deep end, cm [ 1 ]

084. missing them

It had been five months since Jessica had seen Spencer. After changing her phone number and doing her best to just completely forget about him and the rest of the team, her life has become fairly boring.

She wakes up, goes to work, comes home, spends time with Crookshanks, goes to bed, and repeat. Therapy is reserved for Thursdays. Once a week she'll go out to a bar and sometimes go home with somebody else for the night. If she wakes up first she just sneaks out, but if they're awake first she uses the excuse of being late for work so she can get away without too much pressure. She knows the last thing she needs right now is an actual meaningful relationship.

Jessica sits at her desk, doing a few last things before she's able to go home for the day.

"Hey." She looks up as one of her co-workers, Jackson, walks up.

"Hi." She offers him a polite smile.

"So, uh, are you... are you doing anything this weekend?" He asks.

"Um... I-I usually just stay home and cuddle with my cat." Jessica says.

"Oh. Yeah, cool, cool." Jackson nods. "Well, uh... would you... would you be interested in doing anything else this weekend?"

"What do you mean?" Jessica asks.

"I, uh... would you like to go out with me?" Jackson asks. "For dinner, maybe? Or-- or a movie?"

"Oh." Jessica winces.

"And that's a no. Okay." Jackson mutters.

"I-I'm sorry. I just..." Jessica sighs. "I kind of made this rule where I don't date my co-workers. I did that once and it... it didn't turn out well."

"Got it." Jackson says. "Well, um... if you ever decide to break the rule, you know where to find me." He walks away.

"Doubt it, but thank you." Jessica whispers to herself.

+++

The team are on the jet, heading to L.A. for a case.

"Okay, thanks." JJ hangs her phone up. "Uh, so they've already set up a task force in Los Angeles."

"This isn't their first serial case." Rossi says.

"You remember Detective Owen Kim?" JJ asks Spencer, Derek, and Hotch.

"From the stalker case." Hotch says.

"Yeah, you remember that case, don't you, Spence?" JJ teases.

"I do remember that case." Spencer says, pursing his lips and nodding, knowing where this is going.

"Yeah, uh, you ever talk to, um, Lila anymore?" JJ asks.

"You know, I think we should probably focus on this case right now. It's a little more pertinent." Spencer says. While he does think of Lila, his mind can't help but to drift to Jessica. She had seemed off for most of the case and he hadn't realized until years later it was because she was jealous. His chest tightens the longer he focuses on the brunette.

"All right, so tell us about blood suckers, Reid." Derek says, Spencer thankful for the change of subject.

+++

Jessica is cleaning up her place, having avoided the responsibility for a little too long.

She hangs some of her shirts up, stopping when she comes across a hoodie she forgot she packed. She takes the hoodie out, staring at the gray material. Jessica quietly sighs, remembering the few times Spencer had warn it before he just ended up giving it to her since she always stole it. He barely wore it anyway.