A/N - Well I wasn't sure I'd get this out today but it looks like I just might. Took a little more tweaking than I thought. Getting into their heads and hearts is creating a problem though as I go further on with the story. It's getting harder to keep to the original plan and each chapter seems to require that little bit more work to make it fit what has now come before. But it's fun and a challenge.

Guest Reviewer: Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know your thoughts. I hope that's not a bad thing that it's going slow - I'm honestly thoroughly enjoying writing it. They'll get there and not too far away. Read on to find out if you are right.

Enjoy, have a great weekend, and love to hear what you think when you get to the bottom.


Chapter 54 - More Trouble

Callen slipped quietly into Jessie's bedroom and placed the glass of water and bottle of Advil he'd found in her bathroom on the bedside table before he moved back to the doorway to watch her sleep and drink his coffee.

Something he hadn't done much of last night, though he had spent a lot of time thinking.

There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted more with her. It wasn't just the physical, because if that was all he'd wanted from her, he'd have been able to put a stop to this already one way or another. If Jessie had been the kind of girl that would've done a brief, yet satisfying fling, they'd have had it a long time ago But she wasn't. That was a step that she wouldn't take unless she felt something. He knew that about her, even though they'd rarely spoken about her past relationships. And if he wasn't interested in more he'd have been easily able to dismiss the attraction and move on.

Because he knew her.

The deep, the dark, the light and the fun. He knows her.

Their talks over the last year hadn't been one sided. She knew him almost as well as he knew her. Yes there were still secrets, more on his side than hers, but that didn't mean they didn't know one another. The small things he had said had added up to way more than the sum of their parts.

Callen trusted Jessie in a way he'd never trusted any of the women in his past that could've been what Hetty would've called a romantic interest, or even those who weren't. In some ways he trusted her more than anyone else, Sam and Hetty included.

His biggest problem came down to one thing - Was he good enough for her? Because he cared, more than he'd been willing to admit until now, and he didn't want to hurt her. There was so much about his life that caused him concern. His lack of knowledge from his childhood - who was he, where did he come from? And then there were so many things that could come back to hurt anyone connected to him from what he'd done in his career. Some enemies he knew, some he didn't. That scared him, or at least the thought of what those enemies might do to her scared him. They could do what they wanted to him, just not her.

Callen had tried to build back the defenses after his drunken confession, tried to keep their relationship to what it had been, but he might as well have been building those defenses out of clouds.

Even when he hadn't been looking, opportunities for things to move further had tempted him, but something always seemed to interfere, be it someone else, or his own damn doubts about whether he could give her what she needed.

But a little voice had been in his ear all last night. A selfish little voice that was exceptionally convincing in the still and quiet hours of the morning. What about what he needed? He needed someone to trust, to care and to be there for him. Someone who wouldn't leave him wondering if she was too good to be true or if she would run at the slightest hint of trouble. And given how trouble tended to find its way to him, there would be more than just a slight hint of it.

What if he reached out to get what he needed which then meant he could be what she needed? A veritable catch twenty two but if it worked, where would that take them?

The sparks between them had been there since the beginning, even if he'd been good at ignoring them for a while. The longer things had gone on, the hotter the heat had grown between them. Last night was proof that something needed to be done before it was completely out of their control. It honestly scared him how strong those feelings were that she evoked in him, not just how lost in the moment he could be with her when they physically connected but how he worried, cared and wanted to protect her so much more than anyone he could remember. He was scared that the passion and heat between them would burn so hot but die quickly and leave them a pile of ashes that would never be the same again. And Callen rarely admitted to anyone, especially himself, that he was scared.

But another little voice had popped into his head when those thoughts had played in his mind. One that sounded decidedly like Sam.

What if it doesn't? What if the flames burn hot and vibrant and keep you warm for the rest of your lives?

It was that voice, those words, that Callen had held onto as he'd decided something in the early hours of the morning before he'd slipped into a light sleep that filled with dreams of just that kind of scenario, even as he was still tuned in to her, just in case.

Friendship wasn't enough anymore. He was willing to take the risk, as scary as that risk was. He just needed to figure out how before the sparks took on a life of their own and things happened without him being in control. And if last night was anything to go by, it wasn't far away, and if that happened, the risk of hurting her was huge.

So now all he needed was -

A soft groan from the bed brought him out of his thoughts.

"Morning," Callen said gently. He wasn't quite sure how she'd respond. The groan that followed sounded more horrified than pain-filled and he chuckled quietly when she pulled a pillow over her head. "Don't think I've seen you wake up this badly before," he said.

Jessie moved the pillow away but her eyes stayed closed. "That would be," she said very softly, "because I've never had a hangover around you before."

"Can't be that bad," Callen replied. "You're awake and still in bed, not the bathroom."

"What can I say, I'm blessed with a cast iron stomach." Jessie opened her eyes slightly but closed them quickly with another groan. "But the same can't be said for my head. I'll have you know this is exactly why I stick to wine. Spirits are hell the next morning."

Callen refrained from laughing at her again. "Water and Advil beside your bed."

Jessie's eyes opened again and this time they stayed opened. "Why are you so cheerful?" she asked him.

Callen smiled. She must've picked up the laugh in his voice even if refrained from the actual sound. "Just enjoying a different side of you." And stepping very carefully after last night.

"You're enjoying my suffering?" Jessie said slowly. "How very … nice of you. I seem to recall the reverse happening not that long ago and I'm sure I didn't enjoy it as much as you seem to be."

"Oh Doc, you enjoyed that moment very much."

Her eyes narrowed at him and Callen grinned. "You had me at your mercy. Not my fault if you didn't take advantage. You could've enjoyed it a lot more."

Jessie blushed and closed her eyes briefly before she shifted carefully and reached for the Advil. After taking them and downing the whole large glass of water he'd brought in she sat up slowly.

"I have the distinct feeling," Jessie said, a hint of nervousness in her tone, "That I did something last night that I should be apologising for." She looked at him expectantly but Callen made her wait while he processed that comment. He took his time with the sip of his coffee. From that he would have to conclude that Jessie didn't remember what had happened. Disappointing but not exactly unexpected. She had drunk a lot in a very short period of time. He needed to be careful for a bit before he pushed to find out what was really going on in her head and where she wanted this to go. But it certainly didn't mean he was going to go easy on her, their normal still needed to apply because that's who they were. It would be there whether things progressed or not.

"Didn't do anything I wouldn't want you to repeat sober." There, banter, teasing, not exactly answering but then he wasn't lying either. A perfect answer. Especially with the wide eyed look it got from her in response.

"That doesn't help me know what happened," Jessie protested.

Callen smiled. "Who said you need to know? Plus, surely you'd know if something happened wouldn't you?"

Jessie shook her head, promptly groaned and closed her eyes.. "Oh … I wouldn't count on that. I remember that first drink but after that things are decidedly fuzzy." Jessie lifted her gaze to him. "Remind me to tell Deeks off for that idea of his when my head doesn't hurt."

Callen pushed off the door frame. "Do you really think that if something happened you'd have woken up in that bed alone? Or wearing what you are?" Jessie's eyes grew huge and Callen winked. "Take some time Doc then catch a cab into work. Hetty's expecting you by lunch time. We've got an unexpected case."

Callen turned and walked away. The groan, one he knew well, that he heard had nothing to do with her head and everything to do with him frustrating her. He couldn't help the grin that spread on his face. Things were going to get very interesting.


Jessie pulled herself reluctantly from the bed once she heard the front door close behind Callen. Her head was pounding but she knew the Advil would kick in soon. If only it would clear up her memories. At least a shower would make her feel better and hopefully functional enough to get ready for work. It must've been rather important for Hetty to call them in after what had happened yesterday. Callen and Sam at least needed some time to rest after yesterday. She doubted if Hetty would be sympathetic to those with a hangover.

Jessie stared at her reflection in the mirror and hoped for some kind of miraculous recovery. What she'd told Callen was only the partial truth. Yes, the headache connected with the hangover where spirits were involved were killers but she could deal with them. The main reason she stuck to wine, and hadn't joined in with the usual drunken university parties, was that if she drunk enough to end up with a hangover, she also ended up with memory loss. She was incredibly lucky that her experience with hangovers like this was limited to times when Trevor was around to keep her safe and she could count them all on one hand, perhaps two now.

Jessie closed her eyes and took a breath. Yep, yesterday had been a prime example of a high risk day. She should've known better than to even join the team in the first one. In face she had known better. Her emotional state was the warning sign but she'd ignored it in an effort to escape the pain. And with that thought the pain flared again. Thinking he was dead had been the most painful thing she'd felt in a very long time. She pushed it away though. He was safe. He was home. It was over.

At least that part anyway.

What had she done last night? Jessie didn't even know how much she'd had to drink or how she'd gotten home, though it was an easy assumption to make that Callen had something to do with that. Sam had -

Oh God, Sam knew.

Jessie's eyes closed again and she dropped her chin to her chest and let out a long, slow breath. Was it really that obvious? Or was it just that Sam was very good at reading people? Considering she worked with a group of people who were the best at doing just that, the likelihood of it just being Sam now, was slim.

Jessie rubbed the back of her neck and stretched the muscles as she stared at her reflection. With no idea what had happened she would be flying blind when she walked into the office later, not something she particularly enjoyed. Her hand ran over her neck and paused when she came across a patch of tenderness. She frowned and looked closer through the mirror to see a slight mark right where her pulse would be found. She shifted so the light reached it to make sure it wasn't a shadow. As she did a memory, a brief but very intense one, came back. And it involved her against the wall with Callen right where he'd need to be to leave that kind of mark.

Her body's response to the reminder left her in no doubt that it was indeed a real memory, not something that she'd dreamed of.

"Oh no," she whispered. "What did I do?" She turned from the mirror, stepped into the shower and flicked the water on without waiting for it to heat up. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the tiled wall as she shivered under the onslaught of cold water. Hopefully it would help because she really needed a clear head before she faced him again.


An hour and a half later Jessie walked slowly through the double entry doors and paused. She wasn't ready for this. Her head wasn't clear. In fact it was a jumbled mess of small possible moments that she couldn't piece together. How many were simply from dreams and how many from last night she couldn't even work out. That was on top of the still there headache. She didn't want to contemplate how bad it would be if she hadn't taken something. To top it off, she'd had to make a call she'd never had to make before to Heidi at the hospital to cancel her shift for tomorrow. There was no way she was risking working in the ER with any leftover effects of last night. Here was a very different story, though how much use she'd be right now she wasn't sure. Part of her wondered if she was currently on the receiving end of one of those unusual forms of punishment Callen had mentioned.

Callen.

Jessie forced her feet to take her down the corridor and breathed slow and deep, in and out, as she went. She could do this. She had to do this. And he didn't know that she'd remembered anything. She hoped anyway.

Neither Hetty or the team were at their desks so Jessie headed directly up to Ops, being very careful on the stairs. They were probably already up there. She walked through the sliding doors but it was only Nell and Eric who were seated at their desk.

"Hi Jessie," Nell said. There was a look in Nell's eyes that Jessie wasn't even going to try and decipher with her head the way it was at this point.

Eric spun his chair around, but abruptly stopped it. His hands went to his head and he groaned.

"You too?" Jessie felt sympathy for Eric but there was no way in hell she'd feel an ounce of it if Deeks walked in with a hangover. It was an uncharitable thought, and if she wasn't feeling this unsettled, both physically and emotionally, then she probably wouldn't even be thinking it.

"It's just the spinning I can't handle," Eric said slowly.

"Nell?" Jessie turned to face Nell.

"I'm good." Her voice was so chirpy.

"Seriously?" Nell was so much smaller than her. "How can you possibly be okay?"

"Because I," Nell looked between the two of them, rather smugly, "Stopped at one."

"Eric stopped at?" Jessie asked a touch hesitantly, knowing if she asked about Eric, the conversation would get back to her and she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Just one straight shot after the Depth Charge," Eric told her.

Really? That's what Deeks had given them? The man had a strange sense of humour. She vaguely remembered that now. Not that she'd been drunk at the time but her head hadn't exactly been in the conversation.

Eric looked at her, curious. "You?"

Jessie sighed. "I don't remember," she admitted to them.

"Anything?" Eric looked shocked.

"The first drink I remember, after that…." Jessie wasn't entirely sure she was up to admitting anything about the brief possible moments that she did remember. Especially about her hands running over a certain someone's chest, the skin to skin kind of contact not through a shirt. She especially wasn't going to admit to seeing his face above hers when she was sure they were in her bed.

"You don't remember the second depth charge?" Eric asked.

Jessie shook her head.

"Or the four rum shots after?"

"No." Four plus the two, plus the beer. No wonder she felt so bad.

"What about the tequila shots?" Nell asked.

Jessie closed her eyes and groaned. "Oh god." Her hand went to her neck though she didn't realise it until she heard a noise from Nell and opened her eyes to find the analyst's eyes locked on her hand.

"Jessie," Eric said, "There were no tequila shots. Not at the boat shed anyway."

Jessie hadn't heard the doors open but there was no mistaking that voice.

"Tequila. Really Eric. I didn't know you were up for that. I'm in, as long as I get Jessie."

Jessie spun on her heels, the pain in her head ignored as shock and embarrassment flooded her. "What did -" No. No, there was no way Callen had just said what she thought did. Her mind was just too screwed up to hear properly. She really shouldn't be here.

The grin on Callen's face was that one he had when he had something on you. She really hated being on the receiving end of that smug look, even if it did have the ability to make her heart skip a beat. She turned away quickly, at little too quickly and groaned as pain shot through her head at the motion.

"Good to see everyone is finally in," Hetty voice sounded and Jessie turned, this time slowly, to see Hetty, Sam, Kensi and Deeks had joined them.

Unfortunately it looked like she and Eric were the only ones suffering any major effects from last night. Eric was a gem and kept the volume down on the videos, much to Deeks' amusement. If Jessie had been that way inclined she would've been thinking up some interesting questions for Deeks' next session that would leave him squirming. The detective was lucky she wasn't.

She lost track of the briefing at one point when she'd felt Callen's gaze land on her and she'd automatically turned to him without thinking when she'd felt it. His gaze lingered on her neck and, once again, her hand had a mind of its own and reached up to cover it. Callen lifted his gaze to hers and raised an eyebrow, the smirk on his face grew when she quickly dropped her hand and pulled her attention back to the screen. Unfortunately it took more than that to get her focus back on what was being said and she really hoped her input wasn't needed for a while until she could review the details without distraction, which meant in private.

When it was over the team left the room, only Eric and Nell remained with her.

Jessie folded her arms on the table and dropped her head to them with a groan.

"What happened last night Jessie?" Eric asked. "Callen took you home right?"

"Yeah," she answered with her head still on her arms.

"And?" Nell prompted.

"I don't know." How ridiculous that sounded coming from a, supposedly, very responsible adult.

"Did you guys…" Eric trailed off but what he hadn't voiced hung heavy in the room and Jessie's head flew up in protest. She closed her eyes and reached for the side of her head that felt like a knife had just been run through it.

"No," Jessie said. "He said nothing happened."

Actually he hadn't said that. It was implied but given the man's gift at evasion, of all kinds, he hadn't really answered and she was only just realising that now. Apart from his admission that she hadn't done anything he wouldn't want to repeat, everything else had been a question disguised as an answer.

"He was there when you woke up?"

"He slept on the couch."

"Are you sure?" Eric questioned.

"I trust him." She did trust him. She also knew him which unfortunately didn't help her decipher just what he'd been saying this morning. When Callen went into cryptic mode it was almost impossible to figure that out.

"Then how did you get that mark on your neck?" Nell asked.

"How can you even see it?" Answering a question with a question. Hmmm, where exactly had she learned that tactic? "I can barely see it myself even when I'm looking."

"Detail orientated," Nell said calmly. "So's Callen. He noticed."

Of course the man noticed, especially if it had gotten there the way she thought, but she wasn't about to admit that yet.

"Are you going to ask him about it?" Eric asked her.

"No!" Jessie shook her head to reaffirm her answer, something she really shouldn't have done. "No," she said more gently. "I'm just going to try and let it go and trust that nothing happened."

Because she really wasn't game enough to walk up to him and ask if he'd - Not even in her head was she game enough to ask the question.

"Something happened Jessie. You can't deny that."

"Eric, I was still dressed when I woke up - alone."

"He's a man of many talents." For that Nell thumped Eric on the arm, hard enough to cause him pain.

"He's also a man of his word, Eric," Nell said. "If he said nothing happened, nothing happened."

Except he didn't and now Jessie was well and truly confused. Why wouldn't he say something to her? Unless he regretted it.

"Yeah well," Eric took a step away from Nell which drew Jessie's attention from her thoughts, "unless Jessie pinched herself," Eric continued. "Something happened. About time."

Nell glared at Eric.

"Hold on you two," Jessie said after a mental shake of her head. She was learning thankfully. "What's going on here?"

Nell continued to hold her glare on Eric but Jessie had her own powerful look that she rarely used anymore, because it certainly wasn't something to use on the majority of this team.

"Eric." The firmness of her voice seemed to break Nell's hold on Eric's gaze. He looked at her, his eyes went wide and he stepped back. "Tell me."

"We've got a bet going," Eric rushed out.

"On?" Jessie knew before she'd even asked.

"When you two will get together."

Jessie brought both hands to the back of her neck. Her day was just getting worse with every moment.

"We're not - Who is betting on it?"

"It's just between us," Nell admitted.

"And what's the rest of it?"

Eric stayed silent so Jessie turned the look on Nell. Nell rolled her eyes and Jessie knew in that moment to not bother with the look with her again. However Nell did at least come forward with the information. She probably figured the cat was out of the bag so what was the point of keeping it a secret.

"Eric gets a new surfboard if you are together before Thanksgiving."

They were betting long term obviously.

"And you?" Jessie asked Nell.

"I figure before the end of Summer."

"What do you get?"

"I take her to see the musical of her choice, without complaining."

"Summer's not far away Eric, I think you might be safe."

"Well we've had to change it twice already because you two didn't -" Eric stopped abruptly.

"We're not -." Jessie sighed. What was the point? She doubted she could change their minds.

"Come on Jessie," Eric had a smile she hadn't seen before on his. She wasn't sure that she wanted to know what was behind it. "The sparks between you two are obvious," Eric said.

"Just because attraction is there doesn't mean two people should be together." That should've been the end of the conversation but no, this was Eric and Nell she was talking about.

"So you do find him attractive?" Nell asked.

"Kill the bet," Jessie said firmly and turned around to leave. She came to an abrupt halt. Callen stood near the door, an extremely smug and satisfied look on his face. She turned back to Eric and shook her head slowly.

"You," she said softly, "are in so much trouble." And she was in so much more.

She turned and walked quickly out the door, not looking at Callen, though it didn't stop her from hearing his quiet chuckle.


Callen went to check on Jessie later in the afternoon, when they had a small down moment in the complicated case that had been dumped in their laps that day. When she wasn't in her office or the medical room, he headed up to Ops to check with Eric.

"She went home about half an hour ago. She wasn't feeling great."

"Her car still at the boat shed?"

"Yeah. She said she'd pick it up tomorrow or the day after depending on how she was feeling."

Good to know she was being careful. He walked out of Ops and pulled out his phone.

The text he fired of quickly was simple. You okay?

His patience was much thinner than normal and he was on the verge of calling her when he received a text back.

Head's bad. Need to sleep.

Are you already in bed? He sent back.

There was a small delay before her answer came.

Yes.

Instead of texting Callen called her. Because he really needed to know she was okay.

"Did I wake you?" It was a stupid question in reality because he'd just been texting her but he had a mental blank on what to say when he'd heard her quiet voice in his ear.

"Not asleep yet," Jess told him.

"Are you okay?"

"I have a hangover G. It's not pleasant. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."

Callen wasn't sure what else to say. If her head hurt and she needed to sleep she probably didn't feel like talking.

Jessie broke the silence. "G what happ-"

"G." Sam called out. Callen turned and saw Sam coming down the stairs two at a time. "We've got something. Let's move."

Callen heard Jessie sigh through the phone. "Sorry," he said to her, he kept his voice low just in case. "Got a lead to chase. Get some sleep, don't forget to-"

Jessie cut him off. "I know what to do for a hangover G. Good luck with the lead."

She hung up before he could say goodbye which left him staring at his phone for a moment.

"G." Sam called out again.

Callen pocketed his phone and followed Sam to the car. Reluctantly he boxed up the strange ending to their call and got back to the mission at hand. He'd have to figure her out later. There was too much to risk being distracted and he had a feeling this mission was going to take everything they had to solve and, unfortunately, he wasn't expecting it to be completed anytime soon.