It was all the little things. They had started to add up and now Nell Jones found herself hopelessly smitten. She hadn't seen it coming and for a woman who pride herself on analysing the world around her, the fact that this crept up on her was disconcerting.
She first noticed his eyes. They were a colour of blue she had never seen before, seemingly changing with his emotions. They would sparkle a bright light blue when he laughed or become dark like the ocean when he was angry or worried. His eyes spoke volumes and she learned quickly how to read them.
His smile captivated her. He was so serious a lot of the time, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, that when something entertained him his whole face would light up and she found herself wanting to find ways to bring that smile out.
Then it was his mind - his intelligence, fast thinking, ability to speak multiple languages and the way he could get a suspect to open up and tell him what he needed to know. She had always admired intelligent men who could keep up with her own fast mind.
She admired his physicality too, watching from ops on a daily basis as he chased down suspects, leap over fences or jump out of moving vehicles. As someone who never did any of those things she watched, wide eyed, the ease with which he did it and returned to ops like he'd just gone out for coffee.
She noticed his protective nature, the way he loved Hetty like a mother and did anything he had to, to protect her. How he looked out for each and every one of the team and made sure they were okay, having their back in the field or just when out for drinks making sure everyone got a safe ride home.
It came out of nowhere one day, she was just chatting with Kensi and Deeks in the bullpen when she saw him come over and she threw him a smile because he looked a little tired and serious after a tough case the day before. It was like a switch was flipped when he smiled back, his eyes lighting up and his body language relaxing, and her stomach flipped and her breath caught in her throat.
She scolded herself for not realising it sooner, then for falling for someone unattainable. She'd be stuck wishing for any bit of attention for him while he was oblivious to her. He was older, wiser, and out of her league. She'd seen the kinds of women he attracted and short geeky young redheads were not it.
So she held onto every conversation, every smile, every look he shared with her. It was all the little things.