A/N: Part 5, in which the author continues to shamelessly write self-indulgent none sense. Enjoy!

Kensi took her position behind Sam, waiting for Callen's signal. From the sound of it, Deeks was still holding his own, but might not be for much longer. His responses were becoming more slurred, the time in between words longer, and Davies' punches more frequent.

"On my count," Callen whispered, counting off on his fingers. When he reached three he shouted "NCIS!" as he yanked the door open and Sam barreled through.

There were three men surrounding Deeks, two holding him against the far right wall. One of the men released Deeks, and fired off a series of wild shots while Davies made a run for the other side of the building where there was another exit.

Ducking behind one of the pillars, Kensi looked to Sam and Callen who had also taken cover. Callen nodded and she popped up, aimed at first thug, shooting three times then ducked back down as Sam aimed and fired. His bullet hit the other man directly in the chest and he fell back with a thud.

Callen meanwhile, took off after Davies. The second thug wrapped his arm around Deeks' neck, his gun jabbing into his ribs.

"Put your weapons down or I'll shoot him," the man said and Kensi had no doubt that he would. She looked over at Sam, waiting for him to make a move.

Blood dripped from Deeks' nose and he sagged in the man's hold. Kensi expected to see fear and pain in his eyes, but was surprised to find determination there instead. He nodded, almost imperceptibly, and Kensi suddenly knew he was about to do something incredibly stupid. She started to shake her head, but it was too late. "I said put them-agh!"

Deeks jabbed his elbow into his captor's stomach and then slammed him into the wall. He still had his grip on Deeks though, which meant Kensi couldn't get a clean shot without possibly hitting Deeks instead. Making an animalistic noise, Deeks slammed his head backwards and the gunman cried out, finally releasing him.

The gunman clamped a hand to his nose, blood streaming through his fingers. He surged towards Deeks and Kensi fired without hesitation, aiming for his chest. As he fell to the ground, Kensi rushed over to the Deeks who had sank to his knees and was pulling in ragged breaths.

Up close, Kensi could see that his injuries were worse than she'd realized. Aside from his broken nose, his lip was split and the rest of his face was covered in cuts and bruises. Dried blood stained his beard and was splattered across his suit.

"I'll have Eric call an ambulance," she said, eyeing him in concern.

"I'm fine." He waved her off, swiping beneath his nose which only smeared more blood across his face.

"You might have broken something." She crouched down beside him, placing a hand on his arm. He looked up in surprise, but she didn't move it. She had been scared for him, for this man she barely knew, and it helped to have a reminder that he hadn't died on her watch.

"I just need a minute," Deeks insisted.

"Callen has Davies, he's still alive," Sam informed Kensi, coming up behind her. "How's he doing?"

"He is doing fine," Deeks replied shortly.

"He's refusing to go to the hospital," Kensi told Sam, feeling like she was tattling on a schoolmate. Deeks gave her a look of betrayal.

"Hetty's not gonna like that."

"Well, I don't really care what Hetty thinks." Pushing up against the wall, he started to stand and almost immediately collapsed again, letting out a pained gasp.

Kensi caught him before he completely fell, easing him down onto the cool concrete as she shared a concerned look with Sam. Deeks had both eyes squeezed shut and one hand clamped against his side.

"Deeks, did Davies or his men hit you in the stomach?" Sam asked, kneeling next to Kensi. Deeks tipped his head back against the wall; his skin suddenly looked pale underneath blood.

"They might have," he groaned.

"How many times?"

"I kind of lost count." Kensi made an involuntary noise in the back of her throat at the image of Deeks being ruthlessly beaten. Hearing it had been bad enough.

"Eric, call an ambulance for Deeks," Sam said, his tone indicating it wasn't up for further discussion.

"No, it's not that bad," Deeks repeated. "I really don't want to ride in an ambulance." His expression was pleading and Kensi capitulated.

"Fine, then I'll drive you there." Deeks looked like he might like to protest, but Sam glared at him until he nodded and let Kensi help him to his feet.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call anyone for you?" Kensi asked, not for the first time.

They'd spent two hours at the emergency (Kensi's federal badge had helped speed things along), getting him checked out. The attending doctor had diagnosed Deeks with bruise ribs, put three stitches on the inside of his bottom lip and advised him to take it easy for a few weeks. Despite feeling like he'd been run over by a truck, Deeks thought everyone had overreacted just a little bit.

He grinned as he stared out the passenger window. Kensi had been extremely attentive since they'd left the warehouse, worrying over him, asking about his next of kin, and offering to fetch him random items of food. It had almost made his aching ribs worth it.

"I think I'll be ok, but thanks for offering," he answered her, leaning back on the headrest. Even though Davies hadn't hit directly in the head, it still ached.

"You said that before and it turned out you had bruised ribs. I'm not sure I trust your judgment," Kensi pointed out.

"Ok, then how about I make you a promise?" he started, pausing to smirk at her. "If I need anything, I'll give you a call."

He expected an immediate no, but she paused, apparently considering his suggestion. After a minute, she nodded.

"Fine," she said with a long-suffering sigh. "But," she jabbed a finger in his direction, "if you even think about calling me for anything less than imminent death, I will make you regret it." He chuckled, shifting in his seat as tried to rearrange his legs.

"I'm sure you will. God, I forgot how much bruised ribs suck." He shifted again, aware of Kensi's eyes on him.

"You've had bruised ribs before?"

"Yeah, as a kid," he answered distractedly.

"What happened?" she asked, innocent curiosity in her voice.

"An accident," he said shortly as she pulled into his driveway. There was a clear warning note in his tone and she took the hint, not pressing for more. She parked the SUV and got out, going around to his side and offering him an arm for support. He didn't really need it at this point, but he accepted her help anyway.

"You want a drink?" he asked, when they were at the front door. Again, he expected her to come to her senses and say no, but after moment of hesitation, she shrugged.

"Why not?"

Deeks let them in and led her through the den and into the kitchen, flipping on a couple lights along the way. He noticed Kensi glancing around and couldn't tell if she was impressed or silently judging him. He'd experienced both reactions since moving here and he had a feeling Kensi Blye might be a silent judger.

"I know, it's a little over the top," he said as he grabbed a beer and bottle of water from the fridge. He placed the beer in front of Kensi, gesturing for her to sit down at the island that dominated much of the kitchen. He kept the water for himself and pressed it to his split before he opened it.

"No, I was thinking you have surprisingly good taste," she replied, waiting a beat before she added, "For a guy who chooses to wear his hair like that."

Deeks huffed out a surprised laugh, spluttering on a gulp of water. He swiped his hand across his dripping chin as Kensi grinned at him, obviously pleased with herself.

"Wow, I bet you've been waiting to use that line all day long."

"Eh, just the last couple hours."

"I'll have you know this look," he gestured to his hair, which was admittedly more disheveled than usual, "was very popular with the ladies when I was in college. My professors, not so much."

"I can imagine. I thought that lawyers had a pretty strict dress code," Kensi said, eyeing him again. He wasn't sure she even realized she was doing it.

"They do, but I've always been a rebel. You can be when you're as good as I am," Deeks said.

"You keep talking about how great you are, where's the proof?" There was a challenge in her voice and he said,

"You should come see me in court sometime. See me in action." Kensi leaned forward, her eye narrowing as she observed him.

"You are a confusing man, Marty Deeks," she said, sounding frustrated.

"But you didn't do too badly today. I was mildly impressed." He was surprised by the unexpected and, seemingly, genuine praise, even if it was a bit begrudging.

"Really?"

"I mean, I would have taken that guy out a lot faster, but you did alright for a civilian."

"Hey, I'm just the gardener, remember?" he teased and she groaned.

"Oh my god, you're never going to let me forget that are you?"

"Probably not." She rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she said,

"Yes, for a gardening, surfing, loud-mouthed lawyer, you did well."

"Wow, that is going right in my resume," he joked.

Kensi grinned and he decided she could insult him all she wanted if it meant he got to see her gorgeous smile again. Sometime in the last few minutes, they'd moved closer to each other and there was just a few inches between them.

He didn't know if it was the beer or the unguarded conversation, but when he leaned in, Kensi didn't pull back. He saw her lips part slightly, heard a shallow intake of breath and wondered what it would be like to touch them. Instead, he dipped his head and kissed her cheek before pulling back and moving several feet away.

Kensi looked surprised, and if he wasn't mistaken, hurt.

"Well, I should get going," she murmured, her voice a little raspy and incredibly enticing.

"Kensi, I-" he started to say, but she cut him off, pulling on a mask of professionalism.

"Make sure you stop in tomorrow to follow up with, Hetty," she told him. "She'll want your official report. And believe me, if you don't show, she'll hunt you down."

"Of course, I'll be there." As she turned to leave, he lightly touched her arm and said, "See you around, Agent Blye." She looked back, her expression unreadable.

"Have a good night, Deeks." He couldn't help feeling a distinct sense of regret as he watched her go.