April 2nd, 2012

-oOo-

The bullpen was quiet, it was just before nine in the morning and Kensi Blye had arrived early to finish the never ending paperwork. She was working steadily, with no distractions until she heard a locker close and footsteps. "Hey, Kens, can I ask you a favor?" Kensi glanced up from her desk in surprise; her partner was asking her for a favor. Marty Deeks wasn't the type to ask favors, he was the type to badger you until you gave in, with sheer annoyance.

She gave him a slight smile as he rounded the divider and leaned back against his desk across from hers, "What do you need, Deeks?" She figured since he was asking rather than demanding, she'd lay off on the sarcasm that was her default response.

Deeks was uncharacteristically subdued; it even looked like he was having trouble wording what he needed to ask her. Kensi's smile grew as he stood there looking like a fish with his mouth opening and closing rapidly. "Spit it out, Deeks! Normally you won't shut up, what's going on?"

He answered in a rush, finally seeming to find the words he needed, "I know you hate surprises, but I'd like to surprise you with something tonight. Can I do that, no questions asked, no complaints, can you just trust me on this?"

"What's going on, Deeks?" Kensi's smile faltered as she ran through scenarios in her head. She could see how nervous he was by his posture alone.

He took a few steps forward and placed his hands on her desk and leaned forward a bit to answer, "Nothing bad, I promise. I just want to take you some place and have it be a surprise. I guarantee we will have fun and if you don't, you can drive for the next month and you can control the radio station with your crappy techno and I won't even complain about it. Just please let me do this."

His earnestness was disarming as was the charm smile that he'd unleashed after he finished his plea. She looked up into his blue eyes, prepared to say no and instead found her mouth forming the word yes. It escaped before she could stop it and if the way Deeks responded to that simple yes was any indication of his joy, she didn't really want to take it back; despite her hatred of surprises.

"Excellent! Barring any case, we can leave here around six." He paused and turned serious again, "Thanks for trusting me with this, Kensi."

She smiled back at him, shrugging her shoulders a little, "You're my partner." That really said it all. She trusted him in life or death situations, she should be able to trust his entertainment choices for one evening. "Dress code?" She recognized the beginnings of a leer on his face, "Forget I asked. I'm not changing into anything short and/or tight and revealing. Not happening."

He grinned, "No need, jeans are just fine, Fern." He stepped back from her desk as he saw Callen and Sam heading their way. He greeted their fellow teammates with his typical sunny smile before sitting at his desk to get started on his pile of paperwork that somehow seemed higher than that of the three agents combined. He groaned, "How come it always seems I have way more paperwork than you guys?"

Callen and Sam smirked at each other, answering in unison; "LAPD Liaison Officer!"

-oOo-

The day continued on relatively low key. They spent their time working on paperwork and checking for new leads on cold-cases, not finding anything significant to warrant a late night. Sam and Callen headed to the gym to spar at around half past five and Deeks and Kensi continued on with paperwork, with Deeks getting increasingly restless as the time crept closer to six.

Kensi had been slightly distracted most of the day, unable to imagine what the surprise was for the evening. She and Deeks had been growing ever closer, especially since they'd solved her father's murder and she'd been reunited with her mother. She'd stopped by his place after seeing her mom for the first time in fifteen years and they'd talked. She'd explained her search for answers about her dad and she'd thanked him for taking care of her mom. Kensi smiled at that thought. Deeks had made an impression on her mom, Julia had mentioned "the cute detective" several times in their conversation that night and each time they'd seen each other since. She glanced up from her paperwork to see Deeks gathering his things up and shutting down his computer. He noticed her looking at him and smiled, "Ready to rock?"

"This better be good, Deeks; I'm ready for some beer and my couch." Kensi began packing up her stuff as well.

"Oh, don't worry, Princess; this will be so much better than a night watching Top Model re-runs!" They both chuckled at the memory of their evening after the King case. They headed towards their lockers after turning in their paperwork with Nell; Kensi grabbed her bag and Deeks pulled out his jacket.

Chatting about plans for the next weekend, they made their way to the parking lot where Kensi tossed Deeks her keys. "You know where we're going, you get to drive. Just don't scratch it!"

"Hey, I'm not the one with a penchant for crashing or otherwise damaging cars here!"

"Shut up and drive, Detective." They both laughed as they pulled out of the Mission, both feeling confident that the night was off to a great start.

-oOo-

They headed in the direction of Deeks' apartment, before pulling into a drive-in restaurant a few block away. Kensi had driven by the burger joint more times than she could count but had never eaten there.

"Dinner first, this place has the best burgers and shakes." Deeks parked the car and they made their way into the drive-in, Kensi smiled at the Fifties era décor. It looked like someplace her dad would have taken her; pictures of classic cars dotting the walls, real ice cream milk shakes and monster burgers. They perused the menu and Deeks settled on a Southern California Classic with avocado, Swiss cheese and bacon. Kensi went for the All American Classic Bacon Double Cheeseburger, almost daring Deeks to make a comment. He refrained and they both ordered shakes.

They sat with their food in a back booth and Kensi motioned to one of the cars pictured on the wall. She explained that it was a 1966 Chevy II Nova SS Sport Coupe. He father had owned one and they spent weekends fixing it up. It was the car she learned to drive in. She chuckled, "It was an awful pea green. I was mortified driving that boat around base with Dad. That was our next project, to paint it. I wanted cherry red, Dad was insisting on black."

Deeks smiled at the thought of a teenage Kensi learning to drive; considering how she drives as an adult, he wondered how bad a driver she'd been as a teen and just how she managed to pass her driving test. "You seem to be talking about your dad more lately."

Kensi took a long pull of her shake before answering, "Yeah, I guess getting some closure has allowed me to think about the good times we had together, not just the way it ended. We had a lot of fun, Dad and I. Mom was always on the fringes, I don't think she knew what to do with a girl that liked cars and camping more than dolls and dress up." She paused and reached for a few fries before continuing, "When Mom left, we were stationed at Pendleton. A few months later we moved to Camp Lejeune. A good friend of Dad's was stationed there as well; he and his wife took me in after Dad died. I stayed with them and their two daughters for the next two and a half years before I left for college. Mom wanted me to come live with her after Dad died. I never took any of her calls and I refused to see her. I wish I'd done things differently back then; let Mom be a part of my life."

Deeks reached across the table and laid his hand over her hand that was tracing patterns in the water ring left by her shake, "Kens, you were a hurting teenager. You did what you thought was best and it led you here. You have your mom back now, you can't look at the 'what if's.'"

Her hand stilled beneath his and she gave him a small smile, "I know. I just wish she'd been around to talk to, give me advice about boys and college and life; that sort of thing."

Deeks laughed, "Oh ho! Kensi and boys! This I've got to hear!"

"Oh, no, you don't," Kensi replied quickly, "There is nothing to tell."

"Sure there is: first crush, first kiss, first boyfriend, first time making out under the bleachers, losing your..." he trailed off at the look in Kensi's eye. The glare she was shooting him was halfhearted at best, so he threw her a smirk, "Pretty please?"

"Are you going to tell me about Marcia DeLuka, Casanova?"

"Oh, ho, ho. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. She moved to Reseda my junior year… Short skirts and an even shorter attention span. She went from guy to guy for the first few months she was there. Always a football jock and never for more than two weeks. Baseball season started in January and she moved on to the Varsity starting line. She'd gone through the pitcher and shortstop before she tried to get me."

"Tried?" Kensi interjected.

Deeks got a faraway look in his eye as he thought back to his first serious girlfriend, "Yep, tried. I was in love with this girl and I wasn't about to be her two week boy-toy. I rebuffed her every chance I got. She got fed up and moved on to my buddy for a few weeks before she came back around at me. She was using him to get information on me. It was much harder to resist her the second time around. She had these legs that went on for miles…" He trailed off as he saw Kensi roll her eyes. "But I ignored her. Until the next semester when we had nearly every class together and by some cruel twist of fate, we were lab partners in physics."

"Hence your lack of knowledge on the subject."

"Hey, I passed that class with an A-! I guess none of it stuck with me though." Deeks took a couple of fries, using the pause to collect his thoughts. Kensi had been remarkably open with him about her parents. It was time he repaid the courtesy. "A few weeks in to the semester, she cornered me in the locker room, after practice. We were supposed to meet in the library for a study session, but she met me there. We were alone and one thing led to another. I was by no means a saint at that point, but I'd never actually gone all the way. She knew how to get a guy going, though; she'd had lots of practice. It wasn't romantic or particularly good but after that we got pretty good together. We actually stayed together for several months and I thought she really loved me."

He paused again; this was the hard part of the story. He swallowed before looking up in to Kensi's eyes, "Just before summer vacation, we had a pregnancy scare. She thought she was pregnant and really, it was a serious possibility. We'd never been really careful about protection. She freaked out. I freaked out. She broke up with me; and I was devastated. I didn't have a good dad, I didn't know what to do, but I knew that I could be a better dad than mine and I would have been there for her and the baby. She got her period three weeks later, but she was done with me. The crazy part is that she actually got pregnant halfway through our senior year and she stayed with the guy. I saw them at our ten year reunion, they're still together." He gave Kensi a wan smile, "And that is the story of Marcia DeLuka."

Kensi returned the smile, "I can see why you have such fond memories of her." They both chuckled at that. "Seriously, though, I have no doubt you'd have done a great job as a father, even scared out of your mind."

Popping the last fry in his mouth, Deeks replied, "Thank you." He finished chewing and then said, "OK, if you won't tell me about your first kiss, will you tell me about how you met Jack?"

"Oh, that's not asking for much, is it?" Kensi paused, "Not tonight, Deeks; but I will, I promise."

"Fair enough." They both had finished their burgers and were gathering the remains of their meal to throw away, "You ready for my surprise?"

Kensi sighed, "I'm still not sure how I let you talk me into this." They stood in unison, heading for the door, stopping briefly by the garbage can to dispose of the paper baskets, cups and napkins from dinner. They nodded their thanks to the gal at the counter and made their way back out to Kensi's car.

"It was my considerable charm that convinced you." Deeks replied.

An unladylike snort and a muttered, "Yeah, right," was all the reply Kensi felt that erroneous assumption warranted. They slid into the car and pulled back into traffic and headed towards the Sherman Oaks Galleria.

"Can I get a hint about what we're doing?"

The smile Deeks wore grew even bigger, if that was possible. He said in an awful British accent, "'Take her to sea, Mr. Murdoch. Let's stretch her legs.'"

Kensi felt that she should know what was obviously a quote; but wherever it was from, whatever it indicated remained on the edge of her subconscious. Her face was thoughtful as she tried to recall the reference. Deeks flashed a quick grin at her inability to place the quote. He would have been suitably impressed had she gotten it on the first try, despite her obvious familiarity with the subject. "That is all you get, Ms. Blye. You'll just have to wait until showtime!"

"Showtime? A movie? Or a play? Come on Deeks, one more hint?" It was Kensi's turn to work her charm on Deeks; she gave him a look that he normally only saw on Monty.

"The puppy dog eyes, really? You think that's going to work on me? I practically invented that look."

Kensi huffed a little at this and then pulled her features in to a sultry smile she usually reserved for distracting marks while undercover. She turned in her seat to fully face him and reached her hand across the console. She began tip-toeing her fingers across his knee and her voice lowered to a purr, "Oh, come on, Marty. You know I hate surprises. I'll make it worth your while if you tell me."

Deeks was surprisingly serious when he glanced over at her, "Don't make promises you don't intend to keep, Fern."

Kensi pulled back a little, aware that she was dangerously close to crossing a line in their "thing." Despite the growing feelings she had for her partner and the date-like atmosphere of the evening, she wasn't sure she was ready to go there just yet.

OOo

End Part 1

A/N: Part 2 will be posted tomorrow!

This story would not have seen the light of day without the awesome and amazing JMHaughey, she doesn't even watch the show but she encouraged me, nonetheless! MPRMusings was also a huge help, especially with the characterizations of Deeks and Kensi as well as plying me with Seattle Chocolates and sending me my own Monty. She's also great at indulging my love of Deeks in those two-tone baseball shirts... yeah, those! :o)

Thanks for taking the time to read, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story and on the characterizations of Deeks and Kensi!

Oh, and I don't own NCIS:LA!