Title: Methinks She Doth Protest Too Much
Author: DizzyDrea
Summary: In which Nate gives Callen and Nell some much needed advice, and a push in the right direction. Part the next in the Scenes From an Accidental Courtship series.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Patriot Acts
Author's Notes: Oh my god! The flirting! It was epic, and my Muse just had to write about it. To own the truth, I had this story mostly fleshed out before I even saw the episode. And the bonus is that this story features more of Nate, whom we all love and miss terribly. Well, at least I miss him. The title comes from Hamlet, Act III, Scene II. Nate correctly quotes it in the story; the version in the title is the mangled version commonly used in conversation. Also of note, there are references in this story to my stories Secret Santa, Who Watches the Watchers? and Girls With Guns (in other words, the Scenes From an Accidental Courtship series).
Disclaimer: NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles and all its particulars are the property of CBS, Paramount, Donald P. Bellisario, Belisarius Productions, Shane Brennan, Shane Brennan Productions, and a lot of other people who aren't me. I am doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.
~o~
Nate Getz wandered into Ops, spotting his quarry sitting at the computer just inside the door. Nell Jones had been avoiding him all day, ever since they'd wrapped the whole Special Agent Ambrose debacle. It was time to put an end to the avoidance.
He dropped into the chair next to Nell's, swinging his chair back and forth as he waited for her to acknowledge his arrival. She jumped a little, but otherwise ignored him. He smiled. Like that was going to put him off.
"I get it, you know."
She froze momentarily before going back to typing. "What, exactly, do you get?"
"That whole 'flirting with me in front of Eric' thing. I get it."
"I told you, Nate," she said, glancing at him, "there was no flirting. No flirting with you in front of Eric. No flirting with Eric in front of anyone else. No flirting is going on here. At all."
Nate chuckled. "Except that there was. Flirting. All over the place."
And there had been a lot of flirting going on at OSP in the last few days. He couldn't remember there ever being more, come to think of it. Of course, he'd been gone for a while, so things could have changed.
He'd caught Kensi flirting with Callen—and Kensi Blye flirting with anyone was a red-letter day—and Deeks had been flirting with Kensi, though he wasn't sure she appreciated it. He wasn't sure Marty Deeks had any idea what he was getting into either, but that was a whole other thing. And, of course, Nell had flirted with him, with Eric, with Sam and Deeks, though to be fair, flirting with Sam Hanna was like flirting with Santa Claus: completely harmless and totally innocent. There was only one person—besides Hetty—that she hadn't flirted with. He just wasn't sure she'd noticed it.
Nell speared him with a glare. "So what if I was flirting with you. You don't mind, do you?"
Nate held up his hands. "Not complaining. I just wanted to make sure you know why you're flirting with me."
"Well, it's obviously not because I want to get you alone and naked," she muttered. She must have realized she'd spoken those words out loud, because she turned apologetic eyes on him. "I'm sorry. It's just…"
"It's just what?" he asked. When she didn't answer, he offered a suggestion. "It's just that the one person you aren't flirting with is the one you didn't think I'd notice?"
"I'm not flirting with anyone," she insisted. "Not you, not Eric. Most definitely not Agent Callen."
"No, you're not flirting with Callen," Nate said, smiling in triumph. At least he'd gotten her to admit it.
"See?" she said. "Even you agree with me."
"But there is something going on between the two of you."
Nell froze again, then returned her attention to her computer. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"'The lady doth protest too much, methinks'," he quoted.
Finally, she deflated, dropping back in her chair, hands covering her face. She said something, but he couldn't quite make it out with her hands in the way.
"Come again?"
"I said I don't know what this is." She peeked out from between her hands. "I have absolutely no idea what's going on, actually."
"So, why don't you tell me and we'll figure it out," he said. She dropped her hands into her lap, nibbling on her lip in a sure sign of nerves. "Come on, we're friends. No secrets here, right?"
Nell gusted out a sigh. "You're right. No secrets."
"Good," Nate said, smiling gently. "Now, tell me what's going on."
"It's just… we've been having these moments," she said quietly, almost tentatively.
"Moments?" He frowned. "What kind of moments?"
"The kind where I sit on his lap and he tells me he's got my back. He kissed my temple that time," she said, all wistful nostalgia in her tone. "Or he'll turn up while I'm on the gun range and help me improve my accuracy. By getting up close and personal, if you know what I mean. Oh, and he kissed me after I gave him his Christmas present. Right here," she said, tapping her finger on the corner of her mouth.
Surprise rippled through him, though he didn't show it. That was huge for G Callen, to reach out willingly to someone else. He wondered if she got just how big this could be. Not that he'd be the one to tell her, but he could at least point her in the right direction. They both deserved some happiness, and if he could help make it happen, well, he'd consider it a public service.
"And you don't know what's going on?" He couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. "You're smarter than that, Nell."
She shook her head. "Yeah, well, apparently not. I mean, he could have anyone in the world he wants. Why would he want me?"
"You're pretty, smart, sassy," he said, ticking the reasons off on his fingers. "And you know where he works and what he does. Don't undervalue that. For a guy like him, keeping that a secret from someone he cares about isn't easy."
Nell shrugged, looking away. "Maybe."
Nate leaned forward, spinning her chair around so she had to face him. "It's not like you to be anything less than confident about anything. What's really wrong?"
He watched her struggle for a moment before she gave in. "I'm not supposed to like a guy like Callen. I'm supposed to like a guy like Eric. We're both geeks, we speak the same language. Well, mostly anyway. And we work together, really, really well. It's like we're two halves of the same brain. But…"
"But when you look at Eric, you don't get that rush," he said, finishing her thought for her. "You don't feel your heart trying to beat out of your chest; you don't feel lightheaded, like all the oxygen has been sucked out of the room. Am I right?"
Nell nodded, too stunned to do anything else. Nate smiled, probably a bit wistfully himself. It wasn't like he'd never been in love, but that was a lifetime ago, and he was a different person. And this wasn't about him, it was about Nell. And Callen.
He could understand where she was coming from, though. Eric Beale was a good man. If he had a sister, he'd let her date Eric. And for all intents and purposes, Nell was his little sister. He wanted to help her if he could.
"There's no 'supposed to' in love, Nell," he said quietly. He gentled his voice further, leaning forward in his chair. "There are no rules here. There's only what's right for you. And if Callen is right for you—if he's the one that makes your heart race just by being in the same room—then that's okay. Because nobody gets to tell you who you should love; not even me."
"It's not that easy," she said.
He smiled. "Yeah, it kinda is."
"What if he doesn't—"
"Feel the same way?" he asked, interrupting her. He shook his head. "He's already kissed you twice. I think we're past that by now. Besides, this isn't Junior High anymore. The only way you're going to find out if there's anything there is to take a chance. So, what are you waiting for?"
It wasn't a challenge, but he knew she'd take it as one. And just as predicted, an impish smile stole over her face. She chewed on her thumbnail for a moment, and he could practically see the gears in her head working.
"I think my work here is done," he said with a wink. He stood up, towering over her where she was still slouched in her chair. "Just don't wait too long."
He turned and strode confidently through the sliding doors, seeing Callen leaning against the railing just outside, hands tucked into his pockets, a knowing smile on his face.
"Nate."
"Callen," Nate said, nodding at him with his own conspiratorial smile.
"Everything okay?"
Nate glanced back at the now-closed doors to Ops, then back at Callen. "Yeah. Everything's fine." He stepped up to the railing, leaning his hip against the banister. "Everything okay with you?"
Callen's gaze drifted to the closed doors, then back to Nate. He shrugged. "Yeah."
"Then why don't I believe you?" Nate asked. When he didn't get an answer, he turned, gazing out over the ground floor at the flow of activity at the end of the day.
They stood there in silence for a bit. Nate wasn't intimidated by the lack of conversation. He'd done this dance with Callen before, so he knew all he had to do was wait it out. Eventually, the man would talk if he needed to.
Finally, Callen sighed. He turned, standing shoulder to shoulder with Nate. "We seem to be in this holding pattern. I just don't know where to go from here."
"That doesn't sound much like the Callen I remember."
"Times change," Callen said. He sighed again. "After everything I've been through this year, I'm just not sure if getting involved is the right thing to do. She deserves more."
"Now, I call bullshit on that," Nate said, surprising Callen. "You don't get to decide what she deserves. She's the only one who gets to do that." He looked at Callen, spearing him with his gaze. "So, what's this really about?"
The silence stretched for a moment before Callen spoke. "I like Nell. I really do. She's smart; she's funny. Full of energy and passion for the work she does. And she doesn't let anyone get away with any bullshit."
"So far, I'm not seeing the problem."
"She's sure of herself, Nate," he said. "She knows who she is, where she came from. I sort of envy her in that way. I just… I wonder who she sees when she looks at me. Who am I to her? Because if I don't know who I am, how will she?"
Nate was surprised. Callen never talked about his insecurities, and didn't talk much about his past at all. But it didn't surprise him that this was the heart of Callen's problem.
"You know what I see when I look at you?" he asked.
Callen shot him a confused glance. "No. What do you see?"
"I see a guy who doesn't let not knowing about his past keep him from living his life," Nate said. "Your past has always been your weakness, but you thrive despite it." He turned back, leaning his hip against the railing once more. "You're good at your job, quick, intelligent, dedicated. We all respond to that, and the lack of a past doesn't matter much when it's you."
"And Nell?"
"I can't speak for Nell, but I think she sees who you are," Nate said. "She sees you every day. She's seen you at your best and at your worst."
Callen's eyes drifted back to the bullpen area, watching his friends wrap up the day together. Nate wondered what Sam thought about all this. The fact that Callen was talking to him made him think maybe Sam didn't know. Which was interesting.
"So, what are you going to do?" he asked when the silence stretched.
"What do you think I should do?"
Nate shook his head. "Not going to go there. I will tell you the same thing I told Nell: the only thing you have to do is what's right for you. Just don't wait too long. She's a smart girl, but she's not going to wait forever."
He dropped a hand onto Callen's shoulder, squeezing gently before he walked away. He didn't know what would happen next, and he wasn't sure he'd be around to find out, what with his schedule being a little crazy. He had no doubt that something was about to happen. He'd congratulate himself if he thought there was a need, but he was smarter than that. They'd have gotten there eventually. But, if he'd given them a slight push… well, he was good with that.
~Finis