A/N: Thank you to everyone for your comments, thoughts, and suggestions. I love reading them, even if I can't respond directly to you (as is the case with my guest reviewers).

Dinner turned out surprisingly well. Despite Deeks' worries, the food was delicious, and Caleb kept them entertained with a series of loosely connected stories. Every so often, he would glance over at Kensi with a little smile.

When his plate was about two-thirds empty, Caleb pushed it back with a long sigh, leaning back as he rubbed his stomach.

"Daddy, I can't eat anymore," he said pitifully.

"Oh, then I bet you're way too full for dessert," Deeks teased, and Caleb immediately straightened up, fully alert and without a hint of discomfort.

"I'm not that full." He gave his dad a worried look as Deeks unsuccessfully smothered a laugh. "And look, I ate all my green beans."

"Ok, give me a second you little fiend." He ruffled Caleb's hair before heading back into the kitchen and returned with a small store-bought chocolate cake. Caleb ate his slice enthusiastically, much to their amusement, completely silent for the first time this evening.

"Daddy, can I go play?" he asked when he'd scraped up every last crumb.

"Yeah, go ahead, but clear your place first."

Grabbing everything from his spot, Caleb quickly rinsed his plate and glass at the sink and then put them to the side. Normally, Kensi might have been suspicious that Deeks was trying to show off or give a false representation of their home life, but it was obvious this was a normal routine for them. Plus, aside from Deeks' worries about the meal, he'd been refreshingly open about his faults.

"You wanna play with Legos with me, Miss Blye?" Caleb offered on his way out of the room. "I got a new set that makes a farmhouse."

"I'd love to play Legos with you, but first I have to help your dad clean up from dinner."

His head dipped a little at her response and he sighed heavily.

"Ok, but don't take too long, alright? Because it's super cool. There's a tiny cow, sheep, and even a tractor that you get to construct."

"Alright, we'll be out in a little bit," Deeks told him, bending to give him a quick kiss on the very top of his head. "Remember, it's a school night so don't make a big mess."

"Uh-huh."

While Deeks started clearing the rest of the table, Kensi went in search of storage containers.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," he said after she opened the third cabinet and found a collection of plastic and glass Tupperware.

"I don't mind helping," Kensi said. Which is how she found herself standing side-by-side with Deeks, drying dishes as he washed them. There was something oddly comfortable about doing the simple task together.

"So, what does your mom do that she was called in so last minute? If you don't mind me asking."

"She runs a catering business," Deeks answered easily. "Someone called off so mom had to step in for a 200 guest wedding. It's a crazy life, but she loves it."

"I assumed you didn't have anyone close by because otherwise you seem very family oriented," Kensi observed, realizing a second too late that it sounded extremely judgmental. Fortunately, Deeks didn't seem offended; he nodded in apparent agreement.

"I love my mother deeply and she is a wonderful person, but we tend to drive each other crazy when we spend too much time together. It's better for everyone if we're not in easy driving distance of each other which is why I purposely chose a house two hours away."

"I'll bet she wasn't a fan of that."

"She wasn't at first. But I reminded her what happened when we stayed with her for a week after the divorce." Deeks chuckled softly, pausing with a sponge in his hand. "We nearly annoyed each other to death within the first two days. And that was while mom was working part of the time."

"Well, those kinds of situations are hard on everyone," Kensi offered diplomatically.

"Yes, they are. It doesn't help that Mama tends to be brutally honest. Which can be a beautiful thing, just not when you're trying to keep a mildly civil relationship with your ex," he said.

Deeks handed her a baking dish, and rubbed beneath his nose, leaving behind a streak of soap.

"And your dad?" she asked as she dried the dish and set it to the side.

"Out of the picture. He was, to put it nicely, a grade A ass," he answered, smiling sarcastically. "My mom eventually got tired of his crap and filed for divorce when I was about 11. Best decision she ever made in my opinion." It was the most negative Kensi ever heard him speak about anyone so far, including his ex.

It explained a lot of thought. While some adults mirrored their parents' behavior, it was obvious that Deeks had done the opposite. His relationship with Caleb was proof enough of that.

Although he hadn't said anything specific, she would bet Deeks' gentle form of parenting was in direct reaction to his father's methods.

"What about you? I feel like all we do is talk about me and you're still kind of a mystery. What deep dark secrets are in Kensi Blye's closet?" He said it jokingly enough that Kensi knew he wouldn't push for any information, but she heard curiosity in his voice.

"Well, my mom is a realtor and dad's a colonel in the Marines. They're divorced too. Fortunately, very amicably." In the beginning when their relationship started to wane, they'd fought some, but it was never violent. Mostly, they'd drifted apart and didn't have the resources to fix it. "I was old enough during the divorce to choose who I spent most of my time with and I picked my dad."

"Wow, and he was still in the military all that time?" Deeks asked, resting his forearms on the edge of the sink basin. There were a few more plates and pieces of silverware left but he didn't seem in a hurry to finish.

"Yeah. Traveling and moving across country pretty frequently was rough sometimes, especially as a teenager. We got through it though and sometimes I stayed with mom if I needed a break," Kensi said. "I guess that might seem like a horrible situation and crappy parenting." Despite her best efforts, she knew she sounded defensive. Over the years, teachers, friends, and colleagues had expressed everything from sympathy to outright disapproval. "But it's all I ever knew and most of the time I loved it. I got to experience things that no one else would."

Deeks shrugged, bracing his arms so he was half-bent over the sink. There was a soft look in his eyes as he faced her.

"I don't think that at all. It sounds like you had two loving parents who

listened to you and tried to do what was best in difficult circumstances," he murmured. A touch of wistfulness crossed his face. "It's commendable."

"A lot of people would disagree with you."

"Well, then they're idiots," Deeks said bluntly enough to make Kensi snort in surprise. It was a simple statement, but Kensi appreciated it more than Deeks could ever know. After so many years of defending her parents, her lifestyle as a child, she expected judgment and derision. It was a welcome relief to have someone who accepted her as is.

Her appreciation must have been apparent as she stared at Deeks for far too long because he dipped his head, cheeks reddening beneath his beard. Now that was an interesting reaction. She'd noticed he didn't handle compliments very well a couple other times.

"So, uh, what are your parents doing these days?" he asked, focusing his attention on washing a steak with extreme thoroughness. Kensi hid a smile, though she continued to stare intently at the side of his face.

"My mon moved to Nevada a few years ago when she remarried and my dad still travels a lot with the military," she explained. "Mom keeps trying to convince me to move closer, but I don't know. I think I'd like to settle for a little while. I've got friends and a good job that I don't want to lose."

"I don't blame you." Deeks sighed heavily. "As nice as it was to have a clean break, it was hard to leave everything I knew behind."

"Well, you have new friends now," Kensi reassured him. "LA is a big place, but the St. Bridget's community is close knit, in case you haven't noticed. Admittedly, a little too much sometimes," she allowed, thinking of Nell and Candace's ability to spread gossip faster than any form of social media. "If you ever need anything, there's usually someone to help."

"Thanks. I appreciate it. And everything you've done for me and Caleb."

"You're welcome." She accepted the final plate from Deeks and quickly dried it in a few swipes of her towel before adding, "Just don't spread it around too much, cause not everyone gets the Kensi Blye special treatment."

"Deal," Deeks agreed with a chuckle. "Alright, well I think that's about it." He pulled the plug from the drain and wiped any stray water from the counters.

"Just one more thing," Kensi said, taking his shoulder to turn him towards her. "You have a little bit of—" she gestured to her own face before running her thumb across his upper lip to wipe away the bit of soap suds. Deeks inhaled sharply at her touch and suddenly it wasn't quite so innocent.

She should have pulled away, but instead she lingered, enjoying the feeling of soft hair against her skin. Shifting her hand, she trailed her fingers down his cheek and saw his eyes dip to the slight V of her shirt before he caught himself and hastily pulled his gaze back up.

Kensi swayed towards him, heart beating impossibly fast as she rested her other hand on Deeks' chest. He licked his lips, tongue darting out for a second and drawing her eyes while the tension grew between them. Kensi rose up on her toes towards him—

"Daddy?"

Deeks jerked back instantly, turning to face the sink again, and settled a hand on his hip, running his hands through his hair. He let out a sigh of frustration.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"No, it's ok," Kensi assured him. "Let's go see what he needs. Nodding, Deeks offered her a wry smile and made a quick retreat towards the living room.

As she followed him, Kensi couldn't decide if she was relieved or disappointed that they'd been interrupted. For one thing, it certainly made things more complicated.