Thank you for the kind words in your reviews, and for all of you following this story! I was kind of nervous about the tone of it, but it's where inspiration took me. And now on with the story!
"This is so weird. I'm glad we don't have to work this way much longer," Nell said as she typed away on her computer.
"Hmm, what's weird? Eric asked, not really paying attention. He was watching people's faces whoosh past on his screen at warp speed as the facial recognition program tried to identify a victim.
"Work, the OSP, here. It's so… I don't know, unnerving I guess with the team gone. I mean, their team, 'cause we're not exactly on a team, are we? We assist everyone, but…" Nell rambled on.
"…but they are our team and they've made us a part of theirs," Eric finished for her. "I get it. It is very strange not seeing them every day. There are no pointless arguments between Kensi and Deeks, or sarcastic commentary from Callen and Sam. I kind of miss their voices in my ear during an op; the other agents aren't nearly as chatty and fun to listen in on."
Nell smiled. He did get it. They had been finishing each others' sentences for a while, but she hadn't been sure if he actually understood her. She had always been the unusual one throughout her life; the one who liked to do things the other kids didn't, the one who thought about things differently than her friends, the one who was often left out. It was nice to finally find someone with whom she fit.
"At least they will all be back tomorrow and things can return to normal," Nell sighed. She really hoped things would get back to normal quickly, but she had her doubts. While assisting Hetty, Nell had read through the incident reports and case files from that mission, and it had turned her stomach.
"Hey, so are you coming over again tonight after work?" Eric asked, breaking her from her thoughts. He had turned his chair to face her and had a slight smile on his face, which she thought was adorable. Since the Siderov mission had imploded, she and Eric had been spending more time together outside of work. At first it was a way to cope with everything when the rest of the team members were hospitalized or unreachable. It grew from there and became a normal part of their routine to have dinner together, play video games or watch movies. Eric loved seeing Nell outside of ops so much, and he knew she was enjoying it as well. The frequency that she held his hand or gave him little kisses on the cheek had been increasing. They hadn't really discussed the status of their relationship but instead both seemed to be happy just letting each day take its own course.
"Yep. I'll be there at 6:30 if that's ok. I thought I'd bring over that peach cobbler I made last night. And then Beale, you are going down. I will own Mario Kart tonight!" Nell laughed as Eric shook his head and made a face.
"Not gonna happen Nell. Not. Gonna. Happen." He grinned at the thought of another evening with her, then quickly became all business as he swiveled his chair to face his screen once again.
The next day…
It was the first day all four team members had been back in the bullpen together since that fateful mission. Nell was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, so eager to see everyone again. Her nervous energy had her bouncing in place, like she was waiting for a parade to start. Eric tried to calm her down by placing his hand on her back.
"Sam! It's so good to see you again!" Nell greeted him as he walked in. She rushed out and gave him a careful hug, not sure where he was at with his physical recovery.
"Hey Nell. Eric," he replied less enthusiastically as he heard footsteps behind him. He was uncomfortable with the hug and moved to his desk area as quickly as he could.
"Hi Callen! Yay! Our team leader is back!" Nell shouted out as he approached her. She had her hand up awaiting a high-five. Callen looked at her hand, nodded a greeting, and continued to his desk. She greeted Deeks in a similar manner, only to be ignored. Nell looked up at Eric with a confused look on her face.
"Give them time Nell. They're just getting back after a long time away. A lot has happened," he quietly explained. Finally Kensi walked in, looking tired and flustered.
"Kensi, hi! How are you?" Nell tried one more time with a big smile, hoping her only female cohort would be a bit cheerier.
"Hey Nell. Hey Eric," Kensi mumbled. "You're down here early. I need coffee, lots of coffee. Mornings suck."
"At least she seems somewhat normal," Eric whispered to Nell. Nell disappointedly shrugged her shoulders, but walked over to get her friend a cup of coffee. She set it on Kensi's desk and turned to take in the rest of the team. Each team member had politely nodded their head at the others in a form of greeting, but no one had said anything. As Eric and Nell ascended the stairs back to ops, each person below sat at their own desk, silently reading through a folder or scanning information on a computer screen. Every once in a while the sound of a pencil drumming on a desk could be heard, or the rustle of a candy wrapper, but otherwise the bullpen was eerily void of sound. There had been tough cases in the past, there had been hurt feelings and fights among partners before, but it had never been this uncomfortable. The last case they had worked together had changed everything, and not for the better it seemed.
After two hours, Kensi finally broke the silence. "I need more coffee. Anyone else want some?" she asked, looking at each of the men in turn. No one looked up at her, not even her partner. They just shook their heads "no" and continued their work. She grabbed her cup, drank the hot liquid quickly and walked up the stairs to ops. The doors slid open as she made her way inside.
"Hey guys. Do you have access to a file from 2001 by the name of Huperton? I need to check on something for the cold case I was assigned," she asked Nell and Eric, who were sitting quite close together at their desk. Nell's smile faded upon hearing her request. She was hoping Kensi was in a better mood and they could catch up and chat like they used to.
Eric typed away on his keyboard. "Uh, Kensi, portions of this file are classified for only the highest security clearance levels. I can't even open certain sections of it, without, um… you know… engaging in less-than-legal activity." He whispered the last part, afraid Hetty would hear him even thinking about doing such a thing. "I can send you the parts that you are cleared for, but the rest you will have to talk to Hetty about."
"Ok. Thanks Eric. At least you're not giving me the silent treatment." Kensi let out a big sigh.
"Why would we give you the silent treatment Kensi? What's up with everyone today?" Nell wondered with a frown. She knew something was off with the team but didn't know the extent of things.
"No one is talking to anyone down there. I even asked a simple question about coffee and all I got were heads shaking. I get that a lot has happened to all of us and there is a lot to be worked out yet. But this is just too weird to come back to," Kensi admitted. "This isn't our team." There was no use pretending with Nell, who seemed to know almost as much as Hetty, and if Nell knew something she probably shared it with Eric.
"Sorry Kensi. Maybe it's strange for everyone being back, the first day and all. They're afraid of being the only one feeling awkward and don't know what to say. You can stay up here with us if you want," Eric offered. He knew all about feeling awkward and not wanting to speak up.
Kensi thanked him but declined. All her files and paperwork were on her desk, and she needed to get back to it. Hetty hadn't cleared any of them for field work yet, so each agent had been assigned a stack of cold cases and follow-up reports to research. She sauntered back out of ops with her shoulders down and a melancholy look on her face. It concerned Nell; that was not the Kensi she knew. The Kensi she knew did not let things get her down like this, and she always walked tall with an air of confidence about her. She was tough-as-nails Bad-Ass Kensi Blye.
"Eric, this is killing me. They used to be such great friends and co-workers. Now no one is speaking to each other. They're acting like strangers down there. Kensi is walking around like a dejected puppy. I know what went down during that op – we saw and heard almost all of it – but our team is going to make it through this. Right? Everyone's going to be ok?" She looked at Eric, hoping he could give her the magic reassurance she was looking for. The truth was that no one knew for sure how this would all play out. All of her hundreds of IQ points didn't mean anything because she felt utterly and completely useless. That's what scared her the most. There was no algorithm or formula for this. There was no software or piece of technology that could magically make it better.
Eric stood up and grabbed Nell's hands to pull her up next to him. He knew Hetty kept cameras in ops, but this time he didn't care. He pulled Nell close to him and wrapped his arms completely around her. He gently kissed her forehead before resting his head atop hers. She gladly allowed herself to be cocooned by Eric. He had a way of making her feel safe. In the moment of silence that came, he felt like he should say something to reassure her. When the soft sobs started against his chest, he just held her a little tighter instead.
Day two back at the OSP…
Kensi was the first to notice him standing there. He hadn't said a word, and was trying his best to be quiet and observe before his presence was announced.
"Nate? Oh my gosh it's so great to see you!" Kensi gushed as she ran across the mission and gave him a big hug. Then she dropped her arms and took a step back, taking his tall frame in. "Wait, Hetty called you in, didn't she? This is an official visit," she concluded. Nate smiled and nodded his head.
"It's great to see you too, Kensi. How have you been?" he politely asked.
"Great. He saunters in here after being off in the Republic of None-of-Your-Damn-Business, doing only-Hetty-knows-what, and Kensi gushes all over him," Deeks angrily thought to himself. "I open myself up, kiss her with every emotion I have, and she runs away. Maybe there was more between shrink boy and Wonder Woman than I ever knew about…" He refused to even acknowledge Nate's presence. He knew why the guy had been called in.
"Nate, buddy, what brings you back to this forsaken place?" Callen asked with a smirk. He knew Nate being there could only mean one thing: mandatory sessions for everyone. He figured acting like he was still cool and ok would keep those sessions at bay for a while longer.
Sam tried to be polite in greeting Nate, as he extended his hand. "Welcome back man. Just don't expect too much." He knew Nate's arrival was not social or coincidence.
"Ah, Mr. Getz. I see you have arrived safe and sound. How was your flight?" Hetty asked, her hands folded in front of her.
"Good. Yeah, it was good. Thanks. Oh and thank you for finding me an apartment so soon, too. I really appreciate it," Nate replied to his once-again boss.
"You're very welcome. We are glad to have you back, although it would be preferable to have you here under different circumstances." She paused before continuing. "Your office upstairs has been prepped for your return, and I hope you find everything to your liking. I will give you a little time to settle in, and then we have some things to go over." Hetty patted Nate on his arm and then made her way back to her desk.
"Yes, Hetty. I will see you in a bit," Nate replied, slipping into employee mode right away. Turning back to the team, he said, "I'll see you guys later. Maybe lunch, or drinks tonight?" As he headed upstairs, he heard Kensi answer affirmatively but the rest of the men mumbled and scattered back to their work.
Nate walked into ops to say hello to Eric and Nell before going to his office. When he entered, he saw Eric standing behind Nell's chair, his arms wrapped around her with his hands resting on her keyboard. He seemed to be showing Nell something on the screen in front of them. Nate smiled to himself before clearing his throat.
"Hey guys. I'm back. Just wanted to say hi."
Eric quickly pulled his arms back and stepped away from Nell's chair. "Hi Nate."
Nell turned around and smiled at Nate. "Hey Nate! Welcome back! How does it feel to be in LA again?" she asked.
"It's good I guess. Haven't been here long. So how are you two? Anything more happen between you guys?" he casually asked them, waving his index finger between Eric and Nell.
Eric's face froze. "More? Ha – happen? Not sure what you're talking about Nate. Just up here typing away, checking this, hacking that…" Eric started to ramble until Nell elbowed him.
"Well last time I was up here, you made sure to let me know that you and Nell had kissed. I was just wondering how that had worked out for you," Nate clarified his question with a grin.
"Kiss? Oh yeah, the Christmas kiss," Nell said. "Um, things are happening I guess. Maybe? Nothing you need to know about though, because…" she continued nervously, glancing at Eric as she spoke.
"…because it's none of your business. I mean, if there were things happening – and I'm not saying if there is or isn't – it would be between Nell and I. Right? That's not something we would have to share with a psychologist, would we?" Eric spoke fast due to his nervousness. He knew Nate, had for many years, but Nate's role at OSP made Eric especially anxious. He hated psychologists and counselors of any kind. It suddenly dawned on him. "Oh god, Hetty knows, doesn't she? That's why you're here to see us isn't it? Nell, she knows. We tried to be so careful to keep it out of… Ow!" Eric yelled out. Nell had elbowed him in the ribs hard to shut him up.
"Eric, shut up," she whispered. "I don't think Nate knows anything about anything. He was just being polite. And you did tell him about our kiss last time." She looked at Nate and forced a smile on her face. "So you were just, uh, heading to your office you said?"
Nate nodded and turned to leave. "Yeah, I'm on my way now. Good to see you both!" He waved and walked out. As he walked down the hall, he chuckled to himself knowing he now had discussion topics for at least two of the people on his list.
I am leaving to go on vacation for a little while - camping in a tent with no wi-fi. I won't be able to update this story until some time after Aug. 12th. Forgive me? Please? There are several chapters in this story yet, so it's not over anytime soon. More to come, eventually.