Street was a bit fidgety as he stood in the crowded airport. Maggie's flight had been scheduled to land around ten, and the officer was insistent on picking her up.

He had brought his truck, figuring it would be more practical than the Ducati. He was going to let Maggie drive it while she was in town anyway. There was no sense in her having to rent a vehicle, and it was the least Street could do after she had so graciously made the trip down.

JJ was still asleep when he left, but he wrote a note for her telling where he had went. The drive from their apartment to Dulles International was about an hour, so with the round trip, Street wasn't all that thrilled about leaving JJ by herself for that long, but he figured he had been suffocating enough.

Street had only been standing for a few minutes when he caught sight of Maggie. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she had a go-bag slung over her shoulder. As she made her way over to Street, she gave him a warm smile. "Hey, Street."

"Hey, Maggie." It was easy to return the smile because she instantly put him at ease. He thought it was kind of funny how someone he had only been around once before in person could be such a comforting presence, but that's just how Maggie was… and he was grateful. He reached forward for a hug and she quickly returned it. The human contact felt good after being deprived of it for so long.

As he had his arms wrapped around her, his hand brushed up against something solid at the small of her back, and Street chuckled a bit.

He felt her shrug in his arms. "What can I say? I never consider myself off duty." She squeezed him a bit tighter.

"How was the flight?" He finally pulled away and started leading the way towards the exit. He offered to carry her bag, but she waved him off.

"Uneventful, thankfully. Thank you for picking me up."

"Yeah, of course. Like I texted you earlier, you can drive my truck while you're here."

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all. I usually always take my bike anyway, and there's JJ's truck too." They made it out to the truck. It was a 2004 Ford Ranger, one he had bought off of Luca earlier in the year. "It's got some years on it, but there's nothing wrong with it."

Maggie smiled at him from over the hood. "Looks good to me, I appreciate it." She tossed her bag in the backseat.

Once they were settled inside, Street turned to face her. "It's the least I can do, seriously. Thank you, Maggie. You have no idea how much you coming here means."

"Of course. If I'd known, I would've been here sooner. How are you, Street?"

He met her gaze, but only briefly as the intensity in her chocolate orbs was a bit overwhelming. "Hanging in there, I guess. It's been… a hell of a month."

"How are you feeling about going back to work?"

He fired up the engine, checking the rearview before backing out of the parking space. "Honestly, I need it. I've been hesitant about leaving JJ, and I've been feeling guilty about it… but I have to get out of that apartment. I can't keep doing what we've been doing, I need to get back into the frenzy of 20-Squad."

She nodded and from what Street had heard about her past, he was pretty sure she understood a bit where he was coming from. "I get that, and you shouldn't have to feel guilty about it, Street. Having a routine may help you to cope."

"I just… I'm glad you're going to be here with JJ. She doesn't want to admit it, but she's still not one-hundred percent physically, and that's on top of everything else. She won't talk to me, she won't let me help her with anything. Last night was the first conversation we've really had since the hospital, but even that turned into a screaming match." He sighed thinking about the direction last night took, but at the same time, he was appreciative that he had someone to vent to right now.

"Is she okay with me being here?"

"Yeah, I really think she is. It's just hard for her to admit that she needs help… so if she gets defensive or closed off, please don't take it personally. Truthfully, she's been avoiding most human interaction ever since coming home. She refuses to see the teams, she won't even answer any phone calls. Hotch is the only one that's actually managed to get her to talk. Chris, my friend from work, seems to think that she's avoiding everybody from her team or mine because we were so deeply connected to everything that happened that night, and that for her, it's just a constant reminder."

He glanced over at Maggie a few times before keeping his gaze focused on the road. "I'm hoping maybe she'll be more inclined to open up to you."

"Well, your friend's theory makes sense. Maybe since I wasn't there that night, it'll be a little easier for her. I don't know, but I'll try my best."

"Thank you. Listen, are you sure that stepping away from work isn't causing any issues for you?"

She smiled at him. "Street, I told you, it's fine."

"Okay. How has it been?"

"Uh, it's been okay. I just got off of an undercover assignment last week."

"Oh yeah? How long were you gone?" This felt like safe territory. It had been a while since he had talked to anyone about anything other than that night, so it was a nice change.

"Three months actually…"

…

Forty-five minutes later, the duo pulled into Street's usual parking spot at the apartment. As Maggie was grabbing her bag, he said, "JJ was asleep when I left, so she may still be. She had a rough night. I heard her awake a lot, so I didn't want to bother her this morning."

Maggie's eyes were dark with worry, and Street appreciated the fact that she cared so much. "Has she been getting enough sleep?"

"She sleeps a good bit during the day because nights are usually pretty rough on her. She has a lot of nightmares and she's just restless."

They kept their voices low as they entered the apartment, and just as Street assumed, JJ was still sleeping. He carefully opened the bedroom door. She was curled up on her side, features grim even in sleep.

He stepped farther into the room, unable to resist the urge of going to her and pressing a gentle kiss on her head. "I love you, Jay," he whispered the words before retracing his steps back into the hallway. She never even stirred.

He noted the time and returned to Maggie in the living room. "Okay, I'm going to have to leave shortly. There's not a whole lot in the fridge, but I ordered groceries and they'll be delivered later today. Help yourself to whatever is in there. I wasn't sure what you like, so I just ordered a variety of things. JJ is starting to eat a little more, but it's still a challenge getting her to sometimes. "

He motioned for her to follow him towards the back room that was their office/guest room. "It's not much. The bed is a pull-out, there's a bunch of office stuff in here, but as you can see, we don't have many other options. I'm sorry."

Maggie waved off his apology. "Don't worry about it. This is perfectly fine."

He hated that Maggie's space would be so cramped but their apartment was small, with only two bedrooms. The second one was what would have been converted into their nursery, so some files and other materials had already been boxed up.

Street moved them into the closet so they wouldn't be in the way for Maggie. The last time she had been in Quantico, she stayed at the hotel since she was technically on official business, but this time Street wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for her. "Here's some fresh sheets for you, and there's clean towels in the bathroom right across the hall… um…" He was racking his brain trying to make sure he had gotten everything ready that she would need.

"Street, relax, I'm good." She gave him a warm smile.

"Okay, well if there's anything you need while you're here, just let me know." They went back into the living room, Street not wanting to stay in that room for too long. It was too heavy a subject. "Oh, before I forget, here's the keys to the truck." He fished them out of his pocket and handed them to her.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you. Seriously though, if you guys need anything, just give me a call." He grabbed his jacket and back pack and started for the door. "You have my cell phone number, and I wrote my commander's number on the paper on the counter."

"Street, " Maggie followed him to the door, "I know you're worried, but we're going to be fine. I've got her. You just go and be safe."

He paused long enough to convey his sincerity. "I will, and I know. I trust you. Thank you." He gave her another brief hug before jogging the short distance to his Ducati.

…

Maggie smiled softly as she read the text from her partner, OA.

'You've got to stop leaving me… I'm stuck doing all of your paperwork. Seriously though, I miss you. Be safe and I hope things get better for JJ and Street.'

It was hard not to miss him whenever she was so far away, even if it had only been about five hours since she had last seen him. She shook her head as she replied, figuring it was probably best not to decipher what that meant. 'Miss you too. I'll make it up to you, promise… but you better be safe too.'

She had just laid her phone down when a noise from the hallway made her look up. It was JJ, and though Street had warned Maggie, she was still surprised by the sight that met her. The blonde had lost weight, her clothes hanging loosely on her body, and she was covered in bruises that had yet to completely fade… but what really bothered her was her eyes.

JJ had always had bright and joyful eyes that could mesmerize nearly everyone, usually the first thing to notice about her, now they were noticeable for a completely different reason… now, they were dull and haunted, a reflection of the agony she had no doubt experienced.

Maggie stood up, her friend's name rolling off her lips in a whisper as they locked eyes. She carefully crossed the room, not wanting to startle her with her movements. "Oh, sweetie.." Once she was close enough, she silently asked permission to hug her.

JJ nodded and Maggie wrapped her arms around her small frame. Much to her surprise, JJ quickly returned the embrace and she felt her heave a sigh.

Maggie squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her own tears forming. "I've got you."