LOST IN THE CROWD

Nell is needed in the field because of her expertise, but in the end, it leads her to something and someone she never expected.

Chapter One – The Mission

Deeks and Kensi tensely sat across the street and waited. They'd arrive at the Merrick Shores Office Building in Venice Beach shortly after ten that morning and an hour later, Deeks was starting to get antsy. Stakeouts were a necessary part of the job, but highly overrated as far as he was concerned. All the glamour of watching and waiting in the movies was an illusion. The hours were often long and grueling, and despite being stuck in a car with his heavenly scented partner, he was ready for the day to be done and to be throwing back a few beers.

It was unusually hot and muggy outside for Los Angeles, so they had trapped themselves inside the Caddy with the windows closed and the AC dialed up. Cool and comfy, and yet the space was starting to close in. Giving up on the radio and the dirty looks from his partner with each channel he selected, he turned his attention to their snack options. Kensi was a habitual snacker, so Deeks had little doubt there would be something in the glove box or the center console. And within seconds, victory was his – a fresh pack of Twizzlers.

Deep in thought, Deeks' mad search for food went unnoticed by his partner. Ever since Deeks and Sam had come back after being captured, Kensi had often found herself contemplating what she wanted out of life. She was watching the building as instructed by Callen, but at the same time she was delving through all the "what ifs" in her life. Deeks, of course, ranked high on that list, but the events of the past few months only fueled in her indecision.

Clearly there was something between them – without question. He had kissed her after all. And even in the aftermath of the capture, he'd admitted, it was his visions of her that had gotten him through those torturous moments. But now Kensi was stuck. What did it all mean and where did they take things from here? Was she ready? Was Deeks? And what had he really admitted to her? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sweet scent of sugar candy and her restless partner.

"Twizzler Fern?" Deeks graciously offered one of his reddish vines along with a charming smile.

"No thanks." Kensi replied returning to her quandary and the job at hand.

As though sensing that Kensi wanted to be alone with her thoughts, Deeks refrained from comment. He instead looked at his watch. It had been a while since Callen's last check-in and he knew time was closing in.

"…ah, Fred and Velma, isn't time starting to run out? Don't we need to get moving like fast," Deeks pressured over Callen's ear wig.

"Patience guys. Nell's still doing her thing." Callen responded checking his own watch as he tried to ease Deek's fears, although he was admittedly sweating it a bit himself. The clock was ticking away. In some ways, Deeks and Kensi had the easy job. They just had to sit look out while he and Nell snuck their way past security and secured intel off the bad guys server. It was a challenging job for sure, but nothing out of their ordinary. They had carefully mapped everything out including the 3-1/2 minutes they'd have once they reached the server room. Only a small blip in time to the access code and download what they needed before the alarm would sound. A piece of cake, right?

He looked over to the red headed analyst. She was magically focused, fully immersed in the screen in front of her. He knew giving her a nudge at that moment wouldn't accelerate the job. A professional like the rest of them, Nell knew time was of the essence. It was best not to interrupt her process until absolutely necessary. If he'd tried, she'd surely have some sassy comeback about how she could have stayed back at OPS and he could have 'tried' to handle this without her. No, he had to trust that she had it under control.

The mission was simple – get in and get out with the data as fast as possible. They had been working the case for a few weeks now. It has all started with the two Marines on vacation in Malibu. Unfortunately, their holiday ended looking more like a battle scene, tortured in ways none of them had seen before and hoped never to see again. The team quickly learned, their enemy had one goal – gathering details around the departure route of a specific military arms shipment. While the Marines relied heavily on their training, sustaining many hours of torture, in the end, their opponents won out and the details of the convoy surfaced. Initially, the team thought the end game was the arms themselves, but when the scheduled shipment from Camp Pendleton to the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport successfully moved forward without incident, they knew these terrorists where on the hunt for something else. Instead of arms, it was about information. The Training Center was located in a remote part of California and served as a specially designed training ground. Perched at high altitude, the goal was to acclimate Marines to rough terrain and extreme weather conditions, conditions not unlike those the troops were currently facing in Afghanistan; therefore making it a particularly intriguing target.

"Help a brother out G. How's it going in there?" He knew Sam was frustrated not being on the inside. They were partners after all, so not going in together felt a bit awkward. Instead, Sam was managing the field from ops alongside Hetty and Eric. Given the situation, it had only made sense for Nell to go in with Callen. It hadn't sat well with Sam, but he couldn't help agree that Nell's skill would be the difference in getting in and out quickly.

"We're working on it, Sam. Nell's almost done." He responded nonchalantly, although he himself was nervous. Getting caught wasn't an option, especially after seeing what had happened to those two Marines.

Nell had sensed the senior Agent-In-Charge was getting pressure to move things along. She had turned her ear wig off so that she could concentrate without Kensi and Deeks bantering in her ear and Eric's periodic check-ins. She couldn't understand how they all handled the endless chatter during a mission. A necessary evil she suspected. Kensi had explained once that all the noise brought her comfort and a sense of normalcy in the midst of the chaos, gun fire and God knows what else. For Nell, it was an unwanted distraction.

Turning off his ear wig, Callen turned to Nell. "Come on Nell. We got to speed things up. Sam and Deeks are getting antsy."

"Almost there … just, just a few seconds more …" She retorted, a bit mumbled as she contorted her face, clearly an external expression of the wheels turning in her head.

Callen usually avoided bringing Nell and Eric into the field. Both had had arms and combat training, albeit not to the degree of the field team, but then it wasn't expected to be their specialty.

Eric's skills were infamous in NCIS circles. There were few codes he couldn't break and his ability to track the untrackable was unprecedented. And somehow, he always managed to find a traffic cam giving them unexpected eyes in the field.

Nell also had her own prowess. She loved data. She lived for it and it was exactly that passion that has lead to this moment. Shifting through endless mountains of paperwork and computer records, she isolated the deployment records of three Marines who had recently been transferred to transport service and this specific arms shipment. While all had excellent records, they surprisingly leapfrogged several of their peers in line for the position.

Following the bread crumbs, Nell also discovered the three had suddenly seen significant bumps in their bank accounts and eventually leading the team to the puppet masters who were orchestrating the operation from a far.

The real instigators of the operation were working out of an insurance broker's office in Venice Beach, but before they could take them down, the team had to determine the real scope of the operation. Was it a small terrorist cell just fishing for information or was this a significant breach will real implications from the troops in Afghanistan? This mission was for Callen and Nell to sneak into the building with the afternoon cleaning crew, with the objective of finding the main server and uncovering the data collected from Training Center. They were confident if they accessed the data and set up a tracking device, they could then electronically trace where the information was being exported.

With the clock ticking and nearing the witching hour, Nell softly exclaimed, "Got it."

Without a beat hesitation, Callen grabbed her arm and ushered her into the hall. Quietly saying, "Let's get out of here" as they moved. He'd had his ear to the door and knew unquestionable they were in the clear.

Reaching the stairwell, Callen tapped his ear wig back on to alert the team they were on their way. While they had the data in hand, they were far from out of danger. Once they reached the main floor they would have to navigate through a series of security protocols and cameras.

"Eric, we're almost to the bottom of the stairwell. Do you have eyes in the hallway?"

"Yeah, there are two men in suits." Eric reported as he tapped away on his keyboard. "Looks like security detail. And ah, they don't appear to be moving."

Callen rolled his eyes. "Do you think we can come up with a distraction?" he said sharply as he and Nell removed their janitorial overalls.

"Working on it. Looks like setting off the building fire alarms will the best option."

"Make it so Mr. Beal." Hetty directed as she patiently watched the scene unfold in OPS.

"Yes ma'am. And if might I say, nice Next Generation reference Hetty."

Hetty, un-amused at his attempt at humor, gave the young man a glower that he knew meant business.

But the joke wasn't lost on Nell who chuckled under her breath. Callen responded with a questioning look. "What?" she questioned back. "Hetty's always kinda reminded me of a female Jean-Luc Picard."

"I'm not going to even ask that the hell that means?" Callen grinned, just shaking his head.

"Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise? Star Trek? Next Generation?" Callen raised his hands and gave her an empty stare. "He was frequently shown drinking earl grey tea and issuing an order by saying 'Make it so.' You know, kinda like Hetty does?" Callen had no response.

Nell smirked and shook her head in disbelief. "I know you guys are in the field a lot, but don't you even try to keep up with pop culture? I mean … don't you need it for the field?"

"I must have missed that one." He chuckled. "It must be a geek thing – no offense intended." He continued with a soft smile.

"None taken, but that's one Star Trek reference that I'm pretty sure most people would get. I bet Deeks could have even gotten that one."

Callen rolled his eyes again, offering a grunt in response. Thankfully his ear wig was still off. Knowing Deeks, he probably did know what the hell Nell was rambling on about and would have gone on and on about it for weeks to come. He'd have to Google it later he thought as the fire alarms went off.

As if like magic, the security guards scrambled out of the hall at lightning speed, giving Callen and Nell their opportunity.

The plan worked like a charm – at least initially. Callen managed to get them out of the building easily enough, but soon discovered there were five likely highly armed men hot on their trail.

Kensi and Deeks managed to dodge through the Venice Beach crowds and apprehend three of the suspects, but two remained and were quickly closing in.

"Eric, tell me you have eyes out there?" Callen nervously questioned, almost begged as he grabbed Nell's hand and pulled her around a corner into a small alley.

"I have eyes, but just barely. Looks like they're closing in and unfortunately, there aren't a lot of options with Kensi and Deeks out of commission." Eric admitted.

"G, you're running blind. It looks like your best option is to hide in plain sight." Sam chimed in knowing his partner was looking to OPS for tactical options.

"Thanks Sam." Callen immediately knew how to handle the situation. He turned off his earwig and turned to Nell as they looked for cover. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course," she responded without hesitation. Callen could see in her face that she indeed did.

"Good," he replied. "Then no matter what, follow my lead." Knowing that Callen had significantly more experience in these situations, Nell simply smiled in agreement. He nodded, grabbed her hand and together they took off, leaving the security of the alley and running out amongst the crowds on the Venice boardwalk.

They continued to navigate through the sea of pedestrians. They're destination was Callen's Mercedes, parked about fifteen blocks away in a supermarket parking lot. The suited men were for the moment, out of sight, but from his Spidey senses he knew they were still hot on their trail. Running through the crowd, Callen eyed the perfect spot to hide.

Then without Nell even realizing it, Callen pulled her against a light pole and kissed her. Nell quickly summarized that this was what Sam meant about hiding in plain sight. Losing themselves in the crowd and looking just like any young couple stealing a romantic moment.

At first the whole experience was surreal. It was like she was outside her body looking in. So, this was what kissing Callen was like, she quietly thought to herself. She realized it wasn't real, but that didn't mean she wasn't curious. Who wouldn't be, she thought. Callen might have an odd life, but he certainly wasn't hard on the eyes. And those blue eyes, ah don't even get me started, she thought herself. It was in that moment she realized the kiss that has started as a cover, was evolving into something more.

At first, Callen's lips had crashed down on hers with urgency and force, it was functional and fast. And while her body responded like it would to any kiss, it wasn't with the same level of passion as a romantic encounter; however, she quickly sensed things starting to change. Feeling the softness of his lips' touch and slower pace was new as though his lips were moving beyond their initial nervousness to confidently caressing hers. It was no longer a moment of action, it was instance of sweetness like a lover losing them self in the moment.

No, this was no longer a cover kiss and Nell knew it. Callen's body had betrayed him in ways Nell had never, and she suspected Callen had never, expected. Nell wasn't quite sure how to respond. Part of her wanted give into the moment and then there was the responsible agent in her. They were in the middle of being chased after all. Finally, as Callen's hands moved to encircle her waist and she could feel the soft touch of his fingers on her lower back's exposed skin her body's visceral response left her no option.

She gave in and she gave it big. She'd long had a secret crush on one Mr. Secret Agent-In-Charge and she figured if this was her moment, she was going to take it. She was going to show him once and for all that she wasn't just the smart, geeky pixie that made them all look good, but that she was a real woman will real desires and experience of her own.

Callen never revealed if he was taken aback by Nell's response, mostly likely because he was too busy matching her point for point. They were both getting lost in each other, forgetting they were in the middle of the Venice Beach Boardwalk.

They were both brought back to reality a random beach-goer yelling "Get a room!"

Cautiously, they both stopped, both with eyes still at half mass and not sure where to focus. Callen leaned his head on Nell's forehead as he caught his breath and for which she thankful. It was in his unique way, subconscious or not, a sign of endearment. It was also an opportunity for him to catch his breath. He was more than a little worked up and wasn't in a position to turn around or walk away.

Nell suddenly realized that her hands where still resting on Callen's back side when she felt a vibration beneath her fingers. It was Callen's phone and most certainly OPS trying to reach them. Her hands made a hasty retreat, but not without extracting his phone first.

"It's … it's Sam," she whispered trying not to make eye contact, handing him the pulsing object.

"Thanks," he responded, their eyes meeting ever so briefly. "Hey Sam," Callen answered turning away from Nell and rubbing his hand across his swollen lips wondering what the hell had just happened.

"G, where the hell are you? You turned your earwig off and neither of you have been answering your phones." He barked. "Are you and Nell OK?"

Callen swallowed hard, trying to catch his breath before he answered. "Yeah," he paused. It wasn't like him to get distracted on a case. Not like him at all. "Yeah, we're fine," he continued, looking back at Nell knowing they were anything but. "We're heading back to OPS now."