Nell easily won each competition she entered. Eric watched, amazed, at how deftly she maneuvered her drone - beating her opponents in skill and speed. As the day wore on, more and more people gave her dirty looks and he began to understand why she didn't talk about it much. But Eric revelled in playing the role of her boyfiend. He cheered loudly every time she competed. He threw his arm around her every chance he got, and dropped a few kisses on her cheek. He told off anyone who dared to boo her, and nearly punched a man who mumbled that she was clearly cheating - although truth be told he would have done that anyway, "girlfriend" or not. As they packed up for the day and headed to her car, Eric couldn't help but ask
"So why do you do these competitions, when everyone treats you so badly?"
"It's something I enjoy, and I'm good at. And it's a skill I think will one day be useful in our line of work. I try not to let them get to me so much." She explained.
"You really are amazing." He told her. "Thanks for inviting me to join you."
The rest of their weekend continued in a similar fashion. They enjoyed each other's company, watching movies, playing video games and sharing meals. They had gone back to Eric's after the drone competition to retrieve some clothes so he could stay with her for the rest of the weekend.
It was Sunday night now, and they knew they would have to return to work in the morning. They were cuddling on the couch, occasionally becoming too distracted to watch the TV and kissing instead. Nell refused to leave his shirt alone, preferring instead to rest her cheek on his bare chest. Eric felt no need to protest. He was happy.
"So...back to work tomorrow." He finally said.
"yeah..." Sighed Nell. "I hope it isn't too awkward."
"It's fine. I mean, we can just pretend the weekend never happened if you want? Or, I mean, you can just go back to how it was before? I mean, I'm not going to forget this but I can leave it at that?" He mumbled frantically before Nell cut him off with a finger on his lips, and a deep kiss.
"That's not what I meant at all, Eric." She told him as she gently stroked his cheek. "I meant, I hope it isn't awkward for our coworkers when they see us together. Happy, together." She reassured him.
"So this, I mean, us, I mean, whatever this weekend is... You want to continue?" Eric managed to ask.
"Yes. This, us, as a couple. That's what I want... If you do too?" Nell asked, suddenly uncertain. Eric's face lit up in a huge grin and he sat upright pulling her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head.
"Yes! Dear God, YES! I've wanted this more than anything!" He exclaimed before capturing her lips in a deeper, more passionate kiss. The movie at this point was long forgotten, as they revelled in the realisation that they were now a couple. They had both waited so long, unsure how the other felt, but one drunken night had drawn them together. And for that, they were both so incredibly grateful.
As the hour grew later, Eric finally pulled away.
"We should go to bed. Need to be at work bright and early" he whispered, his voice tinged with the faintest trace of sadness.
"Bed, yes. But going back to work doesn't mean this is over. We have tomorrow night, and the night after, and many more nights after that." Nell said, getting up and taking his hand. "And we have right now. Let's go to bed."
Eric stood up and followed her silently, still lost in thought.
"Nell?" He whispered, as she shut the door to her room behind him.
"Yes?" She asked.
"I'm so happy to be with you, like this, as your boyfriend." He paused to grin at the word. "But I still want to take things slow." He added, looking down at his feet, feeling suddenly shy.
"Me too." Nell told him, standing in front of him, trying to catch his eye. "We have time. We don't need to rush anything. I'm happy just to be near you." Eric let out the breath he had been holding, relieved that she felt the same way. He watched as she slipped off to the bathroom to change into pyjamas, and the retrieved his pyjama pants from his bag and changed before slipping into her bed with a content sigh. A few minutes later, she returned, wearing a Wonder Woman shirt and shorts.
"Sh, don't tell Kensi" she giggled. "I know Wonder Woman is her title."
"I think it suits you just as well." Eric told her, nuzzling into her hair. She reached up to kiss him, before stretching out and resting her cheek on his chest. He pulled his arm around her tightly, wondering how he ever slept without her beside him. They both dozed off quickly with matching smiles on their face.
They arrived at work early, with only Hetty beating them there. As they headed up to Ops, giggling and joking, Hetty couldn't help but smile at the change in the two techs. She was happy they had finally gotten over whatever hurdle was in their way, and spent the weekend together. After allowing the two a few moments to settle, she went up to greet them.
"Good morning Ms. Jones, Mr. Beale. I trust you had a good weekend?" She asked with a sly grin.
"Yup! We did!" Nell grinned as she answered. Eric blushed and nodded as he pretended to busy himself with his computer.
"Excellent. But I hope you are prepared for a busy day. After a weekend this quiet, there is sure to be a case before noon." Hetty told them, before slipping quietly from the room.
Nell glanced at the door, waiting until it had closed before bouncing up from her seat and kissing Eric firmly before she logged in to her station.
"Just in case Hetty is right and we have a busy day." She explained with a wink. Eric found himself reeling. Had it really been just a few days ago that he was up here dreaming about one day being able to hold her hand? And now here he was in Ops, kissing Nell Jones. He smiled to himself before starting to review all the calls that had come in over the weekend.
In the bullpen they could hear Callen and Sam come in, soon followed by Kensi and Deeks. They could hear the younger two teasing each other about their night out. Apparently Kensi had lost a shoe after challenging someone to a bar fight. Deeks had finally intervened when the police were called and ensured she wasn't charged. They had let it go as the man she had fought was unwilling to admit he'd lost to a girl.
"No more tequila, Deeks. Never again. You know how bad that stuff is for me!" She groaned as she dropped her bag on her desk. "I swear it's all your fault. I couldn't ask poor Eric to drink it! He could barely drink rum! You're an evil man." She told him with a laugh.
"Speaking of Eric... Anyone seen the wonder twins yet?" Deeks asked. "They seemed to enjoy themselves Friday night. Too bad they missed your bar fight." He continued. Kensi punched him in the shoulder before shrugging it off.
"They're probably up in Ops. Want to go say hi?" She asked him. Their banter was interrupted though when Callen noticed something floating above them.
"What the hell is that doing in here?" He asked, pulling his gun and aiming it at the drone. Sam put his hand over Callen's and lowered the gun slightly. Deeks yelped and stepped back.
"What the hell IS that?" He asked.
"Gentlemen, calm down. I believe that would be a drone. And the only way it could operate in the building is if someone here is operating it. I have my suspicions. But I can reassure you it is perfectly harmless." Hetty called to them from her desk. "And Mr. Callen, please put your weapon away. I am not in the mood for unnecessary paperwork this morning."
In Ops, Eric and Nell couldn't help the fits of laughter watching the agents react to the drone.
"How long before Callen shoots at it do you think?" Eric asked.
"He had better not!" Nell said indignantly. "I'd never forgive him if he shot Henrietta!" She added with a giggle.
"Mr. Beale, Ms. Jones, I believe you have had your fun. Now please remove Henrietta from the bullpen before Mr. Callen sees fit to use his weapon." Hetty's voice came over the speakers. Both techs jumped, as Nell quickly guided Henrietta to her temporary home on the balcony while Eric got back to work.
Everyone busied themselves for the morning with paperwork from the previous case. Hetty noticed the restlessness building and suggested an early lunch for all. Kensi and Deeks were out the door within seconds, Callen and Sam close behind. Eric and Nell waited until everyone else had left before emerging from ops and heading out for lunch together. They ducked into a nearby take out place to get their food, and then returned to the mission and retreated to a quiet corner to eat.
Both were in a playful and giddy mood as they sat side by side, allowing every touch to linger. Nell carefully wiped a bit of food from the corner of his mouth and he couldn't help but kiss her fingers. At that point all bets were off and they found themselves lip locked until Eric's phone beeped.
"Crap, we need to get up to Ops." He groaned. "Finish this later?" Nell nodded as she quickly gathered up what remained of their lunch, which she shoved in the fridge before running up to join him.
For the remainder of the day, the whole team was involved in a case and there was no time for unrelated discussion. As dinner time neared, Eric finally stood up to stretch. Nell felt her stomach flip at the sight, and then scolded herself for behaving like a teenage girl. Eric came up behind her and rubbed her shoulders and neck, trying to relieve some of the tension that was building up in her muscles.
"Keep doing that, and we're going to need to leave, now." Nell teased.
"Just trying to help you unwind." Eric replied, returning to his chair, but Nell stood up and followed. Glancing at the monitors and then at the doors, she straddled Eric and sat down in his lap.
"Do you need help unwinding too?" She asked, but at that moment they were interrupted by beeping from several machines.
"Crap. Crap crap crap!" Eric yelped as he dove for his keyboard. Nell instantly saw what was happening and turned to join his attempts to stop the cyber attack. They were both so absorbed in their work that neither heard the doors open. It wasn't until they heard Granger's voice that they froze.
"If you're finding it so crowded in here that you need to share a chair, I'm sure we can relocate one of you somewhere more spacious. The Tokyo office is looking for more staff."