A/N:- So here's the delayed chapter 2. Hope you enjoy this one. As always, many thanks for all of your reviews, favourites and follows. Not just here, but across the whole "Revenge-verse" narrative. I appreciate every last one, and feel a flutter in my gut whenever I get an email to let me know there's a new one. Also, to the guest who mentioned they might check out Level 51; if you did, would you send me a message to let me know what you thought of it? I never got any feedback for it, which is kinda why it died a death, and I really want to how it came across.
Rating:- T, with mention and discussion of adult situations.
Disclaimer:- I own only one character in the entirety of this chapter. It's the one that hasn't appeared on NCIS Los Angeles.

It was certainly disconcerting, having a major sense removed, no matter how momentarily. It wasn't like it was one of the minor ones either, like his sense of smell, or taste; instead, Deeks was cut off from his vision, with only inky blackness swirling before his eyes from where the thick layers of cloth was pressed. Not tightly, but enough to cut out his sight completely, not even a sliver of light seeping through from the edges.

And that meant that he was in the most harrowing situation of his life. He'd been in fire fights, had guns pressed to his head when an undercover op had gone south, when his life had hung in the balance, the slightest millimetre deciding the difference between life or death. But all of those horrors paled in comparison to being blindfolded, with Kensi behind the wheel.

"Are we there yet?" he whined, fingers reaching towards his face.

"No," she replied, sounding distracted, voice above the incessant noise of the techno music blaring from the SRX's stereo. "And if you reach for that blindfold again, I'm going to snap your fingers."

Deeks slapped his hands back down onto his lap in a heartbeat. A second later, he wished one of them was latched around a support, as the large vehicle swerved to the side and his whole body lurched into the passenger door, shoulder hitting roughly against it. He grunted.

"So, uh," he said, once he'd managed to right himself again. "I know we agreed that this date was going to be your choice and all, and you get to keep it a secret, but, uh, there's no chance you didn't sign us up for a demolition derby or anything? Is that where we are right now?"

"Hey," she snapped. "I am a great driver."

"Kensi, Sunshine, I am so in love with you that sometimes it hurts," he said, voice easy. "But the only time you're a great driver is when you need to drive defensively, cause that's the way you drive normally."

"Look here," she began, but Deeks spoke over the top of her.

"No, seriously, it's why I don't let Monty ride in your car anymore; it just aggravates his PTSD." Even with his face covered, Deeks attempted his most winningest grin, to take the sting out of the words and show his jest. But only silence greeted it (well, silence from Kensi; that god awful techno still blared). With mounting shame, Deeks realised just how tactless his choice of words had been.

"Kens," he began. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I'm an idiot, my mouth wasn't attached to my brain. You know what I'm like, I just…" He turned his head towards the driver's side of the car, his apologetic expression covered by the blindfold.

More silence. Deeks was about to open his mouth, to apologise again, when he felt her hand on his thigh, fingers giving it a squeeze. "It's okay," she said, voice low and thick. "I know you didn't mean it. Besides, it's all ancient history."

She patted his leg affectionately, before her hand disappeared; hopefully back to the steering wheel. A second later, the SRX veered again, harder this time, slamming Deeks' head against the window.

"Ow," he moaned, hand coming up to rub against the sore spot on his skull. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"No," Kensi lied.

"It's not funny," he said. "I could have a concussion, you know? Head trauma is a silent killer. I think we need to take this blindfold off so you check my eyes, make sure my pupils are dilating properly, stuff like that."

"Stop being a baby, Deeks. Besides," she continued, and Deeks could practically hear the wide grin in her voice, "all that stupid hair of yours cushioned the blow."

"Just make sure I don't fall asleep, okay? I might not wake up."

"Shut up, or I'll do it again."

"Ah-ha," he exclaimed, one finger jutting triumphantly into the air. "So you did do it on purpose!" Despite being blinded, Deeks knew his gorgeous partner had sucked her lips into her mouth in that way she did whenever she didn't want people to see her smile. He grinned.

"So, are we there yet?" he tried again.

Kensi sighed. "Yes, for crying out loud, we're almost there. Let me just park up, okay?"

"Try not to hit anything," he said casually, expecting the retaliatory thump to his shoulder. But, just because he expected it didn't mean it didn't sting. True to her word, Kensi slowed the SRX down, creeping it forwards before steering it sharply to the left. A second later, it came to a full stop.

"Leave the blindfold on, Deeks," she warned him, before he heard the sound of her door opening, before slamming shut. I swear, he thought, if she's abandoned me on some train tracks, I won't be impressed.

It was totally not fair that his partner hadn't told him where they would be going for their second official date as a couple, nor informed him as to what it was they were going to be doing. Okay, so he hadn't told her that he'd been taking her to Le Chez, but at least she'd know they were going out for a meal. All he'd known was that he'd needed to dress 'casual,' which meant that the suit stayed in the closet while he broke out his cleanest pair of jeans, and an old college T-shirt, slipping into a pair of sneakers. Kensi, when she'd finally arrived to pick him up over half an hour later than agreed, had been dressed similarly; wash faded blue jeans, tight form fitting black shirt, her hair clipped up loosely at the back of her skull. She'd instantly spotted his T-shirt, and inquired as to why she'd never seen it before.

"I don't like to brag about where I went to school," had been his reply. Then, his lips had curled into a devilish smile. "Besides, whenever you see a shirt of mine you like, it tends to migrate over to your apartment and I never see it again."

"Name one time that's ever happened," Kensi demanded, hands on her hips and her eyebrow raised.

"Okay, really? You really want me to go there?" he asked, cocking his head at her. "How's about my black LAPD one for starters? I got that when I was doing my training, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it in like a month and a half."

"Hey, mister," she said defensively. "You just happened to leave that at my place. It's hardly my fault you never picked it up."

"No, honestly, there's so much of my stuff lying around in your apartment I may as well just live there." His grin had been easy, but then he'd seen the small widening of his partner's eyes, fear quivering between them. The air between them crackled with her anxiousness. Desperate to undo the situation, he took her hands in his. "No, no, I'm …" he tried. "I was just… it's just banter, is all. I'm fine how we are, Kens; it took us long enough to get it right, I'm in no rush to change anything."

She smiled at him, a small smile that he knew meant she was still off balance. "Yeah," she began. "It's just, it's been a long time. And I don't know if I'm ready for that."

Deeks nodded, understanding. "I know. It is a bit much, really, to ask you to tidy up your apartment. That's a hell of a task."

She stared a moment, features unreadable even to him, before her face split into a big grin, teeth showing, accepting the subject amendment despite recognising it for the lie it was.

The door opening shook him from his memories, and he felt a hand grasp him by the bicep. "That best not be a mugger," he said. "I'll have you know I'm armed."

"You brought your gun with you?" came Kensi's voice from the darkness as she helped him manoeuvre his way out of the passenger seat.

"Of course," he replied as he found his feet. The ground was solid beneath him; concrete. That was a good sign, at least. He could also hear people wandering passed, chatting and laughing. A lot of people. Another good sign. "I still have no idea what we're doing; for all I know, you could have signed us up for some sort of wilderness challenge across some mountain range somewhere. Since I can't be forewarned, I decided to be fore-armed."

"Like I'd make you do something that you're that uncomfortable with," she said, voice full of faux-hurt, and he imagined she was pouting at him. "Ten minutes outside of a city and you come out in hives."

"I'll have you know I have sensitive skin," he replied. "Besides, you don't look like you have a very trustworthy face. In fact, I'd go as far as to say you look like the sort of person who is duplicitous for a living."

He felt her hand find his, fingers twining together. "You can take the blindfold off, now," she said a moment later. Deeks reached up with his free hand, slipping the silk from his eyes. Opening them gingerly, he blinked away the stinging brightness of the lights, before he got his first view of their surroundings.

He'd been right about the concrete beneath his feet. They stood in a large car park, filled with cars of every shape and colour, as groups of people filed backwards and forwards passed them, each lost in their own conversations. Behind him, at one end of the car park, was the main street running back towards the middle of the city. And before him, a squat brown-brick building, where thudding music emanated from the open door. Above the building, flashing neon lights spelling out the name of the establishment.

"Bowling?" he said. "Really? Bowling?"

"You have comments, Deeks?" said Kensi. A smile curled on one corner of her lips.

He wisely shook his head. "No, no."

She grinned fully then, before making him remove his weapon and stow it in her glove compartment where – he was interested to note – her own already was. Then, she took his hand in hers again and tugged him forcefully towards the main doors. Truth be told, it was kind of the last thing he'd ever imagined Kensi would pick for them to do together. It was so… well, it was just so normal. He'd actually imagined that they'd be spending the evening doing something atrocious, like maybe leaping out of a plane, or hunting, or at a monster truck rally like Kensi and Nell enjoyed.

"Who knows," he said aloud. "It might be fun."

She paused by the entrance, casting him a suspicious glance. "You have done this before, right Deeks?"

"W-w-what, this?" he stammered. "Of course I have, it's like a quintessential American pastime, the old ten pin bowling. What sort of life do you think I've had if you think I've never, you know, been bowling?"

"You haven't, have you?" Kensi demanded, eyes alight with glee.

Deeks held his hands apart in a gesture of supplication. Kensi grinned, leaning forward onto her tiptoes to brush her lips against his, resting her palms on his chest. "This," she said, "is going to be so much fun."

I'm sure it will, Deeks thought. "Shall we?" he said, proffering his arm to Kensi. She smiled, linking hers around it, and they headed for the entrance.

It had all been Nell's idea.

The simple fact of the matter was, Kensi Blye was atrocious at second dates. She knew it, accepted it. First date, she was amazing; funny, flirty, attentive. Second date, sometimes it was just hard to give a damn. It had taken her a while to realise the reason for that; she just wasn't that into the guy. She'd make the second date, not realising that the first hadn't been that good for her. Okay, so maybe it wasn't always the guy; maybe it was her too. She just wasn't ready. Especially since Jack had left her that fateful Christmas morning. She found it so hard to trust another man for longer enough to worry about her heart. That was why, since then, her life had been filled with first dates and one night stands. Since then, she'd barely ever had a second date that went well.

Until Marty Deeks. Until she'd fallen in love again, and wanted to get it right. For him, she wanted a second date, and a third, and a fourth. But the problem then became, how did she break her second date curse?

She'd thought about it for days on end since their night at Le Chez, since Deeks – with an assist from Hetty – had pulled out all the stops to impress her. So she'd tried to top it, but every scenario she imagined always ended in disaster.

Frustrated, she'd finally opened up about her problem to the data analyst. Nell had instantly offered her advice; "Your problem is that you're making too big a deal out of it."

"It kind of is a big deal, Nell," Kensi had replied, swivelling around in Eric's chair. Thankfully, the technical whiz was absent; she really didn't want this conversation in front of him. "I don't want to mess this up."

"The more you stress about it, the more likely it is you're going to do just that."

"Gee, thanks for the support," Kensi replied, trying to keep the sarcasm from her voice.

"Look at it this way," Nell continued. "You're putting too much emphasis on the event; just do something simple and normal, like bowling, and leave the rest of the night to the two of you being yourselves."

"What if that's the problem?" Kensi asked.

Nell observed her for a moment. "Do you love him?" she asked.

Kensi felt colour flood to her cheeks, and she cast her gaze down. She hadn't admitted that fact to anyone aside from her mother and Deeks. "Yeah," she replied, eventually, voice little more than a whisper.

Nell beamed at her, seemingly on the verge of squeeing with delight. "And he loves you?"

"Yeah."

Nell made a small tilt with her head, still grinning. "So what have you got to worry about?"

Which had, of course, led her and Deeks here, to the main entrance of Bowl-O'Rama.

Quickly giving her date his orders to hit the bar and get the first round of drinks in, Kensi made her way to the reception to check in for their lane – pre-booked under the alias Amanda Hampton. Once that was done, she turned back to find Deeks… and stopped short at what she saw.

Deeks stood by the bar, seemingly deep in conversation with an attractive blonde woman, the pair of them laughing openly like old friends. Kensi's face twisted into a scowl; she really couldn't take him anywhere. What was worse was, as she neared, she realised the woman looked familiar. I swear, she thought, if that's one of his exes, I'm not going to be impressed. Obviously, she knew Deeks had dated a lot in the past, more so than she did, but it always seemed that they ran into his exes more than they did hers. It was hardly fair.

Deeks looked over as she approached, flashing her a warm smile. She tried to keep the jealous twist from her features – what did she have to be jealous of now? – but it was even money if she was successful. The blonde turned, smiling too.

"Agent Blye," said the woman warmly.

Kensi blinked, pulling up short. Okay, clearly not one of his exes if she knows me by name.

"Kens, you remember Audrey Michaels?" Deeks said, expression meaningful. He'd clearly recognised the look on her face. And just like that, it all clicked into place where she knew the woman from; she'd been the girlfriend of a murdered undercover NCIS Agent.

"Yes, I remember you," Kensi said to the woman. "How have you been?"

"Better," the woman replied. Kensi recalled the last time they'd seen her, almost close to breaking from the loss and the revelation of who the man she'd loved had been. "Some girlfriends convinced me that I needed to finally get back out there – their words – and thought this would be a great place to meet cute guys. I'm not really interested at the moment, but I was going through the motions when I saw Detective Deeks at the bar and came over to say hi." She suddenly paused, eyes widening. "Oh God, you're not in the middle of an investigation are you? I'm not ruining something?"

"No," said Deeks, looking more than a little timid. "We're, uh, we're actually off the clock."

Audrey's eyes widened as understanding dawned, and she clamped a hand over her mouth to cover her smile. "You guys are together," she said. It wasn't a question.

Kensi couldn't answer, only grinned widely at the woman while Deeks bashfully scratched at his blond locks.

"How long?" asked Audrey.

"It was, uh," began Deeks. "Around the time we met you, actually."

"Oh God," Audrey said again, smile so warm and genuine. "That's the best news I've heard in months. I'm so happy for you. Oh no, and now I'm interfering. I'm going to leave you two alone and go find my friends." She began to hurry off, before turning back and flashing them another smile. "I was right though; you two do make a really cute couple."

Just like the last time Audrey had said that, Deeks blushed.

"So what's next?" he asked after a moment.

"Next, we need shoes," she informed him.

-0-

"Wow, these are sexy," Deeks said a moment later, pulling the rented shoes onto his feet. "I can see why you insisted we do this."

Kensi sighed exaggeratedly, pushing herself to her feet and testing the feel of her own rentals. "Are you going to mock the whole thing?" she said.

"Probably."

"Well, if you are then you should probably find someone else to date."

He looked up at her, lips curled into a smug half smile. "Well, I would," he replied. "But they'd probably more than likely be upset that I was in love with someone else."

She shook her head, snorting a laugh. "You are so cheesy."

He laughed back at her, rising and sweeping her into his strong arms, pulling her close. She could feel the throb of his heart through their chests. "And yet it always seems to work with you." He leant forward, pressing his lips briefly against hers. Tingles spread warmly across her mouth, sending her heartbeat racing.

Smiling, she disentangled herself from his arms, before leading him to their lane. She quickly set up their details – 'Amanda' for her, 'Rudolph' for him – before selecting a ball. Deeks, meanwhile, was eyeing the lane with suspicion, side-eyeing the couple next to him who seemed to be getting nothing but strikes.

"So, uh," he began, "those bumper things that some of the lanes have? Any chance we can have them too?"

"Man up, Deeks," she told him, concentrating on the white pins at the end of their lane. With a smooth, polished, motion, she swung the ball, releasing it to hurtle down the alley, watching as it curled back on itself to hit the front pin. It collided with those behind it, sending them scattering. When they finally settled, only three pins remained standing.

Deeks let out a low whistle. "Is there anything you're not good at there, Lebowski?"

She gave him a smug smile. "Not really," she taunted. Then, without another word, she tossed another ball down the lane, sending the remaining pins flying. "I'm naturally awesome."

"I don't know, it looks pretty simple," he replied. "There's kids over in the corner knocking down more pins that you in one go." He headed to the small rack behind the lane, plucking up a ball. With an "Oof," he almost dropped it. "Okay," he said, "really? That's heavier than I expected."

A small smile crept onto Kensi's face as she watched her partner peruse the available balls, looking for one that fit his hand. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he'd never been bowling before. It seemed like such a normal part of growing up. Then she remembered; Deeks' formative years had been nothing like normal. Like her, he'd been forced to grow up far too soon. Still, she felt a swell in heart. After such a rough childhood, it would be so easy for him to become bitter at the world, to shrink into himself and be troubled by dark thoughts. But Deeks was nothing like that. He met the world with joy in his heart and a smile on his lips, a strong sense of right and wrong, seeing the good and the humour in things despite the darkness they encountered every day. She may roll her eyes in frustration at some of their discussion, he may annoy the hell out of her at times, and he may sometimes say a dozen words when three would suffice, but she knew he would never change and for that she was glad. It was a big reason why, the longer they'd been partners, the further in love with him she'd fallen.

The fact that he was easy on the eyes didn't hurt, either.

Deeks had finally selected a ball, cradling it in his arms. He waddled up to the line, taking a moment to observe the bowler in the lane next to him. Then he took a step back, lined himself up and threw Kensi a cheesy grin. "Watch and learn, Sugarplum" he said, before tossing the ball down the lane. Tossing was, of course, a generous term; the ball left his grip, souring though the air, before landing with a thud halfway down the lane. It bounced, careening to the left and tumbling into the gutter.

"I'm watching," she said, grinning pleasantly. "Let me know what the learning starts."

Deeks shot her a dirty look, rotating his arm at the shoulder as he awaited the return of his ball. "I'm just outta practice is all, that was just a warm up. This is the one that counts."

This time, the ball managed to stay grounded. Sadly, the only difference it made was that it rolled off the lane that much sooner. Deeks glared at the ball resentfully as a disappeared from view at the far end.

Kensi shook her head. She might not be the best bowler in the world, but this was just going to be a one-sided throbbing. Oh well, she thought. Just another thing I can lord over him. She wasn't sorry for the thought; he knew how competitive she was, and it wasn't like Deeks always made things into a challenge because he knew she couldn't resist them.

After her turn – knocking down six of the pins – she watched as he picked up his ball. "You're holding it wrong," she told him. Deeks glanced over.

"What's that now?" he said.

"The ball," she clarified. "You're holding it wrong. Here, let me show you."

A wicked grin split her boyfriend's face as she held out her hands towards him. "So let me get this straight, you're going to show me how to handle my balls?"

She rumbled a small laugh, shaking her head. "It's like you know that joke's coming," she said. "You know that jokes coming and you just can't get out of the way of it fast enough."

"You saying I'm unoriginal?" he said, offended.

"Not in everything," she said, purring playfully. She swayed her body, twirling her fingers seductively through her long hair. Finally, though, the façade dropped, replaced with exasperation. "And you're still holding the ball wrong."

"I can hold it how I want to," he retorted defensively.

"You're not going to get better if you don't let me help you."

In response, he stuck his tongue out at her. Before she could respond – she had several comments about him being a baby almost on her lips – he twirled, throwing the ball down the centre of the lane. It span down, sliding off to the right, and just barely managing to knock aside one pin before it vanished.

Deeks twisted back to her, eyes wide, warmth spreading across his features. "I got one," he cried. In that instant, he reminded Kensi of an excited puppy. Unable to stop herself, she grabbed him by the back of the head, pulling his face down and planting her lips against his.

When she pulled back, he smiled deeply at her. "Congratulations," she said, hand resting on his chest just above his heart. She could feel the reassuring thump through her palm. "But don't get cocky, that's only one pin."

"Hey," he said. "I'll have you know that's one more than last time already. It can only get better from here. Just you watch; I'm going to get at least one extra pin every time, and pretty soon I am going to be pwning the crap out of you. You're going right downtown to pwn town. El pwno. Pwn City, population; Kensi Blye."

Kensi watched. Kensi watched as the ball sailed straight into the gutter.

"Don't even say anything," Deeks said, head drooped in shame. She gave him a light squeeze on the shoulder, unable to keep the mocking laugh from her lips.

By the time his turn came again, Kensi had formulated a plan. As Deeks approached the line, she snuck up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He tried to turn in her grip, but she held him tight, body flush against his. She could feel the taught curve of his ass against her groin, and tried not to think too much about how wonderful it felt. The closeness, the intimacy, was heady; the smell of him, all sea salt and shampoo along with the unmistakable musk of man, made her brain swim for a moment before she could get it back under control.

"Stay still," she said, her lips little more than a hair's breadth from his ear. "And let me show you." She could feel his entire frame tremble against her. She released one hand, seeking out the ball in his grip. With her feet, she nudged against his shoes, making him widen his stance. Then, controlling his hand, she swept it through the proper motion, ensuring there was enough of a twist at the end to put some spin on the ball as it slipped from Deeks' grip and trundled down the lane. Together, they watched its progress, and Kensi was aware that Deeks had stopped breathing.

The pace of the ball was slow, since there had been no run up or real power behind the throw, but it trailed down the lane, bending back towards the centre of the lane just when it looked like it would sink into the gutter. Not much, though, but enough to clip the side of the pins. By the time they had finished, five of them were down.

Kensi heard Deeks breath again, and was suddenly aware that she still held him tightly, her hands laced over his stomach. As such, she could feel the erratic rumble that built in them, making her hands vibrate. It took her a second to realise; Deeks was laughing.

Joy in his voice, Deeks broke free, twisting to face her. His features were alight, a wide grin breaking his stubbled features almost in two. Laughing openly now, he grabbed Kensi by the waist, effortlessly plucking her off the hardwood floor and spinning her around and around. She squealed his name in protest, hands around the back of his neck as she held on for dear life, but soon found herself laughing too, his excitement infectious. When he finally put her down, it was only to pull her closer and slam his lips against hers. As it always did, fireworks exploded in Kensi's brain, shockwaves of electricity arcing through every fibre of her being. She sank into the kiss, opening her mouth slightly to suck on his bottom lip. Her hands stroked gently down his sides, feeling the firm muscles under his…

Suddenly aware of where they were, Kensi broke the kiss before they could go any further, pushing Deeks back. She panted, the kiss making her breathing ragged. She marvelled at how the man had such a presence on her, such an effect, then grinned when she realised his breath was laboured too. She bit her bottom lip, tasting him still on them, and a fresh shiver echoed through her body. Kensi shook her head, in disbelief. "Come on, Marty, time to play on."

His next ball wasn't as good; without her assistance, his form was better, but he only managed to hit two of the remaining pins. That didn't stop him from grinning like a buffoon over it though. She shook her head, grinning from ear to ear at him. The game continued, Deeks improving slowly with each frame, even managing to score a spare in one of them. His victorious dance she could have done without though; they were in public after all, and she chastised him for it. Inwardly she grinned; Deeks wasn't afraid to be a fool around her, or be affectionate. It was nice, to be in a relationship again after so many years. It was nice, and it was normal. And normal was something Kensi hadn't felt in a very long time. It always seemed that whenever she felt the most normal, something had happened to shatter that illusion; first the loss of her father, then Jack's disappearance. Since then, she'd always tried to stay aloof, even from those she considered her closest friends. Afraid that if she let them too much into her heart, she'd lose them.

She'd tried that with Deeks too, even from their very first meeting when she'd almost instinctively known there was something special about the man. It was especially notable because, at the time, she'd fully believed that 'Jason Wyler' was a criminal. An especially attractive and charming one, but a criminal none the less. When Deeks had been made her partner, though, his very nature meant that her efforts to remain detached were worthless; it wasn't so much that he'd worn her down and wormed his way into her heart. From the very first day, he'd bulldozed passed her defences, and it had only been three years of denial on her part that had kept them apart. Three years to realise that she loved the man with all of her heart, that she trusted him with her heart, knowing that he would do everything in his power to ensure that he never did anything to hurt it. And the best part was, for every ounce of love she had for him, she knew he returned it equally as strong. She cherished his love, letting it fan the flames of her own. It hadn't taken her long to realise that, even though she'd been engaged to the man, what she had felt for Jack paled in comparison to what she shared with Marty Deeks. It was, and she understood just how soppy and stupid it sounded, the real thing. He was The One, her Soulmate.

But that didn't mean she wasn't scared, wasn't hesitant. Love was one thing, but there were still so many things that could go wrong, could spoil what they had together. She'd been hurt before, had things end badly before, and something in the back of her spirit warned her that she would only get one shot at this.

They were heading towards the final frames of the game – the score too uncomfortably close for Kensi's liking; part due to the fact that Deeks had a couple of fluked strikes (which resulted in him doing laps of honour around the establishment, much to her equal amusement and embarrassment) and decent frames, part due to the fact he was intentionally distracting her when it was her turn – when Audrey returned, just to let them know she was leaving for drinks and dancing with her friends. Kensi, without even a second's pause, enveloped the woman in a hug.

"Thank you," she said, earnestly.

"For what?" asked Audrey, face puzzled.

"I know it sounds strange," Kensi said, "but you had a part to play in us getting together."

Audrey beamed back at her, pink flush touching her cheeks. Then she departed, taking with her Kensi's private cell number. It was true, of course; in its own small way, the day she'd met Audrey Michaels was as the core of Kensi and Deeks' relationship change, and Kensi wanted the blonde to remain part of her life because of it.

"So why are there three boxes in this last frame?" asked Deeks, when they were alone again.

Kensi explained how the tenth frame worked. His eyes gazed into the distance when she was done, and she could tell that he was concentrating on something. She smiled to herself, picking up a spare that let her have a third ball; this time, she took eight of the pins. When she turned back, Deeks was staring intently at the monitor, waiting for her total to come up. Once it had, he zoned out again, as if figuring something out in his head.

"I can still win this," he said eventually.

"Not a chance," she replied with a laugh. Deeks may have been picking it quickly, but he wasn't that good. "There is no physical way you can beat me."

"Wanna bet?" he retorted.

She raised an eyebrow at him, hearing the challenge and reacting without thinking. "Whadda'ya got, Shaggy?"

"How's about this," he said. "I win, you have to cook dinner every day for the next week. And by 'cook' I mean actually cook, not order takeout and try and pass it off as your own like last time."

Kensi coloured faintly. "You knew about that?"

"Of course I did, missy."

"So what do I get when I win?" she said, half smile on her lips.

Deeks stepped forward, body inches from hers, firm hands clamped to her hips. She trembled slightly as his warm breath teased against the skin of her cheek. "Whatever you want," he cooed, and Kensi's heart skipped a beat. She crossed her arms around the back of his neck, locking her eyes with the cool blue of his own.

"Okay, so when I win, this is what I want," she said. "Flowers, every day for a week. And real flowers, no stupid ferns."

"That's all?" he asked, voice husky and vibrating through her body and straight to the warmth forming in her core.

"No," she breathed, voice quivering. Static formed in the air between them, crackling with energy. It danced across her skin, making Goosebumps litter her flesh. "I want candles in my bedroom, rose petals on my bed sheets, and Barry White on the stereo. The works, Marty."

"Candles in Kensi Blye's bedroom, isn't that a fire hazard or something?" said Deeks, lopsided grin firmly in place.

She held finger across his lips to shush him, before leaning forward to whisper in his ear, his whole body vibrating from the tingle. "And when we leave here, we find somewhere secluded and have sex in the back of my car."

She heard the air catch in his lungs, saw his pupils dilate in shock a fraction of a second before a smile ghosted onto his lips. "That kinda sounds like we both win there," he said.

Kensi fought the smile on her own lips, not sure how successful she was. An instant later, Deeks' comforting hands left her sides, and he turned towards the ball rack with a renewed vigour.

"Okay, now I'm really not sure who I want to win," he said, almost to himself. Then he paused, turning back, understanding on his features. "Oh, really? Really, Kensi, really? I get it now, that's very funny. That's very smart of you; you're worried that I'm going to beat you, so you're trying to mess with me, trying to make me subconsciously lose so you get your way. But it's not going to work. I'm like Zac Efron, baby, I'm going to get my head in the game, and you are going to cook me dinner."

Kensi schooled her face to calm. Damn him and his ability to read her. Deeks wasn't going to beat her, but that didn't mean she wasn't willing to try and stack the deck even further in her favour. Besides, when she won, he prize would be pretty awesome.

Deeks took a moment picking out his ball. As he lifted it into his palm, Kensi couldn't help but notice his grip was slightly different. When he threw the ball down the lane, Kensi couldn't help but notice his posture and motion was smoother, his flourish more precise. And as the ball trundled towards the pins, Kensi couldn't help but notice it curve gently back towards the centre, catching the front pin just off edge and sending every last one of them scattering.

Her partner stood calmly as he awaited the return of his ball, whistling nonchalantly, inspecting his nails for dirt. Kensi recognised the sinking feeling in the pit of her gut.

The second ball had the same effect as the first. By the time he had scored his third strike, Kensi knew she'd been well and truly hustled.

Deeks watched her, face calm and unreadable. "It'll take the computer a second to tally up the scores, but I believe those three strikes – that's called a turkey by the way, also known as getting on the Oregon Trail – means that I beat you by four points."

"You lied to me," she said softly.

"No I didn't," he replied, shaking his head, a small smile tugging the corner of his lips.

"You told me you'd never done this before," she accused, voice rising.

"I said no such thing," he said, grin splitting his features now.

She narrowed her eyes at him. Her voice was calm now, emotionless. "I am going to kick your ass."

Deeks' eyes widened. "Uh oh," he said. Almost as one, they both moved; Kensi lunging for him, Deeks scampering out of his girlfriend's way, rounding the chairs, keeping them between the pair. He grinned victoriously at her. The grin slipped as he took in the focussed look on her face. He broke to the right, but as Kensi moved to intercept him, he dodged left, pulling his body away from her outstretched fingers with only seconds to spare. He laughed as he raced away, Kensi hot on his heels. She couldn't help the giggle that blossomed on her lips as she pursued him across the myriad of lanes, and back towards the bar, aware that people were watching them but not really giving a damn. She chased him into a corner, where he backed up. She approached him slowly, menacingly, the pair of them chuckling like giddy teenagers, but he managed to slip under her arms and escape.

Before he reached the bar, Deeks zagged to the side, into the arcade, weaving his way passed children and teenagers. He rounded the claw machine, looking to circle back on himself, but Kensi was an experienced Agent, and saw his ploy before he even did it, zigging aside to cut him off. She leapt, catching him unawares and sending them both spilling to the carpeted floor. They tumbled together, still laughing, until she was atop him, pinning his arms down. He grinned at her, breaking his hand free from her grip to reverently brush a loose strand of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. Their eyes locked, and energy crackled between them, and Kensi instantly remembered the first time they'd been like this; the day he'd rescued her from the explosive-riddled laser room. That had been the day, she realised, that their feelings for each other had truly begun to deepen.

"Didn't I mention," said Deeks, breathless from their brief race around the building, "that I was State champion when I was twelve?"

"No, you did not," she replied, wiping her own grin from her lips and affecting a disappointed expression. He laughed, not buying it for a second, before he raised his head to kiss her.

"You know you're beautiful when you pout?" he said.

Suddenly aware that people were watching them, Kensi coughed, before hauling herself to her feet. Rather sheepishly, she offered Deeks her hand; he took it, allowing her to pull him upright. He put his arm casually around her shoulder, ignorant of the glances from those around them, and she slipped hers around his waist as they made their way back to the lanes and their things.

Once there, Deeks pulled her close, before glancing around him as if making sure they weren't being overheard. She looked up at him, puzzled.

"Hey, uhm," he began, leaning close to whisper conspiratorially in her ear. "Even though I won, what are the chances of us having sex in your car tonight?"

Kensi clamped her mouth shut to prevent the sudden grin. A second later, once she had schooled her reactions, she arched her eyebrow at him, her face devoid of amusement. He didn't back down, only smiled patiently back at her, head tilted like a dog. She knew he was waiting on an answer, and not even changing the subject would work on Deeks every time. Kensi hooked her finger idly into the loops of his jeans, resting her hand there as she felt a flush creep onto her cheeks. She willed her heart to slow. "I think we can do that," she answered, before tugging him into a brief kiss.

In quick order, they had finished their drinks and changed back into their own shoes. As they made for the exit, Deeks pulled her close so that her head was rested against his shoulder.

"Kens?" he said, as they headed out into the cooler night air.

"Hmm-hmm," she replied.

"Did we break your second date curse?"

She smiled. "Yeah, Marty. Yeah, we did."

They walked towards her car in silence. Then Deeks spoke; "That's a pity, cause I kind of have a phobia about third dates."

Kensi laughed, thumping him on the shoulder.

The next night, Kensi returned to her apartment from her shopping expedition, arms laden with groceries. Stupid Deeks and his stupid cheating. Oh well, if they both got food poisoning, it was all on him. As she made her way towards the kitchen, she heard soft music, faintly echoing in the background. Confused, she followed the source through her home, hearing it grow louder as she neared her bedroom.

Senses alert, she had one hand on her SIG as she reached for the door handle. She pushed the door open. Inside, she had expected inky darkness. Instead she was greeted by the soft flick of light coming from a hundred or more candles, arranged on every available flat surface. It bathed her room in a warm glow, making shadows dance on the walls. She knew, even without looking, that the bed was covered in bright red petals, because now she recognised the music.

Sat on the chair by her dresser, Deeks smiled unabashedly at her.

THE END