I only own my own characters which include Stefan and Mark in this story.

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.

To my French guest reviewer: Je vous remercie de votre examen. Je suis heureux que vous appréciez l'histoire. J'ai bien aimé les étoiles ainsi.

My minions are happier now that they've seen a few more reviews for this story. Maybe they won't bite my toes when I'm in bed now. Reviews are always welcome. If you are enjoying this story, drop me a line and tell me why.

Enjoy.

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CHAPTER 4: Getting Closer

Callen was sitting at his desk in the bullpen catching up on some paperwork when Nell walked in the next morning. Giving him a smile and a "Good morning Callen," she proceeded upstairs into OPS. Callen could swear she put a little extra sway into her walk up the stairs and could feel himself harden at the sight of that cute little ass. That sight and the way her hips swayed as she walked up the stairs brought thoughts of what he wanted to do with her to mind and he forgot he was in the middle of the bullpen as he began to fantasize about what he wanted to do with Nell. "I want to undress her slowly, one piece of clothing at a time until she's naked in front of me. Then I'm going to explore every inch of her body, especially that perky little ass and those breasts. She may be small but God she's all woman. I've never felt like this before about anyone. I wonder if this is what Deeks feels about Kensi? Am I as besotted about Nell as he is about Kensi? We sure are a pair aren't we? I used to watch Deeks watch Kensi and I knew what he was thinking. He would practically drool around her! Now I feel that same way about Nell. I want her lying beneath me moaning from my kisses and my hands on her body and inside of her teasing her until she's screaming and writhing beneath me. I want her begging me for more as I make love to her in every way possible."

Callen was so deep into thoughts of Nell that he didn't even notice when Sam arrived in OSP. Sam stopped in front of Callen's desk and watched. He waited to see how long it would take before Callen noticed him. After several minutes passed with Callen still lost in his own world, Sam gave a small cough as he cleared his throat. That didn't even register with Callen. He jumped about a foot when Sam finally had enough and said loudly "Morning G. Where have you been for the last five minutes?" as he set his things down on his desk.

"God Sam, I was concentrating so hard, I didn't even hear you come in. Trying to catch up on my paperwork." He didn't want Sam to know anything about what he had just been thinking and hoped he had distracted him with the comment about paperwork. Sam looked at him silently for several seconds before replying "Sure G. Paperwork". Sitting down, he began on his own paperwork. Callen breathed a sigh of relief when it became clear Sam wasn't going to say any more.

Kensi arrived a few minutes later followed by Deeks at his usual 9:27 am time. Deeks took one look at Callen, raised an eyebrow and then quipped. "Where's Callen and what have you done with him?"

Callen looked at him in puzzlement "What the hell are you talking about Deeks?"

"I'm talking about that dreamy look on your face and the gleam in your eyes. You, my friend, have been out with a woman. And furthermore, you're thinking about her right now. Do we know her?"

"You're crazy Deeks. You don't know what you're talking about." Callen retorted. He had his fingers mentally crossed hoping that no one else was as observant as Deeks was that morning. He really didn't want to have to explain anything about his love life, especially since the woman in question was Nell.

"Sure, Callen. I'm crazy like a fox. And you're protesting much too much."

Callen looked to Sam for some help with Deeks, but all Sam did was raise his hands and give Callen a look. Before Deeks could continue, Hetty made her usual silent appearance. "There is quite a bit of paperwork to catch up on gentlemen. I suggest you get busy."

Callen had never been so happy to see Hetty and have her lay down the law about their unfinished paperwork. The team was between cases and trying to catch up on the never-ending paperwork part of their jobs. As Hetty turned to go, they all got busy. As the morning progressed, it was filled with said paperwork interspersed with bouts of grousing about it, teasing comments from one to another, trips to the coffee machine for much needed caffeine and the futile hopes for a case to arrive. Anything to get them out of paperwork.

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Over the next several months, Callen and Nell continued to see each other outside of work. They worked hard to maintain a professional attitude at work to ensure no one caught on to the fact they were dating and continued to take it slow with each other. It was getting harder and harder though to keep their hands to themselves and not lose control at work, but they managed to do it somehow. They both teased each other unmercifully away from work while enjoying each other's company, but usually when one of them went to far and lost control the other was able to maintain it so the farthest they got were some very hot and heavy make-out sessions.

At work there were a few lapses in their control, but so far they had been lucky and not been caught. There was one lapse in the burn room when Callen snuck up on her, gave her a hug, kissed her neck and quickly caressed her ass.

"God, G," Nell squealed. "Don't do that here. What if Hetty saw us? I don't want her separating us like she did Deeks and Kensi." Nell spun around to make sure no one had seen them. Thank God they were in one of the few blind spots in OSP where the ever-present cameras couldn't see anything. Nevertheless, Hetty was all-seeing and Nell was fully aware of that fact.

"Hetty doesn't know about us Nell, and no one can see us here. Quit worrying" he said and then planted a steamy kiss on her lips. Nell loved it when he kissed her. He was a fantastic kisser, but she really was worried about being found out. She knew, better than most, just how sneaky Hetty could be.

When they finally separated and came up for air, she sighed "If you believe what you just said, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you. Hetty probably knows all about us already and is waiting to see if we can keep it out of the office. Let's not do anything to give her a reason to separate us. I don't care if there isn't anything in the Employee Manual about inter-office relationships between analysts and agents. Hetty does what she thinks best, no matter what."

Nell's words made Callen stop and think. "You're right Nell. I'll be more careful." He gave her another smile and a quick kiss then left the room.

She got him back for the burn room stunt later that day in OPS, when he came up to ask her something. She was the only one in OPS at the time so she stood in front of him answering his question while slowly licking her lips and looking him up and down very slowly. Once she was sure she had his undivided attention, she began playing with the buttons on her blouse undoing the two top buttons until just a hint of the top of her breasts and her bra was showing. Callen couldn't look away from her. His eyes turned a smoky blue, his pupils became huge and a flush came over his face. He couldn't take his eyes off her breasts until she whispered "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" As he realized she was getting him back for the burn room he gave her a small smile and admitted "Yes, it is."

Nell had been right in her belief that Hetty already knew about them. She had known for some time but was waiting and keeping an eye on them. She was happy for the both of them but also worried that it would affect their working relationship. "It's about time Callen found someone. He's been alone for far too long. I think Nell will be really good for him. He'll find that she won't let him go lone wolf on her without consequences. I only hope it doesn't affect the job. If it does, I'm going to have to do something about it and I don't want that. I hope they can keep it under control. I would hate to have to separate them like I did Miss Blye and Mr. Deeks. I still regret doing that. I didn't handle it well at all, in fact it is one of the biggest failures of my career. Miss Blye was needed in Afghanistan to protect Jack Simon and I don't regret sending her, but I should never have let Mr. Deeks think it was his fault she was reassigned. I should have told him the truth when he came to me and asked me point black if it was his fault. I never thought he would offer to leave and go back to the LAPD so that Kensi could return home. I almost lost him while she was gone and it was through my own stupidity."

Hetty thought of her premier team as her surrogate family and wanted the best for them all. Reviewing the last few months since Kensi's return, she knew that they had found it difficult to pick up where they had left off in their relationship. Mr. Deeks was still having doubts about himself over what he had done to save Miss Blye. Hetty wondered if he had told her any of that yet.

She had her suspicions that they had found their way back to each other and continued their relationship, but she had no evidence of it. If they were seeing each other, they were keeping it well away from the office and completely away from her. Whenever she watched them, they were acting completely impersonal toward each other and keeping their interactions strictly professional. Mr. Deeks wasn't the same man he had been before he went to Afghanistan. He was much more serious and had toned down the quips and jokes he used to help keep the atmosphere light and the tension at bay in the bullpen during a case. She could only blame herself for the change in his behavior. It was one of her greatest regrets because it felt like he had lost his spark, the air of innocence and his zest for life when she had separated him from his partner. The ramifications were still ongoing. Oh, the team was tighter than ever, but they had pulled together forming a tight knit group while beginning to keep others at bay including her.

She almost never saw Mr. Deeks teasing Miss Blye any more either. If he did, he must be doing it away from the office or when she was not around. She knew it was his way of making it very clear to her that he didn't trust her anymore, at least where his heart was concerned. It saddened her because she knew neither of them trusted her any more when it came to their relationship. "I waited too long to give them those sat phones. I should have done so immediately and let them both know I trusted them to make their relationship work both professionally and personally. After all, I did give Mr. Deeks that note. I encouraged both of them in the pursuit of a personal relationship. And then when they crossed that line and came together, it must seem as if I punished them for doing so. I really misjudged them and the situation badly. I could and should have handled it much better than I did. I hope one day they can forgive me and come to trust me again. I won't make the same mistake with Mr. Callen and Miss Jones."

The after-effects of Kensi's re-assignment to Afghanistan were still ongoing it seemed. She sighed as she completed her work for the evening and left well after everyone else was already gone.

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