Callen's waiting for Nell. What will happen when she arrives. Will his heart be broken or will what happened strengthen their relationship?

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. As Hetty says "Oh bugger!"

Reviews are always welcome. Reviews are the only form of payment I get for my writing. My minions are starting to eye my toes again and they just healed up from the last time they were chewed on! If you are enjoying this story, especially this chapter, drop me a line and tell me why.

Enjoy.

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CHAPTER 10: Nell and Callen at Home

Callen was still lost in his thoughts when a knock on the door brought him out of his chair and to his front door in a flash. Opening the door expecting to see Nell, he was surprised to see the guard.

"I have a Nell Jones out here. Is it okay for her to come in?" the guard asked.

"Yes, yes, I invited her over. She works with me." Callen get like an idiot. He couldn't believe he had forgotten to let the guard know Nell was coming over. After all, they were tasked with protecting him and they wouldn't be able to do their job if he didn't keep them informed.

"Okay sir, but next time, please let me know if you are expecting anyone." the guard stepped aside and there was Nell.

"Come in Nell." Callen took her arm gently and pulled her into the house. Turning to the guard he asked "What's your name?"

"I'm Henry sir and I'll be here until midnight when Jake will take over for me and my partner. One of us will be in the car and one of us will be patrolling the grounds all night."

"Thanks Henry. I'm sorry I didn't let you know I was expecting company. I'll be sure to tell you if I'm expecting anyone else. Stay sharp out there and if you need anything, like coffee or water, let me know."

"Will do sir. I know Nell, but it's my job right now to protect you so we're not letting anyone past us without authorization. And thanks for understanding. We don't want anything happening to you."

Closing the door, he pulled Nell to him and kissed her with everything he had in him. It felt so good to have her in his arms again. Finally ending the kiss, he looked deeply into her eyes as he apologized "I'm so sorry you had to hear me get shot. I'm fine, Nell. I texted as soon as I could. I didn't want you to worry about me, but I knew you would." Nell wrapped her arms around Callen and held on tight. He wrapped her up in a hug and stood there holding her close to his chest until he realized her shoulders were shaking. Reaching down, he lifted her face to his and discovered tears on her cheeks. "Shh, it's okay Nell, I'm really fine, it isn't bad; just a flesh wound," he reassured her.

"When I heard Sam yell your name I was so scared G, but I…I knew I had to keep doing my job. All I wanted to do was to get to you and make sure you were alive. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do" she burrowed her head into his chest and held on for dear life.

"I'm sorry I scared you Nell. It was the last thing I wanted to happen. I'm sorry."

"Quit saying you're sorry G. You were doing your job. I know you didn't mean to worry me."

"I know that Nell, but I am sorry. And I'm so proud of you for keeping it together. You're the bravest person I know."

"I'm not brave G, I'm not really" she whispered.

Callen led her to his chair and pulled her into his lap. He set the food that she was still carrying down on the table and held her in his arms while she calmed down. Every so often he would kiss her forehead and run his hands through her hair while whispering that it was going to be okay. They were fine and together. He was deeply afraid she was going to say she couldn't go through the fear again when he was on a case and didn't want to see him anymore. He hated thinking about that possibility but it kept playing out in his mind. He finally decided he should give her the opportunity to let him know how she felt about continuing their relationship. He looked her in the eyes as he asked the question he was dreading the answer to. "Nell, do you want to stop seeing me?" was voiced with some trepidation.

"What! No…no…I...don't you want to see me anymore?" Nell felt her heart breaking at the thought and started to climb off his lap.

Before she could pull away from him and leave, he wrapped her up tighter in his arms and reassured her. "No, I want to see you all the time. I want to be with you and only you. I thought maybe you would want to stop seeing me because it was so hard for you to hear I was hurt. I don't want to see you scared or worried Nell, especially because of me. I want you so much but what if I'm being selfish? I wanted to give you the option of whether we were going to continue seeing each other."

"You're an idiot, G" she snorted through the tears in her eyes. "Just because I was scared and worried, doesn't mean I'm going to give up the best thing that's ever happened to me" she said taking his face in her small hands and kissing him for all she was worth. She pulled back slightly so she could look into his eyes and continued "You're the best thing in my life and I'm not about to give it up without a fight, mister. But I may kick your ass if you get hurt again...just saying" before she leaned in again for another searing kiss.

This kiss ignited the heat between them and before either of them realized what they were doing, Callen had his hands beneath her shirt and was caressing her small breasts through her bra while Nell was moaning breathlessly and begging for more. He was placing soft, wet kisses behind her ear and down her neck along with little nips which he would then swipe his tongue across to take the slight sting away. Nell could feel him harden beneath her and wanted nothing more than to feel him inside her. She ground herself against him and then began fondling him through his jeans. His resulting groan brought a smile to her lips. Before they both lost control Callen pulled back and managed to stammer "I…I think we need a...a time out…at least I know I do…it's too easy to lose control with you Nell" he tweaked her nose as he grinned at her. "You're a wanton woman…but I love it. Why…" he was beginning to have a lot of trouble getting the words out with Nell in his lap pressing down on his groin. "…why don't we…eat the food you brought us and discuss where we want to go from here, okay?"

Nell agreed reluctantly. When Callen went to get up, she pushed him back into the chair and ordered "Let me do this. You're injured remember?" Going into the kitchen, she retrieved forks along with a couple of beers and brought them back into the living room. Pulling out the takeout, and placing it on the table between the two chairs they took turns eating right out of the cartons. Nell kept glancing at Callen while they ate thankful that he was all right. Every time he noticed her glance, he would smile back at her. When they had eaten all they wanted, she took the leftovers into the kitchen along with the empty beer bottles and forks; putting the food away and washing the forks. Returning to Callen, she climbed into his lap once again. "Okay, mister, time to talk. Where do you see us going from here?"

Callen took his time thinking about what he wanted to say. He didn't want to scare her away and truth be told he wasn't sure how to say what he really wanted to say to her. He had never in his life imagined being in the situation he was in now. He had never thought he would feel this way about another person. In fact, he always thought he would go through life alone without ever forming such a deep connection with another human being. It had never been on his radar, but Nell had somehow burrowed her way into his thoughts and heart without even trying.

She was so very important to him. He remembered what he had been thinking before he took her to dinner the first time. "I was so amazed at how she put the snide CIA analyst in his place without raising her voice; how she de-magged Inman when he was using her as a human shield and how she held her own against Brown when he tried to kill her. She came away with a small cut on her eyebrow while giving him three serious knife wounds in the fight. Other people might think of her as small but I know she has a warrior's heart and plenty of spunk! She amazes me every day with her intelligence and her spirit."

He couldn't imagine being without her in his life anymore. He snorted to himself "I have this reputation as a lone wolf, but the 'great' G Callen has been caught, hook, line and sinker by this slip of a woman without ever realizing what was happening. Some lone wolf I am! Nate would probably say something about me finally getting past my abandonment issues. Maybe he would be right too but I don't care. I know she's what I want. I want to be with her all the time. I can't believe my luck. I don't want to lose her, but can I tell her how I really feel? And what if she doesn't feel the same way? But if I don't tell her, what does that make me? And what if I lose her because I'm too much of a coward to tell her how I really feel about her?"

"Nell…I…I'm in love with you" he finally blurted out. He hadn't meant to say it but was relieved anyway. "I want a future with you, but I'm no good at relationships. I don't want to hurt you when I screw this up."

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