Thanks for all the positive reviews on this story. Sorry it's taken me a while to update - I had a little writers block on this chapter but I love the way it has finally turned out. Enjoy! Zoe.
Nell couldn't remember a time when she had been more nervous. Even on her first day at NCIS she hadn't had butterflies like she did now. And what annoyed her was she didn't know why she was so nervous. It wasn't like she hadn't spent any time alone with Callen. In fact, she'd spent an awful lot of time alone with Callen in the last month or so, but aside from that one weekend and their talk at the start of the week, they generally hadn't talked much since that first night together. They were usually busy doing other things.
Standing in her bathrobe in front of her closet, Nell had already rejected three outfits and with only half an hour until Callen was going to show up at her door to take her to dinner on their first date, she had no idea what she was going to wear. He had told her they were going somewhere nice and she should go wild and get dressed up, but everything she looked at seemed wrong for the occasion; it was too casual, too young or too frumpy. Callen had only ever seen her in her day to day clothes, her pyjamas and her birthday suit. She wanted wear something that would show him she wasn't just a geek, but she could be sexy too. Just as she was about to give up and settle for a fall back black dress, out of the corner of her eye she spotted a dress she had forgotten she even had. She had worn it to a family wedding a year before and had shoved it at the back of the closet, never having another occasion to wear it since – a side effect of her busy schedule and the fact that she didn't run in circles where attending balls and events was a regular occurrence. It was one of the reasons she envied Kensi Blye. The agent often got to dress up in stunning outfits as part of operations and though they would all deny it, the guys couldn't help but stare at her.
Pulling the newly discovered dress out, Nell held it up and gave it the once over to make sure it was in a fit state to be worn. The dry cleaner's tag still clipped on suggested it would be fine. Shimmering a deep emerald green colour, the dress had spaghetti straps, a boned bodice and a skirt lined with black tool which gave it volume. It was perfect for a first date with a suave and handsome man at a classy restaurant. Suddenly remembering she had matching shoes, Nell tossed the dress onto the bed and got on her knees to search for them amongst the boxes and bags on the floor.
Callen stood outside Nell's door for several minutes before he worked up the courage to knock. He hadn't taken a woman on a date in a long time and he was nervous. He hoped he wasn't overdoing things with the restaurant he was taking Nell to. He really didn't know a lot about her and if it was the kind of place she would like. Everything he did know was from what she said and did at work and the brief conversations they had had during their encounters. He wanted this date to be special because he felt Nell was someone special so he had made reservations at Café La Boheme. He chose that particular restaurant firstly because it was one restaurant he had never been to undercover or as part of an operation and he wanted to do everything possible to keep this date separate from his work life, but also because it was supposed to be one of the best restaurants in town with a romantic atmosphere. If he and Nell were going to do this, he felt they should start of right.
But as he stood outside Nell's door, shifting awkwardly, Callen had to admit that it wasn't just nerves he had. He was worried too - worried that when he and Nell actually started to spend time together they would discover that they had nothing in common and the feelings they appeared to have were nothing more than lust. Or worse still, only one of them would realise that and the other would be left hurt by the rejection. Glancing down at his outfit, Callen smoothed his black shirt down and adjusted the cuffs of his black dinner jacket, a last minute adjustment before taking the next step. After sucking in a deep breath, he finally lifted his hand, made a fist, and knocked three times on the door.
Nell jumped when she heard the knock at the door. It was bang on seven o'clock and she knew Callen would be on time but his arrival still took her by surprise. Swiftly rising to her feet from the arm of the couch where she had been perched, she grabbed her clutch from the table and walked down the hall to answer the door. She took a deep breath as she took the chain off, knowing this was a significant moment for both of them. As she pulled the door open, she watched Callen's freshly shaven face face light up as he looked her up and down, his bright blue eyes sparkling in the light from her hall.
Nell took a moment to take in his look. Dressed head to toe in black, Callen not only looked good, he looked sexy and it took her breath away. She still couldn't quite believe that this man was truly interested in her.
"Nell, you look beautiful." Callen told her.
"Thanks." She replied shyly. She definitely wasn't used to the word beautiful being used to describe her. She usually got 'cute' or 'adorable'.
"You ready?" Callen asked as he held her gaze. His question was really two-fold. Was she ready to leave for their date, and was she also ready for what that date might lead to.
Twenty minutes later Callen and Nell arrived at Café La Boheme. He walked confidently with Nell's arm through his. Turning to look at her, he smiled when he saw the wide-eyes look on her face. She was taking in the five grand chandeliers suspended from the wooden planked ceiling, the sunken –level dining space below and the softly illuminated ruby red walls punctuated by two huge open fireplaces. It was warm, welcoming and definitely romantic.
"You like it?" he leaned down and whispered as a hostess escorted them to their table in one of the balcony alcoves which had a very intimate feel created by lush red curtains down the sides of each alcove. Nell merely nodded in response, a look of wonder stuck on her face.
It wasn't long before a bottle of wine arrived along with their appetisers. The cosy atmosphere allowed Callen and Nell to get comfortable with each other and as they started their meal, Nell felt things were going to go very well. And despite his reservations about how much they would actually have in common, Callen found conversation flowed easily. As they waited for their main courses to arrive, Callen reached across the table and took Nell's hand in his, gently caressing soft skin with his thumb.
"I'm glad we're doing this." He told her.
"Me too." Nell nodded.
Suddenly Callen felt his cell phone vibrate in his jacket pocket. With a glance at Nell and a whispered apology, he pulled it out and took a quick look at the caller ID to see if he could ignore it.
"It's Hetty." He said with surprise.
"Do you think she knows?" Nell asked as she nervously looked around her. She wasn't ready for anyone to find out about her and Callen, least of all her boss.
"Nah." Callen shook his head but at the back of his mind he was wondering the same thing. "I'd better take this."
As Callen listened to Hetty, Nell watched his face fall and she knew before he hung up that their date was over. She couldn't help but feel extreme disappointment and she drew her hand back from his before folding the napkin on her lap before placing it on the table in front of her.
"I'm sorry Nell." Callen said as he slipped his cell back into his jacket pocket.
"What's going on?" Nell asked.
"A lead came in on Petrov. Hetty 's calling everyone in." he sighed heavily. "Looks like our date is getting cut short."
"I understand." Nell nodded. She really did. The team had been trying to capture Michael Petrov for weeks but the trail had gone cold. He posed a significant risk to the security of naval operations and if a lead had come in as to his whereabouts, they needed to jump on it.
"I guess we…" Callen was cut off when Nell's purse began to ring. They both looked at it.
"Hetty." They said in unison with a laugh. Nell quickly pulled her cell out and answered, listening for a few moments as Hetty told Nell exactly what she had told Callen just a minute ago.
"I don't have my car, I'm uh, on a date right now." Nell told her when Hetty asked how quickly she could get to the office. Callen smirked at the secrecy of their evening. "Sure, I guess that would work." Nell nodded and hung up, lifting her head to meet Callen's gaze.
"She's going to call you, ask you to pick me up from my date on your way in." Nell laughed.
Callen and Nell were half way to the office when Nell was struck with a thought. She reached over and grasped Callen's forearm.
"Callen, you do realise that if we both turn up at the office dressed like we are, someone is going to figure it out. I mean, Hetty knows I was on a date but if you turn up with me dressed like that, it's going to raise questions."
"You're right." Callen replied. He suddenly pulled the car over into a parking spot on the street, got out and went to the trunk. Nell watched him in the rear view mirror as he grabbed a black hold-all and brought it back to the car. After tossing the bag into the back seat, Callen climbed back there himself.
"What are you doing?" Nell asked, twisting in her seat in time to watch him taking his shirt off. She had to bite her lip to stop herself making a comment about being naked in the back seat – it really wasn't the moment for it.
"I'm changing." He told her, stating the obvious.
When Callen and Nell arrived at the office fifteen minutes later, Callen was dressed in his usual gear – blue jeans, dark blue sweater and his black biker jacket. It was only Nell who was all dressed up with no place to go. She ignored the stares from the weekend support staff as she followed Callen up the stairs to the ops room. But she wasn't quite ready for the stares she got when she walked in there and came face to face with Eric, Kensi, Deeks, Sam and Hetty. Feeling exposed in her dress, she wrapped her arms around herself and quickly found a seat as their eyes followed her.
"Looking good Nell, must have been some date." Sam smiled.
"Yeah, who'd you get all dressed up for? In that getup you must have been somewhere nice." Deeks grinned.
"Guys, leave her alone." Kensi defended Nell. She could sense the younger woman was feeling embarrassed with everyone staring at her and having been the only woman in the team for a long time she knew how it felt to be teased by the boys.
"You do look good Nell, really good, I mean that dress…" Eric stuttered.
"Eric." Callen interrupted him, wanting to spare Nell from the attention she was obviously uncomfortable with. "Petrov." He added, getting the young man back on track.
"Uh, right, this video was received an hour ago. It was filmed in 'Stereo', that new nightclub downtown." Eric proceeded to show the team the video which clearly showed Petrov lapping up service in the VIP section. "The video was filmed last week and the source who sent it, who I'm informed is very reliable, says he's going to be there again tonight." Eric explained.
"I guess we're going clubbing." Callen resigned.
"I'll get wardrobe started." Hetty nodded and with her hands clasped behind her back, she silently exited the room.
Callen chanced a glance at Nell, who was busy looking up information on the nightclub. He was amazed at how easily she could slip into work mode. She really hadn't been in the job that long but she seemed to have a natural affinity for the type of work they did. Less than an hour ago the pair of them had been on a romantic first date and now they were hunting a wanted man. Nell didn't seem phased by the sudden change in pace.
"Awesome, a night on the town." Deeks clapped his hands together and flashed a grin at Kensi. She merely rolled her eyes and signalled for Eric to go with them.
"We'll meet you downstairs in the gadget room for our equipment." She told Callen and Sam as she grabbed Deeks' arm and made her way to the stairs with Eric trailing behind them.
"Sam, why don't you head down, I need Nell to check something out for me." Callen nodded at his partner. Nell glanced over at Sam, wondering if he would find something suspicious about Callen hanging back with Nell but the older man simply nodded and headed out. When the coast was clear, Callen took Nell's hand and urged her to stand up.
"I'm sorry we had to end our date early." He told her. "When this is all done, I'll make it up to you."
"I'll hold you to that." Nell grinned. Callen squeezed her hand and turned towards the door but his arm was jerked back as Nell held onto his hand tightly. "Be careful." She whispered, her eyes and face becoming solemn.
"Always." Callen nodded.
For a man they had been unable to trace for weeks, Michael Petrov proved surprisingly easy to capture once they located him. Playing the seductive temptress, Kensi had lured Petrov to the back of the club and a camera black spot where Callen and Sam were waiting. They easily captured him and dragged him out back where Deeks was waiting with the car. After interrogating him at the boatshed for several hours and obtaining the information they needed to ensure naval operations were not going to be compromised, they headed back to the office.
It was after 3am when the team arrived back. As they made their way to their desks, Callen noticed Nell curled up in a ball on the couch, her head resting on the arm of the couch and her eyes closed tight. Her tablet computer was still clutched tightly in her hands. The others followed his line of sight and spotted her too.
"Should we wake her up?" Kensi whispered. "I mean, we can't let her spend the night here."
"Straws?" Deeks asked, looking round each of the team.
"Are you afraid of her or something?" Callen asked with a snort as he walked towards the couch. Crouching down in front of Nell, Callen gently shook her arm and whispered her name. She jerked, blinked her eyes a few times then woke with a start, staring at Callen for a moment before realising the others were just a few feet away watching her.
"You're back." She said as placed her tablet beside her and rubbed her eyes in an attempt to wake up a little.
"And you're still here." Sam said. "I thought you would have gone home already." Nell stretched her arms before answering.
"I needed a ride and Eric came on his bike." she explained.
"Right, right. You were on your big date." Deeks said. "Now who was that with?" he asked cheekily. Nell just rolled her eyes and got to her feet, rubbing her arms as she felt a slight chill.
"I'm headed your way Nell. I'll give you a ride." Callen told her. "I'll see you guys Monday." He nodded to the rest of the team and fell into step with Nell as they headed outside.
The ride to Nell's place was quiet. She was exhausted and could barely keep her eyes open let alone make conversation. When Callen pulled up to her building, she moved slowly and by the time she had taken her seatbelt off Callen was already at the passenger door, opening it up for her. Extending his hand, he helped her out and with an arm draped over her shoulders, he walked her up the path and into her apartment block.
"Are you coming in?" Nell asked as they stood outside her apartment door.
"I probably shouldn't." Callen smiled. "We're both exhausted and should get some sleep." He was noting her slightly bloodshot and hooded eyes.
"That's all I had in mind." Nell told him as she unlocked her door, took his hand and led him inside.
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