A/N This is the final part of The Most Precious Gift. I have been surprised and touched by the number of reviews, favourites and follows this story has garnered and am grateful for each one. It was lovely writing it knowing so many people were interested.

Thank you to EmmyLou74, pracarual and bookdiva – your support and advice has been much appreciated. x

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It was going to be just another day. Now it was THE day. Deeks flopped into his chair, throwing his bag on the desk and stared again at the note in his hand. There was no message, just three facts – a time, a date and a place, scrawled in Hetty's writing. He knew what it meant, absolutely, no doubts. Kensi was coming home. Today. It's going to be a long day.

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Kensi felt lighter than she had in months. She had done her job, it was over. She sang, somewhat off key, moving quickly around the confined space she had slept in, or rather, failed to sleep in, during the classified mission, whilst throwing various belongings into her bags, taking care with one important object which she wrapped carefully in layers of clothing before placing it gently in the centre of the holdall. She was going home. Today. She smiled as she considered what the next few days may entail – a restful night's sleep, on the right side of the bed, comfy clothes, yoga pants and a soft, faded LAPD T-shirt, the beach, maybe some surfing, a burger, with beers, on my couch and America's Next Top Model, family and friends, Mum, the guys, Monty. And Deeks. She smiled softly. Definitely Deeks.

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It was 5.30 pm. The note had stated 6 pm. Deeks was early. Having left work at 4, rushing home to shower, change and walk Monty, he had then found himself incapable of doing anything other than pace around his apartment, watching the second hand on the clock move tortuously slowly, feeling as though time may actually be standing still. Unable to wait a moment longer he had grabbed his gun, wallet and phone from the table, scratched Monty behind the ear, reassuring him confidently "don't worry buddy, you'll see her soon", and raced to his car.

The LA traffic had been uncharacteristically kind and with the satnav's assistance he'd experienced no difficulties finding the small, little known airstrip Hetty's note had directed him to. And now he had time to sit and think, to contemplate what the next few days may hold – the best sleep ever, on the left side of the bed, lazy breakfasts, stacks of pancakes, maybe a donut or two, relaxed dinners, take out whilst watching a movie, time with his best friend, Kensi. He smiled happily. Definitely Kensi.

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Kensi wriggled in the cramped aeroplane seat trying desperately to ease her aching muscles. They had been in the air for over 12 hours and she had been surprised that despite her exhaustion, deep sleep had evaded her and she had merely napped, fitfully, on and off during the flight. She pulled the blanket tighter around her, bringing the edge nearer to her face and closed her eyes, determined to spend at least some of the remaining time on the plane resting. As she began to doze once more, her thoughts turned to her impending arrival in Los Angeles.

Will he be there, waiting for me at the airstrip? Does he know I'm coming home today? Surely he'll be there if he does? Would Hetty have told him? I hope he'll come on his own. I'm not sure I could face Callen and Sam right now, although I wouldn't mind a cuddle with Monty. What am I going to say to him? Should I hug him? Will he kiss me? I look a mess. I wish I was wearing something nicer, that my hair looked better. What if someone else is meeting me? No, he'll be waiting for me at the airstrip. He's always there for me. I want to see him.

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Will she be expecting me? What if she would have preferred to go straight home on her own? Being back will take some major adjusting to, after all. Should I have brought something with me? Flowers? No, she'd hate that. Do I look ok? This shirt is nothing special. Maybe I should have organised for everyone to be here, they've all missed her too. I don't think she'd want that though, before she's had some down time. I could have brought Monty, she would probably have liked that. Should I kiss her? Will I still be able to tell what she's thinking? It may have been better to ask her Mum to meet her. But I know how she feels about me. She'd choose me to be here. I want to see her.

Deeks eyes flew open and his head snapped up at the unmistakeable sound of a plane circling above, preparing to land. The light was now fading as the sun started to set but Deeks watched intently as the plane touched the ground and slowly came to a halt. He stayed seated, gathering his thoughts and steeling his nerve to exit the car. He knew he had to move, to get into a position where she would see him waiting for her. His legs felt leaden, weighed down by expectation and anticipation. C'mon man. This is the moment you've been dreaming of for months. He exhaled deeply, twice, and pushed open the door.

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Deeks stood, leaning against a wall, just 200 feet away from the plane, trying to adopt a casual, yet attentive, stance. This is ridiculous, I'm not going to keep still the second I see her anyway and she's unlikely to notice how I'm standing. He couldn't believe how long it was taking for the passengers to emerge. What on earth are they doing in there?

Eventually a stream of people he didn't know or recognise appeared in the doorway and descended from the plane. Deeks' heart constricted as he suddenly spotted long brown curls blowing in the breeze. There she was. She was really home. Alive, safe and only yards from him, almost within touching distance. A young marine appeared behind her who, clearly trying to be helpful, held out his hand, offering to carry her large holdall to the ground. Deeks chuckled wryly as he witnessed Kensi whip the bag away from the marine and advance determinedly down the steps. That's my girl.

Deeks prised himself away from the wall and began walking slowly towards the plane, never taking his eyes from Kensi's face. As her feet hit the tarmac she looked up, noticing him immediately. Their eyes locked, they both stood still, unsure how to react or what to do next.

She's back.

He's here.

She looks exhausted. She's lost weight.

He looks tired. And scruffy.

She is so beautiful. I will tell her every day.

He looks great. It won't do his ego any good if I tell him that very often.

I want to hold her, to prove she's really home.

I want him to hold me, to help erase everything I've seen and done.

Should I kiss her?

Please, please don't kiss me in front of all these people.

They began to move towards each other, unhurriedly, never losing eye contact. Deeks' hand strayed to the back of his head, palm brushing agitatedly across the nape of his neck. Kensi's lower lip caught between her teeth, and she bit it anxiously. They stopped, inches apart and for a brief moment simply gazed at each other, both overwhelmed by their emotions and stunned to finally be reunited.

Deeks offered a nervous smile and, swallowing any awkwardness, reached out, tenderly tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "Hey Fern."

"Hey," returned Kensi, glancing at the ground as she slid a bag from her shoulder and it fell next to her holdall on the floor.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine." Kensi sighed lightly in response to Deeks' raised eyebrow. "Good, I'm good. You?"

"I'm good if you're good." Deeks paused, faltering over his next question. "So, er, need a ride?"

"Sure." Kensi suddenly grinned. "Seems I left my flying carpet on the plane."

Deeks beamed at her, relief flooding his features."Touché Blye. Touché. Come on, car's this way."

"Want me to drive?" Kensi asked in a teasing tone.

"Seriously? You've been back 2 minutes! Your choice – you can drive OR you can pick the radio station."

"Music. I'm too tired to drive anyway."

"Ok, Danielle Petrionelle and Harvey McKay it is." He muttered under his breath.

"Since when do you know any techo artists?" Kensi queried curiously.

Deeks' face flushed a little as he smiled at her sheepishly. "Since you left the radio tuned to some random techno station then disappeared for 4 months." He was delighted to see the corners of Kensi's mouth twitch upwards in response to his reply.

"Actually, I'm not sure if I can just go. Granger will probably want me to attend a debriefing or something."

Deeks decided not to acknowledge the obvious subject change and observed Kensi check the surrounding area, looking for Granger. Both noticed him approach a shiny black SUV before he turned, glancing in their direction. Granger's eyes fixed on Kensi and he nodded, giving a half wave, half salute, before jumping into the car and speeding away in the opposite direction.

"Seems he has a better offer." Kensi commented dryly.

"As do you." Deeks replied, a small smile appearing as he looked between Kensi and Granger's rapidly disappearing car.

Kensi blushed and looked briefly at her feet before lifting her chin and raising her eyebrows. "Hmm, not sure about that. Although I have really missed..." She paused then smirked, "…Monty."

A joyful laugh escaped Deeks' mouth and he mustered all his will power to prevent him from scooping her into a giant hug. "So, we done here?" He asked, gesturing vaguely around them.

"Yep, guess so." Kensi replied softly.

Deeks turned to Kensi, determined to root them in normality as quickly as possible. "Are you, are you hungry?"

"Oh yeah. What do you feel like?"

"Er, I don't know. I was thinking, you know, something like tacos, maybe?"

"Perfect." Kensi practically began to salivate, thinking of the delicious, greasy take out.

"Perfect."

Deeks lifted her bags off the ground, slinging the rucksack over one shoulder, waiting for a protest from Kensi. When none came he rejoiced inwardly at the significance of her accepting his help, and inclined his head in the direction of the car. Deeks twisted slightly towards Kensi whilst walking and gently bumped his shoulder to hers, grinning in return when he was rewarded with an eye roll and a smile. Kensi gravitated nearer his side and they walked, as they had done so often in the past, close together, arms brushing against each other.

Silently acknowledging the shift in their relationship, Deek's right hand grazed Kensi's left. Both continued to face ahead as they moved towards the car, neither commenting on the intimate gesture nor pulling their hand away. Cautiously, tentative fingertips touched as knuckles shyly intertwined.

And there they were; ready to resume what had only just begun before an enforced hiatus. Both realised challenges lay ahead as they tried to balance their professional partnership and personal relationship but Deeks knew how important he was to Kensi and Kensi was confident Deeks wouldn't leave her alone. Consequently there was no pressure to figure out the rest immediately. The possibilities were endless. They had all the time in the world.