The fire was under control now, but the air still reeked of it—acrid smoke, scorched rubber, that bitter tang of melted wiring. Sam stood beside Kensi and Deeks near the black Suburban, arms crossed over his chest, watching the scene unfold across the lot. Red and blue lights flashed in slow rhythm over everything—bouncing off shattered glass, water-slick pavement, and the scorched brick façade of the office building.

It was Callen and Nell who held his attention now.

She was sitting on the back bumper of an ambulance, wrapped in a silver thermal blanket, her face pale beneath streaks of soot and sweat. Even from here, Sam could see the tight grip she had on the flash drive. Like she thought someone might try to take it away from her.

Callen hadn't moved from her side since she'd been pulled out of that building. He wasn't hovering, but he wasn't exactly casual either. There was tension in his stance, the rigid way his arms were crossed, the sharpness in his jaw. Sam knew that look. It was the same one Callen got when someone he cared about had just scared the hell out of him.

He watched as Nell peeled the oxygen mask off and started talking—he couldn't make out the words from here, but it was easy to guess. Her expression was defiant, her voice raised just enough to carry over the ambient hum of emergency response. Then Callen answered her, voice low, sharp.

"Are they actually arguing?" Deeks asked, squinting like he wasn't sure what he was seeing.

Kensi tilted her head. "Looks like it. I've never seen them fight before. Ever."

Sam didn't say anything for a moment. He just watched. Watched Callen stand there like a statue while Nell gave him hell, gesturing with more force than Sam was used to seeing from her.

"He usually just shrugs and lets her do her thing," Sam finally muttered. "But not tonight."

Kensi's brows pulled together. "She was the one who stayed behind."

Sam nodded. "Against orders."

"That's why he's mad?" Deeks asked.

Sam exhaled slowly, eyes still fixed on his partner. "No. That's why he thinks he's mad. But that's not it."

He saw the flicker in Callen's expression when Nell stood up, saw the storm of something deeper rise in his friend's eyes—something that looked a hell of a lot like fear.

Then Nell said something that made Callen reach for her wrist—just gently—but it stopped her cold. And even from this distance, Sam saw her freeze. Then turn.

Whatever she expected to see on Callen's face, it wasn't what she got. Because suddenly all that fire in her seemed to simmer down, and Sam watched as the walls dropped on both sides. Just for a second. A quiet second.

"You scared me, Nell."

Sam didn't need to hear it. He knew Callen well enough to read it on his face. Knew that voice by the way his shoulders shifted slightly, by the way his whole posture softened. Callen didn't say things like that unless he meant them. And when he did? It wasn't tactical. It was personal.

Deeks shifted beside him. "Okay, this is... starting to feel like something we shouldn't be watching."

"Agreed," Kensi said, already turning away.

Sam nodded once. "Let's give them space."

They walked around to the other side of the Suburban, quiet now, letting Callen and Nell disappear behind the veil of flashing lights and falling silence.

But before Sam turned completely, he caught one last glimpse.

Callen pulled her in—just for a moment. An instinctive, protective hug. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, his hand at the back of her head. It was brief. But real.

Sam didn't need to see any more.

He turned away and followed his team to the SUV, trusting that whatever had just passed between them—anger, fear, loyalty, something more—Callen and Nell would work it out.

They always did.