A/N: For "Sorry For Your Loss" from season 13. After Deeks talks to Miriam in the boat shed. Countdown day 1.

Kensi was waiting for Deeks at the door when he came home. She'd wanted to stay at the Mission until he was finished with Miriam Sivac, but he'd convinced her to leave once she finished her own reports.

"Baby, that went faster than I expected," she said, greeting him with a kiss. "How did it go?"

"As weird as our first conversation, and even less helpful," Deeks responded, raising one eyebrow. "She wasn't in a chatty mood. Although I'm pretty sure she was flirting with me." He made a face of distaste and shuddered as Kensi's eyes widened.

"She what now?"

"And possibly killed a squirrel," he mused.

"Wait, let's go back to the whole "flirting with me" thing," Kensi said, waving a hand as if to dispel the thought of the squirrel. "What did she say."

"Nothing in particular. It was more the way she said it." He slid his arm over her shoulders, drawing her into his side. "You saw how she was at the funeral. She thrives off making people uncomfortable and getting inside your head."

"Did she admit to making a deal with Anders?"

"Nope. Lawyered up. She was very open about the whole killing her stepson thing. Pragmatic, one might even say. The rest though, she didn't feel like sharing," he said, rubbing one hand over eyes. "I'm pretty sure she a psychopath."

"It's been rough day all around for you, hasn't it?" Kensi asked, sympathy in her tone. When he gave her a questioning look, she reached around to his left arm and lifted it so his bandaged forearm was visible. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you, but I'm grateful you came to my and Callen's rescue."

He twisted his arm around, shrugging. Usually, he'd play an injury like this for sympathy, but he didn't have it in him tonight.

"Eh, I've had worse."

Kensi didn't seem convinced and started pulling at the bandage.

"Hey, I literally just changed that before I left," Deeks protested.

"I didn't get a look before. I'll fix it when I'm done," Kensi assured him, continuing to unravel the long piece of fabric. She hissed at the 4-inch long cut she revealed. It was terribly deep, but it did burn, and the EMT who checked it earlier mentioned he might need stitches if it didn't close on its own.

Making a soft noise in the back of her throat, she ran her thumb around the wound, then leaned close, pressing her lips just above where it ended.

"I'm ok, Kens," he murmured when she stayed bent over him for longer than he expected. "Hey, Kensi."

"I know you are," she said, finally standing straight again. Her voice sounded a little thick as she continued to cling to his arm, fingers warm and soft on his skin. "But I didn't know that when it happened. When you disappeared, all I wanted to do was go make sure you were alright, and I couldn't."

"Hey, you made the right choice. That's what you're supposed to do. Because you're a ridiculous ninja assassin who saves people lives."

"Sometimes that's incredibly hard to remember." She sighed deeply, running her fingers across his skin one more time before she started rewrapping the cut with skilled ease.

When she was done, Deeks kissed the crown of her head, breathing in her scent.

"C'mon, lets order something completely unhealthy for dinner, watch the most ridiculous show we can find, and forget all about psychotic squirrel killing ladies," he suggested. As he hoped, Kensi gave him a tiny smile. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

"Sounds perfect," Kensi whispered, clinging to him as they moved to the couch.