She tried once more to get the right side of the bed. But he beat her to it once again.

No matter. She'd get it eventually.

It had almost become a game to them during their undercover assignment as a married couple, competing with each other to get the right side of the bed first.

But somehow he was always just ahead of her, and he'd hogged the right side for nearly a week now.

Kensi laid awake on the left side of the bed, staring steadily at the man to her right who was sound asleep on his stomach.

Maybe she could still get enough of the right side of the bed, even if he was taking up most of it…

She slid close to Deeks, careful not to wake him, and gently pushed against his side and shoulder with her own body.

Not working.

She put a little more muscle into it, and finally he rolled onto his other side and gave her several inches of space.

But not quite enough.

She pushed again. Just a little more…

Deeks hit the floor with a thump! and an "Ow!" that probably woke the neighbors.

Horrified, Kensi clapped a hand over her mouth and leaned over the bed to peer sheepishly at her partner.

Wincing, Deeks sat up and then glared at her with sleepy indignation. "What the hell? !"

"I am so sorry!" she apologized, unable to stifle a slight laugh at the situation. "I did not mean to do that."

"Oh my god," he muttered, picking himself up off the floor. "Gonna kill me, just to get the right side of the bed!"

"You didn't even land that hard," Kensi rebutted immediately.

"Agh…I want a divorce," Deeks complained, grabbing his pillow off the bed and heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Kensi wanted to know.

"To sleep on the couch," he said over his shoulder. "Both sides of it!"

"Really? The couch? The same one you complained about for a whole day after our first night here?"

He stopped at the top of the stairs, considering. It was true — he had given her the bed and slept on the couch the first night of their undercover assignment and received a very good crick in the neck for his gallantry.

But still…

"I'm sorry!" Kensi called again. "Would you just come back?"

Pillow in hand, he turned around. "You're begging me to come back to bed?" he hollered to Kensi with humor in his voice. "I am so telling the guys."

"You do that," Kensi played along with a sweet placating smile as he reappeared in the doorway. "It's your funeral."

Deeks went back to the side of the bed he'd been kicked out of. But his partner wasn't budging. "You're on my side," he prompted.

She shrugged a careless shoulder. "It's my side now."

He opened his mouth again to refute that, then thought better of it. "Fine," he allowed. "You can have it for one night… 'wife'."

"Thank you, 'husband'," Kensi accepted pleasantly as her partner strode to the left side of the bed and got back in.

"I still want a divorce," Deeks murmured, closing his eyes. But he had trouble falling back asleep.

He peeked over at the woman happily occupying the right side of the bed they shared, and a little grin began to form on his face. What fun he could have, getting his side of the bed back…

Kensi opened her eyes again as her pillow dipped slightly and a warm body pressed solidly against her side. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I changed my mind — you can share the right side," Deeks informed her lightly, getting comfortable and closing his eyes again.

"And wake up on the floor myself? No thanks."

"Oh, come on, 'Sugar Bear'," he murmured in her ear, snuggling closer. "Compromise is what marriage is all about."

The man had no respect for boundaries. None, whatsoever.

She poked him in the side.

"Hey — I bruise easily."

But that only encouraged her. She poked him again.

"I'm warning you," he said again, but the tone in his voice was more playful than serious.

"What, you think that's me?" Kensi denied innocently. "That's just the bedbugs being friendly."

He grabbed her hand after the third poke. "No, that's you being friendly…and we're never going to get to sleep if you keep trying to seduce me."

Kensi laughed at him. "Oh, wishful dreaming, pal." She withdrew her hand.

Deeks waited a beat, then attacked her side with his own fingers.

She yelped and jerked away, giving him a light kick in the leg. "That's not fair — you know I'm ticklish!"

"What — you can dish it out, but you can't take it?" Deeks challenged. "Bully."

Kensi scoffed threateningly. "Oh, you're gonna think bully —"

"Whatever you're thinking, don't you dare," he warned, eyeing her suspiciously.

He supposed he should have known better, because saying 'don't you dare' to Kensi Blye was about the same as waving a red sheet in front of a bull.

For as soon as the words left his mouth, he found himself engaged in a fun little wrestling match while trying to gain back his position on the right side of the bed.

There would be no shoving him out of it this time. She was strong, but so was he.

Deeks finally managed to pin Kensi's wrists to the mattress and end the battle, and only then did either of them realize the intimate position they had ended up in.

Flat on her back, Kensi was held fast by the weight of her partner sprawled face-to-face on top of her.

"Okay, I think you won," she surrendered breathlessly, staring up at the eyes that were mere inches from hers.

"Yeah," Deeks exhaled, gazing right back down at her. He knew he should move…let go…get up off his partner…whatever.

But the move he made was a different one, and in a split-second decision, he went for it.

He dipped his head and captured her lips in a brief but sweet kiss.

Then he braced himself for the kick that he was sure would follow.

Rendered momentarily speechless, Kensi simply recovered with, "I cannot believe you just did that."

With no retaliation forthcoming, Deeks gave her a flirtatious smile, terribly pleased with himself. "You liked that, huh? Want me to do it again?"

She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "Do it, and you're a dead man."

Yeah, that was probably true. So with one final smirk, he released her and rolled onto his back beside her again. "Goodnight," he said pleasantly.

Belatedly, Kensi gave him a half-hearted elbow to the gut.

Deeks chuckled softly, unhurt. He nudged her shoulder with his. "Hey, you know what?"


The smugness was evident in his voice. "I've still got the right side of the bed."

Kensi smiled to herself as she turned over to cuddle against his side. "Not for long," she promised sweetly, patting his chest.