"Morning, guys." Kensi greeted the two agents when entering the bullpen and walking to her desk. Her quick pace was making her hair gathered in a ponytail bounce from side to side. She put her shoulder bag over the desk and stared the four eyes staring back at her.

"Morning, Kens." Both Sam and Callen answered.

"Why are staring?"

"It's early." Callen commented, flipping the newspaper's page. "Too early for you to be here."

"You're always the last one to show up." Sam joined the conversation, gesturing with a pencil in hands. "Except when G decides to stay in an endless queue for a cup of coffee and makes me wait for him!"

"I like to start my morning by ingesting something," He snorted back. "unlike you!" By this point Kensi had already sat at her desk, watching the duo bickering.

"You can do that at home…"

"Aren't you always complaining about my homemade breakfast?"

"You do have unhealthy breakfast habits!"

"Anyways," Callen rolled eyes and looked back at Kensi who felt her heart skip a beat in panic, yet managing to look imperturbable on the outside. "why are you here so early?"

"Left for a morning workout and, I kinda had a cramp, so I gave up for today."

"But, you're okay?" Sam asked her.

"Yeah, sure. It was no big deal."

"Morning everyone." Deeks said, taking a seat on his desk. He winked at Kensi and smiled. She looked down bashful, disguising a smile that forcefully wanted to show up. Both Sam and Callen noticed that looks' exchange and started to suspect something had happened.

"Did you just wink at Kensi?" Sam pocked first.

"What?" His voice rose up in an octave. "Wink at Kensi? Only if I wanted to be dead by now!"

"Well," Callen put down the newspaper. "by the way your clothes are so crumpled, it does look like someone has tried to kill you before! Not to mention that those are the ones you wore yesterday…"

"Really?" He sat, protesting. "What's up with you guys today?"

"And then you say that we're the ones who don't shut up!" Kensi got to the side of her partner, defending him. "He probably got lucky last night and spent the night with a girl. Give him a break."

"You're on his side?" Kensi's mouth slightly opened as Sam told her that. "You're actually defending him?"

"No. Actually, I can't really picture him being lucky with a girl."

Sam chuckled; he had noticed she was lying, but way before that, he had notice Deeks' nervousness, and suspected him first. "You two are strange today. Why do I have the feeling something happened?"

Eric showed up on the top of the stairs and his pitched whistle echoed the division. "Come on up, we got a case."

Kensi saw here her cue to get away from the situation. She was Miss of Disguise, but now she didn't know how to unravel from that. She knew her explanation had been somehow raw and that Sam and Callen had got something. Deeks followed her right next, leaving the two Senior Agents behind. Callen commented to his partner. "They think they fooled us!" Having said that, the two grinned and went upstairs as well.

"Staff Sergeant Brody Southgate was found next to the water pipeline by two employees of the Department of Water and Power while making a routine check of the pipes." Nell started, showing photos on the screen. "We weren't able to find any of his family so far."

Eric then put on the screen photos of the man and his wounds, explaining. "Staff Sergeant Southgate was killed with five gunshots. The employees said that there's a blood trail back for a few miles."

"He couldn't have come from much far with five gunshots." Sam concluded.

"Since this was a NCIS official case, LAPD didn't get jurisdiction and didn't look into it, so we don't know yet how far the trail goes."

Nell stepped ahead any commentary the agents were going to do. "We know, however, that the gun used to shoot him belongs to a Mexican drug dealer named Lucas Quintana, arrested in 2009 for drug dealing, attempt of murder and illegal gun possession."

"Any relation between Southgate and Quintana?" Callen asked but only got from Nell a shrug. "Ok, Kensi, Deeks, you join the field team and try to find out where he was shot. Sam and I will visit Quintana. Meanwhile," he pointed Eric and Nell. "try to find if there's any connection between them. And try to find any next-of-kin of Southgate."

"On it." The two answered in line, spinning their chairs to face the computers.

Hetty, who has been silent up until now spoke, making everyone look at her. "Ms. Blye, you got... a little bit of a bruise on the back of your neck..."

Kensi grinned embarrassed when she looked back, having everyone's eyes on her, and tried to cover the hickey with the sweater. She looked quickly and squint-eyed to her partner, who smiled and followed her. Both ignored Sam and Callen exchanging looks. The only thing Kensi was thinking was: Damn you Deeks, I'm so gonna kill you!