AN: Sorry, guys, this is less about Nell's acceptance of Deeks and more about them being friends. But I do feel Nell was probably quicker to accept Deeks (comparatively) because she didn't have as much baggage or things to work through. Couldn't leave her out though!

Nell felt most relaxed around Deeks first, out of everyone, when she first started. Even before she felt comfortable around Eric because she had really, really wanted to impress him. Sam had intimidated her; she hadn't known what to make of Callen and Kensi was like no other female she had ever met. But Deeks? It was kind of easy to be around Deeks. She didn't feel the need to compare herself against him or impress him.

Actually, it had felt like he was kind of on her side. Not that anyone had been mean to her or anything but the had been kind of dismissive? Uncaring of her presence? Something like that. It wasn't until she was told that Intelligence Analysts normally didn't last two weeks that she understood that the team was just instinctively protecting themselves from get attached and therefore hurt. But Deeks didn't do that. Not that he reached out to be friends or anything but he encouraging and that gave her a bit of confidence. Real confidence, not the confidence she was trying to force around Eric.

And Deeks was kind of easy to like, if Nell was being honest. He was kind, funny, capable, excitable, caring and God she just described a dog, didn't she? She meant that in the best possible way because Deeks was one of the best types of people. Okay, now she was just getting cheesy.

But it was good that he was all those things because they were alone in the boatshed together. Deeks had come into the investigation late due to doing something for LAPD so Kensi had partnered up with Callen and they were bringing a guy in so Deeks just came straight here. She was here because an Ensign Wallis required intel that she was going to give him in person. It should be pretty helpful to the investigation. But it all meant that they had time to kill.

"You know," Deeks said to her conversationally. "You were the first person here not to treat me with suspicion or contempt."

Nell opened her mouth to argue against that but Deeks shook his head.

"I mean at first, when I first arrived. Everyone was suspicious of me. I was new and an outsider."

"But your position was already established when I first joined. All of you were new to me," Nell pointed out. "You were a member of the team in my eyes."

Deeks snorted at that and shook his head. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Trust me, when you started, I wasn't exactly part of the team. Sure, I was part of the team but I wasn't part of the team, if you get what I'm saying."

"You just said the same thing three times," she pointed out."

"You know what I mean," he dismissed.

She did, unfortunately. Was it a good thing if she could understand Deeks-speak? Probably not.

"So, they were okay with you working with them but nothing more than that?"

That's what it sounded like, anyway.

Deeks chuckled at that. Actually chuckled!

"They were still a bit wary of me at that point, you know?"

"Really?" She hadn't known that, actually. "But you all worked so well together!"

And they all seemed so close too. Nell had found herself being extremely envious of that. Still was a bit, really.

He shrugged. "Yeah, well the job still needed doing. We trusted each other out on the field and that was about it."

"Isn't it?"

She realised how stupid of a question that was as soon as it came out of her mouth. Okay, trust was enough to get the job done but there was more than just trust to not get each other killed, wasn't there? Though, she would have thought that trust in the field would be the hardest to gain. Apparently not.

To confirm her thoughts, Deeks shook his head.

"Nah. They didn't really trust me enough to let me in. I could do my job and that was that."

That was, well, that was kind of sad, actually. And sounded very lonely. She thought she had had it bad when the team didn't really acknowledge her and Eric was awkward around her. No, that was tiny compared to what Deeks had to go through.

"You're all friends now, though," she said matter-of-factly.

Because they were. They all were.

"Yes. Of course," Deeks replied but there was something funny in his tone.

"But," Nell prompted.

Another shrug. Oh, no, she wasn't letting him get away that easily. No way. She gave him a look.

He sighed heavily. A world-weary sigh that was.

"I don't think Sam's ever going to accept me, you know?"

Ah. Yes. Nell did very well know. Everyone in the office knew Sam blatantly held Deeks at arm's length. Refused to get to know him any further.

"Um, he might?"

Deeks raised an eyebrow. "Because that screams confidence."

"What do you want me to do? Say the truth and tell you that it would take something truly miraculous for Sam to ever see you something other than Kensi's partner who goofs around too much for him to take seriously?"

Deeks winced. "Well, the truth is supposed to set you free.

"I'm sorry," she apologised. "That was rude."

He waved her off. "Blunt maybe but not rude. It was the truth. Kensi told me the same thing," then he smirked. "Just more tactfully."

Nell's eyes widened in mock horror. "Kensi was more tactful than I was?"

"I know, shocking, isn't it? I think her words were 'It takes Sam a while to warm up to normal people and you aren't exactly normal."

Nell had to snort at that. That was such a Kensi thing to say. Both there for her partner yet teasing him at the same time.

"Well, I like you," she tried to say reassuringly. "The team wouldn't be the same without you."

He opened his mouth to say something and then he shook his head. Instead, he gave her a warm look.

"Thanks, Nell."