The room was a swirl of motion—racks of eveningwear, open go-bags, and the focused energy that came with prepping for an op. Kensi stood near the mirror in a sleek black gown, twisting slightly to check the back while Nell helped zip her up.

"Stop squirming," Nell said with a smile, carefully working the zipper. "It's not going to break unless you start doing roundhouse kicks in it."

Kensi grinned. "No promises."

Nell laughed softly, stepping back to adjust a loose thread on the shoulder. "Honestly, you look like you belong on a spy movie poster. All mysterious and deadly."

"Just doing my part for national security," Kensi quipped, brushing her hair off her neck.

Nell nodded, satisfied. "Alright, you're good to go."

Just then, the door opened.

Nell turned—and froze.

Callen walked in, dressed in Navy dress whites, his cover tucked under one arm. His expression was relaxed, the hint of a smirk already in place as his eyes took in the room.

But when his gaze landed on her, something shifted behind it. Brief. Barely there.

Still, Nell felt it. Or maybe she imagined it. Either way, her breath hitched and her pulse skipped, quick and inconvenient.

He looked like he'd walked straight out of a navy recruitment ad—flawless uniform, calm authority, and that maddening ease he always carried. But tonight? It felt different.

He had to stop doing this to her.

These ops, these aliases—they weren't real. Just uniforms, roles to play. But the way he made her feel when he walked into a room looking like that? That was starting to feel dangerously real.

Nell cleared her throat, forcing herself to speak.

"You, uh… you clean up nicely, Callen."

Callen gave a small grin, easy and unreadable. "Thanks. Shame you're staying behind and don't get to have fun dressing up too."

Nell smirked, trying to play it cool. "Someone's gotta babysit the feeds and make sure you two don't walk into a trap."

Kensi turned toward them with a teasing smile. "You sure you don't want to swap? You'd rock this dress way better than me."

Nell shot her a look. "Nice try."

Callen just gave a subtle shrug, still watching Nell. "We'll try not to cause too much trouble."

"You always say that," she said, crossing her arms lightly. "And then you do the opposite."

His smirk deepened just a touch. "Some habits are hard to break."

Nell held his gaze for a beat longer than necessary, then dropped her eyes to the comms gear on the table.

"Go save the world, Agent Callen," she said quietly, offering him an earpiece.

He took it from her, fingers brushing hers briefly—barely more than a second. But enough.

"Keep the line open," he said.

"Always."

He gave her one last glance, then turned and walked out, Kensi following behind him with a knowing smile.

The door swung shut. Nell stood in the quiet that followed, her chest just a little too tight.

Just because she wasn't going undercover tonight, didn't mean she wasn't in deep.