Disclaimer: I own nothing from NCIS: LA or Gidget. Just borrowing for my own amusement (and hopefully yours, as well).

It's a good thing Nell allowed herself plenty of extra time to get ready this morning. Between the fact that she forgot that she hadn't shaved her legs in a while and her indecisiveness over which bathing suit to wear, she was running short on time. When exactly did she begin to care so much about what Eric Beale thought? Ugh – she knew exactly when … her very first day at OSP. It wasn't just the normal make-a-good-first-impression thing. And the more she got to know him, the more she respected and admired him, which always made her act a little odd around men – but it was something she was aware of and working on. Still working on. Apparently still needs to spend more time and effort working on it. Is that what this was about? Maybe it was something else? No time for that now! He'll be here any minute.

She heard a sound out front and peeked through the curtains just as his car pulled up. She gathered her things and headed for the door, paying undue attention to the bag she was carrying and trying to make it out the door without tripping in her flip-flops. She should really look where she's going! Because Eric had gotten out of the car and was at the door as she stepped out – and ran face first into his chest. Awkward moment #1 of the day. How high would that count go? Seriously, can't think about that right now – plenty of time for feeling self-conscious later.

Eric decides to begin explaining the basics of surfing to her, because he finds that preferable to driving in silence … and he is really not sure what else to say. They park close to the beach and walk to the restaurant. As they choose a table outside, the waitress brings the menu. Nell had no trouble deciding what she wanted, almost immediately saying to the waitress, "I'd like the cheese blintzes with fresh strawberries." Eric had never tried those and had to admit that they sounded amazing, "I'll take the same." He figured that if Nell was going to try something new today, he could too. While enjoying their food, they settle into a pleasant rhythm of banter and small talk.

Walking to the beach, they can see that several people have arrived while they were eating breakfast. Nell is fairly certain that she sees a familiar face off in the distance. What a coincidence – it's Deeks. Eric decides to move farther down the beach, hoping to avoid interacting with him. Although Eric does not have a detailed itinerary worked out, his plans for today in no way include Deeks.

Nell and Eric make their way out into the water. He instructs her to get on the surfboard and lie down on her stomach. Eric cannot help but notice her curves as he climbs on the board behind her. They paddle out and then sit on the board for a little while, in part waiting for a wave, but also taking another opportunity to enjoy conversation that is not work-related: the beautiful weather. After each wave, they would paddle back out into the ocean. Although both of them are trying to act casual, they were both thinking that it is more than a little strange being this close physically – particularly since they are not fully clothed. And each of them can't help but wonder what the other is thinking and feeling.

After about an hour and a few wipeouts later, Eric suggests that they sit on the beach for a while before venturing out into the water again. Much to Eric's annoyance, Deeks decides he's going to take this opportunity to bond with his coworkers. In the midst of the conversation, Deeks' quirky sense of humor shows itself as he says to Nell, "I just realized that I should call you Gidget – you know, girl midget. Come on, classic beach movie." Eric and Nell exchange quizzical looks. Neither of them wants to publicly admit that they like the cheesy movies based on that character.

But when the two of them paddle out the next time, Eric asks if she minded the nickname. In response, she asks if he can keep a secret. Then she takes a risk and tells him that those movies are among her guilty pleasures. Eric raises one eyebrow and smirks at her. She rolls her eyes and whines, "Oh no, did I just give you ammunition?" In response, Eric starts to sing:

"Although she's just small fry, just about so high

Gidget is the one for me"

You could have knocked her over with a feather. He actually knows the words to the movie's theme song – and wow, what a nice voice he has. She tries to shake it off, but she hasn't had butterflies in her stomach like this in a long time.

Just as Eric finishes the first verse, Deeks is paddling toward them. Hearing the tune, he picks up the song with his favorite part:

"It very well may be that she's just a baby, speaking romantically

If that's a bad feature, I'll be the teacher - Gidget is the one for me

Strictly from Dixie with a face like a pixie and shorter than girls should be

The rest of the shipment is standard equipment - Gidget is the one for me"

Her first thought: he really could make anything sound lewd. Her second thought: His singing voice isn't nearly as rich as Eric's, but she can't get over the fact that both these guys know the lyrics. Patting his surfboard, Deeks says, "Hey Gidget, come on over here with the Big Kahuna. I'll teach you everything you need to know." Eric groans at both the insinuating tone of the comment and the look on Deeks' face. Nell sees this as a good opportunity to put some space between her and Eric for a little while – she needs to process what's been happening this morning. So, Nell swims over to Deeks' board.

What she didn't bargain for is that Deeks gives her less personal space than Eric did. Years ago, Deeks is the just the type of guy who would have made her swoon. Although her skin was tingling being this close to him, riding one wave with Deeks was enough for her. Making an excuse that she needed to reapply sunscreen, she headed back to her towel and sat for about an hour, watching her coworkers and the other experienced surfers. Eventually, Deeks left with a quick goodbye and no real explanation of why he was leaving. Not long after that, Nell and Eric took their gear to his car. She had really enjoyed herself and definitely wanted to surf more in the future, but she'd had enough for today.

Eric took Nell to a nearby store where he knew she could get a good price on a used surfboard. He did not mean to pick on her about her height, but he knew they would find a board that was the right size for her – because as kids grow up, they trade in their smaller boards to help offset the cost of the new ones. And sure enough, they did find one for her.

While they were there, Nell decided to buy a new bathing suit. She tried on several before choosing one to purchase. Eric had a definite (although unspoken) opinion on which one he wanted her to get. He was so thrilled with her choice, that he found himself wondering how soon he could arrange another day at the beach with her.

When they were finished shopping, they stopped to get a late lunch. Afterward, he figured he would just drop her off at home, since he could not think of anything else to extend their time together.

However when they got back to her place, she invited him to come in and watch a movie. She had fallen asleep during Gidget the night before and had been humming the songs all day, thanks to the two of them. "I'm going to watch it anyway, you might as well join me," she says as casually as possible. She made popcorn and sat with the bowl in her lap. Every time he reached for a handful, he brushed his forearm against hers. Nell knows this movie by heart, but she found herself so distracted that she missed large chunks of the movie – like when you drive home and realize you zoned out for part of the trip, as if your car was on autopilot.

When Moondoggie sings to Gidget at the luau, Eric could not help but sing along. Although he desperately wanted to, he could not bring himself to turn to face her while he sang.

"There's no such thing as the next best thing to love
No substitute or facsimile thereof
Just try and do without it
Go see how far you get
Why don't we face it
What can replace it
Nothing they've thought of yet

Whether it be the real thing, this much I'm certain of
There is no such thing as the next best thing to love"

This scene of the movie always made her melt, but this time, there's a voice singing it just for her. As the song ends, she struggles to steady her breathing. Much of the remainder of the movie was a blur. However, she does take note of Eric's reaction when Kahuna comments to Moondoggie at the end of the movie: "Just remember, she might be pint size, but she's quite a woman." It definitely made him uncomfortable, but was that a good thing or a bad thing?

Trying to break the tension a bit, Eric asks "So, did you ever try to learn how to surf the way that Gidget did - by reading a book? I mean, she had a good point, you can learn just about anything from books." They had a good laugh about that. Then they discussed the fact that she still had a long way to go and that during the next lesson they would be working on her balance.

As she walks him to the door, both of them are thinking what a nearly perfect day it had been. However, both are unsure of the other's feelings … and therefore afraid to do anything that could ruin their friendship and working relationship. After some minor stalling, he kisses her on the top of her head and says sweetly, "See ya tomorrow, partner."

She closes the door and leans back against it as she listens to his car pull away. The tone in his voice just now … that was not his normal tone. Talking to herself, "Get a grip Nell, you haven't been this giddy over how a guy said something to you since you were - what? - 15 years old."

I think today calls for a double-feature: time to put in the dvd of Gidget Goes Hawaiian, a.k.a. everything Nell knew about flirting, she learned from this movie. It might be time for a refresher course.

It always astonished her that Gidget had multiple guys vying for her attention. Nell was never the girl who the athletes and popular guys asked out and fawned over. However, she was the one they called when they needed help with their math homework or the blue screen of death appeared on their computer monitor. Today with Eric and Deeks, as playful and innocent as most of it was – that is probably the closest Nell will ever get to being the belle of any ball.

She drifts off to the sound of Moondoggie singing:

" 'Cause when the Gidget goes Hawaiian, she goes Hawaiian all the way"

Some girls have all the luck…

A/N: I will continue to post new chapters as quickly as my schedule will allow. Thanks for reading!