Was Gibbs too much for him?"

"This is all before your time," Kensi paused. "But he and his partner were always close. Turns out they were in love."

"I don't like where this is going."

"I don't either," Kensi sighed. "Apparently, she moved back to Israel and resigned after her father was killed. He went and found her. She didn't want to come back. So he left her there several years ago. She was killed in a terrorist attack last week, or at least that's what Mossad says. Her house was burned to the ground. They recovered her less than two year old daughter. DiNozzo was the only possible biological match."

"DiNozzo's a father?"

"Yep."

"That's so not even right."

"Believe me," she said. "I know."

"So what is he doing?"

"Gibbs says he's going to figure out what the hell is going on. I'd want answers too. He is dealing with Mossad after all. He has a baby girl to consider. She'll want answers someday too."

"Very true," he looks at her, eyes concerned. He knows what he's about to say is risky. "To just wake up one day and discover you're a parent. Scary. Life changing. Lucky."

"Lucky?"

"Yeah. I think so."

She smiles. "Yeah. I guess he is kind of lucky. Maybe he'll find Ziva. Maybe that little girl will be just what he needs to keep going. Who knows. But it's crazy as hell."

"You bet it is. I mean, we… we're crazy as hell."

She nods. "We are."

"Could that happen to us?"

"Deeks, if I'm pregnant, you're going to know about it."

He releases a breath. "Okay, but just… How do you feel? About the job in DC."

She realizes what this is about. "Deeks, were Californians through and through. I'm not taking a job in DC."

"Are you sure Kens? It sounds like a good opportunity."

She looks into his eyes. She can see the vulnerability, the fear. He wants what is best for her. He wants what will make her happy, even if it wouldn't make him happy.

"What they do is different than what we do, Deeks. They aren't the undercover type. They solve murders. I mean, we all go after terrorists from time to time, but it isn't the same. I'm happy with this, Deeks. With you, with LA, the sun and the sand and not snow, even this damn traffic," she paused. "We're good Deeks. You and me, our moms, our dog. I don't want to move to DC."

"Palm trees over cherry blossoms?"

She smiled. "Any day."

He smiled back, leaning across the console and kissed her lips. He paused then, before leaning back. "But hold on, DiNozzo really has a kid?"

Kensi laughed. "Really."

"Wow. You know, if he can do it, maybe we have nothing to worry about."

"I don't think that's how this works," Kensi paused. The car in front of them rolled forward. "We're moving!"

They didn't move far.

"Are you sure you like this traffic? If we moved to DC…" he began, jokingly.

"We'd still get stuck in traffic."

He shrugged. For a moment, they were silent, nothing but the hum of the radio in the background. Soon, familiar chords filled the car, and Deeks hit the dial with the flick of his wrist. "Is this… yes!"

Kensi rolled her eyes. "God, why did I let you pick the radio station the time we get caught in a traffic jam?"

"Because you love me," he sang, the familiar tune clear to her too."This is my favorite song."

"This is Style. This is a Taylor Swift song."

"But I love it?"

"You ask this like it's a question?"

He starts to dance, shaking his hair around just a little, fixing it as he looked at her to whisper to her about the 'red lip classic thing that he liked.'

Against her better judgment, she started to dance a little bit too. He was being a goof and trying to make her feel better. The whole DiNozzo thing and the call from Gibbs itself had been a little unnerving. But he was good. Deeks was her own personal ray of sunshine. As long as she had him, she'd be okay. She wouldn't have to search for answers with him. Together, they were strong. She didn't have to be strong by herself. So, she comfortably danced, pretending to like Taylor Swift, shaking her head and shimmying her shoulders at him. They deserved three minutes of goofying off. Plus, she knew she looked damn good in this dress.

If she had to be stuck in traffic on the 405, at least she was stuck there with him. And if she had to live in this messed up world, at least she had him.