It had been a long week, and Sam wasn't going to lie—he needed the beer in front of him. The whole team did. The bar was their usual spot, low lighting, familiar faces, good food, and cold drinks. No ops, no briefing tables, just laughter, music, and the occasional terrible karaoke performance from Deeks.
He was halfway through his second beer, watching Nell laugh at something Eric said, her whole body moving with the kind of joy that came from letting go of a stressful week. She'd been dancing earlier with Kensi, Eric, and even tried dragging Deeks out for a round of what could only be described as organized flailing. Sam chuckled to himself—it was ridiculous, but kind of infectious.
He saw her step away from the group, weaving toward the bar to grab another drink. Then, it all flipped.
A shove. A loud curse. The unmistakable sound of glass shattering.
Sam straightened in his chair just as a full-blown bar fight broke out. It came fast, like a wave crashing through the front half of the bar. People were yelling, pushing, trying to get clear.
Sam's eyes immediately found Callen, who had already launched from his seat and was pushing through the chaos.
But Sam's attention was on Nell.
She'd barely made it five steps from the table when someone barreled into her from behind. Sam saw her stumble, arms flailing, her empty glass flying from her hand and crashing to the ground. She didn't fall—until another person slammed into her, sending her to the floor hard.
She went down hands-first, her hair falling in front of her face, the lights from the bar glinting off broken glass around her.
"Nell!"
Callen's voice cut through everything, sharper than any noise in the room. Sam saw him fight through the crowd, his eyes scanning in every direction until he spotted her on the floor.
Sam started moving too, just in case, but he slowed as he saw Callen reach her. He crouched low, grabbing her arms to steady her, shielding her without hesitation as a drunken patron staggered dangerously close.
"You okay?" Callen's voice was low, urgent.
"I—yeah, I just—"
She didn't finish. Someone jostled Callen from behind.
Sam saw it—how fast Callen shifted, putting his body between Nell and the chaos like it was second nature. He told her to stay behind him, and she didn't argue—just gripped the back of his shirt as he led her out of the mess.
Sam watched them make it halfway to safety before a large drunk guy stepped into their path, swaying with bad intentions written all over him.
"Where d'you think you're going?" the man slurred, eyes narrowing on Nell.
Callen didn't say much. He didn't need to.
One solid punch and the guy went down, out of their way.
Sam met them as they reached the edge of the chaos. He was already helping Kensi and Deeks settle things with the bouncers, most of the fight breaking up now. But Callen didn't even notice the rest of them.
All he could see was Nell.
"You sure you're okay?" he asked, hands still gently holding her arms as he looked her over.
"I'm fine," she replied, though Sam could see her scraped palms as she flexed her fingers and winced.
Callen reached for one of her hands, turning it over to inspect it, thumb brushing lightly over the raw skin.
"You scared me for a second," Callen said, voice lower now.
That made Sam pause.
He didn't hear things like that from Callen often. Hell, ever.
Nell looked a little stunned by it too. But she smiled softly and replied, "You got to me pretty fast."
"Had to," Callen said simply. "You were about to get trampled."
Sam, standing just a few feet away now, caught the moment—the subtle way Callen was still holding her hand, even after confirming she was alright.
"You good, Nell?" Sam asked, voice casual, but his eyes on the pair.
"I'm fine," she said, not even glancing away from Callen.
Kensi threw in a smirk. "Well, if I ever get caught in a bar fight, I know who I'm hiding behind."
Deeks laughed. "Yeah, Callen almost sent that guy into next week."
Callen finally let go of her hand, but he didn't move far.
Sam didn't miss the way Callen glanced at her again before asking, "You good to stick around?"
She hesitated, just for a beat, then nodded. "Yeah. I could use that drink now."
Callen gave a quiet chuckle, something almost fond, and said, "Alright. But you're not wandering off alone again."
She didn't argue.
She followed him back toward the table, brushing her shoulder lightly against his as they walked.
Sam watched them go, then looked over at Kensi and Deeks.
They all had the same look on their faces—something between amused and intrigued.
Sam took another swig of his beer and leaned back in his chair. Maybe he wasnt the only one noticing.