She put on a mask of strength, but when it came to him the mask crumbled

SPARE KEY

Mission Ops

Eric paced around Ops, borderline frantic because Nell had just been involved in a hostage situation and he was worried about her. She was currently getting checked out at the hospital and talking with Nate, who by a stroke of perfect timing, was in town. Eric felt a little more at ease when he found out that Nate was here. He knew Nell and Nate went back, how far or why, he didn't know, but he knew Nate would help.

The door opened and they walked in. Nell had a bandage over her right eyebrow and her wrist in a brace. Eric almost shot across the room to her but he picked up on her body language that she was still high strung so he slowly made his way over to her. Her face was downcast as he looked at Nate, who gave a nod and a pat to Nell's shoulder. He then turned and left, leaving the two of them in Ops

"Hey." He said in a low voice.

"Hi." She responded in almost a whisper.

"Are you Ok?" He asked, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine." She said.

"Are you sure?" He said, brushing his thumb against her.

"I'm fine." She repeated in an almost robotic like voice.

"Ok. I'm glad you're safe." He said. He went to draw her into a hug but her body went rigid and she pushed away from him. Nell tried to find something to stay to him but she couldn't. Eric, taking slightly aback by her reaction decided to give her some space, as it was obvious that she needed it.

"Sorry." He said, turning to his work.

"Me too." She said in a low voice again as they started working.

Later that evening

They started to shut everything down for the night as Eric loaded up his bag.

"Are you going to be ok, tonight?" Eric asked her as she shut down her computer.

She silently nodded to him before turning toward him.

"Can…can I have that hug now?" She asked.

Eric slowly wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head against him.

"Call me if you need anything." He whispered to her.

"I will." She responded.

They split apart as Eric slung his bag. "I'll walk you to your car." He said. She nodded her thanks as they left. He walked her to her car and watched as she drove off. He turned and walked to his car, fishing his keys out as he did. But as he fiddled in his pocket he noticed something that wasn't there previous. Finishing it out he opened his hand to find another Key. For a moment he tried to rack his brain, thinking what the key is for but then it dawns on him.

Nell, this is her key. She slipped it to him

He stood, leaning against his car, staring at the key. She obviously gave this to him for a reason. What that reason was on the other hand was a total mystery. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Thankfully the person on the other end picked up.

"Hello?"

"Nate, its Eric. Can I talk to you for a second?" Eric asked him.

"Yea. What's on your mind?" Nate asked him.

"It's about Nell. I'm worried about her."

"Not suprising really. I know the two of you are close." Nate said. "But you are right to be worried about her. She is really shook up about today and how close she came to death. She is going to need support over the next few days and I think she wants that person to be you." Nate said.

Eric looked at the key. Doc, you have no idea. "What should I do?" He asked.

"Don't smother her, but be available when she needs you. Be her strength when she needs you to be." Nate replied.

"Ok, Thanks Nate." Eric said.

"Call me if you need anything. I'll be in LA for a few weeks." Nate said.

"Sounds good. Night, Doc." Eric said.

"Night, Eric." Then the line hung up.

Eric looked at the key again before climbing into his car and driving off.

Nell's Apartment

Eric drove into the parking lot and turned his car off. Grabbing his bag he climbed out and entered the building. Taking the elevator to the 4th floor he found Nell's apartment. He knocked gently and after a few moments with no response he used the key to unlock the door. Opening it slowly he discovered she didn't chain it, further proof that she was waiting for him.

He closed the door, locked it, and set his stuff down. Seeing a light coming from her room he slowly made his way over and saw she was asleep.

Nervous as hell he moved quietly to the other side of the bed and climbed on, gently wrapping an arm around her.

"Took you long enough." She said in a low voice.

Eric jumped slightly but then relaxed. "I got your message loud and clear, just needed to figure some things out first." He said.

She turned around, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling her against him. He softly ran his hand up and down her back.

"Are you Ok?" He asked her.

"I'm fine." She repeated.

"You don't have to be fine. It's perfectly ok to not be fine." He said.

"I…I….I'm not fine." She finally said as her body started to shudder.

"Shhh. It's ok, Nell. You are safe. Just let it out. Let me be your strength." He whispered to her, softly stroking her head. Her muffled sobs turned into full fledged cries as Eric just held on to her, trying to envelop her in his warmth.

After a while her sobs finally leveled out and her breathing returned to normal. She pulled her face away from his chest.

"I'm sorry." She said, sniffing.

"Don't be. You have every right to feel the way you do." He said as he reached over and grabbed a couple of tissues from a box she had left during her last cold.

She wiped her tears, blew her nose, and tossed the tissues in the can by her bed. She laid back down, her arms still around him but now had a little space between them.

"Better?" He asked, his hand on her hip and his thumb brushing her side.

She nodded, sleepily. "I'm getting there."

They laid there for a time before Nell yawned.

"You should get some sleep. You've had a rough day." Eric said, he went to pull his arm from under hers when she clamped down.

"Can you stay, please?" She asked, the vulnerability in her voice evident as it was in her eyes.

Eric felt a sense of nervousness well up before he shoved it aside. "Let me go get changed." He said as she let his arm go. He rolled off the bed and grabbed his bag. He walked into the bathroom and quickly changed into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. He brushed his teeth real quick and packed everything away. Coming back out he pulled the covers back enough to climb into bed, pulling them back up over both of them. Nell had rolled back onto her other side and when she felt the bed dip she leaned back against him. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist and ran the other under her pillow.

"Good Night, Nell." He whispered to her.

"Good night, Eric." She whispered back. Pulling his hand off her waist she brought it to her face and kissed it gently. He leaned in, placing a kiss on her shoulder before laying his head down on the pillow.

Slowly he heard her breathing change. Figuring she was finally asleep he let himself slowly enveloped by the darkness himself.

Next morning

Nell stirred a bit before opening her eyes. She looked at the clock and saw it was around 7 am. She flipped over but she found the other side of the bed empty. Throwing the blankets off, she climbed out of bed and walked into her living room. The smell of coffee permeated the air as she walked into her kitchen. Finding the coffee pot full there was a note on the table.

Sorry to duck and run but I needed to run home before work and I didn't want to wake you. I got breakfast for you when you get to work. See you soon, Rockstar

Eric

She smiled as she took a drink of her coffee. She then noticed taped to the note was a key. But she quickly determined it wasn't hers, it was his. Finishing her coffee she showered and got ready to go back to work. Picking up the note she took the key off, folded the note and slipped it into her bag then adding the key to her ring.

Eric's apartment, two days later

Eric had turned in for the night after a few online rounds with some friends. He was just starting to doze off when he heard his door unlock and open. A small smile on his face grew as his bedroom door opened and she slid in. Feeling the bed dip under her weight she curled up against him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Couldn't sleep?" He whispered.

She shook her head against his shoulder.

"Not without you." She whispered back, kissing his cheek gently.

He wrapped his arm around her, gently taking her hand in his as they both felt the tension in their bodies flow away and they finally relaxed, falling asleep quickly in each other's arms.

TALES FROM THE MISSION JUST BROKE 100K VIEWS!

Thank you all so much for your continued reading. I apologize for the lack of updates. I said I was going to take a Haitus for NaNoWriMo but unfortunately that had to be put on the back burner due to a family emergency I had to deal with. My grandmother, Margie, passed away a few weeks ago after a 5 year battle with cancer so I had to fly to Seattle to see her before she passed away. That and the following situation have unfortunately really curtailed my writing talents but I do have a couple episodes in the works. I will get them out as soon as possible. Thank you all for your understanding.