Thanks for all the amazing reviews and alerts for Personal Questions. Hope you enjoy this continuation. Just a small part to be going on with before things start to really get going.
Nell checked her watch surreptitiously: 3.50pm. Just enough time to freshen up before she had to meet Kensi. The air-conditioning in the control played havoc with her hair, but Eric insisted it was set to meet the precise requirements of his precious equipment. He seemed to be impervious to the chilly blasts of air that only a polar bear could actually tolerate in comfort. While he happily trotted around in shorts all day, Nell often had to resort to a woollen cardigan to avoid hypothermia. Who else wore cardigans in California? Still, it was a minor grumble. Apart from that, working conditions at NCIS were pretty amazing. The equipment wasn't state of the art – it was way beyond that. They had the capacity to do things that most security agencies around the world had never even thought of. Every day was exciting and Nell had already learned more than in her entire time at college, including her post-graduate studies.
She'd brought in a fresh blouse to change into, plus a marching clip to put in her hair, and it would only take a couple of moments to get changed and make sure she looked… presentable? Tidy? Nell had never thought of herself as pretty. She thought of Kensi, with her long, sleek hair and legs that went on forever and the comparison hurt. And just a little bit of her excitement about going to see Deeks died and shrivelled up. Who would look at her when Kensi was there? Kensi, who knew how to act around men, while she stammered and invariably said the wrong things. And then she remembered: She, Nell Porter, had been invited over, while all Kensi's messages went unanswered. And that had to mean something. The lady on the phone had sounded lovely, welcoming and warm. Marty was doing well, she'd said, but she thought he was lonely and it would do him good to see a friendly face. He was looking forward to seeing Nell.
That had to mean something. Only she could quite work out if Deeks really wanted to see her, and her alone, or if he was just pissed off with Kensi. Another little bit of Nell's confidence withered away. Of course, when she walked into the ladies, who should be there, but Kensi, leaning over one of the wash-hand basins and surveying herself critically.
"I look like a perfect hag." She rummaged in a make-up bag and started patting concealer onto the dark circles under her eyes. "How come you always look so perky?"
"Perky?" Nell thought that made her sound like Carol Brady or Laura Petrie or some other chipper housewife from a sitcom. She wasn't perky! She was a highly qualified intelligence analyst and just because she was young and she tried to smile and be pleasant, there was no need to be mentally classified in that way. Over the years, a good many people had warned Nell to think before speaking, so she made an effort and choked down a sarcastic response. Had anyone ever dared to give Kensi the same advice, or were they too scared? Did Kensi have the slightest idea of how intimidating she was?
The subject of Nell's wrath finished her preparations and surveyed the results with muted displeasure. "Well, I guess that's as good as it gets. You ready then?"
Giving her hair a final brush and checking that her blouse was buttoned correctly, Nell nodded. She let Kensi lead the way downstairs, for it was difficult to imagine Kensi ever willingly taking second place. Sam and Callen were waiting for them.
"You got the address, Nell?" Sam asked. He'd been a Navy SEAL before joining NCIS and Nell could imagine how impressive his muscles must have looked in a wet-suit. She wasn't entirely clear what SEALs actually did most of the time, but surely it had to involve water? And anyway, she liked the idea of Sam in a wet-suit. He was incredibly physically imposing, but Nell had a soft spot for him nevertheless. He quite often teased Kensi, which helped. Recently, he'd started pulling Kensi up for her "humble brags", which Nell had found hilarious.
"Of course I have! Caroline gave me directions – she's Deeks' housekeeper, I think. Anyway, I'm all set. I've programmed my sat-nav. I'm not going to get lost, you know."
Callen smiled. He had a nice smile, Nell thought. She liked the way his eyes crinkled up. But she was still scared of him. It was easy to imagine Callen firing a gun, killing people, for she could sense there was a ruthless streak in him, even though he repressed it most of the time. She never had the feeling about Deeks. He was different. She would trust Callen to protect her, but she trusted Deeks to look after her, and that made all the difference.
"Good planning. We'll just follow you then."
"Why would you follow me?" Nell asked, in a confused tone of voice. Did they think she needed to be protected? Was there something they weren't telling her?
"Because they're coming too," Kensi answered, before striding away to the garage, leaving Nell to trot along in her wake, feeling as if a balloon had been wrenched out of her hand and was now floating away on a breeze.