Dependability
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: 02x10 – Deliverance
Author's Notes: My apologies for taking so long with this one. I'm not sure why I had such massive writer's block, but there it is. Thank you all for the encouraging feedback, it means a lot! Once again, many thanks to my lovely beta vegarin who catches the bits that need fixing and makes my fic better.
Russians. It's always the Russians.
Callen has been wondering when they'd show up and he isn't disappointed. It still makes him uneasy. Russians are resourceful when it comes to spycraft but there's a new, more brutal breed in their midst.
He's not entirely surprised when he can't find Hetty to tell her the "good" news. But, his internal threat meter skyrockets when he can't find Nell.
Callen's tried calling, left voicemails, and sent numerous texts. Both women are conspicuously incommunicado. Just when he's about to ask Eric to track their phones, he hears his text tone.
"Finally."
"At Sander Lee's. Hetty just left."
Callen's eyebrows rise. Nell doesn't go in the field often and she's never been left been at a location by herself.
"Watch your back. The Russians have joined the fray. Check in every half hour."
"Protocol is every hour..."
"I meant with me. A lot can happen in an hour." As an afterthought, he adds: "It's hard enough keeping up with Hetty."
Callen stares at his phone, waiting.
"Got it."
He lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding—he half expected her to fight him on it. Nell makes a point of being self-sufficient, going so far as to decline offers of any sort of assistance. He knows she's capable of taking care of herself, but there's just too much going on to leave anything to chance.
Nell frowns at her phone for a long moment before putting it back in her pocket and resuming her search for something, anything, at Sander Lee's.
At first, she'd bristled when Callen told her to check in with him. Actually, she's pretty sure she would have been overly upset at the request even yesterday, before she went out with them and Callen reassured her she really was part of the team.
But the fact that he'd told her to watch herself means he's concerned for her safety. They know Hetty is of special interest to the international intelligence agents that have shown up and it stands to reason that her being seen with Hetty might make her a target, too.
So, she'd put her pride aside and agreed to check in with Callen more often than protocol dictated. It's not a bad idea, really. She's out on her own and there are many parties involved. There's no telling what could happen in a short amount of time.
Nell attempts to focus on the task at hand but she can't help but feel anxious. Hetty's counting on her to find something and Nell doesn't want to disappoint. It just would have helped if the operations manager had known what she was looking for in the first place.
Sighing, Nell starts poking through the many books and papers lying around, pushing aside the feeling of looming disappointment. She knows she sometimes tries a little too hard, but given the company she keeps, it isn't entirely her fault.
Hetty is a legend amongst the intelligence community. All of the agents are highly trained with reputations that precede them—even if they are in vague terms to keep their identities safe. Eric works technological miracles on a daily basis. Even Marty, who isn't NCIS-trained but comes from LAPD, is exceptional at what he does—after all, he caught Hetty's eye with his skills.
Nell can't be the weakest link. If she can't hold her own, prove she's an asset to the team, she may as well look for another job. Their world is too high-stakes for her to be anything but absolutely the best intelligence analyst they could ever have.
It didn't take long for her to realize just how important their work was and how dangerous. The agents' lives are at risk on a near daily basis and every case has dire consequences if they can't solve it.
Nell knows she has it easy, comparatively. So she works hard and tries to stay ahead of every situation. She digs deeper than she has to, questions everything. She knows her behavior can be a little grating—sometimes she gets on her own nerves. But it's worth it. Hanging out with the agents showed that her efforts paid off and they trust her. There's no way she's going to let them down now.
"No pressure, Nell."
She throws her hands up in frustration. She's been through Lee's things at least three times. If there'd been anything there, someone else has gotten to it (the thought more than irks her). Time to move on.
"Nothing at Lee's. Going to Renner's."
It isn't quite time to check in with Callen but she knows she'll be en route to Renner's house when it is. She doesn't want to lose the tenuous thread of dependability she'd worked so hard to earn.
"Thanks. Hetty's here, now. Be safe."
"I will."
Nell smiles as she grabs her things and heads out. It really is kind of sweet that Callen cares. Part of her rationalizes that he'd do the same for anyone else on the team. But there's another, much smaller, less vocal part of her that really wants to get his attention and gain his approval.
The moment Nell Jones walks back into Ops, Callen physically feels a little bit of anxiety leave him. And then his spirit is immediately lifted when she smiles brightly, producing the key to Renner's safe deposit box.
Catching her eye, he nods and returns her smile. He's glad she's back, and it's not because he thought she couldn't do the job. Callen just doesn't like unknowns (and he understands his lack of knowledge of his past is the biggest irony of all). Not knowing all the players or where his people are at any given time makes the knot in his gut twist tighter.
Now isn't the time to focus on all the things he doesn't know, but on what he does. Nell's back and safe. Renner has a safe deposit box and they have the key. They're running out of time and an unknown number of intelligence personnel are encroaching on their space and causing mayhem.
"Need to get into that bank, Eric."
The clock is ticking and Nell doesn't have nearly enough time much less usable microdots. Kensi's life is almost literally in her hands and she's trying desperately not to think about it. The building is busy, as it normally is, but she can't afford to be distracted. So she sits at a workbench, magnifying glasses on, and tries to concentrate.
Slowly—too slowly—the first microdot is placed. She inadvertently looks at the clock and cringes.
"This is taking too long."
Sighing softly, she hunkers down and gets to work on the next one. Again, she's able to place it, but it takes even longer than the first one.
The third dot is in pretty bad shape to begin with. It doesn't help when it rips.
"Dammit!"
Nell takes the headgear off and rubs her eyes. She can feel a headache coming on and it fills her with dread. She doesn't have time for this. Kensi doesn't have time for this.
Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she tilts her head from side to side, attempting to relax a little, and rolls her shoulders. She blinks a few times, giving her eyes some movement, and that's when she realizes there's virtually no foot traffic near her. She looks around in confusion.
"I figured you could do without the added distraction," Callen says from behind her.
Nell spins around, mouth agape. "What did you do?"
He's leaning against the workbench table, looking as relaxed as she wishes she was. "Not much. I just asked the support staff to take a different route through this area."
"I—thank you. I really appreciate it."
"How's it going?"
Nell's shoulders droop. "I ripped one."
"That's unfortunate. I should let you get back to work."
She presses her lips together, trying not to let the situation get to her. But she keeps going back to the fact that Kensi's depending on her. The whole team is. She isn't sure she can do it.
"Hey."
Nell looks up at Callen's voice and stops short. He's standing right in front of her, a whole lot closer than he was just a moment ago, and he's looking at her with concern in his eyes.
"You can do this."
"But what if I can't?" The admission comes out quietly, almost a whisper.
The corner of Callen's mouth turns up slightly. "I didn't think that word was in your vocabulary."
Nell turns away, unable to hold his gaze. The feel of Callen's hand on her shoulder startles her and her head whips up.
"You got this," he assures. "I know you do. More importantly, I know you know you do. Forget about the case and the circumstances, just focus on what you need to do."
She nods, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Nell smiles up at him when he squeezes her shoulder.
"I got this."
Today had been a close one and Callen is still anxious. They've wrapped up the case and gone back to the compound, but he still can't shake the feeling that things aren't over. He takes a step back, literally, and assesses the team.
Sam's edgy, checking his phone—his personal phone—often. No doubt he's texting with various members of his family and, judging by the occasional smirk, annoying the crap out of his kids.
Kensi's sitting at her desk and Deeks is finding every excuse possible to wander over so he's not just staring at her across the bullpen. Callen can't decide who's more shaken by the aftermath of the explosion. Kensi looks fine, but she always does. The fact Callen can tell she's worried is a testament to just how badly she was taken by surprise. Deeks's antics are pretty normal, but the LAPD detective seems to be in some sort of hyper-mode—and Kensi isn't threatening to do bodily harm to him—which is another indicator that all is not quite yet well.
"She looks so calm."
Callen's eyes widen slightly and it's only because of his years of training that he doesn't jump at the sound of Nell's voice. He wonders if Hetty has been secretly teaching her the art of sneaking up on people.
"She's tough," he replies.
"Yeah, but, she almost got blown up. They both did."
Nell's a couple steps in front of him, leaning on a pillar and peeking around it. He studies her for a moment, trying to read her. He can see the tension in her shoulders, the serious look on her face, and the thin line of her lips.
"You're angry," he comments.
She looks at him briefly and he's surprised at the intensity of her look.
"It's only been a couple days, but in that time, Hetty's almost been shot, you were shot at—you should really wear a vest, you know—Kensi was kidnapped, and then she and Marty were nearly blown up. That's almost the entire team," Nell says in one breath. "So, yes, I'm mad. It could have just as easily been Sam in the line of fire and with all the various intelligence agents about, it's entirely possible that the whole team could have been lost and what if they'd decided I was a target just because I went out with Hetty and— And—"
Callen steps forward and puts his hands on Nell's shoulders. He's grateful when she stops talking, but he feels another kind of anxiousness in his gut when she looks up at him with eyes that have seen too much in too short a time.
"We're okay, Nell. We're all okay."
"But what if—"
"Nell."
She blinks at him, but doesn't speak up again. They stare at each other for a long moment.
"We got through this. We're a team and we all did our jobs. Things didn't go as smoothly as they could have, but they never do. Focusing on the 'what-if's won't help anything."
"I—I know," she says with a sigh. "I just can't help but think that we should have been more prepared."
He nods. "Maybe you're right, maybe you're not. There's no way we could have accounted for every scenario. The best we can do is analyze what did happen and plan for the future."
She's nodding, too, and when she looks up at him with a smile, the tightness in his chest loosens.
"I can help with that," she says.
"I know."
Everyone has secrets. Nell just found Mattias's.
"So, I think I found something," she tells Eric.
"What?" he asks, rolling his chair over to her. "Oh. I see."
Without another word, he rolls back over to his station and his fingers start flying over the keyboard. "And I think I just found something, too."
Nell walks over and peers over his shoulder. She exchanges a look with Eric. A mistress, some money, and property on the side. Oh, yes, this is definitely good.
"I think this kind of information should be shared, don't you?" Nell grabs a tablet and transfers the data they just found.
"Absolutely," Eric replies with a grin. "And it should be safeguarded. I'll take care of that."
"And I'll go notify." Nell flashes Eric a conspiratorial smile before strolling out of Ops.
They're all watching Hetty like a hawk. Callen knows they're not being particularly inconspicuous but he doesn't really care at the moment. He's contemplating following Hetty when she leaves but gets distracted by Nell. She's coming down the stairs from Ops and he's almost certain she's bouncing. And she's smiling. A lot.
"Agent Callen, I have something for you," she announces, voice a little sing-song. She stops right in front of his desk and holds a tablet out to him.
Callen narrows his eyes suspiciously but takes the proffered tablet. He sits up quickly.
"You found this?"
Nell's outright grinning. "Me and a certain technological rockstar."
Eric skips down the stairs to join them. "Who's a rockstar? Mattias's location is on your phones, by the way."
"Apparently, you are," Callen muses as he flips through the incriminating photos on the tablet.
Sam comes up behind him and whistles low.
"I think we have one last loose end to tie up, don't you?" Deeks asks when he sees the pictures.
Callen looks each of the agents in the eye and without a word, they all gather their jackets and sidearms, ready to leave.
"Good work, you two," he praises, lifting the tablet in salute.
As the agents depart to deliver some retribution, OSP-style, Callen can't help but grin as he hears the sound of a high five behind him.
It's late and OSP is quiet, but Nell is still working. Eric had gone home hours before and she's pretty sure she's the only one left, but she doesn't mind. Sometimes she can get more done without other people distracting her. She just has one more search to run and cross-check before she'll be satisfied there are no loose ends left to tie up and then she can go home.
"You know, people are going to start thinking you live here."
Nell clutches at her desk and barely manages not to scream. She might have squeaked, though.
"I didn't mean to scare you," Callen apologizes.
"What—what are you doing here, Agent Callen?"
He holds up the tablet he'd taken earlier. "Wanted to return this before something could potentially happen to it to give Hetty a reason to kill me."
Nell's lips twitch and she takes the tablet, logging it back into the inventory and putting it in its assigned space. "You're all set."
"You should go home," he says. He's leaning on the main table and the low lighting sets off his blue eyes. Nell tries not to stare and is only marginally successful. "It's been a long couple days."
"In a minute. I just have one more thing to check up on."
"Uh huh."
"What about you?" she asks, trying to deflect. "Won't people think you live here if you stay too long?"
He shrugs, casting his eyes about the room. "I did, at one point. Well, I slept here a few times."
"But you have a house."
"I didn't at the time."
"Oh."
And now they're back to staring at each other again. Nell tries desperately to find some conversation topic but idle chatter has never been her strong suit. Usually it ends up with her babbling about something random which quickly degenerates into completely inane words flowing from her mouth. She's surprised when Callen sits in Eric's chair and starts spinning around, staring at the ceiling.
"Uh, what are you doing?"
He stops and turns his head towards her. "Waiting for you."
"You don't have to."
"Humor me."
Nell realizes this is like what happened earlier when she was out at Sander Lee's store. This is something he has to do because, as they all know, this case could have very easily turned tragic for all of them.
"Okay."
Callen seems content with her reply and resumes his slow spinning. Silence stretches between them but this time, Nell doesn't feel an overwhelming need to break it. She does anyway. "Thank you."
"For what?" he asks, continuing to rotate.
"For checking up on me earlier."
"Thanks for doing it. I know it wasn't protocol, but," he trails off.
"I get it." And she does, but there's always that tiny seed of doubt. "I just—"
"Nell, it didn't mean I didn't think you could do the job. Wait, was that too many negatives or not enough?"
"I, uh, I'm too tired to dissect that sentence right now, but I think I understand."
Callen chuckles. "Anyway, my asking you to check in with me had nothing to do with your abilities as an intelligence analyst or NCIS employee or anything else. You're good at what you do and I know I can depend on you."
She knows he doesn't give out praise often (in the back of her mind she thinks she'll have to go through the surveillance recordings in Ops to save this moment off later) so she's floored at what she's hearing.
"I, uh, I— Wow, okay. Thanks." She cringes at her complete incoherence.
Her terminal beeps, saving her from having to look at him, and she scans the data quickly, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Done?"
Nell turns to answer and pauses because Callen is suddenly right next to her. She hadn't heard him wheel over. He's staring at her monitor, but he's leaning forward, encroaching just a little into her personal space.
"Uh, yeah. I was just searching flight manifests and cross-checking with the known intelligence agents that had recently arrived—along with their possible aliases—and making sure they left."
"And?"
She smiles brightly. "They're all gone."
"And not a moment too soon. I'll walk you out if you're ready to leave," Callen offers, standing up and putting Eric's chair back in place.
"Yep, just let me grab my things."
They go through the motions of shutting down the building for the night and meet at one of the side doors.
He pushes the door open and gestures for her to pass. "After you."
She waits while he sets the alarm and tries to remember where she parked. She's not surprised when Callen turns to the left and touches her elbow to guide her. "You parked next to me, didn't you?"
"Guilty as charged."
Nell laughs softly. "Well, that's probably a good thing. I don't remember where I parked."
They walk in silence and Nell tries not to dwell too much on how close he is. Sometimes their arms bump and she swears she can feel his fingers brush against hers occasionally.
"You good to get home?" he asks when they reach their vehicles.
"I'm good," she replies with a smile.
Callen returns her smile and nods in her direction. "Have a good night, Miss Jones."
"And you, Agent Callen."
End Part
Episode Summary:
Part 2 of 2. The Russians have joined the party. We meet Monty for the first time and he won't search for explosives while the team is watching. Nell finds Renner's safe deposit box key. Callen organizes a trip to the bank to check it out but is marked by the Russians and can't make a move. He devises a bait and switch. The Russians chase after Kensi, who doesn't really have the book, and ultimately take her with them. To get her back, Nell puts fake microdots on an old book to trade. Kensi's in a room armed with explosives and laser beam triggers. Deeks helps her out but on the last one, he pulls her out and they're blown out of the room but they're okay. Mattias, it turns out, is working for the CIA and the Russians. He starts to believe, probably because he wants to, that there was never a black book. The team ambushes Mattias in a parking garage and tell him they know about his affair and warn him not to try anything with Hetty. Hetty visits her own safe deposit box, which contains a gun, several IDs, and many passports. She puts a black book in, the contents of which may or may not be what everyone is searching for.
