A very big thank you to everyone who read my first story and left such fantastic comments. I really appreciate all your reviews. I didn't think I'd post another fic so soon, but I'm done with it and I see no reason to not post it right away. This one stays light throughout, is a bit more silly and it involves the whole team, although it can be said to be a Nell and Eric fic. A huge shout out to the ncis la fandom on Tumblr, especially ruahs who came up with an awsome poll that has given me a lot of fodder for this fic.
And I couldn't help slipping in a reference to my second favourite show on TV as well. :)
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"Stop fiddling with my buttons Deeks!" Kensi's voice sounded out loud and clear in the Ops centre and Eric and Nell exchanged a smile.
"Umm, guys… you know that your coms are on, right?" Eric tried to keep the amusement out of his voice, but failed miserably.
"The stereo, I meant the buttons on my stereo. Deeks is acting like a six year old on a sugar rush… stop it Deeks, just keep your hands to yourself." They could hear a faint slapping noise in the background
"You know you're not making it sound any better, right Kens?" Callen's voice now came over the loudspeaker, just as amused.
"Would anyone like to trade partners with me? Please?" Kensi sounded genuinely annoyed, but the team was used to the game these two played by now and no one even bothered to reply.
"Really? I'm the one stuck listening to non-stop mind numbing techno for the past three hours, watching you gobble down doughnut after doughnut and I'm the bad partner? I should be given an award for this." Deeks' exasperated response evoked a chuckle from Sam as he sat beside Callen making animals out of candy wrappers.
"I swear Deeks, if you don't stop annoying me, the next body through those doors will be yours."
The team was on a surveillance mission at a funeral home, having received intel that someone was planning to ship a dirty bomb across LA in a coffin. They had been sitting there for hours, waiting for one of the vans to show up with its deadly cargo.
"Do those two ever give it a rest?" Back in ops, Nell was trying to get some key information about the director of the funeral home, her keyboard clicking furiously.
"Nell, its Kensi and Deeks. Its just what they do." Eric was smiling as he trawled through kaleidoscope, trying to locate all the different vans they were tracking. "Don't tell me it doesn't make the day a little funner."
"Funner? Really? Are you trying to invent a new language?" It came out more harshly than Nell intended and she immediately scrunched up her face. Why did she have to blurt out everything before running it through her head?
"Well, I thought that since 'frelted' never caught on, I'd try to introduce another buzzword" Eric didn't seem the least perturbed by her words and Nell was struck again by how tolerant he had become of her idiosyncrasies. They had really come a long way since the first few weeks when they used to get on each other's nerves for the tiniest things.
"Hey, frelted is a sleeper hit, ok? Just give it time. I'm expecting a call from the Oxford dictionary any day now. "
"Deeks, you can expect a call from your insurance company regarding a dentist's bill if you continue to swing your little balls at me, because I swear I'll knock your teeth out"
The sound of Sam and Callen helplessly laughing echoed through the Ops centre and even Eric and Nell couldn't stop themselves from joining in.
"Paper balls guys… he's making little paper… oh screw it!" Kensi gave up and turned the volume on her techno station to high, eliciting an immediate protest from Deeks.
"Hey Eric, here's something interesting." Nell had switched back to analyst mode and was staring intently at the computer screen. "Nathan White, the owner of the funeral home bought four vans on the company account and registered to his company. On the same day, another van of the same make and same colour was bought from the same dealership, but paid for in cash. It was registered to a Tobias Gregson, who died seventeen years ago. I'm sending you the license plate, see if you can spot it."
Eric's computer beeped as the license plate showed up on it and he quickly fed it into his program. As the search started working, he continued Nell's thought process "So, maybe he's using the fifth van as a decoy to transport illegal stuff and no one is the wiser because it blends in perfectly with his legitimate vans. Not a bad idea. But you cannot hide from kaleidoscope… come on, show me the magic my many eyed friend… and here it is!" Eric turned around triumphantly to see Nell standing right behind him, waiting for her high five.
"Guys, we've got the van." Eric said, more loudly, as he gave Nell's waiting hand a soft slap and they smiled at each other. "Its on the 101, heading in your direction. Should be there in around 20."
"Thanks Eric, stay with the van. And just to cover our bases, continue tracking the others as well. There's a chance that he may have switched the cargo to one of his other vans," Callen said as he watched Sam place yet another tiny intricate animal on his dashboard which now looked like a miniature zoo. Not for the first time, he was amazed at the huge reserves of patience his partner seemed to have.
"Not a moment too soon" Kensi broke in. "I don't know how I would have survived any more time in here. Either me or Deeks would have been dead soon."
"Well, lucky for us that Eric is so good then" Deeks said in a tired sounding drawl.
"Eric AND NELL are good!" her voice had a dangerous edge to it and the four other listeners could easily imagine her glaring at Deeks as she said it.
"What?" Deeks sounded genuinely exasperated.
"What is it with you Deeks? Why can't you just give Nell some credit as well?"
"Ok, for the last time Kensi, whenever I say anything good about Eric doing his job, it is inherently implied that Eric and Nell as a team are good. Are you satisfied?"
"No I am not. Would it hurt you to say it like that then?"
"Really? Every time I want to say that, you want me to go 'Oh, Eric and Nell as a team are good', 'Great job figuring out that password, Eric and Nell as a team', 'Eric and Nell as a team, could you call 911 and get an ambulance to the scene of the crime?'"
"Aaarghh, Deeks! Why do you have to go the extreme? Why can't you just acknowledge Nell's contribution occasionally as well?"
"Um, in case anyone is interested, I don't really have a problem with it" Nell tried getting her thoughts in, but she knew it was a lost cause. The bickering continued as if she hadn't even spoken.
"Okay, so how about this? No matter who I'm talking to, I'll always say 'Good job Nell'. Will that make you happy?"
"I would actually be totally fine with that" Eric tried to cut in, but again it was no use.
"Of course not Deeks. That is not what I want at all. I just… How would you like it if every time we came back from a successful undercover op, everyone just acknowledges me?"
"Um, I don't know if you have noticed, but that does happen quite often. Maybe because you always come back with a wardrobe malfunction."
"I don't always…"
"Hey, you two. Stop fighting like little kids." Sam's raised voice broke in. "Just stop it."
The bickering stopped and Sam continued "Good, now can we all just agree to a compromise? How about we take turns at giving credit. If we say 'Good job Eric' one time, the next time we say 'Good job Nell'."
"What?" Callen now spoke up. "That's the most demented thing I've ever heard. How do we even keep track of whose name to take next?"
"Well, Eric could probably write an app for that, if you wanted to keep track…" Nell's voice barely registered in the earwigs of the field agents.
"You got a better idea then G? Because I'd sure like to hear it now."
"As a matter of fact I do. How about you and Deeks always say 'Good job Eric' and Kensi and I say 'Good job Nell'?"
"Hey, do you guys know how stupid this thing is that you are arguing about?" Nell spoke loudly, hoping to stop the madness.
"Forget it Nell, its like we don't even exist" Eric had gone back to his computer screen.
"That's not a bad idea, but why do you get Nell?" Sam continued over the speaker
"Fine, you want Nell? I'll take Eric."
"Guys!" Eric attempted to get their attention
"I never said that"
"Guys!" Eric tried again
"So what exactly are you saying?"
"GUYS!" Nell and Eric literally yelled in unison to get the attention of the team. The squabbling paused.
"Much as I hate to break up this absolutely pointless argument, the van is almost there. Deeks, you should see it as it turns the corner in about two minutes and Callen, its coming past you, right about… now!"
"I see it. Dark blue van, no distinguishing marks at all, tinted back windows. Passenger looks like he might be carrying. And… yep, there seems to be a casket in the back." Callen watched the van through his binoculars as it went past.
"Its turned the corner, I see it now" Deeks continued looking through binoculars well. " Yeah, the passenger definitely looks hinky, its turning into the gate and… wait what did you say?"
"Me?" Callen's voice sounded confused
"Yes… you said casket right? You, my friend, just solved this."
"The bomb is in the van?" Callen was still confused.
"No, not that. The van's gone into the side garage now, it'll take a while to come out. But I hereby propose that we take out a petition to ask that your initial officially stand for 'Genius'. Because you have just come up with a solution to this whole ludicrous problem of how to assign credit to Eric and Nell without sounding like we are rattling off the full name of a Middle Eastern crown prince."
"What the hell is he talking about?" Eric looked up to Nell and she gave a shrug.
"I did?"
"Yes you did Callen." Kensi sounded excited now. "And well spotted partner."
"Oh, so they're partners again now?" Nell rolled her eyes in Ops.
"Solves everything, doesn't it?" Deeks smile was apparent in his voice
"Uh, not to sound dense or anything, but how exactly did I solve it?"
"We just do what people did with Brad and Angelina." Kensi started.
"Or, as any gossip magazine knows them – Brangelina." Deeks finished.
"Brangelina? I remember reading that someone called them that a few years ago. They still do that? Do they do it for others as well? Has that actually caught on?" Sam sounded surprised.
"Well, clearly someone hasn't been online in a while." Kensi chuckled. "So, why don't you do the honour of coming up with it, partner?"
"How about Neric? I figure putting Nell first will make you happy."
"Neric?" Nell and Eric spoke in unison
"Neric it is! Sam, Callen, from now on, we say 'Good job Neric'."
"Umm, do either of us get a say in this?" Nell piped up.
"No you don't. Not when we've wrapped everything up so satisfactorily. Just get back to your jobs, Neric." Deeks sounded particularly gleeful.
"Okay!" Eric looked at the computer screen, then turned and gave Nell a wink. "Looks like the van is on the move again. But Nathan White is moving in his car as well. So how about Densi tail the van…"
"…while Sallen go behind the car?" concluded Nell, a big smile on her face.
"What? Is this a thing now?" Sam shouted as Callen pulled onto the road behind the car.
"Hey, why does Deeks get first billing?" Kensi grumbled as she started tailing the van.
"No one is to use those names, ok? I refuse to be paired up with an ex-Navy Seal"
"Why? What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing. I just don't like the sound of it. And by the way Deeks, how the hell did you come up with that idea from what I said?"
"Oh buddy, you should really get a television connected in that big empty house of yours."
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Back in Ops Eric and Nell watched the screens as the two pairs of partners tailed the two suspect vehicles, having switched back into professional field agent mode. A couple of hours later, the van had been intercepted and the bomb recovered, while Nathan White was in handcuffs in the back of an LAPD squad car.
Eric and Nell started switching off their workstations and prepared to wind down for the day.
"So, Neric, huh?" Nell ventured
"Yeah… don't worry, it'll never catch on"
"Hmm, pity. Sounded kind of cute."
"It did, didn't it? Finally made it sound like we were real partners."
"Yeah, and I loved the names you gave them. That got them riled up."
"Didn't hear Deeks protest too much."
"True that! But it worked out neatly. If only there were a partner for Hetty as well."
"Seriously? You want to put Hetty's name in a contraction? Do you not value your job? Or your limbs?"
"I don't know… would have been cute."
"And what is life, if not spent in the pursuit of… cuteness?" Hetty's voice right behind them made Eric and Nell jump.
"Uh, hi Hetty, didn't hear you there" Nell's eyes were wide in fear and Eric was swallowing a lump in his throat.
"Everything satisfactory on the case front, Mr. Beale? Miss Jones?"
"Yes Hetty, the suspects are being processed by LAPD right now."
"The bomb squad has taken possession of the bomb."
"And the team should be back in a little while."
"Excellent. So I guess the only thing that remains to be said is 'Good job Neric'." Hetty turned and walked away, an enigmatic smile on her face, leaving the duo staring at each other with raised eyebrows.
"Oh, and Miss Jones. I wouldn't worry too much about finding a partner for me."
Hetty paused as she reached to door of Ops.
"I'll always have my tea."
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