AN: Happy 100th guys! :) Did you like the episode? I loved it! Enjoy the 3rd chapter! SSD


Deeks had inevitably overpowered her, and though she put up a fight it was no feat for him in her condition of exhaustion and pain to swiftly lift her into his arms. But when he obtained a tight (albeit gentle) grasp on her, she refused to look at him and continued trying to squirm out of his grasp despite the agony each movement inflicted upon her.

"Let me go, dammit!"

"Why do you insist upon being so stubborn? Look at you. This would be easier if you just quit moving."

"Why? I'd sooner be retied to a tree than return to that kingdom and be forced to marry... Jack, or whatever his name is."

"That's a bit melodramatic," he said, chuckling.

Between all of the hurt and his refusal to take her death sentence seriously, she was a bit hysterical and had an irrational urge to start crying. Instead of tears, she screamed. "You don't understand! You couldn't possibly understand! I never wanted this life. I never wanted him! I never asked for any of this."

"Because princesses have it so bad."

"You have no idea what I've been through," Kensi growled, her jaw clenched. She thought of her mother and the rejection she'd felt from the day she left forward, and her father, her best friend, dying. She thought of how pitifully skinny she'd become after nights of no food, and the hollowness of her stomach. She thought of the things that, desperate and starving, she'd done for food, and that was when the tears started to fall.

"Kensi..." Deeks said, his eyes wide as he watched the liquid leak out of the corner of her eyes. "Kens, c'mon. I'm sorry. I don't want to do this anymore than you do." It was the truth. He didn't know the crying woman that he currently held in his arms that well, but he knew that he didn't want to watch her suffer. And even though it was virtually impossible for him to even begin to understand what she was going through, he definitely saw where she was coming from.

"Then don't, Deeks." And then, much quieter, "Please."

Deeks sighed, weighing his options. After a long moment's consideration and a few glances at Kensi, who had finally stopped fighting, he nodded. "Okay. Okay. Um, I have a little shack on a beach a little while from here that no one knows about. You can stay there for the night, but just for the night. We'll take this one step at a time, okay?"

She smiled, obviously grateful. "Thank you," she said sincerely before scowling slightly. "Now, for the love of God, put me down."

"Your wish is my command."


She'd almost fallen asleep on the way there with her head resting against his back, but he constantly jostled her to assure that she was still awake and, therefore, not about to fall off of the horse. By the time they arrived at their destination the sun was rising, and she had to force herself to remain upright as he helped her off of Monty and guided her into the cabin. The shack was cheaply made but sturdy enough to stand up to any weather the beach brought, and it consisted of a tiny kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom that took up over half of the house. The only room separated by walls was the bathroom, and overall the place was about the size of half of Kensi's bedroom at the castle.

Thinking of her plush comforter and feather filled pillows that probably lay untouched since the night she left on her bed, she felt a pang of homesickness that quickly passed, and instead of focusing on the place she'd learned to call home since the age of sixteen, she listened to Deeks.

"I, uh, found this spot when I was about fourteen, and when things got bad I kept coming back. Before I knew it I'd built this old thing."

Impressed, she raised an eyebrow. "You made this by yourself?"

He shrugged like it was no big deal as she led herself to a chair in the kitchen where she removed her shoes, trying not to cringe as she bent over and unlaced her riding boots. "It's not much, but it's nice when I want to get away for a little while. You can take the bed."

"Where are you sleeping?"

"Probably on the floor. I think I have an extra blanket around here if you want-"

"You're not sleeping on the floor," she interrupted, frowning slightly. "We can... I mean, I'm okay with..."

"Are you trying to get me into bed with you? Because your seduction game is not strong."

She groaned, bracing herself against the table as she rose to her feet. "You're a pig. I'll take the floor, then."

"Absolutely not."

"Deeks."

"Kensi."

"Just take the damn bed."

"You have a really bad potty mouth."

"Only around people who piss me off."

"You're pretty cute when you're angry," he noted, smirking.

She tried to hide the blush that she felt spreading from her cheeks to her neck, covering it with an eye roll. "I'm tired, Deeks. Stop being an idiot and just sleep in the bed already."

"Only if you sleep in it."

"Fine."

"Good. And by the way, I need to check out those rope burns and that head injury."

She refrained from moaning as she looked at the bed, only a few feet away. It was so tempting to collapse onto the mattress, blood, grime, and all. Screw ladylike. She was tired. Beyond tired. "Can it please wait until morning?" That had been the second time she used 'please' around Deeks, a word she usually reserved for special occasions. Very special occasions. After a year of doing nothing but begging, she tried to stay as far away from anything resembling desperation as she possibly could. In her mind, 'beggar' and 'please' went hand in hand.

"What if you have a concussion?"

"Actually, a coma sounds awesome right about now. Especially if it means that I won't have to go home."

"Wow, okay. Suicidal much? I think you missed your calling as an actress, drama queen. Just sit back down. I'll get the first aid kit." He rummaged around in a shelf that hung over a very makeshift counter, coming back with a box. "You know, I have a friend who would be like a kid in a candy store talking to you. How do you feel about psychologists?"

"Hate them," she replied automatically. "Who wants to pay somebody to listen to their problems?"

"Yep, your mind would be a playground for him," Deeks confirms, cleaning up first the dried blood on her neck, then the actual wound right above her temple, before telling her to look into his eyes. She did, and she nearly gasped when they made eye contact, noticing how close they really were. But the distance between their noses was nothing in comparison to the feeling of icy blue cutting her like a knife, or was it closer to a wave overtaking her, offering something she'd wanted for so long, serenity? The green that speckled the rims of his pupils perfectly balanced the bright azure of the rest of his iris, and she felt like she could get lost in eyes so perfect. They made her feel small, but at the same time weirdly significant. His eyes were enough to knock anybody off their balance, not just herself, she reasoned.

"No concussion, but do you mind me saying that your eyes are fascinating?"

"Uh... um, thanks," Kensi said, noticing her mouth had become dry. Suddenly self conscious, she broke eye contact, absently tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Is that a blush?" he teased. "Did I just make The Kensi Blye blush?"

"No," she replied quietly, embarrassed. He simply grinned in response, dabbing at the injury on her head one last time.

"The rope burns?"

"They're not bad," she lied easily. That was the most untruthful thing she'd said in a pretty good while, but at this point she was willing to do anything for a chance to sleep. He obviously wasn't buying it, but instead of arguing with him anymore she stood up, brushing against his arm as she walked passed him and collapsed on her back in the bed. "Night, Sir Deeks."

"First thing tomorrow I expect you to let me look at those burns."

"Whatever."

"'Night, Kensi."


The next morning, Kensi woke up to the chirping of the birds and a warm body snuggled next to hers. As she shifted to get comfortable, she instantly regretted moving as the day old rope burns stung with a vengeance. Hissing, she slowly got up as Deeks stirred beside her.

"Kensi? You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine!" Kensi insisted a bit too quickly, and Deeks raised his eyebrow. He shifted to his side next to Kensi who was lying on her back, pressing his thumb near a burn. She let out an outraged hiss of pain, growling, "Was that necessary?"

"Yeah, no. You're clearly not fine," Deeks said as he made Kensi sit on the edge of the bed, grabbing the first-aid box and taking out a bottle of alcohol and a clean tissue.

"Can you unzip your dress or something? I promise I'll behave."

Kensi raised an eyebrow. "Uh, last night doesn't necessarily qualify as 'behaving'. Last time I checked, I'm not a teddy bear."

"You're the one that decided my chest was a better pillow than the one I gave you last night." She felt a blush creep onto her cheeks, but he didn't miss a beat. "You need this. I won't peek. Swear."

"Okay. Okay. Just... don't do anything stupid. I will not hesitate to kill you."

"You are adorable. Nothing sets the mood like death threats."

"Deeks."

"No funny business."

"Good. I didn't want to strangle you."

"I didn't want to die."

She unlaced the back of her dress which hurt more than it should've, sitting down on the bed and avoiding Deeks's eyes. Pretty soon she felt the burn of alcohol against raw wounds, followed immediately by the dab of a tissue. After a minute or so Deeks cleared his throat. "Yeah, you're... uh, you're good."

"Thanks," she mumbled, deciding that that had to have been the awkwardest moment of her life. "You can stop staring at me now."

"Sor- sorry. Just, wow."

"That's enough. Can't you, like, turn around or something while I change?"

"Seriously, you don't want me to look now?"

"Just do it," she demanded through clenched teeth, dreading putting her scratchy riding clothes back on.

"If you wanna change, I have a dress."

"Do you now?" she asked with a slight laugh, reaching for a blanket to cover up her body which was currently only clad in a bra and underwear. "What, does it match your eyes? Make your butt look good?"

"It was my mom's," he clarified, and she didn't miss the slight flash of hurt that clouded his beautiful eyes momentarily, quickly replaced with a small smile that matched her own. Kensi had connected stories of a little boy having stabbed his father and been kicked out by his mother at the age of eleven to Deeks sometime yesterday. She recalled overhearing about him a time or two, and though she didn't know the odds and outs of the story she knew that the man who'd rescued her the day before was more than the happy-go-lucky, fearless warrior he made himself out to be.

After retrieving a simple cotton dress that resembled little more than a slip, he handed it to Kensi. "Here you go. And if you uh, need any help-"

"Nice try," she interrupted.

"It was worth a shot, right?"

She turned away from Deeks, sliding the dress over her head quickly and tying it half-assedly in the back, not willing to stretch the aching skin of her abdomen from the rope burns anymore than she already had. After declaring that she was somewhat presentable, she smoothed the fabric of the dress over her legs, clearing her throat in a professional matter.

"All right. I'll be on my way out. Thanks Deeks." Kensi extended her hand towards him, and he frowned, crossing his arms over his chest instead of taking her hand in his. She shrugged, about to continue on her way before Deeks's voice stopped her.

"No, no. You're gonna eat first, okay?" Sighing in defeat, Kensi considered considering to walk out the door, but the grumbling of her stomach made her decision for her. Deeks gestured towards a rickety chair and what must've been a table, offering her a seat. "Sit tight. I'm going to make you the best damn pancakes in the world. They're so good, they'll make you never want to leave."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Right."

"Ye of little faith, watch and learn."

He put on quite a show, flipping pancakes and slicing fruits like a pro. After the sizzling of frying batter faded out, he turned to look at Kensi, and she forced herself not to think about how adorable he looked with flour in his shaggy blond curls. "What do you want to drink? Milk, milk, or milk?"

"Hmm, what was the second choice again?"

"Funny," he said with a small chuckle, setting down a plate of pancakes. They smelled beyond amazing, and by the time he placed the plate in front of her she was nearly salivating, which wouldn't have been very princess-like at all. Of course, running away, taking out one of her attackers, and lounging around in a slip with some guy she barely knew wasn't very princess-like either.

He turned around to grab his plate after setting down her serving, and when he faced her again he gaped. "Damn, did you inhale it or...?"

She ignored him, standing up and pushing her chair in, an old habit. "Alright Sir Deeks. You've cleaned my wounds, given me something new to wear, and fed me. Your help has been much appreciated. I'll leave and you can tell Hetty, Granger, Callen or whomever you report back to that I'm perfectly fine and not to worry."

"I didn't win you over with my impressive cooking skills? I thought that would definitely get you to stay."

She smiled, turning to leave. "Bye, Deeks."

"Kens, you know I can't let you go."

"Why not?"

"Granger wants me to bring you back."

"But do you want to bring me back?"

Deeks looked at Kensi in shock while a small smile crept onto her lips.

"Wh- what?"

"Do you want to bring me back? You know I'm engaged to that jackass, no pun intended, and you know me. I would have rather died on that forest tree. Deeks, please. Please don't turn me back in." Kensi hated pouring her feelings out like she was, but she knew she had to if she wanted her freedom.

Deeks sighed. "Alright, fine. But one condition."

"What?"

"I won't take you back if you stay with me. Nobody knows where I am. Or cares, for that matter. It can just be the two of us until we figure this out, okay?"

Kensi blushed, then nodded. The use of the word 'we' didn't go unnoticed by her. "Okay."

"Okay."

Kensi was at a loss for words, and Deeks seemed content to watch her squirm under his smile. But, unlike all of his mischievous smirks, this one was understanding. It was warm. It made her want to grin back.

And she did, asking, "Is it ok if I go to the beach for a minute? Pinky promise I won't run away."

"Be my guest."

Kensi walked over to Deeks and placed a gentle kiss to his cheek, overwhelmed by his gratitude. She didn't understand why he cared so much, but she was glad he did. "Thank you, Deeks."