(Chapter 17: Splitting the Pot)

A/N: LAST CHAPTER! Woo! I made it. And so did you. How many words? Forty-eight thousand some? Too many… and most of them dirty.

I've reworked this chapter like… 3 times now. This is easily the longest chapter by quite some margin. And brace yourselves, the corn factor is high in this one.

Anything resembling a plot ended some time ago. This is just a little closure, and one last chance to have some fun with these two in this story, before I move on to other ideas bouncing around in my head.

Rating: Wait… "M" stands for Mature? Why didn't anyone tell me? No one has ever accused anything I've ever done in my life of being "mature." So much for that streak.

"Aren't we going to swing through town and pick Monty up from the kennel? We've been on the mountain all day, he probably misses us," Kensi asked Deeks as he drove his truck right on by the road that led into the heart of the tourist village of Mammoth Lakes. They instead continued on their drive from the restaurant to the lodge where they'd rented a small cabin just outside of town.

"He loves that place. So many new friends to sniff, he doesn't miss us at all. Besides, he's paid up through tomorrow," Deeks explained.

"Why did you kennel him in the first place?" she added. "Didn't want to leave him alone all day in a strange place?"

"I wasn't sure how long we'd be out," he shrugged. Reaching over to the passenger's seat to blindly grasp for her hand, he continued, "We'll get him tomorrow, but for now I've got something special planned for our first time now that we're officially together."

"Deeks, we had sex yesterday," she reminded him, grinning.

"Yeah?"

Holding up two fingers, she indicated, "Twice."

"Actually, three times," he chuckled, winking.

"And again this morning."

"We did," he agreed. Nodding his head, he elaborated, "I was there. It was awesome."

"So… you have something special planned for our fifth time, now that we're officially together?" she clarified, squeezing his hand while she teased him.

"Kens. Can you just—?" he asked exasperatedly, giving her a sideways glance and a grin.

"You were the one who just couldn't wait and had to take me against my living room wall," she told him. Quickly adding, "Not that I'm complaining, or anything."

"Hmmmh. Yeah," he admitted sheepishly.

"And in the tub last night," she continued.

"That was nice."

"Then again, in bed before we went to sleep," she added.

"Had to test it out," he reasoned.

"And again this morning," she finished. "I'm actually surprised we left the cabin at all today, at the rate you were going."

"No regrets," Deeks assured her. "Fine. Then as a celebration for officially making it twenty-four hours."

"Oh, geez," she teased. "So long as we don't become that couple that celebrates the anniversaries of literally every little event."

"No promises," he joked. "But I think you'll like what I have planned."

"I can't wait to see what it is," she responded genuinely with a soft smile.

He had pulled the truck up to the third small cabin in this row; an upgrade from the room in the lodge hotel he had originally suggested. Nestled in the trees, it had a view of the snowy peaks but was fairly private from the neighboring buildings. Deeks could see through the low light of dusk that the porch light had been left on, there were fresh tire tracks in the snow, and smoke wafted up from the chimney. So he was certain the lodge staff had honored his request at the time he had prearranged. But even he wasn't prepared to see what all they had done.

Deeks pranced up the stairs to unlock the door and hold it open for his girlfriend. But before he opened the door, he kissed her for easily the hundredth time that day. In the last twenty-four hours, he simply couldn't get over the novelty of finally being able to do so whenever he wanted. Releasing her from his embrace, he pushed the door open. When Kensi stepped through the threshold, she gasped audibly. Deeks also had to pause to take in the sight of the perfectly decorated cabin.

Lit candles twinkled from the kitchenette, the coffee table, the window sills, the ledge above the whirlpool bathtub and on the mantle place above the cozily crackling fire. The sink held a bucket of ice that housed a bottle of pink champagne, two elegant glass flutes sat out on the counter next to it. A bowl of strawberries and chocolates flanked the other side of the sink.

"Oh, my God. Deeks! This is gorgeous," Kensi said in raptures, heading straight for the dish of chocolates. "How did you—?"

"I may have told the lodge staff that this was our fourth wedding anniversary," he admitted, grinning slyly.

"What? Ha!" Kensi laughed at him, clearly amused at the thought. "One step at a time, there, lover boy. I could barely tolerate you four years ago."

"To be fair, I'm ninety percent certain it actually is the fourth anniversary of the aliases I booked this under. And you liked me a little," he persuaded her, taking the strawberry she offered him and sinking his teeth into the juicy fruit.

"Hmmm," she squinted and pretended to consider him. Narrowing her eyes and grinning widely, she admitted, "A little. I thought you had a nice ass."

"That's as good a place to start as any," he agreed wholeheartedly. "But come on, you liked my charm too."

"Oh, you had charisma in spades," she sarcastically agreed. "Or hearts, if you will."

Deeks was beaming at her, unable to take his eyes off of her. "And look at us now."

"Who'da thunk? Huh?" she asked him as she uncoiled the wire on the champaign bottle cork, and expertly popped it open.

Kensi had her attention on pouring the bubbly drink in the two glasses. Deeks looked down shyly at her words and it occurred to him that he had definitely thought about it— about them, most of these past five-ish years. A lot. But he had never let himself believe they'd ever get to this point.

Taking the glass she offered him, he clinked it with hers and drank deeply before saying to her seriously, "Kens, I really want to tell you something—"

"Wait just a moment," she told him, setting her glass down and softly pushing a finger to his lips. "Let me change out of these snow boarding clothes."

"Okay," he agreed.

He wondered if she could sense what he had been about to say, and was trying to distract him or postpone his declaration. He decided to play it by ear, and after she had grabbed a few scraps of clothing from her bag and scurried into the bathroom, he took the opportunity to slip into something more… comfortable as well.

It hadn't taken him long to change into the single article of what he generously thought of as clothing, but his mostly bare skin was now feeling a little chilled. When Kensi emerged from behind the closed door, all thoughts of how cold he was were banished.

She had let her hair down from the braids she had kept it in all day, and it fell in tight waves to her shoulders. His eyes wandered up her long, bare legs to the black lace panties and matching bra that were both just barely visible underneath a familiar, loosely buttoned grey blouse.

"Hey, I recognize that shirt," he said, stepping towards her slowly.

Kensi didn't answer immediately. Her eyes were fixed on his groin. Her eyebrows were raised and she was suppressing a smile. Finally she tore her gaze away, blinked several times and answered, "What?"

"The shirt you're wearing," Deeks motioned at her torso. "I thought I asked you to burn it?"

"Guess I never got the chance," she replied grinning, having recollected her wits. Motioning to his 'underwear' she asked, "What is that?"

"Oh, you like this?" he said, looking down at the blue banana hammock with a strategically placed yellow smiley face. "It's just a little something— or rather a big— a very big something I have left over from my college days."

"This is your idea of making this special?" she asked him, smiling and shaking her head. "You just can't help yourself can you?"

"I really can't," he admitted. "Did you actually expect me to take this seriously?"

With a lascivious grin, she ran a single finger up the centerline of his bare chest. "Does this mean I get a dance, Magic Marty?"

"Someday, absolutely," he promised her. The way her eyes roamed his body hungrily sent a jolt through his heart and lower gut. He could see her cleavage peaking out from beneath her shirt, and the way she was tickling his chest made his skin tighten and his hairs stand erect. Another part of him was quickly standing erect as well.

His breath hitched and he put his hands on her waist as he continued, "But I'm already mostly naked. It would take away the fun of a striptease. And at the moment, this is actually getting very tight, very quickly."

"We should probably do something about that," she offered helpfully. She dropped her hands to the muscles that jutted out above his hips, while he ran his fingers through her long, dark hair. Cupping her face in his hands, he brought it closer to his.

Looking adoringly into her eyes, each twinkling with the reflection of both the fire behind him and her fire within, he spoke against her lips, "My thoughts exactly."

As their kisses deepened and their hands wandered more aggressively, Deeks had to resist the urge to rip her clothing off of her. She had taken the time to pick out and wear this set of lingerie for him, so he was going to show his appreciation. He undid the only button holding her blouse together and slipped the shirt off of her shoulders.

Before he could toss it aside she warned him, "Don't you dare throw that in the fire!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," he assured her.

She pulled on his hands and guided him to the couch in front of the fire place. He sat down on the fleece blanket, and she settled on his lap. Holding her in his arms, he nibbled at her neck and caressed her chest with his lips. She toyed with his hair while he nudged at the edge of the lace with his nose, breathing in the scent of her skin and trying to ignore his impatient dick as it made its presence known to him.

She stole another earth shattering kiss from him before inquiring, "What was it you wanted to tell me? I want to know."

He tightened his hold on her and asked her, "You do?"

She only nodded in confirmation.

Deeks took a deep breath in his nose and blew it out his mouth. His eyes were held captive by her gaze as he finally confessed, "I love you, Kensi. You are so badass, so intelligent, unbelievably gorgeous, and hilarious… in your own way. You are everything I could ever hope for, and so much more than I deserve. And I intend to work hard every day to be worthy of you, for as long as you'll have me."

"Deeks," she sighed, brushing the hair from his brow. "You're too hard on yourself. You deserve to be happy. You've fought it for so long."

She closed the gap between them and covered his lips with her mouth. Their tongues slipped over each other's and with such a kiss, it was easy for Deeks to fight off the slight disappointment he felt when she didn't immediately return his sentiments. She had always been a little more reserved, after all. And for as long as they'd already been intimate, their actual relationship was still very new.

Breaking for air, she breathed deeply. Boring into his soul through his eyes, Kensi told him, "We've both fought it for so long. But as long as I've been denying it, I can finally say it now: I love you, Marty Deeks. More than I ever thought I could."

Deeks felt as if his heart was going to leap out through his throat. He couldn't even smile he was so filled with joy. Given a few more seconds, he might have been able to muster a grin, but their lips were soon coupled again. Their bodies pressed together tightly and they moaned in unison, breathing each other's air as their tongues danced and dueled in delight.

He kept one arm wrapped tightly around her back, and tucked the other beneath her knees. With little effort, he lifted her entirely and stood up from the couch. Finally free to smile endlessly, he carried her to the bed and set her down.

With his hands behind her back, Deeks was able to unclasp Kensi's bra as he settled over her. The lacy straps hung loosely at her shoulders, and she helped to shed the garment completely when Deeks tugged at it with his teeth. Not caring to see where it landed when he tossed it aside, he peppered quick kisses to the soft skin on the outer curves of her breasts. His lips touched her for less than a fraction of a second each time, and she moaned impatiently while trying to hold his face to her chest.

"So you're going to tease me all night?" she asked him in a low voice.

"Just trying to make this as special as it feels," he explained, pressing a soft kiss above her heart.

"It already is," she assured him. "You don't need to do anything more."

He finally relented, tracing circles with his tongue around her pink nipples and putting his mouth on as much of her as he could. Her skin was still soft from the fancy bath lotion they had used last night, and a little savory from the day's exertion. He was addicted to the taste of her and never once lifted his mouth from her smooth skin. While his lips were busy with her breasts, his hands slipped down to toy with the lace at her waistline.

Kensi's hands were similarly occupied, and she grazed them on his mostly bare butt before finally locating the thin fabric holding him in place. He couldn't tell if she had done so intentionally, but when she tugged at his underwear, it actually wedged a little further between his cheeks. He winced, groaned and released her breast from his mouth to growl playfully and punish her by nibbling at her ear lobe.

She grinned at him and pushed on his shoulders until he had rolled over and was sitting up against the headboard. Kensi cupped his bulge with one of her hands through the fabric of his mankini. He could feel himself strain against her touch beneath the cloth while she inspected his choice of undergarment that would be embarrassing for a lesser man, or at least a less confident one. The pattern on the fabric did nothing to hide the distinct outline of each part of his manhood, and left nothing to the imagination.

Deeks' breath grew more ragged as she traced around the edge of his head, along his protruding shaft, and fondled the bottoms of his balls through the silky cloth before tugging at the waistband. He lifted his butt off the bed to help her rid himself of the restraints of his only piece of clothing. Finally unconfined, he sprung free. Kensi wiggled into a more comfortable position draped across his lap, keeping her rear within his reach and letting her breasts rest on his lower thighs.

He squeezed the hand on her butt and let out a satisfied moan when she wrapped her lips around his cock. As hard as he already was, she didn't need to coax him at all. Pumping his shaft with one hand she was free to suck on him vigorously. Deeks could do very little to contain the whimpers that escaped between his irregular breaths. Occasionally she would pause to run her tongue up his length or swirl it sloppily around his tip. She was so skilled at working her hand in tandem with her mouth that it was all he could do to hold off and attempt to make this last as long as he could.

He let his fingers slip between her legs from behind where he could just barely reach and tickle the moist lips of her pussy. She groaned deeply at his touch, and the vibrations from her voice traveled through her tongue to his dick and practically made his eyes roll back into his head. Her movements had grown more frantic since he started stroking her heat with the tips of his fingers.

"God, Kens! I'm so close!" he warned her, feeling his balls tighten and clenching his muscles to try and hold off for just a few more seconds of attention from her amazing mouth

With a gravely cry, he felt the intense surge of pleasure crash over his entire body and came into her mouth. She tugged on him a few more times and did her best to swallow what she could, wiping the rest off of her lips and onto his thighs.

"You almost never let me finish doing that for you," she told him, smiling while she continued to gently stroke his extra sensitive head.

"I'm just that confident I'll be ready to go again soon," he said cockily through his short breaths. "And tonight we have all the time in the world."

Following a moment of rest, Deeks sat up on his knees and lay Kensi on her back at the foot of the bed to pull the lacy thong down her long legs. After he tossed them aside, Kensi opened her legs for him, and he settled down on the bed between them. He slowly kissed his way up her thigh, enjoying how each of her muscles tensed in anticipation as he crept closer and closer to where he knew she ached for him.

As he took his time, Kensi reached down impatiently to continue what Deeks had started earlier. She massaged her growing wetness with two of her fingers and spread herself for him. When he caught the scent of her and saw her engorged bundle of nerves peaking out from between her folds, he was no longer able to keep the waiting game going.

He brought his lips to her center and kissed her clit languidly. She moaned from the foot of the bed and his eyes searched for hers in the flicker of the candle light. When she met his gaze he tried to show her with his look of heated adoration that he promised to repay her for what she had just done to him.

"God, Deeks! You're so good at that!" she told him wantonly as his tongue delved between her folds.

"Makes you glad we've had dozens of times to perfect this before, huh?" he asked her, intercepting her wandering hand with his and squeezing tightly. "And kinda makes you wish we'd given in sooner."

"I've thought that before, but—" she gasped, her thought cut short when he lightly grazed his teeth against her pink, flushed inner skin. Regaining her ability to speak when he lifted his head to listen to her, she continued, "But I really can't regret the way things happened if they got us to where we are now."

Deeks abandoned her pussy momentarily to crawl up her body and capture her lips in a demanding kiss. She had leaned up to meet him and he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her chest against his.

Breaking from his hungry lips, she looked him in the eyes. Frowning slightly in confusion and shaking her head, she curved her lips in a sweet smile when she told him, "God, I love you Deeks. So much!"

His heart sang again. He already knew he would never tire of hearing those perfect words. He stole another kiss before assuring her quietly, "I love you too, Kens."

Deeks was hard and ready to go again, but he ignored his restless dick. Serious about his intention to make her come with his tongue first, he slithered back down her body, readdressing her breasts and belly as he went.

Returning to his target, he dove in with no more build up. He tucked the tips of two fingers into her heat while his tongue worked over her sensitive nub. He wondered if she could tell that he was tracing the outline of a heart over and over again. The way she was squirming on the bed below him, he was pretty sure she didn't have the ability to think much about anything.

He pushed his fingers a little further into her and felt her body tense. As deep as they could go, he curled them up and started to pump them in and out of her. Lapping at her clit, he could feel it start to pulsate. Kensi squeezed his head between her thighs and he could no longer move away even if he had wanted to. Thrusting her hips against his face and his fingers, she came with a series of breathy moans. Deeks groaned against her twitching flesh and caused her to writhe further at his touch.

She released his head from the vice of her legs and he pulled his fingers from her, drawing out a trail of her sweet juices down her inner thigh. He sat up on his knees again and met her intense gaze. He brought his sopping fingers first to his lips, where he licked them clean. Then to the head of his throbbing cock, where he rubbed the moisture around the tip.

He sat on his butt reclining against the mountain of pillows and reached out to her. She took the hands he offered and sat on his lap, straddling his thighs. His cock twitched impatiently against her legs and she stilled it with her hand.

Kensi leaned against him and guided his erection to the wet and ready opening of her pussy. He kept his eyes on hers until she sank down on him. He groaned and blinked slowly, and when he opened his eyes again, it was just in time to see her face approaching his. He opened his lips expectantly and her tongue darted into his mouth, gliding over his and scraping against his teeth.

In a rare show of self-restraint, Kensi rocked slowly on top of him. He didn't move in and out of her so much as she moved him back and forth. But the slow burn kindled by their movements was working for him. This lazy pace let him feel every detail of her inner walls, let him sink entirely in to the hilt with each thrust, let him appreciate the way her ass pressed against his balls and how she clenched around him every time his shaft rubbed against her clit.

She tangled her fingers in his hair and tilted her head back so he could dot kisses down her neck. Even with how calmly they were moving, he could detect her racing pulse through his lips. He leaned up and shifted her back so he could reach one of the breasts rocking in front of his face. And after a moment of sucking the aroused flesh into his mouth, he reclined her further and adjusted until he was laying on top of her.

Despite being free to increase their tempo, he kept his thrusts long, controlled, and torturously slow. From this position he was free to draw out almost entirely, letting his tip rub at the sensitive folds guarding her entrance, before plunging back in again.

Even though all her weight was on her back, Kensi's legs began to quiver on either side of him. Trying to repeat something he had learned from her accidentally once before, he pulled out entirely, and thrust back in, holding still deep within her. She moaned loudly and he pulled out again, rubbing the head of his cock against her clit, then wiggling it as he slid back in. The second time, she began to clench around him. Still pushing slowly, though with great effort, he moved within her a few more times until her gentle flutterings turned into violent pulsations.

She cried out his name and dug her nails into his shoulders, but Deeks kept moving. When he was certain she had calmed, he stilled entirely to try and build up the endurance he thought he needed to make her come one more time. Seizing an opportunity, Kensi pulled his face to hers for a hungry kiss. She bit at his lower lip with his and it ticked some primal instinct of his to start up again.

When he resumed it was with greater urgency. His desire to be sweet and extra loving was replaced with a desire to find a release; one he had been suppressing for many minutes now. The new pace he set was frantic. He slammed into her with such force and speed that he would have been concerned for her, if she weren't responding so enthusiastically.

Kensi had zero composure as she cried out with each of her sharp breaths. The otherwise peaceful cabin was filled with the sounds of their moans and groans, the clapping of their flesh as it met in a steady beat, the slight creak as they rocked the bed beneath them, and the hiss and crackle of the fire that had started to burn down.

Deeks had to hold himself up to maintain this tempo and could no longer reach her lips to kiss her— not that his breathing was steady enough to do so. He tried to look into her eyes, but hers were slammed shut, her face contorted in ecstasy.

Shifting his weight to one arm, he brought the other between them to rub her clit. One of her hands joined his to add extra pressure, and after a few seconds her moans were silenced. All she could do was gasp for air when her third climax hit. She arched her hips into him and forced the back of her head into the mattress below her.

When she was finally able to use her voice again, it was harsh with exhaustion. Encouraging him, she moaned, "Fuck, Deeks! Come on!"

Deeks did not need to be told again. The pulsations of her inner muscles were squeezing him so tightly that he was finding it difficult to move. Pushing in as deep as he could go he succumbed to the sensations. He groaned and his whole body shook as he emptied himself within her.

And then, quite abruptly, it was quiet.

It was several seconds before he relaxed his tensed muscles and let his body rest on top of hers. It was several minutes before either had gained control of their breathing enough to speak. But in the mean time, their lips met in the softest, slowest, sweetest kisses of the night.

"I love you," he told her sincerely. His head pressed against hers, and his sweaty, golden locks mingled with her dark flowing hair.

"And I love you," she said, scraping her fingers through the scruff on his jaw as she cupped his face.

It was a tender moment, and as usual, Deeks just couldn't let it last. Grinning in amusement at the thought that just occurred to him, he told her, "Okay, but if we ever have kids— don't freak out—" he added quickly at her abruptly raised eyebrows. "And they, or anyone else asks us about the first time we said 'I love you,' we should tell them it was earlier on the mountain today from the top of the panorama lookout, right before a wicked run down the Dragon's Back double black diamond."

Kensi chuckled at him, shaking her head. But she agreed, "Works for me."

They separated and Deeks climbed out of bed to pull back the covers. Kensi surprised him somewhat when she got up too, and walked to the kitchenette. She grabbed the partially finished bottle of champagne and the brightly colored blanket from the couch. Deeks grabbed the glasses and joined her. Cuddled naked together in front of the fire, and wrapped in the same blanket, they finished their champagne in contended silence. After a few more minutes it was, of course, Deeks who spoke first.

"Hey Kens?" he asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"I wanted you to know that even though I was so…" he paused as he searched for the right words. "…uncertain these past few months. About what was best for us. About how we could ever make this work. I always knew one thing."

"What was that?" she asked him quietly, meeting his gentle gaze.

"That I loved you," he answered simply. "And I would be willing to give away everything I've worked for— everything I have, for the chance to be with you."

Sensing an occasion to kiss him again, she told him, "Well, it looks like your gamble paid off. For both of us."

A/N: Huge thanks to all of you readers who made it all the way through this fic. Especially to those who followed, favorited, and took the time to review. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

If you're jonesin' for just one more chapter, one of my already posted one-shot fics, "Study Session," could serve as an epilogue to this.

If this sort-of-story is your thing, consider following me or checking out my other work. I have a few more one-shots in progress, the possibility of another multi-chapter arc set in season 5 being outlined, and dozens of other ideas banging around (see what I did there?) in my head.

Moose out.