A/N: Hello everyone!

I'm back with my next story. My plan for this one is to make it a multi-chapter story - up to 5 chapters at most - but I wanted to upload this just to see if you guys are interested.

I would also like to thank my friend Quen for giving me the idea for this story, for motivating me to finally write it and for being my beta. This story is dedicated to her.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own NCIS Los Angeles because if I did, this would have been an actual episode and not just a friction of my imagination.

Enjoy!


Friday night and Nell and Eric are still undercover at an Italian restaurant. Her as a waitress and him as the entertainer, playing the piano.

A little over a week into the op and they have yet to catch a brake in the case. Not that Nell is complaining though because it's been a week of listening to Eric singing love songs which she's now come to realise are all dedicated to her as every time she looks his way she finds him staring right back at her.

And for those seconds that they lock eyes its like they're the only ones present in the room - customers and fellow "coworkers" fading into the background.

It's like he's willing her to understand his feelings for her.

And Nell is not a stupid girl - she knows exactly what it is that Eric is trying to tell her - she just doesn't want him to know that because it would distract both of their attention from the mission, putting their lives and the case at risk.

She shakes her head trying to chase those thoughts away. She smiles at Kensi and Deeks and sets the plates full of food on their reserved table.

It's their second time undercover as a happy couple. They seem less awkward than the first time they had dinner at the restaurant. The fact that Deeks acted on his feelings for Kensi after their first case related "date" might have helped smooth things between them.

It's not a secret that the junior agent and the LAPD detective have feelings for each other. They've actually been the main subject of office gossip for the past 5 years and there's even a betting pool going on around on whether will they or won't they get together.

It also goes without saying that it's Hetty who has won all these past years but that's going to change this year - Nell knows for sure that the status between the two partners' relationship has changed.

It was after their first "date" that Kensi came banging on Nell's door just as she was about to head to bed. She listened patiently to her friend as she told her the story of how Deeks finally declared his love for her.

Once they left the restaurant and debriefed Hetty, he suggested that they take a walk on the beach. After an awkward car ride and almost half a mile of walking Deeks finally gathered enough courage and spoke up, changing Kensi's entire life.

As expected, she freaked out and fled the beach immediately, leaving a heartbroken devastated Deeks behind.

She spent half an hour driving aimlessly around, trying to clear her mind when she ended up in front of Nell's apartment. Talking to someone who wasn't Deeks sounded like a good idea.

It took Nell three pints of ice cream to convince her friend to find Deeks and sort things out between them for once and for all. The following day they all noticed their matching wide smiles and lingering glances but chose to ignore them for the sake of their own sanity.

Going back to her job, Nell refilled their wine glasses and made her way back to the kitchen but not before stealing a glance at Eric.

Eric is ready to call it a night.

He's hungry, his finger hurt like hell from playing the piano for 3 hours straight, he's in need of a bathroom break and if he has to watch another businessman flirt with Nell, he's going to punch him in the face, mission and national security be damned.

The only thing that keeps him going are the warm smiles that Nell gives him every time she passes by his piano or when he plays a rather romantic song and their eyes lock.

Eric is a shy and awkward man with an awful track record with women but he's who is hopelessly in love with his best friend and partner.

The only problem being that, said friend is crazy smart, very beautiful and independent, leaving him to hide his feelings behind awkward flirting and acts of jealousy.

With this mission though, he gets the chance to express them and if the way her lips curl into a smile and her cheeks grow a deep crimson are any indication, she's probably getting the message that he's trying to pass on.

He just wishes for the op to be over do that they can talk. He soon has to stop his train of thoughts because he's in the middle of an operation - an operation that goes south a few seconds later.


Eric sees it first.

The reflection of metal against the restaurant's dim lights, followed by a series of distinctive loud bangs.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Kensi and Deels duck for cover behind their table before getting in position to shoot back.

All of his instincts shout at him to hide behind the piano and wait for the shootout to be over. He can't do that, not when all of these people are in danger, so he lets his basic NCIS training kick in.

He takes cover behind the piano while searching for Nell. He finds her not 10 feet away shooting at the general direction of where most of the enemy bullets are coming from. She's saying something but he can't hear anything over the sound of rapid gunshots and screams and their comm connection seems to not be working.

Suddenly, he feels his stomach drop- it has nothing to do with his hunger or the adrenaline currently coursing through his veins.

No, he's feeling uneasy because he sees one of the bad guys train his gun at Nell and slowly pull the trigger.

From that moment on, everything happens in slow motion. Nell turns around to look at the man that he's staring at, her eyes widening when she realises that the bullet is meant for her.

It takes him less than a split second to register his legs moving or his hands shoving Nell out of the way.

It takes him less than that to feel the bullet make contact with his torso- excruciating pain spreading all over his chest.

It takes his brain even less than that to register Nell shouting his name, just before darkness claims him.


So what do you guys think? Love it, hate it? Should I continue it? Feel free to share your opinion.

Until next time

~F