Life, Lies and Video Surveillance
By Cortexikid
Chapter 35: Pulchritude
A/N: Hi guys :D Happy New Year! Hope everybody had a fantastic holiday season! Without further ado, I present to you, my loyal readers, the first foray into Deeks and Kensi's budding romantic relationship...hope you like it ;) I may have overdone it in the fluff department but I just wanna spoil you guys before delving into another case featuring a blast from the past...dun, dun, dun!
RANDOM THOUGHT: Is anyone else as pissed as me at the whole team (especially Kensi) forgetting Deeks' birthday? And Kensi ditching him for Jaime? I mean, wtf?! Anyway...moving on...I will not get annoyed again...
WARNING: A little, very-tame steaminess ahead. It's within the T-rating but just thought I'd let you guys know just in case.
Disclaimer: Yo, NCIS:LA and Breaking Bad aren't mine. Bitch.*
WOTD: PULCHRITUDE; pul·ch·rit·ude noun. Beauty, allure, elegance.
Soft glimmers of sunlight beamed through a crack in the dark-violet curtains, basking one side of Marty Deeks' face in a ray of early morning radiance.
His eyebrows furrowed as he turned his head away from the light, the soft pressure on his chest shuffling too before stilling, a soft sigh floating around the room. He was on the cusp of reality yet still immersed in fantasy; flighty, colourful images passing across his closed eyes. They were pleasant, that much he knew, even if they were just blurs, they made him feel...content. Wondrous. A lucky son-of-a-gun.
But the warmth was ensnaring him, cocooning him, tempting him to awake, to shake himself from his slumber and allow his mind to regain consciousness, his eyes slowly fluttering open, the fogginess still shrouding him as he tried to focus.
Where am I?
A quiet, gentle murmuring from the vicinity of his chest gave him a clue, it more of a snort-snore than a murmur, really. With a bite of his lip, Deeks' heart leapt into his throat as he tried to control the firing of random and frantic thoughts that surged through his brain. Dozens of images flashed across his eyes as the past 48 hours came flooding back to him, guns, hostages, bombs, detonators, timers, explosions...
He winced as a dull ache flowed up his injured arm, a not-so-subtle reminder of the little souvenir he got for venturing into The Regency Hotel a few hours before. As he glanced down to check on the bandage, a shock of tousled brunette hair caught his attention. His frantic heart instantly began to slow, a warmth spreading through his chest as his eyes landed on the soft, slumbering face of Kensi Marie Blye, her snort-snore as cute as ever as she shifted slightly, her arm flinging across his stomach, her feet entangling themselves with his.
He was right. She was a damn octopus, a squidgy, cuddly octopus. That whole star-fish-spread-eagle-limbs-everywhere-hogging-the-covers-and-pushing-him-out-of-the-bed malarkey was just an act for undercover ops. God, he wished he had a camera. But for now, a mental picture would have to do. And what a picture it was...
With a small sigh, the ex-liaison lay there, content just watching his partner sleep, finding it to be quite the habit he was getting fond of. It was the only thing that kept him sane when she had gotten shot, as he sat there, restless and fidgeting at her bedside on a stiff, uncomfortable chair, staring at her face, it peaceful and unmarred by the horrors of the world around them, it was his safe haven, his beacon of light in the otherwise dark tunnel he had fallen into.
But now, now it meant so much more than just that. His heart thumped quickly once more, like a train picking up speed as he thought back on last night, the night he had waited over four years for...
She kissed him.
Really kissed him. No cover, no op as an excuse, just she and he in her apartment after a long, hard day and maybe some tension and heart-felt confessions thrown in too.
A small smile spread across his face as he thought about it. Never, did he ever, allow himself to imagine too seriously over the years that they could possibly come to this point. Come to a place where they actually openly acknowledged that their 'thing' was so much more than just that and act on those 'more than that' feelings. But here they were, lying in bed, her head on his chest, they both feeling that they belonged there. It really was something he could get used to and look forward to experiencing for the rest of his life...
"Stop thinking so loudly," a tired voice came from the direction of the brunette hair suddenly, startling Deeks from his reverie.
Panic rose in his veins. It was if his bubble had burst and he was now back to reality. Fear seeped into his skin as he worried that all his daydreaming could possibly be wishful thinking, they still had so much to discuss after all. Still, he couldn't let her know that. She was the emotionally-skittish one, he had to thread very lightly here.
"Didn't know you could read minds Professor X," he smirked as she shifted carefully, raising her head from off him (he tried and failed to hide his disappointment) and slowly met his gaze.
There, for a split-second, he saw the same fear in her eyes that he knew was exactly what he felt, that little niggling feeling in the back of their minds that they could have possibly screwed up everything, that they would never be the same, that they possibly made the biggest mistake in their entire lives...
But almost as soon as it arrived, it disappeared, her warm polychrome eyes turning a little bashful, a little nervous but not regretful.
The tightness in his chest loosened.
"Think I could rock the bald look?" she asked, running a hand through her hair as she gently sat up, wincing a little as the bandages on her abdomen pulled a little on her skin.
Deeks watched with cautious eyes as she settled herself, still lying on his back, staring up at her.
"I think if anyone could pay tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart, it'd be you..."
She let out a snort, shaking her head, gazing down at him, growing quiet, a pensive expression crossing her beautiful face.
"I'll take that as a compliment," she breathed softly before her hand began to move, her fingers sweeping Deeks' hair back off his forehead, gently trailing over a scratch he'd sustained from the explosion.
Deeks fought the urge to close his eyes, instead forcing himself to keep eye contact with her, noticing that a darkness had passed over her face, her eyes shining a little.
"I thought I'd lost you," she half-whispered, almost to herself, "when I—when I heard the explosion and saw the fire and—"
She broke off, shaking her head curtly.
"I—you scared the hell outta me, Deeks," she murmured, a little shiver shrouding her body as she pulled away her hand.
Before she could fully, Deeks' uninjured hand shot out, catching her hand in his, squeezing it gently.
"You scared me too...Kens, when you were shot and I—I wasn't there, I didn't have your back...if—if anything ever happened to you I would have never forgiven myself, I don't forgive my—"
She cut him off by slowly lowering herself, her face hovering inches from his.
"Don't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault Deeks, you've nothing to be forgiven for," she said softly, her breath bouncing off his skin, her hand coming to rest on his chest, her fingers curled around his T-shirt, "now are you gonna keep rambling or stop and wish me a good morning?"
A smile broke out on Deeks' face. Oh yeah, he could definitely get used to this.
"Did you just pull the 'shut up and kiss me' stunt?" he asked, a chuckle shaking his chest under her hand.
"So what if I did?" she replied, a cheeky grin on her face.
"Hey, no complaints here, feel free any time," Deeks held up her hand in his, using it to pull her gently down on top of him, watchful of her injury and his.
They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, nothing passing between them but frantic breaths and unspoken words before Deeks leaned up and brushed his lips against hers in a feather-light kiss. He could feel her smile growing bigger before she opened her mouth, deepening the kiss as her other hand reached up to rake through his hair.
His heart hammered in his chest as she pressed herself against him, his hand letting hers fall so he could wrap it around her waist, pulling her closer. She hooked her leg across his waist as their tongues danced, her breathing hitching as she felt the pad of his thumb creep up under her T-shirt.
It was electrifying.
The temperature in the room felt as if it had risen several degrees, both pulses soaring as the need for oxygen soon began to override their need for each other, forcing them to break the kiss, their foreheads resting against each other.
"Wow..." Kensi gasped.
"Yeah," Deeks agreed as he fought to catch his breath.
Their eyes met once more, both reflecting the exact same feelings. Fear. Excitement. And something that they wouldn't name. Not yet.
Kensi bit her lip, something which made Deeks' heart skip a beat before he leaned back up, his mouth an inch from hers. The blond's eyes fluttered closed, bracing himself for another heart-stopping kiss when a loud knock reverberated around the house.
He felt her still, her frantic breaths rising from off his face, signalling that she was sitting up.
"Wha...?" Deeks murmured unintelligibly, his heart sinking.
"Someone's at the door," she replied, her voice sounding weird.
That prompted the ex-liaison to open his eyes and look at her. When he did, he was surprised at what he saw. There, not three feet from him, was his partner, kneeling on her bed and staring back at him as if he were an alien life-form she'd just discovered commandeering her bed.
"Kens what—"
"I—should go get the door. You uh...you stay here," she mumbled before slowly standing up, hand resting gently on her abdomen as she padded out of the room.
Deeks lay there, willing himself to calm down. He didn't think he could move right now even if he wanted to. He was going to joke about it but something about Kensi's face just then stopped him. He severely hoped it was just someone selling something at the door so she could send whoever it was away and get the hell back in here.
It looked like it might be time for their talk.
He could hear voices coming from down the corridor, they wafting quite loudly. With a frown, he slowly sat up, favouring his uninjured arm before freezing like a deer caught in headlights as a very familiar voice began to call out:
"Marty! Where are you, sweetheart?"
Oh shit.
His mother.
Fantastic.
Kensi padded softly but quickly out of the room, willing herself not to look back at the delectable blond man lying in her bed. Jesus, her heart was beating a mile a second! Biting her lip she tried to calm the hell down and compose herself before she got to the door.
She had never experienced anything quite like this. Had never gotten this riled up over a...a little make-out session. Granted, they were in her bed and tensions were running high after everything they'd been through but...wow. She never would have thought...actually, scratch that, she had a good idea what it would be like to fool around with Deeks. At least, she felt like she did. God knows she dreamt about it for long enough. But this, this felt so much better than any of her dreams. Her heart was soaring, her nerve-endings singing, humming in anticipation. If this was how it felt just to kiss him, she couldn't imagine what it'd be like to actually slee—
"Mind outta the gutter Blye," she muttered under her breath as her door came within sight.
She was freaking out; she didn't need sexual fantasies to enter into the equation, not yet. They still had so much to talk about, so much to think about before she could possibly even entertain that idea. But, she didn't realize how easy or how good it would feel to take that step with him – she knew that had the knock on the door not interrupted them, and were they slightly in better health injury-wise, they very could have taken that step that very moment.
And that terrified her.
"Hold on a second," she called to whoever was outside, shaking her head to rid herself of the Deeks distraction that fought to override her brain and searching for her keys.
Finding them on her coffee table, she traipsed forward and unlocked the door, fully prepared to send away whoever it was, only to be met by large, brightly-coloured parcels stacked sky-high, blocking whoever it was from view.
"What—"
"Oh Kensi honey, take a couple of these, just the ones on top that aren't heavy, don't want you hurting yourself," the voice of her mother called from somewhere behind the tower of presents.
With a horrified glance behind her towards her bedroom door, she quickly took a few presents and prayed that Deeks had the sense to stay in her room.
"Mom, what is all this?" she asked, stepping back and regretfully allowing her mother entry into her home.
"They're Christmas presents," another familiar voice replied from behind Julia.
"Angela, hi, I uh...didn't see you there," Kensi gaped as Deeks' mother came into view (carrying her own load of presents), her heart leaping into her throat, beginning to panic.
This was bad. This was so very, very bad.
"It looks like your mom and Angie may have gone a little overboard," yet another familiar voice sounded, startling her.
"Mr Woodruffe," Kensi said, her eyes wide with shock as the ex-police officer stepped through her door.
"Forgive the intrusion Ms Blye," Jimmy apologized with a look to Angela who was now depositing gifts on Kensi's living room floor, "but the ladies insisted and I am only human."
"Marty! Where are you sweetheart?" Angela called out before taking the presents out of Kensi's hands and placing them on the floor with the others.
There was a beat of silence as everybody waited for Deeks to reply. A blush began creeping up Kensi's neck as she thought about where exactly her partner was and what could possibly be running through his mind right now.
"Mom?" his voice called out suddenly, sounding appropriately surprised and not holding an ounce of the anxiety that Kensi was experiencing, "I'll be out in a second. I'm just...in the bathroom."
Kensi breathed a sigh of relief as Angela merely shrugged, apparently accepting her son's story.
"So, coffee anyone?" Julia asked, staring at her daughter who couldn't quite meet her gaze before walking into the kitchen.
"Sounds lovely," Angela nodded, turning her attention to Kensi.
"So sorry about this Kensi, but we went a little overboard and the car was getting a little full," she grinned.
"That's okay Angela, you're welcome here any time," she replied, knowing that 'any time' wasn't exactly what she meant, more like 'any time once she and Deeks knew well in advance so they could avoid precisely this situation.'
"Be careful Kens, an invitation like that and she may never leave," Deeks' voice came from behind her, walking up to them, nodding at Woodruffe and shaking his hand just as Angela reached out and smacked the back of his head before her eyes landed on his injured arm.
"Did he behave for you last night Kensi?"
Kensi gaped at her, exchanging a quick glance with Deeks who was barely containing the smirk that wanted to break out onto his face.
"Uh..." she trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say.
"I just know he can be the worst patient in the world. I remember one time when he got chicken pox—"
"Mom, you really don't need to tell that story," Deeks cut her off, turning to Jimmy, "so, how've you been Jimmy? She driving you crazy yet?" he asked, gesturing over his shoulder to his mother who had now taken Kensi by the hand and was leading her into the kitchen, saying something that sounded awfully like – "Marty's poor behind was red-raw, he couldn't sit down for a week!"
He grimaced as Jimmy smirked at him.
Leave it to his mother to offer up the least-sexiest bit of information about him to the woman of his dreams not moments after their intense make-out session.
The woman had a gift.
Christmas Eve
"I think I'm in a Christmas Nightmare," Kensi grumbled as they sat, surrounded by wrapping paper and bows and sticky tape and a various assortment of presents, it looking very much like an elf had massacred Santa's workshop in the middle of her living room.
"Don't you mean A Nightmare Before Christmas, Sally?" Deeks asked with a cheeky grin before sticking a gold bow onto the gift he was wrapping.
She merely shook her head amusedly at him. It had been over a week since the wrap up of the Bradley case and everything that followed after it and they had yet to get a minute to themselves to talk about anything.
Their mothers had volunteered at the shelter that Deeks had brought her to a few times and had bought presents for everyone there, making their children the chief gift-wrappers whilst they continued to shop and help out, so things had been crazy busy. That, and the fact that Deeks had gone back to work for the last week before Christmas, meant that Kensi had hardly seen him. Before she knew it, it was Christmas Eve and they were hurriedly trying to get everything ready for tomorrow.
"Nightmare or not, it's still better than how we spent last Christmas..." Deeks said as he started on another present.
"Oh yeah, that was one to remember. Naval ships, cocaine-laced paint and you calling my mom a stone-cold fox," Kensi deadpanned without looking at him.
"Funny how you remember that throw away comment so easily..." he smirked, tilting his head at her.
"Saying you want to spend the holidays with me and mom in a hot tub is not something easily forgotten Deeks," Kensi replied without a beat, a quirked eyebrow in his direction.
He chuckled at her but before he could reply, Angela and Julia appeared from the kitchen.
"What's that about a hot-tub?" his mom asked, looking intrigued.
"Nothing mom," Deeks replied quickly before Kensi could say a word, "we're just about done here. Is Jimmy meeting you there?"
"He'll be there with bells on apparently," Angela murmured, her face pensive as she tapped her chin, "huh, I wonder if he meant that literally or figuratively..."
Julia and Kensi laughed as Deeks grimaced for what felt like the hundredth time that week.
"For the sake of my sanity, let's hope he meant figuratively," he shuddered, trying to rid himself of the unpleasant images that were beginning to seep into his brain.
"Oh Marty don't be such a prude! We're all adults here," Angela mock-scolded, winking at Kensi who flushed bright red.
Before his mother could make any more remarks that would likely scare him forever, Deeks leapt up off the floor and shoved the presents into her hands, wincing as he pulled a muscle in his injured arm but ignoring it and plastering on a fake smile.
"Okay, you guys go on ahead without us; we'll catch up a little later!"
"Trying to get rid of us are you?" his mother asked quietly as Julia helped Kensi stand up off the floor before they both walked to the door.
"Mom..." Deeks warned under his breath, glancing at the two brunettes who were apparently in throngs of a conversation and not paying attention to them.
"I know something's changed between you two Marty so there's no point in trying to hide it from me," she informed him, pulling on her coat.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he shrugged, knowing well that she could see right through him.
"If you say so," she sing-songed with a roll of her eyes before turning her attention to Kensi and Julia.
"Well Jules, we better hit the road if we wanna beat the traffic, I'll see you later Kensi sweetheart," she stepped forward, enveloping the younger woman in a gentle hug and kissing her cheek before opening the door for Deeks who was carrying the last of the presents in a large sack out to the car.
"It's a good look for you," Kensi smirked as she followed them outside, wrapping her arms around herself.
"What?" he asked as he put the sack into the trunk and opened the passenger door for his mother as Julia started up the engine.
"Santa's little helper," she grinned, as Deeks closed the door and they both waved their mothers off, watching as the car disappeared into the night air.
"And what does that make you?" he asked as they made their way back inside.
She laughed, turning around to look at him, realizing that this was the first time that they had been entirely alone for the last week.
"Well, I could always borrow Nell's elf outfit, call myself a toy-maker," she smirked, one eyebrow arched as she watched Deeks' eyes practically glaze over, no doubt imagining her dressed as an elf, ears and everything.
"Now there's an idea," he grinned, "I might have to hold you to that..."
She shook her head in amusement before lowering herself down onto the couch, pushing the random scraps of wrapping paper down onto the floor and tilting her head back, eyes closed. She felt Deeks sit down next to her, doing the same, letting out a large sigh followed by a yawn.
"Long day?" she asked, eyes still closed.
"Slow day," he murmured, "Sam was getting antsy, apparently he was afraid we would randomly catch a case and he'd have to nearly miss Christmas again this year."
"I don't blame him," Kensi replied, a yawn overcoming her too.
"The dynamic duo working you hard, little elf?" he asked, nudging her gently with his elbow.
"If I never see wrapping paper again it'll be too soon," she sighed, shifting a little on the couch, her head inadvertently landing on Deeks' shoulder.
She stilled for a moment, her eyes flying open as she waited to see if Deeks would move. When he didn't, she left her head where it was, her eyes fluttering closed again. He was radiating heat, his jacket feeling so soft against her cheek, his slow, deep breathing enough to lull her to sleep...
Maybe five minutes rest would do her some good.
Kensi awoke to the sound of singing.
With a frown, she stared up at her living room ceiling, realizing that she was lying on her back on the couch, a large jacket that had a familiar scent sprawled over her, her partner nowhere in sight. Gently rising, she could now hear the singing more clearly, noting that it was coming from the kitchen and recognizing the voice immediately.
Despite her teasing, Deeks really did have a good voice.
"I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know, make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is yoooooooooooooou, yoooou baby," he was singing along ala Mariah Carey to the radio.
Kensi smothered her laugh with her hand as she carefully stood up and tip-toed towards the kitchen, nearly bursting out in uncontrollable hysterics as she caught sight of her partner dancing around her kitchen with a Santa hat on his head, apparently baking cookies, still singing with enough passion for any X-Factor contestant.
"Santa won't you bring me the one I really need, won't you please bring my baby to me-he-he-he..."
"Simon Cowell would be impressed, Mariah."
Deeks leapt about three feet in the air at Kensi's voice and whirled around, eyes wild.
"K-Kens, when did you wake up?" he gaped before realizing that the tray he was holding was starting to burn him through the oven mitts and quickly deposited it on the counter, hissing at the pain.
"About thirty seconds ago, apparently your carolling was enough to invade my subconscious," she deadpanned before crossing the room, watching as he reefed off the mitts and blew on his fingers.
"I'll take that as a compliment," he grinned, before turning around to grab a plate.
Kensi leaned forward, glancing down at the cookies on the tray, her mouth watering at the assortment of Christmas-shaped goods, they all neatly decorated and smelling divine.
"Those aren't for you Miss I-Swear-I'm-Giving-Up-Refined-Sugar-For-My-New-Year's-Resolution," he rolled his eyes as he glared at him.
"Deeks! That's not fair—"
"These," he interrupted, placing another plate of lukewarm cookies in front of her, "are for you..."
She practically exploded with excitement, already snatching one up and taking a large bite. Deeks watched her amusedly, always a little disturbed at the enthusiasm in which Kensi ate.
"Oh my god Deeks, these are so amazing, I could kiss you," she breathed, taking another bite.
He stilled, eyebrows rising at her comment. He knew it was just a figure of speech but considering they hadn't had a moment to themselves in over a week and he had been left reeling from their last kiss, the prospect of another seemed too good to pass up.
"Well, Santa's little helpers need some sort of compensation...a Christmas kiss might do it," he smirked, watching as it dawned on her what she just said.
Her cheeks flushed red as she swallowed the last of the cookie.
"I don't see any mistletoe...funny, I thought my mom would have sneakily tried to stick some up without us noticing," she replied, stepping around the counter and halting about a foot from him, looking up into his eyes.
"Well, the woman is a ninja, she could give Hetty a run for her money, so there could be some around somewhere...do I need it?" he asked, almost as an afterthought, his voice a little nervous as if he were regretting this topic altogether.
Slowly, Kensi shook her head, leaning up onto her tiptoes and lightly brushing her lips against his.
Before Deeks could react, she sank back down and stepped back, a shy grin on her face.
"One kiss per cookie," she winked before moving across the room to pick up her shoes.
"Well in that case, here, all of these are for you," he pushed all the cookies on the counter towards her.
She laughed, shaking her head at him.
"And what about all the cookies you promised Dean and the boys down at the shelter?"
Deeks avoided her gaze.
"I could make more," he muttered in mock-justification before shaking his head and mumbling light-heartedly, "thanks for the guilt-trip, Kens."
She quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Just reminding you of what's really important Deeks," she smiled, standing up and walking back over to him, an indecipherable expression on her face, "and besides," she shrugged, "since when have I ever needed cookies to kiss you?"
Christmas Day
"I think I'm going to explode."
"Me too."
"Oh you lightweights, this is something you gotta train year-round for," Jimmy Woodruffe gestured to the two partners as they pushed away their plates, each full of Christmas dinner and just about ready to burst.
"It's not the Olympics Jim," Angela laughed, pushing her plate away too as Julia took a sip of wine.
They had had just finished their meal after spending a large chunk of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day down at the shelter. Julia had kindly offered to have them all over for dinner as she was by herself this year, her husband overseas on business. Kensi had come straight from home that morning, arms laden with presents before she did everything she could to help her mother prepare. They then met Deeks, Angela and Jimmy at the shelter, helped out for a few hours before heading back to the Feldman's together.
"Is it present time yet?" Kensi asked, eyeing the large bundle under the tree, feeling like a kid again, the thought warming her chest.
Angela and Julia exchanged glances before nodding.
"Sure Kens," Julia grinned at her daughter as she stood up and calmly walked over to the gifts, trying not to let out her inner child that wanted to dash over and rip open every last gift with borderline-violent enthusiasm.
Deeks chuckled as he watched his partner pick up as many gifts as she could manage and dump them all on the table, each person checking the labels for their names. She may have pretended otherwise but he knew that she had missed this part of Christmas, had missed the child-like wonder that went with it and he knew that this was, in some way, her getting some of that, of what she missed over the years, back.
He was grateful to be a part of it.
"What time are you going to visit Astrid tomorrow?" he asked on the ride back to her place later that night.
Kensi rolled her head to the side to look at him, her smile tired, her eyes a little glassy.
"Around noon. Wanna come with me?"
"And risk the hazardous badassery of you two? No thanks, playing poker with you guys is bad enough," he grumbled as he pulled up at Kensi's house.
"That's because you have a terrible poker-face," she poked him in the cheek with the tip of her finger as he parked the car.
"I think somebody may have had a little too much eggnog," he laughed as he unbuckled his seat-belt and stepped out of the car, walking around it and catching Kensi's door, holding it open for her.
The brunette sat sideways in the passenger seat, her feet planted on the ground, staring up at him in the semi-darkness with an enigmatical expression on her face.
"What?" he asked with a confused smile.
There was a beat of silence where Kensi continued to stare at him wordlessly, apparently having an inner conversation with herself. Deeks merely shook his head at her and held out his hand for her to take. Her eyes flickered from his face to his hand and eventually took it, gently rising and closing the car door behind her. She took an attentive step forward, only to stumble back, pulling Deeks against her as she was pinned between him and the car.
Her partner gaped at her, shocked at the sudden movement, staring down into her eyes as she squeezed his hand, biting her lip.
"Yep, that's a definite on the eggnog," he murmured, his voice a little higher in pitch as if he was nervous.
Her eyes caught his again, they a shade darker than usual as she tilted her head to the side, pulling him even closer to him.
"I may have gone a little overboard celebrating being taken off the pain meds," she agreed with a goofy smile.
"I can see that," Deeks nodded, "come on; let's get you to bed..."
Kensi arched an eyebrow at him, a sly smirk on her face.
"You know what I mean," he shook his head, a grin breaking out on his face at her suggestive nature, before he turned on his heel, still holding her hand in his and gently leading her to the front door.
"Come on little elf, time to rest so you can get up in the morning and start preparing for Christmas all over again," he murmured as he unlocked the door, halting to kick it closed behind them, locking it, taking her hand once more and leading her across the living room, down the corridor towards her bedroom.
Kensi merely let him lead her, her feet heavy, her shoulders sagging. Yep, she was definitely not one hundred per cent herself; if she were, he'd be on his ass right now.
Clearing his throat, Deeks opened the door with his injured hand, relieved that it was not as painful anymore and walked over to Kensi's bed, turning around to face her.
"Okay, I'll leave you to get changed and grab some stuff to sleep on the—"
"Stay with me," she murmured as she sank down onto the bed.
Deeks gaped at her, not knowing if he heard her correctly.
"Kens we—we still haven't had our talk..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Some things," she began, tilting her head up to look at him, her eyes shining brightly in the dimly lit room, "don't need to be talked about."
Deeks leaned down, looking her straight in eye.
"And some things do, Kens," he smiled softly, "but, if you insist, I guess I could keep you company..."
The brunette nodded, kicking off her boots and lying down on the left side of the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
Deeks stood there, not entirely sure what to do but after she turned to look at him, eyebrows raised in a silent 'what are you waiting for?' he took off his shoes and crossed to the right side of the bed, lying down and glancing up to the ceiling.
The two partners lay there in silence for a long moment, the only sound reaching their ears being their mingled breath. Heaving a deep sigh, Kensi broke the silence, still not looking towards the man beside her.
"I've waited a long time for a Christmas like today," she breathed, the warmth and alcohol in her system beginning to lull her to sleep.
"Me too," he replied, turning his head to look at her, his eyes softening as he drank in her tired profile.
"I never would have had it if it weren't for you..." she turned her head towards him, they both staring into each other's eyes.
Slowly, he felt her hand creep down to catch his, lacing their fingers together.
"I—I know you've been wanting to talk and—and I've been avoiding it but...I want you to know that I've...I've no regrets, Deeks," she murmured disjointedly, squeezing his hand.
"I don't either Kensi," he assured her, his thumb sweeping across the back of her hand as he brought it up to his lips and pecking it gently.
She nodded, a small smile on her face.
"Good..." she sighed, her eyes fluttering closed, "we...we just gotta...gotta keep it between us, that's all..."
Deeks stiffened, watching as her breathing began to slow, deepen.
"Yeah, but not forever...we don't have to keep it between us forever, right Kens?" he asked, hating the tenseness in his tone.
"Umm..." was her only reply as she was dragged into the realm of sleep, her face relaxed, growing peaceful.
The ex-liaison bit his lip as he stared down at their joined hands. Conflicted emotions welled up in him. But now was not the time to dwell on these complicated conflictions, now was time for sleep.
And he couldn't think of a better person to sleep next to than Kensi Blye...
New Year's Eve/Day
"I can't believe it's the end of another year," Marty Deeks lamented as his partner placed the pizza on her coffee table and pulled her feet up underneath her as she sank onto the couch.
"I can't believe you're actually agreeing to this," Kensi smirked as she pointed the remote at the TV and flicked on her DVD player.
"Well, any self-respecting man that willingly goes into a store and purchases the John Hughes entire box-set is entitled to get his money's worth," he informed her, as he picked up a fistful of popcorn.
"I knew you were a fan," she clicked her fingers at him, "it was a very thoughtful present, thank you," she chuckled as he shoved the popcorn into his mouth, "my mom is already planning another marathon."
"Speaking of moms, where are ours?" he asked, his voice a little muffled as he chewed.
"At a New Year's Eve party uptown," she smirked, "they have better social lives than we do."
"Speak for yourself, Monty and I do okay, don't we Monty?" Deeks asked as the canine in question traipsed in from Kensi's kitchen.
The brunette rolled her eyes before patting the spot between her and Deeks on the couch. With puppy-like enthusiasm, Monty leapt up beside her and began trying to lick her face.
"No, Monty! No kisses!" Deeks scolded as Kensi chuckled, scratching the dog behind his ears.
"Jealous, Deeks?" she couldn't help but ask, a twinkle in her eye.
"Yeah, Monty was saving those kisses for me," he replied instantly with a quirk of his eyebrow.
She rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the TV, grinning as the words 16 Candles came up on the screen.
"You promise we'll watch at least three episodes of Breaking Bad after this, right?" Deeks asked, appearing alarmed that his partner wouldn't keep up her end of the bargain.
"Promise," she smiled as she made herself comfortable.
The ex-liaison shifted, moving Monty's tail so he could get comfortable too.
Just two hours left until they said goodbye to yet another year.
Stifling a yawn, Deeks checked his watch, his eyebrows shooting up as he realized the time.
"Kens...hey, Kens," he whispered, shaking his slumbering partner gently on the shoulder.
"Mmmph," she mumbled before her eyes slowly peeked open and surveyed her surroundings, noting that she was getting in quite the habit of falling asleep with her head on Deeks' shoulder.
"It's nearly midnight," he nudged her gently, switching the TV over to the live coverage of the block party downtown.
"I think I've had enough of countdowns, thanks," she grumbled, switching the TV off and turning to face him.
Deeks felt a sudden shift in the ambiance, frowning as he watched Kensi avoid eye contact with him. A surge of discomfort rose in his stomach.
"Kens are you—"
"I'm sorry," she interrupted him, biting her lip.
"For what?" he asked, trying to push down the fear that was beginning to seep into his veins.
"I—I know that I've been acting a little...weird lately..." she sighed, "since...since we—since the morning after you took down Bradley..." she trailed off, keeping her eyes on Monty.
A warmth flowed into Deeks chest as he remembered fondly the morning of over two weeks before and their little make out session before they were unceremoniously interrupted by their mothers of all people.
"I—" she cleared her throat, forcing herself to look him in the eye, "I freaked out a little, I admit that," she grumbled, standing up off the couch and pacing the room, "it—it's much easier than I thought it would be, taking that step with you and—I just don't want to screw this up, Deeks. I can't," she finished as she ran a hand through her hair, letting out a puff of air.
Deeks stood up, stepping close to her, staring into her eyes with as much conviction as he could manage.
"What makes you think you'll screw this up, Kens? Aren't I supposed to be the screw up?" he asked with a small smile, trying to ease her anxiety.
She merely stared at him, clearly agitated at the feelings that she had been keeping a lid on for over two weeks.
"I go back to work in a couple of days, Deeks," she kept his gaze, "and like I said before, I have no regrets, I don't. It's just...it's a big change and there's our careers to consider so can we...can we just, take things slow and—and have it be ours? Just ours that nobody can interfere with?" she asked, her hands clenched tightly at her sides.
He realized what she was asking. She wanted discretion, some secrecy if they were to continue down this path. He'd be lying if he said it hadn't crossed his mind, the potential negative effect their newfound relationship could have on their work life. But to him, she trumped all, as foolish or as idealistic as that may have sounded. So really he was prepared to keep it between them if it meant that they could be more than just partners, despite wanting to shout it from the rooftops. It was the smart thing to do in this situation, at least, for the immediate future.
"Okay Kens, don't worry, we'll go as slow as you like," he caught her hand, "just...if you feel like freaking out or if things are getting too intense or...just please, come to me, okay? Tell me about it. Don't bottle it up, we've both spent years bottling everything up and it didn't get us anywhere..." he trailed off, his eyes darting from her eyes to her lips and back again.
Slowly, she nodded, taking a deep breath, trying to expel the insecurities that had plagued her these last couple of weeks, trying not to dwell on what could possibly go wrong in this foray into something deeper with Deeks and instead focus on what could go very, very right. It was enough to cause a small smile to break out onto her face.
"Okay, deal..." she nodded.
"All we need is a good name to solidify our new found status," Deeks clicked his fingers and quirked his eyebrow in his typical fashion of lightening the mood.
"I thought it was Densi?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her breath bouncing off his cheek.
Deeks swallowed, trying to slow his frantic heartbeat.
"Uh uh, no, we need something more...catchy. Like Brangelina...oh yeah, I can totally stand in a corner with weird lighting and talk about random crap..."
"I'm sure you could...you'd need to grow out your hair though, and I gotta say Deeks, I don't dig the Fabio look," she burst his little bubble with a grin and a sharp tug of his hair.
She really did love running her fingers through it...he loved it too.
"Really?" Deeks grimaced; he didn't think he could pull off a Fabio.
She quirked an eyebrow.
"Okay, no Brad or Angelina then. I'll keep brainstorming..." he trailed off, stepping even closer, and brushing a knuckle across her jaw.
He loved doing that too.
"You really think all we need is a good name and we'll be fine? Sounds like the perfect foundation," Kensi rolled her eyes, a faux-sigh on her lips as she caught his hand on her cheek and held it.
"You kidding? It's the perfect foundation for a relationship. Karty, Beeks, Dyle. Oh no, I got it! Mensi! Oh yeah, that's it…we're totally Mensi…" he trailed off, wrapping his arms around her waist.
Kensi's nose wrinkled, "eww Deeks, don't be gross."
"Not gross…creative," he smirked, sweeping a brunette tendril behind her ear with a grin.
"And gross," she groused before a small smile spread across her face, "you said relationship, by the way…" she trailed off, poking him gently in the chest as her other hand wrapped around the back of his neck.
"I know…" he murmured before chuckling as she closed the gap between them, capturing his lips with hers.
After a moment, Kensi broke the kiss, quickly glancing at her watch.
"Oh would you look at that, it's official January 1st..." she smiled, "guess we got our New Year's kiss in early."
"Now that is a good way to start the year," Deeks grinned as she leaned in to kiss him again.
Although never a believer in false promises, the ex-liaison was for once going to make a New Year's Resolution that he would stick to if it killed him. He was going to do everything in his power to make this work with Kensi. He was not going to screw it up. He was not going to disappoint her or himself.
This was the beginning of something beautiful...
The sound of clanging chains reverberated down the long corridor as two shackled feet made their long trek towards the very last cell, left, right, left, right, left, right...
"I will be in touch tomorrow, Oliver. Until then, try to get some sleep," Viktor Kajetan nodded as his client, Oliver Bradley, stepped into the cell, the chains rattling against the bars as he waited patiently for the guard to remove them.
"Hey, hey Oliver, look at me," Viktor coaxed, trying to catch his eye, "I'm going to do my very best to—"
"I deserve everything I get Kajetan," Bradley interjected, "there's just one thing I want you to do for me."
The lawyer's eyebrows shot up, not expecting this reaction at all. Trying to reign in his feeling of displeasure, he sighed and enquired, "and what is that?"
There was a beat of silence before Oliver's eyes finally raised from off the floor, they piercing in intensity as he stared down at the shorter man.
"I want a sit down, I will answer anything they want me to," he murmured, just as the guard slid the barred door shut, the sound bouncing off the walls, ringing in the prisoner's ears.
"But," Oliver continued, stepping forward and wrapping his fingers around the cold iron, "I'll only talk to one man...NCIS Agent Marty Deeks.
A/N: Whew! I just squeezed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Eve/Day all into one chapter. That's a lot of holidays hehe ;)
Oh! And I know there are some of you that are like "Ck, where is the content on Deeks' birthday?" It's true, originally, I had written about Deeks' birthday but I've decided to postpone it until we see the next episode of NCIS: LA, just to see if it's addressed etc. But I will tease that I will be writing about Deeks' birthday in some way, shape or form in the next chapter, but of course it'll be for next year, January 8th 2014. Is that confusing? Maybe. But you'll see what I mean...anyway, next chapter will be normal, case-wise, team-wise and will be the start of a new arc etc. and will feature some Densi sneaking around at work ;)
I also just noticed after posting that I referenced eyebrows a lot in this chapter, not sure what that's about or what quite came over me lol XD guess I'm an eyebrows gal ;)
Please Review
~Cortexikid
*Sorry, I keep randomly channelling Jesse Pinkman. Guess that's the side-effect of getting (and re-watching) the DVD box-sets for Christmas. Side-Note: Breaking Bad is a weird show to watch with your mum...oh and according to Family Guy, I'm supposed to recommend Breaking Bad to everyone so yeah, watch Breaking Bad, it's probably the best show ever, except for maybe The Wire! Lol XD Lame reference is lame. I've never actually seen The Wire :O *gasp*
NEXT CHAPTER TEASER:
"There's something different about you Kensi..." the psychologist observed through narrowed eyes.
The agent stilled, willing her face to remain expressionless. Nate was like a bloodhound for body-language and she wasn't going to make it easy for him.
"You got a new man in your life?" he asked with a grin, raking in her tousled hair and same clothes she wore the day before.
Kensi shook her head, allowing the irk she felt to cross her features.
"Nope...not a new man," Nate murmured to himself, "old man then?"
The brunette took a sip of her coffee, her eyes staring straight ahead.
"Well, knowing your preferences, he can't be that much older than you so I'm going with an old flame, someone you've dated before," he continued his one-sided conversation, coming to lean against Deeks' desk, arms folded.
Kensi sat back in her chair, folding her arms, mirroring him, still not breathing a word.
"Nope, that's not it either," Nate shook his head, a puzzled expression now on his face.
With a quirk of her eyebrow, the agent leaned forward and rested her elbows on her desk, her eyes reaching his.
"How do you know it's a man?"
Nate gaped at her.
"Whoa, Sapphic undertones, my favourite," Deeks' voice sounded just as he walked up to the pair, his eyes flashing with mirth as he took in the scene before him.
"So," he turned to his partner, a secretive, knowing glance passing between them, "what did I miss? You know, apart from what I imagine is the incredibly hot woman you're now apparently dating?"