A/N: So I didn't have time to edit this perfectly (not that it ever is perfect, but I usually like to get it alittle more refined than this) but I'm so tired of trying to make this work. I can't make this story work. I know I'm only a few chapters in, but if someone sees a flaw in logic or story line, point it out please!

I don't own any of these characters. Never have, never will.

).).).).)

A few weeks passed with out another peep from Kensi. The team was glad to have her seemingly back to normal, but Nate wasn't so sure. She never returned to speak with him about helping her, but, in reality, the psychologist didn't expect her to anytime soon. He knew she would need to make up her own mind about talking to him.

As time went on, Nate kept a careful eye on Kensi with out being too obvious. He filtered the ops she went on and prodded G to give her less emotionally taxing work. He didn't want to sabotage her, but he also sensed she was in an emotionally volatile place; and he didn't feel he could put her in overly-stressful situations with out risking her mental health. Sometimes, though, a naggling little voice in the back of his mind whispered he might be acting a little too over-protective. He conciously didn't give much credence to that voice.

One day, Hetty came to Nate's office.

"Mr. Getz, I've just come with a talk from Miss Blye and she's very unhappy," the petite unit director said in her characteristically straightforward manner. "She seems to think that I am stonewalling her – keeping her from the 'juicy cases' is how I think she phrased it. Am I stonewalling her, Mr. Getz?"

"I don't know Hetty, are you?"

Hetty glared at the psychologist. "Well, I certainly know I'm not, but as I think back through the last couple of weeks, you seem to have her on a very short psychological leash. I didn't say as much to Miss Blye, but is there something I should know about?"

Nate sighed heavily. He didn't want to have this conversation with his boss. He'd already laid out a plan for Kensi – a way to help her get beyond whatever was really bothering her – and he didn't want the interference of everybody at the office. If Kensi thought everyone was watching her get "fixed" she would bolt from it like lightening.

"I'm trying to help her, Hetty," Nate said. "She's obviously dealing with a lot of suppressed emotions. And I'm worried that if she doesn't deal with them she's going to do herself harm."

"Do you think she's suicidal Nathaniel?"

"No, not at all Hetty," the psychologist assured his boss. "But an operative must be able to deal with high stress situations – and with everything Kensi's dealing with, I'm just not sure she will be able to be at the top of her game if thrown into a tense situation."

"So we are stonewalling her," Hetty pointed out.

"No – well, I guess. Just until my plan goes into play."

"Plan, Mr. Getz?" Hetty hedged. "I'm not sure I want to hear about you having a plan. Why do you need a plan?"

"Because Kensi won't talk to me," he pointed out the obvious. "And if she doesn't talk to me I can't help her deal with the issues facing her."

"So I'll order her to talk to – plan thwarted."

"That will never work Hetty and you know it. If Kensi feels pushed she'll only drag her feet. Or stonewall me."

"Yes but a plan Nathaniel? What are you – a bank robber?"

Nate snorted at her comparison. "Hardly. And it's not really a plan. Just a goal I have to help her. That's all – you don't have worry. There won't be any blue prints to draw up or seedy characters to hire. And I won't even do anything until she comes to me first, okay?"

"Do you think it's possible you might be blowing this all out of proportion? Miss Blye is a resilient woman, she'll turn out all right you know."

"I agree Hetty, she'll be fine. And I'm not blowing anything out of proportion. I'm trying to help our emotionally stunted agent come to a state of good mental and emotional health without outwardly showing that I'm working with her." Hetty looked confused, so he tried to explain. "Think of it like this: if she gets cases that are too demanding, she won't have time to think about what's going wrong inside her and she won't think twice about dealing with it. So, I've made sure her caseload is light and that she has plenty of time to dwell on past events and present anxieties."

"Ah, I can see what you're doing now. Enough said."

"And, you can understand why I'm not outwardly prescribing her treatments here, right? I mean...it's Kensi we're talking about.."

"You're right, you're right, Mr. Getz. I suppose some simple help from you isn't asking too much or demanding it, either. I will keep my nose out of it and keep Miss Blye on the same track she's on until I hear differently from you. If she starts feeling undercut again, I'll just tell her it's a slow period for crime or something." The boss sighed and walked from Nate's office.

"Thanks Hetty, you're the best," the psychologist called to the petite retreating form.

).).).).)

Kensi wandered around the office, unsure of what to do with her restlessness. Her work load wasn't challenging and she had far too much time to think. Nate's offer from a couple of weeks ago to help her rattled around in her head. She'd heard Eric invite the guys out to one of the team's favorite bars for that weekend. Everyone readily agreed and knowing that the boys could all go out and have fun made her unsettled. Unsettled her almost enough to walk right down and talk to Nate.

But only almost.

Ugh, Kensi stormed in her mind, it's not fair. Why do the guys get to go out and have fun? She used to like going out. Lately though, it felt like she constantly battled everyone she came in contact with - men and women – in her social life. It wasn't pleasant.

Before the end of the day, Eric had added a couple more agents to his plans. When the tech caught Kensi listening to their plans for their night out, he tentatively offered an invite.

"Oh, thanks Eric, but I can't," Kensi said, smarting at the pity invitation. "I'm already going out with some friends."

Eric looked relieved, but sincerely wished her a fun evening.

It was a lie, though. Kensi wasn't going out with friends and the falsehood depressed her. She no longer even had friends to go out with – let alone just to talk to. Dwelling on the thought made the junior agent start to feel breathless, so she took some deep breaths and threw herself into the report she was writing.

When the boys all left for the night, the Kensi decided to head out on her own – back to Agent Macy's old haunt. She'd prove she was doing all right on her own – she didn't need any help from friends or from Nate or even her teammates. Once she got there, she tried to have fun, but she couldn't seem to shake whatever was constricting her heart. Also, she couldn't really have a good time when she scrutinized every man who approached her – wondering but unable to tell if he was running game on her.

Frustrated, she left the bar earlier than she'd planned and went home to sulk in a hot bath tub.

).).).).)

"How was your night Kensi?" G asked jovially the next morning as he strolled into the bull pen.

She glowered at him darkly and didn't answer his question.

"That bad huh?"

Now the agent turned on him. "Go away G!" she commanded. "I am attempting to get something done today!"

Rolling his eyes, Callen spun away from Kensi and headed to Nate's office.

"May day," he said, sliding through the door.

"What's wrong?" Nate asked, alarmed.

"Kensi's in a mood," G said with a touch of over-dramatics. "Go work your magic please so I can go back to my desk."

Nate rolled his eyes. "Remember last time?" he asked with exasperation. "Did you ask her what was wrong?"

"I asked her how her night was," Callen offered.

"And?"

"And she took my head off."

Nate's brain kicked into over-drive. Kensi was upset about something that happened last night – he could easily guess it was something similar to her problem last time. Here was his chance to try again – reach out and see if Kensi would accept his help.

"All right," he said, quickly putting away the papers he was working on. "I'll deal with Kensi."

"Thank you!" G called from halfway down the hallway.

Nate followed soon after. Anxious to get started on his plan – no "goal".

"Hey Kensi," Nate greeted the junior agent when he affected a bored, casual walk into the bull pen. She looked up with an irritated retort on her lips, but when she saw who spoke to her, her annoyance noticeably lessened.

Score one for me, Nate thought, steeling himself against the task to be done and taking a chair near her desk.

"Hey Nate," Kensi answered glumly.

"G said you were upset, what's going on?"

Kensi rolled her eyes. "He's like a two-year-old!" she spat. "Tattling on me and then sending you to dig in and find out what's wrong."

"Come on Kensi, you know that's not true," Nate protested gently. "He's worried about you and so am I. I hate seeing you not your usual happy self."

"I haven't been my usual, happy self for a while Nate, in case you haven't noticed," Kensi shot back quickly. She seemed to realize what she'd admitted and visibly drooped.

"I know," Nate whispered. "And that offer I made is still on the table. If you want my help – let me know." He stood up and started to walk away, slowly, giving her ample time to call him back. He'd seen in her face that she wanted to talk more, but he knew she wasn't sure he wasn't trapping her in some psychological mine field that would lead to her spilling all her secrets to him. He willed her to stop him before she lost her nerve.

"Nate?"

"What did you want to help me with exactly?"

The question was a test, Nate knew it. Kensi wanted to know if he knew – or would admit he knew – that she'd acknowledged her emotional and mental struggles. But Nate's plan to help Kensi didn't require her to overcome all her obstacles in one fell swoop. He could help her deal with the surface issues first. He would help her deal with anything if it meant seeing a smile on her face again.

"Help you figure out when a guy's running game on you, right?" he asked. "Isn't that what's getting you down?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's it," Kensi quickly confirmed too quickly. But Nate wasn't interested in any other problem the agent had at that moment. He would build her back up one brick at a time – her social life would be her first brick.

"What did you have in mind?" Kensi asked.

"Oh, it's good. You just have to wait and see."