Kensi lays snuggled against him beneath the sheets. Her breathing is even and rhythmic, and reminds Deeks of a kitten he met once during his academy days. He doesn't dare move for fear he might wake her, and end the blissful sight that so fully warms his heart. He finds it hard, now, to imagine ever waking up without his girlbeside him.

It's moments like these that he cherishes over all others, because Kensi Blye at her most vulnerable is a sight few have seen. He knows that trust is not something she does easily, with anyone, and that she allows himto see the delicate flower beneath the harsh facade is a privilege of the highest honor in his book. He also knows how easily that trust can be lost, and at times this frightens him.

She stirs. She shifts against him, and her eyes blink open-slowly at first. Then she yawns.

"Morning sleepyhead." he says softly, a smile working its way across his face.

"Is it morning already?" she asks sheepishly, as she stretches beneath the sheets.

He chuckles lightly. "That it is, Fern."

"I wish it wasn't." she remarks, as she tilts her head upward. Her eyes find his, and then their lips meet. The kiss is a gentle one, though there is no shortage of passion in it either. When they finally part, she can't help but smile up at her shaggy-haired lover. "I take it this means you don't mind morning breath."

"Yours is entirely tolerable, princess." he says with a grin. "Most mornings anyway."

She rolls her eyes at her lover, and then playfully pinches his side underneath the sheets.

"Ouch." Deeks winces. "You are so evil, you know that." he says as he quickly rolls away from the giggling brunette.

Kensi sits up, carefully using the sheets to keep her naked body covered, and flashes a fiendishly wicked grin as she scoops herself up from the bed. "And you're a big baby." she retorts. Satisfied with herself, she gracefully crosses the bedroom and disappears into the attached master bathroom.

Deeks swings his legs over the side of the bed, and slides on the nearby pair of boxers before lifting himself up. "You really take the whole 'adding insult to injury' thing to a new level." Deeks remarks. He receives no answer though, but hears the sound of a shower starting up in the bathroom. A thought occurs to the shaggy-haired man then, and a devilish expression crosses his face. "You're in for a surprise, fern." he says to himself as he tiptoes towards the bathroom.

Silently, Deeks steps into the shower, and stands behind the beautiful brunette. He lays his hands against her shoulders, and begins to massage them gently. She doesn't jump or try to pull away, as he often expects her to. Instead, she leans into him enjoying the moment.

"Anyone ever tell you...how beautiful you are?" Deeks whispers softly into Kensi's ear. Warm water flows evenly over their naked bodies from the shower head above them. He then begins to trail a string of kisses down the back side of her neck, and then over her shoulder. Steam begins to build in the closed-in space, and surrounds them like a veil.

She closes her eyes and bites down gently on her lower lip. She is enjoying the sensations brought on by the feel of his lips and hands as they play across her bare skin in simultaneous succession. "Mm-hmm-mm." She moans audibly when she feels him lovingly, caressing her supple breasts.

"You like that, princess?" he whispers softly in her ear.

She nods slowly, as another low moan escapes her throat. "Mm-hmm, yeesss. Feeeels good."

He chuckles lightly, and then begins to nibble playfully at her right ear. "That's good." he tells her. "Means I'm doing something right."

"Sooooo right." Kensi moans without thinking. She feels his left hand snaking its way southward now, over her hip, and the anticipation of it reaching the warm, wet area between her thighs sends shivers through her spine. "So that's...what you're after." she manages throatily-her eyes still unopened.

"Mm hmm." Is the only response she gets from him. His hand finally reaches her hot sex, and he gently pushes two fingers inside the tender folds. She cries out in ecstasy at the sensations that ripple through her, and then feels her knees begin to buckle under her.

He knows full well that she prefers to have him inside her, and so he doesn't push any further. He slides his hand away from her sweet spot, and instead wraps his arms gently around her mid-section and steadies her while she comes down again. "Shh, its okay baby." he whispers soothingly into her ear. "I've got you."

After a moment of stillness passes between them, and Kensi finally gathers herself once again-she pulls away. She turns around to face her shaggy-haired lover. The sight of his chiseled musculature excites her, as it always does, and she stands silently letting her eyes take in every curve of every muscle.

Deeks cracks a wide grin as he watches her eyes moving down the length of his body in certain admiration. "You obviously like what you see." he jokes quietly. She blushes and he watches as her cheeks turn red. Then his warm laughter fills the space around them, and somehow it relaxes her.

Its the same thing every time she sees him like this. It makes her feel small, like a little girl experiencing the world for the first time ever. In him, she sees perfection even in his tiniest flaws, and it makes her wonder how she appears in his eyes. Why she feels this way she's never known. The only thing that is clear is the fact that only one man has ever made her feel this way-Deeks. Her Deeks.

Deeks steps forward, and pulls Kensi into his muscular arms. He lowers his head and seizes her lips with his own in a deep, passionate kiss. Her hands make their way up into his shaggy, dirty-blond hair, and a low moan escapes from deep within him.

"Damn you." she whispers against his lips. He chuckles, his voice husky with desire, and the sound of it only intensifies her own building heat. She knows in the back of her mind that this little dance they're currently doing could make them late for work, but for some reason she just doesn't care.

"Want me to stop?" he asks between kisses. He knows already how she will respond, but still he enjoys hearing her say the words out loud.

She shakes her head. "N-no...don't stop." Her voice is thick with need when she speaks. "Take me."

Deeks chuckles once more. "Not so fast, Fern." he says, as he steals another passionate kiss from her tender lips.

"No." Kensi says fiercely. "Now." She presses her own body against his, and the intense heat from the contact threatens to set them both off prematurely. She gasps for air against the overwhelming sensations of want and need that burn within her core now.

"Shit." Deeks swears under his breath at the feel of her sex pressed firmly against his. "No fair." He groans. He swallows hard as he struggles to maintain control of himself.

"Now." Kensi reiterates, even more forcefully this time, and continues to press harder against him.

"To hell with it." he says at last. He hoists her up, and lets her wrap her legs around his waist-then he enters her. "Aah," he gasps as he feels her muscles tightening around his erection. Being with Kensi in this way is like nothing else he's ever felt or experienced in his entire life, and he can't help but feel honored to have such a privilege.

"Deeks...please." She squirms against him, panting, desperate for friction and release.

He begins to move within her, slowly at first, but then gradually increases the tempo with each successive thrust. Tiny moans and whimpers escape Kensi's throat as waves of pleasure break over her, like the tide against the sandy, seashore. She digs her fingernails into the soft flesh of his muscular back, and the action only serves to drive him onward, faster and faster, towards the inevitable release that awaits them both.

She's panting and gasping for air now, and her heart beats thunderously inside her chest. She can feel the muscles in her core winding tighter and tighter. She knows she's close to her climax, and her entire body seems to scream for release. "D-Deeks," she tries, but she can hardly get the words out.

"I'll catch you." he whispers softly.

His words are like a green light for her. The muscles in her core convulse around him, and she feels her entire body go rigid and then limp against his. "OOooh Deeks." she moans.

He feels her body spasm around his erection, and it's enough to finally push him over the edge behind her. "God, Kens." he groans with his release.

Once they finally return to normal, Kensi lifts her head to look up at Deeks. They gaze into each other's eyes for a moment, lost in silence. Kensi knows, all too well, the words that rest just upon the tip of Deek's tongue. He's said them to her before, but in the 8 months that they had been together she had yet to say them back. She doesn't know why that is, only that something always seems to stop her. She knows how she feels about the shaggy-haired man, but something about saying those three little words, words she hasn't spoken to anyone since Jack, would only make things worse should her relationship with Deeks go sour at some point.

Most of all though, she hates thinking about how much he gives and gives, and then says nothing about how little he gets in return from her. It hurts her heart in so many ways, and she wishes like all hell that she could be more expressive, like her partner, about her feelings.

"You know we're gonna be late for work." Kensi says at last, as she presses a kiss against her lover's lips.

Deeks only shrugs. "I'm sure Hetty'll understand." he replies in a low voice.

Kensi laughs at the absurd notion put forth by the shaggy-haired surfer dude. "Right. Sorry we're late Hetty, we decided to do it in the shower before work this morning." she says in a mocking tone.

Deeks laughs at the brunette still in his arms. "You make it sound so dirty, you know that?" he says with a crooked grin.

Kensi rolls her eyes. "Everything sounds dirty to you, Deeks." she remarks.

"I blame you princess." he replies with a chuckle and a smile.

"I 'm so glad the two of you finally decided to join us." Hetty says pointedly, as Deeks and Kensi finally stroll into the OPs Centre. Hetty is not one to be kept waiting, and everyone at OSP knows this. She and the rest of the NCIS team have been waiting for the couple to arrive for what seems like forever.

"Its his fault." Kensi says, pointing the finger of blame towards her partner. She is trying hard to suppress the smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Excuse me?" Deeks shoots back, brow arched at his partner. "Okay, for the record, she takes an hour to get ready...and that's after she gets out of the shower."

Hetty clears her throat, loudly, before Kensi can respond, and the two are effectively silenced on the spot. "We can assign blame, later. As for right now, we have work to do." She glances from Deeks to Kensi, and then turns to face the massive screening area at the front of the room. "Mr. Beal, if you would please."

Eric's fingers dance across his keyboard with lightning speed and precision, and within seconds images flash across the huge viewing screen. "This…is-" he begins.

"Diego Espinoza." Deeks cuts in, recognizing the image of the man in the center of the screen. "He runs the L.A. chapter of his father's drug business. LAPD's been trying to shut down their operations for years…but no one's been able to get close enough."

"What do you know…it does have a brain." Sam jokes quietly.

"Oh, Ha Ha. That-That's funny. That's rich…you know what Sam, you should try stand-up…you'd be a real riot." Deeks retorts. "Or at least cause one."

"Yes, well, this time someone did I'm afraid." Hetty replies somberly, bringing everyone back to the topic at hand. "An officer was found dead early this morning when her body washed ashore in Malibu. She was working undercover-posing as Mr. Espinoza's girlfriend."

"Forgive me Hetty…I'm a little confused. This sounds like a case for LAPD, not NCIS." Callen isn't wrong, and under any other circumstances NCIS would not be involved—but these are special circumstances.

"During the autopsy a thumb drive was found lodged in the deceased's stomach. The intel contained on the thumb drive suggests that Diego Espinoza may be selling more than just drugs these days." Nell explains. "Also, there was mention of this man." She adds, pointing towards the screen.

Eric presses a few more keys on the keyboard, and a second image appears on the screen next to the one of Diego Espinoza.

"Commander Paul Sawyer, former U.S. Navy, and now current head of NewTech's Research & Development division." Eric recites the information off of the screen effortlessly, relaying the Intel to his teammates.

"NewTech." Callen muses aloud. "I've heard of them. They've been getting some pretty big defense contracts the last couple of years-mostly with the Navy."

"Correct. In fact, Sawyer himself has been credited with landing some of NewTech's biggest contracts since joining the firm back in 09." Nell adds.

"Says here," Sam chimes in, while reading the information displayed across the huge viewing screen. "NewTech has been developing everything from experimental weapons to special plating designed to reduce a Submarine's sonar signature."

"So we're thinking Sawyer's using Diego to sell Navy secrets on the side." Callen says thoughtfully.

"At this point, Mr. Callen, we don't know what we think." Hetty replies. "However, Assistant Director Granger and LAPD's own Lt. Bates have agreed to run a joint-investigation into the Espinoza's and their supposed connections with Sawyer and NewTech." Hetty explains to the team.

The looks of confusion that once held places upon the faces of the NCIS team are now gone, and in their places are looks of more understanding.

"Alright, I'll bite." Callen says after several moments. "So, how do we play this one?" he asks.

"Good question." Hetty replies. "Granger has suggested a need for someone on the inside."

"Undercover work, sweet." Deeks remarks. Undercover work has always been easy for him, and he's always enjoyed a chance to pretend to be someone else for a change.

"I'm glad you like the idea, Mr. Deeks." Hetty says pointedly. "As you and Ms. Blye will be taking point on this one."

A smile creases the shaggy-haired Detectives' features, and he can't help but feel excited at the idea of working undercover with his girl. To him, it's almost a dream come true. "I'm liking this case already." Deeks remarks once again.

A somber look passes quickly over Hetty's face, but then soon disappears. Deeks can't help but find the look somewhat disturbing and unsettling, but he shakes it off dismissively.

"So what's their cover?" Sam asks, his curiosity clearly peaked now.

"Right. Ms. Jones." Hetty says, stepping off to one side.

Nell steps up, and cues Eric to display the next set of information on the viewing screen. "You guys will be assuming the identities of Isaac and Alexis Hayes."

"Nice. Looks like you and me are gonna be a couple, babe." Deeks remarks, and then gives Kensi a wink.

"Great." Kensi says while rolling her eyes.

"Not quite." Eric interjects.

"Sorry, you guys." Nell says apologetically. "Isaac and Alexis are brother and sister." She explains.

Sam and Callen exchange looks across the room at hearing Nell's explanation. "Nah, not buying it." Callen says, as he folds his arms across his chest.

"G's right." Sam chimes in. "It'll never work."

Hetty gives a small sigh, and shakes her head lightly at the two agents. "If you two would let us finish before you start passing judgment-" Her dark eyes peer through her spectacles and cut through the two agents like a knife through butter.

"Fair enough." Callen replies quietly with a nod. When it comes to Hetty Lange, Callen knows when he's beaten.

"Thank you. Ms. Jones, you may continue."

Nell nods her thanks to Hetty, and then proceeds to enlighten the rest of the NCIS team. "Right. The official cover story is that Isaac's parents divorced while he was still young. He never saw his Father again, but his Mother, Margaret Sanford, got re-married two years later to one Derrick Hayes-a wealthy businessman from New York. Hayes already had a young daughter, Alexis, from a previous marriage, but he legally adopted Isaac as his own a year after marrying Isaac's Mother. Isaac and Alexis are virtually inseparable now that both of their parents are deceased."

"Also, Isaac is very protective of his younger step-sister, and treats her like a queen. Nothing is too good for her…or too expensive." Nell adds. "He's mostly all business though, as he inherited his Step-Father's million-dollar shipping company."

"Gee, that…kinda sounds like every relationship I've ever been in." Deeks remarks humorously. Kensi's elbow finds a soft spot in his ribs seconds later, and lets him know he's on thin ice. "With the exception of the current relationship…yeah, that one's more like a spoiled princess." He adds with a lopsided grin. He manages to quietly deflect Kensi's next elbow jab, much to her dismay.

"Alexis, on the other hand, likes to have fun and never shy's away from a party. She's not shy when it comes to her boy toys either. The only opinion she values above her own is her brother's."

"I like her already." Kensi admits with a smile. "You know, except for the whole older brother thing."

"So here's how this works," Hetty starts in almost immediately. "U.S. Navy secrets may or may not have been compromised. Our assignment is to find out, and if so, then to what extent. Ms. Blye will be our eyes and ears on the inside—Diego Espinoza is sure to be in the market for a new girlfriend…that's our way in."

"Suddenly, I'm liking this assignment less and less." Deeks remarks quietly.

"What's the matter Deeks...jealous?" Kensi's eyes light up at the uneasiness she sees in her lovers' face.

"Me. Jealous?" Deeks scoffs. "Not a chance, Fern."

"Mr. Deeks will be her handler for this operation." Hetty adds.

"I see. Posing as her brother provides a believable excuse for regular meetings, during which she'll pass along whatever Intel she collects." Callen says, thinking aloud.

"And no one's the wiser." Sam chimes in, finishing his partner's thought.

Hetty only nods in agreement with Callen and Sam. "Precisely. Mr. Callen, you and Mr. Hanna will be in charge of outside surveillance of all parties involved."

"Endless stakeouts." Sam remarks, feigning a thin smile. "Oh joy." He folds his arms across his chest.

"Now, Mr. Beal, I need you and Ms. Jones to begin working up the false identities and histories for Mr. Deeks and Ms. Blye." Hetty says, turning her attention then to the two tech specialists.

"We will get right on that." Nell replies with a quick nod.

"The rest of you have brief packets awaiting you at your desks. Read up, and read up well."

Everyone in the room nods, and then the NCIS team begins heading for the stairs that lead back down into the bullpen.

"Oh, and Mr. Deeks." Hetty says, calling Deeks' attention to her as she strolls toward him. "I need to have a word with you in my office, please."

"Okay, sure." Deeks replies.

Uneasiness hangs in the air around Hetty's office space, and Deeks can't help but feel a little anxious as he and Hetty take their respective seats on either side of the oak-wood desk. He watches the tiny woman as she shuffles stacks of paper around on her desktop. Her body language tells him that whatever anxiety he may be feeling, she is feeling something akin to it as well.

"Um, Hetty," he tries quietly. His attempt to break the silence obviously works, because she finally looks up at him. The expression on her face is one he feels sure he'll never forget. "Why…am I here exactly?" he asks, clearing his throat.

"Right." The tiny woman speaks slowly, and then lets out a heavy sigh as she seems to search his eyes for something. "Please understand, Mr. Deeks, that what you're about to hear…you did not hear from me."

Deeks tips his head forward in a nod of understanding. "Hetty, is something wrong?"

"I was instructed by both Granger and Bates to withhold certain pieces of information from you in the interest of the greater good. They believe that this information, in your hands, could potentially jeopardize the mission at hand. Understand, Mr. Deeks, that what they think and what I think are two very different things."

Deeks feels his throat tightening, and every fiber of his being begins to tense as if awaiting the delivery of bad news.

The tiny woman opens the top drawer of her desk, and withdraws a slender manila file folder from somewhere within it. She closes the drawer and holds the folder just out of Deeks' reach. "Technically, this file does not exist." She says in a low voice.

Deeks nods, and then extends his own hand to accept the manila file folder.

"As I understand it," Hetty starts as Deeks takes the folder from her hand. "You two were…close."

Deeks holds the folder in his hands, and slowly opens the cover to reveal the disturbing contents held within. "God," Deeks gasps almost instantly. He can't help averting his eyes from the glossy photos pinned to the inside of the folder.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Deeks. I truly am." Hetty says softly from her seat on the opposite side of the desk.

Deeks finally chances a second look at the inside of the file folder. The contents within include an autopsy report, photos from both the crime scene and from the autopsy, and also included is an extensive background report.

The photos show a young, beautiful Hispanic woman who is barely past her mid-twenties. Deeks knows instantly the identity of the woman—Maria Chavez. As he stares down at the lifeless form depicted in the photographs he feels an intense ache growing within his heart.

Her usually dark, silky hair is now matted and frayed with death, and her once flawless features are now hidden by a series of cuts and bruises. He almost finds it hard to believe that the woman in the pictures is the same energetic, determined young woman he once knew.

"Maria…" he whispers her name and feels his lips quiver. He thinks back to Hetty's earlier case briefing. "She's the one that…the one they found this morning."

Hetty nods. "Bates told me that she volunteered for the assignment." The tiny woman explains quietly.

Deeks only nods in response. "I-I knew she was working on some sort of special assignment, but I never knew exactly what she was doing." He admits. "How much do you know?" He asks, expecting to hear nothing less than 'everything'.

"Only that you were listed as her only next of kin." Hetty replies in a quiet voice.

Deeks nods. His eyes are still transfixed upon the heart-wrenching photos in the file folder. "Her Father left them when she was 4, and her Mother fought cancer for years afterward." He explains, his voice thick with emotion as he relays the story to the Ops Manager sitting across from him. "She was fifteen when I met her. That night she and a friend went to the movies together, and when they got back…"

Two girls talk and giggle excitedly as they stroll down the sidewalk through a quiet, little neighborhood. The main topic of their conversation is the film they have just seen. Neither one knows just how quickly their Friday night of fun is about to go dreadfully wrong.

"I could watch Antonio Banderas in anything." Maria remarks to her friend, with a chuckle.

"Geez Maria," Maria's friend Danielle retorts jokingly. "You love the guy so much, why don't you just marry him."

Both girls laugh at the joke.

Now they are approaching Maria's house, and there aren't any lights on—inside or out. This is odd, as Mrs. Chavez always leaves the outside light when she knows that Maria won't be home til late in the evening.

"Doesn't your Mom usually leave the light on for you?" Danielle asks as they reach the edge of Maria's front yard.

"Yeah, Hmm…that's strange." Maria replies in agreement with her friends' observation. "Hey, looks like the front door is open."

Maria starts towards the house, her pace quickening with each stride, and soon she is standing directly in front of the front door, which has been left standing ajar. "Mom!" Maria calls through the open door.

"Maria, wait. I don't think we should go in there…I have a bad feeling, maybe we should call the police first." Danielle insists, as she fidgets nervously just several feet behind her best friend.

"You go call the police if you want." Maria says over her shoulder. "I need to check on my Mom."

The teenage girl disappears through the front door into the darkness beyond. A few seconds later a light switches on somewhere within the small house, and then a scream of horror is heard shortly thereafter.

"Mama!" Maria screams in horror.

Danielle hears the scream, and immediately dashes through the front door in search of her friend. "Maria!"

Inside the house, Danielle makes her way to the back of the house where she finds Maria in the floor of the Master Bedroom cradling her Mother's head in her lap. There is a pool of blood beneath the lifeless body, and her clothing has been torn asunder. The sight is nearly too much for Danielle.

Maria looks up at her friend standing just inside the doorway of the bedroom. Her eyes and cheeks glisten with fresh tears. "She won't wake up." Maria sobs.

"I'll go call 911." Danielle tells her friend, and then leaves to locate a telephone.

"Hurry!" Maria calls after Danielle. "Please, Hurry!"

Deeks lets go of a ragged sigh. His eyes are moist and red with emotion, as recalling the memory always takes a toll on him. "I was still a rookie then…actually, it was my first crime scene." He recalls. "Maria was part of the reason I decided to try for Detective." Deeks admits. "Because of the neighborhood they lived in, no one else down at the precinct would touch it, and after a few months it was labeled a 'cold case' and filed away in storage."

"I visited her in foster care every weekend to make sure she was okay. I knew the family she was staying with. The way she looked when we found her that night still haunts me to this day."

Hetty nods her understanding. Her own eyes also glisten with fresh tears from listening to Deeks' story. "You became like family to one another." She muses aloud.

Deeks snorts back a low chuckle as the memory of Maria's high school graduation comes to the forefront of his mind. "At her High School Graduation…she introduced me to her friends as her big brother." Deeks recalls, a small, sad smile playing at the edges of his mouth.

"You have a good heart, Mr. Deeks. Its what makes you a good cop." Hetty tells him softly.

Deeks shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Tell that to Maria." Deeks replies rather distastefully.

Anyone else in the world might take offense to Deeks' sudden display of attitude, but not Hetty. She only sits quietly, her face holding nothing but concern and understanding within its weathered features. "Make no mistake, Mr. Deeks, the responsible parties will be brought to justice—mark my words."

Deeks only nods. The look in the shaggy-haired Detectives' eyes tears Hetty's heart in two as she sits in her chair across from him.

"Thanks for telling me, Hetty." Deeks says at last. He stands up from his seat, and holds the file folder out for Hetty to take back. The tiny woman extends her hand, and nods her thanks.

"You are very welcome, Mr. Deeks." Hetty replies quietly. "She was lucky to have you in her life." She adds.

"Too bad it wasn't enough." Deeks whispers before turning to leave Hetty's office.

Deeks strolls into the bullpen looking as though the world rests upon his shoulders. Kensi turns away from her conversation with Callen and Sam, and walks towards the shaggy-haired man.

"Everything okay?" she asks, noticing the tear streaks just beneath his Pacific Ocean blue eyes. She isn't sure exactly what he and Hetty talked about, but she is certain that whatever it was—it wasn't good.

He shakes his head at her, and then tries to move past her. "I can't do this right now." He whispers, as he moves towards his desk. He quickly and quietly retrieves his personal effects, and then turns towards the exit.

"Deeks." Kensi tries. "Please, talk to me." She begs quietly.

Deeks stops only momentarily, and looks into her eyes for the longest time. Then he kisses her gently on the lips. "I'm sorry…I can't." Then he turns and walks out of the mission.

…TBC…

Author's Note: This first chapter is just merely the introduction into the story that I am going to tell, and I hope that you guys will join me for the ride.

P.S. Please comment/review so that I know you guys are interested, and would like me to continue updating this story. Thanks a lot!