Disclaimer: I do not own anything from NCIS: LA.

A/N: Since I am starting rehearsals for another play (a period piece set in the 1800s), I need to get these characters out of my head - and therefore, I am going to try to finish this story within the next week. FYI: The voting is now about equal between Callen and Eric. And the other reason I need to finish this off ... I want so badly to tell everyone who wins. Obviously, half of you will be thrilled, and the other half will be ... less than thrilled (my apologies in advance). Anyway, some of the secrets are revealed in this chapter.

The next day at work, Sam talked to Eric and Callen about planning their official first dates with Nell. "G, you're on Friday. Eric on Saturday night. You might say: age before IQ."

Callen groaned, "Really? Again with an insult about my intelligence!"

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Returning to Ops, Eric could not help but notice that Nell was in a good mood this Monday morning. He desperately wanted to know about her day with Callen. "I would guess you are no more likely to tell me about yesterday than you are to tell me your IQ."

She replied hurriedly, "Someday, I will tell you both. But that day is not today." She could tell by the look on his face that she needed to say something more … or this work day would be unbearable for both of them. "Listen to me - nothing can negate the wonderful day that you and I shared. Stop worrying about something you cannot control. Put your energy into something you can control – like planning our date on Saturday night." She touched his forearm reassuringly.

Just then, the two pairs of agents entered Ops. Callen's eyes locked onto Nell's hand resting on Eric's arm. She did not immediately pull back, as there was nothing for her to hide. But when she needed to show Callen a photo on her tablet, she made a point of putting her hand on his bicep while she was talking to him. They made eye contact and his face softened. His "thank you" to her meant more than just thanks for the image she had shown him – and she knew it.

She thought to herself: "Good. Now maybe we can all get some work done today."

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They all settled into a routine, but by Tuesday morning, it was looking like this was going to be a slow week. It was nice when that happened once in a while – it allowed them time to get caught up on things around the office. Nell had a backlog of data to analyze. Eric was testing some surveillance equipment, which he did not have time to get to during hectic times. Sam, Callen, Deeks, and Kensi took target practice and then moved on to sparing in the gym.

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It was an incredibly uneventful week at work, which left them all with too much time to think … and too much quiet time to be filled with conversation. By Wednesday morning, Deeks could not stand the suspense anymore – and he decided to risk Sam's wrath by talking to Nell about the competition. Nell had found a quiet corner to sit and have a cup of coffee … well, it was quiet until Deeks sat down with her. He disarmed her with his humor and managed to get her to tell him about the secretive admirers. After she had rambled for a while, he said, "So let me review to make sure I've understood everything clearly: Callen was the second to email you and then spoke with you on the phone – cryptically inquiring about your preference of characters in The Italian Job. That would mean that the first one to email you was Eric, who then proceeded to give you three small gifts at work and keep you in stiches with running commentary during Gidget Goes to Rome. He was also the one who gave you the arrangement of lilac roses and calla lilies … and then tried to throw everyone else off his scent by saying that you might have sent them to yourself."

"Yes … that about covers it." However, she did not tell him about anything else.

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Deeks could not contain himself … and Nell hadn't exactly sworn him to secrecy. So he almost immediately told Sam and Kensi. The three of them split up to talk to the others.

Kensi grilled Callen: "Really? Come on! Do you need a woman's perspective? I'm happy to be of assistance."

Deeks cornered Eric: "Ok, so you seem to be doing alright so far … I have to say I'm a bit surprised and impressed with what you have done up to this point. But what do you have planned for the big date? Need any help?"

Sam confronted Nell: "Seriously? You'll tell Deeks … but not me?"

Hetty watched from a distance, drinking her tea and thinking: "As dinner theater goes, this isn't half bad."

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On Thursday morning, Hetty got a call from Director Vance requesting that Nell give some assistance on a project in another office. He hoped that it could be taken care of over the phone and would not disrupt her schedule for more than a day. Vance told Hetty that there was another employee who planned to be out of town the following week and he really needed to complete the project before his departure.

Nell spent most of the day on the phone helping to solve the problem. It was slow going, but her insight did prove to be helpful. After several calls back and forth, they finally ended up staying on the phone, chatting during the intervals when they had to wait for the computer to complete each step of the process. She asked him about his upcoming trip, which she found quite interesting. Having not really spoken before, they had plenty to talk about and both of them genuinely enjoyed the conversation. This did not go unnoticed by her coworkers, who attributed much more meaning to her body language, smiles, and laughter than there was in actuality. Eric in particular found himself thinking that he would rather not have to compete with anyone else.

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Friday at work, things were a bit strange … and a bit strained – anticipation of the weekend dates was in the air. That morning, Eric kept finding excuses to talk to Nell, ask her questions, get her advice on things, share information with her, … anything he could think of to get her attention. After lunch, he settled down and things seemed more normal, but he had trouble staying focused on work, knowing that she would be spending that evening with Callen.

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When Nell got to her car at the end of the work day, there were two packages on the passenger seat with a note that said: "Please wear the chocolate pearls with this tonight." One gift bag contained the olive green and brown dress. The other held a pair of the dance shoes she had fallen in love with. She had already been looking forward to this evening, but now she had butterflies in her stomach as she drove home to get ready for their date.

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Hetty waited until everyone else had left and then called out, "Mr. Callen, would you please join me for some tea?" She indicated that he should sit across from her. She proceeded in a maternal tone, explaining that before things go any further with Miss Jones, he should take great care to reflect on his ultimate intentions with her. This caught him off guard, since he was not entirely sure how much Hetty knew about the competition that had been going on the past few weeks.

She wanted to speak to him now … to make sure that he carefully weighed the consequences of any action he might take. She would not want the dynamic of the team to be adversely affected, nor would she want Miss Jones to be hurt in the process. He asked if she had already had, or planned to have, this same conversation with Eric.

She chose her words carefully as she replied, "Mr. Callen, I always deal with people as individuals. As such, I will speak to Mr. Beale about the things I think are of concern to him. However, this conversation is about you. Your life has been quite complicated – some things have been done to you, some things you have chosen to do. But you must admit, you have a past that you need to sort through. I would just like to submit to you that it might be easier to do that sorting without the entanglement of a relationship." She paused to sip her tea and then continued, "To be clear, I am not telling you what to do. Simply asking you to carefully consider before you proceed."

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When Callen stepped out of the building, he saw a familiar form leaning against his car. He opened the car door and tossed his bag inside as he said, "I just got quite a speech from Hetty. Are you gonna start in me now too?"

Sam began cautiously, "Look, G, you're my partner, a good friend, and I trust you with my life, but … I need to ask you one question. You don't have to answer me. You need to answer this for yourself. Think back to that day a few weeks ago when I spoke to the three of you in the gym … when I gave you the guidelines."

"Is there a question somewhere in my future?"

"Here it is: Are you in this to win her heart or just to win?"

"OK. Let me ask you what I asked Hetty: Are you planning on having this little chat with Eric too?"

"G, that is not what this is about and you know it. I know you. You're competitive. I also know that you had shown very little discernible interest in Nell up until you saw Eric and Deeks flirting with her. So, if you are genuinely interested, then I will, in whatever way possible, support you in this venture. But if this is about something else, then I think you should consider doing the gentlemanly thing … and withdraw from this competition."

They stood for a few minutes in uncomfortable silence. Callen cleared his throat before replying to Sam's speech: "I am not sure when exactly it happened. And if I could explain this all to you, I would. I just know this: I have started to feel things in the past few weeks that I haven't felt in a long time … things I have been afraid to let myself feel. No … I am not entirely sure where that will lead, but I think it might just be worth the risk to find out."

" 'It might be' or 'she might be.' Please remember: the gamble you're taking doesn't just involve you … but the longer this goes on, you're gambling with her heart as well." Sam lightened his tone as he said with a smile, "Spontaneity and romance is one thing, but being reckless and impulsive is another." He straightened Callen's shirt collar and then gently slapped him on the cheek. As he walked to his own car, Sam said, "Either way, make me proud, G."

A/N: Even though I already know how this will resolve, I really enjoy reading the reviews - hearing your reactions to this competition. I am going to do my best to keep you guessing right up until she decides. Thanks so much for reading!