"I shouldn't be here," she insists.
He touches her arm, "You should come inside."
"That isn't necessary," she rebuts.
He nods, as if he understands. He reaches into the pocket of his shorts, and pulls out his phone. He pops the case off, and pulls something out from between the case and the phone. He places the item on the console between them. He turns towards her.
"You have my number. The door is always open, Kensi." He grabs the door handle, and pushes the door open. He exits the vehicle, and heads towards the house. She locks the door, and sits in silence for several moments. She turns to her right, and lifts the item off the surface of the console. She examines the item. It nearly brings her to tears. She tucks it into the pocket of her pants.
December 26th, 1998
She stands outside the recruiter's office. This is the first time she has returned since a kind stranger offered a warm meal, and a bed to sleep in. She peers in the door, and sees a familiar face inside. The air is cool as evening approaches. The doors open, and a group of young men exits the office. She chews on her thumbnail nervously as she pulls the door open. She enters the office to find Kevin sitting alone in the office. He makes eye contact, and rises to greet her. She stops in front of his desk. He waits for her to break the silence, but she doesn't. She hands him a package, and turns to leave. He moves towards the door, to follow her. She bolts out the door, and runs. The Chuck Taylor's on her feet are held together with duct tape. The soles are worn, and the canvas is dirty. She races several blocks before she slows down. She ducks into an empty building, and hopes that she hasn't been followed.
She enters her the modest domicile that she shares with her boyfriend, and partner. She closes the door, and the smell of food permeates through the house. She enters the kitchen, and finds Deeks making an omelet. She takes a seat on the barstool. He looks up at her, and grins. He places a plate in front of her with an omelet on it. He makes eye contact with her.
"You okay?"
"Sure," she answers, as he hands her a fork.
He tilts his head, and cocks an eyebrow, "You're being weird."
"You should eat before your food gets cold," she responds, dodging the question.
"Hold up, what's going on?"
"Please drop it," she implores him.
"Kensi I want to be supportive here, but you're making it hard. I need more information on what's going on."
"Please trust me. You don't want to know."
"Of course I do," he argues.
"Deeks, sometimes it is better if you don't know."
"Name one example," he replies.
"Last week when I took Monty for his walk we didn't actually walk. We waited until you left, and I took him for ice cream."
"You fed him ice cream?"
"Don't be ridiculous, he had a hamburger."
"You know he is not supposed to eat people food!"
"That is why I didn't tell you."
"It's just that he's my baby," he explains.
"Well this is a lot bigger than that," she reveals.
"So just tell me. Why won't you tell me?"
She breaks eye contact, and shifts her glance to her plate. "What if you change your mind about us?"
"I wouldn't do that," he insists.
"You don't know what this is about."
"Kensi, nothing is going to change between us. Everyone has a past."
"I live here. We still have to work together."
He furrows his brow, "You're afraid that whatever it is you have to say is going to cause us to break up?"
"Yes," she confirms.
"We have been through so much. What would possibly make you think that?"
"This will make you see me differently. I can't imagine it will be easy to digest. I don't even like to think about it."
"Kensi what are we talking about, here?"
She exhales, and shifts her eyes towards his face. Her heart beat quickens, and her stomach begins doing backflips. She wonders how he will react to a truth that most days she can't even face. She reaches into her pocket, and pulls out a picture. She places the picture on the counter, and slides it towards him. He looks down, and finds a school picture in front of him. He shakes his head as he removes the picture from the counter. He studies the picture of the teenager, and shrugs. He makes eye contact with Kensi.
"Isn't this the kid that Sam interviewed?"
"Yes," she nods.
"The kid that you didn't want to interview?" He clarifies.
"Yes."
"Why are you showing me this?"
"I didn't feel comfortable interviewing Kane."
"Because?"
"I told you that I knew Kevin."
"Yes."
"I knew his brother too."
"Better?" He doesn't mince words.
"Definitely," she confirms.
"So you were involved with Michael, when you were younger? Why is that such a big deal? We all have exes, I know that I have my fair share," he rambles.
"I was young, and he was some cute guy in a uniform."
"Kensi, it happens. Why are you being so hard on yourself? You thought that it would be awkward to interview his kid? I mean I don't know your history, but I doubt that he would have cared. Ultimately we were trying to find his brother's killer. I think he would have put differences aside."
"This isn't about Michael," she clarifies.
"I don't understand. Are you suddenly afraid of teenage boys? I have seen you incapacitate two hundred and fifty pound men."
She points to the picture, "Just this one."