A/N – This is a big of breather chapter. Hope it's not boring!

A/N2 – Thanks, as always, to honus47 for being my sounding board and finding all my mistakes!

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Chapter 10

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Deeks and Kensi spent as much time together over the weekend as they could. They talked about it and agreed that they wouldn't discuss Carrington or Roberts until Sunday night. Instead, Deeks surprised her Saturday morning by renting a van with a wheelchair ramp and taking her and Monty for a long ride around Savannah to see the sights. He'd okayed it with Dr. Flanders, who'd thought it was an excellent idea. If it was at all possible, she often encouraged her patients to get out of the hospital occasionally. The fresh air, warm sunshine and the feeling of freedom after being cooped up in the hospital for weeks on end, did wonders for their mental health and they usually came back in better spirits and eager to get back to work on their rehab.

Deeks pushed her down to the van, then carefully lifted her out of the wheelchair and into the front passenger seat, buckling her in with the seatbelt. Monty barked excitedly, so happy to see her his whole body shook as his tail wagged madly. Deeks unbuckled him from the harness he took with him whenever he had the dog in a car, and Monty made a beeline to her side. Kensi laughed at the dog's antics and scratched him in all the right spots. Once the dog calmed and settled on the back seat, Deeks buckled him back into the harness. Then he made sure Kensi was comfortable, fussing over her a little bit until she slapped his hands and gave him 'the look'. Smiling he changed his focus to using the ramp to put the empty chair into the van, locking it in place. Satisfied, he put the ramp back up, shut the door and got in on the driver's side.

"Ready?"

"Am I ever! I feel like I haven't seen anything but the walls of that hospital forever!" He grinned at her and pulled out of the parking lot. They drove through downtown Savannah, admiring the stately old homes and then down River Street with its historic buildings, home to a myriad of shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, the cobblestone streets were difficult in a wheelchair, so they didn't stop to explore this first time out. They paused at the river as a riverboat cruise went by and agreed they'd try to make an effort to take one before they headed back to L.A. Driving through the city, both felt themselves relaxing from the worries of the past week. Deeks took the turn he'd been looking for onto East Park Avenue and started looking for a handicap parking spot. Seeing one up ahead, he turned on his directional and maneuvered the van into the spot.

"Why are we stopping here?" Kensi asked.

"We're going to take a walk around Forsyth Park. I read up on it, it's very wheelchair and dog friendly. It was created in the 1840s on 10 acres and then expanded to 30 in 1851. In the middle there's a huge fountain that was built in 1858 and a fragrance garden. Unfortunately, the garden is only open during the week. Still we should be able to see and smell some of it. Plus, there's a café where we can stop to eat, and it has a handicap bathroom."

She reached out and put her hand over his on the steering wheel. He'd obviously done his research. "Do you know how much I love you right now?"

He turned his hand over and took hers. "I love you too." He leaned over and kissed her, long and slow.

Finally coming up for air, she huffed out a laugh. "Wow."

He smiled and agreed, a little breathless himself. "Wow indeed. Now, come on, let's get this show on the road." Turning to look in the back, he took in the old dog snoozing on the backseat. "Monty? Wanna go for a walk?" The dog woke up immediately and began wagging his tail. Deeks got out and went around to the passenger side, opening the doors and pulling out the ramp. He climbed inside and pushed the wheelchair out to the sidewalk, positioning it by the front passenger door. Once the ramp was back inside, he closed the door again, much to Monty's dismay as he immediately made his displeasure known. "Not to worry, you're coming too. I just need to get Kensi ready and then you can get out." The dog seemed to understand, quieted and sat back down to wait patiently.

Opening the passenger door, he leaned in and gently put his hands under her knees and behind her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, the fact that she couldn't help him souring some of her good mood. As if he knew what she was thinking, he gave her an admonishing look. "Nope, none of that now."

"None of what?" She asked innocently, knowing he could read her like a book.

"Stop thinking about what you can't do and start thinking about what you can. We're going to spend a nice day in a beautiful park. Just you, me, Monty and a few hundred of our closest friends." Indicating the number of people they'd seen walking inside the park. As he'd hoped, she started to laugh, and her mood immediately showed improvement. He carefully placed her in the wheelchair and made sure she was secure. Closing the door, he opened the back again and grabbed Monty's leash from where he'd stashed it under the front seat. Seeing the leash, the dog stood up and patiently waited for his human to release him from the harness and secure the leash to his collar. Done, he jumped out of the van and promptly began sniffing around, excited at all the new scents, the two of them laughing at his enthusiasm as he dragged Deeks this way and that. When he finally calmed down, they came back to Kensi, where Deeks reached into the bag hung off the back and pulled out a pair of sporty looking wheelchair gloves he'd gotten for her in black and white.

"Here." He handed them to her. "I don't plan on doing all the work."

She took them and turned them over in her hands, investigating the closures and admiring the colors as she thought about how considerate he could be. She looked up from them. "When did you get these? Where did you get these?"

"Amazon works in mysterious ways."

"Very funny. Deeks…thank you." Her eyes filled up with tears.

"They're just a pair of gloves, Kens." He knelt next to her, a bit worried. Monty put his head in her lap and she absently patted him.

"It's not just the gloves, it's everything. Coming to Savannah, making the long trip back and forth to Glynco every day when it would be so much easier to have an apartment there, being so supportive of my rehab, renting the van, bringing me here, thinking of everything, always being there for me. I want you to know I appreciate it, all of it."

"I know you do. I know things got…a little messed up there for a while, but we're doing better now, and I know you'd do the same for me."

"You're right, I would." She said fiercely, meaning very word of it. He leaned in and kissed her gently.

Standing up he said, he locked the van up and asked. "Now, how about you put those on and we get this party started?" She smiled and made a show of slowly pulling on the gloves and adjusting them this way and that until both man and dog were getting antsy.

"Okay, I think I'm ready now."

"Yeah? You sure? You don't want to take them off and start over? Adjust them a little more?" He teased her.

"Nope, got them just the way I want them." She laughed up at him.

"Okay, then, mush!" An older couple walking by looked at him disapprovingly. In return, he gave them his best crooked smile. Kensi watched the woman's expression change to one she was familiar with. Didn't matter the age, he charmed them all without even trying. Shaking her head a little, she began to push herself towards the entrance, glad that she was practiced at this by now, her upper arms no longer feeling like wet noodles after just a few minutes of moving the wheels forward.

They turned into the park and proceeded to enjoy the rest of their day, checking out the lovely walk to the fountain which was lined with oak trees and draped in Spanish moss, savoring a leisurely afternoon meal at the café and being treated to the sight of a wedding being held at the fountain. They talked and talked about nothing and anything. No trying to predict what would happen with her legs, with his training. At one point they tried to one up each other on how the rest of their team would react when he got his badge, each suggestion getting more and more ridiculous, finally ending when they both dissolved into laughter. All in all, a very pleasant and stress-free day.

She fell asleep on the way home, not waking up until Deeks opened the door after they got back to the hospital. He'd gotten permission earlier in the day to bring Monty up to her room and, when they got there, the dog whined until Deeks picked him up and placed him on the bed next to Kensi, where he snuggled into her side and promptly fell asleep. They stayed a little past visiting hours and took their leave when it was obvious she was having trouble staying awake. He said his goodbyes as he watched her lose her battle and fall asleep. He picked the dog up off the bed and stood him on the floor, being careful not to wake her. Leaning down, he kissed her on the forehead and whispered. "Sleep well my love." They headed back to his apartment.

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Sunday was a little more relaxed as they watched a movie on Netflix in her room and he helped her with her exercises. By the time the afternoon was waning, however, both began to feel the tension in the room increase. They ate dinner quietly and when done, she looked at him and he sighed.

"I don't know what else to do, Kens. There's been nothing either one of them has done that I have proof of. I have people who are watching my back, including Temple and Sheppard. I'm good."

She sighed. "I know. Just...promise me you'll be careful?"

"I will. Anyway, they want me out of the program, not dead." He laughed a little.

She didn't laugh with him like he'd hoped. "I understand that, but I also understand that sometimes things happen, even if you didn't mean it. What if, instead of just putting your aim off, tampering with your gun had caused it to explode? You could have been badly hurt, even killed if the shrapnel hit you just right!"

"But it didn't."

"You were lucky! You saw the marks on the lock and ended up never using that gun! It could have gone the other way."

"The operative words are 'could have', baby. It didn't, I didn't and I'm fine. I promise you, I'm keeping a very careful eye on things."

"But you couldn't keep an eye on your locker overnight! And how did they know about the cameras? No one outside the instructors are supposed to know. I guarantee you Carrington told Roberts."

"That's the most likely answer, but, look, nothing they've done so far has worked."

"The operative words are 'so far'." She responded darkly, throwing his own terms back at him.

"Well, I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere! If anything, this has made me more determined than ever to not only pass, but to do so at the top of the class." He sounded so determined, she had to smile.

"Do you think you should try to talk to Carrington? Get him to see you're not some wet behind the ears kid?"

"I thought about it, but I'm pretty sure he won't listen to me. He knows most of my background already, but he's so convinced that I'm like the guy who got his partner killed, that he's doing things that could get him fired. How do you overcome that kind of irrational thinking?"

"I don't know. What I'd really like is to have Sam and Callen have a little talk with him." Both pictured that scene and burst out laughing, lightening the mood.

"I'd pay to see that!" He said.

She raised an eyebrow, her hopes rising. "We can arrange it. I bet if we read the rest of the team in on what's going on, the whole crew could be here within hours and, if I know Sam and Callen at all, armed for bear. The bear's name being Neal Carrington."

He sighed. "That's exactly what I don't want. I can fight my own battles."

"Everyone needs someone sometimes, Deeks." She pointedly looked down at her legs and then back to him.

"I know that, but your situation is different."

"It is, but I worry about you! I'm too far away to be of any help if you need me."

Deeks had a sudden thought and impulsively pulled out his cellphone. He dialed a number while Kensi frowned at him, not knowing what he was up to.

"Yo, Deeks! What's up?" Phil had been surprised to see the name that came up on his caller id.

"Phil, I was thinking. It's about time you met Kensi. You got FaceTime on your phone?"

"Dude, I have two teenage kids and a wife who's miles away from me right now. What do you think?"

"Cool. I'll send you a request."

"Looking forward to meeting your lady!"

"Talk to you in a bit."

"I'll be waiting."

He hung up and smiled at Kensi. "I think once you 'meet' Phil, you'll feel better." She hmphed and crossed her arms over her chest. He laughed and sent through the request, which was answered immediately.

"Hey Phil."

"Hey Deeks, what's up with the sudden need to introduce me to your Kensi?"

"She's a little worried about being so far away from me if I need help with Roberts and/or Carrington."

"Put her on." Deeks turned the phone sideways and sat on the edge of her bed so both were visible in the frame. He heard a low whistle. "Dude, she is so out of your league!" Kensi started to laugh and waved at the man on the screen. The guy staring back at her reminded her so strongly of Sam, she felt she could trust him to watch over the most important person in her life and her worry lessened a little.

"It's nice to meet you Phil."

"You too Kensi. Now, what's this I hear about you being worried about your surfer boy?" Deeks shot him a dirty look.

She almost said she wasn't used to not having his back, that that was what partners did. She remembered at the last moment that none of his new friends knew about his association with OSP. "It's exactly as he said, that I'm so far away and can't help him if Carrington or Roberts do something that ends up with him hurt."

"He's not alone, he's made a lot of friends in just the short time we've been here. We all know what's going on and we're all watching his back."

"Thank you, I feel better hearing that. Still doesn't make it easy."

"I bet. Deeks, would you mind leaving Kensi and me alone for a few minutes?"

Deeks opened and closed his mouth a few times, not sure where this had come from. He found both of them silent and staring at him. "Um, okay? But, no stories about me, from either of you!" He stood up and left the room, still not sure how he felt about this. Outside, he began to pace back and forth.

Inside, Kensi tilted her head at the silent man on the screen. Finally, she prompted him. "Well?"

"Look, Kensi, I know you don't know me but Deeks has become a good friend. I'll do anything it takes to make sure he's not hurt in any way and that includes being washed out of the program because of some weird obsession someone has with him."

"I appreciate that and I'm glad to hear it from you. Still, that doesn't warrant wanting to speak to me alone, does it?"

"No, it doesn't. Look, he's really close mouthed about some things, but I get the feeling he's more than he's letting on. He knew the NCIS mission statement by heart, didn't miss a beat. Maybe it's because of his association with you, maybe he memorized it, but somehow, I doubt it. I saw the way he handled the HK416. That's not the kind of weapon LAPD uses pretty much outside SWAT and he hasn't said anything about being part of that elite group. I don't need to know, I just want to put it out there that if he has connections, maybe he should use them."

She found herself liking him more and more. "I know what you mean, but he can be a stubborn ass. He wants to do this on his own, with out help from anyone else."

"Anyone else meaning someone like Sam Hanna?"

"Yeah, he told me you both knew Sam. Small world, isn't it?"

"It is, but the Sam Hanna I knew probably wouldn't have all that much to do with an LAPD detective."

Kensi wondered if he knew how close he was to the truth about how Sam had felt about Deeks when he'd started the liaison position. How they'd all felt. For most of them, it didn't take long for him to make them realize he was good at his job. Sam, however, had had blinders on about him until Sidorov. After that, no one was more protective of Deeks, other than her.

"You'd be surprised at what Sam thinks about him."

"Yeah? I wonder why he's acting out of character for the man I know?"

"Well, maybe he's changed." She evasively.

Phil barked out a laugh. "Not bloody likely. Ok, I get it, whatever it is, neither of you is going to give it up. Just know that we've got eyes on him at all times."

"Thank you." She meant it. "Can I ask him to come back in now? If I know him, he's already worked up some several different scenarios about this little private talk and I would bet his number one guess would be pretty close to the truth. He's good like that."

Phil laughed. "Yeah, okay. I just crashed and burned trying to get any more information out of you than I was able to get out of him. Bring him on back."

Kensi called out and Deeks was through the door in a flash, looking from her to the phone in her hand. She put her other one out and beckoned to him. He moved to her side and took the proffered hand. Sitting back down on the bed, he looked at Phil smirking back at him from the small screen. "Ok, what have the two of you been talking about behind my back?"

Kensi squeezed his hand. "It was nothing, Phil just wanted to reassure me that everyone knows the score and that they're all watching your six." He looked unconvinced. "Come on, Deeks. It was just a few minutes, how many secrets could I have given away in that short a time?"

"Plenty." He sounded disgruntled and she grinned at him until she finally got an answering smile. Turning back to Phil, they began to talk about other things, the three of them getting along so well that there were no awkward silences, just a lot of laughter. When they finally ended their call, Kensi knew all about his family and his background. She was relieved he was in Deeks's corner. After the call, there wasn't as much talking and a lot more kissing.

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Monday dawned bright and beautiful and Deeks hummed as he made his way to Glynco. He'd enjoyed their weekend and was happy that Phil and Kensi had gotten along so well. He was hoping she'd be able to come to his graduation, and he was determined to graduate, and that they would already be friends. He pulled into Starbucks and ambled inside. The whole gang was already there plus two. Brad Higgins was sitting with them and looking a little less mousey as he talked with animation about something or other. Sofia Jimenez sat next to him, adding her own comments now and then. Phil caught sight of him and waved, which he returned. He got up to the counter to find his coffee waiting for him.

"Thanks Claire!"

"You're welcome, Marty. You know, if your group starts getting any bigger, we're going to have to start charging you rent!" She winked to let him know she was kidding.

He smiled back and asked how her weekend had gone and they spent a couple minutes exchanging stories of what they'd done, until more people came in and he wished her a good day before wandering over to his table.

"Hey guys." A myriad of hey Deeks or hey Marty's were said as he sat down. "So, what are we all talking about?"

"The weekend." Amanda said, looking at Charlie who blushed a little.

"Training and Roberts." Brad said. "Everyone's filled me on what's been going on. I can't believe something like this could happen at an NCIS agent training course."

"Us either." Charlie said. "I'm ashamed to say I was one of the ones who Carrington influenced that first day. I said some things to Marty that weren't very nice. I apologized once I had the chance to think about it and he didn't hold it against me." He smiled at Deeks who lifted his coffee cup in acknowledgement.

"Ok, kids, let's talk about something else." Deeks said, eager to change the subject. He'd talked about it enough. It was what it was and would work out, one way or another, eventually. Talk turned to their training and guesses made for what was coming at them that morning in Sheppard's class. Brad started to look depressed and Deeks nudged him. "What's up, Brad?"

"I'm in dead last in the standings. I never thought shooting an HK416 would be so difficult. It's not like I could have practiced before I got here! It seemed like I just couldn't get it. I'm not all that great with the sig either. I'm afraid I'll wash out."

Deeks looked at his watch. They had about an hour before class. "What do you say we head over and get in some practice before class starts? You'll get the hang of it."

"You sure?" Brad perked up.

"Of course! You heard Sheppard, we can train with the sigs if we let someone know we're there. I wouldn't be surprised to find Agent Henderson already there. If not, well, no harm, no foul. We'll just be a bit early for class. We can ask if we can practice with the HK416s during lunch."

"Thanks! I don't know what to say."

"Say 'let's go' and grab your coffee." Deeks stood up and so did everyone else. "You don't all have to go."

Phil laughed. "Come on, Deeks. First, we aren't letting you out of our sights and second, you're not going to get all the credit for turning Higgins into a crack shot!" Everyone laughed as they headed out. True to Deeks's prediction, Henderson was already there and gave them permission to practice, but only with the sigs, preferring Sheppard to be there to give his permission for the rifles. Brad got so many instructions from so many people, he started to look confused until Phil stepped in and laid down the law that only he and Deeks would do the talking, unless one of them had a specific comment that would help. The group watched as they showed him how to check his gun before using it, corrected his hold to better his aim, how to use the site to his best advantage, how to breathe through the shot. By the end of the hour, while not exactly a crack shot, he was at least hitting the target more often than not. Gradually, as they were practicing, the rest of the class had shown up, drawn to the firing range by the sound of gun fire. Roberts was one of the last to appear and he looked sour when he realized Deeks's posse had grown again. He just didn't understand the attraction, but he kept his mouth shut, for now.

Sheppard showed up shortly before starting time, pleased to see one of his worst trainees practicing and getting help from others. That was what teamwork was all about. He wasn't blind, he saw Roberts watching them with a sneer on his face and sighed. He started class with a refresher on the sig and was pleased to see that Higgins showed more confidence. He gave his permission for practicing on the HK416s over lunch, keeping a careful eye on them during the hour, adding his advice to Phil and Deeks's. In the afternoon, they switched to AK47s and he wasn't surprised to see that his two best students were as comfortable with this rifle as they were with the other one. Higgins even seemed more comfortable and made more shots. At the end of the day, he was pleased to see that the man had moved out of last place and Roberts had taken over the spot again. It would give him ammunition to give him as low marks as he could.

While they were cleaning their weapons, he cleared his throat and made his announcement. "Okay, ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow is the last training day for this class. You've proven you can fire a gun but tomorrow, we'll see if you can prove you know when to fire and when not to. During the entire day, you'll be practicing in the shooting gallery. You might recognize the term the FBI calls theirs by, Hogan's Alley. For those of you who aren't familiar with this, it's a training run with "shoot/don't shoot" scenarios where dummies will pop out and you will need to make a split-second decision whether to shoot or not. You will be expected to shoot all the "bad guys" while not shooting obvious civilians like old men or women with babies."

Deeks had to smile as he remembered doing this exercise during Hetty's 'Deeks Professional Development' phase. He'd known what he was doing, he hadn't been a cop for as long as he'd been without knowing enough to be sure your target was an actual bad guy. When the target with Hetty's form had spun around, he'd deliberately put a bullet through its forehead and uttered a somewhat insincere 'oops'. Her response was priceless, calling him a cheeky bastard. Damn, he missed her.

Sheppard noticed the smile and wondered at the faraway look on the man's face. He decided he would ask about that later and continued. "The day after tomorrow, this class will end as each of you will go through the gallery and you will be graded on how well you do. You need to remember, you will be expected to carry a gun at all times when you're on duty and your actions will reflect on NCIS. As we've all seen in the news lately, shooting an innocent, by mistake or otherwise, can not only ruin the lives of their entire family, but also yourself and yours and I don't mean just your career. Killing someone is not easy to live with, killing an innocent is next to impossible. We need to be sure you know exactly what you are doing at all times. Now, when you're done cleaning your weapons, stow them away and head out. I'll see you in the morning."

His announcement over, the class returned to their tasks, the room buzzing with talk about what going through a shooting gallery would be like. Deeks's group was no exception. Charlie looked at him and asked. "Deeks, you're the only one with law enforcement experience, you ever done one of these before?"

"Actually, I did. Once."

"How'd you do?" Asked Phil.

"Shot a civilian in the head."

"Seriously?" Amanda asked.

"Seriously, but…it was a perfect head shot." He replied with a laugh.

"I take you didn't pass?" Sofia asked.

"No, I did. That particular target was someone I could legitimately say was very dangerous in some circles."

"Oh, who?" This time Brad was the one asking what everyone wanted to know.

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." Deeks was now wishing that he'd lied and said he'd never done this before either. Phil caught his tone of voice and remembered his conversation with Kensi last night. He turned the focus of the conversation to the others by teasing them about how many civilians each of them would accidentally shoot and they forgot about it for the moment. Deeks shot him a grateful look.

When everyone was done cleaning their weapons and gotten Sheppard's approval, they headed out as a group, Roberts watching them go, exasperated that Deeks always seemed to be surrounded. His plan to make him look bad in the courtroom testimony class had backfired. Deeks's confession that he had a law degree from Pepperdine explained that. Caught up in his obsession, this fact did nothing to convince him that the other man was worthy of being an agent. His next act had, unfortunately, also produced no results, filing the barrel down hadn't done a damn thing. He wracked his brains for another way to discredit him or have him fail the course, but nothing came to him. When he finally had his weapon cleaned and approved, he headed out, hoping to catch sight of the group but they'd scattered to the four winds. He headed back to his lonely studio apartment, stopping to pick up a pizza to eat in front of the television as he seethed in frustration.

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