Nell is waiting for Callen to take her on their first official date. Will everything go well or will they go down in flames?

Anything in italics within single quotes is a quote from my one-shot "Can't Stay Away". Anything in italics and double quotes is thoughts.

Nope…no matter how hard I wish, NCIS LA nor any of the characters on the show are mine. And sadly, they never will be.

I'm encouraged by the words of support from Jimi18, BlackBear53 and blue dogs rock. Thanks so much for your kind words. Reviews are always welcome. If you are enjoying this story, especially this chapter, drop me a line and tell me why. My minions are waiting with bated breath to read the reviews that come in.

Enjoy.

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CHAPTER 2: First Real Date

Nell sat on her sofa Friday evening thinking about the dinner she had shared with Callen a few days before. She had been surprised to hear he thought he was too old for her 'I'm no good at relationships, Nell…but this is driving me crazy. I think about you all the time. I know I'm too old for you, but I keep getting the impression that you might be at least a little interested in me as well. If I'm wrong, we can just forget this ever happened and have a nice meal together. Then, tomorrow things will go back to the way they've been.'

She remembered the look on his face as he waited for her answer. She could tell he getting nervous at what her answer might be. The relief on his face when she finally responded 'Why don't we see where this goes, Hmm? Oh, and for the record, I don't think you're too old for me. I've always been told I'm an old soul anyway.' was very comforting to her. That was the moment she knew she had a chance with G. Callen and her dreams just might come through if all the stars and planets aligned.

Their dinner had been pleasant with both of them sharing a few things they didn't know about each other. She told him she came from a family of six, with two brothers and one sister. He shared a little about one of the better foster homes he had been in. Neither pushed; whatever was shared was enough for that moment in time.

At the end of the evening, he brought her back to the mission to pick up her car. As he opened the driver's door for her, he had given her a quick kiss on the lips and a whispered 'I really enjoyed our evening. Let's do it again soon, okay?'

She had nodded her head replying 'I did too. Let me know when.' before getting in her car and driving home. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw him follow her to her apartment and wait until she opened her front door before leaving. It had given her a thrill to know how protective he was being without making it obvious.

The next day was like any other day. When Nell arrived at the mission, she said hello to him as usual and he replied back. He was already in the bullpen trying to get caught up on his paperwork. He was the first one in most days. She continued up to OPS while he remained at his desk. She didn't see him watch her climb each and every stop on her way up to OPS.

They interacted normally when required, although she did notice him glancing at her more often during the day and then giving a quirky little smile when he noticed her glancing back at him. Later that afternoon, he caught her in the burn room and they made plans to spend Friday evening together. He was meeting her at her apartment and they would decide then what they wanted to do.

She was so lost in her thoughts of everything that had transpired since their dinner, that the knock on her door actually startled her even though she was expecting it. She knew it was Callen, so she raced to the door to let him in. Opening the door she was pleasantly surprised at his attire. He had dressed a little more formally than he usually did at work. He was wearing a button down shirt and a sport coat. "Am I underdressed for where we're going?" she asked.

Looking at Nell standing in front of him, Callen wasn't sure what to say. She was dressed in a pair of black jeans that hugged every inch of her, but couldn't be called skin tight. She never wore jeans in OPS so this was the first time he ever seen her in them. They made her legs look twice as long. He continued staring at her because he couldn't get over how beautiful she was. She might be a petit woman, but she was all woman and had curves in all the right places. She had on a pale pink sweater with black boots. If he was honest with himself, she looked good enough to eat! "You look beautiful Nell" was what finally managed to get past his lips.

Nell had noticed his look and was pleased at the affect her attire had on Callen. "Thanks for the compliment G. You're looking very nice yourself." she replied looking him over from head to toe very slowly and watching while a slight flush blossomed on his neck and spread up to his face. "Who knew the legendary G. Callen could blush." she giggled to herself.

"Are you ready?" Callen asked as soon as he got his voice back under his control.

"Yes, I'm ready, where are we going?"

Tweaking her nose, he murmured, "It's a surprise. You might want to take a jacket just in case it gets cold later." Letting Nell close and lock her door, he put his arm around her waist and led her to his car. Depositing her in the passenger seat, he got in, started his car and proceeded to drive toward the water. When he turned down Colorado Ave., she turned to him while giggling "We're going to the pier? This should be fun."

"I'm glad you think so. I know a guy that works at Bubba Gumps. He's saving us a table for dinner and after that I thought we could roam around and decide together what we want to do for the remainder of the evening. If that's okay with you?" he sounded a little unsure of himself by the end of his explanation.

"Sounds like a great evening G." She smiled and once again reached over to place her small hand in his larger one as if to reassure him she was looking forward to their evening together.

They had a great time at dinner sharing additional stories about each other along with having the old fashioned New England Clam Chowder as an appetizer, then moving on to Lt. Dan's Drunken Shrimp entree and finally sharing a piece of Mama's Bread pudding for dessert. They were both pleasantly full by the end of their meal. "That was fantastic, G" Nell enthused. "I couldn't eat another bite."

"Since I picked out the restaurant, why don't you pick out what we do next" Callen suggested.

"Why don't we just walk along the pier and see if anything catches our fancy, G".

"Sounds like a plan." Callen paid for their meal and they walked out of the restaurant hand-in-hand. They slowly continued down the pier laughing, talking and pointing out stores, people or anything else that caught their attention. As the night became cooler, Callen pulled Nell closer to him and wrapped his arm around her waist to make sure she wasn't cold. "Well, that's my story" he thought. "And I'm sticking to it!" It couldn't possibly be because he wanted and needed to feel her closer to him. The longer they were together, the more his feelings intensified for the small woman beside him and he was shocked at how protective he already felt toward her. Oh he was well aware that she could take care of herself if the need arose. She had proven that on more than one occasion, but it didn't make him feel any less protective.

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Callen and Nell took their time roaming around the pier while continuing to tell each other about things they were interested in or places they would like to visit. They continued taking their time and simply enjoying each other's company. They stopped in one shop that catered to tourists where you could pick out your own oyster guaranteed to have a pearl inside. "You want to see if we get lucky?" Callen turned to Nell and asked.

"Sure why not. It might be fun and it will definitely be a surprise."

"You pick out the oyster Nell."

"Okay, G." Nell looked over all the oysters available and picked the smallest one on display because she could remember reading somewhere that the smaller oysters usually held the largest pearls. It was also somewhat hairy and uglier than the other oysters. She and Callen then waited in anticipation while the clerk opened the oyster. To their surprise the oyster contained twin black pearls; each one 8mm large and absolutely beautiful. The clerk asked them if they wanted the pearls bagged up or if they wanted to put them in a setting.

Nell was for bagging them up and taking them home, but Callen wanted them made into post earrings for Nell. "G, that's not necessary. You don't have to give me earrings."

"I want to Nell. They'll look beautiful in your ears. Unless you would rather have them set into a pearl ring?"

Nell looked at Callen for the longest time and realized he was absolutely serious about having them put in some kind of setting. Looking at the selection of rings first, she decided she wanted earrings instead of a ring. "I think I would prefer earrings, G" she smiled up at him.

"Whatever you want, Nell." Callen paid for them to be set and then watched as Nell put them in her ears and put the earrings she had been wearing into the bag provided by the clerk. He walked her over to the mirror and stood her in front of him so she could see how they looked in her ears. Nell turned her head from side to side to see the earrings. "Thanks G, they're beautiful."

"Beautiful earrings for a beautiful lady, Nell."

Callen put his arm around her after paying the clerk and led her from the store. The clerk watched them leave and envied them their obvious affection for each other "Maybe someday, I'll find a love like that" she thought as she watched them continue down the pier.

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