A/N: This one's quite emotional

Outside, a cool sea breeze was rustling through the fronds of the nearby palm trees. The glass door was open, allowing the salty air into the room, carrying the sounds of the waves rolling onto the beach a short distance away.

After what had felt like a whirlwind of post-Olympic opportunities, they had finally escaped it all. Back to island paradise, where JJ felt like she could truly breathe once more. But just like last time, the emotion of what she was attempting to leave behind in Pittsburgh had seemingly travelled in her suitcase, and now, in the quiet calm of the night, she felt even more overwhelmed than before.

Flat on her back, her T-shirt bunched up around her ribs, she tried to take long, slow breaths in an effort to keep herself grounded. Will was cuddled up against her side, his nose buried in her hair, his breath gently tickling her neck. His arm was slung over her body, the tips of his fingers dancing lightly across her hipbone, tracing the same patterns over and over again. But despite the intimate touches, the feeling of closeness with her fiancé, JJ's mind was running a million miles an hour.

A year ago, they had been here. Her dad had been sick, but he was in treatment. He was fighting, he would survive... everyone was happy. She had felt carefree, relaxed; for once in her life, she had felt like a normal human being.

Now, she just felt lost. Even when she was smiling, focusing on enjoying what she was doing, the black cloud inside her threatened to billow out and swallow her whole.

Hot tears began to spill down her pale cheeks, too quickly for her to even realise what was happening. Before she had a chance to scramble for her composure, Will lifted his head, having noticed the sudden change in the rhythm of her breathing.

"Don't, don't," JJ said tearfully, hastily waving her hand towards him as she brought her other hand up to wipe away her tears. "I'm fine"

Wordlessly, Will propped himself up on his elbow, keeping the hand on her hip resting protectively over her body. JJ sniffed, trying to regain control of her emotions, her eyes remaining resolutely drawn to the night sky where the stars were shimmering at them through the open curtains.

"You don't need to be ashamed of what you feel," Will said softly, bringing a hand up to carefully brush her hair back from her face. "You've had... a rollercoaster of a year. No-one is gonna judge you if you have to lose it every once in a while"

"I'm supposed to be fine," JJ spat, the tears increasing out of frustration as she spoke.

"You're not supposed to be anythin'," Will rebutted. "You're grievin', Jayje... you're allowed to be upset"

Taking a shaky breath, JJ brought her hands up, wiping her eyes with an air of defiance. As she brought her hands back down, Will caught one of them in his, enclosing it in the warmth of his own. He lifted it towards him, capturing JJ's attention when he pressed his lips to her knuckles. She watched, a sense of calm washing over her when he gently unfolded her fingers from their loose fist, bringing each of the tips of her fingers to his lips in turn. It was a soft touch, but the message was clear.

"I love you," JJ breathed through a last wave of tears, bringing her other hand up to tousle through his dark brown waves. "I don't think I would still be here if it wasn't for you"

The soft words were enough to make Will feel like a rock had dropped into his stomach. He smiled at her sadly, gently wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "Now that's not true... you're such a strong person... you've fought through so much. I can't take credit for your strength, and your ability to fight"

"But you keep me grounded," JJ pushed softly. "You make me feel like I always have a safe place to fall... even when my world feels like it's falling apart, you're the rock in the centre that keeps me together"

Will chuckled, ducking his head momentarily. "You're gonna give me an inflated ego"

JJ managed a watery laugh, patting his cheek. "You already have one"

He grinned, laying back down and tucking his face into the crook of her neck. She closed her eyes, drawing in a long breath as she relished the feeling of comfort that came from the weight of his body pressed up against hers. She felt him shifting around beside her, and then his lips pressed to her temple.

"Get some sleep beautiful. Tomorrow we'll tackle a new day"

When she cracked her eyes open before the sun had even risen, it was after a fitful night of sleep. The sky was a deep pink, tinges of orange starting to peek above the horizon in the distance.

Knowing she wasn't going to be going back to sleep, she carefully disentangled herself from the sheets, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She paused for a moment, gripping the edge of the mattress as she gazed out at the early morning sky before her.

"Why are you awake?" came Will's sleepy groan from behind her. Biting back a smile, she looked over her shoulder, giggling as he buried his face in his pillow.

"You were snoring," she lied, laughing when he managed to feign shock through his sleepy state. "Like a freight train. The hotel called to make sure we weren't jackhammering the bathroom"

"You're a cheeky little smartass," Will shot back, pushing himself up. JJ laughed, turning back to face the balcony. The mattress shifted behind her, and then Will's arms were wrapped around her, his face nuzzling into the crook of her neck. "You smell so good babe"

JJ sighed, leaning back into his hold as he started to gently press his lips to the spot beneath her ear that never failed to turn her on. It was early, and she was tired, but in the sleepy half-light of the morning, she wanted uninterrupted time with Will. After her emotional outpouring the previous evening, she wanted to be completely distracted... and she knew no-one knew better how to do that than Will.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" Will murmured against her skin, his tongue dragging lightly up the side of her neck until he nipped her earlobe gently with his teeth. "I know I tell you all the time... but I don't think you actually see it. Every inch of you is just perfect"

His hands came to the hem of the T-shirt she was wearing, and without hesitation, he tugged it up her body and over her head, leaving her bare save for her underwear. He pressed his back to hers, their skin still warm from being beneath the covers, his arms wrapped protectively around her body. One of his hands came to her breasts, gently cupping one of them and rolling over her nipple with his thumb.

"You're perfect... inside and out," Will breathed. He surprised JJ by lifting her back from the edge of the bed. Guiding her with his hands, he turned her around, tugging her towards him until she was sitting in his lap, her legs wrapped loosely around his waist. Even with her almost naked body right there in front of him, his eyes never left hers, gazing up at her with so much love that she felt as though she might burst. "Do you remember the second time we slept together?"

Swallowing hard, JJ nodded, her hands cupping his face as they sat there, frozen, shrouded in the gentle light of the morning.

"I still couldn't believe it," Will said, chuckling softly. "I was so in love with my best friend... and then we'd ended up losing our virginity together, and... it wasn't perfect, but it was special. And the next morning... we ended up just like this... and I don't think either of us were scared, or nervous. I think we just knew that what we had was right... and it still is"

His words threatened to bring forth more of the tears she had shed the night before, but she forced them away, instead leaning in and capturing his lips in a deep kiss.

As time wore on and the first rays of the sun began to peek above the horizon, they worked their way down until they were complete skin on skin. Locked together in the middle of the bed, it was hard to tell where one finished and the other began. It was slow, but needy, both of them rocking against each other, edging each other closer and closer to the release they were seeking.

Overwhelmed beyond words, her heart equally divided between unshed grief and captivating love, JJ couldn't even fight it when the tears began to fall. She clutched at Will, tucking her face into the crook of his neck, her hips continuing to roll against his. Words weren't needed, for Will, understanding completely what she needed, simply tightened his embrace around her, providing her with the comfort and security he knew she was longing for so badly.

When they fell over the edge, JJ's entire body went slack, but her shoulders continued to shake with the quiet tears rolling down her cheeks. There was no fuss from Will. He simply held her.

"I just want to feel like me again," were the words that JJ whispered nearly ten minutes later.

Will had no response. Because for as much as he wanted to, he just didn't know what it was that she needed. He would support her, love her, and comfort her through whatever came at them. And all he could hope for was that that would be enough.