A/N: I promise this isn't as deep and angsty as it seems in this chapter. The fluff and steam will come out more in the next and last chapter.

"And why can't I meet this new guy?" Deeks whined from the passenger seat of his partner's car.

"Maybe because I haven't even gone on one date with him?" Kensi pointed out. "Shouldn't I be with a guy for a few years before you scare him away?"

They were on their way to a victim's house to have another look around and hopefully find something that would give them a new lead as they were currently stuck.

"You wound me!" Deeks faked a look of hurt with a hand over his heart. "Why would I scare the guy away? We're assuming he's good enough for my favorite partner in the whole wide world…"

"Since when did you worry about screening my potential boyfriends?" Kensi asked her voice filled with suspicion.

"Because you're my partner and best friend," Deeks explained as if it were common sense. "Of course I'm gonna care about who you bring home."

"Sure," Kensi rolled her eyes and then climbed out of the car once she'd parked it out front of the house. "How about we hurry up and get this done so we can be back in time for Callen to buy us all lunch."

"Sounds like a plan!" Deeks excitement was renewed at the possibility of free food as he quickly caught up to his partner and into the empty house.

They made quick work of analyzing the house, working quietly as a team to finish each room before Deeks took a step in the living room and a soft creak sounded when he lifted his foot.

"Think I might have something here," he informed his partner as he began to lift up the floor board and Kensi came up behind him to peer over his shoulder. "It's too dark and I can't see anything. Could you go get the flashlight out of the car?"

"Nope, your find, your errand," Kensi grinned down at him.

"Awww come on," Deeks whined.

"Fine, rock, paper, scissors," Kensi offered, knowing she could predict his call.

"Fine," Deeks half grinned at this compromise. She was very good at making him feel like he was five again.

They each dropped their fist into their other hand until Deeks' hand formed a rock and Kensi's paper.

"Booyah!" Kensi pumped her fist into the air as a defeated Deeks left the house for the car. On his way to the car he felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket and when he pulled the phone out he saw the side profile picture of Callen.

"Hey, what's up?" Deeks asked with his phone to his ear.

"You guys almost done over there?" Callen asked.

"Almost, there may be something under the floors, but we're not sure yet," Deeks said over the phone while digging in his partner's trunk for the flashlight.

"Okay, just be careful because Eric and Nell just found evidence that our suspect has been viewing a lot of explosive making websites on his lap top," Callen explained.

"Sure, sure," Deeks responded until he turned back to look at the house.

"BOMB!"

It was Kensi shouting and maybe his first reaction should've been to get behind the car but his partner was still in that house and he needed to know that she was going to make it out.

"Callen – " Deeks started but then the house was engulfed in a large explosion that threw him back into the side of Kensi's car. His vision faded in and out as he numbly stared at the flames, unable to move as his brain tried to sort out what the hell was happening. He remembered within a few seconds though and forced his legs and arms to get him back on his feet.

"KENSI!?" Deeks shouted hoarsely before stumbling up to the house. The flames were dying down quickly, but they wouldn't have stopped him anyway as he sprinted past the threshold of the house and into the foyer of the house or what he assumed used to be. He racked his brain for what direction she would have run in as he tried to remember the payout of the house and where he'd left her. She was probably in the living room that was to the left of him, so she should've run for the front door. Deeks whipped his head from side to side for any hint of his partner before he saw her boot peeking out from under a pile of debris. "KENSI!"

He squatted lower and started hauling the remnants of a bookshelf and part of the ceiling from her until she was completely uncovered and he could see her entire form sprawled out. There was blood pouring profusely from her head and she wasn't moving at all. Deeks dropped to his knees beside her and carefully felt for a pulse and breathing and when he found both easily enough his shoulders sagged with relief. He could hear sirens getting closer from the distance and he knew it had to have been Callen who called in the calvary.

"Kens," Deeks murmured while palming her cheek and tapping lightly. "Time to wake up you sleepy head."

He tried not to worry when she didn't move. It would have been some knock on the head, but it still scared the crap out of him. He saw the ambulance and firefighters park out front and when a few of the paramedics climbed out of their truck he called out.

"In here! I need a stretcher!" Deeks shouted and they reacted quickly, pulling out a stretcher and sprinting up to the house. He watched, feeling absolutely helpless, as they lifted her up onto the stretcher and put a brace around her neck. They wouldn't be sure if she had a spinal injury just yet and of course this set off a whole new wave of panic through him. He followed the paramedics as they carried her to the ambulance and just as they were rolling her in Sam and Callen had showed up in Sam's car.

"Deeks, Kensi?" Callen called out as they caught up with him.

"I think she's going to be okay," Deeks responded but he couldn't bring his face to reflect that. "She had a pulse and she was breathing."

Sam gripped his shoulder and gave him a reassuring nod. "Kensi is tougher than steel and she's gonna be fine."

Deeks nodded in response, wanting to believe him.

"Where are you taking her?" Callen asked the paramedic before he could shut the back doors.

"USC," he answered before shutting the doors and the vehicle took off.

"You heard the man," Sam said. "Let's go."

Sam pulled Deeks in the direction of his own car and they all three drove over to the hospital together.

No one had come to tell them anything for two hours now and Deeks was about to start rampaging through the hospital to find her himself if something didn't happen soon. And as if the doctors that be had heard his mental threats a man in a white lab coat finally appeared.

"Are you all here for Ms. Blye?" The man asked, looking around at the gathering of three men. Hetty was supposed to arrive any minute now that the evidence from the house had been collected.

"Is she alright?" Callen spoke up.

"Ms. Blye is possibly the luckiest woman alive," the doctor smiled reassuringly, but it still wasn't enough for Deeks. "She only sustained some bruising, a couple minor burns, and a concussion. She's awake now, though a little drowsy from the pain meds."

"How long does she need to stay?" Sam asked.

"I'd like to keep her overnight for observation, but she's already asking for discharge papers, so I'm just hoping for a few more hours. She'll need someone to stay with her for the next 12 hours to make sure she doesn't sleep longer than an hour at a time."

Deeks nodded, "That'll be me then. Can we see her now?"

"Yes, just follow me," the doctor lead the three men to a room three halls down and knew they were heading in the right direction when a nurse slipped out of the room, rolling her eyes and sighing in frustration.

"She keeps asking about a Deeks," the nurse said, eyeing up the men. "I hope one of you is him."

Deeks grinned wanly and nodded.

"Why you don't you go in first then," Sam suggested as he pulled Callen to the side.

"Thanks guys," Deeks nodded and slipped past the nurse and into the room. His eyes immediately caught with his partner's and they both let out a large sigh of relief.

"You're okay?" Kensi asked, worry written all over her face.

"I should be the one asking you that," Deeks pointed out as he took a seat beside her bed. "I was outside when the bomb went off, unlike you."

Her shoulders sagged in relief and she reclined back into the elevated bed. She felt around the edge of the bed until she could slip her fingers between his and grip his hand.

"A minute after you left a timer lit up under the floor board and there was just seconds on it," Kensi squinted as she tried to remember it in detail.

"You're okay now," Deeks murmured and fought the urge to kiss the hand that was resting in his. "And you're coming home with me tonight."

"Not likely," Kensi laughed shortly and gave him his favorite grin.

"Doctor's orders," Deeks grinned back. "You need someone to wake you up every hour tonight to be sure that concussion doesn't kill you."

Kensi gave him a cute pout before nodding. "If it means I can get out of here, fine."

A knock came at the door and both Callen and Sam poked theirs heads around the door. "Can we come in yet?" Sam asked his face lighting up more when he saw Kensi awake and looking okay.

"Yeah, come on in guys," Kensi smiled brightly at them and a little more tension left Deeks as he watched each man hug her softly and then tease her about scaring them and how Callen was going even more bald.

Callen and Sam kept her chatting until her eyes began closing and her head kept tipping to the side and she'd jerk back awake.

"I think it's time that Kensi got some rest before she's discharged in a couple hours," a nurse said as she adjusted equipment and monitors.

The guys all agreed and began standing up to exit. Kensi caught eyes with Deeks and tried not to plead with her eyes just how much she wanted him to stay. She didn't want them to think she was weak though and so she tried to keep her face neutral. All three men left and the room was engulfed in silence. She knew she should use this opportunity to sleep, but her mind began to race to all that had happened and sleep was failing her. About ten minutes had passed before her door creaked open to reveal her partner looking like a child sneaking out to check on Santa.

"Still awake?" Deeks whispered as he quietly shut the door behind him and kept the lights off.

"No, just sleeping with me eyes open," Kensi rolled her eyes and they shared a grin.

"Do you mind if I hang around for until you're discharge? I'd just get in the other guys' way at the moment," Deeks asked, looking sheepish.

"If you must," Kensi sighed dramatically but in truth she was just content that he would be by her side.

"Thanks," Deeks smiled at her and took his old seat again. "But you should really get some sleep."

"Yeah, yeah," Kensi groaned and she found it was much easier this time around to fall asleep.

Deeks watched her sleep for the full hour and though it was really bordering on creepy, he just needed to know that she really was safe. He'd also seen the fairly well hidden desire for him to stay that she had given him the first time he left and he couldn't abandon her here knowing she wanted him by her side. When the hour did pass a nurse slipped in and gave him a very disappointed look that he shrugged at. The nurse gently rubbed Kensi's shoulder to ease her from the land of dreams and in return Kensi tried to turn away from the nurse and groaned in annoyance. Deeks had to stifle a laugh but then stopped when he realized he'd be the one fighting her to wake up every hour for the rest of the night. He'd be lucky if she didn't punch him after attempt two. Kensi Blye loved her sleep and hated waking up. When she did finally wake her eyes immediately began searching for him and he gave her a reassuring smile in return.

"Your papers will be ready in an hour if you wanted to get in a little more sleep," the nurse said as she exited the room.

Kensi's mouth stretched out in a wide yawn and she began drifting back to sleep. In her last moments before unconsciousness, she reached her hand out toward Deeks and he quickly took hold of it, giving her soft skin sweeping strokes with his thumb. The gesture seemed to push her past the brink of awake and into deep slumber because her soft snores now filled the room.

Deeks was quite happy that Kensi was mostly out of it when he finally got her checked out and into his place while dodging Monty's affectionate attention when he saw both him and Kensi enter. She never even put up a fuss when he handed her one of his larger t-shirts and left her in his room to get changed. While she was changing he let Monty out and threw a few balls for the dog before he came back in and checked on Kensi. She was changed, but passed out with the lower half of her body dangling off the bed and the upper half on. He chuckled softly to himself and managed to maneuver her whole body onto the bed and on the right side. When she was tucked in safely, Deeks took out his phone and programmed the alarm to go off every hour so that he could wake her. Once that was set he quickly changed into some basketball shorts and a t-shirt and then climbed into bed beside his partner.

It was most definitely going to be a long night.

A/N: K, so I promised this was going to be a light, smutty, and steamy fic but I had some ground work to lay in this chapter before the fun could begin. The next chapter will definitely be 'M', so I hope that's cool with all you wonderful people. Thank you for reading and I hope you'll be nice enough to let me know how I did so I can hopefully improve from here and I'll need the motivation to keep going with the second and final chapter.