Disclaimer - not mine, but they sure are fun to play with.

Week 3

Kensi's morning jog found her at the beach. She had consciously made this decision, knowing that this was Deeks favorite surfing spot. She glanced out towards the water, knowing she wouldn't see his blonde hair, but she couldn't stop herself from hoping that it was there.

She wouldn't tell him this, but watching him surf was one of her favorite things to do. She would grumble about getting up early, but secretly, she loved it. Loved spending time with him. Loved that he shared this very personal part of him.

He had told her once that being out on the water was one of the only ways he could straighten things out in his head. This was where he came to erase bad aliases, to come back to himself. To remind him that he wasn't those people, where he could cleanse himself of the things he had seen and forced to do.

She sat on the beach and watched the sun rise. The way the light glistened over the water, making it sparkle. Listening to the wave's crash against the shore. She wiggled her toes in the sand, lost in her thoughts. She missed him far more than she realized she would, and that surprised her, the depths to which these feelings went.

She thought of Jack. When he went off to war, all those years ago, she understood fear, loneliness, longing. Fear that he wouldn't come home, loneliness day after day, week after week. Longing to feel his arms around her again. But as she watched the waves, becoming mesmerized by the ebb and flow of the tide, she realized that everything she felt for Jack was paled in comparison to Deeks.

She loved Jack, so much. But with Deeks, his absence made the familiar feelings of fear, loneliness and longing so much more intense. Since he had been gone, she came to terms with the love she felt for him, but this? This was a lot more to take in than she realized.

The nights alone in her apartment were the worst. Her mind would wander to every horrible thing that could happen to him and she would find herself on the edge of hyperventilating with her head between her knees, tears streaming down her face. When she finally pulled herself together, she would pull the ice cream out of her freezer and lose herself in the memories she had of him. She knew it was dangerous, this level of depression that she was reaching, but she didn't know what else to do.

She realized there, staring at the ocean that he loves so much, that this would stop. Deeks wouldn't want her to sit there, worrying herself sick over him. If the situation was reversed, she knew she wouldn't want Deeks to sit at home every night, thinking over every situation that could go horribly wrong. This was their job, their life.

And there was an almost guarantee that this would happen again, with either one of them having to go off on their own on a dangerous mission to save the world. They had to trust each other to come back. And starting now, she would trust Deeks to do this mission, to do his job, and come back to her.

Getting up and dusting the sand off her, she jogged home. Opening the door, she immediately knew something was off. She remembered turning the light off when she left, however, her kitchen light was now on. She pulled her gun out, and began clearing the rooms. Once she was sure there was no one else in the apartment with her, she turned and that's when she saw it.

There, on her kitchen table, was a box. Glancing around, she walked up and opened it. Sweet Jesus. There was a dozen doughnuts, one of each of her favorites. And there was only ONE person on this earth who knew what all her favorite doughnuts were. And knowing WHO that was, she also knew there was going to be a note around here somewhere.

She picked the box up, but there was nothing under it…nothing on or under the lid. She looked down. She could see something underneath the doughnuts, but in order to get to it, she had to either move or eat the sugary delights in her way. Eat it was! After she had enough gone that she could finagle the zip lock bag with her note in it, she washed off the bag and her hands. Sitting down in her chair, she opened the baggy and pulled her note out.

Sugarbear – Surprise! Please, I beg of you, don't eat all of these at one time. Take your time, savor the taste of them (even though I know by now you've already eaten at least half…did you taste ANY of them?). Think of me when you eat one. I bought one of each of your favorites, because I know how hard it is for you to choose sometimes. Smile sunshine! -D

She smiled, picked up the next doughnut and thought of him as she savored the taste. Even when he was gone, he had an uncanny ability to know when she was feeling down. Every time she started getting upset about him being away, she would get another gift. He was amazing like that.

She wasn't worried about how the doughnuts showed up, either. She knew he wasn't the one who left them, but he wouldn't send just anyone into her home while she was away. Her best guess was Nell. And as much as she wanted to ask her friend about it, she wasn't going to. Whatever he had worked out with his partner in crime in this, she almost didn't want to know. He was doing what he set out to do, making her smile. Making sure she didn't forget him while he was gone. Little did he know that the surprises weren't necessary.

Taking the remaining doughnuts to work and setting them out for the others, she took one and sought out Nell. Seeing what she was holding, Nell just smiled at her and took the offering.

"Thanks for the doughnut Kens, but you didn't have to."

"I know, it's just my way of saying thank you."

Before Nell could say anything else about it, Kensi smiled and hurried away, ready to get the day started.

AN - Again, I can not thank you enough for all the reviews and alerts on this story. I am blown away. :)