"Nell, if you continue pacing like that there will be no more floorboards left in this office." Callen pointed out as he watched amusedly as the IT analyst nervously walked the length of OPS as the two waited for the rest of the team to join them so they could tell them their happy news. Well if you go by the facial expressions of Nell right now you could easily be mistaken about it.
"Is this a wise idea?" Nell fretted as she stopped pacing to look at Callen who was so calm it was beginning to annoy her. "How are you not worried right now? What will they say? Will we get fired?" As Nell began to panic even more now as she began to list all of the things that could go wrong. Callen realised just how worried Nell was, and it wasn't because he himself wasn't just as worried about all of these things happening too. It was just that he decided long ago that he would much rather be with Nell and lose his job then lose Nell, so he had long decided if Hetty and Granger didn't take the news well he would hang up his special agent shoes and put on a new pair where he lives in domestic bliss with a certain redhead.
Callen crossed the room to Nell where he placed a reassuring kiss onto her forehead. "Hey, don't worry we are in this together. No matter what happens here today we have each other and that is all that matters" he whispered into her ear as he heard approaching voices meaning that soon it will all be out in the open and out of their hands as to what will happen to them.
Sam enters first, slightly confused as to why he had been summoned by Callen and Nell, if it was a case it would have been Nell and Eric. As the rest of team follow closely behind, Callen decides he should do this after all he was the one who proposed to Nell. He steps forward and looks at the confused faces and clears his throat as he begins to mentally prepare himself and small hand slips into his and gives him a reassuring squeeze.
"Nell and I have some news we would like to share with you." He pauses, after this there is no going back. "The two of us have been seeing each other, outside of work for some time now and last night we got engaged". He feels Nell tense beside him and looks at the faces in front of him as he tries to see what their response will be. "Now I understand some of you might see this as something that could affect the quality of our work but I can assure you that we will maintain professional boundaries at work. Of course if you still think that this will negatively affect the working of the team, I will happily request a transfer to another unit or if this will still cause issues I will resign. But all I request is that Nell is allowed to keep her job." Callen rushes through his speech to just get it over with. The only thing that stops him is the snigger that escapes Deeks' mouth as Kensi reaches into her pocket and passes him some money. He also notices a similar scenario occur between Eric and Sam and also with Hetty and Granger.
"G, did you really think we didn't know about the two of you. This could be one of the worst kept secret ever. The only thing we couldn't decide was whether you would tell us the two of you were engaged or pregnant." Sam replies as his partner looks more confused by the minute whilst poor Nell has gone white as a sheet.
"Yes Mr Callen I really did think you were smarter than this, you do realise that you work a group of people who are all trained in noticing things like this." Hetty pointed out as the nervous couple were taken aback by this. They all knew, every single one of them.
"So you knew? You all knew that we were together, when did you all find out?" Nell piped in, feeling less nervous about what would happen next because if they have known for all of this time they could have put a stop to it a long time ago.
"It was me that found out first." Eric stepped forward and answered, he had been quiet until this and Nell felt awful the two were so close, she considered him her best friend and she had kept this big secret from him for so long. "18 months ago I had stayed late looking for a new lead on the case we were struggling on, we had just managed to put GPS on our suspect so as I was tracking their location. I saw that the two of you were at the same restaurant together, at first I didn't think anything of it but whilst I was looking for our suspects I noticed that the two of you had also left together and the next day you told me that you had stayed in all by yourself the night before. I didn't tell anyone though." As Eric explained how he knew about their relationship Nell realised that the evening Eric was describing was actually the first date the two went on and to begin with it wasn't a date but by the end of the evening the two of them knew that the way they felt for each other was no longer how you feel about a co-worker. Eric had known about this from the very beginning.
The next person to step forward was Sam. "I found out about a month later, I was going for a run around your neighbourhood G and I thought I would stop by and see if you fancied coming with me. As I ran up your path, I saw you in your front room talking to someone and that person turned out to be Nell." Sam explained with the look of a proud father on his face. "I'm very happy for the both of you and all I ask is that I'm the best man at the wedding." Everybody laughed at this and then Hetty stepped forward.
"Mr Callen. Miss Jones. I would like to congratulate you on your impending nuptials. And regarding your jobs, I see no reason for anything to change your work ethic during the course of your relationship has not faltered and as long it continues like this I have no qualms with it." Hetty said and as she was speaking Callen thought it was silly of them to actually think they could hide something like this from the team, especially Hetty. Hell, she probably knew about it before the two of them did. "And I think this calls for a celebration."
"Well I suppose we do need to throw a housewarming party seeing as you have moved in with me," Callen said looking over at Nell to see what she thought. "How does Friday night sound to you all?" As everyone agreed with this suggestion they all started to filter out of OPS to get on with their day. Callen pressed a kiss onto Nell's forward and squeezed her hand for good luck knowing how much she had been dreading to find out what Eric's response would be and left the two analysts alone.
"So…" Eric said not quite knowing where to start.
"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you Eric and I feel absolutely awful for lying to you for so long. I didn't want to but there was so much at risk," Nell quickly babbled trying to justify her actions to her friend. Whether they would still be friends at the end of the day was what worried her.
"Nell its fine," Eric began. "Was I upset to begin with? Of course I was. But I soon realised just why you were keeping it from me and I completely agree with why you did it. And the longer you kept it from me the more I knew just how much he meant to you. I'm so happy for you Nell. For the both of you. You both deserve so much happiness." Well that was it, Nell couldn't stop herself anymore she flung her arms around Eric, hugging him.
"What did I do to get such a good best friend. Oh Eric I don't know where I would be without you!" Nell exclaimed. "So I guess all there is left to do, is to ask you the most important question of them all. Eric will you please be the male version of maid of honour. The man of honour."
Eric laughed at this. "Of course I will! But I draw the line at wearing a dress and carrying a bouquet."
