A/N: Written for Mother's Day 2024.
"Is she gone?" Rosa asked, popping her head through the front door.
"Yeah, she just left," Deeks confirmed, holding back a smile as Rosa crept in, clearly enjoying the subterfuge. She had a couple of canvas bags with her, which she set on the dining room table. "Will Andrea be here soon?
"Yes, she's about five minutes away."
"Sweet, I'll get the twins up and feed them so we're ready once everything's set up."
A few weeks ago, amidst a midnight feeding, it had occurred to Deeks that Mother's Day was quickly approaching and he'd planned absolutely nothing. With all the recent changes between the twins, leave, and looking for new jobs, it had gotten lost in the shuffle. Deep down, he knew Kensi wouldn't care much—she always said she didn't need holidays to know how much they cared—but Deeks wanted to celebrate her. Especially since last Mother's Day had been overridden by doctor's appointments and the aftermath of Anna and Callen's wedding.
Between him and Rosa, they'd come up with a photo album along with a few other gifts. Rosa had recommended one of her friends, Andrea, who was a burgeoning photographer for the photoshoot.
Deeks went to wake up Sophia and Caleb and feed them. Fortunately, they woke up happy, giggling, and babbling away. When they were done eating, he dressed them in little blue outfits he'd kept hidden at the back of the junk closet.
Once they were dressed, Deeks brought them out to Rosa, who had changed into a sundress in a similar shade to the twins', and headed back in to his and Kensi's bedroom to change. He chose a dress shirt in Kensi's favorite shade of blue along with white pants.
By the time he came back out, Andrea had arrived with her equipment, and was currently down on the floor, playing with the twins. When she saw Deeks, she hopped up, brushing a handful of curly brown hair out of her eyes.
"Hi Mr. Deeks."
"Hey Andrea, thanks so much for coming," Deeks said, reaching out to shake Andrea's hand. Caleb held out both arms, and he stooped to pick him up, cradling him on one forearm.
"Of course. I love family photoshoots," she assured him. "So, just so I'm clear, how much time do we have today?"
"Kensi is at an in-service so she should be gone for a good 3-4 hours." Negotiating Kensi's absence had been the most difficult part to finagle, since she spent significantly more time at home these days.
"Perfect," Andrea said with a grin. "Should we start outside?"
"Come on, my Sofía," Rosa said, scooping Sophia up. "Let's go make pretty pictures for mommy.
A Few Weeks Later
"Deeks, why did you let me order the tiramisu?" Kensi groaned, leaning her head on his shoulder. He grinned, briefly cupping her cheek, and kissing her temple. She had a post-nursing Sophia balanced again her chest while Caleb snuggled into the other side of his neck.
"Because it's Mother's Day and what my Ladybird wants, my Ladybird gets," he said, grinning even wider when that earned him a giggle from Kensi.
"You're ridiculous." Her hand creeping up his chest said otherwise.
"Hey enough flirting!" Rosa called out. Caleb startled at the sound of his voice, turning his head to find her in the room. He babbled something, reaching for her with an open hand. "It's time for presents," Rosa continued excitedly. She'd taken great joy in crossing and creating Kensi's gifts.
"Oh my god, you did not have to get me presents on top of breakfast in bed and dinner," Kensi protested. Ignoring her, Rosa jogged out of the room. Kensi narrowed her eyes at Deeks, but he just shrugged innocently.
Rosa returned a minute later with two wrapped packages and a gift bag.
"Here, I'll swap you," Deeks offered, holding out his free hand for Sophia.
"Open this one first," Rosa encouraged as she gave Kensi the bag, sitting on the end of the couch. Kensi reached in and pulled out a tuft of tissue paper and a black and white gift certificate.
"Ooh, a spa session. I know where I'm going after work this Friday," Kensi said. "Mama needs a massage." She wiggled Caleb's foot. She looked to Kensi and Deeks then. "Thank you, guys."
The next gift contained a selection of Kensi's favorite snacks. Rosa handed her the final gift, folding her fingers together in with slightly nervous anticipation.
"This one feels like a book. Did you get me the next one on in that series I—" She broke off as the paper fell away to reveal a large photo album. "Oh my god," she whispered, running her fingers over the cover picture.
"Open it up," Deeks suggested, and she silently turned to the first page, which featured Deeks, Rosa, and the twins on the patio swing. She flipped through a few more pages, shaking her head at each picture.
They'd chosen a variety of professional shots as well as several candid pictures.
"These are so beautiful," Kensi murmured, running her fingers over a crisp picture of her cuddling the twins, their heads all thrown back in laughter.
"We wanted to give you a physical reminder of how much we love you and how important you are to this family," Deeks explained softly. "We couldn't do this without our Mama Blye."
Kensi pressed her hand over her mouth, eyes suspiciously wet, and he felt his own eyes tear up slightly too. She reached for Deeks, her mouth wet on his when they kissed. Pulling back, she looped her arm around Rosa's shoulders, tugging her closer so they were in a modified group hug.
"It is perfect," she murmured, squeezing them tightly before she leaned back, wiping under her eyes. "I love it so much."
"You're welcome," Rosa said.
"I don't know when you found the time. When did you even take this?" Kensi asked, shaking her head in disbelief as she continued looking through the album, flipping back to the front cover. It featured the entire family perched on the front steps.
"Remember when I told you I needed a current family picture for a class project?" Rosa asked.
"Oh I completely forgot about that." Kensi pressed her palm to her forehead, then narrowed her eyes at Rosa. "That's extremely sneaky of you."
"I know." Rosa nodded smugly.
"I can't believe how much effort you put into all of this," Kensi continued.
"It was worth it." Rosa nodded in agreement to his statement. "Happy Mother's Day, Kensialina," Deeks murmured. "We're lucky to have you."