A/N: Oh goodness, it has been a long time since I visited this story. I hope that this addition will make up for it.

"Go ahead and say it," Deeks prompted, chin propped on his fist, which balanced on the open window of the Challenger. He could probably easily count the number of times he'd sat in the vehicle since his start with the team. When Sam didn't respond, he tilted his head just enough to see him out of the corner of his eye. "I know you want to."

"And what would that be?" Sam asked mildly from beside him.

"I told you so."

Sam huffed softly, and Deeks imagined his half-smirk.

"That wasn't on my mind at all," he said.

"Really."

"Ok, I might not be the biggest fan of you and Kensi's PDAs, but that doesn't mean I think you should have been split up or on probation."

"Really?" Deeks repeated, this time in surprise. He twisted in his seat, wincing slightly as the seat rubbed his hurst and jacket against his still-healing burns.

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess it must suck to be paired up with me all the time," Deeks allowed, mostly joking. The last few days had shaken things up though and it was hard to be certain of much. Besides the burning injustice he felt every single time he caught one of Kilbride's smug, knowing smirks.

"Hey now, you know that's been over for years. I might joke about it sometimes, and yeah, you do get on my nerves, but so does G every other minute. Point is, you're a good partner, you're a good teammate, and you're an even better investigator," Sam told him, the confidence in his voice making Deeks shift uncomfortably. "Kilbride's actions were done with obvious prejudice and a lack of consideration."

Sam reached over, squeezing Deeks' shoulder firmly, almost painfully, but was reassuring.

"I know it's hard, and it's not fair, but you and Kensi can handle this. You're going to prove that he was wrong, and the rest of us will be right there with you."

"Thanks, man," Deeks murmured, touched by his confidence and support.

"Just don't give him more reason to come down hard on you," Sam added. "Cause we sure as hell can't take months of you two moping around without each other."

Deeks grinned, shaking his head. "I'll do my best."

"Hey, everything ok?" Rountree asked, going for casual, but missing the mark a little. Kensi glanced up from her phone, having taken the opportunity to check her texts as they left a witness' home.

So far, Rountree had remained pretty quiet about the change in partnerships. Kensi wasn't sure if he just didn't want risk incurring someone's wrath by rocking the boat, or if it was his own way of showing support. Either way, she felt guilty that Kilbride's punishment for her and Deeks had trickled down to him and Fatima.

"Yeah, uh, just checking in with Deeks," she answered. "And Sam."

"Anything new?"

"Nope, no movement," she responded. Normally, she would call Deeks, take the opportunity to flirt a little or just catch up with him. It wasn't that she couldn't control herself, but now she was keenly aware of everything she said and did in relation to Deeks. She didn't know how closely Kilbride was monitoring them.

She didn't mind being separated from Deeks that much either. They were used to different pairing as needed, and she enjoyed working with Rountree and Callen more. No, the part that burned, that worried her, was the long-term outcome.

If Kilbride decided to change their partnerships permanently, or worse, send one of them to a different location, Kensi wasn't sure what she'd do. She'd thought the Admiral was fair minded underneath his gruff exterior and mercurial personality. She'd convinced herself that despite the way he often belittled Deeks, Kilbride respected his skills and what he brought to the team as an investigator.

Now, she was beginning to think Kilbride had used locker room incident as an excuse to confirm his beliefs about Deeks. And possibly use it as an excuse to force him out.

Squaring her chin, Kensi silently vowed to herself that they wouldn't let him win. She and Deeks would tough out this rough period, and prove Kilbride wrong.

Bolstered by her anger and determination, she gestured to Rountree. "C'mon Devin, let's go talk to the wife."