A/N: Another Friday, another chapter. Oh and in case you were wondering...No we don't own the show or anything to do with the show. We do not make money from our writing...Though that would be pretty cool...

Deeks was a mess between elated and guilty as he and Will made final touch ups to the living room fort that they would be sleeping in that night. Elated because the girl of his dreams had kissed him senseless and he had loved every breathtaking moment of it, but guilty because Will had to repeat several sentences to get through his love-induced brain fog that was clouding his mind. Luckily once they had piled into the fort, Will was unconscious to the world within moments, leaving Deeks to replay the earlier event over and over in his mind. He felt like a teenage girl who had just gotten her first kiss and the thought made him snort out loud. Except that upstairs laying in a bed all by herself, dressed in only a t-shirt, was the very girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and she had just made a critical move that pushed them both past that line they'd been dancing around for ages now. Only the reminder that Will might freak out if he woke up alone kept him in that fort and not racing upstairs to continue what she had started and it was still hard. After a few hours of tossing and turning, Deeks finally drifted off in a fitful rest, his dreams filled with his partner.

Kensi woke up well before her alarm went off to the soft cries of a child coming from another room. In a daze, Kensi followed the sounds to Isla's room where she found the little girl sitting up in her crib and crying as she swiped at her eyes and nose.

"Hey sweetie," Kensi cooed and reached in to grab the toddler up and held her close while she fisted her hands in her pajama shirt for dear life. "What's wrong baby girl?"

"Miss mommy, miss daddy," she said brokenly through sobs.

Tears filled Kensi's eyes and she fought to keep them at bay. "Me too, honey. Me too."

"Is everyone okay?" Came a gruff and sleepy voice from the doorway and Kensi locked watering eyes onto her partners and bit her lower lip. Without any words Deeks stepped forward and wrapped his arms around them both, resting his forehead on top of Kensi's head and rubbed soft circles on Isla's back until the girls' cries slowed to the occasional sniffle. With a lingering kiss first on Isla's forehead and then on Kensi's he started ushering them toward Kensi's room.

"What about Will?" Kensi asked in a whisper as she followed her partner's lead.

"I carried him to bed," Deeks whispered back as they entered the bedroom and tidied the blanket on the bed before reaching out for Isla and tucking her into the middle of the bed and then climbing in on the farthest side and waiting for Kensi to catch on. Luckily she did quickly enough and climbed in on the other side of the already sleeping toddler.

"Thank you, Deeks," Kensi whispered, feeling so unsure that she would be able to raise these three kids without him.

"Anytime, partner," Deeks grinned sleepily and reached a hand across the toddler to link fingers with hers. They both drifted asleep with the toddler between them and small smiles on their faces.

The next day everyone seemed more than a bit drowsy and Kensi declared that it would be an early night for them all that night. Of course the kids would get a chance to nap during the day so who knew if that plan would actually come to fruition. Dropping off Will had gone only slightly smoother than the previous attempt, but at least Isla and Elijah were easy enough to drop off. They had only time enough to set their respective bags down by their desks before Hetty was standing between them and her own office, staring them down without words.

"Guess it's time to face the choir," Deeks sighed dramatically, trying to make light of the impending meeting, but also terrified out of his mind that Hetty would make some life altering decision for them. Like, they could no longer be partners. He didn't trust anyone else to have Kensi's back and he wasn't going to give her up without a fight.

"Have a seat," Hetty said calmly, taking her own seat. "Tea?"

"Uh, no thanks," Kensi responded out loud while Deeks just shook his head 'no'.

"I will just cut to the chase then," Hetty said after a long sip. "I am quite pleased that both of you have stepped up to take on the role of parents to those three beautiful children. They need you both very much and I think in raising these kids, you will also need each other. But I need to be very clear that your work performance cannot change unless it is for the better and if myself or others notice that it is slipping, we will have to alter your current positions so that things can run smoothly again."

"Like break up our partnership?" Kensi's voice was strained with the panic she felt through her entire body.

"No, you can't," Deeks spoke immediately, his voice low and dangerous sounding.

Hetty only raised an eyebrow at them until both sets of emotions shifted to despair and fury.

"I could always bring in another two agents to do field work and you two can both stay here," Hetty offered.

Kensi balked at that idea while Deeks cooled down. He had to admit that the idea of Kensi not being in any danger was very appealing, but he also knew she'd never go for it.

"It doesn't matter," Deeks finally spoke up. "Because we're a great team and that isn't changing."

Kensi looked over at him, willing herself to really believe him, that despite what happened on the home front they would be as amazing as they always were in the field. Did this mean they would have to remain partners and friends and her oh-so-bold move the night before had been for nothing? Despair came back on the heels of her temporary joy from Deeks' words. Yes, she valued his friendship and their partnership more than any other relationship she's ever had, but just a taste of what they could be left her wanting for so much more and now that was unlikely to happen. It wasn't worth losing all of him. Straightening her spine and squaring her shoulders, she resigned herself to the fate of always being just the partner and nodded her agreement to Deeks' words as her heart sank within her chest.

"Good," Hetty said. "I am rooting for you both, but if lives are at stake… I know you both can do your jobs very well and it will not come to that."

Kensi was the first to rise and return to her desk, not looking at anyone or anything as she took her seat and immediately got down to work. Deeks tried not to worry over her stony silence and determination to ignore everything and everyone around them, but when they had gotten to lunch and he had called her name three times before she finally looked up at him warily.

"Let's go grab some lunch," Deeks said as he got to his feet and grabbed his wallet.

"I'm good," she said evenly and she returned her attention to the pile of work before her.

Deeks frowned and shared a loaded glance with Callen and then Sam who looked just as bewildered and for a second he thought about catering to her need to lose herself to her work, but one more glance with their team leader and he knew he had to get her to talk and soon before he'd really lost her for good. With a determined sigh, he marched across the short space and pulled her chair back against her startled shrieks of protest and hoisted her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"DEEKS!" Kensi growled, struggling just enough for Deeks to have to fight to keep her up. "You will pay if you don't put me down this instant…"

"I already do," Deeks huffed, adjusting her some so that he had a secure hold on her. "And if you don't want to be dropped, then you'll keep still."

"Deeeeeeeeeks," Kensi half growled and whined. "You're so dead once you put me down."

"Now where's the motivation to put you down?" Deeks chuckled and even Callen and Sam grinned in amusement.

"You kids have fun!" Sam called as they made their way out of the building.

"But not too much fun," Callen rolled his eyes at his own computer screen.

"You guys suck!" Kensi called just as they exited and the door cut them off from view. "You can put me down now."

"And have you kick my ass?" Deeks pondered out loud. "No thanks."

Kensi growled low in her throat and continued to pout until they got to her car and he set her carefully down between himself and the vehicle so that she was cornered.

"Wha – "

Deeks cut her off with a kiss that made her knees weak enough to wobble so that she tipped back an inch so that her back rested against the vehicle and his body followed hers. He melded his body to hers and she was helpless to do anything but respond in kind; his lips melting away any despair and anger she had been feeling before. His hands wound through her hair and directed her face up toward his so that the kiss deepened and she had no idea where one of them began and the other ended, but she found she really didn't care. When he finally pulled back an inch to allow for them to breathe they were both panting with locked gazes of desire.

"But we can't – " Kensi panted, her voice choking up some. "Hetty –"

"Hetty didn't say we can't be together," Deeks interrupted. "She just said that we can't let it affect us at work and I know that there are days when it will be hard, but we've made it three years now without jumping each other on the job, the least we can do is keep it at home."

Kensi choked on a laugh and shook her head in mirth.

"You're an amazing agent and I like to think I'm a damn fine cop," Deeks reasoned. "Being together isn't going to change that."

The logic behind his last statement rang true and Kensi couldn't deny that it just made sense. Without anything or anyone stopping her, she rocked to her toes and sealed her lips over his and this time he moaned into her mouth as they took their time to explore the other. Kensi's hands started on his chest but moved down as the kiss went on until her fingers were tucked under the waistband of his jeans and he nearly ripped her clothes off to have her right here and now, but she meant so much more to him than a quickie in the backseat so he pulled back enough to give them some distance.

"Maybe we should take this a little slower," Deeks suggested, his voice already wavering in resolution.

"What are we? Teenagers?" Kensi chuckled, wanting his body pressed against hers again.

"No, but this – " he pointed between them, "means a hell of a lot and I want to do this right. I want to take you on first and fifteenth dates and buy you flowers or something else that the man is supposed to buy his woman to show that he cares. I don't want us to be just about sex – as much as I am looking forward to that part."

Kensi looked thoughtful before nodding. "I guess, but for the record, you're really missing out."

"I already knew that," Deeks laughed and then kissed her on the forehead. "So how about lunch?"