When Kensi exited her changing cubicle all dolled up for a night out Deeks had to remind himself to breathe, then he let out a low whistle. "Wow. You look...fantastic."

She actually blushed, still learning to accept and believe compliments of that nature. "Thank you." Her eyes ran over his attire, a fond smile lighting them when she recognized the outfit. "You're not so bad yourself."

Deeks shook his head. "So many other adjectives to use - dashing, handsome, incredible, amazing - and you settle for 'not bad'?" He clucked his tongue. "I'm disappointed Fern."

"Yeah, because I really need to feed your giant ego a little more."

Leaning close, he whispered in her ear, "My confidence is just another reason why you love me."

"Yeah, I do," she answered in a hushed tone, sighing when the reason for their attire came back to the forefront of her mind. "I guess we better get going."

His hand settled on the small of her back as the team headed out but Hetty's voice stopped them. "Mr. Deeks, Ms. Blye, you'll need to leave those with me." One finger pointed to their wedding rings causing Kensi and Deeks to exchange glances, touching them.

Deeks worked his off, hesitated, and finally handed it over. Kensi was less willing. She wiggled them back and forth on her finger, almost slipped them off and then pushed the set back on. He moved to stand right in front of her, so close she could feel the heat from his body. "Kens?"

She swallowed, blinking up at him with eyes a touch glossy. "I didn't expect it to feel like this," she murmured, lips trembling.

He cupped her cheek. "Like what?"

Kensi looked away. "So wrong. Taking my rings off...Deeks, that promise is forever."

"Hey." He waited until she returned her gaze to him. "I know that, you know that, everyone here knows that. But when we go out there tonight we're not Kensi and Deeks, okay? We're Fern and Tim, and we're only going to meet if you bump into me on your way to the bathroom or try to leave without me. In which case I'll trip over you in my hurry to get out the door first. I'll have my eyes on you the whole night. Tonight we're partners Kens, and I know you love me and committed to me even if I can't see the proof on your finger."

Blowing out a breath, she pressed her hand over his heart for a brief moment, then twisted the interlocked rings off and set them in Hetty's palm. "I want those back," she warned, an edge to her tone.

"And so you shall Mrs. Deeks," Hetty declared firmly, the first time anyone but her husband had addressed her by the title. "I will see that they are kept safe until your return."

"Good." Kensi turned to face the group, embarrassed at her lack of control. "Can we pretend you didn't see that?"

Sam slung his arm around her shoulders. "Don't have to explain it to me Kens, I know how women feel about rings. Michelle nearly took a strip off me the first time I had to leave mine behind. There's something about the message they send to the rest of the world."

Callen waited at the door and stared the junior agent down. "You good Kens?"

She looked briefly back at Deeks and nodded. "I'm fine." Her husband choked on a laugh and she narrowed her gaze at him. "I mean good, I'm good."

"That's good," he grinned. "Because if you were really fine we'd probably have to scrap the whole thing."

Kensi scoffed at the idea. "Can it Detective. We've got a job to do."

And so they did. With Sam and Callen outside for back up that likely wouldn't be needed for a few more nights and himself situated a couple tables behind her and directly to the left Deeks knew his partner was adequately covered. But that didn't make him feel any better when she caught the bartender's attention just by sitting down. And once he started paying more attention to her - offering a drink on the house, finding excuses to touch her, suggesting what nights were the best to come in so she'd receive the best service (and by best he definitely meant personal) - Deeks' discomfort only grew.

They'd always had an uncanny connection, a way of knowing what the other one was feeling and when they were near, and that ability came into play now as Kensi could feel her husband's tension building from several feet away. She waited until the bartender had to take care of another order and said lowly into the comms, "Marty."

It was the first time she'd ever used his first name while at while at work, not counting when she introduced him by his full name and title to witnesses, and Deeks immediately slumped back in his seat. "Yeah, I know," he muttered, taking another pull on his beer.

All in all their first outing lasted a couple hours, then Kensi found an excuse to leave. The bartender said he hoped he'd see her again soon and Kensi turned on her best first date charm to assure him that was a distinct possibility, maybe even tomorrow. She sauntered out the front door, where a gracious stranger named Tim was kind enough to hold the door for her since she was going his way. They didn't dare make contact at all, holding off until both were back at Kensi's car, parked a block away. While waiting for him she crossed her arms tightly and silently griped about being the only female on the team and always having to use the seduction angle.

Then she rubbed her right forearm over and over again, teeth clenched as she remembered the bartender's cold eyes raking over her and the way her skin crawled when his fingers brushed hers. Deeks found her that way moments later and laced the fingers of both her hands with his to stop the movement. "Talk to me Princess."

"He touched me," she growled.

He tightened his grip. "I know."

"He looked at me." And not just looked, but leered.

"Yeah," he ground the words out. "I saw that."

"He-he wanted me," she finished quietly.

"But he's not going to get you," Deeks reassured his wife, gaining control of his own righteous indignation. "Not in any way, shape, or form. We would never let that happen."

"All those women...Marty."

There it was again, his first name spoken in a pleading tone he'd never been able to resist from her. "We're going to get him sweetheart. And we'll make sure he never hurts another woman again. I promise."

Kensi nodded, but it didn't make her feel any better. "I want to shower."

He cupped her face and brought his lips gently to hers. "I could help you with that."

She pushed him away. "Pig."

"Oh come on, I have it on good authority that I am a fabulous back washer. I'll even throw in doing your hair at no extra charge."

"Well...for that..." Kensi trailed off, smirking, but it faded quickly. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Always," he responded just as quietly.

NCIS LA

The trend continued for the next three nights and each time Kensi strode determinedly back into the mission and demanded her rings from Hetty before she even changed clothes. Deeks would've been lying if he said her possessiveness towards the symbols didn't make him feel ten feet tall, but the op was coming with a price. When they got home she immediately showered, with or without him, put on the comfiest old pants, shirt, and sweater she owned, and curled up so tightly in his arms and it took him hours to calm her down.

Kensi had rejected even his most subtle advances in bed, unable to handle anything more than being held against him as close as two people could get without making love. And while Deeks understood on an intellectual level why it was happening, the physical side of him that was used to them fulfilling each other on a pretty much daily basis since their wedding night wasn't as accommodating. It made him short with the team and even with his wife, and frustrated at himself for not being able to control it better.

Things came to a head on the fourth night when the bartender announced as Kensi was starting to leave that his shift was over. "It's a beautiful night. Want to join me for a walk around the block? I'll escort you to your car."

Flashing him the most grateful smile she could muster, Kensi took the opening. "That would be nice, thank you. I was just about to head out."

'Head out' was the distress phrase, spurring Sam and Callen into action as they moved into position. Deeks, who had been careful not to be seen with his partner too much over the past few days, left money for a tip and joined a group that were leaving the bar right after Kensi and their suspect. "I'm right here Fern," he murmured. "Even if you can't see me."

The reassurance would've helped but Kensi was suddenly having trouble concentrating and her body felt sluggish. "That's weird," she mumbled, stumbling on perfectly flat ground.

Without missing a beat the bartender slipped his arm around her waist and held her close. "Don't worry Darlin', in a few hours you won't remember a thing. But we're going to have some fun when you wake up."

Kensi was aware enough to know this development meant trouble but helpless to do anything about it. Fear froze her reflexes and she couldn't even struggle when he dumped her gracelessly in the backseat of a non-descript dark coloured car with no plates. Thankfully it didn't get further than that before Sam grabbed him from behind and did his bad cop routine while Callen cuffed the guy and Deeks got Kensi out. He carried her around the corner and found a place for them to sit. "Ambulance is on the way Sunshine. We're gonna get you fixed up in no time." He couldn't be sure she even heard him, but it had to be said. "I'm sorry baby, this shouldn't've happened."

Their scumbag suspect was taken for an unpleasant ride to the boatshed for questioning and a few hours later Deeks found himself sitting at her bedside in the hospital where his partner lay with a newly pumped stomach and a headache that was going to be killer the next morning. She wasn't awake yet and he was glad, because she would be entirely unimpressed to find out they were keeping her overnight just to be on the safe side.

In the middle of the night she stirred, his name on her lips, but she settled completely when he leaned over her, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Go back to sleep Fern. I love you." He stayed where he was for a long time, breathing her in and trying not to let the worst case scenarios play out over and over in his head about what would've happened if they'd been a few minutes later.

NCIS LA

"I still can't figure out how he got to me," Kensi complained as they entered OSP a day and a half later, the maximum amount of time she was willing to be stuck at home like an invalid despite being waited on hand and foot by her anxious husband.

"We can answer that," Nell announced from the landing, Eric at her side with tablet in hand.

"Your blood tests came back positive for GHB. So Nell and I scoured the security camera footage from the bar." He shook his head. "This guy is smart, and dangerous. He ground the tablet into powder and put it in the bottom of the glass he used for your drink, that's why you didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. It dissolved as soon as the liquid hit it."

"And no one ever suspected a thing," she realized, thinking about the other women. "Only they didn't have someone watching their backs."

Deeks linked pinkies with her. "Not exactly a happy ending Kens, but at least the good guys won."

That truth wasn't so comforting and the rest of the day, when she wasn't decimating harmless paper targets at the shooting range or in the armoury cleaning her weapons within an inch of their lives, Kensi was unusually quiet and it worried all of them. She had a hard time shaking off the case and Deeks' quelled his own desires to talk and touch and support her that way and just tried to be what she needed when even Kensi didn't know what that was.

NCIS LA

By the end of the week Kensi was getting back to normal and the fact that they'd both been physically deprived of one another was starting to catch up to both husband and wife. After suffering through hours of the intensely heated looks Kensi and Deeks kept giving each other across the room, G decided something had to be done.

"You know what Sam? You were right. This open plan workspace does have its benefits." Getting up and walking over to stand in front of the newest agent, G pointed at him. "You, over there."

Sam chuckled at the dumbfounded man. "If I were you, I'd keep your mouth shut and follow orders for once."

Deeks hurried to do just that, sharing one elated gaze with his wife before getting back to business.

Callen brought his laptop over to the desk beside Sam's. "I believe my partner and I have some catching up to do."

The bald man gave him a suspicious glance. "I am not helping you with your case reports, I told you that already."

"Aw, come on Sam, I thought we were supposed to share."

"Yeah, but you don't play well with others, remember?"

"But I'm learning."

"Not happening," Sam said emphatically, choosing to ignore his partner in favour of work.

Though he probably should've waited until he felt more secure in his new place, Deeks couldn't help a comment. "I thought there wasn't going to be a change of seating arrangements?"

G looked up. "Do you really want to argue that point right now?"

He pursed his lips, then chose the path of least resistance for once. "Not really, no. I'm good. Thanks." But he couldn't hide the delight radiating off of him simply for the ability to share the same space with the woman he loved. And if their chairs slid a bit closer together or Kensi's fingers slid between Deeks' for the reassurance touch always seemed to bring the partners, their senior agents across the bullpen were smart enough not to say anything. After all, there was no point in encouraging them.

That night when they got home following a celebratory drink with the others at a safe, Hetty approved location, Kensi and Deeks took their dog for a walk, indulged in a nice hot shower, and spent a good deal of the next few hours making up for lost time. In the safety of their home and the comfort of their bed with limbs intertwined and heartbeats as the only lullaby they were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Chips on the table, all in. Tonight, tomorrow, and the day after that. Their partnership and their love story would always be Kensi and Deeks' safest place to be.