Sam had seen his fair share of chaos over the years. He'd been in firefights, close calls, and life-or-death situations, and he'd watched his team go through hell and back. But today had been different. When the shots rang out, and the team moved in, everything had happened so fast. Nell had been at the back, covering the entrance. Sam had been positioned further to the left, scanning his surroundings as the gunfire erupted around them.
Then, it happened.
The enemy fell one by one, but amidst the chaos, Sam had heard a muffled thud, followed by the sound of heavy breathing on the radio. Callen had called out for Nell, his voice unusually sharp.
And then the silence that followed hit Sam harder than he'd anticipated. When Callen shouted her name, something in Sam's gut told him it wasn't good.
By the time Callen spotted Nell's boot peeking out from behind a stack of plastic-wrapped boxes, Sam was already moving to secure the fallen suspects. His eyes followed his partner's frantic movements as he bolted toward her, fear evident in the way Callen's pace quickened. Sam had seen that look on Callen before—when someone he considered family, was in danger.
The seconds dragged on as Sam kept his position, watching as Callen knelt by Nell's side. The scene played out in his mind a dozen times before it finally registered: Callen, the one who usually kept his cool in the face of danger, had a look of genuine panic etched on his face. He wasn't just worried. He was terrified.
Sam had been shot before, too. He knew what it felt like, knew the pain that came with a direct hit. He could only imagine how Nell felt now, lying there as Callen desperately tried to get her vest off, looking for any sign of life.
He heard Callen's voice, the desperation in it when he asked Nell if she could hear him. Sam's stomach twisted when Callen called her name again, louder this time, his voice breaking through the haze of the aftermath.
When Callen managed to get the vest off and confirmed Nell's chest had taken the brunt of the blow but it was caught by the Kevlar, Sam let out a quiet breath he hadn't realized he was holding. But that wasn't the moment that caught his attention.
It was when Callen leaned over her, the concern in his eyes palpable, and gently cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing across her skin. Sam watched as Nell slowly regained her bearings, the first sign of life coming from her in the form of a soft "ouch."
Callen and Nell—there was more to their relationship than just colleagues. There was something there, something he had been noticing, but now it was undeniable. The way Callen had checked her over, made sure she was okay, even to the point of pulling her into a hug to offer comfort—it was instinctual, and it wasn't just about the mission.
As Callen held her, Sam found himself standing still, observing. The way Callen gently helped Nell sit up, then brushed the hair from her face with that tender, almost absent touch—it was intimate.
Sam had always known Callen was a little closed off when it came to his personal life. He was the type to keep his cards close to his chest, never revealing too much. But this? This was different. Sam couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Callen care for anyone like that—not even Kensi or Deeks, who had become like family over the years.
As Sam stood there one eye on the downed suspects, he saw how Nell's bottom lip trembled as she wiped away her tears, how Callen, as if instinctively, moved to reassure her. "Nell Jones is never a mess," he'd said with a small smile, and in that moment, Sam had no doubt that there was something real—something that went beyond just friendship—between the two of them.
From the way Callen had been with her, Sam could tell that what was happening between them was far from a fleeting moment. It wasn't just about the mission, or even just a simple act of comforting a colleague. This was personal. This was something deeper.
As Nell composed herself and stood, looking as if she was ready to walk it off like any agent would, Sam saw her steel herself, the strong, determined woman who had been part of this team for so long. But that brief moment of vulnerability hadn't escaped him. He had seen Callen protect her in that moment, in a way that spoke volumes.
Sam let out a small chuckle, turning back to speak to the officers who had arrived, though his mind kept wandering back to the scene there in the warehouse. Callen and Nell. He'd always known there was a connection between them, but seeing it play out this way made everything clearer. They weren't just colleagues. They weren't just team members. They were something more. And Sam couldn't help but feel a little surprised by how evident it had become.
He glanced back over his shoulder, only to see the two of them standing side by side. They were back to business, but Sam knew better. Something had shifted between them, something that wasn't going away anytime soon.
As he turned back to the task at hand, Sam chuckled to himself. Maybe it was time to stop playing matchmaker for Callen. It seemed like he had finally found someone who mattered to him. And from the looks of it, Nell had found someone she could lean on, too.
That was a win in Sam's book.