THE MOON… a disturbing dream.

It was one of those dreams again. It just wouldn't stop. The familiar patterns and event did nothing to stop her heart racing or her cries of pain. She could still smell the men, taste her own phantom blood in her mouth mixed with the dirt and sand of those mountains. The punches came; to her ribs and then her gut. She was just about to pass out. Was that her team in the caves, captured with her? She thought she saw a flash of yellow.

The dream changed. She was staring down the barrel of her rifle, readying to aim. The car came into view and Jacks head ducked out. Only, it wasn't Jack's head. It wasn't the clean, sharp cut. It was messy and blond. Her partner's smiling face filled the scope. Deeks? What was he doing with possible insurgents? She couldn't stop her fingers as they wrapped around the trigger.

"No, no, no!" she screamed at herself.

Not her partner, it wasn't his fault. She pulled tighter. Suddenly the bullet released with a BANG.

Her ears were ringing and everything was happening in slow motion. The bullet arcing through the sky gracefully. It had hit its zenith and was dropping. Time sped up. Her aim was true. Of course, it was true. Move Deeks, move! Why hadn't he heard the rife report?

It was getting closer and closer.

"Nooooo!" she shouted, struggling against her blanket.

Wait, her blanket? Kensi's eyes flew open, her heart beating rapidly. As if it would jump out of her chest if it wasn't for her ribs.

She saw her wardrobe, ajar and clothes poking out of it, and the shadow of her fluttering curtains. The smell of late-night takeaway and LA traffic drifted through the open window.

This wasn't the mountains of Afghanistan. She was in her apartment. Safe. Right? America, no risk of being attacked. There were no guards by an entrance.

Then panic filled her again. Deeks. Where was Deeks? Wasn't he meant to be here? He had been here earlier.

Her eyes darted around ten room, ears straining for the smallest of noises that could be her partner. Nothing. She tried to take a deep, calming breath. She had to be calm. Why wasn't he here?

Her thoughts drifted back to earlier that night or was it now last night? Kensi couldn't see her clock. The thoughts were jumbled, she kept hearing her interrogator's voice in harsh Pashto.

Deeks had definitely been here earlier. He had practically followed her home, bribing his way in with America's Next Top Model DVDs. She could never resist those and she hadn't wanted to be alone. Alone meant she had time to think and that was never good. They had had fun. He had brought her favourite snacks and she provided the fluffy blankets (all she could remember what the cold mountain air was like, the LA heat didn't even get a look in).

Her brow furrowed in concentration. They had definitely watched four episodes before her eyes had started to drift close. Deeks gad been keeping a closer eye on her rather than the TV screen all night so had noticed immediately.

"Sleep," he had instructed.

She had argued that she was fine. He told her that he just wanted her to feel safe and comfortable so she should go ahead and sleep. He knew she hadn't been doing a lot of that recently. That had been an unfortunate mistake. Kensi had stupidly taken it as him saying that she wasn't capable of managing herself or her emotions and basically kicked him out.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. He was her partner and he was trying to make sure that she was OK. Like she had done for him numerous times and he had done for her before. They had each other's backs

She stubbornly put herself to bed after that, to prove she could so sleep fine by herself. Except, she couldn't. Nightmares swirled with reality. Was Deeks really, OK? Maybe that had been real. It had felt real. Or was she being stupid?

Kensi bit her lip and fumbled for her phone. Oh, it was the next day. Two am to be exact.

Hey, you, OK? she tapped out, the text taking longer than it should due to her still shaking hands.

Nothing came back. Her breathing accelerated. Why had she chucked him out? Maybe he had been hurt?

BANG BANG BANG

Kensi's whole body froze. Was that her front door. She grabbed the gun she kept in her bedside door and edged out of bed. Was that her captors coming back?

Deeks waited nervously at the front door, stomping his feet as he waited for her to open up. He'd got her text and went into full panic mode. Why was she texting him at two am?

He had swift turned his car around, he had just driven past the entrance to her street, and eased back. He had never gone home when she had unceremoniously kicked him out. Why had he even said those things earlier? Deeks knew how sensitive Kensi was to any hints that she wasn't capable.

Worry, that was why. Kensi had not been coping since her return from Afghanistan. Oh, she hid it well behind teasing and smart answers. She was working just fine, even when in the field. Her mind as sharp as ever. It was those little moments of solitude and no activity where he saw her carefully constructed mask fall. Or maybe it was just chipping. Deeks could read Kensi so well that he could no longer tell what she was actually showing the world anymore.

Where was she? She hadn't answered the door yet. She was awake, right? Maybe she had fallen back asleep. Deeks was about to resort to using his emergency key when he saw the handle turn. He exhaled heavily in relief that quickly ceased when the door cracked open and he was staring down the barrel of a gun. He froze.

"Kens?" Deeks said softly not wanting to startle her.

"Deeks?" she asked hesitant, he could hear the frown in her voice.

"Yep, it's me," he said lightly, trying not to show how nervous he felt.

"Oh."

The gun didn't lower.

"Uh, Princess? Kensalina? Can I come in?" he tried. "Without a gun being pointed at me?"

"What? Oh, yes. Of course," she said, mumbling but the door opened wider and the gun was no longer pinning at his person.

She hadn't loosened her grip, he noticed. Deeks edged in slowly, not wanting to startle her. She looked so unsure of herself. Why was she looking at him so anxiously?

"Are you okay?" She asked, running her eyes up and down his body.

Definitely not her "checking his body out" look, this was more a "I think your injured I just don't know where" one. A very familiar look but out of place at the moment

"I think that's my line," he replied softly.

Of course, he was okay, what had happened in the hour and a half since he'd left?

Kensi frowned at him in confusion.

"You're, okay?" she checked.

"Yes," he replied. "Uh, do you want to put your gun down?"

She blinked at him and looked down at her hand. Her grip flexed as if she didn't know quite what to do with it.

"Let me have that," he coaxed, reaching across with hand outstretched.

Surprisingly, she handed it over without a fight. He slipped it into her safe, after disassembling it.

He turned back to her, only for her to not be there. Where had she gone now?

"Kens?" he called.

"In here."

Ah, she was in her living room. Using her sneaky ninja moves. She had curled herself up in her sofa, legs tucked under her and a faraway look in her eyes. He didn't think she was in LA in her head.

"You never answered me," Deeks pointed out, sliding next to her.

"Hmm?" she asked, only half listening.

"Are you okay?" he asked sincerely.

She looked at him, apparently baffled.

"Yes," she drew out slowly.

He cocked his head, "Really?"

Silence as she just shrugged.

"Why did you need to know I was okay? I wasn't doing anything."

Completely ignoring the fact that he had been driving around LA aimlessly while being frustrated about what to do with his partner.

"Thought it was you," she said into her knees.

"What was me?"

He placed a hand on her knee and it made her jump, bringing her back to the present he suspected.

"In Afghanistan."

"Oh."

What did that even mean? Did she think he had been captured with her? Or that he had died? Or he was Jack?

"Wanna talk about it?" he tried

She shook her head, not looking at him.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

She needed sleep, not flashbacks and teasing out events that she hadn't processed yet (hadn't allowed herself to process). Deeks knew that this wouldn't help the nightmares in the long run, it might even make the worse, but he knew that for tonight she just needed to know he was there and safe.

She bit her lip and looked like she was trying to decide on something but a yawn broke out across her face. The type that cracked jaws and popped joints.

"Sleep," he instructed gently, stroking her hair. "I'll keep you safe."

"I know," she murmured as she snuggled into him and drifted off to sleep with a smile.

They could talk it through in the morning