A/N – I've modified this slightly from the original. I had reread it once I posted, looking for any additional typos and I noticed something inconsistent. I got lazy and didn't update but then a guest reviewer commented on it and it just felt like it needed to be cleaned up. Kensi would never drive drunk. Her uncle was killed by a drunk driver and her father's death was blamed on drunk driving. While I was at it, I sort of addressed a comment from anonkp about pulling something out of the trash. That one I missed completely!

And, because I forgot to in the first posting, I own nothing to do with NCIS:LA except all seasons on DVD.

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Kat, Mindy, Mandy, Tiffany, and Tiffany

Kensi padded back out to the yard with the third pitcher of drinks Deeks had left for them. She smiled brightly at her friends, happy that she could have them over for a night of drinks, games, stories and laughs. So far, it had been fun playing hostess. True, Deeks had chopped wood for the fire pit; made five pitchers of his awesome Margaritas and put some appetizers together for them before making himself scarce for the evening. There really wasn't much she had to do. She would definitely have to thank him later. She found herself getting warm thinking of the different ways she could show her appreciation.

"Kay-kay! What are you thinking about? You're red as a beet!" Yelled Mandy.

"I bet it's Marty that has her all hot and bothered!" Offered Kat.

The other girls laughed and Kensi joined in, after all, they were right! She put the pitcher down on the table and the girls descended on it, each adding a healthy amount to their glasses. Mindy looked at Kensi and asked "Where did he learn to make such great drinks?"

"Bartending during college." She answered, thinking 'Among other things.' Her thoughts turned to the few times he'd done a strip, no, exotic, dance routine for her. They always got her wound up and ended up with her attacking him, which, if she was not mistaken, was exactly what he had in mind when he started dancing that way.

"She's gone again!" Laughed Tiffany.

This time she blushed fiercely and, trying to get their attention off her inattention, asked. "Anyone getting cold? Deeks chopped up some wood for the fire pit. It's all ready to go!"

The girls looked over at the pile of wood and back at her. "How long are we planning on keeping the fire going Kay-kay? That's one huge pile of wood!" Said Mindy.

Kensi blushed again and Mindy's eyebrows rose. "Do tell? I would guess that there's a story behind this!"

Kensi giggled, yes, giggled and pulled out her phone, finding the video she wanted. "He was just going to chop enough for us to keep the fire going for a couple of hours but…" She handed the phone over to Mindy who hit play. Kensi watched as her friend's jaw dropped open and a blush started to creep up her face. She watched as Mindy hit play again…and again….and again…until Mandy grabbed the phone from her hands.

"What the hell are you watching Min?" Mandy hit play and the same expression flowed over her face. Tiffany, Tiffany, Kat and Mindy (again) crowded in behind her. Mandy hit play several more times and the girls all watched, differing degrees of fascination evident on their faces.

Finally, Kensi grabbed her phone back and said "Enough you guys! You're going to kill my battery!"

Kat looked her right in the eyes and said "I'm going to be killing some batteries at home later tonight!"

Kensi's jaw dropped open and she couldn't find the words. A strangled "Huh?" came out instead. She was now wondering if showing them the video of a shirtless Deeks chopping wood had been all that great of an idea.

"Come on, you couldn't show us that and not expect some kind of comment! I mean, seriously? Did you even see those muscles?" Kat said.

"Of course I did! Why do you think I kept telling him there wasn't enough wood? He just kept going and I videotaped practically the whole thing…at least, once he got hot and took his t-shirt off. He's going to kill me if he finds out I showed it to you guys! He doesn't even know I was taping him!"

"My God, Kay-kay, when he raises his arms above his head and his jeans slip down a little on his hips…exposing that V muscle? And then how all the muscles bunch up when he swings the axe? I mean, how did you stand it?" Tiffany was fanning herself with her hand, not altogether teasing. The others added their comments about the general hotness of the video.

"You guys! Come on, cut it out!" Kensi said, not all that upset at knowing her girlfriends thought Deeks was hot. She just wasn't sure how she felt about them being so honest and…vocal…about it. And the last thing she wanted them to find out was that she'd hauled Deeks into the house just after she'd stopped taping him and they hadn't even made it to the bedroom.

"You know, I won't be able to look at him ever again, without thinking about that video!" Kat said, her eyes twinkling at Kensi.

Taking pity on their friend, Mandy said. "Enough! Let's keep drinking and play some games. What do you guys think?"

They all agreed and Kensi found herself happy at not being the center of attention for a moment.

"Truth or Dare?" Asked Tiffany.

"Nah, that's boring!" Said Tiffany.

"I know! How about the Opposite Game?" asked Mindy.

"I don't know. That can get kind of mean spirited." Said Kensi. They had come up with this game when they were much younger and didn't take other people's feelings into consideration. It made her somewhat uncomfortable now to think that they used to get such fun out it.

"Come on, we'll agree that we won't ask anything about anyone here. Everyone else is fair game and we'll limit it to five questions, one from each of us. It'll be fun!" Responded Mindy.

Kensi started the fire pit while they gently argued about what game to play. They finally all talked her into the Opposite Game and started. First up was Mindy, as she'd suggested it and they each asked her a random question that she had to answer as opposite to the truth as she could, with much eye rolling and laughter. Kensi had a bad feeling that, when it came her turn, the questions were going to be focused on Deeks. She knew the others were fascinated by the guy who'd finally caught her attention and wormed his way into her life to the point where she was now living with him. He made their Kay-kay happy, so he was good in their books. The fact that he was a nice guy and very easy on the eyes didn't hurt, however, their curiosity about him knew no bounds.

The game made its way around to each of them slowly. Kensi had gotten up to get another pitcher before they'd even gotten through the first three girls. Each of them got a little more raucous as the drinks kept coming and the laughter tended to outweigh the actual humor in the answers. Unbeknownst to them, Deeks had arrived with a box of pastries and cupcakes from Kensi's favorite bakery. He figured his sugar monster would be craving something sweet by now and the bakery was open late. He planned on dropping them off and leaving quickly. He walked up the side of the house instead of going through it, not wanting to get Monty all riled up. He stopped when he heard one of the girls ask Kensi a question about him. He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping but it was hard not to.

"So, Kay-kay. Moving in here with Marty. Good decision or bad?" Asked Mindy.

Kensi thought, 'Best thing I've ever done in my life!' and answered. "Worst mistake I've ever made!"

The girls laughed but Deeks felt his heart stop in his chest and he frowned, wondering if he'd heard her right. After all, moving in together had been her idea!

"My turn!" Kat yelled. "How is he in bed?"

Kensi tilted her head, wanting to refuse to answer such a personal question and to have to do so negatively, but she'd agreed to this stupid game. She lifted her feet out of the grass, curled her toes, arched her back, rolled her eyes back in her head, shuddered and said "Horrible! He has absolutely no idea how to satisfy a woman!" Her posture telling the truth while her words told a lie. She'd never had such an attentive and wonderful lover. From the very beginning, he'd seemed to know exactly what she wanted, when she wanted it. She'd swear he knew her body better than she did herself. Deeks leaned weakly against the house, trying to wrap his brain around the things his girlfriend was saying to her friends.

The laughter wasn't as loud; each of the girls a little jealous at what they knew was the real answer. A couple of them had boyfriends but none could bring that look to any of their faces.

Somewhat subdued, Tiffany asked. "Is he kind?"

Kensi thought of the man he'd become, in spite of his upbringing and knew he was the kindest, gentlest man she'd ever met but strong too, so much stronger than even he knew. Jack had been a good man, but he just wasn't cut from the same cloth as Deeks. She'd wondered more than once what her life would have been like if Jack hadn't abandoned her, leaving her for Deeks to find. She always had a feeling that it wouldn't have been quite as wonderful as the life the two of them were building now.

"No, he's not kind at all. Kind of an asshole." She responded, really wanting this game to end, knowing there were only two more questions to get through. Deeks pushed away from the house, looking down at the box in his hands, not knowing what to do with it, what to do with himself. He found himself opening the trash can sitting next to the walkway and gently laid the box on top, closing the lid quietly. He walked away, not sure where he was going but needing to think as the world he'd thought he was building, brick by brick, came crashing down on him.

In the backyard, the questions for Kensi had become too personal and the girls knew it. They put an end to her misery by asking the last two questions about her job and boss, not knowing that the answers she gave were more lies than even they knew. None of them knew what she did for a living. They knew Deeks was a cop but that was it.

The last of the pitchers of Margaritas was emptied, the fire died down and the girls decided it was time to finish up and head out for the night. They helped Kensi clean up and she called two cabs for them. None of them had driven, knowing that there would be much drinking going on during the night and none were stupid enough to get behind the wheel of a car, especially not when they were at the home of a cop. Kensi herself had stopped drinking when she started the fire going, lessons about respecting the fire drilled into her by her dad. Add to that the fact that Deeks had given her a little lecture about the fact that they were responsible for the safety of the guests in their home and she had surreptitiously switched to water hours ago. She had to laugh when she helped pour her friends into the cabs when they arrived, wondering if they had felt the same the few times they'd done the same for her. Tiffany, Tiffany and Mandy would share one as they lived in the same area and Mindy and Kat would share the other, living in almost the opposite direction. She waved goodbye and watched them disappear into the night.

It was quiet once they were all gone, but Kensi cherished it. She'd loved having them over but Deeks's absence had been in the back of her mind all night. She texted him to let him know the girls were gone and the coast was clear to come home. She was kind of surprised he didn't answer right away. He'd gone out with Sam, Callen and Eric but she'd been sure he would be chomping at the bit to come home by now. It was after midnight.

She picked up the bag of trash, let Monty out into the backyard and made her way to the trash can with it in her hands. She opened the lid and the first thing she saw was the box from Freida's, her favorite bakery, lying on top. She didn't remember having anything in the house from there during the last week. They usually stopped there on the way into work. She nudged the box and noticed it didn't feel empty. She wasn't sure why, but her stomach started to cramp up. She put the trash bag down on the ground and gently lifted the box out, noting that the strings they used to tie up the box were still intact. She picked up the trash bag and threw it in, going through the motions, automatically putting the lid back on. She took the box back inside the house and sat it on the counter. She stared at it for a few minutes, afraid of what it all meant.

Eventually, she pulled the kitchen scissors out of the drawer and cut the strings. When she opened the box, it was to find it filled with tiny cupcakes and pastries. She swallowed hard and reached out to touch one. It was still slightly warm to the touch. These were fresh. She blinked rapidly, knowing there was only one reason why these would be in the trash, intact. He'd made another nice gesture, stopping by her favorite place to pick up goodies for her and the girls. He must have overheard them playing that stupid game and, not knowing it was a game, thought everything she'd said was what she actually felt. She needed to find him, now.

She pulled out her phone and called Sam.

"Kensi? What's up? Deeks get himself in trouble with your girlfriends?" Sam asked laughingly, not sure why she would be calling this late.

"Is he with you Sam?"

"No, we went our separate ways around 10:30. What's the matter Kensi?" Sam had been relaxing on the couch with Michelle, but now sat up, worried about why she was looking for him, not happy with the tone of her voice. Michelle picked up on his uneasiness and frowned at him, wanting to ask him what was wrong but not wanting to interrupt.

"The girls and I were playing a stupid game and…I think…I think he may have overheard some things I said and took them out of context!"

"What makes you think that?"

"I found an unopened box from Freida's in the trash. It wasn't there earlier, I know it. He knows that's my favorite place and I think he stopped there to get some things for us but then he overheard the things I said and I think he threw them away and now I don't know where he is!" Her voice had risen with each word as she tried to fight down her panic.

"Kensi, calm down! Have you tried calling him?"

"No, I texted him to let him know it was clear to come home but he still hasn't responded!"

"Ok, try calling him and then call me back."

"Ok" and Kensi hung up. She hit the speed dial for him but it rang and rang until it eventually went to voicemail. "Deeks? Please, call me! I think you may have overheard some things tonight that weren't what you think! It was a game, a stupid game and none of it was true! In fact, that was the point of the game, to answer a question in the most opposite way you could! Please, baby, call me as soon as you get this! I love you so much!"

She hung and redialed Sam, who had just finished explaining things to Michelle.

"Did he answer?"

"No! It rang a few times and then went to voicemail! Sam, what am I going to do? The things he overheard were so unkind and so not true! If I overheard him saying some of the things about me that I did about him, I would never want to see him again!"

"Kensi, calm down. I'll try calling him. If he still doesn't answer, I'll call Eric to see if he can track Deeks's phone. We'll find him and you will apologize with everything in you! He didn't deserve that!"

"I know! I didn't even want to play that stupid game, I told them it's too mean spirited but I let them talk me into it. They always manage to talk me into doing things I know I shouldn't do when we've had a few drinks. Sam, I think I must've hurt him so badly without meaning to."

"I know, Kens. We'll figure this out, don't worry!" Sam hung up and sighed. Michelle looked at him in question and he said. "He won't pick up for Kensi. I'm going to try and then we'll go from there." She nodded as he hit the speed dial number for Deeks.

It rang a few times and went to voicemail for him as well. "Deeks, come on man, answer your phone. Kensi thinks she knows what happened and she's sorry! There was no truth to whatever you overheard. It was all a stupid game those stupid girls got her to play. Don't so this, don't make us all worry about you!" He hung up and exchanged a look with his wife.

"Call Eric, Sam!" She said.

He nodded and found the number for Eric. The man answered immediately, despite the late hour. "Yo, Sam, what's up?"

"Eric, I need you to see if you can locate Deeks's cell."

"What? What happened? We all just split up a few hours ago!"

"Just do it, Eric, please? I'll fill you in later." He didn't want to get into the whole situation with the techie right now.

"You got it! Give me a few minutes and I'll call you back." Eric hung up the phone and looked at Nell, who was half asleep on his couch. "Well, that was weird!"

"What?" She asked sleepily.

"That was Sam. He wants me to locate Deeks's cellphone but he wouldn't tell me why. What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out if Kensi's okay!" Nell was wide awake now.

Eric moved to his laptop to start tracking Deeks and Nell pulled out her phone to call Kensi.

"Nell? Is Deeks there? Did he show up at your place?"

"What? No, why would he show up at my place? Besides, I'm over at Eric's." Nell waited for the interrogation to start and knew something was very wrong when Kensi didn't immediately start asking her why she was over at Eric's so late, especially as the guys had gone out for the night. Kensi had asked her to join the girls tonight, but they just weren't her cup of tea, so she'd declined. Now she wished she'd made the effort as she listened to Kensi explain what she thought had happened.

"Don't worry Kens! We'll find him and you'll straighten this all out!" She tried to reassure her friend.

"I found him! He's at the Santa Monica pier." Eric said.

"Kensi, did you hear that?"

"Yes, Eric says he's at the Santa Monica pier. Do you want us to come with you?"

"Okay, well, call me when you find him! We'll be worried until you do." Nell hung up and looked at Eric. "Oh man, she really screwed up this time."

"What happened?"

Nell filled him on what Kensi had told her and Eric started to shake his head. "Why would he believe those things? He has to know Kensi didn't mean them."

"Look at it from his point of view. He had no idea they were playing a game. He just knows he came home a little earlier than expected, trying to do something nice for her and her friends, and overheard what he could only believe was Kensi telling her friends her deepest, darkest secrets."

"Oh boy, this is bad."

"Yeah, it really is. Are you going to call Sam back?"

"Oh, yeah." Eric pulled up Sam's number and called him back.

"Eric? Did you find him?"

"Yeah, Sam. He's at the Santa Monica pier and Kensi is on her way there now. She was on the phone with Nell when I found him."

"And where was Nell?"

"Sorry, Sam, what? You're breaking up…I can't hear you…Sam…Sam?" Eric hit end and looked at Nell whose eyebrows had risen into her hair. "What? He scares me. I didn't want to have to explain to the big brother retired Seal why you were here with me this late."

Nell walked up to him and put her arms around him. "That's okay, I'll protect you! I have a gun, you know!" She reached up and pulled his head down to hers for a kiss.

~,~,~,~

Kensi drove like a madwoman, glad it was so late at night and the traffic was light. She thanked all the powers that be that she'd stopped drinking and was sober. If she hadn't, she would have had to come via cab or, worse yet, sent Sam or Callen after him. She pulled up to the Santa Monica pier and looked for his car. She didn't see it and started to worry that he wasn't there after all. She started to walk down the pier. It was always open, although most of the businesses were closed this late at night. She made her way by the couples who were out for a romantic stroll, her heart in her throat as she remembered it being her and Deeks a couple months ago. They'd walked up the pier and back, then down onto the beach and had made out on the sand under the pier. How could she have let this happen?

She went further down and finally saw a lone figure leaning on the railing, looking out to sea. He looked so lost and lonely, her heart squeezed to think that she was the cause of it. Her increased her speed, ending up almost running, covering the remaining distance between them. Before she could even say a word he said, not even turning his head, "How did you find me?"

"Deeks…."

"Did you have Eric track me? Why did you even bother?"

"No! Sam had Eric track your phone."

He turned and looked at her incredulously, none of the love she was used to seeing in his eyes apparent. "You got Sam and Eric involved in this?"

"Deeks, you have to listen to me!"

"I don't have to do anything Kensi. After all, I'm just the asshole loser you made the mistake of moving in with."

"Deeks! Stop it and listen to me!"

He started to move away from her. "There's nothing you can say that I haven't heard already. I get it, I pushed too hard and now you feel like you're stuck with me. Don't worry, you're not. I'll stay away for a couple days while you pack your stuff up and move back out. I'll let Hetty know that I'm resigning the Liaison Officer position and I'll go back to LAPD. Maybe your next partner will be up to your standards."

"Martin Andrew Deeks, you stop, you shut up and you listen to me! You are the most important thing in my life. I love you with all my heart and none of the things you overheard were true. It was a stupid game, a game I didn't even want to play, a game I would give anything to be able to go back and stand my ground about not playing. Everything you heard me say was the exact opposite of what I felt, what I thought! That's the purpose of it! It's called the Opposite Game and it's supposed to just make you laugh when you say something that is so blatantly untrue that no one can take it seriously! I'm sorry you overheard that and thought what you did! Think about everything you heard and now think about what the opposite of it is. That's what I was thinking when I answered!"

"You expect me to believe that?"

Kensi dug out her phone and scrolled until she found Kat's number. She dialed and her friend picked up on the second ring. Kensi put it on speaker. "Kay-kay? What's up? Are you calling to check up on my battery situation?"

Kensi blushed and said hurriedly. "Kat, what was the name of the game we were playing earlier tonight?"

"The Opposite Game? How much did you have to drink that you can't remember that? You were pretty vocal about not wanting to play! I gotta say though, your answers just added to the fantasies I'll be playing out tonight in my head! Marty chopping wood, amongst other things!"

Deeks listened to Kat talk, hearing her confirm Kensi's story and felt like his heart started beating for the first time since he'd stood like a statue by the side of the house, her words stabbing him like a knife.

"Thanks Kat, gotta go!" Kensi hung up quickly, hoping that Deeks got out of it what she hoped and didn't focus on the rest. She should have known better.

"Marty chopping wood? What was that about? What was she talking about, her battery situation?" When Kensi didn't reply, he moved closer. "Kensi, what was she talking about?"

"Ok, ok, I may have taped you chopping wood today and I may have shown it to the girls. They may have kept playing it over and over until I complained they were going to kill my phone battery. Kat may have said she'd be killing some batteries of her own tonight when she got home."

"May have?"

"Ok, did!" She looked at him worriedly, wondering if he was really understanding that she hadn't meant any of it. She was pleased to see the love back in his eyes and he moved closer still to her.

"You taped me chopping wood?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, yeah I did. You looked all muscley while you were doing it." She murmured huskily, feeling the heat start in her belly at the look in his eyes.

Pressing closer still, he asked "Muscley? Is that even a word?"

"If it isn't, it should be." She leaned into him, putting her arms around him, happy when he responded in kind. She pulled back a little and looked up into his eyes. "I need you to know what the opposite of each of those things I said out loud really was in my head, in my heart. First, moving in with you is the best decision I've ever made in my life, and I do mean my entire life. Second, you are the most considerate, giving, loving, incredible lover I've ever had. I wasn't a virgin by any means when we first got together, but it felt like it. I was a virgin to that kind of loving. Third, you are the kindest, gentlest man I've ever known. You're so strong but you don't need to prove it to anyone. It's especially amazing to me as I know some of what you went through as a child. The fact that you are the man you are is a testament to the strength you have inside you. I love you and I always will. More importantly, to me, I trust you with my love. I had hoped you could do the same with yours, but I really hurt you tonight, and it wasn't my intention, far from it!"

He moved his hands up to her face and gently kissed her. "I won't deny that what I heard hurt me more than anything I ever thought was possible. You hold so much power over me, power I never realized until tonight that I was relinquishing to you. I'm not sure if this is normal or not. I've never felt like this for any other person in my life. There are still times when I wonder what you see in me. How I could deserve someone like you. Hearing those things fed into those insecurities, wondering if I'd just been fooling myself, seeing something that was never there."

"It's always been there Deeks! All the way back to that MMA gym when I was Tracey and you were Jason. I felt it back then but wouldn't give in to it. I was afraid. I'd been hurt too much. You gave me such a great gift! You healed that hurt! You gave me hope again. For that alone, I will love you the rest of my days!"

He kissed her again and she responded with all the love in her. He deepened the kiss and she felt the world fall away. It was alright. She'd found him. She'd made him understand what had happened. They would be fine. She felt her heart swell and she tried to get even closer to him, something that wasn't physically possible. She felt him chuckle against her lips. He stood back a little and asked. "Do you want to continue this at home?"

She nodded, not sure if she could find her voice. They turned and began to walk quickly back towards their cars. She got into hers and was watching him walk to his when her phone rang. She looked at the caller id and smiled. "Hi Sam."

"Did you find him?"

"Yes, I found him." Her tone told Sam everything he needed to know. He heaved a sigh of relief and gave a thumbs up to Michelle, who smiled back at him.

"Ok then. We'll see you two on Monday?"

"Maybe." She said, a big smile on her face as she saw the headlights on his car light up. He started to pull out and she wanted to be right behind him. "I'll see you later Sam!" and hung up on him. Sam looked at the phone and just shook his head, those two would never do things the easy way. It wasn't for him, but it seemed to work for them. He put his hand out to Michelle and tugged her up the stairs to their bedroom.

Kensi followed right on Deeks's tail and then remembered she had to call Nell. She pulled up her contacts and hit send. Her friend answered before the first ring finished.

"Kensi? Did you find him? Is everything all right?"

"Yes, Nell, I found him and everything is fine. I'll need to apologize to him forever for this, but I think he knows how I really feel about him. I've gotta go. Thank Eric for me?"

"Will do! See you Monday!" Nell hung up and passed Kensi's thanks on to Eric. He sighed in relief and then pulled her into his arms, leaning down for a kiss.

"I'm wide awake now, how about you?"

"Sure am! What did you have in mind, Mr. Beale?" He smiled gently at her and started to walks backwards towards the bedroom, holding her hand and pulling her along as she blushed and giggled a little.

~,~,~,~

Much later that night, Kensi snuck downstairs and pulled the Freida's box from the fridge. She opened it and looked down at all the sweets her boyfriend had gone to so much trouble to get them. She sighed, knowing that what had happened would resonate with them for a while. She was going to need to show him just how much she loved him and just how wrong the words he'd heard were. She reached out and touched one cupcake that had a heart on it. She smiled, wondering if he'd picked that one out for her specifically or, if the bakery had just put together a smorgasbord of yummy confections.

She reached out to pull it out of the box when his arms went around her. "I see you found the one I picked out for you. You know I put those in the trash? That's not very sanitary!" His soft voice said behind her. She leaned back into him and sighed in contentment. She'd come close to ruining this thing they had and she'd be more careful with it and with him in the future.

She turned in his arms and said. "Between the fact that you pretty much compost or recycle every bit of trash we generate and that you sanitize it every week after it's been emptied, our trash can is cleaner than some people's kitchens!" She offered him the first bite. He bit in and licked the frosting off his lips, her eyes following his every movement. Without taking her eyes from his, she took a bite of her own and followed his lead, licking the frosting off her lips. She watched as his eyes dilated with desire, a reaction she could never get enough of. She offered him the last bite. He took it and then pulled her hand up to his mouth, gently licking the frosting off her fingers, one by one. Later, she would wonder if their kitchen got more action than most people's bedrooms.

~,~,~,~

A/N2 – I had a conversation with a co-worker recently and this person said something derogatory about another person we worked with. I was surprised, as this person was very nice and universally well liked. This person then laughed and told me that it had been hard to say with a straight face and that they were only kidding. I found myself wondering what this other person would have thought if they'd overheard the conversation without hearing later that it wasn't meant. That conversation led to this story.