Title: Truth Be Told
Author: Mel
Rating: T for now.
SPOILERS: This assumes "Plan B" has happened and takes place in a future from there forward.
Disclaimer: If you recognize them, they aren't mine. Apologies for any mistakes, no beta and I do my best.
Note: Thank you for the incredibly supportive response of the alerts, favorites and reviews. I know it takes time to write a review and I enjoy reading each one. I've enjoyed hearing what some of you pick up on and the things that catch your attention. And some of you are far too clever for your own good at throwing out possible future plot points! Hopefully what I've come up with won't be too predictable.


The first time it happens he's sure he imagines her.

He's three months into his undercover operation. The life of Marty Tyler is a pretty mundane, normal life. He has a studio apartment a few streets from the beach. After three months of very little to do the apartment is crammed full of books from the used bookstore around the corner.

As long as the tide is good, without fail he gets up every morning, grabs his board and heads to the beach. The LAPD allowed him one concession to the assignment and that's Monty, who faithfully follows him to the beach and sits on the sand, napping and waiting for his owner to return after the morning surf has disappeared.

Most days, in the late morning Marty Tyler leaves the beach and heads to a very boring job working at the corner market. After several hours working minimum wage in order to at least give the impression of some sort of income, Tyler usually returns to the beach to play basketball or surf some more. The rest of his time he spends reading. And waiting. And biding his time.

Deeks was not by nature a patient man. But he knew undercover assignments were more a marathon than a sprint. It took him the first month to even be acknowledged by the suspects. They were a cautious threesome, staying apart from the other surfers at the beach. This by itself was somewhat unusual. Surfers are almost tribal in nature and usually friendly. That the suspects kept themselves separate made his job harder and took longer, to his extreme frustration. By the second month they were engaging in conversations but he was careful so that they came to him. He was friendly but distant which helped him seem less than eager and less of a potential threat.

By the third month he'd finally been invited to hang out with the suspects and had attended a few barbeques, late night bonfires on the beach, meeting up in bars and the occasional club in downtown Los Angeles. He could feel that he might be getting close to being invited in closer. At his last check in with Eric he knew his legend had been pinged several times and someone was digging deep into the background, education and criminal record Eric and Nell created for him. He was pretty sure they were checking into his background, trying to determine if he would fit with their crew, trying to determine if he had skills they wanted. And if he might be a potential friend or foe.

On the surface the suspects were three pretty normal southern California boys. All in their late twenties or early thirties, all from lower middle class families. All portraying themselves on the surface as innocuously as they possibly could. But Deeks had years of reading people and enough experience to see what lurked behind the characters they played.

Mike Williams was clearly the leader of the group. He ran the show whether they were deciding when to surf or where to hang. Physically he was the biggest of the three with muscles developed from hours of daily workouts and a buzz cut of his dark hair that would make any Marine proud. With a juvenile record and time spent in prison for car theft in his early twenties he was the worst criminal offender of the three.

Jesse Thompson was probably the friendliest and most laid back of the three, despite a petty theft arrest as a teenager. He was smaller than Deeks but with similar blond hair, bleached almost white by the sun. Thompson was the first to reach out to him and Deeks recognized the easiness of his attitude. He also recognized the complete lack of any moral center or concern for the law, as if the rules didn't apply to him. He was generally too stoned to be bothered to care.

And that left Derek Smith. Of all of them Smith concerned Deeks the most. He'd seen the predatory look on the man's dark features around people, especially women. It was calculating and premeditated in ways that made his blood run cold. Deeks was pretty sure he was the computer brains behind the operation. He didn't have a criminal record but Deeks was positive he'd committed crimes beyond the bank robberies that law enforcement was unaware of. He was cunning enough to have slipped through detection. Smith was perceptive enough that Deeks has had to work harder than usual to adopt the casual air of being laid back and indifferent.

Being laid back wasn't usually a problem for him. But it began to wear on him after weeks of constantly being on his guard to appear to be as casual and non-threatening as possible in order to begin to work his way into the group. But after three months he had a good feeling that the operation might be moving in the right direction.

Despite his deep undercover status he still checked in weekly without fail. Once a week he put the NCIS issued earwig in his ear and tapped it, speaking to Eric or Nell. They were always on the line within minutes of his call in. He would give them the rundown of the week's activities in under five minutes and they would report to him anything LAPD wanted passed along.

Deeks never asked about the team or Kensi. Eric was solidly professional, always to the point and never trying to linger. But Nell, with her usual hesitant awkwardness, was a different story. She often tried to tell him about Kensi but he'd stopped her every time. And even though he stopped her, her voice was always heavy with concern for him and her desire to tell him. And though he couldn't say it, her concern touched him. He knew if she did tell him anything about Kensi that he'd do something stupid, like rush over to his partner's apartment in the Valley just to assure himself that she was okay. Besides, he knew everything he needed to from the words Nell didn't say and the tone of her voice when she tried to.

He knew if something truly bad happened to Kensi he would be told. So he knew that the heavy weight of Nell's tone meant that Kensi was okay. She wasn't great but she was surviving. By the hesitancy and Nell's attempts to find the words to describe her to him Deeks knew Kensi missed him. Beyond that the rest was just details.

It was not knowing the details that made the operation bearable. If he couldn't talk to Kensi himself, couldn't hear her voice or reassure himself with a quick glance into her dark eyes he didn't want to know the details. He didn't want information on Kensi from second hand sources, he wanted to know from her what was going on with her life. Since he couldn't have that he focused on his mission. It was focusing on getting through the operation and knowing once it was over that he could return to NCIS and return to Kensi that got him through the days and weeks.

There was a part of him that acknowledged that his feelings for Kensi had deepened over their months apart. Having known her for over a year he knew what he was missing. He wondered sometimes, especially during the early morning hours around sunrise when he sat on his board out on the ocean waiting for waves, if what he felt was real. He wondered if absence making the heart grow fonder was genuine or just wishful thinking.

And that's why when he saw her sitting on the beach next to Monty that he was sure he had to be imagining her. She was barely a dot on the beach and he couldn't make out the expression on her face. But he would know the shape of her from a mile away, even if he was pretty sure he'd conjured her up. But he stared anyway, too caught up in wishing she was actually there to acknowledge that she could be. Only Thompson's yell, alerting him to an incoming wave, broke his gaze on the figure on the beach.

"Marty! Coming your way, man!"

Deeks reacted with instincts born of surfing and being on the ocean for the almost thirty years of his life. He was up and on his board and his mind was clear of anything else except the sound of the water, the wind and the movement and balance that came from surfing. He knew he was a gifted surfer. Not professional caliber but nearly as good as the pros and certainly better than the average weekend surfer.

Finishing riding the wave into waist deep water Deeks turned back for the congratulatory yells and whistles from Williams, Thompson and Smith. Monty's barking from the shoreline immediately reminded him of what he thought he saw and he turned quickly, unaware until that moment how badly he needed his vision of Kensi to be true. But he managed to school his disappointed reaction upon seeing Monty by himself, wagging his tail happily as Deeks approached.

Monty circled around him and barked as Deeks leaned down, picking up his shirt and un-strapping the leash that connected him to his board from around his ankle. As he straightened up, moving to head over to the outdoor showers to wash off the salt from the ocean he was startled to see a flash of yellow as something fell from his shirt to the ground.

It took a second and then he was unable to stop the grin that spread across his face, throwing his head back and laughing out loud. Shaking his head he leaned down, picking up the Twinkie that had been tucked in his shirt, the plastic crinkling between his fingers. And for an instant he felt lighter, like he could finally breathe again.


The second time it happens he's a little more prepared but no less ready for the surge of emotion seeing her brings up.

He lasts another month before he can't stop himself. He was getting in deeper with Williams, Thompson and Smith. Just the week earlier they'd mentioned they might have some work he could help them with. Determined to take things slow he'd been non-committal in his response and as he expected, that had only convinced them more. That and some of his recent stories, told with some help from Eric and told while he feigned being more than a little drunk, about cracking one of the more sophisticated security systems on the market, had intrigued them.

But he was four months into his assignment and a month since Kensi broke the rules and came to the beach where she would have known he was. He still had the Twinkie sitting in his apartment, sitting on the table like some kind of odd centerpiece. It never failed to make him smile when his eyes fell on it. But it also served as a daily reminder of her he eventually couldn't ignore.

And even though it's dangerous and he knows it goes against every rule undercover cops were taught, he still found himself at her favorite coffee shop for the second weekend in a row, effectively staking it out. He and Monty sat for a couple of hours each day, hidden to the side and away from immediate view. He knew she won't show at any particular time because she kept her schedule irregular but he also knew she would show eventually. She had a weakness for the orange cranberry muffins and the French roast was her favorite.

Even still, he was almost unprepared when she suddenly turned the corner, reaching for the door handle to enter. Deeks froze in place, struggling with what to say after months of conversations with her in his head when Monty took the initiative, barking and breaking away to run to Kensi, circling her and standing up on his back legs to rest his front paws on her knees. She was dressed for a casual weekend in yoga pants, flip-flops and a t-shirt, her hair free and tumbling down her back.

Deeks felt a little lightheaded, his heart pounding wildly, as he watched the easy smile on Kensi's face as she saw the dog, then the immediate wariness as she recognized Monty. Very quickly she glanced around, looking for anyone watching, and then her gaze furtively darted around the tables and chairs, finally settled on him with palatable relief. Her bright brown eyes and the wide smile on her face, bringing her high cheekbones into sharp relief, was enough to make his heart almost stop. Trying to appear nonchalant, she leaned down and picked Monty up, carrying him over to Deeks, who quickly stood as she approached.

"I think this belongs to you."

Her voice was a murmur as she looked into his face, her tone casually light while her eyes seemed riveted to his. Whatever she saw in his eyes made her brow furrow with concern so he tried to adopt a less tense expression. But it was hard, especially being so close to her after so long away.

Deeks reached for Monty, allowing his arms to slip under the dog, transferring him from her arms to his. It was an unnecessary gesture and made a little cumbersome by the fact that Monty was not a tiny dog. But he seemed more than happy to be manhandled by two of his favorite people, giving Kensi's chin a lick as she passed him to Deeks. And Deeks didn't miss how she leaned towards him and how her arms somehow managed to slide under his, her fingers ghosting over him in a manner that could seem casual to passersby but he recognized as more intimate.

He couldn't stop himself from breathing deeply when Kensi was closest, letting his eyes briefly drift shut at the smell of apples. The smell of her shampoo brought back a myriad of memories keyed into that scent, something he hadn't realized until that moment he associated with her. Reluctantly Deeks leaned back a little, opening his eyes to fall on Kensi's upturned face.

"Sorry about that. He can't resist beautiful women."

Deeks said the words with humor but knowing him as she did she heard the meaning behind them. He knew this because Kensi blushed, and blushing was not something Kensi Blye did with any frequency.

"Would you care to join me?"

Kensi's shrewd dark eyes fixed on his face at his question and he saw the caution there, the reminder that they were playing a dangerous game. Both for his cover and for their ability to keep their distance down the line. But after years of doing his job better than anyone ever expected and after sacrificing so many pieces of himself for a job he wasn't even sure he wanted to do anymore, he suddenly didn't care.

He'd started out doing his job to help people. But over the last year he'd realized that he needed more than that and he wasn't willing to sacrifice his entire being for the job anymore. Getting to know Kensi had done that to him. And he didn't care if it was absence or his imagination anymore. He wasn't the kind of person to overanalyze. All he knew right then was that he couldn't bear for her to walk away.

Something in his eyes convinced her and she nodded slowly, sitting down in the chair opposite the one he'd been sitting in. Quickly realizing she'd come for coffee she wasn't getting, he moved towards the door, his hand brushing her shoulder as he went.

"Stay right here, I'll be right back."

Standing in line, he couldn't help but glance back at her more than once. She leaned over and petted Monty, rubbing his head and behind his ears as he basked in the attention. Deeks could see her smile at his dog and as he watched her he noticed other things. Like how there were dark circles under her eyes and how she actually seemed to have lost weight she doesn't need to lose. And how her hair was even longer than he remembered it.

Ordering her coffee and muffin, he returned to the table, settling both in front of her before returning to his own cup. She smiled wryly at him and then looked away, reaching for the cream and sugar before she took the lid off and realized he'd already fixed her coffee how she liked it. And then she stared at her hands, folded in her lap and he suddenly realized that he's not done something wrong exactly, but he'd done something almost too right. And Kensi, so used to a world where things didn't ever go quite right, didn't know how to deal.

"We shouldn't be doing this."

Her quiet voice, admonishing herself more than him, had him leaning forward and taking her hand in his, his thumb passing over and pressing lightly at the pulse point on the inside of her wrist. His touch had the reaction he wanted when she inhaled quickly and didn't pull away. In fact, her fingers curled around his and brushed over his wrist in return.

It was like they had both gone a little insane, disregarding the rules, as she leaned closer to him and then his hands moved to hold hers entirely in his own.

"I just needed to see you."

His murmured admission brought her surprised eyes to his and he was startled at how close she suddenly was, her dark mismatched eyes seeing deep into him.

"What's wrong, are you okay? Do you need to call off the mission?"

He laughed quietly at her concern; instinctively knowing she would go to the immediate operational concern before considering the emotional side.

"No, I'm okay."

He didn't say "fine" or "good" because those words hadn't applied or had meaning when related to his life for over four months.

"I know it was probably stupid. And the last thing I want to do is put you in any danger. But I feel like I might finally be getting close. This might be done soon."

The bright and wide grin she gave him matched his own and he saw her restrain herself from reaching for him.

"Really? We haven't heard hardly anything about what you've been doing. Eric and Nell seem to be under Hetty's orders not to share."

The grumbling in Kensi's tone made him chuckle.

"Careful there, Kensi. I might start to think you miss me."

And then she did something that left him speechless. Gently she disentangled a hand from his and reached up to brush the tips of her fingers against his cheek, her fingers drawing a line from the corner of his eye, along his jaw and to his chin. Her touch was light and he couldn't help but close his eyes against the heady feel of her fingernails lightly scratching his unshaven face.

"Well, we can't have that."

Deeks didn't trust himself to open his eyes and look at her just then. The tone of her voice, her closeness, it was almost more than he knew how to process. And a part of him couldn't help but wonder: Why wasn't it like this before?

When he finally opened his eyes the smile on her face was warm and intently focused on him. Because he was afraid of what he might do with her so close he leaned back in his chair, mercifully glad when Kensi followed suit. Though when she crossed one leg over the other, leaving her flip-flop on the ground, her bare foot came into contact with his calf and when her foot curled around his leg he had to try very hard to concentrate on what to say to her.

"How's work going? How is everyone doing?"

"Pretty much the same old stuff. We've had some big cases but nothing we couldn't handle. Callen and Sam watch me like a pair of hawks guarding over a precious egg, so you don't have to worry there."

Deeks laughed at the image, able to picture it perfectly. Though what surprised him was that while Kensi was complaining about the overprotective routine, he could tell it didn't really bother her. Just months ago she never would have allowed anyone to look after her or take care of her. But he reasoned that even when he'd left there had been signs she was willing to allow her friends to look out for her. She was learning to bend a little too.

"I think Eric and Nell are dating."

He looked at Kensi with surprise, seeing the sheepish smile on her face. And he couldn't help but laugh at the inner office gossip.

"I guess I could have seen that coming. They are kind of like two peas in a pod. Like loves like."

Kensi lifted a shoulder in a shrug, a defensive gesture he'd long ago noticed she had. Not used to a Kensi who wasn't happy to argue with him at any given moment he bumped her foot with his leg.

"What, you don't agree that people with things in common can make a good couple?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"I think they probably do, but I also think people who are dissimilar can be good together too."

Deeks tried not to grin at her words, feeling as though he knew what she was trying to say, even if she couldn't say it. Because it would be hard to find two people with as many dissimilar personality traits than the two of them.

"How is it being Marty Tyler?" Kensi asked.

"Pretty boring, actually. Tyler's a bit of an underachiever, more than a little poor and aside from a lot of great surfing, there hasn't been much to show for the last four months. But I may very well beat that '50 Books in 1 Year' challenge at the rate I'm going."

Kensi smiled and nodded and he could tell she wanted to ask him more. But meeting up had been a bad enough idea, discussing his undercover op would have been a terrible idea. And they couldn't talk more in depth about her work, not in such a public setting. And even though they had a shared closeness they hadn't yet breeched many of the deeper subjects friends talked about. Their work was so much of their lives and they couldn't talk about that. And mundane subjects like what movie she'd seen last just struck him as insultingly simplistic. Frustrated at wanting to do nothing more than unguardedly talk to her for hours and not being able to, Deeks ran a hand through his hair.

"This probably wasn't a good idea. I should get going. I'm supposed to meet the guys for a drink in awhile. And there's always more surfing."

Deeks stood, hating the thought of leaving after only seeing Kensi a short while but suddenly not wanting to stay either. He had never been very good at not going after what he wanted. When he worked undercover he was usually able to control those selfish instincts and Kensi was very quickly trumping years of conditioning as an undercover cop. Kensi caught his arm in her hand as he brushed by her, her fingers wrapping loosely around his wrist.

They didn't say anything but he paused for a minute, closing his eyes and focusing on that one point of contact between their bodies. When he finally took a deep breath and opened his eyes he found Kensi staring up at his face, her eyes wide and unblinking. And it took every little bit of willpower he had to step out of her grasp and turn to leave.

Kensi watched Deeks go, wanting badly to go with him, match his long stride with hers and follow him back to his lonely apartment and lonely life in Venice.

She'd been more than a little surprised to see him sitting in the shadowy corner of the outdoor seating area of the coffee shop. For all his flagrant disregard for all things serious he was a consummate cop and one of the most skilled undercover operatives she'd ever met. For him to have broken the rules by coming to a place he knew she would show up was dangerous. But she couldn't deny it also made her stomach flip and her breath catch.

He'd always had something of a physical affect on her. Even from their first encounter when they were both undercover she'd thought there was something shady about him. It was as if from the moment their eyes first met there had been a string of connection and consciousness between them. Often that string was taut with annoyance and irritation. But other times it strummed with something more intimate, deep, and much more in tune.

Deeks had never needed anyone to stroke his ego or find him charming. But seeing him up close and in person for the first time in months had taken her breath away. He was tan from the months of being outdoors and hours out on the ocean and his blue eyes stood out as clear and bright as a California summer sky. He was a little leaner from the swimming and the fewer toning workouts at the gym. And he was still as casually unkempt as he always had been. She just hadn't been expecting the fierce longing to touch him she'd felt sitting across from him.

But part of that longing had been what had driven her to the beach the month before. It hadn't been smart. But she couldn't regret it. Sitting there for a few minutes with Monty, watching Deeks out on the water and then surfing in had made her feel more awake than anything in the three months prior. Seeing him had made her miss him a little less, even if only for a short while.

Kensi knew Callen and Sam were worried about her. Nobody could find fault with her work performance. But a lot of the camaraderie and fun she'd gotten from the job had disappeared with Deeks. It had been startling to realize that she couldn't go back to the person she was before she met him. And that thought had troubled her. Because no matter what, at some point she wouldn't have him in her life anymore. Whether as her partner, friend, or something more. Because even if he came back in one piece from his undercover operation and they were officially partners, eventually he would leave. Or she would. And it would be permanent.

And that thought was what kept her holding back from him, kept her from giving into the longing she felt, even if it was almost an illusion at this point. Because at least she didn't yet know what she didn't have.


Deeks contemplated the beer in his hand, seriously considering getting drunk. On undercover operations he was always careful about controlling his drinking so he wouldn't do something stupid. But seeing Kensi that afternoon had made him consider breaking yet another cardinal rule. He thought about using the alcohol as a deterrent so he wouldn't seek her out but in all likelihood it would make him do the opposite.

And he knew he needed to be on top of things that night. He was with Williams, Thompson and Smith at a bar that made dive bars look classy. But what the bar lacked in décor and clientele it made up for as a private place to discuss criminal activity. Although they were being cagey, Deeks could tell the three guys were planning a heist for later that week. He knew there was no way he was close enough that they would let him in on it but he reasoned that if he got enough information then maybe the police could catch them in the act and he could close the op down.

"So you guys have something planned for later this week?"

Thompson looked at Deeks eagerly; ready to share, but Williams stopped him with a hand on his arm and a silencing look.

"Just something with a good payday. We'll fill you in after we make it happen. And next time, maybe we'll bring you in."

Deeks spread his hands out, putting on his most affable expression.

"Hey, I've got no one to tell. But I'll be patient and you guys let me know how it all goes down."

Wishing they would take the bait and disappointed when they didn't, Deeks took another swig of his beer, gritting his teeth in silent frustration.

"So, who was the girl you were with today?"

It took all of his willpower for Deeks to calmly finish swallowing his beer, just as it took immense concentration to set the empty bottle down without a crash or without letting anyone notice his hand was suddenly shaking as adrenaline fueled by fear flooded his nervous system. Buying himself another few seconds he motioned to the bartender for another beer.

Internally every alarm was going off. Somehow Smith had seen him with Kensi. There was no way that was a coincidence. Kensi lived miles away from Venice and other than robberies and clubbing Deeks didn't think these guys ever left the surf. He'd been followed.

And while that shouldn't have surprised him and normally it wouldn't have caused him much concern, the most coldly calculating member of his three suspects had seen him with Kensi and that did put every nerve he had on high alert. The question was how much he'd seen and how suspicious he was.

Using every bit of his skills at bending the truth and covering his true emotions he shrugged, acting as though he had no idea what Smith was talking about.

"What girl? I don't even remember, I went a couple places earlier today."

Deeks looked Smith straight in the eye, keeping his gaze steady and his expression and voice calm. The other man looked at him shrewdly, seemingly examining and trying to pick out a way to trip him up.

"At a coffee shop in the Valley. Tall, long legs to die for. Long curly brown hair. You two looked pretty chummy."

Deeks gave a short bark of laughter while inside his stomach rolled at how close Smith had been to Kensi and how close he might be to blowing the op.

"Yeah, that was some girl my dog tried to climb over. I felt bad he got his muddy paws on her and bought her some coffee. We talked a little but that was it. I had to get going and she didn't bite. Too bad though, she was hot."

After a few long seconds studying him Smith finally nodded, a cunning smile curving his lips.

"True that. Too bad, man."

Smith gave him a rough slap on the back and then turned his attention back to Thompson and Williams. And all the while as Deeks engaged back in the conversation his mind whirled and worried. He thought he'd shaken the suspicion for now but he had a bad feeling if he wasn't careful the operation could go downhill in a hurry.

And after four months separated from Kensi he refused to leave empty handed.


Five days later and Deeks was feeling very restless. Something was off. His uneasiness had started that morning when he headed out to the beach and there was no sign of his bank robbery suspects. It wasn't unusual for one or even two of them not to be there every single day, but all three missing in action was unheard of.

After a few hours of surfing he returned to his apartment and debated for an hour before initiating contact with Benson at the LAPD. When he'd gone under he'd been given a burned phone and a contact protocol only to be used in case of emergency. Although there weren't overt signs of an emergency his instincts told him something was going down.

Benson picked up on the third ring, his tone brusque since he didn't recognize the number.

"Benson, it's Deeks."

The other man swore, though he was instantly on the alert and attentive.

"Are you okay? Do you need us to come in and get you out?"

"I'm fine. Look, I think something's going to happen today. It could be happening right now. The suspects have been acting suspicious the last week and they changed their routine today."

"Any idea where?"

"I wish I knew. I haven't managed to get into the group that close yet. Is there an alert you could send out?"

Benson paused, weighing and considering his words.

"I don't see how. There are thousands of banks in Los Angeles. There aren't police resources to provide protection to all of them. Until we have a better idea about where they're going to hit there's not much we can do."

Deeks swore quietly, knowing Benson was right. And he blamed himself for not having better intel even though he knew there wasn't more he could have done without blowing his cover.

"Listen, you'd better get off the phone. I'll run it up the chain and call the FBI and see if there's anything we can do. I'll call you if I hear anything."

After hanging up with Benson, Deeks had been forced to show up for his shift at the market, stocking groceries and helping customers even though he felt like he could crawl out of his own skin.

It was early evening after his shift when he got the call from Benson. Another bank had been hit right at rush hour. Same MO as the other robberies, same complete and utter lack of evidence. Discouraged and feeling like he wouldn't mind getting a little drunk, Deeks hung up the phone and paced around his apartment.

It took him a little while but it dawned on him that despite the setback of another robbery he should have been able to calm down. Instead he felt like a caged animal, like he needed to be somewhere else. And it struck him that it wasn't that he needed to be somewhere but that he needed someone.

Kensi.

His restless feeling was about her. And then he could have kicked himself for not realizing it sooner. Something was wrong with Kensi. It was crazy that he could think that, not having a clue where she was or what she was doing, but he didn't just think it. He knew something had happened to her.

Deeks immediately picked up his earwig and put it in, activating it to signal to Eric or Nell at OSP. When neither of them picked up within a few minutes his worry grew exponentially. As a cop coincidences were never something he'd believed it. And his bad feeling about Kensi and a lack of response from OSP was a very unsettling coincidence.

Grabbing his car keys he was a foot away from the door when Eric's voice filled his ear. Eric sounded rushed and harassed and more than a little distracted.

"Deeks? You there? You okay?"

"I'm fine, Eric. Where is Kensi? Is she okay?"

The pause on the other end of the line was enough to confirm his worst fears. He closed his eyes against every imagined crisis his nightmares had been more than willing to conjure up over the last four months of Kensi in danger or injured because he wasn't there to watch her back.

"Dammit, Eric, you need to tell me otherwise I'm going to drive straight there and I'm not going to bother looking to see if someone is tailing me."

"No! Don't do that! Kensi is fine, she's okay. Just banged up a little. There was an arrest this afternoon that went a little sideways. Two guys got the drop on her before Callen and Sam got there. She's a little banged up but she's fine, I swear. She's at the hospital being checked out but Sam called a little while ago and said she's going to be alright."

Deeks had already grabbed his coat.

"Which hospital?"

Eric's silence on the other end of the line immediately halted him and he gritted his teeth, barely managing to force the words out.

"Eric, which hospital is Kensi at?"

"I'm sorry Deeks, I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?"

"Since Callen told me not to and implied my job was on the line if I did, I guess both."

Deeks let loose a string of expletives and Eric somehow managed to be chastised but resolutely silent on the other end of the line until he finished. Finally Eric spoke, his voice trying to be reassuring.

"She really is going to be fine. They aren't even going to keep her overnight."

"That's a small consolation, Eric. Doesn't make up for the fact that it shouldn't have happened in the first place."

He disconnected the comm, not wanting to say something further in anger that Eric didn't deserve to have directed at him. Deep down he knew Eric had been right not to tell him. Callen had even been right to order Eric not to tell him. But at that moment when all he wanted was to be by Kensi's side, all he could feel was desperate guilt that he wasn't.

But the third time he sees her it sets into motion events and consequences he never could have anticipated.