A/N: Greetings to anyone out there who is still reading this story despite the lack of updates. I've been busy with school and I also added some last minute scenes to the chapter, hence the two week hiatus.

The season premier is two days Nand I'm even more excited after watching the new promo. I can't wait!

Disclaimer: Last time I checked, my bank account was empty, so no, I don't own NCIS LOS ANGELES or its characters.

Enjoy!

Deeks was the first to hear the ringing phone. "Deeks." he murmured into the device.

"Deeks?" the man who was on the end of the line asked.

"Yeah."

"Why are you answering Kensi's phone?"

The detective pulled the phone from his ear. It was indeed Kensi's cell and the caller ID said 'Callen'.

"Crap" he thought.

He looked over at Kensi. She was still sleeping, snuggling against his side.

"She forgot it on the coffee table."

"You sleeping on the couch?"

"I'm a gentleman, Callen. What do you want?"

"Nell and Eric have managed to find the baby's parents. They'll be meeting us at the boatshed in one hour. Be there."

"Ok." he said and ended the call.

"Who was it?" Kensi asked.

Deeks glanced down at her. She had half her eyes closed.

"Callen. Eric and Nell found Fern's parents. We have to be at the boatshed in 60."

"But I don't wanna wake up yet." she whined.

"Too late. How about this. We give Fern back to her parents and then we come back to snuggle a little bit more."

"I don't snuggle."

"Of course you don't."

Fern chose that moment to let out a cry.

"See? Even the baby disagrees with you."

After they left the boatshed, Kensi suggested that they go back to Deeks' place, change and spend the day on the beach.

Anna's, previously known as Fern, parents were ecstatic to see their baby girl. They were a rich couple who had been away on a business trip until two hours prior. Apparently, their house had been robbed, the burglars thinking it was empty but the nanny and Anna were still there. They killed the nanny and then dumped Anna where Deeks and Kensi found her. Fern was happy to see her parents too, but she cried, clutching her white stuffed bunny, when her parents decided to take her home. Kensi would never admit it to anyone, but a tear made its way down her cheek. The toddler had grown on her and she was going to miss her.

As if reading her thoughts, Deeks squeezed her shoulder and whispered to her ear. "I'm gonna miss her too."

He released her and exited the boatshed. Kensi wiped the tear and followed her partner.

It was not until hours later that they returned, fighting over who would use the shower first. Deeks being a gentleman, let Kensi shower first. He busied himself with tidying up his apartment. He was going to miss the way Fern's, he couldn't bring himself to call her with her real name, toys were scattered around the living room.

He just hoped that this "thing" with Kensi worked out so that they can get down to making little ninja assassins of their own. Said Kensi, came out of the bathroom and went straight to the kitchen opening the fridge and various cupboards like if they hadn't eaten one hour before. He chuckled lightly to himself before grabbing his pajamas and taking a shower of his own.

When 15 minutes later he made his way to the living room, he found Kensi sitting on the couch, her hands laying awkwardly in her lap. He sat next to her.

"So..." he began.

"So..."

"You wanna do this?"

"What exactly is this?"

"Whatever you want, whatever you need. We are taking things slow. I'm willing to do whatever makes you comfortable."

"What if talking makes me uncomfortable?"

"Then... I don't know Kens."

"God, our communication skills suck."

They stayed in silence for quite some time until Deeks broke it. "It was a Thursday."

"What?"

"The day I shot my father was a Thursday."

"Deeks, you don't have to do this."

"I want to. We agreed that we would talk. I'm talking."

He ran his hand through his hair, trying to gather the courage.

"That day, he got really drunk. I had never seen him that drunk or angry before. He started yelling at my mother for ruining his life and for giving him an... idiot and useless son. I was hiding in the stairs until I heard my mother plead him to stop hitting her because he was killing her. I ran to my room and took the gun Ray had given me.

"When I made it back to the living room... he was aiming his shotgun at her. I told him to drop it or I would shoot him. He laughed at me and then he said that he would deal with me later and that he hated me. I saw him press the shotgun against her head. I didn't even think about it, I had to protect my mother so I shot him in the leg. I saw him fall down and next thing I know a cop is handing me over to Social Services.

"I spent a month there, until my mother fully recovered from the beating. That same cop came to visit me every week to check up on me. He continued even after I went home. He was my only friend at the time.

"And somehow, my 12th birthday arrived. I anticipated it because my mother used to make me pancakes for breakfast and it probably was the only happy day I got to experience. But when I woke up that day, she was not home. I went back to my room to wait for her. There was a piece of paper on top of my dresser. I unfolded it and instantly recognised her handwriting. I still remember what it said."

By this point, tears were running down his cheeks. Kensi took both of his hands in her smaller ones and squeezed them, encouraging him to finish his story because she knew that if he stopped, he would never be able to open up again.

Deeks gave her a watery smile and continued.

"The letter said 'Marty, I can't do this anymore. Every time I look at you, it reminds me of how you took away from me the only good thing that had ever happened to me." he said his voice breaking at the last sentence.

"'I can't forgive you for that so I'm leaving. Don't try to look for me" And she was gone, just like that. Because I took him away from her..."

A sob escaped from the back of his throat as he broke down. Kensi changed their positions so that his head was on her shoulder.

Kensi felt rage run through her veins as she thought about what Deeks had told her. She couldn't understand how the two people who were supposed to love him unconditionally betrayed him like that. She just wished she could find them both and make them pay for the pain they had inflicted upon him.

He pulled away a few minutes later, wiping his tears and sniffing, clearly embarrassed. "I'm so-"

"Don't you dare apologise. You did nothing wrong, you hear me? Your parents are those who should be doing that. And don't for a second believe that because of what you told me I think less of you."

He nodded. "They're not my parents. I haven't called them that in over 20 years because they never really acted like ones. My real parents are happily retired in San Francisco."

"Really? You've never mentioned them before? Who are they?"

"Remember the cop I mentioned before?"

"Yes."

"After I read the letter, I called him. He came by and I told him what had happened. He told me to pack some of my stuff while he called Social Services, again. They took me in and when he came to visit me the week after that, he was accompanied by his wife. They were adopting me. I was confused at first but then he said that I had two options. Stay at the orphanage or go with them. I chose them. And this is how I came to be the son of Josh and Megan Deeks."

" Unfortunately, they couldn't have their own kids, but they loved me like I was their own. Those people, they changed my life. They offered a home to a troubled kid who had shot his father and was abandoned by his mother. I was messed up but they still chose me."

"Josh's the reason why I became a lawyer. It was his dream as a child, but he couldn't afford it and his grades weren't good enough for him to get a scholarship so he became a cop. Getting into law school was my way of thanking them."

"They sound like really nice people."

"They are."

"My father was a good person too."

"Kens, you don't have to do this."

"Hey, we agreed on talking. I promise you I won't cry because I know how much you hate dealing with crying women."

"Yeah about that, I'm-" she closed his mouth with her hand.

"Stop, I was just teasing you."

"Touché."

"Touché."

"Still not the way you use the word 'touché' but I'll let this one pass."

"I was a daddy's girl. He was everything to me. When he wasn't away on a tour, he would spent every waking moment with me, teaching me something new. I could tell that my mom was tired of changing bases and worrying about receiving the phone call that would tell her that my dad had died on duty. So she filed for a divorce and we moved out. I missed my dad so I ran away. That was the last time I saw her. My dad died a year later. Social Services wanted to take me in, but I ran away again. I mostly lived on the street. Working here and then until an old lady took pity in me and offered me a room in her house. I stayed there until I left for college.

"Then, I met Jack. I was young, naïve and I fell in love with him. When he came back from Afghanistan I dropped out of college so that I could help him, but apparently I wasn't enough so he left one Christmas morning."

"Don't say that. You did everything you could. He just didn't appreciate it. It wasn't your fault. Got it?"

Kensi nodded and gave him a small smile.

"After that, I build these huge walls around my heart hoping that this way it wouldn't break again. Then I chose to finish college so that I could join NCIS and find my father's killer, because I was more than certain that it wasn't an accident, as my father never got drunk and made sure to not drink when he had to drive. Soon I joined NCIS and was partnered up with Renko first and then with Dom before I watched them both die. By that point I was convinced that whatever God existed up there really hated me or else he wouldn't take away from me all the people I cared about.

"And then you came, all jokes and smiles and somehow saw right through my bullshit and broke down my walls brick by brick. You saw the real me but instead of running away from me, you stayed... and that scared me because for once someone was choosing me, the real me and I didn't know what to do with that.

"Over the years our 'thing' turned into something more than just some unresolved sexual tension. I started getting jealous over any woman who approached you, even though I knew that I had no claim over you. It got worse after we went undercover as Justin and Melissa, because I got a glimpse of how my life would be if I gave into my feelings for you and I found myself liking it, way too much. But I couldn't be sure that you felt the same way and I couldn't jeopardise our friendship and partnership for a relationship. I just couldn't, they're very important to me."

"What changed your mind?"

"You kissed me. It was not to keep our covers from blowing up, you did it because you wanted to. But you had to go and get yourself... kidnapped and tortured. I almost lost you. You almost died not knowing how I felt about you and I realised that I couldn't let that happen. I just couldn't find the right moment, until now."

"God Kensi, I feel exactly the same way. I want us to be more than just friends and partners, I want us to spend all the time that we have left together, because you're it for me and..."

He didn't get to finish the sentence because he felt Kensi capture his lips in her own. It took him a second to register what was happening before he tangled his hands in her hair, and pushed her closer to him, deepening the kiss. Soon the need for oxygen was unbeatable, and he reluctantly pulled away, but not before giving her one last peck.

He rested his forehead against her and locked eyes with her.

"That was... wow. I really, really want to finish what we started, but like I said, this " he gestured between them. "Is very important so we have only one chance in doing it right. Which is why I want to take you out on a date first. How does next Saturday sound like?"

"As in next week?"

"Yes."

"It seems so far away."

"Why Blye, if I didn't know better, I'd say that you're very much eager to have a piece of me?"

"Please, you're the one who won't be able to keep your hands off me."

"We'll see that. Now about that date? What do you say?"

"I agree to go out with you in one condition."

"Anything."

"Promise me that we'll finish what we started tonight."

"You have my word."

It turned out that Kensi was the one to not be able to keep her hands to herself, whereas Deeks was nothing but professional. They flirted and bantered as usual but nothing indicated that they had taken a step forward in their relationship.

The date was the best Kensi had ever been on and it only got better when Deeks kept his word throughout the whole night.

I can't believe that we're reaching the end. Next chapter is the epilogue of the story. Thanks for reading, reviewing and following. Each alert I get makes up my day. You guys are the best. I am going to miss you when all this is over.

Until next time

~F