The PenPal

Ok, so I've hit a snag with my Callen Kitten story, namely waiting for season three to arrive on DVD. This popped into my head the other day and, well here it is. It is a Nellen story.

Disclaimer: NCIS Los Angeles is the creation of fellow Australian, Shane Brennen and I lay no claim to them.

Callen was reading a letter he had received a few days ago and thinking about Hetty's gift to them all of two weeks off. They had had several very hard cases back to back and the time off would be good for them. Sam was already planning a trip to Disney World with his family, Kensi was going to take the time and spend it with her mother and Deeks, he actually didn't know what the blonde man had planned. Same with Eric and Nell.

"Hey Deeks, you ready?" Eric called out suddenly as he came down the stairs.

"Yep, just got to drop this on Hetty's desk." Deeks stood and headed toward their boss's desk.

"What have you two got planned?" Callen asked as he put the letter away in the drawer. He got up and headed over to make some coffee.

"We are going to the surfing championships on South Beach. Nothing but sand, surf and really hot babes in bikinis on boards for the next two weeks." Yelled a very happy Deeks, punching the air and high fiving Eric as they left. Callen chuckled as he sat back down. He finished a report and left it on Hetty's desk a couple of hours later. As he was leaving, thinking he was the only one left, he noticed the lights on upstairs. He headed up to find Nell with her head in her hands and sobbing quietly.

He liked Nell the moment she had started here. Over the years he noticed that she would stand a little closer to him than say Deeks, Sam, even Eric. She even helped him look up something on several occasions and the looks they threw each other during briefings and across the room when the others weren't looking had him hoping that maybe she had feelings for him.

"Nell?" he asked before he got any closer.

Her head snapped up and she spun in his direction. "Oh, Agent Callen, I thought everyone had left for their holidays." She wiped the tears from her eyes and brushed back her hair, knowing that Callen had seen her crying but hoped that she didn't look too bad.

"They have, I just needed to finish a report and my flight doesn't leave until the morning." He sat against the desk near the door and noticed that the computer where she was had a video link up that had been disconnected at the other end. "What happened?"

Nell sighed, paused for a second then said "My family came down with something really nasty, they're all in hospital. They didn't want me to come home in case I got it. I tried to tell them I didn't care that there're family, but they said even if they got better by next week, they wouldn't be up to doing anything." She started to sniffle and roughly brushed at her nose as she hung it, avoiding Callen's gaze. "I really miss them. I was looking forward to seeing them."

Callen thought for a moment then before he could chicken out he said, "Then come with me."

"What?" She brought her head up and looked at him.

"Come with me." He said again. "Unless you really want to spend two weeks here."

"Where?"

"Australia. I've got some friends there and they've been asking me to see them for years. And with Hetty's 'no phone just a number' detail, this is the first time I can go. And as much fun as it would be on my own, I'd enjoy it more if you came with me. At least I'd know that you're having fun and not stuck here wondering if you can go home." Callen realised that this was probably the longest conversation he had had with Nell, non-work related, in a while. He was a little worried that he had put her in a position where she had to say yes. "If you want." Then he thought of something that might entice her a little more. And show her that he trusted her and liked her more than a colleague. "Also, you might learn something that even Hetty doesn't know about me. At least, I'm pretty sure she doesn't" he tipped his head to the side and looked up at the ceiling as he thought about the chances of her knowing.

Nell looked at Callen. She was trying to understand him. They had been subtly flirting for years, and she had noticed that he would come to her if he had something he wanted checked. Even on team outings, they would sit next opposite each other. Hopefully the others thought that there was nothing going on, but for her it was an opportunity to look into those ocean blue eyes. She could swim in them forever. Now here he was, wanting her to come with him. Everything she knew about Callen told her that he didn't do things like this on a whim.

"And what would that be?" she looked at him, head tilted to one side.

Callen heard the curiosity in her voice and took it as a yes. He took a step forward, leaned closer and said "I'll pick you up at five am. Don't forget you swimwear." As he went to leave he called over his shoulder "Don't worry about dresses, my friends have you covered!"

Looking at Callen's retreating back, Nell sat back in shock. He thought that she had said yes. Well, she kind of had when she asked what was it that Hetty didn't know. She suddenly realised that Callen wanted, like her, to know what this was between them, if it was anything. And this would be the best time. No office, no Sam, Kensi, Deeks or Hetty to interrupt them. No cases to worry about. Now was the perfect time. Only thing was, she had to repack her whole suitcase. She had planned on a trip home, where it was snowing. Australia was just about to head into summer. She hurried out of the office, shutting everything down and locking up, noticing that Callen's car was gone.

Callen tried to call his friends in Australia to let them know that he was brining Nell, but he could only get a voicemail. He left one, not knowing if they'd get it. Then he laid down on his bedroll and tried to get a couple of hours rest. He wondered if Nell would be waiting for him in the morning. He wanted to see if there was anything between them and with the time Hetty had given them off, it seemed like a good idea. He had planned on asking her when Hetty had first announced it, but then he heard her tell Kensi that she was thrilled about the time off to see her family. Callen knew that she was close to her family so he hadn't asked. He rolled over and closed his eyes.

It took all night for Nell to repack her bag. Without knowing where Callen was taking her, which was exciting in its self, she wanted to cover all bases. He had told her not to worry about dresses, so she packed a couple of simple floral skirts and blouses. She had noticed that Callen looked at her a little more when she wore them, especially the dark green one when she wore it with the white top. Four o'clock chimed on the clock in the living room and Nell hurried to have a shower and brush her teeth. She paused at the door to her apartment and realised that as unconventional as it was, she was essentially going on a two week 'date' with Callen. She giggled at the thought, locked the door behind her and headed down the stairs.

Callen's taxi pulled up outside Nell's apartment block at five to five. He was a little anxious that Nell would come. She hadn't exactly said yes, he took her tone as her answer. As he was wondering if he should go up and see if she was coming, the door opened and she walked out, pulling a red wheeled suitcase. He got out and helped her to get it into the trunk of the taxi.

Nell saw a bright blue carryall in the trunk as Callen helped her put her bag in. Well actually he held the lid open as she put it in, helping her when it got stuck. That's what she liked about him. He could see how independent she was and only helped her when she couldn't do something. Like reach the top shelf where Deeks would put the cups in the office kitchen. She looked at Callen and asked "That yours?"

"Yeah, pretty sure that customs would throw my kit bag out if I used it. This was a birthday present this year from the friends we're going to see." As he closed the lid he paused for moment and looked at her "Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for inviting me."

The drive to the airport was uneventful. Once they had checked in; Callen making the reservation for Nell the night before, they headed toward the news stand.

Callen heard something like a stomach growling and looked toward Nell, noticing a blush creep up on her cheeks. "Nell?" yep, the blush got redder. "You hungry?"

"I'm good." Nell was trying to avoid looking at him, knowing full well that he had seen her cheeks. She turned away and went over to the counter to pay for a paperback to read on the flight. She could hear Callen coming up behind her.

"Did you have anything after lunch yesterday?" he reached over her to pay for her book and a couple of crossword books for himself.

"No, I had to repack my suitcase. Which took all night." She took the book that Callen held out to her and headed out of the shop.

"We still have a little over an hour til we have to board, I'll shout breakfast." And before she could protest, he steered her toward the food court.

"Really Callen, I'm ok. I'll just eat on the plane." She tried to stop, but Callen kept his hand in the small of her back and steered her in the direction. She didn't fight all that hard. She was hungry and his hand felt good on her back.

"Airplane food sucks, no matter the airline. Half way though, you'll thank me, trust me." He knew from first-hand experience what airline food was like. He always had a decent meal before embarking on a long flight, something Gibbs had instilled in him. Reaching the food court, he asked what she wanted.

"Pancakes." She hadn't had them in a while.

After they both had a pile of the soft fluffy cakes topped with whipped cream, maple syrup and in Nell's case, sprinkles, they found a table.

"Why sprinkles?" Callen watched as Nell tucked in to a pile of pancakes. He had had something before leaving to pick Nell up so his plate didn't have as many on it. Now he was fascinated at how a woman who probably weighed less than half his weight could put away so much. That and there were several sprinkles stuck to her cheeks, making it look like she had whiskers like a cat. He amended that to kitten. A very cute kitten.

"Huh?" Nell looked up from her plate at the man sitting opposite her.

"Why sprinkles?" He asked again, resisting the urge to brush them of her cheeks. Just. "You've got a few…" He wiped at his own cheeks.

Nell got the message and hurriedly brushed them off, feeling her cheeks heat up again. "Oh, my mom used to put them on when we were sick. She said they were her kisses because she couldn't kiss us." She dipped her head as she remembered they were sick and she wouldn't be able to see them.

"Cool!" He finished his plate, pretending not to notice the tears at the corners of her eyes. She really misses them. Being so far away and not being able to tell them what she was really doing had to be hard. He thought. He just had to make sure that she had a really good time while they were away.

They finished their meal in silence but as they got up to head to the gate, Callen thought about something. "Nell, did you tell your family that you wouldn't be in LA for the next fortnight?"

"Oh no, what if they've tried to call me? I turned my phone off when we got here." She hurriedly dug around her handbag, trying to find it.

"Nell, don't worry about it now, they've just called our flight."

"But what if they've tried to call, I have to …" she didn't get to finish the sentence as Callen's hands suddenly held her shoulders, stilling her movements.

"Nell, we can call them when we land. My friends won't mind waiting for a few minutes while you call your parents and let them know that you won't be alone for the next two weeks." He looked in her eyes and saw her calm down. He took his hands from her shoulders and placed one on her back, steering her toward the gate. It felt right there.

Nell calmed down when he placed his hands on her shoulders. She knew that she would be able to call them later, but hearing Callen say it meant that it would happen. When Callen said something, it was certain to happen. He had that way about him. She nodded and let Callen steer her toward the gate. His hand felt just right there. She hoped that he didn't feel the tingle that rang up her spine at the touch. Or maybe she hoped that he did.

The take-off was uneventful, although Callen noticed that Nell's knuckles were white until they had left the tarmac and the plane stopped shuddering. He placed his hand gently over hers, as though resting it on the armrest and he felt some of the tension leave her. "Don't like flying?" He was really worried that he had pushed her into something that she really didn't want to do. She had showed no signs that she was afraid of flying until now.

"No?!" her answer was a little fast and sounded like she was scared.

"Then why the knuckles?" He rubbed his thumb along the side of her hand, feeling more of the tension leave her as he did.

"I just don't like the take-offs." She sounded a little more relaxed as the plane headed toward cruising altitude, the bumpy part of the trip over until they landed. The only time the plane would land was when they landed in Australia.

"Any reason why?" Callen looked over at her and saw that her eyes were starting to droop and her head nod. She had mentioned that she had repacked her bag all night, which meant that she hadn't slept at all in over 36 hours.

"Going that fast in a car is never a good idea, and a plane is just a really large car until it gets in the air." She was out when the last word left her mouth, her head dropping to her chest.

Callen chuckled and tilted her back against the chair as the seatbelt sign switched off as they hit cruising height. He stood up and got their books from the locker above his head. He wouldn't sleep for a while, so he started on the crossword books he got, placing Nell's paperback in the pocket in front of her.

After a while he noticed a little movement from Nell as her head moved to the side, only for her subconscious to bring it back to the centre of the chair. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before her subconsciousness no longer caught her before she hit her head, he gently tipped her head onto his shoulder. She didn't quiet reach it, being shorter than him, so he slouched down in his seat until she snuggled against his neck. He could smell the fruity shampoo she used. After some time, he felt his own eyes start to droop and noticed that he could no longer see the words on the page he was working on. Giving it up as a lost cause and knowing that there were no bad guys trying to kill him for the moment, he let his mind take him where it wanted and gave in to sleep. He rested his head against Nell's and closed his eyes, hoping that he could get at least two hours of shut eye.

Hope you like this so far. Please review and I will get back to Callen and Barry soon.