A/N: I know I promised regular updates. Guess that´s just something I can´t do... I´m sorry, but finals are approaching and my work load is a little bit crazy right now... Whatever. Just enjoy this chapter, I hope it lives up to your expectations.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed, favorited or followed... Keep it coming!

Unfortunately I haven´t written the final chapter yet, and it will probably take some time, since I need to get back into the story again... Don´t expect it anytime soon, but if you think something should be addressed in this final chapter, I´m open for suggestions;-)

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I'm gonna climb on top your ivory tower

I'll hold your hand and then we'll jump right out

We'll be falling, falling but that's OK

'Cause I'll be right here

I just wanna know

Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?

Would you let me see beneath your perfect?

Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl

I wanna see inside

Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?

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Later that day, Deeks returned to Kensi´s apartement, bringing the usual take-out with him. However, he had company.

"Kensalina, I´m home! Brought food with me." Callen, the unannounced visitor, smiled softly. He figured that he´d have to get used to them sounding so domestic around each other. Seconds later, he could hear the bedroom door open and braced himself for the impact.

"Deeks, why are you home so early? Couldn´t they stand your company any longer, hm? I guess...", seeing that Deeks had not come home alone, Kensi stopped in midsentence and stared at Callen. And then, the ninja assassin in her broke free.

"Deeks! How dare you do that! Why can´t you call like a normal person?"

Deeks winced slightly and said in an apologetic tone, "Kens, please. It was his idea and you know him, he threatened me to not call you. It was totally him, I´m the innocent victim here!"

"Secret text message? Hidden code word?", was Kensi´s snarky reply.

Callen decided that it was time to intervene before he´d be the cause of all tragedy and had to explain to Hetty why one of his agents had decided to kill their liaison officer. And, judging from Kensi´s glare, that wasn´t exactly exaggerating.

"Kensi. All I wanted to do was to talk to you. I used Deeks as a pretense, because I knew that otherwise, I´d never be able to catch you."

Deeks, secretly relieved that Kensi´s attention shifted from him to Callen, made his way into the kitchen. Unless he heard any unsettling noises (such as Callen being strangled), he wouldn´t intervene. When Callen had decided to join him for the evening, leaving a pouting Sam behind, Deeks actually admired his stubbornness. It took a lot of courage to face an angry and embarrassed Kensi to talk about her private life, and Callen took a leap at it. On the other hand, the two of them really needed to talk. Coming into a close-knit team as an outsider had been incredibly hard for him, but it also gave him the possibility to watch them closely. What had always fascinated him was the interaction among the three of them. Sure, they were all close and Eric or Nell could also tell by one look that something was not right with one of them, but Kensi, Sam and Callen shared another level of trust that could only result from the necessity of relying on one another at a daily basis. But his assumptions had been wrong. They also appreciated each other´s company and took their friendship beyond the professional level. He knew that Kensi oftentimes felt like the third wheel, but that was mostly because Sam and Callen thought of her as the little sister that always had to be protected, no matter how good she was at defending herself. And right now, this balance was off. It had started when he and Kensi had become closer, so close that Sam and Callen were the ones that felt left outside. Even more difficult was the unease between Callen and Kensi right now. Deeks sighed deeply. This is going to be a long evening, he thought as he took a bottle of beer from the fridge.

Meanwhile, Kensi and Callen had settled somewhat awkwardly on the couch. Kensi dreaded the following talk. Although she had a lot of respect for Callen and loved him in a sisterly manner, they had never really shared anything personal, that´s just not who they are.

She decided to start and said in a low voice, "I guess Deeks told you about Jack and Lt. Bride."

"Yeah, he did. I´m sorry, Kensi, for what you had to go through. I wish I could arrest Bride again, only this time I wouldn´t be so friendly. And Jack... I wish I could beat him up for what he did to you."

Kensi chuckled, "Deeks would be the first one to get him, believe me. It took a lot of convincing on my part to keep him from using NCIS technology means to try and find him. But I don´t want him to be found. He was a good guy, but Afghanistan had changed him. I just hope he got the help he needed."

Although it might seem weird, Callen understood what she said. They chased criminals like him on a daily basis, but when it was someone close to your heart, you could sometimes only shut your eyes and hope that someone else did the job. It was a way of self-protection.

"I know, Kensi. I wouldn´t bring it up if I didn´t thought it was necessary." To her surprise, Callen looked... nervous, and even guilty. "I´m sorry, Kens. I didn´t mean to scare you in that alley. I thought about it all day and wondered why you could be so afraid if I had seen you on multiple occasions in the last months, flirting with suspects, bantering with Deeks, kissing Deeks, almost making out with a serial killer... But then I remebered what Deeks said, that I looked to you like a real threat. And I remebered how Deeks looks at you when you are undercover. But I can´t do it like him. I simply cannot use you like that and still let myself be there in that moment. I need to be that person I have to play. Otherwise, lines could get blurred." He had to fight himself to not drop his head in his hands. Instead, he held her gaze as long as both of them could stand, trying to convey his message with his eyes as well.

"I know. I shouldn´t have reacted like that. It´s just... With Deeks, I know him so well, I know exactly what he´ll do in the next second. And our suspects, they are also predictable. For the sake of my mission, I pretend them to be bad all throughout, so that there will be no bad suprises and I´m prepared for everything. But with you, in that second, the lines got blurred. I was surprised how fast you switched from being the friend and agent I know and trust to the badass man trying to take advantage of me. From Jack, I learned it the hard way that those quick transformations are indicators of something much worse to come."

They both trailed off into silence. Callen knew that he wasn´t the right person for her to discuss her trauma with. She needed to do that with other persons, one of them currently "giving them the space they needed" or also cowardly hiding in the kitchen until the storm was over.

"Maybe you should talk to someone about it. Because there will be further surprises and I can´t promise that this was the last time for the two of us. After all, I´m much more suitable for a night club than Shaggy will ever be."

From the kitchen, Deeks called, "Although I´m not listening because I totally respect other people´s privacy, I definitely heard that."

Kensi couldn´t help but laugh out loud. Half a year ago, she wouldn´t even be able to imagine having such a conversation within the vicinity of her noisey partner, but since then, things had obviously changed a lot.

"You know, Callen, I did talk about it with Nate. Maybe I will call him again. I could use his help."

Callen smiled. Maybe Deeks´ influence on her wasn´t that bad after all. "That´s good to hear. Until then, take it out on Deeks, he could use some discipline."

Deeks took this opportunity to come out of the kitchen again. Even though Kensi scowled at him, he stood close beside her, and, after hesitating for a second, he took her hand, which, to Callen´s great surprise she did accept.

"But once I see the two of you making out in the office even more than you already have done in the past years, I´m gonna make you suffer a lot, before Hetty even has the chance to say a word. Is that clear?" His voice might have been stern, but deep inside him, he was happy for them. He knew that they would have to face a lot of challenges and personal demons, but he was also sure, that if two people could make it work, then it would be the two of them.

Both Kensi and Deeks saw the the hidden amusement in his eyes, and while Kensi simply send him a silent ´thank you´with her eyes and her smile, Deeks, of course, couldn´t keep his mouth shut.

"What about the gym. Fern here likes to punch the guys a lot before she treats them nicely. And you know, I can´t really do anything about it, because...

Instead of listening to the continuing ramble, Callen made his way over to the door, calling out a last "Good night" to the unlikely pair. Oh, how he couldn´t wait to see Sam´s face in the morning...