One little joke steps over the line and some secrets are revealed.

PINT SIZED PRINCESS

Mission Armory

Callen rounded the corner into the armory, carrying a file. He scanned around and found Nell at one of the benches, typing away at her laptop as she rested her chin in one hand. Callen walked up to her.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." He said as he set the file down on the bench.

"You've found me now, Callen. What do you want?" She said, with no hint of friendliness.

"Ouch, Nell. To what do I owe your scorn?" He said, leaning against the bench. "Everything ok?" He asked, showing genuine concern.

She signed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you. I was hiding in here because I wanted to be left alone for a while." She said.

"Whats going on?" Callen said as he pulled up a stool and sat down.

"Eric made a joke that dug a little deep for me. He called me his 'Pint-Sized Princess'. He thought it was cute." Nell said, leaning her head on Callen's shoulder.

"And that is a problem for you?" He asked.

"I've always been sensitive about my height. Ever since I was a little girl everyone always overlooked me because of how short I am. That is why I fought so hard to get where I am. I studied my ass off in school, clawed my way into high level Intelligence. I was hoping people would look at me based on the work I do, not how tall I am" She said, sniffing a bit.

Callen wrapped an arm around her. "Don't sell yourself short, Nell" She looked at him like she was saying Really? to him. "No pun intended. You are a lot smarter and stronger that you give yourself credit for. And you are an important part of this team. Look at it this way. Who does Hetty trust to run this place when she is not here? Because it sure isn't me." Callen said.

Nell rubbed a tear out of her eye. "You are the only other person in this building that is allowed to give us orders besides Granger and Hetty. That just proves how important you are in the short time you have been here." Callen pulled her into a brotherly hug.

"And go easy on Eric. You and I both know he wouldn't knowingly hurt you. I bet you he feels just as bad." Callen said, patting her on the head. "Now, here is the file you needed." Called said as he slid the file across to her before turning and walking away.

"Thanks, Callen." She called after him.

"Anytime." He said without looking back

Mission Ops Center

Kensi walked into Ops and walked over to Eric standing at the table, scrolling through something on his tablet. "How is it going?" She asked. Eric didn't respond. She called again. "Eric?" Still nothing, She nudged him. "Eric!" She said, causing him to jump.

"Whoa, Geez, Kensi. Do you want to warn me before you give me a heart attack." Eric said, holding his hand over his heart.

"Wouldn't need to if you would have answered me the first time...or the second." She said.

"Sorry, just had a lot on my mind." Eric said.

"Everything ok?" She asked.

"I made a total ass out of myself to Nell. I made a joke and she got upset and ran off. I feel really bad about it but when I get up the courage to go find her and apologize I freeze up. I can't leave this room." Eric said.

"Everyone has their fights. That healthy in any relationship." Kensi said. She leaned up against the table next to him. "You just need to find her and tell her how you feel." She said.

"I feel awful. I'm scared I blew any chance I had with her." Eric said.

"Nell is a strong, tough girl. She can handle what you can throw at her." Kensi said, patting him on the shoulder.

Eric smiled and reported to Kensi what he found. Kensi left to go update the others while Eric went back to his computer. He hovered his hands over the keyboard to start typing but couldn't. He pulled his ear piece out, stood up, and walked out the door.

Mission Entrance Hallway

Eric rounded the corner and almost bowled Nell over as she walked out of the Burn room. He put the brakes on before crashing into her. "Whoa. Sorry" He said.

"No, it's OK. I wasn't watching where I was going" She said, looking at the ground. The both stood there in silence for a few seconds.

"Hey, I need to tell you something"

"Hey, I need to tell you something"

They both said in unison. They went back to awkward silence before she said. "You go first."

"Look, Nell. I'm really sorry I upset you. I feel terrible about what I said. I never wanted to hurt your feelings. And I hope you can forgive me." He said, trying to get everything in one breath so he wouldn't freeze up.

"It's OK, Eric. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. My height is something I'm really sensitive about but that doesn't give me an excuse to yell at you." She said, their eyes finally meeting.

"But, my dear Nell, your height is one thing I love about you." Eric said. Nell looked at him questioningly.

"You are the perfect size. When we are in bed together your body fits perfectly against mine. When we walk down a hallway I can wrap my arm around you without making it hard for us to walk, and when I hold you I can smell your hair and rest my chin on your head without crouching, causing us to pull apart." Eric said, pulling her into a hug against him.

"And when you hold me like this I can hear your heart beating. It is wondrous." She whispered.

"That, Nell, is why you are my Pint-Sized Princess. You are the perfect size for me." He said, leaning and kissing her gently.

"And you are the perfect size for me too, Eric" She said. "Now, lets get back to work." She said as they walked down the hall back to the bullpen.