The city was quiet, save for the distant hum of traffic and the occasional flicker of neon signs. Callen gripped the steering wheel, his jaw tight as he navigated the empty streets. The weight of the day pressed down on him—another mission gone wrong, too many lives lost. Agents. Civilians. Innocents who never should have been caught in the crossfire.
He exhaled, trying to push it back, but the images wouldn't fade. They never did.
Then, as he turned onto a side street, his headlights illuminated a lone figure walking along the sidewalk.
Nell.
Callen's frown deepened. She was miles from her apartment, wearing only the dress and cardigan she'd had on at the office, despite the winter chill in the night air. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself, not just for warmth but as if she were holding herself together. Her head was bowed, lost in thought, her steps slow and aimless.
Something was wrong.
Callen slowed the car and pulled over beside her, rolling down the window.
"Nell?"
She flinched slightly at the sound of his voice, blinking as if coming out of a trance. When she turned to look at him, her eyes were distant, hollow.
"Callen?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
He leaned toward the open window. "What are you doing out here?"
She hesitated, looking around as if she were only now realizing how far she had wandered. "I—" She shook her head, a faint, humorless laugh escaping her lips. "I don't know. I just... started walking."
Callen took in her appearance—her flushed skin from the cold, the way her fingers dug into her arms, how small she looked beneath the streetlights.
He pushed open the car door. "Come on. Get in."
Nell hesitated, glancing down the empty road, then back at him. She looked like she might refuse. But after a few seconds, she nodded and stepped forward.
She slid inside without a word, curling slightly in the seat after she shut the door.
xxx
The only sound between them was the soft hum of the engine and the distant murmur of the heater.
Nell sat curled in the passenger seat, staring out the window, her arms still wrapped around herself as if she were trying to disappear inside them. She didn't say anything. Didn't look at him.
Callen glanced at her briefly before shifting his focus back to the road. The silence was thick, but he didn't try to fill it. Some nights, there was nothing to say.
Instead, he reached into the backseat without a word, his fingers brushing against worn leather. He pulled his jacket free and held it out to her.
Nell blinked at it, then at him.
For a moment, she didn't move. Then, slowly, she reached out and took it, wrapping the thick fabric tightly around herself. The sleeves swallowed her hands, the jacket far too big, but she held it close anyway.
Still, she said nothing.
Callen didn't expect her to.
He just kept driving, the city stretching out ahead, both of them lost in thought—together.