Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! This story is quickly becoming my favorite, honestly. It's so different from anything I've ever done, and I am just loving the writing process that goes along with creating a storyline like this one.
To answer some of the questions regarding whether or not we'll see any other members of the team, I can tell you that they will make a cameo at some point- I think. Not everyone will be involved, but I have a feeling you guys will like what I've come up with. :)
I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review if you do!
-Hazel
"What can I do? Just name it and I'll do it. You know that I will."
"Just..." He sighs. "This."
"This?" She repeats, not relenting on her grip whatsoever but moving her head up so she can see his eyes.
God, they're just so blue.
Deeks nods, more tears coming forward to sit on the brims of his eyes.
"Just this."
She wants to do something more- maybe say something that will take a bit of the pain away.
"I wanna help, Deeks."
"I know you do. But there's nothing that can be done, honestly."
"Well..." Kensi inhales, sucking both lips into her mouth as she thinks. "What about your mom?"
He's been trying to avoid thinking about her, because the guilt immediately begins to pile itself onto his shoulders- layer by layer.
"My dad's gonna go to jail, I assume. She's safe from him."
Kensi cocks her head to one side, hardly able to process what he's telling her. She can't even begin to imagine what that would feel like- having a parent sent to prison.
It's hard for her to picture any of it, really.
"I should go," he utters suddenly, clearing his throat. "I'll call Ray, see if I can stay with him."
Deeks sniffles back a couple of stray tears, dropping his hands from around Kensi's back.
She isn't quite as keen on letting go.
"It's the middle of the night, Deeks. You're not going anywhere."
"I can't go home. Not now, and there isn't-"
"I have a couch, okay?"
He's clearly taken aback, and almost chuckles at how forward she's already being with him.
"But your mom-"
"It's fine," Kensi states, moving both of her hands up to rest on the fronts of his shoulders. "She knows you, and she likes you. Just take the couch."
"Are you sure?"
Kensi nods, completely certain of her decision. "Yes."
Deeks hesitates for only a moment, turning his head to one side. He could go, and he probably should. But it's late, and the strange culmination of emotions he's feeling definitely shouldn't be dealt with alone.
"Okay."
She smiles half heartedly, lazily dropping a quick peck to his lips before grabbing one of his hands and leading them both towards the back door.
The circumstances may be poor, but Kensi just adores the fact that she's now allowed to kiss him whenever she pleases, without having to provide any sort of a reason.
She loves him, so she gets to kiss him.
It's as simple as that.
Kensi pulls the back door closed after they're both inside, releasing his hand and pressing one finger up to her lips- as if Deeks doesn't already know that they're supposed to be silent.
He just follows her into the dimly lit living room, watching as she flicks a lamp on along the way.
"Just..." She awkwardly motions at the couch with her both of her flailing hands. "Sit. I'll be right back."
Deeks does as he's told, but still furrows his eyebrows. "Where are you going?"
"To talk to my mom."
He stands up, grabbing her right shoulder as she turns to walk away.
"She's gonna kill you!" He whisper-yells, eyes frantically darting around the room.
Kensi's face falls, her features softening as she stares at his deeply despondent expression. Deeks looks as if he's scared of everything and everyone.
It just kills her.
In that instant, Kensi knows once and for all that her home needs to be the one place where he isn't afraid anymore. A spot where he finally feel secure and sheltered from the qualms of the outside world.
"It's gonna be alright," she says, pressing both hands against his shoulders in order to lower him down onto the couch. "Stay here."
Deeks swallows, nodding uneasily as he leans his back against the cushions.
Kensi slinks away from him, taking the thirty seconds of seclusion as a fleeting chance to revel in everything that's just happened. She can hardly believe it, but it's true. She's finally gotten him.
Marty Deeks.
Those eyes, that smile, his complexion and...
Kensi arrives at her mother's closed bedroom door, needing a minute to remind herself that she has a very important job to do.
"Mom?" She whispers, pushing the door open.
It's now well past two in the morning, so Kensi is fully aware of the fact that her mother is still sound asleep.
She gently rattles her shoulder, watching as the woman stirs. "Hey mom?"
Those two words convince Julia to awaken from her slumber, lazily wiping both eyes as she sits up on her elbows.
"Kens? What's going on?" She asks, flicking on the light beside her bed.
"Um..." Kensi runs a hand through her hair. "It's Deeks."
"Hmmm? You mean Marty? That boy you like?"
Kensi rolls her eyes, but doesn't even bother refuting the statement.
"Yeah, but it's Deeks. And he's here."
Her expression grows alarmed as she points one finger towards the lower floor.
"You mean, here? As in-"
"He's downstairs."
Julia's clearly baffled and at a loss for words, so Kensi just sighs and tries to explain herself.
"Deeks shot his dad."
"He what?!"
She practically yells the words, and Kensi is relatively sure that her voice was loud enough for Deeks to hear.
Don't run, she chants over and over again in her head. Just don't run.
"I- I need to call the police..." Julia says, reaching one hand out towards the corded phone sitting at her bedside table.
"Mom, no!" Kensi's hand grasps her mom's wrist, preventing the woman from moving any further forward.
"His dad was going to kill him, and his mom. Deeks had to do it, okay? It was self defense."
"But you don't know that-"
"His dad's an alcoholic. He's has been beaten up by him before... I've seen the bruises, mom. And I know Deeks- he wouldn't lay a hand on somebody unless it was necessary."
She slinks back, eyeing her daughter wearily. "Are you sure?"
Kensi nods profusely. "I'm positive."
"How?"
She shrugs. "Because I trust him. He'd never lie to me."
Kensi's mother pauses for just a moment before nodding. Julia herself quite likes the boy, and assumes that if Kensi trusts him, than she can too.
"Well... what do you need me to do?"
"Just stay up here. Don't bother him right now." Kensi stands, tossing her massive pile of curly brown hair behind her shoulders. "But he needs a place to stay tonight, and I was hoping we could give him the couch."
Julia smiles at her daughter's concern and generosity. She's never seenKensi get quite this worked up over someone besides her father, though- so Julia understands that this Marty Deeks must be different somehow.
"Make him a nice little bed, okay? Get some linens and a pillow down from the hall closet."
Kensi nods, grinning as she spins around to exit the room. She pauses before leaving, peeking her head back in.
"Thank you, mom."
Julia smiles. "You're welcome."
She pulls the bedroom door closed, jogging towards the closet that sits between their two bedrooms. Reaching to the top shelf she manages to retrieve a comforter, a blanket, and two pillows.
Since both of her arms are fully loaded, she walks down the stairs slowly and carefully, being sure not to trip. Once Kensi hits solid ground though, she breaks into a sprint towards the family room.
"Deeks! My momma said that it's fine for you to stay the night and-"
Her pace slows to a halt upon entering, only to find that Deeks is already sound asleep.
His head is leaned back against a throw pillow, both legs curled up in order to fit within the parameters of the couch. His eyes are closed, his mouth hanging slightly ajar.
As Kensi approaches rather tentatively, she takes note of the tears that are still visible on his cheeks, glistening against the light coming from the table side lamp. She drops the stack of linens quietly down to the coffee table, and grabs a blanket from the top of the pile. Kensi gently stretches it out over him, pulling it up to cover his shoulders.
His features look surprisingly calm, almost at peace. She understands that the feeling is merely temporary, and probably won't last as they venture into what's sure to be a rough week.
But for right now, the coming days are the least of her worries. If he's doing alright, than so is she.
Kensi smiles fleetingly, dropping a kiss to the top of his head. Much to her surprise, Deeks stirs beneath her touch.
"Thank you Kens," he murmurs, his voice groggy and hardly even audible.
Her chin drops open just a hilt, a couple of salty water droplets dribbling down her cheeks.
"Of course."
She sits down across from him on the floor, their faces at the same level. Deeks' eyes open slightly as he smiles.
"I love you. I hope you know that."
She bobs her head up and down, leaning back against the coffee table.
"I know."
Deeks shuts his eyes once more, something resembling a smirk washing over his face.
"You sure? 'Cause I really do love you."
She chuckles, the sound distant and muffled to his tired ears.
"Sleep, okay?"
Deeks nods, his voice breathy as he slips into oblivion, allowing the darkness to take him.
"Yes Fern."