For my girl Stef who had a crappy couple of days.

"DEEKS!"

Even with sound of gunfire all around him, he hears her. She's here! Deeks had come up behind Callen who was in the kitchen dealing with one of rogue CIA agents.

"You got this?" Callen looked back over his shoulder, he had heard Kensi also.

"Go!" He didn't need to be told twice.

Ferris heard the gunfire, was not able to stop Kensi call for her partner. No matter, he thought, I will get a two for one when her partner comes looking for her. He re-positioned the wheelchair holding Kensi so that she was facing the door. He picked up the saw and waited.

"Still going to end me Special K?"

"I am not the one you have to worry about now. Deeks is coming for me and he will stop at nothing until I am free from you. Did you know he tortured a blind cleric to get information when I went missing back in Afghanistan?"

Kensi knew how that affected Deeks but she needed to distract Ferris. She also remembered when the Pakistani agent held her at gunpoint at the hotel. When he couldn't take the shot. So much has changed since then, she knows he will take the shot this time.

The door burst opened. Deeks entered, gun drawn. There he saw Kensi in a wheelchair, Ferris behind her with a saw at her neck

"Take one more step an-" Before he could finish his sentence, Deeks finished Ferris. He then rushed to partner.

"Double tap to the head, you must really love me." He took the shot, no hesitation, not like last time.

"Well my baby's bleeding. He noticed the blood on her mouth. Now he wished he might have given him a taste of what he done to her. But Ferris was dead and that was all that mattered.

"I'm okay. I'm okay. I bit my tongue on purpose so I'm okay." They looked into each other's eyes. Alive! She was alive and safe.

Deeks heard someone come into the room, it was Callen.

"Kens, you okay?" Deeks looked back over his shoulder toward their team leader.

"Dad! Get out of the room!" He had a girlfriend to kiss senseless.

Deeks gathered Kensi in his arms. He was home. And still not alone as someone else came in, this time it was Sam.

"Kensi, you alright?" Kensi has this.

"He said get out of the room!" The senior partners looked at each other, rolled their eyes but with a smile that was grateful the team was okay. They left the lovers alone. Sabatino still needed to be dealt with.

Deeks let out the breath he had been holding since Kensi was first captured. She was safe in his arms. Kensi hugged herself tightly to him. The last time she saw him was in a jail cell. But he was here, in her arms. Now she just wants to go home.

They pulled back slightly from each other. Deeks smoothed her hair, caressed her face.

"You good?"

"Yeah"

"You're sure?"

"Yeah!, I am now." And then partners so in sync leaned forward foreheads touching both letting go a long sigh.

After Deeks finished releasing Kensi from the wheelchair, the partners walked out of the room neither looking back to the body on the floor. Instead they were looking forward to their lives ahead. As they approached the front door, the detective swept his special agent into his arms, kissed her and opened the door.

"I gotcha."

"Okay. No, no, no – you don't… "

"Over the threshold."

Kensi squirmed half-heartedly.

"Seriously Deeks, you don't have to do this anyway."

"No. But I do, I really do."

He thought back to being undercover as a married couple carrying her into the hotel room as the jungle cat. Now his thoughts of her are in a white dress after exchanging vows. It's time.

Sabatino's disappearing act put a slight damper on their celebration. Once back at the mission, Nell seemed like she wouldn't let Kensi go until she moved to hug Deeks. The team was back together, except for Granger who was still recovering in the hospital. Hetty assured them he was safe. Kensi noticed something between Deeks and the operations manager. She will need to ask him later.

Deeks was impressed with Admiral A. . The admiral was equally as impressed with Deeks. A lawyer and detective? AJ makes a note to spend some time with Deeks. He sees a resource that may be underused which is not like Henrietta. But Deeks must have skills that AJ wasn't aware of or he wouldn't be on this team.

All Kensi wanted was to go home. She caught Deeks' eye from across the room. Deeks nodded and walked over to Sam and Callen.

"I'm gonna take Kens home. Call me if Sabatino surfaces."

They nod, pat him on the shoulder. Kensi goes to Hetty and says good-bye. Both women looked at Deeks. He looks back towards them but doesn't move.

"Go on Miss Blye, get some rest. You did well and I am very happy you are back safe."

Kensi notices the slight frown but doesn't ask. They are all tired. She just needs a hot bath, a good night's sleep and everything will be right again.

Home.

Deeks once again swept his love off her feet and crossed another threshold into their living room. Once on her feet, he leaned in and kissed her again on her lips, moving along her jaw and landing on that spot below her right ear. He was rewarded with the shiver that always happens when he hits that spot.

"Welcome home."

Kensi just leaned more into his embrace. She has so much she wants to tell him. But her thoughts are all muddled. A lot has happened the past few months, some things she feels guilty about. But all she wants is to be in his arms. The rest can wait. She didn't realize how deep she was thinking until she heard..

"How about I get a bath started for you, yeah? And then I will order takeout and then…."

He looked into her eyes. They had been finding their way back to each other since she woke up and then came home. Deeks watched her struggle with her injuries and her doubt and his frustration at her pushing him away. But seeing her in that chair at first unnerved him but then she looked up at him and there was his partner. His Badass Blye right there looking at him. He knew they would be okay.

It was quiet, two lovers wrapped in each other in the early morning. After Kensi had her bath, and they ate dinner all they wanted was to fall in bed and remind each other they were alive and together and in love.

Yes, there were things to discuss. An IA investigation that doesn't seem to want to go away. Kensi doesn't yet know about Det. Whiting's shooting. What is going on between Deeks and Hetty. Kensi's guilt over being drawn in by Ferris and also how she had treated Deeks during her rehab. Is the mole situation solved or is Sabatino still a threat? More questions than answers.

But for now, in this moment, their world is right again and whatever the fallout is, they are back on equal footing and moving forward together.

A/N: Thinking about a second chapter. Let me know.