A/N: I wasn't planning on writing this. Honestly, I wasn't. I was going to take a breather - take a break from NCIS: Los Angeles, focus on some other fandom - but I happened to listen to Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift, and I was so inspired I couldn't not write. The story virtually wrote itself - never before have I written, edited, and posted in a single sitting. This fic was THAT inspired.
Anyway, it's my second songfic; and it's the first story of mine that is actually a songfic - as in, it was wholly inspired by and derived from a song. Because that song is absolutely PERFECT for Callen and Kensi - it fits them so amazingly well. You'll see what I mean. Warning: this is fairly fluffy stuff.
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or Taylor Swift's Sparks Fly. The story is mine, but the characters belong to CBS, and the song is all Taylor's - with the tiny exception of a single word that I swapped to make it fit this pairing.
Sparks
There had always been one thing which bothered Special Agent Kensi Blye. For all her abilities and skills – her undercover work, her trained mind, her keen observation, her quadrilingual fluency, her lip-reading – there had always been one thing which defied her logic and ability to comprehend.
That thing was the man who led the team she had come to love as a family: the one and only G Callen.
The way you move is like a full-on rainstorm
Oh, he wasn't the problem. While Callen was an enigma, he had nothing on the mystery of why she felt the way she did when she was around him.
And I'm a house of cards
It defied reason, her affections. Kensi knew full well she shouldn't – couldn't – be feeling this way towards her team leader. Not only was it totally inappropriate office behavior, but the man himself was everything she should shy away from.
You're the kind of reckless that should send me running
He was reckless, detached, an excellent liar, and more of a lone wolf than anyone she had ever known – plus he had a rule about dating law enforcement. None of those characteristics were a good match for her – she had lost too many people already; she needed the security and assurance of a steady man, whom she knew would be there for her whenever and however she needed him. And Callen was the virtual opposite of her ideal man.
But I kinda know that I won't get far
And yet…she couldn't help feeling an undeniable attraction to him; her emotions refused to obey what her brain told them. It was evident in the way her pulse quickened slightly if they were too near, the way a brief touch from him would send an electric tingle up her spine, and the way her heart softened whenever she met those ice blue eyes.
But you stood there in front of me just close enough to touch
It was a damn good thing she was such an excellent operative – she could hide her feelings so well that no one, not even Hetty, had the slightest inkling of a suspicion.
Callen, on the other hand, was a different matter.
Close enough to hope you couldn't see what I was thinking of
As stated before, the man was a mystery. They were the best of friends, but even Kensi couldn't quite figure him out. And who better than a man who knew so much about mysteries – to the point where he was a puzzle himself – to solve the mystery of Kensi Blye, a woman who had almost as many secrets as he did?
Drop everything now
And the number of times they bumped into each other! – honestly, it was as if Fate were deliberately pushing them together. In the car, on the way to OSP, coming round the corner, in bars, hotels, and gyms – even a brief stint as partners once, under Lauren Hunter. For the life of her Kensi couldn't figure out why they kept meeting accidentally. It was a statistical impossibility – wasn't it?
Meet me in the pouring rain
Then there was the fact that they went on more than a fair share of undercover missions together. Before Deeks joined the team, anytime a situation involving a couple cropped up, Callen and Kensi were the obvious and ideal choice. The frequency of that occurrence had diminished considerably after Deeks' arrival, but there was still the occasional op where it was Callen and Kensi, not Kensi and Deeks, together.
Kiss me on the sidewalk
Kensi had to admit, though, that of all the people on the team, Callen was the one who understood her best. They were similar, in a way – they were both driven, determined individuals who pushed themselves to excel at all times. They both had loved and lost, they both had things in their past they didn't want to talk about, and the both had unanswered questions. If Kensi were being candidly honest, she would even admit that they were the two most emotionally damaged agents on the team – and that's why they understood each other so well.
Take away the pain
Kensi was Callen's favorite agent. She knew it, he knew it; everyone on their team knew it – heck, even the entire OSP was aware that their lead agent's favorite was the Portuguese misfit with the mismatched eyes.
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
And speaking of eyes…
If you asked Kensi what she had first noticed the first time she met G Callen, she would say his eyes. Callen's eyes were the iciest, clearest blue she had ever seen. She told him so, on one occasion – he just laughed and threw out some line about how he was a one of a kind. Then he teasingly informed her (to Sam's chagrin) that just for that remarkable compliment, she was officially his favorite agent.
Get me with those blue eyes, baby, as the lights go down
Kensi didn't believe him, not really – it was meant as a joke, they both knew it – but it became clear as the weeks progressed that Callen had grown very fond of the team's newest recruit. As he supervised the last stages of her training, he was gentle and quick to praise, showing great confidence in her abilities. On one memorable occasion, he corrected her stance when holding and shooting a gun by standing close behind her and using his hands to keep her arms in the proper position.
Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
That was the first time Kensi Blye was affected by G Callen.
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
As the months passed by, she grew more accustomed to being near him. She became very comfortable in their friendship, and the sudden thrill she'd received that day did not repeat itself.
Until, that is, it did.
My mind forgets to remind me
She couldn't tell how, or when – all she knew was that she was suddenly liking G Callen a whole lot more than she initially had.
You're a bad idea
All right, so it wasn't that sudden – it was something that had begun and grown so slowly and gradually until she couldn't figure out where it had come from, only that she had it. She'd never had that feeling before.
You touch me once and it's really something
Sam mentioned once that they were the closest members on the team. Deeks took offense to that – "I'm her partner," he protested indignantly – but Sam pointed out that Kensi and Callen had something different.
"Haven't you noticed the silent conversations?" he asked the liaison.
"Silent conversations?" Deeks repeated.
Callen and Kensi grinned at each other, while Sam patiently explained what Deeks had never noticed before – that the brief looks, momentary eye contact, and wordless touches that passed between them were in fact whole volumes of dialogue.
You find I'm even better than you imagined I would be
It was during one of those wordless exchanges, after they rescued her from the Russians, that Kensi realized Callen's feelings towards her had changed, too. She saw the plain worry in his eyes when he ran up to her and Deeks after the explosion, and witnessed how it gave way to relief when he saw her safe. In that moment, Kensi knew that Callen cared for her in the same way she cared for him, and she knew he knew it too.
I'm on my guard for the rest of the world
They kept it quiet, kept it secret – both knew how the other felt, but neither was willing to act on it. They were afraid to cross the line they'd drawn for themselves.
But even in the midst of their playful banter and their best pretending, Kensi knew they weren't fooling each other. And she could see that Callen knew it too.
But with you, I know it's no good
And then came that case – the emotionally taxing, impossibly intense, frustratingly anxious day when Kensi finally learnt the truth about her father's murder. All her secrets, out in one day – all the answers, given in one day, too. All her waiting and searching was over.
And I could wait patiently but I really wish you would
She got shot that day, too – the bulletproof vest she'd worn had kept her alive, but it did nothing to protect her against the force of the bullet. She'd cracked two ribs, bruised her lung, and broken God knows how many blood vessels from the impact of a small bit of metal. She'd sported a humongous purple contusion for weeks after – not to mention the laceration on her arm – and it had hurt like hell. It was more painful than anything she'd experienced before.
She hadn't been lying when she told Deeks she'd never been shot before – he was just too stubborn to believe her, and assumed she didn't want to tell him the truth because of where she'd been shot (being Deeks, he'd decided it was an embarrassing body part).
Drop everything now
After she left her mother's house that night, Deeks was the one to insist on driving her to the hospital to treat her injury (she'd guessed he would, after his evident concern earlier) – but it was Callen who sat with her all night as she cried her eyes out for what happened to her father, to her father's team, and to her family. In many ways, the emotional scars left by the case ran deeper than the physical injuries they caused her.
Just how deep, Kensi didn't figure out until the morning.
Meet me in the pouring rain
It was just past dawn. Kensi had just woken up from a three-hour slumber brought on by exhaustion and emotional drain. She found that she had fallen asleep on the couch in Callen's arms. Surprisingly, he was asleep too – but he must have felt her gaze on him, because he opened his eyes a few minutes later to peer inquiringly into hers.
Kiss me on the sidewalk
And then – well, Kensi didn't know what came over her. Maybe it was overtiredness leading her to drop her guard; maybe it was the need to have someone she could trust completely to lean on after such an ordeal; maybe it was overwhelming gratitude to him for staying by her side the whole night; maybe she was finally tired of waiting and pretending; maybe it was all of these things – but whatever it was, when G Callen opened his blue eyes that morning, Kensi Blye hesitated mere seconds before closing the distance and kissing him full on the lips.
Take away the pain
After the initial shock, Callen responded to the kiss – slowly and uncertainly at first, but soon warming up to the act.
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
Neither of them had any excuse for why they did what they did – it simply seemed the most natural thing in the world to have the feel of the other's lips on their own.
And that was the kiss that was the start of many.
Get me with those blue eyes, baby, as the lights go down
They started a relationship – very tentatively, very cautiously – but they started it nonetheless. At first, it was uncertain and experimental – but it soon grew to become deep and meaningful and all-encompassing. It was the first real relationship either Callen or Kensi had ever had since their respective ill-fated relationships in their pasts.
Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
And at first, they kept it a secret from the entire team – no one knew, or even suspected, that they were seeing each other – but it wasn't long before Hetty clued in. Callen and Kensi were understandably anxious, wondering if she'd forbid them from seeing each other or put them on separate teams.
They needn't have worried.
"Congratulations," was all the little lady said.
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
From there, with Hetty's blessing, it was a simple step to take everyone else into their confidence. Sam was surprised, but pleasantly so – "I always thought you and Kensi made a good match, G," he told Callen. "Now you're finally got yourself a good girl," he added smugly.
Deeks was thoroughly shocked. He stared at them with his mouth open for several minutes, gaping and blinking, before he finally grinned and hugged Kensi – for once, she allowed the contact.
"I'm happy for you, Fern," he whispered in her ear; and she smiled before punching him on the arm as punishment for using that annoying nickname.
Eric and Nell were equally amazed, but their smiles were wide and their well wishes were exuberant.
And when Nate came back from the Middle East and heard about it – well, wild Arabs couldn't have stopped the impossibly wide grin on his face, or prevented him from scrupulously analyzing the incredible occurrence and how it came about.
I run my fingers through your hair
One of Callen and Kensi's favorite things to do was to sit together on the west balcony of OSP and watch the sun set in an inferno of red and gold. Unless circumstances dictated otherwise, they did it every day without fail. Callen liked to observe the sunset from a horizontal stance, so their typical position was that of him lying in her lap while she stroked his short hair as they watched Apollo's descent together.
And watch the lights go out
Then came the day when, on one of those sunset watches, their eyes weren't on the sun, but on each other. Crystal clear ice blue and warm mocha chocolate locked gazes.
Just keep on keeping your eyes on me
Moments later, Callen pulled out a ring box.
It's just wrong enough to make this feel right
Kensi said yes.
And lead me up the staircase
They raced up to Ops to tell everyone.
Won't you whisper something slow
Amid the noise of the celebratory congratulations, they remained side by side, their eyes saying, "I love you."
I'm captivated by you, baby
Eric felt he simply must express his glee, so he did – in an incredible display of colorful lights he and Nell had been discreetly stringing up around Ops in preparation for Christmas.
Like a fireworks show
And they all spent the night celebrating, even Hetty.
Drop everything now
Whimsically, they picked Christmas Day for their wedding; partly because as agents who might be called undercover at any moment, they didn't want to have to make time for more holidays than necessary – but mostly because Kensi wanted to go from being Callen's favorite agent to the best Christmas present he had ever received, and Callen wanted to replace the painful memory Kensi had of a previous Christmas with a new, joyful one.
Meet me in the pouring rain
Their entire team was in attendance, of course. Hetty, Sam, Deeks, Eric, and Nell were all given seats of honor. Other guests included Kensi's mother, Sam's family, Mike Renko, Gibbs, Abby, Director Vance, and even Assistant Director Granger – "For my father's memory," said Kensi. Even Nate flew back from overseas to attend – and to catch up with his girlfriend Rose Schwartz.
Kiss me on the sidewalk
Their vows were short, simple, and to the point – they'd never been a pair for long-winded, wordy speeches. The priest may have been clueless, but those who knew them best were aware that their true vows weren't the words they spoke that day, but the silent gazes, touches, and smiles they'd exchanged every day, the whole time they'd known each other.
Take away the pain
They sealed their marriage with a kiss, of course – and it was a kiss unlike any other, because it marked the end of a lifetime of loneliness and emotional pain, for both of them. Their wedding kiss signaled the start of a new life together, full of love, hope, and joy. There was no room for fear and pain.
'Cause I feel sparks fly whenever you smile
They didn't have a honeymoon, because a big case landed on their laps the day immediately following their Christmas wedding. But that was okay – Callen and Kensi were agents, and that wasn't something that changed just because they were married. The homey hacienda was where they shone – solving cases and chasing bad guys were when they were most in their element. They simply did it all now knowing that they had someone to go home to.
Get me with those blue eyes, baby, as the lights go down
And go home they would – at the end of the day, when the cases were closed and the crooks were arrested, they dropped the 'Agent' from their titles and became just Callen and Kensi, man and woman, husband and wife. Their nights now were warm and loving, but still sprinkled liberally with pokes, jibes, and the ever-present banter. Sometimes Sam and Deeks would come over for 'Partners' Night', when Callen and Sam would pit themselves against Kensi and Deeks in one game or another. Other nights brought Eric and Nell, who were remarkably close to getting married themselves. Hetty would occasionally drop by to see how they were doing (mostly to check on Callen), chat, and have a tea or two. Still other days saw the whole team in town somewhere, enjoying a night off.
Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
But overall, most of their nights were spent by themselves, just the two of them.
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
It was a beautiful balance that they thrived and flourished in.
And the sparks fly
And they wouldn't have it any other way – and for a very, very good reason.
Oh, baby, smile
G Callen and Kensi Blye had found their happy ending.
And the sparks fly
A/N: There you go. Thanks for reading! And remember: reviews, favorites, and alerts are all love! ;)