A/N: Folks, there are not enough words in the world to describe how grateful I am for your support. Your love for this story has just been amazing and I am so pleased you've all enjoyed it! Thank you for all of your kind reviews. I hope to have more for you soon! Enjoy the last chapter!

When they finally reached a hospital Deeks was taken away immediately while someone re-stitched the hole in Sam's leg and pushed and prodded Kensi's shoulder until she wanted to scream with frustration. Who cared about her damn shoulder when her partner might not ever wake up?

Harley spent hours on the phone with Hetty. For someone who was supposed to be dead she looked awfully spry compared to the rest of them. There was a story there, but Kensi wasn't interested at the moment.

At last she was allowed to sit by Deeks' bed while a doctor filled her in. Severe concussion. Swelling of the brain. Possible long-term cognition problems. Lacerated spleen. Risk of infection.

They thought it likely that he would wake up and have full function; likely, not definitively. They were hoping to avoid surgery on his spleen, instead pumping him full of drugs in the hope they could get it to heal on its own.

For now his eyes remained closed, his body more battered and bruised than she'd seen it in a long time. The monitors beeped with regularity, the oxygen hissing gently every few seconds.

This was what Deeks had been so scared about. He wanted safety, security, and a level of certainty that their current jobs couldn't provide. It was something she wanted too. But she also loved her job.

She wished the answer were simple and in her heart it felt that way. Deeks was her everything. He was the only person who'd ever even allowed her to imagine a future with a family. But her head told her that she'd worked too hard, that this was the goal she'd set out to achieve and giving it up was the stupidest possible thing she could do.

Deeks' hand twitched beneath her fingers. She realized tears had been coursing unbidden down her face and used her free hand to wipe them away as his eyes opened. "Hey," she said, trying to keep her smile bright. "How are you feeling?"

His face was tight with pain and he looked at her in confusion. "Kens? What…happened?"

"We're in Mexico. We were going after Mosley's kid and they shot a rocket at the car. You've been pretty out of it."

He grimaced and took a shaky breath. "I don't remember."

"That's okay. The doctor said that might happen." With this type of head trauma some amount of amnesia wasn't uncommon. It was possible Deeks had lost days or even weeks before the crash.

"Sam and Callen?"

"They're fine. Everyone's fine, Harley included."

"You're okay?"

"I'm good. Everybody's good except for you."

"Dying?"

"No," she said quickly. "No you're not dying. But it was touch and go for awhile."

"Monty's okay?"

"He's fine babe." With his constant asking she'd actually called the kennel when she had a few spare minutes. Their fluffy ball of joy was having the time of his life without them. At least someone was having fun.

"Okay." His eyes closed again and his breathing uneven.

The doctor came in and wanted to run some tests so Kensi exited the room and found the rest of the team camped out in the hallway. "He's awake," she told them as she slumped into an exhausted heap.

"How's his cognitive function?" Callen asked.

"Slow, but he's not as repetitive as before. The doctor is going to run some tests. How's your leg Sam?"

"Better than your shoulder," he said from where he reclined with it propped up on an empty chair.

Harley came around the corner, finally done with her calls. "Hetty's sending a plane tomorrow morning."

Kensi looked at the team. "I don't think Deeks is going to be travel ready. I'll stay with him. You guys go home and figure out how we're going to explain this mess to SecNav."

"I talked to Mosley too," Harley said tentatively. "She said to tell you all thank you."

"That's the least she could do," Sam grumbled.

"We completed the mission," Callen said. "That's all that matters."

But this time it didn't feel like enough. She'd been a breath away from being executed. Deeks was barely hanging on, and for what? Was it really all worth it for a mission they shouldn't even have been on? Suddenly the weight of it all came crashing down on her and she understood what Deeks had been trying to say: the cost of this job might be too much to ask. When did you draw the line in the sand and say the price had become too high?

The team departed for the hotel, leaving Kensi alone with her partner. The doctor said further testing suggested there was unlikely to be permanent impairment and the swelling was beginning to decrease.

His eyes opened again around 2:00am and this time they seemed a little clearer than before. "You're still here," he said.

"Of course I am."

"I thought maybe…after what we said…"

So he did remember their fight. To be honest she'd almost hoped that memory had been taken along with the others. "Let's not talk about it right now."

"No I want to because I…" he struggled for words, "I can't stand the idea that you think I want to give you up. That's not what I meant—"

"I know," she said. "I know what you meant. I don't want to give you up either."

"Okay, so we're agreed on something," he said.

"I want a wedding and kids and my job. I want all of it. But I want you most of all." She thought carefully about her next words, her stomach twisting so hard she could barely breathe. "So if quitting is what I need to do to make you happy, I'll figure it out."

He shook his head and then winced. "I don't want to force you into something you're not ready for." His eyes met hers and she could tell he was in agony in a way that had nothing to do with his injuries. "But I'm scared. I don't want to lose you. We've had too many close calls lately."

Tears began to flow again unbidden. When had she become such an emotional wreck of a person? Apparently near-death experiences were starting to take more of a toll than they used to. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry, I don't know what the answer is."

"Hey, come here."

He held his arms out and she slid onto the bed, curling up into him. It was such a relief to have him hold her again. When she was in his arms the world felt right and safe. If only it was like that all the time.

"You don't need to be sorry. There's no timetable on this," he said finally. "We can take as long as we want. I think we have to stop fighting this idea that marriage is the only logical next step. Maybe just being together is enough."

"You'd give up the wedding?"

"I mean I want the wedding. I want to be married to you. But if you're not ready for that, we can wait."

"I am ready." She turned so she could face him. "I'm ready to be married to you too."

"Then…let's have a wedding."

"What about the other stuff?" It felt like her heart would beat out of her chest.

"I think we have the same hopes and dreams, we're just not clear on how to get them. So let's get married and the rest will work itself out."

That was a surprising answer. "And what if it doesn't? People get divorced over smaller stuff than careers and kids."

"Are you going to leave me?"

She gripped his hand. "Never."

"And I'm not leaving you. As long as that's our foundation, let the rest of it happen how it happens."

"You'd be okay with that?" She studied his face looking for the truth. He'd do anything to make her happy but she wouldn't let him suffer just for her own sake. If someone had to make a sacrifice, it could be her this time. Somehow she'd make it work.

His fingers brushed another tear from her cheek. "You're my life. As long as you're with me, I'm good."

She looked into his eyes and felt home. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"You need to get some sleep."

"Will you stay?"

She snuggled into his chest, gently so as not to disturb all the wires and tubes. "'Til the end of time and back."

A/N: I know this didn't exactly solve all of their problems. But that wasn't necessarily what I set out to do. They're in love and in a stalemate, so it's going to take a lot of talking and some compromise to get them to a good place. But hopefully you saw growth in both of them! Thanks again for reading and leave your love in the reviews!