Again, I love you guys. Thanks for being wonderful. :)
Please review as always!
-Hazel
Deeks was seated on the couch beside Sam, both men relaxed as they sat a few feet apart. They'd been briefly exchanging words during each commercial break that came along during the game, and Deeks couldn't help but appreciate how nice it was. He didn't have to constantly feel embarrassed for cracking jokes, or frequently stifle himself so he wouldn't piss Sam off.
"...How's Kensi doing with all of this?"
Deeks ran one hand through his hair, pushing it away from his eyes. "All of what? Quite a lot has gone down recently, you have to be more specific."
Sam chuckled. "The pregnancy."
Deeks' face lit up at the mere mention of that word. "Oh, right. We've gotten past the stages of morning sickness and cravings, which makes everything easier. Kensi seems to be doing great… she freaked out for a minute the other day, but aside from that nothing bad has actually happened."
"Why'd she freak out?"
Deeks scrunched his nose up, unsure of how much information he was actually allowed to divulge. Sam was a trustworthy guy though, so he assumed Kensi wouldn't mind him knowing what she'd been so shaken up about.
"She just said that she didn't think she could do it."
"Do what? Be a parent?" Sam asked skeptically.
Deeks just nodded, expression solemn as he glanced over at Kensi, who looked to be chatting with Michelle in the kitchen.
"That's totally ridiculous. She'll find her way- we all just have to figure it out as we go along."
"That's what I told her."
"Did she believe you?"
Deeks grabbed his beer off the coffee table. "Certainly seemed to."
"Good. She needs to trust herself… I don't think she really does. Have you guys learned the gender yet? Knowing it makes everything else a bit easier, takes a bit of the stress away."
"Yeah… I was right."
Deeks shot Sam an enthusiastic grin, as he was certain that his friend knew exactly what he meant by that statement.
He had practically talked both Sam and Callen's ears off in the car during stakeouts- the same way that he always did with Kensi, babbling on and on about how he knew for certain that they were having a baby girl. He'd been right all along, but at the time it was still annoying nonetheless.
Sam laughed, taking a quick swig of his beer. "Congrats man. Are you driving Kensi crazy yet?"
"Why would I be doing that?"
"Because you were right."
"Nope. I'm following the 'laws of being a good husband.'"
"Wow. Good for you. Maybe I need a copy."
Deeks stared forward wordlessly for a moment, wearing a rather puzzled look.
"Dude... It's not a real book."
Sam rolled his eyes. "I know. It's called being sarcastic, Deeks."
"Oh. Right." He took another swig of beer. "I'm not used to it, that's all. You almost seem to like me, and I haven't decided how I feel about it yet. I'm still in the stage where it seems really weird."
Sam bit his lip, wanting to avoid saying something he knew he'd regret later- but he did it regardless.
"I never really liked disliked you. I'm just…"
"Protective of Kensi?" Deeks offered up the words sincerely, only a hint of tease in his voice.
"Yeah, that. But I don't really need to be anymore."
"Well, probably not. As she is a married and pregnant grown adult woman."
Sam was learning to not be annoyed by the cynicism that Deeks often expelled during conversations- it was just a part of who he was, and there was nothing Sam could do to change it.
"She can take care of herself. And I know that you can take care of her."
There was an undeniable sincerity in Sam's tone of voice as he spoke.
"You know Sam- you never have to worry about that. I'm always going to look after her, even if she doesn't want me to. I just have to do it. I'm overprotective."
Whether or not it was for show, Sam still ended up regaining his tough guy attitude with Deeks- he couldn't stay nice for too long. "But if you ever hurt her-"
"You'll kill me and leave no forensic evidence, I know."
Sam nodded, silently agreeing with his statement while a tiny, barely noticeable smile tugged at his mouth.
"Exactly."
Kensi and Michelle continued with the prep work, Kensi quietly following her new friends lead, basically copying whatever she did in the hopes that all the food would turn out okay.
Michelle had just slipped the turkey in the oven when the doorbell rang and their family and friends began filing in. First Callen, then Kensi's mom Julia, then Hetty- who seemed out of place in Deeks' modest little home, to say the least.
Callen grabbed a beer from the fridge and Julia poured herself a glass of wine before gravitating towards the living room, while Hetty followed Kensi out of the chaos and back into the kitchen.
"This is a sight I never expected to see," Hetty said, folding her arms and shooting Kensi a knowing smile.
"What do you mean?" Kensi asked as she turned the heat down on the stovetop, briefly pulling the lid off of the large pot of mashed potatoes she was keeping warm until dinner time.
"Just look at yourself! You're cooking, being domestic. It's a pleasant surprise, I must say."
Kensi chuckled, lowering the lid back down on the pot with a clank. "Somehow, I'm still surprising myself everyday."
"That's a good thing. Anyways, how is your husband doing? With his recovery, and all."
Kensi knew that Hetty was just asking the question to make small talk, as the woman probably knew better than she did- there was a reason that they referred to her as 'the ninja'. Nevertheless, she gave her an honest answer.
"Better every day. I definitely think it shook him up though."
Hetty nodded, her expression solemn. "As it should have! Getting shot is disconcerting, no doubt. Especially when there is so much at stake."
Kensi knew exactly what Hetty was alluding to. "Us."
She used the plural form to describe herself, as it wasn't just Kensi that Deeks had run the risk of losing.
"Yes my dear, precisely that. The two of you must be even more careful now than you were in the past."
"We're always looking out for one another, Hetty. You know that."
"I do. Just continue to do keep an eye on him, alright?"
Kensi smiled, making a quick peek behind Hetty's shoulder to Deeks on the couch. "Don't worry. I will."
When he caught her line of sight, Deeks took it as an excuse to go see Kensi and hopped up off the couch, walking towards his wife and their fearless leader in the kitchen.
"What are you two gossiping about? Me, I hope," Deeks said, grinning and stopping only fleetingly on his way to the fridge so he could plant a kiss on the top of Kensi's head, which caused her cheeks to turn crimson. They may have been inside Deeks' home, but the display of affection was still undoubtedly public.
Hetty didn't seem to take note of Kensi's red cheeks, but instead just smiled at her two happy team members.
"It's wonderful to see that you're in good spirits, Mr. Deeks."
He shrugged, pulling the fridge doors open to grab another beer. "I don't see a reason not to be."
Not a moment later the doorbell rang, causing everyone, besides Hetty of course, to jump.
"I'll get it," Kensi muttered, happy to escape before Deeks made her blush again.
She bobbed and weaved through the living room, desperately trying not to be knocked over by one of Sam's kids as she passed through. Kensi didn't even check the peephole before swinging the door wide open, as she already knew who their last arriving guests would be.
"Happy Thanksgiving Kens!" Nell exclaimed as she stood beside Eric on the front porch, enthusiastically throwing her arms around Kensi's neck.
Kensi was going to return the greeting as Nell relinquished her grip, but she just couldn't force herself to speak as she watched her best friend move back to Eric's side, grabbing his hand in the process.
She opened her mouth but then clamped it shut again, widening her eyes at Nell, who just lifted her eyebrows. It may have been a small facial movement, but it still told a story. Kensi would definitely need to ask her about that later.
There was only a brief moment of silence before Kensi forced herself to regain her voice, stepping aside to invite them inside. "Come on in!"
"It smells great," Eric said, the shock evident in his voice. "Did you cook?"
Kensi folded her arms, only mildly insulted by his tone. "Yes. I did."
Deeks walked hurriedly past them, staying only long enough so that he could hear the details of their conversation. "Don't worry, Michelle helped her out. It's edible."
Kensi rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance at his remarks while Nell and Eric just laughed. They were still holding hands at that point, so Kensi was quick to discreetly walk lean in towards Nell, whispering in her ear as she passed. "Hetty's here."
That was the only thing that needed to be said. Nell relinquished her grip on Eric's hand immediately, elbowing him lightly in the side and nodding towards Hetty, who had struck up a conversation with Michelle.
Nell mouthed a wide eyed 'thank you' before turning away, silently grateful for Kensi's warning.
She chuckled almost noiselessly, the only actual giveaway of her emotions being the smirk that was still on her face and the small shaking motion in her shoulders as she laughed.
Kensi just looked around the room as everyone dispersed to different areas- Sam, Callen, Deeks and Eric were all squished together on the couch, Michelle, Nell and Julia were in the kitchen talking to Hetty, and Sam's kids were tuckered out from playing tag, petting Monty as he laid sprawled out on the floor of the living room.
Kensi stood there, thoroughly enjoying the view that she had of the team. Soon enough, both her and Deeks' lives would both be turned upside down, and having little moments like those where Kensi could just relish in the normality of it all were highly necessary, just to keep her sane.
When she realized how awkward she looked- just standing there in the middle of the room, Kensi began walking over towards the kitchen to check on the food. She was just able to reach the island before Sam's youngest child- his daughter, Zoey, began pulling on one of her shirtsleeves.
"Auntie Kensi?"
She had never heard anyone use those words to address herself before, but Kensi definitely liked how they sounded.
"Yeah sweetie?" She replied, crouching down to her eye level. Deeks overheard their brief exchange of words, and shifted around on the couch to see what they were talking about.
"Uncle Marty says that you don't like Monty. Can we have him?"
Though she tried to stifle it, Kensi couldn't help but burst out laughing, and from a few feet away she heard Deeks do the exact same.
"Really Deeks?" Kensi asked, her voice traveling across the length of the room. She was still watching in amusement as Sam swiftly stood up from the couch, swooping down to grab his daughter. "Contrary to popular belief, I do like Monty."
"Zoey- you can't take other people's pets, okay?" Sam stated firmly, only partially able to scold her, as he was still chuckling himself.
Deeks picked himself up off the couch, drifting towards his wife's side and swinging one arm over her shoulders. "Don't you worry Zoey. I'll watch out for Monty, and you can come play with him whenever you want."
Her face, which had previously fallen, lit up once again.
"Okay!"
Sam chuckled, but an almost annoyed look was lurking behind his smile. "You really shouldn't have said that. She's gonna want to come over every single day."
As he wandered back over to the couch, Zoey still in his arms, Kensi repeated her already previous stated point to Deeks with a grin.
"I really do like Monty."
Deeks rested his lower back against the countertops and winked, causing Kensi to blush- the bodily function completely involuntary.
"I'm sure you do Fern. He reminds you of me, remember?"
Kensi playfully stuck out her tongue at him, but was easily distracted away from her husband's cuteness when she heard what sounded like a faint knocking sound on their front door.
She just glanced around the room in perplexity. "Who else did we invite?"
Deeks' eyes scanned over each person in the room before returning to Kensi's- they were sharing a mutual feeling of confusion.
"I don't know. Did your mom invite someone? A male- friend perhaps?"
"Eww Deeks, come on," she said, her whole body quivering in mock disgust. "I'll get the door, and if that is the case… then I get to kick him out."
He put both hands up, grinning after Kensi as she rounded the corner. When she reached the entryway, the noises of their guests conversations faded slightly, until all she could understand were a couple random words and various spurts of laughter.
Though she couldn't take a guess at who was on the other side of the door, Kensi still swung it open without hesitation. But as she stood in the doorway, the smile that she had been previously adorning was wiped clear off her face, and she couldn't help but gasp in complete and utter shock, barely even able to mutter a single intelligible word.
Kensi instantly recognized the person that was standing before her on the front porch steps, and her breath immediately hitched in her throat.
"Jack?"