A/N: This is for my dear friend Tat who said she needed something with Densi and Jello :)

Kensi really should be going to bed, but she found herself rummaging through her cabinets. Her popcorn was long gone and now she was hunting for something sweet.

I'm glad Deeks isn't here. He'd be laughing at me right now. Telling me to lay off the Twinkies and come to be bed. Although if he were here, I could convince him to go get me some Twinkies...

She kept digging until a box of Jello mix caught her eye. It had been there so long she didn't even remember buying it. Is it possible it was there when she moved in? She never had plans to actually make it so why even keep it. She grabbed the box, set on just throwing it away... but then she paused, remembering the last time she had Jello and how it was very much a day like today.

Almost exactly four years ago, she was sitting in a hospital room, her partner sleeping as she ate the green dessert meant for him. He wouldn't mind. He had other things to worry about, like recovering from gunshot wounds and trying to figure out who wanted him dead. But he woke up and he complained and she mocked and so began a round of adorable partner banter.

Things were much different then. She was afraid to lose him because she didn't want to lose another partner. Because he was good at his job and he made a difference on their team. Because he was a good person. Because there were actually some things (a small number of things) that she liked about him.

Today it was Sam that had been shot and then Thapa. While Sam is resting and recovering right now, Thapa hadn't been so lucky. In the blink of an eye, he was gone. Is it only a matter of time before she is shot? Or Deeks is again? Would she be able to sit casually and eat Jello while she waited for him to wake up? No, things are much different now.

The thought paralyzed her as she gripped the box tighter. The image of him on the ground, bleeding out as she begged him to stay with her... she had to shake her head and rid herself of it before it drove her crazy. Changing her mind, she put the box back in the cabinet and shut the door.

She smiled and shook her head as she pulled up to Deeks' apartment, seeing that he was already waiting outside. As much as she would love to tease him for seeming so eager to see her after their one night apart, her pounding heart told her that she felt the same way.

She had wanted some time to herself to just relax. Or at least that's what she thought she wanted. But it wasn't as relaxing as she hoped it would be. In fact once her movie was over and her snacks were gone and she finally made it to bed, all she could think about was their stupid fight, the excitement of the day, the pain of losing someone, concern for his state of mind, the way he looked at her, the way he made her smile, his phone call... all this made her reach for the other side of the bed, wishing it wasn't so empty.

"Good morning, sunshine. How are..."

He would have finished his question, but he lost the ability to speak. As soon as he was in the passenger seat and the door was closed (barely), she reached over and cupped his face with her hands and kissed him. He was stunned at first, but it didn't take him long to return her kisses and wrap his arm around her.

One day. It had only been one day since her lips last touched his, but here they were, making out in the car like a couple of teenagers. Like they haven't seen each other in months. The last thing she wanted was to pull away, but she had to before hands started wandering and things got too inappropriate for this public setting. The look on his face was intense, making her practically tremble in her seat. Then the smile that she loved so much spread across his face.

"Wow... you missed me."

"Whatever..." It was ridiculous the way she was trying to act cool, especially after she had just attacked his face. "You missed me too."

"I'll take that as you admitting that you missed me."

He was so infuriating but he made her smile and that's all she cared about right now. She nudged her nose against his before kissing him softly. "We gotta go or we'll be late."

"You're deflecting. Plus, I'd rather do this than go to work."

She smiled and whispered against his lips. "Later. I promise."

"So I was thinking..."

Kensi snorted before Deeks could continue. He just smiled and shook his head.

"Anyway..." He said dramatically. "I was thinking that it's been a couple weeks since our last night off."

Kensi tensed. They had been sitting on her couch after a long day at work. Neither of them even felt like turning the TV on. She was cuddled against him, enjoying being in his arms when he spoke up.

"Um... yeah it has been..."

"How do you feel about that?" He asked tentatively. Nothing about moving too fast or spending too much time together had come up since the day of their first fight. They fell back into the routine of spending every night together and neither one seemed to mind. But Deeks wondered if it was still on her mind and she just wasn't saying anything about it.

Sitting up, she looked him in the eyes. He seemed nervous which was funny, considering all they've been through together. Somehow, communication was still somewhat difficult for them. But they found themselves opening up to each other more and it was slowly (very slowly) getting easier. "You're asking if I want another night off?"

"Yeah..."

"No, I don't."

His nervous expression turned into a smile that made her feel warm all over. "Really? You don't? You missed me that much?"

"I missed you. A lot."

"Especially in your bed, right?"

She laughed shyly and looked down, trying to hide the blush rising in her face. "Yes, that too."

"So..." He pulled her closer. "You regret taking the night off?"

"No, I think I still needed it." She placed her hand on his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat. "I realized some stuff that night."

"That you need me in your bed at all times?"

She rolled her eyes, but her smile never left her face. "Um... it's just... in the past, I've always used space as a... sort of security blanket. If things were getting too serious or real or scary, I'd just say I needed space. And that's where I felt safe. Knowing that I didn't need anyone. And I think I was starting to do that with you. We're together all the time and we're getting closer and closer... and I guess I just went back to that old safe place. But it didn't feel safe or comforting like it did before."

"So..." He leaned over and place a gentle kiss on her neck. "You like having me around?"

"You could say that. You're definitely useful for some things..."

He was leaving a trail of kisses along her jaw. When he reached the corner of her mouth, she couldn't wait anymore. She turned her head placed her lips on his.

"I'm glad you had this revelation."

"You can thank the Jello."

"What?"

"Never mind. I'll tell you later."