Chapter 40

They're married!

Deeks can't stop kissing his bride. His bride! His wife! His forever! Kensi is giggling like a teenager. Deeks pauses at the sound. He thinks about a younger version of his bride whose teen years ended when her dad was murdered. She probably closed herself off from friends, parties and may have never experienced teen boys like himself. That probably was a good thing. But here she is now and the joy he hears coming from her is glorious.

He finally stops kissing her as the sound of folks clearing their throats remind him of their presence. Deeks leads his bride (God will he ever tire of thinking that - not ever!) to the small group gathered at the back of the chapel. Hugs and laughs and congratulations are shared. The bride and groom beam with the attention. One of Kensi's friends suggests a picture of the happy couple and their witnesses, so the group heads back inside the chapel.

Kensi and Deeks stand proudly between the General and Josephine. Their friends take pictures with their phones, also with Kensi's and Deeks' phones. Once everyone has a chance to pose with the happy couple, Kensi announces she's had enough, "Time to party!" With that, the group make their way out to their cars.

Deeks leads his wife - his wife! to their car to head to dinner. He holds the door for Kensi but before she gets in, he kisses her, again! He then races around to the driver side and hops in. Kensi reaches over the console, grabs him by his tie and pulls in for another kiss.

"Hi hubby!"

"Hi wifey!"

"We did it. We're married!"

At that Deeks leans in closer. "Mm-hm. I was there. You remember. Devilishly handsome. Charming. Some might say sexy."

"You done?"

"Only if you have nothing to add."

Kensi smirks at him. He then he hears her stomach growling. He raises an eyebrow. "I think I need to get my wife fed she seems to be getting hangry." He leans in gives her another kiss and starts the car. He hopes this feeling never ends. It's a high he can't describe. He looks at Kensi and sees the reflection of what he is feeling. He wants a snapshot of this moment because he knows in their job, there will be hard days. But as long as they are together, they will get through them.

They arrive at the Officer's club. The valet takes their car and parks it. Deeks offers his arm to his bride and together they head inside. They are greeted with cheers by their guests waiting in a small room off the main dining area. In the center of the room is the main table decorated with candles and a flower centerpiece. Off to the side is a smaller table with their wedding cake and a tray of chocolate covered strawberries. Deeks laughs as his partner can't resist and pops a strawberry in her mouth. Deeks then quickly kisses her and revels in the taste of chocolate, strawberries and Kensi. He thinks he may have to buy chocolate strawberries more often, because he really likes how she tastes afterwards when he kisses her.

Once they are seated, the champagne is poured. General Watson stands, raises his glass towards the couple. "Kensi, I know you are missing your dad today. We all are. He was a dear friend, loyal to his country and one of the bravest men I knew. And from what I've come to learned, you are his daughter through and through. He would be so proud of the woman you are. Your service to your country, your strength and your heart. He may have scratched his head at this guy," the General nods at Deeks as everyone chuckles, "but once he got to know him, learned of his loyalty to his country, his bravery and his undying devotion to you, Donald Blye would be proud to call him son. So on behalf of Don and your friends, I wish you and Marty much love and happiness and many years together. To the bride and groom!"

Everyone raise their glasses, cheers are exchanged. Deeks kisses his bride, who is trying not to let too many tears fall. Her husband takes his napkin and delicately dabs her cheeks, kissing each side. The couple nod and smile in acknowledgement of the well wishes.

As they are enjoying their dinner, they hear the beginning strains of music from the main dining room. Deeks excuses himself and slips out. Kensi just assumes he is headed to the restroom. He actually heads to the conductor and makes a request. With a smile and a nod, the conductor is happy to grant the request.

Dinner plates are cleared and the couples walk over to the other room as dancing has started. When the conductor sees the wedding party he steps to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if we could ask you to clear the dance floor. We would like to have Mr. & Mrs. Martin Deeks come forward and ask all of you to join us as we congratulate them on their marriage." There is applause from the room. Kensi is blushing as she realizes what her groom was up to. The conductor continues. "At the request of the groom, it is our pleasure to play 'Wonderful Tonight,' and on behalf of all of us, we wish you both much happiness."

Deeks leads his bride to the center of the dance floor. He spins her into his arms. Kensi looks in his eyes. The song choice is not lost on her. It is from the first time they danced together on Valentine's Day. Deeks has her right hand against his heart and his right arm secure around her waist. As they start to dance, he looks into her eyes, Kensi looking back into his. "Are you happy Princess?"

Kensi smiles, leans up and kisses him and then places her head on his chest. Everything but her husband and the music melt away. All she feels is them floating across the dance floor. And just like that first night, he starts to quietly sing to her as his head lays on the top of her head. This is the best high there could ever be, and she doesn't want the feeling to end.

The conductor then invites everyone to join the couple. As the couples dance around the bride and groom, love is everywhere. Older couples smile at them, remembering themselves from long ago. Younger couples hoping they find what they see as they look at Kensi and Deeks. And Kensi and Deeks just smile, kiss and dance, celebrating each other.

After the dance, Deeks and Kensi go to the conductor to thank him and the other musicians for this wonderful moment. The band applaud the couple and offer their well wishes. They then are back to work entertaining everyone.

"Time for cake!" Kensi grabs Deeks and drags him back to their dining room. Deeks shrugs at their friends. "Welcome to my world!" Their friends just laugh and follow. Chef Casey is waiting for them. The guests cannot say enough about how wonderful their meal was. She is happy that it was to their liking. She then offers the cake knife to Kensi. Deeks feigns hurt that Kensi always gets to play with knives. Kensi sends an elbow his way. He then slips behind her, places his hand over hers that is on the knife and cuts a slice. Everyone is taking pictures.

Deeks and Kensi each have a piece. Kensi glares at Deeks with a "don't even think about it" message. Deeks smirks back with a "what are you gonna do about it" look. There they are, in a standoff.

General Watson offers Deeks some advice, "Son, trust me, don't do it."

Deeks nods back at him, "Oh I know my wife well enough to never mess with her dessert." He very carefully offers Kensi a bite of cake. He has been sharing his dessert with her since they first started hanging out. Why stop now?

Kensi smiles and does the same to him. There will be time to play when they are not in such a public place. Deeks leans in and kisses her. Casey then proceeds to pass out dessert to the guests gathered. Coffee is served as everyone sits again. The rest of the evening is spent sharing stories and happy memories. It is just how Kensi wanted her wedding to be. Small, intimate and with friends. As much as she is enjoying it, she is suddenly sad that her mother, and more importantly her family at work, could not be here.

Deeks sees Kensi mentally drift off with a slight frown. He knows what she's thinking. He leans in and whispers in her ear, "Princess, please don't be sad. Not today. Think about the party Nell is going to organize this fall. And your mom will come around. Now what do I need to do to get that smile I saw earlier back on your beautiful face?"

Kensi looks at him and grants his request. Her smile is glorious. He never ceases to surprise her with how well he knows her. She leans in and kisses him. "You just did."

All too soon, it is time to say goodnight. Hugs and well wishes are exchanged. The bridal couple again thank Casey and her staff for a very special evening. They stick their heads into the main room, catch the eye of the conductor and wave their thanks and head out the door.

As they open the door to their suite, Deeks sweeps his bride off her feet and proudly walks her across the threshold. He kisses her before placing back on her feet. Kensi notices a silver tub with a bottle of champagne, two glasses and a tray of strawberries. There is an envelope next to the tray. Deeks opens it.

Dear Bride and Groom (wow, I actually wrote that!)

Congratulations! I know it was an awesome day for you two, and I wish I could have been there for both of you.

Shaggy, I am holding you to your promise of an awesome party this fall.

Enjoy this treat, and to give you two lovebirds a break( wink-wink) here are two passes to the Surf museum. Let me know how it is. I may want to take Eric.

I love you both and I'll see you next week.

Nell

The couple just look at the note. Nell is becoming as scary as Hetty. The gesture is received with the love with which it is given. Kensi sends a quick text of thanks and a "check your email" message. She then sends a picture from the chapel. A quick response of a string of emojis has them both laughing. The bottle is opened, glasses filled and the after party begins. Clothing starts to fly. The sound of a glasses clinking, laughter, strawberry kisses and other sounds emanate from the bedroom as Mr. & Mrs. Deeks celebrate their wedding night.

Monday is Memorial Day. Kensi and Deeks meet with the Watsons and several of her father's friends for the annual remembrance. She has a tight grip on her husband's hand. Deeks squeezes back to remind her he will always be by her side. He will always be proud to stand by her side. The ceremony is moving and the luncheon afterwards is special for Kensi. Finding her father's killer was a very emotional time for the whole team. Being here now, with the case settled, is the perfect ending to that story.

Wednesday morning, check out day, arrives too soon. The past few days were spent, in no particular order: in bed, by the pool, in the village dining and shopping, at the Surf Museum (which Deeks declared was awesome), in bed again (actually a lot of time in bed), and walking along the waterfront. It was a perfect wedding and small honeymoon. They talk about a proper honeymoon to be taken later. Maybe Australia.

A sleepy Deeks places lazy kisses on Kensi's bare shoulder. Not in a hurry to wake up but knowing it's time to go back to the real world and their lives. He rubs his hand down his bride's side. "Good morning Mrs. Deeks."

"Good morning Mr. Deeks." Kensi rolls over and kisses her husband. She is not in a hurry either. "Are you ready to go back undercover?" She hopes she can do this. It was so nice here just being themselves. No hiding, no secrets. Before they were married, it seemed easy to keep up appearances. But now, now she knows she will have to really work hard to keep her hands to herself at work. She never thought that she could be this happy. She peppers his jaw with kisses.

"Ready? No not really. But we can do this Kens. We have reached our goal. We're married. Now we show Hetty and the team we can work together and be married. I have complete faith in you. In us." He slides on top of his wife and starts to nuzzle her neck. He feels Kensi's shudder and the little noises she makes as she is getting aroused. They spend the next hour celebrating their union before heading back to their lives in LA.

A very excited Monty greets his parents at Mrs. Evans' front door. As they get to Deeks' front door, he has every intention of carrying his bride across this threshold, but Monty is so busy jumping on both of them that Deeks never gets the chance. They barely get in the door with their bags and Monty and almost fall in a heap.

"Monty, down boy," Kensi stoops down to calm her furbaby.

Deeks takes their bags to the bedroom and opens a few windows. Mrs. Evans had collected their mail, which is now in a pile on the table. Deeks drops himself on the couch. Monty leaves Kensi and jumps into his lap. "Oh sure, now you care that I'm home," Deeks scratches Monty's ears and hugs his buddy.

Kensi grabs two bottles of water and joins her husband. "I'll start the laundry. Do you want to see about lunch and check emails to see if we missed anything at work? I don't think I have to go back to my place for anything. I have enough work clothes for a couple of days. My gun and badge are here."

Deeks nuzzles his wife's neck, absentmindedly agreeing with her. "We can go to your place over the weekend. We do need to figure out a schedule going forward. I don't want Granger or anyone else noticing our comings and goings." Kensi nods in agreement. They are back on the job tomorrow and hopefully things have settled down.

Deeks is brought out of his slumber by the sound of chapel bells emanating from his phone, loudly! What the hell? It seems his bride broke into his phone - again - and changed his alarm sound - yet again. But he loves the sentiment and his bride.

He stretches, or tries to, around the starfish lying next to him. "Kens, Princess, time to wake up!" He rolls on his side to face her as she does the same to him. Deeks kisses the top of head. "You ready to go back to work?"

Kensi then rolls to her back and looks at her left hand. Her wedding band catches the morning light. It has been on her finger since Deeks placed it there during their ceremony. Her engagement ring is tucked in its box currently on her nightstand. She rolls her hand around watching the sun play on her simple band. As Deeks watches her his thumb starts to rub his matching band. He realizes what has her deep in thought.

"Just because we won't have our rings on, doesn't make us any less married, Fern. Just like when we were engaged, the minute we get home, I will happily let you put my ring back on my hand. I know you want to make sure that the world knows I am off the market." He gives her side a tickle. He then leans in next to her ear and whispers, "But we both know I have been off the market for quite some time, ring or no ring." He starts to nuzzle the spot under her ear, she starts to giggle and then he proceeds to uphold the promise he made to his bride regarding her preferred way to be awoken properly.

Once they are both dressed and before they leave the house, Deeks takes his wife's left hand, brings it to his lips, kisses it and gently removes her wedding band. Kensi then does the same and removes his. The rings are then placed in the gun safe until their return at the end of day. Kensi frowns as Deeks locks the safe. "Now Princess, no frowns. This is only temporary. Come Labor Day, we will have a big blowout of a party, and then you can wear your band everyday. We can do this." He nudges her hip with his and they head out the door.

As Kensi pulls into the parking lot at OSP, she sees Nell outside waiting for her. The newlyweds get out of the car and Nell runs to them. "Congrats you two! I am so happy."

Kensi hugs her and then Deeks has a moment with their friend. "Thank you for your surprise, both of them. You really shouldn't have," he says.

They really enjoyed the Surf Museum. It was a nice break and got them out of bed. Ok, Deeks may have protested a little. Kensi told him it would be good for their circulation to move around. He argued they were "moving around" plenty in bed. He lost that argument. But it was worth it. The day spent at the museum and the surrounding area added another nice memory to their trip.

"So Nellster, what did we miss?" It was a 'be careful what you ask' question but better to find out now than be surprised later.

"Well, Sam is back and we were talking. He thinks you three should meet with Hetty and see if you can talk her into coming back. Sam talked to her and she has agreed to meet with you. Please go see her. We need her here. Callen is still in jail. Eric and I are doing work for anyone the Director sends our way and Granger is skulking around. And I cannot tell you how happy Eric and I are that you are back." Nell finally takes a breath. Kensi throws an arm around her friend and leads her to the bullpen.

Deeks watches his wife and her best friend walk ahead. He makes a mental note for another double date night but he wants to check with Kensi first. He has concerns about letting Eric in on their secret. It's not that he doesn't trust Eric, but he is not like Nell. He can be easily coerced for information, whereas Nell is the Rock of Gibraltar. Kensi will know what to do. As he leans down to pick up his bag, his phone rings. The caller ID reads "CA DOC." This can't possibly be good.

"Detective Deeks," he says as he connects the call.

A robo voice starts to play, "You have a collect call from inmate 054032577, Richard Davis. Press 1 to accept. Press 2 to decline."

Deeks' instinct is to decline but "Zero" was a decent snitch for him and who knows what information he may have. He presses 1. He turns and heads back outside of the mission to take the call. A gruff voice comes on the line.

"Deeks?"

"What do you want Zero?"

"Got a message for you from a G. Callen Says he needs to see his lawyer. Imagine my surprise when he gives me your name as his lawyer. Needs to see you ASAP and you are to tell no one you are coming. What should I tell him?"

"Tell him I'll think about it."

"I didn't know you were a lawyer. Can you help me with my appeal?"

"Good-bye Zero."

Deeks! Come on, Deeks!"

Deeks disconnects the call. God damn Callen. Summoning him to prison. Yeah, he'll just rush right over there and see him. He drags his hands through his scruff. When will this nightmare end? He will deal with this later. He picks up his bag and heads inside. He smiles as he hears laughter coming from the bullpen. A sound that has been missed.

"What am I missing?" Deeks arrives at his desk. He shoots a quick wink to his wife as she is regaling Sam, Nell and Eric with her adventures in Del Mar. She had missed her friends and it was nice to catch up. She also told Sam about the lovely Memorial Day ceremony she attended. Her dad was honored for his service. It would have been his 40th anniversary as a Marine. Deeks remembers how special the ceremony was. He was glad he was there for Kensi. The Watsons hosted a lovely lunch afterwards and Deeks had been so proud to be introduced as Kensi's husband to Don Blye's friends. Kensi beaming as his wife was the best part of his day. Deeks' left thumb absentmindedly rubs his ring finger, now lacking the platinum band, at the memory.

Sam gestures to the group to follow him to the gym. Once assembled in a quiet corner, he informs them, "I know where Hetty is and she has agreed to see us. I think we need to go see her and convince her to come back. Callen still won't see me and Granger's acting like a coup is imminent."

Each nods in agreement. Kensi looks at her husband before she speaks, "I agree with Nell that just Sam, Deeks and I should go. We don't want to overwhelm her. Nell, you and Eric stay back to give us cover with Granger. Say we are following a lead or something. But we need to go soon, possibly today. I don't want to give her a chance to change her mind and possibly disappear."

"Kens is right. We should probably go now." Deeks is glad for the diversion. He needs to figure out what he is going to do about his surprise phone call. He promised never to lie to his partner. Lying to his bride would be even worse. He also doesn't like keeping this from Sam. But until he talks to Callen, he thinks it may be better to keep things to himself. Deeks is brought out of his thoughts by Kensi nudging him to move. The team heads out. They take Sam's Challenger.

Hetty's guard is up. Yes, she agreed to see them but there is reason she left. The Operations Manager sits in her library, stone-faced, as each of them makes a case for her to return. Deeks has seen statues in the park show more emotion. But it may be Kensi, reduced to tears, begging Hetty, that finally gets through. Deeks is so angry at Callen for what he has done to this team. His heart breaks seeing his wife so upset. He is also upset with Hetty for being selfish in turning her back on them. Once they have her assurance that she will be in tomorrow, they leave and head back to the mission. The car ride is very quiet, with Kensi's occasional sniffles the only sounds heard.

Once back in the parking lot, Deeks looks at Sam, silently asking for a minute to speak with his partner privately. Sam nods in understanding and heads in. Once he is gone, Deeks gathers his wife in his arms.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. You did great." Kensi sobs. He knows her well enough to know she is upset with her emotional display. She never likes to appear weak in front of the team. Deeks, on the on the other hand, marvels at her strength. "Please don't cry, baby. We are going to get through this. Hetty is coming back. Besides, you are now married to the most handsome and talented detective on the face of the planet. Although that could be a cause for tears in itself." He suddenly feels her shoulders shake but he knows she is laughing.

"You are such an idiot!"

"But I am your idiot. I have the paper to prove it!"

With that, she gives him a quick kiss, wipes her face and heads inside the mission. She loves him like no other.

The next day as the team gathers in the bullpen, they pause when they hear a familiar faint noise coming from Hetty's office: the sound of a teapot lid being placed on its pot. They breathe a sigh of relief; Hetty is back.

Deeks puts down his bag and heads over to Hetty's office. He decided last night to go see Callen. He has every intention of conveying his displeasure and anger over their team leader's actions and the subsequent fallout of said actions. He waits for Hetty to acknowledge him and sits.

"I'm happy to see you here this morning Hetty."

"Your partner was quite persuasive."

"It is among her many talents. I came over here, first to welcome you back, but also because I need to take a personal day tomorrow. IAB wants to interview me, again, regarding the shooting and I need to meet with Bates. Having you back makes it easier for me to go. All I ask is that we keep this between us. I don't want to upset Kensi, especially after seeing her so upset yesterday. I will tell her about my meeting but I would rather wait until afterwards."

Hetty nods at his assessment. She knows Kensi and knows the toll their meeting probably had on her agent. She agrees to his time off and will keep the meeting to herself. Deeks nods and heads back to the bullpen. The never-ending paperwork awaits.

The sun is peeking through the shades in Deeks' bedroom. He was already awake but is not in a hurry to get out of bed. He loves the early morning. Kensi is curled around him, her hair splayed across his chest. He chuckles at her sleep sounds. Deeks still can't believe they're married. Almost a week. He should do something special. Flowers? No, cupcakes from her favorite bakery.

Deeks slides out of bed, careful not to wake his bride. After showering and dressing in one of his court suits, he writes a note explaining he is needed at the precinct - confidential police business. He prays his wife will forgive the temporary lie. Deeks places a soft kiss to the top of her head and leaves.

Once he arrives at the prison, he goes through the sign-in and search protocol. A guard leads him to the Attorney visiting room. Once inside, Deeks paces, wanting this meeting to be quick. He hates sneaking out on Kensi. This is not how he wants their marriage to be. They promised each other from early on in their relationship to be honest with the other. And for the most part they have been. A few hiccups had occurred, mostly circumstantial, but for the most part, they've been open with each other. He looks at his watch, Callen is already twenty minutes late. He is going to kill him. Suddenly.

A buzzer went off and the door clanged opened. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, Callen shuffled in wearing handcuffs, a waist chain and leg irons with two corrections officers in tow. Callen's hair was longer and he was growing a beard. He was taken to one of the chairs bolted to the ground. With one guard at the opened door, a massive second officer changed the handcuffs from behind his back to the front before sitting Callen down. Chains were pulled around his leg irons and secured to the legs of the chair. A final chain was run from the leg irons chain to the back of his waist chain. G. Callen, inmate 051512078, was going nowhere.

As the massive corrections officer walked to the door, the other guard, a muscular Hispanic man with Morales on his nameplate, handed Deeks a black plastic box the size of a deck of cards. "Mr. Deeks, this is a personal alarm. If, at any time, you feel you are in danger, you are to press this red button." There was only one button on the box and it was bright red. "When you press that red button, your meeting with the prisoner will be over and several corrections officers will secure both you and the prisoner. Do you have any questions?"

"No, sir."

"There are no listening devices or video cameras in this attorney's meeting room. If you feel you are not safe, you are to hit the red button immediately. It will take about ten seconds for a team of correction officers to arrive in the room. The correction officers will be armed. Any orders given by the corrections officers entering the room are to be obeyed immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. I do."

"The big green button on the wall near the door," Morales pointed, "is for when your meeting is over. Once you press that button, a corrections officer will escort you from the room then the prisoner will be brought back to his cell. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir. We're clear. Thank you." Deeks took the panic box and tucked it in his suit jacket pocket as Officer Morales and the other guard left.

"Good to see you, Deeks.**

** From "Scattered" by Tess DiCorsi

And now dear readers, our journey has come to end. But not "the beginning of the end. The end of the beginning." Here is your transfer to the next part of your journey - "Scattered" by Tess DiCorsi. Thank you Tess for your generosity and encouragement.

Thank you to Mulderette (read her stuff she is a great writer too) and all those who took the time reading, reviewing, and I hope, enjoying the story.

Finally, a huge, heartfelt thanks to my friends Stef, Donna and Ship for reading, editing, applying the ficstick when necessary and support. This was way more than I thought it would be and was a great experience.

Keep your eyes out, you never know when another story about our newlyweds might pop up!