A Kiss Followed by a Hug When One Buries their Face into the Other's Neck

She doesn't want to draw away.

She keeps her mouth on his, trying to imprint the feeling of his lips moving against hers permanently into her mind – she doesn't know when she'll get to kiss him again, after all. She's determined to make the most of every last second, then. Only when they desperately need air do they part, but even then, she doesn't let go of him.

Her forehead remains glued to his, her hands gently cupping his cheeks and her thumbs catching a few stray tears as she does so.

Amy doesn't open her eyes just yet. She's afraid that if she does, a fresh wave of tears that has been slowly building up since they left the bed and got ready for their goodbyes will start pouring down her face and never stop. She's afraid of what she might see in his eyes, too. The pain. The fear.

The unmitigated love.

I love you. So much.

Aw, I love you so much too.

They were supposed to move in together. They weren't supposed to be separated again, just mere hours after she came back.

Life's unfair, to say the least.

"Ames…"

Jake's voice is low when he speaks, barely above a whisper. It's pleading, too, practically begging her to look at him. Her heart clenches in her chest when their eyes finally meet. Down at their feet, she catches sight of his bag full of the few personal belongings he was allowed to bring with him. He doesn't even know where he's being sent yet and she, on the other hand, will never know.

For his safety, they said. And yours, they added – as if it would reassure her. But she knew that already. She didn't need to be reassured.

She's a cop; she knows the protocol by heart.

"They'll be here any second now," Jake says.

"I know."

But instead of letting go of him like she should, Amy only moves her arms so they wrap tightly around his middle.

Jake doesn't protest. On the contrary, he holds her close to his heart as she buries her face in the crook of his neck. Despite the situation, she manages to relax a little, if only for a second. She's always felt safe, in his arms. She takes a deep breath. His hoodie smells like the now very familiar scent of his cheap detergent – it smells like him. It smells like home. The warmth and familiarity of it all almost makes her forget about the situation that they're in.

Almost.

A first tear rolls down her cheek, quickly followed by others, dampening his hoodie as they fall and she keeps her head pressed into his shoulder.

Jake hugs her tighter.

There are tons of things they could say, promises to make, declarations to offer, but they both choose to stay silent, wrapped up in each other and lost in their own minds. They don't want to draw away. Maybe if they don't move, Amy foolishly thinks, they could stay like this forever.

Jake won't have to go somewhere where she can't follow.

They won't be separated again.

(She knows it doesn't work like this.)

It's the ringtone of his phone, the painful signal that it's time for him to go away – time for them to face the depressing truth –, that finally tears them apart.

There is no other choice. It would be far worse, far more dangerous if he stayed, and they both know it. They would be forced to live in constant fear until Figgis is caught.

That is, if they were lucky enough to live at all.

Figgis isn't some common, easy-to-catch criminal, after all.

They stare at one another for a beat, frantically taking in each other's features as much as they can, trying to memorize every detail. Amy doesn't know how long will pass before she gets to see this face again, and that's probably what hurts – and scares – her the most. She's heard all types of stories about people being sent to witness protection; some have a happy ending, and some don't.

And some never come back; they're forced to live in their new fake life forever.

As soon as the thought enters her mind, she quickly dismisses it. She can't afford to think like this. Jake will come back, because she will make sure he does.

The ringtone chimes again before either of them have a chance to say anything.

"I really have to go, now," Jake's broken voice whispers, breaking the silence, before trailing off again. It's clear in his eyes he doesn't want to go; he doesn't want to leave her either.

"I love you so, so much." Amy presses one last kiss to his lips. She needs to make sure he remembers that while he's away and she can't tell him every time she wants. "And, Jake? I'll be there when you come back. Whenever that is," she promises as she stares deep into his eyes, so that he can see she means it.

Her words make him smile. It's shy, a ghost of his usual grin, but it's still as sincere as it always has been. "I love you so, so much too," he repeats, echoing her words. It both warms up her heart and crushes it at the same time. She'll miss hearing him say that to her for sure.

Actually, there's a lot of things she's gonna miss about him.

"We'll see each other soon, I promise," Amy swears before he closes the door behind him and separates them from one another. Once alone, she doesn't move just yet, allowing for the tears to now fall freely down her cheeks. Jake's apartment suddenly seems colder and too quiet, without him in it.

(To think it might have become theirs, if he hadn't been forced to leave…)

(It will become theirs – unless they choose to move into hers, of course, although right now it doesn't really matter to her where they live as long as it's together – Amy reprimands herself. She'll fight with everything she has to bring Jake – and Holt – back home as soon as possible, just like she promised him.)