#protective Kensi

[ejzah]

A/N: Just a silly little drabble where Talia is Talia and Kensi attempts to set up boundaries.

***

Energy

When Hetty announced that Talia Del Campo would be joking the team for another case, Kensi had sighed internally. She’d come to terms with Talia’s personality and over her jealous now that she and Deeks were together. Mostly. Talia’s constant need to push buttons still could be exhausting.

The case had gone surprisingly well though. For once, Talia kept her hands to herself, and in the absence of annoying behavior, Kensi found her a good partner. Not quite as good as Deeks, but a fair trade for a day.

“I could go for a beer, or ten,” Talia said as they carried their weapons back into the armory. “Maybe a margarita instead. What do you say?” Talia glanced over her shoulder at Kensi.

“As long as those drinks come with a burrito,” she agreed. “I know Deeks will be thrilled. He’s been talking about fish tacos all week.”

“Of course, we can’t for get Deeks.” Kensi saw Talia’s lip twist in a little smirk as she efficiently cleaned a Glock. “So, you and Deeks. What’s that been like?”

Not sure where this was going, Kensi shrugged. “It’s been good. We’ve figured out how to navigate working together and dating. It’s definitely a learning curve at first.”

“That’s nice, but that’s not exactly what I meant. I’m more curious about the physical aspects. I mean, I’ve always gotten a certain kind of big energy from him,” Talia explained, the innuendo heavy in her voice. Kensi’s mouth fell open and she gasped at Talia for a second. Then apparently just in case Kensi didn’t get the message, Talia dropped her gaze to Kensi’s lower body and raised an eyebrow suggestively.

“Oh my god! No, I am not talking about any of that with you,” Kensi refused. Talia already had enough trouble with boundaries as it was. She was not giving her any more fuel.

“Oh come on, I’ve been single for a while now. Help a girl out.”

“Absolutely not. You’re talking about my boyfriend. Who you have kissed before.” Talia smiled as if remembering it all fondly. “In front of me. While we were together. I am not giving you anything else. Especially not about his…”

“Manhood?” Talia offered helpfully.

“Ew, stop. I’m gonna need five drinks after this,” Kensi groaned.

“Oh Kensi, I can do so much worse than that. I thought it was fairly tasteful. Like in one of those regency romance novels where the woman has half her bodice ripped off.” Making a slashing gesture across her chest with a would-be innocent expression.

Handing her the rest of the weapons with more force than was strictly necessary, Kensi crossed her arms over her chest.

“Ok, from this day forward, we are not discussing Deeks. Especially not any part of his anatomy,” Kensi told her, making sound more like a threat than a simple boundary.

Talia sighed heavily, looking completely unfazed. “Fine. But a girl can dream.”

Before Kensi could comment on that, Deeks poked his head around the doorway. “Ah, there’s my Ladybird. You guys need any help?”

“Nope,” Kensi answered for both of them. Crossing over to him, she grabbed Deeks by his sleeve, and pushed him back through the door. “We just finished. Let’s go.”

“What? Where are we going?”

“Anywhere, but here. I promise, it’s for your own protection,” Kensi said under her breath.

Deeks frowned at her, but still allowed her to tug him down the hall. She swore she heard Talia’s laugh echo after them.

[densi-mber]

Unforgettable

A/N: This takes place post season seven.

***

“So, what did your mom want?” Kensi asked, snatching an onion ring off Deeks’ plate. Knowing she’d slowly work her way through them, Deeks pushed half of the remaining portion onto her plate. At one point, it would have annoyed her that Deeks knew her so well, but now it made her love him even more.

They’d been gifted a long weekend from Hetty, so they’d decided to make the most of the time and visit a new restaurant in the neighborhood.

“Eh, she had a disagreement with her roofer and now she wants me to intercede,” Deeks answered with a roll of his eyes. “I swear she thinks I’m her personal attorney, even though I keep reminding her that I haven’t practiced in years. At least not regularly.”

“I guess you should be glad it’s not another boyfriend.”

Deeks accepted her point with a nod of his head. He didn’t look thrilled by the reminder.

“Yeah, definitely not looking forward to the next surprise double date. At least the last guy was reasonably normal. Which isn’t saying much.” He shook his head before Kensi could ask. “You don’t want to know. I already told you about the guy who tried to build a bunker in her house.”

Kensi patted his hand sympathetically. For all her own struggles with her mom, there was something to be said for Julia’s overall normalcy. Sure, Julia could be pushy and nosey when she wanted, but she didn’t have the dramatic and eccentric tendencies of Roberta.

“Alright, so no more talk about your mom,” Kensi surmised.

“I appreciate that.”

“Oh, did I tell you I heard back about that conference in August? The one on bilingualism. They asked me to present.”

“That’s amazing,” Deeks said, leaning across the table to kiss her. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks. It’s going to be extra work, but I’m kind of looking forward to it. Maybe you can take a few days and come with me.”

Deeks snorted at that. “I’m sure Hetty will love that idea. Maybe I can—”

He stopped mid-sentence, his his gaze shifting, beyond her. His eyes remained focused somewhere beyond her shoulder for another second and then he blinked, shaking off whatever had distracted him.

“Babe?”

“Sorry, I just thought I saw someone I recognized,” he insisted, flashing her a quick smile. It seemed forced, not crinkling the corners of his eyes the way a genuine smile did. He almost look…unnerved. Which was unusual in and of itself.

He resumed the conversation, but she saw his eyes flick away every so often.

After the fifth time, she sighed in exasperation, and turned around, following his gaze to the corner booth. Two women sat opposite each other, one a brunette and the other a blonde. They seemed deep in conversation.

“Who is she?”

“Kens…”

Kensi turned back, frowning at Deeks as he started to wave off her question.

“Deeks, you can’t stop looking at that table, and you’re obviously nervous. She nodded to his hand which he’d just lifted to brush his bangs off his forehead. He immediately dropped it to the table, looking slightly caged in. “So why are you staring at those women?”

He sighed, dropping his head to stare at his loosely clenched fist. With the other hand, he started spinning a cardboard coaster.

“The one facing away from us is Sylvia Gray. My ex,” he answered, his voice low.

“The one you have a—?” She could hear the shock in her own voice.

“A restraining order against, yeah.” He nodded, then amended, eyes still focused on the table, “Well had. It expired last year.”

“Deeks!” Kensi murmured, vaguely horrified. She’d never known more beyond his explanation that it was a “bad breakup”, but she knew it couldn’t be a simple fight if Deeks had gone so far as to involve the police. “Why would you let it expire?”

“Kens, it’s not a big deal,” he insisted, and she wondered if he was trying to convince himself too.

“Deeks, you know what happens when people no longer have those restrictions in place.”

“Yeah, when it comes to violent, repeat offenders. But this is not that kind of situation. I haven’t even seen her since I filed the restraining order.”

Kensi shook her head in disbelief. Only Deeks would defend a person who had done him harm.

“So, you think it’s a complete coincidence that she ended up at the same place as you?” Kensi asked, and Deeks shrugged.

“Probably. It is a small world after all. Can we just enjoy the rest of our dinner? I promise I won’t get distracted again.

She didn’t like it, but it wasn’t like she could force Deeks to change his mind. He could be just as stubborn as she was. Most importantly, she needed to trust him to make the right decision. “Ok,” she agreed, squeezing his hand.

Their waiter brought their entrees a few minutes later, and they spent the next half hour enjoying the food while the discussion turned to what they should do with the extra bedroom. By the time Deeks had finished a very articulate defense for converting it to a workout room, Kensi had almost forgotten about Sylvia.

“Get me another beer,” she requested as she stood to go to the bathroom. She gave Deeks a quick kiss, snatching the last onion ring. “And a basket of fried mozzarella.”

There was a small line outside the ladies’ room, and then a young drunk girl needed help getting her strappy shirt untangled. Kensi finally escaped about ten minutes later.

As she walked back to their table, she saw Deeks was no longer alone. Sylvia sat across from him. Even without having seen her head on before, Kensi knew it was her. Her arms were crossed on the table, and from this distance, Kensi could see her lips moving rapidly though she couldn’t hear anything. Deeks sat with his back hunched, Kensi stilled, not certain if she should intrude.

This was completely unchartered territory for her; normally, she’d charge in without thought to the outcome. Somehow this felt different. Whatever Deeks had shared with Sylvia went deeper than she’d realized.

The decision was made for her a minute later, when Sylvia reached for Deeks’ hand, her voice rising sharply at the same time. Deeks’ visibly straightened, and he tugged his arm back, but Sylvia didn’t let go.

By the time Kensi reached them, several people were looking their way. Kensi glared at the closest table until the couple sitting there hastily turned away.

“Sylvia, this isn’t the place for this,” she heard Deeks say, still speaking in a hushed, private tone. To anyone else, he might have appeared completely calm and collected, but Kensi saw the tension in his body.

“You can’t make me leave,” she shot back. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. When Sylvia opened her eyes again, she looked calmer. “Marty, I just want to talk.”

The way her nails dug into Deeks’ skin said otherwise. They were so focused on each other, they didn’t notice Kensi standing a few feet away.

Up close, Sylvia looked older than Kensi had anticipated. Grayish shadows framed her eyes, and though her clothes were high quality, they hung on her thin frame. Overall, she looked kind of careworn.

“Well I don’t. I told you whatever we had was over long ago, and bringing it up again won’t change anything.”

“Maybe I want to apologize. You know, I never got that chance.” Her tone left no doubt who she blamed for missing that opportunity.

“Sylvia, what happened the last time we were together,” Deeks said, pausing for a moment. “Was not healthy. It’s not something that you can come back from, and as much as I want you to be happy, and successful, I don’t want to reestablish any form of a relationship with you.”

“Then why did you let the restraining order lapse?” she asked helplessly.

“Because I didn’t want to keep holding what happened over your head. You deserve to live your life, and so do I. I don’t want to go back to LAPD, but if you don’t leave me alone, I will,” Deeks told her bluntly.

Sylvia’s face caved, expression turning desperate. “Marty, please.”

“I think it’s time for you to go,” Kensi interceded. Sylvia jerked, eyeing Kensi with wary recognition. When Kensi dropped her eyes to where she still clung to Deeks, Sylvia hastily snatched her hand back.

“Kens, it’s ok,” Deeks said, though he looked relieved nonetheless.

Sylvia lifted her chin stubbornly, apparently not ready to give in. There was a dangerous tenacity Kensi recognized, and it made her skin crawl “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Maybe not, but I’m overprotective. You need to leave now.”

As Sylvia leaned back, clearly intimated by Kensi’s couched threat, the woman she sat with earlier came over, looking deeply uncomfortable.

“Sylvie, I told you this was a bad idea,” she hissed, glancing between Kensi and Deeks. “C’mon, let’s leave before something you can’t fix happens.”

Casting Deeks a final look, she reluctantly stood. “I really am sorry,” she murmured, letting her friend drag her away.

Deeks watched them go, not relaxing until they were actually out of the door. Then he pressed his palms over his eye sockets, exhaling unevenly.

“Are you ok?” Kensi asked, sliding her hand over his forearm. He nodded, running his hands down his face, finally facing her. He looked exhausted.

“Yeah, I just didn’t expect that.”

“I kind of got that. You want to tell me what happened with here?”

“No.” He chuckled humorously, folding his hands in front of him. His food lay forgotten, probably cold by now, and Kensi was pretty certain he wouldn’t be eating it tonight.

“I met Sylvia shortly after I decided to quit law. She was getting her Master’s in physical therapy. We met at a friend’s party, and we hit it off. The first couple of months we were casual,” Deeks paused, eyes distant. “Somewhere in there things sped up really quick. We spent all our time together, which wasn’t much since she had grad classes and I was at the academy.”

“That sounds pretty intense,” Kensi commented, and he sighed again.

“You have no idea. We’d only been dating for about 6-8 months when she started talking about moving in together,” he continued. “I kept finding excuses to put it off, or just ignored the not-so-subtle hints. I tried to keep her happy even though I knew that there as a reason I didn’t want to take the next step. I guess I didn’t feel like dealing with the fallout.”

She tried to imagine a much younger Deeks navigating a rocky relationship. How much had his experience with his father influenced his decision to stay in a relationship in which he wasn’t completely happy.

“Then one day I came home from training, it was probably one in the morning, and Sylvia was there in my apartment. She had a key, but we kind of had a rule that we wouldn’t go to each other’s places if the other one wasn’t there.” Kensi nodded, as he looked to her, maybe for reassurance. “So she’s sitting on my couch with a bunch of papers and I don’t even know what.” His expression turned almost guilty, and he dipped his head briefly. “I snapped and demanded to know what the hell she was doing.”

“And Sylvia, god bless her, snapped right back. She said she knew I’d been cheating on her with someone, one of the strippers I knew. She claimed that was why I was always gone and never had enough time for her.

“I’m not proud of it, but I told her that if she didn’t trust me, then she should just leave, and we were over,” he said.

“Deeks, you did nothing wrong,” Kensi told him, grabbing his shoulder for evidence. Deeks shrugged, looking unconvinced.

“I promised myself I would never raise my voice like that, and yet I turned right to shouting as soon as things got difficult.”

“What happened next?”

Deeks’ jaw tightened even more, his anxiety rising with her question.

“We started shouting at each other. You couldn’t even hear what we were saying. Sylvia threw everything on the table on the floor, and I was so close to losing it, I knew I needed to take a step back. I didn’t pay attention when she followed me into the kitchen, and the next thing, she’d grabbed a knife from the dish rack and started waving it around.”

Kensi barely breathed, completely transfixed. Deeks’ voice had dropped almost to a whisper, gravelly and shaky now.

“I honestly don’t think she fully realized what she was doing. She was so, so angry,” he whispered. “Of course, I was freaking out. I tried all the calming techniques I’d learned, but somehow that’s more effective when you’re not the one with the knife in your face.”

He cleared his throat. “Eventually, I told her she needed to get the hell out or I'd call LAPD. And, uh, that’s when she ran at me.” His hand ran down his bicep, almost subconsciously. “She sliced straight down my arm. Fortunately she didn’t hit anything important.”

“Oh my god, Deeks!” Kensi gasped. He’d let the woman sit a few feet away from him. He offered her a grim smile, continuing on, like he needed to get it all out without stopping.

“I blocked her the next time and got her to drop the knife. After that, she just started hitting at me. I don’t even remember most of it. But the neighbors had heard the shouting, and uh, one of them called the police. When they got there, I was bleeding, Sylvia screaming and throwing anything she could get her hands on, they arrested her and brought me in to take my testimony.”

“Like I told you before, I haven’t seen her since I filed the restraining order.” Deeks spread his hands wide, as if to ask, “what do you think?”

Kensi hugged him, needing to feel him alive and safe in her arms, as much as she wanted to provide some comfort.

“I’m so sorry that happened, Deeks,” she murmured, hugging him even tighter.

“Me too,” he said, and she knew he meant it.

Kensi pulled back, and gently grasped his chin. “It’s not your fault though. You know that, right?”

“Yeah. But I probably could have handled it better.”

“No, nothing gave her the right to attack you that way, baby.” She held his chin until he met her gaze and reluctantly nodded. “I know you’re not goin to like this, but I want to run a background check on her to make sure she hasn’t been stalking you or anything.”

“Kens…”

“Deeks, please do this. For me. I need to know that you’re safe,” she begged, not feeling to bad about the slight manipulation.

“Ok,” he relented. “But I’m not renewing the restraining order unless there’s definitive proof that she’s been trying to make contact,” he added firmly.

“Alright.”

“Can we go home now?” he requested.

“Of course.” Kensi held him a little tighter than normal as they walked to the parking lot.

[panties-on-boys]

the fact that anytime something scary happens, richie always calls out for eddie :(((( and only eddie :( god help me

how he touches eddie’s arm when he gets cut for the blood oath i’m fucking crying

eddie’s fucking blood circling richie’s ring finger like a wedding band. EDDIE’S BLOOD CIRCLING RICHIE’S RING FINGER LIKE A WEDDING BAND!!!!!!!

he’s still in there we can still help him eddie!!! EDDIE!!!

[liar-or-lawyer]

[oneforthemunny]

the girls for sure winds kensy up about santa claus just to get a rise out of her

tells her santa is going to steal mom away from dad, shes getting coal for christmas

STOOOPPPPPPP LMAO

she's bawling coming to eddie and nb bc the twins (before there was vega, there was the forces of nature sicily and sienna) told her they put in their letter to santa that kensie needed to be on the naughty list. and they 'sent' their letters off yesterday to the north pole and she is in a PANIC.

eddie is so fuckin' annoyed like??? why the fuck would they say that lmao?? it's funny but it's also got kensy in a panic, so eddie has to "write" his own letter to santa for her telling him not to listen to them.

"their's will get there first!"

"ok well i'm an adult, and santa has to listen to daddy over them."

and when they say the thing about santa kidnapping you (they watched the nightmare before christmas and were evily inspired) kensie goes running to eddie again, wailing and petrified.

"if santa tries to steal mom, i'll kick his- he won't do it. i'll protect her."

"but he's santa!"

"i can take santa. he won't, i promise. santa's a good guy anyways."

[deluweil]

NCIS LA rewatch,

I move between S1 and S2 intervals, the almost siblings relationship between Kensi and Sam and Callen is always super sweet and fun to watch.

She teases them mercilessly and they tease her back giving her input about male moves so that she doesn't fall for any of the cheap tricks and are always protective of her all the way up to the very last season.

Sam and Callen's relationship and obvious bromance is always beautiful and super funny to watch because they tease each other and bicker and banter like partners who have been together for too long and love each other unconditionally on all their faults like brothers - I am always watching them torn between laughter and "Awww"

And Deeks baby steps in the team are always my favorite episodes, because they just lost one of their own and Deeks is not one of them yet, but you can't help but like him while being annoyed at him and trust him once he proved himself and saved each of them individually.

And Hetty!! I can make loooong loooong posts just about her and her dynamics with each of them, she's the best!!

This team is so well formed, I am going to enjoy this rewatch thoroughly!!

[bullet-prooflove]

Covert Affairs: Vostanik Sabatino x Reader (feat: G. Callen)

Tagging: @kmc1989 @novamariestark @words-and-seeds @thiashazzywriting @whateversomethingbruh

You’ve been with Sabatino almost two years when your relationship gets thrust into the spotlight. It’s a litany of stolen moments whenever he arrives back in LA. Whirlwind dinner dates and nights spent ruining you in the sheets of his hotel room. You hit your favourite brunch spots, ranking them with detailed notes you keep on your phone for the next time he’s in town. He gives you a tour of Hollywood, the places he used to haunt back in the day when he was playing with his band. You catch a couple of shows over pitchers of beer in a dive bar or two.

“Do you ever think about doing it again?” You ask him as you watch the band from a spot near the bar. Your back comes to rest against his chest, his arm looped around your waist, holding you close.

“Maybe one day, when I finally put down some roots.” He murmurs into your ear as he nuzzles the curve of your throat. “I miss making music.”

He fucks you in the bathroom of the bar, the pulse of the music vibrating through the walls as he goes down on you to a God-awful rendition of ‘Killer Queen’. Whenever you hear that song in the aftermath, you think of that night. His mouth on you, tongue thrust deep inside when you come for him just as Freddy hits the high note.

Sam’s away in Somalia when Nell and Eric identify a problem. Someone has been downloading classified data from the NCIS server and selling it on the black market. An investigation is opened into everyone who was working at a computer terminal during the download, and you happen to be one of them. You’d stayed late to catch up on the after-action reports after losing a bet to Callen at the shooting rage.

It’s ridiculous that a tickle in your nose just as you’re about to pull the trigger is the reason your whole life blows up.

Part of the investigation includes cloning the personal phones of the people under suspicion so they can deep dive into their lives. You make it relatively easy, leaving yours in the top drawer of your desk when you hit the gym with Kensi. Nobody really believes it’s you, you’ve been with them six years. You’ve shed blood, cried tears, saved their lives, fought their battles. For Nell and Eric, it’s simply a process of elimination, that is until they find a wealth of incriminating data.

Calls from multiple international sources they can’t verify.

An encrypted message app, hidden under the calculator icon.

A secret cache of files that are password protected.

It’s all high-level security, something you don’t need on your personal device, almost NSA level shit. Even with their tech savvy it would take hours to break into the phone and they don’t have that kind of time because you’ve just received a text from a burner cell telling you to meet at The Majestic Hotel, Room 216, later this evening.

You must be meeting the buyer.

They can’t take the risk of that information falling into the wrong hands, so it becomes an op with you as the target. It’s hastily put together, there’s no time to run prior surveillance because it’s going down just as they pull up to the hotel. They catch a glimpse of you stepping into the room before the door closes quietly behind you.

Callen, Deeks and Kensi take up residence just outside the door, allowing a few minutes for the exchange to take place before they use the keycard to gain entry.

When they burst into the room guns drawn, it’s not what anyone expected.

The first thing they see is Sabatino. He’s in a state of undress. His white button up shirt hangs open, revealing his bare chest including that messy scar etched into his flesh. There’s lipstick marks trailing down the hollow of his throat, staining his skin. It’s fire engine red, the shade you were wearing. He holds his hands up in a gesture of surrender, his body shielding you from what he perceives to be a threat.

For Callen it's an echo back to that day in Afghanistan, the one when Sabatino put himself between you and the bullet that would have ended your life.

When you step out from behind him, you’re in a similar state of disarray. Your lipstick is smeared across your mouth, your hands tugging the fabric of the black wrap dress around your body covering up the lingerie that you’re wearing.

You’re both arrested and taken to separate interrogation rooms in the Boatshed. You’re silent in the face of the accusation but Sabatino, he will not stop talking. He’s pissed on your behalf, that your team won’t give you the benefit of the doubt, that you’re being treated like a criminal. Him, he’s used to this shit, but you deserve better.

You don’t blame them for suspecting you, you know how it looks. You’d be doing the same thing in their shoes; in fact, you have.

They sweat you for a while, leave you spinning your wheels. It’s standard procedure in a case like this, let the suspect get in their own head, make them eager to talk. You know what’ll happen in that time, they’ll find evidence of your relationship with Sabatino. It’s not that that bothers you, it’s the intimate items you’d brought with you to the hotel room sitting in your overnight bag. The one that someone is now going to have to search through. It’s humiliating.

It's Callen that comes to interrogate you, you didn’t expect anything different, he is your superior after all. You know that your conversation is about to get a lot more personal because Callen has to consider the possibility that Sabatino’s been using you for intel, he wouldn’t be doing his due diligence if he didn’t.

“Your relationship with Sabatino, take me through it.”

So, you do, from that first kiss in the car to the last time he was in town. As you detail your relationship, things start to make sense to Callen, pieces he hasn’t put together until now. Sabatino’s reaction back in Afghanistan when you were taken, the fact he’d undertaken the prisoner walk instead of a member of your team. He had known that bullet was coming, that the Taliban couldn’t afford to let you go. He’d been prepared to die for you that day.

Callen thinks about earlier in the hotel room, Sabatino’s first instinct had been to get between you and whatever was coming through that door. He understands that urge, it’s reactive and primal, like a wolf protecting his mate.

There’s other things he’s noticed. Sabatino’s smile when you’re around, it brighter, more genuine. The look he gives you, there’s always a warmth in it despite the fact he’s being a smartass. The last time they’d arrested him, he’d been reserved but this time he’s irate and Callen knows that it comes from a place of love. That he’s infuriated on your behalf.

At the end of your story, you give him the passwords for your phone. Everything you need to prove the existence of your relationship resides on that device.

“See for yourself.” You tell him and he does.

Those files you’d encrypted?

Selfies.

The two of you eating ice cream on the boulevard, the sun setting in the background. Sabatino kissing your cheek as you smile into the camera at a bar in Hollywood. Him playing a guitar on the couch in your living room, a book of chords laid out in front of him. There’s more of them, documenting your relationship over the past two years. For anyone else these would be normal Instagram images but for someone who’s a covert agent they’re a death sentence.

The hidden chat app?

It’s full of voice notes filled with private, intimate things that no one else should ever be privy to.

When I look up at the sky tonight it reminds me of Afghanistan, the first night I spent with you.

You looked too beautiful to wake up this morning, I’m sorry I had to leave.

The sun’s just rising here, and all I can think about is how I wish I was waking up next to you.

The international calls?

Callen realises it’s Sabatino checking in, letting you know he’s still alive.

By all accounts he’s looking at a couple in love, one that’s been forced to keep their relationship a secret due the nature of Sabatino’s career. Callen’s worked for the CIA; he knows the risks. He also knows that this man would set the entire world on fire if anything happened to you.

“Come for a drink tonight.” Callen suggests when it’s all said and done. “I wanna get to know Sabatino a little better, you know, just in case he ends up joining the family.”

You roll your eyes as you stand in the main room of the Boatshed, gathering the few personal items that had been transported with you.

“Our very fucked up little family.” You retort.

“Neither less he’s important to you, so he’s important to us too.” Callen tells you.

You can hear the sincerity in voice. Callen doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean, not to you. You’ve been lied to too many times in the past before you’d transferred to LA. Your old partner back San Diego had been corrupt, it had been a severe blow to your psyche. You’d been transferred to LA because you were deemed a problem child. Callen got that, he’d understood it. He’d made you a deal.

“If you’re upfront with me, I’ll be upfront with you, it’s a two-way street.”  

That’s the way the two of you operated and it had worked consistently over the past six years.

“Even after all of this.” You say gesturing at the monitors that oversee the interrogation rooms.

You’re talking about the fact that you’ve spent two years hiding your life with a man, he has a kinda love/hate relationship with. Out of everyone you work with Callen has the most trust issues, this should be a problem for him, but the thing is, it’s not. He understands it on both levels. You’re protecting the man you love, and Sabatino, he’s protecting you too.

“Especially after all of this.” He says firmly before he places his palms on the surface of the wooden table and tilting his head up to meet your gaze. “Look I’m not going to pretend I understand what you see in the guy, but he cares about you, hell he almost died for you, and I can’t fault him for that. Trust me I want to, but I can’t.”

There’s an edge of humour to his voice because his interactions with Sabatino have always fluctuated between irritation and respect. The man is an excellent operative, and the problem is he knows it. You find yourself smiling despite yourself, your fingertips tapping lightly on the table.

“Alright.” You agree because this how you step into the light, how the two of you move forward into the future. “But the drinks are on you guys tonight.”

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[typingtess]

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NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Rewatch:    “Maybe Today”

The basics:  While Kilbride visits his son, the team works a cold case from 2003.

Written by: Samantha Chasse & Matt Klafter

Samantha Chasse co-wrote “Kill Beale Vol. 1”, wrote “Impostor Syndrome” (one of season 12’s best episodes) and “Murmuration”. 

Matt Klafter co-wrote “Smokescreen Part II”, “A Fait Accompli” and “Hard for the Money”.  Was the sole writer for “Where Loyalties Lie”.

Directed by: Eric A. Pot directed “Resurrection”, “Windfall”, “Traitor”, “Internal Affairs”, “Home is Where the Heart Is”, “Forasteira”, “Reentry”, “Hit List”, “The One Who Got Away”, “Kill Beale Vol 1” (co-written by Chasse), “Fortune Favors the Bold”, “A Fait Accopli” (co-written by Klafter), “Imposter Syndrome” (written by Chasse), “Indentured”, “Sorry for Your Loss” and “Survival of the Fittest”.

Guest stars of note:  Christopher Gorham as Alex Kilbride, Rose Abdoo as Special Agent Daisy Van Zandt, Eva Tamargo as Mrs. Perez, Kevin McCorkle as Jack Baker, Cuyle Carvin as Aaron Baker, Courtney Cunningham as Jen Anderson, Jhey Castles as Melissa Baker, Keenan Henson as Kevin Phillips and Joe Keyes as Taxi Driver.

Our heroes:  Deal with parents and children.

What important things did we learn about: Callen:  Not afraid of strong women. Sam:   Senior Chief, Special Warfare Kensi:  Couldn’t imagine what a mother would feel about a missing child. Deeks:  Working well with LAPD. Fatima:  Listening to old interview cassette tapes in Kilbride’s truck. Rountree:  Not a fan of old case files in moldy, charred boxes. Kilbride:  Finally listening to his son.

What not so important things did we learn about: Callen:  Looking for a Sam’s plus one for the wedding. Sam:    No interest in Callen’s plus one-ing. Kensi:  Wants Rosa to participate in extra circular activities. Deeks:   Wants Rosa to be protected from all types of danger. Fatima:   Office bound. Rountree:   See Fatima. Kilbride:  Spending the night on his son’s couch.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange?  Not a mention.

Who's down with OTP:   Kensi and Deeks have debates over keeping Rosa safe.  Callen is comfortable marrying a confident woman.

Who's down with BrOTP:  Callen is looking for a Sam love connection which is a complete change in roles from the first five seasons.

Fashion review:  Callen wore a midnight blue sweater.  Another long-sleeve black tee for Sam.  Kensi wears a long-sleeve top that has a graduated color scheme that starts white around her shoulders, pink and grey across her chest and black the rest of the way down.  Deeks has a light blue henley on.  Fatima has a thick brown sweater.  Rountree is wearing a black hoodie.  Kilbride is casual with a thick dark blue sweater over a lighter blue plaid button down shirt.

Music:   “Killer” by Phoebe Bridgers plays in a montage near the end of the episode.

Any notable cut scene:  Yes, one, after weeks of nothing.  Driving to Jen Anderson’s, Kensi and Deeks discuss the case moving from a missing persons case to a death.  Kensi is down on local law enforcement for not doing more.  Deeks is a bit more sympathetic.   Missing persons aren’t always missing persons, sometimes people just walk away from their lives.  After a while, the police have other cases to solve.

Kensi hears from Rountree – the local news stations have picked up the story.  Deeks checks his phone – national news, NPR, the BBC are all cover the story.  Kensi and Deeks realize that the killer, who lived 20-years without anyone knowing there was a killing, now knows they are the focus of a national news story.

Quote:  Callen:  “How can we help?” Daisy:  “Stay close by.  Try not to get in the way.  First cold case?” Callen:  “Yeah.” Daisy:  “Couple of virgins. This'll be fun.  I've been working cases since '04.  Solved more of them than the next two agents combined.” Callen:  “I like your modesty.” Daisy:  “Confidence in a woman make you uncomfortable, Agent Callen?” Callen:  “Well, if it did, then I'm about to marry the wrong woman.”

Anything else:  A car is driving down a rural road.  2003 shows up on the screen.  The radio in the car is playing an address by then President George W. Bush about major combat operations ending in Iraq.  A man steps out of the vehicle and puts on some gloves.  Inside the vehicle is a woman wearing a Navy sweatshirt who looks like she’s out cold.   There’s duct tape on her mouth and her hands are bound. 

As the man walks away from the vehicle to use a payphone, the woman is awake and alert.  She takes off the seat belt holding her to the car seat.  She tries to open the car door but the man finished his call and is returning to the vehicle.  Again, playing unconscious, she waits until the man nears the car door.  She opens the door with great force, knocking the man to the ground.  She flees on foot.  She gets the bindings off her hands and removes the tape on her mouth as she runs.  The man starts the car to chase her.  She calls for help as she runs into a wooded area.

In 2024, a car is pulled from a lake.  The license plate and the vehicle are from the 2003 scenes.  A female NCIS agent confirms “it’s hers” and calls for the best NCIS team in the area.

Walking into the office, Kensi and Deeks are talking about Rosa, extracurricular activities and college applications.  Kensi thinks Rosa needs them, Deeks thinks Yale won’t care since you can get into law school there by twirling a baton.  Baton is color guard, Kensi correct Deeks, Rosa is interested in doing gymnastics, Deeks is worried she’ll get hurt.  Kensi lists a number of activities Rosa could join – track, water polo, AV Club – where Deeks has a reason she could get hurt - shin splints, chlorine poisoning (obviously), electrocution.  Kensi tells him to stop.  He is half-joking but he wants her safe,  Kensi says they can’t cover Rosa in bubble wrap.  Deeks is looking more for small packing peanuts.

In Ops, Kensi asks if they have a new case.  Fatima and Rountree explains it is more a like an old one.  Navy Petty Officer Britney Perez, Fatima starts to explain but Kensi thinks the name sounds familiar.  It was – there was a documentary series about Perez recently.  A hiker at Castaic Lake saw a car in the lake – water levels are so low it was easy to see on a trail.  Deeks thinks this may be the one time where climate change is good.  He knows it sounds wrong.  The four talk about bringing Kilbride into the case but Deeks wants Kilbride to spend time with his son.  Callen and Sam on their way to the crime scene.  Kensi asks about next of kin.  Perez had a mother who has not been informed about the car.  Kensi can’t fathom being a mother to a missing child.  She and Deeks are going to see Mrs. Perez, maybe offer some answers.

Walking up to an apartment door, Admiral Kilbride sighs before knocking.  A man in his mid-to-late 40’s answers the door and says hello Dad.  Dad Kilbride replies with just “Alex.”  Inviting his father into the apartment, Alex explains the set-up is temporary, he’s still trying to work things out with his wife Deb.  It is a rather generic one-bedroom apartment with rather generic furniture. 

Kilbride asks where he can hang his coat and hat as Alex pours the two some coffee.  Opening a closet, Kilbride sees it is full of fancy diplomas, an expensive desk name plate.  There is a hook so the hat and jacket go there.  Kilbride asks Alex about work and Alex replies “great.”  He has a new client working on a cryptocurrency exchange.  The silence after that is uncomfortable.

Callen and Sam pull up at the crime scene.  They’re talking about Stacy, Anna’s maid of honor.  Sam is adding drama according to Callen.  The two address Special Agent Daisy Van Zandt, the female agent who supervised the car being removed from the lake.  Callen and Sam are investigating their first cold case  - “a couple of virgins” according to Daisy – so she asks them to stay close but also stay out of the way.

Daisy has been working cold cases in 2004 and has solved twice as many cold cases in her time than the next two agents combined.  Callen admires her modesty.  Daisy asks if confidence in woman worries Callen.  If it does, Callen tells her, he’s going to have a problem with the woman he’s about to marry.  Daisy tells Callen and Sam that the case of Brittney Perez “had my number”.  There’s never been any evidence until now.  An agent calls for Daisy.  The car truck is opened and the skeletal remains of someone are inside.

Calling Kensi and Deeks, Callen says the coroner ID’d the body as Brittney Perez.  Hanging up, he returns to Sam and Daisy.  Kensi and Deeks will be telling Perez’s mother.  Daisy doesn’t envy that task.  Callen asks about the original case agents.  Two local field office agents, Walker and Haskins, had the case originally.  Walker retired to Florida a few years back, Haskins is dead.  Sam asks Daisy what she thought of all this.  “There’s good work, there’s sloppy work and there there’s whatever the hell this was.  It’s no wonder why this case wound up with us.” 

Callen asks about suspects.  There was one suspect – Petty Office Aaron Baker.  A witness said Baker and Perez were arguing outside a bar.  Perez slapped Baker.  Sam wondered about the argument but Daisy doesn’t know what it was about.  Neither does Baker, according to Daisy, who was too drunk to remember according to Walker and Haskins.  They didn’t bother to push him on what he could and couldn’t remember.  He’s third generation Navy.  Callen is stunned. 

When Perez went missing, Baker was home according to his bunkmate.  The two were watching video games all night.  Looking at the truck, Sam asks for a vial.  He found a tooth in the trunk.  Perez’s body is still in the trunk and it is obvious she has all her teeth.  Sam believes Perez fought until the end.  There will be a DNA test and while teeth and bone are really strong for finding DNA, 20-years in the water isn’t a good environment.  Callen and Sam are off to talk to Baker. 

In the boat shed, Kensi and Deeks are comforting and kind to Mrs. Perez.  Mrs. Perez shares photos of Britney stored on her phone.  Britney was strong and smart and funny.  Mrs. Perez explains that she was a single mom.  She and Britney only had each other.  That’s why she never believed the investigators who thought Britney went AWOL, fearing she would be deployed.  Asked if Britney was worried about being deployed, Mrs. Perez said her daughter loved the Navy.  Besides, she would never leave without saying goodbye. 

Before she went missing, Britney was upset and a frazzled.  There was something about her roommate Jen, there was a bad situation.  Britney wouldn’t tell her mother the whole story.  She wanted to protect her mother.  Mrs. Perez tells Kensi and Deeks that she was waiting for this day for the last 20-years.  Now she’d like to have one more day of not knowing that someone killed her daughter.  Grabbing Kensi’s arm, Mrs. Perez asks that they not give up on Britney this time.  Kensi promises.

In Ops, Rountree has been looking into Aaron Baker.  At 18, Baker was arrested for assault and battery, a charge that was pled down to a misdemeanor.  While he got away with that, his DNA is now in the system so it should be easy to match anything that can be retrieved from the tooth.  Fatima is still waiting for the files for the case to be sent – it is taking hours. 

Fatima is also investigating Petty Officer Jen Anderson, Perez’s roommate.  Anderson went AWOL days before Perez disappeared.  Rountree gets a text – the files are downstairs.  Fatima is surprised, her tablet didn’t beep when the files were sent.  The files were sent – physical files.  They are in charred yet damp banker boxes.  Daisy sent a note – the burn marks are from wildfires in 2009, the dampness from flooding in 2015.  Rountree leaves, saying “you’ve got this, right.”  Fatima is not pleased.

Callen and Sam approach a man asking if he’s Aaron Baker.  It’s Jack Baker, Aaron’s dad.  He’s working on a boat in the garage.  Jack Baker explains he’s been living with Aaron and Aaron’s wife Melissa since his house burned down in the Bell Canyon fires.  Aaron’s out and Jack is happy to tell him that NCIS stopped by – why were they stopping by.  When Callen says a cold case from 2003, Jack reacts poorly.  Since the documentary series, the family has gotten late night phone calls, people just showing up at the house, death threats.  Callen is sorry they had to go through that.  Before they leave, Sam fixes a knot on a boat.  Jack is impressed and asks if Sam is Navy.  When Sam says Senior Chief, Special Warfare, Jack is a bit more open.  Since Aaron and Melissa went shopping and will be back soon, Jack’s fine with Callen and Sam waiting inside the house.

Inside the house, Jack is showing some photos he has of his time during Desert Storm.  He was a Chief Petty Officer running the Beachmasters unit.  Aaron and Melissa arrive.  When Callen explains they are from NCIS and it is about Britney Perez, Melissa wants no part of the interview – the family has been through enough.  Callen tells them about Britney’s body being found.  “The sooner we have answers, the sooner this will be over for everyone,” Sam says.  Jack seems supportive of Callen and Sam so Aaron is open to answering questions.

Asked about what he was arguing about with Britney, Aaron doesn’t remember.  Jack is cheerleading for his son during the interview.  Things happened 20-years ago, hard to remember.  Sam asks if Aaron remember his roommate for 20-years ago.  He does – Kevin Phillips and they were friends at the time.  The two haven’t spoken in over a decade.  Before they plan on leaving, Callen asks if Aaron was willing to turn over his dental records.  Melissa puts her foot down – she considers this harassment.  She’s calling a lawyer and if they want his dental records, Callen and Sam need a warrant. 

Leaving the home, both Callen and Sam are sure Aaron remembers more than saying and Melissa knows that too.  They want Rountree to find Kevin Phillips to see what he remembers.  Callen gets a text from Daisy – they found DNA in the tooth.  They don’t need a warrant for Aaron’s dental records, they already have his DNA on file.

Coming down the stairs, Rountree asks how Fatima is doing with the physical files.  About half of the files belong to different cases.  What belongs to this case is either burned or moldy.  She also thinks there is something live in one of the boxes.  Rountree found Jen Anderson, who is living in Sun Valley.  She was arrested for drugs about five years ago and is currently on parole.  Kensi and Deeks are on their way to see her. 

Fatima finds a box of cassette tapes of interviews, amazed at the lack of technical prowess of the original investigators.  Rountree isn’t sure where they would find a cassette player.  Fatima is – Kilbride’s truck is in the carport.  He’s on vacation, probably having the time of his life, according to Rountree.  They can listen to the tapes in Kilbride’s truck.

Not having the time of his life – Kilbride.  Alex is explaining how the coffee he’s serving is from a farmer’s market downtown that has a direct connection with a coffeehouse in Guatemala.  The Admiral doesn’t much care about the coffee.  The Admiral knows what’s going on.  Alex admits he’s back in rehab, sticking with the program and going to meetings.  The Admiral is happy to hear it.  Alex thinks everything is so weird.  Kilbride is willing to go back to the last conversation the two had.  Things are going downhill fast.

When Kilbride complains that things aren’t that easy for him either, Alex asks why Kilbride is even there. Alex realizes “Mom asked you to come.”  Alex is annoyed that his mother couldn’t leave well enough along.  “If you were ‘well enough’ she never would have asked,” Kilbride replies.  He’s angry that Alex was given every opportunity, given anything a person could ask for.  Alex tells his father he didn’t ask for what he’s got now.  Kilbride replies he didn’t turn it down either. 

Exasperated, Alex says he wasn’t born ready to take on the world like Kilbride was.  Kilbride disagrees – the only difference between the two of them was “I didn’t fold up like a cheap suit every time life got hard.”  Imitating his father offering advice like “suck it up” and “take it like a man”, Alex asked if he missed any not helpful pieces of advice.  Pausing a beat, Kilbride tells Alex he’s there to help.  Alex thinks that help is 40-years too late.  “I don’t want your help.  Just go.”  Alex is sure Kilbride has more important work to do.  Grabbing his coat and hat, Kilbride leaves.

In the cold case lab, Callen brings up Emily instead of Stacy, another possible plus one for the wedding.  Callen thinks Emily is a much better fit for the wedding.  Daisy arrives.  The tooth is inconclusive when it comes to a match for Aaron Baker.  The pool of suspects is basically anyone living in Los Angeles in 2003.  Callen asks about forensic genealogy – that’s how they found the Golden State Killer.  Daisy says TV makes that all look too easy.  They would have to build out a family tree, that takes time, and other family members who put in their DNA for genealogy.  But she’ll get her staff working on that.  When Daisy leaves, Sam mentions he really likes Daisy.  Callen wants to know if that’s in a plus-one sort of way.  Rountree calls – he found Kevin Phillips.  Phillips has been working in Long Beach for a masonry firm.  Before that, several years in prison for wire fraud and falsifying records.  Baker’s alibi was from a convicted liar.  And it is a non-violent crime so Phillips’s DNA wouldn’t be in the system.  Callen and Sam want to talk to Phillips.

While Fatima listens to some really bad detective work in Kilbride’s truck, Rountree pretends the Admiral has returned.  Fatima isn’t all that amused.  She updates Rountree on what she’s learned.  Perez spoke to her CO before she disappeared.  The CO on the tape said Perez wanted to report a crime for her roommate but he thought it was just a he said/she said situation.  If they reported every he said/she said situation to NCIS, NCIS would stop taking the base’s calls.  Perez was forced to take matters in her own hands by confronting Baker.  But since she already reported the crime, Baker would have no reason to silence Perez.  Unless she was willing to take her claims to a larger audience.

Continuing his litany of dangerous things for Rosa to stay away from, Deeks has vetoed the Girl Scouts, academic decathlon, choir and ceramics.  “What sort of a manic lets minors around a kiln?” Deeks asks.  At Jen Anderson’s door, Deeks knocks and someone starts shooting through the door.  Kensi goes out back to find Anderson washed all her sheets and they’re all hanging on clothes lines.  A man shoots at Kensi.  She returns fire, hitting him on the leg.  When Deeks joins Kensi in the backyard, they hear something at the back door.  It is Jen Anderson.

The man shooting at Kensi is Anderson’s friend Marcus, “a narcissistic idiot”, who thought Kensi and Deeks were there to arrest him.  Seems he had a lot of drugs with him.  Marcus is going to jail for a long time for drugs and shooting at Federal Agents.  Deeks asks Anderson about Aaron Baker and Britney Perez 20-years ago.   When Anderson asks if Kensi spoke to Baker about “it”, Kensi said they did.  Anderson walks away while Deeks deals with LAPD.

Gently, Kensi pushes Anderson to talk about what happened with Aaron Baker.  They can’t solve Perez’s case without her.  Anderson tells Kensi that Baker “assaulted” her.  Took her life away while his went on without a worry in the world.  Anderson left the Navy.  Perez was the only person who knew what happened.  She was a good friend to Anderson who wouldn’t let Baker walk around free as Anderson was losing her career.  Perez reported the crime against Anderson’s wishes.  Anderson left the day Perez reported the crime.  A few days later, Perez’s disappearance was all over the news.  Anderson didn’t speak to investigators – if they didn’t believe Perez, they weren’t going to believe her.

Kevin Phillips is on the wrong side of the desk in Interrogation.  Aaron Baker may have been Phillips’s best friend but he wouldn’t lie for him.  Sam asks if Phillips is lying for himself.  He swears he had no reason to kill Perez.  Sam sees a way that Philips, knowing that Baker had a Navy family, would protect Baker from the harm caused Perez’s accusations.  Phillips is firm – Baker didn’t kill Perez and he didn’t kill Perez.  Callen asks Phillips to prove it – provide a DNA sample.  Phillips agrees. 

As Callen goes to speak with Daisy, Sam questions Phillip about his reaction to Sam’s Navy-oriented question.  Sam wonders how serious Aaron Baker was about the Navy.  Phillips admits that Baker liked the Navy because it helped his dating life.  When Baker would get blackout drunk – which was all the time – he’d speak about his father.  Jack Baker would bully his son, calling him a failure and a disgrace to the family.  Sam asks if Jack Baker knew about Perez’s accusations.  He did.

Daisy puts the kibosh on a DNA test for Kevin Phillips.  A deeper look into the DNA again a genealogy search matched Aaron Baker – a partial match.  Sam arrives, asking if it a 50% match.  It is.  Daisy would need to see a DNA sample for Jack Baker.  Callen has just the man for the case.

Wearing Artie, Deeks is trash pail diving around the Baker home.  He’s not happy about the assignment.  Kensi is taking photos of Deeks to support the chain of custody.  Under the Abandoned DNA Act, any genetic material left in a public place can be used by law enforcement.   Chanting he has a law degree and loves his job, Deeks is picking through the regular trash.

Jack Baker leaves the home, dropping paint cans and rubber gloves into the recycling pail.  The gloves would have DNA so Deeks goes to retrieve them, muttering all the way.  As Deeks gets into the recycling pail, Jack Baker tries to run Deeks off.  Deeks knocks down the pail, yells “I am Spartacus” and shows Kensi he has the gloves.  Fatima and Rountree listen in to all this.

As Kilbride is Ubering back to the airport, the driver mentions that a tough day can be forgotten by showering and a good night sleep.  Kilbride instead, returns to Alex’s apartment.  Alex asks why Kilbride is there.  Kilbride replies he’s there to do something he should have done years ago.

In the cold cases lab, Daisy confirms to Kensi and Deeks that the DNA on the gloves is a 100% match.  Kensi calls that into Ops – they’ll meet Callen and Sam at the Baker home but Jack Baker is gone.  He left to go to the hardware store – LAPD had him under surveillance – but lost him in the store.  Fatima is trying to track his truck with GPS.  He was at a storage facility in Van Nuys.  Rountree has security cam photos of Jack Baker removing a rifle from his storage unit and putting it in his truck.  Kensi sighs – Jack Baker knows NCIS is coming for him, “and that’s not good,” according to Deeks.

On the freeway, Callen and Sam are trying to find Jack Baker.  He’s going north – to Castaic Lake.  Kensi and Deeks are about 15-minutes behind Callen and Sam.  There was a hit and run by Aaron Baker’s house – with Baker’s BMW.  Kensi and Deeks are going to Aaron Baker’s home to see if Aaron was making a run for it.  Callen and Sam will deal with Jack Baker. 

At Castaic Lake, Sam looks around Jack Baker’s truck – the rifle is gone. 

Kensi and Deeks cut off Aaron Baker, ordering him out of his car.  Saying he doesn’t have time for this, he’s afraid his father is going to hurt himself.  Or something worse. 

On comms, Kensi warns Callen and Sam that Jack Baker may be on a suicide mission.  Callen and Sam realize Jack Baker wants to kill himself but wants Callen and Sam to do the actual killing.  Sam sees Baker and starts approaching him.  When Baker stops, he complains “that bitch” was going to ruin his son’s life.  Sam disagrees – Aaron ruined his own life by his actions.  Baker claims he was doing what any father would do – protect his son.  Again Sam disagrees – Baker killed a woman who was doing the right thing.  Baker promises he won’t die in prison.  He turns his gun on Sam and tries to fire.  Sam shoots Baker.  Looking at the body, Sam realizes Baker had the safety on.

“Great, I miss all the fun,” Daisy says as she pulls up to the crime scene.  She wanted to know how the story ends.  Callen asks if they can send back the file boxes.  The OSP would like the file boxes to be returned.  Asked what she’s going to do now, Daisy has lots of cold cases – she’ll work on them until there are none left.  Callen wonders how many cold cases are there.  She doesn’t keep count.  She’d like Callen and Sam to join her – she could always use another body or two.  Probably phrased wrong. 

As Daisy goes to see what’s going on, Callen gets a text.  Stacey has a date for the wedding but Emily is still looking for a plus one.  Sam is sure Emily can find a date for the wedding.  Callen pushes until Sam relents.  He’d like to get to know Emily – really know her as his plus one.  Maybe Callen, Sam, Anna and Emily can go for a fancy dinner Friday – Callen’s treat.  Then next Friday, pricey sushi – Callen’s treat.  Then there’s a private chef that will cook for couples.  Callen walks way, even threatens to walk home.  Sam is sure his days of fending off plus one offers are done.

Jen Anderson texts Kensi.  She’s going public with her accusations against Aaron Blake.  Maybe her telling the truth will give strength to other victims.  Deeks puts his arms around Kensi.

Mrs. Perez lights a floating candle at Castaic Lake.

Daisy puts the tooth and DNA into an evidence bag.  Putting it all in a freezer where there are thousands of vials of DNA, she says, “one down, hundreds to go.”

In his apartment, Alex explains to his father that his marriage is over.  Kilbride wants to know what can he do for Alex.  “Talking help,” he explains.   Admitting the truth, Alex says he doesn’t have a new client, his firm let him go.  Kilbride already knew.  Alex found talking to his father “nice.”  Alex notes that Kilbride was going to miss his flight – until he realizes that Kilbride already missed the flight.  Kilbride will be sacking out on the couch, enjoying another cup of coffee with his son. 

What head canon can be formed from here:    There are probably two really good episodes here but because the Drona drama has to eat up lots of episodes, the two great storylines were crammed into one good but not great episode. 

There were two really good episodes in this episode but by cutting and pasting them together, there was one good episode instead. 

Cramming the two episodes together, you had a theme of parents and their children.  Fathers – Deeks, Kilbride and Jack Baker – and mothers – Kensi, Mrs. Perez.  Deeks had the easy part – he was playing it for laughs but with his history in the public defenders office, the LAPD and now with NCIS, he knows how badly things can go for young people in the world.  Also knowing how badly things can go for young people in the world is Kilbride.  Kilbride wound up with the career and code in life to live by.  That wasn’t want Alex needed and Kilbride did not have the ability to deal with his issues.  Jack Baker seemingly forced his career on his son who had no interest in the code a man should live by.  So Jack Baker murdered an innocent woman to keep his son’s future bright. 

With Kensi and Mrs. Perez, you have two women who want/wanted their daughters to go out into the world to be the best versions of themselves.  Deeks’s over-the-top worries about Rosa’s safety is undercut by how Britney Perez did all the right things – protected and friend, fought for justice – and spent 20-years drowned in the trunk of her car.

There should have been a solo episode about Britney Perez’s disappearance and one solo episode about Kilbride with his son/Kensi and Deeks dealing with Rosa’s future. 

Loved, loved, loved Daisy.  Memo to the surviving NCIS and the possible new NCIS.  Find something for Daisy to do in either 2024 or in the past with the young Gibbs/young Mike Frank.  This was a program that spent years with limited recurring characters – how great would it have been to have Hetty and Daisy mixing things up in season four.

One good episode that could have been two great hours.

Episode number:   This is episode number 319, the 17th episode of season 14.

[deeksblye]

This is my very first time writing a fanfic and it's also my first time writing in english so please be nice :) I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This dialogue is happening after episode 15S14 "The Other Shoe"

"Family is all that matters"

As they were leaving the boxe gym Kensi called Rosa, as promised, and told her that everything was fine and they were picking her up in 30 minutes.

As the three of them were entering the house Deeks cheerfully asked what they wanted for dinner.

"Ok so which one of my famous fancy dishes you ladies want today?"

"I actually was thinking about ordering some take out. It's been a very long day, we deserve it." Kensi responded.

"That sounds amazing. What about tacos, or chinese?" Deeks paused for a bit and then added enthusiastically: "Or we could order Rosa's favourite pizza."

Kensi looked thrilled about any of the options, which wasn't a surprise, but Rosa didn't seem to care. Actually it was at that moment that they realized that she had been oddly quiet ever since they picked her up.

"Hey Rose, is everything ok?" Deeks asked in a sweeter tone.

"Oh yes don't worry, I'm fine."

Kensi looked at Deeks with concern in her eyes and then asked "Are you sure? Cause you've been quiet ever since we picked you up."

"AND you didn't show any excitement when I mentioned your favourite pizza, which is definitely an indicator that something is off with you today." Then he added carefully "Come on sweetheart, talk to us. What's going on?"

"I'm just worried. First that woman showed up here covered in blood, and then that men was at the door and Kensi sent me to my room, but I saw that you were grabbing a gun." She said this last part redirecting her attention to Kensi.

The concern and fear in her voice as she spoke were impossible to hide which filled Kensi and Deeks with concern and angst for putting Rosa in that position. After everything she went through she deserved to have a normal and happy life. That was all they wanted for her, and they were doing everything in their power to grant her that, but some days like today they felt like they failed.

Kensi tried her best to calm her down right away "Oh no Rosa, you don't have to worry about that sweetie. That woman wasn't dangerous, we've known her for a few years and she just needed our help. About the men that showed up this afternoon…" Kensi paused for a few seconds, thinking carefully about her next words. "You were never in danger bacause I would never let that men get to you Rosa. Never. You will always be safe with us sweetheart."

"We will always do everything in our power to protect you, to make sure you're safe." Deeks added, his words were filled with love and compression.

Rosa turned her back to them and sat on the couch in a failed attempt to hide the tears that had started to form in her eyes. Kensi and Deeks followed her right away and sat with her, one in each of her sides.

"What else is concerning you?" Kensi asked.

Rosa paused for a few seconds while looking down and then finally let it out. "I know I'm safe around you two. It's not just me I'm worried about, I'm scared for you. I know your job is very dangerous and I don't want anything to happen to you two." She said it all very fast trying to control her emotions but at this point that task became impossible. Rosa started to cry, big tears rolling down her cheeks. Between sobs and looking at them she finally said "You're all I have, and I've already lost everything once. I can't lose you. I just can't."

Kensi and Deeks looked horrified for a few seconds, not knowing what to do or say. Finally Kensi wrapped her arm around Rosa's shoulders while Deeks grabbed her hand and gently touched her knee.

"Rosa baby… Nothing will happen to us, we're always very careful and we know how to take care of us. Besides, we're always looking out for each other." Kensi said in a lower tone, almost whispering.

Deeks finally looked less shocked and spoke "And, in the very unlikely hypothesis that something happens to both of us, you won't be alone. There are a lot of people that love and care for you like my mom and Julia, Callen and Sam. God even admiral Kilbride likes to spend time with you, and that's a huge thing coming from him."

"Exactly sweetheart, you have a family now. Deeks and I aren't the only ones looking out for you. You'll never be alone again Rosa, never. Do you understand?"

Rosa finally calmed down and dried the tears in her face using her sleeves and said with a weak smile "Yes, I know that. Thank you for calming me down."

This was all she needed to hear, she needed to know that she wasn't alone, she never would have to be alone and scared like before ever again, and in that moment she felt at peace.

Rosa laid her head in Kensi's shoulder who responded by holding her thight. Deeks held Rosa's hand and gently rubbed her back. She squeezed his and back in response.

They stayed like this for a few minutes, no one said anything bacuse there was no need. That room was filled with love and in that moment they felt like nothing else mattered. After a while Rosa spoke in a calm voice.

"I think I deserve that pizza now." And she finally showed her beautiful smile.

Kensi and Deeks smiled at her and Kensi gently kissed Rosa's head.

This was definitely all that mattered. Family was all that mattered.

[khorren]

I want to ramble about Kensi in the Mists. These are all bigger topics I want to explore, but for now I just need to word-vomit the ideas out. She’s been on my roster forever and is a GW1 kid, but in GW2 she’s just sort of been there. So anyway. Kensi. Mostly lives in the Mists looking out for family who come to be judged after death and sort of like being “it’s okay. You’re safe. You can rest now”. The majority of them have lead good or at least okay lives so they’re not damned for eternity. Kensi can leave the Mists when she needs to, but mostly just enjoys chilling in vast nothing-ness and dealing with the occasional dead family member.

When Kyra died in season 1 stuff, Kensi made suuuuper double sure that she went straight to the Judge for her punishment. She oversaw that for a while, then after the events of HoT she decided to come back to Tyria proper. Everything going on with Ley-lines troubled her, and while she stayed mostly out of the Commander’s way she kept an eye on things, as well as catching up with history at the Priory. Occasionally offering some information about the Mists and arguing with scholars about what actually happens.

When The Departing happened. Everything got super special in the Mists. Kensi mostly focuses on the “main” Tyria, but when mist-fuckery gets involved and bleeds into it she gets involved. Again, this is all to do with protection and preservation of the family. Serenity dies and she wants to get involved but the Judge wont let her near until her task is done. Cosima’s bleeding into this Tyria from her own and Kensi can see the two of them un-knowingly interact. Cosima is stuck there for a long time, but Serenity gets out relatively quickly. Kensi follows along afterwards just to make sure Ren’s not broken or come back wrong. She doesn’t directly interfere but she does assist in getting Ren to the top of the Kodash Bazaar. With Balth dealt with she returns back to the Mists to check on the Cosima situation (she’s still stuck) but she learns that Kyra escaped. So for a while she’s bouncing back between trying to figure out what Kyra is up to, and keeping an eye on Cosima glitching between realities. When Cosima does eventually come through proper, Kensi’s her guide on getting her up to speed.

[pumpkin-spice-whump]

yellow! its me again!! its much earlier now than the last time i messaged here😗 (though it is still admittedly late🤡) i think i am going to sleep soon but i wanted to tell you that i had begun reading your story for Kensington!

i am currently at Bonfire (i think that was the name? im sorry if i butchered or mistaken it for other fics i have been reading😖) and like your stories for Jesse, Kensington's story is also incredibly painful to read😭

i think its the fact that unlike Jesse, Kesi has (arguably) even less dignity as his status as an ouright slave rather than at least a pet or boxboy coupled by the fact he also has (definitively? at least in my interpretation) much much less external reason/s to continue struggling and living (i guess there is Miss Ashley🥺 but Jesse at least got to spend so much more time with the three sweet Bakeman daughters)(i dont want to spoil much to not ruin the others' experience)

i know the two squishy whumpees arent exact copies of each other but i still find it so deliciously heartwrenching that Jesse is much more submissive mostly in part because of the bbu brainwashing or mind/memory wiping (i think this is common in bbu whump so i think its okey for me to mention it explicitly?) while Kensi who (i understand/interpret) was born and raised and lived his whole life as a slave is much more stubborn and defiant.

again i apologize if im missing or misinterpreting something also i know i cant or at least maybe shouldnt draw direct parallels between the two because theyre from two similar but still different worldbuildings with their own set of messed up rules and hiarchies.🤸‍♂️💔

again again it is late and i hope to fix my sleep schedule soon so i can read your works and message you when my braincells can organize my brain goop into something more coherent. i really hope you understand that all this word vomit is laced with love🤕💗

-💌

When i tell you that yesterday and today's asks both made my crappy days instantly better --

First of all thank you so much for reading both of my boys' stories and I'm so glad you like them

Yes, Jesse is extremely submissive in part because of the brainwashing WRU does, but also because Joshua was like that too. His dad passing away when he was younger gave him pretty severe OCD and anxiety that made Josh an unassuming, nervous boy, so his already quiet disposition was only worsened when coupled with the torture he had to face. One thing that always stuck with him though is his protectiveness over those he cares about. WRU did not give that to him, that was just Jesse.

Kensington's story takes place in a different universe where they do have a slavery system where slaves are born and raised that way. I like that you mentioned that Kensi is more stubborn and jaded, because that was not how I meant for him to turn out originally! I meant for him to be more submissive like Jesse, but the more I wrote the angrier Kensington got until I really came to a head in his story (can't wait for you to read the next few parts!)

Never apologize for analyzing my characters! I live for it, and I actually appreciate you drawing parallels between these two. They may be from different worlds, but they both come from me and I enjoy seeing them compared to one another actually! We're to a point in both stories that I have been very excited to come to and this gave me the motivation to keep writing!

(Sorry if my response doesn't make sense or isn't what you were looking for!)

[ejzah]

A/N: This one’s a little odd. But it does take a common fic type I’ve written and flipped it a bit.

***

Assumptions

“So, when did you and Deeks get together?”

Kensi stilled at Agent Jennifer Johnson’s question. She should have expected as much since Jennifer and Deeks had hit it off shortly after she arrived to fill in while Callen was out. Kensi resisted her natural urge to become territorial when it came to Deeks and other women.

“Um, about three years,” Kensi answered.

“Wow, that’s longer than I expected,” Jennifer commented, something in her tone setting Kensi on edge.

“What do you mean?” Kensi kept her tone even, focusing on the paperwork in front of her.

“Well, I thought it was more of a friends-with-benefits deal.”

Kensi’s mouth dropped open slightly in shock, her work completely forgotten in front of her, and she couldn’t think of any way to respond for several moments.

“No, we’re definitely not,” Kensi told her firmly. Jennifer looked mildly abashed, but not enough to move on from the topic. “We live together.”

“I’m sorry if I offended you. I mean, I can see why you like him,” Jennifer continued. “Deeks is hot, and charming, but he’s not…” she waved her hand as if she couldn’t quite find the words she wanted.

If she was a little bit more aware, Jennifer might have noticed the subtle tightening of Kensi’s eyes and jaw, the anger thrumming under the surface.

“His unpredictable behavior and fast talking is good for work I suppose, but I’d think it wouldn’t make for a good relationship. You want someone you can count on. Someone who isn’t going to embarrass you in front of your friends.”

“For your information, Deeks is one of the most dependable, intelligent, and caring people I know,” Kensi said her voice trembling slightly with the effort to control it, and Jennifer leaned back, eyes widening. “You don’t know either of us, certainly not Deeks, and you definitely don’t know our relationship.”

“Kensi, I didn’t—” Jennifer murmured, embarrassment mixing with her shock.

“No, I think we’re done here,” Kensi interrupted. “I made some really stupid assumptions about Deeks when I first met him, but I thought you were smarter than that. Apparently I was wrong.”

Then before Kensi could say or do anything that she would absolutely regret, she stood, and walked away. She had the sudden need to find Deeks and kiss him until she felt less like punching Jennifer Johnson in the face.

[densi-mber]

We’ll Save Each Other

A/N: This is set post 6x03.

***

She’s fine. It’s ok. Nothing’s wrong. Maybe if Kensi repeats it enough, she’ll start to believe it herself. The truth is, she’s kind of a disaster right now.

Ever since the DOJ questioned her, it’s like she just returned from Afghanistan. Before that, she’d almost gotten a handle on the nightmares and other symptoms. Or at least enough to function as an agent, and put on a good face for everyone.

Now, it almost feels like she was at square one again.

“Hey, you want to grab some dinner?” Deeks asks. She’s so deep in her own thoughts, caught up in another place and time, that she jerks, jamming her knee into her desk. Kensi inwardly curses her overreaction.

“Geez Kens, are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” she insists, almost reflexively. “I just thought everyone had already gone home by now.

“I was waiting for you,” Deeks explains. Of course he was. She glances up; sees Deeks with his thumbs tucked into his front pockets, and realizes he’s expecting a response.

“Uh, I think I’m just going to go home tonight. It’s been a long couple of days, you know.”

“Yeah.” He’s quiet for a few seconds, making her think that he’s given up on dinner. She’d be horrible company anyway. “Kens, how are you doing? Really. I know the DOJ brought up some unpleasant things the other day.”

“I can handle an interview, Deeks,” she retorts, more harshly than she intended. Deeks doesn’t back down though. He’s spent enough time around her that he’s not fazed by her prickliness.

“I know you can,” he agrees softly, gentle. “But no one would fault you if talking about what happened to you in Afghanistan was difficult.”

He pauses again, taking a few steps forward until he’s standing right in front of her. There’s no place to hide now.

“I can tell you haven’t been sleeping well,” he adds, and for some reason that tips her over the precipice she’s clung to so hard.

Her eyes fill up with tears, and her throat closes with an unvoiced sob. Deeks pulls her into his arms, just like he had last time, his arms warm, comforting, solid. She pressed her face into his shoulder, to hide the tears trickling down her cheeks.

“It’s ok,” he murmurs, stroking his hands from the base of her neck to down her back. “I’ve got you.”

“I keep dreaming that I’m in that cave again,” she admits. With the confession, she feels a unexpected release, and the words start to come faster, almost beyond her control. “I just want to go back to normal, but I can’t. I can’t sleep, or stop remembering what it was like to be trapped like that.”

“It’s going to be rough for a while. I know that’s not super helpful right now, but it’ll start to get better eventually.” His hand keeps stroking her back in a soft and even rhythm. Slowly, the tears and pain start to ease a little. “The memories will feel less vibrant, and you won’t jump at every loud noise.”

Kensi stills, realizing that he’s speaking from his own experience.

“Oh god, Deeks, I didn’t even think. I’m complaining about this after what you went through,” she says, lifting her head to look him in the eye.

“Kensi, don’t you dare apologize,” Deeks tells her. “You were the one who told me we can’t compare trauma, so don’t underplay yours. We both went through really horrific experiences.”

“How do I stop feeling like I’ll never be the same?” she asks.

“I wish I had the answer.” Deeks sighs, gently stroking her cheek. “I know that’s not the answer you wanted, but it will get better.”

“Promise you won’t leave me.” She hears how helpless, how completely vulnerable she sounds. For once she doesn’t care though.

“I promise I’ll be here with you every step of the way. If you can’t sleep, or you just need to talk, I’m there. You just have to ask,” he promises.

“Ok” she murmurs, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I got you.” He holds her tightly, blocking out everything else, and for once, she believes it might be alright.

[leotanaka]

i really, really liked this episode.

i know there are people who are going to complain that callen was ooc or he would never behave that way but honestly, callen will always prioritise annoying the hell out of sam over everything else and he was clearly enjoying it too until sam had enough and went into "i'm going to make us both suffer" mode and even then, they had to be dramatic about it which, sallen drama especially funny sallen drama is always wonderful to watch.

also, the focus on parents was done really, really well. i think @typingtess mentioned something about this already but i just love the way they showcased different aspects of it.

you had deeks, whether he was joking or serious, making comments which demonstrated how extreme over protective parents can be while kensi was more relaxed about rosa's activities.

britney's mother who has been waiting 20 years to find out what happened to her daughter and grieving.

jack who was over protective and so extreme he literally committed murder so his son's life wouldn't be ruined, despite it being his own fault and jack shown to have pushed his son into this kind of life because of his own expectations.

and then you had kilbride, who for many seasons now the show has made a point of the fact that he always put work and his job first. that even when his son needed him, he wasn't there and this time, he had the opportunity to continue doing what he's always done and instead, turned around and went back and is finally placing his son first. making alex a priority for him.

i do think it would've made sense given the context to reference sam (both in terms of coming from a military family and passing that on, his relationship with his father struggling because he didn't want to follow in his footsteps and how overprotective sam can be) but at the same time, he's really grown and changed so it wasn't really necessary for this story.

i do wonder if the whole deeks & jack parallel was to show that while deeks is going a bit overboard (more than likely to annoy kensi as it was definitely an episode for annoying your SO), there are fathers that do that and more. kind of like showing it's a slippery slope.

the cold case aspect of the episode was already good. i always love these types of stories and it made me wonder if perhaps one of the team might end up joining ncis cold case by the end of the season.

[ao3feed-crimeboys]

The Wind Blew Gratitude

by kensies

Dream was a musical prodigy. Almost any instrument he picked up he learned how to play, and the recognition he gained from this was well deserved. He was on his way to being one of the best concert violinists there was, making headlines in the papers and magazines, boasting about all the songs he was planning to compose.

Tommy was not a musical prodigy. His tunes were always flat, and he would practice weeks on end to reach the expected potential that he desired. Dream wanted him to stay in his shadow, imperfect Tommy was nothing but a stain on his reputation. All Tommy was there to do was to make Dream seem like a desirable candidate in any position he was put in.

Tommy wasn't important, he wasn't worth it, until someone showed him he was.

Words: 3155, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Minecraft (Video Game), Dream SMP

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot, Phil Watson | Philza, Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo, Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Sam | Awesamdude, Cara | CaptainPuffy, Jack Manifold, Niki | Nihachu, Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Alexis | Quackity, GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs, Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF)

Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Ranboo & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), and a break, Sleepy Bois Inc as Found Family, Found Family, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Whether Dream likes it or not, Dream is Tommy's Brother, Manipulative Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Good Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Siblings, Phil Watson is Wilbur Soot and Technoblade's Parent, Emotional Manipulation

[oneforthemunny]

I think sephy's flower is a peony cause to in order to thrive you need to plant just correctly at the right time and if that isn't persephone idk what is lol (although this applies to more of indoor peonies)

Meanwhile I think kensy's flower is a Gardenia cause they need lots and lots of water to grow and maintain lol

Zahra's flower is a balck-eyed susan in this I'd like to think eddie helped np picking her flower cause he liked the name idk lol and it represents endurance, justice, and protection and I think it fits her

Thats as far as I gotten lmao ✌️

Persephone as a peony does make sense to me too. i feel like for the first they wouldn’t know how many they’d have and want something pretty so nb picks peony.

gardenia is so funny💀