Thanks again to everyone who has supported this story. This is the last chapter, posted just shy of six months from starting this story. I'm marking this complete, but if/when I do write oneshots in this universe I'll probably add them on. That being said, if there is a oneshot you want to see within this universe, let me know. I can't guarantee I'll write every one or a timeframe, but I love this universe and will definitely want to revisit it.
Sometime in the not-so-distant future…
Kensi lets herself into the house as quietly as she can. It's much later than usual for her to be getting home, but a priority case kept her working late. She and Cole had spent hours together doing research and interviews with the rest of their team.
The lower floor of the house is quiet, but she knows just where to find her husband.
She slips off her shoes and drops her bag on the couch as she walks through the large living room. It had taken them half a year to find their perfect house, and nearly another year to renovate, decorate and settle in. She doesn't regret a thing. The house is perfect now.
Along the wall leading to the stairs, there is a line of pictures. She touches them one by one as she makes her way by. She's feeling a bit nostalgic today.
A photo of herself, Marty and Mindy at their impromptu engagement party. It's in a frame given to them by Mindy. The words 'I told you so,' are written on the bottom.
A photo of her and Marty at their wedding. She's in a casual white dress, and he's wearing dark pants and a light blue shirt. They're standing barefoot on the beach. The water is behind them. The sun is setting, casting an array of colours from the horizon through the sky. They'd lucked out with warm weather for their late fall wedding.
Another photo from the wedding, with their very happy mothers.
And another from their wedding, with her team.
A large frame showcasing pictures from their two-week honeymoon in Hawaii. One of them trying to surf together. Another of them failing to surf together and falling off the board together. A selfie during a scenic hike. The view from their hotel room.
There are more, of course, outlining their years together. But she stops reminiscing. She's in a hurry to get upstairs.
She pads down the hallway and stops at the door to the nursery. The door is ajar, and the room dark. The only light is filtering in through the window. It gives her enough light to see and make her way through the room.
As quietly as she can, she pushes open the door. The room is quiet. On the floor beside the crib, Monty is laying down. He raises his head when Kensi steps in.
She stops for a moment to crouch down and pat the old dog. "Good boy," she whispers.
Monty wags his tail and lowers his head back down. He's content to go back to sleep.
Kensi stands and steps up to the crib.
Inside, her daughter is fast asleep. She's laying on her back with her little arms stretched above her head. Her little hands are in fists. Her breaths are loud, almost tiny snores.
Kensi smiles. Her husband teases her all the time about their daughter's snoring. He likes to tell her the little girl gets it from her.
She lays a hand on her daughter's chest and feels her chest rise and fall. She knows from experience that, while their daughter may snore like her, she sleeps like her father. It takes a lot to get the little girl to wake up. She'd been a good sleeper since day one, and now at nearly a year old, not much has changed.
"I love you, baby girl," she whispers what had once been her father's name for herself. "I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodnight to you. But I'll be right here in the morning."
Her baby, who is not much of a baby anymore, sighs in her sleep. Her little body shifts and resettles. Her tiny snores resume.
Kensi backs out of the room.
She continues her way down the hall and stops at the last room on the right. There are voices coming from inside the room and she pauses to listen.
"What do you want to do this weekend?" Marty asks.
"I wanna go to the beach," their son answers.
"Hmm," Marty says as he pretends to think about it. "I think that can be arranged. You want to try surfing again?"
"Yes!" The boy exclaims.
Outside the room, Kensi smiles. Marty is an exceptionally good teacher, and their son is quite a good little athlete, despite his young age.
"Will mommy come with us?"
"I'm sure she will if she's not too tired."
There is a moment of silence, and Kensi frowns.
"What's wrong, Jamie?" Marty says.
Jamie sniffs. "Mommy's not here. I miss her. She was gone before breakfast and she's not home yet."
Kensi feels her heart clench in her chest. Every decision she has made since having children has been for those children. She loves her kids more than anything. She wants to spend more time with them, but she also wants to make sure the world they grow up in is safe.
She is about to push open the door to comfort her son when her husband's words stop her.
"Mommy is home most mornings and most evenings," he says. "But sometimes she can't be home all the time. Do you remember why?"
"Because of her secret," the boy answers easily.
Kensi feels her brow furrow. She's not sure what her husband is talking about, but it's clearly a well-practiced line.
"And what's that secret?" Marty asks.
"That mommy is a superhero!" Their son whisper-exclaims.
"Exactly. That's why sometimes she can't be home."
"Because she's keeping us safe," their son adds.
Kensi feels tears well in her eyes. She had no idea what reason her husband has given their kids when she's home late until now. He's such a good husband, and such a good father. He never makes her feel guilty and he always understands.
There are days when he works late, and she is home alone in the evenings with the kids. She just tells them he has to work, he loves them and he will be home as soon as he can. It's never occurred to her to tell them anything else.
She smiles through her tears now. She's nowhere near as creative as her husband. And she loves him all the more for it. She keeps listening.
"Daddy? When did you know mommy was a superhero?"
"Hmm," Marty says, again pretending to think. "I knew the day I met her."
"Does that make me half superhero?"
Marty chuckles. "Yeah, son, I guess it does."
"Good. Cause I wanna be like mommy. I wanna keep people safe."
There is another extended pause before Marty responds.
"That's a really good thing to want to do, Jamie. I'm really proud of you."
Kensi can't stand it anymore. She needs to be with her family. She pushes open the door.
Their son is sitting by his pillow, with his legs crossed as he faces his father. Marty is mirroring the position. He's sitting with his own legs crossed, facing his son, in the middle of the bed.
Both boys look towards her in surprise when the door opens. They look so similar it steals her breath. James has a tall, lanky body. His facial features are closer to Marty's than Kensi's. The only real difference is the hair. It's curly and unruly like Marty's but dark like Kensi's.
"James Michael Deeks, what are you still doing up?" She starts.
"Mommy! I can explain…"
She can't help the laugh that escapes her lips. Her son is so much like his father. The boy jumps off the bed now and hurries towards her.
She scoops him up in a big hug. He's getting bigger every day and she worries she won't be able to scoop him up and hold him like this for long.
"I wanted to wait for you to get home," he whispers, with his face tucked against the crook of her neck.
She holds him close. "I'm so glad I get to say goodnight to you. I missed you today."
"I missed you, too, mommy. Lots and lots."
She rubs his back. "Lots and lots," she echoes.
Marty gets up off the twin bed and walks towards them. He doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around them both. He presses a kiss to her cheek. "I happened to miss you, too," he tells her. He then kisses her on the lips.
"You, too," she says, kissing him back.
"Eeew," their son complains, trapped between them. "Stop kissing!"
Kensi laughs. Marty laughs as well. "I'm allowed to kiss her, son."
"Yeah, but it's yucky. And you do it all the time."
"One day you'll understand."
Jamie huffs against her, but says nothing.
Kensi moves towards the bed and sits. The twin bed is sitting against the wall, so she shuffles backwards so she can hold her son and lean against the wall. Her husband is right there with a pillow to put behind her back.
She settles and smiles when Marty tucks himself close next to her.
"So, what were you boys talking about?" She asks.
Jamie laughs and turns his head to stare at his father.
Marty looks at him and raises an eyebrow. "Man things," he answers.
Jamie laughs again. "Yeah, mommy. Man things."
"Humpf," she mumbles, pretending to be put out. "I didn't realize you were old enough to talk about man things already."
Jamie nods. "I'm super old now."
Kensi laughs as she runs a hand up and down her son's back. He's definitely not a baby anymore. She wonders when her adorable toddler turned into such a sweet little boy.
"Daddy and I decided to go surfing this weekend," Jamie says.
"That sounds fun," she responds, pretending this is new information to her. "Then you should probably get some sleep."
"Can you tell me a story first?" He asks.
"Okay," she agrees easily. It's past his bedtime, but it's not that late yet. And she wants to spend time with her son as much as he does with her. "What story?"
"It's your ann-versie, right? Tell me about when you met daddy?"
"Anniversary," she corrects. "Where do I start?" She glances at her husband, who smiles at her. "Eight years ago-"
"Wait!" Jamie says. "Carly should get to hear, too."
"Carly is asleep, little man," Marty says quietly.
"Please?"
Kensi exchanges a look with her husband. He nods. "Okay," she says.
Marty presses a kiss to her cheek before getting off the bed and leaving the room.
Kensi takes a moment to re-settle the little boy in her arms. She turns him so he's sitting sideways with his head resting on her shoulder.
Marty returns with their daughter sleeping in his arms and Monty trailing behind him.
Kensi helps him settle beside her with a pillow behind his back. He presses his side against hers.
Carly is asleep with her face in the crook of his neck. Her little fists are tucked up against Marty's chest. Jamie waves at his sleeping sister as he stretches his legs across Kensi's lap and into Marty's.
Monty jumps up onto the bed and curls up next to Marty. Despite his advanced age, the dog likes to be near 'his' kids.
"You remember what we need to do when Carly is sleeping?" Kensi asks.
Jamie nods against her. "Keep our voices down," he whispers.
"Very good. Thank you for remembering."
Marty shifts to recline a bit more, expertly keeping the baby settled against him. His hand stays sprawled against her back, keeping her still and secure.
Kensi feels her heart swell. Marty is such a good dad. She feels so lucky to have him in her life, and so lucky for the family they have built together.
"Okay, where was I?" She asks.
"Eight years ago…" Jamie prompts immediately.
Kensi and Marty both laugh at his enthusiasm.
Kensi leans into her husband and rests her head against his shoulder. In turn, he stretches his free arm around her.
"Eight years ago, I met your dad," she starts. "Your Aunt Mindy had been trying to get me to meet him for months."
"Why didn't you want to?" Jamie asks.
"I'm not sure," she tells her son. "But I'm glad I did."
"Cause it's the best decision you ever made?" Jamie asks.
"Cause it's the best decision I ever made," she confirms. Marty's arm tightens around her.
"Me, too," Marty adds.
Kensi smiles before returning to the story. "Now, when Mindy said he was a lawyer, I expected someone very different…"
They take turns telling the story of their first meeting and the months following it. They have to filter a lot of things out to make it child-appropriate.
Carly sleeps right though in her father's arms. Jamie falls asleep near the end.
"And then your mother came home and told me she was pregnant with you," Marty finishes. "And I've never been happier."
They fall silent for a long moment.
"It's a good story," Kensi whispers.
"The best," he whispers back. He turns his head and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Happy anniversary."
She lifts her head and turns to kiss him for real. "Happy anniversary. I'm sorry I couldn't be home sooner."
"S'okay. We have the whole weekend to celebrate. You get your case all wrapped up?"
"Yeah. We were supporting OSP on a high priority case, so I got to see Callen and Sam today. That was nice." After she and Marty got married, she kept working at OSP with no plans to change jobs. She never did find the right partner with that team, though Hetty kept looking and kept bring in agents. Some lasted a few months and some only a few days.
When she and Marty decided to start trying to get pregnant, they talked about logistics and decided that because Marty had a desk job, it was okay that she keep working at OSP.
When she found out she was pregnant with Jamie, she kept working with Callen and Sam, but stayed out of the field. She planned to return to the field after her maternity leave.
But the day Jamie was born and placed in her arms, she knew she couldn't do that work anymore. She needed to be around for her family.
Marty pushed her to wait until the end of her maternity leave to make her decision, not wanting her to regret an impulsive choice.
Her feelings didn't change. She couldn't return to such dangerous work with a child depending on her to get home each night. She had almost quit NCIS for good, but Marty reminded her how much of her identity was helping people.
She talked with Hetty about her feelings, and, with her husband's support, made the transfer to the LA field office. She joined the MCRT team and resumed her partnership with Cole. The work has a lot more office work and a lot more interviews, but it's meaningful work and minimalizes her time in the field.
She doesn't make it home for dinner every single night, but it means she makes it home every night.
"How are Callen and Sam?"
"Good. I told them we should get together in the next couple weeks. They'll let us know when they're free."
"Sounds good." He sighs and leans his head against hers. "Are you good with going to the beach in the morning? Jamie is eager to surf."
She nods against him. "Looking forward to it. Carly and I can hang by the shore and baby surf." Their daughter, despite her young age, loves being on the water. They tend to sit on their board and support her as she 'surfs' in front of them.
"And after telling Jamie the story of us meeting, we should show him where you proposed," she adds.
"He'll like that." Marty says. "I can't believe how fast he's growing up."
Kensi runs her hand up and down her sleeping son's back. "Wasn't he just learning to talk?"
Marty huffs a laugh. "He was. And this little one was just born." He pats Carly's back. She is still fast asleep against him. "How is she almost a year old?"
"I don't know," she responds.
"I just want to sit here and hold them forever."
"I agree. Though our backs will be killing us tomorrow if we stay like this all night."
"Good point," he tells her. "Plus, I'm looking forward to celebrating our anniversary tonight…"
She laughs, though his words cause warmth to start spreading through her body. "I might be up for that…"
He chuckles. "I got you a present."
"I thought we said no presents?"
"It's not a present-present. It's just something special."
"Twinkie flavoured ice cream?" She guesses.
"How did you know?"
She laughs, knowing it's not really a question. It's something he buys regularly when he wants to do something nice for her. "Thank you. I have a surprise for you, too."
"You just called me out on no presents," he jokes.
"Yes, well, one; you didn't adhere to that. And two; it's not something I bought for you."
"Hmm…" He mumbles as he thinks.
"Give me your hand," she tells him.
"What?" He lifts his head off of hers.
"I need your hand."
He huffs. "I'm kind of holding the baby, here."
She laughs. "Your other hand."
He grumbles as he extracts his arm from around her and holds it out in front of her.
She pulls his hand close to press a kiss to his palm.
And then she lowers his hand and presses it against her lower abdomen.
His breath catches. "Really?"
She nods. "I found out yesterday."
"Kens…" he breathes. "Another baby… I can't even… I'm so…" he exhales. "I love you so much."
"Me, too, Marty," she whispers. "Me, too."