Hey, guys! So let me start by say THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, reviewed, or even just read the story. You guys are truly amazing.

I don't own NCIS LA.

Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Decisions

Kensi wade through her clutter-filled living room and plopped down on the couch next to Deeks, popping several pieces of popcorn into her mouth during the process. She felt Deeks' wind around her shoulders and pull her close. She curled into his side, tucking her feet underneath her. He dunked his hand into the bowl of popcorn and she pressed play on her DVR, and the most recent episode of Top Model started rolling.

It was nights like these that simultaneously made Kensi feel like nothing had changed between them and made her feel like they couldn't be doing anything more boyfriend-and-girlfriend-y. Before the kiss, before the torture, before Sidorov was a name they all loathed, they had spent many nights like these. Maybe not quite so cuddly, but he would come over—bearing food and beer—and they would plop down on her couch and not move for hours. And now, after everything that had happened, these were still some of her favorite nights. They were simply free to just be Deeks and Kensi for a while and enjoy each other's company.

About halfway through the episode, Deeks' phone started vibrating. He shifted, trying to dig the device out of his pocket.

"Sorry," he said, finally finding his phone.

He glanced down at the caller I.D. and she watched his face change as he looked at the screen. She tried to catch a glimpse of the name, but a glare cut across the screen and she couldn't read it.

"Sorry, Kens, I…uh, I have to take this," he mumbled. He briefly touched his lips to her cheek, then stood and gave her an apologetic look as he walked into her bedroom for some privacy.

She tried focusing on the TV, but found herself straining her ears, trying to catch even a word or two of his conversation. Kensi looked over through the crack in her bedroom door. She could see Deeks pacing back and forth, one hand holding the phone to his ear, the other running through his hair in frustration. She could tell through the lines in his face, the way his mouth curved down, that whatever he was being talked to about wasn't good.

The phone-call seemed to last forever. The episode of Top Model had ended, and she'd just sat on the couch, munching on popcorn halfheartedly. Finally, Deeks came out of her bedroom. He tried for a smile, which she greatly appreciated, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He fell into the cushion next to her, not saying anything.

"Everything okay?" she asked, knowing he wouldn't say anything if she didn't.

Deeks didn't look at her. He took one of her hands in his, rubbing his thumb in slow, comforting circles across the back of her hand.

"Uh…no. not really," he admitted, probably knowing best not to fake it for her. "I, uh, I have to talk to Hetty, but then I'll tell you. 'Kay?"

He looked up at her then, his blue eyes begging her to leave it at that for now.

She nodded. "Yeah. Promise?"

She didn't know why she asked him to promise. He always came through, when it came to her. Maybe it was because she still felt insecure about this relationship. Sometimes she felt like she needed him more than he needed her. That's how it had been with Jack. But he's not Jack, she scolded herself. And with him, sitting right next to her, intertwining her fingers with him, she had no clue why she felt that way. But she needed the promise, the reassurance anyway. She needed to know that he would let her in, no matter what the situation, because maybe if he let her in with ease, she could do the same.

He gave her a smile, and this one reached his eyes, lit his whole face up. "Promise."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Kensi sat at her desk, tapping her pencil furiously against her desk as she chewed on her thumbnail nervously. Deeks was over talking to Hetty. Deeks looked tired and strained as he spoke, and Hetty's face grew more weary and frustrated with each passing minute.

"Kensi," Callen said.

"What?" she asked absently, eyes still on her boyfriend and her boss.

"You're gonna chew your own thumb off if you keep that up," Callen told her.

Slowly, Kensi let her hand fall from her mouth and she reluctantly stopped tapping the pencil, resisting the urge to break it in half.

"Do you know what they're talking about?" Sam asked.

"Do you think if she knew she'd be looking at that pencil so murderously?" Callen teased his partner, opening his mouth before she could get a word out.

"Guess not," Sam smirked.

"How would you go about murdering a pencil anyway?" Callen queried to no one in particular.

"Have you been spending too much time with Deeks? What the hell kind of question is that?" Sam gave his partner a quizzical look.

That made her crack a smile and Callen struggled to come up with a good enough comeback.

"Shut up," he muttered instead, casting his eyes back down to the open file on his desk.

Sam laughed, and Kensi put a hand up to shush him as Deeks started coming back over to the bullpen. Kensi didn't even let Deeks come to her. She practically leaped out of her seat and grabbed Deeks' hand, leading him away from the bullpen.

"No PDA you two," Callen called after them, accompanied by a chuckle from Sam.

Kensi ignored them, dragging Deeks along. He readily followed her, but stopped her at the fountain that sat just inside the entrance to the Mission. He sat on the edge of the fountain, pulling her down beside him.

"What happened?" Kensi demanded.

Deeks gave a little grin. "Easy there, tiger,"

"You were talking to Hetty for forever. I thought you were getting fired or something." Her voice dropped. "You're not getting fired are you?"

Deeks laughed and took her hand in his reassuringly. "No, I'm not getting fired, calm down, princess."

"So what then? That phone call last night…who called you?" she asked, her eyebrows pulling together in concern.

"My boss," he answered vaguely.

For a minute Kensi didn't get it. A phone call from Hetty? But she knew that couldn't be it. Then it clicked into place.

"Your boss, like your LAPD boss?" she asked.

"Yeah," Deeks nodded. He didn't offer up any further information.

"Deeks," she urged. "what'd he call about?"

There was a pause, silence the only thing between them for too many nervous heartbeats.

Deeks pulled in a shaky breath. "He wants me to go undercover. I'm the best they've got. Most of the LAPD hates my guts, but they all know that I'm their guy for this kind of thing. They've been setting up this mission for months…it's a pretty deep cover."

Kensi didn't say anything. She probably couldn't if she tried. Undercover. Kensi knew damn well how deep—and how long—some LAPD covers were. After meeting Deeks for the first time, he was gone for several months on a deep-cover mission and had almost gotten killed in the process. Kensi felt her hand tighten around his involuntarily, and he squeezed her fingers right back. It felt like her heart was squeezing together as well, making it hard to breathe. They'd just gotten to a good place in their partnership and in their relationship, and the extremely selfish part of her didn't want him to go.

"Deeks," she whispered, then cleared her throat. "How—how long? how long will you be gone?"

Deeks looked up at her in surprise. "You mean you'd be okay with me doing it?"

She gave a breathy chuckle. "No, of course not. But…but it's not my decision and it's not even Hetty's decision. It's your decision and it's the LAPD's, and if they need you, well then it's not really my place to tell you not to go. I don't want you to go, but…"

Deeks surprised her then by leaning forward and giving her a kiss. The hand that wasn't holding hers cupped her face gently. It was such a sweet and unexpected kiss that she didn't even feel embarrassed that they were still at work and Callen or Sam or Hetty could come over any minute and start scolding them for being too public about their relationship.

"You are amazing you know that?" Deeks told her after pulling away.

She smirked. "Why? 'Cause I'm letting you put your life on the line for some dumb mission given to you by a bunch of guys who hate you?"

"Yes," he answered, giving her a smile. "You are amazing because even though I rejected the offer, you were gonna let me go anyway."

"You…you said no?" she asked.

"Yeah, I did. Well, I will. Last night I told my boss at the LAPD that I'd think about. I knew I wasn't going to take it, but I wanted to talk to Hetty just to be sure. I'm sure once I call him back and tell him I'm not taking it he'll take it out of my ass, but that's okay, because I'll still be here."

"You're staying because you want to keep working here?"

"Partly, yeah. Plus those deep covers…they're tough. They're lonely. I mean, what would I do if I didn't get called Shaggy at least once a week?" he grinned. "Mostly I stayed for you, Kens. You're it for me. Didn't want to leave you,"

He smiled at her so fondly, Kensi felt her heart was about to burst with happiness. Not caring if anyone was watching, she kissed his again, putting every ounce of feeling into it. he pulled her into his arms after a moment, resting his chin on top of her head.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"No need to thank me. You got me, Kens."

-::-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Later that evening, Deeks was sitting at his desk. Sam, Callen, Eric, and Nell had all gone home. Kensi was sitting at her desk eating one of the Twinkies he'd been rationing out to her ever since the Hostess company had shut down, waiting for him to finish up his last few reports. He would've been done sooner, but he'd had to call his boss. Saying he'd gotten 'chewed out' would've been an understatement. His boss rambled—more like yelled—at him for a good hour about 'turning his back on LAPD' and being too loyal to 'those filthy feds' and so on. If his boss hated him before, well now he down-right loathed him. With a passion.

Deeks looked up as Hetty approached their desks.

"How did the phone-call go, Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked.

"Let's just say I'm probably lucky to still be a cop," he replied.

"Indeed you are," Hetty agreed. "You could still lose that title, though, if you wanted."

Deeks looked at her, confused. Kensi wore an expression that he was sure matched his own.

"What—are you, um, like firing me, or-or something?" he stammered. "What exactly do you mean?"

Hetty came over and gently placed a folder on his desk.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Well, I thought that if you're dating one of your coworkers," Hetty said, giving him a sly smile. "she might as well be your actual coworker."

Then the little woman walked away like as if all of what she had said had made perfect sense and required no further explanation. Deeks cautiously opened the file and looked down at some very familiar looking paperwork and his eyebrows rose in surprise.

"What is it?" Kensi asked.

Deeks gave a little half smile and grabbed a pen. He weighed the utensil in his hand. All the papers needed were his signature. All he had to do was put down Marty Deeks and no more LAPD. No more just being a cop. He would become and NCIS Special Agent. He would get to work alongside his girlfriend and the best friends he could've ever asked for every single day. No more of having a foot in each world.

Ever since becoming liaison to NCIS, the LAPD had become less and less like home. It never really had been home, but it was where his career as a cop had started, so it had always had a special place in his heart. But NCIS…NCIS was home. He walked in everyday and felt like he belonged. He walked in everyday and got to work with an amazing team who also happened to be his best friends. Maybe being an agent was what he was always meant to be.

He looked up at Kensi. "No more LAPD,"

She looked at him for a moment before realization dawned across her features. Her eyebrows arched in astonishment, but he could see the hints of a smile paying at the corners of her mouth.

"Really?" she asked.

With a sure and steady hand, Deeks signed his name.

"Like I said, you got me, Fern. Ooh, what do you think Sam and Callen are gonna say?"

"They'll probably treat you like any new agent," she smiled. "So prepare yourself for more self-esteem deflating jokes than ever,"

"Great," he muttered, but he wouldn't have been able to wipe the grin off his face if he tried.

So there's chapter 6! Hope you guys liked it =) I don't know about you guys, but I feel that at some point in the show, Hetty will give Deeks those NCIS agent papers again, and I'd like to think that he would sign them. So that's what I did.

Please review! The feedback is really wonderful, and it is just so amazing to read!

I will try to update within the week again.

Thanks for reading!

-DaughterOfPoseidon333