Prompt: 18. "It's late. Shouldn't you be asleep?" Takes place sometime in season 10.

Kensi wandered downstairs, frowning as she saw a light turned on in the study. She'd woken up to find Deeks' side of the bed empty, even though it was well after 3 in the morning. When he hadn't come back after a few minutes, she gone looking for him.

He was bent over stacks of papers and receipts spread out across his desk, the glow of his laptop creating a bluish cast over his face. Based on his ruffled hair and the mess in front of him, he'd been there for a while.

"Babe, it's late," she said, coming up behind him. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" Deeks glanced up, seeming surprised to see her there.

"I just want to get some of this straightened out," he said, gesturing to the desk. Kensi came closer, sifting through the jumble of papers.

"Are these receipts from the bar?" He nodded, sighing as he rubbed at his eyes.

"I couldn't sleep thinking about it. I don't know how we're going to pay next month's bill." As evidence, he held up an invoice for plumbing repairs that came to $1200. Kensi's stomach sank; she'd knew the financial situation wasn't great, but she hadn't realized it was quite this bad.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," she murmured, resting her hand on Deeks' shoulder. He reached up and gripped it, shaking his head.

"I don't want to let anybody go, but if we don't, we won't be able to pay off these bills. But without staff, we can't run the bar. And I can't ask my mom to take every shift," he explained, his frustration clear.

"Well, can we take out another loan?" Kensi didn't like the idea, but if it was necessary, she wouldn't stand in the way. The bar meant a lot to Deeks, to both of them now. He shook his head again.

"I'm pretty sure we'd get denied at this point. And in the event that we did get approved, the interest would be insane." He ran his hand through his hair, looking up at Kensi hopelessly. "I'm not sure we're going to make it."

"Maybe," she started hesitantly. "Maybe we need to take Callen up on his offer." There was a moment of silence after her suggestion and then Deeks frowned.

"You mean make him a partner in the business?" he asked, looking uncertain. "I'm not sure I like the idea of getting a friend involved. I mean, it's crazy enough that my mom works for us." He managed a small smile at that and Kensi loved him for trying to brighten the mood. "It seems like a good way to lose a friend."

"I'm not saying we have to, but Callen has mentioned investing in the bar more than once," Kensi reminded him. "I think he would want to help us out, plus he actually seems to like the idea."

"But what if we lose his money?" Kensi knelt down in front of him, clasping his hands between hers.

"I think with Callen's investment, we could get beyond this hump. And then you can make the changes that'll get us on the right track." He sighed, looking upward for a moment and then nodded.

"Ok, I'll talk to Callen tomorrow," he agreed. Kensi leaned up to kiss him.

"We'll make it through this," she promised him, pulling him to his feet. "Now come back to bed with me."

A/N: Again, I don't remember if Callen being a silent partner is canon or fanon or simply helps out at the bar.