A/N: Here is another prompt from mashmaiden. This seems perfect given the current storyline. Possibly takes place when Deeks' work situation is straightened out. For Densimber day 6.

Kensi came back from the bathroom and slipped into bed, sliding across the center of the bed from her side to Deeks'. She curled around him, burying her nose in his shoulder. The room was a little chilly and his skin was blissfully warm like usual.

She shifted a little closer and Deeks sighed in his sleep, mumbling something.

"Chloe." Kensi froze, thinking she must have misheard him and lifted her head to look at him. His face was smooth of the unconscious turmoil she usually saw when he talked in his sleep. "Chloe, no' so fas'" his words were a little slurred, but she understood him perfectly this time. He was saying another woman's name.

"Love you, Chloe."

She recoiled, moving to the other side of the bed. Her heart pounded as Deeks slept on, blissfully unaware of her distress. She considered waking him up and demanding an answer, but instead laid back down and tried to convince herself that it was nothing.

Kensi spent a good part of the next morning avoiding Deeks. She woke up early (honestly she'd never gotten back to sleep) and left for a run, staying out longer than usual. The whole run she tried to find a reasonable explanation for Deeks talking about another woman in his sleep.

They didn't know anyone named Chloe, at least that Kensi was aware of. It was a possibility that Deeks had worked with someone named Chloe...but that didn't explain the heartfelt "I love you". Nothing did.

Then doubt began to set in; the last several months had been hard, even by their standards. First with Deeks being suspended from NCIS, which had forced them to spend less together than they had since becoming partners. Then their continued fertility difficulties had added to the strain of it all.

Deeks loved her. She knew that and she trusted him more than anyone. But she couldn't force that last bit of doubt away.

When she got home she showered and finally wandered downstairs. From the sound of it, Deeks was cooking breakfast. He smiled as she came in, glancing up from a frying pan on the stove.

"Did you have a good run?" he asked, angling his head towards her expectantly. Kensi only hesitated for a moment before she closed the space between them and kissed his cheek.

"It was good." She smiled, maybe a little tightly, rubbing her palms over her jeans.

"You were gone so long I figured you'd be pretty hungry, so I made your favorite. But with a twist." Kensi sat down as he put the finishing touches on his frittata, a hand placed casually on his cocked hip. He certainly didn't look like a man who was hiding something.

Humming under his breath, he served two wedges of the egg dish, and placed one in front of her with a flourish along with a fresh cup of coffee. She watched him eat for a couple minutes out of the corner of her eye, pushing bits of mushroom, onion, and spinach around her plate, before she got enough courage to ask,

"So who's Chloe?" Deeks didn't react immediately, but then his cheeks flushed and he glanced down at the table. Kensi's stomach sank a little.

"Where'd you hear that name?" he asked evasively. Kensi pressed her lips together, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Well, you uh, you were talking in your sleep last night." His skin flushed even more, working it's across his neck. "You said, "I love you, Chloe.""

Deeks must have finely noticed the tightness in her tone because he looked up with a frown. One of his eyebrows rose as he scrutinized her and then he blurted out,

"Oh my god, you think I was talking about another woman!"

"Well, what else was I supposed to think?" Kensi said defensively and he actually huffed out a laugh as he shook his head, glancing across the room. He sighed deeply.

"Sometimes I have these dreams. About our kids, usually a little girl," he explained. Kensi felt her mouth drop open slightly. That was definitely not what she'd expected. Not in a million years.

"You dream about-?"

"Our little girl."

"And she's named Chloe," Kensi murmured, feeling overwhelmed with this new and unexpected information. Deeks shrugged, seeming unusually embarrassed.

"A lot of times I dream that she's about 4 or 5 years old," he shared, his eyes a little distant and longing. "Last night I think I was teaching her how to ride a bike and she kept going too fast. She always has your smile." At that, he caught Kensi's eye at smiled gently.

Kensi leaned forward and drew his hand towards her.

"Why didn't you tell me about this? I mean the dreams and the fact that you have a legitimate name picked out." He shrugged again, fiddling with her thumb.

"I figured that we have enough stress about starting a family that I didn't need to add to it. It felt like I'd be pushing or something. I don't know."

Kensi brushed her fingers down his cheek and stretched across the table to kiss him. The familiar sting of tears welled in her eyes as she pressed forehead to his.

"I want to hear all your dream," she said, sniffing a little. "I mean if you want to tell me. You don't have to."

"I do want to tell you," he said quickly.

"I'm sorry I thought you were cheating." He shrugged her apology off, brushing her back so he could see her entire face. She noticed his eyes looked suspiciously red too.

"It's ok. I probably would have freaked out too if I heard you saying some guy's name in your sleep." Deeks scooted his chair closer, pulling her into his arms so she wasn't in such an awkward position.

"Chloe Deeks," she murmured, resting her head on his chest. She felt Deeks' heart rate speed up for a second and smiled a little. "I like it."

"Me too," he said, holding tighter.

A/N: I just can't escape the angst. I hope you enjoyed this story.