From the Heart
Disclaimer: Don't own anything or anyone from NCIS LA, I only wish I did.
This idea has been rolling around in my brain for weeks, I've tried to put it in words and make it short and concise, and obviously that didn't work. It just meandered on and on in fact now I'm going to have to write a second chapter to show Callen's pov.
Nell was always one of the first to come in, partly because she needed to get her research started before the agents came in and partly because she had always been a morning person. This morning was no exception as she walked into the mostly empty building.
Making her way upstairs she could see that none of the agents had come in yet, not even Callen. At least she didn't think he was here; you could never be really sure about the man, he was very accomplished at hiding in plain sight. However she hadn't seen his car outside or any sign of his spending the night on the couch in the bullpen.
When she reached her desk she pulled a CD case out of her purse before stowing it away. As she turned on the computer systems and got ready for the work day Nell tried to decide how to get the CD to Callen without his knowledge, not something she was looking forward to. For all her skills as an analyst Nell knew she was sorely lacking in sneaky, behind your back, trying to hide things from a super-agent skills.
She had seen how down Callen had been lately, it seemed as if the case with the Chameleon had plunged him deep in a dark place where no one could reach. The expression on his face when the Chameleon threatened to kill everyone he cared about had been heartbreaking. It had taken all of Hetty's considerable skills of persuasion to keep him from going Lone Wolf and trying to hunt the psyco down on his own.
Just when it seemed that Callen was returning to normal the situation with Draco Comescu and the Small Pox scare had come along. At the time that he shot and killed Draco there hadn't been time for Callen to deal with the emotions brought to the surface. He had needed to concentrate on finding the remaining Small Pox vials and making sure a crisis was averted.
Once the Small Pox threat had been taken care of and the visiting officers from Hawaii had returned home things had settled down allowing the dark thoughts to overtake Callen.
Oh he came in to work every day and joked and chatted with everyone but if you looked closely you could see the dark shadows in his eyes. No one could ever find him at the end of the day when the team was going out for drinks. Plus he had started to back away from their budding relationship using the excuse of the age difference between them.
It had taken such a long time for Callen to ask her out; first there had been the months of longing looks between the two, then came the flirting whenever no one was around to catch them. Finally he had asked her to dinner and from there they had started spending whatever free time they had together.
Not anymore though, he had trotted out the I'm too old for you card along with why would you want to be with me and all my issues. Sam had warned her when he first figured out they were seeing each other; he had told her about G's abandonment issues and how he had been shuffled thru so many foster homes as a kid. He had also told her how Callen would put up walls to try and keep people out if they got to close, how he could turn off his emotions and descend into darkness with little warning.
Nell had assured Sam she could handle anything G threw in her path; she was in love with him and had been for quite some time. Now it was time for her to show him that he wouldn't be able to push her away; that she wasn't going to run and hide from his demons.
Of course for her to explain this to him Callen had to stop avoiding her; he didn't answer her phone calls or texts unless they were work related. She had tried tracking him down at the office but as soon as he saw her he vanished or surrounded his self with the rest of the team.
Since she hadn't been able to tell him how she felt; how she would always be there for him Nell had decided to give him the CD. Perhaps it was silly, almost like the old mix tapes you made for your boyfriend in high school but the words in this song said exactly how she felt. She had been listening to Adele's music for weeks; even shed a few tears here and there, but once she heard this song it had touched something deep in her soul. The words were the ones that told what was in her heart; what would always be in her heart for Callen.
When the rain
Is blowing in your face
And the whole world
Is on your case
I could offer you
A warm embrace
To make you feel my love
When the evening shadows
And the stars appear
And there is no - one there
To dry your tears
I could hold you
For a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you
Haven't made
Your mind up yet
But I would never
Do you wrong
I've known it
From the moment
That we met
No doubt in my mind
Where you belong
[ Lyrics from: .com/lyrics/a/adele/make_you_feel_my_ ]
I'd go hungry
I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling
Down the avenue
Know there's nothing
That I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love
The storms are raging
On the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change
Are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing
Like me yet
I could make you happy
Make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends
Of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love, To make you feel my love
Looking around to make sure no one was watching Nell slipped the CD into a manila envelope and wrote his name on the front. Keeping an eye out to make sure she was unobserved she made her way down to the bullpen and dropped it on his desk before scurrying back upstairs before anyone came in.
The Song is Make You Feel My Love, it was written by Bob Dylan. It has been covered by quite a few artists, the version I've worn out is by Adele.