Chapter 7

They all saw Nell come down with Hetty and Granger. Nell quickly went to her desk and resumed working. Granger and Hetty were talking and Deeks who was on his way back to his desk with a cup of coffee heard snit bits as he passed. "I'll have the information for lodging in San Diego shortly for her. As for Boston, we're working on that as well." Granger was saying.

"Yes, well we're fortunate to have people who run marathons in their spare time." Hetty was saying.

"Never thought Jones was a marathoner …. This office is full of surprises."

Heading back to his desk, Marty was puzzled by what they were saying. Marathon, Boston? Huh. Was going through his mind as he took his seat.

"Something wrong Deeks," Callen asked.

"No caught snit bits of Granger and Hetty's conversation on the way back. I think Nell is being sent to San Diego. Heard Granger mention something about lodging," the blond was saying.

"Maybe we shouldn't ask," spoke up Sam who was eyeing a report he had just finished.

"Yeah, if Hetty says it's not our case," chimed in Kensi.

"What else did you pick up," Callen asked.

"Something about Boston and marathons," Deeks said.

"Marathons, as in the one that is 26 something miles," Callen said allowed with a question.

Deeks shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Eric came down and he noticed four pairs of eyes looking at him. At that moment Hetty came by as well. "I will expect your reports by the end of the day."

"Almost done with mine Hetty, just proofreading it now," spoke up Sam with a happy chipper in his voice. For once he would be done and caught up for a change.

"Uh, Hetty, what's going on," Callen had to ask.

"Oh, I also have to inform you all that Miss Jones will be working with the San Diego MCRT for at least the next week assisting them on a case."

"Really, Hetty is that necessary,"

"Yes it is Mr. Callen. Occasionally Agents are temporarily reassigned to assist other teams if needed. Not to worry, she'll be back before you know it. Now back to work, I expect those reports on my desk." She ordered and then headed back to her office.

"Eric," Callen spoke eyeing the geek. "You know what's going on?"

"Uh, sorry guys I can't discuss the case. I'm already in enough trouble but did you know Nell runs marathons."

"No,," said Callen.

"Nope," came Sam.

"Sorry I didn't," spoke up Kensi surprised at what Eric said.

"Seriously, she's never said anything, besides I never thought her the runner type," Deeks said eying Eric.

Eric was about to say something when Nell came up and when he realized she was there stopped dead in his tracks. It took him a moment to recover. "Uh, sorry couldn't avoid hearing what you all were saying upstairs."

"Yeah well, you still can't discuss the particulars of the case but yes I'm a runner. And yes I do run marathons."

"No way, you, Nell. Nah don't believe it," spoke up Deeks.

"You, get out of here, Nell you don't look the type," Kensi said not believing it thinking it was a joke.

Even Callen's reaction was not good. "If you're a runner, how come we never see you doing it."

The negative comments continued and Sam realized that it was the truth he could see it in her eyes and it seriously pissed him off that his teammates including Eric wouldn't be happy for the fact that Nell was doing something she loved. Sam thought for a minute and some things started to click in his mind. Last November she was out for a week and to come to think about it was during the time that the New York Marathon was to have been run but it was cancelled. There were other dates too if he really thought about it. Nell was out, but not because she was sick it was because she was running. Sam gave her a knowing nod of approval but he could see the hurt in her eyes by what the others were saying. She left and Sam realized they had all upset her. Finally he decided he had to put a stop to it. "That's enough,"

The four of them looked at the big guy. "What!" came their reply.

"I can't believe you all, we find out that Nell runs marathons and what do you all do. Cut her down for it. You all should be ashamed of yourselves."

"But Sam, she doesn't seem the type," Kensi chimed in.

"Do we have to look the part to know what we do in our off time," he shot back.

"No but if she's a runner why didn't we know about it," asked Callen.

"Maybe it's something she doesn't advertise," Sam shot back. "I can't believe you guys." Sam wanted to say more but instead he got up gathered his printed report and left. Sam found another desk to finish proofreading the report and once it was done handed it to Hetty. He noticed that even Hetty wasn't too happy about the team's reaction to Nell being a runner. So Sam decided to go look for her. He found her in the firing range letting off some shots and nailing them. He figured she was still upset. He waited for her to finish before making his presence know. "You okay."

She shook her head, "I would have thought they would have been happy that I did something that they didn't."

"Nell, I really wish they didn't mean it."

"I know, but what they said."

"Yeah it hurt you."

She nodded again. "Yeah but you weren't upset by the news."

"No it took a minute for things to click. You were in New York back in November weren't you?"

She nodded, "yeah, I had been dreaming of running that marathon for years, only to have it cancelled."

Sam took a moment to think. Nell was not your typical agent, yeah she was bright, smart, and clever. She can weed through information like it was nothing and still manage to have a life outside of work. How she'd manage to pull it off, Sam didn't want to know. Okay, he had to admit to himself, everyone had to be unpredictable with their routines outside of work and be keenly aware of their surroundings. Yeah, every one of them can be predictable in their own way too, but when it came to Nell, she took both predictability and unpredictability to a whole new level. Also, Nell kept her private life fairly close to home so no one knew really much about her. He had to admire her for that. But run the biggest marathon in the country? She had guts. Sam was telling himself. So he figured for whatever was going on in San Diego, they needed her knowledge of marathons. So he had to admin that their team would have been out of place there, big time. Sam liked running distances, ever since he was in the SEALs where being able to go at long distances on both land and sea was a necessity. He had done one marathon back when he was in the navy. His training with the SEALs helped with that. But he had never done it again after he left. But still …. Sam sighed, "I know, but no one expected a hurricane to crash the party. So you going to try this year."

"All the runners were automatically entered for this year, so yes I'm going to run it."

"That's cool, Nell. Not all of us have the guts to do something like that. "

"Thanks Sam."

"So how long have you been doing this?"

"I started when I was thirteen, running half-marathons."

"And full marathons?"

"My sophomore year of high school, I started with the small ones and been working my way up."

He nodded, "So to get to New York you had to qualify right."

"Yeah, ran the Los Angeles one to do it."

"Just out of curiosity, but how many marathons do you run a year?"

"Minimum, two, plus I squeeze in a couple of half-marathons in order to keep a pace for the longer races."

"Uh, huh, how do you manage to train, I mean, you need to run so many miles a week."

"35 a week and I vary where I run. I never run the same route twice in a week. I like to shake things up. If the weather is bad, I know of an indoor track I can use or I use the treadmill here."

"Really, with our crazy schedule how do you do it?"

"There's a saying in my family. If you can't find the time, you make the time."

Now Sam liked that phrase. Maybe he should follow that rule more often. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, my dad took that phrase to heart. Whether he was home or out at sea. Why do you think we're so close."

He had heard Nell had a close knit family but had no idea how they'd pulled that off with a parent in the navy. Well he had his answer.

"So you're father would somehow find a way to stay in touch while deployed huh,"

"Would you,"

He thought about it for a moment. "Yeah I would try."

"Sam trying and doing aren't the same thing. You have to be committed to it."

"Maybe you're right. " Okay, he had to admit she was right.

She gave him a look that said duh.

"So Nell, anyone else in your family run?"

"My dad, and one of my brothers," she wasn't about to tell him she was the only girl.

"They ever do a marathon."

"My dad. He still tries to do one a year."

"Oh so you come from a close knit and active family."

"Cool huh,"

"I guess so, so you ever try the Marine Corp Marathon in DC?"

"I ran it with my father for charity when I was in college. You?"

"The one and only real marathon I ran. Most of my running involved long distances with the SEALs while I was in the navy."

"Maybe you should try it again just for fun."

"Maybe I will,"

"Come on Sam we all know you run to keep in shape. You could take it a step further."

"That's what Michelle's been trying to get me to do."

"Let me guess she runs races."

"Yeah, and she's wants to run the LA one next year."

"Why don't you join her then."

"Sounds like fun, maybe I will." A slight smile came to his face just thinking about it. Maybe he would give it a try just for fun.

Nell saw the smile. "Hah, you're thinking about it," and she found it amusing.

He nodded. "Okay, you win. So, I'm cool about you running, I don't know about the others though."

"Yeah,"

"Hey I'll talk to them maybe beat some sense into them if I have to but if this case you're on with San Diego involves you're knowledge of running marathons, that's fine with me."

She nooded.

"Oh, and out of curiosity. If you had run New York, last fall, what would have been your next one?"

"Boston."

"The oldest marathon," he asked.

"Yeah it runs on Monday."

"Now I really hate Superstorm Sandy,"

"You're not the only one but the cancellation wasn't a total loss. My friends and I ended up helping those displaced on Staten Island."

Sam bowed his head to her in approval. "Nell you are just full of surprises. So we cool?"

"Yeah we're cool."

"Come on let's get back upstairs, I know you have some work to finish before you begin that San Diego job while I go try and knock some sense into the others."

The pair made their way upstairs happy that they were in agreement about Nell being a runner and Sam had more respect for Nell then he'd ever thought.

Until next time.

You are welcome to R&R.