A/N: This was originally supposed to be a one off, but here we are. And...I just don't know guys. I know what my gut says, and I know what my heart wants, and...don't hate me okay? And on that rousing note, enjoy!

"Good morning husband."

The words were whispered in his ear before his eyes even opened and they were followed by a soft kiss. He cracked an eyelid. "Good morning wife."

Her hair was the perfect kind of tousled that he loved so much and her face had that soft, morning glow he adored, when she wasn't yet fully awake and hadn't had coffee. No one else got to see her like this. No one but him. And occasionally Monty.

"We're married," she whispered, sliding a hand across his chest.

"Still?"

She poked him in the ribs. "Yes still! Now and forever baby. You're committed."

"Is that what yesterday was all about? I was just there for the cake."

She raised her eyebrows. "You'd better start saying nice things soon or you're not going to be invited on our honeymoon. I'll take Monty instead."

He sat up on his elbow. "I still feel kind of bad that we didn't have him at the wedding."

Kensi rolled her eyes. "He's fine babe. He loves boarding. And considering how yesterday went, putting a dog in the mix would have added so very much to the chaos."

"You're probably right," he agreed. "But how cute would he have been walking our rings down the aisle?"

"Oh so cute. With a little bowtie?" She pouted. "Damn it! Now I wish we had let him come!"

"Well, I guess we just have to have a second wedding," Deeks said.

"Ugh," Kensi let her head fall back on her pillow. "We barely survived the first one. Let's not try for a repeat."

"Speaking of rings…" Deeks brought his hand up, the ring on his left hand catching the light. "This was quite a find yesterday. We didn't get a chance to talk about it."

She caught his hand, moving it back and forth so the gold glinted. "I'm just glad it fit."

"Pardon the pun but, it's kind of a big ring to fill. I want you to know that I realize that. And I—" he shook his head, overwhelmed by his feelings, "I will do everything, everything to try and live up to it."

"I didn't give it to you as some kind of warning," she said softly. "I already trust you Deeks. You earned this ring. Everyday for the last nine years you've earned it.

"NCIS was my safety net for so long. And then, somewhere along the way, it became you instead. You are my safe place, my home. You are everything my dad ever would have hoped for in a partner for me."

He kissed her. "I'm keeping that letter forever. I'm going to frame it and hang it on a wall somewhere. Like in a museum."

"It's a pretty good letter," she said with a smile. "I put a lot of thought into it."

"Be honest though," he said. "You did not put that ring in the box six years ago."

"Of course I did baby! I've loved you from day one!" she said, wide eyed with false innocence.

He tickled her until she couldn't breathe. "Okay! Okay!" she gasped. "I didn't put the ring in there six years ago!"

"Aha!" he said triumphantly. "I knew you did a last minute wedding switcheroo!"

"Actually…" she looked at him coyly. "I didn't."

He raised his eyebrows. "All right, I'm confused."

"I didn't put the ring in there when I first gave you the box," she said slowly. "But I didn't switch it at the last minute either."

"Then when did you do it?"

She took a deep breath. "I actually put it in there right before I went to Afghanistan."

He blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Granger told me to pack up and get on a plane. I didn't know what I was walking into. And I didn't know what I was leaving. But I just had a really strong sense that I might not be coming back."

"Kens…" He knew it was as difficult for her to talk about as it was for him to hear about it even after all this time.

She laced her fingers with his. "I wanted the ring somewhere safe. Somewhere I knew it would be all right even if..." she shook her head, "even if I didn't come back. So right before we left I opened the locker and took out what I had put in there originally and put the ring in instead." Her eyes were a little misty. "It felt like if you had it, it was a promise I would come back to you and figure things out. And I did. I added the letter a couple weeks ago. Well, an updated version. The first one was a little morbid."

As emotional as he'd been upon reading the letter and finding the ring, this stole the breath right out of his lungs. "Oh my god," he said softly, caressing her face and winding his fingers into her hair. "Kens, I…I don't even know what to say."

"I've loved you a long time Deeks," she whispered. "Longer than I even knew. That night, that first night, I was so scared that we'd made a mistake. That we'd messed everything up. But I wanted so badly for my person to be you. I always wanted it to be you."

"Baby." There was a lot more kissing and a few tears from both of them. Deeks was overwhelmed by it all. This woman was such a treasure, and to know how many hopes and dreams she'd placed into that storage locker so long ago was doing things to his heart.

"Sorry," she said a little breathlessly. "This is supposed to be a happy time."

"It is baby," he said, tucking her head beneath his chin. "This is beautiful. It's amazing. You're amazing." He cuddled her close. "You know I loved you then, right? That night we were together for the first time, I didn't want it to be a fling or a one-night stand or some kind of wish fulfillment. I know I was terrible at talking about it at the time, but I didn't just want to sleep with you. I wanted all of you. The way you made me feel, the way you looked at me…I needed you. I'll always need you."

Tears flooded her eyes again. "You should have put that in your vows."

"Nah." He shook his head. "That's just for you and me."

"You've really known for that long?"

"Actually, if we're really getting down to it, I knew when we went undercover as that couple. That first night when you rolled over and snuggled up against me, I was a goner."

"Really?" She twisted so she could look up at him.

"I knew you were special the day I met you. It was just a matter of time Kensi Marie Deeks."

"I love you," she said. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"Let's just stay in bed today. We can go to Malibu tomorrow."

"Works for me," he said.

She snuggled into his chest and then her stomach growled so loudly Deeks was sure the neighbors could hear it. "I think I found a flaw in the plan," she said.

"If Monty were here he could make breakfast."

"But since he's not…?"

"I think it's the wife's job to provide food. I bring the bacon home. You cook it."

She thumped his chest. "Ow! All right! I'll make breakfast." He slid out of her embrace and stretched. "But I'm not putting any clothes on."

She leaned back against the pillows to admire the view as he walked out of the room. "I wouldn't want you to."

A/N: Leave your love in the reviews! Or just be mad at me. I get it. There are mixed opinions on this.