A/N: This took forever but I didn't want to rush and force something. Hope y'all like it!

"Can you go in? Riley needs help carrying her project and I'm trying to finish my homework."

Marty turns his head to look at Harper, brow furrowed but she's too engrossed in the paper in her lap to notice. He's not buying it but he doesn't say anything instead opting for a welcomed visit with his ladybird.

Kensi answers the door and his jaw hits the floor. She's wearing a power suit. A beautiful teal suit that contrasts perfectly against her skin and it suddenly becomes clear to him why Harper couldn't help Riley with her project. And once again he's so grateful for their meddling. Thank you, girls.

"You have a little bit of drool right there." She reaches forward without thought, wiping the corner of his lip.

"I-I'm supposed to be getting a project."

"Yeah, it's right over here."

He steps in getting a scent of her lavender perfume. Oh, shit.

"Thanks for helping out. I completely forgot this had to be at school this morning and I have this meeting with my publishers and my new book's not finished yet and-"

Her eyes go wide in surprise as she's suddenly pressed against the wall and his lips are on hers, but soon run out of air and have to pull back, not moving from their position. "Everything's gonna be fine. It's gonna be good. You're Badass Blye."

"Thank you." She smiles and then eyes him suspiciously seeing the smirk on his face. "What?"

He shakes his head and bends forward, nuzzling her neck. "You smell amazing."

She closes her eyes enjoying the touch of his lips against her skin as they travel up her neck. "What about you? You ready for today?"

"100 6th graders with 500 other 6th graders from around the county running around a museum." He makes a pst noise. "Easy peasy."

She laughs and brings her lips to his once more.

As Marty gets back into the Jeep something suddenly strikes him. His eyes meet his girl's in the rearview mirror who is miraculously done with her homework now."Didn't you say you finished that assignment last week?"

"Yeah, but I was just checking my work."

"The exact moment we got to Kens' house?"

"Oh, Kens is it?" Harper wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

A small blush begins to creep up his cheeks, damn these kids. Before he can say anything else the passenger-side back door opens and Riley hops in with a knowing grin, which is when he realizes the window is rolled down.

"He was totally drooling." The young brunette says just loud enough for Marty to hear making his blush form into an even deeper shade of red.

When he told Kensi this field trip would be easy he had somehow forgotten how truly cutthroat the pre-teens of the greater Chicago area could be.

He's currently giving a stern talking to a kid that thought it'd be hilarious to put googly eyes on an Abe Lincoln bust when a blood-curdling shriek sends his blood running cold.

"Daddy!"

Marty's eyes go wide in panic as Harper's screeching voice fills the large rotunda. Spinning around distraught, he looks for her and finally spots her frantically examining Riley. "What's wrong?!"

"Riley."

He runs over to the girls, kneeling in front of Riley, his hands instinctively finding hers. Trying to keep her calm as much as he is himself, he keeps his eyes locked with hers while communicating with Harper. "What happened?"

"I don't know. She just ate some trail mix and now sh-she can't breathe…"

The ingredients of the snack flash through his mind and he quickly turns to the boy standing nearby. The young boy's eyes are filled with panic much like his own but unlike his, tears are beginning to pool in this random 12 year-olds. "Are there peanuts in that?"

"Y-yeah." The tween answers nervously looking from the baggie in his hands back towards the principal.

Calm…he has to remain calm. Thinking back to the first time he heard Kensi talk about the allergy, the solution is right here. "Harper, where's her bag?"

"She left it on the bus…" Panic fills the raven-haired tween's voice once again as she watches her best friend collapse into her dad. "What are we gonna do?"

The bus that won't be back until 3. Without thought, he picks Riley up, cradles her in his arms, and turns to one of his teachers. "Watch the kids, I gotta get her to the hospital."

She nods, ushering their students away from the area as Marty runs out with Riley in his arms and Harper trailing not far behind.

Once they step out into the sunlight, he lets out a growl. "Fucking Chicago traffic." He looks both ways and thinks about where the nearest hospital is. "Harper, I need you to stay here, I'm gonna have to run."

"No, I'm going with you."

"Harper."

"I'm going."

At that moment he couldn't be more proud of his girl for standing her ground and it's suddenly lost when Riley starts taking a larger gasp of breath. "We gotta fucking book it."

A fierce protectiveness crosses her face preparing herself for the sprint of her life. "Let's go."

"WHERE IS SHE?" All sense of decorum has left Kensi's body as she runs to the nurse's station in the ER. As soon as she got the call from Marty, she left her meeting and hightailed it to the hospital.

To say the panic that's been coursing through her veins since she heard the words, "I'm at the ER with Riley," is new to her…that would be a lie. She's always worried about her even more so with their history at the ER.

"Ms. Blye."

The tall brunette spins at the sound of her name being called and is met with a distraught Harper whose tear-stained eyes makes her fear the worse. "Harper, where is she?"

"Over here."

"Where's your dad?"

"He's sitting with her. Hasn't left her side."

At the words, a sense of gratefulness replaces her panic but it quickly shifts to rage as she walks past the sectioned-off area of the ER room where Riley is and sees her limp body fast asleep on the bed. She places a kiss on her head and turns to Marty, trying her best to keep the tears at bay. "How could you let this happen?"

"I-"

She doesn't let him get a word out edgewise. All she's seeing right now is red and the person responsible for this whole situation. "You were supposed to be watching her."

"There are other kids I have to watch, too."

"I want you to leave." She wants to take back the words as soon as they leave her mouth. Really she wants him to hold her and tell her everything will be okay, but again the pent-up anger she's been holding onto for so long wins out.

"Kens."

"Go."

Sighing in defeat Marty and Harper walk out of the sectioned area and through the sliding doors. Kensi doesn't dare watch them leave and begins to pace back and forth, running her fingers through her hair all the while trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

"Why'd you do that?"

Riley's raspy voice draws her back to the present and she looks up, meeting her baby girl's tired eyes. "Because I could've lost you."

"But mom…"

"No, but moms. He should've been watching you. He's the principal."

"He was watching us but some other kids were messing with an exhibit. We're 12 years old he shouldn't have to have a leash on us."

"So how'd you get the peanuts and where was your bag?"

"This kid from another school offered us some of his trail mix. I didn't think to ask about peanuts. I wasn't thinking."

"It's not your fault."

"It's not Mr. Deeks' fault either. As soon as Harper called him over he didn't take his eyes off me. He asked what happened, where my Epipen was and when she told him I forgot it on the bus he picked me up and sprinted with me 4 blocks to the hospital."

As the words hit her ears, her throat beings to constrict. Of course, he did. It's Marty. "He-he did?"

"Yes, I'm alive because of him." She nods, then a knowing smile curls at the corner of her lips. "You know, mom, he's a great catch and I know for a fact he's single."

Shaking her head, she can't fight the smile of her daughter and her antics. "So now you're playing love connection?"

"I'm just saying." The younger brunette shrugs.

A few minutes later as Riley's getting her things together, Kensi takes out her phone seeing 2 messages from Marty saying he hopes she's feeling better and asking if Harper can facetime Riley later when they get home.

Kensi: Hey, do you think you could bring Harper by the house? Riley wants to see her and she really needs to stay in bed for a while.

Marty: Sure. Does 6 work?

Kensi: Yes. Thank you, Marty.

Like clockwork, the clock strikes 6 and there's a knock. She feels herself running towards the front door, but suddenly has to reel herself back. Her hand finds its way to her chest trying to calm her racing heart, it does nothing to stop the panic attack that she knows is about to engulf her…and then there's another knock.

She knows if she doesn't answer Marty will worry and barge his way in, which means if she doesn't move now, he'll see her like this and she can't let that happen…not yet.

Taking a deep calming breath, trying her best to school her features, the brunette pulls open her front door and is immediately met with the most piercing blue eyes that she's ever seen. His eyes.

She's memorized every emotion that's been written in them, the hurt and anguish looking back at her now…she's only been on the receiving end of 4 times, their first big fight, when they broke up all those years ago, at the hospital, and now.

Shaking herself out of her trance, Kensi's eyes find Harper's who's nervously biting her bottom lip. "Riley's in her room if you want to go up."

Without being told twice, the raven-haired tween zooms through the door past the brunette and races up the stairs leaving her dad and best friend's mom alone.

Words seem inadequate as their eyes dance back and forth between each other. She knows she needs to be the first to say something…anything.

"How is she?"

"She's doing better…but I'm not."

Panic suddenly fills his eyes as he closes the distance between them, and wraps her hands in his. Probably the same way he reacted to Riley earlier today.

"Can we talk please?"

He looks like he's about to say no, it's on the tip of his tongue. Then he remembers the last fight they had…the one that ended their passionate college love affair. The one that ended them. They both just walked away last time. Here she is trying to fight for them now and then the desperate plea leaves her lips and his heart almost shatters.

"Please, Marty?"

Relief floods through her body as he intertwines his fingers with hers and pulls her into the house, shutting the door behind them.

For a few minutes, they just stand there in the middle of the living room. Marty doesn't try to rush her, it's clear she's working through some things and he has to trust that she'll tell him when she's ready.

The understanding in his eyes…the way he reads her like an open book like only he can, it's just the push she needs. Grabbing his other hand, she locks her fingers with his. Her mismatched orbs lock with his cerulean blues trying to convey as best she can the words that are about to leave her lips. "I'm sorry about how I reacted today. There's no excuse for me blaming you…I just got transported to the past when this would happen with her dad."

"Would happen as in more than once?"

She nods her head. "Before I got my book deal I didn't have the means to fight for full custody so half of the time Riley was with her dad but he never paid much attention to her. He'd let her eat anything and take her to a restaurant, not to mention her allergy…then she'd end up in the ER. He'd buy groceries with peanut ingredients and not hide them, she'd end up in the ER."

"Son of a bitch."

"That's putting it mildly."

She finally allows herself to break and lets out a shaky breath along with a stream of tears. "I'm just really sorry."

He can't hold back any longer. Using momentum, Marty pulls her towards him, crashing their bodies together as his arms find their way around her, cradling her head in the crook of his neck. "Shhh. It's okay. I've got you. Just let it out."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Taking care of my girl and for being here with me."

"Always."

"And thank you for running 4 blocks with my daughter in your arms. I know how much you hate to run."

"I'd do anything for you just like I'd do anything for our girls."

"Our girls. I like the sound of that."

"Me, too."

"Do you have any idea how much I love you right now?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea, but you could always show me to be sure." A smile spreads to his face as she closes the distance between them.

Their lips lock all but 5 seconds before the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs forces them to quickly break apart.

Marty directs his eyes towards the ceiling as if he's appreciating the crown molding work and Kensi…well, she chooses to grab a picture frame on a nearby shelf to examine.

"What are you two doing?" Harper pauses halfway down the steps, eyeing the pair suspiciously, not even buying the lies they're about to start spewing.

"Just talking." The blonde's voice is a little shakier than he would like when he finally turns his attention toward the tween.

"Sure you were."

The brunette sits the picture down, trying to fight the smile on her face before putting her mom face on and meeting her daughter's best friend's eyes. "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." She starts humming, slowly continuing her walk down the stairs as if she knows something they don't.

"Ready to go, kiddo?"

"Yeah, Riley fell asleep."

"Okay, well I guess we'll see you guys at the game Sunday." Marty sends Kensi a smile, backing towards the front door following the footsteps of his daughter.

"Wait, Harper."

The little girl turns around and stops as Kensi comes up to her and wraps her in a hug. A real mom hug, the first she's ever had and it breaks her. Burying her face into the brunette's chest, Harper's arms find their way around the older woman's waist, clinging onto her for dear life.

"Thank you for looking out for Riley." As the words leave her lips, the little girl tightens her grip around her waist, and that's when she feels the tears seep through her shirt, breaking her heart.

"I was so scared. Besides my dad, she's all I have."

Placing a kiss on the top of her head, Kensi pulls back, her thumbs finding Harper's cheeks, and wipes the remaining tears away. "I tell you what. If it's alright with your dad, how about you spend the whole weekend here?"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Harper turns towards her dad, hazel eyes filled with hopeful excitement. "Can I?"

"I'll go get your stuff."

"Thanks, Ms. Blye." She gives her one more squeeze before disentangling from the older woman and racing back up the stairs.

"Harper?"

"Yes, ma'am?" The raven-haired tween stops mid-step, turning back, meeting the tall brunette's eyes.

"If you want, you have me, too."

Before her head can even process what she's doing, Harper's feet have her racing back down the stairs, crashing into Kensi's body, trapping her into the fiercest hug her tiny body can muster. "Thank you."

As he watches the interaction between his two favorite people, Marty realizes now more than ever before that Kensi Blye is the absolute love of his life. She's the one and always will be.

A few seconds later Harper's running back upstairs and Marty doesn't have the willpower to hold back any longer. Closing the distance between them, his hand finds her jaw, thumb rubbing back and forth across her delicate skin, trying to memorize every inch. "Thank you. You have no idea what that means to her…or me."

"She was hurting, too. I didn't really stop to think about that until just now. And you…"

"What about me?"

"You were hurting."

"I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life except when we lost each other all those years ago."

Shaking her head, the tears begin to pool in her eyes. "You don't know how much that means to me to hear you say that."

"I love you, Kens. Riley's a part of you and I love her, too."

Leaning in, she presses a kiss to his lips. "I love you."

He melts into their kiss and relishes the moment before pulling back and resting his forehead against hers. "Now as much as I don't want to, I better go before Harper comes back down. I also forgot that I had a few dates lined up for tonight and I can't miss those."

Biting her lips, she pinches his bicep, earning her a wince. "You better be joking."

A smirk plays on his lips before he gives her one last kiss. "You still gonna leave the key under the mat for me?"

"Your side of the bed will be waiting for you as always."