A/N: It appears I have made a habit of promising the chapters will be up and then taking forever to finish them. I suppose it's my way of being hopeful that life won't get in the way too much so I can actually have some time to sit down and write. In spite of that, I really do appreciate all of the kind reviews and patience from everyone. You guys rock! And a big welcome to those of you who have followed this story since I've posted last! That being said, here's the second half of Deeks' shooting lesson and the subsequent road trip back. Just a little heads up: this chapter is pretty dialogue-heavy, and I know that's not everyone's cup of tea, so brace yourselves. Maybe grab some Swedish Fish or m&m's to hold you over :)

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS: Los Angeles

"Okay, dominant hand here, and your left hand goes…here. No, no you're teacupping. Here, like this. Oh, my God, Deeks," Kensi sighed in exasperation as Deeks slipped his hands back to their incorrect positioning on the gun. She'd moved his hands back into position a moment ago, and now he was doing it just so she would touch him again. She glared at him, all business. He chuckled and moved his hands back to where she'd guided them. His right hand gripped the holster, one finger held straight along the barrel. The left he wrapped around the other side, both thumbs next to each other, exactly the way she had shown him.

Kensi had realized early on in their lesson that for all of his teasing and jokes, Deeks was a remarkably quick learner, and he was genuinely curious about learning how to shoot. He'd picked up the proper way to load the gun in four tries, and now—despite his fooling around—his grip was like that of a seasoned pro, even though he'd only observed Kensi and the other patrons at the firing range.

Kensi held up her own gun to demonstrate and said, "To point, you want to line up the gun with your elbow, and keep your arms straight. Aim a little higher than the target, and when you're ready, switch off the safety, keep your eye on the target, and shoot." She put her own gun down and turned to Deeks. "Got all that?"

"Got it."

"Okay. Think you're ready to try a shot?"

Deeks took a deep breath and steadied himself, lining up to the target, which was really a hay bale with a sign attached to it. Kensi watched the intensity in his expression, and his hands tightening around the barrel. As goofy as he'd been a few minutes ago, he really was a natural. His stance had been nearly perfect before Kensi had shown him what to do and the way he held the gun made Kensi wonder whether he was telling the truth when he said he'd never learned how to shoot. Of course, he'd put it all down to watching a lot of cop dramas on TV, but there was only so much you could learn by watching, wasn't there?

Deeks breathed in and then breathed out, very slowly. As he exhaled, he switched off the safety. At the end of the breath, he pulled the trigger. The gun bucked in his hand, though he kept it fairly straight. The bullet burst through the paper target in the third ring.

A huge smile spread across Kensi's face; she couldn't help herself. "That was great!" she said. Deeks put the safety back on the gun and set it down on the bench. He turned to her, a strange expression on his face. He seemed proud of himself, but there was also something there that made Kensi's stomach twist. It was almost like the way Jack used to look when he was having an episode: haunted and far away. Untouchable. But Deeks was right here, his face breaking into a grin, even if his eyes were having trouble catching up.

"Okay, that was really cool," he said. He shook his hands out and jumped up and down. "Can I do it again?"

Kensi nodded, stifling a laugh. She leaned around him and picked up the gun, trying to ignore how he didn't move out of the way and her shoulder brushed up against his side. She felt his breath on her hair as he exhaled, and a small shiver ran up her spine.

She leaned away from him, trying to keep her cool. She weighed his gun in her hand and then held it up, aiming for the target. "This gun's kickback is hard, so when you feel it, try to relax and let it travel through your body instead of fighting it. It'll help your aim."

She handed the gun back to Deeks, whose face was contorted in an attempt not to laugh. "What?"

"You're aware of what you just said, right?" Deeks asked, mischief lighting up his face.

Kensi thought it over and then rolled her eyes. "You're such a child," she said in disgust.

"Yeah, my kickback is really hard," Deeks teased. "I gotta aim it just right."

Kensi smacked his arm. "Turn around and shoot, doofus."

"Whatever you say," he replied, laughing openly now. But he turned around and held up the gun. He repeated the steps he'd done before: breathing in and out, turning off the safety, and then pulling the trigger.

This time, the bullet pierced the target on the line between the second and center rings. Deeks whooped, hastily throwing the safety on before turning to Kensi.

"I don't know, maybe I am a better shot than you," he said, grinning widely.

Kensi raised an eyebrow incredulously, but her smile gave her away. "What did I say about pushing your luck?"

"Let's see you do it, then. Prove your worth, Blye."

Not one to back down from a challenge, and definitely not one to give up a chance to show off, Kensi stepped up beside him, nudging Deeks out of the way. She held up her weapon and took her stance before firing three shots in succession.

Three holes appeared in the target, all in the center ring. Kensi set her weapon down, turning on the safety. She turned to Deeks, a smug smile on her face.

"Damn," he breathed in awe. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"If you behave, we won't have a problem," Kensi teased back.

"What do you mean by 'behave'?" Deeks asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Not twisting my words, for one," Kensi replied. "Are you incapable of not turning any conversation into an innuendo?"

"You make it so easy, though!" Deeks said. "And I have to keep it in all day being 'Lawyer Marty' that any chance I get to break from that, I take."

Kensi raised her eyebrows. "Remind me again why you're studying law?"

He looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said, "it seems like you hate being straight-laced all day. All you do is complain about it."

"All I complain about is Healy, and that's because he's a prick."

Kensi looked at him hard, her eyes narrowing in thought. She opened her mouth to say something, but Deeks beat her to it, afraid of what she would say and even more afraid of how he would react. "I'm doing it for the same reason you want to be a fed: to help people. I've met enough public defenders to know that they're only in it for the easy money. If I can help at least one desperate mom, or some kid who made a bad choice, then I know at least one person won't have to face what I did."

Kensi's eyes widened, but her face didn't change. Her eyes didn't turn pitying, or questioning, like most people's did when they heard about Deeks' troubled past. She didn't ask questions or offer a hug or a condolence. She just said, "That's a very good reason. I'm sorry I questioned you."

"Don't worry about it," Deeks said quietly, watching as she picked up his gun and held it out to him.

"You want to try a few more?" She asked, seemingly brushing off the tense interaction.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I would," he answered, holding his hand out for the gun. When she placed it in his palm, Deeks closed his fingers around the handle and her hand. He caught her eye and said, "I'm sorry about what I said in the car. I don't really know what I did to upset you, but I'm sorry."

Kensi's face tensed and she pressed her lips together before pulling her hand away. "I'd rather not talk about that here."

"Are you going to talk about it at all? It's not that fun being kept in the dark." Deeks tried to catch her eye again, but she looked away, across the range.

"I know. And I will. Just not…here. It'd be too much."

Her face was twisted into something unknown to Deeks, yet it was so familiar that his gut wrenched. He felt bad for making her upset. "I don't expect anything of you…,"

"But you deserve it," Kensi interrupted. "Like you said, it's not fun being kept in the dark."

They shared a silent moment, neither sure what to say, but both wanting to say something.

Deeks' phone broke the silence. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw Paul's name flashing across the screen. He stared at it, unsure of what to do.

"You gonna get that?" Kensi asked, bringing them back to familiar ground with her attitude.

Deeks shook his head, silencing his phone. "Unknown number. If it's important, they'll leave a message."

Kensi shrugged and turned back to the range. "A few more rounds? Then we have to get back. I have lab reports due tomorrow and a midterm in my senior seminar."

"Sounds good," Deeks said. He picked up his gun and took his stance. "Best of three? I think I can beat you this time."

Kensi rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Keep dreaming, Deeks." She moved to the stall next to him and held up her gun, squaring off.

Kensi got into the car, beaming in triumph. She always liked a bit of healthy competition. And she definitely liked winning.

Deeks got into the passenger seat and looked over at her, feigning a pout. "It's not fair."

"What's not fair? That you're a sore loser?" Kensi teased.

"No," he huffed. "That you come down here all the time and have probably been shooting since you were, like, three." He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed dramatically.

"You shot a gun for the first time today and you expect to out shoot me? Your logic is a little flawed," Kensi laughed, putting the car in gear. She looked at Deeks out of the corner of her eye and saw that his pout was slipping into a grin.

He straightened up in his seat and looked out the window as the base slipped by. They were close to the gates when he said, "How long did you live here? Or, I guess I should ask how many times."

"I was born here and we lived in family housing until I was three. We came back again when I was nine, left a year later, and then my dad was given a long term position when I was thirteen. We were here for two years after that."

"Wow," Deeks said, sitting back in his seat. "So this really is home, then."

"Pretty much," Kensi said. They waved at Ed as they passed through the gates. He grinned and waved back.

"You said you moved around a lot. Where did you live in between?"

"Um…We were in Texas for a few months. North Carolina until I was five. I started school in Washington D.C., and then we moved to Jordan for a year and a half. I spent a summer in Portugal with my mom before we moved back here. Then it was Israel, Germany, back to Texas, and back to Pendleton."

"Where'd you go after that?"

Kensi took a deep breath. She accelerated onto the freeway, heading north to Los Angeles. "I lived in Cathedral City until I graduated high school."

"There's not a base there," Deeks said, confusion clear in his voice.

"No, there's not."

"So what happened?"

Kensi knew he wasn't going to let her go too long without following up on her promise. She knew she was going to have to tell him at some point. And it wasn't that she didn't want to tell him; she was more afraid of letting him see her vulnerability. It had been nearly 6 years and she still wasn't able to talk about it. Kensi had accepted her father's death long ago, but baring the darkest part of her life to someone she'd just met was a challenge. Then again, she hadn't just met him. And Deeks had proved himself to be different in that he didn't pity her or run away when she put up her walls. In fact, he seemed more determined to break them down.

"Kensi?" Deeks prompted, breaking her from her thoughts.

Kensi swallowed and looked over at Deeks briefly before turning her eyes back to the road. His face was open and curious and it gave her the extra motivation to continue. "My dad…he died in a car accident when I was 15."

She didn't look over at him, not wanting to see whatever was on his face and wanting to hide her own. She swallowed again, hard.

The sound Deeks made was almost like that of someone who'd been punched the stomach; the air whooshed out of him. "I-I'm sorry, Kensi," he said.

"Thanks," Kensi said quietly.

There were a few minutes' silence in the car and Kensi wondered whether he would say anything at all. She certainly wasn't going to add anything to the conversation, afraid she might break the dam and the flood wouldn't stop coming.

"So you and your mom moved to Cathedral City?"

And there it was, the beginning of the end for Kensi; the one person who had set off the hell that had been Kensi's life for nine years. If Deeks knew how much had happened to Kensi it that short period of time; if he knew how many people had left her, he'd certainly see how dysfunctional Kensi was.

"My mom's not in the picture," Kensi said as evenly as possible.

She could feel Deeks look over at her, his gaze burning a hole in the side of her face, just begging her to look at him. Kensi kept her eyes locked on the road ahead of them.

"I guess that makes two of us," Deeks said, so quietly that Kensi had to strain to hear him. She looked over at him quickly in surprise, gauging his level expression, the tightness around his mouth and eyes the only tell that something wasn't right.

She hadn't thought that she could share something like this with anyone, let alone Deeks. Yes, he was from Reseda, and the majority of homes in that neighborhood were broken, but he seemed too content to have experienced pain like that in his life. And Kensi could tell that his mother leaving was a sore spot for Deeks, instead of one of those situations in which the child was better off. Then again, what child was ever better off without its mother?

Kensi cleared her throat and broke the heavy silence. "I lived with family friends in Cathedral City. A retired Marine and his wife."

"The picture on the fridge at your place, of your graduation day. That's them?"

Kensi was stunned momentarily. He really did remember everything. "Yes, that's them."

"I thought they were your grandparents," Deeks said, a slight laugh in his voice.

"They kind of are," Kensi responded, cracking a small smile. "Even down to the whirlwind retirement travels. They're in Thailand right now."

"Wow, you Marines really get around." Deeks sounded impressed. Kensi looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. He looked confused for a moment before saying, "You know what I mean."

Kensi laughed, the built up tension of the past few minutes released in a single exhale that left her feeling lighter, freer.

Over the next hour, they drove north on the highway, the ocean and the setting sun to their left, and mountains to their right. Unlike earlier in the afternoon, the temperature was comfortable and conversation was flowing freely.

"Still doing reports on the Molina trial?" Deeks asked.

"Of course. The trial's next week," Kensi answered. "Are you going?" she asked.

Deeks shook his head. "I don't think I'm invited."

"Why not? I thought all of the law students were supposed to be there."

Deeks ran a hand through his hair and exhaled heavily. "I kind of blew it with Healy last week in class. He'd have me kicked out of the program if he had anything on me."

Kensi's brow knit together as she looked up at him. "What did you do?"

"I told him about the discrepancies in the evidence."

"And?"

"And he wiped my grades on the assignment because I didn't follow it to the letter. I had more information than him and he felt threatened. So I walked out."

"That bastard," Kensi said vehemently. "He needs to be reported."

"Like we'd ever get that to stick," Deeks laughed mirthlessly. "It's better to just suffer through it than fight back."

Kensi shook her head furiously, keeping her eyes trained on the road. "He's an awful person. You'd think the administration or other faculty would see that."

"The thing is, they do. He's got the record of case wins to beat, though, which is why they keep him around. It looks good."

Kensi huffed angrily. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one to botch the evidence. Just to protect his name," she said spitefully.

Deeks' brow furrowed and he looked over at her. "What?" she asked. "You don't really think…?"

Deeks started to nod slowly. "Actually…" Then he shook his head vigorously, as if to shake the thoughts out of his brain. "No. No, I can't get tangled up in this. He'd eat me alive for even trying to dig into it."

"What makes you think he's involved?" Kensi asked.

"Just the way he acted in class last week. When I brought up the evidence, he shut me down completely. I thought it was because he was threatened by me knowing something he didn't, but any other professor would have run with the information. He was irrational to the point of stupidity. And as awful a person as he is, Healy's not stupid. Maybe it's just a hunch."

"Follow your instincts. That's what my dad always told me."

"And what if those instincts lose me my career?"

Kensi shrugged. "The police force could always use a shaggy surfer dude. Goes great with undercover."

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

She'd meant it as a joke, but judging by the look Deeks gave her, she wasn't too far from his plans. "I just assumed it was your Plan B by the way you were talking earlier. And you're a damn good shot, so I wouldn't say it's out of the question."

"You think?" Deeks asked, looking semi-hopeful and more than a little stunned at her compliments.

Kensi backtracked quickly. "I mean, it's that, or you could live at Nico's for the rest of your life."

Deeks raised his eyebrows and shook his head. He was trying to hide a smile, but Kensi could see it out of the corner of her eye, and she couldn't keep in her own smile.

"Speaking of police," Deeks said. "Did you ever turn in that application?"

Kensi debated whether to tell him about her meeting with Hetty. She was proud of herself, and it should have been an instant yes, but there were things and people that she would have to leave behind. Home wouldn't be home anymore, and she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Monica and being without the one person who had helped her survive through the past year. It was unthinkable. And yet, Kensi wanted so badly to accept the offer, especially with the promise that she'd be back in LA in a few years.

The problem with revealing herself to people was that there was an instant connection. And if those people were like Deeks, and if they were interested in her for more than a moment in the line at the supermarket or when she was paired up with someone for a lab, then Kensi was prone to run. It was much safer to connect herself to people who she knew were more likely to stick around. They had to prove themselves to her. Kensi knew that this was what Deeks was trying to do, and it had obviously worked, seeing as he had made her comfortable enough to tell him about her dad. She hadn't thought for a second that he would betray that trust, which worried her. How could someone so completely unlike anyone she'd ever met have such an effect on her?

"Kind of," Kensi answered after a moment of deliberating. She saw his look out of the corner of her eye, and she allowed herself a triumphant smile before continuing. "I was offered the job before I could turn it in."

"Wow, Kensi! That's amazing! Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Kensi replied. They were nearing the city now and she slowed down as they hit the stragglers of rush hour traffic.

"How did that happen?"

Kensi told him about her meeting with Hetty, finishing with, "I have to give her a response in two weeks."

"Why wait until the last minute? Aren't you going to turn it in?"

Kensi bit her lip, unsure how to answer. She'd asked herself the same question a dozen times over the past week, and while the answer should have been an obvious and resounding "yes", she was still struggling with the implications of making something so big so concrete.

Deeks must have picked up on her hesitation, because after a moment, he asked, "Have you told Monica?" It was truly a testament to how well he could read her, which in and of itself scared Kensi. He'd gotten right to the heart of the matter, or one of the hearts.

Kensi shook her head. "I don't know how to tell her. She'll go ballistic."

"She's your best friend, Kensi. There's no way she won't be happy for you."

"She hates cops."

"What she hates is violence. And I don't blame her. She doesn't want you to get hurt."

Kensi glanced over at Deeks. He was watching the road in front of them with a strange expression on his face. It was similar to the one he wore after he'd taken his first shot. He was lost in his thoughts, somewhere far away even though he was sitting not two feet away from her. Of everything today, learning Deeks had his own demons was the biggest surprise and the greatest relief to Kensi. He wasn't like the other entitled, selfish students who lived on top of a hill that overlooked the ocean and the rest of Los Angeles like it was their own personal throne. He was like her, and Monica, and the small group of people that Kensi trusted. These were the people that understood pain and loss, and they knew how hard it was to trust. Deeks understood her like they did, even if he didn't know the extent of her past. And watching him battle his own demons now, Kensi realized that he needed someone who understood him just as much as Kensi had needed Monica and Orly and Quinn in this past year. The difference was, Kensi had pushed away their love, and Deeks welcomed it, even if he had no one to give it to.

"You should turn in that application," Deeks finally said, turning to look at her with conviction in his eyes. "Monica loves you. She wants to protect you, but she'll be happy for you at the same time. And I know you're probably terrified of leaving her behind, but she'll always be here."

Kensi felt a prick behind her eyes, and she swallowed a sudden knot in her throat. Because he'd gotten to other heart of the matter; the leaving part. The abandonment.

She squinted at the road ahead, willing her emotions back deep into her body, away from the light of the late-September sun. She felt Deeks move in the seat next to her, turning and raising his arm, almost as if he wanted to put a hand on her shoulder. He lowered it, however, and said quietly, "You're too much to lose, Kensi."

Kensi choked out a laugh, hoping it would cover up the sob that had built in her throat. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Deeks said, his voice warm and comforting, "that…you're special, Kensi. The people who care about you would never leave unless they were forced to. Even with the distance, Monica isn't going to forget about you, and she's not going to feel abandoned because you're following your dream."

It was like he knew about everything. The year spent on the streets, her mom and Jack leaving, how lost Kensi had felt after he dad died. How she'd gone so far as to believe that it just wasn't worth it anymore. But of course, he didn't know that. He just knew her.

Pressing her lips together, Kensi exhaled. "That's pretty wise. Did Yoda come to you in a dream last night, or something?" She smiled, so he would know she was joking.

Deeks smiled a sideways grin, his cheeks flushing a little. "I just know a lot about life is all," he replied cockily.

Kensi shook her head in amazement at his confidence. She wondered how much of life he really had experienced, though. Judging by what she'd learned today, Kensi guessed that he'd seen a lot.

Thankfully, traffic through the city was light and they made it back to Malibu while the sun was still hovering above the Pacific. Kensi pulled into a parking space at the beach, where they'd met earlier in the afternoon.

Kensi and Deeks looked out over the water in comfortable silence, both their faces lit with the intense orange of the setting sun. Deeks broke his gaze first, and looked over at Kensi. It had been a long afternoon, and they'd both learned a lot about each other. She'd opened up, more than he thought she ever would, and while Deeks was happy that he'd finally broken down one of the many walls she'd surrounded herself with, he was worried about her. She would shut him down immediately if she knew, so he didn't say anything. When she looked over at him and met his gaze, though, he knew she saw it.

"I'm good," she told him. Deeks smiled. She wasn't fine, she was good. And that was enough for him.

"Think we can do this again," Deeks asked. "You won't be the better shot for long."

Kensi laughed openly. "You do realize who you're talking to, right?"

The sound of her laughter broke whatever worry was leftover and Deeks laughed too. "You said I was good!"

"For a beginner!" She shot back. "And with some practice, you'll maybe be good enough to pass the Marines marksmanship test."

Deeks perked up. "That's a thing?"

"I'll show you the targets next time we go," Kensi said. She said it offhandedly, but Deeks knew it was a promise.

"Deal," he said, grinning at her. She smiled back, allowing him the rare privilege of one of her dazzling smiles that lit up her whole face. The smile that knocked him off his feet every time.

After he'd caught his breath, Deeks looked at his watch and saw, with regret, that it was later than he'd anticipated. The buzz of his phone in his pocket further reminded him of other commitments and he sighed.

"I've gotta go," he said. Her face fell a little, and Deeks realized with sudden clarity that he would do anything to put that smile back on her face. He wasn't quite ready to admit to himself what that meant.

"If you're free this weekend, we can do another surfing lesson," he suggested hopefully.

Kensi nodded thoughtfully, the look on her face not promising. "I'll have to check my schedule. Monica hinted that she might have something planned. Probably shopping," she said. The tone of her voice indicated that she was less than thrilled.

Deeks chuckled and shook his head at Monica's antics. "Tell her hi for me, will you?"

"Of course," Kensi said. "Maybe she'd like a trip to the beach on Saturday. Who knows?" She shrugged, a hint of that smile gracing her face.

"Well, try to talk her into it," Deeks said. "And tell her about the job while you're at it."

"I will," Kensi promised. "And thanks, for today."

Deeks shook his head. "No, thank you. It was lot of fun."

They grinned at each other and Deeks' phone buzzed. Sighing again, he put his hand on the handle and pushed, opening the door. The ocean breeze filled the car, blowing Kensi's hair into her eyes. She pushed it out of her face, meeting his gaze as he shut the door.

Deeks walked to his car as she pulled out of her spot, honking the horn as she drove past. He waved, regretting that they'd had to end their…date?…earlier than either had wanted. He pictured her face as he'd shut the door, brown eyes lit from within and looking at him with a warmth and hope he'd yet to see from her. A small smile had lifted her face and her hands were against her face, pushing curls out of her eyes. Deeks held onto this image, a mental snapshot to give him the patience to pull out his phone and find out just what Paul wanted that was so important it had cut their date short.