Chapter 12 – Kensi

'Well?' Nell asked, putting on oven mitts and pulling a golden-brown, delectable-looking apple pie out of the oven.

'I want a bite of that,' I said to her, nodding at the pie.

'I wasn't talking about the pie.'

'I know.'

'Did you have a nice walk?' she asked.

'It was exhausting.'

'And Deeks?'

'Was exhausted.'

'And?'

'And what? What else is there to add?'

'Did you?'

'Nell, I think you're only carrying out half of this conversation out loud, and you're expecting me to read your mind for the rest.'

'Does Deeks know that you like him?' she asked excitedly.

'Not unless he's figured it out by himself,' I replied, sighing. 'Do you really think I'm about to ruin my partnership over some misplaced lust and some stray emotions?'

'Kensi, how long has it been since you had a date? A serious date?'

I shrugged. 'A couple of months, I think.'

'Seventy-one days.'

'You've been counting?'

'Yes. Kensi, this just proves-'

'That I've had a dry spell. It happens to everyone.'

Nell rolled her eyes. 'Dry spells don't happen to someone who looks like you,' she said. 'Not unless they don't try.'

'Maybe I want a dry spell. You ever think that?' I asked, sitting down at the dinner table.

'No woman wants a dry spell. Not when she hasn't had a serious relationship for seven years. It's time for you to move on from Jack, Kensi. And Deeks cares about you. So much that I think you could trust him.'

'Nell…'

'Not fully trust him, if you don't want to. But you could give him a little bit of trust. Trust him with your heart?'

'I don't need to do that. He's already made himself a nice little niche in it. Problem is that I can't get him out.'

'You don't want to get him out,' Nell said sternly. 'You want to keep him in.'

'I don't know what I want, Nell,' I replied, putting my head in my hands.

'You want Deeks.'

'I don't know that I want Deeks.'

'Of course you want Deeks. Hell, I want Deeks. The difference is, he wants you.'

'No, he doesn't.'

'Oh, yes he does.'

'No he doesn't – how can you know?'

'He told me.'

'He told you? He told you he loved me? With those words?'

Nell tossed her hair uneasily. 'Maybe not those words exactly.'

I snorted. 'You're just guessing, Nell.'

'I'm hypothesising. I have evidence.'

I laughed. 'Give me the evidence, and then I'll believe you. But I still won't know what to do.'

Nell paused. 'Where is Deeks, anyway?'

I shrugged.

She sighed. 'What time did you tell everyone to come?'

'Around six.'

Nell checked her watch. 'Great. I've got four hours.'

I looked around the kitchen, which was piled high with dishes and plates and bowls filled with food.

'Isn't Hetty bringing a whole lot of food?' I asked.

'Yeah. Why?'

'Because you've made ten tonnes of food. Deeks and I are going to be eating this for the rest of our time here,' I said.

Nell smiled. 'That's a pity. I get the feeling that Deeks likes cooking for you.'

I shook my head at her. 'I'm going to find out where my husband went.'

Nell giggled. 'You sound so domestic.'

'That's not reassuring, Nell.' I got up and went out of the kitchen, and up the stairs, poking my head in the study and fully expecting to find Deeks on his iPad, eavesdropping on us using the new app that Nell had installed, or trying to beat the high score that I'd set on Angry Birds. But the study was empty, and his iPad lay untouched on the table, showing live footage of the vestibule, which was empty.

I frowned and went into the bedroom, only to find Deeks' shirt and jeans on the floor. Great. This was the third day in a row that Deeks had left his clothes strewn about on the floor.

I picked them up with a sigh and started to fold them, but a loud thud and a very loud curse made me look up in alarm. Another thud made me worried enough to burst into the bathroom.

'Deeks?' I asked, going in.

He looked up at me in alarm with wide eyes from the bathroom floor, which was quite slippery with water. 'Kensi?' His voice was about twice as high as it usually was. And he was naked. Very, very naked.

More quickly than I'd ever seen him move, he snatched a towel from the rail and wrapped it around himself.

'What the hell, Kensi?' he asked me in a yelp. 'I'm naked, here.'

'I noticed,' I said faintly. Oh, trust me, it was very hard not to notice.

'Great. You mind getting out?'

I ignored him. 'Why are you on the floor?'

'I fell,' he said simply. 'It's slippery. Why are you in here?'

'I heard you fall.'

'Then why did you ask why I was on the floor?'

'I, uh… was distracted?'

He struggled up off of the floor, but would've slipped straight back down again if I hadn't reached out and grabbed each of his arms to keep him upright.

'Thanks,' he panted.

'Yeah.'

We stared at each other uncertainly, and faintly I heard Nell calling up to us.

'Um, I guess we should, uh…' Deeks trailed off.

'Dryness,' I finished for him.

'Yeah. Clothes.'

'Good… idea.'

Very slowly, we went out of the bathroom, making sure to not slip over. But when we got out of the bathroom, I realised what Nell had been telling us.

Callen smirked. 'Just taking a shower?' he asked.

'Uh… we… uh…' Deeks looked like a deer in the headlights.

'Deeks fell over because it's slippery in there.' I've found that in situations like this, it was easier to tell the truth. And that was the bare facts.

'Uh huh.' Sam looked highly amused (and a lot cleaner than the last time we'd talked). 'He fell over before he could put his pants on?'

'Yes,' Deeks said indignantly. 'I did.'

'And Kensi went in because…?' Callen asked.

'Because I heard him fall. And he could've hit his head. It was a very loud thud,' I defended myself.

'Can we all leave the room so that I can put some pants on?' Deeks asked.

Torture over, Callen and Sam laughed and left the room.

'Well, um…' Awkwardly, I shifted on the spot.

'I, um… I know you're my wife and all, but do you wanna… I dunno, leave?'

'Suddenly gone all shy on me, Deeks?'

'You bet,' he said emphatically.

I laughed and left him to get dressed.

'Well that was fun,' Callen said, following me down the stairs.

'That was not funny, boys,' I scolded them.

'I said fun, not funny,' Callen said innocently.

'You meant it,' I said to him, glaring.

'What happened?' Nell asked.

'Oh, ask Kensi,' Sam said. 'She's the one that jumped Deeks in the shower.'

Nell's eyes rivalled saucers. 'What?'

'I did not,' I said. 'He fell over because the floor was slippery. I went in because I thought he hurt himself.'

'I did hurt myself.' A pouting but fully dressed Deeks entered the room, rubbing his hair dry with a towel. 'Smacked my butt on the floor. Got bruises.'

'You want Kensi to kiss it better?' Sam asked.

'If she wants to.' Deeks made eyes at me.

'She doesn't,' I said.

'Ooh,' Deeks said. 'She's talking about herself in the third person.'

'Shut up, Deeks.'

'Yes, ma'am.'

'You missed your calling, Deeks,' Sam commented. 'You should've been in the Navy.'

'Nah,' Deeks said, shaking his head and sending droplets of water everywhere. 'I don't fancy the haircuts.'

'And you wouldn't look any good with one, anyway,' Callen commented.

'Yup,' Deeks replied. 'I got my head shaved once. I'll never do it again.'

'And if you two even threaten to shave it, I'll superglue rainbow afros to your heads,' I threatened, thoroughly horrified by the thought of Deeks with a shaved head.

Both men stared at me.

'What?' I asked.

'Why are you being protective of Deeks' hair?' Callen finally asked.

'Because I have to be seen with him.'

'She makes a good point,' Nell added. 'Coffee,' she chirped cheerfully before going back into the kitchen.

'When will Hetty and Eric get here?' Deeks asked, tossing the towel onto the couch.

'Half an hour, so put that away,' I said, pointing to it.

'Yeah, in a minute.'

'Not in a minute. Now,' I demanded, glaring icily at him.

'Yes, ma'am.' He gave Callen and Sam a twinkling look. 'She's so demanding. Do this, do that.'

'Shut up, Deeks.' I left the room and the men.

Nell laughed. 'You two really do make the cutest couple.'

'Please, Nell, for the sake of my sanity, don't do this,' I pleaded with her.

She smiled. 'Okay.'

'Did someone say coffee?' Callen asked, entering the room.

'I did,' Nell said with laughter in her voice. She picked up the coffee pot and handed him a full mug.

'Thanks,' Sam said, also taking a mug.

'I'll have tea,' I sighed, starting the kettle. 'I have any more strong caffeine today and I'll be up all night.'

'I'll have tea too,' Nell said. 'I've never been one for coffee.'

'Coffee?' Deeks appeared in the doorway.

We exchanged a wry look.

'Of course you'd hear that,' I said. I looked at Nell. 'He's had six cups of coffee today.'

'I think, for all of our sanities, that you might need to switch to tea, Deeks,' she said to him.

He sighed. 'Alright. Lots of sugar, though. Tea tastes bitter without it.' He sat down at the kitchen table, but jumped back up with a yelp. 'Ow!'

'Your poor little bruised butt?' I asked.

'You sure you don't wanna kiss it better?' he asked.

'Absolutely,' I replied.

'Absolutely sure that you do, or absolutely sure that you don't?' he asked. 'Because that "absolutely" was about as clear as mud.'

'I am absolutely sure that I don't want to kiss your butt better,' I answered.

He sighed. 'Alright then.' He disappeared before returning holding a cushion and sitting down on it. 'That's better.'

Nell pushed a cup of tea across the table to him. I pushed the sugar bowl across, and he nodded his thanks.

'How long do we have?' he asked, directing his question to the men.

'Hetty said that she and Eric should get here around four,' Callen informed us. 'She knows that she said five, but she thought that they might be of some help.'

'I do need Eric to check the security of the phone cables, here,' Nell said. 'We need to be sure that there's no chance that someone might hack us.'

Deeks eyed Sam. 'How about you help me by using those muscles to move some tables?'

Sam chuckled. 'I dare say I can help.'

'What about you, Callen?' he asked.

'I guess that I can help too,' he said, slightly reluctantly.

I chuckled and finished my cup of tea.

'C'mon then, Muscles,' Deeks said, jumping up a little bit too quickly and letting out an involuntary groan.

'You alright?' I asked with a small smile on my face.

'No,' he replied, rubbing his lower back. 'Hetty really should've let me pack some jeans that don't squeeze my butt. It hurts.'

The guys laughed and led the way outside, bantering about all that the comment about Deeks' tight jeans allowed.

'I'm going to shower,' I said. 'And if I fall over, ask if I'm okay before going in.'

Nell laughed. 'Okay. Be quick – Hetty and Eric will be here in…' She checked the clock on the wall. 'An hour and a half.'

'Okay,' I replied.

'Hey, Nell?' Deeks called into the house. 'Pick something sexy!'

'Sorry?' she asked, looking alarmed.

'You're picking her dress. You guys made a bargain. Remember?' I could picture the grin on his face.

I sighed. 'Alright then. Come on.'

Nell grinned, and I could see a wicked sparkle in her eye.

'Nell? What are you thinking?' I asked slowly.

'Nothing,' she said innocently, and too quickly to be completely innocent.

I sighed and led the way upstairs.

…

Well, the party is about to start – and we're about to find out where, why and who has hit Kensi with a car… whatever you think it is, it's not. Which is exactly why the story is named what it is – It's What You Think It Is (Until It Isn't).

Thank you, everyone, for all the reviews, and follows… You brighten my day!

Review, please! We've made it into triple figures; let's keep going!

XD PurpleHipposRock