Home for the Holidays

Summary: What happened between Nell and Eric when they went home for the holidays? Neric oneshot, complete.

Author's Note: Takes place sometime around 6x12. Sorry it's a little late for the holidays, but I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS LA or any of its characters.

"Do you mind if I drop you at Eric's when we pick up Deeks?" Kensi checked while they waited at a red light.

"No problem," Nell agreed. She ignored the smirk she could sense on Talia's face. The three federal agents had decided to go out for drinks after work one night once they returned from their holiday vacations. They had spent their night out swapping stories about work, and then about family, eventually eliciting stories from Nell about her week away with Eric. Despite being told otherwise numerous times, Talia and Kensi had decided that Eric's cover had become something beyond that.

A few turns later, Kensi pulled up in front of Eric's building. Even after a few beers, Nell could tell that Kensi really drove as poorly as the boys always teased, and she was relieved when she could step back out on solid ground. Kensi and Talia, giggling uncharacteristically, waited in the car while Nell let herself in the building. She walked up the stairs to Eric's apartment, where she knocked on the door repeatedly.

"Deeks, Eric!" she called. The door flew open to reveal Eric, who had already changed into his famous polar bear pajamas. Behind him, Deeks held a slice of pizza in one hand and a half-eaten crust in the other. Nell took a moment to assess the scene in front of her before she spoke again. "Kensi and Talia are our front."

"Got it," Deeks confirmed, tossing the crust into the trash. Nell waited until she watched him turn the corner to the stairs.

"We may have a bit of a problem," Nell admitted once Deeks was safely out of sight. Eric stepped aside to let Nell pass through the doorway. "I may have told Kensi and Talia a few stories about our vacation," she revealed. He led her to the couch, where she slumped down dramatically. He sat beside her quietly, knowing that if that was really all, Nell wouldn't have been nearly as concerned about telling him immediately. "And they believed everything except that you were just pretending to be my boyfriend,"

"Ah," Eric sighed. "What exactly did you tell them?"

"I told them about when we first got there..." Nell trailed off. Eric's mind flashed back to the moment in his mind.

Flashback

"Nell!" More voices clamored than she could count. The whole family had apparently gathered to welcome her back, much to her surprise. She watched a pair of her cousins carry the luggage she and Eric had brought in the general direction of the stairs before the assembled relatives swarmed around them, desperate to greet Nell and meet her special guest.

Nell had spent every moment from the time they left the OSP to when the plane landed explaining her family tree to Eric so that he could feign the appropriate levels of recognition when being introduced, but the speed of their greetings eliminated any need for that. When the crowd finally cleared, Nell felt Eric's fingers lace through hers. She squeezed his hand.

"Mom," she finally spoke up. "Would it be alright if we went upstairs and freshened up before dinner?"

"Oh absolutely, sweetheart!" her mom exclaimed. "Let me show you where you'll be staying." Nell pulled Eric along behind her as she followed her mom up the stairs. They paused in front of the second door. "Here you are!

Nell waited until they were alone in the hallway to open the door. The small guest bedroom, Nell realized, might prove to be a bit of a problem. It had been furnished with a 3 drawer chest and a tall lamp, which had been placed on either side of the queen-sized bed.

"We'll have to share," Nell observed. Eric swallowed audibly, grateful that he held only her hand. "Do you have a side?" He pointed, unable to trust his voice, before he began to unpack his belongings for the week ahead.

After dinner and dessert with her family, Nell and Eric were both exhausted. They stumbled around the room silently, awkwardly trying to avoid each other's paths.

"This is hopeless!" Nell finally groaned after bumping into the corner of the bed and collapsing onto it. She sat up and pulled her sweater over her head.

"Whoa!" Eric exclaimed. Nell rolled her eyes.

"Just face the other way," she insisted, pulling on a pajama shirt. He muttered under his breath, but he followed her instructions. He felt the bed shift as she climbed in behind him, and he took a deep breath before joining her.

End Flashback

"Okay, that's not too bad," Eric decided, trying to remain calm for both their sakes. Nell nodded.

"I may have mentioned Christmas Eve," she continued.

Flashback

"Does anyone else want some eggnog?" Nell offered. Half a dozen hands raised around the room. Nell's cousins Renee and Daniela offered to join her in the kitchen, leaving Eric between their husbands and Nell's older brother on the couch. Her parents had gone to bed, leaving Nell, her siblings and her cousins to look after the dozen-or-so grandchildren still awake. A few of them had managed to remove mistletoe from one of the doorways, and they snuck around the room trying to catch the holiday couples by surprise, so the three women were more than happy to escape to the sanctity of the kitchen.

"You never mentioned he was cute!" Daniela squealed in the kitchen. Nell rolled her eyes.

"All you said was that he was smart and kinda geeky," Renee added, reaching into the cabinet for a few glasses into which they could pour the eggnog. Nell decided to indulge them, grateful that her cousins had waited until they were alone to breach this conversation. Because the three women were about the same age, they had grown close during childhood and had maintained their friendships into adulthood. They had been the first ones to know about Nell's crush on Eric and had been the ones to recommend she invite him along for the holidays.

"If I told you that he was geeky and cute, would you have believed me?" Nell pointed out.

"Knowing you? Probably not," Daniela admitted. She pulled the eggnog out of the refrigerator and placed it on the counter behind them.

"Well, we would have believed that he was geeky," Renee added.

"Exactly," Nell agreed, slowly ladling servings into each of the glasses.

"How's sharing that little room going?" Daniela prodded.

"We should get back in there before the rest of the boys tear Eric apart," Nell redirected.

"Or give him the 'you mess with her you report to us' speech," Daniela giggled. A look of panic passed over Nell's face briefly, causing her cousins to laugh harder. Renee opened the refrigerator so that Nell could put the eggnog away. Each woman grabbed a few of the eggnog glasses to carry them back into the other room.

"Here you are," Nell offered, handing Eric one of the mugs in her grasp. She realized too late that only a very small space had been left for her beside Eric and squeezed in as gracefully as possible. She eased back into the conversation that had continued without them, grateful that the boys had neglected to single Eric out.

Two glasses of eggnog later, the volume level of the room had increased significantly. Renee had finally confiscated the mistletoe from the hands of Nell's young niece when the children finally went to bed, and although it had sat untouched on the coffee table for some time, the couples had eventually begun to try and catch each other.

"You know, Nell, you two haven't kissed yet," Daniela pointed out loudly. Nell silently cursed; she had forgotten how blunt her cousin could become after a few drinks. She could feel Eric's guarded eyes on her, trying to mask his nerves. Encouraged by the attention suddenly turned on them and the three (or possibly four) glasses of eggnog she had consumed over the course of the evening, Nell turned and swiftly kissed him before Daniela or any of her other relatives could make a bigger deal of the event. She smiled against his lips as the crowd cheered around them.

"I think it's time to go to bed so that Santa can come," Renee interjected teasingly. Nell's brother shuddered visibly, causing the whole group to laugh. Even so, the couples began to pair off and wander toward the stairs. Nell, Eric and Renee stayed behind to clear away the glasses and other dishes. "You two have a good night," Renee finally said, following in the direction the others had already gone.

"Good night," Nell smiled, yawning. She let Eric lead her upstairs, but she was surprised when he paused in front of the door to the room they shared. She followed his gaze upwards and saw the mistletoe she assumed Daniela had hung above their heads.

"Like our first kiss," he whispered, leaning down. She rose onto her tip toes to meet his lips half way.

End Flashback

"Still not really cause for alarm," Eric decided, although the wheels whirled in his head. Nell bit her lip.

"New Year's Eve might be," she explained. Eric closed his eyes.

Flashback

Because they had watched all of the kids on Christmas Eve, Nell and her cousins got to celebrate New Year's Eve as they pleased, leaving the little ones alone with their grandparents. They had decided to decorate the basement, which gave them some privacy from the rest of their families yet kept them close by in the event that something significant happened with any of the kids.

They had left the music selections to Nell's older brother Chris, who had learned to DJ in college and had never given it up. Nell and Daniela had found an old "Happy New Year" banner and had hung it on one wall, adorning the others with smaller festive decorations. As midnight approached, Eric popped open the bottle of champagne they had brought down and poured a small amount into each of the plastic champagne glasses.

"Champagne?" he offered, holding a glass out to Nell. She took it gratefully and scooted to one side, leaving space for him to sit beside her on the couch. His arm fell comfortably across her shoulders as he sat, and she let herself lean against him. They laughed and joked easily, the nerves of their first few days together finally gone.

"Hey guys, it's almost time!" Daniela announced loudly. The music stopped abruptly so they could turn on the local newscast, which broadcast the countdown. With only seconds left before midnight, they joined the news anchor in counting down to zero.

"Happy New Year," Eric whispered, leaning down to kiss Nell and lingering there a few seconds longer than he really needed. Daniela shot Nell a knowing look when they broke apart, but Nell's eyes stayed locked on Eric's.

"Perfect way to start the year," she whispered. He smiled. She curled her body to fit against him, rolled her eyes at Daniela, and focused her attention back on her family.

End Flashback

"What are the chances that the whole team won't know about this tomorrow?" Eric asked.

"Kensi and Deeks are dating now, so about zero percent," Nell stated bluntly.

"Awesome," Eric groaned. He watched Nell yawn broadly. "Crash here," he offered. "I'll take you back to your place first thing in the morning." He walked into his bedroom and pulled out a spare pillow and blanket from the top of his closet, but by the time he returned to the couch, Nell had already fallen asleep. He lifted her head to place the pillow behind it and covered her with the blanket.

Flashback

"You got her?" Renee checked. Eric nodded. Nell had fallen asleep on the couch after they rang in the New Year. Her body leaned against his chest, and her legs draped across his lap.

"I may need a hand with the doors," he admitted. He lifted her arm over his head, so if she woke, she would still be holding onto him. He curled one arm under her knees and the other around her back. Renee and Chris stood close to Eric, holding their hands out as he stood to ensure that he wouldn't drop Nell. Renee led them out of the basement and up the stairs, opening doors in front of them and leaving Chris to close them behind him.

"Do you need a hand putting her to bed?" Chris asked as Renee opened the door to Eric and Nell's shared bedroom. Renee stepped forward and pulled back the covers.

"I've got it from here," Eric reassured. He waited until Renee had left to enter the room. The door closed behind him. He carefully lowered Nell onto the bed, pulling the covers up around her. She twisted toward him, waking briefly as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered. She smiled and fell back asleep.

End Flashback

Author's Note: I had thought about doing a few individual stories, but then I decided that a few little snippets would be more fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it!