Author's Note:

Once again it took longer than expected to finish and upload this chapter and it's a short one too. I have to work through the holidays but will be off for a week after that and I really hope to catch a break from the busy life I'm living right now. Hopefully I'll be blessed with a lot of inspiration and get a lot done on the next chapter. Cross your fingers!

Present

The aromatic earthy smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air. It tickled Eric's nostrils and slowly pulled him back to consciousness. The distinct scent was one of his favorites and he could hardly imagine a more pleasant wake-up call. Inhaling deeply he savored the moment and rolled on his back, stretching while yawning delightfully. With eyes still closed he fumbled for his glasses which he knew usually only laid an arm's length away from him. But he came up empty. Instead of the soft cotton sheets or the smooth wooden surface of his nightstand his fingers touched leather and, moving his hand a little further, a whole lot of nothing. The surfer frowned and reluctantly opened his eyes to the impeding blurriness of his vision. Something felt wrong as the blotchy shapes and color schemes didn't match the one's he was used to from his bedroom, but his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and his brain was unable to connect the dots between the lazy observations he had made.

He swung his legs over what he still assumed to be his bed, almost falling off the slippery edge of the leather furniture. The involuntary yelp echoed through his living room and unbeknownst to him alerted the other occupant of his apartment. Eric was oblivious to the rustling and rummaging as he, suddenly wide awake, focused on regaining his balance. Once that feat was accomplished he pinched his eyes to the smallest slits, straining them as hard as he could in the hopes of seeing his surroundings just a little bit clearer. His eyesight didn't improve much, but it was just enough to make out a small shadow on the coffee table.

"Gotcha," he cheered to himself and slid the much needed spectacles on his nose, sighing in relief as everything came into focus. As he looked around his sleep-addled brain finally completely processed that he was in his living room and presumably fell asleep on his couch the night before. He scratched the left side of his face in confusion and tried to remember what had led to him sleeping there, but his mind came up empty.

"Is everything okay in here?"

Nell looked through the partial wall that divided the kitchen area from the living room just in time to see a surprised Eric leap off the couch. His right knee connected painfully with the corner of the unrelenting coffee table and the tech cried out as white hot pain momentarily blinded him. He fell back onto the couch and cradled the throbbing joint with both hands, waiting for the unpleasant sensation to subside. He swore under his breath and a bunch of colorful phrases left his mouth that the small woman wasn't used to hearing from him at all.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Eric! I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized as she crossed the short distance between herself and the couch in hurried steps. When she was only two feet away she dropped down on her knees right in front of him. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern, alternating worried glances between the battered limb and her friend's contorted in pain face.

"Uh… yeah. I think I'm fine." His answer was a blurted mess and sounded more like a standardized, automatic response than anything else and it didn't sound very convincing either. The wince that left his mouth when he tested the mobility of his right leg by stretching and bending it carefully only added to Nell's guilt and she worried with a slightly trembling lip. Eric, however, was oblivious to her feelings. His mind was occupied with the tingling aftereffects of the painful but otherwise harmless injury and with trying to understand why his redheaded coworker currently invaded his apartment. "What are you doing here?" he asked bluntly, eyebrows knitted deeply and mouth slightly agape.

"And a good morning to you too," Nell replied, sounding both sarcastic and chipper at the same time, a strange mix that the tech's brain couldn't quite grasp in his semi-aware state. "You," Nell stretched the word out a little longer than necessary, "called me over last night, remember?" She rolled her eyes playfully and shot him a smug half-smile, which only served to confuse him even more.

"Um…" If the nondescript syllable wasn't enough of an answer for the analyst, the blank look on his face certainly was. "I did?" Eric scratched the back of his head and stated, "of course I did." But the uncertainty in his voice and the train of thoughts racing across his face belied his words and the redhead realized that he was still trying to regain his memory from the previous night. The Intelligence Analyst watched as emotions varying from confusion, annoyance, anger, pain and shock displayed on his facial features, but one stood out above all others. "Did I…? Did we… um… by any chance do something… ah… inappropriate last night?" His embarrassment was all-encompassing: his trembling voice as he forced the question out between clenched teeth, the pallor of his face that contrasted with the red glow of his ears, and his generally rigid posture with crossed arms and legs bend in front of his body like a shield.

Observing even closer Nell took in the clenched fists with fingernails digging deep in the flesh of his palms and knuckles turning white. She searched his eyes, but he did a remarkable job of avoiding eye-contact. Instead, he turned his head away and let his eyes roam for even the tiniest hint to what had happened the night before.

"Depends on what you deem inappropriate," Nell offered innocently, fully aware of what he was implying and she felt wickedly amused by his discomfort. It took all her willpower not to show just how amused she was by the awkwardness of the whole situation.

Eric's head snapped in her direction and if possible he grew even paler. The embarrassment was replaced by a look of sheer horror with eyes wide and lips trembling slightly. "Oh God," he breathed out and jumped off the couch all of a sudden, unable to sit next to his work partner any longer. "We did do something, didn't we?" The question was rhetorical and even if Nell had wanted to answer, he didn't leave her enough time to do so anyway. He just rambled on, pulling at his already messy hair while pacing the floor. "And I can't remember a thing. Oh God, Nell, I'm so sorry. You can't imagine how bad I feel right now. I can only assure you this and I hope that you believe me. Whatever happened last night, it wasn't supposed to happen and if I could take it back I would do so in an instant. This is inexcusable."

All of a sudden he stopped in his tracks, glanced at her briefly with self-hatred painting his eyes. His hands dropped to his sides and he plopped back down on the couch, exhausted after his little rant. The mortification robbed him of all his strength and he couldn't bring himself to look Nell in the eyes any longer, so he buried his head in his lap, covering it with both arms.

The small redhead was unable to hide her amusement any longer and she burst out laughing. She almost felt bad for doing so, because she held a lot of sympathy for him, but right now the hilarity of his bizarre assumptions won and she simply couldn't stop the giggles bubbling out of her mouth. She wiped at her eyes as tears of joy sprang free. Her whole body shook with laughter and it reverberated through the living room.

It caught Eric's attention and he raised his head in bewilderment. "Why are you laughing? What's so funny?" he asked, voice at least half an octave higher than usual. He watched her as he waited for a an answer, but the young analyst merely shook her head and turned away from him, snickering away as she left the room. Eric stared after her and wondered if he had woken up in a strange alternate reality. Or maybe he was still dreaming? The dull throb in his left knee as he pushed himself off the couch again reminded him that he wasn't, though. "Nell?" He stumbled towards the kitchenette and almost collided with the still chuckling redhead.

"Easy there, tiger!" Nell's right hand shot out to steady him while simultaneously extending her left arm out of his reach to keep the hot contents of the mug she was holding from spilling.

"Tiger?" Her words were meant to reassure him, but instead they aggravated him even more and his high-pitched exclamation reached an almost treble voice. The woman was afraid that he would lose his voice completely if she left him in the dark for much longer. Ignoring his question for now, she gently steered him back to the couch and gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. His legs compliantly bend at the knees and he sat down again, face flushed and breathing harsh.

Once he was safely seated Nell started talking, slowly and determining. "You need to calm down, Eric, and this right here," she grabbed his hands and pushed the coffee into them, holding his hands in place until she was sure that he wouldn't lose grip on the mug, "might help with that." Not trusting his voice anymore the blonde nodded his head and very tentatively took a sip of the black liquid, his eyes never leaving her. A satisfied smile spread on her lips. "Good. I'll be right back. You, Wolfram, are going to drink up. Nice and easy!" she ordered.

She returned a moment later and, sitting down beside him, they drank their hot beverages in mutual silence. It was a heavy one, almost deafening and Eric could barely take it. Five minutes passed in which neither said a word and the tech stole occasional sideway glances at her, hoping she wouldn't notice. But they weren't lost on her and she decided she had let him stew for long enough. It was time to ease some of the tension occupying the room.

"Alright, as much fun as it is watching you squirm I think you've had enough of that by now," she began, apologetically. His single jerky nod was his only reaction to it and she smiled ruefully. "Do you remember anything at all from last night?" she inquired carefully.

"I do," he answered way too quickly and Nell wondered briefly, if it was the right decision to give him coffee in his already agitated state. "I mean, I remember sending you a text message and asking you to come over." He stared down at his hands that had started fidgeting without him noticing. Afraid he might spill the remaining contents of his mug he sat it down on the coffee table before resuming his position. "I remember being surprised that you decided to come in spite of me telling you off earlier." Eric stopped in need for air. He gulped in a lungful of air and dared a look directly at her. "But everything after that…?" He hesitated again. "I can't remember anything after that."

The desperation ringing in his words left Nell momentarily speechless and not even the sympathetic expression on her face helped calm his nerves. Eric averted his eyes and heaved a frustrated sigh. His eyebrows knitted in an angry line, something the analyst usually only witnessed when he was thinking too hard, and when he turned to look at her again there was something akin to panic etched in his features. "Nell, did I get wasted last night?" he bit out, voice quivering and close to breaking. "I don't remember anything and the only logical explanation my brain comes up with right now is that I've been in a drunken stupor. Not knowing what I might have or haven't done to you… Did I hurt you, ask you to do something you didn't want to do? Nell, please tell me what happened! This is freaking me out," he begged frantically and clenched his jaw.

For a fleeting second the redhead wondered if it had been a wise idea to offer her friend coffee as it apparently had the opposite effect on him than what she wanted. He was working himself up way too much and it was a heartbreaking sight for her. She cared deeply for him, even though she never outright admitted to him just how much, and she didn't want to see him suffer any longer.

Determined to give the surfer a much needed break Nell drew one leg up on the couch and under her and shuffled a little closer to him. She reached out and took his hands in hers, and then waited for him to look at her. She offered a warm smile, hoping it would have a calming effect on him. "Wolfram, you have a wild imagination," she stated matter-of-factly. "Let me get the facts straight for you: I came over per your request. We drank some tea. We talked. You asked me to stay. And then you fell asleep on the couch. You were beyond exhausted so that last part wasn't much of a surprise."

Eric frowned, his forehead creased in concentration. "That's it?" he asked in disbelieve and pulled one corner of his mouth up in a half-grimace that clearly reflected his doubt. "I didn't get wasted?" he pressed, needing confirmation. He sounded hopeful, but with a ring of uncertainty.

The redhead shook her head causing a few loose strands of hair to fly. "No. You didn't have any alcohol at all last night," she assured him, an honest smile gracing her lips. She watched with fascination as the tension visibly left the tech's shoulders and his muscles finally relaxed a bit. He looked relieved and Nell wondered once again where his sudden aversion to alcohol came from, but she brushed her curiosity aside for now. Reassured that her partner was a lot calmer now, she let go of his hands and moved to sit against the backrest of the couch.

Feeling strangely bereft of her presence, the Technical Operator shuddered momentarily. At the same time he was glad to have some space again. It still bugged him that he had let his imagination run wild instead of approaching the situation with calculated rationality. He was a man of logic, at least that's what he told himself and it wasn't in his nature to draw conclusions without looking at the facts first. And yet, he had done just that and it left him to wonder where his assumption originated from.

"What's going on in that brain of yours, Wolfram?" Nell shook him out of his reverie. He glanced up, taking in her casual slouch on the sofa and the way she twirled a strand of her hair with her fingers.

"Um… I just realized how awkward this whole situation is." He waved his left hand between them both and then gesticulated around the living room, unsure as to how to explain this to her.

"What exactly do you mean?" the younger woman asked when she couldn't follow his train of thoughts and Eric noticed that she had leaned forward into his peripheral vision. He blinked twice, swallowed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Just… everything, I guess," he admitted quietly and couldn't help go over their conversation again. He slowly shook his head and continued, "I don't know. All of this is kind of weird isn't it?" He assured himself, watching her for a little bit longer than necessary, but after a while his gaze dropped and he started fidgeting with his hands.

Nell shrugged her shoulders, not knowing how to respond to that. The tech had a point, but considering the circumstances she didn't think any of this was weird at all. It wasn't the first time she had spent her night at his place either. In fact, she felt flattered that he had chosen her to be there with him when he needed the reassuring presence of a friend and she was more than happy that he had called her the night before. She suddenly felt the urge to tell him that. "I'm glad you called me."

His head shot up in surprise and he blurted out, "You are?" He felt like slapping himself for the stupid question almost immediately. Her statement had been full of sincerity and he couldn't come up with a single reason why she would lie to him about something like that. And still, it was hard to actually process the words and make himself believe that they were true.

"Of course I am!" The playful punch in the arm that he received from the redhead wasn't unexpected. Eric rubbed his arm absentmindedly and stared at her, his mouth moving in a soundless 'ow' motion. "We are friends after all. Correct me if I have that wrong, Beale," she dared him, a dangerous undertone in her voice.

"You're not wrong," the tech replied hastily. "But still… I was kind of a jerk to you in ops the other day and I guess I just assumed that you're still mad at me for not opening up to you," he added more quietly. A frown appeared on his forehead again and he suddenly jerked upright, looking at Nell with wide eyes. "Speaking of ops, what time is it?" His head snapped towards the window and he noticed that it was daylight out and the sky was a sparkling blue color, but that wasn't really an indicator as to what time it was. It was June after all and the sun rose very early. "Hetty would kill us, if one of us showed up late for work, but both of us? I don't even want to imagine what that little ninja would do."

The analyst watched him in amusement. "Relax Eric. It's only a quarter past six," she calmed him. "We still have plenty of time before we have to be at work. Besides, you haven't even eaten breakfast yet," she scolded and help up a finger when he opened his mouth in protest. "And before you say anything: nope, coffee doesn't count as breakfast." Nell gave the blonde a long hard stare until he closed his mouth and looked away.

"You know," he began after a while, the left corner of his mouth quirking in a sheepish grin, "I was going to say that I don't have much of anything in terms of food. Unless you've eaten them all over night, Oreos are really the only thing that we have and they don't exactly equal a healthy meal."

Slapping her hands on her thighs, the smaller woman pushed herself to the edge of the couch. "I guess we'll have to stop somewhere on our way to work then." Nell stopped in her tracks and turned her head to him, daring to ask the one question that was on her mind for two days now. "If you want you could tell me about what's going on with you lately while we eat?" She saw the grimace on his face and backtracked a little. "That's up to you, though. I won't force you to tell me if you don't think it's the right time."

Eric averted his eyes and got a faraway look that once again caused Nell's heart to clench. He worried his lips and slowly nodded. "No, I want to tell you and I don't think forestalling it is going to help. It's only going to make this harder." He forced a smile on his lips that didn't quite reach his eyes, but the analyst appreciated the effort. "But I need to take a shower first." He pushed off the couch and rushed in the direction of the bathroom.

Nell barked a laugh at his request. "You're entitled to that, Wolfram," she approved and shook her head with a smile, but it slowly vanished once he was out of sight as she worried about what her best friend would reveal to her.

Have a wonderful Christmas everybody!

-S.