Author's Note: I feel incredibly lucky to know my friend (and Beta) Jen. I cannot believe we've known each other this long or that you've put up with my drivel/writing as much as you have. Thank you for your friendship and for taking a last minute look at this. :) One of these days, I'm sure I will disappoint you. I hope it is not today.

I do not own NCIS:LA, any canonical characters, or even my car. Please do not sue me. I promise to return the characters relatively unscathed when I'm done with them.

He shifted slightly as his body finally succumbed to much needed sleep and Kensi couldn't help but startle when his frame sagged in relaxation.

His body was tipped towards her; drooping. His eyes were closed and his shaggy hair hid them from her gaze. It was the same as when she had sliced the binds from his hands, freeing him from that damned chair in that damned room.

It was a memory she couldn't shake and the similarities - then and now- were enough to put her heart in her throat for just the briefest of seconds.

Except then he had blood covering his face, dripping down and staining his shirt front. His cheeks had been so swollen that his normally enticing lips had made her wince sympathetically.

The urge to push his hair away from his face; to watch him breath; to watch his eyelids flutter in sleep; to replace the memory with a vivid image of what he looked like now - home and sleeping as peacefully as he was able; the urge was overwhelming.

She lifted her right hand and allowed a gentle indulgence. The backs of her fingers smoothed the locks away from his brow in barely a caress.

Apparently she was not as stealthy with her touch as she had hoped and she barely got a good look at the face of her partner before he shifted again. Deeks gravitated towards her touch: his entire body lilting in her direction as if her fingers had activated his 'cuddle' mechanism.

He's definitely asleep, she thought to herself with a smirk, examining his face for any sign of consciousness.

His temple was against her collarbone, his chest only a few inches from her side. His right hand twitched and his arm eased ever so slightly closer in a movement so subtle that had she not spent years working next to him, she would have missed it.

A small part of her couldn't help but think that any other time, he would take the late-night movie session as an opportunity to continue to explore their 'horrible communication skills.'

But not tonight. Not now.

Now, she delicately shifted under him, making sure they were both comfortable. Now, she shifted her right arm which encircled his shoulder and gently stroked the hair away from his face.

He sighed deeply and she could felt him relax even further.

Sleep had claimed him, but the tension that radiated through his mind and body still held firm.

Kensi stroked the hair away from his brow again and his hand - as if in reflex to the gentle touch - reached out and somehow managed to find her own. Their fingers tangled and she squeezed his grip.

Damnit but she hated the sting of tears welling in her eyes. She hated that she wanted to cry- that she was going to cry. She hated to see him so broken. She wanted so badly to fix him...to fix this. But she was Bad Ass Blye. She was not the fixer. That was his job.

This was the best she could do for now. For now, she could provide a comforting shoulder, a secure and safe presence and gentle, loving touch.

She toyed with his hair and tipped her head down, placing a delicate kiss to his crown as the first tear rolled down her cheek.

Kensi hated crying. She could count on one hand the number of times she had cried when there wasn't a gunshot wound or broken bone involved.

But right this minute, she cried for him. And for them. And she didn't resent her silent tears nearly as much as she usually did. If tears were a sign of weakness, she'd bear that cross willingly for him. If only the tears could wash some of his demons away.

The minutes ticked by as thoughts and memories swarmed her head. She tangled fingers in his hair, she planted hesitant kisses to his crown. Their fingers disengaged and his grip transferred to her hip, pulling her closer to him. She went willingly; the closer he got to her, the more he relaxed and the deeper he slept.

She let her eyes wander around his apartment and couldn't help but mentally catalog everything that was out of place from his normally fastidiously kept home. Kensi looked around and grimaced, gaining a better understanding of the demons he must have been fighting while he avoided the team.

While he avoided her.

Her head swirled again with that thought.

"You're not allowed to run anymore," she whispered, resting her chin on his head and closing her eyes.

The pre-dawn light peaked through the curtains and Kensi winced. She blinked, clearing her vision and finally letting her eyes fall on his clock.

5:42. Crap. She must have drifted off. Her back would be sore today from sleeping half-upright and covered in Deeks, but she wouldn't trade it for the most comfortable bed. A small back ache was an acceptable price to know that your friend - your best friend - was taken care of.

Plus, if she was being completely honest with herself, the inadvertent snuggling was its own reward.

Kensi shifted, trying to stretch her legs without jostling her living-blanket. He stirred from her movements and she felt his body steadily creep into wakefulness.

She smiled. That's good. At least he isn't freaking out. A slow crawl into consciousness is a good sign.

Kensi let her fingers toy with his hair as he came around. She squeezed his bicep and gently rubbed his arm. She managed to smother a grin when his fingers gripped her hip and he pulled her close just as his eyes cracked for the first time.

"Hey," she whispered, trying to not look as if she was enjoying the affection as much as she actually was.

She felt him tense in her arms, but it was not the tension of a man about to have a PTSD melt-down. It was the tension of a man who didn't remember how he got into someone's embrace and was fearful of the fallout.

Kensi squeezed his arm again, trying to offer reassurance, and let her fingernails gently scratch his scalp. "You were tired, huh?"

"I guess so," he agreed, his voice thick with sleep. Deeks pulled his head off her chest and managed to look at her abashedly.

"You could probably use a few more hours," she grinned. "But unfortunately you will have to get that sleep without your personal body-pillow. I have to get to OSP soon."

Deeks blinked, trying to purge the sleep from his eyes and mind. "What time is it?"

"Almost six."

"You stayed all night?"

"Yep."

"Did you get any sleep?" he queried, starting to pull away from her.

Kensi held firm to his arm and refused to untangle her fingers from his hair. He wasn't just pulling away to let her get to work; he was shutting down. She could feel the tension creeping back into him. And she feared he was too self-conscious about their current proximity to let himself relax around her again.

"I slept enough," she spoke firmly but with kindness and she tried to catch his gaze.

Deeks tried to pull his arm again, frowning at her grip. "Kens. I'm sorry. Let me-"

She interrupted him with a firm squeeze to his arm. "Deeks!"

He sighed and finally let himself look her in the eye.

"I'm fine. Don't apologize." Kensi knew the doubtful self-deprecating look that crossed his features and she smirked. "Any other circumstances, I'd even say it was 'nice.' Dinner. Movie. Fall asleep on the couch. One of the best nights in a girl could ask for."

"I-"

She shook her head, forestalling his words as he tried to apologize again for having draped himself across her in his sleep. "I'm glad you got some rest," she said. "And, honestly, that was probably the most I've slept since..." she didn't finish the sentence, letting her voice trail off. It didn't need to be spoken.

Deeks blinked. He certainly hadn't thought she'd be losing sleep. Sam? Sure. But Kensi or Callen? He had never considered it a possibility.

She nodded as she watched him process what she had just revealed. "It was hard when I couldn't talk to you, you know?" she whispered with a half shrug, referring to his chronic avoidance of her phone calls.

She had missed him. Those weren't her words. But its what she said.

Kensi looked away and released her grip on his arm. She leaned up and quickly placed the briefest of kisses on his forehead before rising from the couch.

"You need a shower!" she pulled him off the couch and down the hall. She gently steered him into his bedroom and the ensuite bath. "Coffee will be ready when you're done."

He stood in the bathroom looking somewhat perplexed and she shut the door.

She moved in a flurry fueled by anger. She was pissed she hadn't come by sooner. She was pissed this happened in the first place. She was pissed that she hadn't said anything after he kissed her. She was pissed she had to go to work and couldn't stay here all day to tend to her partner. She needed to be here as much as he apparently needed her to be here.

The anger became momentum for the fastest house cleaning she had ever done.

His bedroom was littered with laundry and she managed to scoop up the errant pieces of clothing and his stale bed linens, shoving them into his laundry basket. She shut the open drawers to his dresser and grabbed the two random energy-drink cans that had migrated away from the kitchen.

She propped the laundry basket on a hip and on the way to the washing machine, she chucked the trash in the bin. The laundry all got dumped in the washer - there was no time for sorting.

Kensi scooped the decaf into the pot and set it to brew. The last thing he needs is more caffeine.

The dishes were loaded into the dishwasher as efficiently as she could and she did a quick round with a trash-bag picking up all of the obvious pieces of trash that littered his home.

The sound of the water turning off in the shower hit her ears and she couldn't help but grin as she took stock of the house. It sure as hell wasn't spotless but it certainly was better than before.

That has to be some kind of record for the world's fastest house cleaning, she thought.

She found a pad and pen in his kitchen drawer.

Switch your laundry. Put fresh sheets on your bed. Empty the dishwasher. Vaccum. Open the windows. Take out the trash.

I'm not the maid.

No, I'm not wearing a French Maid costume for you.

-K

The coffee pot sputtered at the end of its brew cycle and she grabbed a mug from his cupboard. She poured the coffee, adding milk and a bit of sugar, just as he liked it. She grabbed one of his travel-mugs and made her own coffee - which required substantially more sugar.

She put two bits of bread in the toaster and hit the plunger. She pulled some jam out of the fridge, making a mental note of the lack of groceries, and put the jam and a clean knife on a plate in front of the toaster.

"I think my shower has become some sort of alternate universe portal. What the hell happened?" He stood in the doorway looking absolutely perplexed at his suddenly clean home and his best friend being domestic in his kitchen.

She whirled at the sound of his voice and mentally steeled herself against his pending snark. When none came she almost was at a loss.

She grabbed his coffee mug in one hand, hers in the other, and crossed the room to stand in front of him.

His hair was damp from his shower. He hadn't shaved or trimmed his scruff, but he certainly looked more like the man she knew. The faint scent of his soap tickled her nose.

Kensi extended his coffee cup, glaring pointedly at him until he accepted the steaming drink.

"Toast is almost ready," she offered.

"Kensi-"

Her brown locks fluttered as she shook her head in firm defiance. "I've got enough time go home and grab a shower before I head in. Do your chores." She pointed at the note on the counter.

Kensi grabbed her car keys off the table and the travel mug from the counter. She stilled when she reached the door.

"You'll answer your phone today?" she pleaded in a voice barely above a whisper.

He could only nod his head, meeting her eyes.

"Promise?"

He nodded solemnly. "Promise."

"Good." She didn't even try to hide her smile as she pulled the door shut behind her and hurried to her car.

Deeks blinked, not entirely sure what had just happened, but not at all displeased with the morning so far. It was certainly better than his last several mornings.

The sound of the toaster popping the crispy bread to the surface caused him to chuckle.

She missed me.