The Morning After

The soft morning light streams through a break in the bedroom curtains. Outside, Los Angeles is just beginning to wake up; occasional car doors slam, a few honks, and the muffled voices of close neighbors entering or exiting their homes. They wake up in each other's arms, Deeks first. He turns his head to look down at Kensi and smiles. She is sleeping with her head on his shoulder and body hugging the left side of him, his left arm draped around and across her back, his hand resting on her hip. He turns his head in the direction of the alarm clock (that he forgot to set) and checks the time. She looks so peaceful and content he hates to wake her up, "Kensi?" He waits a moment, "Kens," he gently shakes his shoulder so her head moves and squeezes her hip several times, "Kensalina, you need to wake up."

"MMMmmmmmmm. Just a few more minutes." She tightens her grip across his body.

Deeks smiles, hugs her closer, and closes his eyes. He's not going to deny himself these last few moments with her.

Kensi, still half asleep, takes inventory of her body position. . . . and his. She smiles to herself and falls into a light sleep.

A half an hour later Deeks jerks awake and glances at the alarm clock once again. He shakes Kensi's shoulder and squeezes her arm, "Kensi! We've over slept."

Kensi slowly comes around. "I'll just take a shower here. Why don't you go first?"

Deeks grins, "Why don't we go together?"

"Because we're late." Kensi mumbles.

"That's right," he moves to get up, "I forgot."

Kensi lifts her head from his shoulder and removes the rest of her body from down his side and rolls over and chuckles, "Thought so."

"I'll be fast." He hops out of bed and heads into the bathroom off the master bedroom, but not before turning around and looking back at Kensi in his bed. He still can't believe it.

Twenty minutes later Kensi enters the bathroom, "Deeks, I started coffee and walked Monty. Are you almost done?"

"I could use some help," Deeks says playfully.

"Deeeeeeks."

"Okay, okay. You want me to leave the water running?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to get in as soon as you step out."

With that comment, Deeks peeks around the edge of the shower curtain to see her standing there and frowns.

"You done?" she says with his towel positioned in front of her.

Deeks throws open the shower curtain and steps out. Kensi, with a grin on her face, steps closely around him playfully brushing into him a few times, and whispers in his ear, "Here's your towel." She moves the towel from in front of her to in front of him, pressing it against his chest.

Staring directly into her eyes, he reaches in front of his chest and takes the towel away from Kensi. In one swift movement he grabs the opposite ends of the towel in each hand and reaches over Kensi's head bringing the towel behind her at waist level holding the towel ends tightly at his side. She's now trapped, standing between Deeks and the towel, unable to move left or right. "Gracias," he says with a grin clearly knowing he has the upper hand.

"Deeks, we don't have time for this."

"You started it."

"No, I didn't it."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I. . ." Realizing that her partner could go back and forth with this all morning, "What's it going to take for you to let me go?" Kensi, realizing what she has said and how it could be taken begins to stammer, "D, Deeks, I, I mean . . ."

"Kensi, relax. Right now, it's going to take a kiss from you to convince me to let you out of the situation you've gotten yourself into."

"I didn't start this."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, y . . ." Kensi stands up on her toes, reaches around Deeks' neck and begins kissing him. He immediately drops the towel to use the full use of his arms and hands to wrap them tightly around her waist, picking her up, her toes barely brushing the floor, and kissing her back passionately.

When they pull a part Kensi breathlessly says, "Now, can I take my shower?"

He smiles, puts her down and picks up his dropped towel, wrapping it around his waist. "I'll get you a fresh towel."

"Thank you."

KITCHEN, A little while later.

Deeks is dressed looking out the large bay window at the deep blue sea and surf in the distance, and finishing his cup of coffee. Any other day, on a day like today, he would have been out on the water catching a few waves before work, but not today. He hears Kensi walk in. "I'm going to go in a little early," he turns around, "We shou-. Kens, what's the matter?"

Kensi comes into the kitchen looking worried. "N-, Nothing's the matter."

"You look like there's something the matter." Deeks says looking concerned.

Kensi looks down at her shirt, "I don't have a change of clothes . ."

He grins. "It will be fine, no one will notice."

She shakes her head, "Someone will notice."

He puts his cup of coffee down and looks at her. "So, go to your gym locker when you get to OSP and change before someone notices."

"Yeah that will work, I guess." Kensi says unconvincingly. Kensi, still looks like she has something else on her mind, "Deeks . . ."

"What?"

"I . . ."

Shaking his head, "Kensi, you're thinking."

She nods her head.

"Don't think." Kensi looks at him questioningly. "At least not now. When we get off of work tonight, then, we can think about this, but right now . . . no. Don't ruin the memory of last night with this morning's ifs or should haves." He takes her hands in his. "Last night was great, we're great."

Kensi smiles up at him and nods. "It was, wasn't it?"

He smiles down at her and gives her a light kiss. "I'm heading into work early. There's cereal in the cupboard, Captain Crunch."

"Great! I'm starving."

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Deeks chuckles as he places his cereal bowl in the sink. He gives Monty a quick head scratch, grabs his computer bag, and jacket, and moves towards the door, "See you when you get there."

She reaches for the coffee and pours herself a cup. Kensi stands at the counter exactly where Deeks had stood not 10 minutes earlier looking out at the same glorious view. She takes several deep breaths and slowly exhales each one of them. She's a bit nervous about what today will bring, but Deeks is right, no thinking about what ifs and should haves. Instead she focuses on how she feels right now. She feels different than yesterday. Different than a week ago, a month ago, a year ago. Perhaps longer. She hasn't felt like this in a long time. Kensi finishes her coffee, eats a bowl of cereal, pets Monty, and heads out the door.