A/N

Confidential to Nallen shippers: I see you. I appreciate you. Heck, if New Eric keeps up they way that he's currently being written, I may even become one of you. Please enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Chapter 5

An industrial building in the outskirts of Tijuana, Mexico

Thursday, 8:39 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Callen unlocks the door and enters the room to find a woman with long auburn hair facing away from him in a 10' x 10' cage with a combo sink/toilet in the far corner. Wearing only a plain gray cotton nightshirt style tank dress that reaches just above the woman's knees, one of her bare feet is shackled and connected to the wall farthest from the door by a chain. She's doing squats next to an air mattress that's sitting on the floor. Finishing her 13th set, the woman stops and turns to see who walked in.

Nell's dress isn't tight, but she is clearly no longer wearing her own bulletproof bustier. For a split second, Callen catches himself thinking that if it had been anyone else, and had the circumstances been very different, he might have admired the view. He was a human male of the species after all. But he was also a professional on a rescue mission and it was Nell, so there was no way that he'd allow himself to go there.

Nell: "Callen! What are you doing here? How did you find me? I had to ditch my gun and earwig so they wouldn't get suspicious."

Callen picks the lock on the cage door.

Callen: "Your ring has a transmitter, but the battery's dying."

Nell looks at the ring on her right ring finger

Nell: "So that's why it was in the armory. Leave it to Hetty."

Callen opens the cage door and enters.

Nell: " Did you find the other women? Are they here?"

Callen drops to one knee in front of Nell. He goes to work on the shackle on Nell's ankle with the lock pick.

Callen: "No, we didn't find them. It looks like they might have been moved out of the country. We think they're planning to move you soon, but we're still not sure where they're keeping all of them. We suspect human trafficking."

Nell: "Ugh!"

Callen: "We don't have much time. We need to get out of here."

Nell: "Wait! Do you have any overwatch spray with you?"

Callen: "Yeah, I think I have some in my pack."

Callen frees Nell's ankle.

Callen: "But why would…"

Callen stands up.

Callen: "No."

Nell: "YES! You know it's the best shot we have of finding the women and taking these sick puppies down."

Callen and Eric in his ear simultaneously: "NO!"

Nell: "Look, I'm ready. I trust my training, and I can do this. You just need to track me and make damn sure you catch these guys before they deliver the goods."

Callen considers.

Nell: " I trust you."

Eric: "Please Callen. I'm begging you. Don't . Do . This."

Callen: "This is a huge risk."

Nell: "Look, this isn't what I wanted. This isn't what any of us wanted, but I'm embedded here now and we WILL NOT get a better opportunity than this."

Callen plays out different possible scenarios in his head.

Sam: "G, I think they noticed the camera loop flicker. You've got maybe four minutes before they check on her and know we're here."

Callen exhales deeply then whispers to himself: "Damn it!"

Callen reaches into his bag and fishes out the overwatch spray while rambling.

Callen: "You only have until this stuff starts to wear off, or until it looks like things might be going south, or until I come to my senses and change my mind."

He hands the spray bottle to Nell. Nell sprays her legs, arms, and down the neck of her dress, front and back, as demurely as possible. Meanwhile, Callen kneels again to relock the shackle to Nell's ankle and Eric pleads over the com, growing ever more panicked.

Eric: "Callen, there has to be a better way. We have to figure out something else. You have her! You can't just leave her behind."

Callen stands back up and she hands the bottle back to him.

Sam: "Tick tock, people."

Callen grabs Nell's shoulders and roughly turns her around.

Callen: "Eric, we don't have time to argue."

Callen lifts Nell's hair and sprays her neck twice for good measure. They both know that it's far more overwatch than necessary to do the job, but Callen can't help himself.

Once Callen drops her hair, Nell turns back to face Callen.

Nell calms herself as much as she can.

Nell: "Eric. Eric, I know you can hear me. Listen, this is my decision. I have to do this."

Eric quietly plaintive: "Nooo."

Nell continues authoritatively cutting off his unheard response: "I need you to take care of yourself so that when the time comes, you're at your best for me. I promised you that I would be careful, and I will. But you need to promise ME something. Promise that you will focus on working . the . problem."

Eric straining to regain his composure: "I promise."

Callen nods to Nell.

Nell: "Wolfram, I owe you another sticky note when I get home."

Callen: "I have to go."

Callen leaves the cage, turns toward it and closes the door. A cold chill runs up his spine as he hears the cage door latch. There's a sudden flash of fear in Nell's eyes when she sees the door close and hears it lock. She'd put on a brave face, but Callen knew that she was scared.

Callen reaches the door, turns, and looks at Nell.

Callen fakes a smile: "Don't be a hero."

A shadow of a smile creeps across Nell's lips.

Nell: "Nah. That's your job."

Callen slips out the door and into the hall.