Chapter 4

"Hey sweetheart," Deeks said, sneaking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. "How are you?"

"Fine," she said, grabbing a bagel and her keys. "I'll make dinner tonight, okay? Unless I've got an assignment. You know the drill."

"Of course I know the drill. I knew the drill long before I knew you… like this," he said, kissing her neck and whispering in her ear.

"I've got to go," Kensi said, wriggling out of his arms and grabbing her bag.

"Hey," Deeks said, confused. When she didn't turn around or answer, he said it more indignantly. "Hey. Kensi. Kensi!"

Deeks had come up behind her and grabbed her arm. "Kensi. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kensi whispered, but even she didn't believe herself.

"Bull, Kensi. Bull. I know you. I know Kensi. And this girl that's been walking around since I got home from undercover? She's not Kensi."

Suddenly she was angry. Very angry. "How do you know I'm not Kensi? I could be the real Kensi, and the person you've been dating all this time isn't the real me! How do you know, Deeks?"

Deeks looked like she'd slapped him. Then she realized she hadn't called him Deeks for eight months, when they got engaged.

"I just know, Kensi!" Deeks shouted, letting go of her and walking away.

Kensi turned to look at him, his shoulders slouching with every step as he walked toward the big leather chair in their living room. He sat in it, putting his face in his palm and resting his elbows on his knees.

"I just know." This time it was quieter and calmer.

Seeing Deeks in such a defeated position unnerved Kensi, so she did what she always did. She ran.

"Hey there Kensi," Callen said as he walked into the bullpen that morning and smiling at Kensi. One look from Kensi wiped the grin off his face for fear of bodily harm.

"Don't worry, its not you," Andy said, looking up from his desk across the floor. "I got the same greeting. She's a regular ball of sunshine today."

"Noted," Called replied, sitting down at his desk.

"You will be happy to know that this little case will be wrapped in a pretty bow by tonight," Sam said. "I got LAPD working for backup when Callen and I go in today."

"Which means I'm going back to Boston tomorrow," said the tall presence behind Kensi. Nate. Dammit.

"About time," Kensi said, tonelessly.

"Kensi, could I talk to you for a minute?" Nate asked.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Kensi countered, plastering an overly fake smile on her face in sacasm.

The minute the door closed in the training room, sound exploded.

"What the hell, NATE?"

"What?"

"You show up one day after you run off without a single trace two years ago and suddenly you expect everything to be exactly the same?"

"I didn't expect that!"

Yeah, ya did, Nate," Kensi shouted, her time in the southwest rearing its ugly head in both her temper and accent. "You walked in the Ops Center and your face glowered at the ring on my finger."

"I'm sorry I expected you to still be there for me."

"Really? 'Cause you don't sound sorry. You just sound pissed. Which you have NO RIGHT to be. I didn't leave you. I didn't leave with out a single trace in the middle of the night and just not show up to work that day and not even give Hetty a note for you and I certainly didn't expect you to still be waiting for me when I got back after two years of AWOL. I didn't do that, Nate! That was you!"

Kensi took a deep breath because her blood was rushing and her heart was spiking and anger was pulsing through her body. Then she did what she had been waiting two years to do. She slapped him so hard across the face that his head twisted and a five-star started to appear on his cheek.

"That was for leaving," Kensi said evenly. Then she slapped him across the other cheek, swiveling his head again. "That was for the crap you have against Deeks-" then she kneed him in the crotch "-and that was for me."

Nat crumbled, which was quite a feat considering how big he was, and Kensi turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her. She looked over the balcony to see Eric, Nell, Sam, Callen, and Andy all standing in the bullpen staring up at her. For some reason this made her even more angry, so, for the second time that day, Kensi bolted.

(A/N): Hey everybody. I am so so so so so so so so so so so sorry that it has taken me so long to update. I know that this story has a lot of people following it, which makes me feel even more guilty for taking forever.

Eric: Seriously, how hard is it to update?
Nell: Yeah, come on! You're killing us here.
Eric: Well, not technically. We're still alive.
Nell: You know what I mean.
ME: Guys, could you not?
Eric: What?
ME: You're giving me a headache. And you know what that means. It means that I won't write more.
Eric: Okay, we're shutting up now.

Please read & review. & review, & review, &review. It's more addicting than pistachios.