A/N: It's HAPPENING!

They filed onto the plane, making their way down the furthest of the two aisles to find their seats. Will was the first to stop, pausing at row 25 and glancing up at the seat marker.

"This is me. Where are you sittin'?" he asked softly as he shuffled into the seat space and out of the aisle.

"Row 38. Right down the back," JJ said with a small smile. "It's ok. I'll find you when we get off"

With a reassuring nod towards him, she continued on down the aisle until she reached the third to last row. Without too much effort, she swung herself into the window seat, stuffing her backpack under the seat in front of her. Once she was settled, she allowed her head to rest against the glass of the window, her eyes watching the movements of the ground workers below. She barely noticed when her seatmate dropped in beside her, exchanging little more than a smile as the older woman got situated beside her.

As they waited for the last few stragglers to board, JJ had almost tuned out the sounds around her, until she heard Will's voice barely feet away from her. Turning her head, she watched as he approached the lady seated beside her.

"Excuse me, I hate to ask, but I was wonderin' if you wouldn't mind swappin' seats with me? I'm sittin' in 25F, but I'd really like to sit with my girlfriend for the flight"

JJ's heart leapt in her chest as the words left his lips. Girlfriend. He'd called her his girlfriend. Surely that meant... if he hadn't wanted to affirm the way they were heading once more, he would have just referred to her as a friend. But instead, he'd chosen girlfriend.

"Of course darlin'," the woman crooned in a sweet Southern voice. "Not a problem at all"

Overwhelmed once more with emotion, JJ turned towards the window as the lady got up from the seat. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and willing herself not to cry out of sheer joy and relief. The last couple of days had been an overwhelming onslaught of emotion and she was finding it difficult to keep it together as she worked to process everything that was happening.

The seat assembly shifted slightly as Will took his seat beside her. JJ swallowed hard, fighting back the tears as she turned her face and gave him a small smile. He said nothing, but the smile, he returned, before lifting his hand and closing it around hers. Her heart seemed to beat a million times faster, thumping away against her ribcage as she relished in the warmth the small gesture had provided for her.

They sat like that all through the safety demonstration, sitting in comfortable silence as the plane made its way out to the runway. Before too long, they were roaring into the sky, New Orleans just a few hours ahead of them. As they climbed higher and higher, Will's hand remained around hers, his thumb gently stroking back and forth along the side her hand. Comforted and relaxed by the gesture, JJ slowly tipped her head to the side until it was resting against Will's shoulder. He never shied away, instead allowing his head to relax over until they were sat together, heads bowed into each other, an external picture of love despite everything that was happening internally.

Will lifted his hand, ever so gently grazing his fingers down along JJ's wrist. She watched as he turned her hand over, dragging his fingertips down to the scar that lined the inside of her wrist.

"You scared me the day you did this," he breathed, just loud enough for her to hear. "I thought I was going to lose you"

Her eyes burned at his words, but all she could do was bring her other hand to rest on his forearm. Without words, it was enough to tell him all he needed to know.

Sunset orange glowed across the sky when the two of them knocked on the door of Will's parents' house near the end of the day. There was a flurry on the other side, before the heavy wooden door was swung open to reveal Janine.

"Billy! How was your weekend with Matt?" she said happily, a split second before her eyes landed on her son's blonde companion. "Oh my god... JJ, I wasn't expectin' you, I-"

"It's ok if JJ stays for a few days, right?" Will asked.

"Of course!" Janine said warmly, stepping back to allow the young couple into the house. As JJ passed her, she reached out and swept the younger woman into a warm hug, unabashedly opening her heart and her home to her again in spite of everything that had happened. "How are you doin'? We've missed you around here"

"I'm doing ok," JJ said with a smile, relaxing into Janine's embrace and taking in all the warmth she had to offer.

Night drew upon them, and JJ was surprised at how easily she had fallen back into the groove of being with Will and his family. After a filling meal and a shower, she had crawled into the bed in the guest room that Janine had made up for her, intending to get some well deserved rest.

But what felt like hours later, she was still tossing and turning, unable to settle, unable to get comfortable. Around her, the room was dark, the Louisiana summer heat stifling her in the embrace of the big old house. She felt alone... out of joint. She had slept in many different places all over the world without a problem. But now, in Will's old house without him by her side, that was enough to have her unsettled.

Throwing the covers back, she pulled herself out of the bed, quietly padding across the room and out into the hallway. She felt her way across the hall in the dark, silently turning the handle to Will's room and slipping inside.

He was passed out on his back when she came in, the sheet bunched around his waist, his bare chest on full display. As she sleepily took in his peaceful face, she realised just how much she had missed him. And not even the big things... it was the small things like this she had missed most of all.

Carefully so she didn't wake him, she slid onto the bed beside him, curling up on her side with her face towards him, close enough to touch him, but maintaining distance just the same. Finally feeling somewhat comfortable, she allowed her eyes to close.

And then, in the darkness, Will shifted beside her. She listened as he rustled around, only for her heart to leap into her throat when his arm came to rest over her side, his fingers lightly gripping her back and pulling her a little closer to him. She flicked her eyes open, her tired eyes landing on his.

Neither of them spoke. Neither of them needed to.

They lay there, perfectly content in their own little bubble. Sleep began to pull her back under, the feeling of love and warmth slowly begging her back into her dreams.

As she began to drift off, she could swear she felt Will's lips brush the skin of her forehead.