A/N: Thanks to all those who have read and reviewed :) This was one of my favorite stories to write, and I'm glad that you guys are enjoying it. Thanks again to my wonderful beta, and all remaining mistakes are mine alone ;P

Oh, and none of the characters belong to me. Obviously - have you seen who I ship?

Jess fought back tears as she moved down the hallway. She knew that she probably shouldn't be at work, but the alternative just seemed so much worse. Taking a deep breath, she kept walking, determined not to lose it in front of all these people.

When she reached Stella's office, Angell paused. She wasn't in the habit of opening up to people, and a part of her told her to turn around and walk away. But she needed a friend, and she knew that she could trust Stella. Making her decision, she knocked.

The older detective looked up and smiled. "Hey, Angell." When she saw the expression on Jess' face though, her smile faded. "What's wrong?"

"I was wondering…if we could talk."

"Of course."

Jess turned and shut the door firmly. When Stella raised her eyebrows, she shrugged and sat down, not meeting her eyes.

"It's private."

Stella set her pen down and leaned back in her chair. "Okay."

"I, uh…I screwed up last night."

The other woman's eyes narrowed. "Professionally?"

Angell shook her head. "No. I…I screwed up with a friend. Or a potential friend. Someone I don't wanna hurt."

"What happened?" Stella asked gently.

Jess stared down at the floor, playing with her fingers. "I got drunk. Really, really drunk. I'm not even sure which bar I was at. Anyway…I was dancing with some guys, and then…and then Adam showed up."

An eyebrow shot up again. "Adam Ross?"

"Yeah. And that's when…." She trailed off, so ashamed of her behavior that she wasn't sure she could admit it to someone else.

"Jess –"

"I tried to get him to sleep with me," she blurted out, her eyes squeezed shut. "I woke up in his bed this morning."

Stella's eyes widened. "Oh. So you two…?"

"No! No. He was a perfect gentlemen. He got me into a cab, and took me back to his place…I woke up fully clothed, and he was on the couch."

"Okay, so nothing bad happened. I'm sure if you just apologize –"

"I can't."

"Why not? Adam's a nice guy, Jess. He –"

"I practically had my hand down his pants, Stella."

Getting up, Stella walked around until she was in front of Jess, and sat on the edge of her desk.

"Jess, this isn't something you have to avoid. I know you're embarrassed, and that you'd rather not talk to him. But if you do that, it will never go away, and you two will never get past this. You've been becoming good friends lately…don't lose that because you got upset and got drunk." She paused for a moment. "Why did you get drunk? You're not usually a big drinker."

"I'm not ready to talk about that," she whispered, her head down.

Stella nodded. "Okay. I get that. Though you might want to think about opening up to Adam. It'll probably go a long way to explaining your behavior last night."

"Will he…do you think he'll forgive me?"

She gave her a small smile. "I do."

Wiping at her eyes, Jess stood up. "Thanks, Stella."

The older woman pulled her into a tight embrace. "Anytime, Jess. Remember that we're here, okay?"

She nodded. "I know."

Turning, she left the office on shaky legs. She still wanted to just ignore the problem, but she knew that that wasn't an option – she wasn't willing to lose Adam as her friend. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to move toward his office.

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She had planned on knocking. But as she stood in the doorway, Jess saw Adam standing behind his desk, bent over as he read through a file. She wondered how he could ever forgive her for the position she had put him in the night before and –

Her eyes narrowed as they locked on his neck. Just above his shirt collar was a dark purple bruise, and Angell was once again hit by waves of shame.

"Oh my God," she murmured. "I gave you a hickey?"

His head shot up at the sound of her voice, and for a minute he just stared at her. "Actually, you uh…you gave me a few."

Jess closed her eyes. "Oh God, Adam. I am so sorry."

"It's okay –"

"No, it's not." She put her hands over her eyes. "I had no right –"

Adam walked over until he stood right in front of her. Reaching up, he gently took a hold of her hands and pulled them away from her face.

"Jess?" he asked as he reached behind her and shut the door. "Talk to me."

She couldn't help the tears that built in her eyes, her skin warm where his thumbs were rubbing on her wrists.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He gave her a small smile. "It's okay," he said firmly. "I just…you know you can talk to me, right? Whatever's bothering you –"

"It's my brother," she blurted, tears falling down her face as she shook her head.

Adam's hands moved to cup her face, his thumbs brushing away her tears. "Talk to me, Jessie ," he murmured.

"He's dead."

With that, Jessica broke. Her shoulders shook as her sobs overcame her, and she didn't struggle when Adam pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly, running his hands up and down her back as she finally let go.