So, oddly enough, I'm trying out all kinds of new fandoms with my writing lately. Before I am completely swept away in my new "Once Upon A Time" obsession, I thought I would post this NCIS:LA one-shot I've been carrying around. It starts out with Kenzie's perspective after the Season 2 episode "Personal", and then the second part picks up with Deeks' side of things following the Season 3 ep "Blye, K. Part 2". Hope you enjoy! Of course, I don't own them – though, wouldn't that be fun?!

The song lyrics included and used for the title are from Sugarland's "Fall Into Me".

"Fall Into Me"

By: TutorGirlml

…When your faith is stretched so thin that you can see straight through your soul; And you can't find a nickel to buy a smile 'cause your pockets all got holes; You wanna shut the door and hide before your day gets any worse I wanna be the one you reach for first….

By the time Kenzie Blye finally found herself alone in her partner's hospital room after Hetty, the rest of the team, his doctor, and more than one nurse had all filed in and out for the last time that night, the evening shadows were lengthening into full dark, and she found her eyes struggling to stay open as adrenaline flagged and exhaustion seeped in to take its place. She found the chair beside Deeks' bed and sank into it wearily; relieved that it was finally quiet and she could stop pretending that she was fine. There had been no question in her mind about leaving him alone in a hospital all night; she was staying, no matter what. Still, she was glad it was finally just the two of them. It had become quite a job trying to hide the guilt, when the attack at the hospital entrance had made it quite clear that her partner had only been targeted as a means to get to her. Yet, Deeks had still disconnected all the monitors and staggered out of his room to have her back. Her whole "Bad Ass Blye persona had been earned rightly, but she didn't want to pretend anymore when she realized that she could be about to lose a second partner. Kenzie was abruptly discovering that she was not as tough, at least where Marty Deeks was concerned, as she always intended to be.

Sure, Deeks made her crazy. He picked on her quirks, teased her, and goaded her into letting him have his own way. He took everything much less seriously than she would like. He flirted with her in a way that bordered on getting them both in trouble, and she hated herself for enjoying it. However, he was only able to push her buttons so easily because he knew her better than anyone ever had. Somehow, he had wheedled and joked and gotten himself closer to her than she usually allowed people to get. He hadn't worked with her nearly as long as Callen or Sam, but – if pressed – she would be forced to guess that he could make a whole list things he had noticed about her that the others had not. She and Deeks argued and griped out of habit – and even a good deal of affection – more than out of annoyance, and she knew it.

She brushed some loose flyaways of hair that had escaped from her ponytail out of her face and looked down at Deeks' sleeping profile. He looked so innocent and young just then when he wasn't making wisecracks or smirking at her knowingly… It was then that she was shocked to feel moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes. She had almost gotten her partner killed. Shaking her head vigorously, refusing to cry, Kenzie willed the thought away, glad once again that everyone else had gone.

She glanced back at Marty, only to see that he had turned his head to look at her, opened his eyes, and was smiling up at her groggily, though still with a bit of his trademark impish glee. "Miss me, Fern?" he mumbled sleepily, trying to sound rakish.

Kenzie rolled her eyes at his attempt of flirty bravado, but she reached out to squeeze his hand quickly. "You wish," she shot back, understanding that he didn't want her treating him with kid gloves now that he was conscious again. He didn't need to know how terrified she had honestly been, seeing him slump against that pillar, his blood seeping through the bandages, after taking the shot that had saved her, or how worried she had been ever since. He didn't need to know that she had been realizing how much fun he was, how much she would miss him if he were gone; it would only make him insufferably pleased with himself. Still, she couldn't help adding, "I'm glad you're okay, though, Partner."

"Of course you are," he murmured, making her smile, even though she could see that the banter took more effort from him than usual. His eyes already looked as if they were struggling not to flutter closed again sleepily.

"Why don't you just rest a little longer, Romeo?" she admonished, wanting to smack her own hand when it reached out of its own volition to smooth his wild, surfer-blonde curls off of his forehead. "You can go back to flirting hopelessly when you're stronger."

Marty Deeks didn't let her affectionate tousling of his hair go unnoticed though, as his eyes followed her hand smugly once she snatched it back. He was wise enough not to comment however; Kenzie might not want to hurt him anymore right now, but she had a long memory. Anyone who'd had Kenzie slug them as much as he had learned to leave well enough alone. He wished he had both the energy and the guts to reach out and take her hand in his. To be completely honest, it would help immensely to steady him. When he had figured out that she was in danger that afternoon, he had staggered after her to the hospital entrance, only to find her on the ground about to be shot by their terrorist point blank. He had barely gotten there in time, and the quivering in his insides at the thought of seeing her die right before him had yet to subside completely.

He felt his blood loss and exhaustion beginning to drag his eyelids back down as he tried to study her. She was there at his bedside – comforting, whole, and well. She was the one who had been hunted down today, and yet here, now, she seemed cool as a cucumber. He couldn't help but wonder at her strength and determination yet again, for probably the hundredth time since he had met her. If she ever did actually need a shoulder to cry on, he would be shocked, but he also hoped with all of his being that the needed shoulder would someday be his…

Fall into me My arms are open wide and you don't have to say a word 'Cause I already see, that it's hard and you're scared and you're tired and it hurts I wanna be the one you reach for first…

His had been a ramshackle, rough-and-tumble, bounced-around life growing up. Despite his light-hearted, easygoing front, there was still a young boy inside of Marty Deeks, seeking the approval and affection of a mother and father who had been lost to him much too soon. He'd had to grow up in a split second; Sam and Callen might joke that he was still making up for it by being an overgrown child now. Yet, he knew somehow that they understood enough with their own histories to see that he carried shades and demons of his own, as they all did.

Why he sometimes felt compelled to share the whole story with Kenz was beyond him. To say that she wasn't a particularly sympathetic or maternal personality was an understatement, and yet, somehow, he felt that having her know all he had been through, and hopefully still care about him anyway, seemed like it would provide an immense comfort. The question was: would he ever know for sure?