"What is that?" Nell walks into OPs and is Eric standing in front of the screen with a thing in his arms. He turns to her and smiles, and the thing in his hands giggles.
"It's a baby." He bounces the baby and she laughs again. Nell doesn't know what's going on, and she doesn't know if she should ask or not. "Why do you look so scared?" He takes a step toward her and Nell backs up.
"I'm not good with kids. They tend to cry if I look at them." She walks around the island to get to her computer, but Eric sits next to her and the thing in his hands reaches toward her.
"Ava seems to like you."
"You gave her a name?"
"She was born with one." Eric dangles something in front of the baby and she dissolves into giggles again.
"Eric, why is there a baby in OPS?" Nell is tired. There was a bomb threat on Pendleton, on a Saturday, their day off, and they all had to come in and they can't find the person who sent it, and Hetty has her running around crazy, and she doesn't know if she can handle a tiny human being screaming in OPS.
"Kensi and Deeks said they would watch Ava here for the weekend. Before this whole thing happened. Ava's parents are on an anniversary weekend getaway." Eric flips the baby in his lap so he can hold her and search something on the computer.
"So Kensi gave you a baby?"
"No. Hetty did." The baby hiccups, and Eric coos at her.
"Hetty gave you a baby?" Nell knows she's repeating herself, but she can't shake the thought of a fricken baby in OPs out of her head.
"Yeah. She said she thinks the two of us can handle her."
"Two of us?"
"She said that this baby was a job for the two of us." The computer dings, and he jumps up. "I got to tell Hetty. Here, I'll be right back." He all but tosses the child into her arms and then he's gone. The baby blinks at her.
Nell glances around the room and sees a bouncer, a crib, and two bags all set up nicely in the corner.
"Umm," the baby hiccups again, and Nell almost drops her. She isn't good with kids. She definitely isn't good with babies. And there is a possible bomb somewhere in L.A. She tries to sit the baby the same way Eric had her before, but this time, the girl wants to move. She almost falls twice before Eric runs back in, Hetty on his heels.
"Ah, Miss. Jones, I see you have met our newest operative." Hetty smiles and the baby reaches for her, and Nell is too quick to pass her over. "Her name is Ava. I think the two of you can handle her until the threat is secured?" She gives them a pointed look and hands the baby back to Eric before walking out.
"I don't know how to take care of a baby." Nell mutters, but Eric doesn't hear her because he's too caught up with Ava.
xXx
They make it about 15 minutes before she starts to cry. Nell tries not to grind her teeth. Eric is up in an instant, checking her diaper, saying soothing words, and then eventually rocking her in his arms. Nothing works until he finds her bottle and runs out to warm it up.
When he comes back he has her nestled in the crook of his arm and searching something on his tablet.
"Okay, so accord-"
"How do you do that?" Nell interrupts him, swiveling around in her chair so she can take in the full picture.
"How do I do what?" Eric adjusts and the baby sinks a little, but she still looks content holding her bottle and her giant eyes staring at all the shiny things in the room.
"Hold a baby and still be able to function."
Eric smiles at her and flicks something onto the screen. "I'll teach you. So like I was saying according to Callen three people didn't show up to work today and two of them checked out but the third person seems a bit off."
"What do you mean?"
Eric moves the pictures on the screen around until she sees it. They find where the guy lives and send his information to the team before Eric plops Ava on Nell's lap.
"I'm going to teach you how to hold a baby." He sits next to them and shows her how to hold her arms, his hands helping her along the way.
"Now. I have a lot of practice, so I know how to multitask, so don't think you're not doing well." Eric steps away and it's not the worst thing in the world.
Until she sneezes.
Nell nearly drops her again and pushes her into Eric's arms, because she's not good with babies and the last thing they need is to add more stress to the day by having her drop the kid.
But Eric just smiles at her. "We'll try again later." And then he's off, the baby in his arms and the world at his fingertips, and Nell is almost in awe of him, because of all the people in the world, she never expected Eric Beale to be good with babies.
"How do you do it?" She keeps her eyes on her computer, but she can tell he's smiling. "How are you good with babies?"
"Ahh," He sends something out to the team and turns to her. "My sister had her first kid when I was in high school. My sister also lived three houses away. So, I was Uncle Eric, babysitter extraordinaire."
"Really?" She almost doesn't believe him. In all the time she knew him, he never mentioned that he was an uncle.
"Oh yeah. And I was her favorite. Like, if my sister was having a rough night she would drag me out of bed and make me hold Sarah. As soon as she saw me, she would stop crying." The baby wiggles and he drops her into the bouncer, setting her between them.
The way he looks at Ava is so beautiful, Nell thinks it should be framed.
"You want kids Beale?" She's tired, but she's making conversation and it keeps her mind off of what could be happening to the team, so she doesn't notice how it what she said could sound odd.
"Umm," He laughs, and it takes her moment to realize what she's done, but before she can, he nudges her. "Probably. Maybe. I mean, I love kids. I love babies and children and hanging out with them, but being solely responsible for one. I think that could be disastrous."
"I think you would be a great dad." She looks at him just in time to see him try to hide his smile.
"And I think you could be a really great at holding a baby one day."
She knows he's trying to make her feel comfortable. She also knows that she really wants to see him with his own kids one day. Nell turns and goes back to typing, trying to stop the stupid, dangerous thoughts from entering her head.
xXx
"How is she?" Kensi asks. Nell glances over to where Ava is sleeping, cuddled in a kangaroo like contraption against Eric's chest.
"She's good."
Eric glances over at her, and shoots her a thumbs up.
"Really?"
"Yeah Kensi. She's sleeping, here let me send you a picture." Nell twists the camera and sends the picture of Eric staring at the computer, Ava snoring soundly.
"Oh my god, that's adorable." Deeks says. Nell nods even though they can't see her.
"If you are right we should have this guy and then we'll be back to take her off your hands." Nell watches Kensi get out of the car on the screen.
"She's good. You guys go do what you do best and kick ass. We'll hold down the fort here." Nell ends the call and snaps another photo before turning back to watch the screen.
"Are you sure you don't want to move her?" Nell whispers, touching his arm.
"Yeah. She's sleeping I don't want to risk it." Ava twitches, and his hands come up to hold her, and Nell is hit with this undeniable urge to kiss him. It comes out of nowhere, but she can't shake it.
Not when Ava starts to scream. Not when the team kicks down the doors and takes out the threat, all while Eric is trying to console the baby.
Not even when she reaches out and takes Ava from his arms and is able to turn her screams into laughs and finally into happy cooing.
Especially not when Eric just stares at her, the proudest grin on his face.
Nell Jones wants to kiss Eric Beale and it's all a baby's fault.
xXx
"Come on, you can do it!" Eric reaches forward and scoops Ava up, just before she tumbles to the floor. She flies through the air and squeals as Eric puts her back on the path to walk to Nell.
They're on the floor of the bullpen, Nell's feet pressed against Eric's to create a safe walking zone. Ava teeters toward her, and Nell grabs her hands just as she starts to lean to the left.
Ava yawns, tossing herself into Nell's lap and proceeds to fall asleep.
"Looks like somebody made a friend," Kensi says, plopping down next to Eric.
"Yeah, looks like she changed the certified baby hater's mind." Eric smiles at her, and she knows he's teasing, and she still wants to kiss him so instead she rocks the baby in her arms.
Deeks sits himself down next to Nell and she passes him Ava.
"I'm pretty sure Tracy gave her to us to try and convince us to have a baby." Kensi takes a picture of Deeks and sends it to Tracy. "We're not even married yet."
"I don't know Kens; I don't think out little ninja assassins could be cuter than this one here." Deeks smiles at the baby, and Nell sees Kensi smile at him.
It's one of those smiles reserved for when no one else is looking, not even the person you're smiling at, and Nell wonders if that's how she's been looking at Eric all day.
Nell pulls herself up and then grabs Eric, so she can leave Kensi and Deeks alone. "We'll go grab her things from OPs." She says, but Kensi is already crawling over so she can sit next to her fiancé and look at Ava asleep in his arms.
She's putting the bottles back in the bag when Eric touches her arm.
"Hey, you did great today." He folds the crib into itself and moves forward to help her pack up the rest of Ava's things.
"Couldn't have done it without you." She still wants to kiss him for no reason at all. Nell knows why, but she doesn't want to admit it to herself.
She likes Eric. She likes him and his stupid jokes, and his ability to tease her, and how he's good with kids, and patient with her, and she's not really sure that she wants kids, but she knows it would be easier if she had Eric around.
She nearly drops the bottle.
"You okay?" His hand settles on hers and she thinks maybe it wouldn't be so bad. To kiss Eric Beale. To go out with Eric Beale. Hell, to be loved by Eric Beale.
She wants to know more about his family and why he never speaks about them. She wants to know why he doesn't think he would be good dad, what made him be so good with kids. She wants to know if the lullabies he had been singing where ones his mom sang to him or if he just learned them along the way. Nell didn't think she liked kids very much, but then again, she didn't think she would want to kiss Eric Beale by the end of the day.
"I-" She's going to kiss him, and maybe he's going to kiss her back.
"Good work today Miss. Jones. Mr. Beale." Hetty walks into OPs, and Nell takes a step back. She doesn't look at Eric's face, because she doesn't want to know that he can see right through her.
"Thanks Hetty." Eric grabs the rest of Ava's things and starts to move toward the door.
Hetty shoots Nell a knowing look before she walks out, humming a lullaby to herself.
"Hey Eric."
"Yeah."
His hands are full of baby things, and he's not really looking at her, but she stands on her tip toes and cups his cheek and presses her lips against his.
She pulls back before he has a chance to do anything, and she's halfway out the door when he called her name.
"Want to stop over by my place?" He catches up to her, and he wasn't running but he looks out of breath. "We could watch a movie or something." He looks hopeful and breakable and beautiful, and she doesn't know what to do with herself because now she just wants to kiss him more.
"Yeah." And she's out of breath because she kissed Eric Beale and it was better than anything she ever expected, and maybe, with the way he's looking at her, she just might be able to kiss him again.
So, I'm terrible at titles and summaries, so if you still read this after those terrible indicators, thank you, I love you.