Welcome to my new story. It is a sequel to 'Analyst In Distress' and will frequently reference the events of that story, so if you don't want to be confused, I'd recommend reading it first. I'm going back to my fluffy happy roots here and I can promise this will be heavy on the Nallen. I hope you like it :) Zoe
It was late afternoon on a Thursday and the team arrived back at OSP from the boatshed having concluded their latest case. It had been a tough couple of weeks, starting off with Nell's life being threatened by a corrupt former Navy Commander intent on maintaining links between a Venezuelan drug cartel and dealers in Washington DC, and leading to four back to back cases which had the team running all over LA, working multiple undercover operations and exceptionally long hours.
Henrietta 'Hetty' Lange watched as Callen, Sam, Kensi and Deeks traipsed to their desks with shoulders hunched and heads lowered, wearily sitting down with a few more groans than usual. She knew they needed a break, so with purpose she walked over to the bullpen and drew their attention.
"Agents." She greeted them.
"Hetty." Callen nodded as he reclined in his chair.
"Long Weekend." She drew the words out. "I don't want to see any of you until Monday morning." She stated. The team looked surprised and all eyes turned to stare at her. Hetty would usually pressure them for paperwork and reports about now so to hear the words 'Long Weekend' came as an utter shock.
"Now go, before I change my mind." Hetty turned on her heels and with her hands clasped behind her back she walked back to her office. She had a little personnel juggling to do to cover things at the office for the next few days.
"Long weekend?" Callen looked at Sam with one raised eyebrow and a smile tugging on his lips.
"Long Weekend." Sam smiled and nodded back. "We've been meaning to take that camping trip for months G."
"The weather this weekend is supposed to be good." Callen rose to his feet to gather his things, enthusiastic about the prospect of a chilled weekend in the wilderness. Over the last few weeks Callen had found himself struggling not only with the intense pressure of the cases they had been dealing with, but with emerging feelings for a woman he never expected to fall for. Some time away from it all was just what he needed.
"You guys are going camping?" Kensi asked, perking up a little. "I want to go too." She said, sounding like the kid sister trying to tag along with her older brothers as they went off to play.
"What do you think Callen?" Sam asked his partner. It was a teasing question because they both knew they would let her come. Callen shrugged and smiled at Kensi.
"She has been trapped in the city for a long time." He responded, winking at Sam.
"Awesome." Kensi started to get her things together.
"Hey, don't I get an invitation?" Deeks asked suddenly, drawing the attention of the other three.
"You hate the outdoors." Kensi stated, her face a picture of surprise. Sam threw Callen a knowing look and a smirk fell onto Callen's face. The blonde detective's 'non-feelings' for Kensi were well know.
"I know." Deeks nodded. "But I keep getting dragged out there so maybe I should learn to like it." He shrugged, not entirely sure they believed him.
"I guess if Kensi gets to come." Callen sighed as he stood. He shrugged on his black leather biker jacket and lifted his bag onto his shoulder, noticing Eric and Nell coming down the stairs as he turned. At the sight of the intelligence analyst, his heart swelled a little and he couldn't help the smile that came onto his face. He recalled how he had teased Kensi for being 'smitten, stuck, whatever' on Deeks when they had first met him as an alias, and he could only describe himself in the same way now. He was stuck on, smitten with, besotted by and completely enamoured with Nell Jones.
"Hey guys." Eric greeted the team as he and Nell arrived in the bullpen. "Hetty just called up, told us we're getting a long weekend."
"And we were just making plans." Sam replied.
"Oh yeah, what are you going to do?" Nell asked, her eyes drifting over to Callen. She was looking forward to their surprise time off but she knew she would miss seeing Callen. He had been pretty much a permanent fixture in her life of late, from staying with her for several days after her ordeal, to checking in on her frequently at the office and calling to make sure she got home and was safe. She hadn't expressed to him how much that meant, but after having her home invaded by a knife wielding drug dealer intent on stabbing her to death, Nell craved a feeling of safety and he gave that to her.
"Sam and I are going camping." Callen said, meeting Nell's gaze. "And we just agreed to let Kensi and Deeks tag along." Callen shook his head, as if knowing it was all going to end in trouble.
"You two want to join the party?" Sam asked.
"I don't do camping." Eric stated.
"I'm in." Nell smiled. "I really need a vacation." She added, glancing over at Callen again in time to see a smile light up his face.
"You're going to go camping?" Eric asked Nell, surprised that a computer geek like himself would want to spend time in the great outdoors, away from the internet and technology.
"Sure. I used to go camping all the time at home." Nell shrugged.
"Come on Eric, everyone else is doing it." Deeks teased the younger man. Eric looked at Nell then back over the rest of the team and threw his hands up in the air.
"Fine, I'm in." he resigned.
"So, where are we going?" Kensi asked with enthusiasm.
"I was thinking Crystal Lake in the Angeles National Forest." Sam suggested. "Good camp site, good fishing, just far enough away from everything." Sam rubbed his hands together.
"We'll take two cars." Callen nodded. "Sam, you can pick me up at 8."
"Kensi, you're closest to Deeks and Eric, so Callen and I will pick up Nell." Sam added, after thinking through the logistics for just a moment.
"Great, two hours in a car with the surfer boys." Kensi rolled her eyes as she grabbed her bag. "Deeks, I'll pick you up first, at 8. You'd better be ready." She moaned as she made her way out from behind her desk and out of the bullpen.
"I'm always on time. You're the one who's always running late." Deeks countered as he jogged to catch up to her.
"Whatever." Kensi replied as Deeks followed her down the hall. "We'll meet you guys at the site office about ten." She called back to Sam as she threw her hand in the air to wave goodbye.
"Does the campsite have wifi?" Eric asked turning to Nell. She thumped his arm playfully and grinned before she walked over to the lockers to get her bag and jacket. She was already thinking what she would need to pack for the camping trip and the sooner she got home to organise everything, the better.
"Nell, we'll be by about 8.30." Sam called as he and Callen made their way out.
"Great, can't wait." She replied, feeling her cheeks flush a little as she saw Callen look back and toss a smile her way. After leaping head first back into the intense world of OSP, a weekend in the wilderness was just what she needed. And a weekend in the wilderness with Callen for company was even better. Maybe this weekend would be a chance for her to really explore what was going on between them because she was pretty sure she was not the only one whose heart beat a little faster when they were in the same room.
So, what did you think? I'd appreciate a review