As Kensi was leaving work, Deeks texted asking her to come over for dinner. Apparently Monica had somewhere else to be, so he didn't have to worry about her making unwanted appearances. Although Kensi would put up with interacting with her, if necessary, Kensi was relieved to avoid another run in.

Deeks greeted her at the door with a soft smile. He'd ditched his tie, the top couple buttons of his shirt popped, and his sleeves rolled up to forearms. The sight of him instantly set her at ease and gave her a sense of comfort.

As soon as she crossed the threshold and closed the door, Deeks pulled Kensi in for a hug, pressing his face into her collar bone with a heartfelt sigh. She felt the last of the tension she hadn't even noticed ease from her shoulders, and she melted into his arms.

"Hey," he whispered, his breath warm against her skin.

"Hey. How was your day?" she asked. She brushed her fingers through the hair at his temple, tucking a couple curls behind his ear. "Seems like it might have been a little rough."

"Eh, it could have been worse. Talia talked me down today. And also offered some highly illegal assistance," Deeks replied with a smile she felt against her neck.

"So she's gotten over you setting her up with that guy at the gala?"

Deeks pulled back, sliding his hand down to clasp their fingers together, leading her to the living room.

"Oddly enough, I think she actually likes him," Deeks said, shrugging. He dipped his head to kiss her, but Kensi held him off with a hand to his chest.

"Wait, where's Caleb?"

"He's playing in his room." His grin widened. "Why? Are you planning something indecent, Miss Blye?"

Kensi toyed with one of the open buttons. "No." Deeks let out a breathy laugh as she dipped her fingers inside his shirt and dragged the back of her nails along his skin. "I just don't think your son needs to see us making out just yet."

"Ooh, making out. I like the sound of that."

Settling his hands on the small of her back, he drew her even closer, lowering his head to meet Kensi as kissed him. He groaned softly, one hand rising to cup the back of her head, deepening the kiss.

She'd missed this. With everything going on, they'd spent little time together and romance had gone to the wayside.

Despite her insistence that nothing indecent was going to happen, Kensi slipped her fingers between the waistband of his pants and shirt, seeking out bare skin. They both sighed, little sounds of relief, when she succeeded, sliding her palms up the length of his back.

She lost herself in the feel of Deeks' lips on hers, his down her sides, the fine buzz of arousal humming through her entire body. Deeks pulled back, Kensi made an involuntary sound of protest, following him with her mouth. He smiled against her lips, and kissed her once more, just a soft press of his mouth on hers.

Deeks ran his palms up and down her sides again, settling just at the top of her hips. "What about you? Did you have a good day?" he asked, sounding more at ease than a few minutes ago.

She hated the thought of ruining the peace by bringing Monica into the conversation. Deeks deserved a night without worrying about her.

"What's wrong?"

Deeks gently touched her bottom lip, which she'd been unconsciously gnawing at. Of course he noticed.

"Ok, promise me you won't freak out," she started. Naturally, Deeks stood a little straighter, his eyebrows lowering in concern. Kensi rubbed her temples, eyes screwed shut. "Um, I may or may not have accidentally gotten into it with Monica a little bit."

"What, when?" Deeks demanded in mild horror. "Please tell me she didn't show up at the school like some kind of stalker."

"No, she didn't," Kensi assured him quickly, resting a reassuring hand on his arm. "No. Last night I dropped by to bring you some coffee. You weren't home—"

"But Monica was here. Damn." Deeks groaned, tilting his head back as Kensi nodded in confirmation. "What did she say?"

"Deeks, it's not important," she tried to evade, but Deeks wasn't having it.

"Yes, it is. Monica's my ex, she's here because of me, so whatever she says and does is partially my responsibility. Please tell me."

"As far as I'm concerned, Monica can take responsibility for her own choices." Deeks made a face at that, but didn't disagree this time. "But if you really want to know, she asked about our relationship, told me she wanted to make sure I was good enough for you—"

"You're kidding." Deeks made a noise of disbelief, shaking his head. He took a couple steps away, like he needed to walk off his annoyance.

"And—" Kensi hesitated yet again.

"What?"

This was the part she was looking forward to sharing least, but Deeks needed to know.

"She's been pumping Caleb for information and looking at the messages on your phone," she told him reluctantly.

His mouth opened slightly in apparent shock, and then he chuckled bitterly. "I shouldn't be surprised," he said. "I suspected she was taking advantage of Caleb's chattiness, but not to this degree. My phone…well, boundaries have never really been her forte."

Kensi held her arms out; after a moment, he melted into her again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know it's not my fault, but you don't deserve this."

"Thanks. Why didn't you tell me about this last night?"

Kensi shrugged. "I guess I was rattled and angry and I didn't want to take that out on you. Or give her the satisfaction of running right to you. She's kind of infuriating."

"A little," Deeks agreed with a tired chuckle. "I'll talk to her about this."

"You don't have to."

"Yes, I do."

Before they could start a small argument, Caleb called out from the hallway. "Daddy, is it time for dinner?" he asked, a slight whine in his voice as he approached. "I'm like infinity hungry."

"Yeah, it's in the oven," Deeks responded.

"How much—Kensi!" Caleb shouted when he noticed her. With his usual exuberance, he ran across the room, and launched himself into her arms.

"Hi, Sweetie."

"Are you staying for dinner?"

"Yeah, I am."

Caleb grinned, his smile a smaller version of his dad's, with a few extra gaps. "Awesome. You wanna see my new books?"

Kensi shared a smile with Deeks as she let Caleb drag her towards his bedroom.

This was what she'd been missing.

A/N: Yes, I did borrow a quote from my nephew.