Originally posted at AO3

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Come Hell or High Water

Chapter 1

„You know, I don't get why you're the one going inside with Kensi. She is my partner after all," Deeks' voice was nattering on in his ear.

Callen threw his current partner a sideways glance, watching her roll her eyes. It was often entertaining to listen to the junior members of the team snipe back and forth… and it was also most entertaining to sometimes egg them on.

He smirked to himself.

"As soon as your Russian language skills surpass 'net', we may be able to talk about you going in with her, but as it stands, it's still a 'net' - which means 'no' by the way," Callen told Deeks' evenly as they slowly trudged up the stairs.

There was a brief and sourly pause as their Detective considered a throwback.

"She makes for fantastic eye candy though."

Callen bit back the laugh, especially when he saw Kensi bristling beside him.

"Unless you want to sleep in the garage for the foreseeable future, I would shut up if I were you," Sam advised, entering the conversation over their comm.-system. He had years of experience as a family man over any of them, but even Callen as a mostly unsocial being could have told Deeks that he was moving on very thin ice here.

Though privately he had to admit that Deeks was right - Kensi was absolutely stunning in her business get-up. The jacket was tailored to fit her to perfection, hugging her frame. The blouse was modestly buttoned up, the white a contrast to the pin stripes of the dark blue jacket and trousers that drew the eyes despite the modesty. There had been a time when she would have fidgeted with the outfit, back when she had just joined the team and was not yet used to Hetty's wardrobe. But these days, she wore any outfit like a second skin.

Kensi was about to draw breath for a comeback when Callen touched her arm and gave her a small shake of his head while reaching for the door. "Going in," he advised the rest of his team softly, interrupting the banter and bringing them all back to business.

He drew the door open and gallantly let Kensi walk into the building ahead of him, his hand naturally sliding to her lower back, guiding her inside. As he followed her, she paused and then stepped closer to him, molding herself to his side while his arm settled around her shoulder, accommodating her position as they glanced around.

Callen took in the security guard. He gave the man a courteous nod and a relaxed smile that was returned. Tightening his hold on Kensi, he turned his head and dropped a kiss against her temple. "See anyone?" he asked quietly, his eyes still taking in the area.

"No," Kensi gave back, leaning her head against his.

They were a few minutes early, so Callen moved them over to a display, pretending to study the advertisements. He angled his body so that he could still see most of the room while Kensi unglued herself from his side and casually moved over to another section.

"Running facial recognition from your button cams," Eric advised them. Callen could hear the tapping of keys in the background as their two geeks worked.

"Kensi, can you turn slightly to the right so that I can get a shot of… yeah, just like that," Nell's voice came over their comm.-links some moments after Eric's announcement.

Several minutes passed like that and Callen was about to wonder aloud if their contact was leaving them high and dry when the door opened. He glanced over the check out the newcomer and instantly felt his body tensing.

There was something about the three men entering the bank, that stood out to his trained eye - and that was even before he saw the masks and the guns.

He barely had the opportunity to mutter a brief but heartfelt "fuck," before a volley of shots was fired into the ceiling.