Sorry for the late update. Hope you like it.
There were still some things about Kensi that Deeks didn't know, but one thing that was becoming increasingly apparent to him was that she did not do well in small, enclosed spaces. She had started kicking at the trunk just minutes after they had been put in and other than causing a lot of noise, it had resulted in Deeks having bruised calves from where her heel had collided with them time and time again.
"Ouch, Kens watch where you're swinging that!" Deeks hissed in pain and irritation.
Kensi ignored him and kicked at the door again only for Deeks to take her by surprised by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest tightly.
"Deeks, let go of me." Kensi struggled against him only to be pulled further into his chest so that his head rested right above hers.
"Calm down." Deeks said soothingly and continued to do so until he could feel her slowly relaxing. "I told you, I sent an alert to the team which means that they are more than likely looking for us."
"I'm not worried about us Deeks." Kensi admitted.
"I know." Deeks said and gently laid his head against hers. "The kids are going to be just fine Kensi. It shouldn't take too long for Callen and Sam to find us and when they do, we'll head back to OPS and take them off Hetty's hands."
"They've already been through so much, I don't want them freaking out because we're missing." Kensi sighed heavily.
"Like I said, they'll be okay, and anyway, they have us now." Deeks pointed out.
Kensi tensed slightly before she turned in his arms so that she could face him, her bottom lip between her teeth.
"Deeks, do you…Do you feel like I'm using you?" Kensi slowly asked and saw a confused look cross his face.
"What?" He asked.
"With the kids, I don't want you to feel like I'm using you to help take care of them." Kensi explained.
"I don't feel that way." Deeks admitted. "Kens, if I felt like you were using me then I would let you know. I'll admit that I was scared when you first asked me to help you but those kids grow on you like a fungus. Before you know it, they are a part of you whether you want them to be or not. I'm helping you take care of them because I want to, not because I feel obligated or trapped."
"Good, I'm glad to hear that." Kensi smiled and relaxed a bit.
"What about you, do you feel trapped by them?" Deeks asked.
It had only occurred to him then that while they had focused solely on the kids, they hadn't really talked about her becoming their parent and her life having changed because of that.
"I wouldn't really say that I feel trapped." Kensi shook her head. "Overwhelmed a bit though."
"Well that makes sense; I mean you went from being just you for the most part, to being a parent to three children." Deeks lightly shrugged. "You're not alone anymore."
"Yeah," Kensi said and looked up at him, their gazes locking.
In that moment they both felt something shift slightly, whether it was the fact that neither of them was alone anymore or something else, they were not sure. The next thing they knew though, the latch on the trunk clicked and they were soon blinded by the sun as it filtered through the now open trunk.
"Sam, I've got them!" Callen called out as the two of them climbed from the trunk, their legs stiff.
"How did you manage to get stuffed in a trunk?" Sam groused, walking over with a crowbar in his hand.
"Just lucky I guess." Deeks groaned when he stretched and his back popped.
"Well either way, you're both needed back at OPS." Callen announced and felt slightly surprised when they both instantly turned concerned eyes to him.
"The kids woke up, you weren't there…"Sam trailed off.
"Let's go." Kensi said and led the way to the car.
They could hear the kids before they even entered the building.
Kensi and Deeks shared a look and quickly made their way into the building where they could see Nell and Eric trying to calm the kids down, but to no avail. It wasn't until the kids saw them walk into the room that they calmed down slightly and ran towards them.
Kensi staggered slightly when Will collided with her legs, and watched Deeks pick up the other two kids who clung to him like plastic wrap.
"Hey, hey, it's alright we're right here." Kensi said when she felt Will start to shake.
"You were gone and we couldn't find you." Will sniffled and wiped at his eyes.
"Gone," Isla chimed and looked at Deeks with big eyes.
"We got a little stuck." Deeks explained. "But our friends Sam and Callen came and got us."
"So you're okay?" Will asked.
"You bet we are buddy." Kensi smiled at him and picked him up. "Deeks and I are just fine."
"Okay." Will sighed and rested his head on her shoulder.
"Can we go home now?" Elijah asked.
Kensi and Deeks both turned to look at Hetty who had a small smile on her face. She seemed to weigh her decision before she sighed.
"I'm sure agents Hanna and Callen can work on this on their own for the day." She said. "However, I want the two of you to fill them in on what happened before you leave."
"We can do that." Deeks nodded and looked at Kensi. "Ladies first."
Kensi rolled her eyes and carefully handed Will over to him, smiling at the sight of Deeks trying to balance three kids at once. He managed somehow though and made his way over to the bullpen where he sat them on his desk.
It didn't take long to fill the team in on what had happened and how they had ended up in the trunk of a car. By the time that both of them had filled the rest of the team in, Callen and Sam both had mildly confused looks on their faces.
"Why would they put you in the trunk?" Callen asked.
"To get us out of the way?" Deeks offered as explanation.
"Yeah but for what?" Sam questioned. "The insurance policy that you found isn't really worth pointing a gun at an agent and cop. It would merely tell what the wife would get in life insurance. It's something that we could find out on our own."
"Your guess is as good as ours." Kensi shrugged.
Sam sighed and shook his head. "I still don't feel right about the wife. I mean is it possible that she lied?"
"Anything is possible, but to me she seemed genuinely upset about her husband's death." Callen pointed out.
"I'm with Callen on this one." Kensi agreed and looked at her watch. "It's almost lunch time, so Deeks and I should probably get the kids home."
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one. Deeks, plus kids…Sounds like a dangerous combination." Sam teased.
"That hurts, that really hurts." Deeks mock pouted and clutched at his heart for affect.
"Suck it up big guy." Callen laughed.
Kensi just shook her head and grasped the back of Deeks' shirt to get him moving.
"Let's go." She said.
"What do you guys want for lunch?" Deeks asked when they got back to the house, Isla in his arms.
"Mac n' cheese!" Elijah exclaimed and jumped up on the couch so that he could look at them over the back.
"Yes!" Will and Isla agreed together.
"Alright, let's get you fed." Deeks bounced Isla in his arms.
He then walked over to the couch and put her down with Elijah while Kensi tried to find something on TV for them to watch.
"Can I help?" Will asked when Deeks started to pull out a pan and some boxes of macaroni and cheese.
"Sure you can." Deeks lifted him up and put him on the counter.
Kensi watched them for a minute and then sat down between Isla and Elijah who both curled into her sides, eyes fixated on the TV as a funny cartoon started playing. She placed an arm around the kids and listened to the sound of Deeks instructing Will on what to do to make their lunch, a smile on her face.
"You need to be careful." Deeks said when Will helped him drain the pasta.
"Like this?" Will asked while he very carefully dumped off the water.
"Yes, just like that." Deeks smiled and helped him put the pan back on the burner before he grabbed the butter and milk.
After instructing Will on how much butter and milk to put in, the boy stirred in the cheese.
"We're all done!" Will called out when it was all stirred and Deeks filled bowls for everyone.
"This looks amazing guys." Kensi praised and got a wide smile from the little boy.
"Thanks!" Will smiled and helped get his brother and sister into their seats.
"Eat up," Deeks said and handed out the bowls.
"Marty are you going to stay?" Will asked once they had all sat down to eat.
Deeks looked at the little boy and his siblings who were gazing at him expectantly, and then to Kensi who looked just as lost as he felt.
"Uh, I don't know." Deeks admitted.
"We'll figure that our later okay?" Kensi asked.
"Okay." Will relented and went back to eating.
Once they were done, Kensi got Elijah and Isla down for naps while Deeks played with Will until he too fell asleep. It was kind of amazing how much children slept and how much constant energy they seemed to have.
"They want you here." Kensi said once Deeks had laid Will down on the couch and covered him with a blanket. "But I don't want you to feel pressured."
"Surprisingly I don't. You would think that I would, but helping with the kids and being here for them feels…Right." Deeks explained.
"Yeah but moving in would be, you know, huge." Kensi tried to stay as nonchalant as possible.
"Yeah it would." Deeks agreed and wet his lips. "Uh how about…How about we both think about it some before making a decision?"
"Yeah, that uh, that sounds good." Kensi nodded.
"Okay." Deeks said.
"Okay." Kensi parroted and left the room, both of them thinking about what him moving in would entail.
Neither really sure if they were ready for what could happen, but both wanting to find out.