Dis: I make nothing off of this and I own nothing. (see page 1 for more details)

AN: Open Office does not like me and long documents.

He loved her, he had said it, those words that haunt, that can torment and end a relationship. She loved him too, and she knew he knew it. They had both spoken the three word phrase with it's full meaning and intent. A point that normally would have sent her running in a relationship. This time she was self-destructing and she couldn't find a way to stop. They had gone from the happy hand holding and long deep kissing to her not being able to sit still around him, shrugging his arm off her shoulders and not allowing him more than what he dubbed as a "peck and push" in place of a real hug and kiss. She blamed it on being tired and stressed, but both knew the truth, she was scared.

Part of him wanted her out of the field, but he knew that if that happened she wouldn't be the same woman he loved. He just wanted her safe, wanted her to be able to let down her guard. At the same time he had needs, desires and feelings too. So as much as it hurt, and as cliche as it was it let her go. He pushed her away and waited hoping she would grow and come back to him.

" Push me away, you can't see what I see. The other side of me" Downfall ~ Trust Company

This first time Kensi had said it in the bullpen Callen and Sam had fallen down laughing mercilessly. To them, the thought of Nate being a "Knight in Shining Armor" was impossible. In their minds Knights were strong, dashing, rush into the fray heroes. Not office working psychological profilers.

What the two didn't get, was that Nate was always there to save her from herself. He was the one who held her when the job became to much. To chase away the fear that she couldn't live up to expectation. He was the brave one because he knew the demons she kept locked up, what she looked like when she woke up, and even how weak she really was and he stayed by her side. He was strong in all the areas she was weak in.

In her mind, he was her Knight because he would always be there to rescue her.

Robin Hood Overture ~ John Williams

Sam and G stood in shock. They had never seen Nate anything less than calm and cool. Ok, well thay had seen him flustered and embarrassed but he still maintained composure in the situations. The man in front of them just moments ago was not the field psychologist they'd come to know. It was rare for him to be on-site, but it had been a hostage situation so he had been in a car near by waiting on the wing for the situation to conclude. Kensi being attacked was not part of the plan, nor was Nate coming to her defense. Neither of the agents said anything but both had been scared for the attackers life as Nate grabbed him off Kensi and slammed him into the wall.

"So what if you can see the darker side of me. No one can change this animal I have become." Animal I Have Become – Three Days Grace

It was all Nate's fault. It had been a mid week, weekend for the team. She'd spent all of it with him, the majority of it on his couch catching up on, of all things, Anime. She'd always liked cartoons growing up, though you'd never get her to admit it. It wasn't until she and Nate got close that she realized that she was a closet Anime watcher. It wasn't until the tenth strait episode of Bleach that she realized that it was the music that sucked her in soo deep. Now she was walking around humming tunes that she only knew a few words too and that was only because they were English peppered into the song. Oh she was gonna kill Nate before the day was over!

Yui – Life

Sometimes he hated his job. He mainly hated it on days when he had to watch Kensi work undercover and all but sell the case with her body. He knew everybody else hated it too. None of them liked seeing her in that position, no matter how well she could handle herself. What they didn't see was Kensi when she got home after these missions. The hollow look in her eyes the way she would sit alone and shiver. She covered it up well with her flippant attitude, but Nate alone saw how alone these missions left her feeling, how used and dirty. He hated having to watch the whole act. Scar Tissue ~ Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Why did it always rain at funerals? He had raised her to be strong, silent and independent. To never need anybody including him. To never let anyone or anything to get to her. Thanks to him she could hold her own against men twice her size, talk the talk and walk the walk. Memories of a childhood spent learning how to be a marine's child flashed in front of her eyes. After her mom left, he never loved again. Even her, he never showed her a kind smile or a soft shoulder to cry on. She had only recently come to realize that she was becoming him. She wouldn't make the same mistakes. As Nate wrapped his arm around her shoulders she allowed herself to relax into him, while her tears melted into the rain.

"Goodbye Dad."

"I was so young you should have known better than to lean on me." Because of You – Kelly Clarkson.

She trashed his office, stole his comics, stomped on his foot and shoved him back into the elevator.

Yeah, Kensi was pissed at him. Still he wouldn't give in. Nate just smiled and cleaned up the mess, walked off the pain and took the stairs for the rest of the day. The rest of the week went much the same, snide bickering included, below the belt comments a plenty. The rest of the team was looking at him with sympathy by Wednesday. On Thursday Hetty pulled him aside. "Mr. Getz, I hope you know what you are getting yourself into." "Oh I know, and it is worth it." She gave him an appraising look and shook her head as she walked off. Friday passed with as much tension as the other days, by now the whole team was begging for him to give in before she killed him, which he was loath to admit but one more sharp gab to the ribs may just do it. Still he only smirked and told them he had it under control.

Quitting time rolled around, and as he expected Kensi was waiting outside his office door. To her shock and surprise he deftly avoided the hand that extended to shove him back into his office and instead grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He couldn't help but grin at the hoots and laughter that followed the stunned silence as they passed through the lobby and out the doors.

Kensi lost all fight when she saw the bag in the back seat and a map for the Grand Canyon laying on top.

"Three days of watching the most beautiful sunrise and sunsets with you." He whispered with a smile, saying nothing of her silence or stunned shame. This moment was worth leaving before she woke on Monday and incurring her wrath all week.

"Don't touch a think till you know whats inside it." - You Can't Take Me ~ Bryan Adams