It took them all of seven months to finally tell the others about their relationship. They both knew that Hetty was the first to figure it out. They noticed the strange looks and the small hints that she dropped. At first they were just confused by the insinuations. But after a month or so, they realized just how this must appear to her. Two of her staff had started seeing each other as much more than coworkers, or even friends. Although they weren't agents, it could still be a hazard to themselves and the team.

Everyone knew that they weren't the only ones. Kensi and Deeks weren't far behind. They had been discussing how to bring it up to the team, and had come up with nothing. They were just about to forget it and not tell the team when Hetty called them to her office.

"Mr. Beale, Ms. Jones," the Operations Manager addressed them. "How are things going?"

"We're fine," Eric automatically responded.

"I did not ask how you were, Mr. Beale. I asked how things were."

"Things are perfectly fine, Hetty," Nell cut in. "Why do you ask?"

"I wish that you would not act as though I know nothing of what is happening between the two of you. Although my IQ is undoubtedly lower than either of yours, I am not oblivious as to what is directly in front of me."

The intelligence analyst and technical operator locked eyes.

"What is it that you want to know?" the analyst inquired.

"Do the others know?"

"No," replied Eric. "We've been discussing how we are going to tell them, but have yet to get anywhere on the matter. We thought going out for a team dinner might work, but Sam needs to actually spend some time with his family, and Callen seems to have found a family in them, and we don't want to take that away."

"We then considered writing emails or notes for each of them, but that seemed kind of indirect and impersonal," Nell added.

"Why have you not considered simply telling them one-by-one?"

"Have you met us?" Eric asked incredulously. "We're not exactly the type to go up to someone and mention something this serious to them."

"But it is something that you will need to do. I realize that, working in Ops all day, you two are not quite so acquainted with the other team members as they are with one another, but you do have rather familial bonds with each of them. I am sure that you will manage to tell them of this secret that the two of you keep; hopefully you will do so soon. I do not think that I can watch the two of you hide this for much longer."

Recognizing this as a dismissal, they left Hetty's office and proceeded back upstairs to plan how they were going to tell the others. Eric stopped her somewhere on the balcony.

"Nell, if we don't do this right now, we'll just slink back to Ops and never get it done with. Let's do this and have it over with. Hetty is alright with what's going on, so why shouldn't the team be? If they are really our friends, then they'll support us and be happy."

Nell nodded slowly.

"Should I tell Kensi? Being the only girls on the team, she and I have had conversations about guys before. I told her I had a thing for you before you and I started… seeing each other. She tells me that she really wants to be with Deeks but wants him to make the first move…"

"I knew it," Eric muttered. "Anyways, I can tell Deeks. He and I surf together a lot, so we've become close enough. I've hung out with Sam more and I've seen you talking to Callen a fair deal and you seem to get along fine. I think that way's best."

"Okay," Nell said nervously. "I think I can do that."

"Nell, you have no reason to be scared. They're our friends. And you are one of the most determined women I've ever met. You can do this." He leaned toward her and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She blushed. They'd never shared any displays of affection during work. It would've hinted things to their coworkers and they hadn't been ready to share their secret until recently.

"Let's do this then," Eric replied quietly. "Want to tell Kensi and Deeks first? I think they'll take this better than the other two."

Nell nodded, and they continued downstairs to the bullpen.

The agents glanced up from their paperwork as the two entered into their midst.

"What's going on?" Callen asked. "Do we have a case?"

"Um, no," Eric started, "we just need to talk to Kensi and Deeks. You guys have a minute?"

"Anything to get me away from paperwork," Deeks replied. "Unless something's wrong…"

"No, everything's fine. Just something Hetty asked us to tell you guys," Nell replied in an attempt at confidence.

"Okay, well, Nell, why don't you take Kensi to Nate's old office? Deeks and I can head to the boathouse."

With questioning glances back at the two senior agents sitting perplexed in their seats, Kensi and Deeks followed in their respective directions.

Nell took a deep breath as she and Kensi entered the room that Nate used to use as his 'office' before he left.

"What's going on, Nell? Are you okay? What did Hetty say?"

"She figured out something that Eric and I tried to hide…" she whispered, taking a seat on a tall stack of paper in the corner.

"What did you try to hide? Evidence? A case? What is it?"

"No, it's not, uh, work-related…"

"I don't understand. Are you two okay? Are you sick? Hurt?"

"No… nothing like that. Eric and I have been keeping a secret from the team and Hetty says that this isn't something that we should hide from you…"

"You're scaring me, Nell. Tell me what happened."

"Eric and I… have become more than just… coworkers…"

"Of course you have. I don't see why that's such a big epiphany for the two of you. It's like what's happened with Callen, Sam, Deeks, and I. When you work together in such close quarters and rely on one another daily, you're bound to become friends, or even family—"

"Kensi, listen. That's not what I'm talking about. We're much more than friends or even family. Eric and I have been seeing one another for a while now and we decided that we should tell you."

"Oh," Kensi said simply. "Oh, wow. That's… wow… How long?"

"Seven months," she whispered.

"Oh. Wow," was all Kensi could say. It took her a minute, but she managed to add, "I knew you two were close and that there was a spark but I thought you wouldn't take the possibility of risking your career and Eric wouldn't have the balls."

Nell gave a small smile.

"That's not all that I wanted to tell you," Nell continued. "You see…"

"What's going on, man?" Deeks asked as he and Eric sat on the couch in the boatshed.

"So, Nell and I had a plan to tell the team something and I promised myself that I wouldn't freak out for her sake, so I'm gonna come right out and say it. Nell and I have been seeing each other for the last seven months."

"Congratulations," Deeks replied, smile spreading across his face. "God, you had me worried that there was a problem. I thought you were gonna come out and tell us that someone died or that you got fired or were sick or that something was wrong with Hetty. Thank goodness everything's okay. You got me worried. Anyways, congrats. How did that happen?"

"We were alone in Ops, and I was bugging her about her IQ. She had refused to tell me before, but I guess that she was getting tired of it. She finally told me, and I was… impressed. I, uh… I found myself even more in love with her than I had been before. I just… leaned over and kissed her."

Deeks smiled.

"That's brave of you," he said. "You see, I'd have done that with Kensi by now if I didn't expect her to hurt me in… places…"

Eric chuckled.

"You should go for it, man. I bet you that she feels the same way."

"Ha. Kensi? Me? Are you joking?"

"Oh, c'mon, you both admitted that there was a 'thing'."

"Yeah, but that was more like mutual attraction- the kind of 'thing' that would get us to hook up in a club if we weren't coworkers."

"But you have feelings for her, don't you? Serious feelings?"

Deeks avoided Eric's eyes, but slowly nodded.

"Go for it, man!" Eric insisted. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this… but Nell and Kensi were talking and… Kensi told Nell that she really wanted to be with you. But she wants you to make the first move."

"She really said that?"

"Remember that journal of hers? Well, that pretty much confirms it, Deeks. She's said she has feelings for you multiple times in it and I really am not surprised. She really likes you. You could be the real thing for her. I know that, like Jack, you aren't going to hurt her."

"You really think it would work between us? Hetty won't be happy."

"She already knows about your thing. She's not going to hold back true love, bro. She knows that you love her. She's been there herself, I bet you."

"Thanks, man.

"And, well, there's something else that I wanted to say…"

The four of them emerged from their respective hideouts and found Callen and Sam in the bullpen.

"Your turn," Eric announced. Callen and Sam exchanged glances and stood to follow Eric and Nell.

"Who should each of us be going with?"

"We decided that Callen, you'll be coming with me, and Sam, you'll be with Eric."

"This seems very official," Callen commented. "Is something going on?"

"Something's going on, alright," Deeks said from his spot perched on the edge of his desk. "They never said it was anything bad."

"That's good to know," Sam said quietly.

"So, what is this secret that Sam and I seem to be the last to know about?"

"Look, Callen, it's not anything against you or Sam. We didn't tell Deeks or Kensi until a few minutes ago, and that's only because we thought they'd be easier to tell."

"I understand. Deeks said it was good news. What is it?"

"Okay… um… how do I put this…? Alright… you remember that case when I first went undercover?"

"Yeah… why…?"

"You see… Eric kept bugging me about my IQ after that. He would mention it occasionally. Seven months ago, I finally decided to tell him. I guess he was impressed, because he just leaned over and kissed me. I kissed him back, but afterwards, I kind of freaked out and we didn't talk for about a week."

"That's what that was about? I thought you beat him at Mario Kart or something."

"I've done that multiple times before, but no. After that week, I couldn't stand not talking to him anymore. I walked up to him while he was working up in Ops, and I kissed him. I explained that I wasn't sure whether or not I was ready to risk my job for a relationship with him. But right then, I was positive that I was. He and I have been together ever since."

"Do you love him?"

"Of course I do…"

"Have you told him that yet?"

"No…"

"Don't you think you should let him know?"

"Honestly, Callen… I'm scared. I know he loves me. He's told me before. He even said that I don't need to say it back until I'm ready. It scares me that he loves me that much."

"Why does that scare you?"

"Nobody's ever loved me like he has. Sure, I've had boyfriends before. Some of them have been pretty amazing, but none of them are… Eric."

"I know how you feel."

"Really?"

"Yep. I've been in love before, Nell. Is that so difficult to believe?"

"No, it's just… never mind…"

"What is it?"

"Okay, so, none of us have really met any of your girlfriends before. Sure, there was Tracey, and from what I've heard, Kristen, but you've never been… involved… in any relationships for… a while."

"What's going through your mind?"

"Well, Kensi and I have done a lot of talking, and… she says that when she first joined your team that she thought you and Sam had a thing going on…"

"Wait, WHAT!"

"Hey, I wasn't the one who said it! It was Kensi!" Nell defended herself.

Callen groaned.

"Seriously? That's what she thought? Oh, God…"

"Well, it was disproved when everyone found out Sam was married with a daughter."

"THAT was what disproved it?"

"Um… yeah…"

"Oh, God…"

"Well, anyways, there was something else that we agreed to tell you guys…"

"What's going on, Eric?"

"Okay, so, I guess I should probably come right out and say it… I mean, this is big news and I don't want to make anything I'm saying sound any less important, because it really is. I mean, this is my job here and you guys are my coworkers and Nell—"

"Calm down, and speak normal," Sam interjected.

"Right. Sorry. Well, I'm just gonna say it; Nell and I have been seeing each other for seven months."

Sam didn't look surprised.

"You aren't going to hurt her, are you?"

"Absolutely not. I love her and I'm never going to do anything to hurt her. I will never leave her. I know you know that, Sam."

The senior field agent nodded.

"I know. But this team is a family and there is no way I'm letting some breakup destroy that."

"We aren't breaking up any time soon. You see…"

All four returned to the bullpen where Hetty was waiting patiently for them.

"And…?" she inquired.

"We told them," Nell sighed in relief as Eric wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"How did that go?"

"Perfectly fine," Eric replied, resting his chin on top of Nell's head.

"And now that we've told them, we have something to tell you," Nell added.

"And what might that be?" Hetty asked.

"Last month, we… discovered something… unexpected…"

"Yes?"

"Remember that day I called in sick?" Nell queried.

Hetty's eyebrows shot up.

"Nell and I are going to be parents, Hetty."

Hetty was shocked, that much was evident. However, she did her best to compose herself.

"Congratulations, Miss. Jones, Mr. Beale," she said. "I am sure you and your child will be very happy. I wish the three of you the best."

"Hetty, just hug us," Nell said, tears springing to the edges of her eyes. The older female's poised, professional smile wavered for a moment before stepping forward and embracing the young woman. That was the moment Nell broke down.

Eric felt a single tear cascade silently down his cheek. Callen came up beside him and placed a comforting brotherly hand on his shoulder. Eric didn't bother to tear his eyes away from the two women hugging. Sam took position on the other side of him, placing his own hand on the young tech's other shoulder.

Deeks glanced over at his partner, who stood at his side. He saw the tears in her eyes as she watched the scene unfold. She finally met his eyes, which obviously asked the question of whether or not she was okay. She nodded at him silently, and he shot her a small smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close, pressing a quick kiss to her temple. He saw a smile form on her lips.

Hetty and Nell eventually broke apart, and Callen and Sam backed away from Eric. He cautiously opened his arms wide. He and Hetty hugged, much more briefly, and far less emotionally, but it was still a touching scene.

"Why don't the two of you take the rest of the day off? I am sure that if there is a problem it is nothing that the other techs cannot manage."

"Thank you, Hetty," Nell murmured, wiping her eyes.

"Thank you," Eric whispered, taking Nell in his arms.

"Once again, my sincerest congratulations to the both of you," Hetty bid them. "Now, feel free to take off now. I am sure that the two of you have some planning to do."

They nodded, and headed toward the lockers to grab their things.

Hetty swallowed slowly, and then turned away from the team. Callen and Sam locked eyes for a moment.

"Go," Sam said quietly, clapping his best friend and partner on the shoulder. Callen gave him a nod and walked after the Operations Manager. Sam walked back to his seat and sat back, watching Callen sit silently in front of Hetty. He didn't go too far away from Callen and Hetty—he was there for them, just in case.

"Hey, partner," Deeks whispered, "you alright?"

"I'm fine, Deeks," she murmured. "I'm really happy for them."

"I know. We all are. But that doesn't mean you're fine."

"I just… I just always wanted to have kids. But being an undercover operative has its price. I don't think that children are really an option for me. Let alone meeting someone. Don't get me wrong, I love this job. I have met some of the only family I've ever known through NCIS. But sometimes I just think that… I am going to spend the rest of my life alone."

"You'll never be alone, Kens. Remember, you still owe me a beer every day for the rest of my life. I'll always be here for you, every moment I can."

Kensi sighed.

"You'll never get it, Deeks," she muttered angrily, storming off.

"Kens!" he called after her as she mounted the stairs quickly. In any other circumstance, he would have just let her go. But now that he knew what it was that Kensi wanted – or needed, for that matter – he wasn't going to let her just walk away.

Callen sat in the chair before Hetty. He stared at her as she sipped her tea and did everything she could to avoid Callen's eyes. After a few minutes she set down the teacup, and took a slightly shuddering breath to compose herself. She then spoke without meeting her agent's eyes.

"Why are you here, Mr. Callen?"

"I need to know that you're okay, Hetty."

"I do not see why you are so very worried."

"You hugged Nell and Eric. In my entire time here, you have never hugged a single one of us. I understand that their news is huge, but you reacted… strangely…"

"I can assure you, Mr. Callen, that I am perfectly fine."

"Are you?"

His eyes bore into hers, begging her to tell the truth.

"I always believed that that was the one part of my life that you had some knowledge of."

"You were somewhat of a legend back when I was at the CIA," Callen explained. "Your files were slightly less restricted then. I knew about your mission in France with Special Agent Ryan Parks. When your mission was finished there… the two of you took leave time. I always assumed…"

Hetty slowly nodded.

"Agent Parks and I were partners on a task force trying to take down a major international arms dealer who had killed three teams of undercover operatives. We fell in love over the span of several months. We were young and foolish. I lost two of the three children I carried."

"And the third?"

"I had him when we took that leave time. Terrorists targeted Agent Parks and took our son, James. I searched for him for years. I finally got confirmation in the form of Agent Parks himself. He had survived and had seen our son being killed. That was the only time I accepted the fact that he was dead."

"I'm so sorry, Hetty," Callen whispered.

"There is nothing to apologize for, Mr. Callen."

"You never said anything."

"What did you expect me to say?"

Callen answered with his own question.

"Is Agent Parks still alive?"

"He had a gunshot wound to the leg that forced him to retire. He and I chose to never speak again. I ask Mr. Beale to check up on his condition every once in a while. He is the only other one who knows of the family I had."

"You have a family, Hetty."

Hetty looked puzzled.

"We are your family."

Hetty looked down at her feet.

"Mr. Callen—"

"It's true. You know that I've never had a real family. I grew up in foster homes and orphanages. This is the only place I've ever known to be home. Kensi only recently found her mom. Deeks had an abusive family. Sam's past is… questionable… but he has to lie about what he does to his wife and daughter. Eric and Nell do the same with their parents. You're the most mysterious of them all, Hetty. But I know that you think of us as your family. You're the mother that most of us never had."

Hetty inclined her head so that Callen wouldn't see her eyes.

"Hey, Hetty," he whispered, leaning over her desk and lifting her chin. "We're family, and nothing will ever change that."

He walked around her desk, and knelt down beside her chair. She turned to him. He opened up his arms.

"Come on, just this once."

Hetty smiled, and stepped into her agent's embrace.

From his spot at his desk in the bullpen, Sam smiled.

"Kensi! Wait up!"

"What do you want, Deeks?" she asked, turning around in anger. Her eyes were red, and her ponytail was slightly messy, which was unusual for her.

"I'm not letting you go this time," he said, standing his ground.

"Well, I want you to."

"No you don't, Kens. No you don't. I know what you want, and I know what I want. We need to stop denying this."

"Denying what?"

"Our thing, Kensi!" he insisted. "I know that we're not good at expressing our feelings. But I know what the both of us need right now. I understand, Kens. I understand. I know what you want for the future, and you're not the only one. I get it. You need to understand that I have been feeling things since the day you walked into the gym when we were undercover. And those things have only strengthened. When you got shot… I could only think about getting to you. Sam had to physically restrain me from running into the line of fire. And when you kissed me undercover, I knew for sure just how deep my feelings went. Look, whatever our relationship has been up to this point is nothing in comparison to what it could be. You mean more than anything to me. I have never felt this way about anybody before. So…"

He stepped up to her, placed one hand on her back, and pulled her close. He pressed his lips to hers. Kensi, shocked, didn't respond at first. Deeks even considered pulling away, when he felt her wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and felt her kiss him back.

They didn't pull away until air became a mutual problem.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels that was the most amazing thing in the world."

"You're not," Kensi whispered. She placed a hand on his chest and stepped into his arms, leaning her head on his chest. "Deeks… I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart. I love you, too."

Kensi let her tears finally fall, and Deeks wrapped his arms around her. He hadn't called her 'Fern', 'Sunshine', 'Princess', or any of the other play names he'd used for her. No, he called her 'sweetheart', which meant the world to her.

Eric was in the driver's seat, Nell in the passenger seat, as they pulled up to Eric's house. He looked at her, and she smiled at him.

"I love you, Nell," he blurted out. "And I still don't expect you to say it, but we're having a baby, and we'll probably need to move in together soon, and I don't know if you're ready to get married, or if you even want to, and I'm okay with that, and—"

He was silenced by her lips on his.

"What was that for?" he asked when they broke apart.

"To shut you up," she replied, resting her forehead on his. "I love you, Eric. I have for the longest time, and I should've told you that earlier."

"Nah. Your timing's perfect."

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Kensi murmured as she and Deeks walked into the movie theater.

"I can't either," he replied. "Never thought I'd be fortunate enough to go on a date with the beautiful, deadly, intelligent, amazing Special Agent Kensi Marie Blye."

"You're such a sweet guy, Deeks."

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"No, not at all. In fact, I've been thinking about you like that… a lot. I just never thought that I could really voice what I thought about you. I thought you'd laugh at me for thinking that. I thought you wouldn't feel the same way. I knew that there was a 'thing', but I had always tried to convince myself that it was more of a… physical thing. I never thought that you had real emotions for me."

"I felt the same way. But Nell talked some sense into me." He paused for a second. "She said that you guys talked about the relationships you didn't have with the guys in your life—her with Eric, and you with me—"

"She told you that?"

"Only after I admitted to her that I was in love with you."

"Oh. Okay then."

"And she just wanted to see us as happy as she is."

"I know. And she was right. I am happy. Being with you makes me the happiest I've ever been. You make me laugh, cry, and be so much better than I am."

"You're already the best that you can ever be. You're perfect, Kens. I love you."

She smiled and inclined her head to avoid letting him see the tears that welled up in her eyes.

"What if this doesn't work out?" she asked, suddenly serious. "If, for some reason, this whole… thing… doesn't work out… is it going to ruin our friendship… and our partnership?"

"We were friends and partners long before this… thing… started… or at least before we brought it to this level. I think that, should you and I not work out, that we could go on being partners and friends."

"I don't want it to have to end. Ever."

"Me either."

They slowly leaned toward one another, and their lips met.

Kensi and Deeks walked in to work that morning, Deeks with his arm around her shoulders, holding her close to his chest. Sam and Callen looked up to see them walking in together. Kensi locked eyes with Callen, and Deeks with Sam. The two older agents stared right back for a moment. Then Sam nodded slowly and stood up, extending his hand for Deeks to shake. The detective accepted the hand, one arm still around Kensi. Sam turned to the female agent, smiled slightly, and wrapped one arm around her in a brief hug.

Callen stood next, going to stand by Kensi. He smiled for a moment, and then hugged her, kissing the top of her head. He maneuvered around Sam, and reached out his hand to Deeks to shake it. Deeks shook Callen's hand with a smile on his face. Callen and Sam looked between the younger partners. With their eyes alone, they communicated one message: don't screw up.

They all turned toward the stairway as Eric whistled. Nell, hands placed over her stomach, stood, looking confused, beside him.

"We have an announcement!" Eric said as Hetty walked out of her office and into the bullpen to see what the commotion was about.

"We do?" Nell asked, looking at her boyfriend.

"I certainly hope so," he replied. She looked at him, bewildered. He turned to her. "Nell, I've been in love with you for a long time. And now we're having a baby together. The thing that I want most in the world is to spend the rest of my life with you." Eric got down on one knee, pulling a small box from his pocket and opening it for Nell to see. She moved one hand away from her stomach, and covered her mouth to try and disguise her surprise. "Nell Jones, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Every agent in the bullpen held their breath as they waited for her answer.

Her first answer was so quiet that she wasn't even sure that Eric heard it, let alone the others around them. But at the moment, the other agents didn't matter. All that mattered was her and Eric.

"Yes!" she said, louder this time. Eric definitely heard her this time, and stood up, gathering her carefully in her arms. He pulled back just slightly, hands on her waist, and kissed her deeply. Several moments passed during which numerous agents, most notably Deeks, wolf whistled. When they finally broke apart, Eric rested his forehead on hers.

"I'm going to love you forever, Rockstar. For ever and ever. I promise."

A/N: What do you guys think? Do you like it? I've been thinking about doing a sequel, but I won't if you guys don't like it... Anyways, if you somehow like my writing, and are also an NCIS fan, please check out my story 'The Protection Detail' - I've categorized it as an NCIS fic, even though it is a slight crossover with NCIS: LA. Please review or PM me! I really appreciate it! Thank you!