A/N: I have been studiously ignoring the hype of the upcoming Neric kiss this week, and this is my little Nallen rebuttal. Hope you enjoy!

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful..."

The song on the radio provided a stark contrast to the beautiful California sunshine out the window. Nell Jones pulled into the parking lot of the condemned old mission where the Office of Special Projects was housed and felt a wave of sadness pass over her as she observed the empty lot.

It was Christmas Eve, and she was at work. Alone.

Of course, she would have been with her family by now if it hadn't been for an unexpected winter storm - the worst to hit the Midwest in years. The weather had been so bad that all the airports had been closed for days, leaving her with no hope of getting home for the holidays. So, rather than sit home and feel sorry for herself, she decided to come into the office and keep herself busy catching up on paperwork.

She made her way up to Ops, noting how quiet the bullpen was without the usual chatter of the agents. It was a rare treat that Hetty had given them the holiday off, and everyone had quickly gone their separate ways before she could change her mind. Kensi had made plans to spend Christmas with her mother, and if Nell had to bet, she would wager that Deeks had somehow wrangled an invitation, as well. Sam, his wife and the kids had gone to New York to visit his side of the family. Eric was off to Hawaii with some surfing buddies, and Callen- well, no one really knew what he had planned.

Nell sighed as she continued up the stairs, turning on the lights and her computer. She took time to tune in a Pandora station playing the most depressing Christmas songs she could find to match her mood, then started in on a pile of research. She had so looked forward to seeing her family. Her sister would be home with her new baby, whom Nell had never seen in person. All her aunts and uncles were coming, too. Nell knew she could reschedule the visit after the new year, but this was the only time everyone in her family would be around at the same time. Except her.

She had just really immersed herself in a file when she heard a noise downstairs. Fully aware that nobody else should be in the building today, she began to panic. She took a deep breath and grabbed her service weapon from her drawer, checking to make sure it was loaded, and began moving toward the doors to Ops, flicking the safety off as she went.

"Nell? Are you here?" a familiar voice preceded the footsteps on the stairs. She immediately relaxed and put the safety back on her Sig as the Senior Agent in Charge appeared in the doorway.

"Holy cow, Callen, you scared me to death!" she scolded as she sat back down at her computer. "What are you doing here? Didn't you get the memo about us having Christmas off?"

"I could ask you the same thing," the agent smirked.

Nell sighed as she flopped back into her chair. "Storm shut down the airport. I couldn't get home so I decided to try to get some work done. You know, drown my sorrows in reports. What's your excuse?"

"I'm not much of a Christmas person... no family and all," he shrugged.

The analyst blushed. "Sorry, Callen. I didn't mean..."

He smiled as he sat next to her and touched her arm gently. "It's okay, Nell. I'm sorry your plans fell through. "

She gave him a wan smile. "Me too. It's funny, I wasn't even this sad the first year I worked here and couldn't go home."

Callen chuckled. "I remember that year. The cookie guns, and the Christmas sweater, and you Skyping with your parents. You really knew how to make a first impression on your co-workers."

Nell playfully punched his arm. "Mr. Callen, you wound me! No, actually that year wasn't so bad. I guess since I knew from the beginning I couldn't go home, it wasn't as painful as having to change plans at the last minute. Oh well. Guess they'll have to drink egg nog and watch "It's a Wonderful Life" without me this year," she continued wistfully.

Callen gave her a small smile and they sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. Finally, Callen excused himself and went down to the bullpen to start on his own paperwork. But his mind kept drifting back to the petite redhead upstairs.

Something in her sad eyes had triggered an unexpected response in the agent. He had never seen Nell as someone who needed to be taken care of, but suddenly he found himself feeling very protective of her. And maybe, if he dug a little deeper, he realized that he had always felt a little protective of her. He had tried to prevent her from going out into the field once, not because he saw her as incapable, but because she was, well, Nell. And now, seeing her so despondent and un-Nell-like nearly broke his heart. He wracked his brain trying to think of some way to make her feel better, but kept coming up blank.

He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed the late hour until she slipped down the steps from Ops, purse and jacket in hand.

"I think I'm done for the day," she said hesitantly. "You staying?"

The agent tilted his head slightly and studied her for a moment. "I've never seen 'It's a Wonderful Life'."

Nell was momentarily taken aback. She had been so focused on her own misery that she never considered that the Senior Agent might be lonely, too. She felt both guilt and a sudden kinship with the man who was essentially her boss. Impulsively, she sat down in Kensi's seat beside him and touched his arm. "Wanna come over and watch with me?"

Her smile was open and inviting, and he found himself gazing deep into her hazel eyes. An unfamiliar warmth spread through his veins, knocking the usually suave agent off-kilter for a moment. Finally, he shook it off, smirked, and said, "I'll bring the eggnog. But I draw the line at wearing a tacky Christmas sweater."

Nell went home, hurriedly straightening up her place and changing clothes. She realized when she checked herself in the mirror for the third time that she was really nervous. She and Callen were co-workers, but had never really interacted much on a personal level. But Nell could swear that for a moment back at the office, he looked at her the way a man looks at a woman he's attracted to, not a look shared by two co-workers. She knew she shouldn't let herself go down that road, but the more she considered it, the more certain she was that she could easily get lost in those blue eyes.

Shaking off the odd feeling, she ran to answer the doorbell. Much to her surprise, there stood the man himself, wearing a Santa hat, laden with bags of Chinese takeout.

"Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra..." he sang as he placed the bags on her kitchen counter.

Nell burst out laughing in spite of herself. "Well, we know you've seen at least one Christmas movie in your life."

"Yep, 'A Christmas Story' - now there's a classic," he quipped. "You know, I always wanted one of those leg lamps."

The two filled their plates and sat down in the living room to eat. Although they had never really spent much time alone, each found themselves relaxed and comfortable in the other's presence. There were a few times when Callen glanced up and caught Nell watching him curiously. Finally, he called her on it.

"It's not polite to stare, Miss Jones."

Nell blushed. "Sorry, I just...you're really different outside work."

The blue eyed agent raised an eyebrow. "In what way?"

"Well," she began nervously. "You have a really great sense of humor. I guess I just see the serious super spy side of G. Callen, but you're actually pretty cool when you aren't chasing down bad guys," she concluded with with a smirk.

"Thanks," Callen replied with a smirk of his own. "And you aren't so bad yourself. Who knew you could carry on a conversation without using technical jargon that's over my head?"

The redhead winced. "Sorry...I don't mean to," she said with a frown.

"Don't apologize," Callen told her, focusing on the tv. "It's actually kind of hot."

Nell's head whirled quickly toward the man, but he was intently watching the movie. Had G. Callen just called her hot? Surely she misheard. Hmmm.

Callen himself couldn't believe he had said that aloud. It took all his training to keep his features neutral and not look at Nell to see if his comments totally freaked her out. Subconsciously, he knew he had always had a thing for smart girls, and Nell was not only smart, but attractive. And he was enjoying their evening together far more than he had anticipated. Hmmm.

He felt the sudden need to clear his head and break the tension he had created, so he went back into the kitchen and poured two glasses of eggnog.

When he returned, Nell seemed to have relaxed and was enjoying the movie. He sat down and took a big gulp of the cold, frothy drink, and nearly spat it back in his glass.

"Eeww...so this is what eggnog tastes like?"

One taste of hers, and Nell also made a face. She held up a finger. "This is NOT eggnog."

She rose and went back into the kitchen, returning with a bottle of Maker's Mark. After pouring a big glug into both glasses and stirring with her index finger, she sipped again and smacked her lips. "Aaahhh...now that, my friend, is what eggnog is supposed to taste like."

Callen laughed at the petite analyst, and fleetingly thought that Leroy Jethro Gibbs would be proud of him for drinking bourbon with a cute redhead on Christmas Eve. They settled back into their seats and watched the movie. By the end, Nell's head was on Callen's shoulder, his feet were on the coffee table, and the spiked eggnog was gone.

They talked for a while under the glow of the Christmas lights, never shifting their positions. Maybe it was the warmth from the bourbon, but Callen opened up to Nell, telling her about Christmases with foster families past. She clung tightly to him when he shared a sad moment, and rubbed his arm when he revealed happier memories. Nell, in turn, told Callen all about her family and their Christmas traditions. Their life experiences were so different, and yet, tonight, they felt connected like they never had.

The mantel clock suddenly struck midnight. Callen turned his head slightly and whispered, "Merry Christmas, Nell." Their eyes locked for a split second before he leaned down and kissed her softly.

She rested her forehead against his and replied, "Merry Christmas, G."