11A/N - It's always felt wrong to me the way the guys all just left Kensi alone after everything in the Blye, K episodes. Sure they let her know they cared about her but not one of them asked her if she wanted company or offered to take her out for a drink. Okay maybe they knew what she had planned but in my eyes it didn't fit with the closeness this team shares. So here's my take on the last few minutes of the episode, where Kensi is at the beach and then off to visit her mother, to fix it in my mind, and maybe some of you if you happen to feel the same way.
Just a fun little piece done this morning so apologies for any major errors. Just wanted to get it out of my head so I can get back to my other stories.
Disclaimer: Don't it NCIS LA, or anything from it. Grateful those that do let us play in their playground with their characters.
Callen grabbed the first set of keys he didn't recognise from the motor pool key rack, signed out the car and drove a couple of streets away from the office. He sat there waiting. It wasn't long before he recognised Kensi's car coming down the street. He laid across the front seats to make sure there was no way she would spot him and listened carefully for the sound of her car passing before he returned upright. He rubbed his right ribs. He hadn't thought about the gear shift when he'd ducked for cover.
Callen pulled out when Kensi was far enough away and followed her. He got inventive with the tail, after all she was trained just as much as he was at spotting a tail. His years of experience was the only thing that was going to stop her noticing him.
When Kensi headed down a street that led to the beach, instead of following her, he continued on for another couple of streets before he turned. Once on the road that ran parallel to the beach it wasn't hard to see her car a couple of hundred yards further up. Callen parked, pulled on sunglasses and a cap, grateful that it sunset and neither would look unusual at this particular location. He grabbed a light jacket from his go bag to cover up the shirt he'd forgotten to change.
There were tables and a BBQ but it was the bench seat on the grass just before the sand started that he made his way to. It gave him a good enough view of her with no palm trees getting in the way.
He sat, he watched and he waited. Just in case.
Even from this distance Callen saw every shift of her body, from moving her hair out of the way when the breeze brought it across her face to the shift of her arm when she turned a page in a book she was holding. He made note of the occasional shake to her shoulders, worked out the difference between ones that were from holding back the tears versus those of laughter. He kept his head facing the ocean but his eyes rarely left her.
Callen also noted sounds around him; a car that seemed to go around the block a few times before leaving, ones that pulled into car parks and those that pulled out. He noted the surfer running along the beach, couples walking hand in hand and families playing, but these were all out of his peripheral vision because he was here for her, even if she didn't necessarily want him to be.
If he'd been paying slightly less attention to her and more to his surroundings Callen might have noticed sooner that the surfer was running back and forth along a one hundred yard stretch of the sand and never went past Kensi. When that detail registered in his mind he briefly turned his attention to the surfer. He smiled, gave a satisfied chuckle and waved at the surfer the next time he turned around. The surfer stopped, his shoulders dropped and then made his way to Callen.
"Deeks," Callen said.
Deeks sat beside him on the seat. "Callen."
"What are you doing here?"
"Surfing but not much out there. What about you?"
"Just watching the sunset."
Deeks grinned. "Yeah about as much as I've been surfing."
The grin dropped and both men turned their attention back to Kensi and sat in silence.
The silence was broken a few minutes later when a shadow loomed over them.
They looked up to see Sam standing between them and Kensi. It suddenly hit Callen that the car that he had heard pass by multiple times was easy to register in his mind even with his attention on Kensi because it was familiar. It had been Sam's Challenger.
"Sam, sit," Callen ordered. "You're in the way."
Sam sat.
"You know she'll kill us if she finds us watching her," Callen said.
"No she won't," Deeks said. "She'll think it's adorable."
"Adorable?" Sam repeated. "Sweet maybe. Over protective definitely."
"She'll kill us." Callen said again.
"Why?" Deeks asked. A frown on his face.
"She's the only girl and she thinks she has to be tough like us. If she thinks we've seen her like this she'll hate it." Callen told Deeks.
Deeks looked to Sam.
Sam shrugged. "He's got a point. Kensi's never liked us thinking she wasn't up for anything we were. Always hated the thought that being the girl meant she was the emotional one or the weak link. But we're all human and sometimes we need someone even if we aren't willing to admit it. "Sam gave Callen a knowing look before he turned back to Deeks. "Why are you here Deeks?"
"She's my partner, where else would I be? You?" Deeks directed his question at Sam.
Sam looked at Kensi. "She's family. Where else would I be? G?"
Callen grinned. "She's my favourite. Course I'm gonna be here."
Callen's attention returned to Kensi and he said. "She's on the move. Willing to test that theory?"
Deeks jumped and moved faster than Callen had seen him to behind a wide palm tree. Sam just about rolled over the back of the bench seat and took a dive behind a BBQ that would hide his bulk where a tree wouldn't stand a chance.
Callen chuckled and turned his head to look back out at the ocean. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Kensi head back up the beach to her car. There was a time when she stopped and looked in his direction but he didn't move. He heard her car door close and the engine start. And then he stayed perfectly still as she drove slowly past where they were all hiding. Slower than the speed limit warranted. At the very least she'd taken note of his car which meant he'd be busted easily if he tried to follow her.
"She's gone," Sam said. Deeks and Sam came out from their improvised hiding places.
"Where's your car Sam? She's seen mine."
"Just around the corner, she won't have seen it."
Sam pulled out his phone as the three men hiked it quickly to Sam's car.
"Eric, tell me you've got her."
"Cause I have. Had her since she left her. I'm working on a route to get you close to her."
Sam opened the car door and looked at Deeks. "Really Deeks?" There was sand up past his ankles and he was barefoot. Sam looked like he was debating letting Deeks into his car.
"Sam it's for Kensi," Callen pointed out.
Sam huffed, went to the trunk and pulled out a towel. "Keep your feet on that and so help me if I find sand in my car -"
"Sam, I'll pay to get your car cleaned," Callen said. "Get in Deeks."
Sam followed Eric's instructions and they were soon a couple of blocks behind her staying out of sight. With Eric on the case they didn't need to risk it.
"Her mom's place," Deeks said. Sam pulled the car over where they could see Kensi standing at the door.
"Bit close aren't you?" Deeks added. "She'll see us."
"Not the point Deeks. It's the only spot where we can see her. Make sure she gets through this okay."
The three men watched as the door opened and Kensi's mom appeared. They held their breaths and let it out as one when they two women hugged and then disappeared inside.
Callen turned to Sam and Deeks. "All good."
"All good," repeated Sam.
"Should we stay?" Deeks asked.
"No," Callen said. "I suspect she'll spend the night here. You might want to come back in the morning though."
Sam looked at Deeks and down at his feet which were no longer on the towel.
"Sam," Callen said. Sam turned to his partner. Callen shook his head. "She's worth it."
"Definitely," Deeks replied.
"Yep," came Eric's voice from the phone.
Sam sighed and nodded. "Yes she is."
A/N - Hope you enjoyed it. Had fun writing it. Love to know what you thought.