A/N: Written for Densimber day 5.
Deeks came home one Saturday afternoon mid-December to the smell of something sweet and slightly greasy filling in the air. He followed the scent to the kitchen where he found Kensi and Rosa tending a large pot on top of the stove.
"Hey ladies, what are you making?" he greeted them, looking around the kitchen. There were several dishes spread around and a paper towel covered plate.
"Hey, baby." Kensi looked up with a smile, lifting a frying strainer from the pot.
"Hi Marty," Rosa said, gesturing to the pot. "We're making Buñuelos. They're a little bit like donuts and very popular in Guatemala for many holidays, including Christmas."
"You started the Christmas baking without me? Traitors." Coming to stand beside them, he kissed Kensi's cheek and squeezed Rosa's shoulder.
"Sorry." Kensi gave him an apologetic grimace. "I just wanted to practice a little before you came home. Besides, it's frying, not baking."
"We talked about making traditional fruit cake, but that was never my favorite. We barely ever had it when I was growing up," Rosa added.
"I bet it would be a million times better than any other fruitcake I've had before," Deeks said, reaching over to lift up the corner the paper towel concealing the Buñuelos. "But I can definitely get behind anything that resembles a donut. So, do I get a taste?"
"Uh, you might want to wait for the next batch," Kensi advised. "We got a little distracted with the first ones so they're just a tiny bit…crunchy."
"And you have to eat them with syrup," Rosa said, dipping her strainer into this pot and coming up with a golden-brown ball of dough. After that, she and Kensi quickly removed the rest of the Buñuelos before they burnt. Once they were resting on a fresh layer of paper towel, Rosa grabbed a pitcher of warmed syrup and a bowl of cinnamon sugar.
Together, they munched on the dessert, sprinkling sugar and dots of syrup along the counter. For once, Deeks didn't care about the mess. It was well worth it for Rosa and Kensi's obvious delight.
"So what do you and Kensi usually make?" Rosa asked once they slowed down a bit. "I've made sugar cookies, and the peanut butter blossoms, but I had to improvise since we couldn't find any Hershey kisses.
"It changes every year," Kensi answered. "This time we were thinking of trying what Roberta calls whirligig cookies."
"They're not for the faint of heart," Deeks whispered to Rosa.
"Sounds like fun. I like a change."
"Awesome." Kensi handed Rosa a large bag of chocolate chips and a jar of peanut butter. "Then you can roll them this year."
A/N: I always like to insert a little family history into my stories, and in this case, it's whirligig cookies again. As grandma always said, when you make them don't answer the phone.