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“Come with me.”
He sees the plea in her voice, in her eyes, and for a moment, Nick is tempted to say yes - to forget the last few years ever happened, that she left wiythout as much as a goodbye because she was scared - of what they could be.
He takes a step forward, and in the distance, he sees Jess, and McGee, and so he closes his eyes and he takes a big breath, steadying himself for an answer neither of them want- an answer that neither of them is ready for.
“My place is here.” He has to tell her, and it takes Nick all of his strength to just say the words, because he has never been more tempted to just forget everything and everyone, promises written in the sand, and jump into these troubled and dangerous waters with her.
He cups Ellie’s cheek, and she leans in his touch, closes her eyes and sighs, content for maybe the first time in years, since the moment she had to say to burn all of her bridges.
“For now,” Nick adds, his voice but a whisper, an afterthought, and yet, Ellie hears it.
She hears it - and she feels it.
She understands it.
She kisses him, just like that morning many years before, the first time they slept together, the first time she kissed him and she meant it, and in the blink of an eye, they are suddenly younger, and nothing happened, nothing changed, they are back in that bed that very morning like no time passed at all.
He kisses her back just once, grabs her for the shoulders and just holds onto her.
It’s just a fraction of seconds, and yet, to Nick, it’s an eternity, it lasts forever.
With glassy eyes, biting her lips, Ellie gets on the plane, looking back the whole time, her fingers skimming over the cold glass window as if it were him.
He looks at her leaving.
He looks at her leaving him behind.
Once again.
He takes a few steps back, and never takes his eyes off of her.
For now.
One day, she’ll find the real mole, whoever was feeding intel to Patricia, and meanwhile, she’ll keep saving lives. Then, maybe, just maybe, she’ll be back in his life.
Or, one day, he’ll decide that his place is not at NCIS any longer- that the team doesn’t need him any longer and he’ll decide to join her on her quest for revenge and justice.
One day, they’ll be on the same page, eventually- Nick feels it straight into his bones.
It's not now, maybe not even tomorrow, but that day, it will come, eventually.
And in the meanwhile, he’ll wait for it - and for her.