Well here is the final chapter and I hope it satisfies everyone. It's been fun writing this and I'm thrilled with all the positive reviews readers have been so kind to leave me. Zoe :)

Having spent the afternoon relaxing at the beachside café with mojitos, Nell had convinced Kacey to go to a nearby restaurant for dinner, deciding if she was going to be drinking the rest of the night she would near some food in her stomach to soak it all up. Over dinner their conversation steered away from the topic of Nell and Callen and drifted into a multitude of others. Nell had only known Kacey a few months and didn't know all that much about her so was glad to have a chance to ask questions and find out more about her. And it proved a much needed distraction because for two hours, Nell didn't think once about Special Agent G Callen. But as soon as dinner was over, Kacey insisted on hitting new bar so they could continue their chat about Nell's potential romance.

The two women took the short walk to a nearby bar that Kacey insisted came highly recommended.

"My friend Lana I told you about, she comes here a lot. She says the cocktails are great." Kacey gushed as she ushered her through the door. Nell stepped inside and after taking her jacket off, took a quick glance around and that was when she saw him. The very man she had been thinking and talking about all day was sitting in a booth with Sam, several beer bottles set out before them. She quickly averted her gaze and turned to Kacey.

"I'm not so sure about this place." She told Kacey, her stomach twisting in knots.

"Why not, it's quiet for a Saturday night - we can get a table." Kacey shrugged. Nell turned around and looked over to where she had seen Callen. He wasn't looking in her direction but Sam was. She locked eyes with the agent and he flashed a knowing smile. Thoroughly embarrassed because with that look from Sam she realised that Callen had told him about what happened last night, Nell wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. She was nervous enough about talking to Callen again, let alone doing it with his partner and best friend right there.

"Oh." Kacey nodded when she followed Nell's gaze and saw what had her all twisted up, then rested a hand on Nell's shoulder. "Must be a sign." She grinned and grabbed Nell's hand, dragging her towards the two agents.

Callen focused on Sam, too nervous to look around. He barely had a handle on his own feelings and was not ready to see the source of them again.

"Did she see us?" he asked.

"Oh, she saw us." Sam laughed. "And by the looks of things, her friend has decided they're going to join us." Sam nudged Callen who finally turned back to see Nell being pulled towards him by Kacey.

"Ladies." Sam greeted the pair warmly as they approached.

"Hi, I'm Kacey." She stuck her hand out and shook Sam's hand.

"Sam." He responded.

"It's Callen, right?" Kacey turned to Callen and smiled. "Nice to see you again."

"Kacey." Callen nodded at her before letting his gaze flick over to Nell. He could tell she was uncomfortable and that made him uncomfortable.

"Hi Sam, Callen." Nell nodded shyly.

"Would you like to join us?" Sam asked. Nell looked pleadingly at Kacey but it went unnoticed, or deliberately ignored.

"We'd love to, right Nell?"

"Okay then." Sam slid out the booth. "Callen, what say you and I get the ladies some drinks." He urged. Callen merely nodded and slid out the booth to join him.

"What are you drinking?" Sam asked.

"Something fruity and heavy on the tequila." Kacey laughed.

"I'll have what she's having." Nell forced a smile onto her face even though she was a bundle of nerves.

"Pull yourself together G." Sam scolded his friend as they walked to the bar. "You're the best undercover agent NCIS, hell any federal agency, has, and you're losing it over there."

"We'll take two beers and two tequila sunrises." Callen told the bartender before turning to Sam. "You don't think I don't know that?" he sighed.

"So this is unexpected, but you two need to sort out what's going on, and what better time than now." Sam offered.

"Yeah, with you and Kacey for chaperones." Callen replied sarcastically.

"I can make myself scarce and if I'm right about her, Kacey will too." Sam smiled. "Somehow I don't think she and Nell have spent the afternoon talking hair and make-up." He glanced over at the booth where the two women were deep in conversation, leaning in towards each other over the table. Callen glanced back himself and as if she sensed him looking, Nell turned and locked eyes with him, a nervous smile tugging at her lips.

"Just don't be too obvious." Callen pleaded.

"I'm the king of subtlety." Sam boasted as he paid for the drinks and picked two up to take over. Callen grabbed the other two and the men made their way back to the booth. Sam took a seat next to Kacey leaving Callen to sit next to Nell, a deliberate move Callen would either thank him or hate him for later.

"So, what are you boys been up to tonight?" Kacey asked confidently.

"I was away for Callen's birthday last week so I've been buying his forgiveness with beer." Sam laughed.

"At least he had Nell for company on his big day." Kacey grinned.

"You never did tell me where you went to dinner." Sam said to Callen.

"Yamashiros." Callen and Nell answered at the same time, the coincidence finally breaking the strange tension between them. They smiled at each other and Nell let out a little laugh.

"Then I took him to Sprinkles Cupcakes, where Kacey works." Nell added.

"I hope you enjoyed that cupcake." Kacey said. "She went to a lot of trouble to get it for you."

"Best cupcake I ever had." Callen smiled warmly and leaned back in the booth stretching his arm out across the back of the cushion, his hand coming to a rest just behind Nell's neck.

"So you guys both work with Nell?" Kacey asked.

"We do." Sam nodded.

"At a TV Station, must be exciting."

"Nah, it's mostly paperwork." Callen replied, winking at Sam.

"Is that why you never talk about work?" Kacey asked Nell. "Here you had me thinking you had some glamorous job." She joked.

"It's definitely not glamorous." Nell smiled knowingly. "But it's rewarding."

"And you get to work with these two handsome gentlemen." Kacey laughed. "Maybe we should switch jobs – you can run the store and I'll go edit the news."

Kacey continued to make general conversation, asking questions and regaling them with tales of her life, but Nell suddenly became very distracted. Whether Callen knew he was doing it or not she didn't know, because he was animatedly involved in the conversation and not drawing any attention to it, but he had dropped his hand from the back of the cushion and his fingers were gently tracing circles on the back of her neck. His gentle touch sent shivers down her spine and she had a hard time concentrating on what was going on around her.

"Who needs another drink?" Callen asked. "Nell?" he turned to her, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Uh sure." She nodded as she sipped the last of her cocktail.

"I'll pass. I just remembered I never finished that report and you know how our boss likes her paperwork." Sam lied badly as he slid out the booth, eliciting an eyeroll from Callen at his lack of subtlety.

"I'll pass too. I just remembered…" Kacey started but paused. "Oh what the hell." Kacey sighed. "I just want to leave you two alone to figure this out." She gestured between Callen and Nell.

"Kacey!" Nell exclaimed in embarrassment while Callen just shook his head and laughed softly.

"Hey Sam, how about you walk a girl to get a cab." Kacey slipped her arm through Sam's. "Nell, I'll call you later." She added as she practically dragged the much larger man away leaving Callen still laughing and Nell looking decidedly horrified.

"She's quite something." Callen said when Sam and Kacey had left.

"All I'll say is it's never boring with her around." Nell nodded.

"So, another?" Callen indicated to her empty glass and Nell nodded. She had a feeling she was going to need a drink after what she was planning to do. Callen stopped the waitress and ordered their drinks before shifting in the seat to face her, his eyes searching her face, trying to understand what she was thinking.

"Callen, I like you…as more than a friend." Nell stated suddenly. "And I know you feel the same way about me." She held his gaze, determined not to shy away, and she was rewarded with a small smile tugging at his lips and his eyes brightening.

"Are you always this forward?" Callen chuckled, knowing he shouldn't be surprised by her but still finding he was. Here he was thinking of how to tell her and she just does it for him.

"Am I wrong?" Nell asked.

"No." he shook his head. "You're not wrong." He told her reached out and trailed his fingers softly down her cheek, eliciting a small gasp from Nell. She may have verbally made the first move but he wanted to show her he was right there with her.

Nell took a moment to gather her wits then met his gaze again, her heart racing as she saw how intensely he was looking at her.

"I know there's a chance that…" she trailed off as Callen leaned closer to her and cupped her cheek with his hand, his thumb stroking her skin, not taking his eyes off her for even a second. Nell cleared her throat, determined to get out what she wanted to say but finding it harder and harder to formulate thoughts under his gentle ministrations.

"I mean, we work together and…"

"Shhhh." Callen silenced her with a finger over her lips then closed the distance between them and placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips, his free hand finding its way to her other cheek to hold her head still. He pulled back after a few seconds, his lips hovering just millimetres from hers.

Though the brief kiss she had given Callen the night before had electrified her, she never imagined she could feel quite like she did now. Her whole body was alive, her heart was racing and she wanted nothing more than to keep kissing him. But he was teasing her, holding his lips just out of reach of hers. Impatiently, Nell slid her hands up behind his neck and tugged him closer. With a slight grin, Callen resumed the kiss, content that she wanted him to, and this time it was filled with more passion as she responded to him, parting her lips and moaning softly as he kissed her deeper.

When they finally parted, in need of air, Callen flashed Nell a lopsided smile as he lowered his hands.

"Now, what was it you were saying?" he asked.

Nell gazed at Callen, her eyes slightly hooded, lips swollen and a flush in her cheeks.

"It doesn't matter." She whispered to him as she leaned in for another kiss.

"No." Callen chuckled and pulled back. "I very rudely interrupted you when you were trying to talk to me." He saw her pout slightly as she continued to lean in and he felt a strange sense of pride that after just one good kiss she couldn't get enough. "So, what did you want to say?" he asked again.

"Shut up and kiss me."

There it is - and by way of an authors note, I decided not to go into the whole, 'how do the rest of the team find out' coz I've done it in other stories and this is a little bit different. Hope you're not too disappointed :)