Kensi sat on the kitchen counter with Isla held securely in her lap as they watched Deeks go from one side of the room to the other, preparing all of the food that they had bought on their way home. It was kind of like watching tennis match played by just one person. One person who had put on a flowery apron that looked oddly at place on his broad frame.
"You know Deeks, if you hadn't have bought so much stuff you wouldn't be running around like a chicken with its head cut off." Kensi stated and got a distracted shrug in return.
"Have you ever cooked for this many people?" Deeks huffed and then stopped what he was doing and got a slightly pinched look on his face. "No wait; you're Kensi the girl that can burn water."
"I'm not that bad." Kensi protested and got a smirk from him.
"Sure you're not." Deeks teased and reached out to gently ruffle Isla's brown curls in a way that made the little girl giggle.
"Ken-I, hungry," Isla said and gazed at Kensi with the best puppy dog eyes she had ever seen.
"Alright kiddo, let's get you and your brothers a snack." Kensi placed a smacking kiss on Isla's cheek, eliciting more giggles as Kensi hopped off the counter and effortlessly transferred the little girl to her hip.
She deposited Isla to her highchair and quickly cut up some apples and placed the slices on paper plates with liberal amounts of peanut butter. She then called the boys in and smiled as they happily accepted their treat.
Just a few seconds later, her gaze was pulled away from the children and towards Deeks when she felt him take her hand in his own and slowly guide her to where he had been preparing food.
"You, Kensi, are going to help." He explained and saw the incredulous look on her face. "Don't worry; I'm not leaving you alone."
Kensi looked up at him, their eyes locking in the understanding that he had meant more than just with cooking. He wasn't going to leave her, them.
"Good." Kensi quietly said and let out a small sigh of relief when he smiled that one smile that he seemed to save just for her.
"All that I need you to do right now is stir the potatoes as they boil." Deeks instructed.
Their simple burgers and hot dogs had morphed to include fruit salad, potato salad, kabobs and ice cream. They had also called Hetty while in the grocery store and invited her over with the promise of providing tea. She had agreed, which had brought their number of guests to six which had been manageable. It wasn't until Kensi pointed out that they should invite Michelle and the kids as well that Deeks had decided to buy out half the food in the grocery store.
"You do know that we're only feeding them one meal right?" Kensi raised an eyebrow as she looked at the half dozen bowls stuffed to the rim.
"We invited over nine people Kensi. Three of which are men that can pack away a decent amount of food." Deeks pointed out.
Kensi thought about is a moment and then nodded. She had known Sam, Callen and Eric to pack away enough food that they had seriously made her wonder if they were preparing for hibernation.
"I think these are done." Kensi said as she stabbed a potato only for it to split in two.
Instead of taking the pan from her, Deeks stepped up behind her, one hand landing on a hip as he gazed over her shoulder. He felt her slightly tense as he breathed her in, a devilish smirk spreading on his lips.
She turned her head just slightly and found him looking at her, their gazes locking in a heated stare, only broken when his eyes flitted down to her lips and then back up as his right hand caressingly cupped her left cheek and he very slowly leaned into her.
Kensi closed her eyes, anticipating what she knew was going to happen. Her stomach erupted with butterflies and her heart beat so hard she was sure that he could hear it. His breath fanned across her lips in a tantalizing way just an inch from hers. One slight move would close the distance, and they were so close, so very close, when they were startled apart by someone knocking on the front door.
"I uh, I'll go get that." Kensi swallowed thickly and practically sprinted from the room.
When she got to the door, it was to find the Hanna family along with G who had apparently carpooled with them.
"Hey guys, glad you found the place." Kensi stepped aside to let them all in. "Make yourselves at home. Deeks is just finishing up with the cooking."
"You have a nice place." Michelle pointed out, looking at the place in appreciation.
"She's been looking at moving for a while now." Sam rolled his eyes.
"Everyone needs a change every now and then." Kensi pointed out and got a nod of approval from Michelle while Sam sent a look of annoyance at her.
They made their way back into the kitchen where Kensi wasn't at all surprised to find that Deeks had forgone the apron and apparently hidden it somewhere since it wasn't anywhere in sight.
"Foods almost done and everyone else should be here soon." Deeks said, while picking up the now empty paper plates that the kids had left on the table.
"Well look at you, cooking and cleaning. In just a matter of days you've turned into Mr. Mom." G teased Deeks who just shrugged.
"Hey you know what G, until you have kids you can't really say much." Sam pointed out and looked to both Kensi and Deeks. "From what I've seen, you're both doing a wonderful job with these kids."
"Thanks Sam." Kensi beamed.
"Yeah, thanks." Deeks said, taken aback slightly at having a compliment like that given to him by Sam.
Sam nodded and headed into the living room, followed by G and Michelle while the kids went in search of Will, Elijah and Isla.
Just a few minutes later, the rest of them arrived and settled in, Hetty with a hot cup of tea while the others gathered around the TV, Nell having found the game.
"So what's it been like taking care of three kids?" Eric asked, having no interest in the game that had Nell, Sam and G enthralled.
"The first couple days were the hardest." Kensi said. "Other than that they've been pretty easy."
"How have they been without their parents?" Michelle inquired.
"Will has mentioned them a couple times, but the other two haven't." Deeks pointed out and looked over to where the kids where playing with the Hanna girls.
"Children are surprisingly resilient Mr. Deeks." Hetty said around the rim of her mug.
"Yeah I guess so." Deeks sighed.
"Sorry if I'm being nosy." Michelle said and leaned back in the chair she was sitting in. "But you seem really comfortable here with Kensi and the kids. It just makes me wonder if you're living here with them."
At these words, Hetty and Eric both looked to Kensi and Deeks with curious looks.
"Uh, actually Deeks is going to be moving in." Kensi bit her bottom lip and gazed at Hetty who held her stare.
"We're going to have to sit down and have a talk then." Hetty lightly sighed and put her cup down.
"Okay." Deeks nodded.
"Okay then." Hetty also nodded and smoothed her hands over her pants. "So I believe we were promised food."
Kensi and Deeks both gratefully took the change of subject, with Deeks heading to the kitchen to grab the burgers and hot dogs to grill. Kensi stayed where she was though and continued to idly chat with the others until Deeks called them all over to grab plates and eat.
The atmosphere was one of a calm family gathering, something that neither Kensi nor Deeks had experienced in a very long time. It was relaxing with the kids migrating from one adult to the other, getting to know them, and the adults getting to spend some quality time together outside of work.
It was many hours later when they first started to disperse and only after they had consumed most of the food, and the kids had constructed an elaborate fort out of sheets, pillows and the living room furniture.
Hetty was the last to leave, giving them a knowing look and smile as she informed them once again that they were going to have to sit down for a talk soon about them living together and taking care of the kids. It was only when they promised that they would do so that she left.
"I think that went over well." Deeks said and started cleaning up.
"Me too." Kensi agreed and looked at the kids who were playing in the fort together. Each kid was sporting drooping eyes and kept yawning widely. "I think they're ready for bed."
Deeks looked over as well and smiled. "Hey guys go get ready for bed."
"Do we have to?" Will pouted.
"Yes." Kensi nodded and heard him sigh. "I'll go help them while you clean up."
"I get to cook and clean? Maybe Callen was right; I'm turning into a housemaid." Deeks teasingly huffed.
"Nah, housemaids don't talk as much." Kensi smirked and whisked the kids upstairs.
She returned minutes later with Will, the other two having fallen asleep almost instantly.
"Can I sleep in the fort tonight?" Will rubbed at his tired eyes.
"I don't know buddy." Kensi bit her bottom lip at the thought of leaving him alone downstairs. If there was one thing she hated doing, it was sleeping on the floor.
"I can camp with him." Deeks offered and got a beaming, yet tired, smile from Will.
"Are you sure?" Kensi asked and got a nod.
"Yup, Will and I can handle a night in the fort." Deeks placed his hand on Will's small shoulder.
"Okay but only for tonight." Kensi directed at the boy. "I want you back in your own bed tomorrow."
"Yes!" Will exclaimed and disappeared into the fort.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Deeks said with affection in his eyes that made Kensi's knees weak.
It still surprised her how much he cared for the kids and how much he was willing to do for them.
"Okay, uh, I'm going to head to bed." Kensi said, feeling a surge of tension between them.
"Yeah, night Kens," Deeks gave her a half smile.
They looked at each other for a minute more before Kensi turned and started to make her way to the stairs only to stop at the bottom step and close her eyes. She had just a moment of hesitation before she turned back around and made her way back to Deeks, her hands finding his face and drawing him into a kiss that sent shockwaves through their systems. He reciprocated quickly and pulled her closer to him as their lips brushed together.
The kiss was over in just seconds, with Kensi pulling back and placing her hands on his chest gently.
"Good night Marty." She said so quietly that only he could hear.
"Good night Kensi." He responded and sighed at the feeling of lose once Kensi's hands left his chest and she pulled away to head upstairs.
He watched her until she vanished from sight, a huge smile blossoming on his face.