Title : Cure for the soul.
By : GirlOfSpring
Pairing : Nell/Callen
Summary: It all started with a certain intelligence analyst who needed her music and a certain special agent who was disturbed by the noise. A Nallen story
Disclaimer : Don't own, don't own, don't own.
Note: I know, I know, it has literally been AGES. I am so sorry, I let it get out of hand. I moved back home and then I moved out again and now I have started at Uni and it is INSANE but I am going to try and get a next chapter up much sooner.
And I would like to add for you readers that I like taking it slow and there is still some stuff that has to happen for this story to end. I have a general plot line, we are going to see the brother again and somewhere in the future there is a party! So yes, it might be a slow story, but that's the way I write.
And just a big THANK YOU to the people that have reviewed every chapter up until now and all the new people that left a small note with the last chapter. You people are amazing and literally inspire me to keep writing! I really don't want to leave you with an unfinished story so I am going to do my best not to.
~~~|G|O|S|~~~
Nell got out of her car, locked the doors and crossed the parking area to the front entrance of the hospital. Sun was setting and the normally white building was colored pink and orange with the last rays of the sun.
It had been a while ago that G and Kensi had been sent to the hospital with their injuries and she tried to visit them regularly. It had gotten quite easy to walk into G's room, sit down and just tell him what had been going on at the office that day.
He wouldn't complain about being in the hospital, but he didn't like it one bit. She saw it in the way he moved, the way he glanced to the door and the look in his eyes when somebody told him that he would be "back soon enough". He hated it. He hated all of it.
So after two visits, she started bringing him small things to keep him busy. Books, puzzles, some DVDs and after a while she brought some snacks as well.
It became a routine rather quickly, even if there was something that didn't seem to fit quite correctly.
Today was no exception. She had a Russian spy novel in her handbag and was holding a paper bag filled with jam doughnuts from around the corner, the ones she knew he loves the most.
Nell walked past the help desk to the elevator, taking it up three floors and leaving it to go towards the room he had been in for the last few days.
It had been rather strange, now she thought of it. G had always had this image of being indestructible and now he had been injured quite badly.
Even when he started to look better every day, she couldn't get the image of him completely beat up and broken out of her mind.
She tried not to show him how worried she was about him, knowing it might be too.. Too what, even? Too protective? She knew he didn't need protection and the idea that if he did, she could be the one to offer him this protection was laughable. Was she being too controlling, visiting him all this time?
Something had changed over the last few days. In the beginning, G had been very talkative, for his being then, but lately he had been quieter and it was almost as if he was waiting for her to leave.
He would of course never say such a thing. Let's just say it her womaney senses were tingling.
Nell rounded the last corner, shaking her head slightly, before stopping when she saw G standing at the small desk of that floor, talking to a nurse.
He was wearing the clothing in which he had been shot, since nobody had ever brought him normal clothing. He did have some pyjama's, but once he would get the all clear to leave they had agreed that somebody would bring him some clean clothes.
Now, he was just standing there, a bag in his hand with his other belongings while he was favouring the side where he had been stabbed.
Slowly, Nell started walking in his direction, just as he signed some papers and turning around towards the elevator.
He froze when he saw her standing there and for a moment, he even had the decency to look just a bit ashamed.
"Nell, what are you doing here?"
The analyst shook her head slightly before holding up the bag filled with the jam doughnuts.
"Visiting you." You idiot.
"They are letting you go?"
"Yes, they just told me this morning so I thought I could just go home."
And not telling everybody about this, obviously.
He started walking towards her, in the direction of the elevators and once he was standing next to her she turned around and walked with him.
Neither of them said anything while he pushed the button to go down and they waited for the elevator to come.
It was an awkward silence.
For some reason, Nell felt hurt for him not telling them that he would be going home.
Scratch that. She was feeling hurt because he hadn't told her he was going home. But he had already been very distant lately, what had she expected?
He had never really been the guy to ask for help when he thought he could do something on his own.
The elevator binged and the doors slid open after which they stepped inside the empty cabin, her pressing the button to go down and to the exit.
"Nell, it's just-"
"Do you even have a ride home?" She interrupted him, glancing sideways to look at him.
He was standing next to her, looking back at her with a tired expression in his eyes.
"No, I don't. I was going to get a cab."
"I'm taking you home."
"Nell, you really don't have to-"
"G, listen to me. You have just been discharged and you are walking around looking like an axe murderer. No cab would take you, I am driving you home."
And that was the end of it. They both knew it and silence returned.
They reached their floor and left the elevators, going straight outside.
It was a strange sight, with this rather tall man who looked like he could handle everything and take down any opponent who was following a woman who was a fair bit smaller than he was but had the fire in her heart and the strength in her soul to make him listen just for once.
~~~|G|O|S|~~~
He felt like crap. A big, stinking, bloody pile of crap.
G was sitting in the front seat, next to Nell who was driving through town towards his house.
He wasn't used to sitting in a car which was this small, not really allowing him to stretch his legs in any way and practically forcing him to keep his arms pressed to his torso.
He had put the chair back as far as he could, but it hadn't really made a difference.
Nell hadn't said a word, except for asking him for his address. She had never been to his house, nor had any of the others for that matter except for Sam, and he had told her with just a bit of reluctance.
He glanced sideways and studies her face for a while.
She had lost a bit of her usual colour and her knuckles were white for the way she was gripping the steering wheel.
For some reason, she looked angry and tired and frustrated, and he just knew that it was because of him.
After the stabbing, he had had plenty of time to think about things in the hospital, and he had come to a conclusion.
He had to take some distance.
With everything that had happened between them, he couldn't deny that he was incredibly distracted to her, in ways he wasn't really used to.
She cared about him in a way nobody had ever really done before and he had to create some distance, and fast.
So he had started being more distant, hoping it would make her realise they had no business being friends. Or anything else.
And it had worked, in a way. The first time he had tried it, he had seen the hurt in her eyes and almost taken back the words he had said that time. Yet she didn't stop coming.
Every time, she brought something else for him to keep him busy or to entertain him and he just didn't understand.
Why wouldn't she go away?
~~~|G|O|S|~~~
The entire drive had been silent. It was unnerving and frustrating, and being the person she was she had to force herself not to talk.
This time, she wouldn't be the first to break the silence. This time, it could be him to do this.
But he didn't, and she started to feel like he didn't want to anymore.
She bit her lip and turned the corner for his street, looking for the correct house number.
"It's here on the right."
G pointed to the house they were driving past and she parked the car, before turning off the engine and getting out of the car.
She was already opening the trunk and getting out G's bag when he joined her at the back of the car, taking the bag from her.
"Thanks for the ride home." He said, after which he turned around to walk towards the house.
"Oh no you don't." Nell murmured, after which she locked the car and followed him to the front door.
The sun had almost completely set now and the first stars were already starting to show on this clear night.
He stood still at the front door, taking out his keys before turning around and looking at her.
She was standing on the path to the front doors, her hands on her hips and a daring glare in her eyes.
"Nell, just go home. You already gave me a ride, I'll be fine. You don't have to do anything else."
In response, she just shook her head before walking towards him.
"No, and this time you are going to listen to me. You have been stabbed and beat up, you have been in the hospital for quite a while now and the doctors say you still need rest. Yes, you are a grown man and I know what you are capable of, I am not an idiot. But, for some reason, I am your friend. At least, I think I am. And as a friend, I am going to help you, whether you want to or not. Because that's what you do when you care about somebody. Even if that somebody has been a total ass lately."
He seemed to look guilty because of her words, but it could also have just been her imagination wanting him to feel guilty, wanting him to know he had hurt her. But she ignored it and stood still next to him.
He hadn't said a word.
"Alright, how about we go inside?"
That shook him awake and G opened the door so they could enter the house.
Nell tried to hide her surprise when she saw that he barely had any furniture inside and while G closed and locked the door behind her she looked around.
He had already disappeared through another door and she heard him walking around through the house.
She realised he was doing a security check and started wondering whether he had realised he was doing it or not.
In the meantime, she had a look around.
There was a chair standing in what could have been a living room and next to it, on the floor, was laying a matrass. It actually looked quite dusty, probably because nobody had been here while he had been in the hospital.
"I don't have much to eat in house."
G's voice startled her and she turned around to where he was standing behind her.
"That's alright, I'll go and have a look what you have."
It was quite late already and he looked really tired.
"You should try to get at least some sleep tonight."
Nell walked towards the door through which she could see the kitchen where she put her bag on the counter, together with the bag with the jam doughnuts she had brought inside with her.
Then, she started going through the fridge to see if he had anything at all.
She had this feeling that there wouldn't be a lot left without extra life forms grown on top of them.
Somehow though, she managed to find a carrot, a potato and some suspicious vermicelli.
G had followed her into the kitchen and was standing in the door opening, watching her.
"You should go and have a shower and I'll try to make something to eat."
In response, he merely nodded before disappearing again and Nell sighed before she got to work.
~~~|G|O|S|~~~
G Callen closed his eyes while the hot water hit his battered body. It felt good, the steam coming up around him and the water soothing him, dulling the pain away.
He put his hands on the still very cold tiles in front of him and closed his eyes, indulging the feeling of complete solitude.
For the first time since he had been injured, every thought left his mind and the only thing he noticed was the water hitting his skin.
It felt good, relaxing and not thinking for a while.
He had had too much time lately, to think.
With a sigh, G closed his eyes before turning his face towards the showerhead. The warmth burned his cheeks and eyelids, but he didn't turn away until it did hurt.
He had made everything way too complicated. Better yet, he had let everything get way too complicated.
And now, for some reason, he would have to go downstairs and face the redheaded woman in his kitchen who was cooking something to eat.
Could she even cook?
He leaned with his forehead against the still very cold tiles and let the water touch his back.
He had tried to keep her at a distance, but look how that had worked out for him. She was fairly pissed off right now. He still didn't know what to really think about it.
If Deeks would have heard her earlier, outside, he would probably have imitated the sound of a whip just to emphasize exactly how badly he had been put in a corner by this woman who had barged into his house and wouldn't take no for an answer.
He was an idiot.
He was a big, bullheaded, brainless idiot. And, if he had to admit it, she had taken him by surprise.
He hadn't thought that she would be able to emit this anger, this fierce loyalty or this immensely hot sexiness.
He groaned slightly and took some soap to wash himself.
He had to stop thinking about her like that. It didn't really help either of them.
Once he would get downstairs, he would tell her that he would be fine and that she could go home.
And maybe, somewhere deep inside, a very small, dark part of him wanted her to say again that she cared.
~~~|G|O|S|~~~
Somehow, Nell had managed to make some soup with everything she had found in the kitchen that had still been edible.
It was quiet while she worked and in the end, she left the soup on the stove so it would stay warm.
In the meantime, she wandered to the living room and looked at the armchair and the matrass. There were more things and she had to suppress her curiosity to investigate. Some things were better left private and she didn't want to anger G more when he would come downstairs.
If there was one thing she knew, it was that she knew he preferred his solitude and his privacy.
By now, she had started feeling bad about the things she had said to him as well.
He had been having a hard time, with the injuries and being restricted to his room in the hospital.
A noise in the hallway startled her and she turned around, only to see G standing in a clean set of clothes. He looked much better now he had had a shower.
He didn't just look cleaner, he also looked more relaxed.
"I made some soup, it's in the kitchen. Just have some."
He nodded in response and disappeared to the kitchen. Slowly, she followed him and waited while he filled two bowls with the hot dinner and handed one to her. He grabbed some spoons as well and together they walked to the living room, where he sat on the matrass and gestured that she could sit in the chair.
In silence, they ate their soup.
"This is.. quite good.." Nell looked up when she heard G talk before smiling slightly.
"It's not too much, I did what I could with what you had in the kitchen."
He nodded slightly, staring at his soup as if it was something he had never seen before.
"It's just some homemade soup G, nothing special."
He nodded again before looking up at her and for the first time in a long while, the corners of his mouth were slightly tilted upwards.
"It is though."
For a few seconds, they just looked at each other until Nell felt the heat on her cheeks and she looked down at her soup again.
This was quite ridiculous.
She finished her soup and got up to bring her cup back to the kitchen. G was done as well so she took his bowl with her to do the washing up.
He followed her to the kitchen to dry them.
"You know, I'll be fine. If you want to go home, you can."
She looked up before filling the sink with hot water.
"I'll make a cup of tea and we can have one of those doughnuts, and then I will go." If he really wanted her to be gone.
He put the kettle on and while the water was heated, they did the dishes.
He put everything back while she took two other cups and put some tea bags in them before filling them with water.
Together with their tea and the doughnuts, they returned to the living room where they sat back where they had been sitting before.
They drank their tea and ate the doughnuts, slowly getting more at ease.
"So, do you know when you are coming back?" She asked him, at which he shrugged slightly and took another bite of his doughnut.
"Not yet. It will be some days still I guess, with that I have to rest, as the doctor told me."
"Yeah.. We got a new case today. We got into a lot of trouble with the French Intelligence on this one, again."
They both smiled and they chatted about work, old and new cases until the tea was finished and it had gotten quite late.
Nell had put the empty cup on the floor and pulled up her legs on the armchair, her arms folded around herself.
She was leaning against the elbow rest, her eyes drooping slowly while their conversation had longer and longer gaps in between.
She had gotten up that morning at six, had had a very intensive day at work and come to visit him at the hospital afterwards. She was knackered and slowly, she drifted into sleep.
~~~|G|O|S|~~~
G watched as he saw Nell slowly fall asleep. Her head was bobbing slightly and now that she was relaxed and out, he realised how tired she looked.
Her normally pale complexion was even paler than usual and she had bags under her eyes.
He sighed and quietly, he got up.
Without making a sound, he walked to the chair and softly, he brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. She moved slightly, but didn't wake.
Somehow, he couldn't wake her.
Carefully, he ducked besides her and slid his arms under her small frame and he lifted her from the chair.
His chest stung slightly, but she was as light as a feather in his arms.
He shifted his position to hold her better, his arms hooked under her knees and his other arm holding her back and started stepping to the matrass when she shifted.
He froze because of the movement, but she just snuggled against his chest, pressing her face against his neck and sliding an arm around his neck.
He felt her breathing caress his skin and his breath hitched slightly. He looked down at her pixie-like face to see that she was still sleeping.
Her hair was sticking up slightly and the faint scent of apples reached his nose.
Slowly, he lowered her onto the matrass and carefully, he tried to put her down but she kept holding on to him, by now bother her arms folded around his neck and pressing herself against him.
He brought one hand up to take one of her, much smaller, hands into his and unwinding it from his neck.
"No.. Hmm, no.." She protested sleepily, but raising the hairs in his neck and sending a jolt through him when he realised how seductive her voice was when she was half asleep.
"Shh, Nell. It's alright, you are just going to sleep a bit."
He put her down on the matrass, going along with the movement so she was lying on her back and he was bent over her, his face mere centimetres from hers.
For a second he studied how her eyelashes lay against her cheeks as she didn't move again before taking her other hand from his neck.
"No, G! No.." She protested this time, a lot clearer, and gripping onto his hands.
He froze again, he didn't even dare to breath. But she was still asleep, wasn't she? Or was she aware of what was going on, even in the slightest way?
He felt her breath hit his cheek and his eyes wandered to her lips. For a moment he was tempted, just to try, just to know but when he realised what exactly he was doing, he jolted back.
It didn't wake her and once he stepped away, she lay on her side and curled up a bit. He drew a blanket over her and looked at her for one last second before leaving the room.
He needed some fresh air, urgently.
~~~|G|O|S|~~~
So once again, sorry for this immensely late update and I hope you can enjoy this chapter. I have a bit of a double feeling about it, but quite like the ending myself.
Please let me know!