It was all the little things. They had started to add up and now Special Agent G Callen had found himself hopelessly smitten. He hadn't seen it coming and for a man who prided himself on being aware of himself and his surroundings the fact that this crept up on him was disconcerting and he didn't know what to do.

At first it was her warm smile with her perfect pink lips when she greeted him, like she was genuinely glad to see him. He started to find himself looking forward to that smile every day.

Then it was her expressive hazel eyes, never afraid to meet his and show emotion be it excitement, joy, worry or fear. Catching her gaze and sharing a moment of silent communication became something he looked forward to.

When they talked more and spent more time together as Nell found her place in the team, it was her intellect and quick wit that captivated him. She was never short of a comeback, took teasing in her stride and she was never afraid to speak up, even in front of senior officers and especially when she knew she was right.

And her ability to find joy in simple things was refreshing. Like coming back to ops to find her wearing a party hat at a retirement party, or goofy dancing with Eric when they all went out to a bar, or making sure the office was decorated at Christmas.

Then there was her innocence. She was young, she hadn't lived her life lying about who she was, infiltrating terrorist cells or pretending to relate to killers. The more she joined the team in the field the more he worried about her. He shouldn't, she had proven herself capable on more than one ocassion but every time she stepped out of ops he wanted to protect her, do everything he could to keep her safe.

After no particular incident and for no particular reason he had come to the realisation that he had feelings for her. He had just walked into the bullpen one morning and saw her laughing as she talked with Deeks and Kensi. When she'd spotted him she flashed him that warm smile and locked onto his eyes with hers and his stomach flipped and his breath caught in his throat.

He scolded himself for not realising it sooner, then for falling for someone unattainable. He'd be stuck wishing for any little bit of attention from her while she was unaware and also involved with someone else. After all, her thing with Eric was no secret. He watched them flirt and share inside jokes, tried not to be jealous when Eric would hug her.

So he held onto each conversation, each look or smile she shared with him. It was all the little things.