Worth It All

...

Pain.

White hot.

Throbbing.

Burning.

That was all Kensi Marie Blye's mind and body knew at the moment.

When it would crest, it was so intense that it actually numbed her brain, the synapses seemingly firing all at once, shutting out anything and everything around her in an instant. She thought she could handle it better if it stayed constant, but just when she felt she could take no more, it broke away for a short time, letting her catch her breath before I crashed over her once again. When it did, it felt as if her body was trying to literally rip itself apart.

It a brief moment of peace, the old cliché where your life passes before your eyes became a truth for her as she fought against the darkness that threatened to pull her under for good. Her mother's smiling face danced in her memory and she saw herself reflected in the intense happiness in the woman's brown eyes. The sky was blue above her and there was a flower hanging over her right ear as she sang some sweet song to her daughter. Then her father, bent over a broken down Chevy Super Sport V-8, with grease on his forearms and his Dallas Cowboys cap canted a little to the left over his face. He looked up, holding up an open end wrench in her direction, nodding toward the bolts on a set of shiny chrome valve covers. She watched her smaller hand reach up to take it from him, only to have him jerk it away while bringing up his other hand to poke her in the ribs, tickling her just under her arm making her squeal in delight.

Other moments flashed through her mind as the nerve impulses passed over the axon terminals in her brain to the neurons that activated images locked away in the memories of her past. The first boy she kissed on a dare, the day her best friend moved away because the girl's father had been reassigned to a distant base, and the woman who ran the homeless shelter who had given a runaway teenaged girl enough hope that caused her to get her life back in order and finally leave the streets. A young man who told her he loved her and put a diamond ring on her finger, only to leave for a long time to come back one day to see that old promise fulfilled. The images came in no particular order that she could comprehend, it was just like her mind was coming apart as well and letting the pictures fall like puzzle pieces dumped on a table ... scrambled and confusing.

The pictures and moments passing through her mind accelerated, rocketing through her college days and friends she hadn't seen in ages. Then she was seeing people she knew and knew well. A lady with horn rimmed glasses that approached her about working for an agency that very few people knew about. She remembered jumping at the chance to finally be able to hopefully find answers to all the unknown reasons why her father's death still haunted her dreams. An older man, with piercing blue-gray eyes, who took her under his wing and taught her how to hide in plain sight and disappear inside another identity without losing her true self. The dark skinned agent, with muscles on his muscles, who became as close as a brother, always protecting her … sometimes from even her own self. A blonde haired super-nerd, that always had that little-boy smile on his face, especially when he was trying to act cool and failing. A red-haired little pixie, who could handle any computer system protective firewalls just as easily as she could take down a man twice her size.

Then there was a shaggy haired, LAPD cop with Pacific blue eyes, who waltzed into her life in smelly MMA gym, leaving her struck, smitten, whatever … and never left. Not once. Not until she made him. Not until she forced him to by the only method that would have ever worked … by breaking ... no, destroying ... his heart.

For some reason, that man's face hung in her mind, casting a shadow and eclipsing all the rest. Her heart, that had been hammering away on the inside of her chest, increased its pace … making her head swim in a hazy sea of thoughts and images. His smile … his twinkling blue eyes that could turn cloudy, like the sea after a storm … the way his nose twitched when he slept … the scar on the back of his left hand where a coral reef had cut him a long time ago … a freckle on his left shoulder that drew her lips in every time she saw it … the way his wet hair fell across his neck when he walked out of the sea like an Adonis … all the things about him that made him perfect in her eyes.

A warm heat suddenly filled her, her body tingling from the tips of her toes to the top of her head and it dampened the throbbing in her center. In her mind's eye, she could see his lips moving, the sounds coming in soft and low. I love you, Kensi … I. Love. You. If her eyes weren't already tightly shut, the tears would have had no barrier to hold them back.

Suddenly, another face appeared side-by-side with his, and their resemblance was striking. The little girl's smile was an exact copy of her father's, her eyes as dark as her hair, a gentle echo of the mother she lost when she was still so very small. Her little arms came up, asking to be lifted and held, Kensi could actually feel the warmth from the child's body as it pressed against hers. When the girl leaned back, the smile on her small face was filled with love and adoration for the woman would was holding her tightly. It dawned in Kensi's foggy brain that this wasn't just an image of one of the special people in her life, this was a memory and it continued to play, unable to be held back. The girl's grin turning tender as she spoke the words that would mark Kensi's heart for eternity. I love you, Mommy. A simple expression, spoken from the lips of a daughter that wasn't hers by blood but hers by the bonds of love and devotion, words that would etch themselves into her very soul and not even the end of time could erase them.

Other phrases swirled out of her memories, like leaves blown aloft by a strong gust of wind. Some were simple and came out of nowhere, but others tore at her, bringing another wave of longing to her aching heart.

I love you, Kens.

You really ate ALL the donuts?

I had a bad dream, can I sleep with you and daddy?

Where the heck is the remote?

Mommy? Can we dress up and have a tea party?

I think Monty ate your bra.

Kens … I know we've come a long way since our 'thing' … I know I love you more than I thought would ever be possible … You saved me … put me back together … healed my heart and taught me how to love once again … I was lost and you found me …

I can't imagine my life without you … and I can't see a future where you aren't by my side … so, if you'll have me …

Would you make me the happiest man on this earth and marry me?

Simple ceremony babe ... me ... you ... on the beach with our family and friends around us ... sounds perfect.

You're going to be my mommy for real? You mean it? Really, really!?

I, Martin, take you, Kensi, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward.

I pledge before God and these witnesses to place your good above mine, now and always, no matter the cost.

I promise to honor you, love you, and cherish you until death parts us. Joyfully and willingly, I commit myself to you, and to you alone.

These were the reflections from her past, some distant and some so close that Kensi felt like she could reach out and physically touch them. Both her mind and heart were almost overcome by them, the deep emotions and feelings causing her spirit to reel in comprehension that this was her life, summed up in a flash of recollections that seemed to pass in mere seconds. She felt herself wanting to lose herself in them, allowing their joy to pull her deeper into the void where her body would fade into numbness.

But there was something tugging her back from the darkness. It was a murmur in the quiet of a long tunnel, calling out to her but sounding soft and muffled, almost nonexistent. Then it was more forceful, pulling at her consciousness and slowly scattering the cobwebs that lingered in her head. Something touched her arm, just above her wrist and it felt as if it was pure fire, burning into her skin and torching the flesh. It wasn't painful, but Kensi still struggled against the iron like grip, the urge to pull away and remain in the quiet darkness strong and alluring.

The call sounded in her ear again, closer and more demanding … the voice somehow familiar and a wave of comfort ebbed over her body and soul. She shook her head, physically trying to dispel the cloud that was making everything fuzzy and blurred.

Kensi.

Her name, spoken close by but still mysteriously distant, like an echo from a great distance. Then it came again, reaching deeper than her brain could register at the moment.

Kens.

The tone, the inflections in her shortened name … grabbed a hold on her spirit and drug her to wakefulness in its firm grasp. Light danced behind her eyelids as her mind clambered toward that voice that meant so much to her, unable to resist its call any longer.

"Kensi, come on babe … hang in there."

Deeks ... Marty!

Her mind and heart screamed out his name, the joy that exploded from deep in her soul forcing the numbness from her limbs and igniting a fire in her heart that threatened to burst the very seams of her existence. When she forced her eyes to finally open, the burst of bright light blinded her for a moment and she had to blink away the sting of tears. As the world around her came into focus, the first thing she saw was a pair of stormy blue eyes, peering at her from between a blue surgical mask and cap, concern and worry etched in their depths.

"That's it, Love … come on … you got this."

Kensi felt something holding onto her hand and when she clenched her fingers around it, it responded in kind.

"Hey, there you are … thought you passed out on me there for a second."

She felt a lead weight swell up inside her, directly behind her bellybutton and she had the sudden urge to clench every muscle in her body. A feminine voice came from somewhere near her legs, it was both familiar and comforting at the same time.

"Here comes another one … we're almost there ... tell her to get ready."

The eyes hovering over her face remain locked with hers, a tiny reflection of herself mirrored in them. She found peace in their depths and strength flowed into her as she lost herself for a few more moments. He leaned closer, pressing his cap covered forehead against her sweaty one. "Okay, Kens … this is the last one … come on baby … I got you."

The voice came from below her once more, sharp and clear. "Now, Martin!"

Blue eyes turned serious, yet remained gentle and kind. "Okay Kensi … come on babe … PUSH!"

She did, as hard as she possibly could.

There was a moment when it felt like her pelvis had fallen out and landed somewhere on the floor, causing her entire lower extremities to burn with a wave of intense pain. But an instant later, it passed, the weight that had been holding her down, dissipating more and more as the seconds ticked by. When her eyes searched out the ones of the man she loved more than anything on this earth, Kensi was slightly disappointed to find them not looking back down at her, but he had turned his gaze toward her feet. She struggled to lift her head to scream something about her current condition into his ear, but her lungs were still burning and it felt like her head weighed a ton.

Just when she found her breath, a small, strangled cry broke through all the other noises in the room. Kensi's breath caught in her lungs but this time, it was in relief and not fear. It was then that she noticed the death grip she had on the hand clasped in her own, her knuckles white and his wrist twisted at an odd angle. She was about to release him when three words slammed into her, shaking her to her very core.

"It's a boy."

The hand holding onto hers squeezed so hard it felt like it would break bones, but when he turned to look down at her, she saw his eyes crinkle and she could imagine the enormous smile that had formed under his mask.

"It's a boy, Kens … a boy."

All the pain, the agony, and the hard work that summed up what the past few hours, evaporated in the joy and pride that she felt at that moment. She smiled, the muscles in her face as tired as the rest of her, but this was the epitome of the life she now shared with the man whose arm she might have actually broken in the throes of her contractions. He shifted next to her and when she looked up at him once more, she saw that her husband had pulled the mask from over his mouth and she recognized the look in his eyes. Before she could protest about the mess that she was at the moment, he leaned in a pressed his lips to hers.

Kensi moaned into the kiss, feeling the rumble in his chest echoing her own. Then there were tears dripping onto her cheeks and she realized that they weren't her own, and she pulled away slightly as her hand came up to cradle his face.

"Deeks … Marty … " Her chest was still pretty tight, but she couldn't keep the words in any longer. "I love you."

Deeks chuckled against her cheek. "Oh, baby. No … I … love … you." His lips grazed across her skin, leaving a burning trail in their wake. "And we have a son."

"We have a son." The words felt like rose petals as they crossed her lips, echoing them back to him as he ran a finger across her forehead, swiping away the wet tendrils of her sweaty hair.

There was movement behind him and the soft voice of her doctor called out gently to the new parents. "Here he is and he looks great … everything just like it's supposed to be. Want to hold him?"

Both of them couldn't believe that the question was even posed in that moment, but the smile on the woman's face told them that she already knew their answer. She was already offering up the small bundle, wrapped tightly in a fluffy baby-blue blanket, to the waiting couple.

Kensi nodded to Deeks, releasing his hand that he to shake the feeling back into it before reaching out tentatively to accept the slightly squirming offering. She heard his breath catch in his lungs as he pulled their son in close to his chest, a look of pure longing and love written on his features. "Oh God, Kens … he's so small … he's beautiful."

Deeks gazed down at his child for a moment or two longer, then rotated his arms so that his wife could see the life that had grown inside of her for the past nine months. The little one had a tuff of dark hair that was thicker than she had expected and his skin was all wrinkled and pink. Kensi's heart pounded in her chest as his little hands curled up under his chin, making it look like he was deep in contemplation about something. She reached out and ran her hand through his hair, amazed at how soft it was, her eyes watering up even more. "He's perfect, Marty."

Her husband nodded in agreement. "We did good Fern." He moved closer to her side as his head dipped to their son, placing a gentle kiss to the small one's forehead. "Hey, little man … here you go … meet your mommy."

Kensi cradled the tiny body across her arm, lowering him tenderly across her chest as Deeks slipped one hand to cover the bottom of the blanket and cupping the back of her head with the other. "Hello, my darling … you're gorgeous." He wiggled against her, nestling in closer against her breasts as he sought out her warmth. "Oh … my baby … " Then she was crying again, tears falling freely down her cheeks.

"Kens? Hey … you okay?" The concern in her husband's voice was clear and trembling, but completely unnecessary.

Kensi turned her face up to his, and the worried look in his eyes was quickly replaced with the incredible love he had for the two of them. "Yeah, Babe … I think right now that I'm just about perfect."

"You always have been, Sugarbear." His lips found hers once more, both tender and loving as he poured every bit of his adoration for her into the simple gesture. After a moment, the bundle in her arms snuggled against her, tugging their attention back to him and neither seemed to mind.

"And now, I have two men in my life." Kensi smiled at both her husband and her son.

Deeks feigned a serious look. "About time … I was getting tired of you and Anna always ganging up on little ole me. "

"You've always had Monty Jr. to help you out."

"Nah, he's always sides with you girls … " He reached up to run his hand across his son's small cheek and froze when one little hand opened up and closed around the tip of his finger. " … but now, there's two Deeks men to contend with, right little guy?"

The baby answered with a soft whimper and followed it with a huge yawn, his miniature fingers squeezing tightly around his father's finger.

"And he has his mommy's ninja-death-grip … nice." Deeks chuckled but a lone tear slipped down his cheek to fall to the blue blanket.

"Deeks … " Kensi lifted a hand to his face, her fingertips slipping through his scruff. "Babe … are you okay?"

The tall blonde leaned back slightly, a confused look on his face. "You just went through twelve hours of labor and you're asking me if I'm okay?"

"Yeah … I guess I am."

Her snarky comment drew him in for another kiss, his lips drifting over to the shell of her ear. "Kens, I have more than I ever thought possible in my lifetime … I have you … Anna … and this new little one … my life couldn't be more complete than right at this moment."

The sincerity of his confession tugged more tears from her own eyes as she nuzzled into his cheek. "I love you, husband."

"And I love you, wife."

He kissed her again or she kissed him, neither was really sure but the moment was cut short when a soft voice spoke up from beside the bed. "Sorry folks, but we need to finish checking out your new one and get his mommy all cleaned up."

Deeks looked over at the young doctor as if she'd suddenly grown an extra head or two, but before he could protest too much, she placed a gentle hand on his arm to cut him off and reassure him at the same time.

"Martin, we have to weigh him, check a few minor details to make sure he's good to go and you probably don't want to be around while we get Kensi all taken care of. Once we're done with that, we'll be moving Kensi back to her room and you're little one along with her." Doctor Yvonne Monroe's comforting smile conveyed a sense of normality into the situation, giving her an air of experience belayed by her young years. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of them while you're away."

Kensi could see her husband's hesitation at leaving either of them for even a moment, but the current state she was in wasn't something that she really wanted him to see fully. "It's okay Marty, we're good … and I'm a mess … just give us a few, okay?"

When he turned back to her, Kensi saw that her appearance at the moment wouldn't deter him from fighting to stay by her side, and she loved him even more for it. She was about to pull out her secret-agent-mommy's-in-charge voice when Yvonne interrupted her. "And you've got about a million people outside waiting to hear the good news … you'd better give them an update before they break down the doors."

Deeks chuckled softly at the doctor's statement that wasn't far from the truth. He ducked his head, nodding in agreement and conceding defeat, but his next words were low and serious. "Doc, these are two of the most precious things in this world to be … take care of them for me?" It was both a request and a demand.

Yvonne patted him on the arm, her tone compassionate and sincere, "You have my word, we'll take great care with both of them." They shared a firm nod before she turned away to give familiar directions to the nurse at the end of the bed.

Deeks moved back to Kensi, his head already dipping to kiss both her and his son. "I'll meet you up in your room … don't miss me too much."

Kensi nuzzled her face into his hair as he bent down to kiss the infant on her chest. "Go, you doofus … but don't be gone too long."

"Never, Babe." He gave her another peck on her lips before shuffling away toward the doors leading out to the hallway and Kensi saw the words COACH stenciled across the back of his blue scrubs over his shoulder blades. Deeks paused for a moment, looking back at the bed that held his wife and their newborn son, his face alight in joy and pride.

Kensi gave him an adoring look, happy that he was hers and that she was his. He winked at her before disappearing to bear the good news to their family and friends who were undoubtedly having major fits out in the waiting room. She watched the doors swing closed as the nurse moved up to collect the bundle from her arms and she instinctively held on to the little one.

"I know honey … " The older woman patted Kensi softly on the arm, her understanding of the new mother's protective nature evident in her eyes and smile. " … we aren't taking him far, just over there to weigh and measure him." The nurse nodded toward the foot of the bed where a cart held a small plastic tub that would keep her son warm while that collected his vital statistics. "He'll be kept warm and you'll be able to watch over him the entire time."

Kensi let out a soft breath, her arm muscles relaxing enough to allow her bundled son to be carried away by the kind woman. She saw him wiggle as the warm blanket was pulled away from his little body and he shivered for a moment at the cooler air. A word of protest was on her tongue but it was cut off when he relaxed into the heated bedding, his arms coming up over his head as he stretched his small body to its full length, yawning so hard it looked like his face wasn't big enough to handle it. The adorable sight causing Kensi's soul to soar at the sheer joy she was feeling at that very moment.

As she watched her son getting weighed, measured and given a thorough check over, her mind wondered to the happiness that her life was now, the shadows of the past no longer holding any sway over what she had worked so hard to achieve. As her mind jumped through the time-line of the past few years, it warmed her heart that the series of events culminated in the little man snoozing on the warm table just a few feet away from her. As she stayed focused on him, another nurse came over and began the process of cleaning her body of all the sweat and fluids her body had produced in the messy birthing process. The woman was so gentle with her, that her body became so relaxed, that if she hadn't been so excited about her son, she might have drifted off to sleep.

While she lay there, the last few hours being washed away, Kensi's thoughts meandered to the wonder that her life had become after so many years of being adrift in a sea of loneliness. So many parts of her life that made her feel complete … loved … cherished. A rekindled love affair with the man who made all of her nightmares disappear, chasing away the demons that had haunted her at one time, his love and devotion as sure as the rising and the setting of the sun. Their long journey had brought them back to the same path they had wandered away from so many years ago and now they shared a life made up of all the broken pieces that had meshed into a family that now welcomed a new addition. Her pregnancy had been slightly difficult, her age putting her at greater risks for certain complications, but with some tender care by a wonderful OBGYN, her dotting friends, and an overprotective husband who sometimes aggravated her to no end, they had a healthy son to add to their happy home.

Anna had been ecstatic to learn that her new mommy was going to have a little baby that she could play with and love. The little girl's excitement continued to grow throughout the months, whether the baby would be a boy or a girl never causing her a moment of concern. They had chosen to remain oblivious to the gender of their baby, wanting the wonder of it to come all at once and Kensi couldn't wait to see little Anna's reaction to having a little baby brother.

While her family at the Office of Special Projects and all of their kids that called her Aunt Kensi brought unmeasurable joy and contentment to her life, there was another group that had made her family grow in ways she had never pictured and still didn't really understand. Abella became the sister that Kensi never had, supporting and encouraging her fledgling romance with her former brother-in-law who she still adored. The rest of Talia's family grew to call Kensi one of their own, refusing her early attempts to remain on the outside, making her feel as if she had always belonged with them and treating Deeks like their very own son. To be accepted and loved by the family of her husband's first wife always humbled Kensi beyond what she could comprehend and she would be eternally grateful to all of them. They had all welcomed her into their world, seeing her not as a woman who was replacing their dead daughter but as the woman who restored life to their son-in-law and grand-daughter. They saw her as a balm to heal the pain of their loss, welcoming her into the fold and loving her in a way that continually surprised her.

Kensi watched as her son was carefully wrapped back into his blue blanket, his little body disappearing in the folds of the soft material. Her arms were already rising to accept him when the nurse brought him over, her heart rate quickening the closer he came. As she cradled him against her once more, a sense of utter contentment washed over her, warmth flooding her heart and soul. The nurses moved around her, slowly rolling the bed out the door and to the elevator that would take her back to her private room where a flood of flowers, balloons, and stuffed animals awaited her and the new arrival.

As they traveled, Kensi whispered softly to her new man. "Hey, little guy … " It thrilled her when he wiggled closer against her. " … I'm you're mommy and I love you so much. I have so many things that I want to teach you, maybe even how to hotwire an airplane ... your daddy's going to take you surfing ... your sister is going to show you all of her stuffed horses … " She had to stop for a minute to wipe away some tears that had fallen to her cheeks. " … and you have uncles and aunts and grandparents that are going to spoil you rotten ... and love you forever."

"I can't believe you're finally here … that you're ours … so little … so perfect." Kensi lowered her lips, ghosting them across his little wrinkled forehead. "I never dreamed this day would come … and here you are … my little man." The baby snuggled into her warmth, and she only tugged him closer, never wanting him to be away from her again.

The nurses had just left when Kensi heard the door open and recognized the footsteps of her husband as soon as she heard them. He was at her side in an instant, his hip coming to rest beside hers on the mattress as one arm wrapped around her shoulders while the other cupping the small bundle on her chest. "Hey … told you I wouldn't be long. How is he?"

She smiled up at him. "Safe, warm, loved."

Deeks eyes swept over his wife and the new part of their family, a feeling of completion fluttering inside his heart. "I can't believe it Kens … we have a son."

"I know, Lover … I can't believe it myself."

He nuzzled his lips through her hair, kissing her scalp. "My God, Kensi … I love you so … so much."

The simple elegance of his words, their tone, the way they sounded as if they came directly from his soul, touched her so much that she wanted the moment to last forever. "And I love you, Marty … with everything that I am." The arm behind her pulled her into him until she was enveloped in his scent, causing her pulse to quicken and her cheeks to tingle. Kensi pressed her nose into that spot on his neck where they fit together perfectly, her free hand coming to rest over his heart.

After a few moments of silence, he bent to kiss her temple, his lips moving against her skin. "How are you feeling, babe?"

"I am worn out … feel like I could sleep for days."

Deeks chuckled at that. "Yeah, me too."

"How's my Anna?" Kensi had taken to using that term a few months after she had started dating the little girl's father. It hadn't been too rough a transition for Anna to start sharing her father with the woman who had always been 'Aunt Kensi'. Of course, there had been some rough patches during the early days and it had taken them some time to find the right footing that would honor Talia's memory while allowing them all to move forward with the life ahead of them.

The first time Anna had called Kensi 'mommy' had left them all slightly stunned, the implications enormous. When Kensi had asked Anna if she understood that she wasn't trying to replace her mother, the child had responded in childlike innocence, telling the woman that while she missed her 'first mother', Kensi was now her 'second mother'. That night in their bed, Deeks held Kensi as she cried over that simple act of faith and love displayed in the heart of the little girl.

"She can't wait to see her little brother." Deeks ran his fingers over his son's fine hair, another goofy grin plastered on his face. "She's out there right now, wearing out her uncles, telling them all about how much fun she's going to have with him."

The door opened slowly and nurse Felicia eased into the room, a clear plastic clipboard with stickers of little zoo animals plastered all over the back. She went about checking Kensi's vitals, humming the latest Taylor Swift song as she worked.

Kensi smiled at the woman's tender care before looking back up at her husband. "How's the family holding up?"

"Worried about you … him … grateful that you both came through this with flying colors. Oscar's out there handing out cigars like they're going out of style and Abby's so excited about her new nephew, she's about to lose her mind." Deeks flexed his hand, rotating his wrist in a small circle and hoping his wife didn't see it.

Kensi reached over and stopped his movements. "Did I hurt you?"

"Nah … it's no big deal."

"Deeks?" Her tone grew serious.

The nurse walked by behind him and had heard at least part of the conversation. "He squealed like a little girl … said he wouldn't be able to use that hand for a week."

Deeks shot the woman a mock scathing look. "Thanks, Felicia …I appreciate that."

She didn't miss a beat. "No problem, Mr. Deeks."

When he turned back, his wife was glaring at him.

"Seriously, Kens … you've done worse in the bedroom."

"Too much information, Mr. Deeks." Apparently, Nurse Felicia wasn't as out of ear shot as he thought.

He was about to say something else when his wife's finger's hooked his ear and pulled his face back toward hers. "Deeks?"

"Babe … with what you just went through, an aching wrist is nothing to worry about, see?" Deeks held his hand up so she could see it, moving it through a full range of motion. "It's a little stiff, but I wasn't going to make you let go … even if you'd ripped my arm off."

"But … "

"No 'buts' Kens … I'm good … you're good … " He deflected her attention back to the infant snuggled against her. " … and he's good."

"He's perfect."

"Like his mother."

Kensi smiled as soft blush crept across her cheeks. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Glad you think so."

"I know so."

Deeks nuzzled her once more. "Tell me what else you know."

She didn't hesitate. "I know I love you."

"Well, who wouldn't love all of this insane wonderfulness."

Felicia made exaggerated gagging noises as she continued to move around the room and Kensi laughed at the young woman's antics.

"Don't encourage him, it only makes it worse … " Then she turned her serious look on to the man beside her. " … and you … shut it." If her hands hadn't been full, he knew by the look on her face that she'd have surely punched him. He gave her a pout, but her hand was on his cheek and she continued right from where he had interrupted her.

"I know I'm married to the kindest, the sweetest … " Kensi could see his head start to swell, his eyebrows wagging at her. " … the most stubborn … infuriating … idiotic ... maddening … unpredictable man, I have ever met." She paused a moment to let the words settle in his mind before she cupped her hand against the side of his face. "And I love him beyond measure."

"Wow … those were some serious drugs that they gave you."

"Deeks … "

He leaned into her touch, his eyes drifting closed. "I love you too, Kensi … you are my best half … you are the mother that Anna lost and now has found … you have given me a son, part of both of us … you complete me in a way that I thought would never happen … and one day, I will tell this little man just what a Wonder Woman his mother truly is."

Her smile was warm as she shook her head against his shoulder. "Are you ever going to stop calling me that?"

Deeks cocked his head to the side, as if he was deep in thought for several seconds, then he answered. "Nope."

Kensi simply shook her head at him, knowing that she would never tire of all the silly nicknames he called her. "Speaking of names … what are we going to call this little one?"

"Ahhh … yes … we were in the middle of that little discussion when your water broke and I left the list sitting on the coffee table in my haste to get my screaming wife to the hospital."

Kensi shot him a glare. "I did not scream."

"Yeah, right … I think I lost hearing in my right ear for a few minutes."

"Deeks, I may have just pushed this … " She dipped her head toward the baby in her arms. " … through an opening the size of a quarter, but I can still kick your butt."

"We have trauma doctors on stand-by." Felicia had her back to them as she wrote instructions on the whiteboard that hung on the wall.

"Hey, no fair!" Deeks folded his arms across his chest in mock annoyance. "I'm getting double teamed and my new partner is only twenty minutes old!"

Kensi shook her head and smiled warmly up at the man as a fake-hurt expression flittered across his face, then she reached over and touched him gently on his arm. "Okay, we'll back off … for now."

"Well, lucky me." The pout made her roll her eyes.

"But we still have to give him a name."

Deeks intertwined his fingers between hers, tugging her hand tighter against his skin. "We'd narrowed it down to only a few … but which was your favorite?"

Kensi took a moment to look back down at the sleeping baby boy in her cradled against her chest, his small face pressed against the blanket. "I like 'Gabriel'."

"The messenger angel ... I like it."

The new mother ducked her head, placing a soft kiss to the infant's forehead. "Yep."

Deeks shifted slightly on the bed, his arms tightening around his wife and his son as he softly repeated the name over and over. "Gabriel ... Gabriel ... Gabe ... it works."

"Gabe and Anna … that sounds good to me too." Kensi could already picture the little girl and her little brother playing together, holding hands, sitting on the beach, chasing and being chased by Monty Jr … all the memories that had yet to be made. "What about the middle?"

Without missing a beat, Deeks leaned a little closer so he could speak softly into her ear. "Already got it … Dakota."

She hadn't been ready for that and for a moment, her throat burned with the lump that had suddenly formed there at the mention of her paternal grandfather's name. "Marty … "

"Gabriel … Dakota ... Deeks … " He enunciated each name slowly as he nudged his nose against her temple, and despite her current exhausted state, Kensi felt a wave of heat form deep inside her at the touch of his skin against hers. " … he's got Blye in him too, Kens."

Kensi felt another tear prick at the corner of her eye as a wave of emotion, filled with adoration of the man beside her and for her son lying across her chest, crested inside of her heart and for a moment, it was almost too much for her happy soul to bear. As the small drop of moisture slipped down her cheek, her husband's hand cupped her jaw, his thumb catching the tear before it fell. She nuzzled her face into the warmth of his touch, content to simply bask in the love she felt for him and the love he was showering upon her.

"Okay … " Kensi paused to sniffle quickly. " … Gabriel Dakota it is." Then she tugged the little sleeping baby closer so she could place a feather light kiss to his wrinkled forehead. "Hey, Gabe … so happy to meet you."

Deeks sat back from his wife slightly, watching her brush her nose across their son's skin, inhaling the scent that only came from newborn babies. He was filled with such a storm of happiness that when his own tears started to fall, he made no effort to hide them or wipe them away. Curling his fingers into the blanket that covered his wife, he closed his eyes for a moment, letting a sense of utter peace overwhelm him as he clutched tightly to the woman and child in his arms. When he finally looked up, he was met by a teary, yet smiling, Kensi Marie Deeks. She looked almost as elated as he knew he looked himself and he wanted to do nothing more than spend the rest of his life making her look that happy.

Without speaking, the two of them simply leaned their foreheads together, noses glancing softly. They had perfected the ability to communicate without actually speaking back when they were only partners and that facet of 'them' had only multiplied when they had become 'more'. Years later, when they had taken the step to become 'more' again, that part of their dynamic had reappeared as if by magic, leading them back into an orbit around each other that only drew them closer and closer until they were one. It always sounded cliché when one of them brought it up, but it didn't make it any less true.

Though the universe had seen fit to take them on separate paths for a time, it was inevitable that they would end up together. All of what they had been through, together and apart, had made the reunion so much sweeter, so much more binding, and so much stronger than what they had enjoyed before. Their family and friends picked on them with how they acted differently when they were apart than when they were together, saying it was like they were just a little 'off'. No one saw it as a bad thing, it was just they noticed the way Deeks was always a little bit tense when Kensi wasn't there and the way her smile just wasn't as bright when he was somewhere else. If the two of them were honest about it as well, they would agree … the world around them was simply not the same when they had to be in different places at the same time, when they couldn't hear each other's voices, when their last touch was when they parted that morning, saying "I love you".

Deeks and Kensi.

Kensi and Deeks.

She was him and he was her.

Two parts of the same entity.

One never without the other, even when they were apart.

She was his and he was hers.

Kensi slid her head down her husband's jaw, her lips kissing the spot right in front of his ear as she whispered softly to him.

"My love … my Deeks."

He returned the favor, his lips ghosting across the inner shell of her ear, making her entire body shiver at the simple touch.

"My life … my Kensi."

Fin.

...

A/N: And that's all folks.

Thank you all for your reviews, private messages, support, critiques, advice, comments, encouragement ... everything. You guys are, without a doubt, the best!

It may not have been what all of you wanted or were expecting, but I just wanted to give you a little bit of what I had pictured for their future and now your imaginations can take over the rest. I tried to cover most of the questions that needed answering and hope that you all can be satisfied with what I was able to do. If I missed something, please accept my apologies and I'll leave it to you to fill in the blanks as you see fit.

I'm actually sad that this little ride is over but I already have ideas for more stories about these two characters and hope that you come back for them as well.

From the bottom of my heart ... Thank You!

And, as forever ...

Semper Fidelis

JS