Cider

He's not supposed to be on duty.

Actually though. They've banked time for this kind of thing, worked day in and day out on some of the roughest cases of his career and Hetty had okay-ed the time off without blinking. She loves them all, of course, but Callen knows it's also because they've been through a lot. A month doesn't seem like too much to ask, especially considering the season.

But in their world, it's also not that simple.

Sometimes the bad guys don't understand that it's kosher to use your co-worker's wedding to woo the maid of honour.

And who the hell says 'woo' anymore?

Callen shakes his head, even as he eyes himself in the mirror. It's a short thing, he hopes, just a little bit of recon. A couple of days on a case that's been cold for over a year. SecNav doesn't care of course, she never does, and in some ways he gets it. In OSP they deal with the special of special cases. They're classified beyond classified and often require liaising with more than just the LAPD. He's had CIA cases, DEA, FBI, special task force and joint task force cases.

He's not totally sure what this is. Well, he knows the parameters, he guesses. Arms dealer, probably American, responsible for providing weapons to rebels in most of the major conflicts across the pond. The latest is the Ukraine, where even Callen knows tensions are bubbling a little to close to the surface. The last thing they need is an idiot trying to push the former Soviet territory into another Yugoslavia.

Which means he has to be sneaky and careful in his choice of contact today. It's not even about security clearance or telling Kensi a damn thing about who he is and what he does and more about making sure he doesn't leave this crap on her doorstep. It's actually the very last thing he wants to do. He's already poisoned enough people and Kensi's already gone through enough pain and heartbreak.

But he wants to do something. He's seen her eleven days straight and the last thing he wants is to have her worried that yesterday's confession had pushed him away. Because it's entirely possible it's done the exact opposite. He knows what it's like, being an orphan. He doesn't have first hand understanding of her grief, for sure, but he knows what it's like to build a family from nothing, from pieces. He gets the way it feels like a lifeline, something to cling to in the chaos of life. He understands her.

There will be no illusions of abandonment. Not if he can help it.

Thing is, he doesn't know what to do.

It takes him much longer than he'd have liked to come up with it and, of course, it hits at the worst possible moment. He's actually made contact, conversing with their suspect when it hits him. It throws him off more than he'd like. He can actually feel the way his fingers are twitching.

And he takes a risk he's not sure he ever would before her.

He slips out after catching Sam's eyes, a bathroom break, he says. His partner looks confused when they exchange looks, even concerned, but doesn't do anything to stop him. Callen trusts Sam to keep an eye on their guy, to make sure he doesn't escape. And the bug Callen had planted earlier in the lunch should give them some interesting things now that the new guy isn't there.

Meanwhile, Callen dials Eric. "I need Nell."

"What?"

Callen rolls his eyes and refuses to growl, just barely. He's losing precious time even having this conversation. "Nell. I need to talk to her."

"Uh-"

"Give me a phone number or patch me through Eric. Now."

There's a scramble, then the sound of the phone ringing.

"Nell Jones."

"Nell, it's Callen. Eric's-"

"Groomsman. Is he okay?"

She sounds stoic and he flinches. "This isn't about Eric, he's fine. It's about Kensi. I need you to do something for me."

. . . . .

He tumbles into his crappy makeshift apartment hours later, exhausted but exhilarated. They've made strides today, more strides than Callen had expected, even with his little dalliance. It happens, he thinks, when the damn guys get too cocky for their own good. He's sure now that this won't take much longer.

He checks his e-mail first, like he always does for any new intel now that he's not 'in character'. But it's not an information packet that greets him. Instead, Eric's e-mail is prefaced with the subject 'Thought You Should See'.

For the record, the message reads, this was Nell's idea. I think Hetty's thinking of replacing me.

Attached is a video and he almost chokes when it's Kensi's office that comes into view when he hits play. He hadn't even thought about security cameras, but there's certainly a part of him thankful she has them. Now for reasons beyond simple security.

The woman in question enters not moments later, stopping in the doorway. She's beautiful, he thinks. There's a hot milk stain on her black blouse and her hair's pulled back haphazardly – a sure sign she's just put in a shift behind the counter – but he doesn't care. She's still gorgeous. She's still Kensi.

She's stopped dead, he realizes, because there's something on her desk. Nell had gone above and beyond what he'd asked of her. She's chosen instant packages rather than the piping hot cider he'd requested and included a beautiful blue mug to go with it. He watches Kensi slide around the desk, fingers gentle and hesitant as they slide over the handle of her new mug, but it's the look on her face that has his heart beating double-time in his chest.

She looks surprised and vulnerable, reverent almost and the smile on her face is affectionate and soft. Her fingers slide over the little packets of mix before she lifts the cup to read the note obviously tucked beneath. That softness doesn't leave her face and instead, he gets to watch her eyes glaze over, zoned out and even daydreaming as her fingers play with the edges of the note.

He hits pause and reaches for his phone.

Nell went above and beyond. Give her my thanks, he types out quickly. It's a secure phone, meant for NCIS business. He doesn't think much of it.

It's Nell and it's Kensi. It's a thing.

Callen smiles to himself as he looks at the paused picture of Kensi's gentle smile.

A thing indeed.


I think I'm in love with this universe. That isn't supposed to happen.

Thanks to each of you who has left your thoughts. There aren't words for how it feels to have people fall in love with the changes in these characters as I do. It means the world.