A/N: It's the day of the Homecoming game, and the bonfire at the beach. Talks about relationships, developments in relationships, and developments in the Molina case await you. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS: Los Angeles
Saturday was cloudless with an intense sun, and by noon, the beach was nearly empty thanks to the climbing temperature. The fact that it was Homecoming weekend and the game had just started didn't help matters. Nico's had absolutely no business besides Christine, who wasn't really considered business seeing as Paul was supplying her with free drinks.
"No game for you guys, then?" She asked, sipping on her Coke, which was loaded with ice.
Both men shook their heads. "I've been to enough football games to put even the most dedicated of frat boys to shame," Deeks told her, eliciting a smile. He felt Paul look at him, but didn't acknowledge it, instead keeping his gaze on Christine. After a moment, Paul turned silently and went to the rental shop to work on some boards. Christine's eyes followed him, but Deeks didn't even turn.
It was a little petty to pointedly ignore him, if Deeks was being honest with himself. For weeks, Paul had been badgering Deeks with his insecurities about Christine, and even though it was obvious that she was just as interested in their relationship as Paul was (a fact that Deeks had pointed out multiple times), Paul was still just as afraid of being left out to dry as he usually was. Normally, Deeks was understanding of Paul's uncertainties, and he did his best to boost the man's confidence, but now, he was beginning to get a little fed up. It didn't help that whenever he mentioned Kensi, Paul's eyes darkened and his jaw set, as if he were still upset by the fact that Deeks was pursuing the girl Paul had originally wanted. It bothered Deeks that the other man was still insulted about "losing" Kensi when he had Christine, who was proving herself to be a pretty awesome girlfriend and didn't deserve to be a second choice.
"I'm sure those frat boys would welcome you with open arms tonight if you guys win," Christine said, breaking the tense moment. "Anything fun going on up there tonight?"
Deeks shook his head, laughing at the thought. "Again, I've done enough of that in my time here."
Christine slumped against the bar and put her head in her hand. "And I thought this was a school that knew how to have fun," she feigned a pout and shook her head.
"Kensi and Monica and that crowd are coming down here for a bonfire. I'm surprised no one invited you."
Christine sat up and shrugged. "Oh, they did. I just assumed you would be there because of Kensi, and what with you and Paul and whatever is going on between you two, I figured he might not want to go."
Deeks eyed Christine thoughtfully. She was perceptive, sure, but he hadn't realized that the tension between the two of them had been so obvious. He opened his mouth to say so, but she cut him off.
"It's no big deal, really. And to be honest, it's been so long that the group dynamic just doesn't feel the same anymore. We shouldn't have to pretend like we're eighteen again, when it's clear we've all gone our different ways."
"I'm sorry," Deeks told her sincerely.
Again, Christine waved her hand to dismiss his apology. "It happens. People change." She shrugged and looked him straight in the eye, "You're not a bad person for trying to find your happiness."
She wasn't just referring to herself, and Deeks desperately wanted to defend himself, but couldn't find the argument. He looked hard at her for a moment, and she raised her eyebrows, almost challenging him to contradict her. He scrubbed the back of his neck and looked behind him to the shop before turning back around to face Christine.
"I'm not telling you to do anything. I'm saying it's okay to feel the way you do. The both of you."
"If law doesn't work out, you should be a therapist," Deeks quipped, hoping to diffuse the tension. It worked, and she laughed.
"Just find your happiness, Marty. God knows I've found mine," she said, casting a warm look towards the back of the shop.
Deeks raised his eyebrows and grinned at Christine as if to say Seriously?
Christine nodded, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. If her admission didn't confirm her feelings, it was her bashfulness. Christine was nothing if not confident, and for Paul to make her act like this, well, Deeks hoped the other man wouldn't do anything in his self-doubt to screw this up.
"I mean, I know it's only been a few months, but there's just something about him, about us, that works, you know?" Christine rushed on, trying to explain herself. "And I'm not normally the giddy schoolgirl type, but he just…he's-,"
"He's Paul," Deeks said by way of explanation. "You don't have to explain it to me; he's my best friend. You guys are lucky to have found each other." He grinned at Christine to show he was sincere.
"Thanks," she said. "Now, if you guys could figure out this, whatever this is," she waved her hands to indicate the guys' non-argument, "We'll all be the happier for it."
"I'll work on it," Deeks promised. "But I can't guarantee Paul will meet me in the middle. He can be surprisingly stubborn when he wants to be."
"I'll keep that in mind. Here, I'll make you a deal: you try on your end, and I'll try to get him to come around. Deal?"
Deeks nodded and stuck his hand out, to which Christine gave a firm shake.
She smiled, and then leaned back. "Now, turn on the radio so we can see how the game is going!"
They lost. In a truly spectacular way that Kensi was almost impressed by. She couldn't bring herself to be too torn up over it. It was college football after all, and their team had never been particularly good anyway. It was her last Homecoming game, though, and Kensi found herself feeling a kind of bittersweet nostalgia as she, Monica, Quinn, and Orly left the football stadium. Completely unaffected by the loss or the heat, Quinn was shrieking in laughter as Orly ran into the parking lot with her on his back. She had her arms spread wide as if she were flying and she kept leaning into the sharp turns Orly was making around the parked cars. Monica, who had volunteered as DD and was therefore much more sober than the both of them, kept calling out as Quinn leaned too far for comfort. Kensi, who was little tipsy herself, couldn't keep from laughing.
"Monica?" She said, slinging an arm around her friend's shoulders.
"Kensi," Monica replied, putting her arm around Kensi's waist.
"This is our last Homecoming," Kensi remarked matter-of-factly.
Monica's brow furrowed as she realized the importance of this. "Yeah, it is," she said, her face falling a little. An instant later, she brightened up again and called out, "Hey, tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum, get back here, we need a picture. We have to commemorate this moment!"
Orly stopped suddenly, Quinn bumping in to his back. "Did you just call me dumb?" he asked incredulously.
"Yeah, I did. Get over here so we can document out last Homecoming game."
Orly hiked Quinn higher on his back and turned to weave back through the cars toward where Kensi and Monica stood.
"Make it quick," Quinn said. "I want to go home and sober up before the bonfire."
"A picture only takes, like, a second. Plus, I'm the one with the keys, remember? You listen to me," Monica told her, jingling the keys for effect.
Quinn rolled her eyes, but smiled at Kensi knowingly as she slid from Orly's back. She stumbled a bit when she landed, holding onto Orly's massive shoulders for support. He wrapped an arm around her and squeezed. Kensi watched them fondly, her slightly intoxicated mind wondering when they were going to take things a step further. They were obviously meant for each other.
"Kens?" Monica called out. When Kensi looked up, Monica was motioning her over to face the parking lot with the football stadium at her back. Orly and Quinn joined her, Orly throwing an arm over Kensi's shoulders. Monica asked a passerby to take their picture and after handing over her camera, she took up her place on Kensi's other side, squeezing her waist and smiling broadly. Kensi smiled at the camera, not faking it one bit, for once.
The sun was just beginning to set when Kensi and Monica pulled into the parking lot at the beach, joining their friends who were already there. They tramped down the sand towards the water, loaded down with coolers and blankets. Just as with every year, they laid the blankets out in a line facing the water and the sunset, the coolers within easy reach behind them. They would build a bonfire after the sun set, but for now, they chatted amicably while the sun sunk slowly toward the horizon.
The sky was streaked with deep orange and pink, and the very bottom curve of the sun was dipping below the horizon when Deeks arrived, a six pack in hand and his trademark grin on his face. After greetings were exchanged and another beer was uncapped, he sat down next to Kensi in the seat that Monica had vacated with a smug look on her face. Deeks bumped her shoulder with his. "Hey," he said "Fancy seeing you here."
Kensi bumped him back. "What a coincidence. It's not like I invited you or anything," she replied, earning a smile that made her cheeks warm. She took a drink of her beer as the sun sunk lower over the calm ocean and tried—and failed—to ignore how closely they were sitting to each other. It felt good, the warm sun and the feel of the sand beneath her bare feet and the way her cold beer slipped down her throat. And Deeks, next to her, that felt good, too.
The very top of the sun was still visible over the waves when they pulled driftwood logs over to a pit that had been dug into the sand long ago. They piled wood into the basin and someone held a lighter to it, building a blaze to ward off the chill that had blown over the beach as the sky darkened. Deeks had fallen into easy conversation with the rest of the group, and he found that he was having a really good time. Unlike the party at the beginning of the semester, when he'd been preoccupied with Paul's crush on Kensi, he was allowing himself to get to know the people here, and their relationships and dynamics. It was a diverse group, sure, but they were all laid back and welcoming, especially after they'd had a few beers.
He was engaged in a conversation about the ethics of journalism with Quinn, and she was ranting about tabloids when Deeks felt Kensi move from his other side. They'd been sitting closely since he'd shown up, sharing glances every now and then, bumping shoulders playfully, but they'd barely spoken. As Quinn continued her tirade, Kensi slid from the log they were sitting on to the ground, and leaned against his legs, still keeping her attention on Monica and another one of their friends (Deeks couldn't place her name). She looked up at him and smiled. "The log was getting uncomfortable," she said by way of explanation, shrugging. "This okay?"
Deeks responded by tugging on her ponytail and jostling her with his leg, and she ducked her head to hide her smile, and Deeks' chest filled with warmth.
"Marty?" Quinn said from his other side. "Are you listening?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, sorry," Deeks stuttered, turning back to face her. Quinn was looking on with a smirk. "Sorry," Deeks apologized again.
"God, finally," Quinn said, and rolled her eyes. Then she continued on her rant as if nothing had happened, and Deeks listened with only half of his attention, the other half devoted to the comfortable weight of Kensi against his legs, and the way her hair tickled his calf where it fell down her back in a long ponytail.
"Fireworks," Orly announced later, after they were all sufficiently relaxed around the fire. He stood up, gesturing for a few of the guys to follow him, and they headed down to the water.
"I'm pretty sure explosives and a huge, drunk guy don't mix well," Deeks murmured in Kensi's ear.
"He's remarkably skilled with explosives," Kensi said conversationally. "You should have seen the show two years ago. It was like art."
"Marty! Help us out, man!" Orly called.
"The drunk guy with the explosives calls," Kensi laughed.
"This slightly less drunk guy has to go supervise," Deeks responded, getting up to head over and help. He turned to walk backwards, calling out, "You'll call the fire department when it all goes sideways?"
Kensi took her phone out and waved it around, "They're already on speed dial."
Deeks winked at her and turned around, jogging to catch up with the rest of the guys at the edge of the water.
"God, you two are infuriating," Monica whined.
"We're taking our time," Kensi told her defensively.
"Yeah, and it's driving us all nuts," Quinn said, flopping down beside them. "You two are so engrossed in each other that you haven't even noticed how much sexual tension you're giving off. I could cut it with a chainsaw," she said, chopping her hand through the air.
Monica pointed at her, nodding in agreement. "Exactly. You're like two cats in heat, except you don't even know just how hot you are for each other."
"Jesus," Kensi muttered. "Do you two hear yourselves? It's embarrassing." She refused to acknowledge that they were even a little bit right.
"Kens, I'm living vicariously through you. And if I were you, I'd have tapped that by now," Monica told her. "He's sweet and smart and funny and he likes you. I doubt he's even looked at another girl since he's met you. He's smitten."
"Plus," Quinn added. "He's unbelievably sexy."
"Huge plus," Monica said.
"You guys are crazy," Kensi groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation.
"We're right," Monica said. "And you know it."
Kensi just shook her head, knowing that arguing with them was pointless. Monica was opening her mouth again to say something when Orly's shout cut over her. He was beckoning them down to the water, and the girls complied, gathering their drinks and heading down to the water.
"What do you have planned for us this year, O?" Monica asked as they approached.
"Something you've never seen before," Orly told them, grinning.
"Short of blowing up the beach, I'm not sure what he could do that's so outrageous," Kensi muttered to Deeks as he strode up next to her.
He chuckled and said, "It's actually going to be pretty cool. I'm not entirely sure where he got all of this, but it'll be worth it. As long as we don't get arrested, that is."
"Alright, everyone, stand back," Orly instructed, and they did, backing up the beach a couple hundred yards.
Orly knelt to light the first few firecrackers, and then ran up the beach to join the group. As the first one started to sing, and blasted into the air, Deeks' hand closed around Kensi's. She jerked in surprise at the contact and at the loud burst of the firework above them. The second one shot into the air and Deeks leaned down to whisper in her ear, "This okay?"
She responded by twisting their hands around so their fingers were laced together, and squeezing once, a silent yes. He bumped his shoulder against hers and when Kensi turned to look at him, another firework went off with a burst of sound and light, making his face glow for a split second. It was enough time to see his smile, and the way his blue eyes reflected the momentary burst of stars as he looked at her. Another burst firecracker made her jump and Kensi laughed at herself for startling. And she continued to laugh, letting it come out of her freely for the first time in a while. Deeks joined in and everything else fell away; their respective pasts and the threat of the future, terrible professors and murder trials and visits from NCIS agents. It was just two people standing on a beach, holding hands, and laughing and cheering with their friends as fireworks lit the sky above them and the water below them.
The fireworks ended with cheers and applause from the group. Orly had outdone himself, as promised.
They were clearing up their empty bottles and blankets, and some of the guys were stamping out the fire when they heard a distant shout. Everyone's heads shot up, and they fell silent, quieter than they'd been all night.
"It came from up the beach, beyond the dunes," one of the guys said, pointing. All was dark and quiet.
"Should we go check it out?" one of the girls asked tentatively.
"Send Kensi to check it out. She's the cop," Monica said.
"I'm not a cop," Kensi said, but she stood up straighter, handing her blanket to Monica.
"Might as well be," Monica answered her with a smirk. "Orly, Marty, go with her."
The guys complied without question—there was no arguing with Monica—and they followed Kensi up the beach as their group continued to clean up. "What do you think it could be?" Deeks asked as they trudged around the dune.
"No idea," Kensi muttered. She felt her senses on high alert when she heard sharp, raised voices. She held out a hand to stop Orly and Deeks from bumping into her when she stopped just before they rounded the side of the dune.
The voices weren't loud enough to make out, but they were definitely both male. And there was something familiar about one of them. Kensi turned to tell this to the guys, but Deeks' face caught her eye. It was screwed up in distaste and he said, "That's Healy. I'm sure of it."
"The evil law professor?" Orly asked. Even an education major had heard the horrors of having Healy as a professor.
Deeks nodded with a tight set to his mouth. His normally easy-going demeanor had been replaced by a completely different person and the change was quick and strong as a sudden rip current. Kensi had to catch her breath against it, and it made her uncomfortable that Deeks had a darker side, and that Healy could bring this out of the usually sunny, charming man standing next to her.
"What would he be doing on the beach at this time of night?" Orly asked.
Kensi shrugged, and crept forward so she could see around the side of the dune. A beam of a light swept out as one of the men swung around a flashlight, and Kensi stepped back to avoid being seen, bumping into Deeks, who steadied her with his hands on her arms. She peeked out again when she was sure the darkness would keep her hidden.
"-didn't tell me there'd be an issue," the voice that was not Healy said. "It was all taken care of. You said-,"
"I said that you wouldn't be implicated," Healy said in his infuriatingly smooth voice. It was the kind of voice lawyers used, and it made Kensi grit her teeth. She could feel Deeks beside her, tensed tight as a spring.
"You lied!" the other guy yelled.
"Tell me, Adam, have you been implicated?" Healy asked.
The other man—Adam—was quiet for a moment. "No," he said hesitantly.
"Then I've kept up my end of the bargain," Healy said. "Now, will you keep up yours?"
"As long as I'm sure I won't be accused, the deal's still on," Adam answered tightly. "If I even hear anything about that evidence being investigated, it's off."
"Do you doubt my ability, Adam?" Healy asked, pointing his flashlight straight into Adam's face, making him squint to protect his eyes from the light. Kensi leaned forward—something about that face was familiar—and nearly fell over a piece of driftwood that she hadn't noticed. Just as Orly was pulling her back, Kensi had a flash of memory of a guy running into the road, clutching a backpack, and the burn of a seatbelt cutting into her collarbone.
She leaned forward again to hear, but the only things she heard were the waves, and the wind rustling through the beach grass on the dunes. When she looked around the corner, careful not to trip over the driftwood, the two men were gone, leaving no evidence that they had ever been there.
A/N: What's Healy up to? And how does the guy who ran in front of Monica's car fit into this? The next chapter is in the works, so keep an eye out for it!