As Nell drove back, her thoughts were a whirlwind. She was worried about Kensi - more worried than she had ever been before. Kensi was strong - arguably, the strongest member of the team. Nell had believed her to be unbreakable. So seeing her today, hadn't just hurt her to the core, it left her shattered. It was impossible to believe that the figure huddled under the blankets was the same friend with whom she had shared drinks last night. As Nell thought of last night, she felt cold terror pierce through her - Kensi had been attacked after having drinks with Nell. It could have just as easiliy been her - and she knew she wasn't as strong as Kensi. These thoughts had her feeling sick as she arrived at OSP.

She grabbed the box of evidence, making sure it was closed, then rushed inside. She left the box on Hetty's desk, and wished she could leave all memory of it there as well. She had seen the contents - blood soaked clothes, blankets and gauze, and Kensi's knife, still coated in her own blood. Hetty watched her carefully as she set it down, then took a sip of tea.

"How is Ms. Blye?" She asked, knowing from Nell's state that it wasn't good. Nell took a breath and said,

"It's bad, Hetty. I've never seen her like this. It broke her."

"I see. Take a few minutes to yourself, dear." She told Nell, gesturing to the second cup of tea on her desk. "Take this with you."

Nell took the cup of tea gratefully and found a quiet corner to sit and gather her thoughts as she sipped the tea. As she finished, she remembered that she still had the chip from Deeks camera with her. She rushed up to Ops and tossed it in her drawer, locking it up as quickly as she could. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

When Eric came in, he could see she was preoccupied. She didn't notice as he came up beside her, and startled when he spoke.

"Hey, you ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, fine." She replied, unconvincingly.

For the remainder of the day, Eric worried about his partner as she seemed more and more distracted. He tried baiting her with opportunities to make fun of him, and distracting her with every video and game he could think of, but she remained oblivious to his efforts and lost in thought.

When the day was finally over and they were walking out, Eric tried again.

"Are you ok, Nell? You're not yourself today. You've been acting off since you ran that errand for Hetty at lunch. Do you want to talk about it?"

Nell sighed. "I want to Eric, but I can't. It's just one of those Hetty things, got me anxious, you know?"

It was Eric's turn to sigh. "Yeah, I get it. Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked. "Want to grab a beer?"

Nell took a deep breath, and before she could change her mind she blurted out,

"Can I come home with you tonight?" Eric was stunned. Seeing his look of shock, she clarified "I can sleep on the floor. I just don't want to be alone." Eric nodded, glad that he could be there to comfort her, even if she couldn't tell him what was going on.

"Not a problem. You can have the bed." He said. "Do you need to pick anything up at your place?" He asked. She thought for a moment, but decided against going home. She was still feeling anxious. Instead, she asked to stop by a 24 hour box store. She quickly grabbed a pair of pajamas, a travel pack of toiletries and a case of beer, and met Eric back at the car. Holding up the beer, she said,

"It's been a long day. I thought we this might help us unwind." Eric smiled, and agreed. They stopped once more to pick up dinner, and then headed to his place.

"Sorry about the mess" he apologized, as he moved his surfboards. "I'll sleep on the couch, and you can have the bed tonight." He flicked on the tv, and they settled down on the couch to watch TV and eat. He could tell Nell was still brooding, but knew better than to push her to share. If she could tell him, she would have done so already. It still bothered him to see her hurting.

"Anything I can get for you?" He asked, knowing he couldn't ask what was on her mind.

"No, not really." She replied. "Letting me stay here is already enough." They sat in silence together watching TV and enjoying their drinks. After finishing her third beer, Nell spoke up. "I'm really tired, and we have work tomorrow. I think it's time for bed." Eric stood up with her and tidied up their empty containers while she went to his room and changed. He had started to set up his bed on the couch when Nell returned. She rolled her eyes at him and said,

"Don't be ridiculous. Your bed is big enough for both of us. Just keep your hands to yourself." Eric stared at her, sure his jaw was scraping the ground, before he came to his senses and managed to mumble out,

"Are you sure?!"

"Yes" She said as she turned away. Under her breath she added "I just don't want to be alone."

As they crawled into bed, Nell turned to thank him for letting her stay the night.

"Anything for you." He whispered. "Sleep well." Knowing full well that neither one of them would have a sound night's sleep.

When they woke in the morning, both of them had expected things to be awkward, but they were surprised and relieved that it had felt quite natural. Over the course of the night they had gravitated closer, with Nell finally resting her head on Eric's chest while he wrapped his arm around her. It had offered her the comfort she had so badly needed, without straying into awkward territory.

Eric typically woke early to surf, but he had allowed himself to sleep in today. He loved the feeling of waking up with Nell in his arms - and strangely felt relieved that everything between them had remained platonic. He didn't want her to feel he had taken advantage of her when she was feeling down.

Once fully awake, they had taken turns showering and dressing for the day. Eric made coffee while Nell prepared breakfast, and they headed in to OSP early, intending to get a head start on their work for the day.

"Hey" Eric said "Do you think Kensi and Deeks will be back today?" He asked. Nell paled and turned away quickly as she mumbled

"I doubt it."