You guys are being absolutely wonderful, as usual. I'm loving all of the positive feedback, and hoping to keep my updates consistent! The reviews and messages are wonderful motivators for me, and I smile each time I get the notifications:) Thanks for all of the love and support!

-Hazel

Kensi and Deeks hop out of the car, leaving all belongings behind as they trudge forty feet or so over towards the taco truck. She has to almost run in order to catch up with Deeks, who's moving at a rather swift pace.

He's starving.

Kensi looks around, noticing that the beach is almost completely desolate, just two or three random people lounging out on towels. She's appreciative of this fact- they practically have the place all to themselves.

As she moves forward to stand beside Deeks, Kensi reads over her options. Chicken tacos, steak tacos, fish tacos, tuna tacos. Just lots and lots of tacos.

"Hello," Deeks says politely to the man inside. He's tall and overweight, his head adorned with salt and pepper colored locks. He smiles at Deeks' greeting, nodding back.

"Hey there kids! What can I get ya?"

Deeks looks over to Kensi, eyebrows raised. "What sounds good?"

She shrugs. "Just get me whatever you're getting. I'm gonna grab my wallet from the truck."

"Fish tacos?" He asks, speaking in part to both Kensi and their new friend.

"Sounds good."

The man in the truck nods, and disappears away from the window. Deeks turns just a moment after she's begun to walk away.

"You know, you could let me buy lunch for you!"

"I think this is probably more like dinner," she hollers back.

"Okay, then dinner! Let me buy you dinner."

"I can pay for my own food, Deeks!"

"I know, but you don't have to!"

"Maybe, but I-" She stops, her back still turned to him.

"Kens? You good?"

Slowly she rotates around, pivoting on her heels. Her face is morphed into a grimace.

"I don't have my backpack."

"Huh?"

"I left it at school. In my locker."

"What was inside?"

"Everything."

He tilts his head towards one shoulder, lifting his eyebrows.

"That explains why your mother still hasn't called."

"Probably."

She rubs her eyes before throwing both hands in the air.

"Whatever. There's nothing we can do about it now.

"That's the spirit!" Deeks exclaims, grinning widely as he nods his chin towards the car. "You can wait over there if ya want. This one is on me."

"I don't have money, so there's no other choice, actually."

"Ah. Touche."

Kensi rolls her eyes, trudging back over to his truck. She knows that her mother is most likely extremely angry with her for ditching school and leaving town without a single word, but Kensi can't bring herself to care. Not even a little bit.

She leans her back against the grill, it's warmth still emulating through despite the engine being cut. Standing there and having no clue where they are is slightly disconcerting, but mainly just thrilling.

This isn't usual Kensi Blye behavior, as 'spontaneity' is a work scarcely used in her vocabulary. She likes plans, order and structure.

But this, with him... it's just different somehow.

"Tacos?"

Deeks reappears at Kensi's side, his smile wide as he hands her a small paper plate with two fish tacos. She takes them willingly, wiggling her fingers in anticipation as she snatches them away from him.

"Thank god."

As Kensi begins devouring her food, Deeks just looks on in amusement.

"I'm not gonna take it away from you."

"Huh?"

He smiles as she looks up.

"Hush now, boy. I'm enjoying my meal."

"I wouldn't really call this enjoyment. Are you even chewing?"

"Yes, I am chewing."

"Can you taste it?"

"Yes, I can taste it. I have no idea what it is, but I can taste it."

"It's fish."

"Or deep-sea surprise."

"I know what it is."

"You do?"

He nods, taking another quick bite out of his taco.

"Uh-huh. It's Lake Superior white fish. I'd say caught in a gill net.. probably 2 or 3 days ago."

Kensi sighs. "You're ridiculous."

"What? I'm a surfer, I know my fish."

"You don't even know what town we're in. How can you know where the fish comes from?"

"I do know where we are. Bob told me."

"Bob?"

Deeks nods with a grin, nudging his head back towards the food truck.

"That's Bob. He says we're in Encinitas."

Her eyes widen. "Seriously? We drove for that long?"

"The sun's going down, so... yeah. We did."

Kensi just shrugs it off, looking out towards the water. The pink, orange and red sunset is slowly dawning upon them. The sun drowns in the horizon, its rays of light glimmering as the bright blue color of the sky slowly fades and the pale moon peers at them from behind the stars.

Deeks studies Kensi's features, watching as the sun dances across her face and somehow seems to make her eyes appear as an even more vivid shade of brown than usual.

"Kens?"

"Hmm?"

A long moment passes before she can tear her eyes away from the water.

He's grinning,widely, and she just can't seem to figure out why.

"I've got an idea. Stand over there for a minute?"

Kensi furrows her eyebrows, but still does as she's told. Deeks hops into his truck, reversing back out onto the main road. Where the hell is he going?

The car makes a u-turn, and Kensi can see Deeks' wide grin as he backs the car down onto the beach once more- this time with the bed of the truck facing the water.

"Much better," He says as Kensi approaches, inspecting his parking job with admiration.

"Why'd you do that?"

Deeks smiles. "So I can do this."

He opens one of the doors to the cab, grabbing two sleeping bags and motioning for Kensi to get the blankets.

"Why do you have all this?" She asks, both eyes wide.

"I've slept in here a couple of nights, remember?" He says, unlatching the tailgate and hoisting himself effortlessly into the bed. "Ya gotta be prepared for cold weather."

He says the statement with a smile and laugh, but she can still see a hint of looming sadness in his baby blues. The mere idea of that being his life causes Kensi's heart to drop into her stomach.

He deserves so much more.

"It's really not that bad," Deeks mutters as he sees her expression.

"Doesn't sound too fun," she replies, handing him a stack of blankets.

He takes them willingly, continuing to stack one on top of another.

"You don't need to worry about me."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do!"

Deeks stands up tall at Kensi's exclamation, looking down at her with pleading eyes.

She exhales, trying to get herself together.

"Now that we have... a thing, it means I'm going to worry about you. A lot. And you're just gonna have to deal with it."

"Is that what we're calling this?" He asks, motioning between the two of them.

"Huh?"

"We have a thing?"

Kensi still seems content with her description and nods.

"Yeah. I mean... it's a thing. We have a thing."

He just smirks, not saying a single word.

"But... isn't that what you would call it? A thing?"

Deeks extends one hand out towards Kensi, who hops up into the truck with out a moment of hesitation.

"If that's what you want to call it, than sure."

She smiles, plopping down onto the mountain of blankets.

"Good, then. We have a thing."

Deeks nods and sits down beside her, draping one arm around both her shoulders as he stares out at the setting sun.

"We have a thing."

Kensi sighs, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I like our thing."

He smiles despite knowing she can't see his face, and drops a lingering kiss to the top of her head.

"So do I."