Thank you everyone! Big hugs, all around. I'm so happy with how this chapter turned out. At first I was having a lot of trouble with it -I wasn't sure how to move in the direction that I wanted to. But then I saw this post: post/50903226784 and then the story just flowed. So enjoy, and keep checking back! I hope to have this story finished within a month. Thanks again for reading this, and all your feedback!

It was decided. Kensi wasn't going to move from her couch from a very long time. She had her bowl of popcorn, her beer, and a whole bunch of America's Next Top Model on her DVR.

Callen's text had come early that morning. Bombs secured. Good job, guys.

That was a weight off of her chest. But now what? Kensi stared at the piles of egg boxes she had accumulated from the local grocery store. They would soon hold all her worldly possessions. A deep ache settled in Kensi's stomach. She felt so guilty for not seeing Deeks… but what was there to say? They couldn't be partners anymore. It would be too… unconventional. How would they be able to get any work done? They'd be too focused on each other, it would distract from their job.

It just couldn't work.

But Kensi had a solution. That morning, she had put in a formal request to Hetty to have her transferred to the Washington DC NCIS headquarters. Surely there was a team in need of an agent there. She'd be that agent.

She just had to get out.

Kensi decided that the boxes could wait until tomorrow. Besides, the paperwork hadn't been completed yet. It wasn't like she was moving imminently. So she picked up another beer and drowned her sorrows in a tub of rocky road.

Around 10:00, a firm knock sounded at the door. Kensi wiped her mouth and drew her gun. Slinking to the window, she peered through the curtains of her French doors.

"Might I come in, Miss Blye?"

Oh boy. Kensi swallowed her nervousness and opened the door, uncocking her gun.

"Hi, Hetty."

"Hello, Miss Blye." Hetty stepped inside the bungalow and looked around, almost disdainfully. Kensi bit her bottom lip and shuffled to the couch.

"Would you like to sit down?"

"Yes, please." Hetty removed a towel from Kensi's La-Z-Boy and sat down. For a moment, neither one of them spoke. Hetty fixed Kensi with her famous Gorgon stare. The latter felt like melting into a puddle, right there on the floor.

"Miss Blye, I received your request to be transferred to the NCIS headquarters in D.C. Is this correct?"

"Yes, Hetty."

"Why, may I ask?"

"It's personal. It's what needs to be done. It's right for me and it's right for the team. Trust me, this is in everyone's best interest."

"Are you quite sure about that, Miss Blye?"

Suddenly, Kensi found the floor very interesting. All the blood from her body was rushing to her face.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Kensi looked up at Hetty.

"Somehow, I think you already know."

Hetty nodded slowly.

"Is this because of what happened between you and Mr. Deeks during the operation?"

"It's that and a bunch of… other things."

"Such as?"

"He's such a child! His maturity level, is like, zero! He always flirts with every single woman on the street. He always makes little comments about my eating habits and my organizational skills. He never says what he means, or says anything meaningful –everything has to be a joke. I mean, just once! Just ONCE! –I would like him to come out and say what he feels."

By the end of her tirade, Kensi was up and waving her arms in the air with frustration. Hetty remained calm.

"Are you done, Miss Blye?" Kensi exhaled heavily and sat back down, arms folded across her chest.

"Yes."

"Do you even trust Mr. Deeks?"

Kensi didn't even hesitate. "Yes."

"It seems to me, Miss Blye, that you trust him with everything but your heart."

Kensi was silent. Hetty was right. Kensi didn't trust Deeks with her heart. But wasn't she right not to? She'd had her heart broken before -by people she'd loved and trusted. She couldn't afford to let it happen again. She was broken enough as it was. Deeks deserved someone that could love him unconditionally, someone whole, someone complete.

"Is it so wrong of me not to?"

"You have a perfect right to guard your heart, Miss Blye. And it's good that you do. That wall you've built between yourself and Deeks may keep him out -but remember, it also keeps you in. Don't be afraid to take a risk, Miss Blye. You don't want to live a life with regret."

"I've risked myself before, Hetty. It didn't go well."

"I know. But I do believe that every case is different. You might just want to let your guard down one more time." Hetty stood up to go, silently announcing the conversation finished. Kensi waited until her boss was almost to the door before she spoke again.

"I trust him, Hetty. I just don't trust myself." Hetty nodded.

"I'll put in the paperwork."