AN: So, this just hit me after watching the sneak peek (on YouTube under NCIS: LA Callen, 1-10?) and talking with Bamie02. So, of course, I had to write it up! Hope you enjoy it! Leave me a review, please :)

Thanks, Fern, for reading this over for me! You rock!

Blessings,

bookdiva

Getting up in the morning wasn't near as fun when Kensi wasn't running around the apartment, cursing and desperately searching for her clothes. Deeks really wanted to resent how one night had completely negated a lifetime of loneliness, but he couldn't quite bring himself to. Sure, it hurt like hell at the moment, but he had to believe it wouldn't hurt forever.

"Alright Monty," he said, rolling out of bed. "Let's head to the beach."

He looked at the clock on his bedside table and was unsurprised to see that it was still only a little after 4 a.m. He shook his head, knowing he'd have to stay at the beach longer than usual, again, so he didn't arouse suspicion. As they'd proven on the morning that Kensi had been reassigned, nothing good happened when Deeks showed up early to work.

"Monty, really man?" Deeks complained when the dog wouldn't get out of bed. His doggy bed had long since become abandoned the past month and a half that Kensi had been gone. Monty lifted his head off the pillow, and tilted his head to the side as if to say 'you're nuts.'

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Deeks said, continuing on getting ready. "I'm nuts. Fine. But we're still going. Don't be lazy, Monty. You can go back to sleep when I head in to work."

The dog seemed to consider his words before hauling himself out of the bed with a huff.

"You'll thank me for this someday, Monty," Deeks said, chuckling to himself as he clipped Monty's leash on and headed to the beach.

Almost five hours later, Deeks wandered into the mission, pretty proud of his ability to keep up his normal routine.

"…your type than mine," Callen was saying.

"So what's wrong with my type?" Sam demanded.

"Nothing," Callen said, completely nonchalant.

Oh boy, Deeks thought. Another morning of partnerly banter. Aren't they just so damn lucky.

"I love your type," Callen continued, snapping Deeks out of his thoughts. He quickly paused, taking a deep breath. "Your taste is great, Michelle is the best."

He was one of the best damn undercovers in the history of the LAPD, but even he had to admit that going undercover as himself—on a daily basis—was pretty exhausting. He put on his game face and walked into the bull pen, making certain to look over at Sam and avoid her empty desk.

"Don't think, just react. Scale of 1 to 10," Sam ordered. "Go."

Deeks glanced at the picture.

Brown hair. Positive.

Pale skin. I prefer tanned.

Blue eyes. I like mismatched.

"Eight," he responded, feeling generous.

Besides, he thought, I'm sure she's someone's ten.

Sam shot him a rather unfriendly look.

"Nine…?" he corrected himself hesitantly. The look just intensified.

"Look closely," Sam said, slanting his gaze to Callen for a split second.

Deeks smiled and nodded at Sam.

"Ten," Deeks said, turning to face Callen. "A ten. She's hot."

"Thank you."

"All day. It's a ten. All day."

"Yeah, I know," Sam agreed, sending a satisfied smirk at Callen.

It felt weird, talking like that about someone who really should've held attraction for him. But she didn't. And it was even weirder that his partner wasn't there to make a snarky comment about his morals—or lack thereof.

He looked at the picture of the team he had on his desk, smiling as his eyes landed on Kensi.

"That's a stone cold fox, right there," he said with his first real smile.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Callen chuckled, shaking his head and pretending to read the newspaper.

Sam's phone dinged, and Deeks looked over at him.

"Well that's interesting," he said, his face unreadable. "It's Joelle."

This made Callen look up from his newspaper. "She's texting you?"

"I asked her to rate last night on a scale of 1 to 10," Sam said, finally allowing a smirk to show on his face as he typed a response.

"And…?" Callen asked. Sam just smirked and leaned in toward Deeks.

Deeks pulled his attention away from the picture on his desk and looked at the text, then up at Callen, desperately trying to contain his laughter.

"What?!" Callen demanded, but Deeks just shook his head.

Oh man, G is in for trouble, he thought with a slight smirk. Then he was hit with one last comforting and sobering thought.

Damn, Kensi would get such a kick out of this.