JJ had never understood the way things had shifted between her and you; what had begun as a simple arrangement, an escape, a release from the daily stress, had morphed into something else she wasn’t quite expecting.

It had started as nothing more than a distraction, a quick relief from the pressures you both carried daily. Yet, somewhere around the stolen moments between laughter and touches, something else lingered too — something softer.

The initial chemistry between you wasn’t just skin deep anymore; with glances that lingered, conversations too deep and a little too real, and comfortable silences that were once awkward, amidst shared nights.

You were what her heart truly craved, a feeling she so hard tried to push away, convince herself that the feeling would pass.

It didn't.

Then, without any warnings, you disappeared.

It wasn’t anything dramatic, or so she thought at first. Just a few days of silence, your missing presence lingering heavily in the cold, dark office she used to share with you. A void that left her uneasy.

No messages, no calls, no you around the bullpen's hallways.

And strangely, anxiety gnawed at her in ways she never expected — her mind flicking to places, to thoughts she didn’t dare acknowledge. Yet the absence of you had begun to drown her, threading paranoias in the back of her mind. Where were you? Were you already done with her, or was it something she did wrong?

Then she finally caught a glimpse of you amidst the busy hallways of the office.

You were back, but now a shadow had settled over you. The spark that had been once in your eyes was gone, replaced by something distant, hollow. You held none of the warmth she had grown used to, like a complete stranger in your own skin, and JJ felt the ache deep in her chest.

“Sweetheart, what happened?” She murmured your name softly, as if it was a dagger itself, “Please, talk to me. Look at me.”