A/N: This one's pretty cute!

Warm, soft, and perfect.

That was all JJ registered when her eyes slowly opened the next morning.

She had no idea what time it was. The curtains were still drawn, the room shrouded in shadows as the sun peeked through the gap in the material. It was warm, her sleep shirt bunched up around her waist, the sheets soft against her skin. But as she fully woke up, she realised there was a different sort of weight settled over her, one that couldn't possibly be from the duvet.

Glancing down, she felt her heart give a little skip in her chest when she saw an arm slung over her stomach. Hesitantly, she turned her head to the side, the skip turning into a rhythmic drumming when her eyes landed on Will, half asleep beside her in bed.

"Hi," he breathed, looking at her through sleepy lashes, the sound of his morning voice instantly sending the age old flutter through her chest. "Fancy seein' you here"

Before she could control it, she let out a giggle, Will's face softening into a sleepy grin beside her. "Sorry, I… I couldn't sleep. I felt really unsettled, and I just thought… I thought I'd feel better if I was laying with you"

"It's ok," Will said softly. "I don't mind"

She stared at him for a moment, not entirely sure what to say. But as she concentrated on the way his hand was brushing against her skin, or the way his slow breathing was tickling her neck, she found herself leaning closer, her hand coming up to cup his cheek. Letting her instinct lead the way, she closed the gap, capturing his lips in a kiss that was entirely out of the blue.

Her mind was screaming, her heart pounding out of fear that as soon as Will's mind had the chance to catch up with his body, he would push her away. But no sooner had that thought crossed her mind, he had shifted, the hand on her stomach coming to grip her waist, his lips parting to allow her to deepen the kiss. It was soft… quiet… like for just that moment, they were the only two in the world. Neither of them yet had the words they needed to say to each other, but this one gesture, this one moment, that would be enough, at least for now, to help break down the barriers that had been built up between them. One of his hands came up to her cheek, his fingers gripping her jaw and holding her impossibly close, their bodies pressed tightly together as if they were two puzzle pieces, made to fit perfectly together. His stubble was tickling her lip, but still she stayed exactly where she was, breathing in his scent, savoring every single second.

Will was the first to pull away, looking down at JJ through sleepy lashes as they both tried to comprehend what exactly had just happened. Neither of them were quite sure what to do or say next. JJ hardly dared to move, her hand frozen against Will's cheek.

"Are we… are we ok?" she breathed, barely loud enough for Will to hear.

He hesitated, breathing deeply before he answered her. "We will be… I promise"

JJ nodded once, fighting back the sudden lump of emotion at his words. After all this time, that one simple word was enough to prove to her that an end was in sight. They weren't ok yet. But they would be. And it wouldn't matter if it wasn't perfect. As long as they kept working at it every single day.

They had spent most of the morning laying in bed, talking softly as they worked to completely knock down those emotional barriers. Eventually, the heat of the southern summer pushed them out of bed, and with stomachs growling, they had dressed and headed into the city for brunch.

"You really want beignets for brunch?" Will laughed as they approached Café du Monde. "I thought gymnasts were supposed to eat healthy"

"Only when I want to," JJ giggled, following him into the little café. While he headed to the counter, she chose a seat at a table overlooking the Mississippi River. The sun was shining down, bouncing off the surface of the water as the river gently ambled through its course. People of all ages and walks of life were milling about along the banks, enjoying the summer heat and sunshine the day had to offer.

"Three beignets for the lady," Will said, breaking her out of her thoughts as he approached the table, two little baskets bearing beignets clutched in his hands. She beamed, getting a smile from him in return as she pulled a basket towards her and lifted one of the doughy pillows to her mouth while Will took a seat in the chair adjacent to hers.

"Oh my god," she mumbled through her first mouthful. "I forgot how good these are"

Will chuckled, taking a bite of his own as he watched her devour the beignet. "Only downside to livin' in Pittsburgh… no easy access to beignets"

"I'd walk to New Orleans barefoot for these," JJ said with a grin. Will laughed, before lifting a hand and tapping his nose.

"You got a lil' sugar right here"

JJ brought a hand up, wiping at the area he was gesturing to. "Did I get it?"

"Naw, it's right…," Will started, reaching out towards her. A split second later, he broke into a cheeky grin, before swiping the tip of his finger across her cheek, leaving a trail of powdered sugar behind, "… there"

"Hey!" JJ exclaimed, making him laugh as she picked up a napkin and tried to wipe it off her face. She looked up at him as she did, unable to fight back her smile.

"You got another little bit," Will said softly, his demeanor suddenly changing as he leaned in a little closer. "Right here," he murmured, before gently pressing his lips to JJ's. JJ immediately relaxed into it, her body softening as he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. For a moment… just a moment… she could almost convince herself that everything was as it had been before.

"Wait," she breathed as she broke away. "Wait"

"What's wrong?" Will asked, pulling back enough that he could see her face.

"Y- I'm glad that you're not as angry with me anymore, but… I don't think anything has changed yet. You're still scared… and you have every right to be, but… I can't let myself get my hopes up with whatever happens while we're here, because I'm going to go home in a few days and you still don't know if you're ready to commit to leaving New Orleans again," JJ said softly.

Will let out a heavy sigh, keeping his arm around her shoulders as he leaned a little closer. "There's a lot goin' on in my head right now, I won't lie… but I'm not jerkin' you around Jayje, I promise. You and I work, we know we do. I just need… a lil' time. That's all I need"

"I know. I just… I've spent so long fighting through what felt like the worst part of my life… I just feel like I need to protect myself a little as well"

Will nodded, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her temple. "I know. I think we're both in similar positions right now. But we'll get there. We just can't rush anythin'"

They had barely walked out onto the back porch to join Will's mom in the summer sunshine upon arriving back at the LaMontagne home when a shriek sounded out from the yard.

"AUNT JJ!"

With a split second to register the voice belonging to Bailey-Rose, JJ turned, breaking into a huge grin as the rambunctious eight year old sprinted across the yard at breakneck speed.

"You're here, you're here, you're really here!" Bailey-Rose squealed, a flurry of arms and legs as she threw herself at JJ and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. "I missed you, I missed you!"

JJ laughed, giving the young girl a tight squeeze in return. "I missed you too B-Rose! How have you been?"

Turning towards his mom with a soft smile, Will hooked his hands into the pockets of his shorts, crossing the porch to take a seat beside her at the outdoor table. "Sam and Lisa busy for the day?"

"Appointments, shoppin', everythin'… B-Rose was drivin' your brother batty, so I told him to bring her here. I didn't tell her JJ was here," Janine said with a chuckle. "I thought she'd like that surprise"

They both looked over to where JJ was now kneeling in front of the young girl who was animatedly telling her about everything she had done on her summer holidays.

"I noticed JJ wasn't in the guest room this mornin'," Janine said with a knowing smile. "Didn't take a genius to figure out where she was"

Will chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah… it's… I don't know… I guess it's complicated. I love her, and we're talkin', and things are startin' to look up… but there's still a part of me that's scared that she's goin' to explode again at any moment… and part of me is still hangin' on to the hurt she caused me, and I don't know how to get past it"

Janine looked over Will's shoulder to where JJ and Bailey-Rose were still talking. "Somethin' tells me you don't have to worry about that my boy… JJ looks happier than I've seen her in a long time. I think she's makin' good progress at workin' through everythin' that's happened. Maybe you need to focus to "

"I still have the ring," Will said softly. "I can't picture givin' it to anyone else, but… I'm not ready to commit to that again"

Janine smiled, reaching out and squeezing Will's hand. "Take all the time you need my boy. There's absolutely no rush"

At the other end of the porch, JJ couldn't help but smile as she kneeled before Bailey-Rose, the younger girl gently twirling the ends of JJ's blonde hair between her fingers. "I actually wanted to apologise to you B-Rose"

"Why?" Bailey-Rose asked.

JJ took a deep breath. "Last time I saw you, I was really sad. And I wasn't very nice to everyone around me. I yelled and said some awful things, and I'm really sorry that you had to hear it. It wasn't very fair on you"

"It's ok," Bailey-Rose said, her face widening into a sweet smile. "Sometimes when I'm real upset, I get mad too. Daddy says it's 'cause I have big emotions that I don't know how to understand"

JJ nodded knowingly. "Even adults have big emotions too. I have them all the time. And I'm sorry that I took that out on you and your family"

Bailey-Rose giggled, leaning in and wrapping her arms around JJ's neck to give her a tight hug. "I just like that you're back"

JJ chuckled. "Me too, B-Rose. I missed you"

"I missed you more!"