A/N: Thanks to everybody who has reviewed. That really makes my day.
I own nothing except Derry.
Deeks was glad he had talked Hetty into letting him be with Kensi on this mission. He really enjoyed playing house with Kensi and watching Derry grow. The only thing missing is Monty, but he's being taken care of by one of Deeks' friends who thinks Deeks is out of the country. Derry has grown from a shy little kitten to a playful, energetic ball of fur. And sleeping beside Kensi every night, well, that was something Deeks really enjoyed. He was kinda glad that technology had progressed to the point that the bad guys could tell if they were together or in seperate rooms just from their heat signatures.
Kensi rolled over and stretched, pushing Derry off the bed. Even though she'd had the kitten for a couple of weeks, she still wasn't used to having someone curled up beside her on the bed. The kitten landed on the floor, meowed, and then looked at Kensi with a "what the hell was that for?" look. The she turned and flounced out of the door, no doubt to go see if she could get Deeks to give her breakfast. Derry had Deeks wrapped firmly around her paws. The fact that Deeks loved to protect people and pets made telling him that they were just partners even harder for Kensi.
Kensi went out for her morning jog while Deeks fed the kitten and fixed their breakfast. She was thinking that she could get used to having someone prepare her breakfast every morning when she rounded the corner closest to home and saw Deeks talking to the next door neighbors. "Hey Melissa, these are Jennifer and Ron, our neighbors." "Justin was telling us you have just moved here from Oregon. We wanted to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night," Jennifer said. Kensi didn't miss the Jennifer's undressing Deeks with her eyes while she spoke. Nor did she miss the way Ron stared at her. "Great, what should we bring?" Kensi tried to sound enthused with the idea, even though she could think of several other things she'd like to do. Rip Jennifer's blond hair out by the roots came to mind, but she reminded herself that she had no claim on Deeks, other than being undercover with him. Suddenly, she wondered exactly why she'd been keeping him at bay and lying to herself, and him, about her feelings. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't be so upset over him kissing Nicole, or over Jennifer eyeballing him.
Deeks noticed the sudden stiffness in Kensi's moments, but chalked it up to the way Ron was leering at her. He knew she hated using her sexuality on cases, but he doesn't think she realizes exactly how beautiful she is. Deeks knew that she could have had any man she wanted, and again, he wondered at the utter stupidity of Jack. He couldn't imagine walking away from Kensi for any reason. He just wasn't sure he was that strong. "Melissa, honey, why don't you go in and get ready for breakfast? I'll find out about dinner plans, ok?" Deeks hoped by getting Kensi away from Ron he'd help her settle down. He wasn't sure what was bothering her, but they didn't need her blowing the op. He breathed a sigh of huge relief when she kissed him on the cheek and told the others she'd see them tomorrow.
After finding out they were responsible for the wine and dessert for the next night, Deeks went in to find Kensi in the living room playing with Derry. He had noticed that the kitten had a calming effect on Kensi, for which he was glad. Kensi kept herself so wound tight he knew she needed something to help her relax. For her part, Derry seemed to love chasing the laser light or snuggling with Kensi when she got tired. "Ok, did you get the cameras placed?" Deeks got right to business because he figured that if Kensi wanted to talk about what had happened outside she would. If he had learned anything in the past 2 and a half years, it was never to push Kensi to talk. If she wanted to talk, fine, but if not, it was usually painful for him.
"Yeah, we need to call Eric to let him know the caremas are set up cause I haven't had a chance to call him." Kensi answered to Deeks while she walked into the kitchen looking for breakfast. She was glad he didn't pursue what had happened outside. She wasn't ready to admit to Deeks that her feelings had changed. She knew she'd have to be careful how she acted, because Deeks had an uncanny ability to gauge her feelings even when she was trying to keep them hid. That was one reason she had admitted to him that he is the only one she trusts when she was trying to keep her mom safe. Speaking of her mom, she really needed to call her and let her know that she wasn't at home. Her mom had taken to coming by the house at least once a week to talk. Kensi didn't want her mom to think she'd taken off again without telling her.
Deeks watched the emotions flit across Kensi's face. He knew she was coming to some kind of conclusion and the best thing to do is leave her alone until she did. He figured she'd tell him when she wanted him to know. He knew she felt more for him than she was admitting, but he also knew not to push her until he absolutely needed to. He was rather fond of living, after all.
Reviews are always welcome. I thought this was the best place to end this chapter. Next we have the dinner party. Have a great Memorial Day and thanks to all the servicemen and women who have sacrificed for our freedom.