A/N: So, this isn't edited well, all mistakes are mine and none of the characters. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I tried to message everybody personally, hopefully I didn't miss anybody but if I did, I'm terribly sorry. I can't tell you how I appreciate your comments and suggestions. I'm learning a lot through this process, and I have you all to thank for it.

More to come soon – unemployment is actually busier than I expected, so I'll try for a chapter a day. Enjoy!

Nate and Kensi sat in comfortable silence in the dark of the quiet headquarters. Kensi hadn't moved from her spot tucked against Nate. She felt drained, languid, and her mind was fuzzy. And, snuggled close to the psychologist made her feel safe, buoyed up – she didn't want to move from that.

After a little while, Nate looked at his watch. "It's 2:30am," he whispered. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Kensi shook her head, her hair brushing against his neck. "Nate?" she asked. "Will you stay here with me until I figure out what to say...what to do?"

He squeezed her shoulders, rubbing his hand on her arm. "Of course I will Kensi. We'll sit here as long as you need."

"I – I feel a little silly, crying all over you like I did," she said. "I think I probably ruined your shirt."

"It's okay," Nate chuckled. "Tears wash."

Kensi sighed. "Yeah, they do. And more than just out of clothes."

"What else do they wash?"

She didn't answer for a moment. It was a weighty question, a personal question. "My soul."

"That's all I ever wanted."

The agent craned her head around to look Nate in the face. "I'm sorry I was so angry with you," she said. "I had this...this darkness in me. I'm afraid I didn't have the control over it that I wanted. I was weak."

"Kensi," Nate sighed. "You are not weak. Talking to me about what's going on in your head isn't weakness."

"But G and Sam don't ever want to talk to you," she pointed out, her face still close to his.

Nate rolled his eyes. "That doesn't make it right," he rejoined. "If G and Sam jumped off a – "

"Don't even use that, Nate," Kensi reached up and covered his mouth, cutting him off. "This is not even the same thing."

"Isn't it?" he said beneath her fingers. She moved her hand with a grimace before he continued. "Talking about what happens to you guys out on your ops is healthy – whether agents want to admit it or not. No one is immune to the effects of the violence and stress you're under. Not male or female, not junior agent or senior. I get it that it's easier to just try and repress what you're feeling – especially since sometimes the emotions are very unpleasant. But I don't want to ever look in your face again and see the anguish I've seen these past few months, okay?"

"What if I just bury it – so you can't see?" Kensi asked, turning from Nate and working herself down into the crook of his arm.

"I'll always see," Nate promised in a whisper. Kensi stilled at his comment and changed the subject.

They didn't talk much longer before Kensi fell back asleep, her head on Nate's shoulder. He just stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep but feeling weariness suck the life from his bones. It was the kind of weariness that clouded his thinking...which he didn't need with a beautiful woman sidled up next to him.

Restless, Kensi turned to him and wrapped her arm around his waist and hitched a leg over his. Nate sucked in a breath, unsure of what he should do in this situation. What he wanted to do flooded his mind – especially when he noticed her hand fit perfectly at the top of his hip. Shaking his head, he tried to focus on what he should do. Kensi would probably be embarrassed if she woke up like this.

"Kensi," he whispered, reluctantly but gently tapping her shoulder. "Hey Kens, wake up."

She stirred, opened her eyes briefly, and then pulled herself tighter against him. "Let's go dancing again, Nate," she murmured, sleepily burrowing her face in his neck.

Nate took a deep breath. "Okay, wow," he sighed. This felt just as good – almost better – than when he'd held her while dancing. He struggled to control the tidal wave of feelings her nearness assaulted him with. Her breath on his neck could be his undoing, and the weight of her arm across his middle felt natural, almost familiar. Nate couldn't help but lean into Kensi just a little bit more, although there were warning bells going off in the back of his head. As tired as he was, it was easy to ignore them, and he finally gave up fighting for propriety.

"I will dance with you anytime you ask, Kensi," he said, gently smoothing her hair before putting his cheek against her forehead. "But you're tired, so maybe we should sleep first."

Kensi sighed. "Let's sleep first," she affirmed, so out of it she was practically sleep talking. "And then when you ask me to dance you should put your arm around me like last time."

He gave an answering sigh, and his weariness made him bold – almost reckless. "Yeah Kensi, I'll put my arm around you again. And maybe this time I'll kiss those lips of yours. They were stained a pretty pink last time and looked like they needed a kiss...but I didn't get one from them."

"Yes but...mmmhm bmmhmm..." Kensi's reply faded into murmurs and Nate knew he'd lost her to dreamland again. He felt the steady rise and fall of her chest against his side and soon became mesmerized by her rhythmic breathing.

Running his fingers up and down her arm, with sleep tugging at his eyelids, Nate let his mind run away with itself. He recalled the night he'd watched her at the bar, remembered how beautiful she'd been that night and how he'd suddenly – desperately – wanted to make sure he wasn't just another idiot passing her by. That hadn't changed his plan,or 'goal', for her, per say, but it certainly effected his tactics. And now, here he was, with his veritable patient wrapped up in his arms, and all he could think about was how it felt to be the one she leaned on, the one she cried too. Kensi was the strongest woman he knew – except for maybe Hetty – and yet he was able to help her. For a moment in time, she needed him...even if he did have to force the issue. He felt a million feet tall and stronger than Superman.

Finally, Nate succumbed to sleep a few hours before the dawn came and demanded the start of another day.

).).).).)

Somewhere during their few hours of sleep, Nate stretched out on the couch, moving Kensi down with him. The next morning's sun woke Kensi slowly. Her head ached and her neck was stiff and her eyelids felt like sandpaper grating over her eyeballs.

She blinked until she could see, and Nate's sleeping face came into focus just inches from her's. Mentally locating all her appendages, she gasped when she realized where they were, which woke Nate up with a jolt.

"What's wrong Kens?" he asked groggily. "Are you okay?"

Kensi stared at the psychologist. Did he not realize where – or how they were? Stretched out on a couch, wrapped in each others arms and their legs intertwined? Nate noticed the panic in her face and he quickly untangled himself from her and helped her sit up. He got up from the couch and stretched, purposefully giving Kensi space and a moment to gain control without an audience.

"Wow," he said, giving his neck a good pop, "that is not the most comfortable couch in the history of the world."

"No it's not," Kensi agreed quietly. "What time is it?"

Nate checked his watch. "Almost 6:45," he answered, trying to gauge if she wanted to speak about their waking circumstances. She didn't seem to, as she refused to meet his eyes. Tension filled the air.

"I'd better get home and get a shower."

"Yeah, me – oh, damn it!"

"What's wrong?" Kensi had stood up from the couch but she whirled around to him in concern, the awkwardness dissipating as Nate determinedly banished it from his own conduct.

"I gave my keys to G in case he needed somewhere to crash last night...I mean, I did commandeer his room technically and he won't be in for at least another few hours..."

"So you don't have your car keys," Kensi finished for him.

"Yeah, but it's no big deal," Nate waved it off. "I'm a guy. Guys are allowed to be smelly and rumpled. In fact, it's expected."

"You always smell very good and you're never rumpled, Nate, even now," Kensi pointed out. She blushed after she'd said it, for it admitted their sleeping arrangemnt, but she gamely stood by the compliment. Nate smiled and held back any teasing. He wasn't in the mood to see her anything except happy.

"Thank you."

Kensi opened her mouth to say something else, but nothing came out for a moment. Nate could see her formulating a thought, and struggling with it.

"Out with it Kens," he ordered gently.

The junior agent huffed at him and rolled her eyes. "I was just trying to think of a non-creepy way to tell you you can come over to my house and use my shower if you'd like. I even have non-girly soap...well, gender-neutral, let's say. But only if you want to, or if you don't think it's weird."

"Oh," Nate was taken aback for a moment, but not because the request was weird. Going to Kensi's apartment with her felt...couple-ish. Especially after his meandering thoughts from the previous night. He forced any similar notions from his mind. "Thanks Kensi, I really appreciate that. Actually a shower would be nice."

Kensi looked a strange mix of relieved and nervous. "Great, great. Perfect," she stammered. "Well, then, let's get going."

As it turned out, G was already at the office and had Nate's keys ready and waiting for him. Hetty had delayed starting Sam's op one day because of Nate's engagement with the LAPD and also because of the emergency case. G and Sam met early to finalize details before Sam checked out.

"Thanks for the use of your apartment," G said, tossing the keys to Nate when he and Kensi found him in the bullpen.

"Did you touch - "

"No I didn't touch your orange juice Getz, geez," Callen rolled his eyes. "And I changed the sheets and made the bed and wiped my prints off of everything I touched, are you happy?"

"Yes," Nate said sarcastically. He knew G was just trying to make things light for Kensi's sake. Silence fell over the bull pen for a moment before the lead agent turned to the junior agent.

"Good morning Kensi Blye," he said softly.

Kensi self-consciously smoothed her hair. "Good morning G," she answered without looking up at him. Callen looked at Nate, who smiled at him reassuringly, then walked over and – much to everyone's surprise – wrapped Kensi in a huge hug.

"I'm sorry I'm so bad at helping you with things," he said to her, holding her close. "But we – I like to see you happy, so don't think you can bottle up again, okay? Don't think you're any less of an agent just because you cope with things differently than me or Sam or Eric, even. You are an incredible operative and I couldn't ask for someone better to have my back. Don't ever forget that."

Kensi struggled to keep her emotions in check. She tentatively wrapped her arms around G and hugged him back. "I won't," she whispered. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you lately. I promise I'll keep helping you figure out who you are."

G pulled away and put his hands on the junior agent's shoulders. "You are a good friend to worry about me. Thank you for caring enough to keep pounding the pavement on this."

The tears spilled unchecked down her cheeks now, but she smiled beneath them. "You're welcome."

G gave her another quick hug and kissed her cheek. "Whew," he said lightly, swiping playfully at her face. "Sa-ah-alty! You'd better get home and wash those tears away. And make sure that one goes home too," he said, indicating Nate. "He's smelly."

).).).).)