Three weeks had passed since the night at the bar. Spencer and Jade barely saw each other due to Spencer's schedule. He tried to stop by when he was home, but their encounters were brief and awkward. Spencer wondered if it was him, her, or both of them.

He sat looking out the window of the BAU jet, when he heard the seat across from him make noise. He turned his head to see J.J. smiling at him. He smiled in return.

"What a case," she sighed.

"Yeah."

"It'll be nice to be home. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed."

Spencer nodded politely, but he could tell she was only striking up friendly conversation before jumping into what she actually wanted to talk about.

"I know Henry will be happy."

Spencer gave a kind, tight-lipped smile.

"Speaking of Henry, how is Lizzie?"

"Good, I suppose."

"And Jade?"

"Same."

"She's really nice. I'm glad you were able to talk her into coming out with us."

"Yeah," he replied.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"Do you like her?"

He looked down at his lap and thought deeply on that question. It was something he was fighting with himself about for weeks. It seemed too much of a betrayal to move on from Maeve so quickly. It had barely been 4 months since she passed. He shrugged.

"It's ok if you do," she said softly.

Spencer looked up to see her watching him empathetically.

"You deserve to find happiness. I know that's what Maeve would want for you," she said.

"How do you know that though? How do I know she would be ok with this? What if it causes her more pain, wherever she is now?"

J.J. reached out and grabbed his hands.

"I know because she loved you. She loved you and she would do anything to see you happy. You, spending the rest of your life alone and miserable would not make her happy. I don't know if Jade is the one, but I do know what I saw the other night. For the first time in months, you were smiling and not the pretend, mask your real feelings smile. It was genuine. She makes you happy and I think you owe it to yourself to see if there is something more there. Don't wait until it's too late."

Spencer chewed on his bottom lip as he took in this information. Internally his brain was battling his heart. It was true, Jade made him happy. She was smart, not Maeve smart, but smart none-the-less. When he did ramble, she listened intently and never made him feel embarrassed about it.

She was a great Mom to Lizzie and caretaker to her Nana. She even took care of him; making sure he had a nice meal for dinner when he was home. She was considerate and she wasn't wrapped up in material things the way most girls were. She was content with the simple things in life like he was.

But truth be told, he was scared. He was afraid to let someone in and lose them again. What if he opened up to her and she died? Or broke up with him? His heart was fragile, and the simplest poke could tear it to irreplaceable shreds.

"I know you're afraid," J.J. said as though she could read his mind. "I can't imagine. All I can tell you is regret is worse."

He nodded as tears welled up in his eyes. She was right. A lot of the pain he felt from losing Maeve was regret. Regret that he didn't tell someone about her stalking issue sooner. That he hadn't met her sooner. That he never got to hold her. That he never got to tell her he loved her. The regrets were what ate him alive. He didn't want to live through that anger again.

(xxxxx)

Jade sat anxiously in her living room. She had received a text from Spencer asking if he could talk to her when he got home that evening. He wouldn't explain any further, just asked if she would wait up for him. Lizzie and Nana were already sound asleep, while she tried to keep her mind busy.

Reruns of Parks and Recreation ran on the TV, but her mind was elsewhere. She wondered what he could possibly want. Maybe he had found out? She knew it was only a matter of time. Her leg bounced up and down as she glanced at her phone again. It was 12:13am. Only four minutes since she last looked.

She nearly jumped when she heard the gentle knock on her door. She scurried to the door in her pink plaid pajamas, her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. She reached for the door and swung it open.

"Hey," she said as she tried to hide her concern.

"Hey, thanks for waiting up. Would it be better to talk in the hallway?" he said in a soft voice.

"Uh, no you can come in if you'd like. It's not like Lizzie will hear us and Nana is a heavy sleeper," Jade replied as she stepped aside to allow him in.

Spencer walked into the apartment and nervously stuffed his hands into his pockets. He gave a half-hearted smile as Jade moved toward him.

"You, uh, want a drink or something?" she offered awkwardly.

"No, I'm alright. Thank you though."

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Jade asked as her heart pounded against her chest.

Spencer scratched nervously at the back of his neck.

"I'm not sure how exactly to say this."

"Just say it. Whatever it is, I need to know what's going on."

"Well, you know my history with Maeve and how hard it's been to deal with losing her," he began. "The thing is, I really didn't want to be friends with you. I didn't really want to associate with anyone anymore and then Lizzie showed up and things kinda escalated from there."

"Oh," Jade said as her heart dropped.

"I just, I wanted to be alone and I didn't want to let others into my world. I was tired of all the heartache."

Spencer looked up and saw tears slipping down Jade's cheeks. He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Spencer, you don't need to say anymore. I understand," she said as her arms wrapped around herself.

"You do?"

"I promise you that Lizzie and I will stay away. I never meant to push ourselves into your life. I should have been more respectful of what you'd been through –"

Spencer shook his head in frustration.

"Wait, wait, no," he groaned as Jade stopped talking. "This isn't coming out right at all."

Now it was Jade's turn to look on in confusion. Spencer rubbed his hands over his face and into his messy hair.

"Why is this always so hard for me?"

"Spencer, please just say whatever it is you mean. I don't understand what you're trying to say to me."

"I'm trying to tell you that I think I'm falling in love with you. It wasn't what I wanted or expected, but somehow despite everything it happened," he blurted out. "I adore you Jade. You and Lizzie. I find myself thinking about you every moment I'm not with you and you make me feel happy. You make me feel everything I thought I lost when Maeve passed away."

Jade covered her mouth as tears streamed from her glassy eyes.

"I know this is a lot to take and I'm not sure you feel the same way, but I needed to tell you. I never told Maeve how I felt, and I could never forgive myself if I made the same mistake again. So, whether, or not you like me back it doesn't matter. I just needed you to know the truth."

By now Jade was gently weeping. Spencer watched as she tilted her head back and looked toward the ceiling as her body shook with emotion. When she looked back at him, a smile stretched across her lips.

"Well, fuck," she said with a small laugh.

Before Spencer could question what that meant, Jade moved forward, threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. A moment after the shock wore off, he tilted his head and cradled her face in his hands, deepening the kiss. His lips moving gently, but passionately against hers.

Suddenly, Jade pulled back. Her hands pressed against his chest, slid down and tangled in his hands.

"Not here. Come with me," she said as she pulled him off to her bedroom.