Chapter Eight

Nell jumped, successfully shaken from her ponderings, when Hetty elaborated on her comment, 'Love is always worth fighting for.'

Hetty wistfully began the story of long ago memories, "I was a young girl, seventeen to be exact, when I first met him. He was so dashing, so handsome, and both mentally and physically powerful; he had this quintessence about him that very little men had in the fifties, and now even less embody that elegant swagger." Hetty sighed. "I had recently begun working as a wardrobe assistant on Archie's 1957 film."

"Archie?" Nell asked curious.

"Cary, Cary Grant as he was known, but to all who really knew him, he was Archie." Hetty answered before she continued onward with her bittersweet story. "I was new to show business and had yet to be introduced to anyone other than Archie and the other ladies in my department. Archie was going over his lines as I finished sewing a snag in his shirt for an upcoming scene, when we were approached by a man whom from the moment my eyes met his, I was enamored."

Nell smiled in understanding; she could share the sentiment as the same thing had happened to her concerning Callen.

Hetty continued pensively, "Miss Jones, rest assured, that times were very different during that era. You see the word minor or underage had yet to have legal effect, as girls younger than my seventeen were married off as early as eleven, by seventeen already having at the very least one child, often five or more. My parents raised me to believe in the power of love, because their love story was something books and films dare hope to imitate; as such, I refused to settle for a loveless marriage. In those times, unwed meant naïve and virginal; I was very much so. However, his blue eyes pierced those resistances, my morals. I became victim of an arrow from the vexatious Cupid. I was in love with him, Miss Jones." Hetty paused, took a deep shuddering breath, and closed her eyes, before opening them to reveal unshed tears. "He was the reason that I am now with NCIS."

"How?" Nell asked as her brow furrowed, perplexed how a first love would be the reason Hetty was here. "What?"

"He was a CIA Operative, my dear; one of his many covers was Archie's Agent. He was one of the early CIA Operatives before that a part of the predecessor of the CIA, The Office of Strategic Services. He had been an active Operative for at least ten years, before I had met him. He specialized in being someone, anyone other than himself, much like what the OSP now does, but on a larger scale. I was fortunate enough to see who he was."

Nell inwardly sighed at the beginning of the love story. She thought it was romantic, yet she could not help, but be a bit envious of Hetty even though Nell knew that the love story ended badly, though not how. Regardless of the ending, Hetty had known the man behind the mask of her secretive beau, whereas Nell knew very little behind Callen's mask. What Nell did know, she felt that it was not enough to verify her infatuation, the love she felt for him. She was unfamiliar with the concept of love at first sight and it drove her mad, because she had very little to analyze, where it concerned her feelings for him. She knew him as a coworker, a friend, yet one needed to know more about the man one loved than basic semantics.

Hetty continued, "From the beginning of our courtship, I would have done anything he requested or demanded of me. Soon after the first Rose he gave me, I adore the language of flowers, because of him," She paused and sighed. "Pardon me, I digress; he suggested that I assist him as my job afforded me to move easier through Hollywood than he as one of the leading man's agents. Miss Jones, in the fifties, Hollywood was a hot bed for things such as espionage. Quite a large number of the leading men and ladies or their management had a hand in the Cold War; some were on the fringe while others were right in the cusp. I agreed to his request, which placed me in the cusp. Unfortunately, our time together came to an end, but I continued working with the CIA, which eventually led me to other Agencies, NCIS being one. I owe him everything and am left with many regrets. I should have fought harder for him, for us." She cleared her throat and twitched her nose. "Please," Her voice crackled with emotion. "I implore you, no I beg of you, do not make the same mistake with Mister Callen that I did with,"

Nell felt disappointment when Hetty stopped talking, as she wanted to know the name of the special gentleman that had won Hetty's heart, whom obviously still had it, but once Nell realized why Hetty had stopped, Nell felt relief, because soon after she felt Callen's presence behind her. Nell curled her bottom lip into her mouth and lightly bit it at his audacity. As he stood behind her, he caressed the back of her neck, in view of Hetty's all seeing eye.

"Mister Callen," Hetty said amused she watched Nell subtly squirm away from his touch, only for his fingertips to ghost over the younger woman's skin. "What impeccable timing you have, I was about to inform Miss Jones that I believe that the two of you need to, how do you say, iron out the details of your story, and make it perfectly clear what the expectations are from the both of you during the upcoming Op. Although, Miss Jones, forgive me," Hetty glanced at Nell whom nodded and tightly smiled as Callen continued to caress the bare skin, successfully creating gooseflesh. Hetty watched Nell tremble, although Hetty was uncertain whether it was in anger, embarrassment, or pleasure. Hetty decided anger and embarrassment at the way the younger woman clenched her jaw. "Is highly skilled, she lacks certain intelligence and experience where it concerns active ongoing field work."

"Hetty," Callen stated tightly as he stared at the top of Nell's head. "Thank you for your concern, but I've got it under control."

"Precisely," Hetty replied, her lips threatened a small smile. "After all, is that not why you and Miss Jones took a field trip to the boat shed?"

His eyes flew to Hetty's, which made the small smile materialize only for a moment. He knew that she knew that he now knew that she knew what had truly happened in the boat shed. Nell was oblivious to the silent exchange.

"Yes Hetty," He answered before his blue eyes settled once again on the top of Nell's head. "However there are still things to discuss, which is why Nell and I are going to have a business dinner tonight."

"What?" Nell looked up from her lap to slightly behind her, in order to look up at Callen; successfully removing his caressing fingers from her neck. "We are?"

"Yes, we are." Callen confirmed. Quickly, he looked away from Nell's stunned brown eyes, before just as quickly regaining eye contact. "Eric needs your input on your alias."

"What?" She asked, confused. "We hardly ever collaborate with the person who will become the alias we back stop. We create and you guys run with it."

"True," He agreed. "But Sam, Kensi, and Deeks have been doing this longer than you. I've been doing it longer than them. At first, you'll need to take baby steps, until you're comfortable with the alias, and in your case, making your alias as close to you, without it being you, will be essential for you to stay in that alias, regardless of the situation." He paused. "We'll talk more about it tonight, because opening night is approaching; we need to be more than ready, watching our 'p's and q's' okay?"

"Yes, sir, I'll be on my best behavior."" Nell quipped, irritated that he was able to be condescending and caring at the same time, though her irritation had more to do with his capability of ignoring what had happened in the boat shed. She realized she should not be surprised or hurt, because he truly was a master of disguising the truth and himself. "Is there anything else I need to know at this point in time, Agent Callen?"

For a fraction of a second, he narrowed his eyes at her not liking how she had reverted to calling him 'sir' and 'Agent Callen.' Abruptly, his facial expression snapped to neutral, making her question whether she had imagined the narrowing of his eyes. "Yes, Miss Jones, one more thing, when you see Eric, tell him, thank you for me."

Her brow furrowed in confusion at the cryptic message as her mouth set in anger at him calling her Miss Jones.

He elaborated only, because he knew that Eric would question her on the reason behind the thank you, and not because of the obvious confusion or anger, she held. "Because without the information he gave me, I would have never have believed it, because it's almost undetectable."

"Believed what?" She questioned, before she added smartly. "Sir?"

"He'll know what." He answered with a small smirk crossing his lips, as he imagined the look on Eric would give her, thinking that he had been caught revealing top secret best friend information to the enemy, the object of the classified material. "You're dismissed," He paused shortly before he added, successfully needling her. "Miss Jones."

Her eyes narrowed, the anger was palpable in her body language as she stood. She said a polite goodbye, oblivious to Hetty's obvious amusement of the vocal and silent exchange that had occurred between her Senior Agent and Intelligence Analyst. As Hetty considered the exchange, she could only hope that their love story would not end the way hers had. No, as she reconsidered her thought, she could do more than hope, she would guarantee that Nell Jones got her happy ending with the stubborn Callen, because she never wanted the younger woman to suffer as she had. One broken heart over a secretive blue eyed man was more than enough.

Thank y'all so much for your readership, alerts, favorites, and reviews. I appreciate all of 'em.