Chapter 26.
Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for your reviews once again, keep 'em coming! I'm kind of debating whether to finish off this story soon, and start a sequel, or just continue with this. Love to know what you think! Enjoy 3
Callen.
It's just drinks. Nothing more. Just drinks with friends. Except she's not just a friend. I know Nate likes her, I've been an agent for too long not to notice something like that. I just want her to know that I like her, too. More than I've liked anyone before, actually. More than Tracy, more than Kristen. More than anyone.
Don't make a fool of yourself in front of her tonight, G.
It took me five minutes flat to get ready. I'm dressed in black jeans, a midnight blue shirt and a leather jacket.
The taxi that I'm in pulls up to the Irish pub. I pay the cabbie and quickly fix my jacket and shirt.
You've never been fussy about your appearance before, G.
I walk through the double doors and scan the crowd. I see couples, a group of twenty-something year-olds, and a group of women who look like they're out on a bachelorette party. Finally, I see her. She's in the corner booth, Lucy on her left, Nate to Lucy's left, and Eric and Nell on her right.
Nell is the first to spot me. From this position, I see Nell is wearing a purple skirt with a black t-shirt and, for once, she isn't wearing her signature tights. Her legs instead are bare, and she has a pair of black heels on. "Hey, Callen! Over here!" She shouts.
AJ looks up and her eyes meet mine. Her hair frames her face exquisitely, and her eye-make up accentuates her clear green eyes perfectly.
As I approach the table, she says to me, "Hey, Callen." She smiles brilliantly. "You remember Lucy, my sister?"
"Yeah, of course. Nice to see you again, Lucy." I reply.
"Likewise." Lucy says.
"Here! Sit! Eric, scoot over." Nell commands. It's easy to tell who wears the pants in that relationship.
I take the seat that Nell has freed up for me, and ask, "So, what's the occasion?"
"There's no occasion." AJ lies, smiling at her sister.
"You'd think that two federal agents would be better at lying." Nell says.
"Fine, there is an occasion, just wait until the others get here."
Kensi and Deeks must have heard their cue from outside, because as soon as AJ finishes her sentence, the pair come strutting in the door, Kensi wearing a black jacket, white shirt and a black skirt, Deeks wearing jeans and a shirt.
"Hey, uh, guys." AJ greets Kensi and Deeks with a puzzled expression, and I can see why. Kensi's hair is standing up perpendicular to her head, and Deeks has a faint lipstick stain on his neck and cheek.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sam entering the pub.
"Hey, guys." Sam greets, and proceeds to burst out in laughter.
"What's so funny?" Deeks asks.
"Is that lipstick on your neck, Deeks?" Sam asks, "And is that a new hairstyle, Kensi?"
Exactly in sync with each other, both their hands shoot up, Kensi's to her head, Deeks' to his neck.
The rest of us burst out laughing.
"Beers?" A waiter asks.
"Yeah, just put 'em in the middle. Thanks." Says Lucy.
"Okay, now that everyone's here, what's the news?" Nell asks, desperate to know.
"Well, it's nothing big, it's just that Lucy just got transferred to the FBI field office in LA. She's moving here." AJ explaines.
"Lucy!" Nate shouts. "That's amazing, congratulations!"
"Hah, thanks Nate." Lucy says, giggling.
The rest of us pick up our drinks, and continue with our conversation, that is, until the music comes on an hour later. Nell, being Nell and not being able to hold her alcohol, immediately leaps out of her chair, grabs Eric by the arm, and drags him to the dancefloor. The bar is now full to capacity, it being LA and a Friday night.
"What the hell. You want to go dancing, Fern?" Deeks asks his partner. "Pretty please?"
"Okay, since you begged." She rolls her eyes and walks to the middle of the bar. Since arriving, Kensi has taken off her jacket, and slyly unbuttoned one of her shirt buttons.
"I don't care if I'm going on my own, I'm going dancing." Lucy says, standing up and adjusting the hem of her extremely tight dress.
"Here, I'll go with you." Nate says, which surprises me, I never pegged Nate for the dancing type.
Sam left a few minutes ago, something about Michelle calling to get him to mind Zoe and Zack. That just leaves AJ and myself.
"They're all magnificently drunk." AJ says, laughing.
"Lucy had more to drink than the rest of us combined." I reply.
"She was always the wild one." She laughs.
She takes a sip of her drink. I see that half the label is torn off, presumably by AJ scratching at it. I make a bold move and shove across the seat, positioning myself directly beside AJ.
"How are you, AJ?" I ask.
"Good, I'm good." She answers, with a smile. For the past hour or so she has been all smiles, laughing at every joke, making them herself. Its a huge change from when I saw her last, broken, hurting, shocked. "What about you, G? How are you? I know Hetty gave us all the week off, and knowing you that must be hell."
"It's fine," I say, "I manage to find something to do."
We both suddenly laugh at the sight of Nate 'dancing'.
"That made my night." She says with tears in her eyes.
"Definitely." I say.
On the dancefloor, Lucy is in fits laughing at Nate, who has no clue what he's doing wrong.
"Thanks for inviting us out tonight, AJ. It's the most fun I've had in a while." I say.
"It's no problem. I needed to get out." She smiles. "You want another beer?" She asks.
"Sure." Since the bar is full, AJ has to get up and get the drinks. When she stands up, her full outfit is revealed to me.
"Wow." I say to myself. That dress hugs every one of her curves, leaving no room for guessing. My eyes are still fixated on her amazing body when Nell returns.
"Callen, stop staring, you'll get yourself into trouble." Her voice startles me.
"I thought you were dancing with Eric." I say.
"I'm thirsty. He went to get me a drink..." She trails off when she realised my gaze has floated back to AJ, hunched over the bar. "For the love of God, G. Why don't you just ask her out?"
"What?" I stammer. "Ask her out?" Nell nods in response. "I'm waiting for the right time, Nell."
"No time like the present." She hops off her chair and walks off to join Eric.
AJ returns with the beer and slumps down beside me. We talk for a while, about everything and anything, our conversation floating from one topic to the next.
An hour later, Nell says, "I'm wrecked. I'm going home." She stands up and picks up her handbag and jacket.
"I'll come with you." Eric says, helping Nell with her jacket.
"I better go, too,"Kensi says, "I'm going to have breakfast with my mom tomorrow, so I don't want to show up with a hangover."
After that, Deeks and Nate leave, and Lucy follows them out with a simple "goodbye."
That leaves, once again, AJ and me.
"Well, I guess I better head, too." She says.
"Me too. Walk you out?"
"Yeah, thanks." She says.
We walk out in silence.
"Thanks again, AJ. For a great night." I say. "I'll call you a cab."
"No need." She says, searching her purse. "Dammit, Lucy." She mumbles. "She stole my keys."
"So, cab?"
"Yeah, thanks, G." She laughs.
I hail down a cab, and open the door for her. She stands at the door, and says, "Goodnight, G Callen."
"Goodnight, AJ Connors." I reply.
She turns to get into the cab, but hesitates. She turns quickly, and in that split second, her lips are on mine.
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