AN: So, this just came to me! They're a little OOC, but this is fan fiction, so I'm just going to go with it! If you have more ideas for this series of one-shots about how Kensi comes home, please let me know! I will write and update as I get prompts. It's only marked as complete because each chapter stands alone. :D

Blessings,

bookdiva

"Oh, please, G," Sam said as he walked into work with his partner. "Not this again!"

"I'm just saying—"

"You're just being annoying is more like it," Sam cut him off. By this point, the partners had reached the bull pen. "You just can't let it go that…" he trailed off at the sight in front of him, and stopped in his tracks.

"No, you just can't—what the hell?" Callen, who wasn't paying attention, almost ran into his partner. "Why'd you—"

"G," Sam cut him off, motioning him to shut up. Callen gave him a confused look, but quieted nonetheless. Sam jerked his head towards the bull pen. It seemed to take Callen a moment to understand what had caused Sam to stop in his tracks.

Sitting in his desk, grinning down at his paperwork, was Deeks. It wasn't unusual for the Detective to be there before them. In fact, since Kensi's reassignment, it had become the norm for them to find Deeks already hard at work by the time they made it in. But today, something was different. He still had the same dark circles under his eyes, but this time, his whole countenance was slightly brighter, and he was humming to himself.

Once Callen noticed the change in the Detective, he too cocked his head to the side in confusion. The partners exchanged suspicious, wary glances before walking to their desks.

"Hey Deeks," Callen spoke up first, cautiously. Deeks looked up from his paperwork and positively beamed at him.

"Oh, hey Callen! Sam!" He sounded like an overly excited kid on Christmas morning. It was downright strange.

"Good morning, Deeks," Sam said cautiously, wary of Deeks sudden change in mood. His greeting came out more as a question.

"It is, isn't it?" the Detective replied, leaning back in his chair. He sent his teammates one more blinding grin, then turned back to his paperwork. All Sam and Callen could do was stare, slightly open-mouthed, at the blonde detective.

"Okay," Sam finally said, unable to stand the strange sight before him. "What's going on?"

"Hmm?" Deeks asked, still grinning. He didn't look up from his paperwork.

"Was there killer swells?" Sam continued. Deeks cocked his head at Sam's lame attempt at surfer language.

"Did they come out with some new, fancy model train set?" Callen asked, joining in Sam's questioning.

"Or did they finally let you and Monty get matching haircuts? Oh wait, you already have those, so it can't be that…" Sam smiled across the bull pen at Deeks.

"You guys are so cute, did you know that?" Deeks responded, trying to look serious but failing miserably. He couldn't seem to wipe the grin off his face.

"You know… this reminds me of another time we found you here early…" G said, narrowing his eyes teasingly at Deeks, clearly baiting him. For once, Deeks didn't raise to the bait.

"That would be almost every morning so far this year, Callen," Deeks said with another genuine smile. "You'd have to be more specific."

But Callen wouldn't mention that day, and Deeks knew it. Callen just grunted, not really acknowledging Deeks's small victory.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Sam asked, shaking his head at his defeated partner.

"Hetty says we're on catch up duty today," Deeks said, sounding much too happy about paperwork. Sam's brow furrowed in confusion. "Paperwork," Deeks translated.

"And that's… something to be excited about?" he asked the detective hesitantly. Ever since the torture, Deeks had been reluctant to sit in one place for long, and Sam had noticed.

"It's a great morning, Sam," Deeks said with a shrug and a smile, a real one that Sam hadn't seen in a really long time.

"Okaaaay…?" Sam managed, clearly still confused. He wanted to say more, but he wasn't sure what he could say.

"Besides," Deeks continued with yet another grin, "that means we should get out of here fairly early!"

Again, Sam wasn't sure what to say.

Who is this and what has he done with Deeks? Sam wondered. Deeks had been literally working through Kensi's absence—literally, he'd show up early and leave way late.

He didn't have to wonder what to say for long, though, because suddenly the Detective's head snapped up and he grinned. If he'd been beaming before, Sam didn't know how to describe the look on his face now.

"What—" Sam began, but he was cut off by Deeks's voice.

"Hey, partner. How was the debrief?"

No way, Sam thought, but he slowly turned around. Sure enough, Kensi was standing there. At the same moment, Callen looked up from his desk and saw her.

"It was good," she answered with a beaming smile. "Long as hell, but good."

She was simply… glowing. Just like her partner. For a long moment, both Sam and Callen were too stunned to move. Then, slowly, Callen overcame his surprise.

"Kensi?" he asked disbelievingly, as if he couldn't believe that she was really standing there. She just laughed.

"Hey guys."

This seemed to be the final push that the guys needed, and both Sam and Callen moved forward to embrace her.

"Glad you're back, Kens," Callen said, pulling back. Sam stepped in to take his place. She just nodded, not looking at either of them.

"I'm glad to be back," she said, staring across the room at her partner. He grinned back at her, but didn't make any move to get up and hug her.

Wait a second… Sam thought, realization dawning.

"When'd you get in?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yesterday evening," she answered casually.

"And you didn't come see us?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Couldn't," she said, shaking her head. "I was busy."

"Busy?" Callen repeated with the same incredulous tone in his voice. "What could possibly be more important than coming to see your teammates? Back me up here, Deeks!" He turned back to find the Detective grinning at his partner.

"I'm sure whatever she had to do was really important," he said, his grin widening. Sam and Callen couldn't help but wonder how that was even possible at that point.

Callen figured it out first.

"Oh. My. God." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "No. Just no."

"What?" Kensi asked, finally tearing her eyes away from Deeks to look at Callen, then at Sam.

"You two…" Callen tilted his head back and groaned, gesturing between Kensi and Deeks. "Please tell me—"

"I was with Max," Kensi said, narrowing her eyes. "My boyfriend."

At these words, the smile she couldn't seem to stop smiling spread across her face again. She looked over at her partner, unable to keep her eyes off him for very long.

"What were you up to last night, Deeks?" Sam asked, catching on to Callen's train of thought. He continued before the Detective could answer, "You saw her last night, didn't you?"

"Sorry guys," Deeks said, shaking his head and laughing. "I was with my girlfriend, Fern, last night."

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