A/N: A new story. This has Nallen pairing. I hope you guys like it. Rated T just to be sure.
I don't own any of the characters of NCISLA or the show.
Please read and review.
The team just got back to the office after rescuing Callen from being blown up. Sam had just been in time to stop him from stepping of the scale.
"It's good to have you back in one piece again Mr. Callen," Hetty said as the team walked into the office.
"It's good to be back in one piece Hetty," Callen said.
"Well good work everyone. I'll see you all in the morning. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Hetty."
Nell and Eric came down the stairs as they heard the team walking in. Nell was happy to see Callen again. She had been very worried about him when they realized he was The Chosen One.
"Hey Callen, welcome back," Nell said.
"Hey, Nell, Eric," Callen said. "Alright who wants a drink? I'm buying."
"Alright, I'm in," Kensi, Deeks and Sam said.
"How about you two?" Callen said and he turned to Nell and Eric.
"Sure, sounds like fun," Eric said.
"Sure, I'm in," Nell said.
The team left for the bar and Callen ordered them a round of drinks. Callen was glad the team had come to rescue him. He looked next to him and saw Nell standing close to him. She seemed very happy that he was back in on piece, he thought.
The team stayed for a couple more hours before going home. Everybody had already left except for Callen and Nell.
"Well we should be going home as well," Nell said.
"Yeah we probably should," Callen said and he paid the bill and walked out to the parking lot with Nell.
"Oh shoot. I forgot I drove here with Eric, my car is in the shop so he gave me a lift to work this morning."
"Want me to drop you off at home?"
"Oh no that's not necessary. I'll just catch a cab."
"Nell, it's no problem. I'd be happy to do it."
"Alright then."
Callen drove Nell back home.
"Thank you for driving me home," Nell said.
"It's my pleasure Nell."
"I'm really glad they got to you in time and that you're back alive and well."
"Yeah me too."
"Well thanks for the lift and I'll see you tomorrow," Nell said and without thinking she moved towards Callen and she wanted to place a kiss on his cheek but just at that moment Callen turned his head and Nell accidentally placed a kiss on his lips.
Callen was caught off guard by Nell's actions and he didn't know how to react.
"Bye," Nell said and she got out of the car and walked towards her door and got inside without looking back.
She closed the door and she leaned back against the door and she slid down to the floor. How could she have done that just like that? Just kiss Callen out of the blue. Well she didn't mean to, she just wanted to give him a friendly kiss on the cheek but then Callen turned his head and she kissed his lips. She felt embarrassed right now, but she had to admit it did feel nice.
She didn't want to admit it to herself but she had a crush on Callen ever since she started working at OSP. Nell thought he was really handsome and those blue eyes of his were so gorgeous, she could stare at them all day. She also liked his bad boy look. But she knew there could never be anything between them. Guys like Callen just never fell for girls like Nell. She sat there for a little while thinking about what she just had done before going to bed.
Callen was stunned as he sat in his car as Nell walked up to the front door. She had just kissed him. But did she mean to? He never thought of Nell in that way. She was good at her job and she was smart. She didn't look too bad either. But Callen would never get involved with someone he works with. He drove home and shook off his thoughts. He decided to drop it. She probably just meant to give him a friendly kiss for bringing her home.
A week went by and neither Callen nor Nell spoke of the little incident. But now they had just rescued Nell after being kidnapped and hidden in the kill house. Callen was glad that they had gotten Nell back safe and well. Everyone had gone home for the night. Callen was sitting at home and he couldn't help but think about Nell. He decided to go pay Nell a visit.
…
Nell was sitting at home still reeling from the events of the day when there was a knock on her door. She got up and opened the door.
"Callen, what are you doing here?" Nell said.
"I'm sorry to just drop by like this, but I just wanted to make sure that you were okay after what happened today," Callen replied.
"That's very nice of you. Come on in."
"Thanks. So how are you doing?"
"I'm okay. A bit shaky but okay. I'm just glad that you guys got there when you did."
"Well, it looked like you handled yourself pretty well. I mean you de-magged him during his standoff, that was impressive."
"Well you encouraged me to do so, by the look in your eyes I knew what you meant."
"I'm glad you understood my message and that it worked. I'm sorry we left you there at the restaurant alone. If I would have known..," Callen started but Nell cut him off.
"There's no way you could have known. And I'm alright so everything is good between us, don't worry about that."
"Okay good. I'm glad nothing happened to you, I would have never forgiven myself if something happened to you."
For a moment Nell was quiet and just looked in his eyes. Did you really mean what he just said? Did he really care for her in that way, or was it just in the way as a co-worker/friend?
Callen caught Nell staring into his eyes and he couldn't help but think back to the little kiss they shared last week. Maybe it wasn't just a friendly thank you kiss?
Both of them were afraid to move or do anything, they just stared into each other for a while before Callen spoke up.
"I'm glad to see you're okay. I'll see you tomorrow at work," Callen said and he walked towards the door.
"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for stopping by," Nell said.
"My pleasure."
Callen was halfway out of the door when he turned around to say goodnight to Nell but as he turned around he noticed that he and Nell were very close together, their noses were almost touching. Nell couldn't control herself any more so she stood up on her tippy toes and placed a kiss on Callen's lips.
Callen was shocked by Nell's actions. This time there was no mistake. She meant this. Callen pushed Nell away from him. He wasn't sure how to respond.
"Goodnight Nell. I'll see you tomorrow at work," Callen spoke and he left.
Nell stood there perplexed. He had just said goodnight like nothing had happened. Why did she have to go and kiss Callen? How foolish could she have been? There was no way he was attracted to her and even if he was he would never show it. They worked together. He didn't go out with people he worked with. How could she have been so stupid to kiss him? She turned off the lights and got into bed. Hopefully Callen had forgotten all about this in the morning.
…..
Callen drove to his house. He opened a bottle of beer and sat in his chair. What the hell had happened? Nell Jones had kissed him! This time it wasn't a friendly kiss. She kissed him full on the lips. Why would she do that? There was no way she could have feelings for him.
Callen began to think.
'What if she does have feelings for me? We work together. Even if I have feelings for her, which I don't think so, I would never go out with her. I don't date people I work with and Hetty would never allow it. And why is Nell attracted to me? I'm not the type for her. She doesn't need someone with this messed up past as I have. It would be no good for her to be with someone like me. I would only end up hurting her. If Nell really has feelings for me I have to make clear to her that I'm not interested in her. And besides didn't she have a 'thing' with Eric?'
Callen decided to talk to her first thing in the morning.
He was at work early the next morning. Nell was in the burning room. He decided to go talk to her.
"Good morning Nell," Callen spoke like nothing had happened as he walked in the burn room.
"Good morning Callen."
"Can I talk to you?"
"Sure, what about?"
"About last night."
"Oh that," Nell sighed as she realized what Callen meant. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. It just happened."
"I'm sorry….. If I…." Callen began not sure how to put this. "I like you, as a friend. I'm sorry if I let you believe there was more. I like working with you, your smart and I'm sure there's a guy out there for you but it's not me. I don't know if that's what you wanted me to be but I feel like I had to tell you after you kissed me. I'm sorry if I hurt you. I care about you but as a friend."
"It's okay Callen. You were just so sweet to me I figured a little kiss couldn't hurt. It's okay, I wasn't looking for anything like that."
"So we're good?"
"Yes we're good."
"Good."
Callen left the burn room. Nell stood there thinking about what just happened. The truth was that she had just lied to Callen. She did care for him in that way. She did want him to be the guy for her. But who was she kidding. There was no way this could ever turn into something. She'd best just forget about Callen and concentrate on her work.
She went back upstairs and briefed the team on the new case. This operation required an undercover op.
"Mr. Callen, you'll be taking Ms. Jones with you undercover," Hetty spoke to the team in OPS.
"Nell?" Callen questioned. "She's not an agent."
"She may not be but she is qualified to wear and shoot a gun."
"Why can't Kensi and I go undercover?" Deeks interjected.
"Because, Mr. Deeks," Hetty replied as she faced the detective. "This case requires Ms. Jones' expertise. We need her skills to get the information we needed. Mr. Callen, Ms. Jones, you'll be going undercover as husband and wife."
'Great,' Nell thought, this was just what she needed today.
"You'll be living in the suburbs next to a couple that is suspected of stealing secret information and selling it to our enemies. You'll both be working at their company. Nell will be a data analyst and Callen will work security. Eric, please finish their backstopping."
"Will do Hetty," came the reply of the tech.
Hetty walked out of OPS. Callen followed her.
"Hetty, is it really necessary to send Nell out in the field? She hasn't had much field experience."
"I appreciate your concern Mr. Callen but I'm sure Ms. Jones can handle herself and that's why I've sent you with her so you can keep an eye on her. Is there a problem with that?" Hetty said, leaving no room for argument.
"No Hetty, it's fine."
Callen sighed as Hetty walked off. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to be pretending to be married to Nell.
"Everything okay?" Nell's voice came behind him.
Callen turned around. "Yes, everything's fine. Did Eric finish our backstopping?"
"Yes he did." Nell handed Callen his new ID.
Callen thought as long as he stayed professional it would be no issue for them. He just hoped Nell saw it the same way.
They packed their stuff and went to their undercover house. Callen was posing as Steve Brown and Nell was posing as his wife Julia.
The house they were staying belonged to a friend of Hetty's. She had convinced them to go on vacation for a while and that she would look after the house.
Ryan and Jenna Morris were outside when Callen and Nell pulled out to the house. Jenna immediately came over to them.
"Hello, I'm Jenna Morris. It's nice to meet you."
"Hi Jenna, I'm Julia Brown and this is my husband Steve."
"Nice to meet you. Wait, are you the same Julia and Steve Brown that are coming to work at our company?"
"Yes we are."
"Well nice to meet you. I'm sure you two will fit right in at our company."
"Great, I'm looking forward to working there."
"Great, I'll see you tomorrow at work then."
"Yes, we'll see you there."
"Nice lady," Callen spoke after Jenna walked off and Callen and Nell walked inside.
"Do you think they are both involved and just one of them?"
"I don't know. We'll keep an eye on both of them for now."
"I'll go set up."
Nell pulled out her laptop and made sure they were in their network at home. They had already placed a bug in their home earlier today.
"We've got audio and video," Nell spoke once she was finished.
"Is Eric getting this?"
"Yes he is."
The rest of the day went pretty quietly.
"You can have the bed, I'll sleep on the couch," Callen spoke when they were going to bed.
"Thanks but you're welcome to join me. We're two professionals, I'm sure we can sleep in one bed without it being weird."
"It's fine, I'll sleep on the couch. I don't need a bed."
"And what will the neighbors think if they see you asleep on the couch. We're supposed to be a happily married couple."
Callen knew Nell was right. He was a professional. So why couldn't he sleep in the same bed as Nell. He just hoped it wouldn't get weird between them, like waking up in each other's arms. And he didn't want to keep Nell up with his sleeping patterns.
"I don't sleep much Julia." They had agreed to call each other by their undercover names for the duration of this mission.
"I know. Just be quiet so you won't wake me up."
"Are you sure it's no problem?" The last thing Callen wanted was to take advantage of Nell.
"It's fine Steve."
"Alright then."
Callen followed Nell upstairs. Nell went to the bathroom to get changed and ready for me. Callen was surprised when Nell emerged from the bathroom. He was excepting that Nell wore something else as a pajamas than a long shirt. Callen normally slept in just his boxers but since Nell was here he decided to leave his t-shirt on.
"Goodnight Julia."
"Goodnight Steve."
Callen lay on his back just looking at the ceiling. He looked over to Nell. She was lying on her side, facing him, and she was asleep. She looked so peaceful as she slept. Callen quietly went out and went downstairs. He made himself a cup of tea and went to practice his Russian. He tried to be quiet so he wouldn't wake up Nell.
The next morning when Nell woke up she realized that Callen wasn't in bed anymore. She got showered and dressed before going downstairs. She found Callen asleep on the couch.
"Steve, time to wake up," Nell spoke.
"What time is it?" Callen replied.
"6.30am. We have to go to work soon."
Callen got up and went upstairs to get showered and dressed while Nell made coffee and breakfast.
By 7am they were in the car and on their way to the office. When they arrived at work they both went to their offices to get started.
The first day passed pretty quickly. They had started to get to know their colleagues and gave the names to Eric to check out.
"Hey Julia," Callen spoke as he walked into Nell's office. "Ready to go home?"
"Yes in a minute, just have to finished this. Steve is my partner Randy, Randy this is my husband Steve. He works security here."
"Hi, nice to meet you," Callen spoke as he shook Randy's hand.
"Nice to meet you too. Your wife is very smart, she'll fit right in here."
"Yes she is."
"I'm all done. I'll see you tomorrow Randy."
"See you tomorrow Julia."
"So how did your first day go?" Callen asked when they were driving home.
"Very well. I gave Eric access to the server so he's checking if there's anything on it."
"That's good."
"How about you?"
"So far everyone at the security office checks out."
…
They continued to work at the company of Ryan and Jenna Morris for several more days. So far they hadn't anything that linked them to leaking sensitive information.
The door knocked and Callen went to open it.
"Hey Steve," Jenna spoke.
"Hey Jenna."
"I was just wondering if you'd like to come over this Saturday. We're having a barbecue with all the neighbors."
"That's very nice. I'm sure Julia wants to come too. What time is it?"
"It starts at 4pm."
"Great, we'll be there. Do we need to bring anything?"
"No that's not necessary."
"Alright. We'll see you Saturday."
"What was that about?" Nell asked once Callen was back in the living room.
"Jenna came to invite us for a barbecue on Saturday."
"That's nice. Maybe we can take a look around their place then."
….
That Saturday Callen and Nell went over to Ryan and Jenna's place for the barbecue. It was a lovely summer day. They met their other neighbors. After they all had eaten they sat around drinking while the kids played in the backyard. Nell excused herself to go to the bathroom. A little later she called Callen.
"Excuse me, I've gotta take this," Callen spoke and he stood up.
He joined up with Nell and they went to search for the office. The office was upstairs in the back, next to the bathroom. Callen and Nell went inside and looked around. Nell copied the hard drive of the computer and installed a bug so they could see what they were doing on the computer. Callen took some photos of documents that were lying around.
Suddenly he heard footsteps in the hall and he did the only thing that would make sense at the moment.