Work Text:
It hits him hard, this case. The ones with children really do, but for some reason this one is worse. He supposes it's because a little girl was murdered, one with vibrant blue eyes and a shock of strawberry blond hair. She was barely seven before her life was cut short by the horror of this world.
He holds a picture in his hands, one given to them by her parents, taken from her first school picture day. She's smiling, showing a missing front tooth and a dimple in her left cheek. His heart clenches, yearning to find the killer, the horrible person who dared to take the life of an innocent. He desperately wants to solve this case and bring the little girl to justice.
She watches him staring at the murder board. He's barely moved, even when she sent the boys home over an hour ago. A quick flick of her watch shows it's just gone midnight. She fights back a yawn, stirring sugar into her coffee cup. She grabs his, and steps back into the bullpen.
She steps up beside him, setting the cup on the desk softly. He doesn't flinch, too intent on finding a clue, something to push the case forward. She bumps his shoulder, bringing him back to the present. He blinks up at her, his eyes entirely too wide. She wants to coax him into coming home, but doesn't. Instead she sits beside him, hip and shoulder touching, eyes roaming over the board.
There's something inside him that knows they're not going to get much further tonight, but he still has hope. And he's forever grateful for the woman beside him, his partner in every aspect of his life. It's moments like these that he falls in love with her just a little bit more.