"I don't know how you put up with him." Kensi dropped the binoculars she'd been using to watch the building across the street and turned to face her temporary partner, Agent Jeremy Hummel.

Agent Hummel had joined the Office of Special Projects last week to offer his expertise on a human trafficking ring. He was a good agent, if a little full of himself, but so far they'd gotten along well enough. Still, Kensi was looking forward to having Deeks by her side again.

"What?" she asked and Hummel nodded his head to a spot a couple hundred feet down the road.

"Deeks," he answered, his tone derisive. "God only knows how he made detective. He must drive you crazy." Kensi followed his gaze to where Deeks, dressed in Artie, was chatting with an older homeless man. Pressing her lips together, Kensi asked,

"Why would you say that?" She had a feeling that any friendliness between them was about to evaporate. Hummel snorted, waving his hand in Deeks' direction as though it was answer enough. Kensi quickly shoved his hand back down, giving him a look.

The last thing they needed was for someone to make a connection between them and Deeks. Despite her best efforts, Kensi felt herself growing slowly enraged. Hummel didn't have to love Deeks, hell he didn't even have to like him, but she wouldn't let his carelessness put him in danger.

"Well, for one thing, he's annoying and an idiot. For another, he looked homeless before he put on that disgusting disguise. I know your office is a little more lax with the dress code, but would it kill him to get a haircut or shave once in a while?" Hummel continued on, oblivious to the way Kensi was now glaring at him.

"You know, Deeks used to be a public defender," she said with icy calm.

"Emphasis on used to be. Whatever he did to pass the bar, I'm sure he couldn't handle the job once he got into court." Hummel shook his head again in apparent disgust. God, she wanted to punch him now. She curled her fingers in tightly until her nails bit into the palm to prevent herself from acting on that urge.

"And his undercover skills are second to none."

"Seriously? Because all I've seen him do is eat scavenged food and joke around with a bunch of dead beats," he responded. "And he never stops talking. He's always telling some stupid joke or making inappropriate comments."

"So you really don't like him," Kensi commented in a voice that anyone else on the team would have recognized as dangerous.

"I can't stand him."

"Well, that's certainly a shame." Apparently he finally picked up on the edge to her voice, because he turned with a frown. He looked slightly taken aback by Kensi's anger. "Because Detective Deeks happens to be my husband."

Hummel's mouth popped open slightly and he stared at her in apparent astonishment. His eyes dropped down to her ringer finger, which was bare as it usually was in the field.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked, looking suddenly dismayed and hopeful that this was some kind of joke.

"Afraid not," Kensi said with grim satisfaction. "We just celebrated our first anniversary."

"Kensi, I'm-" She cut him off before he could get any farther. She didn't want whatever lame attempt at an apology he had to offer.

"For the remainder of this case, you will refer to me as Agent Blye and Deeks as Detective. Furthermore, you will do everything in your power to ensure that Detective Deeks stays out of harm's way. If there's even so much as a hint that you've jeopardized his safety, I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your life."

Hummel murmured something that sounded like an affirmative and shrank back in his seat, looking truly unnerved. Kensi nodded in satisfaction and turned her attention back to watching the building, her gaze occasionally sweeping over to Deeks.