Hi all, sorry for the delay - real life, blah blah blah. Thanks for all the reviews and follows.

Thank you Donna for working through your cold medicine and gold fetish [inside joke]

Up next one of the episodes I absolutely loathed. Hopefully I fixed it. Stef says I did. I hope you agree.

Chapter 8

Siderov Part 4 - Parley

The Office of Special Projects was known for its ability to multi-task through many cases. One eye was always on Sidorov and his movement. Michelle Hanna was the CIA liaison and made regular appearances at the mission to update the team. She and Kensi spoke often about what to do about Sam's animosity towards Deeks. Michelle was as baffled as Kensi, even asking Sam as to why. Sam would never give his wife a straight answer and Michelle knew her man well enough not to press. Even Callen was at a loss but would not stand up to his partner. Hetty kept her counsel for now but was watching.

The mission was visited by the "Red" Team, a roving NCIS unit that lived and traveled together in two large semi-trailers. Deeks was fascinated with the concept and talked to Kensi about possibly joining a similar team. After all they had lived undercover for over a year rescuing Nate. A nomadic life could be fun and to be honest, Deeks could use a break from Sam's antagonism. Kensi was sympathetic to her husband's plight but had finally felt settled in their home. Ironic, given that she was the one who had to settle Deeks' fears about leaving Los Angeles behind right before they went under with the CIA.

The subject of kids interjected itself into two cases. The team stopped a domestic terrorist plot to release cyanide into Los Angeles drinking water system. The son of one the leaders had touched Callen, especially when the boy ended up in foster care. Callen was a child of the system, knew the pitfalls and decided to help the boy, through visits, to help him adjust to his new normal.

Kensi and Deeks had their own ordeals to work through. First there was Sam and Callen goading Kensi to babysit for Sam's daughter so they could go to a basketball game. Michelle was out of the country following a lead. The irony that Deeks, with Kensi, was okay to watch his daughter, but not much use for anything else was not lost on Deeks. He just shrugged it off and he and Kensi had a fun evening with Kamran. Deeks hoped his wife would remember what a fun evening they had and start to relax her fears about children. She would be an awesome mother if she would just allow herself to believe and see what her husband did.

The junior partners were tasked with going to Mexico to retrieve a witness to the supposed murder of a cartel leader named Barbosa. Javier was in his late teens, good looking and talented. He wrote and performed songs. Known as a "narcocorrido," he glorified the cartel's activities in song. Barbosa had befriended him, helped with his career, and basically became a father figure to Javier. Sadly, Javier's faith in Barbosa was misguided. Barbosa drew Javier out of hiding so he could kill him. By tying up his last loose end, he could disappear. The young singer was devastated by the betrayal, crumpling into a heap on the floor of the warehouse. Kensi, to her own surprise, went to him, gathered him into her arms and comforted Javier, much like a mother would a sobbing child. Deeks was not surprised at his wife's actions. She was compassionate, brave and fiercely protective of those she cared about. He was more sure than ever that when the time was right, their tiny ninja assassin would have the best mom in the whole world.

It was a warm May evening and the beach was more active given the time of year. Folks were out strolling, tossing frisbees, balls, children were chasing each after each other. Surfers were enjoying the evening high tide. A scruffy gray dog was running after a ball into the surf and returning it to his owner, a gorgeous brunette. Her laugh was infectious as she teased her dog, Monty. She kept half an eye on the surfers watching proudly as her husband weaved in and out of the waves. Her life was pretty close to perfect.

Deeks made his way from the shoreline toward his wife, stopping right in front of her and shaking, much like Monty, the excess water from from his hair onto her lap. "Deeks! Stop it!" She loved that man but there were times he was such a child.

Deeks just sat down and gathered his wife into his lap and started kissing her all over as she tried to wriggle free. Their laughter caught the attention of folks around them who saw a couple in love. No one could tell the lives they led protecting everyone on the beach from terrorism on any give day . They made the choice willingly and were proud of their careers. They were grateful they could do this job together, as husband and wife. It was what made the job bearable when they had to face the underbelly of the world.

Deeks phone started ringing in his bag. He grabbed it and sighed when he saw Granger's name come up. "Go for Deeks."

"Detective, I need you at the boatshed in 30 minutes, alone. And I mean alone. You are not to discuss this with your wife." With that the call ended.

Kensi watched as her husband listened to Granger. She reached out and rubbed his shoulder. "What was that about?"

Deeks knew what Granger told him, but he promised his wife early on in their relationship - no secrets. He wasn't about to start now. Especially when he didn't trust Granger as far as he could throw him. He turned to Kensi. "Granger wants me at the boatshed, alone. He actually emphasized that point."

Kensi didn't trust Granger either. "How do you want to handle this?" She was not going to let her husband go without backup.

Deeks sighed. "I want you to contact Nell and see if she can activate the cameras in the boatshed to record my meeting without Granger knowing. Granger has been pushing all our buttons over the Sidorov investigation. I just don't trust him."

Kensi agreed and got her phone out to call Nell. Deeks gathered up their things and Monty, and headed for the car. The partners with Nell's help would not allow Granger to destroy their team. They remembered how Granger had tried to cause a divide between them when OSP was under scrutiny following Janvier's shooting. Even with Director Vance's glowing recommendation in Deeks' file, Granger still wasn't a fan. Whatever he was planning, the team would not allow anyone to divide them. They were a strong, cohesive unit.

Eric arrived in OPS to set up surveillance in the boatshed. Nell had gone to Deeks and Kensi's to set up her laptop so she could watch also. The group was divided as to what and when to tell Hetty. Deeks wanted to keep the circle closed. Kensi was about to say something to Nell when she heard a sound coming from her laptop. Granger, followed by Deeks entered the common room.

"Okay Granger, I am here and alone. What do you want?" Deeks wanted to make sure that Granger knew he was not happy to be dragged away from Kensi and forced to lie to her.

"You would do well Detective, to address me properly." Granger's smugness towards Deeks did nothing to encourage Deeks' cooperation.

"Well since you insist on proper etiquette, you would do well to address me properly. It's Lieutenant Deeks if you don't mind. If you had read the memo from Director Vance reopening OSP you would have known that. If you did not get a copy, I would be happy to forward you mine." Deeks stared back at the Assistant Director. Nell and Kensi gave each other high fives.

Granger growled at Deeks. "Fine. Lieutenant, shall we get down to business?"

"It's your party."

"I need you to do a quick undercover for me, off the books."

"Why off the books?"

"Because I say so. And if you wish to continue as our liaison, you would be wise to do what you're told. The Director listens to what I have to say regarding personnel and I can very easily send you back to LAPD."

Deeks was very grateful that Kensi and Nell were watching this. He decided to tread carefully with Granger and see what was going on. "Okay, Assistant Director, what do you need?"

Granger told Deeks about a club downtown, N'Kosi. He had information that the owner, Johannes Waaldt, was a former gun runner. He wanted Deeks to go in, and see who came and went, met with Waaldt, etc. "There's a hostess, Monica Davis, who could be a source of information. See if you can get close to her. Do whatever you need to do to get her talk. Anything. Use that alias, Max Gentry. I want you working on this starting this weekend. And you are NOT, repeat NOT to discuss this with your wife or anyone else on your team, Lieutenant. Do not cross me or you will suffer the consequences." With that Granger left. Deeks just looked at the plasma and sighed.

As soon as Granger was clear of the area, Eric popped up on screen and in a smaller box Deeks saw Kensi and Nell in what looked like his living room. "Hey Eric, thanks for coming in. Nellster, Kens. Now what do we do and for the record, you two - -" He points to the Wonder Twins, "Are under no obligation to be involved with this. Kensi and I are able to do this ourselves. We are not putting your careers in jeopardy."

Kensi nodded in agreement with her husband. "We mean it. You two are too important to us."

Nell and Eric looked at each other with a smile that was full of pride. "So Shaggy, what's the plan?"

Deeks rubbed his scruff with both hands and sighed. Max Gentry was not someone he wanted to be. The good news was that he would be able to tone it down a bit. This OP did not need the total low-life version of Max. "Guys, I think this should be an easy in and out. I go in, chat up this Monica Davis, see if I can get her to let me know Waaldt's comings and goings and report back to Granger. I'll let you know if I need anything more."

The other three nodded in agreement. Kensi thanked Nell and Eric and then looked right at the camera. "Hurry home baby!" She winked at her husband and disconnected from the feed. Deeks chuckled. His wife knew him so well. Kensi knew he hated Max. And he knew without a shadow of a doubt that she loved him and would watch his back always. He grabbed his keys and left the boatshed.

A weekend of easy observation. What could possibly go wrong?

On Friday, Deeks was preparing to go to the club to make contact with Monica Davis. He got his spare gun and two burn phones out of the safe they used to store their personal weapons and other valuables. Kensi watched as he dressed for clubbing. But instead of Max Gentry's leather jacket he dressed in charcoal trousers, a pale blue button down shirt and a leather blazer. She remembered how she felt the first time she "met" Max when they were getting Ray Martindale to WITSEC. There was an edge, a harshness, to his demeanor. This time she noticed that even though he hated this alias, he did not seem as angry. That was a relief. She stopped him before he walked out the door.

"Remember one thing."

"What's that?"

"You, Marty Deeks, are not Max Gentry. You are great at what you do. I have your back and will be waiting here when you are done." She then placed her hands on either side of his face and gave him a proper good-bye kiss. "I love you. Be safe."

Deeks kissed his wife. "Love you too Kens, and thanks. I'd tell you not to wait up, but I know better." He gave Kensi one of the burn phones while slipping the other into his pocket. They had decided that it was important to keep in touch without prying ears listening in case the OP went sideways. With one more kiss he was out the door. Kensi said a silent prayer that this would be a quick OP to appease Granger.

N'Kosi was the newest L.A. hotspot. Max made his way inside. Once his eyes adjusted to the bar lighting, he found his mark. Monica Davis was attractive, flirty, confident. Everything you would want as a hostess. Max stood at the bar and watched her work the room. He also looked over the room layout. Typical for this type of place there was a long bar, VIP seating and up on the mezzanine a room that appeared to be used by management to oversee club activities. He guessed that would be where Waaldt would be sitting. Time to get to know Monica Davis.

Max worked his way over to the hostess. "Any chance I could get a table?"

Monica turned toward the voice and gasped. She gave the man a once over with her eyes and smiled. "Why of course." Monica then reached out to take his hand and led him to a quiet table in a corner. As Max sat down, she leaned over being sure to give him a clear view down her blouse.

Max sat back and chuckled. "I like finding friendly places to drink." He winked and ran his index up her arm. Monica smiled, took his drink order and left. Deeks sunk into his chair. "Great," he thought, "Kensi is not going to be happy with me." On the one hand, Monica's interest will make it easy to get her to cooperate, but at what cost? His drink arrived, Monica continued to flirt and Max feigned interest. After two hours, he asked for his check.

Monica held it out to him but when he went to take it, she pulled it back. "Leaving so soon?"

"I have to meet someone."

Monica pouted. "I'm off in an hour. Meet with me instead."

Max knew he needed to cultivate his connection with Monica. "Sorry doll, strictly business. But don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow night." With that, he gave her $100 for the check and a kiss on a cheek. He then walked out into the night. Monica just smiled and tucked the bill in her pocket.

Kensi was reading in bed when she heard Monty get up and run to the front door. She smiled when she saw Deeks come into their bedroom. She noticed his frown as he sat on the bed.

"No luck?"

"Oh no, plenty of luck. Got a good look at the room and made contact with the hostess. Max was charming as ever." There was no humor in his voice.

"I bet he was, but I happen to know Marty has a very understanding wife who supports and trusts him." Kensi scooched over behind him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "You are very good at your job. Just get what Granger wants and we go back to our lives." She hugged him tight. "I love you."

Deeks leaned back into her embrace. He was so grateful to his wife. One more weekend and he should be done. He kissed her cheek, got up and changed for bed. Kensi suggested a morning surf to clear his head and then breakfast at the new cafe that has outdoor seating so Monty could come along. She knew what he needed. She also would update Nell while he was surfing. They would be fine.

It was a busy Saturday night at N'kosi. Monica was moving folks to tables and making sure the waitresses were keeping the customers happy. She noticed there was more activity than usual up on the mezzanine. At one point, her boss, Mr. Waaldt, had her bring a round of drinks up. When she entered the room she saw several men sitting around a table with maps spread over it.

Waldt noticed her interest. "Hey! You've got work to do. Move along."

Monica nodded and left quickly. As she got to the bottom step she noticed the handsome, blonde gentleman from the night before making his way into the main bar area. She smiled to herself, tonight just got better. "You're back!"

"As promised. Is there a quiet table for me?" Max tilted his head and raised an eyebrow towards her. Monica giggled and grabbed his hand to lead him to the perfect table. As Max sat down, she again leaned across the table to take his drink order and to "offer" him anything else he may want. Max gave the view a long look and smiled.

"Why don't you join me when you get a chance."

Monica rushed off to get his drink and to let a co-worker know she was taking a break. She then returned to Max's table with two drinks and sat very close to the handsome, mysterious man. Max proceeded to flirt. They exchanged names and he then started filling her head with possibilities of more time together. When he was sure she would do what he wanted he made his move. He placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "You're very good at your job. I can see why they have you in charge."

Monica giggled, leaned in and whispered in his ear. "I am very good at many things, Max."

Max chuckled while Deeks cringed internally. "Tell me about the club owners. Do you like working for them?"

"It's a job. But right now, I love my job."

"And you should. But who owns the club?"

Monica was getting irritated. Why did Max care about the owners? She wanted Max to pay attention to her. Deeks sensed her annoyance and needed to get her to give him what he needed so with a silent apology to Kensi, he made Monica forget her irritation by kissing her senseless. When Monica recovered from his kiss, she smiled and leaned in for more. Max leaned back a bit and smiled. "How about telling me what I asked you and then maybe you'll get more sugar."

Monica tried to lean in to kiss him again but Max stayed out of reach. "Why do you need to know that?"

"I'm a businessman and I want to meet him and possibly make a deal. We have friends in common."

"His name is Johannes Waaldt. There are others but I don't know their names." She she huffed her frustration at Max. She made another attempt to get her lips near Max. This time she was rewarded for her efforts. Max kissed a trail from her lips to her jawline to her neck.

"Would you do something for me?" He kept placing kisses on her neck. He knew she would probably agree to do almost anything.

"What do you want?" She purred in his ear.

"Find out the names of his partners and if possible get a couple of pictures of them. That's all. Can you do that for me?" He made one more pass along her jawline.

"Okay. I'll do it. There were some maps on a table when I brought them drinks."

"Good. See if you can get some pictures of those also."

"When do I give you the names?" She was desperately trying to get onto his lap. But Max kept her in her seat.

"I will be back next Friday. I have to go out of town for business. Here is my cell phone number. Send me a text when you get the names and the pictures." Max then got up from the table and made his way toward the door.

Monica chased after him. "But what about you and me?"

"You do this first, then we'll talk about you and me. Alright Doll?" Max gave her one last kiss and left.

Monica decided to do what she could to make sure Max stayed with her. Whatever it took, she would make Max Gentry hers.

It was after 1:00 a.m. when he crawled into bed beside his sleeping wife. Kensi shifted when she felt her husband snuggle next to her. Deeks put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He rubbed his cheek against her hair and felt the stress of the night melt away. He drifted off to sleep with Kensi in his arms. He was home.

When Deeks, Kensi, Nell and Eric first met, they were divided in opinions on what to do about Hetty. They finally decided that it was best to keep this OP to themselves. They all agreed that they did not trust Granger. They also agreed that when they were at the mission there would be no discussion of the undercover that Deeks was doing. Eric monitored Max's burn phone and kept an eye, discretely, on the cameras at the club and the surrounding area.

It was during a long week of days filled with paperwork and not much else that Deeks' burn phone vibrated in his pocket. He discreetly slipped away from his desk. It was a text from Monica.

Max, I got what you asked for plus a surprise!

Deeks sighed. What could she even mean by that? He rejoined the team in the bullpen. "Bates needs me to come to the precinct. An old case is coming up in court and he wants me to review the file. He looked at his partner. "Kens, I'll call you when I'm done." He went over, gave her a quick kiss and headed out. Meanwhile Eric had sent Kensi an instant message to her computer letting her know that Max received a message from Monica. Kensi deleted the message and went back to her paperwork. She was sure it was nothing to worry about.

When her husband hadn't come home, let alone contacted her by nine o'clock, Kensi started to worry. By midnight, she was frantic. She called Eric to ping Max's cell phone. It was at a residence that belonged to Monica Davis, and had been there for hours. She knew she couldn't contact him. All she could do was wait.

Kensi tossed and turned. Her body pillow was still not home. She decided to get up and work out her frustrations. Their basement was divided into two rooms. One was a home gym. She turned on the light, fired up the flat screen and connected her laptop. She had a subscription to CrossFit's Workout of the Day,.a series of routines that changed daily to give you maximum results. She pressed play and vented her frustrations for the next two hours.

Kensi made her way into the bullpen with a series of grunts, groans and stretches. Sam was at his desk watching in amusement. "You okay?"

Kensi stretched her arms over her head. "Yeah. Last night got a little rough."

Sam almost spit his coffee. "Oh really! Who?

"Joshie"

"Joshie...Joshie? Is that the one who made your legs shake?"

"No that was Griff."

"So tell me about Joshie."

"I'm over Joshie."

"That quick? After only one night?" Sam knew what Kensi was talking about but he was enjoying Callen's clear confusion.

"Well it's supposed to be fun and make you feel good, not make you sore."

Sam raised an eyebrow at her comment. At this point Callen, who had been listening and observing the exchange from the back table, joined his two teammates. "I'm sorry did I miss something? Joshie? Griff? Trouble in paradise with Deeks already? Who are these guys? "

Kensi rolled her eyes and laughed. "They're not guys, they're WODs. W-O-D."

Callen was now very confused. "What's that? A BFF with an STD?"

"W-O-D Workout of the day. I started doing CrossFit. And for the record, with my husband." Kensi was proud of Deeks for joining her. He was never one for working out if it didn't include a surfboard. And she may have used her female charms enticing him by wearing some new workout bras and tight workout leggings. It was a great way to relieve the stress of the day and Kensi had noticed the positive effect it was having on her partner's body. Deeks figured out that Kensi had used her workout clothes to entice him so he returned the favor by wearing shorts and cutoff tee shirts. Workouts were usually followed by showers and other physical activities!

Kensi and Sam tried to get Callen interested saying it was addicting. Callen reminded them so was meth. They told stories about the fallen heroes the workouts were named after. Callen just rolled his eyes. Sam knew his partner was a couch potato and nothing was going to change that. Although when Kensi mentioned that the toughest workouts were named after women, Callen seemed mildly interested - almost. "If I'm going to pay someone to hurt me, it better be a dominatrix."

Sam just rolled his eyes, Kensi teased him for more info. Callen was very grateful Deeks was not here to pile on. Eric appeared on the stair landing calling them up to OPS with threats of punishment. No one even bought for one moment he could pull that off.

When everyone was gathered, Hetty had Nell start. She ran a clip of Monica Davis being chased and shot at in Hollywood yesterday afternoon. Nell did her best not to look at Kensi, who did her best to school her features. Monica Davis was Deeks mark. She was not happy that there was gunfire. She still had not heard from Deeks and now was more worried.

Kensi knew she had to pretend to be hearing about Monica Davis for the first time. "Who is she?" Eric shared what he had about her, where she worked, etc. Callen and Sam asked why NCIS was involved. Hetty offered that the shooter may be connected to the owner of N'Kosi - Johannes Waaldt. His past life as a gun runner made him a person of interest. Sam became very interested when he saw Abdul Habazza's picture as a former contact of Waaldt's. Sam still felt guilty over Moe's death. If this was another connection to Habazza then he was happy to end it.

The team was still confused about the gunfire yesterday. Did Monica see something she wasn't supposed to? Hetty didn't have an answer as she was waiting to hear from their man inside. Kensi braced herself for what she thought was going to happen next. Callen asked who the contact was. Nell pushed the play button. A black mustang appeared in an alleyway. Monica jumped in the front seat, grabbed the face of the driver and kissed him. When the driver turned to check for traffic, the team got a look at him. It was Deeks.

Everyone turned towards Kensi. Hetty asked, "Did you know about this?"

Kensi knew she would have to answer truthfully but she would also protect Nell and Eric. "Yes. Granger told Deeks not to tell me or anyone else but he didn't trust Granger. He wanted me to know in case he needed help. I haven't seen nor heard from him since he left yesterday. And no, he did not go to see Bates. Monica had texted him saying she got the info he wanted and something else."

Callen looked at Hetty and then back at Kensi. "Why wouldn't you tell us? We're a team."

Kensi sighed. Nell then spoke up. "I think you should see this." She tapped her screen and up popped the video of Deeks' meeting with Granger.

Hetty's lips tightened as Granger threatened Deeks' spot on the team. "It would seem I need to have a conversation with the Assistant Director about his use of my team. You lot get busy and give Mr. Deeks whatever support he needs." With that Hetty turned and left OPS.

Callen told Nell to get a message to Deeks that Kensi would be joining him and to put his earwig in. He and Sam would go to the club and snoop around. Callen looked at the Wonder Twins. "I admire your loyalty, but don't be afraid to come to me or Sam." They both nodded. He pointed to Kensi. "I will be speaking to your partner about this when we're done. Now go find out what's going on." Kensi nodded and left.

On the ride to Monica's house, Kensi was trying to erase the image of her husband kissing that woman. She knews undercover sometimes required them to flirt with a suspect. She just was jolted when she saw him kiss the woman on the big screen. She hadn't felt like that since Deeks, rather Max, kissed Nicole Martindale. And yes, this was Max, but it still hurt. And she trusted her husband implicitly. She knew he was stressing about this OP and she knew him well enough that he was probably beating himself up for his perceived infidelity to his wife. So Kensi made up her mind to be supportive and help her partner.

It was all Max could do to get an amped Monica Davis into her house. He quickly locked the door and pulled the blinds. He was careful to take a long route to her house and was very careful as they got out of the car. But Monica was on an adrenaline high and he needed to get her settled and find out what she knew, fast. He also knew that the shooting was probably playing on the big screen in OPS which meant Hetty now knew about this little operation.

Deeks was brought out his thoughts by Monica's hyperactive speech. "Oh my God. That was crazy. That dude could have killed me." She was still flying around the room.

"Oh you got that part did you?" That was NOT supposed to happen.

"And you squeal in like freakin Steve McQueen from Bullit. And I'm like, 'Get me the hell outta here.' And you're like, bang, bang, bang. Rrrrrr! Getting all Fast Five with it. Was that like insane or what?"

Deeks was checking outside the house. He desperately wanted, no NEEDED Kensi. "No that wasn't like insane, that was actually insane." He was worried. They were not safe here but where to go?

Monica came up to Max and grabbed his hand. "Feel my heart. Seriously baby, feel my heart."

Max pulled his hand away. "No!" He had no intentions of feeding this beast.

The hostess was confused. "Why are you so mad?"

"Because you almost got yourself killed." Deeks thought he may have misread this girl. What he thought was a confident, smart young woman had turned into a crazy adrenaline junkie. And when she told him what she did he knew he was in way too deep. He needed help.

Every time Deeks tried to make Monica see the danger they were in, she just mocked him. Then she pulled out the bag of diamonds she stole from Waaldt's desk. She poured some into her hand. Even went as far as to drop several into her blouse to get him to chase them. But Max was having no part of it. Monica gave up, for now, and went to take a shower. She started peeling her clothes off in the living room as she walked to her bedroom. She made one last offer to Max to join her, but he politely declined.

Just then he felt his burn phone vibrate.

Put your earwig in.

Deeks offered a prayer of thanks to whoever finally heard his pleas. He put in his earwig and connected himself. "Are you there God? It's me, Margaret."

"Judy Blume, really?" Kensi finally started breathing again when she heard his voice.

"I've got a softer side." Deeks was desperate to just run outside and hug his wife. The past 24 hours had been hell.

Kensi could hear how tired he was. "I've missed you. Monty is moping around the house." She thought about bringing up what she saw this morning but thought better of it. She just wanted to help him to get home.

"So I'm guessing you saw what happened yesterday? Hetty knows about this little project Granger has me doing?" He knew what Kensi probably saw and was bracing himself for the fallout.

"Hetty, Callen and Sam now know. Callen was a tad pissed about not knowing about things until Nell showed them the video from the boatshed. I think Hetty was going to have a chat with Granger. Callen and Sam are a bit miffed that we didn't tell them but they understand. So tell me what's going on."

Deeks could not believe that Kensi did not mention the kiss. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

Kensi heard the relief in his voice. She knew he was waiting for her to be angry and she was, but she knew he is faithful to their vows and he had enough to deal with without having to deal with an angry wife. "I do know and I love you too. Now let's get this done and get you home and then you can show me how much."

Deeks told Kensi that in addition to getting the pictures Max asked for, Monica found a small bag with ten million dollars in diamonds. She took the bag. She was seen by one of Waaldt's associates stealing it and she took off. "You saw the chase. Now I am holed up here, and she thinks we're the next Bonnie and Clyde."

Monica had quietly come out of the bedroom and heard Max talking. He just shrugged it off as his habit of sorting things out. Monica was still in her towel. She came over and sat next to him on the couch. She couldn't understand why he wasn't like he was to her in the club. He had been very flirty then, but. now he seemed mad at her. She decided she would remind him of when they first met. She ran her fingers through his hair and leaned in to kiss him.

Deeks wanted no parts of her advances. He needed to get them out of there to someplace safe and besides Kensi was listening in. Just as Monica tried to lean in again, her phone rang, it was Waaldt. Deeks told her not to answer it. Monica ignored him did what she wanted. She talked trash to Waaldt and threatened to keep his diamonds unless he paid her. Kensi sighed listening to the other woman demand payment. She just signed her own death warrant. Max tried to reason with her. Monica just got angrier. "I did this for you."

"I didn't ask you to steal the diamonds. I just wanted you to get pictures of Waaldt's associates. I didn't even know he had diamonds."

"You wanted the diamonds for yourself. But I got them for you. We can run away and live happily ever after in the lap of luxury."

Deeks just sighed. Monica then turned and went into the bedroom and slammed the door.

Kensi got a call from Callen. They had the guy who tried to shoot Monica. She got out of the car and went to the front door. She knocked quietly. Deeks panicked. He thought Waaldt had found them. Monica was blow drying her hair. He closed the bathroom door, drew his gun and went to the front door. He looked through the peephole and saw his partner. He opened the door. "What's going on?"

Kensi wanted to throw her arms around Deeks' neck but knew the other woman was in the next room. She told Deeks that they had the shooter and needed to bring Monica to the boatshed to identify him. As Deeks went to get Monica, Kensi grabbed his wrist and stopped him. When he looked up, she pulled him to her and kissed him to remind him that he was hers and she was his. He smiled and went to get Monica. He heard the blow dryer running. He knocked on the door and then opened it. The window was open, the curtains blowing in the breeze. She was gone and she took the diamonds with her. Could things get any

worse?

Eric had been able to locate Monica's cell phone and sent Deeks and Kensi after her. As they walked to their location, Kensi took the opportunity to check on her husband. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," was the terse response.

"You wanna try that again?" She knew he was angry with how things were going. He was a combination of pissed, feeling guilty about kissing and flirting with Monica and fed up with this OP. Kensi grabbed his hand to slow him down. She saw his head drop. "Deeks! This was not your fault. You had no way of knowing you were dealing with a lunatic. I am not mad at you."

"I thought only dogs got mad." Deeks knew what his partner was trying to do and he loved her so much. He stopped, turned into an alley between two buildings and pulled her to him. He hugged her like he hadn't seen her in a week instead of just two days. Kensi hugged him back. She felt his tension lessen. She looked into his eyes and gave him the non-verbal reassurance he needed. Deeks let out a deep breath and they continued on their way to get Ms. Davis into custody.

Once they were close enough, Kensi told Deeks to stay put. At first he protested but she reminded him that Monica had not seen her yet and so might not bolt right away. He realized she was right and stayed behind. "I'll just be here, holding your purse." Kensi smiled and then had Eric ring Monica's phone. The phone rang, Monica answered. Kensi appeared at her table.

"I think they hung up." Kensi pulled out her badge. "Federal Agents!" Monica looked at the badge and took off but before she got too far, Kensi grabbed her wrist. Kensi was not expecting Monica to have any defensive skills. The two woman went back and forth at each other trading blows. Kensi finally shoved Monica against a tree and before Monica could punch Kensi, a male voice yelled "Freeze!"

Monica looked at the voice. "Max! What are you doing? Shoot her!"

Deeks kept his weapon pointed at the hostess. Kensi then proceeded to cuff her. "Sorry honey, he's with me. And his real name is Marty Deeks. He's a cop and he's my partner." Monica just glared at him. Kensi led her back to their car to transport her to the boatshed.

Callen and Sam had questioned the shooter, Paul Smit. He finally told them that Waaldt was brokering a deal of nuclear weapons. The only thing he knew was that the seller was Russian and when shown an array of pictures, he picked out Isaak Sidorov. They needed to get the diamonds and stop the deal with Sidorov.

Kensi called Callen to let them know they were bringing Monica Davis to the boatshed to ID Smit. Deeks had been quiet the whole ride over. Kensi knew Deeks was the best at what he did. But if he had one weakness, it was that he hated using innocent citizens, especially women, in his undercovers. Monica was a hustler but not a hardened criminal. He used her to spy on Waaldt. He was not expecting her to steal the diamonds and put herself and him in danger. She had a right to be furious with him and he felt the need to make sure she ended up someplace safe.

Just as Kensi got Monica to sit down in the common room, Callen walked in with Smit. The two suspects exchanged verbal barbs which was confirmation enough that Smit was the one shooting at Monica. Sam put him in a holding room. Callen filled in the junior partners on what they learned about the connection to Sidorov. The two were stunned that Sidorov was back on their radar. The team met in OPS to figure out how to get Waaldt to come out of hiding. Sam suggested that maybe Waaldt could be convinced that Smit and Monica stole the diamonds together. Deeks knew what needed to be done and he left to head back to boatshed to talk to Monica.

It was tense in interrogation when Deeks sat down across from Monica. She was still seething over the deception. "I told you things I never told anyone else. And we did things I never did with anyone else."

Deeks was annoyed at that last comment. They hadn't done anything other than some making out. He certainly didn't ask her to steal the diamonds. He then noticed her look at the camera. She was saying things to upset his partner. Well she would be getting a huge surprise when she found out the truth about Kensi.

Monica was beginning to understand that Max was not going to save her. "So what happens now?"

"So what's now is you have a choice. This is your third strike, yeah? And you stole millions of dollars in merchandise, you assaulted a federal officer and with your record you're looking at 25 to life."

Monica was fuming. "Just cut to the chase. Just tell me the truth for once."

"Work with us. Help us make the diamond exchange with Waaldt and if it leads to his arrest and the arrest of Sidorov, you get to walk away free."

"That's it?"

"It's that simple."

"Oh screw simple. What about a reward for the diamonds. I mean they gotta be worth something?"

Deeks had to admire her moxie. "God bless you. Always the hustler."

"Yeah, takes one to know one."

"Fair enough."

Monica made one more attempt to win Max back. But Deeks stood his ground. He was Marty Deeks, L.A.P.D. detective. He was not Max Gentry. She then turned on him, took a few cheap shots at him. How easy it was for Max Gentry to do his dirty work. She knew she was embarrassing him in front of his partner and his team. Deeks sat there and took it. It wasn't anything he wasn't already thinking about himself. He needed to end this. He got Monica to agree to call Waaldt, told him that it was all Smit's idea and that now Smit was trying to double cross her, even went as far as trying to kill her and that she's scared.

Monica did what was she was told, almost. Instead of $100,000 she asked for $250,000. They were to meet in an hour at the L.A. Music Center or she would find another buyer. Deeks just smirked at the last suggestion to hustle Waaldt. She then leaned over the table, much like the first night they met and whispered something in his ear. Kensi watched as Monica caressed the back of his neck much like Kensi herself often did when they made love. She felt a knot in the pit of her stomach and wanted nothing more to rush into the room and drop kick the other woman through the hatch into the bay. But she recognized what Monica was doing, taking one last chance to embarrass Deeks. When she was finished, she had a very satisfied smile on her face. Deeks was pale. He got up and left the room. He walked into the common room and said to his partner without looking at her, "She's all yours." And left the building.

Kensi went to follow him but Sam stopped her. He had seen what Monica had done. He had seen too many woman try to manipulate their way out of a jam. Whatever she said to Deeks had to be about his partner. He knew that whatever was said would not come between the couple. They had a job to do and not much time to do it. Kensi nodded and got ready to go in and wire Monica. She would also deal with whatever she said to Deeks. She turned off the video and audio feed. Sam and Callen left to gear up.

Monica looked up when the door opened and saw the federal agent come in. Kensi had her remove her shirt and started attaching the wire and receiver to her bra. Monica thought she would take her shot at Kensi and further embarrass Deeks. "You know, you have a pretty sweet right cross."

Kensi saw this for what it was and played along. "Thanks. I can tell you studied Krav Maga."

"Heh. I used to have a thing for buff Israeli guys. You know what I was thinking?"

"What?"

"That you and I should take off with the diamonds. We'd make a pretty sexy team, and no one would mess with us. And I'd cut you in for half." Monica looked back at Kensi and saw she wasn't amused. "That was a joke." Kensi finished her work and started to clean up.

Monica stepped away. "So I got Max Gentry, but you get the real deal. How's that?"

Kensi knew she was being poked and she swallowed hard to fight the urge to deck this chick. "Deeks is my partner."

"That's it?"

"That's enough."

"Is it? You know you can't trust him."

Kensi had heard enough. She turned and looked Monica square in the eye. "I trust him with everything." And she did. He had her heart and soul and she had his.

Monica had no idea the depth of their relationship when she took one last verbal shot at Kensi. "You're a bigger fool than I thought."

Kensi stood even straighter and with pride she spoke her truth. "Everything he did, he did it to establish his cover. A cover that saved you and will save a lot of other lives. I'm not worried about the past. Any of it."

Monica smirked. "Why would you be? You're just his partner, right?"

"Actually that is where you would be wrong. You see the reason I'm not threatened by you is that when this is over he and I get to go home and resume our lives as husband and wife. So whatever you said to him will not affect us. Our bond is too strong for the likes of you to break." Monica was stunned into silence. Kensi glared at her, gathered up her kit, told her to have a seat and walked out. She entered the common room to find her husband standing by the table. He had turned on the audio because he did not trust Monica. The look on his face told Kensi the gratitude he felt for the trust she had in him.

He opened his arms and she threw herself into them. "I love you so much Kensi. I am so sorry she tried to upset you. She told me she was going to ruin me for you. I just couldn't face you or the others." He then kissed her. It was a kiss begging forgiveness when none was needed.

She leaned back ran her fingers through his hair. "I love you too. She's a wannabe who didn't get her way. She will pay for her stupidity. Now let's get this done and go home." She kissed him one more time and together, they went to gear up to trap Waaldt.

The team were in their places throughout the plaza. Kensi was closest to where Monica was to wait for Waaldt. She was a cellist playing for the passersby. Deeks was dressed as Artie, tucked into a corner. Sam was a patrolmen and Callen was tourist with a camera. A taxi pulled up and out came Monica. She hesitantly made her way across the plaza to the spot she was told stand to wait for Waaldt. Hetty, Eric and Nell watched from OPS. Everything seemed ready.

Waaldt suddenly appeared with a briefcase and also carrying a topcoat. He approached Monica. They exchanged harsh unpleasantries. Monica went off script announcing she was not alone. The team cringed and prepared for possible chaos. Waaldt informed her he wasn't alone either. Suddenly he raised his right hand and Kensi yelled, "Gun!" Chaos ensued.

Waaldt shot Monica. Kensi and Deeks shot Waaldt in various limbs to take him down. Callen and Sam each took one of Waaldt's men into custody. Eric called ambulances for the wounded. Deeks went to Monica and told her to take slow breaths. He lifted her shirt to see where the vest had caught the bullet. He told her there would be a bruise but she would be okay. She wouldn't make eye contact with him. He turned to check on his partner. She gave him a nod and a small smile. It was done.

Later in the armory, Deeks was removing the bullet fragment from the vest Monica had worn. He was tired and angry. Hetty was watching from her desk. She was angry at Granger for using the detective and putting him in no-win situation. She saw the strain it had put on the partners. But once again, they put their personal life aside for the mission. But would there come a time when the mission impacted their marriage? This was new territory even for Hetty. She quickly wrote something on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope. She was about to have a passing coworker deliver it when she saw Kensi.

"Mrs. Deeks, a word please." It wasn't often when Hetty addressed her that way.

She walked over to her desk. "Yes Hetty?"

Hetty saw the same weary and angry expression on Kensi's face that she saw on her husband's. "I know this was not a normal mission, but I want you to know that you both comported yourselves admirably. I am sorry that Granger used your partner the way he did. I assured him that I will not tolerate any further interference with my team." Kensi nodded her thanks and as she turned to leave, Hetty handed her envelope for Deeks.

Kensi entered the armory to see her husband hard at work. He looked so tired. She just wanted to take him home, crawl into bed and forget the day. But she knew him well enough to know he was still smarting over what Monica had tried to do him. And if Kensi was the betting type, she thought he felt that Monica succeeded in embarrassing him. She placed the envelope in front of him on the table, said it was from Hetty and went behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "Come home. This can wait until tomorrow." She kissed him on the cheek.

He leaned back against her embrace. "Are we good?"

"We were never not good." Since they both had their cars, she kissed his cheek again and whispered in his ear, "Hurry home." She reminded him of the note and left. Deeks opened the envelope, unfolded the paper and read it.

Sunshine and Gunpowder

He chuckled to himself. A reminder of what was truly important in his life. He gathered up his things. He paused as he passed by Hetty's desk. She looked up and smiled. He nodded his thanks, turned and left.

He had made a promise to his wife to show her just how much he loved her and he had no intention of breaking that promise to her.

Now or ever.