Chapter Text
Ellie ended up spending that weekend with Nick. Several months on, she had halfway moved into his apartment, and they settled into a kind of routine. Yes, including working out together, when Ellie did beat him at two miles, but only by half a second, and she still wasn’t one hundred percent convinced that he hadn’t let her win. However, working out with him definitely had Ellie stepping up her game. He was on a run now, which Ellie had bowed out gracefully from, wanting some time to clean a little, take a shower, and maybe face time her mom, since they usually spoke on a Sunday and she’d missed the last one because she and Nick had been out kayaking. Besides, she knew he wanted to pick up the pace, and though she could hold her own, Ellie also knew Nick was faster. Ellie sat, freshly showered, the house -mostly- clean, curled up on the couch to call her mom.
“El,” Her mom’s smiling face came on the screen, and Ellie immediately felt guilty. She knew she’d been neglecting her mother since she and Nick had become serious.
“Hi, Mom,” she said, “Sorry I’ve been MIA.”
“I’m glad you’re living your life, El. And you seem happy.”
“I am happy,” Ellie told her, “Really, really happy.”
“And you’re not in your own apartment,” her mother commented. Ellie rolled her eyes internally. She thought she had held the screen close enough so her mother wouldn’t notice she was at Nick’s. Not that she was really trying to hide it, or wanted to lie, but Ellie knew that as soon as her mother realized how serious her daughter was about Nick, she’d want to meet him. And Ellie wasn’t sure she was ready for that yet.
She sighed inwardly, “No, Mom. I’m at Nick’s.”
“Where is he, then?”
“He’s on a run.”
“I see. Are you living there, then?”
“Kind of…Mom, can we not do the inquisition right now, please?” Ellie knew her mom’s opinions on unmarried couples living together, and wasn’t really interested in hearing them.
“Okay, just one more question. When am I going to meet him?”
“I don’t know yet, Mom. I’ll have to talk to Nick about it.”
“You’d better make it soon, El, because you know what your brothers will do if they find out you’ve been hiding a relationship from them.”
“They know, Mom They’ve seen the pictures on facebook. I haven’t been hiding it, exactly. I just wanted to find my feet on my own - not screw this one up.”
“You won’t screw it up, Ellie. You didn’t cheat on Jake. He cheated on you. You got out. It was the right thing to do.”
“I know, but it still hurts. I mean, I must have done something to make him cheat, right?”
“No, Ellie. Sometimes people just don’t love us, and instead of admitting it they take the easy way out. It isn’t our fault, it’s on them. So don’t think about it anymore, okay? Enjoy Nick. Does Jake know about him yet?”
“I don’t think so,” Ellie said, “I certainly haven’t said anything. Luckily I don’t have to see him too often at work, so I just avoid him. I heard through the grapevine the NSA may be moving him.”
“Oh, good. Just forget him, El.”
“I know. I’m trying. I mostly have.” She’d talked a little with Nick about Jake, and how much Jake had screwed her around. She knew Nick had too much integrity to do that to her, but she also knew she had to figure out her issues so she could fully move on from Jake.
The door opened then, and Ellie looked at her Mom on the screen, “Mom, Nick’s home. I gotta go. I’ll call soon, okay? Promise.”
“Okay, El. Have a good week.”
“You too, Mom. Bye.”
“Hey,” he came in, dropped a kiss on her lips.
“Urgh, you’re sweaty,” she said, as she got up, followed him into the kitchen where he poured himself a glass of water and downed the entire thing at once, then poured another, leaning against the counter.
“Nick! I just cleaned that. Go shower or something.”
“Okay, okay. You going to join me?”
“No, I’m not. Do we have stuff for dinner?”
“Yeah. We do. There’s chicken and vegetables in the fridge. I had plans for fajitas.”
Ellie looked uncertainly at him, and, sweaty or not, he walked over, put his arms around her, “We. I like it. Are we a we?” He asked.
“I think we’ve been a we?” She hesitated, looked at him, “Haven’t we?”
“Yeah,” he said quietly, “I think we have. But let’s talk, okay? Over dinner?”
“Okay,” She agreed. He kissed her reassuringly, wanting her to know that everything was going to be okay.
“I love you,” he said quietly. She kissed him again, and rested her head against his, totally forgetting she’d been grossed out by his post run sweat earlier.
“I love you, too.” It was the first time she’d said it back, and he couldn’t help it. He hadn’t reacted every time he’d said it to her and got no response - they’d just moved on to something else, and he’d pretended like it was no big deal. Had faith that she’d respond when she was ready. He’d convinced himself that he would play it cool when she finally did, but he failed on that count, miserably. Instead he whooped, picking her up, spinning her around as best he could in the small space between the kitchen counters and island.
“I didn’t know how good it would feel to hear you say it,” he admitted, when he finally released her and held her close.
“I’m sorry it took me so long,” she said, “I’ve known it. I was just…scared?”
“You don’t need to apologize, El. I’d never expect you to say or do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”
“I know you wouldn’t,” she said, tightening her grip on him, holding him close. Sweat and all.
“And now,” he said gleefully, “You’re all sweaty too, so you’d better shower with me?” He asked it as a question, looking at her with that puppy dog expression she couldn’t refuse.
“Okay, okay,” she figured dinner could wait, and let him drag her into the shower.
They sat together at the table, talking quietly over fajitas that she had helped him prepare.
“So my Mom wants to meet you,” Ellie began.
“Oh she does, huh? Is that who you were face timing with when I came in?”
“Yeah. She of course spotted that I wasn’t in my own apartment, and wanted to know why, and where you were.”
“And what did you tell her?”
“I told her I was waiting for you to get back from a run. I pretty much avoided the other question.”
“Hmmm. And how do you feel about the answer to that other question?”
“What is the answer to it, Nick? I’m not entirely sure.”
“I like having you here, El. I already can’t imagine this place without you.”
“I can’t imagine going back to living at my own place all the time,” Ellie admitted.
“Ok, so, when is your lease up?”
“Three months,” Ellie said, taking a sip of wine.
“So…you want to be here. I want you to be here. How about this? We keep doing what we’re doing, but make it official. Start moving your stuff in next weekend.”
“Sounds good to me,” Ellie spoke quietly, but firmly and clearly enough that Nick knew she wanted them to be together.
“Then in three months time, it will have been six months,” Nick said, continuing carefully, “And we can discuss our future then.”
“Okay, but Nick? Just so you know?” Ellie asked, and he gave her his full attention.
“I’m the marrying kind. I want a family, one day.”
“Yeah,” Nick said, “I didn’t think I wanted all of that anymore, but I do, now. With you.”
Ellie felt like she was living in a happy bubble until one day at work it all threatened to come crashing down. It was so easy to settle into life with Nick that she had already forgotten what her old life had been like. Even on days when he caught a case, and she had a pit of nerves in her stomach until he crawled into bed next to her at some ungodly hour of night, she still wouldn’t have it any other way.
One rainy Tuesday though, Ellie was sitting at her desk at the NSA, reading a memo on a potential terrorist threat involving a drone attack. It reminded her of one person, and everything that had happened in Afghanistan came flooding back. She got up, and banged on Flynn’s door until he answered.
“I thought I’d be hearing from you,” he said, “Come in,” he motioned for her to sit.
“It’s him, Flynn. It’s got to be. It has him written all over it…” Ellie trailed off, her head whirring with ideas and possibilities.
“I know,” Flynn said warily, “But you have to stay out of it, Ellie. The DoD and NCIS are handling the drone attack…”
“There already has been one?”
“Just was. This morning.”
“And NCIS? Why NCIS?”
Flynn sighed. He knew Ellie was dating an NCIS agent. He knew Ellie’s boyfriend was on
the team handling the attack, but he didn’t say anything, just answered her question, “The drone killed a sailor in Rock Creek Park.”
“Killed a sailor? Why? Was it random?” Her mind raced again.
“Ellie. Focus on the bigger picture in Afghanistan. That’s your brief, and our orders. Leave NCIS and the DoD to handle the investigation, okay?”
Ellie sighed, “Okay. But Flynn, if he truly is here…” She trailed off, “All hell will break loose. And he’ll come. For me.”
“I know, Ellie. We’re working all angles, and he’s not getting anywhere near you, okay? Not on my watch.”
“Okay,” Ellie sighed again, “Okay. I’ll back off. I promise.”
She went back to her cubicle, and focussed on following leads on Parsa’s whereabouts in Afghanistan. Ellie forced herself to take a lunch break, using the bullpen’s break room because it was raining outside, where she usually preferred to eat lunch. Ellie took a seat, bringing her phone out to check for messages while she ate. It buzzed, and she glanced down, smiling at Nick’s name on the screen.
“Going to be home late tonight. Case. Sorry, babe. Love you.”
She responded straight away. She knew what case he was talking about, but knew she couldn’t say anything. Her security clearance was higher than his, and the Parsa case was highly compartmented. Nick knew something of what she’d dealt with in Afghanistan, but didn’t know any specifics, including names. He didn’t know that she was the Parsa expert, but she had to assume that he knew by now Parsa’s connection to the drone attack.
“That sucks. Be safe. Love you, too.”
Ellie spent the day reading reports from Afghanistan, and getting no closer to Parsa’s current whereabouts, which led her to believe he might actually be in the United States. Flynn called her into his office at the end of the day. To her surprise, Nick was standing next to him.
“What’s going on?” She asked, as Flynn gestured to her to sit.
“Parsa is in Washington,” Flynn didn’t beat about the bush, “Nick’s team discovered the drone he was attempting to use for an attack. You are going to assist NCIS on this, read them in on the pertinent details, whatever they need to solve their murder.”
“And track down Parsa?” Ellie asked, “Or are you using me as bait?” She said it calmly. Nick looked at her in shock, anger settling over his face before he quickly put on his poker face.
“No,” Flynn said, firmly, “Not going to happen. You’re to stay with one of the agents at all times, Ellie. Until he’s caught, I don’t want you on your own.”
“Got it,” Ellie said, turning and pushing Nick out of the door with her.
“I need to go get my stuff,” she explained, before he could say anything, “I know you’re mad, Nick. I’ll explain, at least, I’ll explain as much as I can.”
“I’m not mad, Ellie. I’m worried. Really worried.”
“That makes two of us,” she said, gathering her things into her messenger bag, and then leading him to the elevator.
“So it was Parsa in Afghanistan?” Nick asked once they were alone in the elevator.
“Yeah,” Ellie said, leaning her head against the cool silver wall of the elevator and closing her eyes, bringing her hands up to rub against her forehead.
Nick pulled the button to stop the elevator, and brought Ellie’s hands down, holding them in his. He reached up, rubbed her shoulders, feeling the tension that had been building up all day. He wished he could take her home, “I’m sorry, El. It’ll be okay. No one is getting to you, and we’re going to catch Parsa. Gibbs won’t stop until we do. Until then, I’ve got you. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said, leaning into him for a second, letting herself have the comfort, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He reached forward, turned the elevator back on, and let her go as it shifted into motion.
“Come with me,” he said, “Leave your truck here.” She nodded, and followed him to the NCIS sedan he’d driven over in. He held her hand the entire way, driving with one hand.
He pulled the sedan into the NCIS parking deck, deciding he wasn’t going to risk walking over to the building with her from motor pool, which was on the other side of the navy yard complex, and open to the Anacostia River.
“Okay,” Nick said, reluctantly letting go of her hand, “Ready?”
“Ready,” she replied, and followed him into the building.