This takes place somewhere during the time when JJ is dating Will, but the team doesn't know it, and it's a little AU for that reason. And because I'm seriously taking Will out of character.

Spencer Reid folded a piece of gum into his mouth and watched as JJ walked into the darkened BAU bullpen, dragging a suitcase behind her and looking like much less than her cheery self. She had just gotten back from a personal trip - to where, Spencer didn't know - and something was obviously wrong. He couldn't tell from her eyes, because she was wearing huge, dark sunglasses, but she was tense, and moving as if she was in pain.

He stood up, intercepting her on her way to her office.

"Hey, JJ. Here, let me take that."

He took hold of her suitcase with a smile and offered her a stick of his Juicy Fruit.

"Thanks." JJ accepted the offering with a small, half-hearted smile. They started together towards her office as JJ said, "It's late, Spence, what are you still doing here?"

Spencer shrugged. "Just finishing up my reports. We missed you on that last case; where did you go?"

"New Orleans." JJ answered with a sigh as they stepped into her office.

"All the way to New Orleans?"

JJ nodded, turning her back to him. "But that's another story, another town." She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, taking off her sunglasses. "Another life. I'm not going to go back."

"Why?" Spencer asked.

As her answer, she turned around to face Spencer. In the muted light of her desk lamp, he saw the dark bruise covering her eye.

"JJ?" he gasped. "What happened?"

She looked down at her feet. "I don't want to talk about it here."

"You... you can come back to my apartment if you want to. We can talk there. If you want."

JJ nodded. Spencer picked her suitcase back up and timidly put his arm around her shoulders to lead her out of the room, but drew instantly away when she yelped in pain from the contact. This was not a story that he was going to enjoy hearing, he had a feeling.

At his apartment, Spencer got JJ settled onto the couch and made sure she took something for the pain that she was obviously in before covering her with an afghan.

"Do you want something to drink or eat?" he asked.

"My stomach hurts too much for food. Do you have any tea?"

Spencer nodded. "I'll make chamomile, it's supposed to be soothing."

"Thanks, Spence." she murmured, a ghost of a smile flickering across her lips as her eyes drifted shut.

Spencer strode into the kitchen, his own stomach in knots. Whoever had done whatever had been done to JJ was going to pay for it, and dearly so. He would see to that personally.

Over the next hour and a half, JJ poured out her story.

Her boyfriend that no one in the BAU knew about, Will LaMontagne, who lived in New Orleans, had been the perfect gentleman when they had started dating. But then he had started drinking. And then he had started abusing her. And today had been the day when she had finally told him it was over between them. Before she left though, he had given her another beating as a final parting gift.

As she drew her real-life horror story to a close, JJ was sobbing. Hoping that the meds had done their job well enough to make it permissible, Spencer did what he knew would help her and pulled her into the safety and comfort of his embrace.

When the tears slowed, JJ asked, exhausted from the day and her confession, "Can I sleep here tonight? I don't want to be in my apartment by myself."

"Of course." Spencer smoothed her hair. "Whatever you need, JJ, I'm here for you."

"Thank you, Spence." Her voice began to slur with the need for sleep. "And please... don't tell the others what I told you. I don't want them to know."

He nodded. "I won't."

She fell asleep in his arms before the words were even out of his mouth.

The next morning, out of necessity, the two of them ended up sharing the only bathroom in his apartment while getting ready for work. Spencer brushed his teeth, watching the blonde media liaison artfully apply her makeup. She covered up the black eye with a painfully practiced hand; Spencer would have never even known it was there.

How many others have been there that I haven't known about? he wondered.

It was a thought that was best left alone, and so he shoved it away. Like JJ had said: another story, another town, another life.

At the end of the day at work, she only had to look at him with the thought in her eyes - I don't want to be by myself yet. - and he steered her into his car without the others noticing.

They hadn't noticed anything about either JJ or Spencer the entire day. It was like nothing had changed, yet Spencer, and JJ too, knew that everything had.

I would like to say that I have no problems whatsoever with Will, but this is the story that came to me, thus I am posting it. This shouldn't be any longer than a two- or three-shot. Inspired by Toby Keith's "New Orleans." Please review! Thanks!:)