Author's Note: Written for Day 24 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.
A/N: Blah.

"Why is it impossible to find any online newspapers from Sunnydale? Even with the collapse, there should've been something."

"Ummm..." Buffy hedged. The truth was that a lot of the things that could've told anyone what had happened in Sunnydale had gone poof when the Hellmouth was closed. It wasn't just online newspapers, but police records, the morgues Willow had regularly hacked into, and so on had also disappeared off the net. No one had been able to explain why or how, but it had frustrated Willow a lot.

"That's a question a lot of people would like the answer to."

Kensi looked her straight in the eye. "Do you or any of your people know the answer, or have a workable theory?"

"Some of my people have been searching for the reason, but no one has been able to find anything concrete. They have theories, classified ones, but that's all." A demonic failsafe set up by Richard Wilkins was the leading theory, but they had been unable to prove it. Buffy didn't care either way, except when someone asked her about it, mainly because it was more weirdness she had to lie about.

A pointed look made her confess, "No, Kensi, I don't know what happened to the Sunnydale-based websites or why they disappeared. I'm not the most tech-savvy person out there."

"But you have to have a few guesses. Crimes, bribery, corruption?"

"All of the above. The Sunnydale PD was almost entirely corrupt and regularly turned a blind eye to anything they didn't want to deal with. The politicians were the same. But I don't think any of them are capable of erasing that much without leaving a trace."

Buffy was about to say something else when she spotted someone semi-familiar. "Your beau's here and he doesn't look happy with you."

Kensi turned and followed Buffy's line of sight and met her fiance's upset eyes. "Shit," she murmured low enough that the Slayer felt comfortable pretending she didn't hear it.

"Is that anger because of me or is there trouble in paradise? Because if it's me, I'll take full responsibility."

"I'm sure it's because I didn't tell him I'm still in contact with you," Kensi replied. "That makes it my fault, not yours." Then she got quiet as the man came within hearing distance. Both of them watched him close the remaining distance.

"You said you wouldn't couldn't her again. What happened?" He was clearly suppressing the need to say something else.

"I changed my mind right before her deadline was up. We've been in contact ever since." Kensi on the other hand had gone on the defensive.

Buffy had sat back and chose to just watch for the time being. The back and forth went on for a few minutes before she decided it was time to interject.

"I'm not Cruella de Vil, Detective Deeks, and I would appreciate it if you stopped treating me as if I am going to harm Kensi."

He just looked at her with barely restrained hostility for a moment. "Prove it."

"How?"

"I don't know! But there's never anything good behind organizations with little public information. The stunt you pulled just proves my point."

"My organization is classified for good reason. All of my meetings with Kensi have happened in public places, if it worries you so much then I'm sure those two hackers OSP employ can find the footage if Kensi gives them the time and places we met. Searching for that won't violate the Cease and Desist the IDC issued you."

Deek's eyes widened, but before he got the chance to add his two cents she said, "And it wasn't my idea, it was our lawyers who insisted. The NCIS Office of Special Projects has a reputation of not backing off without heavy threats. They tried to do it the gentle way, but your reputation was right and so we had to use the big guns."

She hadn't been happy about it, no matter what anyone might've thought. The former Scooby Gang had all tried to talk her out of keeping in contact with her former classmate. Well, Faith hadn't cared at all. Just asked if she wanted to go dust a kiss of vampires with her when she'd looked like she wanted to take a swing at some of them, and that had been it.

"All Kensi and I have done is talk, mostly about shallow subjects. She's tried to fish for information about the IDC and Sunnydale, mostly just ending up with more questions than when she began. I haven't threatened her, you, or anyone else in NCIS. I haven't bribed anyone, blackmailed anyone, asked for classified information, or done anything else illegal. So I'd appreciate it if you calmed down.

"You don't have to like me, but stop treating me like a violent criminal who's three seconds away from causing a massive bloodbath. And don't blame this," she indicated herself, Kensi, and the lunch they'd shared, "on her either. I was the one who reached out and kept trying."

She stopped talking, mainly as she wasn't certain what else to say or if she was just digging herself another grave. Technically she was a criminal and causing demonic bloodbaths was kind of a specialty of hers. She would never do it to humans though.

The two of them got into a staring contest, him with angry eyes and her just meeting his eyes head-on. Eventually, Kensi had enough and grabbed her man by the arm and informed him they were leaving.

"I'm sorry about this, Buffy. I'll call you."

They said their goodbyes and she pretended not to hear Deeks' grumblings about her.