Reid was sitting on the jet, head in his hands, knees bouncing up and down violently. The case they had just finished had been a hard one, and Reid could feel the anxiety rising within him. He could hear the others sitting down in front on him, a part of spending so much time with him colleagues was that he could recognise their steps. Rossi sat down first, a seat towards the window, Prentiss, and Morgan opposite him. He could hear Morgan pull out is headphones, the gentle tap of them being placed over his ears. Hotch sat on a seat across the plane but closer to Rossi than himself. He could not, however, hear where JJ had sat down, was she even on the plane? He paused for a moment his legs stilling, what if something happened to her? Surely the others would have noticed. Then, the quick, light footsteps could be heard on the floor of the jet, Spencer let out a shaky breath before his anxiety resumed at the level it was before. He heard JJ's steps getting closer and closer before she settled down in the seat next to him at the back of the jet. They were a couple of seats behind the others and the silence was both calming and anxiety rising. He felt the plane leave the ground and then they were in the sky, he could hear everyone pull out their activities for the ride back and he heard Aaron move, probably in an attempt to get some sleep. JJ, however, didn't grab anything from her bag. Nor did she say anything. The silence was deafening but he ignored it. He tried to take a couple of deep breathes, but they came out harsh and short. Struggling with his breathing only made his anxiety rise, he squeezed his eyes shut tightly and tried not to let the tears that were pricking in them, fall. A couple more painful breathes and then his body began to shake,

"Spence." JJ's voice was soft, unthreatening. Part of him wanted to lean towards her and the other didn't want to be touched at all. He couldn't bring himself to respond, he just let out a soft whimper and tucked his head down further towards his knees. "Spence, I need you to sit up and take some nice deep breathes for me hon, can you do that for me?" She spoke again, her voice just as soft as before. Reid thought for a moment and then shook his head, he couldn't, he couldn't sit up and let her see the tears in his eyes, the pain and anxiety on his face. "Sweetheart, your breathing is only going to get worse if you sit in this position, please sit up for me." Reid contemplated her words for another moment before slowly sitting up. He turned slowly to meet her eyes, he was worried that he would see judgment in them, but he only saw love and concern. Classic JJ, full of empathy. He didn't know why he had expected anything else.

"J-J" Reid's voice was cracked and wobbly. He too another sharp breath, that sprung the blonde woman into the action,

"Deep breathes for me now hon, nice deep breathes." She started to mime the breathes for him to copy. He did his best to follow along, tears beginning to spill out as he went along. He glanced forward anxiously, but to his relief, no one seemed to realise what was happening, or they were ignoring it and giving him room, either way he was grateful,

"Hey, hey focus on me," the blonde's voice drew him back to focusing on his breathing. He continued to follow her breathing till he finally had some control again. "Are you feeling better now sweetheart?" JJ spoke softly. He nodded and watched as she raised one eyebrow, he quickly re-thought and shook his head. JJ was just about to ask if she could help in any way when Spencer leaned into her side. It was incredibly unusual for Reid to initiate physical contact with anyone, even Morgan who he was arguably closest to. After just a moments hesitation, she lifted up her arm and brought it around his side. She watched with soft eyes, as he cuddled closer to her, getting himself comfortable. There was complete silence on the jet for a moment, then JJ's voice broke the silence again, "That was a hard case huh?" Reid nodded. "A few to many close calls." He nodded again,

"I- I thought I was going to die…" He trailed off, stuttering over his words.

"Hmm,"

"Again," he let out a small laugh as he said this. A small smile appeared on the blonde's face,

"We need to have surveillance on you at all times," JJ only half joked.

"Yeah." Reid yawned,

"Are you tired hon?"

"A little," the man confessed,

"Do you want to try and get some rest?" JJ asked gently, bringing up a hand to run soothingly through his hair.

"Every time, I close my eyes, I see…" He didn't finish his sentence, but JJ understood.

"I'm not going to leave you honey, just try and get some rest, you might feel better."

"Alright, just… just please don't go,"

"I won't, I promise." JJ told him. Reid nodded and let his eyes fall closed. JJ continued to run a hand through his hair, with his head tucked up against her chest. It took a while but eventually Spencer fell asleep, and for once it was a peaceful rest.

And when the jet landed and he woke up, JJ had kept her promise.