Fandom: NCIS: Los Angeles

Pairing: Neric (Nell/Eric)

Rating: K+

Summary: Nell arrives at work on a Monday morning with something sparkly on her left hand. She neglects to tell the team where she got it, but a certain Technical Operator knows.

Spoilers: None you should be worried about.

Some Secrets Are Worth Keeping

It was a seemingly average day in LA. The sun was shining, there was an ocean breeze, and it was the perfect temperature. For a certain NCIS Intelligence Analyst, the day was multiple times better because her boyfriend of eighteen months had asked her to marry him last night. She was ecstatic and giddy. The ring was gorgeous. A simple gold band with two small blue stones that reminded her of the ocean. He captured her heart all over again with the ring. As she got out of her car at work, she smiled at the thought of Callen and Deeks asking where she got the ring. Sam wasn't as nosey as the other two men of the OPS team. As she entered the OPS building, she put her normal smile on her face. The first person to wave was Kensi. She made a point to wave with her left hand, because in her right was her bag.

"Ooh, shiny. Where'd you get the ring?" asked NCIS-LAPD liaison detective Marty Deeks.

"Someone." Nell teased.

"Come on, tell us!" Deeks pestered.

"No! I won't tell! All I will say is that he's really sweet." Nell answered. She then made her way up to the OPS room.

"Hey Eric." Nell called to the blonde Technical Operator.

"Hey Nell." He called back.

"They ask about it yet?" Eric asked.

"Deeks is here, what do you think?" she teased.

"Well, I shouldn't have expected any less from the king of curiosity. I wonder how many cats he's killed." He answered jokingly. Nell giggled.

"Well Mr. Beale, I believe it is enough to fuel a small car with their blood." Nell giggled back.

"Are you trying to be Hetty?" Eric queried.

"What? Me? No. Fire would burn green naturally before I did that!" Nell laughed.

"Alright, come here silly!" Eric chanted. Nell obediently agreed and walked across the OPS room and sat on Eric's lap.

"You know, every day, you get more beautiful." Eric commented.

"Awe, Eric! You're so cheesy! What would the team say about your frivolous attempts at romance?" Nell asked.

"They would ask how I managed to ask you out on a single date a year and a half ago, let alone pull together the courage to ask you to marry me." Eric stated. With that, Nell wrapped him in a bear hug from her spot on his lap and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, right above his eye.

Back Downstairs

"Who do you think managed to win over Nell?" Deeks whispered to Kensi and Callen.

"No idea, but he has to be someone special. She seems truly in love." Kensi replied.

"I have an idea. I know as agent in charge, I'm not supposed to condone spying, but I know how to access the security cameras in OPS so we can see if Eric knows." Callen added. He got a round of collective nods form all the members of the team, so he turned on his computer, hit a few keys, and audio and visual for the OPS room came up. What they heard left them speechless, let alone what they saw.

"Awe, Eric! You're so cheesy! What would the team say about your frivolous attempts at romance?" they heard Nell say.

"They would ask how I managed to ask you out on a single date a year and a half ago, let alone pull together the courage to ask you to marry me." Was Eric's reply. The four NCIS undercover specialists were shocked. Eric was the mystery man. Eric. The same Eric who wore flip flops and shorts to work every day. Not a word was said between the agents as they went back to their respective desks and started on last week's paperwork. Ten minutes later, they heard Eric's infamous OPS whistle, this time, it has a hint of glee in it. They got up from their desks and went up to the OPS room. They exchanged glances about what they'd seen in OPS, and about the traces of lipstick on Eric's forehead. When they made it to the OPS room, Deeks jumped on it.

"Hey Eric, you got a little something on your forehead. It's pink and kinda shiny."

"Oh. Um, oops." Eric muttered, turning very, very red. He grabbed a tissue from the box he keeps near his work station and tried to clean of Nell's lip gloss. She wasn't a fan of lipstick, so she opted for pink lip gloss. Callen nudged Deeks in the ribs, a silent gesture that meant wait until after the briefing. After the team was briefed on the case, Deeks continued his banter.

"So, why did the Office of Special Project's Technical Operator Eric Beale have pink lip gloss on his forehead? Does he have a lady friend? Or was it an accident?"

"It –it was n-nothing." Eric stuttered, turning redder than Nell's hair. It was Nell's turn to converse.

"Well, Deeks, think before you judge. A relationship is a sacred thing. Seeing as how yours don't often last too long, I don't think you have a margin for commenting."

"Alright, alright! I give! I give! Don't give me the interrogator tone!" Deeks whined.

"Good, now don't you have a bad guy to find?" Nell asked. The four agents left, without another word.

"And that, my sweet, is one of the many reasons why I love you." Eric mused.

"And I love you too, my dear." Nell replied. Eric stood up and embraced his fiancé in a bear hug and kissed the top of her head.

A/N: Opinions? The plot bunnies wouldn't go away, so it is currently quarter after three in the morning, and I am not sleeping. Random note: Does anyone else notice that Eric and Nell, and Tony and Ziva from NCIS, and 13 years apart in age? Nell is 22, Eric is 35, Ziva is 30, and Tony is 43. I find that weird. I'd make a McAbby age comment, but I don't know how old they are. Anyone, rambling, I hope you like. I might write a sequel, but I'm not sure. Anyway, bai!