Cursum Perficio

...

The water of the Pacific Ocean under Deeks' surfboard warmed his legs as he floated casually on the evening tide. His hair was slicked with salt water as a soft breeze picked up and pushed him gently to his left. An orange sun sank slowly behind the horizon and the detective was content to just watch as another glorious California day came to a gentle close.

This was a part of his life he loved: the water, his board, and a beautiful sunset. If he could freeze this moment in time, he would stop it right then and there, living in this moment forever. A few seagulls chattered overhead and he glanced up to see two or three swirling and dipping as they rode the wind that the thermal currents were creating.

He was so lost in thinking about absolutely nothing that he failed to notice another surfer easing up behind him, their board silent as it glided across the smooth water's surface. When they were almost close enough to touch him, Deeks turned suddenly only to flinch when warm water splattered across his face and chest.

"Wow! You were really out of it if I could sneak up on you so easily!" Kensi tried to splash him again, but he caught her left ankle and tugged her board over to his, threatening to dump them both.

"The jungle cat is never unaware …" When he saw her smirk, he chuckled. "… well, most of the time anyway."

Kensi slipped off her board, careful not to tangle her ankle tether, and eased herself onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and nuzzling into his neck. "Thank you for this … it was the perfect ending to a crazy week."

Feeling himself warming up in her embrace, he let his hands drop down her back, sliding across the exposed skin that her bikini did not cover and reveled in the goosebumps that suddenly developed at his touch. "This … is the perfecting ending to any week."

"You're such a smooze." Kensi pinched his bare side.

Deeks pulled away slightly but only held her tighter. "Yeah, but you love this smooze."

Easing back so she could look at his face, Kensi nodded as she leaned in.

"Yep … definitely." Then her lips were on his and he forgot all about the sunset, the seagulls, or anything else as she took his breath away. The kiss was gentle at first then it slowly grew into a very heated exchange as her tongue sought entrance that he quickly granted. It went on until breathing became an issue and they had to pause and regroup before they did actually fall off their boards.

Letting their foreheads touch as they brought their panted breaths under control, Deeks ran his cheek across her wet hair. "Why doesn't that ever get old?"

"What?" Kensi wasn't sure what he meant.

"Kissing you." He tilted his head so he could look into her mismatched eyes.

"No matter where or why … each time we kiss, it's like it's the first time all over again."

Kensi's breath caught in her lungs as she caught the look of pure adoration in his Pacific blue eyes and she couldn't help but pinch him again. "See … smooze."

Then she was kissing him once more and if they were not sitting on their surfboards with their legs in the water, they probably would have combusted right there. With one final peck, Kensi slid back onto her own board and started to steer back toward shore. "Come on, Loverboy … we need to head in if we're gonna make those dinner reservations."

"Ugh. Just when we start having fun … we have to feed the beast that lives behind your belly-button."

Kensi kicked her leg in an attempt to splash him again but she had moved too far out of range. "You're the one who wanted to try that new Thai place down by the pier, so don't tempt the beast if you're not going to feed it!" She was laughing as she paddled further and further away.

Deeks chuckled along with her as he lay on his stomach to follow her in. He did not mind trailing behind her because at this angel when she passed in front of him in that black swimsuit… well, it was quite a view. He dug deep into the water while he glanced over his shoulder once more as the sky overhead turned into a rich shade of peach mixed with a touch of orange.

But when he turned forward, Kensi was a good distance out in front … and the distance was growing. Deciding that he was not going to allow her to leave him so far behind, Deeks pressed forward on his board and stretched his arms even deeper into the water to add to his speed.

But nothing changed.

Kensi continued to outdistance him as he seemed to be stuck in place. At first, he thought it was simply his imagination or a mirage generated by the glassy water combined with the heat waves dancing in the air, but the more effort he spent, the less he moved. Shaking his head in confusion, Deeks stopped moving his arms and tried to understand what was happening.

Up ahead, he saw Kensi look back over her shoulder. "Come on, baby, don't go … stay with me!"

What she said did not make much sense but he cast it aside, digging in once more with everything he could muster, Deeks grunted with the effort, feeling the muscles of his arms and shoulders begin to burn as they tried in vain to give him any propulsion. Kensi sat up on her board to watch as he vainly tried to generate any movement. Then she began to shrink, growing smaller and smaller, her voice growing more and more frantic as it grew faint. "Not like this, Marty … please … not like this!"

He realizes then that not only was his efforts in movement fruitless, he was actually getting dragged backwards. Deeks looked to his side and the ocean was moving past him but in the wrong direction as his speed increased, making him feel like he was attached to unseen line hooked to some invisible boat that was pulling him further out into the sea.

"Deeks! Please Baby!" Kensi's shout of his name was muffled, as if she was a great distance away. "Don't leave me!"

He tried to call out to her, but his mouth is dry and his throat burns he desperately tried to make any noise at all. As he continues to accelerate backwards, his frantic attempts to slow down are all in vain so he decides to just slip into the water, but he finds that his body will not obey and remains firmly planted on the board. He cuts his eye back to where he last could see Kensi and finds that she is no more than a simple dot on the horizon and then she's gone but strangely, he can still hear her calling out to him as if she is somewhere close by.

"Oh God! Baby … please … no …"

Deeks looks around hoping that she is right by his side, where she belongs but all he can see, from horizon to horizon is empty ocean. No land. No waves. Nothing but smooth water all around him. Once more, he tries to call out, but only a choked sob escapes his lips.

Then the world began to turn dark. Not the dark where the sun slowly slips over the edge of the world and the light fads but the kind where everything fades until there is nothing left. Realizing that he has only one option remaining and since his board seems to be betraying him, Deeks hopped to his feet and with one final look around, dove into the darkness.

tbc

...

A/N: Yeah. I am still here. This is an attempt to break the writer's block that has kept me stifled for the past year or so. I am not sure how many chapters this little story will contain but it just something that jumped in my brain at the end of the last season. I wanted to go in a totally different direction than most of the other summer stories that are trying to rectify the Kensi/Deeks strained relationship … I just hope you will be kind.

Basic translation of Cursum Perficio (latin): "I finish the course" from the album, WATERMARK by Enya.