Chapter 6

Deeks regarded Hetty with a mixture of awe and fear. Before he could respond, a courier arrived with a large, padded envelope which required her signature. "Very good. You may take that upstairs to Mr. Beale in Ops," she directed the young man.

The longer he was at NCIS, the more Deeks realized that Henrietta Lange did, in fact, know everything about everything. He couldn't say how she accomplished that, but accepted it as a fact of life at his new gig.

"Now, let's get down to business, shall we?" She proceeded to pull out a step stool and climbed up to measure across Deeks' shoulders and down his arms.

"You know, Hetty, I could sit down, if that's easier."

"Nonsense, Mr. Deeks. The jacket would not hang properly if you did that. Besides, you must look spectacular tomorrow night."

"Spectacular. Wow. Like James Bond?" grinned Deeks.

Hetty caught his eye in the mirror in front of him. "I wouldn't go that far. However, I could loan you my lipstick gun, if you would like a gadget."

Deeks blinked in surprise. "You, you have one of those? I thought that was an urban myth."

Hetty's narrowed eyes told him all he needed to know. "Never discount urban myths. There might be a grain of truth in them."

Deeks nodded. "I'll pass. But Kensi might enjoy wielding that power." He paused for a second. "On second thought, she might find an excuse to use it on me."

Hetty stopped measuring for a moment. "That would most unfortunate because then I would have to find her a new partner."

"Yeah and I like being Kensi's partner. I feel I'm beginning to understand her. We can just forget this conversation ever happened."

"Very well. I disavow all knowledge of it, Mr. Deeks."

Around the corner, Kensi was engrossed in selecting the perfect dress and tuned out Deeks and Hetty. This would be her first undercover op with Deeks and she was anxious to make a good impression. Wait. When did I start caring what he thought about my clothes? Probably that first day in Ops when I realized he was permanent.

She flipped through the dresses aggressively. Boring. Too plain. Itchy material. Maybe. Don't think so. Hate that color. Oh, what's this? She pulled out a black one-shoulder sleeveless dress with sequins and a thigh slit. I'd forgotten about this one. Next to it was the exact same dress, but in burgundy. Wonder which color Deeks would prefer?

"Ugh!" She slapped her forehead. It doesn't matter which color he likes! It's my choice.

But she couldn't decide, so she grabbed both and went to where Hetty and Deeks were. Deeks had both arms out to the side and Hetty was making sure the tuxedo jacket was not too tight.

"You look like a scarecrow. All that's missing is a straw hat," she laughed.

He turned his head slightly toward her. "I'm sure Hetty has one around here somewhere." He noticed the dresses over her arm. "What's that?"

She held up one in each hand. "Hetty, which one is best?"

"My dear, either one is fine. It's up to you."

Eric poked his head around the corner. "Hetty, sorry to interrupt. Assistant Director Granger is calling in Ops. Something about missing evaluations."

Hetty dropped the tap measure on the table and sighed. "If Owen was more computer-savvy, he'd realize I have already sent those to him. I'll be right up." She turned to Deeks. "The pants are on that rack. You can try them on to be sure they're long enough."

"Got it."

Hetty departed with Eric. Deeks slipped off the jacket and hung it up. "Does your partner get a vote on those dresses?"

Kensi looked from one to the other. "Nope. I'm going to try them on now."

"If you need help with a zipper or anything, I'm right here."

She went into a small cubicle and snapped the curtain behind her. "I got it, Deeks."

"I like both of them," he called out.

"Thanks for your input." Kensi put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Any time. Don't come out here because I'm taking off my jeans."

Behind the curtain, Kensi sighed dramatically as she heard the rasp of his zipper. "As if that would ever cross my mind."

Deeks chuckled. "Okay, you've been warned because I don't always know what's going on in your mind."

"Does everything have to be a big production with you?" asked Kensi. She pulled the burgundy dress over her head and smoothed it down. She turned around and checked out her appearance from every angle. Not bad.

"I'm only trying to be a considerate partner, you know, save you from a potentially awkward situation."

"Excuse me, awkward? Being with you every day is the height of awkwardness."

The tuxedo pants were a good fit and Deeks put the jacket back on to get the complete picture. "Seriously? I think it's the other way around."

"May I come out now, mother?" asked Kensi in a sassy voice.

"You may."

Kensi flung the curtain aside and stepped out. She felt Deeks' eyes travel over every inch of her. She wanted to squirm, but somehow managed to stand still. He smiled when their eyes met. "Looking good, partner. Turn around . . . slowly."

She complied, surprisingly without arguing. "I approve," he said.

"Well, I'm so glad," she said. They stared at each for a long moment before Kensi found her voice again. "Uh, you don't look half bad yourself."

Deeks looked down at himself. "Thanks. There's nothing like a nice tux to give a guy confidence. The only other time I wore one was to senior prom. It was a crappy, ill-fitting rental from the mall, but it was good enough for Delilah Conrad. She was a cheerleader and . . ."

Kensi cut him off. "Really, Delilah? I don't need to hear about your past conquests."

"Sorry. I digress. Why don't you show me the black one?"

Kensi blew out a sigh. "It's exactly like this one, except it's black."

"I know, but I'd like to see it. Please?"

Kensi looked ready to protest, but turned on her heel and went back to the dressing room. "Fine."

Behind the curtain, she rolled her eyes. Delilah Conrad. Whatever. She quickly changed out of the burgundy dress and wiggled into the black one. She stepped out and again had to do a slow turn for Deeks.

Another smile from him. "This one's good, too. So, what's your pick?"

Kensi studied her reflection and flipped her hair over one shoulder. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow night to find out."

Once more, they shared a look. "Fair enough," said Deeks. "You may think I'm a voyeur, but I'm really a connoisseur of beautiful women."

Kensi was so taken aback that she could not come up with a snarky reply.

Eric was at his computer when one of the alerts he'd set caused him to lean forward. Uh oh, this can't be good.