Eric and Nell: Fifty Things
By: DemonClowSorceress
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA or the characters.
Another try at this fandom! Lemme know how it is!
#1 - Keyboard
It was amazing hearing the two analysts typing in tandem, thought the team. Like a tech's version of a piano concerto.
#2 - Sparkle
There was a glint in her eye whenever she was presented with a challenge, and he was happy whenever he was the one to put it there.
#3 - Whistle
Sometimes, when he's too busy or when he's feeling generous, he lets her summon the team upstairs.
#4 - Rapport
They have something that most established relationships will lack - good communication.
#5 - Hints
Callen and Sam see them before Kensi and Deeks can, but Hetty can see the little telltale signs of affection far ealier than anyone else.
#6 - Hacking
Their theories may vary, but the result is always the same - the job gets done. After all, they're both highly talented.
#7 - Tiny
She's small, but Eric knows that there's more to his partner than meets the eye, or else Hetty would've never brought her into OSP.
#8 - Flip-Flops
"They're the reason you can never sneak up on me," she said, pointing at the footwear with a smile.
#9 - Jealous
She tries not to show it when he talks fondly about Abby Scuito, but she knows she can't compete with the Goth forensic specialist.
#10 - Conflict
On the one hand, he really wanted to warn her about her boyfriend. On the other hand, he didn't want to ruin their friendship by admitting to running a background check on said boyfriend.
#11 - Children
Hetty feels like she's in charge of a pair of bickering children when the OSP tech center becomes a verbal war zone. Surprisingly, grounding them still works.
#12 - Fun
It was worth the long afternoon of hot sun, sweat, and engine grease to watch the garage camera footage and see Sam's face when the Charger started up by itself.
#13 - Date
"I can't believe it's been a year since I've started here," she said, touching the rose in amazement. "And I can't believe you remembered."
#14 - Secret
He's always curious when Hetty calls her away on what he's dubbed "secret missions", but he doesn't pry. If she needs his help, he'll gladly give it.
#15 - Gamble
"I told you they'd use Biscuit," he chuckled, holding out his hand for the money. She only pointed at the screen as the ruse quickly changed to Rich LA Couple, then held out her own hand.
#16 - Opposites
She's called herself "Type A with borderline ADD" and he's almost definitely a "Type B" personality. But they still managed to work in perfect harmony.
#17 - Hug
The violent images overwhelmed her, and she quickly turned to bury her face in his shoulder as his arms came up to hold her close.
#18 - Red
He's come to count on the brain and wits hidden under that pixie-cut head of hair.
#19 - Sleep
Sometimes after a overnight session of code-breaking at OSP, Eric will wake up with a blanket draped over his body and a cup of steaming coffee next to his keyboard.
#20 - Code
When the lines of letters and numbers skittered across his screen, he knew she was trying to tell him something.
#21 - Friends
It took a while, and it was rough, but the day came when Eric could truthfully call his partner his friend.
#22 - Surprise
His best friend smirked as he signed You've totally got the hots for her after Eric described how he couldn't look at her the same after seeing her in that dress.
#23 - Words
She frowned as she asked if 4-5683-968-65 was a code she had to solve. He grinned and said yes, she just had to figure out the secret message.
#24 - Glasses
Curious, Nell checked out his specs and almost went cross-eyed at the strength of his perscription.
#25 - Fist
"I...tripped down the stairs?" she hedged with a sheepish grin as his usually jovial face clouded with rage, his hand gently cupping her cheek just below the swollen black eye. Behind them, Sam and Callen winced as they imagined what her partner would do to her boyfriend (not that the team wouldn't offer their help).
#26 - Habits
She still finishes his sentences, but he lets her. Sometimes, what she says makes more sense than what he'd been about to say.
#27 - Hospital
It hadn't been gentle; several nasty bruises, a broken arm, and a concussion meant Eric had to stay for a few days. But the result was worth it; that bastard had cleared out of town, never to touch her again.
#28 - Pride
He'd been watching on the boathouse cameras, so when he saw Nell cross verbal swords with Chambers' director, he had to grin as she outlined the problems with the Captain overlooking Medina's intel.
#29 - Smiles
She has different smiles for every occasion, but the one she shows the least is the one she saves for him.
#30 - Rescue
Sam may have disabled the guard, Callen may have cut her loose, Deeks may have driven her back, Kensi may have helped her up the stairs - but Eric's quick thinking had ultimately saved her, and she hugged him long and hard to show just how much she appreciated it.
#31 - Relief
They shared a terrified look when the explosion blasted over the earwigs, and her hand sought his in fear. They leaned against each other, suddenly weak, when Deeks confirmed that he and Kensi were safe.
#32 - Swimsuit
He almost fell off his surfboard when he saw his partner - geeky, tiny, tough Nell - wearing a white string bikini on the beach.
#33 - Teacher
She'd learned a lot from him on the job, but when Eric offered to teach her sign language, she felt very honored that he'd want to teach her something not related to computers.
#34 - Gift
He felt his apprehension disappear when her expressive face broke into a smile as she looked up from the contents of the box.
#35 - Conversation
Before she came to OSP, he'd only had technology to keep him company. But now, he can talk to someone other than Hetty.
#36 - Unwind
Sometimes, after a long day of solving crime, the best way to relax is just to hijack the giant screen, hook up the Wii, and play Mario Kart with your partner.
#37 - Play
While they never actually needed aliases in their line of work, they still played the lying game sometimes. Most of the time, though, it was with their feelings.
#38 - Realization
Somewhere along the line, they'd found that their friendship had become something more.
#39 - Worry
It's when she doesn't finish his sentences, doesn't defend a point on something she's passionate about, or walks into the OSP without a spring in her step, that Eric feels that he has to cheer his partner up.
#40 - Ploy
She's not above using him as a way to avoid getting picked up by random guys, and frankly, he's glad she has enough taste to shoot them down.
#41 - Surfing
He looked very cool riding his surfboard in the crystal clear waters off California's coast, thought Nell as she and Kensi soaked up some rays.
#42 - Presence
They don't even have to look up anymore to know who it is - when one enters the room, the other immediately starts talking about the latest development.
#43 - Jargon
Callen and Sam stare at the hacker blankly, Kensi and Deeks share a look of confusion, but for Eric and Nell, they're listening to a master describe his masterpiece.
#44 - Bend
It's not professional, it's not professional, his brain screams, but his eyes can't tear themselves away from her rear as she leans over to pick up her pencil.
#45 - Ocean
They realize, while their quirky partner looks nonthreatening and almost always has a smile, there are hidden depths to their personalities as well.
#46 - Sharing
"Now now, children," Callen teased, finding them in a questionable position in a totally innocent game of Keep-Away the Keyboard, "didn't you ever learn to share your toys?"
#47 - Instant
There's an instant, almost missed, when she looks up and he looks down and their mouths are just millimeters apart...
#48 - Skype
While in New York to help out on a cross-juristictional case, she's so glad that he's always just a click away.
#49 - Cat
It was not fair, seeing her in an all-black ensemble skintight jeans, shirt, boots, and cat ears at work on Halloween. The innocent smile she gave him didn't help either.
#50 - Partners
At first, he didn't know how to deal with her and she didn't know how to work with him. Now, they can't imagine how they ever worked before without each other.
Kinda nice, now that I'm finished. Please review and tell me what you think!