Thanks for taking the time to look over my story.
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I have tried to keep characterisations right.
I hope you enjoy it.
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I do NOT own NCIS:Los Angeles or any of its Characters. I'm just borrowing them
Another day, another protection detail… "You ever wonder why you do this job?"
"We gonna do this again, G?. If you don't wanna be on bodyguard duty, then talk to Hetty, then you don't have to. No one's making you" Replied Sam
"I'm just saying. Nothing different happens. I mean we show up, get ignored by some 'little princess' and then blamed for the slightest thing that goes wrong, even when it's out with our control"
"You want something different, why don't you take a day off… chill out. Or take Michelle's friend up on the offer of a date"
"What and sit at home all day. No thanks. As for Michelle trying to set me up, I appreciate the thought, but that teacher that she's trying to set me up with give me the creeps. I mean she kept staring at me, when I was round at your 4th of july BBQ. I know I'm easy on the eyes and all, but it was like she was a preying mantis looking for her next meal"
"Joelle's harmless"
"Yeah, right up till she starts showing me voodoo dolls and the shrine she's built to me in her bedroom"
Sam burst into laughter
"So you're just waiting till some 'princess' we're protecting falls madly in love with you?" Sam asked once he finished laughing
"Stranger things have happened" Callen replied
"Not that I've ever seen, buddy"
….
The next week Callen and Sam were assigned to protect a DoD analyst on a trip overseas. This was one of Callen's favourite things about the job, getting paid to travel…
On the flight out of LAX Callen and Sam seated their protectee in the seat nearest the window to protect her from any passing 'bad guy'. Sam took the aisle seat while Callen sat in the middle seat between his partner and the young woman.
To be honest Callen had been wondering if they had collected the right person, because the analyst looked far too young to be such a high value asset.
"Do you like your job?" the young woman asked, distracting Callen from his thoughts
"Yeah, it's alright" Callen responded, not wanting to give too much away. He never liked to get too friendly with who he was protecting. It made it easier to do the job and be objective. Mind you, he had once said that about partners. He had tried not to be friends with Sam or Mike, simply showing up to do the job and be totally professional without striking up any friendship. But the two other men had worked hard to be friendly with him, leading to the three men becoming closer than family with each other.
"You don't really want to talk to me, do you?" the young woman asked, once again interrupting him from his thoughts
"I have no problem with talking to you. But we're instructed to be professional at all times"
"So, that means you can't talk to me, maybe help distract me from being sealed in this flying tube?"
"You're afraid of flying?" Callen asked, realising that her being tense wasn't due to the situation of being protected, it was due to her being scared
"I'm not crazy about it"
Callen turned and looked at his partner who was having a sleep, as they had both agreed. Callen would take the first 'shift', while Sam would take the second
"I'm G" he said, as he offered his hand out
The young woman smiled and took his hand "I'm Nell. What does the G stand for?"
"Not got a clue" Callen replied with a slight chuckle "No one ever told me. So why are you afraid of flying?"
"I know how a plane actually fly's, but part of me just thinks that she shouldn't be able to. That and I don't like the idea of being locked up for hours, unable to get out"
"Well, I can assure you that you, that you're perfectly safe. We're on planes sometimes daily… and we're still here"
For the first time since they collected her, Callen actually looked at her. Short… well shorter than himself, but taller than his boss. Auburn hair, hazel eyes, trim figure… perhaps best described as petite?. And from what he knew about her so far, she was obviously intelligent… the DoD wouldn't have bothered with her otherwise.
….
"… anyway, I caught Eric in bed with his friend, and I just couldn't forgive him for cheating on me. If he told me he was gay, or bi, or questioning, I would have been fine with it. But lying to me… I can't forgive anyone who lies and lies to me"
"Sounds like you've had a rough time of it. So why the DoD, why not some think tank?"
Before Nell could answer, Sam started waking up
"You feeling re-energised?" Callen asked, briefly turning his attention from Nell
"I Would be, if I could have a run, to wake myself up properly"
Callen reached up and pressed the 'Call' button, bringing one of the flight attendants over to them
"Can I have a coffee for my good friend here, and another mineral water for the young lady?" Callen asked, ever so slightly flirting with the blonde attendant
….
"So tell me about your partner"
"Not much to tell, Miss" Sam replied, quietly, so as not to wake Callen from his, highly probable, short sleep
"So tell me what there is to tell"
Sam looked the young woman over, almost analysing her before deciding how to respond.
"He's single, not easy to deal with, but very good at his job. He would literally take a bullet for you. After all, he took five for me" Sam replied, thinking back to the day that G had put his life on the line for Sam… not on an assignment, just on what should have been, a normal day.
….
It all happened so quickly… Sam hadn't even noticed the van… he had just been dangling the promise of attending a basketball game to wind Callen up. He was laughing, as they had both been doing throughout the afternoon, all Sam remembered was the sound of screeching tyres and a high revving engine in the distance.
Next thing Sam could remember was Callen shouting "Get down" and throwing the larger man to the ground… leaving Callen standing there as an easy target.
Callen had started making a move to duck for cover, but the shots had already been fired. Quickly piercing his chest, leaving blood escaping from the wounds as he fell backwards to the ground.
Sam quickly stood up after the shots had been fired, and the van passed them. He looked towards the speeding away van hoping to spy its license plate. When he realised it wasn't possible he looked to his partner, having not immediately realised Callen had taken any hits.
Callen was just laying there on the sidewalk, staring off into space, not responding and bleeding profusely.
Sam pulled his cell phone out and without a thought dialled 911, desperately requesting an ambulance.
He was on his knees shouting at Callen not to let go… not to go towards any damned light
….
"Are you serious?" Nell asked, not entirely believing it could have happened, and still for the man to be sitting next to her sleeping.
"Yeah. He was in intensive care for over 2 months, The doctors and nurses never really believed he would survive… but he did. He fought hard. I owe him… my Family owe him. If he hadn't of pushed me down, and taken those bullets for me, my kids would have grown up without their father"
"So he's a good guy?"
Sam didn't need to give so much as a seconds thought as to his response "The Very best, Miss Jones. The very best"
….
Having arrived in London, the group moved quickly to collect their hire car, and to move to their secure accommodation.
Having got to their suite, the pair of agents decided to stick with the same plan as during the flight. One of them would stay outside the suite on duty, while the other would sleep for 6 hours before relieving the first.
Callen volunteered to take the first shift, tucking his SIG inside his trousers, at the small of his back.
"Will he be okay out there, alone?" Nell asked, just after the door closed behind Callen
"He'll be fine, Miss Jones. It's what we're trained for"
….
The next morning Nell was readying herself for the first of her meetings in Europe.
But she felt like she wanted to make a special effort to look nice, for Agent Callen.
She knew it would sound ridiculous if she was to tell one of her friends or colleagues that she felt an attracted to the older special agent. There was just something about him that excited her. Was it that he carried a gun?, Was it that he had been shot trying to protect someone else?, or was it those piercing blue eyes?
She had put on her brightest top, skirt and cardigan, she had even put on a push up bra… (not that she even knew why she had packed it when she was only meant to be in official meetings during her trip), especially to impress him and try to attract his attention
….
While the meetings took place, Sam and Callen waited outside the doors, along with the other agents on body guard duties
"She was asking about you during the flight"
"So?"
"Come on, G. You're not blind. She's an attractive young woman…. No reason not to make a move"
"Yeah, Sam. There is reason… She's almost half my age"
"Age doesn't matter anymore"
"Sam… You know I always appreciate your interest in my life. But I'm perfectly capable of meeting women on my own"
"Sure, G. That's why you've not been on a date since you split up with Tracy" Sam replied, trying to point out that it was time for his partner to start dating again
"Why do I need to be in a relationship. Going to bars and meeting randoms, works for me. I do not need the drama of being in a relationship with some girl that wouldn't accept me the way I am… accept me for the things I've done."
….
A few days later the trio had moved onto Egypt.
Every day, Nell continued trying to impress Agent Callen. Whether it was in conversation about Russian tragedies, or the push up bra (that was seeing a lot of use).
Nothing seemed to work… she was starting to think she could stand in front of him in the nude, and he would still not pay any non professional attention to her.
They were walking from the car park to the hotel at the end of a long day, both Sam and Callen were being careful, watching all angles for threats, and still watching Nell.
The street that they were walking down was deserted (as most streets were at this time of night) when all of a sudden the sound of a quickly approaching vehicle drew their attention.
Sam reached for his service weapon, and knew that his partner already had a firm grip of his own. They both drew their weapon, but kept it concealed…
The approaching vehicle sped up, and Sam just caught a flash in the corner of his eye
"Get down" he instructed his partner as he raised his SIG
Callen grabbed Nell and threw her to the ground, throwing himself on top of her just in time to hear machine gun fire, not from the speeding car, but from one of the roof tops
….
"I'm telling you. There is no way Sam is going to be able to return to the detail. Not in time to follow through with Miss Jones' schedule in asia. You're either going to have to get another agent out here, or you let me continue on solo"
"[…]"
"Yeah, Hetty. Mike would do fine. But you know he's already on assignment with Sullivan and Macy!"
"[…]"
"Fair enough. I'm moving Miss Jones from the hospital to the Secondary location, Shortly"
"[…]"
….
"Will he be all right? "
"Yes, Miss Jones. He'll be fine. The bullets didn't hit any vital organs. He'll just be off the detail for the remainder of the trip"
"Maybe I should cut the rest of the trip. I mean do we even know if he was the target or if was I?"
"I'm perfectly capable of protecting you solo. However my boss is looking at getting another agent allocated"
"I'm not doubting your ability, G. But he's your friend… and what if those bullets were meant for me?"
"Nell… That's what we're here to do. I promise you… if we find out that you were the target, I'll be the first one to tell you to cancel the rest of your trip"
….
Nell had been trying to sleep for hours. The hotel that they have moved to was more than a little basic… but Callen had assured her that it was just as secure as the booked hotel. She kept thinking over what had happened… how she had nearly been shot. If it hadn't of been for G and Sam, god only knows what could have happened to her.
She got out of bed, thinking that maybe she needed an extra pillow to help her sleep but when she got to the cupboard she started thinking about G, and how much extra work he was having to take on now, for her protection.
She walked over to the door, wondering if she should open it and talk to him… After some internal debate, she decided she had to talk to him, and reached for the door handle, pulling it finding Callen standing there with his service weapon drawn
"Miss Jones? Is something wrong?"
"No… well.. Yes. I can't sleep"
Callen stood there, looking at Nell like he was struggling to understand what to say or do
"Could you maybe come inside?"
"That's not a great idea. What if someone were targeting you?. If I'm inside, it's less likely that I'd be able to protect you"
"Please… just till I fall asleep?"
….
'How have I been talked into this'… he though as he was laying down on the bed, with Nell cuddled up against him, while he was gripping his SIG.
'Don't get me wrong… she's a lovely young woman, that I would normally love to get to know, personally. But what sort of signal am I sending out by laying here with her?'
….
Nell slowly opened her eyes, Instantly aware that she wasn't alone in the bed.
Sure, she had talked him into laying down next to her, to help her get to sleep. But she honestly expected that he would disappear back into the hall once she was sound asleep.
That's not to say that she didn't like the feeling of him next to her… with one arm wrapped, protectively, while the other looked to have its hand gripping a gun tightly.
'He must have been more tired than he thought'
Nell slowly slipped out of his grip, and the bed. Gently lifting and then draping the quilt over his sleeping form.
'I would love to wake up like this every morning. Okay, ideally without the gun'
She looked over at him, wondering what sort of woman he normally went for… probably tall, curvy and blonde knowing her luck. He would probably never consider her as a romantic possibility…. Hell, maybe not even as a casual sex possibility.
There were very few times where she didn't feel good about her appearance… sure, she may not have been 'model' beautiful, but she was still beautiful in ex boyfriends opinions, and in her own… She had never struggled to find boyfriends… albeit they were normally computer geeks.
….
Callen slowly opened his eyes, woken by the bright light shining in the window
First he wondered where he was, before remembering the assignment that Sam and he had been on. But how could he let himself fall asleep… leave the DoD Analyst unprotected.
He quickly got up, immediately panicking when he couldn't immediately find Nell.
Just then the bathroom door opened and out strode the young woman, wrapped only in a towel.
"You looked like you needed that sleep"
"I shouldn't have let you unprotected" he replied
"You didn't. You were here and you obviously never let go of your gun. If there had been the slightest noise I would have woken you myself"
"That's not the point, Miss Jones. I'm here to do a job and I obviously failed at it"
"How did you fail at it?, Because you weren't standing outside in the cold, too tired to aim your weapon. I appreciate that you believe that you can protect me on your own.. but I can't entrust my safety to a man who is too tired to spot a credible threat?"
Callen took on board what Nell had said, but that didn't mean that he excused his blunder.
"Now go have a shower. I can't have you escorting me if you look like and smell like the walking dead" Nell ordered
Callen took a brief sniff at his clothes, and glance in the mirror. Damn her, she was right… he looked awful.
….
Nell was sitting at the far side of the motel room, waiting for Callen to emerge from the bathroom. She was looking forward to him realising that he had left his bag in the next to the rooms door, Which meant that Nell would have the opportunity to observe Special Agent G Callen in nothing but a towel. She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't excited at the prospect, since it was seeming unlikely that she would be able to seduce him into bed, or just into seeing him without any clothes on.
The bathroom door opened only enough that Nell could see Callen's eye in the gap
"Could you pass me my bag?"
This was it, Nell's chance. IF she was just able to follow through
"I'm afraid I can't see it" She replied, trying to sound as innocent as possible, as she watched the gap get wider until he was right there in all his glory.
Nell took in every detail as he quickly strode out, grabbed his bag and the retreated back into the bathroom.
She took note of his sculpted abs, the lack of hair on his chest and finally the scars confirming Sam's story. Holy cow, how could any man survive that, being shot 5 times through the chest. That's not to say that she was off put by the scars. She would gladly use his body as a jungle gym, scars or no scars.
….
After that the pair got on better than before. Callen would, against procedure, lay next to Nell until she would go to sleep. Then he would return to his sentry post outside the hotel room. Nell still took every opportunity she could at seeing him in as little as possible, even reversing roles and trying to get him to watch her in just a towel each morning, not that she'd admit to trying to attract his attention, not that he would admit to stealing glances.
Eventually they reached the end of Nell's trip, and boarded their plane home.
"You looking forward to getting home and back to a normal life, G?"
"This is a normal life for me, believe it or not"
Nell thought for a moment about what the seasoned agent had said
"So tomorrow you get assigned someone else to protect, and that's life?"
"Probably not tomorrow, but pretty much"
"Well can I just say thanks. I appreciate this can't have been an easy trip for you , what with what happened to Sam"
"All in all, it could have been a lot worse. You were less trouble than some people I've been assigned to"
"I'm flattered" Nell replied sarcastically. Gathering up what confidence she had, she started speaking before she knew what she was going to say "I don't suppose, since I won't be your assignment, you would … maybe… if you …" and she stopped, closed her eyes, and tried again "I Don't suppose you would like to go out and get a drink?... with me I mean"
Callen didn't immediately reply, instead deciding to carefully plan his response
"I'd love to, but it's not a good idea"
"Oh….." Callen could hear the disappointment in the young woman's voice
….
"Why'd you say that, why not just go have a drink with the girl?"
"And give her the wrong idea, or the right one. You didn't have to see her wrapped in just a towel"
"G, You say that like it was some terrible hardship" Sam replied
"If I had gone for a drink with her, it would have just ended up with a couple of nights of easy sex"
"Again… you say that like it would be some terrible hardship" Sam paused for a minute before continuing "You could have done a lot worse than to hook up with her, even if only for one tawdry night"
….
It was several weeks later, Callen had been meeting with a CI, on his way back to the car he spotted a man seeming to be following some woman. The man seemed to be suspiciously gripping something beneath his coat. Callen immediately went into Agent mode and began discreetly following the man (and the woman), watching out for anyone else associated with the creep.
Continuing to follow the man, lead Callen into a multi story car park. Eventually Callen got the urge that he recognised the man he was following… there was just something very familiar about his height and movements.
Before the man could get any closed to the woman, Callen moved up quickly, pressing the barrel of his SIG against the man's neck "Stop, raise your hands and drop your weapon" Callen instructed. For the first time drawing the attention of the woman…
Callen pulled out his handcuffs and cuffed the man to a nearby pipe. Turning his round, Callen got his first look at the man… He knew he recognised him, it was one of the other body guards from the meeting in Egypt. Even more of a shock was that the woman that had been being followed, turned out to be Nell Jones. Finally revealing that there had been a threat to her life, and that Sam hadn't been the target, not that ever truly made sense.
"G?"
"Miss Jones. Sorry to have bothered you. I just noticed this man following someone, obviously with a weapon and intention to do harm"
"Well that settles it. You have to let me take you for a drink now" She all but demanded
Callen pulled out his cell phone and dialled a number, letting the person at the other end know that he had made an arrest
Nell quickly reached into her bag and pulled out a card, which she thrust into Callens other hand
….
"Come on, G. Take her up on it" Sam urged
"What's all this?" Asked Mike as he walked into the break room
"Nothing" G replied, trying to shut down the conversation
"It's not nothing. That woman G and I were assigned to last month wants to take G for a drink"
"Why'd you not want to go for a drink with her? Is she a bit 'homely'?"
Callen responded, when he really wished, and realised that he would not have said a word "She is NOT homely"
"I'm not seeing the problem then, buddy" Mike retorted
….
Callen sat in the office, till long after almost everyone had left, deep in thought.
"Coming for a drink, G?"
"No thanks, Mace." He responded, having been shaken out of his thoughts
"Something on your mind?"
"Mike already told you hasn't he?"
"Well… Yeah. So What's the problem?" Lara replied, having nodded her head in response
"How about we start with the fact that she's a good deal younger than me?"
"Try again, G" she replied as she took a seat opposite him "You given any thought to the fact that you're questioning this, questioning her… maybe because you want to do something with her?"
"D'you know how much stick I would get from Mike for dating, or just sleeping with a younger woman?"
"Don't pretend like you don't already sleep with younger women. And I'm pretty sure the last time you told Renko about sleeping with one, he high fived you. So what's really the problem?"
Callen stared at Nell's card, thinking how to respond